Park hopper worth it?

[prune1977]

We are taking our kids to Disney for the first time (3 and 6 year olds). Is a park hopper worth it? My husband and I did it years ago, but that was pre-kids. I have no idea what to expect with kids!

With kids that age, I would say no; its not worth it. Our first trip our kids were 7, 4, and 1. We found that the biggest benefit was to get to the park early, go back to the room for naps, and then return to the park that evening. It worked great as kids weren't cranky and were kept rested which in turn helped my DW and I to actually feel like we were having a vacation.

 

[AliceIn]

We get park hoppers when we are staying at either the Epcot resorts or on the Monorail. When we stayed at that AoA we just did regular tickets, because we didn't always go back out at night.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

With little kids, no way. It is just too long of a day for them to begin with, and to add in hopping? No way.

I find it much easier to let my kids stay up late than make them get up early. They would feel punished If we couldn't hop to the late park every night.

 

[lllGurulll]

I purchased this one time in 2008 and really found it to be a waste of money. The kids hated how long it took to get from one park to another and I did too. Unless you are a power eater for the dining options I really don't think hoppers are worth the money.

 

[jitterbug]

Parkhoppers worked for us! For us, it had less to do about having our kids with us and more about where we stayed (BC) and being able to do everything we wanted to at the recommended parks (easywdw's calendar recommends which parks on which days). We found by not staying in the same park all day, we were able to fit in La Nouba and still see the nighttime entertainment at the parks we wanted to. We also did a couple of impromptu hops to EPCOT after HS.

 

[pens4821]

We went last year and didn't get them, but wish we did. We WILL be getting them next year when we go. We were there for 5 days. Only 1 day planned in Epcot, so we ended up staying there about 10 hours straight which was too much (for the adults and the 5 year old). Then, we went to HS twice, and would've loved to be able to go to another park in the evenings.

I don't think the going back to the resort then back out will be a huge deal. We went back then to DTD and such (or back to the park we were) and it really wasn't as much of a hassle as some make it seem (although, for some it may be, just difference of opinion).

 

[dpswift]

We always do park hoppers. We have 3 ADRs in Epcot, but I know I do not want to spend 3 full days in EPCOT. We normally wake up super early, go to the park, come back to the resort to swim and relax, and go back to a park in the evening. I can't imagine doing Disney without them as I don't want to feel tied to one park for the day. The only way I may consider not getting them is if we were going on a super short trip, and we were trying to save as much money as possible.

This is what we like to do. For the small additional cost it helps maximize our time.

 

[kymom99]

We have always used them, and our son was 4 on our first trip. We would go back to MK in the evenings. He was much more agreeable once the temperatures cooled down! Also, our first trip was only 4 days so this way we got to do MK more than once.

 

[WillAustin]

I'm sure it's been mentioned already somewhere, but you can wait to add the hopper option when you actually need it. That way you don't have to decide yet.

 

[mom2bros]

Wow, thank you for all of the replies everyone! It is great to have the different perspectives!

 

[Dis703]

I think it depends on a lot of factors. The longer a trip the more I'd say they are useful. We've always had them in the past but we had to tighten our budget this trip and go without. In reality, even when we had them we rarely hopped more than 2 out of 8 or 9 days. So I couldn't justify it.

Where you stay may factor in as well. When we stay in the Epcot resort area it's nice to be able to pop into Epcot for a meal or just to catch the fireworks after a day elsewhere.

 

[tink9702]

We had them in November (as a basically free upgrade through DH's work) and didn't even use them once. The day we ended the earliest we just wanted extra time in the pool and the kids are NOT night owls. Also, I think time of year makes a difference. If you go in the "off season" the parks aren't open as late so it doesn't make as much sense to go back to the hotel in the afternoon then a different park later, you tend to just stay put and finish the day where you started.

 

[North of Mouse]

We are taking our kids to Disney for the first time (3 and 6 year olds). Is a park hopper worth it? My husband and I did it years ago, but that was pre-kids. I have no idea what to expect with kids!

