Great Disney Vacations

Archive for the ‘Tickets’ Category

You’ve heard of a Disney World park hopper pass…but you’re not quite sure what it is.  Or why it’s so popular.  Not to worry, here’s what you need to know before you buy your Disney park tickets with a park hopper pass option.

What the Park Hopper Pass Does

The Disney park hopper option, when added onto the base “Magic Your Way” ticket, lets you visit multiple theme parks in one day.  Hmm, doesn’t sounds like a big deal, but here’s why it it.

While all the parks have parades, only the Magic Kingdom has an evening parade with all kinds of illuminated costumes.  Nor does any other theme park have as good a fireworks show as the Magic Kingdom.

But say you want to spend your day at the Animal Kingdom.  It closes earliest of all the parks, due to the animals.  And along those lines, there aren’t any fireworks.

If you have a regular ticket, you can’t go over to visit the Magic Kingdom after Animal Kingdom closes.

But if you have a Disney World Park Hopper pass, you can go on over and spend the evening at the Magic Kingdom, see the light parade, fireworks and ride a few rides while you’re at it.

Two Other Hopper Advantages

This really applies more if you are staying at a Disney World resort, but the advantage here is that when you get hot and tired in the afternoon (and maybe a little cranky), you can go back to your resort room for a power nap, a dip in the pool or both!

The refreshed, you can go off and visit whichever park you’d like to see that evening.

Another advantage that most people don’t think about is dinner reservations.  Maybe you’ve spend most of the day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but you really want to eat at the Coral Room at EPCOT (where the walls are an aquarium).  If you have a Disney World park hopper pass, it’s no problem.

If you don’t have the hopper option, you either have to skip the Coral Room or buy a full-price ticket to go to EPCOT for dinner.

How Do You Get a Disney Park Hopper Pass?

When you purchase your ticket, you almost always have the option to add park hopper to it (I can’t remember not being asked if I wanted it).  It is an extra cost, in the range of $10/day, but it’s worth it.

It’s worth it, that is, unless you only have 1 day for Disney, in which case I’d say just pick a park and stay at it for the day.  But if you’re staying multiple days, it’s the one Disney park ticket option I always recommend (and yes, which I also get).

So just how can you get discount Walt Disney tickets for Orlando?  Seeing as Disney World isn’t exactly inexpensive, making the most of your dollars sure does help!

Let’s take a look at some ways to get those Orlando Disney tickets!

Buy Walt Disney World Travel Packages

There are all kinds of Walt Disney World travel packages, and the vast majority feature discounted tickets.  However, keep this in mind; there are few discounts for visits of one or two days.  To start seeing the price per day go down, they get better at three days, then really start decreasing at 5 or more days.

If You’re a Florida Resident…

…you’re eligible for a 10% discount on your tickets.  However, you must be a Florida resident (i.e. a Florida driver’s license or state of Florida official ID) to get the discount.  You can only get this discount in person, and they will check your ID.

In addition, if you are a student at a university or college in Florida, or a member of the armed services stationed in Florida, you can also receive the discount.  But once again, bring your IDs and they will be checked.

As Part of a Convention

If you’re a member of an organization that has a convention at Disney World, very often special ticket pricing will be available to you.  However, you will likely be required to actually attend the convention in order to get the rates.

Buy Online

Buying your discount Walk Disney tickets online will often shave a little money off the ticket price.  But keep an eye for shipping charges, so that it doesn’t eat up your savings.

Take a Timeshare Tour

Yes, there are still places out there that will sell you discount Disney World tickets for sitting through a timeshare spiel.  You will still have to buy the tickets, although at a deep discount.  If you decide to go this route, find out ahead of time if the ticket is only good for that day or if it’s good for the following a well.  If you have an afternoon appointment to listen to the sales pitch, and your ticket has to be used that day, is it really a deal?

Buying Discount Walt Disney Tickets — A Summary

Your best bet for a discount is to buy your tickets as part of a vacation package.  Next is to buy a ticket for 3 or more days, to see a discount on the per-day price.  If you’re a Florida resident, you get an automatic 10% discount.  You can buy online, go as part of a convention or listen to a timeshare presentation.

Have a great time at Walt Disney World!