Trip Preparation: Ticket Options
There are four theme parks and two water parks at Walt Disney World. To be able to gain entry into these parks you need a ticket of some kind. There are a variety of ticket choices for every kind of vacation. Getting the proper information about what each ticket gives you can help you pick the right ticket package for you and possibly save you hundreds of dollars. There are a couple of standard things you’ll notice in regards to ticket cost, the more days you buy the cheaper it is per day. That does not mean you need to pay park tickets for each day of your vacation. If you’re not arriving at Walt Disney World until 2pm then forgo the park tickets for your arrival day. Want to have a day to enjoy your resorts pool or shop at Disney Springs, then forgo the park tickets for that day. You can always add on additional days while you are there. If you purchase your tickets ahead of time you’ll save money. Three days ahead of time, you’ll save. So purchase your tickets a few days ahead of time at least. Plus, the sooner you purchase them the earlier you get to book your FastPasses.
1 Park Per Day
When you purchase a 1 park per day ticket you gain entry into one park per day. You’re paying for one park admission per day. When you enter into the Magic Kingdom, you can come and go from the Magic Kingdom as you please but you can not go into any other park. If you do so then you’ll loose one of your park days. If you pay individually, you pay when you arrive at the park gate, you’ll have a different price for the Magic Kingdom and the rest of the parks. Because Magic Kingdom is more popular, entry to the Magic Kingdom is more expensive. So purchase them all together. 1 Park per day for one adult for 4 days is $380.00.
Park Hopper
As mentioned above there are 4 theme parks at Walt Disney World, and two of them are a short km walk a part. When you purchase a park hopper ticket you have the ability to go to multiple parks in one day. You can start the day at Hollywood Studios and then take the boat over to Epcot. Start the day with a safari ride at the Animal Kingdom’s Kilimanjaro Safari and finish it off with watching the Magic Kingdom’s Happily Ever After fireworks show. You can go to however many parks you want to in one day. Now of course that means there’s an increase in price and unfortunately you can’t choose to have some days of your ticket park hopper and some not. The price for a park hopper pass for one adult for 4 days is $455.00. That’s a difference of $75 dollars, an extra 20 dollars a day. To hear my opinion on park hopping check out this previous post.
Park Hopper Plus
The next level of park tickets is the park hopper plus. With a park hopper plus ticket you get to head to as many parks in one day as you want and you get admission into Disney’s two water parks, mini golf, oak trail golf course and the ESPN Wide World of Sports. So let’s say you have a 4 day park hopper plus ticket, this means you get an additional 4 entries to the mentioned places. You can do 4 park days, plus check out Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, Fantasia Mini Golf and the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Your options are endless. There’s great value in this ticket if you’re already planning on purchasing a park hopper pass. The cost of a 4 park hopper plus pass is $480.00.
Water Park Tickets
There are two water parks at Walt Disney World: Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. The cost of entry to either of these water parks is $65. Now if you’re staying at a Disney resort, you may want to just enjoy the pools and waterslides found at your resort. But if you want to head to one of the water parks you’ll have to purchase a separate ticket or choose the Park Hopper Plus ticket option. If you’re not planning on doing the park hopper, you don’t want to jump from park to park then just buy these tickets separately because the money you would be spending on the park hopper pass covers the cost of your water park day.
Canadian Resident Tickets
Over the last few years, Walt Disney World has released specially priced tickets for those who live in Canada. There are a couple of conditions, you need to purchase at least a four day park pass and you’ll need to validate your Canadian at one of the admission offices. These are not sold all year round, they are sold for a select time but you have a year to use them. The discount applies to 1 park per day, park hopper and park hopper plus. For one adult for four days a 1 park per day ticket costs $316 (a $64 savings), a park hopper costs $382 (a $73 savings) and a park hopper plus costs $404 (a $76 savings).
Magic Your Way Tickets
When you are purchasing a vacation package, especially a special offer package, the offer will often describe the package including Magic Your Way Tickets. What this means is you can choose whatever kind of ticket package you’d prefer. You can choose 4 days, 8 days, no days. You can choose a park hopper pass, a park hopper plus or again no tickets at all. It is totally up to you. It’s always cheapest to underestimate than over estimate the amount of days you’ll be spending at the parks. If you realize once you’ve arrived you’d like to add an extra park day that’s simple. But it’s harder to take a day away. Sorry harder isn’t the right word. More complicated.
If you are purchasing a vacation package that is apart of a special offer there are sometimes requirements. The free dining plan that becomes available every fall and winter requires guests to purchase a minimum of a 4 day park hopper pass. Which sometimes ends up costing you more if that’s not what you had wanted to do in the first place. So be sure to look at all your options and seriously consider what you want your Disney vacation to look like. A vacation filled with park days every day or a vacation with a few pool days, shopping days and off site days. For more tips on trip preparation check out my pinterest page that features all my past posts. Happy Planning, Friends.
