We always hop so can we not?

[elmjimmlm]

Every year we buy the hopper and this year we are thinking that we might not...I dont know if its a good idea to not have them since we are used to hopping...I like the idea of being able to leave one park and go to another but on past trips there were days that we didnt hop...Opinions please...

[MickeysBestPal]

Every year we buy the hopper and this year we are thinking that we might not...I dont know if its a good idea to not have them since we are used to hopping...I like the idea of being able to leave one park and go to another but on past trips there were days that we didnt hop...Opinions please...

We nearly always park-hop... virtually every single day.

But YOU may not NEED to.
How do you know?
What should you do?

Simple:
You don't need to buy the "Hopper Option" UNLESS and UNTIL you need it.

If you are already at one park and decide that you'd like to "hop" to another... right then,
just walk up to a ticket window and pay the $54 (plus tax) per tix (its the same price whenever you choose to do it) and you're ready to hop (that day, and any others, for the rest of your trip.) You must make this and all other upgrade choices within the first 14 day of when the ticket was first used.

If you go and NEVER need to hop, don't buy the upgrade, and you can then spend all those "extra" bucks on more WDW souvenirs! :thumbsup2

One advantage of HOPPER is FLEXIBILITY-

So, on your Animal Kingdom day (AK closes pretty early), you could "close" AK and then HOP over to, say, Epcot for dinner and IllumiNations that evening.

If, say, Fantasmic! got "rained out" on your DHS day, you could HOP to there on the day that you were at another park, and catch the amazing show.

If the "entire population" of Hukalockistan poured into MK on one of the days you were there, and filled all the queues and took all the FP's, you could hop to Epcot and escape the crowd.

If you were at DHS and wanted to eat at, say, Canada in Epcot (like WE love to do) you could ride over on the boat, use your Hopper to get into the International Gateway, dine on CHEESE SOUP, then retrace your path back to DHS for more fun!

Hopping can be a valuable asset, and, again, you don't need to buy it unless or until you NEED it!

If you are already at one park and decide that you'd like to "hop" to another... right then,
just walk up to a ticket window and pay $54 (plus tax) per tix (its the same price whenever you choose to do it) and you're ready to hop (that day, and any others, for the rest of your trip.)

[Auntie B]

We tend to hop - somedays more than just once. Not sure I could function without my hopper pass.

[mydisneygirls]

Years ago, I also would get the hopper but on our past 3 trips I have not because of the cost. I realized that when we go to a park, we pretty much are there all day. I now plan which day we go to which park based on extra magic hours and it has worked out great. Sure it's nice to have the option to hop, but if you really don't then you can save yourself some money. I'd say buy the one park a day ticket and try it out....you can always add the hopper option after (I believe).

[SBETigg]

We always buy the hopper. Yes, there are a few days per trip in which we don't hop, but most days we do and I can't imagine not being able to hop. If I knew I couldn't, that's exactly when I would really really want to, and I would have to upgrade anyway.

[ransam]

i have thought many times about not park hopping, but i always end up getting it. I love the flexablibity. I like that i can plan a dinner at Epcot, but not have to be at epcot all day. i like that i can be at MK and suddenly be in the mood for The Lion King show at AK and just go.
i like that if I'm at MK and for some reason i get stuck on a ride and miss the fireworks, the next day i can be at AK and then leave and go watch the fireworks, and then maybe head to Epcot for late hours...

[elmjimmlm]

We always buy the hopper. Yes, there are a few days per trip in which we don't hop, but most days we do and I can't imagine not being able to hop. If I knew I couldn't, that's exactly when I would really really want to, and I would have to upgrade anyway.

I have thought the same thing...If I dont have them then I would look for every excuse to want to hop...

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We always buy them

[Tinkerbella16]

Like others have mentioned, we always get the hopper passes because we always hop during our stay. Just having that option to go where ever, whenever is just worth it. Also, if we choose a park in the morning and then we want to eat somewhere in another park that evening, we can do so because of the hopper. I canont imagine not having hopper passes.

