To park hop or not

[Djsbride]

Our trip is around the corner, and now that I secured our FP+ I can get a better idea of our itinerary. We currently have 4 days tickets. We arrive the morning of November 27 but that day we're just going to let the kids enjoy the pool at the hotel and then stroll Disney Springs. on November 28 we're going to Epcot and have FP for soarin at 10:15am, mission space at 11:45 and spaceship earth at 12:45. I'm hoping we can get there early enough to do Frozen before our first FP but we're not going to RD. That evening MK has EMH until 11pm. I was thinking that after our dinner at Biergarten we could hop to MK for the rest of the evening and watch the fireworks and ride a few rides. The next day on November 29, is our MK day, that day MK closes at 6pm because of the Christmas party. I was thinking that after we leave the park that day we can hop to Epcot to watch illuminations and ride whatever else we want to ride.
That would be the only 2 days we would hop, because my sons (ages 5 and 8) are obsessed with Star Wars, so I know they'll want to be at HS until the evening and also my husband requested to see pandora at night during our AK day.

We will be taking a day off /hotel day between the first 2 park days and the last 2 park days. What do you think about my plans? This is our first time visit, so I don't know how realistic I'm being.

 

[Ensusieasm]

Our trip is around the corner, and now that I secured our FP+ I can get a better idea of our itinerary. We currently have 4 days tickets. We arrive the morning of November 27 but that day we're just going to let the kids enjoy the pool at the hotel and then stroll Disney Springs. on November 28 we're going to Epcot and have FP for soarin at 10:15am, mission space at 11:45 and spaceship earth at 12:45. I'm hoping we can get there early enough to do Frozen before our first FP but we're not going to RD. That evening MK has EMH until 11pm. I was thinking that after our dinner at Biergarten we could hop to MK for the rest of the evening and watch the fireworks and ride a few rides. The next day on November 29, is our MK day, that day MK closes at 6pm because of the Christmas party. I was thinking that after we leave the park that day we can hop to Epcot to watch illuminations and ride whatever else we want to ride.
That would be the only 2 days we would hop, because my sons (ages 5 and 8) are obsessed with Star Wars, so I know they'll want to be at HS until the evening and also my husband requested to see pandora at night during our AK day.

We will be taking a day off /hotel day between the first 2 park days and the last 2 park days. What do you think about my plans? This is our first time visit, so I don't know how realistic I'm being.

Instead of paying $75 extra per adult to park hop on your four day ticket, you can add a Park day for only $15. I know this would have been a rest/pool day, but you could only go in the park for evening fireworks after a day in the pool.

 

[kwdw]

Personally, I would add a 5th day to the ticket and not hop.

Day one - Epcot - ALL day, but not too late. Don't worry about Illuminations - maybe you stay that late - maybe you don't.
Day two - MK until 6pm - break that evening - get to bed at a decent/early hour
Day 3-5 - one day each at MK, AK, and HS.

 

[amberpi]

Always park hop, the flexiblity is so worth it and I like to finish my park days at Epcot.

 

[Djsbride]

Personally, I would add a 5th day to the ticket and not hop.

Day one - Epcot - ALL day, but not too late. Don't worry about Illuminations - maybe you stay that late - maybe you don't.
Day two - MK until 6pm - break that evening - get to bed at a decent/early hour
Day 3-5 - one day each at MK, AK, and HS.

That's a good option, just go later in the day after my kids and husband have been in the pool all morning and early afternoon.

 

[Djsbride]

UGH I just saw that MK also closes at 6pm that Friday, what would be our rest day. So Kwdw's suggestion wouldn't work.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

I’ve done it both ways, but I’ve honestly very rarely hopped. The flexibility is nice, but there is so much to do, that I hate to leave mid day. And as much as I say, I’ll hop to a later closing park when an earlier closes, I’m usually exhausted. Magic Kingdom is a big park and has the most rides. You definitely couldn’t do everything there in one day. The other parks, you could. So I’d go with the 5th day option and try to get at least a day and a half in at Magic Kingdom. We usually go 6 days and do 3 days in Magic Kingdom and 1 at each of the other parks.

 

[Djsbride]

OK so the day we arrive, MK also closes at 6pm. We get there at 11am and was thinking it would just be a resort day to allow my kids to take it all in. It's also my son's 8th birthday and we're doing this trip as a surprise. By the time we get to the hotel it will probably be noon. I don't think it's worth to even attempt to go to the park that day since they close so early. They basically close at 6pm the only 2 other days I could go. I won't be able to see the fireworks

 

[stsomewhere]

I would just add an extra day and spend arrival day at a park instead of going to Disney Springs. Maybe go to Mk for a few hours, then look at the hotels around the monorail loop.

Or go to Hollywood Studios for the evening of arrival.

 

[GPC0321]

That would be the only 2 days we would hop, because my sons (ages 5 and 8) are obsessed with Star Wars, so I know they'll want to be at HS until the evening and also my husband requested to see pandora at night during our AK day.

If you want to do hoppers, why don't you do with HS and AK what you are doing with Epcot and MK on the first two days? Do HS in the morning, then hop to AK for the evening, then do AK in the morning and hop to HS in the evening?

So, for example...

1. Arrival day = pool, hotel, Disney Springs
2. Day two = Epcot and then hop to MK
3. Day three = MK and then hop to Epcot
4. Day four = AK and then hop to Studios
5. Day five = Studios and then hop to AK

Obviously, days four and five could be switched, depending on your preference of which park to see first and which park to end the vacation with (personally, if you've got big Star Wars fans, I think ending the trip with the Star Wars fireworks/show would be awesome, so I'd switch the above.)

