That’s the ticket!

For today’s post I wanted to dive into park ticket descriptions. Disney offers a wide array of ticket options for you to choose from, which is great but can be very confusing if you don’t understand whats being offered. To start off with let’s go over some descriptions of the types of tickets you can purchase and the add-on options that go along with them.

• Magic Your Way Base Ticket – These are the basic no frills ticket option for Disney. They get you into only 1 park per the number of days you purchase. But even the no-frills category has 2 different types to choose from!
  • 1 Day – You can purchase a one day ticket to either Magic Kingdom (which is more expensive) OR a one day ticket that is only valid for 1 day and for 1 park admission to either EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom. This is the latest in the pricing changes that occurred last year. Disney effectively has put a premium on going to the Magic Kingdom over the other parks.
  • Multi-Day – Tickets purchased for 2 or more admission days, that can be used on any park on any day. This type of ticket is only good at one of the main 4 parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios) and only 1 park per day.

• Park Hopper Option – This type of ticket is the base level ticket PLUS you are able to “hop” to another park on the same day and still only use 1 days admission. I recommend this option for families with older kids with more stamina and no naps needed!

• Water Park Fun and More Option – This option includes the base ticket for “X” number of days PLUS “X” number of “fun visits”. What is a fun visit you might be asking? A Fun Visit is admission to one of the following : Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park, Oak Trails Golf Course, and Disney’s Wide World of Sports. So if you bought a 3 day Magic Your Way Ticket plus the Water Park Fun and More Option, You would get 3 days of admission to the 4 main Disney parks PLUS 3 fun visits to use throughout your vacation. This option is added on as a flat dollar amount (currently it’s $63.90 including tax) no matter how many days you have in your base ticket.

• Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More Option – This one is pretty self-explanatory it basically combines the Park Hopper option AND the Water Park Fun and More Option.

• No Expiration Option – This is a flat fee based on the original length of the ticket, not a per day cost. If this option is taken then any unused portion of your ticket (plus the other options you might have selected) will never expire. This option cannot be selected online and can only be added in person at WDW or with tickets purchased from an official Disney wholesaler.

• Special Event Tickets – These are tickets generally for events where the park closes earlier  than regular hours and an additional ticket (for an additional fee) is needed to re-enter. Some examples of these include Night of Joy, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, etc. (more about these covered in a future post).

• Annual Pass – This pass will grant you unlimited entry into any of the 4 major parks for 12 months with park hopping privileges. There are no blackout dates BUT it won’t get you into any special events that are separately priced. You will also receive complimentary parking at the theme park lots. Lastly dining, merchandise, recreation, tour, and event ticket discount benefits are also included. Please look at this link for more details, WDW Passholder Program. There are no price differences between a child and an adult.

• Premium Annual Pass – The premium annual pass gives you everything the regular annual pass does but it also gives you the unlimited entry to Disney Quest, both water parks, the Oak Trail Golf Course (green fees only), and the ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex. There are no price differences between a child and an adult.

• Water Park Tickets – Disney does also offer one day admission tickets to either of their 2 water parks, Disney’s Blizzard Beach and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon.

 

ADULT TICKET PRICES  – Prices in bold includes tax – (number in parenthesis indicates per day price)

 

CHILD TICKET PRICES (ages 3 to 9) – Prices in bold includes tax – (number in parenthesis indicates per day price)

 

Some Key points to remember….

1. Children under 3 don’t need a ticket. Disney considers a child from ages 3 to 9.
2. The per day price goes down the more days you purchase. For example the per day ticket cost of a 10 day ticket is only $38! In the graph above I have prices for each option listed in bold. Under each price (in parenthesis) I have the per day price listed as well. Please note that all my numbers below include tax so it will give you a better idea of what to expect.
3. As a reminder you have 14 days to use your tickets once the first admission is used (so in reality 13 days after your first park visit).
4. If you choose to buy a 1 day admission ticket then please remember that there are separate prices for a 1 day Magic Kingdom admission ticket and a 1 day admission ticket that could be used at one (and only one) of the other 3 theme parks.
5. If you have a Magic Your Way Base Ticket (without the park hopper option) you can’t go to Magic Kingdom in the morning, use one days admission, and then go to EPCOT for dinner and use a second days’ admission. 🙂
6. Florida tickets (which are discounted) can only be purchased by Florida residents and they will also need to show their Florida ID at the park gates.
7. You can upgrade a ticket even after your vacation begins as long as there are admissions still remaining (park hopper, water park fun and more option, and no expiration)
8. Tickets are not transferable once the ticket is used, but can be transferred to another person if they are still unused.

Let me know if you have any questions!