Should we get park hopper tickets?

[txelle05]

Hello everyone! I would like to purchase tickets soon for our late April trip but can't decide on hoppers or not. We will have access to the Extended Evening Hours which is what's making the decision harder because I'd originally planned on not getting hoppers

This is our first trip, my husband, son (4, almost 5) and me. Our available park days are Sunday through Friday, but we planned to have a rest/resort day in there also. Wednesday seemed to be the perfect day for this but I know MK has generally had their extra hours that day. We also planned to go back to the hotel for mid-day breaks because I don't think my son would be able to make it a whole day, and he definitely wouldn't last until evening hours without a nap.

This wasn't my original plan because I wanted to start and end with MK, but does this seem okay? This way we could get extra hours without hoppers. My only other thought would be to switch Tuesday and Thursday. Or just get the hoppers and have it in the order I originally wanted!
Sunday - AK
Monday - Epcot
Tuesday - Resort Day
Wednesday - MK
Thursday - DHS
Friday - MK

I'm hoping to hear from anyone that has kids around my son's age to see if they are ever able to even make it that late! We are planning to get Genie+ but I know waits are generally lower during extra hours so I thought that would be a good time to re-ride anything that he really liked. Appreciate any insight!

 

[EmilyGahr]

Personally, I always advocate for park hoppers. It's probably somewhere around $250 additional for a 5 or 6 day ticket (2 adults and 1 child), and it gives the flexibility for changes in plans! No matter how well you plan a trip, things happen and you may want to do something different!

What if towards the end of your trip your son really wants to re-ride something before you leave, but its in another park? You happen to snag a same-day dining reservation that you couldn't get when you booked dining, but its at another park? I like the freedom of park hoppers so you can go wherever you want!

 

[scrappinginontario]

I'll be honest and say I didn't read too many details because as soon as I read, 'This will be our first trip' I knew my answer.

If this is your first trip, I would recommend that you do not purchase park hopper passes as you really will not need them. There is a lot to do (especially your first trip) at each park and the additional cost/transportation time probably would not be needed.

My daughter and I are going back soon for our 20+ time and we have not purchased park hoppers.

You can always add them later while at the parks (will be the same price now and then) so my recommendation is to save the money now and wait to see if you feel you need them. That's what we'll be doing.

 

[DisTXMom]

We are big fans of midday breaks- especially with a 5 year old. He will be rested to enjoy the evening hours- we see so many tired and cranky kids at night that are no longer having fun. Since you go back to your hotel for breaks, we find it’s just as easy to go to a different park than what you did your morning at. We love MK and EPCOT at night, so those are often our evening parks on our DHS and DAK days. We don’t hop every day, but like the flexibility to do so.

 

[mco65]

I think you have to try park hopping out at least once to see if they work for you... I see lots of people who swear by them and others who don't. We used them once, maybe twice but found them not worth the money but more than money it was the time required to park hop.. we never took a mid day break, it was commando from rope drop to fireworks and park hopping took too much time. I am glad those days are behind me... but even if i had park hoppers, i would probably opt to simply go back to the resort and chill vs hitting another park!

But like i said, because it varies so much from person to person you probably need to try park hopping out at least once to know how it fits your touring style...

So i vote, YES.. Park hop...

 

[txelle05]

We are big fans of midday breaks- especially with a 5 year old. He will be rested to enjoy the evening hours- we see so many tired and cranky kids at night that are no longer having fun. Since you go back to your hotel for breaks, we find it’s just as easy to go to a different park than what you did your morning at. We love MK and EPCOT at night, so those are often our evening parks on our DHS and DAK days. We don’t hop every day, but like the flexibility to do so.

This was kind of my thinking! I don't see us leaving a park we're already at to go to a different park but if we're leaving from the hotel anyway ... Plus we'd get to use the extra hours (if my son isn't a cranky mess) without having to worry about which park we'd reserved for the day.

And of all the times to try to save a few bucks, a Disney vacation probably isn't one of them.

 

[BarlowFamily]

We have taken 10 trips with DS6 in the last three years, so stating when he was 3. We have done park hopping, but prefer not too. We get military tickets that automatically come with park hopping, but if they didn’t we wouldn’t pay the extra. We’re early birds, so we always rope drop. We stayed at BLT during Spring Break 2021 and that was the only time we left a park, took a nap, and then went back to “close down” the park. It was a pretty early closing, 8 or 9pm. I don’t think we’ll be able to take advantage of those night time extra hours until he’s a little older. That’s just our family, he’s up early no matter when he goes to sleep. When he was younger, he would nap in the stroller or carrier and we would just find a quiet spot to hang out for an hour or two. Our park days start early and can end in the afternoon or evening, it just depends. We have found that the time spent leaving and then coming back isn’t worth it for us. We’ll swim at the hotel or play foot golf or mini golf. There’s so much to do! I agree that for your first trip, park hoppers aren’t necessary. There is plenty to do at each park for full days. And you can add PH later if you decide you really want to. We’re staying at Beach Club this coming Spring Break and we might actually park hop. Morning HS, evening E or vice versa. We’ll see. I like that week you’ve planned out so far, the fact that you’ve put that thought into and are planning on using G+ tells me you’ll have a great first first!

