Park hopper pass

[MichaelJrsMom]

Planning my first family vacation. Is the park hopper pass necessary for the first visit? I have read/heard different opinions that I'll want to stay in one park for each day since this will be the first visit and then opposing sides that the park hopper is a must have. Any feedback appreciated.

 

[fadingjamie]

ABSOLUTELY get it! I was skeptical my first visit too and someone talked me into it. I thought we were wasting money... until I got there. I consider (not everyone agrees) Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios half day visits. So you could combine the trips into one day so that you can spend other days in the rest. It didn't dawn on me that I loved the park hopper until I found myself wanting to go to AK in the morning for the safari (the best time to see all the animals out), MK the rest of the day, and to Epcot Canada to catch the Off Kilter show at night. It also allows you to be freer with your dining reservations (if you're doing that). You can spend the day at Epcot then go to MK at night for dinner then the parade and fireworks. It really won't make sense until you go and use it. ...and you will.

 

[mytripsandraces]

I have never regretted getting a park hopper. I love the freedom of being able to go from park to park, plus, I love eating at Epcot!

 

[ratlenhum]

We would never be without them. If you go to a park that closes at 5 (AK) then you can hop over to others. Sometimes we'll be at one park and want to ride something at another, so off we go!

The freedom it gives you is so worth the money!

 

[kwdw]

I would not pay for a parkhopper until you decide it's worth it for you onsite. It's an easy upgrade while there.

For a first-timer - I think you can easily spend a whole day at AK or HS - which some will try to convince you are half-day parks. If you really want to see the whole park, ride all the rides, and see several shows - these parks take time - even for someone who knows their way around and has the perfect system for hitting all the shows and parades!

And well - you can likely spend two full days at MK and two full days at Epcot.

If you have extra time one day and don't want to go back to the same park - things like going to DTD or the boardwalk (esp paired with Epcot) are free and entertaining. You can ride the monorail to go resort hopping.

In the past five months - I've spent 15 days at WDW - and even though I have an AP this year - I have park hopped on one day. It's just not my touring style. Transportation between locations takes time - and I purposefully try to keep that part of my day at a minimum. I don't go to Disney to drive my car or ride the bus. I come to enjoy the parks.

Obviously - it fits other people's habits great. If you are going to one park early in the day, then back to your resort to rest, and then out again to another park, then parkhoppers might fit your style.

But for a newbie - you could still take the break in the middle of the day and go back to the SAME park.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The cost to add hopping (or WPF&M) is $54 ($57.51 including tax) per ticket. It does not matter if it is adult or child, one day or ten day, first day of use or last day of use, the price is the same. (For a Florida Resident it is $27 plus tax.)

So if you are not sure, don't order them. If you find you do need them, then upgrade your tickets at any ticket window or Guest Relations Office. It only takes a minute or so.

 

[redrosesix]

It's all about your touring style - we park hop almost every day we're in the parks, and in all of our visits we've only done the one-park-per-day twice (and didn't like it).

We had them on our first visit because they were special group tickets - and we park-hopped the very first day when AK became too crowded for us. For us, DHS and AK are half-day parks - but multiple half days We prefer both of them during the day, and both Epcot and MK at night.

We are not the type of family that does each park on turbo mode - we refuse to stay in a crowded park if we're not having fun. We visit at a crowded time of year, so park hoppers are a necessity for us.

The other thing that makes hopping a plus for us is that we stay on-site and like to take advantage of EMH, but we don't stay in the park after noon if we attend morning EMH, and rarely go to an evening EMH until atleast supper time. And yes, we chillax or nap at our resort for many afternoons. Since we have to travel anyways, we feel no requirement to go back to the same park in the evening.

 

[homedad]

it makes planning soooo much easier, we've always purchased this option

 

[MichaelJrsMom]

Thanks so much for ALL the replies. Gives me lots of food for thought! You'll are awesome on this site!

 

[I Love Pluto]

I have never regretted getting a park hopper. I love the freedom of being able to go from park to park, plus, I love eating at Epcot!

Me, too!

