Walt Disney World Ticket Buying Guidelines
Almost everything you need to know about Walt Disney World admission tickets (passes).
Last ticket prices shown are as of August 2011. Prices are already published in many locations including Disney's ticket booths, the Disney Information Station (www.wdwinfo.com). Mouse Savers (mousesavers.com) and others.
Regular admission prices, click here.
Quick tips, factoids, FAQ's, click here.
Terminology (glossary), click here.
Ticket discussions in detail, click here.
Our unofficial Walt Disney World page
More travel tips
Go to articles on completely different
subjects.
All prices shown here include applicable sales tax and are rounded to the nearest U.S. dollar.
Thanks to "Cheshire Figment" on the forums of the Disney Information Station.
Discussion Topics
(Here, "Ticket" and "Pass "mean the same thing.)
Annual Passes (Two trips and twelve Disney days and it is worthwhile)
Regular Admission (It's called Magic Your Way)
Convention and Promotional Passes (They do expire)
Roadside Stands, eBay (Don't buy, passes may not be valid)
Resort Packages (You must buy passes but may save them for later)
Time Share Gift Passes (Not recommended for longer vacations)
Hopper Plus Passes (discontinued but always usable as-is)
Unlimited Magic (not offered but new packages are available)
Child Passes (Can do even exchange at no cost for adult pass)
Old Passes (Use as-is but not in same vacation as new pass)
Upgrading Passes (You can add days, hopping, etc. as needed)
Trading Up Passes (Lots of room for misunderstandings, mistakes)
"Free Dining" Package (May beat the annual pass, cost wise)
Safeguard Your Pass/Ticket (Copy down all the numbers and codes)
Premium (Don't confuse annual and package and MYW)
Unanswered Questions (Yes we still have a few.)
Quick Tips, Factoids, Frequently Asked Questions.
You may not use two park days off of one non-hopping ticket card to visit two theme parks on the same day. Click here for more information.
You can get the tickets for your room/meal package a few days before check in. More.
Partially used Magic Your Way passes are valued at Disney's current selling price for upgrade purposes. More.
Entering a water park does not consume a theme park day. More.
Unused regular tickets, even without non-expiration, do not expire.
Park visits need not be on consecutive days. Click here for more.
All guests 10 years in age or older must use the turnstile finger scanner for all tickets, old and new. Click here for more.
You don't need your regular ticket to attend a party after 4 PM. More.
Usage life of Magic Your Way tickets without non-expiration begins with first usage and lasts for 13 more days. More.
To save time, decide on your schedule before choosing your tickets. More.
Do not buy tickets from private parties such as on eBay, or from roadside ticket stands. More.
Price of non-expiration depends on number of days originally on the ticket, not the days remaining. More.
Non-expiration is usually worth it only if the ticket completely covers a second vacation. More.
One Water Park Fun visit is equal to a one day admission ticket to that minor park. More.
With Water Park Fun you can visit the same minor park multiple times, or different minor parks in any combination. More.
Two or more visits to the minor parks other than Wide World of Sports, and the Water Park Fun option is better than separate admissions. More.
Visiting water parks does not require purchasing the hopping option. More.
The break even for an annual pass versus regular tickets is about twelve theme park days. More.
Annual pass discount renewal begins when the previous pass expired. More.
Annual pass room discounts are not available on some resort packages. More.
Your grown child may exchange his partly used child ticket for an adult ticket at no cost. More.
Old tickets remain valid for what they were valid for when printed. Also, old theme park tickets are valid for admission to theme parks that opened later. More.
Old tickets that don't fit in the turnstiles may be exchanged at no cost for new magnetic stripe tickets with the same remaining admissions. More.
Very old passes generally may not be kept as souvenirs and also used for admission. More.
Upgrading: Features such as non-expiration, and more days up to ten including the days already used, may be added to Magic Your Way tickets within 14 days of first usage provided the ticket is not completely used up. More.
Unused standard pre-2005 passes are valued at wholesale price, not gate price, for trade up purposes. More.
Used pre-2005 passes and non-expiring MYW passes used more than 13 days ago may not be upgraded (but may still be used as-is). More.
Leftover tickets are best used as-is and for short vacations or when you have enough leftovers so as not to need a new ticket. More.
For trade ins, only one old ticket may be used in trade towards each new ticket. More.
For Disney resort packages the same kind of ticket must be ordered for each room occupant but tickets may be upgraded individually after check in. More.
Rainchecks, timeshare tickets, and other short tickets are not suited for medium or long vacations. More.
School groups (soccer, cheerleading, band, etc.) may have to buy additional tickets to extend a vacation. More.
Long vacations are better done with expiring tickets. More.
Copy down the letters and codes on the back of the ticket before use and save that information. More.
Ask for the dollar value of an old pass before discussing trading up or adding on. If something does not seem right, go to a different ticket booth to get a second opinion. More.
AP -- Annual pass.
Base Ticket -- Has theme park admission, no optional features such as hopping.
Bridging -- Part of the process whereby you pay the difference in gate prices when you upgrade a discounted ticket.
Crossover -- Park hopping.
Disney's -- Disney owned and operated (has "Disney's" in its full name).
DVC -- Disney Vacation Club (similar to a time sharing condo.)
Entitlement -- Any one of the admissions, either theme park or water park fun, on a ticket.
Expires (date) -- Becomes unusable when the last park has closed for that day of business.
Fast Pass (tm) -- Coupon allowing expedited ride or show entry, is not valid for park admission.
Flex -- (flexible feature) Package option allowing one of multiple choices such as tee shirts or photographs.
Gate Price -- Price of the ticket as purchased that day at the park entrance.
Hard Ticket Event -- Hours in a park for which a special ticket for that date is required.
Infant -- Person under 3 years of age (who is admitted free).
Junior -- Person 10-17 years of age (who must use "adult" priced tickets).
KTTK or KTTW -- Resort room key card (key to the kingdom/world).
LOS -- Length of stay (discontinued ticket offering for resort vacation packages)
Minor Park -- Water park, Disney Quest, Wide World of Sports, etc.
MYW -- Magic Your Way, the current admission ticket system.
Package -- Room reservation with extra features such as meals and/or tickets and/or golf.
