Discount Disney World Ticket Tips
You can save money on Walt Disney World tickets in 2018 with our tips that will help you find discount Walt Disney World tickets. With our exclusive coupon, special deals, and info you can choose the best park tickets for your vacation. We also cover the most recent price increase and change to date-based tickets on October 16, 2018, and how to save money year-round on Walt Disney World tickets.
We’ll start with the news: the October 16, 2018 “change” to date-based ticket pricing. That’s air quotes around change, as this new system is a price increase for the vast majority of dates, with only a handful of weeks in late August, September, late January, and early February having decreased in price. The good news is that (for now) Undercover Tourist has a limited supply of their “old” inventory of discounted Walt Disney World tickets, which don’t require a start date.
If you’re traveling between now and December 31, 2019, we’d again strongly encourage you to buy now from Undercover Tourist. Not only will you get the flexible, date-less tickets, but you’ll get their pre-October 2018 discounted pricing, so the savings can be tremendous for some travel dates. With ticket prices likely to increase again before Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens in Late 2019, you should absolutely buy now–before they sell out of this inventory–if you plan to travel at any point in late 2018 or 2019.
Accordingly, if you are planning to visit Walt Disney World at some point before December 31, 2019, we’d highly recommend purchasing your park tickets now to lock-in the cheaper, flat-rate pricing that is not date-based. Not only does this lock-in current discounted prices, but it prevents you from having to hassle with the new interactive calendar.
Your tickets will be valid whenever (Disney has already announced the price and policy changes won’t apply to the “old” from prior to October 16, 2018–and that’s what these Undercover Tourist tickets are), so long as you use them before December 31, 2019.
Note: What follows is our normal advice for purchasing discount Walt Disney World tickets. Once Undercover Tourist runs out of their limited inventory, all third party ticket sellers will use the same date-based system as Walt Disney World. At that point, we’ll edit the below section based upon which seller has the best prices. For now, the above ‘special deal’ on old inventory at Undercover Tourist supersedes this section.
Normally, if you’re just wondering where to safely buy the cheapest, legitimate Walt Disney World multi-day tickets from an authorized reseller, we highly recommend ParkSavers. They usually have the best prices on discount Walt Disney World tickets, with some being $60+ off Disney’s gate prices! Readers of this blog can save an extra $2 per ticket at ParkSavers with discount code DISNEYTOURISTBLOG at check-out.
In addition to saving you the most money, ParkSavers provides the most options. You can order tickets for use now through December 31, 2019, and you will receive confirmation codes via email for My Disney Experience (so you can make FastPass+ selections). Park tickets are likely your second-most expensive expenditure of your Walt Disney World vacation after your hotel, so saving money is important. Beyond where to buy them, this guide will help you with which tickets to buy, and much more…
If you’re wondering which tickets to purchase, our strong recommendation is the 7-day Park Hopper ticket, which currently offers huge savings! In fact, the discounted 7-Day Park Hopper is only ~$15 more than the 5-Day Park Hopper, which means the 6th and 7th days are under $10 each.
Note that you’ll receive confirmation codes for My Disney Experience via email, which enables you to easily link the tickets to your My Disney Experience account and make FastPass+ reservations. This also means that the tickets are compatible with MagicBands (which you’ll receive with your Walt Disney World hotel reservation; you can also purchase special edition MagicBands in the parks). As we cover below, FastPass+ is really important to saving time at Walt Disney World!
With so many different park ticket options, plus FastPass+ and MagicBands, this might already seem overwhelming. If you have more questions about which type of Walt Disney World tickets you should purchase or need other assistance, the rest of this guide is for you. Given their cost, and the different ticket options, it’s important to know as much as you can before you buy your Walt Disney World tickets so you don’t waste money.
In this Walt Disney World park ticket guide, we present the pros and cons of different tickets so you can make an informed decision about which options are best for your family. We’ll break down everything you need to know about the complexities of Walt Disney World tickets, and by the end of this post, you’ll know way more than you ever thought there was to know about park tickets!
We sort through the different options and give you recommendations on what types of tickets are best for you, plus where you can save money on Walt Disney World tickets. (If you’ve come looking for info on discount Disneyland tickets, you’ve come to the wrong place–but we do have an article with Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets, too.)
Ready to get started? Here are our tips and tricks for saving money on Walt Disney World tickets for now through December 31, 2019!
Where to Buy the Cheapest Disney Tickets
As we mentioned at the beginning, to save money on multi-day Walt Disney World tickets, we recommend purchasing your Disney park tickets from ParkSavers, which is an authorized discount Disney ticket broker that typically has the lowest prices on legitimate park tickets.
