Hopper Passes

[msteffen]

Can anyone explain to me how hopper passes work? I know it means you can go from park to park in the same day. I guess my question is if you have a day of no parks, can you use a hopper to go just in the evening when you haven't been to any other park earlier? I hope that makes sense. I guess what are the rules for hopper passes?
Thanks

 

[lauradis]

Hoppers basically mean you can go to any park at any time for the length of your ticket.

Yes you could go to a park at night and not hop to a different one anytime you want.

 

[Marionnette]

Can anyone explain to me how hopper passes work? I know it means you can go from park to park in the same day. I guess my question is if you have a day of no parks, can you use a hopper to go just in the evening when you haven't been to any other park earlier? I hope that makes sense. I guess what are the rules for hopper passes?
Thanks

No. Hopping allows you to enter a second park on the same day that you have used one of your park day admissions. Going to a park in the evening will still use one of your park admission entitlements.

 

[goofyernmost]

You will be charged for a days admittance though so you will have used up a days worth for just an evening. A park hopper is the same as a regular ticket except that it is good for more then one park if you chose to use it that way. However, whenever you process your ticket it will come out of one of the day tickets. One park or four parks in a day is the same thing with a hopper. Use it at night and that will be your usage for the day.

EDIT: @Marionnette probably said it with fewer words and much better.

 

[Lucius Best]

Can anyone explain to me how hopper passes work? I know it means you can go from park to park in the same day. I guess my question is if you have a day of no parks, can you use a hopper to go just in the evening when you haven't been to any other park earlier?

If you want to go to two different parks on the same day, you need the park hopper option to do so.

If you sleep in and hang out at the pool all day, then go to a park in the evening, you are not "using a hopper". You are using one of your park days.

 

[goofyernmost]

To further make it confusing... If you have a 5 day park hopper and you use the first day at MK and then go to DAK. That is one day, you have four left. If on the second day you use it at Epcot to only have dinner, you have just used your second day. You now have three left. If on the third day you go to DHS and then hop to Epcot for dinner and then run over to MK for the Fireworks you have used one day. You now have two left. If on the forth day you go to MK and no other park you have used another day. You have one day left... use it wisely!

 

[Mr & Mrs DD]

Doesn't matter if you park hop or not, if you enter a park, you use up a park hopping admission for that day.

 

[ZoZo]

Here's a different way to explain it. Your WDW ticket entitles you to a specific number of days. You buy a five-day base ticket, you get to go to only one park per day for five days.

If you add the hopper option, you pay a flat fee (around $60 per ticket) to go to more than one park on the same day. You go to the first park (using that day's admission on your ticket), then you can hop to a second park, and even a third or fourth park the same day. You can do this every single day, if you want, or mix it up (some days going to only one park, and some days going to multiple parks). It's up to you.

Here's another common question on these boards. Some folks ask if they can use an extra "day" on their ticket to go to more than one park per day (i.e. "I have a seven-day ticket, so can I use two 'days' and go to MK and Epcot on he same day, and not have to pay for a hopper? It's much less expensive to just use one of my extra days than to pay the $60+ hopper fee."). That won't work. When you purchase a WDW ticket, you're not buying a specific number of "entries" into a park. Your base ticket is purchasing a certain number of days. Think of each day on your ticket as being assigned to a specific day (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.). You can't use "Monday and Tuesday" on the same day to avoid paying the hopper fee. You would be denied entry into a second park if you don't buy a hopper.

Hope this helps to explain it!

 

[Robo]

if you have a day of no parks, can you use a hopper to go just in the evening when you haven't been to any other park earlier?

"Day" doesn't mean "daylight," so going to a park only after dark "in the evening" is still considered using a "day" from your tickets.

 

[msteffen]

Thanks everyone I get it now. That's how I thought it worked but just wanted to double check. Thanks again

 

[Josh Hendy]

I checked with the touringplans.com ticket price calculator and found out something interesting. It was after reading someone's message that they usually visit Animal Kingdom and DHS in the same day, because the lack of attractions means that each of these is a "half day" park. They visit AK in the morning and DHS in the afternoon/evening, finishing up with Fantasmic.

