Park Hopping Option

[RuthieT]

Is the Park Hopping Option Needed at DW???

 

[MidgeD79]

It depends on how long you are going to be there and if you plan on staying at one park for the whole day. I have considered not getting the park hopper option, but when I look at our first draft itinerary, I always get one and we always use it.

 

[dancemonkey]

Depends on your style of touring and how long you will be there. If we're there for 4 or more days we like to hop. We'll do AK in the morning head back to the hotel for a nice lunch and then do MK as an example. We tended to do less hopping when our kids were younger. I'm a person who likes flexibility so the hoppers work for me. I also think it's a must if your staying on property!

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

We love park hoppers! Often we will start the day in a morning EMHpark to take advantage of the extra hour then we'll hop to a recommended park for/after lunch

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

No. Not at all.

And if you change your mind you can always add it while you're there. It will be the same price. But if you buy it ahead and don't use it, you don't get a refund! Lesson learned the hard way on our first trip. Everyone said yes, you need it, can't live without it, must have it. Bought hoppers for our family, never used them. Wasted $200+. Have never bought them since and never felt we needed them.

Also think about how many times you'll use it. It's the same price whether you hop on one day or ever day. So if you're thinking you'll only use it once or twice, that's a pretty expensive option.

 

[kwdw]

You'll get answers passionate about how hopping is awesome and how hopping is a waste of time and money. You really have to make a traveling plan for YOUR party and then decide. Even the years I own an annual pass, I rarely hop. But, I would be lying if I did say I used the option a lot on my last trip! But I'm not planning on hopping the next one because Im traveling with someone who is buying a base ticket and because when I travel with him, it doesn't fit our touring style.

 

[Hootch]

It is not necessary, but it can be convenient. We have always bought them but many don't. I wouldn't downgrade a resort or cut days in exchange.

 

[anniemae]

If you plan right, I don't think you need it. Some love it, some feel it's a waste.

 

[ilovevacation]

I wouldn't say it's an absolute must but I highly recommend it. Partly, you can't predict the crowds, despite using the crow calendar and if you notice wait times are significantly lower in another park you will want to go. Also, if you go to dhs and it closes at 8, everyone has more wind in their sails, and mk open until 1, you might want to go. Or everyone was too hungry /tired to stay for something you wanted to see that they only do a few times a week, fantasmic, you can head back to the park. So, I would suggest you do it unless it's going to break the bank.

 

[ArwenMarie]

We don't buy them. We don't get enough use out of them to make the cost worth it.

One exception....We did enjoy them one time we stayed at Beach Club so we could go into Epcot as we felt like it.

 

[5kidsmommy]

We have actually never gotten hoppers because our family is large and the cost is pretty high. This trip though I am going with hoppers since there are only two of us and our discount required it. I am mixed on how I feel about it. Since I am going during party season it will be nice to be able to go to MK during the day and hop over to another park in the evening. Or spend the first half of the day in one park and hop someplace else for dinner. I don't think it's necessary at all but it's kind of a nice option. You just have to figure out if it works for you.

 

[msmama]

Judging by the phrasing of your question, I'm guessing you mean are they necessary at WDW like they are at DL and the answer is no. Remember WDW is WAY bigger than DL. It's going to take a minimum of 30 minutes (and that is if the planets align perfectly) to get from the heart of one park to another - unlike Disneyland where it takes 2 minutes.

That said, I like them for trips over 4 days. 4 days I can go either way with them, less than 4 days I wouldn't bother with hoppers.

 

[zlah31]

We went a couple of years ago with no hoppers. For the money saved it was definently good we didn't get them. There was never a time where I wish we wouldve been able to hop. This time we are going in Nov. And have the hoppers(have to for free dining). I'm glad we have them this time because of the shorter hours on some days. Especially our animal kingdom day. So that being said you can definently have a wonderful.time without them. I would not buy them before unless you are certain you will use them.

 

[Canuck16]

It just depends on how you like to tour the parks. We always get park hopper tickets and never regret getting them.

We went to WDW when FP+ was relatively new so what we would do is get to Park A at RD and ride while crowd levels were low without any FP's then head back to the resort for an afternoon break. Then we would head to Park B for the evening with our 3 FP's in hand for when the crowd levels were heavier.

This seemed to work for us because we are a RD family and always get to the parks early.

 

[loves to dive]

We have never been without them, except before Epcot opened. I can't imagine spending one day in only one park. They work for us for a number of reasons:

We aren't big on pre-booking FP, we tend to just book the night before so we pick which park we want those 3 rides in then if it's super crowded we just move on to another park.

We don't book ADRs until morning of, we go to GS in the park we are in and have them check to see what is available, that could be in a different park, we are ok with that with PHs

I can't remember a time when we didn't hop over to either Epcot or HS every single day, no matter where we started.

 

[jmkjr72]

We like having hoppers
Animal kingdom day they are great to have as the park tends to close very early
Our last trip we stayed at blt and it was nice to be able to hit mk for a while most nights