- In the Parks
- No
Short and simple; seeing that the parks are open for only 11 - 12 hours a day, if you're trying to maximize your time is it worth the extra cost to buy a park hopper ticket(s)? What do you normally do when you visit?
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Is Park Hopper Worth the Extra Cost?
- Thread starter Model3 McQueen
- Start date
Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
For a short (4-day or so) visit, I'd say they were a must, if only so you can return to your favorite attractions a second time after you've hit each park, and don't have to "waste" half-days on parks that don't require a full day. For my family anyway, AK and HS are only half-day parks.
On the other hand, if we're visiting for longer - one-park-per-day tickets are fine, and we can stagger the parks so that AK and HS are near the middle of the week, when we're hankering to take evenings off for pool time anyway. YMMV. And MYW tickets can always be upgraded to parkhoppers if you change your mind mid-way through your vacation.
I should add that we've sometimes "had" to get parkhoppers even when we didn't plan on doing so otherwise, in order to eligible for things like "free" dining, etc. -- so long as the added benefit compensated for the increased cost. In those cases, it's been a nice plus -- but not so nice that we've ever said to ourselves, "this is a must-have from now on."
On the other hand, if we're visiting for longer - one-park-per-day tickets are fine, and we can stagger the parks so that AK and HS are near the middle of the week, when we're hankering to take evenings off for pool time anyway. YMMV. And MYW tickets can always be upgraded to parkhoppers if you change your mind mid-way through your vacation.
I should add that we've sometimes "had" to get parkhoppers even when we didn't plan on doing so otherwise, in order to eligible for things like "free" dining, etc. -- so long as the added benefit compensated for the increased cost. In those cases, it's been a nice plus -- but not so nice that we've ever said to ourselves, "this is a must-have from now on."
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BoarderPhreak
Well-Known Member
The long - and short - answer is "it depends."
Personally, I love the freedom to come and go as I want. Though on shorter trips, it's perhaps not worth it (where you have say, one day/park).
Personally, I love the freedom to come and go as I want. Though on shorter trips, it's perhaps not worth it (where you have say, one day/park).
Nottamus
Well-Known Member
I think it also depends on your trip style.
When we started going, we planned A LOT. Had a plan to follow. Lots of things. Busy all day. Park hopper wasn't needed due to how we stretched the day.
NOW...we wing it a lot more when we go. We will be in Epcot and say...."lets go to AK for something to eat" So we hop over there and maybe back again for Illuminations.
We don't plan every second like we used to...so, park hopper allows us more freedom of choice.
To us, definitely worth it.
When we started going, we planned A LOT. Had a plan to follow. Lots of things. Busy all day. Park hopper wasn't needed due to how we stretched the day.
NOW...we wing it a lot more when we go. We will be in Epcot and say...."lets go to AK for something to eat" So we hop over there and maybe back again for Illuminations.
We don't plan every second like we used to...so, park hopper allows us more freedom of choice.
To us, definitely worth it.
NickMaio
Well-Known Member
Personally we like spending the day at one park. We take our time and flutter around seeing multiple rides and shows more than once.
We have park hopped in the past - -and it was too tiring. Hitting only the big rides and attractions. Spending time in transit, it can take a while to get to some parks. It just feels like wasted time.
Staying in one place - we can appreciate everything each park has to offer, even find some hidden gems.
But to each is own.
We have park hopped in the past - -and it was too tiring. Hitting only the big rides and attractions. Spending time in transit, it can take a while to get to some parks. It just feels like wasted time.
Staying in one place - we can appreciate everything each park has to offer, even find some hidden gems.
But to each is own.
World_Showcase_Lover007
Well-Known Member
I normally get park hoppers, but don’t always use them.
Even though it is extra money, I like having the piece of mind that I can go to another park. I hate the feeling of this is “Animal Kingdom day”, and that’s it.
We spend the majority of the day at one park, but when it closes, we sometimes go to whatever the late night park is.
Well that was the old “us” actually. Now we do whatever our toddler-age daughter wants to do now lol.
Even though it is extra money, I like having the piece of mind that I can go to another park. I hate the feeling of this is “Animal Kingdom day”, and that’s it.
We spend the majority of the day at one park, but when it closes, we sometimes go to whatever the late night park is.
Well that was the old “us” actually. Now we do whatever our toddler-age daughter wants to do now lol.
- In the Parks
- No
You all bring up great points. For my upcoming trip I too went with Park Hopper simply for the peace of mind. But I don't know if i'm going to use it, or if it'll be efficient, because i'm also the type of guy who likes to use my time-per-dollar wisely. I also like to keep in mind that WDW is NOT Disneyland, where the parks are across a small esplanade.
A month or so ago I was thinking about getting the Passport and barely scrape by with it, but since the price increased by %20+ that is completely out of the question. This would've been a great idea for a park hopper, as is a normal AP. But for the sake of this argument, i'm thinking about the family that goes maximum once, maybe even twice per year, seeing that Disney is pricing everyone else out.