In addition to ParkSavers, we recommend Get Away Today. They also provide exceptional service and great savings. The only downsides to Get Away Today are that their tickets require more advance notice for processing, and that what you receive is a ticket voucher (it still can be linked to My Disney Experience for FastPass+); you will need to pick up the actual ticket when you arrive at Walt Disney World.
Other options that we recommend in addition to Get Away Today and ParkSavers are Official Ticket Center and Undercover Tourist. Outside of sales and special offers, it’s rare for either of these sites to have the best prices on any tickets, but they are reliable and trusted ticket sellers.
There aren’t many Disney ticket sellers that are actually legitimate, so be careful if you find a deal elsewhere. The 4 sellers we mention in this article are the ones that have the best reputations and offer the biggest discounts. If you find a better deal somewhere else, well…you know what they say about when something sounds too good to be true!
Authorized discount Disney ticket brokers are great ways to save money on park tickets over gate prices, but not every third party ticket broker is reliable and trust-worthy. Most places selling discount Disney tickets are scams. Buying tickets on eBay or Craigslist is about as good of an idea as buying Louis Vuitton purses on a street corner.
Disney tickets are non-transferrable–they are tied to your fingerprint once partially used. If you get burned by these sellers with a partially-used or counterfeit ticket, Disney won’t have sympathy. You’ll have to pay full price for tickets at the park gates. Not exactly the best way to start the day on a Disney vacation!
If you’re comparing prices, remember to compare apples to apples: Disney prices don’t include the Florida 6.5% tax, whereas prices from the sellers we recommend do include tax into the final price you pay. Sorry bold that all, but we get so many comments from people who miss that, and wonder why the discounts aren’t as good as promised. Also make sure you’re comparing Park Hopper tickets to regular tickets or not. Lots of people make mistakes in not comparing the same tickets to one another. (Again, just look at the comments section, ha!)
Moving on, let’s take a look at which type of ticket options are best for you…
Which Tickets to Buy?
Sometimes people ask which ticket is our favorite for first-time visitors to Walt Disney World, and it really depends upon how long you’re visiting. In our Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide, we recommend most first-time visitors take a 6-8 trip.
Assuming you are going this route, you probably won’t spend every moment in the park. You’ll want a rest day in the middle to spend recovering poolside, and maybe a shopping day (or morning) at Disney Springs. With that said, we recommend buying a Park Hopper ticket that is 1-2 days shorter than the duration of your vacation–unless you’re visiting for 4 days or fewer, in which case you should purchase a ticket for every day. Always get at least a 4-day ticket. Ideally, get nothing less than a 5-day ticket.
Meaning, if your vacation is 8 days, we recommend the 6-day or 7-day Park Hopper ticket. If you are visiting for 6 days, get the 5-day ticket. In our experience, a 6-day Walt Disney World vacation is about the sweet spot for first-timers. That means either a 4-day or 5-day ticket is going to be a smart bet for most people reading this. (If you have more time, that’s excellent!)
Note that Walt Disney World has eliminated the “Water Park Fun and More” option. This used to be a nice way to do “add-on” days in the water park. Now, water park visits are bundled into the “Park Hopper Plus” ticket option as an add-on. Purchase the number of days you’ll want to be in the 4 main theme parks.
This means that if you want to do 5 days in the theme parks and 2 days in the water parks, you should buy a 5-day “Park Hopper Plus” ticket. You can also access the water parks and theme parks on the same day as one another with the Park Hopper Plus tickets–another reason we recommend that option!
Are Park Hopper Tickets Worth it?
The Park Hopper add-on allows you to visit multiple parks in the same day. You can bounce around the parks and maximize your time in the parks. Some guests can skip the Park Hopper option: particularly those with small children and those who won’t stay out late.
On the other hand, Park Hopping can be really beneficial if you want to revisit favorite attractions or head over to a certain park for fireworks. Currently, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has two overlapping nighttime spectaculars (Fantasmic and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular) that are impossible to see in the same night.
However, you also won’t want to spend 2 full days in Disney’s Hollywood Studios–even though Slinky Dog Dash is a really fun new ride in Toy Story Land there–so the best solution is to spend 1-day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and see Fantasmic that night, and then park hop back a second night just to see Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular.
Another benefit of the Park Hopper option is spending more hours per day in the theme parks. Since each park has different opening and closing hours, getting a Park Hopper is a good way to extend your day (particularly in the off-season when parks close earlier) or spend more time in Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom often closes 2-3 hours later than the other parks, so you squeeze a couple more hours out of day by starting your day in Animal Kingdom (for example) and heading to Magic Kingdom once Animal Kingdom closes.
Because of these two things, we generally recommend purchasing the Park Hopper option. While it does cost more, if you’re buying multiple day tickets, you might be surprised to learn that the extra cost is insignificant. Currently, a discounted 7-day Walt Disney World Adult Park Hopper Ticket is $481 after tax. Now, that’s a lot of money.
