Is There Any Easy Way to Save on Disnwy Tickets
Our guide to discount Disney World tickets offers money-saving info, pros & cons of Park Hoppers, tips for the best deals on tickets for now through December 31, 2023 at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios & Animal Kingdom. Plus, price increase predictions, which is likely to happen this winter. (Updated July 6, 2022.)
If you're wondering the best place to safely buy the discounted Walt Disney World multi-day tickets from an authorized reseller, we recommend Get Away Today, which offers an exclusive discount to readers of this site–enter promo code DTB22 at checkout for an extra $8 to $30 off per ticket! They have excellent deals on Central Florida theme parks, including Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and SeaWorld Orlando in addition to Disney's theme and water parks.
This is one authorized sellers we recommend (see info about the other below), with the highlighted one changing based upon which currently has the best pricing. All three offer exceptional customer service and added flexibility, even superior to what Disney offers directly (call centers are currently short-staffed, making speaking with a person at Disney "challenging" to say the least). These low prices coupled with Get Away Today's "Best Price Guarantee" makes them our recommended ticket seller…
Before we get started, there are a couple of things you need to know before visiting. The important thing to know is that guests are required to make a theme park reservation via the Disney Park Pass system in order to visit the parks. This can only be done once you've purchased tickets, which is yet another reason (aside from saving money) to buy your park tickets early.
We have a How to Make Disney Park Pass Reservations Guide that can assist with that, but it's pretty easy and intuitive. Availability varies dramatically based on season and how far in advance you make reservations. Most dates have options even a few days in advance, but peak travel dates like the weeks of Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and the entirety of spring break season all book up weeks in advance. Plan accordingly and err on the side of caution–buy tickets and make reservations at least one month before your desired dates just in case.
The next big news is that the new paid line-skipping system that replaces free FastPass+ has now launched at Walt Disney World. We cover everything you need to know in our Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World & Lightning Lane FAQ. This system is totally different from its predecessor and can be overwhelming. Once you get past that rather steep and sometimes counterintuitive learning curve, it can be leveraged to your advantage.
You can only purchase Genie+ on a day-by-day basis during your Walt Disney World vacation. It was previously available to purchase in advance as a length-of-ticket add-on. However, that is no longer sold. That's not really a big deal for most guests–we only recommend buying Genie+ for Magic Kingdom and sometimes Disney's Hollywood Studios.
In terms of other discounts beyond just regular park tickets, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) tickets are now on sale and may be purchased from Undercover Tourist, another authorized Walt Disney World ticket seller. You'll save about $10 on each MNSSHP ticket.
Similarly, Undercover Tourist sells discounted admission to Disney H2O Glow Nights at Typhoon Lagoon. This is an after hours event held during the summer and early fall, and is a great time to visit the water park–we recommend doing that party over a regular day at Typhoon Lagoon.
With so many different park ticket options, this might already seem overwhelming. In this WDW park ticket guide, we present the pros and cons of different tickets so you can make an informed decision about which options are best for your family. We'll break down everything you need to know about the complexities of Walt Disney World tickets.
We sort through the different options and give you recommendations on what types of tickets are best for you, plus where you can save money on Walt Disney World tickets. (If you've come looking for info on discount Disneyland tickets, you've come to the wrong place–but we do have an article with Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets, too.) By the end of this post, you'll know way more than you ever thought there was to know about park tickets!
With that out of the way, let's start with the latest ticket news & rumors…
2022 Ticket News & Rumors
Typically, Walt Disney World's annual ticket price increase occurs in February or October–sometimes both. Like clockwork, prices increased this year on most multi-day tickets on February 17 of this year. You can read about the "damage" in this post, which also explains why prices are effectively higher for 1-3 day tickets, despite no price increase.
Last year, prices did not increase last October for regular tickets. Instead, the company rolled out Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes, which effectively amount to an indirect increase to the normal price of admission. Beyond that, overall costs are up dramatically due to a mix of direct increases and reduced discounts.
Accordingly, it's difficult to say whether Walt Disney World will increase prices again in October 2022. The company has been incredibly aggressive in the last year, with pent-up demand supporting the higher prices. If that continues to be the case, we could see higher prices this fall. It's really hard to say at this point.
If the last two years have taught us anything, it's to expect the unexpected. Subscribe to our free email newsletter for all of the latest updates as we hear more rumors or official announcements about ticket prices.
