debating at dumping ParkHopper option..

[cwt580]

thinking about forgetting the PH options after all. have a signature dinner everynight and want to do some other things(dtd,boardwalk,bike rides, pool,etc)..

we have been to disney before and dont need to "commando" the parks....we always say we spend too much focus on getting our moneys worth out of PH. Im thinking if we want to return for an evening at a park just go back to the park we picked that day.....

thoughts.....

saving $200-$250 seems like a smart option to help pay the signatures tips.....

 

[mesaboy2]

thinking about forgetting the PH options after all. have a signature dinner everynight and want to do some other things(dtd,boardwalk,bike rides, pool,etc)..

we have been to disney before and dont need to "commando" the parks....we always say we spend too much focus on getting our moneys worth out of PH. Im thinking if we want to return for an evening at a park just go back to the park we picked that day.....

thoughts.....

saving $200-$250 seems like a smart option to help pay the signatures tips.....

Sounds like you are making an informed decision and it also sounds reasonable to me.

 

[bjakmom]

I'm pretty sure that if you decide you need to hop once you're there, you can always take your tickets to Guest Services and upgrade them for about $50 each. Same price as if you bought the PH option to start - so I would try the non-hop option and see how it goes - especially knowing that you can change your mind if it's not working for you.

 

[loricdietzel]

I agree- you can always add it later.

We were thinking of skipping it ourselves this year, but since we wanted to try out the water parks and it was only then $20 a ticket more to add hopping for our 14 day trip we decided to keep it. (It is really reasonable if you are planning on doing water parks and hopping- $79 a ticket this year instead of $118 like last year when you added them separately.)

If you are a planner I think you could easily not do park hoppers. I am not a planner and like the "security" of having the hoppers so if we have breakfast/lunch at one park and then it ends up a parade or something we really wanted to see is at another park and that is the only day we can see it we are ok.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I agree with the PPs. Add it on once you are there if you decide you want/need it.

Two trips ago, I got base tickets but ended up adding the hopper option the second day we were there. This past trip, I got base tickets and never needed to add the hopper option.

 

[HayGan]

Another vote for just adding it on later if you find you need it.

We often have grand plans for park hopping but we do it far less then we actually plan. Most of our trips we could actually get by without doing it!

 

[Missytara]

I had a group last year with young children and everyone was on a budget. We opted out of PH tickets. We got to the parks early, did an early dinner at a resort and then spent the evenings at the pool. But it was a slower time of year and we did everything we wanted to get done early in the day.

Next year we are going at a busier time with teenagers, so it seems more appropriate to allow them to go off on their own and not have to worry about what park they want to go and explain the whole non park hopper thing. This is a once in a lifetime trip for these kids, so a little extra money in the long run is a good thing.

You made a wise decision.

 

[Cafeen]

Yup, you aren't saving anything by having PH on your tickets now vs when you get there (well, except a slight difference if you booked the package before the price changes, but that's around $2-3 per ticket).

If you get there, and you determine that you absolutely need to hop, it's easy and quick enough to get hopping added. However, once you have the tickets in hand, it's impossible to have hopping removed if you decide you don't want it.

 

[mom2rtk]

We have yet to buy a hopper. I occasionally end up with a park plan where I might decide to add it, but usually end up deciding it's not worth the time or money.

No down side to waiting.

 

[Chelley00]

We have yet to buy a hopper. I occasionally end up with a park plan where I might decide to add it, but usually end up deciding it's not worth the time or money.

No down side to waiting.

This is us. I think I might add it when we get there, and never have. We just pick a park and stay there. If we take a break, we go back to the same park.

 

[kshattuck]

As others have said, dump it now, you can always add it later, even while you're there.

I never thought I would go to WDW without hoppers, but a few years ago, my DH said that his only request for our upcoming Disney trip was no hoppers. I felt like, with little ones, we'd go back to the resort to nap and swim and then wanted the option to go to another park later in the evening. He felt the opposite and he was right!

We just planned accordingly and would either push the nap back and call it a day at the parks around dinner time, or we'd take an early break at the resort and just head back to the park with evening EMH.

Worked like a charm and we've been doing it every trip since! My caveat is that we go in the fall when the parks close earlier than in summer or on holidays, so it might not work year-round. Plus, I reserve the right to change back to hoppers when my kids are out of naps and want to go til the wee hours!

Have fun!

