Admission Tickets

I will be purchasing my Disney admission tickets this week. I was reading the latest edition of Affordable Disney book and it says that a Hopper pass with no expiry can be used for entry at the Disney parks in California too (but not the other way around)."

"What if I purchased a [child] ticket [for] my daughter, but the trip was postponed and on the FIRST visit she is too old for the child pass? What will they do? Thanks."

A partially used ticket purchased for a child who is now a teen - Disney will upgrade the remaining days on the ticket to adult status at no extra charge. Be sure to bring your child to Guest Relations when you upgrade.

A new unused ticket purchased for a child who is now a teen - Disney will subtract what you paid for the older ticket from the price of a new adult ticket and charge you the difference.

"I am trying to decide if the price of the Water Park & Fun option is worth it...I am guessing I would spend 1 day doing [Typhoon and Blizzard] combined....and another day doing DisneyQuest, DowntownDisney, and a tour of the resorts. I will probably skip Pleasure Island as I will be with my pre-teen daughter. Are you able to tell me what the separate adult admissions are for these 'minor' parks?"

1-Day = $35 (adults); $29 (children 3-9)
DisneyQuest: Adults: $38.34; $31.95 (3-9).

"Also, one thing I don't get about the WaterPark & Fun is how it works for the days. Apparently if I get a 10-day hopper with that, I get 10 [Plus Visits] for admissions to the [water parks, DisneyQuest, Pleasure Island and Wide World of Sports]. For example, lets say my itinerary is as follows:

Day 1 - Magic Kingdom
Day 2 - Epcot
Day 3 - Typhoon + Blizzard
Day 4 - MGM
Day 5 - Animal Kingdom
|Day 6 - DisneyQuest, Downtown Disney, Tour of the Resorts

You would use 2 days of Plus Visits on day 3 and 1 on day 6, leaving you 7 days to use later. Sure, that works.

"Because there are more major parks than minor [like Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon], I would finish using up my major park admissions faster than my [Plus Visit] days (at a ratio of 2:1). So at some point I would have used up my 10 days [at the theme parks], I would still have 5 days of [Plus Visits] remaining (but no major parks left so I would have to buy those again?). How do they keep track?"

You can make a note for yourself each time you use your tickets, but Disney can scan your tickets at any time to let you know what tickets you have left. Yes, you would have to buy more tickets to enter the major theme parks.

You would pay $50 + tax to add 10 Plus Visits to the cost of your 10-day park hopper, which comes out to $5 per day to visit the water parks, DisneyQuest, Pleasure Island or Wide World of Sports for 10 days. You can also use as many Plus Visits as you wish on any day. If you can use them at least twice or you can use them on a return trip to Disney World, that is a good investment.

"How does it all tie in with staying at a resort. To use this for admission to any of the major or minor parks, the person has to show proof that they are staying at a Disney resort for at least one night? (ie., someone renting a Condo in the area wouldn't be able to use their ticket for admission?)"

Visitors to Disney's parks may stay anywhere they like, on- or off-property. However, Disney has a rule that non-Disney resort guests must have Magic Your Way tickets with the Park Hopper or Water Parks & More options to use their bus transportation, although I can't imagine a bus driver asking you for proof, at least during the busy seasons!

Alain wrote back: "Hi John, I just purchased my Disney tickets from [your ticket agent] but I was wondering if you would recommend I also buy at this time my Universal passes? I have decided to delay my vacation with my daughter to late 2009 in order to see the new Harry Potter section. Would I gain anything from buying Universal passes so much ahead of time, the way that I do with Disney?"

Universal raises their ticket prices every year to match Disney's prices. So the same savings apply.

"Walt Disney World visitors could someday order line-skipping, 'FastPass' ride tickets from their cell phones or home computers, and could receive preferential treatment based on the price of their Disney accommodations, using a new technology the resort's parent company is developing." (Source: Orlando Sentinel,09/06/07)

"New Disney patent application reveals that FASTPASS-for-pay is not so far away. Jim Hill shares some info about changes that appear to be in the works for the Mouse's virtual queuing system. Some that are pretty good, and some that are sure to upset right-to-privacy fans." (Source: jimhillmedia.com, 09/05/07)

"The folks at Disney are offering passholders a special contest in which the winner will stay in Cinderella Castle for one night as part of the continuation of the Year of a Million Dreams campaign." (Source: blogs.orlandosentinel.com, 08/13/07)

If your child has gotten old enough to need an adult ticket upon returning to WDW, but still has leftover days on the "child" pass you purchased for her during your last visit, she will need an "adult" ticket to enter the theme parks. Present your child's pass at any Guest Relations location, in person only, and Disney will exchange it for the required "adult" ticket at no additional charge.

