It really pays to know exactly which Walt Disney World Passes to buy. There are ways to get discounts on Walt Disney World tickets but you do have to be careful that you buy direct from Disney or through an authorized ticket seller.

The first thing to decide is exactly which pass you need for your vacation. If you use this guide to Walt Disney World passes it gives you a step by step system so that you can make the right choices and make some savings. Once you understand the basics it will be much easier to decide which Magic Your Way ticket is for you.

A Basic Guide to Walt Disney World Passes

You can buy a Disney World Base ticket for one day and right up to 10 days. Each ticket is valid for a visit to one of the four Disney World theme parks per day until the ticket expires. The ticket will expire either when you have used up all the days on your ticket or 13 days after the first day you used your ticket, whichever is the earlier.

The tickets are not transferable to anyone else. Ever. They will have your name printed on them and you will have to give a finger scan when you go through the turnstiles.

As you will see from the prices in the table below, the more days you buy the cheaper the per day price becomes. Once you get past the 3 day ticket prices then the per day add on price is less than $10. These are the prices you would pay at the Disney World Gate. All prices include tax and are current for January 2012.

Days

Adult

Child (aged 3 to 9)

1

$90.53

$84.14

2

$178.92

$165.08

3

$247.08

$227.91

4

$258.80

$238.56

5

$267.32

$247.08

6

$275.84

$255.60

7

$284.36

$264.12

8

$292.88

$272.62

9

$301.40

$281.16

10

$309.92

$289.68

Once you have decided how many days you need then you can think about whether or not you want one or more of the available add on options: a Park Hopper, a Water Park Fun and More option and a Non Expiration Option.

Do I Need a Disney World Park Hopper Ticket Option?

The Base ticket allows you to visit one theme park per day (either Magic Kingdom, Disney Hollywood Studios, Epcot or Disney’s Animal Kingdom). So if you just have a base ticket and go to Magic Kingdom in the morning then this is the only park you can enter on that day with that ticket.

If you think that you would like to visit more than one park per day then the Park Hopper is a good choice. The add on cost is $37.28 with tax for 1 day $58.58 with tax for 2 days or more. The more days you have on your ticket the cheaper the per day rate. If you have a 10 day ticket the per day price is just $5.58 but if you have just 2 days the cost is almost $30 per day.

Think carefully about whether or not you will use a Park Hopper. If you have a family of 4 you will add over $200 to the cost of tickets. For some the Park Hopper is a great option. You could go to Animal Kingdom in the day and then travel to Magic Kingdom at night to see the fireworks for example. But be aware the park hopping does take time. Depending upon where you are transferring to and from it can take over an hour to park hop. Not so much fun if you are already tired from a day walking around the parks.

The Park Hopper decision is a very individual one. It is always a good idea to plan before your Disney World vacation so give some thought to what you will do each day and see if a Park Hopper is the right option for you.

Disney World Water Park Fun and More

This adds $58.58 to a Base ticket no matter how many days are on the ticket. It allows you admission to Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, or a round of golf at Oak Trail.

You get a pre set amount of admissions depending upon the amount of days on your Base ticket. So if you have a 4 day ticket you get 4 admissions, a 9 day ticket you get 9 and so on. The only exception is with a 1 day ticket you get 2 admissions.

As with all Disney Magic Your Way tickets this will expire after 14 days ( so day of use plus 13 days). As a general rule if you are going to visit these places twice then you will save money on a separate admission price.

Disney World Passes Non Expiration Option

This can be a great choice but be very careful with what you decide here as the add on price is considerable.

Days

Adult

Child (aged 3 to 9)

1

n/a

n/a

2

$26.63

$26.63

3

$37.28

$37.28

4

$79.88

$79.88

5

$122.48

$122.48

6

$138.45

$138.45

7

$170.40

$170.40

8

$207.68

$207.68

9

$234.30

$234.30

10

$239.63

$239.63

A non expiration option can be great value if you know that you are returning to Walt Disney World. For example if you visit in 2012 and buy a 10 day ticket with a non expiration option and use 5 days this visit, you will still have 5 days to use when you return. That would be cheaper than buying two 5 day Magic Your Way passes. But it is rumored that most of the non expiration options are never used. As it adds so much onto the Base Ticket price you do have to be sure that this is a good option for your visit.

Disney World Ticket Upgrades

You can upgrade a Disney World pass within the first 14 days (day of first use plus 13 days). So if you decide after a couple of days that you really do want that Park Hopper option then you can go back to the ticket window and pay the upgrade cost. Once the ticket has expired you cannot upgrade. Also remember you can never down grade. So if you buy a Water Park option and then only visit once you cannot get a refund.

Walt Disney World Annual Passes

Disney World offers several different types of annual pass including special passes for Florida Residents. For more information about this I have written a guide at:

Disney World Tickets for Florida Residents

As a rough guide if you are planning on visiting 11 days or more in a year then an Annual Pass offers savings over a Magic Your Way ticket. Some annual passes also have benefits such as discounts on merchandise and perks such as free parking which can also add up to significant savings. There are also sometimes offers of discountson Walt Disney World resorts for annual passholders.

An annual pass which will give you access to all the four theme parks for one year is $552.74 for adults and $509.07 for a child aged 3-9. Renewals are offered at a discount.

A deluxe Disney Annual Pass is $691.19 for adults and $636.87 for children aged 3 to 9. Renewals are also offered at a discount. This ticket will allow you access to the main four parks, the water parks and Disney Quest.

Where Not To Buy Disney World Passes

There are scams out there. Lots of them unfortunately so you do need to be aware of them. Only ever buy direct from Disney World (either at the gate or online) or from Authorized Disney Ticket Agents.

Disney World tickets are never transferable so if someone is offering you un expired days off tickets or you are looking at sites like eBay or Craigslist just do not go there. Never, ever buy a Disney ticket unless it is from an authorized source. It is illegal to sell tickets in this way and every year someone is arrested for doing just that. Do not be a victim of these scams.

Discount Walt Disney World Passes

There are safe places to buy discount Disney World Passes. You can buy direct from Disney or an Authorized ticket dealer. Click below to look at the discount prices for this highly reliable ticket seller:

Discounts on Disney Park Tickets!

Savings vary according to which ticket type you buy but it can save your family a lot of money.

They key to saving on Walt Disney World Passes is understanding which ticket you really need and then buying it from a safe source. With this guide you now have everything you need. If you have any questions just leave me a comment below.

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