PAP -- Premium annual pass (with water park fun)
Park hopper (lowercase h) -- Nowadays refers to any ticket that allows park hopping.
Party -- (1) Hard ticket event. (2) Any group of people traveling or rooming together.
PHP -- Park Hopper Plus (tm) pass (discontinued ticket offering with water park fun)
Plus -- A minor park (water park fun) admission on a theme park ticket.
Promotional -- Refers to pass such as a rain check or time share gift, generally not sold at park ticket booths.
TIW -- Tables in Wonderland, formerly DDE, restaurant discount membership available to annual pass holder and family.
Touch of Magic -- Two or three day promotional ticket with one water park fun visit.
UPH; UMP -- Ultimate park hopper; Unlimited magic pass (discontinued ticket offerings)
Wish -- Flex; flexible feature, see above.
Wishes -- Fireworks display at Magic Kingdom
WPM; WPF, WPFM -- Plus feature; water park fun & more.
WPMA -- As used here, one visit's worth of water park fun & more.)
YES (Youth Education Series) -- Collection of programs including classes, resort stays, sporting events, and promotional tickets.
Try not to carry around more than one pass (per person for your family). It is very easy to use the wrong pass in a turnstile, consuming perhaps two days' worth of admission on one day.
Hold your finger still in the biometric reader at the turnstile. It takes at least a few seconds to register.
Save Time, Plan Your Schedule First
We will confess up front: It is absolutely positively impossible to choose the best bargain for tickets until after you have finalized your schedule of what park you will be in and when. If you try to keep tweaking both your schedule and your ticket choice, you will spend endless hours asking yourself, "what if this?" and "what if that?".
A very slight change in your schedule may result in a somewhat different ticket's being the lowest priced for your vacation.
For non-expiring tickets you need to plan two vacations in advance.
"Magic Your Way".refers to the current ticketing system and ticket offerings, which began in January 2005.
You can buy multi-day tickets for up to ten days, and single day tickets. (Not all non-Disney ticket agencies have all denominations.). The basic pass (base ticket) has a 14 consecutive day lifetime upon first usage and admits you to one theme park for each "day" on the pass. Park visits need not be on consecutive days. Six days cost USD $276. (tax included in all of these prices shown), ten days cost $310. which seems like a bargain except that all days must be chosen from a 14 day time span. You may leave the park, and return to the same park later in the day subject to crowds.
Late 2010 Base Ticket Gate Prices (one theme park of your choice per
day)
"The fifth through tenth days cost about eight
dollars each."
Days 1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Ages 10+ $91 179 247 259 267 276 284 293 301
310
Ages 3-9 $84 165 228 239 247 256 264 273 281
290
Non-expir. $115* 27 37 80 122 138
170 208 234 240 add-on
Prices shown are as of August 2011, include sales tax, currently 6.5%, and are rounded to the nearest dollar. Because the passes are to be used in Florida, Florida sales or use tax is included in or added to the price regardless of where you buy the passes. Some travel agent discounts are available for regular admission but not for annual passes. Special prices are available to Florida residents.
We have not reproduced the entire menu of prices and choices here, you can go to www.mousesavers.com (look for ticket information) to view that. As always, prices are subject to change.
Tip: A person under the age of 3 upon arrival does not need a ticket any time during that vacation even if s/he celebrates his/her third birthday at Walt Disney World.
* Includes required purchase of a second day's admission, total cost is $108. for ages 3-9.
Park Hopping
For an additional $59. one time charge per ticket card ($37. for one day tickets) you may visit more than one theme park on a given day.
Note: Without the hopping privilege you cannot visit a different theme park on the same day using the same ticket card expecting to consume or "forfeit" or "burn" an additional day off of the ticket, perhaps a day that you might otherwise lose to expiration. The park turnstiles and computer systems specifically disallow this. You could use a different ticket card although this is not cost effective except when oneticket is specifically for the Halloween party or other special event.
Tip: For a two or three day vacation during which you will park-hop on just one day, a separate one day ticket with hopping and another ticket card without hopping is a better buy than one ticket for the whole vacation.
Tip: You can delay adding the hopping option until you need it (maximum of 2 weeks).
Water Park Fun (Plus Options)
Entering a water park does not use up a theme park day.
The Water Parks Fun and More option costs $59. per ticket card. You can choose from the five venues ,or minor parks, (Blizzard Beach, Disney Quest, Typhoon Lagoon, Wide World of Sports,.Oak Trail golf course) in any combination, repetition, or order up to the number of WPM admissions (visits) on your pass. You get as many minor park visits as there are theme park days (minimum of two visits) for the same $59. price, but all of the admissions must be used within the pass' 14 day lifespan if you do not purchase non-expiration.
Days 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10
WPMA's 2 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10
Although $59. seems like a lot to pay to add Water Parks and More to a one day pass, remember that the "fun" visits can be used on different days if you wish.
Using a visit (or using a Plus option on a Hopper Plus pass) is equivalent to purchasing a single day ticket at the entrance.
You may visit two or more minor parks on one day (consuming two or more visits, respectively) even if your pass does not have the Hopping Option.
Water park fun visits may be used on the same or different days as theme park admissions both with Magic Your Way passes and the older Hopper Plus passes.
Blizzard Beach in the morning, Typhoon Lagoon in the afternoon, no other parks visited -- Uses zero days and two visits (plusses) with or without hopping on your ticket.Blizzard Beach in the morning, Epcot in the afternoon, no other parks visited -- Uses one day and one visit with or without hopping on your ticket.
Blizzard Beach in the morning, leave for lunch, return in the afternoon -- Uses one visit.
Blizzard Beach in the afternoon, come back the next day -- Uses two visits.
Future hypothetical example only: Blizzard Beach (1 visit), Disney Quest (1 visit), Horseback Riding (2 visits) -- selecting Horseback Riding once consumes two visits while visiting Blizzard Beach once consumes one visit.
At Oak Trail, one fun visit gives you one round of golf (nine holes). You must make a reservation for the tee time and can use the ticket card no more than once per calendar day.
Plusses on (pre-2005) Hopper Plus passes are not good for admission to Disney Quest but if the ticket agent is in a good mood, he or she may surprise you with a free exchange to an equivalent Magic Your Way pass good at Disney Quest.