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Keith writes about tickets for Florida residents:

"Hi John,

I have a Disney ticket question for you - I talked with my Aunt (who lives in Orlando) over the Holiday. We mentioned our plan for a visit soon and would like to spend a few days of our visit at Disney. To my surprise my Aunt said she would love to treat our entire family (2 adults & 2 children) to 4 day hopper passes. She continued by saying.. 'as a Florida resident she would be able to get these tickets at a very reasonable rate.' But because of her age and physical limitations, she would not be able to accompany us to Disney.

I never thought my Aunt would offer such a generous Christmas gift -- and I am a bit worried -- I may have read in your newsletter Fla. residents may not buy tickets for non Fla. residents. Could you please help me with this sticky situation?

PS. We have told my Aunt 'we are not sure of our travel dates' to avoid her purchasing the tickets that we may not be able to use. Thank you for all your help."

Unfortunately, Disney's policy is to ask for Florida ID - usually not for kids, but for each adult. That doesn't mean they will, but if they do, you forfeit your tickets, which can be very costly and embarrassing.

Beth, our travel agent, sent us these comments on the use of tickets for Florida residents by non-Florida residents:

"Here's a little more insight into the problems associated with trying to use tickets that you're not entitled to...

It's true, Florida residents get some great ticket discounts - but it's also true that in order to purchase the Florida resident tickets you're supposed to be asked to present a Florida photo ID for each adult ticket. Now, a resourceful person might figure that if Grandma and Grandpa go up to window #1 and buy two tickets and then go to window #18 and buy two more tickets you'd be able to accumulate all you need; however, Disney has recently started a real push to get the actual names of ticket owners onto each ticket.

In other words, when I go to a window and buy a ticket, my name is actually printed right on it. That's yet another opportunity for Disney to spot fraudulent use of discounted tickets. When you combine the names on the tickets, the possibility that you'll be asked for photo ID when you use the tickets, and the finger scan process (which prevents you from using a ticket previously used by someone else) the risk is probably not worth it.

Get the best price on the tickets you're entitled to and be happy if you saved a few dollars over gate price. (I should also point out that the names being printed on tickets now is yet another reason to avoid purchasing partially used tickets from strangers via EBay. That's just a bad idea on so many levels. Only buy from reputable dealers!)"

Roxann Lazore lost $700 buying Disney tickets on Ebay. She failed to check the seller's feedback and she sent him the cash by money gram. Always use Ebay's approved methods of payment to protect yourself!

Karen writes:

"John,

Hi. I am a member of the basic affordable disney. I have a friend who wants to sell me her left over days on her ticket. She said that even though my finger prints will obviously not match hers that Disney will just have me sign the ticket and I will be able to use it. Have you heard anything about this? She supposedly heard this from someone who works at Disney. I would hate to waste the money but on the other hand if it is true then I could save some money. Thanks for any info."

Disney's rule is that their tickets are non-transferable and they enforce it vigorously.

Karen adds:

"I have a child ticket that we were unable to use when our vacation was canceled last year. My son has since turned 10 and would require an adult ticket. Would I be able to upgrade at the gates to an adult so that I will not lose the money that I paid for this ticket?"

Yes, you can upgrade the ticket.

Kate writes:

"Hi John,

love your newsletter! we're flying again to Orlando at the end of January, flights and villa already booked, now we're wondering about attraction tickets. Last time we were there, some folks from our rental came over and offered us a deal to "share" tickets with other families staying in their rentals. This meant 1) getting the 7 or 10 day price for just one day (plus a small commission of course) and 2) the possibility to park hop though we were visiting the park for just one day. We were really happy to have been offered this deal though it probably was less than kosher... Have you heard of this kind of thing? Do you guys do any kind of family matching up perhaps?"

Disney now scans your fingers when you activate your ticket. They will then scan your fingers each time you enter a park so they know you are the one who bought the ticket! If the tickets you want to buy have already been scanned, Disney will confiscate your ticket when your scan doesn't match the scan that goes with the ticket you bought.

