Park Hoppers vs. just doing one park at day?

[CamiCan]

What's the best option for an energetic 20 something couple? Park Hoppers cost a little more and we want to know if its worth it or will there be enough to see in each individual park to keep us busy most of the day. We plan to wake up around 9ish, eat breakfast at the hotel, get on the busses afterwards and stay til closing time. We might come back to the hotel for lunch around 2PM and then go back to the parks afterwards if we think the hotel restaurants have better food.

 

[TeamRodriguez]

In our 20s we used the park hopper. We had no kids and loved the freedom to explore this or that. Now in our late 30s...we take it slower with our DD age 4 and do one park per day. Hope this helps! Have a great trip!!

 

[MaryJaneP]

In most of our family trips (over 10 since 1998), we have purchased park hopper but rarely needed it. Guess it was peace of mind that the option was there. We also didn't realize we could upgrade on site if we needed to park hop and we could have saved us some money if we waited (large family, many park hopper tickets).

 

[rt06]

I've tried it both ways. I think it all depends on how many days you have and which parks you prefer. Experience helps immensely. I must say no hopping made for a smoother experience as focusing on one park a day can be stressful, let alone two. I'm not a detailed planner either.

 

[BrianV]

If you plan to go back to the hotel midday for a break, get hoppers. That will allow you to then elect to go to a different place in the evening based on crowds, fireworks shows, and dining. You can use EMH to their best benefit too.

If you plan to go out and stay out all day, just do one park at a time and skip the hoppers.

 

[Alison1975]

We hopped for the first time last year ( after 2 trips with no hopping).. we also added WP&M and it made the trip that much better... we didnt hop every day..but when we wanted to we could!

 

[Chef Mickey]

I wouldn't go to Disney without the Park Hopper. It's not because I don't love staying in one park all day, but you can get a lot more done if you can hop around. It keeps things interesting. It's great for shows. It's great for getting more hours out of a day.

If you have a one park per day ticket and AK closes at 7pm, you're done for the day. I'd do almost the entire MK park in 4 hours during the morning and when it gets crowded after lunch, I go to EPCOT for the afternoon. Then I walk to Hollywood Studios at night for Tower of Terror and Fantasmic.

 

[Katiekitten1207]

I would get the park hopper because you would probably use it because you might want to do a park in the morning and then do a different one in the afternoon. So IMO I would get the park hopper.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

We have APs and park hop all the time. We have even done 3 parks in one day a few times! AK for the Lion King Show in the morning, over to HS for R&RC, Star Tours, maybe lunch at 50's Prime Time, then head over to EPCOT for dinner and a stroll around WS. We don't mind the downtime in between using Disney transportation. Of course, being DVC members, we are there multiple times each year, and don't mind if we miss an attraction or two, as we know we will be back soon.

 

[DisneyJunkie]

Park Hoppers are DEFINITELY worth the extra money. Love WDW as I do, I don't consider any of the parks as "full day parks".....because I know enough about them and what's there to know what is and isn't worth my time. And the things that are worth my time, I can still do multiple times and then be ready to head over to another park and do the same thing there. And that's just with the attractions. With the matter of choosing a place to eat, the best of the four parks is Epcot so the park hopper definitely helps if you want to spend plenty of time in one (or more parks) and then head over to Epcot for a meal at no extra cost for another park ticket.

 

[PigletIsMyCat]

we've never not had hoppers. when i lived locally, dh, two friends, and i did all FOUR parks in one day as a challenge. it was low season and we hit all of our fave rides in one day. we like hoppers because we often will spend the day in one park and then hop for dinner and a ride or two. or have breakfast and a ride at one park, then hop to another. or decide that one park is too busy today, so we'll hop to another park. i love the flexibility and for the price i think it's definitely worth it. as another poster said, you can always buy the base tickets now and decide when you get there. if you go to a park on the first day and realize you'd like to be able to hop, just stop by guest services and add it.

 

[sxeensweet]

DEFINITELY WORTH IT!! Me and DH who are in our 30's would never go without it. We use it a lot especially for EMH or if we are at a park that closed early like AK and then we go to another after that for a few hours.
Also for Dinner Reservations. We might have spent most if the day at another park and then our dinner ressies are at another park etc. We will never go without the park hopper!

