park hopper and dining plan?

[hacgec]

Our first disney family vacation is planned for march 08 (9-15th). We will be taking our 2 princesses ages 3 and 5 . Is the park hopper really woth it? I'm just not sure since there is so... much to see in each park and it's our first time there. I don't know how well our girls will do with changing parks and if it's worth it. Also we have the dining plan, but I've only made 2 ADRs. I just like our options to be open to eat when we want depending where we are, but I also don't want to wait 2 hours to eat. Any and all advice will be appreciated

 

[eventsdj]

If your fine with one park a day, the hoppers won't matter. We will do a park in the morning, rest/swim from 2-4, get ready for dinner, and do a different park in the evening.

I would suggest deciding on the places you want to eat, and making ADR's.
WIth two little ones, it would be bummer to have to wait for even an hour when they are hungry.
Takes up too much of your disney time.

Worse would be having to settle..

Happy planning!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

If your fine with one park a day, the hoppers won't matter. We will do a park in the morning, rest/swim from 2-4, get ready for dinner, and do a different park in the evening.

I would suggest deciding on the places you want to eat, and making ADR's.
WIth two little ones, it would be bummer to have to wait for even an hour when they are hungry.
Takes up too much of your disney time.

Worse would be having to settle..

Happy planning!

I agree you need to go ahead and make the rest of your ADRs. March is Spring Break season and the parks and the restaurants will be quite crowded. You want to get the most out of the Dining Plan, and to do that you really need to plan ahead for your ADRs.

 

[Fabinva]

My two kids were 6 and 4 when we first took them last Nov 06 and we had Park hopper pass but not DDP. The kids enjoyed going to one park in the morning and to a different one in the afternoons, hopping for us was not a problem or hassle at all, we had some ADRs but also ate early dinner so even without one we beat most of the late crowds.
Not matter what you'll have a great time!

 

[Suejeffali]

My DD has been to WDW twice, both times we did not get a hopper pass. When we went she was 3 1/2 and this past time she was 6 1/2. On our next trip this December we will be getting a hopper. We didn't hop because we figured we would just do one park a day. She was fine with that and so were we. When we go in December she will be 8. Hope that helps.

 

[In Luv with Disney]

I have two kids, DS is 6 and DD is 2 1/2. We ALWAYS get the hopper! I love starting at one park in the morning, and then going to another for the rest of the day. It really breaks up the day for the kids and they don't get bored!

I have to agree with everyone else, GO AND MAKE ADRs!!!!!!! I am a BIG advocate on ADR making. Really, why wait an hour or two when you can be seated right away, or within a few minutes? I would make ADRs for dinner each day and eat on the fly for the rest of the day. With the Dining Plan becoming so popular, you will almost ALWAYS wait to be seated at TS restaurants. You don't want to be shut out of a place for dinner with two kids in tow!

 

[stitchlover]

Our first trip we didn't hop very much at all...it really was a waste of money for us. But now that we know what we are doing and take breaks mid-day we can't live without the hopper option.

We start with a park in the morning, take a break and hit another park in the evenings. Our trip in '07 was so much more relaxed than the trip in '06. We now plan our days like this.

 

[samdisney]

i am planning on going on 10-15 march but still havent bought the package and i know its almost too late.
i was also wondering about the park hopper option but am thinking about going with the no expiration option you could use the leftover days on a future trip.something to think about.definitely the dining plan is a must.its such a time saver if you have reservations with kids.
i am getting a quote of 2800$ for a family of 2 a and 2 kids with airfare ,parkhoppers for 5 days in a value resort ,no dining from a travel agent.
i am getting 3600$ for 6 day myw passes,dining plan ,airfare, in a moderate resort from disney.
are these ok prices or could i do better ,are there any codes?could i still apply the ZVX code for a march package.
please advise.
thanks.

 

[Jenniww]

I personal don't hop! I pick a park a day and then at the park I pick a restaurant to make ADRs at. I schedule the ADR for a time that my kids are use to eating. It's almost like there tummies are on a schedule.
Have fun~ do whats best for your family!

 

[Mandilyn]

Our first trip we didn't hop very much at all...it really was a waste of money for us. But now that we know what we are doing and take breaks mid-day we can't live with the hopper option.

We start with a park in the morning, take a break and hit another park in the evenings. Our trip in '07 was so much more relaxed than the trip in '06. We now plan our days like this.

This is what we're doing too. We decided we wanted to have the option of changing parks after nap time.

I would go ahead and make ADR. I like knowing I'm not going to have a super long wait with 2 small kids.