Are Hoppers worth the extra cost?

[Trina7020]

I decided NOT to buy Hoppers? I thought that with a 2 and 3 year old park hopping would be more trouble than it is worth. But maybe I am wrong? It is $150 extra for the 7 days.

Any opinions are whether it is worth it?

 

[Creekermom]

We went last Sept and we didn't do hopper passes and we had a GREAT time. You will have plenty to do and see without the passes.

 

[wdw71]

I say this only because we eat a lot in EPCOT so it is necessary to have for that reason. Also if the park you are in gets over crowded you could always switch to another park. But if this is not in your plans or your budget doesn't allow it, it isn't a big deal not to have it.

 

[tjmw2727]

If your unsure don't purchase the hopper option in advance. During the trip if you find you want to hop just add it then. Its the same price either way so why buy something upfront you may not use?

If things work out with one park per day your all set. If on day three you start out in AK and decide you want to spend the evening in Epcot just add the hopper option before leaving AK or before entering Epcot. I will say I find the guest relations inside the parks much more pleasant then the ones outside the gates.

TJ

 

[SharpMomOfTwo]

Ok, imagine this - You get up, get everything all ready to go to the one park of the day, double check everything and everyone, you get your whole brude on the bus (or whatever), you get to the park, swipe your ticket, and 10 minutes later you realize that you forgot one of the kids blankets, binkies etc. and they are now crying hysterically and rolling on the ground! NOW WHAT??? For me, Disney is our one big trip of this decade so though I'm not going to break the bank, spending an extra $150 on making sure you have a great time I think is worth it. If you didn't have young kids, maybe I'd say different, but you can just never tell with the little ones!

 

[LadyShea]

you get to the park, swipe your ticket, and 10 minutes later you realize that you forgot one of the kids blankets, binkies etc. and they are now crying hysterically and rolling on the ground! NOW WHAT???

You can leave and reenter the same park on the same day, you simply can't go to two parks on the same day without the park hopper.

So you could go back to the resort, get the needed item, and return to the park. A park hopper wouldn't prevent or mitigate this scenario you describe, that I can see.

 

[tjmw2727]

Ok, imagine this - You get up, get everything all ready to go to the one park of the day, double check everything and everyone, you get your whole brude on the bus (or whatever), you get to the park, swipe your ticket, and 10 minutes later you realize that you forgot one of the kids blankets, binkies etc. and they are now crying hysterically and rolling on the ground! NOW WHAT??? For me, Disney is our one big trip of this decade so though I'm not going to break the bank, spending an extra $150 on making sure you have a great time I think is worth it. If you didn't have young kids, maybe I'd say different, but you can just never tell with the little ones!

Not sure how a hopper pass is going to help in this situation. Why can't one of your party return to the resort and get the item while the other stays in the park with the kids?

Unless you didn't realize you can leave and re-enter the park even with just the base ticket (non hopper). Yes you must stick to one park per day but you can leave and re-enter as many times as you like during that day.

TJ

 

[all4fun]

If your unsure don't purchase the hopper option in advance. During the trip if you find you want to hop just add it then. Its the same price either way so why buy something upfront you may not use?

If things work out with one park per day your all set. If on day three you start out in AK and decide you want to spend the evening in Epcot just add the hopper option before leaving AK or before entering Epcot. I will say I find the guest relations inside the parks much more pleasant then the ones outside the gates.

TJ

ITA.

We do like to get hoppers though. This way if we leave the park partway thru the day we are not tied down to going back to the same park if we don't want to. We enjoy the flexibility.

 

[tzolkin]

i was thinking the same as you-- too much effort, extra cost, and we're going for 9 days so i figured we would be able to see what we want without the hoppers. so i did not buy the hoppers when i booked the package.

however, we have 3 young kids and i think we are going to have to go back to the hotel for an afternoon nap. since we'll be making the extra trip anyway it would be nice to have the ability to go to another park-- especially if the first one was very crowded. (we're going over memorial day) if we were going to be in a park all day i dont think we would need it, but i think the flexibility will make this trip a little less stressful for me.

 

[Trina7020]

Thanks for the opinions

My general Plan is

Day 1: Arrive at 10am... no plans.. but have a ticket for that day if we want
Day 2: MK
Day 3: AK
Day 4: Epcot
Day 5: DHS
Day 6: MK
Day 7: Undecided - but again we have tickets if we missed something in one of the parks

I know we may not spend all day at AK..(or another park) but I figured we would just use it as a down afternoon/evenings for the kiddos.

