Park Hopper

[VTdisneytravel]

I am going back & forth on if it's worth it to get a park hopper. My husband and I, and our kids (5, 6 and 8) are going to Disney in July 2015 & are staying for 4 days at the Art of Animation Resport, with park tickets for 3 days. We want to go to Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom... However, a lot of people have made it clear to me that it's unrealistic to get Magic Kingdom done in 1 day (but realistic for the other two). So my thoughts were to get a park hopper so we can go to Magic Kingdom in the late afternoon/evening on the days we go to Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios. BUT, my husband thinks that it's unrealistic for a 5, 6 & 8 year old to be able to go all day & all night (even with a break after lunch at our hotel resort for swimming & a nap). He thinks it may be a waste of money (about $250). Those who've been with kids, do you think I'm pushing it with a park hopper?

 

[SAV]

I think a 5 year old is too young for being in the parks from open to close three days in a row. I think with the July heat, you will need afternoon naps and you might not be able to return to parks at night.

We just had our kids sleep in the stroller when they were that age and we kept touring. Just had a light towel/blanket over the stroller shade to block the sun, a clip fan to keep the air moving and went into some shops in the A/C when needed. Never had to leave the park for a nap the entire 6 days in the parks. They were both more than fine to make it the rest of the night. There is a small area next to POTC that is pretty quiet and is actually bumpy, so it kind of rocked them to sleep. I ran into Hook over there one time...kinda neat. AK has plenty of areas you could go to achieve the same result. DHS has Streets of America. If you were doing Epcot, you could get them asleep outside and then go into the Odyssey building or Innoventions to cool off if needed.

But each kid is different and needs different things.

 

[jaklgreen]

I have been taking my kids since they were 1&2 years old(they are now 13&14). I would skip HS and spend 2 days at MK or even a day at Epcot. I would also second that you should absolutely see the lion king show at AK. That time of year is extremely busy and you will be spending a lot of time in lines. Make sure you get your fast passes for the must dos on your list. If you get up early and get to the park at opening you can get some stuff done and then take a break in the afternoon and go back in the evening. I know my kids were super excited(every trip) and did not want to stop and eat or take breaks so we would "bribe" them with a frozen lemonade etc to get them to sit and hydrate. Hats are a must too to keep the sun off of their heads. Try to keep a regular eating schedule if possible to help avoid melt downs. The people mover in MK is your friend.

 

[sophie_the_pooh]

We took our then 2 1/2 years old for a 3 days trip last April and we choose to park hop. We did one day (until 1h30pm) at AK, with evening at DTD, and then 2 days at MK (stayed until 1-2pm) with evenings at Epcot. With a good rest in the afternoon, my son was able to go back to the parks easily in the evenings, and even stay up for Illuminations on one night. He wasn't cranky at all, he even put on a little dance show while waiting for Illuminations to begin! Every kid is different, but this worked out well for us!

 

[VTdisneytravel]

A lot of people are saying skip Hollywood Studios... I was mainly wanting to go there to see Anna & Elsa with the sing along show (My kids LOVE Frozen). Do you think they will get the same effect with the meet & greet at Magic Kingdom? I know that they both meet in the same room with two separate lines, does that mean you have to meet one, then get back in line to meet the other?

 

[Tuvalu]

A lot of people are saying skip Hollywood Studios... I was mainly wanting to go there to see Anna & Elsa with the sing along show (My kids LOVE Frozen). Do you think they will get the same effect with the meet & greet at Magic Kingdom? I know that they both meet in the same room with two separate lines, does that mean you have to meet one, then get back in line to meet the other?

A "live" Anna and Elsa only briefly appear on stage in the Frozen sing-a-long...most of the experience is watching clips from the movie, hosted by two "live" townspeople. It's cute, but your kids will have a MUCH better interaction with Anna and Elsa at the meet and greet (yes, you visit both one after the other). If you get to MK in time for the welcome show at the train station, A&E appear there and they are also in the 3 pm Festival of Fantasy parade.

 

[VTdisneytravel]

A "live" Anna and Elsa only briefly appear on stage in the Frozen sing-a-long...most of the experience is watching clips from the movie, hosted by two "live" townspeople. It's cute, but your kids will have a MUCH better interaction with Anna and Elsa at the meet and greet (yes, you visit both one after the other). If you get to MK in time for the welcome show at the train station, A&E appear there and they are also in the 3 pm Festival of Fantasy parade.

