By Magic Maker® Jennifer Bogucki

One of the most popular questions that clients ask me when visiting Walt Disney World® Resort is if they should purchase the Park Hopper® option on their Walt Disney World ® Resort park tickets. The Park Hopper® option allows ticket holders to enter multiple Walt Disney World ® Resort theme parks throughout the same day during their vacation.  There is no right or wrong answer to this, so I suggest a few simple things to consider when deciding.

• Are you planning to have marathon type days on your vacation?  Do you plan on arriving at park open and not returning to your resort until park closing?  There are many people who spend their Walt Disney World ® Resort vacation this way.  If you plan on one full, dedicated day at each park then a hopper may not be for you.

• What time of year are you visiting Walt Disney World® Resort?  When I travel during cooler months, I find myself park hopping more.  It is much easier to spend a morning at the Magic Kingdom® Park and then hop the Monorail over to Epcot® in the afternoon during a slower, cooler month like February than it is in mid- July.  This is not only due to the cooler weather, but because the parks are less crowded during this time of the year allowing the guest to experience more attractions in a shorter period of time.

• Would you like to build pool breaks into your Walt Disney World® Resort stay?  If you plan on starting your day early, visiting a park and then returning to your resort in the afternoon for pool breaks/naps you may want to add the Park Hopper® option. Chances are you will decide to head out to a park that has Extra Magic Hours or a later closing time.

• Fireworks and Parades!  If you are set on experiencing certain firework shows and parades during your stay, Park Hopper® option may be a necessity for you.  These events can change due to weather, and if the one night you had planned for fireworks becomes a rain out having the Park Hopper® option will enable you to re-visit that park on a day you may have originally planned for something else.

• Do you prefer options?  If you prefer to have the ability to change plans due to crowds, weather and simply “just because”, the Park Hopper® option may be a good option for you.  We all know what they say about the best laid plans, so having the option to leave one park in exchange for another is a good reason to have a ticket with a park hopper.

If you are still not sure whether or not the Park Hopper® option is right of your family, keep in mind that this can be added onto your existing ticket at any point during your stay- provided that you upgrade within 14 days of first use and you have additional entitlements on the ticket.  Try to have a solid travel plan and a budget.  Figure out how many days you plan to visit the parks and then ask yourself if that is all you need or if you want the “flexibility cushion.”   As always, your Magic Maker® is always available to help you make the right decision for your family!