Moreover, you have to trust the seller that there are days still left on your tickets. There is no way to be sure unless Disney scans your ticket. The only loophole I've read about is Disney does not scan the fingers of children under 10. But you still don't know if the child ticket has any days left on it.

"As our flight doesn't arrive until 12 noon, we have been hearing about entry after 2PM tickets. Do you know anything about these?"

"From what I'm finding [at Disney's site], theirs must also be for conventioneers."

Yes, those are convention tickets and they are not available to the general public. You have to call them to buy these. They're bound to ask for convention ID.

"We are ready to begin planning trip #4, but before we determine the dates of travel, I have a couple quick questions. We are considering traveling in April to celebrate my children's birthdays. One of my children will be turning 3. Is it true that he does not need a ticket for admission if we arrive before his birthday? What about the days after his birthday? What kind of documentation do you need to show?"

If your child has a birthday while you're at WDW and turns 3 or 10, you are NOT charged for the more expensive admission. You get to be whatever age you are when you arrive for the whole stay. So your child is free. I've never known Disney to ask for ID for a child. If you're worried, bring a birth certificate.

We are planning a trip to WDW in November. We were last there in July, 2004. Of course the tickets have changed since then. We do not usually park-hop, but rather choose one park per day. My question is this: If we buy the 5 day Magic Your Way Base ticket (with no park-hopping option), can we leave and re-enter the same park during the day? I ask because my kids may need a mid-day break, but then we would like to return to the same park for the late afternoon/evening. Thanks for your help."

"Dear John, My husband and I are going to be in Florida on a business trip... We currently have a reservation booked at the Hampton Inn Orlando, W. Disney Maingate East. We plan to buy a one day Magic Your Way ticket and will probably add the Park Hopper feature. The hotel told us that they do not sell the one day passes - that we can only buy the one day pass at the park. Since we have always bought our tickets in advance (and it's been a few years since we did this), I have no recollection of where one would buy tickets at the park itself. Can you give us any tips on the most efficient way to do this process?"

Only Disney sells one day tickets. There is not enough profit to make it worthwhile for retailers to sell them. You can buy your tickets at the ticket booths at the entrance to the parks. You can also buy your tickets in advance at Disney's site.

If you order less than one week in advance, you will have to pick them up at the "will call" window. Otherwise, Disney will mail them to you for $3.

"Also, I seem to remember that Main Street opens earlier than the official Magic Kingdom opening time of 9 am... what is the earliest that we could actually buy our ticket and go through the gates to Main Street?"

The park scheduled for Morning Extra Magic Hour will open one hour earlier than normal. Buses to that park will start 30 minutes before opening time.

My daughter is going with her school choir group to sing at Disneyland.... I am taking the whole family to Disneyworld for the international soccer tournament.... That same daughter will be playing in the soccer tournament.

Here is my question: Being at Disneyland are there any savings or things you would recommend she buy at Disneyland (i.e.: tickets, or ?) for our family trip to Disneyworld?"

"The second part of that question... are there any particular savings or things we should do when someone in your party is participating in a Disneyworld event?"

Disney has a separate division for youth groups and there are perks. For example, a chaperone gets one free chaperone ticket for every ten student tickets purchased. If you need more chaperone tickets than that, you can buy one additional chaperone ticket at the student price for every five student tickets. See the book for details.

Regarding things you should do... Watch your daughter participate in her event and have a great vacation!

"Thanks Again....this is an awesome site and I am going to tell my soccer team about you."

"Disney guests must now put their index and middle fingers into a device at the turnstile that assigns a code to link the image of their fingers with their name and ticket...

Universal Orlando relies on photographs to identify pass-holders, but by the end of the year it plans to roll out a new system that uses finger geometry. SeaWorld uses a variation of the finger-scanning device for its multiday pass holders but does not require it for single-day ticket holders." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 07/14/05)

"Walt Disney World Theme Parks will no longer use handstamps for same day re-admission and Park Hopper® privileges.

If Guests plan to re-enter or visit another Theme Park on the same day, they will be asked to present their valid ticket or Resort ID with ticket entitlements and utilize the Ticket Tag system [which] uses a special reader to match each ticket with the specific Guest who owns that ticket... Guests with 'pre-Magic Your Way' tickets should sign their existing tickets (even though there is no preprinted signature line) should they encounter a challenge with re-entry."