Regardless, if you have a Walt Disney World trip planned for now through December 2023, we highly recommend buying tickets sooner rather than later to lock-in current prices (beyond the scope of this post, but we'd advise doing the same with your hotel room).
Even if ticket prices don't increase in October 2022, it's a near certainty that they will in early 2023. So, if you're visiting sometime next spring, summer, or fall, you will without a doubt come out ahead buying early. Beyond that, there's zero downside to purchasing tickets in advance–it's all upside. You avoid paying more money later if or when prices increase.
Where to Buy the Cheapest Disney Tickets
As we mentioned at the beginning, to save money on multi-day Walt Disney World tickets, we recommend buying from Get Away Today, which is an authorized discount Disney ticket broker that typically has the lowest prices on legitimate park tickets. You can order tickets for use now through December 31, 2023.
Another excellent ticket seller we recommend is Undercover Tourist. These two typically compete with each other on prices, and are usually within a few dollars of one another. Which is better often depends upon the ticket type and when you're searching. (Like airfare, ticket prices fluctuate, especially as the various reputable sellers try to beat one another on pricing.)
After purchasing, you'll receive confirmation codes for My Disney Experience via email, which enables you to easily link the tickets to your My Disney Experience account. This also means that the tickets are compatible with MagicBands, which you'll receive with your Walt Disney World hotel reservation; you can also purchase special edition MagicBands in the parks.
There aren't many Disney ticket sellers that are actually legitimate, so be careful if you find a deal elsewhere. The sellers we mention in this article are the ones that have the best reputations and offer the biggest discounts. If you find a better deal somewhere else, well…you know what they say about when something sounds too good to be true!
Authorized discount Disney ticket brokers are great ways to save money on park tickets over gate prices, but not every third party ticket broker is reliable and trust-worthy. Most places selling discount Disney tickets are scams. Buying tickets on eBay or Craigslist is about as good of an idea as buying Louis Vuitton purses on a street corner.
Disney tickets are non-transferrable–they are tied to your fingerprint once partially used. If you get burned by these sellers with a partially-used or counterfeit ticket, Disney won't have sympathy. You'll have to pay full price for tickets at the park gates. Not exactly the best way to start the day on a Disney vacation!
The good news is that there are several legitimate, authorized Walt Disney World ticket sellers that can be trusted. In addition to Get Away Today and Undercover Tourist, we also recommend Official Ticket Center. All three are highly reputable and offer great customer service. (Beyond this trio, there are other trustworthy third party sellers, but we can't vouch for any of them.)
If you're comparing prices, remember to compare apples to apples: Disney prices don't include the Florida 6.5% tax, whereas prices from the sellers we recommend do include tax into the final price you pay. Sorry bold that all, but we get so many comments from people who miss that, and wonder why the discounts aren't as good as promised. Also make sure you're comparing Park Hopper tickets to regular tickets or not. Lots of people make mistakes in not comparing the same tickets to one another.
Additionally, you might be eligible for discount tickets through your employer or a membership program like TicketsAtWork that can save even more than the alternatives. The only downsides are that some of these tickets require more advance notice for processing, and that what you receive is a ticket voucher (it still can be linked to My Disney Experience); you will need to pick up the actual ticket when you arrive at Walt Disney World.
Moving on, let's take a look at which type of ticket options are best for you…
Which Tickets to Buy?
Sometimes people ask which ticket is our favorite for first-time visitors to Walt Disney World, and it really depends upon how long you're visiting. In our Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide, we recommend most first-time visitors take a 6-8 trip.
Assuming you are going this route, you probably won't spend every moment in the park. You'll want a rest day in the middle to spend recovering poolside, and maybe a shopping day (or morning) at Disney Springs. With that said, we recommend buying a ticket that is 1-2 days shorter than the duration of your vacation–unless you're visiting for 4 days or fewer, in which case you should purchase a ticket for every day. Always get at least a 4-day ticket. Ideally, get nothing less than a 5-day ticket.
Meaning, if your vacation is 8 days, we recommend the 6-day or 7-day ticket. If you are visiting for 6 days, get the 5-day ticket. In our experience, a 6-day Walt Disney World vacation is about the sweet spot for first-timers. That means either a 4-day or 5-day ticket is going to be a smart bet for most people reading this. (If you have more time, that's excellent!)
