parkhoppers necessary?

[krismanda]

We are going to DW for the first time this fall. When I booked, I ordered the parkhopper feature on our tickets, but the more I think about it, the more I'm not sure we need it.

We are staying 8 days. We have a 4 year old and an infant. I'm not sure I see us moving at a fast enough pace to be whirlwinding through multiple parks a day and we have enough time to do parks more than once if we like.

I'm just on the fence because as a 1st timer I'm not sure if there is an angle to this that I'm missing.

I know the price difference isn't that big...$150 or so, I think? I'm just thinking that is money we could use for something else if it isn't a feature that will really benefit us.

Any thoughts/advice?

 

[Cheshire Figment]

As long as you are more than 45 days out you can make changes to your reservation without any penalties.

The cost to add hopping (or WPF&M) is $55 ($58.58 including tax) per ticket. It does not matter if it is adult or child, two day or ten days, first day of use or last day of use, the price is the same. (For a Florida Resident it is $27.50 plus tax.)

Note that to add hopping to a one day ticket is $35 ($37.28 including 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.

 

[tzeitel]

With such little kids and this being your first trip I would do without park hoppers. There is so much to see and do at each park that you will probably not want to change parks.

We are WDW vets (and ex-CMs) and we never do hoppers - when we hit a park we stay all day

 

[smitch425]

We are going to DW for the first time this fall. When I booked, I ordered the parkhopper feature on our tickets, but the more I think about it, the more I'm not sure we need it.

We are staying 8 days. We have a 4 year old and an infant. I'm not sure I see us moving at a fast enough pace to be whirlwinding through multiple parks a day and we have enough time to do parks more than once if we like.

I'm just on the fence because as a 1st timer I'm not sure if there is an angle to this that I'm missing.

I know the price difference isn't that big...$150 or so, I think? I'm just thinking that is money we could use for something else if it isn't a feature that will really benefit us.

Any thoughts/advice?

As CF mentioned above, it would be better to not get them unless you find you need them while you are there. We have been every year for the last 5 years with our 6th trip scheduled this October. We stay anywhere from 7-9 days and have never bought hoppers. We have never needed them, and like you, we would rather spend that money on something else. We also go to the park that has evening EMH every single day. A lot of people will tell you not to do that because of the crowds, but we have never had a problem in the last 5 years of doing this. Everyone has there own opinions on the best way to tour the parks, but what works for one family may not work for another. In the case of hoppers, though, it is so easy to add them if you find you need them, so I would save the money until you know for sure if you will utilize them. Best of luck in your planning! I hope you have a magical trip!

 

[jennyjinx3]

I say skip it this time around...you will be exhausted as it is!!

 

[hydrotony]

My opinion is that since you are going to be there for a long time, 8 days, the park hopper is a good idea. The first 2 or 3 days may be only one park each day but later when you learn things, you will want to start splitting early and late day trips to different parks. If you really like Wishes or Illuminations or Fantasmic, it is great to have the ability to just go to those parks for the last hour to see the fireworks shows. With park hoppers you can target just the hours you like best rather than feel you need to spend the whole day to get your money's worth. Animal kingdom in the a.m., Studios in afternoon after a nap, Epcot at night.

 

[krismanda]

Thanks for all the advice. I think I will call and change. I didn't realize the feature could be added at the park if needed. That definitely makes me feel surer about cancelling!

 

[missymouse]

For what it is worth we did hoppers on our first trip. What we discovered is that since we want to hit both water parks and our kids are 13-20 we do better with a day at AK, a day at Epcot, 1/2 day at MK after a water park, and 1/2 day at waterpark with HS in the evening. This trip we will also be going to Universal one day. We are not going to hit the parks at all the day we arrive (but will be spending time at Storm Along Bay) or the day we leave (just have time to get breakfast) .

 

[Lumiere Lover]

In December I am going to WDW for the 10th time, and have never had park hoppers. We have never felt the need for them. As long as you have your dining reservations made, and are in that park that day, you are good to go. Don't consider adding another day to your ticket and use that to park hop, that is not allowed. It is only one park per day. With the ages of your kids, you shouldn't need to park hop.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[AshleeH]

I would definitely go without it - considering the ages of your kids, the length of your stay, and that it's your first trip. We didn't do PHs the last two years (one year we had them, but I had the schedule perfect, so I told DH we didn't need them) and we never wished we had them. This year, the kids are older and we will be a little more versatile (more TS meals, so we won't be chained to the park that has our reservation for the day if we didn't want to do that park at that time) so we're going to try and get our money's worth. Even with them, I think we'll only be hopping three days out of 7.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Especially with youngsters that young.....secret will be to hit the parks early, and then when it's rest time or nap time, stick with the home schedule and go back to your resort to accomplish this.....pool time is fun too in the heat of the day and when the crowd peaks.....then return back to the same park in the evening......for a couple of hours......

Children this young are more enamored with the sights and sounds than which park they are in and each park has ample attractions to occupy a child for a whole day......

