For those with smaller kids (8 & 4), do you park hop?? Just wondering if it’s going to be too much for kids that young. We are looking to stay at POFQ/R or the CBR on our next visit…
Also…can I add PH once we get there or mid-stay (even if I have to pay the full price??)
We generally have not. The exception was a very hot day in the Animal Kingdom where we quit early and went back to the pool, then went to EPCOT in the evening. It’s definitely not something I count on though. At the time we had a military ticket where the park hopper was included, so we didn’t have to decide ahead of time (it didn’t cost extra). I wouldn’t have spent more money on it.
I think this partially (or mostly) depends on your family’s touring style. Some people like to go to one park in the morning, take a break and then do a different park at night. We always get it and usually plan a park a day and then a day or two for hopping. However, on our last trip, we realized we weren’t enjoying ourselves at Hollywood Studios that day so hopped over to Animal Kingdom since we’d enjoyed it so much the day before. Also on that trip, one night we decided after dinner to head to Magic Kingdom for late extra magic hours. We liked having that option if we decided we wanted to experience a different park.
We park hop with a 3yo - we often go to a park in the morning, leave after (early) lunch and have a few hours downtime by the pool before going to Epcot for dinner and a couple of rides. Our LO definitely needs that break in the middle though.
To answer one of your questions. You can certainly add the park hopper option while you are thereat any point during your stay. But you will pay the full price of the park hopper even if you have only one day left on your tickets.
I advise you wait on purchasing and see if that is something you wish to have.
It really comes down to the kids. We however do NOT park hop - it is a drain on time etc. I have found that it is one of those things that the"option" now is “well you HAVE to do it” - but we really don’t find it necessary. There is PLENTY of fun to be had in whatever park you are in and if it turns out to not fill your whole day - go back to the resort and enjoy the pool or just take a bit of downtime.
Every family is different, but this works for us. My family has always had the PH option for a few reason. We are early risers so we are almost always at rope drop, so by early afternoon we are ready for break. Also, we are from a Northern climate so escaping the heat during the summer months is a necessity. Having the PH allows us to pick a different park to go to during the evening if we feel like mixing it up. We also tend to have one sit-down meal a day, and PH allows us to plan to be at one park during the day, then head to another park or resort for dinner. An example for us is we are planning to be at Epcot or HS during the day, go to 1900 Park Fare for dinner, and then either call it a day or visit MK for a rider or two and fireworks. Another tip I have is that after you use all 3 fast passes, you can then look to see what fast passes are available at other parks. One last tip is that if you are staying on property (which it looks like you are), you can go to a park that has extra magic hours in the morning and then switch to a different park early in the day, not missing too much time at the second park and maybe even scheduling your fast passes at the second park (example MK EMH stay till 10-10:30, then HS with 12:00,1:00,and 2:00 fast passes.)
We always park hop and did when the kids were younger (18, 10, and 8 now). We love it. All day at the same park tends to overwhelm us and increase meltdowns (even with a mid-day break). Somehow having that change helps. It also opens flexibility when things come up due to unforeseen crowds or weather. One time Magic Kingdom just seemed unbearably crowded right away, nobody was having a whole lot of fun but I looked on the app and saw short lines at Hollywood Studios. We went there and had a great time with short lines. I’ve also used it to help with Fast Pass issues. This last trip we only had 4 park days. I wanted Fastpass for both avatar rides but not spend 2 full days at Animal Kingdom. We had 2 half days there are were able to fastpass both avatar rides, a day and night safari, kali river rapids, and expedition Everest. Worked great! Also allowed us to see Fantasmic and Star Wars shows and skipped the Epcot show which we don’t enjoy.
Definitely do but we stay in an onsite hotel and do a morning in a park then afternoon round the pool then evening in the park
Also if you ever do universal it’s imperative to have park hopper to be allowed to do the Harry potter train journeys between the parks