If you’re planning on visiting Disney without a Park Hopper ticket, there’s a lot you need to know! And we are here for you! We want to make your trip easier, and make you feel like you’ve made the right decision to skip the Park Hopper on your next trip. We want you to eat all the things, ride all the attractions, and not miss a single detail.
So read on to find out how to make the most of each day, and enjoy everything that the Disney World parks have to offer – without the pressure and price of getting a Park Hopper ticket!
How to Make Disney World Magical WITHOUT a Park Hopper Ticket
The Park Hopper Ticket at Disney World allows you to visit more than one park per day, but the extra cost isn’t necessary for having a great trip! You can do one park per day, save some money, and still get to do everything you want to do.
Park Hopper tickets can add a large cost to what could be an already expensive trip – especiallly for larger groups. But don’t worry, you can have a great time without having to pay that money. Just follow these tips, and you’ll end up maximizing your park days and you won’t miss anything by not having a Park Hopper!
Focus on One Park Per Day
By focusing on one park per day, you can really maximize your time in that park and truly experience everything it has to offer. You’ll be able to see EVERYTHING. You can ride all the rides, see all the shows, and eat all the food. You can fully explore a park and take your time since you won’t be rushing to make it to another park.
Also, do a little research about the park you’re visiting! You can find out all the things that make it unique, and you’ll be able to enjoy the park-specific shows and dining. Each of the parks at Disney World are unique, and have shows and dining that are perfectly themed to that park. Having a whole day there gives you time to enjoy these.
Animal Kingdom has a safari you can’t miss, Magic Kingdom has opening day rides, Hollywood Studios lets you step foot into the movies, and EPCOT allows you to visit other countries without leaving Disney World! These things make the parks unique, and they are worth taking the time to enjoy.
Take Advantage of Early Entry and Late Stays
If you’re staying on property at a Disney Resort, you are able to take advantage of Early Entry for Resort Guests. This lets you have even more time in the park, and you can get a head start before the crowds arrive. You can grab a coffee, a bite to eat, and still make it on a ride or two before the park officially opens for everyone else.
Even if you don’t take advantage of Early Entry, or you’re not staying on site, then you should absolutely still get there at Rope Drop. You want to be there before everything starts, and we want you to be able to Rope Drop like a pro too!
Also, by going to Disney without a park hopper, you’ll be staying in one park pretty much from open to close. This means you can enjoy how the crowds thin out the later it gets, and be able to see fireworks and ride attractions with shorter waits.
And if you’re staying on property at a Deluxe Resort, you may have some extra evening hours during your stay as well! This gives you even more time in the parks, and it feels like a special after hours event it’s so quiet during those times. You can ride everything you want in one day, and maybe even a few times!
Plan for a Mid-day Break
One of my favorite things about doing Disney without a Park Hopper is having the ability to go back and take a mid-day break. If you get to the park right at rope drop or early entry, you can take a break after lunch in the parks. You can head back to your resort and nap, enjoy the pool, or the resort activities. You can even head to Disney Springs for a little shopping.
We love a mid-day pool break, especially in the hotter months. If having a great pool is important for your stay, then check out some of our favorite pools on property to help make your decision, like Stormalong Bay at Yacht Club!
And if you don’t want to leave the parks, there’s so many spots to stop and relax within each one. Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom, and the World Showcase Pavilions and the new World Celebration area in EPCOT give you nice places to recharge and relax. Animal Kingdom has great covered seating areas to relax as well, and Rafiki’s Planet Watch and Conservation Station in Animal Kingdom are perfect for a mid-day break.
Prioritize Must-Do Attractions
Since you’ll only be doing one park a day, you can create a prioritized ride list for each park you are visiting. This lets you choose the top attractions that matter the most to you, and you’ll be able to plan your day around them.
You can also use Multi Pass/Lightning Lanes to make your day even easier. Without needing to Park Hop, you can pre-plan the rides you want to get on, and use the Multi Pass system to get on even more rides through out the day.