Absolutely worth it to us! Some like it, some don't! Definitely a personal decision!
We have never, would never, be without them.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

We have never done hoppers, but will get them on our trip in August. We want them so we can hop to Epcot from MK for Dad's birthday dinner, and to do the 4 things we want to do at epcot. Another day we will likely hop from AK to MK. We are keeping HS as a full day for now, because of the frozen summer stuff, but we maybe hop over to MK again after we finish up there. We drive our own car and it won't be much trouble to drive between parks. We don't take the tram from the parking lot, and enjoy the walking, so it really isn't much hassle at all.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

I think it depends on what time of year you are going and when the parks close.

I tend to go when there are parties at the MK (MNSSHP and MVMCP) and on party nights the MK closes early. But on days the MK closes early, it tends to be less crowded during the daytime, because people without hoppers don't want to "waste" their day's admission on a short day. So I go to the MK for rope drop on party days, then hop to another park that's open later that afternoon.

Or, sometimes the MK is open until 1 a.m. You can go to another park that closes early, such as the AK, then hop to the MK for late night fun.

I always get hoppers. But I'm not paying for them for four people, nor am I usually traveling with young ones who may not have the stamina to last a long day.

Just a couple of things to think about.

 

[Mouse of Mystery]

We get them because we love to have dinner in Epcot. We are also staying at the YC this trip, so that makes heading to Epcot for dinner even easier.

This is a really important point. When we stay at the EPCOT resorts, having a hopper to step into EPCOT at night for dinner is fantastic.

The other good point I saw is half-day parks. Depending on your family, AK or HS may entertain only for a few hours. It's good to be able to experience them and then hit another park later in the day. For example, we're doing AK from RD to early afternoon, retreating to the hotel for a bit, and then hitting MK for some late night entertainment (using FP here instead of earlier at AK too).

 

[cjparker0110]

I agree with most of the posters here: plan out your days and figure out if it's needed. I rarely get park hoppers because I don't really use them. I remember going from one park to another back in the 90s (I think they still had the "golden key cards" then) and felt that you lose a LOT of time traveling back and forth. I had them for my 2006 stay and only used them one time! It was a waste of money. I think it's best to do one park per day.

However, as others have mentioned, you may find there aren't many things you want to do with the kids in DHS or Epcot,etc. For those days, maybe you would want a hopper. Or maybe a water park ticket. Or you might want to use those days to visit Downtown Disney or do a dinner show like HDDR or the Luau (is it called Ohana??). If you don't have a good planning guide, I would look into it. Birnbaum is my favorite and they even have one specifically for visiting WDW with kids!

Just remember that you are spending a LOT of money on a WDW vacation. How much of that time do you want to spend on buses/monorails? I will be doing my first WDW trip with kids in 2017 and I know I don't want to go from one park to another. However, I am sure we will do a midday break for nap time. That might increase the odds of using a hopper, but I am guessing we will skip it.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

We always get hoppers and its well worth the money. The flexibility is the key............planning is important, but events force changes in plans and the Hoppers make it much easer to make the changes needed.

AKK

 

[richmo]

As many are saying, it depends on what you're doing. There have been trips we've hardly park hopped at all, but there are some where we've done it several days.

If you aren't sure, don't get the park hoppers, then upgrade onsite if you change your mind. It probably has been pointed out already, but it will cost the same to upgrade your ticket on the last day of your trip as it would the first day...so, if you're going to upgrade, you'll get more bang for the buck by upgrading early in your trip.

 

[Doug M]

Two reasons i think PH are more important now than ever is
1. ADRs - If you want to eat at a particular restaurant and have few options day wise and that park isnt your choice for visit for the day, you need PH to tour a lower crowd park then leave for ADR at another. We like DHS and EPCOT dining, but cant spend 3 or 4 days at EPCOT or 2 or 3 at DHS.
2 - Two parks are basically half day parks sometimes. AK if you RD you can easily be done early to mid afternoon, then if you dont have PH your day is over in parks. Also that park closes the earliest generally leaving multiple hours free at say MK. DHS has closed so many rides and attractions that it is nearly a half day park, especially if most of the shows you have seen or have no interest in, without PH your day ends in the parks.