Do you hop?

[ToyStory3]

Do you park hop on your vacation? If so, when and under what circumstances? Do you hop less with FPP?

We are going in September for a week. We will definitely get the PH because we are staying at the BCR. So, when you're that close to 2 parks you want to be able to hop. But, most days, on our last stay at BCR, we really didn't use it very much.

We don't like to come back half way through the day, then go back out to the parks. We usually get up and go to the parks, then come back to swim and stay at the resort in the evening. Or we sleep in, swim, and go to the parks in the afternoon and evening. So, we just didn't hop much. I want to use our PH more this time and try to use evening EMH this trip, too. Just curious how others use them.

Thanks!

 

[maguis82]

We normally stay a week and hop at least 2-3x during our trip. Our next trip is only three days and we only plan on doing two parks, so I'm undecided if it's worth the extra money to pay for hoppers. I like the idea of going to Epcot at night, just to walk around. But am I really going to want to do it after walking around all day in the August heat?

 

[sbecker517]

Last time we bought park hopper and didn't hop once! This time I didn't buy it bc we usually get up and go till we can't go anymore! Lol hope I don't regret it bc we are staying at BC this time... Last time POR...

 

[disney*mom*82]

I've been to WDW 10 or more times and I have never PH. I think it is a waste of time. I plan well in advance each day and we will go to the park that has late EMHs around 10am (earlier if needed for ressies, a show, etc) and spend the entire day and late night there. We never return to the resort or go to another park.
This way we never feel rushed, we almost always get everything done that we want to get done, and we didn't waste time walking to the front of the park, waiting on a bus (monorail, water taxi, etc) and then getting to the next park, checking bags, and getting in. It just seems like a waste.

 

[Hootch]

almost every day at WDW. We haven't been since FPP has been fully rolled out but I'm looking at hopping pretty much every day still. Rope drop one park and ride until it gets crowded, resort for break and second park with FPP in the evening. If the MK is the last aprk we might do FPP at Epcot or DHS and try for added FPPs at the MK in the evening. There are more FPP available rides.

Plans are still evolving.

 

[OKW Lover]

Hopping is a way of life for us. Of course we have an AP so cost isn't a consideration. However we usually find that we spend the morning/early afternoon in a park, then rest for a while before heading out to a different park (usually Epcot) for the evening.

 

[dawnhaze]

I used to hop more before I started using an ECV, mostly because my body couldn't handle an entire day in a park and I had to leave for a rest anyway, after which I'd usually want to go someplace different.

These days, the only times I usually bother hopping are if I want to have dinner in Epcot after a day at another park (usually DHS).

 

[Meriweather]

we are usually there for 2 weeks and hop more toward the end of the trip to see/do our favorites ago, go to a certain restaurant, etc.
We do have APs

 

[SnapesGirl]

We were just there for 14 days and had 10 day park hoppers. We used the hopping option almost every single day. We would start in one park at rope drop, head back to the hotel around 1 or 2, go for dinner and then go to another park around 7. We absolutely loved them and having the freedom to visit another park on the same day. I can't see us not using them in the future!

 

[DougEMG]

We have annual passes and usually stay at BWV or another location where we can walk into at least one park, so we always end up park hopping just about every day. Hit one park in the morning, take it easy in the afternoon and then hit a park in the evening.

 

[circus4u]

We have always hopped. Sometimes it because of meal reservations; other times due to a park being really crowded; other times, we just get bored and decide to go somewhere else; then there is the excuse that we are tired so we hop the monorail between MK and Epcot to rest. Keep in mind though, that rides are not important to us; some days we don't ride anything, it's just the atmosphere for us.

 

[DexLabDeeDee]

I think it really depends on the time of year when people hop. We go in September as well when the parks open later and close early so going to one park in the morning and then taking a break and switching parks takes up a lot of park time and not worth it for us. We usually go for a week at a time.

Every once in awhile I do get an urge to hop to a couple of parks on a "free day" but we find it too expensive for just one day (or two) of hopping. We also have our days pretty well planned out and feel fulfilled. We usually eat a late dinner and then return to the resort to swim or relax before bed. I guess that's our break.

You can always add the park hopper option at any point in the trip if you feel you are missing it - just remember that it is a flat rate based on the days of the original ticket, not the days that you have left. So if you have a 7 day ticket and you use 2 days and then decide that you would like to add the park hopper option, you pay the park hopper flat rate for a 7-day ticket, not a 5-day ticket. Of course, if you have an AP, the additional cost isn't an issue.

 

[DizMagic]

We really on hop for dinner as we do Epcot for dinner most nights and start at another park that morning. As others though, we are AP - so cost not a factor. If I had to pay, we would probably just outside of part at Resort or DTD.

 

[think-like-tink]

WE will this year. We got 4 day Salute tickets and was bummed that we might would skip Epcot. With the hopper, I planned a half day at Epcot and nighttime at DHS. I want to hit MK 2 full days.

 

[Pirate Me]

Nearly every day of the trip. When we stay at BC, we usually end up in Epcot at some point during the day as well as whatever park we go to that day.

 

[thisismyusername]

Our first trip (offsite) was without hoppers, and we were fine with that. We wanted to explore the park as much as possible, and really had only set aside 2 days for MK and 1 day for the other three parks.

Our second trip was onsite at the YC, and we ordered non-hoppers and regretted it (I didn't realize we could add the hopper option onto the ticket at the time--if I would have known I could do it after the fact, I would have.) While we were still thoroughly spending a day at each park and had a longer trip, the fact that we were so close to the back entrance to World Showcase and couldn't go in if we had visited another park earlier that day was a real bummer as we would have LOVED spending our evenings strolling through World Showcase...

We now have APs, so it's not an issue, but if I were giving advice to someone, I'd probably suggest that people:

-going for their first time
-not planning a mid-day break
-doing a shorter trip (4-5 days)
-and not staying immediately next to a park or off site would probably be fine with non-hopping tickets.

But for everyone else I think it's a nice little perk to have if it's within their budget.

 

[aaturner]

We have always used our Park Hoppers. We like to be able to go to a water park in the morning and another park in the afternoon. Also on the days we go to Animal Kingdom it is nice to be able to go another park with later hours in the evening/afternoon. Magic Kingdom is open later than most parks and sometimes several hours after the others close, love having the option for late nights at MK.

 

[preemiemama]

As most have said, we go to one park at rope drop, stay until it gets busy, then go back and relax at the hotel until dinner. Typically, we eat dinner at Epcot in one of the countries, so hopping is a must for these days. Since we go in June or July, we will also often hop to MK after dinner to take advantage of the later hours.

 

[NavyDotz]

We always park hop.

Our last trip was offsite & also w/ 1st timers & that is the only trip i wish we didn’t park hop.

Usually it's just DD & I. When she was younger we ride Disney transport back to the room & rest a bit, grab a jacket, etc. & head out for the evening. Now that she’s older we just rest on the trips in between parks (monorail or bus).

We always ended up park hopping from our original park due to ADRs. Just like the flexibility it provides.

 

[KYDisneyMouse]

I can't imagine going to WDW and not hopping! We do it every day, to at least 2 parks, sometimes even more. I love the flexibility of taking advantage of early park openings and late park closings on the same day if they are at different parks. We also tend to hop a lot to eat, sometimes just going to a park for food and then leaving. The cost to park hop is the same no matter how long the stay so if you are there for a even a few days I think it is totally worth it!