Non-expiration preserves unused WPM visits also, even if the park days are all used up.
For a partially used one day ticket, there is no way to preserve unused water park fun, or even the theme park day if not used first, beyond 14 days without purchasing as second day to go with non-expiration.
Tip: Roughly speaking, Water Park Fun and More is worthwhile only if you use it at least twice not counting at the Wide World of Sports.
Don't forget, tickets are not transferable. You may not add water park fun to one ticket and admit the entire family to the water park using that ticket card.
Tip: If you bought a single day ticket to a water park, you can use it towards the price of Water Park Fun added to your regular Magic Your Way ticket. This is the only instance where two ticket cards can be combined. This must be done on the same day you used the single water park ticket. Theme park tickets used more than 13 days ago or which have no remaining admissions may no longer be used in any upgrade process.
Tip: If you run out of water park fun, you can (within the limits for upgrades) add another theme park day and another fun visit will be added as well.
Tip: Inquire in advance about events before going to the ESPN Wide World of Sports. One fun visit gives you general admission only. Sometimes nothing is going on inside. Sometimes an extra charge is required to attend some events. Some events are closed to the public. Also, Disney transportation might not be available after late ending events.
Annual Passes
Twelve days and an annual pass makes sense.
Not counting special promotions, having the Annual Pass is almost always more cost effective than buying regular admission tickets if you take three or more trips to Walt Disney World within a year and often best if you take two trips. This is before any other benefits such as complimentary parking or gift shop or resort discounts are figured in. Two trips totalling 12 Disney days in a year is the rough break-even but you still need to work the numbers.
To decide whether to get a premium versus regular Annual Pass, also consider how much you will use the water parks, or Disney Quest. Four visits to these and the premium Annual Pass is better.
It is not unusual for general public discounts for limited booking times or limited stay times to come within $10. of the annual pass rate for value (budget) resorts and within $20. of the annual pass rate for moderate (intermediate) resorts.
Tip: Only one adult family member needs to hold an annual pass to give the family benefits such as free parking and room discounts that go with annual passes.
Annual passes are convenient for multiple short visits to water parks on different days, which will exhaust the Water Park Fun visits on Magic Your Way passes more quickly..
The best way to get annual passes is directly at one of the four major theme parks, or at the Marketplace (east) section of Downtown Disney, go to the guest services window. Currently annual passes are not sold at resorts.
Annual pass prices in U.S. dollars @ August 2011 including tax:
Seasonal* M/F* Regular
Premium Premier
Ages 10+ $286 191 553
691 798 (new)
$257 175
510 638 798 (renewal)
Ages 3-9 $264 176 509
637 798 (new)
$236 161
470 588 798 (renewal)
* The Seasonal and Weekday Select passes are restricted to Florida full time and some Florida part time residents and there are numerous blackout dates including most of the summer months. A person who moves out of Florida may continue to use his pass until it is exhausted or expires.
The Premier pass is an annual pass honored at Disneyland in California and also at the Walt Disney theme parks in Florida.
Renewal discount is about eight percent. Currently no other discounts are offered on annual passes except they are priced about $100. less (as a different kind of ticket with the same features) to members of the Disney Vacation Club.
Advance Purchase, Vouchers
Purchasing an annual pass in advance is for convenience only; there is no discount. You will receive a voucher or card that must be presented at a Guest Relations booth at a theme park, water park, or Downtown Disney (not at a resort). So far, annual pass vouchers have never expired. However Disney reserves the right to collect a surcharge reflecting any increase in the price of that annual pass. The voucher is not refundable.
Membership is Continuous
Disney's rule fits the definition of "renew" in that a "renewal" annual pass activates the day after the previous one expires regardless of when you perform the renewal (some deadlines and time windows still apply). Depending on when and how often you visit, you may save money by letting the annual pass expire and buying another one (without the renewal discount) on your next visit.
If your annual pass expires in the middle of your vacation, this usually tilts a close decision in the direction of "renew".
Tip: Check your annual pass as soon as you get it, to be sure the expiration date is a year from that moment*. Not from the date you paid for it or the date on a voucher. Once in a while a mistake is made and you should hand it back and have a new pass made before you walk away. (* For discount renewals, the correct expiration date is a year after your previous pass expired.)
You cannot truthfully say you have been a Passholder since such and such a year if, during that time span, you have let an annual pass expire and it was weeks or months later before you purchased another.
Trivia: When does your first annual pass expire?
Answer: At the close of business for the same month and day (anniversary date) a year from when you received it. This gives the annual pass a lifetime of 366 days (367 days if February 29'th is spanned). A "renewal "pass starts the next day. New annual passes purchased on Feb. 29 expire on Feb. 28.
Other Passes
Here are current prices for single day tickets and annual passes to Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, and Disney Quest.
BB,TL BB/TL AP DQ
DQ AP BB/TL/DQ AP
Ages 10+ $52 106 46
95 138
Ages 3-9 $44 86 39
76 105
One water park or Disney Quest single ticket may be applied, on the day of its usage, towards the price of a water park or Disney Quest annual pass respectively, towards the addition of water park fun to a Magic Your Way ticket, or towards the upgrade of a regular annual pass to premium.
Ticket Tag(TM); Finger Scanners; Biometric Readers
All guests of age 10 and older must put their fingers in the biometric readers (finger scanners) at the turnstiles to establish ownership of a pass and prevent sharing the pass with someone else.
All "adult" passes, including older Park Hopper Plus passes and the magnetic stripe tickets you exchanged your still-older cardboard passes for, require use of the biometric readers and the usage procedure is the same.
We suggest that you write the name of the person who will be using the pass on a blank area on the back. Also it is easy to hand out to family members headed in different directions, unidentified passes with the wrong number of ticket options (water park fun, etc.) or package options (flexes; wishes) remaining.
Simply insert one finger into the biometric reader (most turnstiles) and wait for the green light to appear. All you have to remember is to use the same finger each time. (The turnstile attendant will make special arrangements, usually using photo ID's, for guests unable or unwilling to do this.)
No special action is needed to use a ticket for the first time. Simply insert the ticket in the turnstile and use the finger scanner normally.
