To park hop or not

[Tiana4]

We are heading down for the Pro Bowl this month and I'd like to do a park day on Saturday, 1/28. We were just down there for MVMCP and also visited Epcot, so we don't need to visit those parks this trip. My 6 yr old daughter wants to visit AK, but on the crowd calendar I viewed, it's showing as a high crowd day due to EMH. We are staying onsite so can take advantage of EMH. We have also discussed going to HS as we haven't been since 2014, but it has never been a full day visit for us. If we were to park hop, starting at AK and ending the day at HS, would we be packing in too much in one day? We will have our own car, which should make things easier. Also, how would we make FP selections if we went to HS after AK?

Thanks for your help

 

[memakwed]

Without knowing the hours of the parks that day and your child's endurance it's hard to say if it's too much for one day. If you've never felt HS was a full day park, you'll feel that more now I think so PH seems like it could be a win win to get to HS and escape crowd levels you may not like at AK. As for FP+ once you use your 3 FP at AK you can then go to kiosks ect to pick a FP at HS. Once that one is used you can get another and so on.

 

[BigredNole]

My philosophy is if it is not part of the base ticket, it is not worth the extra money. There is MORE than enough to do in one park in a day that you do not have to go to a second park. Now, if it is free, I would consider it. This is just the way I am. Mickey already gets enough money from me, I don't need to shell out more.

 

[sharonabe]

IF you know you can get up and be at AK for the opening of EMH, then I'd go for it. The park/wait times won't start to get bad until around noon, so try to plan all the headliners you want for early in the morning and do shows toward the end of the morning, early afternoon. I think QS meals at AK are way better than anything at HS, so eat lunch there, then hop to HS. I would do my three FP+ at HS for later in the afternoon or even the evening. This MIGHT give you the option of taking a short midday break.

 

[Reddot]

Since Hollywood Studios is heavily under construction with only half the park open, you seriously won't be packing too much in if you're just going to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

 

[sharonabe]

My philosophy is if it is not part of the base ticket, it is not worth the extra money. There is MORE than enough to do in one park in a day that you do not have to go to a second park. Now, if it is free, I would consider it. This is just the way I am. Mickey already gets enough money from me, I don't need to shell out more.

While I basically agree with you, if one is doing a short trip (3-4 days), but wants to see all 4 parks, park hopping allows that. Or, if like the OP, one of the parks really doesn't have more than a half day attraction for them, then using a whole day at that park can seem like a waste, so hopping allows them to still see what they want and then move on. When you go can also be a factor. If you go in the fall/winter when MK has a party four nights out of seven and therefore closes early, having the park hopper gives you the option of doing MK on a much less crowded day and hopping over on the non-party heavily crowded day just for the nighttime entertainment.

 

[biondagirl]

I don't know if I would pay to park hop for one day. I think I would pick one park and make the most of it. Do rides/tours/shows that you normally wouldn't do. When we went in 2015, we had park hoppers and only used them for three of our days. In the past (before the new FP system) we would hop much more frequently.

I would have LOVED to go to the Pro Bowl. I couldn't convince the fam,

 

[jwolfpack]

I would park hop. AK and HS are both half-ish day parks for kids that age IMO. If you're only going for one day, it's not like you have to worry about keeping your stamina up for a week long trip.

 

[loves to dive]

We always have PHs so obviously I'm for them but to answer your question, yes it's totally doable. Make AK at rope drop for your EMH, do the headliners, eat lunch and move over to HS. I would do any FPs for AK and just book the afternoon ones for HS. As far as either being a half day park, it depends upon what you want to get done. If you just want to ride rides, then yes, they could be half day parks, if you want to see shows and take advantage of the trails at AK and just the atmosphere, then it could easily be a full day park. As far as half of HS being shut down, they have closed off the back lots but didn't really shut down a lot of rides, the stunt show and the back lot tour shut down and that's about it. They do have construction walls up but frankly, in over 30 years of going to WDW, I've never been at a time when one park or another doesn't have some sort of construction going on. It is what you make of it and it, too, could easily be a full day park if you watched all the shows, rode the rides, took it slow and grabbed something to eat and just enjoyed the place.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Thanks @loves to dive, I was just going to ask what sections "half the park" meant in this case!