If you allocate 1 full day to each of MK and Epcot and 1/2 day to the other parks then the cheapest way to get your 3 days of visiting is to get a 4-day non-hopping pass and burn 2 days on AK/DHS. It is more expensive to get either a 3-day hopper or a 2-day non-hopper plus a 1-day hopper.

This I think is useful information for people on either a 3-day vacation or who wish to visit the non-Disney parks for the rest of their week-long vacation.

If you're visiting WDW for more than 3 days and you're planning to park-hop on only some days and not others, it may be worthwhile to play with the ticket calculator and find out if it's cheaper to get a longer, non-hopping pass and burn extra days when you hop, as opposed to buying a hopper for the total number of days. At some point it may even become worth it to buy an Annual Pass instead of a multi-day park hopper.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

This is WRONG! You CANNOT use two different "days" in one day. If you have a 4-day base ticket and try to enter two different parks in one day, it will NOT work. This is a question that is asked over and over here and the answer is always IT WILL NOT WORK!

 

[mesaboy2]

Okay then.

 

[Figmentmommy]

I checked with the touringplans.com ticket price calculator and found out something interesting. It was after reading someone's message that they usually visit Animal Kingdom and DHS in the same day, because the lack of attractions means that each of these is a "half day" park. They visit AK in the morning and DHS in the afternoon/evening, finishing up with Fantasmic.

If you allocate 1 full day to each of MK and Epcot and 1/2 day to the other parks then the cheapest way to get your 3 days of visiting is to get a 4-day non-hopping pass and burn 2 days on AK/DHS. It is more expensive to get either a 3-day hopper or a 2-day non-hopper plus a 1-day hopper.

This I think is useful information for people on either a 3-day vacation or who wish to visit the non-Disney parks for the rest of their week-long vacation.

If you're visiting WDW for more than 3 days and you're planning to park-hop on only some days and not others, it may be worthwhile to play with the ticket calculator and find out if it's cheaper to get a longer, non-hopping pass and burn extra days when you hop, as opposed to buying a hopper for the total number of days. At some point it may even become worth it to buy an Annual Pass instead of a multi-day park hopper.

If I'm understanding what your recommending here it can't be done. You are not able to use 2 days worth of tickets in one day. Disney multi day non park hopper tickets are for entrance to one park per day.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

I know, I know...over the top. But people coming on here and explaining in detail how to do something that won't work in reality doesn't help anyone. I feel bad if someone reads a post like that and actually tries it on their trip!

 

[siskaren]

If you allocate 1 full day to each of MK and Epcot and 1/2 day to the other parks then the cheapest way to get your 3 days of visiting is to get a 4-day non-hopping pass and burn 2 days on AK/DHS. It is more expensive to get either a 3-day hopper or a 2-day non-hopper plus a 1-day hopper.

If this was actually possible, then it would mean that Disney missed a huge loophole, because this is exactly why people ask if they can do it this way.

 

[Josh Hendy]

Thanks for the corrections. I almost added to my message, "this sounds like a loophole that Disney will probably close as soon as they become aware of it!"

But really ... how would the general public become aware of this complication? It defies common sense and people's innate sense of fairness to tell them, "Sure you could buy 4 days of passes and use 2 days on the same day, but we actually have a higher-priced option for that based on selling you hopping privileges for the all the days, even the ones when you don't want to hop ... therefore it is forbidden." If people try this all the time it's not because of uninformed advice they read on message boards, it's because it's a sensible and fairly obvious strategy.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

I know, I know...over the top. But people coming on here and explaining in detail how to do something that won't work in reality doesn't help anyone. I feel bad if someone reads a post like that and actually tries it on their trip!

Agreed. My opinion is that Disney provides the hopper to make it easier to enjoy it all better. It does come at a cost. Just start using it now and budget each trip for it.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

That's why you're buying tickets in terms of "days" and not "admissions". If you bought 5 admissions, yes, you'd be able use multiples on one day. But when you buy a "day," it's just that. You can go into the park on that day.

ETA: And it wasn't a loophole they just found out about. The system you're talking about has not been allowed.

 

[siskaren]

ETA: And it wasn't a loophole they just found out about. The system you're talking about has not been allowed.

Exactly. The system has never allowed a ticket that was used in one park to be used in another one on the same day. If you tried, some kind of error message would come up that would tell the CM that the ticket had already been used at another park that day.