To hop or not to hop....

[javaonline]

We purchased parkhoppers during our trip in early october. It was our first trip as a family to WDW...and we only hopped from DS to EP one afternoon. All in all I dont feel like we got our money's worth out of the hoppers.

I'm assuming since it was our first time that we'll probably hop more now that we have the "lay of the land" and have our favorite rides, etc?

Or is that a flawed opinion? Friends warned me not to get the hoppers but I wanted the ability just in case...

 

[mickeymom629]

I think the majority on these boards enjoy the option of hopping, so if you can afford the option, you should buy the hoppers. I've always had hoppers, but our family has rarely hopped. I'm sure the flexibility is always a piece of mind, but if you want to save money, I think you could get away with it with good planning.

 

[Smileybug]

My family has always used this feature. This is something that we enjoy doing. We almost always do one park in the morning and another one in the afternoon.

 

[MassMom94]

The hopper option is well worth it for our family. We go to at least two parks per day, sometimes more! Obviously, others tour differently.

 

[daisax]

We've gotten park hoppers in the past when it was 7 days of Disney. This trip we're spending a few at Universal, so decided to get non-hoppers for DW. At a savings of $100 per person ($400) -- that's two thirds of the cost of our room at Pop Century! For that amount of money, we'll just have to "settle" for one park per day. We can manage

 

[Ashlind2]

We have two small children and found one park a day was just easier for us.

 

[missymagic]

I like the hopper also. I like to go to a park and for some reason it is really crowded that day we can just head somewhere else for half a day. I also like the fact if we are at AK and want to do something at nite like fantasmic or illuminations we can. My girls still get a little bored at Epcot so sometimes I will say we will do a half day there and half day at MK works like a charm.

It all depends on your family and what you enjoy doing. You said you have been to the parks before you know what to expect and can find your way around etc. so let that help factor in with your game plan. Good luck

 

[dixiedizfan]

We like having the hopper option. Animal Kingdom closes early, so you can hop to a different park that stays open later. Or you can be touring one park for the day, and go to a different one for an ADR that evening. One time we were at Epcot for the day, and my daughter remembered a souvenir that she just had to have from MK. So she and I took the monorail over to MK, and then back to Epcot to meet up with the rest of our family. Whatever, I just enjoy not being restricted to one park per day.

 

[Disney4Drew]

We're going in Nov. when the hours are shortened, so we decided not to do hoppers. Also, DS is 3 so we think it will be easier to do one park each day.

 

[wild4dis]

I think it is a personal choice on what you expect to accomplish...we have been to WDW quite a few times... so when we visit now we almost alway hop..like AK in the morning to ride EE and see the animals feed...then back to the resort for some great pool time and then late afternoon to another park for a few rides...and then maybe even a late night EMH at a different park.

I will admit my kids are a little older now and they seem to recharge quicker than when they were very young.....but in the beginning we mostly did 1 park a day, tried to see it all, "kamikze style"....never had the energy to "hop" to another park later that night

Proper planning, prior to arrival...see what everyone in your party says is a must do/see in each park...plan timing conservatively and enjoy what you can during your visit.........if you are there for a lengthy time (7+ days)...going to a park at 8:00am til 10:00pm each day for the first few days could make the remainder of your trip a little tougher...everyone will be a little more cranky and tired earlier in the day......pace and plan..plan..plan !!

 

[izzys4]

We always get hoppers. We only do a half day at AK since it's our least favorite and we do another in the afternoon. And if my son says he wishes he could do the spaceship earth ride again and we're at MK ..... well, lets go!! After all.....we're at DISNEY!!

We leave in 16 days!!

 

[tripplanner]

We did "hoppers" for years. I always found that we only used the hopper feature a couple of times in a trip. This year, we decided to save money by not hopping. The money savings has allowed us to have a longer trip.

 

[hollyb]

Our kids will be 9 and almost 7 when we go. We keep going back and forth on wether or not to get the hoppers. The kids like to stay where thier at, if we leave the park,they are so tired and they just want to swim and relax. Still up in the air on what to do. I need to see how money we will really be saving.

 

[Redbudlover]

I like going to a park with early EMH and then leaving for lunch at a resort, resting for a while, then going back to the park with late EMH. Or going ack to the park for a special parade or fireworks display. AK closes early and MGM is a park I don't spend much time at so I usually hop from or to those parks....

 

[kaybird]

We hop, We Hop

We love to Hop-

We love to hop and stay on top...

We hop from here, we hop to there,
we love to park hop everywhere.

To hop from Studios is an easy ride,
on the boats we gently glide,
to world Showcase for a quick bite
then on to MK for Fireworks at nite.

We get to parks early and ride really fast,
then when it's crowded, we quickly blast.
To AK, or a water park,
we hop fast, we hop 'til dark.

 

[disneyfan61]

We hop, We Hop

We love to Hop-

We love to hop and stay on top...

We hop from here, we hop to there,
we love to park hop everywhere.

To hop from Studios is an easy ride,
on the boats we gently glide,
to world Showcase for a quick bite
then on to MK for Fireworks at nite.

We get to parks early and ride really fast,
then when it's crowded, we quickly blast.
To AK, or a water park,
we hop fast, we hop 'til dark.

Love the rhyming!!!!! We also hop. Wouln't go without the hoppers. We got to EMH mornings & then it gets so crowded we go to another park that does not
have the EMH hours. Much more managable. We also have 2 teenagers so it is very easy for us to get around. We love to eat in Epcot so we usually end
up there for dinner.

 

[Corwin12]

We love to hop ... we hop everyday we are there .... natural born hoppers.

 

[I Love Pluto]

We like the flexibility of hopping. We'd be lost without it.

 

[rie'smom]

We don't usually hop. When I'm ready to make ADRs, I check TGM's website for the least crowded parks for the days we're there and then make the ADRs accordingly. We then plan each day around the dining reservations.

 

[mom22boys]

We are going for the non-hopping option on our next trip. I found park hopping to be too exhausting with our two little guys. The pace was just too much for us. I felt like we were always jumping in or jumping out of a park and not spending enough time just soaking up the magic.