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You are here: Home / Walt Disney World / Are Disney Park Hopper Tickets Worth the Expense?
Collage of 4 parks at Walt Disney World
Park hopper add-ons: are they right for your family's vacation? Photo: Sarah Gilliland

Are Disney Park Hopper Tickets Worth the Expense?

June 27, 2019 //  by Sarah Gilliland//  23 Comments

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Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • What is a Disney Park Hopper?+−
    • How Much Do Disney Park Hopper Tickets Cost?
  • What is the Disney Park Hopper Plus?
  • What Are the Rules for Disney Park Hoppers?
  • Park Hoppers for Florida Residents
  • Is Park Hopping Right for You?
  • Where to Buy Discounted Disney Tickets

Disney Park Hopper tickets, which allow guest to visit more than one park per day, are not a necessity, but sometimes a nice extra. Let’s talk about what to consider when deciding if this pricey add-on is right for your family.

What is a Disney Park Hopper?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and buy, TravelingMom may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.

Park hopper is Disney’s term for the ability to visit more than one park on a single day. Single day or “base tickets” allow you to visit only one park per day. You may enter and exit any one of the parks as many times as you want on the same day, but you can only enter and exit the one park where your ticket is valid for that day.

Disney Park Hopper tickets allow you to visit more than one park each day. You can change parks as often as you like.

Disney World in Orlando has four parks:

  • Magic Kingdom
  • Animal Kingdom
  • Epcot
  • Hollywood Studios

Disneyland in California has two parks:

  • Disneyland Park
  • Disney California Adventure

TravelingMom Tip: You can now book Disney vacations up to 500 days in advance! That means you can book now for visits in 2022. All it takes is a $200 down payment. The balance isn’t due until 30 days prior to travel. You can get details on this, as well as help booking, from our partners at Get Away Today. Not only does the company have the lowest prices, it offers a best price guarantee. If you ever find park tickets cheaper, Get Away Today won’t just match the price, the company will beat it.

Disney World park hopper pin
Photo Credit: Pixabay

How Much Do Disney Park Hopper Tickets Cost?

This addition to a regular, one-park-per-day ticket is pricey. On June 29, 2019, park hopper prices jumped by just over $25 more per ticket, bringing the cost of a one-day theme park ticket with a park hopper addition to $169 plus tax. Tickets purchased for use in 2020, will cost $185 plus tax. These prices are valid for guests of the Walt Disney World theme parks.

California visitors deal with a different pricing structure. A regular one day ticket with park hopper option at Disneyland currently costs $179.

At both Disney destinations, the cost per day goes down if you buy park hoppers for multiple day visits.

When You Aren’t at Disney

Rev up the excitement for an impending Disney trip or extend the magic after a Disney vacation with these Disney recipes, Disney crafts and Disney at home activities:

  • Sprinkle Pixie Dust on Your Kids’ Crafting with These Disney Craft Ideas
  • How to Make Magical Disney Treats at Home
  • Virtual Rides, Imagineer Secrets and More 

What is the Disney Park Hopper Plus?

Park Hopper Plus is available at Walt Disney World only. It allows ticket-holders to visit more than one park per day as well as cool off at Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon –– Disney World’s fantastic water parks — visit Disney’s award winning Oak Trail Golf Course, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and the two mini-golf courses on Disney resort property, Winter Summerland and Fantasia Gardens.

What Are the Rules for Disney Park Hoppers?

Next, let’s discuss the rules governing park hopper use. For tickets purchased separate from a hotel package, it’s possible to pick and choose which tickets to upgrade to Park Hoppers. However, if you  work with a travel agent or book a package on your own, everyone in the party associated with the reservation must have the same features on their ticket. So everyone upgrades to a Park Hopper, or no one does.

Epcot at night- TravelingMom
Experience night time at a different park when you use your park hopper pass. Photo: Pixabay

Additionally, park hopper options are non-transferable just like tickets are non-transferable. Disney tickets are tied to a MagicBand for Florida vacationers, and to a hard ticket for California vacationers. Fingerprints are used in addition to MagicBands to associate your ticket with your person at Disney World park, and photos are taken of each guest at Disneyland park to assure that guests don’t transfer tickets among their traveling party.

Park Hoppers for Florida Residents

Florida residents can save even more on tickets, and that includes ones with a park hopper add-on. Make sure to check the Disney World website for current ticket prices and specials if you are a Florida resident. Even when the specials end, ticket prices are still $30 less for both regular tickets and multi-day tickets with and without a park hopper option.

Animal Kingdom Tree of Life at Walt Disney World - TravelingMom
Visiting another park, like Disney’s Animal Kingdom, is easy with a park hopper ticket. Photo: Sarah Gilliland

The same great deals aren’t often available to California residents and Disneyland lovers. Occasionally, there are ticket specials and discounts for Disneyland, but they are not offered on a regular basis they way they are for Florida residents.

