Hi Lauren!
Thanks for stopping by the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your trip planning question! Our family has been dreaming about a Walt Disney World vacation these past few weeks too! We're discussing all sorts of trip planning details and can't wait until we can visit our favorite place again.
While we have visited the parks many times without the Park Hopper option, we are HUGE fans of adding this option to our
tickets - especially if we'll be in Walt Disney World for more than a couple of days. And, honestly, when planning with young children I always encourage guests to add this option if the budget allows it. The Park Hopper option allows for so much flexibility. For example, you can head over to the Magic Kingdom in time for park opening, and then plan a mid-day nap and pool break at your resort. You can relax, spend time catching up on rest, and enjoying an early evening meal at the resort. Then, you can travel to a different park to close out the night. This lets you have the best of multiple parks without overloading everyone and having some cranky kids and parents! Plus, you can plan to be in each of the parks to catch an
evening spectacular like
EPCOT Forever or the Magic Kingdom's
Happily Ever After without having to plan an entire day around that single event. That flexibility is awesome to have!
Also, while you're at the parks with your young ones, don't miss out on taking advantage of the
Baby Care Centers. They aren't just for infants! Each park features a center where you can have a quieter place for feeding (they even have microwaves if you need them!), diaper changes, or even to pick up a needed item that you may need for your toddler. They can really help a park touring day go super smoothly!
I hope this helps you pick your park ticket options, and please don't hesitate to return to the panel if we can help with any other planning details. We'd love to help!
Kathie