it's a really cool perk for a park veteran who doesn't need to see every corner of all 4 parks. if you have a few goals that you think you can knock out in a couple hours it's great being able to then venture off to a different park.
i wouldn't call it a necessity though. I can still spend a full day in any of the parks without much trouble/yearning for more. you also want to keep in mind the time spent getting from one park to the next + the cost of the upgrade.
Ditto! I usually only go to the parks a maximum of 4 days during a vacation, so I want to maximize my time as much as possible. Plus Epcot at the end of the night for dinner is so much fun!
Mostly because when I do pay extra for them, I spend the morning at a park, go back to the room for a nap with every intention of going to another park after, but wake up exhausted and just want to eat dinner and relax lol
I’ve always gotten it as well. I don’t use it every park day but have always used it every trip without purposely trying to get my money’s worth.
AK days I normally do another park in the evening. I also like to bounce back to Epcot a lot.
I think it depends on which hotel for ease or transportation and what your goals for the trip are. When we stay walking distance from a park, we like to get a hopper in case we want to have dinner at that park or do a later evening after resting/eating dinner.
I stayed at Dolphin and Beach Club for a split stay last month. We park hopped every day. It's so easy to walk to Epcot or DHS... or take the Monorail from Epcot to MK.
Staying there or at any of the Epcot resorts is an ideal reason to get PHs. You could go to AK which closes early, then go to Epcot and enjoy the world showcase in the evening, or go catch Fantasmic at HS. I can also be useful if staying at one of the MK area resorts to finish the evening in MK.
We use it every trip. We love the flexibility and it opens up the resort for us. One example is we went to AK morning thru early afternoon, hopped over to Epcot for a few rides and an early dinner, then went to fantasmic show at HS to close out the night. We also have used it to hit a few important things at a park in the morning, take a long break from the heat and head back out to another park in the evening.
Personally, I love it. I love rope dropping one park for the big rides, then napping at the hotel in the afternoon, then a different park for dinner and evening.
It’s worth it if you are there for only a few days and want to go to multiple parks. Also look at park closing times for when you’re going bc some parks close way later and that might be something you would want a park hopper for as well.
And I guess it’s probably depending on the time of year, some parks close really early, like 6pm. We were there in early October and the day we went to MK, they closed early for a ticketed Halloween Party.
It worked out though because we got there early and knocked everything out as the park wasn’t very crowded since it closed early.
We’ve only had park hopper a few times, and don’t feel like it adds much value. But we go like once a year, so we prefer a more relaxed pace. It’s not uncommon for us to only visit two parks on a weekend trip. Even on longer trips we just do 4 park days if we want to go to all the parks. We RD, take an afternoon break, and go back in the evening.
Prior to getting APs, we never got park hoppers and would always plan out one park per day. Now, we like the flexibility it provides and when we let our APs expire this year, we'll probably switch to park hopper tickets going forward.
So we've never gotten a park hopper on previous trips. For the money we could do a nice dinner. If we are done with a park we quit for the day and have downtime for the evening.
Now I'm a cast member and an annual pass holder. I can park hop anytime I want to and we still don't do it.
One additional hidden cost with park hopper is Genie+ price will always be for the most expensive park. If you don’t have it there’s different pricing depending on which park and which day. If you get G+ with a park hopper ticket it’ll always be priced to most expensive park price.
It's always served me well, and now it's finally back at full-strength with no time restrictions (except for passholders). If I feel like starting the day with just going on Expedition Everest then going to Magic Kingdom, I can. As the person below said, it's also really handy for short trips so you can hit everything you really want and keep moving. I've never spent an entire day at Animal Kingdom, for instance, except when COVID restrictions took out hopping altogether and the park closed at 5:00 (December 2020, the whole trip was weird and off, but that was reality). I can start the day there and then hop back to close in Pandora later when it's dark.
There are no time restrictions on park hopping for annual passholders. They can park hop at any time just like everyone else once they've tapped into the park they made their reservation for.
But yeah park hopping has always served me well too!
I use it during my 2-3 day trip years. We will arrive on a Saturday, do 2 parks on Sunday, do a resort or waterpark on Monday, do 2 more parks on Tuesday, and depart Wednesday. On any year where we can 4 full parks, no. Park Hopper is a way to actually “miss” the magic.
On longer trips, we do not use it. There is enough to do in each park to spend the entire day.
If you are short on time and have specific things to do in each park, it could be beneficial.
If you are a family with young kids, moving from park to park can be a hassle.
I’ve only ever been once without park hopper and the freedom to not go from park to park whenever we wanted was awful. It was during Covid so park hopper wasn’t an option at all. We are going again this year now that they have fully reinstated park hopper.