Enjoy the Park Specific Entertainment
Like we mentioned earlier, being in one park all day really lets you experience everything the park has to offer, and that includes the amazing shows! Each park has unique nighttime entertainment, and being able to catch Happily Ever After or Luminous is a great way to end your night.
Also, each of the parks have high-quality, unique shows and parades. “Festival of the Lion King” is one of the best shows, and you don’t want to miss that, or “Beauty and the Beast” at Hollywood Studios either. And there’s even more fantastic shows you’ll have time to see by taking your time in the parks! The shows are fun, entertaining, and also a great place to take a breather and enjoy some air conditioning.
Explore Hidden Gems and Details
Visiting Disney without a Park Hopper will give you the ability to take your time in each park. Which means you’ll be able to slow down and explore! Without the pressure to hop to another park, you can take your time and discover hidden spots and details in each of the parks.
Take the time to look for “Easter eggs,” or hidden Disney details, in each park. Take a moment to read the names on the windows on Main Street USA, or look for hidden Mickeys. There are tons of hidden gems and Disney Secrets to look for, and you don’t want to skip looking for them!
Maximize Your Dining Experience
If you’re going to Disney World without Park Hopper tickets, riding more rides, seeing shows, and finding hidden gems aren’t the only things you’ll have more time to do; you’ll also have more time to EAT. Since you’re only visiting one park per day, you’ll be able to make those advance dining reservations with confidence, and guarantee a great meal for yourself.
This means you can enjoy buffets, character dining, or anything fun that catches your eye! Each park has some truly unique dining, like Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom, Tiffins at Animal Kingdom, or one of our favorites, Garden Grill at EPCOT. Rose and Crown at EPCOT is another one of the best restaurants at Disney, and a can’t miss for us too!
You can also go snack-hunting! This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy a park, eating the iconic and new snacks in each one. This is great if you’re with a group of people too, because you can split snacks and enjoy even more. You can’t miss iconic snacks like Dole Whips, and so many other delicious finds around the parks.
Take Advantage of Themed Areas
Doing Disney without a Park Hopper allows you to truly immerse yourself in each park. And even though Disney parks are uniquely themed, some areas are just done a little bit more than others. Think Pandora at Animal Kingdom and Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios. You can enjoy these areas without rushing, look for the small details, and all the hidden gems.
Within these small areas of the parks, they offer some of the most exciting rides, as well as some the most unique rides. There are tons of tiny details you don’t want to miss either, and being able to take your time exploring Galaxy’s Edge and Pandora are absolutely worth it! Make sure you grab a Ronto Wrap in Galaxy’s Edge and a Night Blossom in Pandora to enjoy while you explore!
You can also take some of my earlier advice and apply it here: ride the rides, eat the food, and take advantage of extra time in the parks. These two themed areas are always pretty busy, and are worth arriving early or staying late to enjoy them. Plus the food and the rides are truly unique, and have to be enjoyed when you have the time!
Focus on Park-Exclusive Experiences
Since you’re not going to have a Park Hopper, take that extra time in each park to enjoy the park-exclusive experiences! Each park has unique characters, like Chewbacca and Kylo Ren in Galaxy’s Edge, Mickey in his safari gear at Animal Kingdom, and the princesses in their native countries in EPCOT. Seeing characters is a great way to spend your day, and the exclusive ones are so much more fun!
There are also some very unique experiences at each park, like trying interesting Coca-Cola drinks at EPCOT’s Club Cool, learning to draw Disney characters at Animal Kingdom, and becoming a pirate at Magic Kingdom.
Another great thing to do at each park is to look at the park-exclusive merchandise. There’s so many fun things to look at, and maybe buy, that are for each park only. Think animal print and Lion King at Animal Kingdom, and alllll the Haunted Mansion gear at Magic Kingdom. So many good things you don’t want to miss when souvenir shopping!
We hope that you feel ready to visit Disney without a Park Hopper now, and don’t feel the pressure to go from park to park to have a great time. Spend as much time as you want in each park, and you won’t miss anything! Enjoy one park per day, and make the most of your next trip!
Do you have a favorite strategy when it comes to visiting the parks? And do you normally get or skip Park Hopper? Let us know in the comments!
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