Opinions please - should I get the park hopper based on our plans?

[lovethesun12]

Hello all! Would like your opinion on if the hopper would be necessary for us based on our plans

We generally go during Easter (so we are experts on crowds!) but we are going from mid to late July this year.

Last year during Easter we always took advantage of Extra Magic Hours since they are of great benefit when crowds are heavy. We would do EMH and tour in the morning, early afternoon ADR and then head back to the resort (AKL) to relax by the pool. We had originally planned to do night shows but the kids were too tired (ages 2 and 4) and we didn't get back even once (but we had so much fun it didn't matter =). We were SO glad we didn't get the hopper since it would have been a total waste.

This year we are going mid-late July. Booked at Beach Club. Kids will be almost 4 (turns 4 a week after trip) and 6. We plan to do most of our ADR's in the evening this year (6:40pm) instead with the exception of CRT since most are within walking distance anyway. We originally planned to stay offsite but just recently changed because we are Canadian and kinda worried about the heat and figured the EMH in the mornings would be nice.

So I'm wondering if a hopper is a must do at beach club? Changing from offsite to Beach Club has increased our budget significantly so the savings would be nice (especially with the meh exchange rate).
Our must do ADR's at the parks are H&V (fantasmic), Sci-Fi, CRT lunch, BOG breakfast, Coral Reef, FEA dessert party and Rainforest Cafe. Outside the parks are T-Rex, Trattoria al Forno, and Beaches & Cream.

Since we have 12 days and 9 park days it is no issue to go for the EMH, head back to enjoy the resort then return in the evening for dinner and maybe a 4th FP+. But since we will be going on an EMH day, how much busier will it be? Will we regret not having a hopper because of the crowds? Being use to Easter it's pretty much just huge crowds every day so I'm not exactly sure how much more crowded an EMH park is?

For those with experience on both sides and with young kids what are your thoughts? I'm sure we'll enjoy ourselves either way =)

 

[Minsc]

For us, the To Park Hopper or Not Park Hopper decision has always been driven by our touring strategy, and really nothing else. We rope drop a park, and then hop to the park with the latest hours and close it down. This maximizes our time in the parks during the least (usually) crowded periods. When the kids were younger (all teens now), we still did rope drop, but we would go back to the room midday for a kid nap, and then PH as usual. Park Hoppers were slightly less valuable then, mostly due to the fact that the kids did not often make it to the end of the night before passing out. At 4 and 6, I am going to lean more toward PH's not being critical to your touring strategy, but that is anecdotal, of course.

 

[DavidNYC]

If you have to ask the question - the answer is don’t get it and add it on when you get there if you find you want it. No cost advantage to getting it early.

 

[DisLiss]

When it comes to vacations with our kids, our rule of thumb has always been "The more flexibility, the better." So for us, the park hoppers are not an optional add-on, they are as important a part of our trip as our transportation down to Florida and a hotel to sleep in.

(Actually, even when DH & I went to WDW without kids we liked having the Hoppers, but we find the added flexibility even more helpful when going with the kids.)

 

[Peppeperoni]

When it comes to vacations with our kids, our rule of thumb has always been "The more flexibility, the better." So for us, the park hoppers are not an optional add-on, they are as important a part of our trip as our transportation down to Florida and a hotel to sleep in.

(Actually, even when DH & I went to WDW without kids we liked having the Hoppers, but we find the added flexibility even more helpful when going with the kids.)

Same for me

 

[chris benton]

Epcot Area Resorts + hoppers are a good idea, imo. Your travel time to and from TWO parks is minutes. We always do am EMH (no matter which park,) and then choose a different park to hop to after a pool break. Bonus if am emh is at EP or DHS. If am emh starts at 8am at EP, you can leave your room at 7:30, and still be at the gate before they start letting ppl in. Same for leaving. After illuminations, you'll be in your room before most people can be at their car, or at a bus stop. DHS is a good 15-20 minute walk, but still...

So, since we are early risers, we do am emh, and then chill at the pool, and then hop to whichever park makes the most sense for us, whether it be for a nighttime show, or attractions we'd like to do. If not staying at an EP resort, not so sure I'd buy hoppers, tho.

 

[CAQDaddy]

Our strategy lends itself to hoppers and it sounds like you might use a similar plan. We like doing morning EMH, but we find that those parks get extremely crowded by early afternoon. We leave midday and head back to the resort for a break (or not) and then hit a different park in the evening. We also like to rope drop the parks that have had evening EMH the night before as they seem to be less crowded the following mornings. You have listed your must-do ADR's and it seems that without hoppers this would greatly limit your plans as well. As someone said above, you could always add hoppers after you get there if it seems as if they would benefit you once you've arrived. Either way I'm sure you will have a great time

 

[Gehrig1B]

Hoppers, always... so much easier to plan your trip, no need to make dining changes due to fast pass availability at 60 days, or changes when park hours are extended, etc. We almost always open one park, rest, go to dinner and then close another park. It is really nice if at an Epcot Resort, just jump into the park for breakfast or close the night at Epcot after dinner with a short walk home.