Except on rare occasions if the finger scanner system is malfunctioning, hand stamps are no longer used or needed to re-enter a park Signs will be re-posted at the park exit if needed.
Note: Sharing a pass with someone else was never permitted even when visiting on different days.
For those concerned about cleanliness, please be aware that railings, banisters, door handles and knobs, ride seat belts and bars, and laser guns are not cleaner than the interiors of the turnstile finger scanners.
Although your fingerprint is analyzed, the data is digested (the technical term is "hashed") in a manner that your fingerprint cannot be redrawn. In reality the fingerprint data as stored is a single number with not very many digits. On your next visit, your fingerprint is hashed again to match up with the number on file. (The number on file is not unhashed to match your fingerprint.)
"Premium" Can Be Confusing
The Premium annual pass includes admission to water parks, Disney Quest, etc.
The Premium MAGIC YOUR WAY pass is simply one that includes the hopping option and the Water Parks Fun & More option. The same extra charge schedule applies for non-expiration. Disney no longer uses the word "Premium" for this pass.
Premium packages include more extras such as deluxe meals and can be booked at any Disney resort. Packages are pre-priced.
Disney uses the terms Premium and Premier to refer to different things.
Convention, Hurricane, and Promotional Passes
Different kinds of park admission passes not available to the general public are still offered from time to time to convention groups, by travel agents, stores, and service providers such as car rental agencies, by time share salesmen, or for limited time periods as promotions. Also commonly offered to convention groups are passes good for the afternoon and/or evening only. In most cases promotional and convention group passes have absolute expiration dates even if the pass is never used.
Almost all promotional passes may not be modified and may not be traded up towards new or different passes.
Tickets issued with certain Disney promotions such as Give (volunteer) A Day are standard passes or become standard passes after you follow a small number of simple rules.
Ultimate Passes
There are a few passes offering unlimited use of theme parks, water parks, etc. for a fixed number of days offered by some travel agencies, or given out by Disney as rainchecks. Recently, 7, 14, and 21 (consecutive) day "ultiimate" passes for Walt Disney World have been sold in Europe. Unlike for Florida resident passes, proof of (non)residence is not required for possessing or using these 7/14/21 day passes although such proof is needed for redeeming of vouchers and issuance of the tickets.
Time Share Gift Passes
Generally we do not recommend getting these one or two day Disney passes. The ones for Universal Studios and other locations are worthwhile.
The good news is that you do get a gift of one or two Disney theme park daily admissions, whatever they advertise, when you attend the presentation. You do not have to buy anything.
The bad news is that, depending on the length of your vacation, the dollars you save may be very small. Some of these gift passes expire after perhaps a year even if they are not used. Most cannot be traded up towards longer passes.
Let's say you receive two single day passes. If your vacation was for six days and you now buy a four day pass and also use the gift passes, you save just seventeen dollars.
But if your vacation is for just two or three days at Walt Disney World (and perhaps days spent elsewhere), the pair of one day gift passes are together worth about $180.
Caution: Some time share promoters hold you hostage in a locked room or leave you a long distance from the entrance until you sign the papers and buy into the time share complex. We suggest not bringing a check book or a debit card or bank card in with you. Should you run into problems of this kind, feel free to call 911 if needed and you should also file a police report as quickly as possible even if that consumes your entire day.
Passes for Children (Ages 3-9)
Persons of ages 10 and up when they arrive for their Disney vacation buy and use "adult" passes. Persons 2 and under when they begin their Disney vacation do not need any pass during that vacation and do not need a Fast Pass to accompany other family members using Fast Passes on rides. We recommend that parents bring copies of birth certificates for children.
For convenience we and also a few Disney cast members suggest that your child over ten years of age use up his leftover pass as-is unless he is really tall or unless a Disney cast member rejects the pass at the turnstile.
Disney's current rule is that a partly used pass for ages 3-9 of any vintage will be converted to an adult pass (for ages 10+) with the same number of days and plusses (water park, etc. admissions) at no charge, on its owner's (your child's) next visit. (He can do it himself if he knows not to pay any more money.) Go to Guest Relations (just outside or inside any park entrance) and ask for an exchange, not an upgrade. If you are told you must pay a fee, don't do it but instead take back the pass immediately and ask for a manager (or try a different Guest Relations office).
Tip: You do not have to begin using the pass immediately or enter a park or consume a day off of the pass when performing the exchange.
Unused child passes may not be exchanged for equivalent adult passes at no cost but may be given to another child or traded up towards other passes.
Tip: If one person owns more than one child pass from years past, for example the family forgot to bring the old tickets and had to buy new ones, then only one pass should be exchanged on any given day. Disney may disallow free exchange if they get the impression you or your children "stocked up" on child passes, using just a few days on each.
Generally a converted child pass should be saved for use during a vacation when only it and perhaps other leftover passes are used.
We are told that Universal Studios, Sea World, and Busch Gardens do not (or did not) offer a free exchange of child tickets to adult tickets. First have the original user quietly try to use his ticket as-is, being the first family member to enter. If this fails, go to Guest Relations and attempt to get the ticket upgraded to adult but do not proceed if there is a fee. In the event a free upgrade fails, give the ticket to a younger child when returning to the turnstiles. As a last resort, save the ticket and give the ticket to a younger nephew or niece for future use.
Old Passes
Those old park hoppers are still good.
Old passes that have not expired, whether or not partially used, may be used as-is on any future date for the admission privileges they had at the time of purchase. All standard Disney passes sold before Jan. 1, 2005 do not expire. Some convention and promotional (such as time share prize) passes do expire even if never used.
Very old passes that don't fit in the turnstiles may be exchanged at no cost for modern passes with the same number of days remaining. You do not have to enter a park or start using that pass that day to perform the exchange, which is done at at Guest Relations just inside or just outside the park.
Currently (2011) old theme park passes are honored at all theme parks (including parks that were not built and open when the passes were first purchased). This added unadvertised benefit was offered to simplify the record keeping system and reduce the number of different kinds of passes to keep track of. However Disney Quest has not (yet) been added to the privileges of Hopper Plus passes.
Pre-1982 "passes" were ticket books with individual ride coupons. Complete books are exchangeable for equivalent (1, 2, or 3 day) modern tickets. If parts including transportation tickets are missing, there are cash values ranging from about 20 cents to a dollar for each remaining coupon that may be applied towards the purchase of a new ticket.
