Is the parkhopper worth the extra $$

[sl_underwood]

I am trying to decide whether to fork over the extra $ for the parkhopper option. We will be going in April for 5 nights/6days. I figured 1 full day for each park. Is this reasonable? Also is it likely that we would be able to visit 2 parks the same day? We will be using disney transportation and I know that would slow us down some. I am afraid we would be wasting money with the hopper option by not using it, or wasting alot of time traveling from one park to the next. What do you think?
Lora

 

[bopper]

Have you ever gone to WDW before? Do you tend to park hop?
We go to a park for the whole day and don't park hop. So last time we didn't buy the hopper option. If a park closes early, we go to Downtown Disney for the evening. Some people like to back to the hotel in the afternoon, rest, swim, and then go to another park (like Epcot) in the evening.

It is all up to you and your family's personality...look at your life...do you tend to like to change things a lot? Do you switch jobs often or have you been in the same job your whole life? Do you like things settled or do you like to leave options open?

 

[WaltD4Me]

It's a tough question!

Personally I think the Hopper option is totally worth it. I always use it, I love to be able to just hop over to Epcot from MGM just to ride Soarin' or TT. I love being able to leave AK, go to the hotel for a swim and then go to MK just to watch Spectro and Wishes or to have a choice if a park is busier than I expected to head over to another that is hopefully less crowded. That's just me though...I know alot of other people that are perfectly happy doing one park a day and I suppose if I didn't have a Hopper I'd probably take more time to enjoy the resort I'm staying at.

Alot depends on who is going with you too and how many? The extra $$$ is alot easier to take when it is just 2 or 3 of you than for a family of 4 or 5. Are you going with kids? Do you think they will be able to go all day, doing 2 parks or do you think they'll be wanting alot of pool time? Is it your 1st trip or your 10th? (I think 1st timers can get away without Hoppers easier) Are you staying on property? Do you think you will want to use the EMH hours? Do you like relaxing vacations or are you a "Commando" type person? Lots of things to consider, I know!

 

[sl_underwood]

This is our first trip to Disney. I originally thought that we would just go to one park per day and then go to DTD or hang out at the hotel, but then I started reading all the disney guides and reading this board and it seems that so many ppl think the parkhopper is a great thing, so just wondering if I am being unrealistic. Having never been, I dont have the advantage of knowing how long it will take at each park. I doubt my kids will get bored at any of them and have planned to use the extra magic hours at each park. I think we will probably just do what we planned and not add park hopper.
Thanks!
Lora

 

[summerrluvv]

We usually park hop but didn't this trip and it was great. We spent one day in each park and visited MK twice. In the past I've felt like since we had the hoppers we had to hop to get my money's worth. It was nice to not have that pressure this time. There is so much to do in each park that we kept busy the entire day.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Do you plan on 5 day or 6 day passes. I would say no for the 5 day but yes for the 6 day. 5 day passo one park per day and then your favorite for the 5th.

 

[bellarella]

I didn't do park hopper tickets and didn't miss it at all. Especially if it is your first trip to Disney, I doubt you'll miss it at all -- and doubt that you would use it much if you did get it. I can see if you go to Disney often and have a list of "favorites" that you definately want to hit, then it would be advantagous to be able to hop. But exploring for the first time, you will easily spend a day at each park getting the lay of the land and exploring. If you don't fill a day, the resorts and downtown Disney will offer pleanty to round out a day.

 

[MEM]

For my family, the flexibility of park hopping is so worth it! Our style is to visit one park in the morning, have lunch and a swim at the hotel and visit a second park in early evening.

 

[InstImpres]

We enjoy it, especially depending on park hours. Last week MGM and AK closed between 5-7 while MK & Epcot were 9 or 10. So we would get several extra park hours out of it.

One thing is to buy base tickets and play it by ear. It may cost you a few extra minutes in line but, you can always add the hopper option on site if you find you need it. You'll pay the same thing now or later.

Enjoy

 

[ncbyrne]

We have always gotten park hoppers just in case but on our last trip of 9 days we only hopped once and that was in the evening to see Illuminations again. For a first trip, I don't think it's necessary.

 

[bopper]

Just because many other people park hop, doesn't mean you have to. Take a look at your group's personality and how much flexibility you need.

 

[shades]

We ALWAYS use hoppers because we like to take afternoon breaks from the parks and return to a different park in the evening. Another reason we buy hoppers is because we are typically there during busy seasons and we want to ensure we will get into a park when we return in the evening. We have seen Magic Kingdom close down several times while we are there and we know when we leave the park in the afternoon that we will most likely not be able to gain re-entry.

We also get bored staying in one park all day/night long. We are experienced "fast-pass" users and have been to WDW enough to know what we like (and, don't) - so, we get through the parks fairly early in the day. We eat a CS lunch at the park and then head back to Shades of Green for a break from about 2-4pm and then head for a different park for the evening. We always spend a minimum of 10 days while we are there - so, we hit each park several times and don't need to stay in the same park all day & night. If we were only going for 3 or 4 days, we would still go with the hopper option.