 

[stsomewhere]

If you want to do hoppers, why don't you do with HS and AK what you are doing with Epcot and MK on the first two days? Do HS in the morning, then hop to AK for the evening, then do AK in the morning and hop to HS in the evening?

So, for example...

1. Arrival day = pool, hotel, Disney Springs
2. Day two = Epcot and then hop to MK
3. Day three = MK and then hop to Epcot
4. Day four = AK and then hop to Studios
5. Day five = Studios and then hop to AK

Obviously, days four and five could be switched, depending on your preference of which park to see first and which park to end the vacation with (personally, if you've got big Star Wars fans, I think ending the trip with the Star Wars fireworks/show would be awesome, so I'd switch the above.)

No Star Wars fireworks during that time. It will be Jingle Bell Bam.

 

[Djsbride]

If you want to do hoppers, why don't you do with HS and AK what you are doing with Epcot and MK on the first two days? Do HS in the morning, then hop to AK for the evening, then do AK in the morning and hop to HS in the evening?

So, for example...

1. Arrival day = pool, hotel, Disney Springs
2. Day two = Epcot and then hop to MK
3. Day three = MK and then hop to Epcot
4. Day four = AK and then hop to Studios
5. Day five = Studios and then hop to AK

Obviously, days four and five could be switched, depending on your preference of which park to see first and which park to end the vacation with (personally, if you've got big Star Wars fans, I think ending the trip with the Star Wars fireworks/show would be awesome, so I'd switch the above.)

Hmm that could be an option as well. I know economically adding a fifth day makes more sense but with MK closing at 6pm every other day, it makes the opportunity to watch HEA a hassle.

 

[GPC0321]

No Star Wars fireworks during that time. It will be Jingle Bell Bam.

Oh, that's right. Good point.

 

[GPC0321]

Hmm that could be an option as well. I know economically adding a fifth day makes more sense but with MK closing at 6pm every other day, it makes the opportunity to watch HEA a hassle.

Yeah, I know what you mean. And as the other poster pointed out, there are no Star Wars fireworks anyway.
We went in December last year, with hoppers, and managed to get back to MK to see HEA after we did the Jingle Bell Jingle Bam dessert party. It was the only non-party night of our trip, and It. Was. Crowded. for HEA. I don't normally mind crowds, but even I was a bit unnerved at the crush of humanity I found myself in. Amazing fireworks/projections though.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Adding a day gives you more park time, the park hopper gives you more flexibility. As far as I am concerned, I just don't even consider the price of a non park hopper ticket. I would rather cut the money from somewhere else (souvenirs, one extra counter service instead of a table service, drive rather than fly, breakfast in the room, no character dining or dinner shows, etc). Park hopping is engrained in how we tour and we enjoy resorts near the parks. The break in the middle day is not a waste of time for us but rather time to rest, regroup and get off of our feet. Knowing we can hit a park in the evening where our Fastpasses are waiting for us recharged and rested (either from lunch at disney springs, lunch at a resort, a nap, some swimming, etc) feels as if it gives us flexibility. If we need some more rest, we know we can always blow off a morning, sleep in later and have that evening ready to go.

 

[purplebelle]

Instead of paying $75 extra per adult to park hop on your four day ticket, you can add a Park day for only $15. I know this would have been a rest/pool day, but you could only go in the park for evening fireworks after a day in the pool.

$15? Can I add a park hopper option even though I’ve already purchased a 3-day pass?

 

[Ensusieasm]

$15? Can I add a park hopper option even though I’ve already purchased a 3-day pass?

The $15 was to add an extra Park day to a 4 day ticket. (Not to add park hopper)
Yes, you can add park hopper to your three day ticket for $65. Or, you could, instead, add an extra day to your ticket. Since you have a 3 day ticket, adding another day would be $75.

 

[Huff]

We park hop every trip. Allows us to see and do more. Makes it much easier to see the night shows. It also allows us much more flexibility in where we dine for dinner. We'll spend the morning and afternoon at AK or HS, head to one of the monorail resorts for dinner then to MK to watch fireworks. Or we'll hop to Epcot for dinner at one of the many restaurants there and then watch illuminations. Also nice to break up the day instead of spending morning thru night at the same park.

We plan to do morning and afternoon at Epcot one day, then boardwalk area for dinner and hop to Studios to watch Fantastic or Jingle Bam fireworks.

Often we'll spend the morning at one park, head to Disney Springs for a bit of shopping, take the nice relaxing boat ride up the river to Port Orleans Riverside for lunch (love the Create your Own Pasta), then bus to another park for the evening.

 

[siren0119]

FWIW we bought park hoppers last year, and only used them two of our four days - one was to do half days at AK and HS in a single day, which I regretted and would have adjusted to full days at each if hopping wasn't an option. the last day we hit 3 parks and while it was fun, in retrospect I would have preferred adding a 5th day ticket rather than paying for the option to hop. YMMV

 

[kwdw]

Why don't you play this by ear a bit and decide there? Upgrades like this are easy at guest relations. I don't think park hopping is in your best interest, personally. I don't think you need the cost or time it takes. As a first time visitor - you have PLENTY to do at each park.

Also - you are counting on NICE weather - and a pool day. In November - that may or may not happen - and may not happen on the day you have planned. If you have a down day planned and its 65 degrees and cloudy - that's a great park day - not a great pool day. And consider your total cost of adding a park day vs. adding the hopping. How LONG of a day are you really going to have with the ages of your kids?

And yes - you do need to plan if you are going to see HEA this trip with the number of party days in there. That day at MK - especially that evening at MK - will be PACKED. That's the problem during the party season and HEA only being on some nights. Yes - you can go to MK on those days - just realize the park will be packed. I would want to plan FP's during that time. Everyone has the same idea - it's a late night with HEA. I've done it - and had a great time - just realize its going to be BUSY!