 

[Kat&Dom]

Our first 2 trips, we did not have PH option and didn't need it. Each park is so unique and has so many different experiences and rides that you can do a full day at each.

We did a trip last April and got the PH option for it. We used it every day and loved it. We would go to one park in the morning and a different park in the evening - it felt like we accomplished so much and the kids got to do their favorite rides numerous times. What made us decide to get the PH option was that MK closed early for Grad Nites 4 out of the 8 nights we were there. We felt we needed the PH option to maximize our park time.

We are going to Disney again this November with friends that have never been so we will not get the PH option, we will just do a park a day.

I would look at the park hours for the week you are there and see if you really think you will need the PH option - it is so easy to add it at the park so I would not buy it now but wait.

Have an awesome trip.

 

[noahdove]

I love the park hopper. So often we will do one park morning and early afternoon and then a different park in the evening, this time around I am going to go to see Fantasmic after dinner...

 

[3pletprincesses]

I never get as we like to spend the full day at the same park. I find to waste less time that way. We usually plan a meal at that park and then another at a resort near by. I prefer to spend that money somewhere else

 

[Tosie]

I will happily be the voice of dissention on this subject.

We used to be hopper people but found it to be stressful and time wasting to hop. We prefer to use the money on the water park option instead.

For a first time trip - there is so much to do and see you can easily spend a day in any given park and not see it all.

I will agree with a PP - if you are going during a super crowded time of year it MAY be a benefit, but if you do the right research you can avoid the heavy crowds.

After several trips not having hoppers we got them last trip and didn't use them one single day.

Take into consideration the ages of your party. If you have little ones - staying put is a plus. It's easy to get wiped out between all the walking and all the excitement, and if you're traveling in the warmer months the heat can be brutal.

How many days will you be there? If it's 5 days or more - you have plenty of time to go back and visit your favorites or things you may have missed.

Is there something else you'd like to do with the money you would use on the hoppers? A special dinner, fireworks cruise, water park, etc?

Whatever you decide - have a great trip!

 

[Wayneman117]

I see you have plenty of responses, soo, what can I say that probably hasn't been said. But yes, I too have my first trip planned--Mid April--when you guys going? And as far as the Park hopper,yes. We're getting that too.Already ordered and received our tickets. We thought it'd be nice to hop from one park to another.Especially to take advantage of rides and attractions we like best. I would say,if the Park hopper really weighs on your final budget,don't do it....otherwise,GO 4 IT!

 

[sunshineNJ]

I ALWAYS get hoppers. The only time i can see maybe not getting them is if yoiu have children under 7 with you. You probably would just do 1 park per day. I really like the hopper when we go to a park for AM magic hours and then around 11 it gets crowded , so we hop to another park. I think they are very worth it. Have a great trip!!

 

[Rotti955]

We love the park hopper for the freedom to come and go between the parks. We enjoy the dining plan and often times we will eat in one park and then hop to the next park for the rest of the day... that being said we have not purchased this option in several years of trips.

With our youngest, DD4, doing more than one park in a day is too much. We get to the park early in the morning at opening and are back at the hotel by 4/ 5ish. DD4 still naps every so often, so several days we need to take her back for her nap. We find that we can only get through one park a day.

 

[seaislemike]

We used the PH on our 1st family trip this past January. It worked great for us since we were staying at the Beach Club we ended up at Epcot everynight and it was an easy walk back to the hotel after we took in some attractions or watched Illuminations.

Also, AK and HS were half day parks for us, so we were able to head to MK on day but went to SAB the other.

 

[MichaelJrsMom]

Lots to think about! Thanks everyone for the feedback!

 

[Mixie]

It does depend on who is with you, where you are staying, how long you will be there, what time of year it is and what your expectations are.

Personally, we had park hopper passes pre-child days and it was great. Now, I would not bother (DD is 11). I find it easier to manage *her* expectations with a solid plan and not leave one park for another (causing tears of 'but we didn't do ...').


I don't know how many days you have at the parks but my best advice is this: You will never be able to do or see *everything* there is on your first trip. That's why there are 2nd, 3rd, etc trips to look forward to. So make a plan, accept that there are some things you won't see and have fun with what you can get done.