Are Park Hoppers beneficial?

[mkla2015]

We are frequent WDW visitors and always get park hoppers- with 4 parks we usually hit 2 per day.

We're looking at a possible DLR trip in October and are researching and pricing everything now. I've been twice but the last time was 15 yrs ago.

Do you recommend park hoppers?

In the grand scheme of things, an extra $200 for the hoppers isn't a big deal but are they worth it?

 

[DLgal]

Yes, absolutely. The parks are less than 100 yards apart and hopping is essential, in my opinion. I honesty get bored after a few hours in each park and enjoy being able to hop over for a different experience. I could never spend an entire day in only one park. Plus, it works better with Fastpass because you can get FP in each park that overlap so you can do so much more if you go back and forth.

 

[mkla2015]

Oh wow, I had no idea that you could get overlapping FP. I really have a lot to learn about Disneyland.

Do you recommend staying on Disney property? There are so many non- Disney hotels within walking distance unlike WDW.

 

[my*gracie*girl]

We don't stay on Disney property because the price difference is almost another trip for us. We would prefer to go twice and there are non-Disney hotels that are closer in walking distance than the Disney hotels. If you have young kids that need to go back for a nap/pool time, it might be worth it to you. The pools at the Disney hotels are 'better' tho there are several non-Disney with great pool/play areas also.

 

[sherilaine]

The thought of not buying hoppers has never, for once, ever occurred to me. It's one big park to us!

 

[DLgal]

Oh wow, I had no idea that you could get overlapping FP. I really have a lot to learn about Disneyland.

Do you recommend staying on Disney property? There are so many non- Disney hotels within walking distance unlike WDW.

It depends on when you are going whether you value pool time, whether you have kids, etc. Was are locals but stay on property a couple times a year just for the experience. We love it. We spend a LOT of time at the pools though, and use the amenities. If you are looking for a full resort experience vacation, I definitely recommend on property vs. off. If all you need is a room to sleep and shower and you will be in the parks 12 hours a day, staying on property is a waste of money.

 

[gottalovepluto]

If you find hoppers useful at WDW, you will LOVE them at DL! We utilize our hoppers a lot. Especially because we love to eat in DL, drink in DCA and flip flop between the rides and entertainment in both parks. It takes like a minute to walk from one turnstile to the other.

 

[goooof1]

Extremely beneficial!! Love the flexibility of hoppers......gets too crowded at DL, hop over to DCA and the fast passes you can hold for both parks! Hoppers all the way!

 

[gottalovepluto]

We prefer to stay onsite now, but we had many wonderful trips off-site as well. We use EMH every morning & now have family with mobility issues so staying in the Disney bubble has gotten more valuable to us (and we simply didn't use to have the budget for it). Bottom line: it's different for everyone depending on your priorities & it's MUCH less important to stay onsite at DLR than WDW.

 

[lindyv321]

Our first trip we did not buy the hoppers and regretted it! Our second trip we we paid for the hoppers and it was so worth it. Our past two trips we've stayed on property but on our upcoming trip we are staying off property. So I guess we'll see if staying on property is really worth the expense after our next trip.

I had no idea you could hold fastpasses from each park that overlapped. That is good to know since we are planning on utilizing them to ride RSR but can still grab some passes while we are in DL!!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

You'll find lots of good information in this superthread: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets.

 

[Indiana Scott]

We wouldn't even consider not getting PH's. We hop often and sometimes go between the parks for food or a specific ride. And there's this; no matter how much we enjoy DCA, walking back over to DL and entering Walts park just never gets old. Even though DCA is a great park, after just a few hours it's almost like going home to re-enter Disneyland and get that wonderful familiar feeling.

 

[agamble]

The only reason I would say to skip hoppers is to save money. For example we bought 4-day non hoppers one year because it was about the same price as 3-day hoppers. It doesn't sound like that is the concern for you though. You can walk from Toon Town in the back of Disneyland to Carsland in DCA in about the same time you can walk from the back of the Magic Kingdom to it's gate. So really the parks are extremely close. It is definitely worth having the park hopping feature if the extra $200 is not the issue.

 

[We7Johnsons]

We would have gotten hoppers if we could have afforded it. We've save for 2 years just to be able to go on this trip next week and we need to be able to eat, too. If we could just "fast" for the 5 days, we would.

If you can afford to Hop@Disneyland, HOP!! (Or bounce)

 

[calilou]

I don't think you need hoppers if you're doing just two days. We've done many two day trips with friends/family who don't have passes like we do and have them just get 1 park per day tickets. I think it's easier to plan one park per day if you're there for just two days. For trips three days or longer I would go for the hoppers to have more flexibility.

 

[WillowRain]

YES! I am planning every detail of my trip and we NEED hoppers. We are staying at GCH the first 2 nights, so EE to DL day 1, lunch at DCA for WOC that night, then the next morning EE at DCA, but lunch at DL for PTN package lol. I did it this way so we could go to bed right after WOC to the hotel room. I just can't imagine NOT park hopping, that would be so weird.

 

[tarheelalum]

You have to get park hoppers.

 

[Niltiac]

Oh wow, I had no idea that you could get overlapping FP. I really have a lot to learn about Disneyland.

Do you recommend staying on Disney property? There are so many non- Disney hotels within walking distance unlike WDW.

I would say, before you get too far into hotel comparison, take a look at the potential price difference. Many people are surprised how big the price difference can be for on-site vs. off-site and that settles the argument right away.

If the price doesn't phase you, then start to look at the pros and cons. The biggest distinctive perk to staying on-site is early entry, so honestly ask yourself if you will use it. Other perks are less distinct - atmosphere/landscaping, pools and a handful of activities offered on-site. Although there are certainly other nice hotels in the area, most of the ones right across the street are motels. Location is not much of a perk for staying on-site unless you stay at GCH and get a good room assignment, otherwise your off-site options are probably comparable or closer. Your walk to the park from off-site will probably involve walking down a city street (albeit a well cared-for city street), whereas if you stay on-site you will be walking through downtown disney, and that is sometimes an important distinction for people who are used to WDW.

 

[CateinPhoenix]

With the ages of your kids, if you plan to spend anytime at the pools at all and that is important to you, both the Hojo and the Courtyard Marriott have water park areas for the kids.

Some years we do 4 day 1 Park tickets and other years we do 3 day PH. Usually I would choose the extra day rather than hopping.

 

[tdhickey]

I like the option to park hop, typically I'll switch parks once or twice a day. Especially DCA where it's possible to do most of the park in about half a day and park hopping helps deal with pesky ride breakdowns. For example one day, only Pirates of the Caribbean was running smoothly and every other big disney ride was down for like 1/2 the day.