To add park hopper or not to add park hopper? That is the question, that gets asked a lot. It is a valid question however, as Park Hopper adds hundreds of dollars to your vacation. To find out if its worth it for your group, read the 4 pros and 4 cons below.
Park Hopper Pros:
- Flexibility to enter more than one park in a day. Hit the attractions at one park in the morning, perhaps relax at the resort for a bit and then head to another park for dinner. Or, if you head to one park and find it too busy, you can just hop on over to another park.
- Four Parks in One day Challenge. If you are attempting the four parks in one day challenge you will need the park hopper option.
- Taking advantage of EMH (Extra magic hours). EMH are offered to guests of Disney Resorts and allow you to enter a park early or stay late. By having park hopper you can take advantage of early morning EMH at one park and late EMH at another park, with enough time to rest in between.
- Freedom to go back to a park. Having a park hopper means you can return to any park at anytime during your vacation. Therefore the pressure to get everything done in a day at one park disappears, knowing you can return.
Park Hopper Cons:
- Feeling like you have to use it. If you add park hopper to your vacation, you may hop just because you feel like you have to. Many guests underestimate how tired they will be after one park, therefore adding park hopper can be a waste.
- Cost is another con. For a family of 4, with 7-day tickets to Disney, park hopper adds $319.52 (or $79.88) per person. The same amount of money for a family of 4 could cover 2-3 days worth of meals & snacks at the parks.
- Time to hop. Guests also underestimate how much time it takes to hop, between walking to transportation, waiting for transportation and getting through security you can easily spend an hour or more getting to and from another park.
- For families with young children, park hopper can take too much time and energy, instead focus on one park per day. Take a mid-day break and return to the same park in the evening if need be. Plus each of the 4 parks at Disney World has plenty to entertain for an entire day.
Learn more tips and tricks for your next Walt Disney World vacation. Destinations in Florida can also help you add tips and tricks to your next vacation.