How much time to plan for Parkhopping?

[Dr Gunnie]

We've done parkhoppers before, but it was used mostly because we were staying at BC and wanted the freedom to walk into Epcot whenever we wanted. This trip, we will actually be hopping midday from one park to another. Just curious as to how much time I should allow? The plan is to use the busses, but we aren't against the vans or Lyft if it would be a major time saver.

I know the bus schedule is a crap shoot - sometimes you get lucky and can walk right up and grab the bus while other times the wait can be much longer.

We will be going from MK to AK on one of our days - our Yak and Yeti lunch reservation is at 12:15. What time would you recommend for us leaving MK to get to AK? I'm thinking we should be walking out by 11:15, but was curious as to what others have experienced?

Thanks!

 

[evlaina]

An hour minimum for me, too. We hopped almost every day our last trip and plan on hopping 6 our of 7 days on our next trip, too.

 

[sponica]

11:15 is the latest I'd want to be at that bus stop.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Agree with PP, one hour minimum if you're relying on the buses. It might be overkill if you catch a bus just as you walk up and get to your ADR in 20 min but I'd rather be early than miss it. An hour + 15 is what we usually do unless we uber or take a minnie van, then we shave off about 30 min depending on where we're headed.

 

[sharonabe]

I'm thinking we should be walking out by 11:15

If by "walking out" you mean actually at the exit and stepping out of the park, then yes, 11:15 will probably be okay.

If by "walking out" you mean exiting your last attraction and headed toward the entrance/exit, then I'd say that's too late.

 

[jennyq87]

If you're planning on buses, I agree with prior posts: I would be AT the bus stop 1 hour before I needed to be at the next park.

Personally, I use the Minnie Vans on park-hopper days. Those tickets are expensive - especially if you have a large group. A $20-30 ride is worth saving 30-60 minutes in my book!

 

[kylenne]

We've done parkhoppers before, but it was used mostly because we were staying at BC and wanted the freedom to walk into Epcot whenever we wanted. This trip, we will actually be hopping midday from one park to another. Just curious as to how much time I should allow? The plan is to use the busses, but we aren't against the vans or Lyft if it would be a major time saver.

I know the bus schedule is a crap shoot - sometimes you get lucky and can walk right up and grab the bus while other times the wait can be much longer.

We will be going from MK to AK on one of our days - our Yak and Yeti lunch reservation is at 12:15. What time would you recommend for us leaving MK to get to AK? I'm thinking we should be walking out by 11:15, but was curious as to what others have experienced?

Thanks!

We did the opposite journey on our last trip, went to AK for a morning FoP FP on our last day and then headed back to the Poly to meet friends for a lunch ADR at Kona. We took Lyft and it was all of maybe 30 minutes. If you’re on any kind of time table I would not leave it to Disney buses.

 

[cakebaker]

Other than the busses, Minnie Vans are the only other option from the MK. I’d allow a minimum of an hour by bus and that may be cutting it close., Disney suggests 11/2 hrs. If you order a Minnie Van when you’re ready to leave, 30 minutes.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

My experience is midday busses are not as frequent as first thing in the AM or closing time. Which makes sense.

Add the fact that MK and AK aren’t super close to one another.

And walking to the bus stop at MK, then from the bus stop at AK and then through security, gates and then back to the restaurant on the other end.

Definitely be at the MK bus stop an hour before. Personally I’d be at the stop earlier than that but I HATE being late for anything. “If you’re not 15 minutes early, you’re late” as my momma would say.

 

[holden]

I’d vote for Minnie Vans too. They are expensive, but the time you save is worth it IMHO. It’s nice that they pick up/ drop off right at the bus stops at Mk. There is a sign to tell you which bus stop to go to. They drop off kind of far at AK, so allow a little walking time.

Also, security is notoriously slow at AK. Try to go bagless there to save time. We make DH wear cargo shorts and shove everything in there, including a small drawstring bag. After security we pull it out and put it in the drawstring bag.

Lyft/Uber is a great option too. From MK walk to Bat Lake Towers and get a Lyft/Uber from there.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Depends on where you're hopping to/from and how you strategically use uber/lyft.

Hopping between Epcot and HS is always the easiest. Hopping between MK and Epcot is too. When hopping between AK and MK, hats when uber and lyft is really nice. This is when I use the contemporary at MK for a pickup and drop off spot rather than the TTC.

Just use some time to try to plan as little of the HS to MK and AK to Epcot hopping as possible and it can reduce the wasted time alot.

 

[kylenne]

My experience is midday busses are not as frequent as first thing in the AM or closing time. Which makes sense.

Add the fact that MK and AK aren’t super close to one another.

And walking to the bus stop at MK, then from the bus stop at AK and then through security, gates and then back to the restaurant on the other end.

Definitely be at the MK bus stop an hour before. Personally I’d be at the stop earlier than that but I HATE being late for anything. “If you’re not 15 minutes early, you’re late” as my momma would say.

This is definitely the case from my experience. That’s why we tend to utilize Lyft when we take our midday breaks from parks where we have to rely on buses, and only use them for rope drop and closing. This past trip, that was DHS and AK (though we used Lyft the whole DHS day since I was ill and the bus stop situation was awful). It worked out great. Nice thing about the rideshares is vehicles are constantly circulating on property so you don’t wait long at all for a car. The longest wait we ever had was 8 minutes at DHS.

I’m with you though—I always try to be 15 minutes early for anything. Otherwise I start to panic lol. But Disney says to give at least an hour/1.5 to get to ADRs if using their transportation, personally I would err close to the side of 2 especially going clear across property midday when not as many buses are running.

 

[Dr Gunnie]

Thanks for the replies!

It sounds like exiting the park at 11:15 is probably the latest we want to push it if we go buses (like many of you I panic if I’m not 10 min early). I think a lot will depend on our morning at MK. If we get the few “must” rides in and are ready to go by 11:00 (rope drop is 8:00 that day), we will roll out and use the buses. If we still have a ride or two to go, we’ll stay another 30 min and get a car service to take us.

Our other park hop days are going from HS to Epcot, and that is a little easier to plan for.

I’m a planner and usually have everything mapped out to the minute, but this trip I’m really trying to do more spontaneous... it will be a challenge, but hopefully a little more relaxing!

 

[GillianP1301]

We drive and hopping is usually about 1/2 an hour gate to gate (a little more for MK to get to TTC). With you taking the bus, I think your hour maybe even up to an hour and 15 minutes would be safe enough. If you do get there early, you can take a look around at some stuff in AK before you eat. The animal trails are a great way to spend 15 - 20 minutes of spare time.

 

[gharter]

As others have said, if you are using the buses, I would plan for an hour from whne you get to the bus stop.
Never got a chance to try it, but for park hoppers the express service sounded like a great idea.