To hop or not

[natanya]

This may be a crazy question but this is only our second trip to WDW. The last was long ago and during off season. We also only did MK that trip.
This time we are staying on site, BWV. 2 teens, 10yo, dh and myself. I am trying to figure out which tickets to buy. We are going 7/31-8/4. Should we go with the Hopper - or stick with doing one park a day?
I like the idea of being able to be flexible; if we want to go to AK or MGM in the am 2 days then do MK or Epcot in the pm. Or is saving the $40/pp ($200) worth the trade off?
I wish the special Disney Visa is offering would be available then (free Hopper and Water).
Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[la79al]

I am going back and forth about hopping on our next trip too. Last year we did park hopper and we truly used it. We wanted to see fireworks at one of the parks but they were cancelled due to rain the evening of the day we did that park. Because we had park hopper we went back and saw them after our day at AK. Lost the entire morning of our Epcot day due to a flat tire. By the time we got there, fast passes for Soarin' were gone and waiting in line would be half our afternoon. Used park hopper to go back to Epcot on our final day, just to do Soarin'. I would suggest park hopper even if you just get bored with one park and want to go back to one you enjoyed more.

 

[Corryn]

We're Hoppers....Always.....
If your family is like ours: If you know that you have to spend the day in Just One Park you are going to be itchin'...... I know whenever we go, my husband is always thinking...Hey, we can go to the Kingdom in the morning and then we can go to EPCOT for dinner and watch Illuminations (I know the song by heart)....Or...We can go to AK in the morning and then shoot over to MGM for Fantasmic! I think we've spent more time Hopping than we have spent in one park.
I understand the money aspect, I do. I am sure you are a hard worker, but when you vacation you should be able to feel as unrestrained as your wallet will let you
When it comes to every day living, we're not big spenders and never use our credit cards 'cause we still believe in cash and not buying anything unless you can lay out the greenbacks, but when we vacation, we really don't hold back. We look forward to it all year long. When I think of it that way, $40. per person wouldn't hold me back.
Whatever your decision, the Boardwalk is Beautiful! Have a Great Trip!!!!!

 

[Robo]

OH yes. HOPPERS are the way to go!

Let's say you go to Animal Kingdom.
It generally closes hours before the other parks (animals are members of a very good Union, I suppose).
With a hopper, you can head to Epcot for IllumiNations or see Fantasmic! at MGM that evening.

And, you can start with a MORNING EMH at Epcot and ride Soarin' until you can "Soar no more", then Hop over to MGM for lunch at 50's Primetime Cafe and the motor stunt show... when Soarin' has a 22-hour stand-by queue.

Or, you get all the way into one park and discover too late that its "overflowing" with cheerleading-soccer-playing-spelling-bee-drum-majors from Hyperganistan (it could happen)...
No prob. Hop outta there and into a less-brimming park.

Hop!
Hop, I tell you.

Never leave the hotel without it.

 

[melanie18]

Hop. Definitely hop.

 

[MouseWorshipin]

I like to hop, but could live without it if I had to pay extra.

It's nice to go to the EMH park early, then take a break and hop over to another park.

But if you avoid the EMH park, you can skip the extra $.

I am no help whatsoever.

 

[DisneyJen0504]

If we are in WDW-we are Hopping!
We couldn't do Disney without it!

 

[Honeybehr1]

We have done it both ways - hop and not hop. We actually dont really hop all that much and with it - once. So it really wasnt worth the added expense. I just think that leaving one park and traveling to another park wastes so much time and so many extra steps - especially when your feet hurt. This past trip we opted out of getting it so that we could come under budget and we didnt even miss it at all. In the future - I wont be getting it.

 

[natanya]

All good points everyone. I hadn't even thought about if it rained the evening we were at MK or Epcot and the fireworks (a frequent occurance in FL at that time of year). I believe we will be hopping for sure.

 

[2angelsinheaven]

Go for the hopper passes, esp with teens. Depending on if you let them go off on their own or not if you and DH wanted to say enjoy EPCOT and the kids wanted to check out RNR or TOT you would need the hop option. Plus it helps for those rides, shows, etc you may miss and want to go back to.

 

[MichelleVW]

One of the arguements against hopping is that it wastes too much time between parks, but last Thursday we did all four parks in one day and didn't think it took too long to get from one park to the next. The longest was 25 minutes from MGM to Epcot but that was because we wanted a rest and opted to take the boat ride so we could rest!!

I couldn't go if I couldn't hop, I'd go crazy!!!