Guests will continue to receive handstamps at WDW Water Parks, Pleasure Island, DisneyQuest, and Wide World of Sports Complex. (Source: Promotional email from the Walt Disney World Resort, 06/28/05)

"hi john, i would just like to say how much i like your book and your emails, went to disney september 2003 and thanks to your book saved time and money. bought my tickets from [your ticket agent]: 5 disney and 5 flexi tickets. i have still not found anyone cheaper not without a catch anyway.

the travel agent who i booked with advised me to get the pool heated at a cost of £80 (USD $145) a week, i asked [your ticket agent] about this and he told me not to bother as it doesn't usually cool down till november. he was right. my 3 kids were splashing about till midnight with no pool heating so we saved £240 (USD $435) with just one little tip.

needless to say i will be getting my tickets from [your ticket agent] when we return in sept 2005. don't feel left out john i also saved loads of money with your tips, water bottles, packed lunches, coupons, the list in your book goes on and on. thanks again john. keep up the good work and keep saving us brits loadsa money."

Q: If I go often, but not necessarily every year, does it make sense to use the No Expiration option?

A: Beth, our travel agent, writes: "If you come for a few days every year or every other year then you could buy a 10-day ticket, add park hopping and no expiration to it, and still bring the cost per day in around $35 a day with tax. You can't come close to that with shorter tickets. On the other hand, you might not want (or be able) to put out that much money now, and so you'll just have to buy the shorter tickets and pay more per day."

"In our group we will have one that will be 7 1/2 months pregnant, one 86 yr. old with limited vision, one 3 year old and 4 other adults. I know we need to plan days or 1/2 days for 3 to rest so I'm very confused on how I need to purchase tickets and if it is worthwhile to buy meal packages for at least two meals a day. Just how much should we push to do? We would like to go to Circus de soleil, would a three year old enjoy it and how long are the performances and which performance would you recommend?"

I don't buy meal packages. I would spend too much time getting to and from the restaurant and waiting to be seated. However, Disney's meal plan is getting better and if you have the time and choose wisely, you can save money. We cover that topic in the book.

With an 86-year old you need to take a day off every other day and return to your hotel during the day. Our book includes customized tours of the parks so you know which rides and attractions to skip.

Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba is about two hours long. A 3-year old may stay a wake if he hasn't been walking through the parks all day. Go to the cheapest performance on your off day. See book for details.

"Hi John, we would appreciate your advice. Would it be better to buy annual passes [now] or next year? We live in Connecticut and are going to Disney four times next year. Can’t wait."

Disney raises the prices of annual passes typically around March. Buy them before the next price increase. Get the voucher kind so you can activate them when you get to WDW. See book for details.

"We bought our tickets from [your ticket agent] again this year. I thinks this was our third time. We went on the Disney Wonder on May 23, 2004 and then to Vistana Villages. I told Omar before we left to send them to Vistana Villages the day we arrived there. We didn't want to have to keep up with them while we cruised. By the time we checked in at the resort, our WDW hopper passes and our Universal tickets were there waiting for us. Omar, as always, was dependable. When we buy from him, we have no worries. Thanks for recommending him! I appreciate all that you do..."

That you, Carol, for your kind comments. Omar works hard to keep our customers happy!

Cathy writes:

"Can Annual Passes for DisneyWorld provide any benefits at or near Disneyland California?"

P.S. I love staying at Coronado...especially the Cabanas (with those hammocks...just what the doctor ordered), but I was placed in the Casitas last time. It was just as close to El Centro and oh my! what beautiful buildings and surroundings. The main attraction, of course, is the stunning pyramid-by-the-pool, with a slide (!), and the massaging water jet, in the main pool area. I've always had phenomenal service....even if there was a little glitch (people are human), they bent over backwards to make it up to us."

No, you have to buy the Disneyland Annual Pass. See our Disneyland Addendum for details. You're right, Cathy. That pyramid is something!

"Hey John, Just wanted to let you know that your information has saved us a bundle already and we do not leave until December! This is our first trip to Disney and your tips are going to allow us to get the most "bang" for our buck!

I will definitely be getting my park hopper passes from [your ticket agent]. I challenge your readers to try finding these tickets cheaper (without a high-pressure, time consuming timeshare presentation), I'll save you the time...you can't! I tried for hours and hours, you can't!

Thank you again and I plan to use A LOT of our tips! I'll email you when we return and let you know how our vacation went!"

