Let’s be honest. Disney can be very expensive. And with newly risen cost of ticket prices again, a lot of people are realizing that its only going to get more expensive. While we have written posts on doing Disney on a budget, there is one simple extra that people often question if its worth the money, and that my friends, is the Park Hopper.
We are currently WDW Platinum Annual Passholders. So the Park Hopper is already built in. That has not always been the case though. When we used to do only one long trip a year, we were not passholders because it really wouldn’t have been worth it. And guess what. We did not have the Park Hopper for FIVE YEARS.
Now some people might say that’s crazy, because there are people who insist the Park Hopper is a must. We are not those people.
With the Walt Disney World resort expanding all the time, there really is more and more to do both in and outside of the Parks. As I write this, the current price for a Park Hopper on a one day ticket is around $55 per ticket.
Now keep in mind, the more days you purchase on your ticket, the cheaper both the ticket and the Park Hopper will be. On a 3 day ticket, the Park Hopper prices decreases to about $22 per ticket per day, which isn’t really that expensive, but keep in mind, that’s per person, per day. A family of four visiting Walt Disney World with a 3 day ticket would save over $250(depending on the ages of the children) by choosing not to have the Park Hopper.
So am I saying the Park Hopper is a definite no? Of course not. I think there are many times when a Park Hopper is very useful and worth the convenience. Honestly, not having one will require a little more thought out planning.
The Park Hopper is perfect for those who
- Have a shorter trip and want to experience the Parks as much as possible
- Don’t want to plan out as much
- Want or need a lot more flexibility
- Are traveling in a large group who may want to split up
You probably don’t need a Park Hopper if you
- are traveling on a budget
- enjoy exploring Disney Springs or the Resorts and want to spend time there
- plan on spending a lot of time at your own resort
- have a longer trip and don’t need to fit everything in a short amount of time
If you’re depending solely on Disney Transportation, keep in mind that during busy times, waiting for buses, boats and the monorail can take up a lot of your day, whereas if you are driving or staying at a resort within walking distance of a Park, transportation is not as much of an issue.
There are definitely times a Park Hopper is worth it. Each family and each trip is going to be different. We love the freedom that the Park Hopper gives us, however we also really love saving money when we can.
Do you have to have the Park Hopper or do you think its not necessary? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
