WWYD if you had to choose between hopper passes and maxpass?

[Belle5]

My son and I are doing a budget three day trip in April. We are actually going to California for another event and decided to experience Disneyland for the first time using those three day discount tickets. Trouble is, it will cost about $200 extra if we both hop and have Maxpass for those three days. I justified adding Disneyland to our itinerary because the tickets were "so cheap". They are not quite such a deal when you add that additional $190. I am very inclined to purchase the Maxpass instead of the hopper. Because we've never been to the parks I think we could be satisfied with Disneyland the first and last day and DCA the second. I would like your thoughts. Thanks!

 

[katyringo]

Deff maxpass. There is so much to do In Each park.

 

[Gehrig1B]

I would get the hopper. Have not been since the advent of MaxPass but i really like the flexibility of the hopper and the old kiosk system works well enough.

 

[starry_solo]

Is this taking into account the reduced prices for the tickets up til May?

 

[RainyDayPixie]

I'd choose Maxpass over hopper. For a 3 day trip, we are solid DL, DCA, DL people. Hopping ends up being too much walking for us (DH w a bad knee and a 3yo who refuses a stroller).
But either way (or with neither add on), you'll have so much fun!

 

[Belle5]

Is this taking into account the reduced prices for the tickets up til May?

Yes, those are those discount tickets I referred to.

 

[NewbieMouse]

Probably MaxPass, but they're so powerful when used together that it'd be a shame.

 

[Geemo]

My son and I are doing a budget three day trip in April. We are actually going to California for another event and decided to experience Disneyland for the first time using those three day discount tickets. Trouble is, it will cost about $200 extra if we both hop and have Maxpass for those three days. I justified adding Disneyland to our itinerary because the tickets were "so cheap". They are not quite such a deal when you add that additional $190. I am very inclined to purchase the Maxpass instead of the hopper. Because we've never been to the parks I think we could be satisfied with Disneyland the first and last day and DCA the second. I would like your thoughts. Thanks!

Make sure you read the fine print on the Special Tickets.
Not valid April 14th to April 22nd.

I'd at least get MaxPass for one of you each day for the PhotoPass option it includes.
If at all possible MP for both of you will make it so much easier to enjoy rides.
With MP, being able to grab one while in a line or anywhere saves time running to a FP machine Kiosks when the window to pull another opens..

Geemo

 

[az4boys]

I'd vote maxpass for sure since it is your first time. You can get so much more done. I think park hopping is most beneficial when you are very familiar with the parks and know how to maximize your time between the two. Otherwise it just feels like a lot of extra walking.

ETA: I think maxpass on those discount tickets is still $10/day so it would only be $60 for the two of you.

 

[Belle5]

ETA: I think maxpass on those discount tickets is still $10/day so it would only be $60 for the two of you.

I thought it was $10 if I would have purchased Maxpass at the time that I purchased my passes. I believe I will have to pay the $15 at the gate to add Maxpass to my existing tickets. I hope you're right and I'm wrong!!

 

[az4boys]

I thought it was $10 if I would have purchased Maxpass at the time that I purchased my passes. I believe I will have to pay the $15 at the gate to add Maxpass to my existing tickets. I hope you're right and I'm wrong!!

Unfortunately, I think you are right. I didn't realize you had already bought the tickets. You could call and ask. It never hurts.

 

[j9isawesome]

I’m used to having hoppers or APs with the ability to hop but I think for your situation the max pass will probably be more beneficial. I love DCA to bits but most people are fine with just one full day there. I think your idea of doing DL, DCA, DL sounds good.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

What are your trip dates? That can make a difference in your decision. If your dates are going to be very busy, then I would go with MP. But if your dates don't look like they will be super busy and you have a good, organized park strategy, I'd be inclined to go with hoppers instead. Remember that not all rides are included on the FP/MP system (relatively few rides when you look at all the rides in the parks) and that the free FP system still works just fine if you have the leg power to go to the machines. (Is your son old enough/willing to be the FP runner?) Just keep track of your return times and when you can grab your next FP -- you can still do a lot of rides this way. If your son is old enough, you both could use SR lines to get repeat rides on certain headliners, e.g. RSR, IC, SM, etc. If you are at the gates at RD and use those early hours wisely, you'll be able to get a lot done each day.

 

[starry_solo]

April is still spring break for many of the Western states (including CA). I would do both, hopper and Max Pass. Call Disneyland Ticketing services to see if you can add MP to your already-purchased tickets (assuming you purchased these directly from the Disneyland website) and not a third-party. The week of April 15th is spring break for LAUSD.
March 25-29 is spring break for Riverside USD.

Basically spring break stretches from mid-March to mid-April so it's usually somewhat busy at DLR.

 

[jlwhitney]

Hoppers, since you can still use fast pass. The parks are so close too

 

[Cal-Pie]

With budget in mind, and given that it's your first trip, I would stick to one park/day and not hop. It's very, very unlikely that they will let you add the hopper to the promo tickets for $10 since you've already purchased. I would buy maxpass on the app ($15) for your 2 DL days, and skip it and just use regular FP for your day in DCA. I really think you will find plenty to do in each park and not miss the hopper.

 

[wareagle57]

Can't you buy Maxpass just for one day? I'd probably do the hopper and then add Maxpass on the last day for anything you really want to do again. I'd hate to not have hoppers just because of the possibility of a ride I really wanted to do being shut down the day I did CA as Disneyland would definitely be the park you'd want to go to twice.

 

[katyringo]

To me the hopper isn’t useful unless you have maxpass. The ability to pull fastpasses for the other park is what makes the hopper worth it, so if you have to pick one, get maxpass because the hopper without maxpass isn’t worth it, but the maxpass without hopper is..:

 

[Belle5]

So much great advice! Thank you all! FWIW, my park dates are April 7-10. Originally, I was planning on not going into the parks on Monday because I've read so many times that Monday is the most crowded day. It occurred to my last night that the best use of my money might be to simply upgrade to a 4 day, 1 park pass and pay the additional $19 per ticket (total of $38 for the two of us). I also like the idea of adding Maxpass only as needed, perhaps only that last day. I think 4 days would allow us to meander through the parks and enjoy the small details that we love in Disney parks. It also allows an extra day to try all the fun foods and snacks!

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

So much great advice! Thank you all! FWIW, my park dates are April 7-10. Originally, I was planning on not going into the parks on Monday because I've read so many times that Monday is the most crowded day. It occurred to my last night that the best use of my money might be to simply upgrade to a 4 day, 1 park pass and pay the additional $19 per ticket (total of $38 for the two of us). I also like the idea of adding Maxpass only as needed, perhaps only that last day. I think 4 days would allow us to meander through the parks and enjoy the small details that we love in Disney parks. It also allows an extra day to try all the fun foods and snacks!

The MP gets you the pictures too, so possibly adding it just on one ticket could be a big benefit if you plan on doing the rides with pictures and whatnot, it can pay for itself quickly and you don't need it on both tickets. It sounds like you have a solid plan with or without MP