 

[epcot2004]

On trips of 2 or 3 days we do not hop as we discovered that we would spend more time running around than it was worth. We have been trying to make the short trips more relaxing and it seems like taking the 'pressure' of hopping off helps tremendously. On trips 5 or more nights we still hop but mainly because we stay around the Boardwalk and EPCOT is so convenient just to stop in and walk around WS and eat. If we were not within walking distance to a park we would probably not hop at all anymore.

 

[sxeensweet]

We are probably going for All Stars Music just because it's the cheapest on-property site. We are going to make the reservations tomorrow night. We will definitely need the car rental the second week since we plan on exploring off site but think we will be okay taking the bus for the first days at WDW.

A car also will sometimes get you to the park quicker and it's easier! We always have our car and rarely use the busses. It is totally FREE to park at the parks if you are staying on site. So keep that In mind. For us the busses take too long and also we like being able to have more room and not carry all out belongings on the bus. We use the monorail a lot as well if we happen to be parked and want to hop to another park instead of the busses too.

 

[cbettua]

I like to park hop! I still do it every trip and I have a 3 and 4 year old. I like to go to the parks in the morning and then head back to the resort early afternoon. Then I like to head to another park in the late afternoon early evening

 

[Disnee4Me]

Our last three trips have been at Christmastime. We usually get the park hoppers because we are diehards that go to whatever park has early entry and end up at whatever park has extra hours at night. If you are going for a couple of days, then the $60 fee is not worth park hopping. But we never go less than 5 days, so that comes to what $12.50/day, so it's worth it to us.

 

[graphite1326]

Two week trip that time of year I would hop. MK closes early some nights for party and the food & wine will be going on in Epcot. Like someone said wait until you want to hop then upgrade your ticket

that's what we did on our last trip

 

[loriloughs]

We have been to Disney as young energetic singles, married with children and now at a slower pace. We have done both single park and hopping. As young singles we were able to go from morning to night with no breaks. We didn't need to park hop. After children and now that we are older we found we needed to alter our old habits. We find that going to a different park each morning and running to the headliner attractions negates the need for fastpass (except for the tiered system such as Soarin and TT). We usually break in the early afternoon and then head back to parks 5 or 6 pm usually at Epcot. If you are going in late September you may hit the food and wine festival at Epcot. That is our favorite thing to do at Disney!!! More important than a hopper or single park ticket is to get up early and be at park at opening!!! I can't stress this enough!! You will save so much time and do so much more if you are there at opening. You also left out info. Are you staying on or off property? Do you have dining plan? There are so many variables it's hard to give you advice. Whichever you choose, just have fun!!!

 

[Stellajack]

What's the best option for an energetic 20 something couple? Park Hoppers cost a little more and we want to know if its worth it or will there be enough to see in each individual park to keep us busy most of the day. We plan to wake up around 9ish, eat breakfast at the hotel, get on the busses afterwards and stay til closing time. We might come back to the hotel for lunch around 2PM and then go back to the parks afterwards if we think the hotel restaurants have better food.

There are lots of things to consider before you purchase, but it looks like you will be getting a pretty late start with ANY of the parks. I must say if you are late risers ("9ish") and plan to eat breakfast in the resort before taking the bus to your park of choice, you are probably looking at a park arrival time of MAYBE around 10:30 a.m. Your plans to return for lunch at 2 will take a couple of hours as well. If this is your schedule, you might certainly consider a non-park hopper. There will be plenty to see and do in the same park during the remaining hours you have left. However, you will also need to look at the nighttime events in the parks to see what you may miss on any particular night (Fantasmic at DHS!) if you are in MK without a hopper. Research, research, research! I know it sounds as if this takes the fun out of a WDW trip but it definitely helps.

Also, listen to folks on these forums who have made multiple trips. We all have favorite places and activities in the World but planning is essential.

 

[Nero the dog]

First trip to WDW. We are from Southern California and I go to Disneyland about 10 times a year and my bf will go once or twice a year.

If you go that often could it not be worth getting the premier annual pass, I know it's $1000 but it covers Disneyland and all WDW parks and other benefits (including Water parks, free Golf, free parking, shopping discounts etc ) you would also get annual pass discounts on accommodation.

 

[CamiCan]

We are probably going for All Stars Music just because it's the cheapest on-property site. We are going to make the reservations tomorrow night. We will definitely need the car rental the second week since we plan on exploring off site but think we will be okay taking the bus for the first days at WDW.

We actually just made reservations at POP Century and bought the 10 day park hopper and more options. They aren't that much more than a base ticket and if we're going to go that far for two weeks, we might as well have a lot more flexibility and options.