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

Since the original poster is 1) going during the peak summer season and 2) staying at an Epcot resort I would strongly recommend park hoppers.
We have been to WDW several times in June. We normally get to a park before opening because you can get a lot done in a few hours before the really big crowds arrive. By noon time we are ready to head back to our hotel for a break. We then go to another park later in the day. It's much too hot in the summer to try to spend an entire day at the parks without some kind of break.
From the BWV you can walk or boat to the Disney Studios and Epcot. Right there is another great reason to park hop. You can (for example) be at the Studios until closing and then go to Epcot for an evening EMH.
I would not think of not having park hoppers at WDW. The small additional cost is so worth it.

 

[Leota]

Ditto DisneyJen - If we're in WDW, We're Hoppin.

In all our trips & all the days of those trips, I can only recall 2 days that we didn't hop....

I am going on a quickie cheapo girls trip in a couple weeks. 2 of my leftover passes are 1 Park, 1 Day passes. I already know I'm spending an extra $40 on upgrading one of those passes to a hopper for just one day! That's how important hopping is to me.

 

[goofy4tink]

HOP!! It's going to be hot/humid/crowded when you go. So...you will want to start, early, in one park, then go back to your resort for a swim/eat mid-day. Then back to a different park until closing later.
There is no way I would try to save money on this. I would hate to be stuck in one park for the entire day...especially mid-summer.
Hop, hop, the Disney hop!!!

 

[pepe of ohio]

Wouldn't do it any other way, hopping ! Even with AP's off and on we hop.

AK is only good for us for 1/2 a day and then we throw in MGM for the other half a day. We also don't burn ourselves out in one park from opening to closing. We always spend the heat of the day at our resort or another. One park in the am and another in the pm. This way its only a pm visit for awhile and we catch the fireworks of that park and the next day we rotate the parks from morning to evenings. If we feel a park is over crowded, we hop to another, only way to fly around WDW.

 

[Skylarr29]

We have Ap's so we have always hopped. I don't know how I would do the parks without being able to hop?? When I was a kid though I remember that we wouldnt hop... just leave for a rest in the afternoon and come back at night.It is managable but I think the flexibility alone is worth the money. I would hop that way I can use the EMH to my advantage and also for dining plans etc. I would HOP!

 

[subtchr]

We also have teens, and I would never go without hopping. Our park plans for our June trip do not include a lot of hopping days, but as other posters have said, it would be a shame to have everything planned out but then have weather or other factors change your plans and be stuck without hopping. And if for nothing else than our last day, when we always revisit favorites, we want the privilege. We are forgoing the water park and more option this trip, because we just love the main parks so much and just plan to swim at the resort. Have fun ~

 

[allegracristina]

Hoppin' is the way to go! It's so great to be able to go to MK or MGM during the day, and then hop on over to Epcot for a nice dinner. We hopped around each day, and it was well worth the extra expense. I guess as another poster had mentioned, that it does have a lot to do with whether the teens are allowed to go off on their own or not.
Hope you have a great time!!!

 

[lorrainesy]

We are hoppers everytime. We love to visit all the parks but MK is our all time fav. Usually we like shorter visits at MGM and Epcot, so we spend half day at each park (mornings at MGM and evenings at EPCOT). The hopper pass is also great because we can hop back and forth to all the perades. On the day you are at AK you will want the hopper pass so that when the park closes early you can hit another park. This trip our goal is to make it to each of the magic hours (morning and night for all the parks) at least once. If we did not have the hopper pass that would be much harder. This trip we are traveling in a big group (some teens) so the hopper pass is more important then ever.

When you consider that you are already spending so much on a WDW vacation, you might as well spend the little bit extra...it really does make the vacation much more enjoyable. I saved money by getting the limited hopper pass. I can go back and forth to the four parks but it does not include the water parks. We never use the water parks anyway. It is much more fun to hotel hop. What we do is when we are at a park and are hot and need a break we take the transportation to one off the hotels, we try out their pool, have a drink at the pool bar and then head back to a park. On different days visit all the different hotels and use there pools.

 

[Robo]

What we do is when we are at a park and are hot and need a break we take the transportation to one off the hotels, we try out their pool, have a drink at the pool bar and then head back to a park. On different days visit all the different hotels and use there pools.

UH-OH!

Looks like a dreaded "Pool-Hopper Discussion" a-comin' over the horizon.

Put on the flame-retardant gear, batten down the hatches, and brace yourself.