Are Hoppers worth the extra cost?

[ADAMANDLISA]

This past September, we didn't have park hoppers. I actually found it easier to only deal with only one park a day with my two little ones. We took afternoon breaks everyday so we were refreshed for the evening.

With your schedule, if you finish a park early, you can always go to Downtown Disney for shopping, Chip and Dale's Campfire or make use of your pool. My suggestion is using your last day for your favorite park. We always end with the Magic Kingdom!

 

[Not so Dumbo]

Our last trip we didn't purchase them and we wish we had. We ended up not seeing enough of DHS and too much of MK.

 

[gabriellyn]

We went for an seven day trip this past New Year's and did not use the hopper option for the first five days, but we did on the last two - it was great to be able to leave AK and head to Epcot for one last ride on Test Track or back to MK for Space Mountain, since it had broken down right as we were about to board! Plus we had extra FastPasses from baby swaps, so for us it worked out really well.

 

[joepic]

You have 7 days. A hopper doesn't seem necessary,

 

[becky_AK]

Last year we had park hoppers when we visited with my son who was 12 months old at the time. This fall we are planning on NOT getting the park hoppers. It'll save us a little money. We figure that spending really longs days at multiple parks are going to be overwhelming for him & may cause him to be much more fussier then usual. Our plan is to spend as much time in one park per day & spend our "off" park time at the resort swimming & relaxing. I think this way we will enjoy our trip a little more without the stress of trying to see & do everything at every park.

 

[eliza61]

I wouldn't dream of going without hopper passes. I generally go during the late summer. If the park of my day is packed for some unknown reason I love being able to say, you know what let's hit .....
I think some one else posted this but after I've spent 3-4 grand on a disney vacation, I'll pay the extra $150. convienence alone is worth alot to me.

 

[DebRMN]

this will be my 3rd year in a row with 3 little ones. I have not gotten it yet, & have not regretted it.

That being said, I have not stayed on property, & this year we are......so I'm happy to know that I can add it on at any time, if the need were to arise

 

[scrap disney]

Last year, we went for 7 days and we also were debating the park hopper option but we knew that we would only "park hop" 2 or 3 days at most. So, we purchased a 10 day ticket and then when we park hopped, we would use "2 days" of our tickets in 1 day. For example, we'd go to Magic Kingdom in the morning and MGM in the evening and use 2 days worth of tickets. We did this on 3 days. It allowed us to park hop but it was cheaper than buying the park hopper option. I think the price difference between a 7 day and a 10 day ticket was less than $10.00. So, this might be another option. Obviously, it only works if you don't plan to park hop every day. Good luck!

 

[kileybeth]

uummm, no you didn't. the turnstiles do not allow this. The ticket machine will spit your ticket back out and say this ticket has already been used today. You may only return to ____ (whichever park you have already entered for that day). This is a loophole that Disney already thought about and it is all closed up. Your base ticket is good for only one park per day. Come and go as you wish but if you want to hop to a different park you must purchase the hopper option.

back on topic. we stayed on site last Sept and really missed not having the hopper (only purchased base for 8 days) we couldn't take advantage of EMH on both ends of day, we couldn't hop over to Epcot to roam the countires in the evening, and we couldn't leave one park when it got insane. BUT two of my kids are older, probably the difference.

 

[Colinsmom]

We always get park hoppers and love having the option to switch parks mid-day. Our last three trips have been with young kids (at least one under 3yo each time) and we have hopped on all trips. We start the day at one park, go back to the resort for a nap mid-day, and then finish our day at whichever park tickles our fancy that evening. If we don't have dinner plans, we usually end up at Epcot - so many food options, and just beautiful to meander around the countries and the lagoon in the evening.

We also like the option of not returning to a park that has gotten too busy later in the day. MK is often like this - mornings are slow and we don't have to stand in line, but by the time we leave for a nap, the waits are getting too long for the kids. So we just don't go back there in the evening - we finish MK another morning.

They aren't for everyone, but we love the flexibility.

 

[tjmw2727]

Last year, we went for 7 days and we also were debating the park hopper option but we knew that we would only "park hop" 2 or 3 days at most. So, we purchased a 10 day ticket and then when we park hopped, we would use "2 days" of our tickets in 1 day. For example, we'd go to Magic Kingdom in the morning and MGM in the evening and use 2 days worth of tickets. We did this on 3 days. It allowed us to park hop but it was cheaper than buying the park hopper option. I think the price difference between a 7 day and a 10 day ticket was less than $10.00. So, this might be another option. Obviously, it only works if you don't plan to park hop every day. Good luck!

This does not work - never has never will.

The MYW base ticket is park admission to one park per day for X number of days, not just X number of park admissions. If you have a base ticket without the hopping option and you enter MK in the morning and then you try to enter Epcot later that day the turnstyle will deny access. The the CM will direct you to the guest relations booth to add the hopper option or advise you to return to the MK.

Here is a link to the FAQ that addresses this in the theme park plannnig section here on the Dis. A CM that posts here explains it in more detail than I can.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1452684

TJ

 

[scrap disney]

Well, my husband and I definitely went to 2 parks in 1 day last year. I checked our vacation video and we went to one in the morning and in the evening. But my husband did remember that our tickets didn't work at the turnstile initially in the evening but we did get in. I am glad someone mentioned this because I would have tried to do the same thing this year and probably won't have gotten in.

 

[TxTink :)]

We love hopping to another park at the end of the day, so it's perfect for us (but we don't have any kids yet...)