We're going in April, and while I could easily skip HS in favor of a more relaxing schedule, my DS doesn't want to miss Rock 'n Roller Coaster. I think we're going to combine it with a water park day, as I agree with you the Animal Kingdom is more like a 3/4 day for us. We love it there!

 

[srauseo]

IF you know you can get up and be at AK for the opening of EMH, then I'd go for it. The park/wait times won't start to get bad until around noon, so try to plan all the headliners you want for early in the morning and do shows toward the end of the morning, early afternoon. I think QS meals at AK are way better than anything at HS, so eat lunch there, then hop to HS. I would do my three FP+ at HS for later in the afternoon or even the evening. This MIGHT give you the option of taking a short midday break.

This. If you know you can get to AK around 7:15 for the 8am EMH, this is totally doable. And you won't need FP for AK rides that early in the morning - especially if the 6yo isn't tall enough for some of the headliners. I agree with @sharonabe - I would say do lunch at Flame Tree BBQ and then split for HS where you have FP booked.

 

[Lynzer4]

I'm an AP holder and have done exactly what you said but I don't know if I would do it if I had to buy 1 day park hoppers. We got FP for later in the evening at HS. It was also open until 11pm that night so that helped.

We started at AK when it first opened at 9am. We hit the big rides by noon (Safari, Everest, Dino, and saw Lion King). East lunch at Yeti. We actually then went to the room for about 2 hours and headed back to HS around 3:30 for our 1st FS at Toy Story. Then had dinner at Prime used our other 2 FS, rode other rides the went to see the late Fantasmic.

It wasn't bad day at all but we also didn't push to see and ride everything at both parks.

 

[Micca]

For us, both AK & DHS are half-day parks, so I'd want to hop. As a side note, are you sure you can go to WDW with a 6 yr. old and NOT go to MK? Heck I can't even resist MK and we've been going to WDW for 40 years.

 

[J'Adore Disney]

If everyone in your party has the energy to do it - go for it! Pick your FP selections for the first park you are visiting, then after those are used up; go into the My Disney Experience App and make your FP for the second park, if for some reason you don't have the APP, go to a FP Kiosk. Happy Hopping!!!

 

[gap2368]

if you want to go to AK and DHS you can easily do this in one day ( I can do both parks before 1pm) I would rope drop AK and then had over to DHS say around 2 ( leave AK 2 and get to DHS around 3;30) have FP for HS starting at 3:30 ( I would do your tier one FP either 2 one or 3 one) you may be able to get a 4 FP for F. but you will have to book your FP back to back and be on your phone to get it ( I have gotten one as late at 6pm for an 8 pm show). but yes I think it would be a good idea to park hope

I would never ( and have never booked any FP at AK the lines are just not that long 1 and 2 there really are not many lines

you can easily rope drop EE go to dianasour and then go to KJSF ( I have done all of this with in 60-90 minutes of park opening) then you have the show that are very good any set in them is good ( some are better then others) but I think any where you can sit is good. and then take some time to just look around

 

[Tiana4]

For us, both AK & DHS are half-day parks, so I'd want to hop. As a side note, are you sure you can go to WDW with a 6 yr. old and NOT go to MK? Heck I can't even resist MK and we've been going to WDW for 40 years.

It pains me to not visit MK this visit, but I asked her numerous times which park(s) she wants to visit and her 1st choice was IoA for HP rides, but as they have A Celebration of HP event that weekend, I decided to pass due to crowd levels. Her next choice was AK, being a HUGE animal lover. As the Pro Bowl tickets are for my son, I let her pick our park day.

We are going to park hop, after all the wonderful suggestions. We may be pooped, but hey, that's Disney!

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Totally worth it, especially if you suspect crowds in one might drive you over to the other. I love both but neither one is a full day yet IMO, and a greatest hits visit of both is a good day. Then again, I would never, ever visit Disney on either coast without park hoppers (when I don't have an AP.) They provide such an amazing amount of flexibility, especially for days like you are considering.

 

[BobbyDukes]

The only issue I see here with you plan is the endurance of your 6 year old. AK to HS is an "ok" drive but you said you had your own car, so imagine walking way more than normal if the lots are full of vehicles. However I do agree with everyone here, that the parks are short visit parks. AK has a lot of cool things to do and see however is the largest park area wise so there is alot of walking involved.