Quick example: You have a three day cardboard pass good at Magic Kingdom and Epcot, purchased some time ago for $60.00, and with two days remaining. Doing an even exchange at no cost, you (should) receive a modern magnetic stripe non-expiring pass with two days' admission value and hopping.
It is Disney's policy not to return an old pass to you after exchange, but it does not hurt to ask. If you want to keep an old pass for a scrapbook souvenir then you may have to forego using it for admission.
Magic Your Way passes used more than 13 days ago, and any used pre-2005 passes, may no longer be traded in towards purchase of new or different passes.
Idiosyncrasies With Leftover Passes
Now that you have exchanged that child pass for an equivalent adult pass, or exchanged that cardboard World Passport or Super Duper Pass for an equivalent magnetic stripe ticket, deciding when to use it is tricky.
Bad Times To Use Up Leftover Days
* It is usually a bad idea to use up your old pass as-is during a vacation of four to ten theme park days when you also need to buy and use a new pass.
* It is usually a bad idea to use up old passes and buy an annual pass less than a year later.
Finding out when it is undesirable to use up an old pass is not hard. You simply figure out your admission pass budget twice -- with, and without, the use of the old passes -- and compare the difference.
Good Times To Use Up Leftover Days
* When your visit is for one, two, three, eleven, or twelve days in the theme parks.
* When you enough of them that you do not need to buy new ones.
* On a vacation of any length when you need to hop between theme parks for exactly one day (using an old hopper pass) and you buy a new non-hopping pass covering all of the other days.
There is really nothing unusual about the old pass, It is the fact that the fourth through tenth days of non-nonexpiring Magic Your Way passes are so inexpensive that makes your decision making difficult.
Some math for those interested
Simple example. Let's say you are visiting for six days, and you have an old pass with three days remaining. If you buy a new six day expiring pass, that costs $267. If instead you bought a new three day pass expecting to use up the three leftover days as well, you will spend $247. immediately. So you consume the old pass to save just $20.
Whereas if you saved the old pass for yet another, future, three day visit, you will avoid spending $247. for a new pass at that time.
For twelve or more days, even all in one vacation, an annual pass is usually a better choice.
Another way of figuring out your best strategy is to consider alternatives including trading up, and for each alternative answer four questions:
1. What kind of pass are you planning to buy or trade up to?
2. Without the old pass in your possession, what kind of pass would you buy instead?
3. What is the price difference, if the above two answers are different?
4. What will be left over at the end of your vacation?
One source (we forget who) suggests not buying five and fewer day passes with non-expiration. Chances are, you will need more days on your next trip, making the longer passes more desirable. The exception is, if your vacation is suddenly cut short, you may want to add non-expiration and/or more days to a shorter pass before returning home.
Changing Your Mind; Upgrading (Expanding) a Pass
This section applies to Magic Your Way passes (post-2004 standard passes) only.
Use the pass (even a one day pass) prior to upgrading. But don't wait too long before making up your mind to upgrade. Passes that are totally used up (the last theme park day and, if applicable, the last water park visit was taken yesterday or before) may not be upgraded. For a one day base ticket that means the pass is "dead" if not upgraded on the day it is used. (Some exceptions to the preceding apply to Florida resident passes and some exceptions may be granted to guests who experience unusual situations such as inability to return home due to weather.) Also, Magic Your Way passes that have been used more than 13 days ago may no longer be modified.
For a used pass you pay the difference in price between what your original pass would cost that day new and what the pass you want to end up with would cost new, in other words you could compute the price from the prices posted above the ticket booths.
Tip: A ticket may be upgraded more than once.
You may upgrade to an annual pass, too. The starting date of the annual pass is the date of first usage of the surrendered pass, or is the expiration date of your previous annual pass if you are doing an AP renewal within the allowable time window. If the surrendered ticket had Water Park Fun and you used one or more of the fun visits, then your AP upgrade must be to a Premium AP.
Normally, upgrades may be performed only at Walt Disney World. In rare instances, guests who forgot to upgrade or add non-expiration to their tickets have been allowed to do that over the phone using a credit card.
Caution: You should figure out the cost of the upgrade yourself prior to going up to the counter to do it. List each ticket including child tickets separately as well as write down your total cost for all of the tickets. Many CM's are not aware of the proper procedures and may fail to give you the full (gate) price as the value of the partially used pass you are submitting. If an argument goes on for some time here is a statement you can use: "The ticket needs to be bridged to the current selling price."
For now we suggest that if you think you will want non-expiration or otherwise wish to upgrade, that you not wait until the day you return home. You don't want to run into hassles and delays close to your bus or plane departure time.
Dining Plan Problems
Sometimes when a ticket on a room key is upgraded to an annual pass, that card cannot be used with a dining plan.
Option 1. Have the ticket admissions transferred to a separate card at the resort before leaving for the parks. This might take awhile if the concierge is busy.
Option 2. For families, upgrade only some of the tickets to annual passes so at least one card is available for use at the restaurants. (Try using upgraded ticket cards at the restaurants first and make a note of any that don't work.) The tickets can be straightened out back at the resort that evening. Next day, upgrade the rest of your tickets and again have any that don't work at the restaurants fixed back at your resort.
Note that upgrade to annual pass cannot be performed at a resort.
Trading Up Passes
Unused standard passes of any vintage may be traded in towards current pass offerings of any kind. Only one pass may be traded in towards the purchase of each new pass.
The trade in value is a somewhat secret value based on what Disney received from the ticket agency that sold you the pass and/or what Disney charged at the time a pass was purchased directly from them. Promotional, complimentary, hurricane, and most time share gift, passes have zero dollars of trade in value (and cannot be modified or upgraded). Any pass is considered promotional or complimentary if it is stamped or written upon with "COMP" or with similar wording.
Refer to the section on Upgrades, above, for making changes to partially used Magic Your Way passes. Passes of vintage prior to 2005, and Magic Your Way passes used more than 13 days ago, may not be upgraded.although (of course) those that don't expire are still good for the admission value they had when purchased. Super Duper Passes and other passes that don't fit in the turnstile are still exchanged free of charge for magnetic stripe passes of at least equal value with respect to every attribute.