Are Park Hopper Tickets Worth it?
The Park Hopper add-on allows you to visit multiple parks in the same day. You can bounce around the parks and maximize your time in the parks. Some guests can skip the Park Hopper option: particularly those with small children and those who won't stay out late.
On the other hand, Park Hopping can be really beneficial if you want to revisit favorite attractions or head over to a certain park for the evening for dinner. With the exception of Magic Kingdom, you won't need to spend multiple full days in any park, and the ability to bounce around is a great solution allowing you to spend additional partial days in the other parks.
Another benefit of the Park Hopper option is spending more hours per day in the theme parks. Since each park has different opening and closing hours, getting a Park Hopper is a good way to extend your day (particularly in the off-season when parks close earlier) or spend more time in Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom often closes later than the other parks, so you squeeze a couple more hours out of day by starting your day in Animal Kingdom (for example) and heading to Magic Kingdom once Animal Kingdom closes.
If you're staying in an eligible on-site Walt Disney World resort, you'll also potentially need the Park Hopper option to take advantage of Extended Evening Hours. This perk is incredibly advantageous, as crowds are usually low during these nighttime hours. If you don't buy the Park Hopper option, you'll need to start your day in the park offering Extended Evening Hours in order to take advantage. See our Guide to Extended Evening Hours at Walt Disney Worldfor taking advantage of this perk, eligibility, and more.
Because of these two things, we generally recommend purchasing the Park Hopper option. While it does cost more, if you're buying multiple day tickets, you might be surprised to learn that the extra cost is insignificant. Currently, a discounted 7-day Walt Disney World Adult Park Hopper Ticket will cost around $650 after tax, with some dates costing more and some costing less. Obviously, that's a lot of money.
However, compare it to a 1-day Park Hopper ticket directly from Disney, which can cost over $180 after tax. For less than the price of three 1-day tickets, you can purchase a 7-day discounted Park Hopper. That 7-day ticket works out to being less than $95/day!
Other multi-day tickets offer similar savings, so be sure to look at the prices of other multi-day Walt Disney World tickets and do some comparison shopping to see just how much you can save. Walt Disney World advertises that "the more you play, the less you pay per day" and this is definitely true.
What About Park Hopper Plus Tickets?
The Park Hopper Plus ticket option (formerly "Water Park Fun & More") offers everything included with Park Hopper Tickets mentioned above, plus access to Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course, and Winter Summerland or Fantasia Gardens mini golf.
With Park Hopper Plus tickets, you are eligible for the same number of "Plus" admissions as the number of days on your ticket. Meaning that if you have a 7-day Park Hopper Plus ticket, you also have 7 entrances the water parks, mini golf course, etc. (Be mindful of operating schedules, as not all of these options are open year-round.)
Whether this ticket is right for you really depends upon whether you want to do any of the parks beyond the 4 main theme parks. If you want to do one of the other things even once or twice, you come out ahead to purchase the Park Hopper Plus Tickets. We love both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, and enjoy both of the mini golf courses (albeit less so than the water parks) and recommend this ticket option to anyone who will be spending 6 days or more at Walt Disney World.
What About the Water Park and Sports Option?
The Water Park and Sports Option is available as an add-on to select Walt Disney World theme park tickets for $70 plus tax. This option allows guests to visit one theme park each day, plus various water park or sports experiences that same number of times.
The Water Park & Sports Option is valid at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon or Disney's Blizzard Beach water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course, FootGolf at Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course, Disney's Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course, or Disney's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course. (Again, pay attention to operating schedules, as not all of these options are open year-round.)
Basically, this ticket is the non-park hopper version of the aforementioned Park Hopper Plus ticket option. The analysis for the Water Park and Sports Ticket Option is identical to the Park Hopper Plus, but for those who only want to do one theme park per day. We generally favor the Park Hopper Plus option as it offers great flexibility and the upgrade cost to that is insignificant, but that's just us.
Affiliation Discounts
If for some reason you don't want to buy discounted Disney tickets from Get Away Today, Undercover Tourist or Official Ticket Center, there's a possibility you qualify for some other form of discount. The most common discounts are: Florida resident, military/department of defense, corporate or "club" discounts, Disney Vacation Club, and sometimes Walt Disney World ticket discounts for Europeans.
