A Brief Explanation of Park Hopper at Walt Disney World

When Walt Disney World reopened in July, 2020 after the COVID-19 closure, a lot of things had changed. One addition was Disney Park Pass Reservations. You can no longer just show up, you are required to have reservations for everyone in your party who is old enough to need a ticket.

Related: Making Disney Park Pass Reservations for Walt Disney World

Park Hopper was not available when the Theme Parks first reopened, but it was brought back in January, 2021. The way Park Hopper works has changed, so here is what you need to know.

It may sound obvious, but you need to have the Park Hopper Option on your ticket if you plan to Park Hop. You can’t use two days of a multi-day, one Park per day ticket to visit more than one Theme Park. Annual Passes include Park Hopper.

Park Hopping starts at 2:00 P.M. Before that time, you will not be allowed into a second Park. You may have heard of people getting in early, but that is a rare exception. The system is set so that people can’t enter before 2:00, asking a Cast Member to allow you in won’t make a difference.

Before you Park Hop, you need to enter the Theme Park that you have the reservation for. You can’t just start at a second Park. For example, if your Theme Park reservation is for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you can’t start your day after 2:00 at the Magic Kingdom. You’ll have to scan your MagicBand or ticket at Disney’s Animal Kingdom first.

A reservation for the second Theme Park is NOT needed. There is no limit to Park Hopping, if you’d like to visit all four Theme Parks you can. If you drove and paid for Parking, just show your receipt at the second Toll Plaza.

According to Walt Disney World, you can Park Hop if the other Park has not reached capacity. It is rare that this happens. If a Park is full, you should receive a Push notification on the My Disney Experience App.

If you are worried that another Theme Park has reached capacity, call the Park Hopping Hotline. The number is 407-560-5000. Again, it is rare for the other Parks to reach capacity.

Keep up with all the latest Disney information on Disney Dreamer and like our Facebook page.