To hop or not to hop

[cwnhokie]

I can't decide if I should buy the park hopper option. This is our first trip and we have boys 2 and 4. I can't decide if we will be up for more than one park a day, I just don't know. We will be going in May and I guess it also depends a lot on what the hours are like. Also I am trying to decide if I should go ahead and get the 10 day MYW with no expiration and save it for another trip. Any thoughts?

 

[cutienibbler]

I have 2 kids, one is 4.5 and one will be 2 in May. I like the hopper option because if gives us flexability. There are times when we have had plans to view this parade and that fireworks show and it just doesn't always work out because our kids have other plans, tired or sick or just plain cranky. We can still hop to different parks to catch what we missed! Like when AK closes early, we can still go to MK and catch spectromagic and wishes

 

[EthansMom]

I'm a big fan of hopping.

With young children, the best thing you can do is head back to your hotel for an afternoon nap/pool break. We head to one park in the morning, have fun at the park, then eat lunch, head back to our resort after lunch. At the resort, I'll get my 1 year-old down for a nap while DH takes our preschooler to the pool. After a couple hours, we head for the parks (NOT NECESSARILIY THE SAME PARK) where we have more fun, eat dinner, and watch fireworks/night parade/etc.

Park hopping is great because you can take advantage of riding rides at one park during the day and seeing a nighttime show at a different park. Also, especially with different parks open early and/or late to resort guests attendance levels at the various parks can be different -- if Magic Kingdom has early entry, I try to get there for early entry and enjoy as much as possible, BUT on early entry day, MK can get very busy towards late morning/early afternoon. If I'm at a park and feel it's too busy, I hop to a different one.

With regards to getting the 10 day ticket with no expire -- I'm not a big fan. Run the numbers to see what it is REALLY costing for 1) the extra days and 2) the no expiration. Realize that if you get the 10 day MYW ticket with no expiration that you need to put it somewhere safe where you will remember it!!! My MIL has 5 days left on an old Park Hopper and has no idea where she put it. Plus, you're tying up your money -- could you make a better investment with that money?

For our upcoming trip, I ran a few numbers and it came out to be worth more for us to commit to making WDW our vacation destination for the next three vacations and get the Annual Pass. (And that didn't assume any AP room discounts. The payoff is actually made in only two trips -- the third trip is like having free tickets.) But, my DH has vacation time he has to use and DH is paranoid about taking the kids on any vacations outside the U.S. There doesn't seem to be too many safe, comfortable, domestic vacations with an infant and preschooler. So, I chose the AP over the MYW ticket.

I hope this helps!

EthansMom

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I would buy the hopping option. I'm sure with little ones you will be taking afternoon breaks. It's nice to back to a different part that evening to catch a parade or watch the fireworks. The hopping option isn't that much more to add to the price of your tickets. I think you will be glad you did.

 

[digskat]

When we went in the fall the only day we used the hopper was when we went to the animal kingdom. The kids are 5 and 7 and we found enough to entertain them with at mk and mgm without having to hop. But it is entirely up to you, we also didn't take a break in the afternoon so that could have made the difference.

 

[Dismom63]

I can't imagine not park hopping I am even a major pre-trip planner and it is a must if you visit at peak times. For instance, we only stay at the early entry park until mid morning and by then that park is filled to capacity so then we head to the park that had early entry the day before!

 

[Amirah95]

We usually don't hop but on our trip in May 2003 we were at Epcot and decided we wanted to go back to MGM to see Fantasmic (which was not in my original plan). I'm glad we had hopper tickets. DH bought our tickets for this years trip in October and added the no expiration and hopping options just in case.

 

[beattyfamily]

HOP!!! I couldn't live without it! I've been hopping since my kids were 1 and 4 and they're now 5 and 8. It makes the trip so very flexible.

For example, on our first trip ever we went to MK on a Saturday (big mistake) and the lines were SO long and Fastpass times were for 4 hours later! So we just walked right back out and went to another park.

 

[goingbackagain]

HOP! Then you always have options and flexibility especially with young children!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Ive been in the minority on these hopper option threads. We've always hopped but last month we got just the base tickets. It was great and DH and I agreed it made for a more relaxing trip, particularly with the new EMH nights. (We have two 7 yr olds also who didn't mind a bit). Mornings we slept in where previously we'd run out to be at park opening, leave around noon and return elsewhere later. This time we arrived later and stayed late; or if we did go early we left mid day and returned to the same park later on. Not a big deal whatsoever. We'll do it this way in the future. I like having the option.

Re: 10 day tickets. If you have the extra $$ and you know you'll be returning again in the future it's a great deal.

