is it me, but I don't see the need for a hopper ticket?

[ZoZo]

For most of our trips, we hopped just about every day. They're usually during the F&W Festival. We often start our day at MK, AK, or DHS, then head over to Epcot in the late afternoon to graze the F&W booths.

Hoppers can also be handy under other circumstances. You can go to a morning EMH, then hop to another park in the late morning as it gets more crowded. Or spend the day at AK (which often closes early), and hop to a later-closing park in the evening.

It all depends on your touring style. One year I bought a hopper mainly because I'd always gotten one (habit!). Because I was traveling by myself and didn't visit the F&W Festival very much, I hardly felt the need to hop at all. I realized then that it was my friends (who are big wine drinkers!) who wanted to go to F&W every day. Since I don't drink, I just didn't feel the need to go to Epcot every day. I could easily have saved myself the extra money and spent it elsewhere.

My advice is, if you're not sure if you'll use it, buy your tickets without the hopper. You can always add it later for the same cost. You may never miss it!

 

[Dano13]

We always park hop for a couple of reasons. It allows flexibility if a park is extremely crowded. There are also times where we may stay at one park for the rides most of the day but then go to park B for a show, fireworks, or specific food. And if you do a trip to AK and it closes at 5-6 then your phage no park option for the night. Lastly, we are staying at the BWI in a few weeks, so I like the option to bounce into the World Showcase for a snack on a whim. Not to mention many of our dinners will be there.

 

[aretha30]

We've always had PH with the exception of one trip. On that trip we felt so tied to the park we went to (the one with the EMH for the day) that it wasn't very enjoyable for us. We are just used to going to the park we want to and switching mid day if it's to crowded or we are just done with that park for the day. For our family we will never not get them again, we use them everyday so for us its worth it.

 

[foots]

Well for us (my wife and I) we use it all the time. Now our stay is always around 5 or 6 days. So we use the park hoppers to start the day at one park then back to the resort for a break then start the evening out at another park.

We'll be going in Sept. and it's during the Int. Food and Wine Fest. so I know we'll start at other parks in the morning and then make our way to Epcot late evenings a few days. So this makes that so easy to do.

Note... On our first trip every to WDW we did not buy the park hopper option and really did not need them as we stayed in one park all day. It was all new to us so it was no problem to get to the park in the morning go back to resort for break/rest and head back to the same park. It was just so much to see and take in.

But now we know what each park has to offer so we take it much slower and really enjoy ourselves. And with the hoppers, it's no rush to see it all in a day as we can come back anytime or multiple times during our trip.

Foots

 

[Planogirl]

We don't buy hoppers. They can be a nice luxury but I agree that they're not needed.

We concentrate on one park per day and if that park is too crowded or whatever we go offsite (if you have a car), play mini-golf, go to Downtown Disney (bus only!), resort hop, swim and so on. There is plenty to do in WDW and the area that doesn't involve themeparks.

 

[stamot]

We had bought park hopper twice but we never used it. It is not worth it for us. We plan around the park we go. I think it is too much money for the way we roll.

 

[brockash]

going 10 days 8/9 with DD 15, first time onsite at POR. We didn't do any ADRs, trying to save on our food budget. We've never done hopping. Trying to save some money. If you don't have ADRs, why do you need it besides just being able to change parks on a whim?

We never get them either. At Disneyland we do just because the parks are right across from each other, but at WDW we don't see the point, see it almost more of an inconvenience and for us certainly not worth paying extra for.

 

[SueWC]

I am torn on paying the $240 as well we have always had them during summer visits but traveling during the Thanksgiving Holiday with the dining plan not sure if we would use them. Everything is scheduled with ADR and Fast Pass +. When you have TS reservations and spend 1.5 hours at dinner would you really want to spend another 45 minutes traveling between parks?

 

[ClarabelleCow]

so at what point is getting AP's worth it?? Just curious

 

[DisneyGuy]

We like park hoppers for numerous reasons, but first and foremost I like knowing that when I leave MK, for example, I can go back if I want to - I'd hate knowing that I couldn't return to a park for one last....anything. Regardless of all the planning we do, we always leave time to go back and do something again, or if something didn't work out, we wouldn't lose the opportunity. Things happen, rain, crowds, our feelings about the current plan, whatever.

Also, we like the flexibility when it comes to ADR's - if we want to eat at two restaurants in one park, we can do so on different days.

It also depends on where you stay. We are Epcot resort people so if we get back early from a park and feel up to it, we can always stroll over to Epcot to catch Illuminations - no bus or monorail to deal with so it's fast and convenient.

It's also good if you forgot to pick up some merchandise that you wanted - you can easily go back to a park and get it.

 

[jess1662]

We love hoppers because there are certain rides that the boys love and want to do over and over again. So we'll stop by HS to ride Star Tours, but we don't necessarily want to devote another full day there. We actually park hop MORE on a longer trip. But we go in September when the crowds are low.

 

[kam1011]

going 10 days 8/9 with DD 15, first time onsite at POR. We didn't do any ADRs, trying to save on our food budget. We've never done hopping. Trying to save some money. If you don't have ADRs, why do you need it besides just being able to change parks on a whim?

1. to change parks on a whim

2. bc we don't go for 10 days

 

[Disney_Princess83]

We go for long trips (4-6 weeks) so we have AP's. We hop on several occasions. We don't spend much time at HS but like Fantasmic so we hop to see this after AK. We hop to EPCOT for ADR's, we hop to take advantage of evening EMH. Last trip we had a CRT breakfast reservation but we really felt like going to AK that day so we hopped straight after breakfast. It all really depends on how you tour the parks.

 

[Fly me with Balloons]

It's you.

 

[mullysisters]

Couldn't do WDW without PHs. I just add them in to the cost of the trip, don't think of them as "extra".
I get to the parks at RD or EMH, usually leave at 11am, go to a different park for the evening. We usually go for 6-7 days and plan a schedule that includes two different parks per day plus a siesta in the middle of the day for enjoying the resort. A third park in one day is usually just a "whim". I can't stay at one park all day, too exhausting with the crowds.

 

[smec73]

We like park hoppers for numerous reasons, but first and foremost I like knowing that when I leave MK, for example, I can go back if I want to - I'd hate knowing that I couldn't return to a park for one last....anything.

I didn't know you had to have a park hopper to go back to the same park in the same day. You can't be at Mk, leave for hotel, and come back to Mk without a hopper? Or am I misreading this?

 

[mrsdrake625]

You can always go back to the same park later, unless there is a capacity closure and I don't know the rules for that. But you certainly don't need a hopper to do it.

 

[kamik86]

I didn't know you had to have a park hopper to go back to the same park in the same day. You can't be at Mk, leave for hotel, and come back to Mk without a hopper? Or am I misreading this?

I think the poster meant more that if they had planned MK on day 2 and didn't have another planned MK day they couldn't stop back later when on day 4 they realized they REALLY wanted that ____ they saw.

I love hoppers. Mostly for epcot. And because AK never takes more then half a day.

 

[abmitch01]

I just hadn't factored in this expense because we never hopped before. We stayed offsite and did one park gonzo all day and night. never felt the need to hop. I'm trying to economize a bit, can I get by without it?

 

[Disney_Princess83]

I just hadn't factored in this expense because we never hopped before. We stayed offsite and did one park gonzo all day and night. never felt the need to hop. I'm trying to economize a bit, can I get by without it?

Absolutely. Hopping isn't necessary to have a wonderful trip. It just means you can only visit one park a day. There is more than enough to keep you busy in each park. If the parks are closed and you're not ready to "go home" you can head to DTD