Why You DON’T Want These Disney World Upgrades Right Now!
Disney World has been FULL of change over the past year (looking at you Disney Genie+).
Cinderella Castle
From price increases on snacks to the end of Disney’s Magical Express, there are a number of new things to consider when planning for your Disney World trips in 2022 and beyond. What about Disney World park tickets? After Hours event tickets? Other upgrades or add-ons? Which ones are worth the cash and which might you want to skip? Today we’re giving you a break-down so you can make those decisions for your upcoming vacation!
Without further ado, let’s get into some Disney tickets and upgrades that you might NOT want to buy right now!
Park Hopper
Park Hopper is a paid add-on to your Disney World park ticket that allows you to visit more than one park per day. This option was removed as an option when Disney World reopened in July of 2020, after the pandemic closures.
It returned as an add-on, January 1st, 2021, to much fanfare. The price of this add-on depends on how many days you’re buying tickets for. 1-park-per-day tickets start at $109 for a 1-day ticket and start at $54 per day for a 10-day ticket. Keep in mind that those are just starting prices. The actual price of the ticket will depend on the day/days within the ticket range as each day falls under a specific pricing bracket.
©Disney
Tickets with the Park Hopper option added on to them start at $174 per day (that’s an addition of $65). But if you are buying a ticket for more days that per-day cost for the Park Hopper add-on goes down. For example, for a 10-day ticket with the Park Hopper add-on the cost is $62 per day — that’s just $8 more per day when compared to a 1-park-per-day pass for 10 days.
©Disney
Even if you get a ticket with the Park Hopper option, you’ll need to keep in mind that it’s not the same old Park Hopping you might remember.
Certain restrictions are now in place and compared to the Park Hopper of old, it simply might not be worth it for some folks.
Park Hop ’til we drop!
The first limitation is that you must wait until 2PM before you even CAN hop to another park. This means that you are dedicating at least half of your day to the first park you’ll be visiting (which you’ll still need to get a Park Pass reservation for). While this might not seem like much of an inconvenience, it does severely cut down on the time you can spend in the parks you hop to. It can especially be a negative since some park hours may not be quite as lengthy as they used to be. If you were the type of person that liked to hop early in the day, then the current Park Hopping system might not work well for you.
Magic Kingdom Park hours©Disney
The second limitation to Park Hopping right now is that you must get a Park Pass reservation for the first park you want to visit AND you must actually enter that first park before being able to hop. For example, if you get a Park Pass reservation for Magic Kingdom and want to hop to EPCOT later that day, you MUST enter Magic Kingdom first before hopping to EPCOT, even if it’s after 2PM. That means that if you decided to spend the morning at the pool, it’s now 3PM and you wish you could just go to EPCOT, you won’t be able to. You’ll have to enter Magic Kingdom first and THEN head to EPCOT. Of course, you could switch your Park Pass reservation to EPCOT to avoid this issue, but that would depend on there being an EPCOT Park Pass available.
This requirement can limit what you can accomplish at your second/third/fourth park of the day and also takes away the flexibility you once had to adjust plans on the fly.
EPCOT
The third limitation of the new Park Hopper system is park capacity. You can pay for that Park Hopper ticket, but you are not technically guaranteed the ability to park hop to any park of your choice. The ability to hop to another park is entirely dependent on that other park’s availability and capacity limitations. If the park you want to hop to reaches capacity, then you won’t be able to hop there.
Disney has implemented a hotline for guests to call to check capacity before traveling to a new park, but the chance for this to happen still begs the question, is it worth it? Now keep in mind, we visit the parks essentially every single day of the year and we haven’t had any capacity issues when it comes to Park Hopping, except on rare occasions. On Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, for example, Magic Kingdom reached capacity and Park Hopping was not available for guests seeking to enter that park. If you’re planning to travel during an especially busy time, then this possibility is something you’ll want to take into account before purchasing that Park Hopper ticket.
©Disney
Another limitation of the current Park Hopper system only applies to select Park Hopper Plus purchases. Park Hopper Plus is the add-on where, in addition to being able to Park Hop, you also get a select number of visits to other spots — specifically Disney World’s water parks, certain sports options (like golf or FootGolf), and things like the Mini Golf courses.