A month or so ago I was thinking about getting the Passport and barely scrape by with it, but since the price increased by %20+ that is completely out of the question. This would've been a great idea for a park hopper, as is a normal AP. But for the sake of this argument, i'm thinking about the family that goes maximum once, maybe even twice per year, seeing that Disney is pricing everyone else out.
We've gotten them before and used them and gotten them and then realized that we never used that benefit. It really just depends on how you plan your trip and what kind of freedom you want. If you know you'll only spend a half day at one of the parks then it can make sense... it can also be useful if you are trying for dinner reservations at a hard to get place which can cause problem later when you are booking fastpasses because sometimes the days you can get certain rides will be different than the planned dinner reservation... But if you were not going to worry about those types of things then you could save some money and skip them. They aren't a requirement for a trip by any means.
Tom 55
Well-Known Member
I like to get my moneys worth with my park tickets. So I like to go open to close. With out park hopper you can still leave and return to the same park again later. Some of the parks don't have enough things to do to cover open to close. So i find myself going on a ride a second or third time just to kill time. Not as fun as it sounds. With park hopper I can leave and go to another park so I can do things new. Disney has tried to make AK and HS a full day experience with the new areas that have been opened. So now I would say if I didn't already have an AP I could enjoy one park all day long.
gobstoper27
Well-Known Member
Every time that I've been to Disneyworld we park hop. We're considering a trip this fall and I considered not park hopping as it does get a bit pricey, but I just can't do it. We always go on shorter trips to Disney as we visit Universal as well so that is the primary reason that we hop. And to be honest, Hollywood Studios is not really a full day park for us, that may change with the new attractions and lands. Because of the flexibility, I think it is worth the cost.
Wendy Pleakley
Well-Known Member
One example of a scenario where park hopping can be useful is if you're staying on site and want to make the best use of Extra Magic Hours.
EMH can be beneficial, but tend to draw crowds. It's a common strategy to hit a park for the extra hours in the morning, and then park hop around lunch time.
EMH can be beneficial, but tend to draw crowds. It's a common strategy to hit a park for the extra hours in the morning, and then park hop around lunch time.
GeoDonJac34
Well-Known Member
I think they are worth it just for Epcot and DHS days. They are so close you can boat or walk between the two. We actually enjoy taking the stroll along the water.
mmelka
Active Member
My wife and I have always opted for the park-hopper at both WDW and DL. The freedom of park hopping is appealing to us, and since we both like to eat at the parks - Epcot becomes a multi day park even if it is just for food. But like others have said, travelling between parks can sometimes be a headache, or feel like wasted time on the bus/monorail/car. I also like only having to make DHS a 1/2 park if we so choose, and being able to start else where or finish at DHS. Though we haven't been since the addition of Toy Story, and with Star Wars this Fall, I imagine DHS becomes a full day park - even if its just standing in line for three rides.
Pi on my Cake
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
It takes about an hour to get from one park to another. I rarely park hop. Then again, I'm the type of person who enjoys the shows at studios and wandering/exploring the trails in animal kingdom. So, those don't feel like half day parks to me
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Since I have been a number of times, I wouldn't consider not having park hoppers. I go to parks do the things that I like and then go to others later in the day. Since I stay offsite and don't usually try to get an ADR, I go offsite for dinner and then return to maybe even a different park for the evening. It makes my experience much more exciting and fun. When I can I park my car in the parking lot of whatever park I plan on going last and use alternate transportation to hop. That can be done between MK, Epcot and DHS. DAK needs a direct ride.
Hcalvert
Well-Known Member
For our last 4 trips and our upcoming one in July, we had park hoppers. I like being able to leave one park and go to another. The bus or monorail ride is down time and sometimes needed. We usually hop after lunch to the second park. Last year when I stayed at Poly, I would go to MK for the late EMH and that would be my third park that day. Since I haven't lived in Florida for 10 years and now only go once a year, annual passes are not feasible for me---not even this year's 8-night trip.
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MinnieM123
Premium Member
Park hoppers allow spontaneity in your choices, and that works well for me. I only go to WDW once a year. There's a bunch of my favorite attractions, but not all are in just one park. So depending upon crowd levels, weather, EMH, etc., park hoppers work best for me. 
wplong1
Premium Member
As many have said, it depends. We use them daily. Often we go to one park during the day and then to dinner at another park after going back to the hotel in the late afternoon to take a break and clean up. Also when staying at a monorail resort or Epcot resort we use the hoppers to pop in to MK or Epcot for short visits just to walk around sometimes. When we stayed at Boardwalk we walked in to see Illuminations every night we were there regardless of what park we went to during the day. I like the flexibility and options it allows and always have and use park hoppers.