Park Hopper OR Not

[tterrag24]

Hello
Im going to Disney world for 8days, right now im booked without a park hopper option but i have the water parks options. i was wondering is it worth it to get the hopper option if im going to try new resturants and things and plan on returning to the parks after dinner???

Any help is appreciated.

 

[goofykt]

I think it all boils down to what kind of vacation person you are. If you're the type of person that likes to strategize and plan out your days in the parks ahead of time, then you don't need to spend the extra money. But if you prefer a more "aimless wanderer"/fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach, the PH option is definitely worth the money.

My husband and I like to wake up, see what park mood strikes us, stay at that park from about 9-2, head back to the hotel for a shower/nap/foot soak (ha!), and then go to another park. If there's a particular night-time show or dinner restaurant you really love, or if you want to take advantage of EMH without being bound to that park all day, the PH option is nice. My husband LOVES Fantasmic (we're talking would-watch-it-every-night-we're-at-WDW love) but we don't want to have to stay in MGM 5 days out of the week in order to see it multiple times - so the PH works out well for us.

I'm also not a huge huge fan of Magic Kingdom during the day - it's much more magical for me at night. So I like to wander around EPCOT or AK during the day and then hit MK at night - especially when they have the EMH until midnight. The Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion at night are THE BEST!

 

[matt_taylor1985]

As much as people put the emphasis of plannig when you go to WDW, we pretty much play alot of it by ear so the hopper is a real benefit to us.

We love that we can jump from park to park and it breaks the day up.

 

[RNRguy]

park hopper i would say get it, even if you dont use it you still have just n case you miss someting and want to go back and do a park again.

My aunt is booking our next trip.. which isnt until feb. 2010. but she has asked me already if we wanted park hopper at firsti tld her no.. bc we didnt use i when we had the option in 2007 during halloween.. bu i had to email her back and tell her we wanted it this trip.. so either way.. its good tohave! bcsome parks take less time than others.

 

[Rob562]

As MontyMon said, if you're on the fence as to whether you want the Park Hopper (or whether you'll even USE it), get your tickets *without* it. Then when you're on your trip, if you decide you'd really like to hop to another park, it's a fast and easy transaction at a Guest Relations or ticket window, or your Disney hotel's front desk.

Anyone who buys a MYW ticket with the Park Hopper option "just in case" and then doesn't use the Hopper ability is really wasting that money. So, set aside the money, put it onto a Disney Gift Card, and wait until you find you actually NEED it to add it to your ticket.

-Rob

 

[DonaldD1987]

I say park hopper. Everytime I have gone I have done the hopper. Its easier so you have the choice and you dont need to spend the entire day in one park if you dont want to.

 

[Mikester71]

As much as people put the emphasis of plannig when you go to WDW, we pretty much play alot of it by ear so the hopper is a real benefit to us.

We love that we can jump from park to park and it breaks the day up.

Agree with this and what goofykt said 100%! It is nice to see a few more people on here who like the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach over the plan-everything-to-death approach. My family has only been 3 times granted, but each and every time we just wake up and see what we all feel like doing on that particular day. Weather, mood, EMH, bus lines, park attendance, etc., can sometimes cause you to change plans at the last minute before you leave for the day or after spending the morning in one park and coming back for a break. That is why the park hopper is invaluable to us anyway.
:sohappy:

 

[L Fisher]

I don't think that its necessarily true. In most cases yes but some kids its best to stay in one park per day. I have seen kids freak when parents were leaving the MK to goto Epcot. But heck the same thing can happen if you were going back to the hotel too. I think alot depends on the child.

Lucky for me I've never had to deal with my children throwing a fit about leaving a park..They know wherever we go it's still Disney and whatever we decide to do we make sure our children know their going to have fun. I like the hopper so they can take a break an get rested to avoid the screaming child issue.