What is the best way to buy Disneyworld tickets?

Comments

1. "G Rob" says:

   December 8, 2009 at 5:06 am

   One of the most expensive (if not THE most expensive) part of any Disney vacation are the attraction tickets. With the price of a one-day, one-park ticket at $67.10, tickets can become a major expense.

   REMINDER: Regardless of where you purchase your Disney tickets, ALWAYS copy the back side on each pass (where the serial number is located) and put it in a safe place. It is the only chance you have of getting the passes replaced if you should lose them.

   Advance Purchase Disney Tickets
   Disney World offers a discount if you purchase your Disney tickets in advance. This can be done through Disney directly, or through your travel agent. (Dreams Unlimited Travel offers these Disney tickets on-line). Savings can range from $18 per adult and from $12 per child. Purchase Disney tickets

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   Disney Ticket Brokers
   By far, the best discounts you can get on Disney passes is through ticket brokers in the Orlando area. These brokers purchase their passes in bulk from Disney, and all other area theme parks, and offer substantial savings. For instance, a 7 Day Disney Premium Ticket will cost you $313.11 at the gate, as opposed to $298 through a broker. While there are several reputable Disney ticket brokers in Orlando, the one we recommend is The Official Ticket Center on Hwy 535 in Lake Buena Vista.

   The operation is run by Bruce Carter, and we have no qualms in telling you that it is a top notch operation. Tickets can be overnighted to you (for a cost of $16), sent Fed Ex three day express ($10), delivered to your hotel when you arrive ($5 per order), or you can pick them up at the OTC office directly. You can order the tickets on-line, or call the OTC toll free at 1-877-406-4836 (be sure to mention rate code TC11). Please note that all prices shown include tax.
   IMPORTANT NOTE: Ticket Brokers should not be confused with the kiosks found in parking lots all around Kissimmee and Orlando offering steep discounts on tickets. Almost all of these are associated with a timeshare resort, and in order to get the tickets you will have to sit through a timeshare presentation. The Official Ticket Center simply sells tickets, no timeshare pitches, no vouchers, just the same ticket media you would get if you purchased at the gate.

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   Timeshare Tours
   Orlando is chock-full of Timeshares, and chock-full of people trying to sell them. As a way to entice you to take a tour of their facilities, Timeshare companies will offer free, or heavily discounted park passes (usually one day passes) to individuals who agree to take a tour. The tours normally last for about 3 hours, after which you sit down with a sales rep who tries to sell you the Timeshare. Whether you purchase a timeshare or not, the company is REQUIRED to give you whatever incentive was offered to you.

   In our opinion, it’s never a good idea to take the tour simply to get the ticket. If you are interested in purchasing a timeshare, then you’re killing two birds with one stone. Our suggestion is this: If you are interested in purchasing a timeshare, take the tour, but be sure to check The Timeshare Store for resale prices on the timeshares you’re interested in. The Timeshare Store has resale property from just about every timeshare company in the Orlando area, and at a fraction of what you would pay directly.

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   Disney Ticket Discounts Military Personnel

   Active Military personnel with proper ID (includes active U.S. Coast Guard and activated members of the National Guard or Reservists) are eligible to receive Disney Ticket discounts. Military personnel can also purchase Disney tickets for up to 5 members of their family. Guests in the Military can only purchase these tickets at "Shades of Green." YOU MUST PRESENT VALID ID IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THESE PASSES.
   Click Here for Disney World Discounts for Military Personnel

   Where NOT to buy your passes

   Is is not unusual to find individuals selling "used" Disney passes at various areas around Lake Buena Vista and Kissimmee. This practice started several years ago when Disney tickets were stamped (by hand) at the gate. It was easy to see how many days were left on the tickets. When Disney switched to the ticket media currently in use, the only way to determine how many days of admission are left is to have the ticket scanned.

   You would think that it would have put an end to the practice of selling ‘used’ tickets, but it didn’t. Many of those who purchase these tickets with the promise that they’re still valid often find out the hard way that they are used up. Disney will not help you as all passes are clearly marked "non-transferable." Quite frankly, it’s not their responsibility if your "bargain" turned out to be anything but.

   Keep in mind that if a deal seems too good to be true, there’s probably a very good reason why. Never buy used passes from anyone, not through auction sites, and not through those individuals who may approach you while in Florida. They are professional scam artists.

   Tickets aren’t cheap and if you allow yourself to be taken advantage of, you’ll only spend more in the long run. There are legitimate discounts offered, such as through the The Official Ticket Center and by advance purchase through Disney. Always play it safe.

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   Disney Ticket Descriptions

   Jump to:
   BASE Ticket
   Park-Hopper Option
   Magic Your Way with Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More Option
   No Expiration Option
   Premium Ticket

   Magic Your Way BASE TICKET includes admission to all 4 Walt Disney World Theme pages (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom) one park per day (i.e. no park hopping) and expire 14-days after the first use. They do not include admission to the water parks, Pleasure Island, DisneyQuest or Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.

   With the Magic Your Way tickets, you first choose the number of days you want on a base ticket, which allows you to enter one theme park each day. Then decide which option you want to add, paying only for those features you want, such as the ability to visit multiple Disney theme parks each day or to visit Disney water parks, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island or other exciting venues.

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   Park Hopper Option (Add-on purchases to the base ticket include)
   Adding the Park-Hopper Option lets you come and go as you please through all four Disney theme parks on the same day or every day for each day of your pass. Extra cost to the base-price ticket: $40– or just $8 per day on a seven-day ticket.

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   Magic Your Way with Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More Option (Add-on purchases to the base ticket include)
   For Disney fun beyond the four theme parks, this option provides the choice of admission to Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, DisneyQuest, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island or Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. Extra cost to the base-price ticket: $50 (includes 3-6 visits to Magic Your Way with Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More attractions, depending on the number of base ticket days purchased).

   1-Day Disney ticket = 3 Water Park Fun and More visits
   2-Day Disney ticket = 3 Water Park Fun and More visits
   3-Day Disney ticket = 3 Water Park Fun and More visits
   4-Day Disney ticket = 4 Water Park Fun and More visits
   5-Day Disney ticket = 4 Water Park Fun and More visits
   6-Day Disney ticket = 5 Water Park Fun and More visits
   7-Day Disney ticket = 6 Water Park Fun and More visits
   8-Day Disney ticket = 6 Water Park Fun and More visits
   9-Day Disney ticket = 6 Water Park Fun and More visits
   10-Day Disney ticket = 6 Water Park Fun and More visits
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   No Expiration Option (Add-on purchases to the base ticket include)
   - The Magic Your Way base tickets expire 14 days after their first use. Electing the No Expiration Option means you are free to come back and take advantage of unused tickets at any time. Extra cost to the base-price ticket: $10 – $55.

   Add this to any Magic Your Way Pass and unused days never expire.

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   Magic Your Way Premium Ticket – To capture all that Walt Disney World has to offer, this ticket combines the benefits of the Park Hopper Option and the Magic Your Way with Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More Option. Number of Plus visits to Magic Your Way with Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More attractions varies with length of ticket The No Expiration Option can also be purchased for this pass.

   Click Here for Discounts | Click Here for Prices
2. hr_racer says:

   December 8, 2009 at 5:06 am

   Buy through ticket brokers. I’ve used TicketMania before and had no problems. They can even deliver to your resort/house. You’ll want to order ahead of time, so plan out what parks you want to visit.