Park Hopping Is About To Get COMPLICATED at Disney's Hollywood Studios

The holiday season is just around the corner, and that means things are CHANGING in Disney World.

Decorations will go up, seasonal treats will arrive, and of course, the holiday parties will kick off with festive gusto! However, one of those changes is going to make it more difficult to park hop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Disney Jollywood Nights is one of two hard-ticketed holiday season parties in Disney World. This one started in 2023 and has returned annually since, taking place in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

This year, it kicks off on November 8th and runs on select nights until December 22nd. And if you’re visiting Hollywood Studios on one of the days that the party happens, you’ll want to be aware of the change in park hours!

On Jollywood Nights dates, Hollywood Studios closes early at 7PM to daytime guests. This means that if you don’t have a Jollywood Nights ticket that you purchased (separate from your daytime ticket), you will NOT be allowed to stay for the event. Jollywood Nights itself runs from 7:30PM to 12:30AM.

Based on the calendar hours released so far for the month of November, Hollywood Studios will be open from 9AM-7PM for daytime guests on Jollywood Nights dates. Disney Resort guests can enter at 8:30AM for Early Theme Park Entry. So if you’re looking to enjoy some afer-dark hours in the parks and you don’t have tickets to Jollywood Nights, it looks like you’ll need to do some Park Hopping.

To visit more than one Disney World theme park in a day, you’ll need to purchase the Park Hopper add-on for your theme park tickets. This is $80 per person total, and with it, there’s no limit to the number of times you can park hop in a day. (If you wanted to go to all four parks, you could!)

There’s also the Park Hopper Plus option, which is an additional $105 per person on top of your base ticket cost. It allows entry into the theme parks, Park Hopping, and access to additional activities like mini golf, golf courses, and water parks.

So is it worth it to park hop instead of going to Jollywood Nights? Well, that’s up to you. The cheapest dates for Jollywood Nights are $159 per person, with prices going up to $199 per person. Park Hopper tickets would cost you half (or less) of that, and you’d be able to use them more flexibly.

However, the big draw of Jollywood Nights is not necessarily the extra park time, but it’s all the exclusive offerings you can experience during the event. There are specialty snacks, unique photo ops, dining overlays, exclusive characters, and entertainment options that you can’t see elsewhere. Plus, if you want to check out some rides, the wait times will be much shorter than they are during the daytime.

If you do decide to park hop after visiting Hollywood Studios during the day, keep in mind that many other visitors may be doing the same thing. We expect that EPCOT will likely be the most popular choice to hop to, since it’s just a boat or Skyliner ride away from Hollywood Studios. Animal Kingdom typically closes pretty early, so really, your only late-night options are Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.

Skyliner Station at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Whatever choice you make, it’s a good idea to run the numbers, consider your budget, and think about what your group will enjoy the most. Jollywood Nights is a really fun event to check out if you’re interested in Christmas and holiday festivities!