Is Park Hopper really worth it??

[IMGONNABE40!]

When we decided to go to Dis this year there was no doubt we were going get the PH option. But things changed. Since we are going in June I signed up with TourguideMike and have all of our days planned out so as to avoid crowds as much as possible...after doing so I realized we really do not need the PH option. Especially since we will be in Florida for 14 days..It was almost $150 cheaper (on a total of 3 tickets) to just get more days on a base ticket then to get a couple less days on a ticket that had the PH option. PLUS I know that if we get there and for some reason just have to add the park hopper option on..WE CAN! OR even better...just add another day or 2 to the ticket for just a few dollars (literally!).

I definitely think PH is an amazing feature..and luv the flexibility it offers but found that if you are visiting for more then just a couple of days and if you are planning on having a schedule for the parks/days that the PH really isn't necessary...On the other hand if we come down for a short stay I most certainly will be purchasing the PH...but will still probably wait & add it on when I get there JUST IN CASE we don't need it!

I really thought I would need to hop until I looked at TGM. That is worth the $20. After looking at TGM and planing my days, I decided that if I needed to hop, I would add it to my ticket when I needed to. For my days, the TGM recommended park was the same AM & PM.

I was one of the "never without hoppers!" kind of planner, but we are foregoing them this year because there are 7 of us and I'd rather use the money towards the waterparks plus option (we're going in August).

I would suggest, however, that you spend the $20 to sign up with TourGuideMike. These boards are terrific, but you will learn tons of information that will help you maximize your time in the parks without having the park hopper. His "Least Crowded Parks" chart will be very helpful in planning where you want to be.

I say that before you make any decision, purchase a subscription to Tour Guide Mike and figure out if you can make it happen without the hopper. It will seriously be money very well spent.

See? I told ya!

I am not sure if this is the first trip for your family. But, it looks like you have little ones. As tough as it is at Disney, you should try to keep them as much to their schedule as possible. IF that means you are not in the parks at night, or skip mornings in favor of doing a fireworks show at night, you may not need to hop at all.

 

[DznyLvr2005]

As I said before I love park hopping and wouldn't want it any other way... But here's the thing... I don't see why it would cost more money because you can't be in two places at once. Do you know what I mean? You're leaving one park and going to another, Disney to Disney, they shouldn't charge extra to park hop. It's not like one family is using more 'Disney' on a day where you park hop, because you leave one park and go to another.
Disney to Disney, shouldn't cost extra!
(BTW I will always 'hop' even though it costs more money, though it shouldn't in my opinion)

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

We had park hoppers last year in Dec. and with the parks closing earlier than other times, I found we wasted alot of time trying to hop. So this year, we are not hopping. We picked out our park for the day and built all of our plans around the park of the day. We will do MK on MVMCP day, Epcot on CP day and MGM the night that they have EMH and see the Osbourne Lights. I have 2 kids with me to and they like to go back to resort and swim, so my hopping will be back to resort and then back to park of the day. I'm fairly certain that this will work for my family. We will be there for 9 days and we have tickets for 8 with one down day, so we will see each park twice, except for AK, we can get that one done in one day on the EMH night.

 

[Dopey's twin Dippy]

we have always bought the extra for hopping. i dont know we just like to stay at one and then usually hop over to the one with the last parade or whatever is going on. plus my dds always wanted to go for the diff. rides later in the day.

 

[eaglesfeather]

Just planned the first family trip to WDW and I'm curious about something. We did not get the park hopper because our youngest will limit us anyways. I purchased a 6 day pass. I only wanted a 4 day, but it came with 2 free days. Does anyone know if a full day can be burned on a park if I already used one days pass that same day?

Thanks,
Scott

 

[Donald is #1]

Just planned the first family trip to WDW and I'm curious about something. We did not get the park hopper because our youngest will limit us anyways. I purchased a 6 day pass. I only wanted a 4 day, but it came with 2 free days. Does anyone know if a full day can be burned on a park if I already used one days pass that same day?

Thanks,
Scott

Sorry, but no, the machine will not accept your pass at another park if it is not a hopper pass and has already been used that day at another park.