is it me, but I don't see the need for a hopper ticket?

[abmitch01]

going 10 days 8/9 with DD 15, first time onsite at POR. We didn't do any ADRs, trying to save on our food budget. We've never done hopping. Trying to save some money. If you don't have ADRs, why do you need it besides just being able to change parks on a whim?

 

[BrownHP800]

We have always used hopper tickets in the past because it was nice that if we felt a certain park was busier than expected we would just go to another park. This year we are not getting hoppers. I just can not justify the extra $250 or so. That money can be better used on something else. Just my opinion.

 

[rndmr2]

Some people like to fill the day, like if you do Animal Kingdom first and that closes at 5 but say MK closes at midnight, someone might want to hop over to MK for the rest of the night instead of just going back to the Resort.

 

[jnscott4]

I have done trips with and without park hoppers. I can tell you from experience that it is more of a convenience thing for me to be able to change my mind mid-day and head to another park or to spend the day in MK then head over to EP for dinner. If you are ok with doing one park per day and have no ADRs in the parks, then forgo the expense of the park hoppers. Its all a matter of perspective and how much you are willing to spend.

 

[amym2]

With 10 days you'll be fine without it. We usually only have 5 days, so it's useful if weather impacts our plans or we want an extra half day somewhere. We always have ADRs, but if you're just doing CS you'll be fine (assuming you can live on 10 days of CS food). That's why they're an option, not a requirement. Some people don't need or want them and others do. For us the added expense is worth it.

 

[DisneyLvr55]

Your going for 10 days, so that in itself makes it less likely to need a Hopper pass. However, I've never done Disney without a hopper, and I wouldn't be happy without it. We love to go over to Epcot as many evenings we can, so that in itself makes it a needed item for us. Even if we don't have a sit-down ADR there that night, the QS are better than anywhere else IMO, and the ombiance and just being able to walk around and enjoy all the World Showcase has to offer is priceless. Well worth the extra $$$ for the Hopper passes for us

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Some trips we hop, some trips we don't. I like to hop for evening EMH and also like to hop to eat in Epcot. Even if we aren't doing a sit down meal I prefer the Epcot counter service places over those in DHS. Also depending on when you are going the MK could be closing at 7pm for the parties and on those days I'd hop for some evening fun.

 

[TheGreatGafsby]

First and last trip I did not book the Park Hopper option initially, but after looking at dining options, added that in (restaurants in Epcot looked most appealing to me, so we had most sit down meals there). In the end, I really liked the flexibility too (did 3 parks one day and that was great). I thought I could save money and plan around it, but it was well worth the (relatively) small investment. Have already booked our next trip with that option. I'm going through the same "should I or shouldn't I" internal debate regarding Photopass....

 

[Pemba78]

I'd also love to hear feedback on this.... I am thinking of changing our tickets back to just regular tickets as we have them now as park hopper plus water park.... There's probably not a huge change we'll hop parks (or anything unless it's scheduled!!!) what with all the careful PLANNING

 

[jiminykrikkit]

With 10 days you'll be fine without it. We usually only have 5 days, so it's useful if weather impacts our plans or we want an extra half day somewhere. We always have ADRs, but if you're just doing CS you'll be fine (assuming you can live on 10 days of CS food). That's why they're an option, not a requirement. Some people don't need or want them and others do. For us the added expense is worth it.

Yes, this. Not everyone has the luxury of a long trip. Enjoy it!

 

[ArwenMarie]

We never get hoppers unless we are staying at BC (can't resist going to Epcot at some point in the day).

But we don't do breaks generally. We either do one park from RD until we are tired (mid afternoon) or we go later if we are staying for fireworks etc.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

I would hate to do it without the PH option, but, I like to play it by ear, many a time I've got up thought about having a non park day then about 10am end up heading to a park then over to another via a bit of resort hopping, but, it is a case of horses for courses and it is up to the individual.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I also travel with DD who is 14, we go every year and always park hop. My DD loves to go to one park in morning, resort time in afternoon and another park in the evening. We sometimes cover three parks in one day especially when we RD. It works well for us, with two people you will find you can get on some of the attractions faster because they often look for parties of 1 or 2 so this helps also. We stayed at POR in April and really had a good time, the resort was so nice. We have stayed there twice now and once at POFQ loved both. I know the PH is an added 128.00 for two people for the 7 days we go but we do feel it is worth it for us. My DD knows the parks really well and our roles have changed some now. I follow her everywhere and she gets to areas the quickest and she never gets lost, love her ability to remember everything for sure! We love traveling together, have a great trip!

 

[Pemba78]

I will say I read a great comment about getting ParkHopping as Insurance- especially in the event you are only going to be at WDW for 2-3 days? If you are at MK and the main attraction you want to see is shut down- park hopper looks pretty great at that time.... someone also said the park hopper cost is around $60.00 - is this right? Sounds pretty reasonable for "insurance..." And not awful I guess to add that fee if you are staying at BeachClub or BoardWalk like we have as your dining options are relevant to park entry.....

 

[JoshuaShaw]

I've never bought a park hopper and have never felt like I needed one, even with ADRs. Even if I were given complementary hoppers, I'm not sure how much use they would get as there is more than enough in each park for me to fill an entire day.

 

[OurBigTrip]

We often do one park in the morning, and a different in the evening after a resort break. For us, park hoppers are a necessity when going to WDW.

 

[CAS239]

If you're staying for an extended stay, like 10 days..Then there's really no point in having park hoppers.

But not everyone stays that long.

I have an annual pass and my group normally goes once a month or so for about 3-4 days at a time. We normally use our park hoppers every single day we're there. I personally wouldn't like it if we didn't have a park hopper. We go to a park, ride what we want and see what we want to see..Then normally head back to the hotel for a meal or to cool off, then back out to another park. Only reason we wouldn't utilize our park hopper and plan to stay in one park all day is if we were with others who didn't have a park hopper. And as others have mentioned, it's also nice to be able to leave a park that's too crowded and head elsewhere. A few times we've been in MK and decided all the wait time were way too long and that we'd rather go elsewhere.

So to each there own and everyone does different stuff on their trips. But with 4 parks, I'd say if you're staying 4 days or less, then I'd definitely recommend a park hopper. If staying 5 or more days, then there's really no point in a hopper since you can visit all the parks at least once, then more than once depending on how extended your stay is.

 

[DebbieB]

We often do one park in the morning, and a different in the evening after a resort break. For us, park hoppers are a necessity when going to WDW.

So do we. We rarely stay in the same park all day or go back to the same one. We usually have annual passes so it isn't a decision.

 

[wyurm]

going 10 days 8/9 with DD 15, first time onsite at POR. We didn't do any ADRs, trying to save on our food budget. We've never done hopping. Trying to save some money. If you don't have ADRs, why do you need it besides just being able to change parks on a whim?

It depends on what you plan to do. I am staying at the Beach Club during Food and Wine. I plan to go to Epcot in the early part of the day and HS for shows later on. This requires me to have a hopper. I also hope to be able to use the monorail a couple times which means traveling through Epcot to get to MK. If you're staying in one park though, you don't need the hopper at all.

 

[ReelRedHead]

We aways go for 10 days and could never do without park-hoping. We do not have any non-park days, we get 10-day hoppers. We enjoy eating at many of the restaurants in Epcot so we often end up there on many evenings. On days that we are at Epcot, HS, AK, we almost always end up at MK in the evening.
In 15+ trips I don't think I have ever gone back to the same park in the evening as the park we were at that day.
The beauty of it all is that there are different options for everyone.