However, compare it to a 1-day Park Hopper ticket directly from Disney, which is $181.35 after tax (during regular season). For less than the price of three 1-day tickets, you can purchase a 7-day discounted Park Hopper. That 7-day ticket works out to being less than $70/day!
Other multi-day tickets offer similar savings, so be sure to look at the prices of other multi-day Walt Disney World tickets and do some comparison shopping to see just how much you can save. Walt Disney World advertises that “the more you play, the less you pay per day” and this is definitely true.
Why to Buy Tickets in Advance
When you purchase tickets from an authorized Walt Disney World ticket broker before your trip, you can make FastPass+ ride reservations before you trip. You definitely want to book FastPass+ for popular attractions like Avatar Flight of Passage, N’avi River Voyage, Frozen Ever After, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, etc., in advance, because if you wait to make reservations on the day you visit, there won’t be availability.
This is especially important now that FastPass+ is available for the Pandora – World of Avatar attractions. Wait times for these have been in the 120 minutes range since they opened for those who don’t have FastPass+! We cannot stress enough how important it is to make FastPass+ reservations in advance, and buying tickets before your vacation is the only way to do that.
If you’re unfamiliar with FastPass+, we have a comprehensive Guide to FastPass+ at Walt Disney World that includes step-by-step tips for using FastPass+ and a ton of tricks for using it. Basically, FastPass+ is a web-based ride reservation system that replaced the old paper FastPass tickets.
It’s really important that you understand FastPass+ before your trip. Many attractions “sell out” of FastPass+ weeks in advance, and standby waits on the day you visit for some of the attractions above can exceed 2 hours. Using FastPass+ effectively will save you a ton of time. Because of this, we highly recommend purchasing Walt Disney World park tickets in advance, and making FastPass+ reservations as soon as possible.
If you wait until you arrive at Walt Disney World to purchase your tickets, not only do you pay more money, but you can’t make your FastPass+ selections until you arrive. Many popular attractions won’t have any availability, meaning you will have to either skip them or wait in long standby lines. Our Walt Disney World Ride Guides cover which attractions are the best uses of FastPass+ in each park.
Affiliation Discounts
If for some reason you don’t want to buy discounted Disney tickets from ParkSavers, Get Away Today, Official Ticket Center or Undercover Tourist, there’s a possibility you qualify for some other form of discount. The most common discounts are: Florida resident, military/department of defense, corporate or “club” discounts, Disney Vacation Club, and sometimes Walt Disney World ticket discounts for Europeans.
Of these discounts, military Disney ticket discounts are typically the best, followed by AAA discounts. AAA discounts are only offered through local offices and tax isn’t included in their price quotes. Note that Disney ended its relationship with AAA last year, so there are no additional perks for buying Disney tickets through AAA anymore.
AAA discounts typically are not as good as the prices offered by the discount ticket brokers, but military or department of defense discounts are always better. The “Stars and Stripes” promotion (only available to select members of the armed forces and department of defense) will usually annihilate what is offered by third party discount ticket brokers or AAA. This promo isn’t always offered, so call Shades of Green at 888-593-2242 prior to ordering tickets to see whether it’s available for your stay.
Another option available to some people is Tickets at Work. This is a members-only site that partners with certain corporations to offer company employees exclusive discounts and special offers for theme parks, attractions, Broadway shows, special events, hotels, concerts, and movie tickets. In other words, Tickets at Work is a “perk” that’s available only to employees of certain corporations.
Tickets at Work most definitely is legitimate. Unfortunately, we cannot offer a price comparison to Tickets at Work because we don’t work for companies partnered with Tickets at Work, nor do we know anyone who does. Anecdotally, we’ve heard that in some cases, Tickets at Work offers prices that are slightly better than ParkSavers or Get Away Today. In other cases, their prices are worse. We’ve also been told that shipping can take 2-3 weeks with Tickets at Work, which could be a deal-breaker if you’re trying to make FastPass+ reservations in a hurry. Check with your company’s HR department to see if your company is a Tickets at Work partner.
Now, let’s cover one other possible Walt Disney World park ticket option…
What About An Annual Pass?
In the past, it has made sense to consider an Annual Pass for your trip to Walt Disney World. After Annual Pass tiers changed, that now is typically not true unless you are a Florida resident or are a Disney super fan who will travel to Florida 2-3 times per year. For the normal “Platinum” Annual Pass to be a better value than normal park tickets, you’d have to spend 15+ days in the parks.
