To Park Hop or just add an extra day of tickets?

[moopdog]

So, our flight arrives on a the first Thursday in March around 1 PM, I'm ball-parking getting to the Port Orleans by 3ish, using ME. And based on that, I called last week and made our 6 day passes into 7 day passes, which added a total of $60 to our entire bill (4 "Disney" adults with my kids being teens). Not a bad deal, and I figured after we checked into the resort, we'd go to Studios and knock out Rock & Roller, and TSM and anything else we feel like, then back to POR to get ready for our early morning magic hours at MK the following morning. My thinking is that there's a chance that might be all we need of Studios, as we don't really do a whole lot there in the first place. We'd then consider using our designated HS day as a free day.

But now of course (because this is what I do), I'm reconsidering it and thinking I could apply that $60 towards hoppers for our 6day tickets. Then, on our arrival day we could just relax, enjoy our first time at POR, and if we really feel compelled to venture out, we can take the boat to Disney Springs and get that "out of the way", so to speak. My family has gone 4 times and we've NEVER used hoppers, and never regretted it. We are not open-to-close people. We like to go early and leave early and therefore my family has NEVER seen Illuminations, or Wishes. I know, I know. We saw Fantasmic and once was enough, it was cute, but nah. Having hoppers may help us at least shoot for a couple of these nighttime shows, as we'll have some flexibility in our plans, as I really would like to try for Illuminations. But a 9 PM show after being there all day....we won't make it, lol. First world problems.

Thoughts?

 

[mom2rtk]

Changing to hoppers would not get you an extra day of pre-scheduled fastpasses.

I would keep the extra day but instead of a full down day, I would make a very quick visit to a park, use the 3 pres-cheduled fastpasses, then head back to chill for the rest of the day. You can use 3 fastpasses in relatively short time, arriving late in the window for the first, and using the 3rd right when its window opens.

Or maybe use that extra day as the day to do one of the night shows. Maybe schedule FEA right before Illuminations, then be able to schedule a different headliner on your full Epcot day.

But I'm in the minority here generally doing WDW without hoppers. I'm sure plenty of others will be along soon to sell you on the benefits of hopping.

 

[Robo]

We use hopping nearly every day.

Some don't.

 

[moopdog]

Too late now.

Too late for what? I have fast passes for all mentioned days, I just need to cancel if we don't use them. Or do you mean something else?

 

[moopdog]

Changing to hoppers would not get you an extra day of pre-scheduled fastpasses.

I would keep the extra day but instead of a full down day, I would make a very quick visit to a park, use the 3 pres-cheduled fastpasses, then head back to chill for the rest of the day. You can use 3 fastpasses in relatively short time, arriving late in the window for the first, and using the 3rd right when its window opens.

Or maybe use that extra day as the day to do one of the night shows. Maybe schedule FEA right before Illuminations, then be able to schedule a different headliner on your full Epcot day.

But I'm in the minority here generally doing WDW without hoppers. I'm sure plenty of others will be along soon to sell you on the benefits of hopping.

Well I do wonder about hopping now that FP+ is a thing. It seems, there is no way to get to the next park and expect rides without lines. Right?

 

[Disneylover99]

It's going to cost you an additional $250 to add on the hopper at this point. Even if you take off that extra day, it will be an additional $190. I wouldn't add it.

Infact, I'd probably drop the seventh day and relax at the resort or head to DS on arrival day. You can always add on an extra day once you get there if you really do feel like heading to a park.

 

[chris benton]

My first thought is that you don't need hoppers JUST to see the nighttime shows. You can still go early and leave early, you'll just have to go back to the same park, and not a different park.

 

[mco65]

Are the (designated) Park hopper buses that take you between parks working yet? I mentioned that to my wife and she said she would be willing to do that.. the biggest draw back to a park hopper before (at least to her) was the time it took to get from park A to park B. She hates wasting time.. So we have not park hopped in a while..

 

[Disneylover99]

Well I do wonder about hopping now that FP+ is a thing. It seems, there is no way to get to the next park and expect rides without lines. Right?

In most cases, the headline rides will always have lines if you 're hopping in the afternoon/early evening. Lots of people use hoppers for the night time shows or for dining.

 

[mom2rtk]

Well I do wonder about hopping now that FP+ is a thing. It seems, there is no way to get to the next park and expect rides without lines. Right?

You can get 4th (and subsequent) fastpasses in the new park. But your odds of finding headliner FPs available are not great. It will be very hit or miss. And standby lines will vary greatly depending on time of year.

 

[gatorlisa]

Well I do wonder about hopping now that FP+ is a thing. It seems, there is no way to get to the next park and expect rides without lines. Right?