For Magic Your Way passes, if you are quoted an unexpectedly lower trade value or an unexpectedly high additional required payment, stop, do not do the upgrade yet, and use the pass first (for example enter the park you are at) and then do an upgrade.
Worn or demagnetized passes are reprinted free of charge provided that either the printed information or (for physical damage) the magnetic stripe is still readable.
Exchanging Passes, Summarized
The following exchanges are always permitted for passes of any vintage (provided the pass has not expired):
1. Exchanging what remains of your used child pass (for ages 3-9) for equivalent adult (ages 10+) admission.
2. Exchanging a new or used older vintage pass that does not fit in the turnstiles for equivalent admission on a ticket card that does fit.
3, Exchanging a worn out or damaged pass for equivalent remaining admission, provided that either the printed codes or the magnetic stripe if any is still readable.
In all cases, the original user of a used pass must perform the exchange although a parent can assist a child.
Currently admission to all four theme parks is granted even when the old pass was purchased before one or more of these parks opened, but Disney Quest is not granted when a Hopper Plus pass is exchanged.
It has been said (the late Paul Harvey's radio news features) that half of all gift certificates, electronic gift cards, and airline vouchers issued or sold by stores are never redeemed. We can estimate that there are a lot of partially used hopper passes sitting in people's dresser drawers and elsewhere that have long been forgotten and Disney has profited handsomely by selling these passes with no expiration date.
Some of the hopper and single day passes given as gifts by time share condominium operators and convention committees/operators do expire, usually after a year.
Magic Kingdom Party Tickets; Extra Magic Hours
Separate tickets are purchased for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Night Of Joy, and other special evening events. When you enter the park after about 4 PM (earliest entry time may vary) you use only the party ticket and you do not need to show a regular park ticket. If you went to a different park earlier in the day, then you would not need hopping on your regular ticket to use your party ticket.
If you wished to enter the park where the party is to be held but before 4 PM, then you would need another ticket card and all of the rules including hopping rules pertaining to that ticket apply.
Party tickets are valid only on the date specified, unless special arrangements were made for adverse weather or other unusual situations.
For attending Extra Magic Yours, no special ticket is needed. All rules including hopping rules pertaining to the regular ticket you use to enter the park do apply. (In addition, each member of your party needs to have a current room key.) You may go to EMH the morning of check-in day even if the room is not ready, and you may leave a car at your resort and go to EMH the evening of check out day and stay until park closing which can be long after midnight..
Magic Your Way Packages, Dining Packages
When you book a Disney resort room package. usually you must order a Magic Your Way admission pass of some kind and it must be the same kind for each occupant of a room. If you already have passes you intend to use or have an annual pass, you may want to book one day passes for everyone to go with your package. Some packages require passes of a certain minimum length. After you check in and receive your passes, each member of your party may add features and more days to his pass independently.
Tip: You can check in and receive your tickets early in the morning even if the room is not ready.
Many packages are not discounted if you have an annual pass or are a member of AARP or AAA, etc.
Package passes are usually encoded on the same card as resort room keys.
If you have an annual pass or wish to take advantage of other room discounts, you may get a meals discount card (called Tables in Wonderland) for about $50. that covers your entire family, and book just the resort room separately (not as a package). The TIW card is good for a year.
If you planned on using older passes or different passes and you booked a dining plan or other package, you must be careful not to insert the latest room keys into the park turnstiles. Otherwise you will waste the park admission encoded on the room key. At least one room key needs to be brought with you and and swiped at the restaurants if you are on a dining plan.
Heads up! If you don't use your package pass because you used a different pass, you should have the pass re-verified before checking out, preferably at least a day in advance. There have been reported cases where the park admission was not properly printed or encoded, even though the card still opens the room door or may have been used to "charge" purchases. If you don't use your package pass you would never catch this error.
Tip: If you don't use your package pass at all for park admission (including water parks), then you do not have to purchase non-expiration before returning home.
It is usually possible to have the admissions or remaining admissions transferred from another pass to a room key but not while there is unused admission already encoded on that room key. It is not desirable to use up the admissions on a room key for the purpose of transferring the admissions on a different card onto that key.
Receiving Package Tickets Early
If you arrive a few days early and want to visit the parks, you can get the package tickets one, two, or three days before your check in. Go to Guest Relations outside a theme park (or at Downtown Disney but not at a water park). Bring copies of your resort package papers and request "Early Ticket Pickup". This applies only to packages booked at Disney's (owned and operated) resorts.
These tickets will have all of the park days you ordered. All tickets for the family/group will be issued at this time. No additional admission tickets will be issued when you finally check in.
Charging purchases to your room, and dining packages, do not go into effect before check in day and do not come alive automatically. You must go to your resort on check in day and begin the check in procedure to activate these features.
If you arrive on your check in day you must go to your resort to begin check in normally to get your tickets.
Early Ticket Pickup is a fairly new procedure and some CM's might not be familiar with it. If you have difficulty, here are some buzz words to give to the CM: In the ticketing computer system go to: The Hub >> WDW >> Work >> Ticketing >> Processes & Business Rules >> Early Ticket Pickup For Resort Packages
It is possible although not guaranteed that, if you have a separately booked stay at the same resort preceding your package stay, you can choose to pick up the tickets at that resort instead of at a theme park.
A small number of packages from third parties may not be eligible for Early Ticket Pickup. For these you may have a voucher but no Disney printed confirmations, and the package has to be assembled by a CM at the resort check in desk on check in day. If you are unable to pick up tickets early we suggest going to other Orlando area attractions (such as Universal Studios) or doing activities outside the parks since additional Disney park tickets are quite expensive.
Caution: There are a number of information sources that are incorrect, saying that you cannot pick up tickets early. Also Disney resort reservationists occasionally give out incorrect information over the phone.
Buy Four Get Three Free; Free Dining; Kids Free
Outside Ticket Sellers
From time to time other ticket agencies offer deals such as this for tickets only. The tickets are of unknown nature. If they are standard Magic Your Way tickets then you may upgrade them. (Buy four, get three free yields a seven day ticket.) If they are promotional tickets, then you may not upgrade them.
