Hello there Rachael,
Welcome back to planDisney! It sounds like your magical vacation plans are coming together nicely. I love that you are planning to take advantage of your
Park Hopper Option tickets during your trip. I visited one park per day for many years, but now that I've given park hopping a try, I really love being able to experience multiple parks in one day!
At this time, park hopping is available with valid admission beginning at 2 p.m. each day. In my experience, I've seen buses begin arriving around 1:30 p.m. to escort guests to their second park. Although you will certainly be able to board a bus from
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park and head to
Magic Kingdom Park for the second half of your day, I wouldn't advise leaving your car parked at Animal Kingdom while you're enjoying the new and classic attractions across Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square. As you may have noticed on the
Hours & Events Calendar, Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park typically closes earlier than the other parks each evening. Because of this, buses will not continue running there long after normal operating hours.
Walt Disney World Resort bus transport generally operates starting
45 minutes prior to a park's opening until one hour after a park's closing time. Based on that information, if Animal Kingdom is scheduled to close at 8 p.m. on the date of your visit, I would expect bus transportation to be unavailable there after 9 p.m. Timing is subject to change, but I'd plan for this when making your travel plans.
But don't fret, Rachael! I do have a few other options for you.
Disney Resorts Collection Hotel guests receive complimentary standard overnight self-parking at their resort, in addition to
complimentary standard theme park parking. As a resort guest, you'd be able to park at Animal Kingdom in the morning and drive over to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) for access to Magic Kingdom Park at no cost. If you are not staying at a Disney Resort Hotel but plan to purchase parking at Animal Kingdom on the morning of your visit, you will be able to park at any of the other theme parks on the same day for no additional fee. I'd recommend driving your own vehicle to Magic Kingdom Park when you are ready to hop over. That way, your vehicle will be waiting for you just a
Monorail or Ferry ride away at the end of the evening.
If you don't want to drive midday, you can also begin your morning by parking at the TTC, taking the Monorail one stop to
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, and then taking a bus to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
Rachael, I hope this was helpful. If you need any additional assistance please don't hesitate to reach out again.
Magic and memories,
Amy