The main issue with this is that select options that are normally part of this ticket are NOT available at the moment. Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park is closed at the moment, leaving you only other water park to visit (Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park) and sometimes that water park can be closed for cold weather days. The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is also marked as “currently unavailable” on Disney’s site, and some of the other options have restrictions on them as well. You’ll have to crunch the numbers to see if getting this even MORE expensive add-on is worth it, and whether you’ll really get your money’s worth out of it considering its limitations.
Typhoon Lagoon
Despite these negatives, there are some major positives to being able to Park Hop! The first is, you get to visit multiple parks in one day. If you are coming for a limited amount of days and have no other option but to fit a lot of stuff in a few days, then a Park Hopper may be worth it for you.
Park Hopper tickets may also be worth it if you’re the type of family that likes to be in the parks from sun up to sun down! If you’re looking to really squeeze every last second out of the day, then a Park Hopper can help you do that by giving you the chance to hop to other parks — potentially ones that stay open later. If you’ve got little ones who will need to stop in the middle of the day, the Park Hopper might give you the chance to take that nap and then come back to a park that stays open later. But you’ll want to remember that you can’t Park Hop until 2PM, so that can throw a wrench in your plans.
Tree of Life
You may want to add the Park Hopper option on to your ticket if you want to maximize your flexibility. Despite the limitations, having the Park Hopper option still gives you more flexibility than if you don’t have it at all. The reality is if you don’t want to commit to spending your entire day in any one park each day; you may want to think about adding Park Hopper.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
So, is a Park Hopper worth it? The answer is not the same for everyone. Our advice? Take a look at the park maps and list of attractions. Write down what your family wants to accomplish. See if you’ll realistically be spending full days in each of the parks, without any time to really hop to the other ones; or if you’ll have some time and want to Park Hop or need to Park Hop to get all of your must-dos done.
One thing to remember is you don’t have to make this decision right this second. If you want to hold off until you get to Disney World to decide, you can add on the Park Hopper option to your standard 1-park-per-day tickets at the same price it would have been had you bought the Park Hopper ticket to start with (a.k.a. it doesn’t cost you more if you choose to add it on later).
Time to Go to Magic Kingdom!
In fact, if you’re on the fence at all about the Park Hopper option, we’d recommend that you wait until you arrive to add it. Once you’ve bought the Park Hopper option you can’t really take it off and get your money back, so it’s best to wait until you’re sure you’ll need it.
Just remember that when you add it on, Disney will charge you for ALL of the days you have tickets for so you’ll want to add it on early in your trip to take full advantage. In other words, if you have a 5-day park ticket and add on the Park Hopper option on day 3, you’ll still get charged for that Park Hopper option for days 1 and 2. So if you want to buy it once you’re in Disney, just be sure to buy it sooner rather than later!
Click here to see if you should Park Hop with Disney Genie+
After Hours Parties
In 2021, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party were both canceled. In their place, we got 2 new After Hours events to celebrate the seasons — Disney After Hours Boo Bash for Halloween time and Disney Very Merriest After Hours for Christmastime. It’s possible we will see these After Hours offerings continue for future years.
For the most part, these events have come with increased prices and more limited offerings when compared to the former parties that used to take place in Magic Kingdom, though in many ways they were more alike (in price and offerings) to former After Hours events. Like Park Hopper, whether buying a ticket for one of these events will be “worth it” for you will depend on a number of factors.
Note that all of this is based on the offerings that were available in 2021. These After Hours events’ offerings (if they return in 2022) could be very different, so that’s something to keep in mind!
Spooky!
The first limitation of the new After Hours events is the limited amount of hours you get in the park for what you pay. The events generally did not start until 9 PM or 9:30 PM, and they ran until 12:00 AM or 12:30 AM — essentially giving guests 3 hours of party time. The ticket does allow theme park entry at 7 PM, so that does give you more time in the park — though the party fun won’t begin until later.
As a comparison, back in 2019 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party started at 7 PM and lasted until 12 AM — 5 hours of party time; and it allowed entry into the theme park beginning at 4 PM.
The times are more comparable, however, to things like Villains After Hours, which operated from 9PM-12AM or 10PM-1AM.
Happy Holidays from Disney World!
The second limitation of these events is the cost. In 2021, After Hours Boo Bash cost anywhere from $129 to $199, depending on the date. The cost for Disney’s Very Merriest After Hours ranged from $169 to $229 and then jumped up to $249 for December 19th and 21st.