We've gotten hoppers off and on in all our trips and some AP's...they are convenient for veteran, older travelers but the times we didn't have then, they were not missed.....we like them at times just to go back to certain parks for closing ceremonies and fireworks....and sometimes for the park with the lastest hours.....but not really necessary to have a good time in WDW....it does stretch the pocketbook but most can do without......maybe in peak periods and holidays but still, with young children....I'd wait and see once you're there...same goes for the waterparks and more...why pay in advance and never use them or try to fit them in on a short trip....for a one time waterpark, pay out of pocket.......

 

[macnodos]

It is not required or absolutely necessary but does give you a great amount of flexibility. If you decide to spend the morning in Magic Kingdom and then decide you want to have dinner somewhere in the World Showcase you have the flexibility available, otherwise you may be in a bind. I think it a very worthwhile investment for about $50 a person unless your budget is extremely tight. You can easily make up the $150 difference in another area.

 

[Art 1]

We are going to DW for the first time this fall. When I booked, I ordered the parkhopper feature on our tickets, but the more I think about it, the more I'm not sure we need it.

We are staying 8 days. We have a 4 year old and an infant. I'm not sure I see us moving at a fast enough pace to be whirlwinding through multiple parks a day and we have enough time to do parks more than once if we like.

I'm just on the fence because as a 1st timer I'm not sure if there is an angle to this that I'm missing.

I know the price difference isn't that big...$150 or so, I think? I'm just thinking that is money we could use for something else if it isn't a feature that will really benefit us.

Any thoughts/advice?

Don't waste your money on those.

 

[leedavidt]

I Always Have Used A Parhopper Pass Everytime I Have Visited Disney,Which By Now Must Be In The Double Digits !
My Last Time I Hopped I Was First At Animal Kingdom...Well, By The Time Noon Came Around I Was Done And Headed To Another Park...It's Always A Good Thing To Keep More Options Available Than Not... Enjoy Your Trip !
www.youtube.com/user/leedavidt
​

 

[Disney st8 of mind]

One thing to take into account is where you're staying. We have always stayed at either BWV or BCV and we hop into Epcot multiple times a trip. We've even walked through Epcot and done an attraction or two on the way to the monorail to MK. I would also think if you're on the monorail loop it would be nice to have the ability to go to MK even for an hour or so here and there. Just my $0.02

 

[webepirates]

We did park hoppers in '10 with my sweetly hyperactive inlaws (I do love 'em, oddly they are only hyperactive in Disney) and my spouse (always hyper) and we call it the Bataan Death March Trip...spent so much time travelling on various buses boats and monorails that I had enough vertigo to keel over into the shrubs in front of Nemo on day three...park hoppers are forbidden now! We plan our days by each park - if you are on prop. you can always leave take a break and come back (mmm-pool....) Feel like we get more out of our time this way instead of travelling, traveling. Enjoy !!!!!

 

[MichaelH]

I see you are staying 8 days. That is about how long we stay when we go. I would say stick with the hoppers. It give you a little more freedom in my opinion. If a park gets crowded while you are there you can go to another park. We did this all the time when our kids were young our DD was 1 and our DS was 3. They did fine. Having the hopper, to me, allows you to go at your own pace. You don't feel like you have to do everything in that park the day you go. You can do MK half a day, go back and swim or nap at resort, then do EPCOT that evening. Hope that helps some.

 

[buckirj1]

The biggest advantage to hoppers seem to be their flexibility for those who like table service meals, and can't always get an ADR in the same park. I don't especially care where I eat, and never make ADRs, so I never buy hoppers.

 

[ZoZo]

I would say, if you're not sure, don't get them to start off with. As Cheshire Figment states, you can add them to your tickets after arrival if you decide you want them.

Many people do just fine without hoppers. If you have a specific reason for hopping, like I do, they add some great flexibility. You can take advantage of morning EMHs, then hop to a different park when things get crowded. [I also go during Food and Wine festival time, and like to start at one park such as MK, then hop to Epcot in the afternoon/evening every day.] But if I didn't need hoppers to do that, I would seriously think about whether to spend the money or not.

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

We have never felt the need to get hoppers either. If I were going on a trip with just my hubby I would probably do it, but with kids it sometimes takes extra time to do things I could do much faster with just hubby and I. There has only been one day in our trips that I would've considered it, and that was Hollywood Studios on a Saturday, during Star Wars Weekends, right when Star Tours opened back up after the refurb. It was a level 9.8 day, and it was insane. We made it work though. We could've gotten hoppers on our last 11 day trip, but didn't, and decided not to for this next trip which will be 10 days. We figure the cost for our family is significant (almost $400) as we have 7 in our immediate family. We would rather save that money and if we ever feel the need for the upgrade, we will do it, but I have a sneaking suspicion if it comes down to it, we'd rather do Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party twice instead of have hoppers! That's just us though!

Honestly, we love immmersing ourselves in one park a day, and there's just so much to do in every park. The more time you spend in each park, the more details you can absorb, and the more magic you will find. That's what we love. We still haven't touched the surface of all there is to do at Disney.