 

[Michelleybelle]

Since you are already planning to take a mid-day break at your hotel (which I highly recommend when traveling with youngish children!), I do think it is worth having the hopper. You will really enjoy having the flexibility it allows, especially after your first couple of days give you an idea of what your child (and you!) are most enjoying.

 

[txelle05]

We have taken 10 trips with DS6 in the last three years, so stating when he was 3. We have done park hopping, but prefer not too. We get military tickets that automatically come with park hopping, but if they didn’t we wouldn’t pay the extra. We’re early birds, so we always rope drop. We stayed at BLT during Spring Break 2021 and that was the only time we left a park, took a nap, and then went back to “close down” the park. It was a pretty early closing, 8 or 9pm. I don’t think we’ll be able to take advantage of those night time extra hours until he’s a little older. That’s just our family, he’s up early no matter when he goes to sleep. When he was younger, he would nap in the stroller or carrier and we would just find a quiet spot to hang out for an hour or two. Our park days start early and can end in the afternoon or evening, it just depends. We have found that the time spent leaving and then coming back isn’t worth it for us. We’ll swim at the hotel or play foot golf or mini golf. There’s so much to do! I agree that for your first trip, park hoppers aren’t necessary. There is plenty to do at each park for full days. And you can add PH later if you decide you really want to. We’re staying at Beach Club this coming Spring Break and we might actually park hop. Morning HS, evening E or vice versa. We’ll see. I like that week you’ve planned out so far, the fact that you’ve put that thought into and are planning on using G+ tells me you’ll have a great first first!

We're also at Beach Club so that was another consideration! I think we might just wait and add them there if we decide we'll use them. Is that something that can be done at the hotel or do you have to do it in the park?

Monday would be the first time we'd be trying to do extra hours so Sunday would be the only unusable day. I have no clue how my son will respond to being up that late anyway since we've never done something like that before. Extra hours may be a wash entirely!

 

[CynBeth]

We always get park hoppers and were especially glad this past trip around Thanksgiving with Genie+. For example for the extra fee ROTR we could not get it our first HS day but was able to the next day for an evening time after a day at AK.

 

[Blondie58]

Loved park hopper before the 2:00 pm park hopper rule. The 2:00 pm rule does not make this perk worth it for us. However, this is just one of the rules that makes planning less free and more scripted than we were used to pre-Covid. Expect to be married to a cell phone when you visit.

 

[BarlowFamily]

We're also at Beach Club so that was another consideration! I think we might just wait and add them there if we decide we'll use them. Is that something that can be done at the hotel or do you have to do it in the park?

Monday would be the first time we'd be trying to do extra hours so Sunday would be the only unusable day. I have no clue how my son will respond to being up that late anyway since we've never done something like that before. Extra hours may be a wash entirely!

That’s tough! Beach Club is a great location to PH. There are so many places I want to eat in Epcot! Someone else may know if you can add it at the hotel, you definitely can at the parks. It’s the same price to upgrade to PH, whether you do it on your first day or last day.

We are planning a “full” day at Epcot another “full” day at HS on our Beach Club week and then one day we will start at HS and hop to Epcot after a break at BC. Enjoy that resort day you have planned! Stormalong Bay is so fun!! Don’t try to do too much on your first trip. It’s okay to not do every ride. For our first few trips, I made touring plans with our top 10…the top 10 things we wanted to see/do each day. This was way more manageable. And if we had extra energy and pleasant moods, we could do more after those 10 which was great!

When my DS was 4, he loved the Pirates Adventure scavenger hunt in Adventureland MK. It’s not a “break” exactly, but it is time not standing in line, just following clues. He STILL talks about it. So we’re doing it again on our next trip. Your little one might energy that as well.

 

[BarlowFamily]

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/magic-kingdom/pirates-adventures/

 

[mmh711]

I have travelled with my 2 boys to Disney almost every year since they were 1. (they are now 10 and 13) We have never done Park Hoppers. And back then we did get Park Hopper tickets - but we never actually used the feature. There is so much to see/do in each park that they are a full day by themselves. And we rope drop and stay until fireworks. We break at least 4 times (mid-morning snack, sit down lunch with reservation usually around 1:00, afternoon ice cream or other snack and then dinner counter service) The kids napped in their strollers or in our arms during shows (we relaxed at Country Bear Jamboree many times while they napped in our arms!!) Early morning is key.
The boys are now Disney veterans. Honestly, they were great making it through at that age. We just had to keep them fueled up and plan shows to rest in between. I think if I had left the park with them mid-afternoon it would have been hard to get them to go back later in the afternoon. To me that feels like more work - the back & forth. But everyone is different.
The hotel day for downtime is also critical and we do that every trip. Gives everyone a morning to sleep in too! I like where you have yours - Day 3 is perfect for your itinerary.
I will also say mine never made evening magic hours because we stayed at the park all day. So by 9PM we were definitely leaving to go to the hotel and rest for the next day. Also keep in mind if they are at a park until 11PM on one night, your next day will likely be a later start. After a few trips, we realized those early morning hours were our favorite. We enjoyed so much at the parks before they got too crowded!!
Happy planning and I hope you have an amazing trip!!!!

