Regarding hopping, we work with the park hours, shows, FastPasses and Early Entry.
We try to avoid mid-day crowds and heat (in the summer), so try to get to the parks early and stay late. Since DL opens earlier and stays open later than DCA, we typically start the day and end it at DL. But it depends on Early Entry.
Our last lengthy DLR trip was about a year ago for four days. When I looked at our trip report (
www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=886607), I realized we hopped every single day at least once and sometimes 2-3 times. Let me summarize what we did so you can see how we hopped.
Day 1
It was an Early Entry (EE) day, plus the first day of our trip, and everyone was excited to hit favorite rides at DL. We decided to focus on rides today and focus on shows and parades on Days 2 and 3. Day 4 would be to catch rides or shows we missed.
We showed up at 6:45AM for 7AM EE, did seven Fantasyland rides by 8AM, and then moved towards Adventureland. We picked up FastPasses for a number of rides, rode some of these standby also, and stayed at DL until 1:15PM. We left to have a sandwich lunch at our hotel and a swim and nap. While everyone was making their way back to to the hotel, I stopped into DCA to get a FP for ToT.
After our nap we headed back to DLR at about 6PM. No one in our family had ever ridden ToT, so we went into DCA and rode ToT using the FPs I picked up. At about 7PM we hopped back into DL and stayed until midnight, using FPs and going on rides with shorter lines. In all we did 29 rides today.
Hopping Summary
My family and I started at DL, went to DCA after the hotel break, and then hopped to DL after 1 hour in DCA. However, I had one additional hop in there when I went solo to get a ToT FP set before the hotel break.
Day 2
This was an EE day at DL and we already used our EE on Day 1. So we slept a little later and skipped DL in the morning and started our day at DCA. However, we planned to get back to DL in the evening. Therefore, we arrived at the DL gates at 9:15AM, and all went thru the DL gates (which got our entrance tickets initialized). My family immediately exited DL and got in line at DCA. I went over to Space Mtn and got FPs we could use that evening, then rejoined my family in line for DCA. We entered DCA at 9:30AM (they usually open the gates 30 minutes early) and we we stayed at DCA until 3PM. We saw the Aladdin show and snacked on bagels and stuff and never stopped for lunch.
We left DCA at 3PM for a late lunch at the hotel and swim and nap. While my family headed to the hotel, I entered DL once again solo and got a FP for Buzz Lightyear for later that evening, then left DL and rejoined my family at the hotel. After our long nap, we ate a quick dinner at the hotel and returned to DL at 7PM. We saw the Remember Dreams Come True fireworks show at 9:25PM (arrived 1 hour early - at 8:25PM - to get a spot) and saw the second Fantasmic show at 10:30PM. We stayed until midnight. In all we did 11 rides and saw 3 shows.
Hopping Summary
My family and I entered DL briefly, hopped to DCA when it opened, and then returned to DL after our hotel break. However, I had one additional hop in there before the hotel break when I entered DL solo to get a FP set.
Day 3
Today there was no EE at DL, and we decided to start the day at DL. We arrived at the gates at 7:30AM (a bit bleary-eyed after our midnight at DL last night - but hey, that is what naps are for right?) for an 8AM opening. We had lunch at the Blue Bayou at 11:30AM. We stayed at DL until 1PM. We returned to the hotel for a swim and a nap.
We had a shorter break today because we wanted to get back to DL for the 5PM show of Billy Hill and the Hillibillies. So we re-entered DL at about 4:30PM to see the show. We then got seats for the 7PM Parades of Dreams. After POD we did a few Fantasyland rides and then hopped to DCA at about 8:30PM to see the Disney Electrical Parade at 9PM. After that we rode ToT at night to compare it to the daytime experience (night was better). When DCA closed at 10PM we hopped back to DL to go on some more rides and use some of the FPs we had collected throughout the day. Left DL at midnight. We got on 14 rides today and saw three shows/parades.
Hopping Summary
My family and I started at DL, returned to DL after our hotel break, hopped to DCA in the evening, then hopped back to DL after DCA closed.
Day 4
Today there was EE at DL and we did not have EE available to us, so we decided to start the day at DCA. Plus, with all of the midnights at the parks we were tired. So we slept in and arrived at DCA at 10AM. While my kids went on a couple rides that did not interest me (Orange Stinger was one), I hopped into DL to get a FP set. Then I hopped back to DCA to rejoin my family. We went on some more rides and hopped to DL at 11:30AM.
We went on some more rides and saw the Snow White show at 1PM. With the late park arrival this morning, plus our desire to hit some day-only rides like Davy Crockett Canoes and Tom Sawyer Island, we did not take our hotel break until 3:30PM. During the afternoon we snacked.
We returned to the hotel for a late lunch, swim and nap. After our nap we had some dinner at the hotel and then returned to DL at 8PM. We stayed until midnight. We rode 14 rides today and saw 1 show.
Hopping Summary
My family and I started the day at DCA, hopped to DL after a couple hours, took a hotel break, and then returned to DL for the evening. However, I had one additional hop where after entering DCA first thing in the morning, I hopped to DL to get a FP set then hopped right back to DCA.
) to the Space Mtn FP machines, and then walked with purpose back out Main Street to the DCA gates and got there right at 9:30AM. So 15 minutes in that case.
