Are park hoppers really necessary?

[got2luvtink]

This is our first family trip to WDW. We have a lot of littlt ones traveling with us. I'm wondering if PH is going to be worth it. There is just so much to see at each park, that I don't see us being able to see everything that we want to at one park in a day, let alone going to two? (especially if we go back to our disney resort for afternoon naps) Any thoughts on this?

 

[Robo]

This is our first family trip to WDW. We have a lot of littlt ones traveling with us. I'm wondering if PH is going to be worth it. There is just so much to see at each park, that I don't see us being able to see everything that we want to at one park in a day, let alone going to two? (especially if we go back to our disney resort for afternoon naps) Any thoughts on this?

We always park-hop... every single day.

But YOU may not NEED to.
How do you know?
What should you do?

Simple:
You don't need to buy the "Hopper Option" UNLESS and UNTIL you need it.

If you are already at one park and decide that you'd like to "hop" to another... right then,
just walk up to a ticket window and pay the approx. $47 per tix (its the same price whenever you choose to do it) and you're ready to hop (that day, and any others, for the rest of your trip.)

If you go and NEVER need to hop, don't buy the upgrade, and you can then spend all those "extra" bucks on more WDW souvenirs!

--------


One advantage of HOPPER is that on your Animal Kingdom day (AK closes pretty early), you could "close" AK and then HOP over to, say, Epcot for dinner and IllumiNations that evening.

If, say, Fantasmic! got "rained out" on your MGM day, you could HOP to there on the day that you were at another park, and catch the amazing show.

If the "entire population" of Hukalockistan poured into MK on one of the days you were there, and filled all the queues and took all the FP's, you could hop to Epcot and escape the crowd.

If you were at DHS and wanted to eat at, say, Canada in Epcot (like WE love to do) you could ride over on the boat, use your Hopper to get into the International Gateway, dine on CHEESE SOUP, then retrace your path back to MGM for more fun!

Hopping can be a valuable asset, and you don't need to buy it unless or until you NEED it!

 

[dismagiclover]

We spent a week in Disney in January with three little ones and didn't get park hoppers. Especially with it being your first visit, you will find more than enough to do in each park to fill your day. If you take a break during the day, simply return to the same park that evening. For us, it just wasn't worth the extra money.

 

[rwdavis]

It depends. If you intend on switching parks with the intentions of doing rides at the second park then it may not be worth it. If the time of year is high crowd levels you may have long waits and/or no fast passes for some rides. We ran into that when hopping fro, DHS to AK over MLK weekend. All the fast passes for the safari and Everest were gone and lines were 50+ minutes. So we did not get to do anything in AK.

But if you're napping in the afternoon then get to the parks before opening each day, hit the more popular rides, take a rest, and then return to the same park to see what you did not have time to in the morning.

It really depends on how many days you will be there. If it's 4 or less then I would not bother with hoppers.
Bob

 

[Goofy'slady]

If you plan on hopping than it's necessary. When I was young my family use to buy PHer's but not anymore. For us it wasn't worth it; we would only hop once and that was it. Now, we don't buy the hoppers at all. I'm married now and I have two kids of my own ages 91/2 and 21/2 and we're not doing hoppers. There's just so much to see and do in the park and especially for those who are going for the first time or who haven't been in years. We like to take our time and drink it all in. Now, I would recommend getting non-expiring tickets for any left over days you don't use on this visit, even if you even think there's a slight posibility you may be going back in a few years. That way you're saving money the next time you go back - say you buy a 6day park hopper this year and only spend four days in the park; if you have non-expiring tickets then the next time you visit you may only have to buy what you need.

Toya

 

[mickeystoontown]

This is our first family trip to WDW. We have a lot of littlt ones traveling with us. I'm wondering if PH is going to be worth it. There is just so much to see at each park, that I don't see us being able to see everything that we want to at one park in a day, let alone going to two? (especially if we go back to our disney resort for afternoon naps) Any thoughts on this?

Since this is your first family trip, I would not spend the extra money for park hoppers. First of all, unless you are very familiar with the Disney transportation system, park hopping can take up a good bit of your park touring time. Second of all, like you said, it's going to take all day long to see everything in just one park.

We've been to WDW many many times and it still takes us 2 days to see the Magic Kingdom, 2 days (or at least 1 1/2) to see Epcot, a full day at Animal Kingdom and a full day at Hollywood Studios.

I would stick to one park per day. Be at the park at park opening. If you wantto leave in the middle of the day for a break, you can do this and still go back to the same park that same day.

On our first trip, our son was just 1 and we thought we just had to leave the park to let our kids take a break. In all honesty, the whole time we were gone from the park, we were itching to get back to the park. There was no real resting for us!

