Make room for dining reservations
If you’re planning to hit more than one park in a day, time is of the essence. First, decide whether table service dining is really at the top of your list. It will undoubtedly take a bigger chunk of time out of your day. If you’re not a big foodie with key restaurants on your must-see list, counter service might be the best option for your day.
If you do want to take a break with a table service meal, you should absolutely make reservations for it. While it’s true that you can often get into great restaurants without a reservation, it will typically take longer, and you don’t want to watch these spare minutes tick by when you’re hoping to hit multiple parks in one day. If you’re planning to dine at the first park of the day, make reservations early so you’re not left lingering just for the sake of a meal. If you’re setting reservations for the second park, lean toward later dining times so you don’t have to rush too much to meet them.
Scope out smart transportation
Utilizing the resort’s transportation system is the best way to park-hop efficiently, but you have to plan carefully if you’re not staying on property. If you’re starting at Epcot, you can certainly leave your car there and take the monorail to and from the Magic Kingdom for a fun and speedy way to jet between the two parks. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to return to your car before that monorail stops running for the night. If Epcot closes hours before the Magic Kingdom’s EMH that night, you won’t be able to reach your vehicle again at the end of the day.
When in doubt, move your car. But if at all possible, try to avoid taking your car at all by staying at a resort hotel. If you’re utilizing the park’s public transportation system, make sure you evaluate all your options. Busses are always available between destinations, but there are alternatives as well. Boats run between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. You can walk between these parks as well, and reach either one via a moderate stroll from the Boardwalk. The Contemporary Hotel and Polynesian are both within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom.
Keep these tricks in mind as you’re waiting for your bus. If you just missed a bus from Animal Kingdom to Magic Kingdom, but one is pulling up for the Polynesian, just hop on board and walk to Magic Kingdom. If you’re headed to Epcot and there’s an empty bus waiting for Yacht and Beach Club, you can use that and either walk or take a boat for the last leg of the journey. Utilize what’s available in the moment for the fastest transportation.
Prepare for the weather
If you’re visiting Florida during hurricane season (June 1 to November 30), it will almost certainly rain while you’re there. Probably around 4 in the afternoon. Keep an eye on the local weather reports and watch for inclement weather, particularly the state’s famous lightning storms. Keep in mind that outdoor attractions cannot operate if lightning is in the vicinity. If it’s supposed to storm and Kilimanjaro Safari’s is high on your to-do list, make every effort to get there before the weather does. When you’re park hopping, you can’t always afford to wait around for a ride to re-open, and a major delay can de-rail your entire day.
With enough forethought, you can make the most out of your park hopper and hit all your top picks in two or even more parks in a day. Just make sure you draft your plan early so you don’t miss out on your favorite features.
Comments
Like previous comments have stated eating at off times or even bringing your own lunch can save you a huge amount of time. Or even consider getting something to eat on your way to the next park. For example the Contempo Cafe in the Contemporary Resort is quick and never has a huge crowd. Nothing surges at disney like the lunch rush at a quick serve dining location. It's a massive amount of people.
Another tip to save time is that Disney will let you in earlier than park opening if you have a reservation. It's tricky but depending on timing you could be in the park ahead of the crowd. Also if meet and greats are high on your list at least consider a character meal. It could save you time by combining a meet and greet and a meal. Another tip is if you don't want/need to see the parades and/or night time shows this is an excellent time to get ride popular attractions. In my opinion the golden hour (especially at the Magic Kingdom) is right after the fireworks before the park closes. A lot of attractions drop to 5 minutes or are walk on. A lot of rides are much busier during the day rather than at night. Examples being the Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Space Ship Earth. Another way to extend your time in the park is to take advantage of the fact that it is the line that closes at closing time. Not the attraction. So if the mine train has been over 2 hours all day consider hoping in line right before the park closes just keep in mind when transportation options stop although Disney will never leave you stranded. Similarly leave your shopping to the end of the day as most of the stores stay open until long after the rest of the park closes as well.
You cannot walk to the Magic Kingdom from the Polynesian, only the Contemporary. But you can take the monorail from the Polynesian.
1) Get to the park at least 30 minutes (and preferably, 45 minutes) prior to the posted opening time and be there for the rope drop! Doing so means...
2) ...you won't have to burn an early Fastpass. Get to the head of the line at a popular attraction that you don't have a Fastpass for right at rope drop.
3) Skip out on the long food lines around lunch time and dinner. Disney allows outside food to be brought into the park. Bring snacks to satisfy you past the lunch rush, and maybe even all day. If you feel the need to eat high dollar Disney food, fine. But do so at times when there aren't huge crowds at counter service restaurants.
Not trying to nitpick, but there are a couple misleading statements in this article. You can only book 1 FastPass+ at a time after your first 3 expire, not 3 more all at once. Also, you cannot walk to Magic Kingdom from the Polynesian, only the Contemporary.