 

[crisi]

The flexibility with hopping is really great. Last trip we did three parks in one day, MK for early entry, then the pool for the afternoon, early dinner at Epcot, and Fantasmic. Since the only thing we did at MGM last trip was Fantasmic, we'd have missed it without hopping.

For us, AK is really a morning park - the animals are most active. Epcot is an evening park - lots of dinner options. MK is a morning park - Fantasyland is easiest first thing in the morning - while the little kid attractions at MGM are often fairly empty in early evening.

 

[bajanswife]

If we're going to be there for over a week, if we plan to shop outside of WDW, if we are staying offsite at a place with a great pool, if we want to do DTD etc, couldn't non-hopping work? i.e. for the days we did AK, couldn't we go to DTD or shopping after rest time? And couldn't we do Epcot on a day we slept in and hung by the pool in the a.m. b/c we were up late the night before? MK and MGM can be done a.m. and p.m., with a rest inbetween (just get the hand stamp on the way out so we can get back in later!).

Yes, hopping gives a little more flexibility, and allows you to leave a park that gets too crowded. But it's a lot of $ to spend for that, and if you're on a budget I would think that with some planning you could skip the hopping option. Comments?

 

[DisneyDreamer2]

I am normally an advocate of park hopping, and I still am if you will be there for a short time. However we are taking all the kids this trip and it would be an extra 200.00 to add the hopping option, for the same price I can add 2 more nights hotel. So we are going for 10 nights without hopping.

 

[scorp111]

We have PAP and have been in the park's for a total of 12 days so far, and only hopped twice.

Once to catch Spectro and once on our final day to pick up some MGM exclusive merchandise....

On our next trip, I am recommending to my mother and niece not to get hoppers for thier 5 day trip. If cost is a consideration, as it is for most, then it does make sense.

Someone mentioned going to MK and it being packed, and they had the flexibility to go somewhere else. That is a nice back-up plan... with no-hop you just have to plan a bit more... and accept the crowd conditions that you get.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

If we're going to be there for over a week, if we plan to shop outside of WDW, if we are staying offsite at a place with a great pool, if we want to do DTD etc, couldn't non-hopping work? i.e. for the days we did AK, couldn't we go to DTD or shopping after rest time? And couldn't we do Epcot on a day we slept in and hung by the pool in the a.m. b/c we were up late the night before? MK and MGM can be done a.m. and p.m., with a rest inbetween (just get the hand stamp on the way out so we can get back in later!).

Yes, hopping gives a little more flexibility, and allows you to leave a park that gets too crowded. But it's a lot of $ to spend for that, and if you're on a budget I would think that with some planning you could skip the hopping option. Comments?

Of course it will work!

 

[crisi]

Just chiming in, with of course it will work. No one NEEDS hopping. Its a "nice to have." Is even a "nice to have if you don't use it" simply for the crowd control options, the "kids think Epcot is BORING" options, the "we are too tired for Fantasmic, but will hop back here tomorrow" options - but that depends on the value it adds to you....an extra two nights hotel is also good. One of the nice things about the new passes is that you can choose what is worth paying for and what isn't - and that will be different for different people depending on their travel styles and budget.

 

[Amirah95]

"kids think Epcot is BORING" options

I totally agree with that example and that was the only time we hopped out and into MGM. I'm going to keep purchasing the hopping option just in case we feel like doing something else. I hate the feeling that I may lose out somewhere. Rather lose to purchasing the hopper option.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'm going to keep purchasing the hopping option just in case we feel like doing something else.

Whoever invented these new MYW tickets with the hopping as an add-on expense was a genius IMO.

 

[swilphil]

If your kids are older and you can do 1 park without a break, I think the basic ticket is fine. With younger kids, we take a break and usually go to another park in the late afternoon or evening. It also works well with the morning EMH, often that park gets very crowded in the afternoon so we hop to another park.

 

[TEXASPRINCESSES]

When My Husband And I Were Talking The Other Night Planning Our June Tickets For Our Trip--we Had Pretty Much Decided On No Hopping But When We Did Further Investigation Online With Some Of The Orlando Ticket Brokers There Is A Myw Non-expiring 10 Day With 5 Additional Options(like Disny Quest, Water Parks Etc) Out There That Is At An Excellant Price Plus If You Add The Hop Option It Is Only Like $8.00 A Day For The Three Of Us--we Figure These Tickets Will Last Us For The Next 3 Summer 7 Day Vacations If We Plan Right Adding The Optionals In And Rest Day/days If We Plan Right! You Might Want To Look Into That--good Luck!