To maybe clarify a bit:
Don't think of it as a single ticket. Think of it as a group of tickets. You didn't say, but I'll use the following example as a five day hopper plus four...
You essentially have five single passes, good for one day of hopping each. You also have four passes, good for one day each at ONE plus-eligible park. What you cannot do with a plus is "hop" from plus to plus. And no, you don't have to go to a park that day (thus using a day of hopping) in order to use the plus. Whether it's a plus or a hopper day, the second you check into a park with it, it's good for that day. And in the case of the plus, it's good for that attraction only.
Example: you go to TL today with your brand new pass. You've touched none of your hopper days, and one of your plusses. You can spend the whole day going in and out of TL. However, it's not good for any other "plus" that day. In other words, you can't check into TL today on a plus, then continue using the plus at PI that night. If you were to do that, you've used two plusses. So the plus is good for a full day at any one plus attraction.
Make sense? I hope so. It's hardly a stupid question. I spent three paragraphs and I'm still not sure I got it right...
Pat