WOW, thank you very much, this was helpful. Sounds like doing a fast pass for Anna/Elsa meet & greet is the way to go! I wish they had a character meal with them, that would be even better!

I've heard from many people that I should do Animal Kingdom the first day (as this park his historically less crowded on Mondays I guess), then Magic Kingdom the other two days. My youngest daughter wants to be a zoo keeper & my husband LOVES animals, so we just have to do AK! My other two are really excited about MK.

I have flip flopped on this so many times now. But with all of the suggestions and advice from above, I think my best option is to NOT ParkHop, but to stay at a single park & enjoy it at a slow pace trying to enjoy the rides/attractions at my kids pace (even if that means NOT seeing or doing a bunch). When the kids get really tired and fatigued, then go back to the Animation resort after lunch for a swim & break, then consider going back to the same park if the kids can handle it (but understand if they cannot).

Almost every Mom I've heard from says I should get a double stroller for the kids, considering all the walking & heat. That way you can also have something to help carry the "baggage" (remember I have three girls who will get tired + a husband to push it). From everything I read, see & watch, the strollers are big enough for all three to fit in on a rotating schedule if need be for a "break", and also provide a little bit of shade. I read a lot about renting strollers elsewhere and it seems like more of a hassle than it's worth in savings, trying to lug it from place to place, rather than having the convenience of just picking it up at the park when you get there & just leaving it when you are heading out.

I'm feeling rather confident right now!

 

[MissingDisney]

WOW, thank you very much, this was helpful. Sounds like doing a fast pass for Anna/Elsa meet & greet is the way to go! I wish they had a character meal with them, that would be even better!

I've heard from many people that I should do Animal Kingdom the first day (as this park his historically less crowded on Mondays I guess), then Magic Kingdom the other two days. My youngest daughter wants to be a zoo keeper & my husband LOVES animals, so we just have to do AK! My other two are really excited about MK.

I have flip flopped on this so many times now. But with all of the suggestions and advice from above, I think my best option is to NOT ParkHop, but to stay at a single park & enjoy it at a slow pace trying to enjoy the rides/attractions at my kids pace (even if that means NOT seeing or doing a bunch). When the kids get really tired and fatigued, then go back to the Animation resort after lunch for a swim & break, then consider going back to the same park if the kids can handle it (but understand if they cannot).

Almost every Mom I've heard from says I should get a double stroller for the kids, considering all the walking & heat. That way you can also have something to help carry the "baggage" (remember I have three girls who will get tired + a husband to push it). From everything I read, see & watch, the strollers are big enough for all three to fit in on a rotating schedule if need be for a "break", and also provide a little bit of shade. I read a lot about renting strollers elsewhere and it seems like more of a hassle than it's worth in savings, trying to lug it from place to place, rather than having the convenience of just picking it up at the park when you get there & just leaving it when you are heading out.

I'm feeling rather confident right now!

Sounds like a great plan. I would definitely choose 2 MK days over HS (at least for now) or park hoppers for the first trip. We rented a Disney double stroller until the kids were like 6 and 8, just for the reasons you listed. The convenience and fact that they always had somewhere to sit was worth the cost. I think you'll have a wonderful trip and your kids resiliency and stamina while at Disney may surprise you.

 

[RinkaDink]

I don't think you should do a park-hopper. Your kids will be wiped out, and their experience will be diminished. What I would recommend is doing MK on a day when there are late Magic Hours. Go back to the resort for an early dinner, let the kids swim for an hour and recharge, away from the chaos and over-stimulation of the park. Then take them back to the park to ride lots of rides with shorter lines.

 

[BrianV]

We have never not park hopped. But we are never trying to do everything. We always start in one park. Come back and relax. And then head to a second park for the evening. Just our style.

Our next trip is two days. 1/2 hs and 1/2 Epcot day one and 1/2 Epcot and 1/2 MK day two.

 

[Disney4family]

We just had our kids sleep in the stroller when they were that age and we kept touring. Just had a light towel/blanket over the stroller shade to block the sun, a clip fan to keep the air moving and went into some shops in the A/C when needed. Never had to leave the park for a nap the entire 6 days in the parks. They were both more than fine to make it the rest of the night. There is a small area next to POTC that is pretty quiet and is actually bumpy, so it kind of rocked them to sleep. I ran into Hook over there one time...kinda neat. AK has plenty of areas you could go to achieve the same result. DHS has Streets of America. If you were doing Epcot, you could get them asleep outside and then go into the Odyssey building or Innoventions to cool off if needed.

