Everything you need to know about Park Hopper Plus tickets at Disney World

Your park tickets will be a HUGE part of your Walt Disney World vacation budget. That’s why we feel very strongly about helping people understand what your different ticket options are so that you don’t accidentally pay more for something that you don’t really need.

Regular Park Hopper tickets allow you to visit more than 1 theme park on the same day, but what is a Park Hopper Plus ticket, and how do they work?

Below we go over the ins and outs of Park Hopper Plus tickets, pricing, who should use them (we don’t always recommend these for everyone), and more.

How Disney Park Hopper Plus tickets work

If you’re just beginning your Disney World planning, you’re probably discovering that you’ll have several different ticket and upgrade options to choose from.

The most popular ticket options are:

• 1 Park Per Day base tickets
• Park Hopper tickets
• Park Hopper Plus tickets, and
• Water Parks and Sports

A Disney Park Hopper Plus ticket (formerly called Water Park Fun & More) will let you enter and hop between all 4 of the theme parks at Walt Disney World (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom) as many times as you want, for the same number of days that you purchased on your ticket.

You can “Park Hop” every day or just a couple of days of your vacation.

Whatever combination you want, for the length of your ticket, you can enter, leave, and go to a different park as many times as your heart desires.

The Plus part of your ticket gives you even more options.

In addition to being able to hop between parks, if you have a Park Hopper Plus Ticket you’ll be able to extend your fun beyond the 4 theme parks and into the water parks, golf courses, and Wide World of Sports Complex.

But, while hopping from theme park to theme park is unlimited during the length of your ticket, the Plus options are not.

You are eligible for the same number of “Plus” option entries as the number of days on your ticket.

So, for example, if you have a 5-day Park Hopper Plus, you’d get 5 “Plus” entrances. A 10-day Park Hopper Plus would give you 10 “Plus” entrances, etc.

Each Park Hopper Plus entry can be one of the following (and you can repeat things if you want to):

• 1 entry to Blizzard Beach water park
• 1 entry to Typhoon Lagoon water park
• 1 admission to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (note: your entry does not include any special event ticket costs)
• 1 round of mini golf at Fantasia Gardens (must be played before 4:00 pm)
• 1 round of mini golf at Winter Summerland (must be played before 4:00 pm)
• 1 round of golf at Oak Trail par 3 course (advance reservations are required, and the club rental is not included for adults)

How much do Park Hopper Plus tickets cost?

Park Hopper Plus prices vary according to the time of year, with busier times of the year (like over the holidays or Spring Break) being more expensive.

Walt Disney World Park Hopper Plus Ticket Prices (Advanced Purchase Price)

Thanks to MouseSavers (whose data we’ve used below) for compiling all the ticket prices *with* tax.

If you want to upgrade your base ticket to a Park Hopper Plus Ticket, here’s how much extra you can expect to pay:

• 1-day ticket: $88.40 – $100.11 more
• 2 or 3-day ticket: $101.18 – $111.83 more
• 4-day or longer ticket: $111.83 – $122.48 more

Here’s what that total price for a ticket upgraded to Park Hopper Plus, with tax, looks like:

Is it worth the cost to upgrade a base ticket?

One nice thing about Disney World tickets is that in many instances, you can upgrade them in the parks.

That means you don’t have to decide before your trip if you will hop or not; you can wait until you are there.

However, the bad part about that is that no matter when in your trip you decide to upgrade, you’ll pay the full price.

The cost to upgrade isn’t less if you wait until the last day of your trip to add the Park Hopper Plus option vs. doing it on the first day, so there is an advantage to upgrading earlier (rather than later) so that you can get the maximum value back out of your ticket.

We are firm believers that you don’t have to buy anything “extra” to have a magical vacation at Disney World.

Sometimes it may feel like the only way to have a good time is to dine at every character meal, go to every dessert party, and purchase every other extra or premium event that Disney offers.

But the truth is that you don’t HAVE to do any of those things, and even if you choose not to, you’ll still have a magical time.

Do we like everything we just listed? Yep. They are all fun “extras,” but they are just that – extras.

Besides all the parties and desserts and princess makeovers, Park Hopper Plus tickets are another extra that you might be considering. For most trips that span 4 or more days, they really aren’t absolutely necessary. But, depending on your situation, they *might* be one splurge that makes sense.

When should you get a Park Hopper Plus ticket?

It does not make sense for everybody to purchase Park Hopper Plus Tickets, but there are a couple of instances when it makes sense:

If you are absolutely SURE you are going to park hop AND:

• If you are planning to play a round of golf at the Oak Trail Golf Course
• If you have plans to visit the water parks (either Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon) at least twice

If you are doing either of those things, you’ll break even or save money with a Park Hopper Plus ticket.

If you only want to park hop and don’t intend to golf or go to the water parks, it makes more sense to just get a Park Hopper ticket.

Or, if you don’t plan to park hop but you do plan to golf and visit the water parks, it makes more sense to go with a Water Parks and Sports ticket.

How long are Park Hopper Plus tickets valid for?

How long a ticket remains valid depends on the type of ticket and whether you bought it as part of a package or not.

