park hopper questions

[eddieras]

i know if you don't have the hopper option then you can go to only one park per day, but i have a couple of questions

if you leave a park can you return to the same park later the same day?

also, does it matter how many times you go to a particular park? for example you can go to MK as many times over the course of a 7 day pass. you have 14 days to use the days, correct?

 

[Donald is #1]

if you leave a park can you return to the same park later the same day?

Yes, you can go back to the same park that day.

also, does it matter how many times you go to a particular park? for example you can go to MK as many times over the course of a 7 day pass. you have 14 days to use the days, correct?

I am not sure that I really understood this question. But let's say that you have a 7 day non-hopping expiring pass. You can use that pass on any 7 days in the 14 day window from your first use. Each one of the 7 days has to be in only 1 park. But there is no set pattern on how you have to use it. You could go to MK for 7 days if you wanted. Or you could use 2 days at MK, 2 days at EPCOT, etc. Any combination that adds up to 7 days.

 

[eddieras]

thank you very much- you've answered my (poorly worded) questions wonderfully!

thanks for clearing that up for me...

btw- i'm thinking of adding the hopper if i need it= do you know if the lines are typically long to add the hopper option?

 

[bradk]

best times to visit guest relations are probably mid-day. also bear in mind each park has guest relations both inside and outside the parks.

i actually exited DAK one day to go to the window (wasn't sure where to go for a tour group) and spent 20 minutes in line outside the gates behind some insane woman (only 1 window was open) before I realized I would have been better off just going back in the park and going inside the building which had multiple lines.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

thank you very much- you've answered my (poorly worded) questions wonderfully!

thanks for clearing that up for me...

btw- i'm thinking of adding the hopper if i need it= do you know if the lines are typically long to add the hopper option?

IMO the Park Hoppers are for the very experienced WDW traveller. Our kids are (once again, IMO) too young to hop. Its a huge expense if you're not sure on how to utilize it properly.

 

[seashoreCM]

IMO the Park Hoppers are for the very experienced WDW traveller. Our kids are (once again, IMO) too young to hop. Its a huge expense if you're not sure on how to utilize it properly.

(copied from another post)
You can start of with non-hopping tickets. Provided you just started using these tickets on this vacation* you can add hopping at the very last minute after you decided to utilize it, namely when you arrive at the second park on a given day. The cost is as posted above the ticket booths (currently about $48.) and is the same as for new tickets and regardless of the number of days used or remaining.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

*After 14 days from first usage, tickets can no longer be modified.

 

[CleveRocks]

IMO the Park Hoppers are for the very experienced WDW traveller. Our kids are (once again, IMO) too young to hop. Its a huge expense if you're not sure on how to utilize it properly.

I agree that park hoppers are only worth it if you know how to use it properly.

But I disagree that your kids are too young to hop. I don't even know how old your kids are.

Even with infants, here's a scenario where hopping can work well (did it with 5 and 2.5, 6.5 and 4) .... Go to a park, come back in the afternoon for rest and swim. Go back to a park later, like for fireworks or dinner or something. Just a thought ....

 

[eddieras]

I agree that park hoppers are only worth it if you know how to use it properly.

But I disagree that your kids are too young to hop. I don't even know how old your kids are.

Even with infants, here's a scenario where hopping can work well (did it with 5 and 2.5, 6.5 and 4) .... Go to a park, come back in the afternoon for rest and swim. Go back to a park later, like for fireworks or dinner or something. Just a thought ....

i agree- it's not rocket science - been there before and always have PH's. just was wondering whether it was worth it (for us- for this trip) and was unsure about leaving /returning. especially on the days where you start out early at a park, then leave and come back for a show later that same evening.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I agree that park hoppers are only worth it if you know how to use it properly.

But I disagree that your kids are too young to hop. I don't even know how old your kids are.

Even with infants, here's a scenario where hopping can work well (did it with 5 and 2.5, 6.5 and 4) .... Go to a park, come back in the afternoon for rest and swim. Go back to a park later, like for fireworks or dinner or something. Just a thought ....

