Does park hopping really wipe you out?

[chelseabun76]

The thing giving me the most pause is FOP at 3:25 in AK, and a BOG ADR at 6:15 in MK, for Wednesday which is the ONLY non party night of our stay. The night before we will be doing the party which wasn't originally factored into my plans. So Tuesday night - late night; Wednesday AK ending with FOP around 3:30; dinner at MK and maybe staying for fireworks. In my mind i'm also thinking AK = exhausting. Everything is so spread out. And will FOP make us nauseous and not able to enjoy the BOG dinner? I wouldn't be as concerned if I could have gotten FOP for just a little earlier in the day so we'd have time to reset before dinner. Or maybe I should have put DHS on Wednesday which I think is less exhausting, right? But it's too late to switch now.

That actually doesn't sound bad at all. You should have plenty of time to hop over and it's not like you are going just for the adr, you want to stay for the fireworks as well... I'm doing that one night that we are there to be able to watch the fireworks on a non-party night!

 

[LadyDiznee123]

I can't do Disney without Park-Hopping.
But I (and I'm sure many others) don't use it to jump back and forth in one day. I am a planner. I may go from MK to EPCOT but it's planned, and there is usually no reason for me to go to another park again, unless perhaps for an ADR - in which case, my planning still works. If it's planned, I know what time I should be leaving the park to give myself time to get to my destination. So this doesn't wear one out, if it's planned. I think it can get crazy if you rush willy-nilly without a real plan. But I could be wrong - it may work for others that way.
This coming trip is on only a 5 day-er, in which case all but two of those days are split park days - due to limited time. But I'm looking forward to it. My arrival day is strictly at HS, and one other day is strictly dedicated to MK. But I am park hopping on the other three days between EPCOT, AK, and HS. If I plan something, and for some reason miss it, I love knowing that I have a park hopper to resume as planned... or even to change a plan. It's all a matter of preference. I can't do without a hopper, but I know that a hopper might not make sense for the way others tour. It does the opposite of wearing me out... it keeps me on touring course and maximizes my enjoyment!

 

[sscamarogirl2000]

We have never park hopped before but we are trying it this next trip!!!!!

 

[FCDub]

As with anything, it's entirely subjective. It depends how much you want to do, in what time, and how fast.

 

[tlmadden73]

I look at it this way.

Park hopping costs time. Without the special park-hopping buses they tested back in 2017, it takes a long time (probably 60-90 minutes minimum) to:
1) walk to park exit
2) walk to transportation
3) wait for transportation
4) ride transportation to next park
5) walk to park entrance
6) Go through security
7) Walk up the "main street" of the park to get to your next attraction/dining experience.

It can be relaxing if you don't care about time. It can be relaxing if you are solo or with just one other adult.
It is not very relaxing with children (especially small ones).

I've done it, but last time I did it with that special hopper bus (we were picked up and dropped off INSIDE the park). We were on a short trip and wanted to hit two parks in one day (since not much to do at DHS).

I just don't see the point of it UNLESS you are "done" for the day at one park and want to do something else. There is plenty to do in each park for an entire day.
That being said .. it's fun for a Disney veteran that are just there to experience stuff and don't care about being efficient with your time (you just like "being" there).

I try not to plan it .. as it can be NOT relaxing to try and meet timelines (FPs times or ADRs)

 

[tex1989]

As with anything, it's entirely subjective. It depends how much you want to do, in what time, and how fast.

Totally agree with this statement as it sounds like something I would say. For the wife and I it is actually the oposite of wiping us out but rather relaxes us and gives us more energy. We plan our days and get our FP+'s at each park in advance along with our ADR's. But once the FP+'s are done we decide to either stay where we are because FP+'s are open or ditch it and head somewhere else. We use MDE to see what is going on in the other parks and then take off. We never rent a car so it's off to the bus! Mid day hops usually mean less crowds on the busses which means a seat in the a/c. We don't rush and mid day security lines are not as bad so we get through those pretty quickly. Then of course depending on the time of year we almost always wind up at Epcot in the evening for adult beverages and a lot of nights dinner. We then head out of Epcot right before Illuminations for a less crowded bus back to the resort.

