Is Park Hopper really worth it??

[vernfonzndrian]

Okay we are planning on going in Dec. and plan to attend the MVMCP It's our 1st Disney trip, and on somewhat of a strict budget, do you guys think Park Hoppers are worth the extra $170.00 ?? Im thinking if we skip it, then it'll pay for the MVMCP. Whatcha think?? Please Help with your opinions. Thanks!

 

[calgarygary]

Are you staying on site? If so, to really get full benefit of EMH and/or returning to your resort I think park hopper is worth it. If you are staying off site, there is more of a tendency to commit to 1 park/day and then PH may not be worth it.

 

[cornflkgrl]

I personally think Park Hoppers are a MUST.

There are so many reasons you might want to go to another park in the middle of the day (you might want to eat somewhere else, the crowds might be really bad somewhere, etc.) It made it great to know we could go to MK for half the day, go back to the room and relax for a while, then go over to Epcot and eat dinner and then back to MK for extra magic hours later on.

It really does depend on what your plans are though. I really liked the flexibility of having the PH.

 

[tzuhouse]

Well, that's hard to say. I will tell you that when we went in 12/05, we had every day planned. We had no intentions of doing more than one park in a day, but I bought the hoppers, just in case. There are at least two days where we went to a second park, even if it was just for a ride or two. I know one day my boys wanted to take Daddy to see the Narnia display and ride Star Tours again. So we rode the boat from Epcot to MGM and did those things and then rode back. Another day we rode the monorail to Epcot and rode Soarin' again, then went back to MK and finished what we wanted to do. Even though we hadn't planned on those things, I couldn't have planned for what we'd be in the mood for, when. Made for a lot of great memories we wouldn't have had, like being in the front of the monorail at sunset or the fun my boys had on the boat to MGM.

HTH
Mary

 

[cranbiz]

I would not do Disney without hoppers, but I have an AP so we are spoiled. (and now that I have a maingate pass, we don't need to buy hoppers for the kids when they visit)

If your budget is tight, you can live without hoppers with careful planning.

A lot will depend on the time of year that you visit. Eating meals close to closing time will maximize your park time and extend your day at a park that may close early.

 

[MissionMouse]

Okay we are planning on going in Dec. and plan to attend the MVMCP It's our 1st Disney trip, and on somewhat of a strict budget, do you guys think Park Hoppers are worth the extra $170.00 ?? Im thinking if we skip it, then it'll pay for the MVMCP. Whatcha think?? Please Help with your opinions. Thanks!

The answer is no, if you are 100% sure you are going to only visit one park everyday during your entire trip. We on the other hand, get hoppers every WDW vacation. It provides us flexibility and options everyday of our stay...allowing us to move on to another park if we desire. It also allows us to spend time in one park and have dinner in another park, catch fireworks or even parades without hestitation.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

We have done several trips on tight budgets and foregone the hopper option. It is definitely doable, but I would strongly consider it if you are going during a busy time of year. December can tend to be that way, depending on teh week you are going.

 

[tzuhouse]

And, we were not staying onsite. We were at the Cypress Palms, which was wonderful!

Mary

 

[Spine_DR]

I agree with the others If you are staying onsite hoppers are a must have.

 

[BigTiggerGuy]

I can't imagine not having the option to hop. On our recent trip, there were certain times when MK or Epcot seemed to get really crowded. We just hopped away to another park and then came back later. Also, we did ADR's every night in Epcot so we found ourselves bouncing around quite a bit.

 

[monami7]

I would skip MVMCP and buy the park hopper. The parade was nice but it was so crowded and we really did not enjoy it that much. It was just like any other night at MK. We wished we would have spent the money on PH and went to epcot that night instead. JMHO

 

[monami7]

I also wanted to add that if you are staying a week or more you really do not need hoppers. We have not had them the past 2 trips and it was fine. It is not like you will run out of things to do. It just takes a little planning.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

In December, for example, AK closes at 5:00 and Epcot is open until 9:30 every night. Some night MK is open until 10:00 or 11:00.

Going can be done without hoppers. However, they can always be added to your tickets if you decide that your schedule will call for them. Note that the actual park hours for December will not be posted until some time in June.

 

[eddieras]

Going can be done without hoppers. However, they can always be added to your tickets if you decide that your schedule will call for them.

that's exactly what i just learned- we're going for a week in May - staying off property for the first time (yikes!). my first thought was 'of course' we need hoppers, but then i learned you can add at any time for no additional cost. so to me, it seems the best way is to try without it. if you need to hop, just pay when you discover that you want to hop - and you're no further behind!

is it easy to add the hopper once there - i don't want to wait in lines!

 

[calgarygary]

that's exactly what i just learned- we're going for a week in May - staying off property for the first time (yikes!). my first thought was 'of course' we need hoppers, but then i learned you can add at any time for no additional cost. so to me, it seems the best way is to try without it. if you need to hop, just pay when you discover that you want to hop - and you're no further behind!

is it easy to add the hopper once there - i don't want to wait in lines!

When eddieras says at no additional cost, I believe the poster means that to add park hopper at the parks it will not cost more than to add park hopper now. However, if you have a 7 day ticket and add hopper at day 5, you will still pay for the 7 day hopper.

 

[eddieras]

When eddieras says at no additional cost, I believe the poster means that to add park hopper at the parks it will not cost more than to add park hopper now. However, if you have a 7 day ticket and add hopper at day 5, you will still pay for the 7 day hopper.

correct-- thanks for clarifying that!

 

[Nala2007]

Maybe this year will change because we're taking DD3 with us, but the past two times we didnt use our hoppers once and both times we stayed 8 nights! I'm so excited for DD

 

[gweny70]

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!

 

[cdrn1]

now that I have a maingate pass, we don't need to buy hoppers for the kids when they visit

What in the world is a "maingate pass"???????????????????

To the OP, I wouldn't be without hoppers. If one park is crowded you can scoot on over to another. You can visit MK all day, and then go to Epcot for dinner. You can start at MGM and then mid-day take the lovely boat ride to Epcot for the rest of the day. Again, you CAN live without them but the longer your trip, the more they are worth, and they are worth every penny to me.
I think you can wait until you are there, and then add the hopping part if you decide you want it; same price, though, whether you decide it on the first day of the last.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Okay we are planning on going in Dec. and plan to attend the MVMCP It's our 1st Disney trip, and on somewhat of a strict budget, do you guys think Park Hoppers are worth the extra $170.00 ?? Im thinking if we skip it, then it'll pay for the MVMCP. Whatcha think?? Please Help with your opinions. Thanks!

If you plan well, you won't have need of them unless you want to hop. Lots of people that have been more times than you have more need of them. The reason is there are several rides that don't have too much repeat value. But you'll be first timers and will want to ride them. We have found you can cover most everything you want to do to the point of not needing to go back in AK and DS in one day each. Frequent guests probably find they can't occupy themsevles more than a half day in each one. They would have need of a hopper unless they plan to do something else the rest of the day like eat or shop at DTD or go to DQ, or something like that. There are always different things to do to. Lots of people do AK and then when it closes early, they want to go hop. Well we just go over to Boma and look at more animals, eat a nice dinner, and get some relaxation in.

If you find yourself in a tight situation and in need of hoppers, then add them on when you get there. Be advised that the hopper option is full price regardless of if you even add it your last day. Also be advised that once you've entered a park, you cannot use an extra day on your tickets to enter another park that day. You must have a hopper.

We've never had need of them.