@obisgirl wrote:
I mean, he and his crew had the bean before they encountered Rumpelstiltskin and I don’t think it was mentioned that they got the bean from Smee.
Went back to check, and yep, it was stated that they got it from Smee…
Milah: Wait. I have something you want.
Rumpelstiltskin: Well, I find that very difficult to believe.
(She pulls out Smee’s red hat.)
Rumpelstiltskin: Where did you get that?
Milah: You know who I took it from. I may not know what the Dark One wants with a magic bean, but I have it.
Then later, on the boat…
Milah: Fetch some water. And get me that prisoner below deck, along with the goods that he carried. Now!
Then there’s the bit where Rumple kills her, then Hook sticks the hook into him…
Rumpelstiltskin: Killing me’s going to take a lot more than that, dearie.
Hook: Even demons can be killed. I will find a way.
Rumpelstiltskin: Well, good luck living long enough.
Then the scene where Hook lets Smee join the crew…
Hook: Well, what if I was to tell you I was about to set sail to a land where none of us will ever grow old? Where I can discover how to get my revenge on Rumpelstiltskin.
Then he tosses the bean in the water and away they go.
All of that makes it seem like they didn’t know exactly what they had in that bean when they first got it, (and Smee), and that Hook didn’t have plans to go to Neverland until he needed to go to a timeless place so he could live long enough to defeat Rumple.
People in FTL had likely heard stories about Neverland, where no one ages, so I’d buy it if Hook knew about Neverland that way, especially considering his social circle would likely include people who have travelled a lot. And once he’d figured out what the bean was for, he probably just put 2 and 2 together, and decided to use it to go to Neverland.