We even buy hopper tickets for our Disneyland trips. We know we can always get into CA Adventure during the evenings if the Magic Kingdom fills up and closes. The ONLY exception was the actual 50th anniversary in the Magic Kingdom. We lined up at 5:30am for entry to MK and stayed in the park until around 9pm that night. Whew! We were ready to go home after being in that crowd all day! I'm currently planning 2 trips for this year. One to Disneyland in July and the other to WDW during the holidays. We are getting hoppers for both trips

 

[DisneyGirl4188]

I had this same question and I decided against park hopping. Here is my reasoning:

We haven't done it previously, so I don't know what I am missing.

It seems too time consuming (we drive, but it seems like it would be a hassle to leave our good parking space- we arrive to the parks VERY early and park right up front- then drive to another park and have to take a tram).

We open and close the parks. We do not leave midday (but if you do, then it may be easier to hop). We relax by eating dinner (TS).

I like to fully see each park and take my time looking around. I don't want to have to stop what I am doing just to go to another park.

If we really feel the need to hop, then we can add the option on when we are there (that way we aren't out the money if we decide NOT to hop).

Forgot this reason: If the park closes earlier, then we go to DTD, visit a resort, or relax at our own resort. We are still doing 'something', just not at a park.

 

[FFFlying]

purchase 9 day passes for your 6 days in the parks. This gives you 3 hops at a rate of $6 per person....

 

[LdyFaile]

It's our first time going but we are getting the park hopper option. For three of the days we have to leave the parks, the game times for the Spring Training games are mid-day. We expect that we may not go back to the same park we left, or at least want that option, and since adding park hopper is the same price no matter how many days it's for then it's worth it. I think we've even decided to add another day since Ticket Mania has the 6 day tickets for only $1 more than the 5 day and just plan on going in the evening to try and catch a night show we might have missed because we were too tired from spending the whole day at the park before.

Amber

 

[ktglads]

Honestly, I don't find it worth it. I don't think that we park hopped very many times in our first couple of visits. I just find it to be very time consuming

 

[Chicago526]

I've never been big on doing more than one park in a day, myself, although back when all tickets were park hoppers, I did park hop on occasion. Gernerally, when we go to WDW we stay long enough that park hoping isn't nessesary. Because of this, I personally feel that the longer the trip, the less valuable the park hopping option becomes.

For example, our 7 night itinerary usually looks something like this:

Day 1: arrive and check in, no park, just hang at resort
Day 2: MK all day
Day 3 Epcot all day
Day 4: Resort day, spend day at resort pool or other resort activities, DTD in evening
Day 5: MGM
Day 6: AK until mid afternoon, evening at resort
Day 7: Water park until mid afternoon, evening at MK (to say "good-bye" )
Day 8: Check-out and depart for airport

However, if for some reason we were to take a shorter trip, park hopping would be a move valueable option: For a 5 night stay, our itin may look like this:

Day 1: arrive and check in, no park, just hang at resort
Day 2: MK all day
Day 3: Epcot all day
Day 4: Water Park, DTD in evenng
Day 5: AK until 2, then hop to MGM to close
Day 6: Check-out and depart for airport

Or, a super fun-packed 4 night trip:

Day 1: arrive and check-in, evening at DTD
Day 2: MK
Day 3: Epcot
Day 4: AK until 2 PM, then MGM until close
Day 5: Check-out and depart for airport

In all cases, as you can see the only time we feel it's nessesary to park hop is when we need to free up a day for another activity. We also feel that the best park hop combo is AK to MGM. There are two reasons, one is that AK does not have an evening fireworks show. The second is that both AK and MGM dont' need a full day to tour the park effectivily (although you won't be able to hit every show and attraction in either). In MK and Epcot, there is so much to do that we find a full day dedicated to each park is best. We go at park open, and by the time we get tuckered out, it's time to find a spot for the evening shows (Wishes, Spectro at MK and Illuminations at Epcot). If we park hoped from MK to Epcot, or Epcot to MK, we'd miss an evening show at one or the other.

But, that's just how WE prefer to travel. "We" are just DH and I, no kids. Having kids can change everything, or so I'm told. So, if you can afford the park hop option and feel that you will want to park hop, then go for it. If you really want/need to save money, then it is more than possible to avoid park hopping on all but the shortest of WDW vacations, and you'll still have a great time!

 

[InstImpres]

purchase 9 day passes for your 6 days in the parks. This gives you 3 hops at a rate of $6 per person....

This is not ture. The sytem is set up to turn down your entrance on the same day even if you are willing "to use another day" on the pass.

Sorry, Disney thought of that savings already

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Whether or not a hopper is worth it really depends on your touring style, what time of year you're going, and who will be in your party.

If you go at a slow time of year with older kids (who won't slow you down) or adults, it's totally worth the cost. You can go to one park at opening, ride everything without having to waste hours standing in line, then move onto the next park for late afternoon/evening.

If you are visiting with young kids at a busy time of year, you probably won't have the time or energy to cope with more than one park a day.

 

[speedyf]

purchase 9 day passes for your 6 days in the parks. This gives you 3 hops at a rate of $6 per person....

Disney does not allow this. If you don't have the hopper option on your pass, you are only allowed into one park per day. If you try to scan your pass at a different park that day, the machine will spit it out and show that the pass is invalid.

I'm sure some people that didn't know the rules may have gotten away with it by complaining enough at the gate until a CM gave in and allowed them to pass through....but, don't expect to be able to do this.

Speed