 

[crostorfer]

We always get it, mainly because we do the majority of our eating at Epcot. We'll do another park in the morning, take a swim break, and go to Epcot for dinner. It's the best place to eat CS food and get frou frou drinks in WDW.

 

[MissionMouse]

As others have already stated, you can add the PH option on site if you change your mind. For us, we always get it. It allows us to take part of early morning and late evening hours and still visit another park during the same day. We can jump to another park if crowds are heavier than we want to put up with; especially if wait times get to long compared to other parks or the crowd is getting a little on the grumpy side. It allows us to do one park in the morning and another in the evening. Visit Wishes, Illuminations and Fantasmic on a day we didn't go to the respecitive park. It also allows us to dine where we want, especially if we are staying the Epcot resort area. Overall, it provides us flexibility with our schedule and allows us to adapt to the crowds and family interest.

 

[ksromack]

thinking about forgetting the PH options after all. have a signature dinner everynight and want to do some other things(dtd,boardwalk,bike rides, pool,etc)..

we have been to disney before and dont need to "commando" the parks....we always say we spend too much focus on getting our moneys worth out of PH. Im thinking if we want to return for an evening at a park just go back to the park we picked that day.....

thoughts.....

saving $200-$250 seems like a smart option to help pay the signatures tips.....

I'm in the same boat. It's only dh and myself but canceling the PH option pays for our MVMCP. I dropped it at the same time I got our free dining last thursday....of course the second I dropped it I panicked! I still think about it. The only reason I consider getting it back would be weather related things. If it rained during one of the fireworks or Illuminations I would maybe want to visit that park during the evening of AK day or something like that........

 

[Stoneham92]

My main reason for no PH is the ridiculous return times on Fast Pass Rides. We are going during PEAK Feb season.

So I was planning to hit the park which has EMH for the evening, and start in morning and riding as many rides as possible grab the best Fast Pass when ready to leave (might have a return time of 7:00pm), head back to resort for a break. Return to same park that evening for Fast pass, dinner and EMH.

 

[jenrose66]

thinking about forgetting the PH options after all. have a signature dinner everynight and want to do some other things(dtd,boardwalk,bike rides, pool,etc)..

we have been to disney before and dont need to "commando" the parks....we always say we spend too much focus on getting our moneys worth out of PH. Im thinking if we want to return for an evening at a park just go back to the park we picked that day.....

thoughts.....

saving $200-$250 seems like a smart option to help pay the signatures tips.....

I gave up park hopping 2 trips ago and never looked back. Honestly, with kids it's a pain in the butt and a big time waster going from resort to resort. When it was just DH and I we really enjoyed the ability to hop and I had never paid attention to how much it costs...but now I am aware of the price and it's just not worth it to me.

 

[canopynut66]

thinking about forgetting the PH options after all. have a signature dinner everynight and want to do some other things(dtd,boardwalk,bike rides, pool,etc)..

we have been to disney before and dont need to "commando" the parks....we always say we spend too much focus on getting our moneys worth out of PH. Im thinking if we want to return for an evening at a park just go back to the park we picked that day.....

thoughts.....

saving $200-$250 seems like a smart option to help pay the signatures tips.....

we stopped the park hopping ten years ago as it was just wasting more time than it worth IMO. we got tired of all the running here to there. we actually see and more now

 

[Disney_Princess83]

As others have said, dump the park hopper for the time being. You can always add it if you decide that you want it. We do adult only trips and we often hop from AK or HS to EPCOT for dinner or MK EMH. But if you're intending on doing other things at night aside from the parks, then I don't think you'll need the hoppers.

 

[kerplop]

We got them last year and never used them. Seems like a waste to me.

 

[*Fantasia*]

thinking about forgetting the PH options after all. have a signature dinner everynight and want to do some other things(dtd,boardwalk,bike rides, pool,etc)..

we have been to disney before and dont need to "commando" the parks....we always say we spend too much focus on getting our moneys worth out of PH. Im thinking if we want to return for an evening at a park just go back to the park we picked that day.....

thoughts.....

saving $200-$250 seems like a smart option to help pay the signatures tips.....

That will work! That's the best way to do it in your case.

As for us, since we haven't been to WDW in a long time since 2005 and there are new changes add rides/attractions, we'll be park hopping. We're doing EMH in the morning.. Take a nice long break from 1pm-6pm, and back to another different park for EMH. We're doing commando style, but still take a mid-day break.