But that's us! We have park hopped since back before they even charged extra for it and when they did start charging we happily paid it. These days it's not an issue cause we got AP's and they come with it.

But again you know you better than anyone else and you have to decide. But for us two older people we could never imagine going to WDW without it.

 

[SG131]

That actually doesn't sound bad at all. You should have plenty of time to hop over and it's not like you are going just for the adr, you want to stay for the fireworks as well... I'm doing that one night that we are there to be able to watch the fireworks on a non-party night!

I agree, that doesn’t seem like a stressful one. You’ve got a decent amount of time in between and the buses for the mk resorts aren’t too far back. You can wait and see what comes first and then hop on the monorail from that resort or even walk from contemporary. Or if you feel like it’s stressing you out too much then just Uber. It’s going to be hard to move around either of those things so i wouldn’t worry and go with it. You got two pretty hard to get reservations and it’s worth not having to wait in an hour plus line!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I look at it this way.

Park hopping costs time. Without the special park-hopping buses they tested back in 2017, it takes a long time (probably 60-90 minutes minimum) to:
1) walk to park exit
2) walk to transportation
3) wait for transportation
4) ride transportation to next park
5) walk to park entrance
6) Go through security
7) Walk up the "main street" of the park to get to your next attraction/dining experience.

It can be relaxing if you don't care about time. It can be relaxing if you are solo or with just one other adult.
It is not very relaxing with children (especially small ones).

I've done it, but last time I did it with that special hopper bus (we were picked up and dropped off INSIDE the park). We were on a short trip and wanted to hit two parks in one day (since not much to do at DHS).

I just don't see the point of it UNLESS you are "done" for the day at one park and want to do something else. There is plenty to do in each park for an entire day.
That being said .. it's fun for a Disney veteran that are just there to experience stuff and don't care about being efficient with your time (you just like "being" there).

I try not to plan it .. as it can be NOT relaxing to try and meet timelines (FPs times or ADRs)

For us it works because we take midday breaks by the pool anyway so we just go to another park around 5 pm. Usually with FP+ in hand. It works really well for our group because we aren't RD to close people. We also don't go a lot. Maybe every 3 years or so.

 

[scard192]

Our trip is November 11-19 (12-18 park days). So the heat won't be an issue, but in the past we have done RD to lunch, afternoon break, then dinner and evening rides. Now the kids are older and we are planning some later nights and getting a later start. It's the ADRs in a different park that I'm concerned about, and that's really what I need to decide ahead of time.

we always get park hoppers because we travel in the Fall and the Parties close MK 4 days/weeks so we need them.
We were at WDW the same week you are going in 2016. First trip where we did not go back to the resort for a grandchild to nap and managed fine. We always RD and everyone one seemed to have plenty of energy at the end of the day including this over 60 year old Grandma.

did not miss the mid day breaks but REALLY missed a stroller as we used to put bottles of water, snacks, portable phone chargers, hand sanitizer in it.

 

[SaintsManiac]

We switch parks after a rest, so we don't technically park hop I guess. We'll be doing it next summer, since we are booked offsite and will have a car. I'm hoping it goes well lol.

 

[buzznina]

We have AP's and use to hop more in the past, but now we only hop once in a while. We rarely do RD and like to stay til park close, so we do not take breaks and find the time it takes to leave a park and go to the next one is to long. When we do hop, it's mainly when MK has late EMH and we may head there. We definitely do not find it more exhausting staying at one park, because we know we do not have to worry about leaving and getting transportation to another park and can take our time.

