Disney Family Vacations - Park Hoppers A Must or a Bust?
I am usually asked how many times I’ve been to Disney. I really have
lost count. I think it’s easier to tell you how many times my oldest has been. She is eleven and has been to WDW in Florida
15 times, and once to Disneyland in California. It’s safe to say I don’t need a
map!
I have had plenty of trips without park hoppers. What is a park hopper
you ask? A park hopper is an upgrade to the base theme park tickets at Disney
that allow you to visit more than one park in one calendar day. A great feature
if you are up to the challenge!
If you had been to WDW any time over 5 years ago you probably were
encouraged to purchase park hoppers. When planning your daily itinerary the
major planners would encourage you start at one park and as it got busy you
switch to another park. As Disney enhanced their fastpass system and redirected
traffic through design park hoppers became, well not as necessary.
Keep in mind that it takes a minimum of an hour to move from one park to another. If you are going from the Magic Kingdom to Epcot you can easily and quickly do so via the Monorail. And if you are going from Epcot to Hollywood Studios you can easily do so via the boat launch in the World Showcase area. But to go from The Magic Kingdom to Hollywood Studios it requires a little more planning and time. And of course nothing is fast from Disney's Animal Kingdom Park!
With the changes to fastpass to the fastpass+ system having the
flexibility again might be necessary. Until the system is in full speed and no
longer in the test phase this is just a theory. I normally only recommend
hoppers to people who go a lot or who prefer to dine mostly at Epcot. I might
be changing that with the Magic Bands and the choosing your fastpasses from home.
Especially since some of the choices are parades or fireworks viewing areas. It
remains unknown yet, so we shall see how it all unfolds.
What about you, what is your preferred way to “do” the world? Do you
prefer the park hoppers or leave them off to save a few bucks? We’d love to
know!
Mia