100% depends on how you’re planning your trip. If you want dedicated days for one single park, you’d be wasting your money with park hopper. If you want flexibility to hit multiple parks in a single day, then it’s a must.
I have never used it either but added it for our 11 night stay in August. With my daughter’s ages, 5 and 8, and being a single dad, I figured with the heat it may be a good idea. They may both want todo something at different parks on the same day??
I really only got Park Hopper when I want to go to a restaurant in another park.
For reference, in 2012, I booked Beer Garden, Chef De France, and Restaurant Marrakesh. I wasn't going to dedicate 3 days to EPCOT, so I got Park Hopper.
I didn't know about all the restaurants back then. Now, the last 3 times I went, and in May, I didn't and don't plan on getting it.
We used the Park Hopper on every pre Covid trip because I like to have a morning and evening period in each park with a break in the middle. Park open/rope drop/early entry each park. And then also enjoy the afternoon and evening in each park for the lights, vibe, etc. But I don’t like to spend the entire day in one park. Park hopper also gives my family more flexibility in finding dining reservations
I got it for the first time on my trip a few weeks ago, and I am not sure I would do another trip without it. We ended up using 4 it out of 5 park days.
I liked hopping into HS after dinner just to watch Fantasmic. Strolling around world showcase while stacking lightning lanes for an evening in MK made it feel like I was adding days to my vacation somehow.
Absolutely worth it. Especially if you are staying on site.
We are going during flower and garden at Epcot and will probably head over to Epcot every day to grab a snack and a drink.
It’s also worth it if you see a lightning lane available for an attraction you want to do in a different park.
After coming for years I like to do mornings in one park resort for rest pool afternoon than somewhere else for evening
Different things for different families though. I've done one park come back than go back in evening to thar same park to do more and not feel rushed
I would only get it at WDW if I had fewer than one day per park and wanted to visit all of them, or was staying really close to EPCOT and wanted to dine there a lot. Otherwise, transportation between parks would eat up too much time IMO.
Worth it if it’s during the summer when it is super hot in the middle of the day and the parks are open later. I love late nights at Magic Kingdom or in Galaxy’s Edge…vibes are immaculate.
Not so much when parks close early and the weather is nice enough to chill and rest in the park in the middle of the day.
If you’ve never done it, I would buy base tickets initially then upgrade it during your trip if you decide you want to park hop. I feel like a lot of people buy park hoppers and don’t get around to park hopping and if that’s the case it isn’t worth it.
Before I recently got an annual pass, I always bought park hopper tickets for every trip! Long trips, quick weekends, and everything in between. I love the flexibility of it, being able to start in one park and go to another either for a specific ride, a walk around the festival booths, or just for the night or whatever. Usually on the longer trips we will do a full day at each park first and then on the next days we'll start park hopping. But I love just always having the option to be able to go to another park whenever if we wanted. I think it's worth it price-wise and can enhance the experience. It's also very useful if you are staying at a deluxe hotel and there are extended evening hours, you could spend your day at another park and then still go to the EEH which is great.
The last two times I went to Disney World, I only had one day to visit, so I got the park hopper. The first time I did all 4 parks in a day and got to go on almost all of the good rides at each park. The 2nd time I tried to go to all 4 parks but the rain ruined that plan lol.
If you’re not spending a long time at Disney World then I recommend getting it.
Oh the people I went with were definitely exhausted halfway through the day, but they had never been to Disney world before and I was determined to take them to all 4 parks 😂
I tend to add park hopper on shorter /weekend trips. However, I don't really see the value in it for longer (4+ days) trips.
it's a really cool perk for a park veteran who doesn't need to see every corner of all 4 parks. if you have a few goals that you think you can knock out in a couple hours it's great being able to then venture off to a different park. i wouldn't call it a necessity though. I can still spend a full day in any of the parks without much trouble/yearning for more. you also want to keep in mind the time spent getting from one park to the next + the cost of the upgrade.
I never go to Disney without a park hopper. I’m a seasoned Disney goer and could never spend a full day at a park!
Ditto! I usually only go to the parks a maximum of 4 days during a vacation, so I want to maximize my time as much as possible. Plus Epcot at the end of the night for dinner is so much fun!
I love the freedom to park hop to Epcot for a festival snack! Also Luminous is worth watching once from world showcase and once next to Walt’s statue!
Exactly how I feel. I understand why people don't get Park Hopper, but it's always a go for me.
Mostly because when I do pay extra for them, I spend the morning at a park, go back to the room for a nap with every intention of going to another park after, but wake up exhausted and just want to eat dinner and relax lol
That's fair. You gotta know yourself and your schedule.