 

[Spunky946]

The thing giving me the most pause is FOP at 3:25 in AK, and a BOG ADR at 6:15 in MK, for Wednesday which is the ONLY non party night of our stay. The night before we will be doing the party which wasn't originally factored into my plans. So Tuesday night - late night; Wednesday AK ending with FOP around 3:30; dinner at MK and maybe staying for fireworks. In my mind i'm also thinking AK = exhausting. Everything is so spread out. And will FOP make us nauseous and not able to enjoy the BOG dinner? I wouldn't be as concerned if I could have gotten FOP for just a little earlier in the day so we'd have time to reset before dinner. Or maybe I should have put DHS on Wednesday which I think is less exhausting, right? But it's too late to switch now.

Well you could sleep in Wednesday morning and go later to animal kingdom. You have plenty of time in between both. I’d ride it at the very beginning of your fast pass window. You should have plenty of time to rest and get to mk. You could even get to mk and sit and rest. I personally have not ridden fop yet,

 

[Moliphino]

I always hop. For us, the park transition is the midday break. Plus we usually go during party season, so it lets us go to MK in the morning on a party day and another park in the evening.

 

[kniquy]

It's all in how you plan. You can certainly go all day and wipe yourself out or you can plan mornings at one park (not having to use FP) then afternoon break and then hit another park in the evening where you can use your FP. Our upcoming trip we only are park hopping one day, but because DH and DD have AP I had to get a hopper. It isn't a necessity but does add a little bit of freedom to just go to a park for a few hours to see a show and not feel like you have to spend the entire day at a park.

 

[bwang123]

No, we went to 3 parks without even planning it one time and it was more relaxing than sometimes when we go to one park in a day.

 

[Spencer Wright]

We essentially exclusively park hop. It can be tiring, but it is a really efficient way to do a lot on your trip. It does require more and more strategic planning.

We typically go to one park in the morning, have an afternoon pool break, and eat somewhere for dinner either right near or in the park we are going to.

So as an example, we might stay at AKL, go to AK in the morning, take pool break, eat at Ohana, and then go to MK. We are tired at the end of the day; and start to get worn down as the trip goes on, but it is not bad! In fact, spending all day in one park seems really brutal!!

 

[loves to dive]

We have been park hopping since there were two parks to hop to, always have so can't comment on whether just staying in one park is easier. We always use Disney transportation and really, I don't understand what all the fuss is about as far as it taking any more time then parking your car and riding the trams from the parking lot then fighting traffic. We are not planners though. We usually just find our FPs the morning of while on the way to the park since we rarely even know what park we are going to until we get up in the morning. We book our ADRs in the afternoon while walking around the parks, that is where Park hoppers come in handy because it really doesn't matter what park they are in. We just find it a lot easier not to be tied down to plans, we like to just go where the wind blows us (or the rain blows us).

 

[gatorlisa]

We park hop most of the time. On our most recent trip, involving 9 days in parks, we hopped for all but 2 of them. But we are not hopping around for dining or shows. We like to enjoy lower crowds in one park in the morning, then hop to another park in the afternoon for the remainder of the day. Sometime there's a break in between, most times there is not. Our fastpasses are usually for the second park, starting mid to late afternoon and we are rarely in a rush to try and make them. And unless it's a FoP, SDD, or SDMT one, it's not a big deal if we miss one. Transportation between parks has always been fine. We have just missed a bus before (like the bus bound for our next park is driving off as we are walking to the bus stop), and in that case have had to wait about 20 minutes for another. But usually we don't wait more than 5-10 minutes for a bus and the bus is very rarely full. We are not ADR people, so trying to hop around and fit into dining reservations is not a concern. I think I would find that too stressful.

 

[disneyeek]

Some days we hop, some we don't. We always take an afternoon break, so it's just a matter of what we have planned for the evening portion. We mostly will hop over to Epcot in the evenings to eat.

 

[btuftee]

For us, hopping is almost always part of a planned break in the schedule for a rest, pool stop, nap, etc. Before we had a kid, we would just keep going all day long and hop around as we pleased, rarely heading back to the hotel for a break; we usually had a morning park where we planned to do the busy attractions, then we'd hop somewhere else for the less popular ones, or to dine, etc. It always seemed fun to just bounce around between the parks. Now, we start in one park and do all of our FP+s and have lunch, and then it's back to the hotel for a break.