30 Days of Disney - Park Hopping

One thing that surprises a lot of my new clients is my opinion on park hopping. Many first timers to Disney are told they MUST have it, while others don't realize that it's an option that you can take off your ticket!

 

Let's break it down a bit shall we? Walt Disney World has 4 theme parks that your Magic Your Way Ticket will get you in to; Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. With a Magic Your Way Base ticket you have access to ALL 4 parks.   With a base ticket you get access to ONE park per day. That means that whatever park you step into first...that's YOUR park for the day.

You do NOT need a park hopper to come and go from that one park! You can come and go as you please, you just have access to that one park.

I know what are you thinking? But Amanda, what if I want to be in a different park in the evening than I started in? My question to you is...but why?

• Many first time visits include just 1 day at each park (sometimes 2 at Magic Kingdom). For someone who has never been to Disney it's tough to see EVERYTHING in just one day...so why leave and go somewhere else?
• It's near impossible to walk up to a Table Service restaurant anymore so reservations are HIGHLY recommended...that means you know where you are going to be anyway!
• Fastpass+ can currently only be made in 1 park IN ADVANCE...so again, you know where you'll be so why pay to be in 2 places?
• If it's your first time to Disney you might not know the best days to be in each park. That's something I provide to help us schedule the above...if you decide to change that up you might end up in a park that is VERY busy with heavy wait times.

Once you factor in all of these...plus add in a mid-day break, there really is no great reason for most folks to be in a different park in the evening than they started in!

Who is the park hopper for then?  

• Repeat visitors that really  know their way around and are comfortable visiting multiple parks
• Adult only trips or adults with older kids who don't have to worry about nap time and can  take the time to hop around
• Folks who select the counter service plan have a bit more flexibility to hop around
• Those who only have a just 2 or 3 days and maybe want to just get a sneak peak at what all 4 parks have to offer!

I'm not saying that you should absolutely NOT get a park hopper. What I am saying is I often find that it's not necessary and can be a big cost savings. The cost depends on how many days you have on your tickets but for most guests that's $63.90 per person..for a family of 4 that's $255! I can think of a lot better ways to spend $255! I would honestly say that 90% of my clients opt to skip the park hopper.

Also keep in mind the park hopper can be add really at any point! So if you opt NOT to get the park hopper but change your mind later, or even while you are at Disney, they are happy to add that feature on. Just keep in mind it's not prorated and you can't get hopping for just one day!

 

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