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

With it being a first trip and having young kids, I think you'll be fine without hoppers. There is plenty to do in each park to keep you busy for a full day, especially with afternoon breaks.

That said, if you end up becoming Disney regulars and once your kids are a bit older, I'd say that park hoppers are invaluable. As a family with teenagers who visits regularly, we would never NOT have hoppers. We love being able to pop into a park (usually Epcot) at night just for a dinner reservation or to a ride a favorite attraction.

You can always start without and add hopper if you end up needing/wanting it. Just keep in mind that you pay the hopper price for the length of your ticket no matter when you add it.

 

[txelle05]

Y'all have given me a lot to think about! I was pretty set on just waiting to add it until we are there but I don't really love the way I have our days laid out right now and worry about being able to switch reservations around when we're there. The days are only that way on the chance that we'd use Extra Hours and not have park hoppers. Planning to discuss with my husband (who generally stays out of all planning decisions) and see what he thinks.

When my DS was 4, he loved the Pirates Adventure scavenger hunt in Adventureland MK. It’s not a “break” exactly, but it is time not standing in line, just following clues. He STILL talks about it. So we’re doing it again on our next trip. Your little one might energy that as well.

Thanks for this suggestion. This seems like something he would like.

 

[ChrisParker]

Husband and I go without children pretty much every summer...I've done it both ways, including at least one trip where I paid for Hoppers and we didn't use them. I haven't bought them for our August trip but I'm questioning now whether I should add them and take off Genie + instead. We'll wait and see I guess nearer the time and see what crowds are like. I have loved having them in the past though. You have a lot more flexibility for fireworks and evening meals. When early park entry was a one park a day deal, it also let you hit another park early and then go to the early entry park later in the day when the early arrivers had left.

 

[MinMou]

With it being a first trip and having young kids, I think you'll be fine without hoppers. There is plenty to do in each park to keep you busy for a full day, especially with afternoon breaks.

That said, if you end up becoming Disney regulars and once your kids are a bit older, I'd say that park hoppers are invaluable. As a family with teenagers who visits regularly, we would never NOT have hoppers. We love being able to pop into a park (usually Epcot) at night just for a dinner reservation or to a ride a favorite attraction.

You can always start without and add hopper if you end up needing/wanting it. Just keep in mind that you pay the hopper price for the length of your ticket no matter when you add it.

THIS
Your son is young enough that he may want to spend time just looking at characters and theming. I think trying to do more than one park a day could be too much stimulation. He is too old for a nap, but with all the walking and newness, you may wish he could take one! Our son was that age when we went, and I was very happy we stuck with one park a day.

 

[Unclelude]

I'm excited for your trip! Here are things that popped into my head.

I agree with waiting to decide till you get there. But really don't think you need them with a young one. When your son is older he will never remember if you park hopped or not, just the fun . The 2pm thing is annoying to me as well in terms of decreasing flexibility.

Beach club has such an awesome pool. If your son is really into poolside fun, that will be a huge draw.

I like your schedule. Since you are at BC the days at Epcot and HS will be 'shorter' commutes to park - it will be nice to have 'easier' days after extended hours ( I noticed the extended hours are scheduled thru April 20... So if your trip is the last week in April keep an eye on this as they could break the Epcot Monday, MK Wednesday pattern )

It can be super hard to not want to keep jamming things in... Time is literally $$ at WDW. If your kid is early riser, rope drop is good way to spend less time in lines and 'do' more stuff in parks... If not, may not be worth the fight...

Have fun!

 

[txelle05]

So I ultimately decided on something that I hadn't really thought of when I made this post.

We decided to buy one park per day tickets, but we bought them for 6 days instead of 5. Our new schedule is below. I don't think the extra hours for the week we're going have been released just yet but assuming they stick with the usual schedule, we decided to just forgo the Epcot extra hours. Wednesday will be our resort/rest day but I made reservations for MK that day so we could go to the extra hours, if we all felt up to it. I also decided I wanted to put HS earlier in the week because my son is VERY into Star Wars and if we didn't get ROR on our first try, then I wanted another shot at it later even if it meant moving days around. We will definitely be trying to get ILL for ROR because there is no way my son would wait in the standby line.

Sunday - MK
Monday - HS
Tuesday - AK
Wednesday - Rest Day / Extra Hours at MK
Thursday - Epcot
Friday - MK

My son is an early riser so we may be able to rope drop, I'm just not counting on it! Thank you for all the input!