Depends on your strategy. We hop. Always. For the most part, we open a park, and at that first park, we do not schedule fastpasses. We take advantage of the shorter lines at the beginning of the day and just ride everything standby. Serves us well until lunchtime easily. We tend the stay in the first park until lunchtime or a little after and then hop to the second park early afternoon. Our fastpasses are for that second park, all one after the other, and we start looking for 4+ fastpasses as soon as the window for our third scheduled one opens. If we should hop to a third park, we tend to stick to attractions with shorter lines and what we can get 4+ fastpasses for. Works really well for us. We tend not to spend a ton of time in lines and are able to do everything we want to do (which is just about everything...there's not much we don't like).

 

[IrishNYC]

Are the (designated) Park hopper buses that take you between parks working yet? I mentioned that to my wife and she said she would be willing to do that.. the biggest draw back to a park hopper before (at least to her) was the time it took to get from park A to park B. She hates wasting time.. So we have not park hopped in a while..

Those buses began a trial period on December 7. They are still running. It's $15/day, or $24/7 days right now. There's a thread on it that should just be a page or two back.

 

[Tomh]

Everybody is different, and as such, has different ways of touring the parks. We are the open to close kind of people. Typically we are there at rope drop, and stay until the closing show. We also schedule a day or two during our trip that we don't go to a park, we take it a little easy, and get to bed early to catch up on our rest.

We have been to Disney 9 times now, and never used hoppers, and we have never regretted it.

 

[Anal Annie]

We always park hop (we buy APs) so I really can't imagine not park hopping. But I know it works for some. We do like gatorlisa and usually schedule our fast passes for our 2nd (evening) park. We usually stay at the first park thru lunchtime then go back to the room for a break. Get off our feet, charge our phones, take a nap, hit the pool or whatever. Then we usually shower & go back out early evening to our next park. The only time I schedule FPs for our morning park is if I leave an "open" afternoon / evening for flex - sometimes we decide to go to another park just 'cuz, sometimes we go to Disney Springs. We almost always go at opening so we can make good use of the lowest lines of the day.

And as Chris Benton said you don't need hoppers to see the nighttime shows & fireworks. My mouth dropped open when I read that you've been 4 times and have never seen Wishes or Illuminations. I personally think you should consider switching up your routines a little bit so you can work these things in. Maybe plan to sleep in & chill & then schedule your FPs for later in the afternoon / evening so you can stay out to see these wonderful events. Or go out early for a few hours then take a break & go back out for the evening. JM2C.

 

[NH-to-FL]

When we stayed onsite we would always get hoppers because we stayed at the BWI and would find ourselves wandering over to Epcot almost every evening. And yes, we like Illuminations.

Like you we would go to a park early, frequently using morning EMH, and leave early. And we would plan a rest day mid visit.

We would not plan much on our arrival day. We found that the excitement and stress of travel, coupled with the potential for delay, used up most of our energy and we would prefer not to schedule a park visit.

Perhaps you could plan for an "Illuminations day", sleep in, relax at the resort and head to Epcot late afternoon and stay for Illuminations. It is definitely worth it.

It sounds like you are used to visiting without hoppers. I'd suggest staying with what you know with the knowledge that you can add hoppers once you get there with a quick stop at any ticket counter if the spirit moves you.

Wishing you a magical trip!

 

[moopdog]

It's going to cost you an additional $250 to add on the hopper at this point. Even if you take off that extra day, it will be an additional $190. I wouldn't add it.

Infact, I'd probably drop the seventh day and relax at the resort or head to DS on arrival day. You can always add on an extra day once you get there if you really do feel like heading to a park.

Yeah, that's too steep for me. Glad you chimed in, it saved me pricing it out. Decision #1002 made✔

 

[cindyfan]

If you have already changed the ticket to a 7-day it is too late to cut out one day. Disney can add days to tickets but will not take days off. so.... too late to change that.
FWIW.... we ALWAYS use hoppers! love the option to go to another park if one is too crowded or we change our minds on what we want to do. Especially since they now have the new Express Bus. We will definitely be adding that on!

 

[Disneylover99]

If you have already changed the ticket to a 7-day it is too late to cut out one day. Disney can add days to tickets but will not take days off. so.... too late to change that.

Is this a new rule? We've dropped days off packages in the past.

 

[cindyfan]

Is this a new rule? We've dropped days off packages in the past.

Is it a package you have? Then you can.... sorry I understood you just had the tickets. Which is not a new rule.
But with a package it is the same number of days no matter what, right? I've never done a package.... always done it all separate.

 

[skuttle]

We used to always hop. Then, we planned a trip with my SIL's family and they needed to do it as inexpensively as possible. When I realized how much hopping actually costs (especially for our family of 5), we dropped it for that trip and, because we didn't miss it, haven't used it again since. That was about 5 years ago. If you are staying more than 4 or 5 days, adding an extra park day is so cheap. We've done a "free" day, and then just use a park day to go back to a park to watch fireworks. I felt that was worth it.