Is The Park Hopper Worth It At Walt Disney World?

There are four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort, each one is incredibly unique and well worth visiting. However, to move between theme parks on a single day, you’ll need what’s known as a Park Hopper ticket.

This is an upgrade to a traditional Walt Disney World theme park ticket.

A Park Hopper ticket is well worth purchasing (or upgrading to) when visiting Walt Disney World. A Park Hopper ticket allows you to move between parks on the same day; this means you could visit Magic Kingdom during the morning and head to EPCOT in the afternoon.

While the cost of a Park Hopper ticket will increase the overall cost of your trip to Walt Disney World (by roughly $50 per ticket) if you want to visit all four of the theme parks in less than four days, it’s a necessary requirement.

However, if you have more than four days at Walt Disney World and are happy to dedicate a single day to each of the parks then park hopping may be something you’re happy to go without.

What Is A Park Hopper Ticket?

A Park Hopper ticket is an upgrade to a traditional Walt Disney World base ticket and allows you to move between the Walt Disney World theme parks on a single day.

This means you could start your day at Magic Kingdom and head to one of the other Walt Disney World theme parks such as Animal Kingdom, EPCOT or Hollywood Studios in the afternoon.

To use either a base ticket or a Park Hopper ticket at Walt Disney World you will need to make a park reservation using the My Disney Experience website or mobile application and currently park hopping is only available after 2pm.

Therefore, if you reserve EPCOT as the park you’re visiting on a selected day then you will only be able to enter that theme park. However, if you have a Park Hopper ticket, you can then leave EPCOT and travel to another Walt Disney World theme park after 2pm.

If you would like to park hop to one of the two Walt Disney World Resort water parks (Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach) then you will need the Park Hopper Plus ticket (a further upgrade to the Park Hopper ticket).

If a park has reached capacity (which can happen on selected dates throughout the year) then you will not be permitted entry using your Park Hopper ticket and instead, you’ll need to wait until space within the park becomes available.

How Much Does A Disney Park Hopper Ticket Cost?

A one-day Park Hopper ticket starts from $179 per person. However, because Walt Disney World works on a dynamic pricing structure the actual price you pay will depend on;

• The day you’re looking to visit the theme park
• How many days you are visiting for

For example, a one-day Park Hopper ticket in January typically costs between $189 and $204. While a one-day Park Hopper ticket in March and April is between $209 and $215.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the number of days you’re visiting for. A one-day Park Hopper ticket starts from $179 per person, a two-day Park Hopper ticket starts from $144 per person, per day (from $288 in total), while a three-day Park Hopper ticket starts from $132 per person, per day ($396 per person).

Is A Park Hopper Ticket Worth It?

A Park Hopper ticket is on average between $50 and $100 more than a traditional base ticket to the Walt Disney World Resort.

As such, you can get a three-day park ticket (one park per day base ticket) from $321, while the cost of a three-day Park Hopper ticket starts from $396.

Given this added cost, many wonder whether the upgrade to a Park Hopper ticket is a worthwhile expense and in the majority of cases, we’d say yes, a Park Hopper ticket is very much worth it since it provides you with a lot of flexibility during your trip to the Walt Disney World Resort.

However, we’d especially recommend a Park Hopper ticket to those visiting the Walt Disney World Resort for two or three days.

That’s because if you’re only visiting for two or three days then with a one-day, one-park ticket you can only visit two or three of the four Walt Disney World theme parks.

However, with a Park Hopper ticket, you could visit all four – albeit, it’ll be an incredibly tiring couple of days!

That being said, even if you’re visiting for four or more days, having a Park Hopper allows you to go back to areas of the other theme parks you might have missed during your first visit which can be an incredibly valuable thing to have.

How To Upgrade To A Park Hopper Ticket

Thankfully, even if you’ve already purchased your Walt Disney World theme park tickets you’re still able to upgrade to a Park Hopper.

However, the process involved will vary depending on where you purchased your tickets and whether or not you’ve already arrived at the Walt Disney World Resort.

If You Have Purchased Your Tickets But Are Not At The Walt Disney World Resort

If you have purchased your Walt Disney World theme park tickets through the Walt Disney World reservation line or the Walt Disney World website, but are not yet at the Walt Disney World Resort then you can upgrade to a Park Hopper by;

However, if you purchased your Walt Disney World theme park tickets through a third-party company (outside of the Walt Disney World website or reservation line) then you’ll need to contact them first regarding upgrading your ticket.

Depending on the company, they may or may not be able to help you in upgrading your ticket.

If you struggle to purchase the Park Hopper upgrade using the third-party ticket provider then it’s still worth contacting the Walt Disney World reservations team as they still may be able to help you.

If You Have Purchased Your Tickets & Are At The Walt Disney World Resort

If you have decided during your Walt Disney World vacation that you’d like to upgrade your tickets to a Park Hopper then you can do so by either;

• Using the My Disney Experience mobile app or website
• Speaking to Guest Relations (available at all on-site hotels and at all of the Walt Disney World theme parks)