So, after that first trip, we decided to just find a nice cool spot in the park and take a break. There really are many places to just sit back, relax and eat a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar.

I vote to save the park hopper money and buy a souvenier for each of you!

 

[bsjs0708]

I am going to be VERY honest and tell you our first trip we had three kids with park hoppers and by the time we were back home we were simply EXHAUSTED!!! the last three trips we've taken we did not purchase park hoppers nor are we getting them this trip. There are 4 parks. And most people will visit 5 or more days. That will give you at least a day or more to go back and re-visit your favorite park(s).BUt everybody vacations differently and has their each way of touring I just know that this is the way that works for us and we don't wear ourselves out Just my 2 cents. Hope this helps

 

[munchie22]

no park hoppers for us anymore.

If we are done with a park early (!) or rain comes by then it is off to Boardwalk or to Downtown Disney or visit hotels - Animal Kingdom, Wilderness Lodge etc.

I can see how the Park Hoppers work for some people and they may for me in the future when my kids are older and we don't have to hit all the rides, but right now we don't need them.

 

[got2luvtink]

On our first trip, our son was just 1 and we thought we just had to leave the park to let our kids take a break. In all honesty, the whole time we were gone from the park, we were itching to get back to the park. There was no real resting for us!

So, after that first trip, we decided to just find a nice cool spot in the park and take a break. There really are many places to just sit back, relax and eat a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar.

That's another concern I have! Will we be itching to go back to the parks if we try to rest, or will we actually relax?

To everyone else that put in their 2 cents, thanks. I don't think we will be doing PH's.

 

[brianm27]

Here is something else to think about.

Our daughter is coming up on six and now enjoys things at all of the parks. However, a few years ago, we started every morning early at the Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom. After nap we usually took turns in all the parks.

This allowed us to catch the parades over again (especially liked the soon to be retired Stars and Motorcars at the studio).

We always purchase annual passes so park hopping is included.

 

[loco4dis]

Yes

 

[got2luvtink]

Here is something else to think about.

Our daughter is coming up on six and now enjoys things at all of the parks. However, a few years ago, we started every morning early at the Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom. After nap we usually took turns in all the parks.

This allowed us to catch the parades over again (especially liked the soon to be retired Stars and Motorcars at the studio).

We always purchase annual passes so park hopping is included.

I know this is kind of , but Stars and Motorcars parade ending? When? My son needs his Power Ranger fix!

 

[eliza61]

What time of year are you going? In the summer when it's warm the parks are open late. You are going to go back and nap with the younger ones, what are you going to do with the rest of your evening?
I also like the extra convenience. If we get to MK and it's really packed, no worries we hop on the monorail and head over to Epcot. That in itself makes it worth the price but Robo said, don't purchase them upfront. If you get there and feel you guys want to hop, then just upgrade.

 

[wilde_oscar]

If you don't park hop, clowns might eat you.

 

[wilde_oscar]

I know this is kind of , but Stars and Motorcars parade ending? When? My son needs his Power Ranger fix!

the power rangers still come out with the nifty car in the afternoons, check your times guide.

 

[Brian_WDW74]

Are Park Hoppers necessary? No. Are they convenient? You bet!

I tend to agree with Robo. Since it's the same price to add the Park Hopper option no matter when you do so, there's really no need to buy it in advance. Wait and see how things go for you. If you're in the parks and decide that you want to park hop, you can upgrade your tickets right then and there. Otherwise, save your money for an extra souvenir or two.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

I always do park hoppers but I'm the same type of person that hates let others drive ... I guess that makes me a control freak! But I guess just HAVING the option to leave a park if it's too crowded or we just feel like being somewhere else is worth the extra money to me.

But Robo's suggestion about adding it when/if you want it is a great one that I never thought about!!

 

[got2luvtink]

the power rangers still come out with the nifty car in the afternoons, check your times guide.

Thanks for the PR info!



Sounds like I just need to set aside the extra park hopper money in my budget just in case, and if I don't need it, extra souvenirs

 

[caroline1851]

I'm going with ds6 and dd2 and don't plan on getting hoppers. It seems too crazy and I want to have a bit of relaxation each day. It's too hard to coordinate meals, time, etc. with hopping in my opinion.

 

[carmur73]

I don't know when you are going to Disney, but there is currently a special on for when I am going in April, and with a min 3 day stay at a Disney Resort, we got the Park Hopper and Water Parks and More options added on for FREE. The discount code is ALG. If you booked directly through disney, call them and see if this is available for during your stay. The discount code that applied when I booked last week is ALG.

It's a great idea to wait until you get there to see. Also, with all the money you are spending to go to Disney, if it's possible, you may want to keep all your options open to get the maximum benefit.