Will I regret NOT getting the hopper?

[icecrystahl]

For my family hoppers are a must. Because you never know what will happen. And usually On our last day of the vaca we try to visit each park do go ride our favorite ride, see our favorite show, go to the attractions we missed or eat at our favorite Restaurant. The hopper tickets are definetely a great idea. Last trip we went to Animal Kingdom, i'm not sure of the exact closing time of AK but I believe it's either 5:00PM/6:00PM/7:00PM......Well anyways after it closed we just headed on over to MGM Where we got to watch a cute little skit on Sunset Blvd. and ride RnR and eat some turkey legs. Finally we got to watch Fantasmic at the end o the day. It was really awesome and we owe it to our park hopper tickets! Well hoppers or not have a wonderful vaca!

 

[eeyore29]

Since it's just DH & myself, we always do hoppers because we can usually get done with all the stuff we wanna do by noon (except World Showcase!), then head back to hotel for a rest or swimming, and then either back to the same park for a parade/fireworks or we're off to another park. Being able to leave more crowded parks is a plus, too. We really enjoy the flexibility park hoppers (but I'm not so sure I'd do them if it'd cost us $200 to add them).

HOWEVER, if you have smaller children I can see how a hopper wouldn't be as worthwhile. Friends of ours (with children) stick to one park per day, and they tend to stay in that park all day, too (mostly because of all the prep-time getting the kids ready for the parks, and all the stuff they take with them to parks for the kids). Another reason is that a lot of the kiddie rides or the "classic" rides don't have fast-pass so you may spend more time waiting in lines and that can really take a big chunk out of your day. I can also see why transportation with children would be a concern; all the loading & unloading, not to mention the poor lil guys would probably fall asleep in the car/bus and then you gotta wake them to do another park (and hope they're not cranky).

There's so much for little ones to do & see in each park that I'm sure you could find a lot to do in one park per day with children (and you may even need more than one day per park!). If/when we'd ever take children to WDW I think the extra cost alone would make up our minds!

 

[DisneyJen0504]

Your experience will be enjoyable no matter what. But to answer your question in my opinion, the hopper is a necessity. It allows you to go to different parks in the same day instead of the same one on a day. We prefer not to be in say, MK from open to close so we prefer to go to MK in the am, back to resort for a nap and swim, and then head back out to say Epcot for dinner and the evening. This makes our trips more relaxing and enjoyable.
In terms of transportation like another poster mentioned, I personally that you will want to take midday breaks if you have children with or without hopppers. They will need a nap or some time to relax in between whether you are heading back to the same park or a different one.
We also prefer hoppers for the what happens if..factor. We may plan on MK for the evening but if it rains and we will not be able to see fireworks or something, we might change our minds and go to a park like Epcot with more indoor options. This is a big advantage to the hopper.
Good luck-you will have a wonderful trip either way!!!

 

[loribell]

AS an AP holder to very seldom park hops I told my extended family that IU didn't think it was worth it for them to get them last summer. After we got there my cousin said he wished they had spent the extra for the hoppers. They would have loved to go to one park in the morning and a different one in the afternoon. If was his falilies first visit ever so I think this was the difference between them and us. We seldom even venture back into a park in the evening.

Lori

 

[Wendy1953]

The hopper is great for lots of folks and not for others....my family prefers the hoppers, this way we get to go for t he fireworks, parades and Fantasmic when we want and also as OP's have stated if it rains the day you're scheduled for FANT or SPECTRO you have the option of going another day.....but whether it is worth 200 dollars to hop is up to you and your budget.

 

[kstgelais4]

I thought it cost $42.60 including tax to add the park hopper to a ticket. Will your 2-year-old turn 3 before your trip? I only see the need for 4 tickets which is $170.

You are right. I thought it was $50 plus tax. Reguardless, $170 is a big chunk of change to me. I guess, that we will see if we really need it, and if we don't I saved $170 Thank you everyone for your opinions.
Kelly
leaving in 13 days!!!