The cost for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, on the other hand, ranged from $85 to $149 for adults. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party ranged in price from $99 to $139 for adults.
But the cost for Villains After Hours in 2019 was $145 for all ages if bought in advance and $155 if bought on the day of the event. Though the After Hours events in 2021 were more expensive than that, those costs seem to line up more. Still, whether the high cost of the After Hours events is worth the big price tag is a decision you’ll have to make.
A BOO Bash physically distanced howdy.
Aside from hours and price alone, you’ll want to look at the offerings and entertainment available at each of them. One of the more obvious things missing from Boo Bash in 2021 was event-specific fireworks. Guests could still catch the regular nighttime fireworks if they arrived in time, but there were be no Halloween-themed fireworks available for those at the event.
Best view in the Kingdom!
At BOO Bash there were distanced character meetings, 3 cavalcades, a DJ Dance Party, and select other offerings. Some of the more rare characters that tend to appear at Halloween were not there. We also really didn’t spot any event-specific merchandise, there was no Halloween parade, and there was no Halloween stage show at Boo Bash in 2021. Plus, the exclusive food offerings were VERY limited compared to past Halloween events. All of that said, Halloween 2022 is a ways out and we’ll have to see what this year looks like.
Click here to see our full thoughts on whether Boo Bash is worth it!
Disney Very Merriest After Hours was a bit different than Boo Bash. In 2021, Very Merriest offered guests the chance to watch Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, see Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks, interact with characters (from a distance), check out the new stage show — Mickey & Minnie’s Very Merry Memories, and more. That’s quite a bit more in the entertainment department.
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade
Still, we didn’t see quite as many ride overlays as we had at past parties and we really didn’t see any event-specific merchandise here either. Event-exclusive treats were also still, sadly, quite limited at this event as well. Womp womp.
Click here to see our thoughts on whether Very Merriest is worth the cost!
While the entertainment might have been hit-or-miss there were some very specific perks that might entice you to go to these events. First, the atmosphere, decor, and overall environment at both were very fun and they definitely put you in the mood for the respective holidays (who doesn’t love some SNOAP on Main Street, U.S.A.?!). There are also a number of treats included in both. Trick-or-treating was available at Boo Bash, and cookies and hot cocoa were available at Very Merriest. These are things guests are used to finding in the holiday parties. But these After Hours events ALSO featured FREE bottled drinks, popcorn, and select ice cream novelties.
Complimentary Snacks at Disney After Hours Boo Bash
Wait times at both After Hours events were also quite low, making them potentially more interesting to those who are really hoping to get in as many rides as possible in as little time with shorter waits.
If the price tag on these events is simply too high for your budget or you feel like they’re not worth it, don’t be discouraged — there are still lots of other ways to celebrate the holidays at Disney World! You can do a Halloween or Holiday treat crawl across the parks or maybe even stop for a themed dinner at Hollywood and Vine in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Minnie looks so spooky!
There are also typically seasonal photo ops, merchandise themed to the seasons, and lots of fun decor up in the parks during times when all guests can see them. So you can still celebrate the seasons without having to fork over a TON of cash.
Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection
What kind of list would this be if we DIDN’T talk about Disney’s newest add-on expense?! Last year two new paid services took the place of FastPass+ in Disney World. Those new services are called Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection.
Genie+ ©Disney
One reason why you might not want to utilize these services is the very obvious fact that you have to PAY for them. To use Disney Genie+, guests have to pay $15 per day per guest. That $15 allows the guest to select the next available time to return and use a ride’s Lightning Lane (a.k.a. the old FastPass+ lane). When the return time activates, the guest can skip the standby line at that ride and instead use the Lightning Lane. The guest can then continue to make these selections 1 ride at a time throughout the day.
Lightning Lane ©Disney
This standard Genie+ service does not, however, include some of the most popular rides at Disney World. For rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, you will need to pay an additional fee subject to surge pricing, called Individual Attraction Selection.
Individual Attraction Selection allows you to pay that specified amount to use the Lightning Lane once at the ride you buy it for. Guests are limited to buying 2 Individual Attraction Selections per day. The prices for these can fluctuate depending on the ride, the park, and the date. We’ve seen some priced at $9, while others have been at $15.