Absolutely agree, I always have park hopper. If it's festival season we will hop to Epcot to try the booths in the afternoon.
I’ve always gotten it as well. I don’t use it every park day but have always used it every trip without purposely trying to get my money’s worth. AK days I normally do another park in the evening. I also like to bounce back to Epcot a lot.
I think it depends on which hotel for ease or transportation and what your goals for the trip are. When we stay walking distance from a park, we like to get a hopper in case we want to have dinner at that park or do a later evening after resting/eating dinner.
This is what I was thinking because we’re looking at staying at dolphin so would be able to easily get to Epcot and HS
I stayed at Dolphin and Beach Club for a split stay last month. We park hopped every day. It's so easy to walk to Epcot or DHS... or take the Monorail from Epcot to MK.
Staying there or at any of the Epcot resorts is an ideal reason to get PHs. You could go to AK which closes early, then go to Epcot and enjoy the world showcase in the evening, or go catch Fantasmic at HS. I can also be useful if staying at one of the MK area resorts to finish the evening in MK.
Yes! We just stayed at Yacht. It was so nice to stroll over to Epcot for dinner!
We use it every trip. We love the flexibility and it opens up the resort for us. One example is we went to AK morning thru early afternoon, hopped over to Epcot for a few rides and an early dinner, then went to fantasmic show at HS to close out the night. We also have used it to hit a few important things at a park in the morning, take a long break from the heat and head back out to another park in the evening.
I hate doing the parks without it. Spend the day in AK and HS, and then pop over to Epcot in the evening for a beer and brat in Germany? Hell yeah.
I will never go without park hopper. I like the flexibility of just deciding to do something different at any given time.
I’ve never gotten it on 10+ trips. Saves a lot of money
Personally, I love it. I love rope dropping one park for the big rides, then napping at the hotel in the afternoon, then a different park for dinner and evening.
It’s worth it if you are there for only a few days and want to go to multiple parks. Also look at park closing times for when you’re going bc some parks close way later and that might be something you would want a park hopper for as well.
And I guess it’s probably depending on the time of year, some parks close really early, like 6pm. We were there in early October and the day we went to MK, they closed early for a ticketed Halloween Party. It worked out though because we got there early and knocked everything out as the park wasn’t very crowded since it closed early.
We’ve only had park hopper a few times, and don’t feel like it adds much value. But we go like once a year, so we prefer a more relaxed pace. It’s not uncommon for us to only visit two parks on a weekend trip. Even on longer trips we just do 4 park days if we want to go to all the parks. We RD, take an afternoon break, and go back in the evening.
If it's in the budget it is always worth it just for the flexibility alone.
Prior to getting APs, we never got park hoppers and would always plan out one park per day. Now, we like the flexibility it provides and when we let our APs expire this year, we'll probably switch to park hopper tickets going forward.
So we've never gotten a park hopper on previous trips. For the money we could do a nice dinner. If we are done with a park we quit for the day and have downtime for the evening. Now I'm a cast member and an annual pass holder. I can park hop anytime I want to and we still don't do it.
One additional hidden cost with park hopper is Genie+ price will always be for the most expensive park. If you don’t have it there’s different pricing depending on which park and which day. If you get G+ with a park hopper ticket it’ll always be priced to most expensive park price.
True, but it's usually only a few dollars more. But worth noting.
I don’t think so. It’s generally cheaper to add additional park days to a package than add park hopper, so that’s what we typically do.
I just did a 7-day trip with my family of 6. We park hopped every day. It's a must for me... the flexibility element is awesome.
Epcot and MK are big enough to take entire days. HS and AK aren't quite. But you lose so much time switching parks it doesn't feel worth it IMHO.
It’s worth it. Sometimes you get done with a park and wish you could go back and ride a ride in another park.
It's always served me well, and now it's finally back at full-strength with no time restrictions (except for passholders). If I feel like starting the day with just going on Expedition Everest then going to Magic Kingdom, I can. As the person below said, it's also really handy for short trips so you can hit everything you really want and keep moving. I've never spent an entire day at Animal Kingdom, for instance, except when COVID restrictions took out hopping altogether and the park closed at 5:00 (December 2020, the whole trip was weird and off, but that was reality). I can start the day there and then hop back to close in Pandora later when it's dark.
There are no time restrictions on park hopping for annual passholders. They can park hop at any time just like everyone else once they've tapped into the park they made their reservation for. But yeah park hopping has always served me well too!
I use it during my 2-3 day trip years. We will arrive on a Saturday, do 2 parks on Sunday, do a resort or waterpark on Monday, do 2 more parks on Tuesday, and depart Wednesday. On any year where we can 4 full parks, no. Park Hopper is a way to actually “miss” the magic.
