Breaking Down Park-Hoppers: Are They Worth the Cost?

If you’re like most budget-conscious Orlando visitors, you do want to make sure your vacation is as affordable as possible – but you don’t want to skimp on the extras that will make your vacation a truly magical experience. One option many people struggle with are park-hoppers. This add-on allows you to travel between numerous Disney theme parks on the same day. Let’s take a look at whether or not this option is worth the added expense.

Park-Hopper Basics

Without the park-hopper, you have access to just one Disney theme park per day, though you can visit a different park for each day of your ticket. For example, if you have a 5-day ticket without the park-hopper option, you can visit Magic Kingdom one day, Epcot the next, Animal Kingdom the next, and Hollywood Studios the next. On your final day, you could visit any of the parks you’d like. You can also skip any park you’d like and spend 3 days at 1 park, 2 days at another, and so forth. Basically, you can visit the parks however you’d like – but only one park per day.

With the park-hopper option you can visit multiple parks in a single day. So you could spend the morning at the Magic Kingdom then head straight to Epcot. Or you could visit Animal Kingdom in the morning, take a break in the afternoon, and head to Hollywood Studios in the afternoon. You could even visit all 4 parks in the same day if you’re really adventurous!

The Cost of Park-Hoppers

Adding park-hoppers to your tickets costs roughly $60 per adult – regardless of how long your ticket is for. As a result, you can’t elect to add park-hoppers to just one or two days of your five day ticket. On the flip side, this can make it easier to decide to add the option if you’re buying a longer ticket. Spread out over 10 days, a park-hopper costs around $6 more per day. On the other hand, if you get just a 2-day ticket, you’re looking at around $30 per person, per day to add the park-hopper option.

Are Park-Hoppers Worth It?

Of course the answer will vary based on how you plan to tour the parks, but there are a few things to keep in mind as you make your decision. First, be aware that around 65% of guests who add the park-hopper option never end up taking advantage of it. Second, know that you can buy discounted tickets without the park-hopper option, and if you get to the parks and find that you want it, you can simply visit any Guest Relations booth and have it added for the same price you’d pay if you’d originally ordered your tickets with the option.