No park hopper and non EMH park strategy

[JPL]

However, here's an idea to let you Park Hop (in a limited way) and spend only $7-9 extra per person and not $45 per person. If you're there for six days, then I'm assuming that you'll get a six-day base pass. BUT GET A TEN DAY PASS INSTEAD! You'll get four extra "days", which can let you hop to another park four times. The total cost for those four extra "days" for five people is $40, which is less than one park hopper for one person. That way you can do four days at two parks and two days at one park, or any combination of ten that you like. That should be enough hops for your family.

This will not work the base ticket only allows you to use 1 admission for 1 park per day. So you could not go to the Magic Kingdom in the morning and then over to Epcot in the afternoon and just use another day. It will not admit you into the park. The only way to park hop is to have the park hopping option added to your ticket.

[diz_girl]

This will not work the base ticket only allows you to use 1 admission for 1 park per day. So you could not go to the Magic Kingdom in the morning and then over to Epcot in the afternoon and just use another day. It will not admit you into the park. The only way to park hop is to have the park hopping option added to your ticket.

Sorry! I didn't mean to get anyone excited. I always thought that if you visited a second park in one day then they'd just take a second day from your pass. If that's the case, then don't pay for the park hoppers. Just do the mid-day break at the resort and go back to the same park later in the afternoon. If there's a half-day park (for me it's MGM), then just do some of the other activities that I suggested during the afternoon. You'll have plenty to do without visiting a second park.

[momof3+twins]

We aren't going to get park hoppers this time either. We save about 200 dollars by not getting them, so we are staying longer and getting a pass with more days. We are going to do some days as half days.

Example:
Monday full day at mk Tuesday morning at MGM and then leave for the day and swim at the pool.

I don't think you need early entry for Epcot with small kids. You probably won't ride MS or TT anyway. That is the big draw there for EE. Ak and Studios can be done without them. I recommend NOT going to the evening hours as they tend to be busy and with little ones getting cranky at that hour it just doesn't work.

So, that leaves MK, go on the Thursday morning EE because it is totally worth it. Then go to in this order....Dumbo, Pooh, Peter Pan, Small World, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, then if time go to Buzz. Leave for the busy afternoon. Go back around 4ish and take it the less crowded things like Country Bears, Tiki Birds, Presidents, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Swiss Family Treehouse. If the crowds clearout, then go to the more popular rides.
My rule is .... No more than 15 mins for a ride with little ones. Fast passes and proper planning avoid it!! And it is possible.

Remember to rest

[Figaro0826]

We've always done the Park Hopper option.
For 45.00 I think it's a great deal. Not yet, but god willing someday we will be bringing kids.

But,, for now were two big kids, ok more so me than DH.

We have certain favorite rides and fireworks we like, so we like the flexibility to do what we want and not be stuck in one park a day.

We did 3 parks in one day, it was quite easy, I'll be willing to tell anyone how.

[pook@wdw]

I can only speak for us, but we never attend EMH parks and always have park-hopper passes as we are a 2-park-a-day family. We do one park in the AM, head back our resort for a little mid-day "down time" for naps, pool action, whatever, and then head out to another park , usually wherever we've decided to have supper, in the late afternoon. If you're staying off-property, you can usually find some quite out-of-the-way place in the parks to relax and dine or snack.