Now we all know that the more days you purchase for fun in the parks, the less each day costs you. But does Disney get that money back by upselling you on options you don’t need? Like the Park Hopper option? Let’s find out!
Welcome to this month’s Blogorail Orange Loop. Today we are sharing aspects of a Disney vacation that make people ask: Is it worth it?
So many Park choices!
Again, we all realize that buying admission days in bulk is the best option. The more days you buy, the cheaper each day becomes. But as with everything in life, it’s the extras that’ll kill you!
Let’s assume you are going to take your family of four to Walt Disney World for four days. Basic admission tickets for everyone would basically cost you $1,400 US (ouch!)
Now add the Park Hopper option to all four tickets for all four days and now you will spend $1,700 US (OUCH!)
So basically you will spend an additional $300.00 US just for the privilege of jumping around from park to park in the same day. Is that an extra that really adds value? Here are some reasons why I believe it does not:
- You could probably spend that $300.00 on something else (dining, souvenirs)
- There is more than enough to do in each park for a day without jumping
- Precious vacation time will be lost travelling between parks
- Got grumpy kids? Park hop. Nuff said!
This option makes more sense for a single visitor or for couples who visit often and know what they want to see and can thus plan to make the most of the Park Hopper option. For families, and those on a budget, this option is one best left off your basic ticket!
For more opinions on what is and isn’t worth the splurge at Disney,
check out the other great posts from the Blogorail!
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Orange | Is It Worth It? Loop:
- 1st Stop – Heidi’s Head | 5 Reasons Why a Tour at Walt Disney World is Worth Your Money
- 2nd Stop – Saving Up for Disney | Is it Worth it to Stay at a Disneyland Resort Hotel vs Off-Site?
- 3rd Stop – Frontierland Station | Character Dining: Is It Worth It?
- 4th Stop – Cool Nouns by Lee Beatens | (you are here)
- 5th Stop – Distalgic | The Disney Dining Plan: Is It Worth It?
These are definitely some great suggestions of things to consider that I’ve never thought of! I’ve done it both ways–park hopper and without. While I was initially disappointed that we didn’t get Park Hoppers on our kids’ first trip back in 2015 because I felt like we were missing too much (we only visited DAK and MK during that trip), I found that we still had plenty to do at Disney Springs, our resort (Port Orleans: Riverside), and other resorts that we free, rather than spending the money and experiencing the stress and hustle and bustle of more time at the other parks. I do agree, though, that Park Hopper would be great for a couples trip or even with older kids!
Yes, definitely lots of free stuff to do to fill out the day. Thanks for commenting!
Agreed. Back in the day, we used to buy 10-day tickets with park hopper and no expiration (in fact, we still have one-day tickets left from years ago!) But, now that the park hopper option has gone up, we rarely go that route anyway. We can totally find enough to do to spend a full day in each park and, if not, we’ll do resort things or Disney Springs in an evening or whatever. I don’t like feeling rushed anymore, that with park hopping you definitely feel rushed.
Yes, I don’t like to rush either! Good point!
So true, I’d rather spend the money elsewhere!
Yup. Them souvenirs aren’t gonna buy themselves!
I definitely see your point about the $300 extra for a family. But for my husband and I, the park hopper is so worth it. On our last trip, we used the park hopper just about every day. We’d go to one park until it closed, then hop over to one that was open later. One day we even did all 4 parks! Thanks to Fastpasses we did a lot of the big attractions that day too. It was so much fun!