Each yr that you have an annual mickey sends you a letter that gives a discount on the annual pass if you renew it 30 days before to 30 days after the expire date. Remember that mickey now has stuck you with an anniversary date so that now you can't roll your start date 30 days each year when you return to see mickey later. Even if you renew 30 days after the expire date, the annual will be back dated to your anniversary date. Also to consider, i let my annual expire in Sept because i will not be back until thanksgiving. I will have to buy a new issue annual at no discount, but it will be about a break even in cost (because of the 2 1/2 months lost) and i will have shifted my anniversary date by 2 1/2 months. Another item to consider: The new disney visa card gives a 1% rebate in disney dollars. Use it to buy an annual and other items during the yr."

"[Any discounts on] annual passes? Thanks. A loyal reader and fellow Mickey fan."

Disney offers no discounts on the AP. You will have to pay full price or consider buying other passes where you can get a decent discount.

"We would like to purchase our 4 day hopper passes from [your ticket agent]. He will deliver our tickets to the Floridian for us? We arrive on thanksgiving day for 10 days this year so we will get the new special you told us about this week. How soon do you think we should order them if he delivers them?

Just thought I would tell your readers I booked our limo for a 1 way trip to the Floridian for only $113.00 with tax and gratuity included! ... the super stretch we ordered looks fabulous! Thanks for the tip. Also, we stayed at the G.F. last December and heard about the returning guest special for 40% your next stay in 2003. We went back in February for the long weekend, stayed at the G.F. and booked this trip for only $301.00 per night at the G.F. Sugar Loaf. That is a savings of $150 per night and we are staying for 9 nights! Thanks again!"

Great deal at the Floridian! You saved $1,350! You can order the new special passes now and our agent will deliver them to the Floridian when you get there. Just tell him what you plan to do in your email.

"Just wanted to follow up on the questions for Jim who is taking 2 young children. I have been taking our 8 and 9 year olds to Disney yearly since birth and hate to have someone waste [his passes].

A tip... do not purchase the length of stay. With that age level, they may be too tired some days to do more than relax, go to the pool or playground at the resorts.

"quick question: if you buy annual passes can one person just go to the ticket center and buy all the passes needed or does everyone need to be present at that moment - do they scan your fingers at the ticket center as soon as you purchase them or is that done for the first time when you enter the 1st park.?? figure it would be easier for one person of our party to just run over and purchase them since we don't plan on going directly into the park the first day we are there."

If you are buying your passes in person at WDW, each person will have to show his photo ID. Disney will scan the fingers of those 10 and older the first time you enter a park and then each time you return to compare scans. If you buy AP vouchers in advance at the Disney store or online, one person can buy them all, and then each can show photo ID at WDW to activate the voucher.

"Thank you for all the information that we were able to pick up from Affordable Disney before our trip. Our congratulations also to [your ticket agent]. It is the second time that "I bought" something over the Internet and [I felt] insecure. He answered all my many questions. He delivered the tickets [to our] hotel and THE PRICE IS THE BEST, without a doubt, of all those that I could find. We are a family of 6 people and we saved ourselves (among Park Hopper Plus and Flex-Ticket): $260.00. I recommend him very highly..."

"I just wanted to put in a good word about [your ticket agent]. My husband and I recently went to Disney for a last minute vacation (without children for a change). I called [your agent] to purchase our park hopper passes. He was extremely gracious and helpful and had our tickets delivered to our hotel the very next day. Great service!! I will definitely use him for all our Florida vacations from now on."

"John, If anyone has an idea about this, you would:-) We have 4 park hopper tickets to carry around for 5 days. Any advice on safely carrying these little tickets around and is there any way to get them replaced if they are lost?"

Sarah, be sure to photocopy the back side of each ticket where the serial numbers are or write down the serial numbers and keep the numbers in a safe place. Disney can replace them if you have the numbers. Same rule applies to tickets from non-Disney parks.

"We are currently Annual Pass Holders. We bought them over the phone and activated them when we got to WDW in Jan 2002. If we renew them over the phone will they keep the same year to year dates? Or will we get vouchers again to turn in when we actually get to WDW??"

The renewal of your Annual Pass goes into effect the day after your current Annual Pass expires. If you renew by mail, you will receive a voucher which you can trade in for a new Annual Pass at WDW. Your new pass will be back dated to begin the day after your previous pass expired. We suggest that you not renew your annual pass unless you can use it right away. Otherwise, you will lose more in the long run than you will save.