When planning a Disney World trip, before you even buy your tickets, you’ll come across a big question: Do I need Park Hopper tickets?
Disney World Theme Park Ticket Cards
Instead of visiting one of the four parks a day, Park Hopper tickets allow you to go to any of the four parks whenever you want to. Should you pay for this add-on? We asked the experts to see if it’s worth the cost.
Before we can discuss whether the cost is worth it, we need to determine the price.
The cost of tickets, both single park and Park Hoppers, depends on what date you’re going, but on average, a single park ticket costs about $160. Park Hopper tickets start at $198, and you have to add them on for your entire trip, if you do it one transaction. If you want Park Hoppers for some days and not others, you’ll need to buy them in separate transactions. However, keep in mind that it’s cheaper to buy more tickets in one transaction, as the cost per day decreases.
Tickets
That’s about a $38 add-on per ticket. For a family of four, that’s approximately $150 per day of your trip, which can be quite costly. Let’s talk about what the experts think!
You Might Want to Consider Park Hoppers If…
You’re on a shorter trip
If you’re only coming to Disney World for two days or so, you might want those Park Hoppers. This can be great if you’re determined to hit all four parks. This way, you can spend half a day at each park and get on all the rides you want.
EPCOT
You’re family has a lot of little ones
Kiddos on the shorter side might not be able to ride every ride across Disney World. If you’re heading to a park like Hollywood Studios and you aren’t splitting up your group, you might notice that once you hit the few shows and rides with no height requirements, there isn’t a lot else to do. Park Hopper can save the day by allowing you to head to other parks with more rides for everyone. It’s also great if you’re planning on a midday nap break at the resort, so you can head to a new park afterwards.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
You know what you like and what you don’t
If you’ve been to Disney World before, you might know the attractions you must hit and the others that you can skip. If you know you’re only going to ride two rides in Animal Kingdom (especially with all the construction happening), a Park Hopper might be an excellent option for you to be able to leave and spend the rest of the day at a different park.
Pandora in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
You Might Not Want Park Hoppers Because…
It takes too much time to get from park to park
Unlike Disneyland, switching parks at Disney World can take you a good hour to an hour and a half, and at Disney World, time is money. No matter what transportation you take, and even if you decide to walk, it’ll take time to get there, and you’ll likely have to go through security again, which can take a lot more time than you think.
Monorail
It’s easier to plan for one park
When you have the option to change parks, it can be challenging to decide when to leave, especially since transportation can be time-consuming. Once you switch, it’s unlikely you’ll want to go through the hassle of returning to your starting park, so you’ll want to ensure you’re completely done with that park. If your favorite attraction has temporarily shut down and you’re deciding whether to wait for it, but you’ve also paid to park hop, it can be challenging to determine what to do. Only going to one park can make decision-making a lot easier.
Scanning in!
It’s exhausting
Disney World is BIG. Yes, transportation can take a long time going from park to park, but it’s also tiring. Whether you’re driving, sitting on the monorail, or on the Skyliner, it’s likely you’ll be waiting at some point. Waiting for security, waiting to get on your transportation, waiting to scan in. This can be exhausting when you’ve already gone through this in the morning!
Skyliner at Riviera
Should You Add the Park Hopper?
Well, that’s going to depend on your family. Our experts prefer to stick to one park ticket when possible to make our vacation easier, but if you love visiting more than one park each day, add it on!
Do you need a Park Hopper?
Don’t want to go through all of the stress of booking your Disney World trip alone? Reach out to our friends at Small World Vacations! Their experienced agents monitor your reservation for possible future savings, compare discounts, and figure out which one works best for your travel party, dates, resort, and touring plans. And, they share expert tips and first-hand advice with you about your magical vacation.
You tell us: Do you add the Park Hopper option? Tell us what you prefer in the comments, and keep following Disney Food Blog for more tips and tricks for your next Disney trip.
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Park hopping was something we did when we were in our 20’s. We went to park #1 until lunch, swam at the resort, and went to park #2 at night. I have noticed some changes that makes that plan difficult today. Disney transportation seems to be slower (not making it worth it to go back and swim). It also seems like now, we want to go to a park, get done, and go back to the hotel. Someday, I hope I’m in central Florida January, February, and March so that I can enjoy being there.
We have the hopper ticket only because it was a requirement to get free dining plan. As of now we have only one day planned to hop. I would not buy the hopper ticket otherwise.
As beautiful gorgeous said in younger days and with our kids along we used the hopper ticket.
But now it is just my husband and myself.
All good otherwise 😊
Yes, I love Park Hopper Passes! I get ten every time I go to Disney World. However, if you have children you may not find it best for you. I know which rides and shows I like to go to in each park so it works best for me.
My opinion…if it’s your first trip and you have one day planned for each park, don’t bother with the hopper. You don’t want to waste time traveling from park to park.
If it’s not your first trip and you want the freedom to change up your plans from day to day, then yes, get the hopper!
Our last trip I thought it would be fun to rope drop Epcot on the 1st day of Flower & Garden (even though I know better 😂) By early afternoon we were over heated and over stimulated with all the people there. We hopped on the monorail and went to MK instead. We had a very chill afternoon/evening there and got a great spot for HEA.
Moral of the Story: Park hoppers come in handy when your day doesn’t go as planned , but if your goal is to make the most of each day, then its probably not wise to waste the time to hop from park to park
I have an annual pass, which has the park hopper built in. But if I’m spending a week at Disney World with someone who has never been, or hasn’t been in 20 years, I’d recommend that they don’t get the park hopper. It makes more sense to do 1 park per day with someone who hasn’t been to WDW before, and if you don’t spend the entire day in a park there’s always Disney Springs or a partial resort day.
Park Hopper was essential during MNSSHP. Low crowds at MK on party days and park hopped to Epcot or DHS when MK closed early.
Don’t know what MNSSHP is?
Back in the 1990, and before Bob Iger took over as CEO, park hopping was free, so was pool hopping. Life was great at Disney then. Now it is just expensive. An every year week long trip has become a one on 5 years plan.,
Sorry to be vague, Kenp. MNSSHP is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. I’d read that Magic Kingdom is empty on days when there is an evening Halloween or Christmas party in the park. I tried it out this past September and can confirm that was the case. Very low crowds and I was able to loop Tron and Mine Train multiple times on those days. Having a park hopper ticket allows you to head to another park since MK closes early to non-party guests.
To Kenp
MNSSHP is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.