For our longer (7-8 days) trips, we do 1 park per day. I like it that way. But this past fall, DD15 and I did a long weekend trip (4 days, with 2 park days and 1 party night). I can't go to WDW without going to MK, DD15 can't go to WDW without eating at Via Napoli, and I couldn't imagine going to WDW and not riding TSMM. Plus, DD wanted to see Pandora. So we got the hopper pass.
Our first day, we went to HS in the morning to ride TSMM as many times as we could. Then we walked to Epcot for F&W lunch. After that we went back to our hotel for our break, then AK for the evening.
The next morning, we headed to Epcot again for a few rides, lunch at VN, a couple more F&W booths, then our break. This was a Saturday and Epcot was a madhouse! I could not believe the hoards of people, and when we were leaving around 2pm, the CM at the gate was just shaking her head in awe and said "I have never seen this many people here before!" I was glad to be leaving, and not coming back! We went back to our hotel for a break, then headed to MK for the evening. We did the HEA Plaza dessert party and stayed at the park as long as we could.
I didn't mind hopping, but for our long trips, we'll save money and not hop. I embarrassingly admit also, hopping confused me! I'm used to getting on the bus we got on in the morning - it's just the way my brain thinks, so on our first full day after our break, when I noticed an AK bus as we were walking to the bus stop, I said "Oh good, it's not our bus". DD didn't say anything, and when we got to the bus stop and the bus had just drove away, I realized we needed to get on that bus. Duh!