Do you really need a "hopper" ticket?

[BensWife]

I've only been to DW once, and that was in 1995, so it has been a long time and there were a lot fewer parks to visit back then. Did you find it easier to stay at one park each day or did you "hop" around a lot? Thanks!

 

[elaw]

I've only been to DW once, and that was in 1995, so it has been a long time and there were a lot fewer parks to visit back then. Did you find it easier to stay at one park each day or did you "hop" around a lot? Thanks!

We tend to hop quite a bit .... especially when we stay at the EPCOT area resorts. (hopping between EPCOT and DHS). I think the only new "park" since 1995 is the Animal Kingdom and we find ourselves only spending about half a day there for any given day.

 

[HawkeyeFan]

We are traveling with 4 young kids for the first time(one with special needs) and decided against the hopper. Not sure the ages of your children but mine won't last one park for a full day, let alone multiple. My two cents...

 

[Dixiemom]

Have never done park hopping. I plan a day for each park we want to go to plus a resort day. I also do the waterparks & more option so we have lots of water water time.....I love taking advantage of the EMH's too!!!! Hopping seems like way too much trouble IMO.

 

[smellyia]

Last summer we got hoppers and used them daily but we stay at the Epcot resorts. This year we'll do the same so we can go to Epcot as much as we'd like in the evenings it even DHS. That being said, if I wasn't staying at an Epcot resorting might forego the hoppers because of convenience. Your best bet would be to mock up an itinerary and figure where you'd like to go when. Hoppers are by no means a necessity and I think where you stay plays a large part in their use.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Looking at your kids' ages, I'd suggest that you stick to one park per day. Years ago, we would purchase the hoppers but realized that it was better to plan on seeing one park on a particular day. If you need to go back to the resort for a break, you can still do so and then return to that same park later.

 

[elaw]

We usually do rope drop at one of the parks in the morning, head back to the resort for the early afternoon to relax a bit, then to a different park in the late afternoon/evening for a few hours and then head back to the resort before 9:00pm

 

[Reddy]

we get the hoppers but my boys are teens so we tend to go go go
figure the bus/boat/monrail ride is a break for us
since DHS has fanstimic every night that helps with crowds in that park so you may not need to hop

 

[momto3boysillbe]

We did not get park hoppers on our last trip in October to keep the costs down a bit. It worked out for us because we planned our days well. If you can afford it and think you even might want to hop then it's well worth it. When we do have park hoppers we may hop over to MK just to see the parade or to catch some extra magic hours. It also depends on how long your stay will be and if you think you'll have any extra time to do the hopping. We can spend all day in one park easily though.

 

[cjsm&d]

I've only been to DW once, and that was in 1995, so it has been a long time and there were a lot fewer parks to visit back then. Did you find it easier to stay at one park each day or did you "hop" around a lot? Thanks!

We've only gotten them twice. Once when we stayed at YC and once when we stayed at Swan.

We don't feel the need for a park hopper when we stay at any other area other than the EPCOT resorts.

When we stay at EPCOT resorts, DW, DS, and I all love to walk over to EPCOT in the evening no matter where we spent the day.

 

[Meetmeinmontauk]

DBF & I got park hoppers on the first trip but not our last trip. It worked out fine both ways but we much prefer the hoppers!

We only do half a day at Animal Kingdom too, so we feel it's nice to have the PH.

 

[vdub322]

We usually do rope drop at one of the parks in the morning, head back to the resort for the early afternoon to relax a bit, then to a different park in the late afternoon/evening for a few hours and then head back to the resort before 9:00pm

This is pretty much exactly what we do and it works so well for our family. We always break up the day with resort time. We are "morning people" and we get an early start. Then after lunch we head back to the resort. DD3 is a scheduled napper and the rest of us love to hang out, rest, shop, swim, etc. Then we head to a different park at night...fairly early.

If we were on a shorter trip and didn't plan to spend resort time every afternoon, then maybe I wouldn't "need" it, but if I'm already back at the resort it's so easy to check out somewhere different in the evening!

 

[Belle83]

During our first trip (May 2011), we did add on the park hopper option at the park because of unexpected changes in our itinerary. We went to Animal Kingdom in the morning, and wanted to go to Hollywood Studios that night. We only used the park hopper that one time during the trip.