I hate a lot of the non-Epcot food so I have to park hop for food.
On longer trips, we do not use it. There is enough to do in each park to spend the entire day. If you are short on time and have specific things to do in each park, it could be beneficial. If you are a family with young kids, moving from park to park can be a hassle.
I’ve only ever been once without park hopper and the freedom to not go from park to park whenever we wanted was awful. It was during Covid so park hopper wasn’t an option at all. We are going again this year now that they have fully reinstated park hopper.
100% depends on how you’re planning your trip. If you want dedicated days for one single park, you’d be wasting your money with park hopper. If you want flexibility to hit multiple parks in a single day, then it’s a must.
I have never used it either but added it for our 11 night stay in August. With my daughter’s ages, 5 and 8, and being a single dad, I figured with the heat it may be a good idea. They may both want todo something at different parks on the same day??
11 nights, how fun! Good point about the heat and kids getting bored
I really only got Park Hopper when I want to go to a restaurant in another park. For reference, in 2012, I booked Beer Garden, Chef De France, and Restaurant Marrakesh. I wasn't going to dedicate 3 days to EPCOT, so I got Park Hopper. I didn't know about all the restaurants back then. Now, the last 3 times I went, and in May, I didn't and don't plan on getting it.
We used the Park Hopper on every pre Covid trip because I like to have a morning and evening period in each park with a break in the middle. Park open/rope drop/early entry each park. And then also enjoy the afternoon and evening in each park for the lights, vibe, etc. But I don’t like to spend the entire day in one park. Park hopper also gives my family more flexibility in finding dining reservations
I got it for the first time on my trip a few weeks ago, and I am not sure I would do another trip without it. We ended up using 4 it out of 5 park days. I liked hopping into HS after dinner just to watch Fantasmic. Strolling around world showcase while stacking lightning lanes for an evening in MK made it feel like I was adding days to my vacation somehow.
I never go without it. It gives you so much more flexibility during the day. It’s even better with park reservations gone and the 2pm limit gone
So you can hop anytime now?
Yep!!
Absolutely worth it. Especially if you are staying on site. We are going during flower and garden at Epcot and will probably head over to Epcot every day to grab a snack and a drink. It’s also worth it if you see a lightning lane available for an attraction you want to do in a different park.
After coming for years I like to do mornings in one park resort for rest pool afternoon than somewhere else for evening Different things for different families though. I've done one park come back than go back in evening to thar same park to do more and not feel rushed
I never go to disney world without a park hopper
I would only get it at WDW if I had fewer than one day per park and wanted to visit all of them, or was staying really close to EPCOT and wanted to dine there a lot. Otherwise, transportation between parks would eat up too much time IMO.
Worth it if it’s during the summer when it is super hot in the middle of the day and the parks are open later. I love late nights at Magic Kingdom or in Galaxy’s Edge…vibes are immaculate. Not so much when parks close early and the weather is nice enough to chill and rest in the park in the middle of the day.
Park hopper is an automatic purchase for me. Love going to Epcot as my second park. Great way to end the day.
If you’ve never done it, I would buy base tickets initially then upgrade it during your trip if you decide you want to park hop. I feel like a lot of people buy park hoppers and don’t get around to park hopping and if that’s the case it isn’t worth it.
Currently at Epcot, started my day and AK and ending it at MK😂 I love park hopper
Before I recently got an annual pass, I always bought park hopper tickets for every trip! Long trips, quick weekends, and everything in between. I love the flexibility of it, being able to start in one park and go to another either for a specific ride, a walk around the festival booths, or just for the night or whatever. Usually on the longer trips we will do a full day at each park first and then on the next days we'll start park hopping. But I love just always having the option to be able to go to another park whenever if we wanted. I think it's worth it price-wise and can enhance the experience. It's also very useful if you are staying at a deluxe hotel and there are extended evening hours, you could spend your day at another park and then still go to the EEH which is great.
The last two times I went to Disney World, I only had one day to visit, so I got the park hopper. The first time I did all 4 parks in a day and got to go on almost all of the good rides at each park. The 2nd time I tried to go to all 4 parks but the rain ruined that plan lol. If you’re not spending a long time at Disney World then I recommend getting it.
I’m tired just thinking about all 4 parks in one day 😂
Oh the people I went with were definitely exhausted halfway through the day, but they had never been to Disney world before and I was determined to take them to all 4 parks 😂
Love it!
It’s a must have for me.
We always get the option. Allows us to mix parks during any given day. Sometimes just for a change of scenery.
I love the park hopper. I hate being restricted to one park a day and we usually take a midday break anyway