MYW Park Hopper Question?

[skiingwife]

For those of you who have used the MYW tickets, did you buy the park hopper option and then not use it (or not used it enough to be worth the cost)? Conversely, did you buy tickets without park hopper and then wish you had?

We're going 12/17 to 12/26. I'm going to buy 7 or 8 day tickets, so we'll be going to MK 2 days, Epcot 2 days, MGM 1 or 2 days, and AK 1 day. So it seems like with all these days, we should be able to do everything we want to. I can only think that we'd want to hop if a park was really crowded, but I'm planning to do morning EMH and then leave when it gets busy. It would seem like there are lots of things we could do, like DTD, Blizzard Beach, swim, besides hop to another park.

What has been your experience with hopping. Is it worth the $175 I'd be paying? Thanks

Also, if I don't buy the hopper option and then change my mind, can I add it after we get there?

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Yes, get the hopper option! If you plan on leaving the EMH parks early then you'll want it to be able to go to another park without using up another day. It is WAY worth it. For example if you go to AK which is only open untill 5 or 6 then you could hop over to MK or Epcot to finish your day and enjoy Wishes or Illuminations.

I'm going to buy 7 or 8 day tickets,

There is no 8 day ticket option, they jump from 7 day to 10 day, I suppose you could get a 7 day + a 1 day ticket, but then you would be paying like double for your 8th day. Also adding the park hopper option to your 7 day tickets is only like $24 more, if you figure how much you spend on a WDW vacation it's not worth not getting it. I don't know if you can add it after you purchase them, but my guess would be no.
When I've went they were not "MYW tickets" thats the new name and packaging but I've had 5-day hopper tickets, and Length of Stay passes which both allowed you to "hop" from park to park in one day. I would never get a ticket without being able to "hop".

 

[phorsenuf]

Actually, ticketmania has both the 8 and 9 day option. We are going in July for 10 days but passing on the hopper part. In the last 3 times we went none of us remember if we hopped or not. Everyone is pretty sure we didn't.
Here's the link to ticketmania.

http://www.ticketmania.com/discounttickets.shtml#DisneyPluses

 

[danny1649]

Yes you can add that option after you get ticket the way I read the explanation of MYW tickets.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

We have always hopped a little on prior visits, but are taking a trip later this week in which we will not have hoppers. We'll be there four days -MK, MGM, Epcot, MK. We don't care much for AK, so that is not a loss. As far as crowds, EMH etc. go.... well, we'll just figure out something to do. At first I was nervous anout not having the hopper option, but now I'm cool with it. I'll post next weel and let you know how it went

 

[skiingwife]

I was thinking when we're done with one park, we'd go back to our room and swim and relax. It just seems like a lot of time spent on transportation between parks when you hop, but maybe not.

 

[Local_Girl]

When Disney came out with the MYW tickets this year giving the option to purchase multi-day tickets without the hopper option, I thought long and hard about whether or not we would need to spend the extra $$ for the hopping option. DH really thought we should get it...so we did, and I don't regret it. We were there in early April and stayed offsite, so we didn't do any EMHs, but we hopped quite a bit anyway. Our plans "mutated" during the trip, and we often found ourselves wanting to be in a different park than we had originally planned. We also found we weren't always ready to call it a day after AK closed...and we went to Epcot several evenings. Not everyone likes to park hop...many prefer to stay put all day. You'll just need to evaluate which type of touring your family prefers...and whether or not you'll need the flexibility that the park hopping feature allows.

 

[SnackyStacky]

When in doubt, DON'T purchase the hopper option. You can always add it later.

You can't, however, take it off your ticket.

 

[mar2728]

My family of 4 (two adult daughters) just came back from a 9 night visit to DisneyWorld. We did buy the hoppers and in retrospect, I wish we did not. We park hopped possibly 3 times. And although we park hopped it would not have been a disappointment if we could not have.
Some one gave the example of AK closing early. We went to AK when there was EMH and then we had dinner reservations at a resort once it closed...that took care of that night... We went to Downtown Disney three different nights as a way to close out our evenings...my husband and one daughter spent a whole evening in Virgin Records!
We spent every day at our hotel (Poly) used the water boats,pools, used the Surrys..my husband golfed a couple times....enjoyed the tropical drinks in the lounge at night.
I think it depends on how much you want to stick to a plan....my family was more laid back and although we could have done more at the parks...they wanted to relax as well and not be in the crowds all the time (being older I guess)
I have already told myself that I definitly would not buy the parkhopper next time and I would save a ton of money...and just plan my days accordingly.
It's all a matter of money...and how much you want to save!
If saving money is important to you then plan your trip without the hoppers. It is a luxury and a nice one but it really can be a wonderful trip without it.

 

[skiingwife]

Thank you all for the advice. I'm thinking we won't buy the hopper passes and buy the plus passes instead. If it's one or the other, we're actually getting a lot more for our money with the plusses.

 

[eeyore0062]

If in doubt, get the ticket without the park hopper option. You have 14 days from the 1st use to add the park hopper option, the non expiration option, the Magic Plus Package, or more days. After that 14 days when you cannot upgrade your tickets.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Thank you all for the advice. I'm thinking we won't buy the hopper passes and buy the plus passes instead. If it's one or the other, we're actually getting a lot more for our money with the plusses.

Although I recomended getting the hoppers, I agree that the plus options are a great value. If you really don't think your gonna hop then save the $$$ and with the plus passes you can go to BB, TL, DQ and PI.