 

[MegansMom]

I definitely think that with the ages of your kids, it will be a waste of money. Spend each day at one park--take breaks obviously when necessary--and relax and ENJOY!! I don't see the benefit for someone who has youngsters.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

We always get park hoppers because we find that sometime our plans just change. A big thing for us is that if it rains and say for instance we miss out on Spectromagic and Wishes on Monday...well maybe we want to try to see it on Tuesday but don't want to spend ALL of Tuesday in the MK. So we go to whatever park we had planned for Tuesday and then just go back to MK for the fireworks/parade.

Overall, it's not that big of a deal if you don't have them. But the way I look at it..park hopping costs an additional $40 a person (roughly) for the week. In the grand scheme of all the money you are spending on that trip...I'll fork up the $120 so that we can be more flexible once we are there.

 

[Mom2JPL]

Our kids were almost 4, 2.5 and 12 months when we went in Oct. We didn't get the hopper tickets...really no need for it at that age! We had our schedule of which park for each day, got to the park early, would have our lunch in the park, and then head to the resort for a nap. After a nap (which was pretty long because they were tired from the heat and the walking) we'd head back to the park. By 8ish they were tired and ready to head back to the room.

We were at the parks from Wednesday to Monday, and did 3 MK days. We did AK for only a 1/2 day (we had tickets for MNSSHP that night) and 1/2 at Epcot the day we arrived (kids were tired and ready for tubs and bed early!). MGM was a full day. Worked well for us with the ages of our kids!

Have a great trip!

 

[reelmom]

Based on our experience, I would not get it. We took our kids for the first time when they were 2 and 3 and had park hoppers. We used them but in doing so, we had a tired cranky crew with us. We felt that since we had them we had to use them to get our money's worth. The last time we went, they were 4 and 5 and did not get them. IMHO, we were able to accomplish more with a slower pace. We didn't feel like we were always missing something at another park. With children that young, I would get to the parks early, do as much as possible and go back to the hotel early for a good night's sleep( our kids did not take naps at this age so a nap break wouldn't have worked for us). I would continue this for the whole trip unless you wanted to see some night time entertainment.

 

[carissanboys]

We've been twice and haven't gotten the hoppers either time and definitely did not miss it. We're usually so tired that one park is plenty for us. Plus, there's always the pool and other non-park things to help fill your day. If you plan things well, you really don't need the hopper option (not saying it isn't worth it for people with older kids or adults going alone - just not really needed with little kids, IMO).

 

[SharpMomOfTwo]

You can leave and reenter the same park on the same day, you simply can't go to two parks on the same day without the park hopper.

So you could go back to the resort, get the needed item, and return to the park. A park hopper wouldn't prevent or mitigate this scenario you describe, that I can see.

Oh my bad, I thought you couldn't even go back into the same park again. Anyhow, I still think its a good idea to get the hopper just incase you want to go to Epcot for dinner, but don't want to spend the whole day there or something like that. JMHO

 

[TheDizMom]

I have to say we really like that option. We do tend to like to go back to the parks for the night shows for a second time. We have also gone back to MK just to shop before. It is really nice to have the option, but if you really don't think you'll use it, skip it. You can always purchase it once you get there if you decide you do want that option.

 

[BeckityBobbidyBoo!]

We haven't bought hoppers the last 2 times. We have been perfectly content without them. I've been much more laid back about our trips...I used to be the commando type and try to get it all in, cram as much stuff in as little time- it sucks the life out of you! We still get to see everything we want, and enjoy it more without such a frenetic pace.

 

[Trina7020]

I was actually thinking by NOT having Hoppers it will force me to allow some down time. I am very much a "gogogo" person by nature. I can see myself dragging the boys out even when they are exhausted... but if I don't have Hoppers.... it will force me to spend some down time at the hotel, which I know is better for the boys in the long run. 7 days of Disney is a long time for a 2 and 3 year old.

 

[MousekaMaddi]

i have a pass so I can hop as I wish , with this in mind we never buy hoppers for DD5 or DH because we dont hop, theres sooooooo much to do IMHO that theres no need to hop, just plan. Put the extea $45 per ticket towards chara dining