Disney Promotions
In 2009, Walt Disney World has run a promotional package offering seven days and seven nights of resort stay and park admission for the price of four days and four nights.
Similar promotions may be offered at random dates in the future. If they suit your schedule, these promotions, including those with free dining, may be superior to using annual passes. In late 2010, packages with "free" meals but undiscounted room rates are offered. Availability is limited as are most promotions, with only a few reservations taken at each resort during peak periods.
When you order tickets, you specify the total number of days you want including days you get free. For example, to buy four and get all "three days of tickets free" you order seven day tickets. But your "ticket days" do not have to match your room nights. If you order one day tickets, you can still get up to three resort nights free under the promotion but since you did not buy 4 days of admission, you get no free days of admission. If you order ten day tickets you pay the price of seven day tickets. If you order 7 day non-expiring tickets, you pay the price of 4 day non-expiring tickets, etc. This can result in substantial savings over adding non-expiration after you get there. In the case of the 10 day non-expiring ticket you were paying the price of a 7 day ticket and realizing a savings of about $110. (Rules may be different if this offer is repeated.)
Tickets after slight usage are generally valued at gate price for upgrade purposes. But if the ticket you want (such as an annual pass discounted for a Disney Vacation club member) costs less than the value of the ticket you have, generally no change is returned. More:
If your package has dining, we suggest having the tickets transferred off of your room keys onto separate cards before upgrading to annual passes. More.
Kids Stay and Play Free
Tip: There was no charge for the tickets for your children ordered with the package and also no "extra person" room charge for each child.. Those tickets may be upgraded, including being made non-expiring, as if they were tickets purchased at full price at the ticket booths. For example adding water park fun costs the same $59. per ticket card.
Military Room Discounts
You can add a standard (not free) dining plan to a room you booked using a Military discount without the purchasing of tickets as part of that package. Note, however, that special military tickets are limited in number of days per ticket so if you will be taking a longer vacation then it is possible that standard tickets ordered with the room will be less expensive than military tickets in the long run.
Free Admission On Your Birthday
This promotion ended at the end of 2009.
Give A Day, Get A Disney Day
This promotion ended at the end of 2010.
These promotions also allowed you to (via upgrading) enjoy a multi-day pass for the normal selling price minus the price of a standard one day ticket.
Is Non-Expiration Worth It?
A non-expiring ticket should cover two complete vacations.
Generally, non-expiration is not worthwhile unless::
* An emergency forces you to cut your vacation short and you used fewer than four theme park days off of the pass, or,
* The remains of that pass will fully cover some future vacation (not necessarily your next), or,
* You purchased water park fun and several of those admissions are unused, or,
* You received a discount on the non-expiration component of the ticket because you ordered non-expiring tickets under the Buy 4 Get 3 Free plan.
Every person's situation is different. There is no way to tell for sure without advance planning of the eventual usage of the ticket all the way to the end of the vacation during which the ticket is exhausted.
We recommend that shorter passes be expanded to at least six days (including the days used). Because processing errors occasionally occur, particularly with passes purchased from discount brokers, get the quoted price broken down by ticket if some of the tickets are child tickets, then step out of line and think about it before going ahead.
It is a good idea to keep track of what parks you visited on what days. Note that a day you spend only in the water parks or Disney Quest does not count as a "day" off of your pass.
The following prices apply to upgrading Magic Your Way passes purchased at the gate in late 2011.
Days originally 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10
Non-expir. $115* 27 37 80 122
138 170 208 234 240 add-on
The fifth non-expiring day costs $50 while the sixth non-expiring day costs $25.
(Trivia) If your non-expiring pass or one day pass was not used more than 13 days ago, adding additional park days (counting days consumed) including non-expiration would cost:
each Non-Exp. Day 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
10th
Ages 10+ $115 78 55
50 25 40 47 34 15
Ages 3-9 $108 73 54 50
25 40 47 34 15
More math for those interested:
Non-expiration is generally worthwhile if what is left over is enough to completely cover some future vacation, not necessarily your next. Otherwise it is tricky. Here is a good formula to use. It is just my opinion but here goes.
Figure out what kind of ticket would have just covered your first vacation. Suppose you visited for six days in the theme parks and you hopped between parks at least once. You would have needed at least a six day ticket with hopping which would have cost you $335. Meanwhile suppose you bought a 10 day ticket with non-expiration and hopping. This cost you $609. You have the difference or $274 to apply to a future vacation and the ticket has 4 days remaining.
On your next vacation you also figure out what kind of ticket would have just covered it. Let's say you needed a 4 day ticket with hopping. A new one costs $318. but you used the leftover ticket with $274. still invested in it. You save $44.
But suppose the next vacation was for six days. You use up your leftover ticket with four remaining days and you buy another (2 day) ticket for $179. Adding the $274. still invested in your old ticket, your ticket budget comes out to $453. This is a losing proposition considering that a brand new 6 day ticket (with hopping) costs $335. for a loss of $118..
Private Sellers, eBay, Roadside Stands
Don't buy tickets off of eBay or Craigslist.
You should not purchase tickets from sources other than Disney itself and well known authorized dealers and you should especially not purchase tickets from private parties. It is impossible to know whether a ticket is valid or has the number of days advertised until after you get to Walt Disney World. Remember, partially used tickets are not transferable.
What counts is whether the seller and the payment handler (credit card, etc.) will back you up if you have a problem with the tickets. PayPal and eBay do not.
There is nothing wrong with accepting tickets on a "gift and tip" basis as opposed to a paid sale. This works well with tickets from relatives or friends or co-workers. While this is technically possible for any transaction including using eBay, hardly any seller will do a transaction this way unless he is desperate to liquidate the tickets.
School Field Trips
Most youth group tickets are not upgradable.
Many youth groups come to Walt Disney World for sports playoffs such as Little League, cheerleading, performing in a parade, etc. Usually each participant must purchase a ticket such as a Youth Education Series ticket that must be used on the trip and that is not upgradable. It might not be practical to order a ticket that is different from those of the rest of the group because often the chaperone will collect all of the tickets and hand them out randomly to the group members as needed. Because of the latter, use of the finger scanners are usually not required at the turnstiles.