Need help planning your Disney trip? Get all your questions answered from our Disney Planning & Fun Facebook Group!

Is Park Hopping Right for You?

Finally, how do you know if park hopping is right for your family? First, you need to consider your budget. The bottom line is that park hoppers are pricey. If it is going to bust the budget, it is simply not worth it.

Next, consider the number and ages of guests in your party. My family almost never uses park hoppers at Disney World when we visit with our kids. The parks and resorts are so spread out that it takes a minimum of 20-30 minutes to travel from one park to the other. When vacations are shorter or kids require breaks in between all the fun, that travel time seems like wasted time.

However, in Disneyland park, we always get park hopper tickets. It is easy to travel to a different park in California because they are right across from each other and connected via a walkable esplanade.

Lastly, consider your theme park plans. With Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge now open at Disneyland and opening on August 29 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, it may be prudent to park hop and avoid the masses gathering at those two new areas. Additionally, if conquering as many rides as possible in a short amount of time is a goal, park hopping is the way to go. FastPass reservations can only be made for parks in which guests have a ticket.

Also consider Extra Magic Hours for Disney resort guests. My family has been able to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours in one park, go back to our resort to rest or relax, and then visit a different park at night. Park hopping offers a lot of flexibility for guests who don’t like to be tied down to a set schedule.

Finally, if you purchased single day tickets initially, but believe your party would benefit from a park hopper, visit guest services at your hotel, Disney Springs, or in the parks themselves.  They are happy to sell you park hoppers for the remainder of your stay.

Where to Buy Discounted Disney Tickets

We recommend purchasing your Disney tickets through Get Away Today. Not only does the company have the lowest prices, it offers a best price guarantee. If you ever find park tickets cheaper, Get Away Today won’t just match the price, the company will beat it.

Use Code TravelingMom and get an additional $10 off a Southern California Vacation Package (2-night hotel stay and 2 ticket minimum).

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Category: Disneyland, Walt Disney WorldTag: theme parks

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23 Comments on “Are Disney Park Hopper Tickets Worth the Expense?”

  1. Jason says:
    March 26, 2020 at 8:14 pm

    Can a family member who lives in Florida and owns a time share and is a club member be able to purchase tickets for out of state family members who are also club members at the Florida resident price

    Reply
    1. Cindy Richards says:
      April 14, 2020 at 12:50 pm

      Disney usually asks for ID to prove you’re eligible for the resident discount.

      Reply
  2. Heather Hale-Van Kleek says:
    May 21, 2019 at 7:01 pm

    We are visiting in June and not staying at a Disney hotel. Is it worth it to get the ticket bands or just stay with a card ticket?

    Reply
  3. Andrew says:
    January 28, 2019 at 11:06 pm

    IMO a park hopper is worth it practically every case. As an example, on a 7 day trip where you buy a 7 day ticket, staying at Pop Century WITHOUT food cost, you’re going to pay roughly $1300 for a solo person. Again just an example. On that $1300, it costs only $80 more for a park hopper and you can visit any of the 4 parks you wanted to during those 7 days. So if you wanted to go to Magic Kingdom during the day, but feel like eating at Le Cellier for dinner? You can do it with a park hopper.

    If you wanted to watch both Fantasmic (8pm start time) and Star Wars fireworks (8:30pm start time), you can do it with a park hopper by going on different nights. You’d be hard pressed to sit down for Fantasmic and when that show ends, Star Wars starts and you’ll be fighting the crowd to make it over to the chinese theatre in time.

    It’s the little differences that make it completely worth it for as little cost as it is.

    Reply
  4. Matt says:
    October 23, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    I would just like to add for travelers that are planning to return to the park in the future, an annual pass may be something to consider. This allows you to park your car for free at any of the Walt Disney world theme parks and also includes tons of money saving benefits as well. Some of these perks include free memory maker package which includes Disney photo pass which allows you to take home your pictures taken while on vacation for the whole year. Not too mention all of the dining and merchandise discounts as well that can substantially add up. If you purchase let’s say a park hopper or even an magic your way ticket from undercover tourist, when you arrive at the park you can use your ticket which you most likely saved a few dollars purchasing from under cover tourist to upgrade to an annual pass at guest services. Your new pass will allow you access to Walt Disney world for an entire year, maybe some black out dates depending on your choice of AP, Gold, platinum or platinum plus. This pass is also renewable at the end of the year which will now allow you save even more on the renewal cost.

