Which would you choose? Hopper or Extra night?

[Crazy4Disney06]

We are planning a family trip July 16th to 21st of 2006. I have been thinking of adding an extra day to give us more time at Disney, but can only budget an extra night if we choose not to park hop. Which would you choose an extra night of Disney magic or park hopper?

 

[SnoweyWhite]

Gosh, this is a hard one. I always go with park hoppers, so it's hard to imagine a stay without them. I think you will be there for a decent amount of time--IMO, I would go with the park hoppers, but do what you think is best for your family (especially since it is DH and DS's first trip).

 

[Kapp]

decision but I would have to go with the Hopper too.

 

[DreaminDisney]

I would choose hopper too.

 

[GF Girl]

Did you know that the park hoppers are not that much more? We also added 1 extra day onto our park hoppers and it was only an additional 8.95 per day. You couldn't do both?

 

[lmhall2000]

Extra night!!! NO QUESTION!!!!

We've always had park hoppers and to be honest out of 7 days only used them for 2 of the 7. It just takes more planning...are you getting the extra passes that let you take advantage of the water parks? If so, on the days where you really don't spend a whole day at Animal Kingdom then spend the other half at a water park or go to Disney's Shopping Island (forget what it's called)...you can manage quite well.

Tara

 

[puffkin]

It sounds like you are staying a short time, because the difference in price between hopping and an extra day are only close on short trips. If your trip is short, definitely add the extra day! Just plan out your days carefully so you don't need to hop.

Longer trips it shouldn't be an issue. I know to go from a 6 day base to a 8 day base it was only $5 per person or something like that for our June trip. Hopping is $35 a ticket, regardless of the length of your base ticket.

 

[oogieboogie]

If you have small children, I'd choose the hoppers. If you don't, then I'd choose the extra night.

 

[vicb]

For me I would choose to hop. We always have hoppers and use them every day! We stay at the Epcot area resorts and Epcot is always open until 9pm so we frequently head there for dinner or dessert and watch illuminations. We usually do the WS one or two countries at a time, at night!

 

[gigi1313]

i would choose the extra night... you can still enter/exit a park (just has to be the same park) to go back to the hotel and rest... you can still go to a resort for a character meal... you can still get all the disney magic w/out hopping... but an extra day... well, imo that speaks for itself... go for the extra day... and like another poster said, you just have to plan really well... my advice would be to do the parks you cannot bear to miss first because if you have really bad weather or someone comes down w/a tummy ache or something, you will have time to make up what you might miss, kwim? (i would hate to visit AK in the beginning of my trip and never get to MK!)

good luck!

OOOH! ANOTHER THOUGHT! P.S. if you don't have one yet, sign up for a disney visa, and maybe you can accumulate enough rewards to pay for the hopper option even after you've added the extra night!

 

[Lewisc]

Extra day. You can either go back to the same park or go to DQ or mini-golf for the night you'd otherwise hop.

 

[nluvwithmickey]

Extra day....


You can never be long enough in WDW, beleive me. I just spent 13 days there and I am wondering how I will go back to doing 7 day vacations.

Even if you have no parks planned that day, you will still be in WDW. You can relax, swim, shop, stroll around the resort. Ahhhhh wish I was therre right now.

We didn't have hoppers either and I did not miss it one bit. And we all know how busy July and beginning of Aug can be.

 

[vanyel]

I debated this issue also and had decided not to do the park hoppers - then
realized how much I enjoyed park hopping so gave in and added it my tickets. I think you'd be fine if you didn't get the park hopping, especially if you got an extra day, but if you could swing that extra - I'd do it!

 

[swilphil]

If I was going during a busy time of year, I would pick the park hoppers. It's also nice during the summer when it's really hot. We do MK in the morning with EMH and at opening, and then hop to another park when the crowds get heavy.

 

[bellarella]

Definately the extra night, especially if you have small kids. Trying to do more than one park in a day can be hard. We didn't get park hoppers and I never missed it. Especially for a short trip you would waste so much time in transportation hopping.

 

[tomerin]

i would do the extra night. hopping is great, we always have hopper passes, but if i had a choice myself i would definitly choose another day in WDW. you could leave the park and do something else for a bit and then return later on. tough choice though but the extra day would make it worth it.

 

[cobbler]

I would choose and extra night. We have AP's and I think we have hopped maybe half a dozen times at the very most in the last 5 years.

 

[RescueRanger]

We are planning a family trip July 16th to 21st of 2006. I have been thinking of adding an extra day to give us more time at Disney, but can only budget an extra night if we choose not to park hop. Which would you choose an extra night of Disney magic or park hopper?

We personally ALWAYS hop. You are going during a very busy time of year so hopping might be the way to go. You didn't mention where you were staying. That would figure in to your decision as well.

 

[DisneyJen0504]

Hopper for us. We have never done and will never do Disney without hopping!
I agree-at busier times, you may really want to be able to hop to another park. One more day is not a hige difference imho.

 

[WickedWench]

I would get both and tighten my belt for non-vacation items. A vacation is more important to me than say, ordering take out for lunch, or buying DVDs, CDs, etc. I would also lower my budget for souveniers if it meant losing a day's vacation. Memories are more important than material things.