[Belle of the Ball 051411]

We always buy the park hopper. There was one day last year when we didn't hop so it was a waste that particular day. But like others have said, you'll probably want to hop even more if you don't have it. I do like the idea of upgrading to the hop after you decide to hop (great advice and I forget you could do that)!

[BrerSchultzy]

My wife and I stopped getting the hopper option a couple of trips ago (when we had our son), and it's kind of liberating. Knowing that we'll be in one park all day kinda forces us to take things a little more slowly. And the monetary savings is fairly significant to families traveling on our budget.

[zipadeedoodah]

I always get the park hopper option. You can't beat the flexibility. It's actually one of the first bits of advice I give newbies when asking about how to tour WDW. I say to ALWAYS get the park hopper. For dining purposes, for leaving when one park gets too busy, for deciding on a whim that you really want to ride Jungle Cruise while you're at Epcot....it just makes your trip that much easier, with no limitations. For me, when I'm on vacation at WDW, I want to have as few limitations as possible.

[wdwfansince75]

Depends on family touring styles...most of our family likes to finish most evenings at the MK, and we like the flexibility of allowing family members to spend more time in individual favorite parks, while getting together daily for meals and special attractions (family favorites). Also, most are late risers, so usually I and a few others are there at opening, and rendezvous later. I take advantage of morning EMH's, then hop to another park, meeting up with DW and the rest of the late risers. And sometimes, we just hop to avoid groups.
Part of the family did a trip without hopping, and assured the rest of us that it is doable....but they stayed for 8 days, so they were able to do MK 4 days, and split the others for the remaining 4 non-hopping days.

[skibunny75]

We have thought about not purchasing the hopper option, however, we always get the option and always end up park hopping. We like the flexibility.

[goofy-4-disney]

I, like most other responders always buy the hopper tickets. Out of all of my trips to WDW, I would say there were maybe 2 or 3 days where I didn't hop to different parks. It allows me to really enjoy my vacation that much more. I can do things on my time, in my own way. Like others have stated I could start my day off in MK, go to Epcot to have lunch in the world showcase and then go to hollywood studios to ride ToT or RnRc. Its great to have that flexibility in my opinion.

[MushuGrl]

Some unknown force (and I hate to blame the villains since I'm a fan but I'm just saying) always pulls us back to MK at the end of the day so we can't go without Park Hoppers.

BUT...I like Mickey'sBestPal's idea and might try it myself next trip. Try it, and if you feel the pull (I'm not pointing fingers but I bet it's Maleficent) to head to another park, throw in the towel and upgrade.

(Though I can't live without it, it's always the thing I hate purchasing the most....)

[Aurora]

If you are buying a 4-day or more pass, the park hopper is really a great value -- amounting to only about $13 additional per day. On a 7-day pass it's only about $8 more per day.

Yes, if you look at the cost overall, that dollar amount could pay for a nice dinner or some good souvenirs. But the freedom that comes with a hopper gives you a lot more vacation for your money, IMHO.

[AXOAlum]

I could not NOT hop - If forced to choose, I would go with staying off property before I chose to not hop But - we are veterans, and hopping is something we are used to doing so we would really miss not having the option. If it is a first-timer, I always recommend not hopping - it takes time, even for those of us who are vets, and a lot of valuable time, energy, and effort could be lost on the first-timer if a hop goes bad (such as our hop for less than 30 min to DAK only to find out that it was obscenely crowded and our venture back to another park.)

But, I like the idea, if the OP is concerned about the $$$ to not purchase it up front, and only deciding to use it if you want to later. Great advice, Mickey's Best Pal

[j2k]

I'm so glad I read this. I was going to buy the Hopper because I wanted the flexibility, but now I know that I don't HAVE to buy it upfront. THANKS!!

[Alaska Disney Fan]

We are about half and half, some times we hop, other times we don't, all it takes is a little better planning and your set. Figure out what days are EMH and which parks you want to go too and where you plan on eating if your on the DDP. I like the flexibilty of hopping, but sometimes is nice to have everything planned out in advance. I'm the one in the family that usually does 90% of the planning, so it's up to me if I wnat to wing it, or plan everything out.