©Disneyland
One of the big limitations with Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection is that you cannot plan your selections too far in advance. You can purchase Genie+ at midnight on the day of your park visit. Once you purchase Genie+, you will not be able to make your Genie+ selections until 7AM on the day of your visit. For Individual Attraction Selections, hotel guests can make those starting at 7AM, while other guests have to wait until the park opens.
If you liked pre-planning what 3 rides you’d be able to skip the lines for WAY in advance, then that aspect of the system might be a bit frustrating for you.
Make sure you’re refreshing the app!
Another part of Genie+ you should know about is that you can generally only make one lightning lane reservation at a time. This means your day will be dictated by what is available at the time you’re making the selection. Certain selections can fill up quickly (though more spots for them might become available later). Still, we think there are some rides you’ll want to prioritize.
Note that it is not a requirement to purchase Genie+ to ride the attractions at Disney World. But if you want to SKIP the standby lines, Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections are what you’ll need to turn to.
Disney World Crowds at Rope Drop
But things with Genie+ aren’t all bad. Some have indicated that they’ve felt like Genie+ was worth the money in specific parks, like Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Others said that it helped them ride a lot of rides with little to no wait. But some fans are not pleased with the service or are on the fence.
Click here to see if feelings toward Genie+ have changed
Not willing to shell out the cash for these paid services? Consider rope dropping the parks so you can try to get in as much as possible. You’ll also want to look at things like Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours (if you qualify) because those can help you spend time in the parks before larger crowds arrive.
If you have limited time in the parks, or you are only coming for a short trip and you want to get in a LOT of rides in a shorter amount of time, it is quite possible that Genie+ or Individual Attraction Selection could be beneficial for you, at least in select parks.
Should you get Genie+ around the holidays in Disney World? See what happened during our experiment!
Preferred Parking
The last, and probably least controversial of the bunch, is preferred parking. Preferred parking is exactly what it sounds like. The difference is typically around $20-$25 MORE per day compared to the standard theme park parking. Standard parking for a regular car is $25 per day. Preferred parking is typically around $45-$50 per day, although that varies seasonally and by date. If you pay for preferred parking, you get a spot closer to the park entrance. That sounds pretty nice (and great for long days when the last thing you want to do is walk back to your car). The question remains, is it worth it?
Welcome!
In Magic Kingdom, the parking lot is currently operating its parking tram. Parking trams have not, however, come back to the other parks’ parking lots just yet. They are set to return at some point throughout 2022, but exact dates have not yet been announced.
You might feel like preferred parking isn’t worth it in a spot where the trams have returned, but is worth it in a parking lot where all of the transportation will be left to your two feet.
Trams are still not running.
If you arrive at the park when it is first opening, you might find that preferred parking is not worth the additional cost. If you arrive early enough, you may end up in a parking spot that’s fairly close to the preferred parking spaces without having to pay extra.
However, you may want to consider the preferred parking upcharge if you come later in the morning/day when you might find yourself parking further toward the back or if you are Park Hopping for that day. Remember that, like with other parking costs, once you’ve paid for Preferred Parking for the day, it will work at any of the Disney World theme parks you visit that day.
This could be good news for all you Park Hoppers out there. While it may not benefit you that much at your first park, it will carry over through the rest of the day and may end up being a lifesaver.
The walk to the entrance
There are plenty of instances when preferred parking might be a good choice. Maybe it’s raining cats and dogs, and you just can’t even anymore…
Dark Clouds over Disney World
…or maybe you’re traveling with a party of 17 people and the thought of parking far away and wrangling all of these kiddos and adults to the front of the park is something that makes you want to cry…
Main Street, U.S.A. crowds
…or maybe you are just tired and want to minimize your steps as much as you can. Ultimately, the value and whether it’s “worth it” will depend on what you personally need.
On the other hand, if you’re okay with walking and don’t want to fork over the extra cash, then Preferred Parking might not be worth it. You might want to use that money instead for more snacks, merchandise, or other things during your trip!
Click Here to See Everything You Need to Know about Parking at Disney World
Overall
So are any of these tickets or upgrades worth the additional cost? It all depends on you and your family’s wants and needs. We hope this helped you as you plan your visit and consider what costs might or might not be worth it. As always, we will keep an eye out for more Disney updates — stay tuned here to DFB for all the latest news.
Click Here to See What an Amazing Disney World Trip on $3,000 budget looks like!
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What ticket add-ons are you considering for your upcoming Disney Vacation? Let us know in the comments below!
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