During our trip last month (Dec. 2012), we didn't buy park hopper and didn't miss it. We're not planning to add it on for our upcoming trip (April 2013) either.

We tend to get to the parks later in the morning, and stay as late as possible. We're not the type to leave the park for a break in the middle of the day.

 

[bonjovi]

We like to park hop for meals and also because my children (5&7) may not always last all day at one park. we don't like to "schedule" the electrical parade, wishes, fantasmic or illuminations because there is no guarantee they will be energized enough to stick to a schedule. so, choosing the night , based on how awake they are may not always match the park we spent the day in.

 

[Robbi]

We never had park hoppers until we became DVC members and that was only because we stay at BWV and like to go to Epcot for dinner each night.
Honestly, since this is only your second trip, I don't think you'll need it.
Once you arrive though and if you decide that you want to hop, you can have that option added to your tickets.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We LOVE having Park Hoppers - for us, it actually allows us to slow down and relax more.
We enjoying getting up and heading to a Park in the morning...we travel during the HOT months...so an afternoon break/swim is a must. Then we head back to a different Park at night.
We don't use them every single day of our trip - but we love having the flexibility. One year we skipped the PH and I felt more pressure to see and do everything we wanted to at the Park we were at because we knew we wouldn't be able to go back another day. If we don't get to see a particular show or get to hot and tired to enjoy some of the attractions we want to see - we know we can always go back on another day.
For us Park Hoppers add some much needed flexibility and options to our vacation.

 

[mommymeg]

I've only been to DW once, and that was in 1995, so it has been a long time and there were a lot fewer parks to visit back then. Did you find it easier to stay at one park each day or did you "hop" around a lot? Thanks!

So here's my $.02. We have hopped and not hopped. Last trip we didn't add hoppers at the time of booking with the knowledge that we could add it any time we felt the need. We had 5 day base tickets plus waterparks. 11 people in total (2 families). Planned loosely each day just which parks to visit based on Adr's and EMH's. never needed or even gave hoppers a second thought. Honestly each park has more than a days worth of things to do and for us it just wasn't worth the extra money. If we were planning an extended vacation then they would have been considered. My advice would be to hold off and know that they can be added at any time!

 

[tiggspring]

I look at time as money in WDW. Every minute I'm not on a ride or having some sort of experience is money wasted. I also hate to rush. Conisder how much time you will use in transit. Is this the best use of your time? If not then skip the hopper.

DH and I used the hoppers 18yrs ago so we could eat in Epcot every night. On our 2009 and 2010 we skipped the hopper due to my mobility issues and having small children. We found the best use of our time was to hit half of the MK and Epcot the two days we alloted for each and one day for each of the other parks and a free day in whatever one we all wanted to go back to. This past November (week after Thanksgiving) we were forced to use hoppers as a package with Dance the Magic despite only have 3-4 hrs a day to enjoy the parks. However the crowds were a 1-2 (yes it does get that quiet!). In the few hours we had we got alot packed in so if we go back in November directly after Thanksgiving, I would consider it only because we were able to arrive late to fantasmic and get great seats because it was half full!

My advice is most of the time it isn't worth it. You waste time in transit especially if you take the bus. However if you want to eat in Epcot most nights or go at an extreamly quiet time of the year you just might be able to get even more in by hopping.

 

[gemini2727]

We usually add the hopper when we are already at our resort, just in case it works out that we aren't going to use it. That way, we haven't paid until we were sure. You can add it anytime.
FYI, if you are going to get the Water Parks and More option and the Hopper, get them at the same time, it's cheaper than doing each one separately

 

[Eeyore's Wife]

If you purchase the park hopping option and realize at the end of your trip you did not end up hopping you cannot go to a ticketing window and get a refund on the cost of hopping.

If you do not pre-purchase hopping and you get there and realize you want to hop, at any point in the trip, just stop off at a ticketing window and add hopping. No harm, no foul.

A few special tickets cannot be modified, such as Yes tickets, but your "run of the mill" Disney ticket can be easily upgraded to Hopping.

For us, we always hop in Disneyland. We park hop at Disney World if staying at an Epcot area resort. Being able to slip into the park for a Snack or to walk to the Monorail is great. Otherwise, we have a great time without adding hopping and have saved a great deal of money over the years.