    Reply
  5. douglas groom says:
    October 22, 2018 at 4:31 pm

    hi i was wondering. does the park hopper pass work for walt disney world and universal studios or do i have to buy 2 difference park hopper passes

    Reply
    1. Mary says:
      April 26, 2019 at 5:24 pm

      No they are unrelated parks. US is not a Disney thing .

      Reply
  6. BRANDON S FONG says:
    September 26, 2018 at 5:57 pm

    My girlfriend and I are planning a trip to Disney World in February. We are on a very tight budget, would you recommend to get the park hoppers for us to do more or to get the dining plan to make sure that we don’t over spend.

    Reply
  7. PegP says:
    September 14, 2018 at 12:28 am

    We always get the Park Hopper option. If you’re on a budget, it actually makes sense to pay for it. For us, we’re not big Star Wars fans, so Hollywood Studios is pretty much just Toy Story Land, the 3D Muppets, and Fantasmic. It’s not a whole-day park. And the restaurant choices at HS aren’t that great, so we leave to eat at someplace else. Animal Kingdom is a half-day park as well.. So we can buy fewer days and still get to all the parks, leaving a full day for Epcot and Magic Kingdom.

    And while I don’t have young kids that need to take naps, we always leave the park after lunch to go back to the resort. 1. That’s the most crowdest time at the parks. 2. I need to get off of my feet for more than a few minutes. And 3. My granddaughter wants to swim. It’s a win-win.

    Save money by realizing that there’s a lot more to Disney World than just its four parks. We can spend hours at Disney Springs. And the Disney resorts have the greatest pools! We actually plan our schedule with time allotted for swimming.

    Reply
    1. jackie says:
      November 29, 2018 at 11:16 am

      THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!! We did park hopper once eons ago. Now my girls are older, 12 and 9. We want to see Toy Story and do Epoct and we know both are not full days parks.We did Epoct when one daughter was a lil over a year and it was blah to us so we havent taken them back. we just did the other parks all the time. AK is def a half day park as well.

      Reply
    2. Mary says:
      April 26, 2019 at 5:23 pm

      Yes, you can even hang out in DT Disney for a while and it is free. So much to see and do.

      Reply
  8. Simonne says:
    August 3, 2018 at 9:28 am

    What is s good website to purchase Disney tickets without being scammed

    Reply
    1. Leslie Harvey, Frequent Flyer TravelingMom says:
      August 3, 2018 at 5:09 pm

      There are only a few legitimate companies who are authorize resellers of Disney tickets where you can buy multi-day tickets at a discount. TravelingMom recommends and vouches for Undercover Tourist and Get Away Today – see our links in this very post (right at the end) to buy!

      Reply
      1. Sherry says:
        April 21, 2019 at 1:53 pm

        If I enter Disneyland on a base ticket and then leave to go to downtown Disney, can I enter Disneyland again with a base ticket?

        Reply
  9. Vicky says:
    August 2, 2018 at 7:35 pm

    Hi Leslie,

    We are going to Florida soon and help me understand this park hopper stuff better, LOL. If I buy park hopper for 4 days to all the parks, does that mean I can visit any of the Disney properties during those 4 days?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Leslie Harvey, Frequent Flyer TravelingMom says:
      August 3, 2018 at 5:07 pm

      Park hopper means you can go to any and every park on all of the 4 days. So you could vist up to all four parks on Monday (if you wanted), all four parks again on Tuesday, all four on Wednesday, etc. Park hopper tickets give you the right to go to more than one park in a single day. With regular tickets, you have to pick a park for a single day and stick with it (and can only to go to a different park on a subsequent day).

      Reply
  10. arthur canales says:
    June 30, 2018 at 12:14 pm

    I purchased Disney wrist bands several years ago, will the still work when I revisit the park this year?

    Reply
    1. Leslie Harvey, Frequent Flyer TravelingMom says:
      July 2, 2018 at 2:06 pm

      As long as the MagicBands are still showing as “active” when you log into your My Disney Experience account, they will work!

      Reply
      1. Erin says:
        August 16, 2018 at 1:45 am

        Doesn’t the RFID chip in the band stop working at some point? Is there anyway to tell that it doesn’t work other then trying to use it (or have a cast member test it)?

        Reply
        1. SHEILA FRIDAY says:
          July 31, 2019 at 3:35 pm

          I read on another post that the batteries which tie in to the Memory Maker feature may wear out after a couple years, but that the RFID chip that touches you in to the ticket stiles and the Fast Pass lines will continue to work, indefinitely was my understanding.

          Reply
  11. Anonymous says:
    June 24, 2018 at 4:40 am

    4

    Reply
  12. Anonymous says:
    February 14, 2018 at 11:13 am

    1.5

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says:
    June 20, 2016 at 1:08 am

    5

    Reply

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