Families planning extra days may well have to buy additional tickets without the benefit of multi day ticket pricing. We encourage discussing the situation with the trip coordinators and chaperones to look into special treatment such as not buying the YES tickets. Other alternatives include having the participating child share a room with another participant with the parents booking their room separately, outside the ticket purchase requirements. In a few cases, the overall cost of tickets may make the cost of the entire trip prohibitive.
Other alternatives also include visiting different venues such as Sea World and Universal Studios.
Armed Forces Salute Tickets
Disney currently offers four day tickets to servicemen and servicewomen. S/he can buy for family members up to six tickets for $147. each with hopping or with water park fun or $176. each with both hopping and water park fun included. Hopping or water park fun, if not already on the ticket, may be added for $29. These tickets may not have more days added but may be upgraded to annual passes using a starting value equal to the price paid ($147. or $176.). Currently these tickets expire Sept. 30, 2012. Last week of December, and also at Magic Kingdom, July 4 and the first two weeks of April, are blacked out.
Tickets purchased at the Shades of Green resort and a few other military locations are not subject to sales tax and the price paid will be a little less than shown above.
Stars & Stripes Tickets
These are "unlimited" tickets for two to ten days of Disney fun. They are purchased only at Shades of Green resort and no sales tax is collected. The guest must present resort ID and also military or DoD ID. They differ from regular Magic Your Way tickets:
1. You must be staying at a Disney's resort, at Shades of Green, or at one of selected other resorts in or near the Walt Disney World complex.
2. You must buy them to cover all of the days of your stay starting with the day you choose to buy them. You may combine multiple stays and buy one ticket to cover them all (maximum of 10 days).
3. Their life span is one more calendar day than the number of park days, for example a 5 day ticket has a 6 day life span starting with day of purchase.
4. Hopping and unlimited water park fun are included. Which minor parks you go to and number of minor park visits is not recorded. (Oak Trail golf is not included.)
5. Entering either a minor park or a theme park marks that day as a usage day for the ticket. The lifetime of the ticket is such that one day of the life span (may be the last day, after checkout) must be a no-parks day.
Note: Stars and Stripes tickets might not always save you money if you did not plan to use water park fun.
Safeguard Your Admission Ticket/Pass
If your child is not old enough to go off on his own, he is not old enough to hold his own ticket or ID card. You should collect all of the tickets, etc. just after everyone passes through the turnstiles at the park entrance.
Tickets should be kept in a pocket that can be zippered or buttoned shut. An alternative is a tight fitting sleeve such as the Water Wallet (TM) that is safety pinned inside a pocket and that covers the card completely. Replace the ticket in the sleeve as soon as you are done using it. Tickets and dollar bills should not be loose in a pocket, when you pull something else out of the pocket the ticket may fall out. Brochures, checkbooks, and similar items should not be put in back pockets where part of the item is exposed.
You may poke a hole in a ticket (not through the magnetic stripe or printed information) and safety pin the ticket to the inside of a pocket.
Disney tickets must be guarded as carefully as airplane tickets or cash. If one is lost it should be reported because the electronic systems have a chance to capture the card. There is still no guarantee it will be found.
Tip: From a Disney Information Station (wdwinfo.com) forum contributor: Photocopy twice all airplane tickets, park tickets, passes, vouchers, reservation confirmations, both sides. Leave one copy at home, bring the other copy with you but keep it safe (in a room safe if possible). This will help if the tickets themselves get lost. Writing down the numbers and codes on the back using pencil and paper is OK also.
Do not post pictures of your tickets with the bottommost row of codes and numbers showing on the internet (eBay, disboards.com, etc.) or anywhere else.
Park Hopper Plus Passes -- Discontinued
Park Hopper (tm, capital H) and Park Hopper Plus (tm) passes were discontinued as of 2005. Those you already own or bought can still be used as-is and they do not expire (except for passes that already had expiration dates). Because the first three days on multi-day Magic Your Way tickets average more than $70. apiece and the fifth through tenth days are so inexpensive, using older passes may not be the best strategy if you need more days. Individual admissions to water parks, etc. are still available. Guests age 10 and older using older passes must also use the biometric readers (finger scanners) at the turnstiles. Park Hopper Plus passes are currently not honored at Disney Quest.
Unlimited Magic Pass -- No longer offered with packages
Also called UMP, Ultimate Park Hopper (UPH), Length of Stay Pass (LOS).
Packages with these were discontinued in 2005. You could say that the new Magic Your Way passes are similar except the number of visits to water parks is limited, also the expiration is 13 days after day of first usage as opposed to park closing on the day of check out.
New resort package plans are available. Most require that each person in your party order admission passes with the same number of days and the same attributes, although not necessarily matching the length of your stay. Very few if any plans have discounts on all three: room, dining, and admission passes. Click here for more on packages.
A few Unlimited Magic passes, some for just one day, have been given out as rainchecks.
Unanswered Questions
So far we have been unable to get definite answers to a few questions.
* I wish to upgrade my Magic Your Way ticket to a (Florida resident) seasonal pass today. But I used it yesterday which was a blackout (blocked out) day for seasonal passes.
We believe that the answer is "yes" (regardless of usage history) provided that either:
a. "Today" is not a blackout day, or,
b. You have not used the ticket "today".
In other words, if "today" is a blackout day, upgrading to seasonal pass should black you out instantly, but we think the system is not sophisticated enough to force you into a higher priced product such as regular annual pass because prior usage was on blackout days.
* I have a 10 day non-expiring pass with hopping valued at $609. I wish to upgrade to an annual pass, which costs $553.
You can definitely upgrade to the annual pass but Disney's policy is that you do not get the $56. change back. However a few guests have reported that they did receive the change..
* A family member already had a ticket to use and his resort package ticket remained unused. I want to use that ticket on a future vacation but it is on a room key with his name on it.
The best way around this is to have the ticket admissions separated from the room key and put on a different card. In any case, the actual user should hand write his own name on the card, which is recommended practice for all tickets. We have yet to hear about any adverse results of someone putting his own signature on the room key with fully unused admission and another person's name was machine-printed on it or scraped off.
The official Disney web site: (http://www.disney.com)
An unofficial site full of Disney
information and tips
(www.wdwinfo.com)
Go to this web site table of contents.
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