Hi Denise,
Thanks for visiting Disney Parks Moms Panel.
It sounds like you're doing some great planning for your Walt Disney World vacation!
I think your approach of using a multi-day ticket with the Park Hopper Plus Option is a good one. The Park Hopper Plus Option will include a number of "Plus" visits equal to the number of ticket days. For example, a 2-Day Ticket with Park Hopper Plus Option would give you 2 theme park days with the flexibility to visit all 4 theme parks in each day, and also give you 2 visits to water parks. You could make this a 4-day plan and visit theme parks for 2 days and water parks for 2 days. The Plus Options could be used for water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course, Disney's Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course, or Disney's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course.
The other planning approach you mention is to use the
Disney Vacation Club Member discount on a 1-Day Ticket to Walt Disney World water parks. With this approach, you could purchase a 2-Day Ticket with Admission to 1 park per Day and then purchase water park admission using the Disney Vacation Club Membership discount.
Comparing the two approaches based on current theme park ticket prices and current Disney Vacation Club Membership discounts, it looks like a multi-day theme park ticket with Park Hopper Plus Option saves around $8 per adult admission.
Denise, my best suggestion is to
use the Walt Disney World Theme Park Tickets page to compare the approaches using current ticket prices to put together a plan that works best for you.
Personally, I prefer the convenience and benefits of park hopping and the extra magic that comes with Park Hopper Plus Options.
Enjoy your Disney!
Jerry