 

[martikus]

We find hoppers a waste with kids. And honestly have not been able to do evenings with son until he got older (10ish). Until then he was just too tired to go past 3pm so we always did pool and dinner at hotel. He was a super early riser though. Never ever sleeping past 6.

 

[ForMyBoys]

I also vote for hoppers since you are staying at the BC. It will also make your FP planning easier as you won't be locked into FP at the same park as your ADR.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Seems like your strategy is basically the same but this time you're "forcing" yourself back into the park later so that you don't just get "lazy" and not go back for the nighttime shows.
Doesn't seem like you want or need park hoppers.

 

[Disneypro1]

IMHO, is always best to do one park per day. NO HOPPER. you WILL get more done and save money. Just do one park per day. simplified and efficient.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

IMHO, is always best to do one park per day. NO HOPPER. you WILL get more done and save money. Just do one park per day. simplified and efficient.

For the OP I agree and if you have enough days I agree.
However personally I take pretty short trips so staying in one park all day would not help me to effectively do things at the otehr parks I want to get one especially when I know what my must do's are and what my skippable attractions are.
So IMO hopper is good for short trips and base is good for longer trips.

 

[Disneypro1]

For the OP I agree and if you have enough days I agree.
However personally I take pretty short trips so staying in one park all day would not help me to effectively do things at the otehr parks I want to get one especially when I know what my must do's are and what my skippable attractions are.
So IMO hopper is good for short trips and base is good for longer trips.

Agreed 110% We go for 7-8 days..so we never felt the hopper was all that. For a short trip...YES id get it.

 

[Momto2minniemice]

As the kids get older and learn what they like we like to give the kids an option of what to do. If you use all 3 fast passes in the morning park, after a rest they are able to have a choice. Maybe they really want to see something in another park. Just a thought....

 

[lovethesun12]

Seems like your strategy is basically the same but this time you're "forcing" yourself back into the park later so that you don't just get "lazy" and not go back for the nighttime shows.
Doesn't seem like you want or need park hoppers.

Thanks for the response! But I think I should have explained myself a little better. Last year most of our ADR's were at lunch and while we loved the restaurants, we didn't love eating in the middle of the day. Our kids were only 2 and 4 last year so we wanted the flexibility in the evening to stay at the resort.

This year our kids will be 6 and (almost, 1 week) 4 so they can easily do the evening ADR's now. So our plans are mostly return for the ADR and if the kids are great maybe stay a while but if not head back.

But when I realized I could fit in all the ADR's we want without needing the hopper I thought, well maybe we don't really need it.

But then I think since I'm going back for the ADR anyway should I just get the hopper and go with a not so crowded park?

EMH are a must for us too. We are early risers.

 

[ElTrollio]

When it was just my wife and I, we always did park hoppers. But when we went with my daughter (who was 4 at the time) we opted not to use them.

It wasn’t really as big of a deal as we thought it’d be. Just took a bit more planning is all.

I think you have to know your children. Disney can be exhausting for adults, kids can run out of stamina even faster. I’m going on a daddy daughter trip with my my daughter this year and she will be 6 and I debated the park hopper option again, but in the end I just opted against it.

I know what she’s like, and bouncing around to multiple parks in one day just won’t make my life easier.

 

[Carly2]

We always got park hoppers until the last time we went, which was Aug 2018. Now that AK is open late like the rest of the parks, it seemed that it wasn't really worth spending the extra money. If you have a 9 day ticket, you'll have plenty of time to spend in each park.

Unless I read your post wrong, you're going for 12 days and spending 9 days in the park. I'd opt for a 10 day ticket, which may only be about $20 more per person than a 9 day, instead of park hopping.

 

[bumbershoot]

But then I think since I'm going back for the ADR anyway should I just get the hopper and go with a not so crowded park?

EMH are a must for us too. We are early risers.

I have always read that the emh park stays busy.

I wouldn’t want to add on hopping with your plans or kid ages.

I personally would NOT do emh, go to a park that’s not drawing the emh crowds, and then go back there later for the adr.

Being an early riser, swimming, and returning for late nights is a “traveling with teens” thing to do, not with little ones, IMO. Swimming wipes people out, especially with summer sun.

 

[Sara_H]

We like the hoppers because then we have the option to go wherever whenever. For instance, last trip one day we started at HS then headed over to MK when we were bored with HS. Another day we had more fastpasses for HS but we started the day in EPCOT then went to HS then went to Disney Springs but then the kids wanted something at a shop at EPCOT so we went back to EPCOT. It is just nice to have the flexibility.