Of these discounts, military Disney ticket discounts are typically the best, followed by AAA discounts. AAA discounts are only offered through local offices and tax isn't included in their price quotes. Note that Disney ended its relationship with AAA, so there are no additional perks for buying Disney tickets through AAA anymore.
AAA discounts typically are not as good as the prices offered by the discount ticket brokers, but military or department of defense discounts are always better. The "Stars and Stripes" promotion (only available to select members of the armed forces and department of defense) will usually annihilate what is offered by third party discount ticket brokers or AAA. This promo isn't always offered, so call Shades of Green at 888-593-2242 prior to ordering tickets to see whether it's available for your stay.
Another option available to some people is TicketsAtWork. This is a members-only site that partners with certain corporations to offer company employees exclusive discounts and special offers for theme parks, attractions, Broadway shows, special events, hotels, concerts, and movie tickets. In other words, Tickets at Work is a "perk" that's available only to employees of certain corporations.
Tickets at Work most definitely is legitimate. Unfortunately, we cannot offer a price comparison to Tickets at Work because we don't work for companies partnered with Tickets at Work, nor do we know anyone who does. Anecdotally, we've heard that in some cases, Tickets at Work offers prices that are slightly better. In other cases, their prices are worse. We've also been told that shipping can take 2-3 weeks with Tickets at Work, which could be a deal-breaker if you're trying to make reservations in a hurry. Check with your company's HR department to see if your company is a Tickets at Work partner.
Now, let's cover one other possible Walt Disney World park ticket option…
What About An Annual Pass?
Walt Disney World resumed Annual Pass sales last fall, before temporarily suspending sales of the top three tiers (Incredi-Pass, Sorcerer Pass, and Pirate Pass). Currently, only the Pixie Pass is available for purchase, and only Florida residents are eligible to buy that. Our expectation is that sales will be unpaused pretty soon now that the busy holiday season is in the rearview mirror.
In the past, it has made sense to consider an AP for your trip to Walt Disney World. After Annual Pass tiers changed, that now is typically not true unless you are a Florida resident or are a Disney super fan who will travel to Florida 3-4 times per year. For an Annual Pass to be a better value than normal park tickets, most prospective buyers would need to spend over two weeks in the parks.
Beyond that, there is a 10% discount on food and non-alcoholic beverages at participating restaurants at Walt Disney World. The discount includes some of our favorite restaurants; you can see the full list of participating restaurants here–it's a nice mix of counter service and table service locations. Additionally, APs now receive 20% off most merchandise purchases.
Thanks to these benefits, if you're taking a trip slightly shorter than 15 days or if you're visiting for two 5+ day trips within a 12-month window it still might make sense to buy Annual Passes.
Conclusion
Hopefully the above info helped you determine which Walt Disney World park ticket you should buy and how to save money on those tickets. If you still have some questions, here are some general rules:
- Thanks to very good discounts, our top recommendation for Walt Disney World is the 5-day to 7-day Park Hopper ticket, all of which provide excellent savings.
- We recommend the Park Hopper option for most people, but if you definitely won't visit more than one park per day, you can save additional money by skipping the Park Hopper option.
- By purchasing via an authorized ticket broker, you can make park reservations ahead of time. If you buy tickets once you arrive to Walt Disney World, you're at a disadvantage in two ways: you pay more for tickets and you cannot make park reservations in advance.
- Do not consider an Annual Pass unless you will visit Walt Disney World for roughly 15+ days in a 365 day window, or will take multiple shorter trips.
- If you are planning a vacation and definitely going to Walt Disney World before December 31, 2023, it's always best to buy tickets as far in advance as possible to lock-in current prices and avoid future increases.
It's important to know that my suggestions are based on our preferences, and they may not work for you. It's really best to read through this and then apply it to your own circumstances by looking at your own schedule and preferences, and determining what type of tickets are best for you. Finally, head to Get Away Today and buy the appropriate tickets at the best discount (using promo code DTB22 at checkout).
For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. For overviews of all of these topics and so much more, the best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!
Your Thoughts
Have any questions about which tickets might be best for you? Which Walt Disney World tickets do you think are best, and why? Hopefully this guide to Disney discount tickets has provided you with some valuable tips & tricks to help you save money on Walt Disney World tickets, and has helped you figure out which kind of Disney tickets are right for you. If you still have any questions, please leave them in the comments and we will try to help!
Source: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/discount-disney-tickets/