But each kid is different and needs different things.

We also just kept our kids in strollers, let them rest and/or sleep and stayed in the parks. It takes a lot of time to get to the front of the park, walk to the bus, wait for the bus, get back to the resort, walk to your room, do whatever you do and then do it all in reverse. We would use the time to sit on a bench and relax or go shopping (in A/C) without the whining or "but I need that" (oh wait - that was me ).

One year, the kids crashed after getting up at 3am to fly down, running around the MK and sitting on the monorail to head over for an early dinner at Via Napoli. My husband and I had a wonderful, peaceful, relaxing, Gran Marnier "appetizer" sitting by the water in France. The kids woke up just in time for dinner. It was a great first day and a nice, quiet time with only the two of us (and two happy, peacefully sleeping kids).

 

[SAV]

Almost every Mom I've heard from says I should get a double stroller for the kids, considering all the walking & heat. That way you can also have something to help carry the "baggage" (remember I have three girls who will get tired + a husband to push it). From everything I read, see & watch, the strollers are big enough for all three to fit in on a rotating schedule if need be for a "break", and also provide a little bit of shade. I read a lot about renting strollers elsewhere and it seems like more of a hassle than it's worth in savings, trying to lug it from place to place, rather than having the convenience of just picking it up at the park when you get there & just leaving it when you are heading out.

There are many thoughts on this(see the WDW with Kids Section). Personally, we always brought our own stroller with. It is familiar and comfortable. Ours had the recline, a shade, a tray for our stuff, a basket underneath and wasn't hard plastic that got hot as the sun.

It was a great thing to have when leaving the parks and going to the car or waiting in the Monorail line. Especially at night when you may have a sleeping or very, very tired child on your hands. I would think it was more of a hassle to have to carry them to wherever you are going instead of just letting them ride in their stroller. It only takes a second to fold up, so it was well worth it for us to have one. I'm not sure if you are driving or flying, but it was great to have in the Airport as well.

Only you know your kids, but mine didn't want to go near a stroller when they were 8 and in the parks. 5 yes, 6 would use it, but wanted to be out of it just as much or more.

Also, the double's are BIG and the aisles in shops, etc are small.

 

[jaklgreen]

I think the kids are too old for a stroller especially the 8yo. We took ours until the kids turned 5 and then we said no more. It is actually soooo much better going without the hassle of the stroller and renting one of the hard plastic ones at the park is really expensive. Not to mention they are plastic and you are going when it is very hot. Like I said in an earlier post we have been going for years so my kids have been at every age. If you don't run around the park like a crazy person then the kids should be fine, even at the end of the night. We never had to carry a 5yo, just take it at an even pace. Kids have so much more energy then adults do normally if they get some decent food in them. Most important for us was to have at least one good meal a day(meats and vegi((not nuggets and fries)), it made a world of difference for the kids.

 

[bjlc57]

we did three day park hoppers.. before they were sold by 'Disney".. you had to call the "Alamo" rent a car special number that was directly to Disney ticket board .. but my kids were in their teens at the time and I was much younger.. at least 12 years ago.. We did AK and MGM in one day.. I didn't like it.. but we did it.. MGM is my favorite park and AK is my wife's.. that being said. it worked out.. but it was dawn to dusk without going back to the room.. and we had to pick which place each night to see all three fireworks displays.. it can be done.. but its up at 6 am and home at 11 pm.. each day .. we did, however, all got to do our best ride twice.. what ever it was.. each of the four of us picks.. and we do that one ride twice.. as a group..

 

[jimbojones]

we always park hope but also always stay for 4-7 days. If I had three days I think that would not park hope, just immerse yourself in each park for a full day. A park hopper can end up inspiring you to rush around from oe place to another and you won't feel that pressure with one park one day tickets. For my family Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and EPCOT are "full day parks", Hollywood is a half day for us and is the park we would skip with our two young kids. AK may not have lots of rides but the zoo exhibits are amazing and I think most people don't really take the time to enjoy the animals. If you and your kids like zoos you will want to give AK a full day. AK is evolving into my new favorite park due to the depth and detail of the themeing.

All that said if you want to see as much as possible in a short time and are high energy travelers you may appreciate the park hopper. Decide based on your budget both have their merits and you will have a good time either way