This is part of an ongoing guest post series on Disney World Savings, written by a life long Disney lover.

The next big step in planning your Disney Vacation effectively is to decide what type of ticket package your family needs.  Again, there is much to consider.  The goal here is to get the most value within your budget range.  Please note that the prices listed are subject to change.

Ticket Packages

All our options:

Park Hopper option
Water Park option
No Expiration Option
Dining Plan

Park Hopper

The Park Hopper option for ticket prices is a crucial element to your success at WDW.  For some, it may be better not to spend the extra money.  While for others, it may be essential to get a full WDW experience (and keep the kids happy).  Just like the base ticket price, the Park Hopper option per day cost is different depending on how many days you are staying (the more days you stay, the cheaper per day).  For a frame of reference, one 3-day Magic Your Way base ticket (without Park Hopper) is $242.  With the Park Hopper option, the price goes to $299.  That means for a 3-day ticket, the Park Hopper is an additional $19 per day.

What is the actual value of the Park Hopper option?  As the name suggests, you are allowed to “hop” or enter multiple parks in a single day.  The base ticket allows you entrance to only one park per day, meaning if you enter Magic Kingdom at 9:00 am, leave at 12:00 pm, you may not head to any of the other parks after lunch.  You can however return to that park after short nap or break, just hold onto your Magic Your Way ticket.

What does this mean?
If you are a family that likes to do everything in one park at once, then move on to another park the next day, you have no need for the Park Hopper option.  WDW parks offer tons to do and you can certainly fill your day up with one park.

However, the Park Hopper option allows you to do some interesting things.  I’ll get into dining and the parks more in depth later, but to me EPCOT has the best food while the other parks offer better rides and shows.  It is a lot of fun to ride rides in those parks and go to EPCOT for lunch and/or dinner.  Another positive to the Park Hopper is the ability leave a crowded park for another park that may be less crowded at the time.  For instance, Magic Kingdom gets very crowded during the peak of the day due to parades and its own popularity.  However, Hollywood Studios tends to be less crowded during lunch because the majority of guests eat elsewhere.

Final Opinion: The Park Hopper is absolutely a luxury, but it allows you to truly make the most of your WDW experience by switching from the most populated parks, eating the best food, and having the simple flexibility of being able to do whatever your children, or you want, whenever you want to do it.  For first timers, a park hopper option may not be as necessary as you will need more time in each park to find your way.  If you are returning and know what you want to do, the Park Hopper holds more value.

Water Park and Fun Option

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