This is important to track because you want to make sure you use your entitlements before your tickets expire.

Because the tickets and extras (like the Water Park and Sports and the Park Hopper Plus entitlements) do expire, keep that in mind when planning your days.

Ticket-only purchases

If you purchased your tickets outside a vacation package (meaning you did not purchase your tickets and your resort reservation together), your tickets are valid for the length indicated below.

Note: if you choose to add on the Park Hopper Plus, you’ll notice that you get 1 additional day to use your ticket.

• 1-Day tickets are valid ONLY for the day indicated when purchased
• 2-Day tickets are valid for any 2 days within a 4-day window that begins on the day indicated when purchased (5 days for Park Hopper Plus)
• 3-Day tickets are valid for any 3 days within a 5-day window that begins on the day indicated when purchased (6 days for Park Hopper Plus)
• 4-Day tickets are valid for any 4 days within a 7-day window that begins on the day indicated when purchased (8 days for Park Hopper Plus)
• 5-Day tickets are valid for any 5 days within a 8-day window that begins on the day indicated when purchased (9 days for Park Hopper Plus)
• 6-Day tickets are valid for any 6 days within a 9-day window that begins on the day indicated when purchased (10 days for Park Hopper Plus)
• 7-Day tickets are valid for any 7 days within a 10-day window that begins on the day indicated when purchased (11 days for Park Hopper Plus)
• 8-Day tickets are valid for any 8 days within a 12-day window that begins on the day indicated when purchased (13 days for Park Hopper Plus)
• 9-Day tickets are valid for any 9 days within a 13-day window that begins on the day indicated when purchased (14 days for Park Hopper Plus)
• 10-Day tickets are valid for any 10 days within a 14-day window that begins on the day indicated when purchased (15 days for Park Hopper Plus)

Walt Disney World Vacation Packages

If, however, you purchased a Disney World Vacation Package, your tickets are valid for the LONGER of either the standard valid length indicated in the list above OR the length of your stay.

So, for example, if you booked an 8-day package, but you have 3-Day tickets, your tickets are good for 8 days (the length of your stay) not the standard 5 days (per the list above).

AND, the reverse is true.

If you book a 3-night package, but you have 8-Day tickets, you’ll have 12 days to use up all of your ticket entitlements (per the list above) not just 3 days (which is the length of your stay).

What time can you park hop?

For a few years, park hopping was limited to after 2 p.m.

However, starting in January 2024, park hopping is once again available at any time.

Park Pass Reservations Update

Starting with park visits on January 9, 2024, theme park reservations will no longer be required for date-based tickets (these are the standard ticket options offered at Disney World).

So, when getting your ticket, you will select a start date for January 9, 2024 or later, complete your purchase, and then you will be all set.

However, for other admission types, including non-dated tickets like Annual Passes, theme park reservations may still be required to help Disney “continue managing attendance and delivering a great experience for everyone.”

Genie+, Individual Lightning Lanes, and Park Hopper Plus

You can definitely use Genie+ and a Park Hopper Plus ticket together. Here are a few things to know about how that works:

• Your first Genie+ reservation does not need to be at the park where you plan to start your day. But, if it isn’t, you’ll want to select a return time that is after you plan to hop to that park.

• As long as you have a Park Hopper benefit on your ticket, you can make Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations at different parks. Just keep in mind that you’ll want to select a return time that fits your park hopping schedule.

When it comes to Individual Lightning Lane purchases, you can make those in separate parks, too. So, you could make 1 in the park where you start and 1 at a park where you hop to.

Frequently asked questions about Park Hopper Plus tickets

Can I use more than 1 Plus entry per day?

Sure! For example, if you wanted, you could play a round of golf and then hit one of the water parks, but keep in mind that would use 2 of your “Plus” entries.

Do I have to go to a Theme Park on the same day I want to use one of the Plus entries?

Nope! The 2 types of entries (Theme Park entries and Plus entries) are totally separate.

You can do both on 1 day (which would use 1 day of your park tickets and one of your Plus entries) if you wanted to, but you don’t have to.

Do I have to visit a theme park before I can use any of my Plus entries?

Nope! But, keep in mind that no matter how you use your ticket, whenever you scan it for the first time that starts the clock ticking on how long your ticket is good for.

Can I use my Plus entries after I’ve used all of my Theme Park entries?

Yes. As long as you are within the valid window of your ticket.

Can I repeat things or can I only do each “Plus” activity once?

Yes! You can repeat them if you’d like.

I didn’t originally purchase a Park Hopper Plus, but now that I’m here, I want to. Can I upgrade?

Yes, you can! Just visit any Guest Relations location at the parks or at Disney Springs, and they’ll be able to upgrade your ticket.

Keep in mind, however, that no matter how many days you have left on your ticket, you’ll still pay the same flat rate to upgrade.

What if I don’t intend to hop but I still want the “Plus” features?

Good news! Disney offers a Water Park and Sports option that is basically just the “Plus” options of a Park Hopper Plus without the hopping.

The price isn’t that much less, though, than the traditional Park Hopper Plus, so unless you are absolutely sure you’d never want to hop, the regular Park Hopper Plus is probably the better value.