I understand what you are saying - we go to a park, back to resort from swimming/nap then back to that same park for dinner. Its just that 2 years ago, we did EPCOT and DH just didn't like it, so that takes away one hop for us (for the moment, MGM the kids just love and AKL we haven't even done yet. We also are more of a resort/relaxing type family. We only do 2 parks in 6 days.

So, I really should not have put my 2 cents in because my family it unique in that sense.

Oh - the kids are 6 and 5

 

[Michigan]

I understand what you are saying - we go to a park, back to resort from swimming/nap then back to that same park for dinner. Its just that 2 years ago, we did EPCOT and DH just didn't like it, so that takes away one hop for us (for the moment, MGM the kids just love and AKL we haven't even done yet. We also are more of a resort/relaxing type family. We only do 2 parks in 6 days.

So, I really should not have put my 2 cents in because my family it unique in that sense.

Oh - the kids are 6 and 5

I'm not sure what you mean by that takes away one hop? You don't have a limit on how many times you can hop. If you want you can do all 4 parks every single day you would be very tired but you tickets would allow it.

Here are some ways hopping is good. Let's say you spent the day at AK which closes early and MK is have extra hours if you are staying on property all you have to do is get a bus to MK show your room key get a wrist band and now you have 3 hours of less crowded time at MK. Or say you want to see the fireworks at epcot and you spent the day at MGM you can just hop on a boat at the entrance of MGM and go to epcot.

I don't think there is ever a time when kids are too young for park hopping and it's the best way to see everything. I don't know how anyone can spend a full day at either MGM or AK because there just ins't that much to do.

 

[Goshhawk]

So I am planning my first trip to Disneyworld and utterly confused by the hopper vs base ticket options. We'll only have 3 or 4 days max at the parks but probably would like the option to leave a park in the afternoon and go to the same or different park in the evening. I think it would be highly unlikely we would go to more than 2 parks in a day.

Looking at the prices at, say, Ticket Mania, wouldn't I be better off buying a 7-day base package ($211 for adult) rather than a 3 or 4 day hopper ($248-$252)? My assumption here is that I could use 2 of my 7 passes on the same day. Or doesn't it work that way?

 

[bradk]

it doesn't, sorry. the system won't allow you to use 2 days up in 1 day. the only way to visit 2 (or more) of the main parks on the same day is either with the park hopping option, or completely separate tickets.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I'm not sure what you mean by that takes away one hop? You don't have a limit on how many times you can hop. If you want you can do all 4 parks every single day you would be very tired but you tickets would allow it.

Here are some ways hopping is good. Let's say you spent the day at AK which closes early and MK is have extra hours if you are staying on property all you have to do is get a bus to MK show your room key get a wrist band and now you have 3 hours of less crowded time at MK. Or say you want to see the fireworks at epcot and you spent the day at MGM you can just hop on a boat at the entrance of MGM and go to epcot.

I don't think there is ever a time when kids are too young for park hopping and it's the best way to see everything. I don't know how anyone can spend a full day at either MGM or AK because there just ins't that much to do.

What I mean by "takes away one hop" is that is is one less park that we will hop to.

I fully understand the concept of hopping - believe me. We spend a day at MGM by doing every thing going back to the resort, swimming, coming back for dinner at 6p ish Fanstasmic and VOILA, you have a day at MGM.

Everyone's touring style is different.

 

[bradk]

although technically going to MGM to the resort and back to MGM isn't park hopping. it doesn't require the option to pull it off.

(and i believe you understand, just needed to point out the technicality for the sake of others)

 

[Cindy's Mom]

What I mean by "takes away one hop" is that is is one less park that we will hop to.

I fully understand the concept of hopping - believe me. We spend a day at MGM by doing every thing going back to the resort, swimming, coming back for dinner at 6p ish Fanstasmic and VOILA, you have a day at MGM.

Everyone's touring style is different.

I never meant to imply that what we do is "park hopping" I was merely answering "Michigan's" statement about how someone could possibly spend a whole day at MGM. That is how we do. That's all.

 

[seashoreCM]

Taking away one hop but leaving another hop in place accomplishes nothing other than save travel time.

Adding hopping to a ticket costs the same no matter how many times you use it.