Beyond that, there is a 10% discount on food and non-alcoholic beverages at participating restaurants at Walt Disney World. The discount includes some of our favorite restaurants, such as Flying Fish, Jiko & Sanaa, and others. You can see the full list of participating restaurants here–it’s a nice mix of counter service and table service locations. Additionally, Annual Passholders will now receive 20% off most merchandise purchases.
Thanks to these benefits, if you’re taking a trip slightly shorter than 15 days or if you’re visiting for two 5+ day trips within a 12-month window it still might make sense to buy Annual Passes.
Future Ticket Price Increases?
As noted at the top of the price, Walt Disney World changed its ticket pricing scheme on October 16, 2018. The functional result of this change is another price increase for most tickets.
Due to the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019, and other large projects currently under construction, we anticipate several additional price increases on the horizon. Between now and the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (likely December 2019), we fully expect 2 more price increases. After October, the next one is likely to occur in February 2019, followed by one inOctober 2019. Walt Disney World really needs to get crowds in order before the Star Wars land opens, which is sure to draw huge crowds, no matter the cost.
Because of this, if you are planning a vacation and definitely going to Walt Disney World by the end of December 2019, it’s always best to buy tickets as soon as you can. Buying now locks-in current pricing so you don’t end up paying more down the road. It also means not having to hassle with date-based pricing for multi-day tickets (and potentially paying a lot more if you visit during school breaks or holiday seasons).
Conclusion
Hopefully the above info helped you determine which Walt Disney World park ticket you should buy and how to save money on those tickets. If you still have some questions, here are some general rules:
- Thanks to very good discounts, our top recommendation for Walt Disney World is the 5-day to 7-day Park Hopper ticket, all of which provide excellent savings.
- We recommend the Park Hopper option for most people, but if you definitely won’t visit more than one park per day, you can save additional money by skipping the Park Hopper option.
- By purchasing via an authorized ticket broker, you can make FastPass+ reservations ahead of time. If you buy tickets once you arrive to Walt Disney World, you’re at a disadvantage in two ways: you pay more for tickets and you cannot make FastPass+ ride reservations in advance.
- Do not consider an Annual Pass unless you will visit Walt Disney World for roughly 15+ days in a 365 day window, or will take multiple shorter trips.
- Buy your tickets for 2019 before Undercover Tourist runs out of its old inventory to avoid date-based pricing, and to lock-in current prices, beating the next three price increases.
It’s important to know that my suggestions are based on our preferences, and they may not work for you. It’s really best to read through this and then apply it to your own circumstances by looking at your own schedule and preferences, and determining what type of tickets are best for you. Finally, head to ParkSavers buy the appropriate tickets at a discount.
For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. For overviews of all of these topics and so much more, the best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!
Your Thoughts…
Have any questions about which tickets might be best for you? Which Walt Disney World tickets do you think are best, and why? Hopefully this guide to Disney discount tickets has provided you with some valuable tips & tricks to help you save money on Walt Disney World tickets, and has helped you figure out which kind of Disney tickets are right for you. If you still have any questions, please leave them in the comments and we will try to help!
This is a little late info, but, I wanted to give a correction on the pricing for tickets from the Undercover Tourists web site.
On October 15th, I was able to get tickets at the old price and no start date requirement. On October 16th, you could still get tickets on Undercover Tourist without a start date but the price went up. I did a check on the same ticket types today at Undercover and Park Savers (I purchased 8-day Park Hoppers, price includes tax and e-mail shipping[free]) and a start date of June 8, 2019:
Purchase on Oct 15 (Undercover) = $420.17
Price on Oct 16 and Oct 20 (Undercover) = $485.34 ($65.17 increase)
Price on Oct 20 (ParkSavers) = $524.43 Plus need start date of June 8
Price on Disney Web site (gate price plus tax) on Oct 20: $570.49
So, you still can save the best amount with Undercover Tourist and not have dated tickets. Thanks for the heads-up on this last increase as it saved me $65 from a price increase and buying through a discounter saves $150 over the gate price. Since I’ll be traveling with 7 people, that is a wopping $455 (discounted) and $1050 (gate).
Maybe I read to fast, but what are the ‘expiration’ of these tickets and ‘days to use’? I.e. if I buy a 7 day ticket, once I use it on day 1, when does day 7 of the ticket expire?
I was trying to figure this out too. It looks like there is some algorithm being used with the new system. The disclaimer at the bottom of the Disney Web Site states “the first day of use must be on or before December 31, 2019, and the tickets and any other options purchased must be used within 14 days of first use”. But, when I look at the specific purchase information given when I booked an 8-day park hopper in June, it only gave me 11 days after the first date. I wonder what’s up with that?
Helpful info!
Will Parksaver or other authorized seller sell disneyworld tickets in a new way after Oct. 16 ?
If I’m staying at Disney resorts but bought my tickets through park savers, can I still link the tickets to the free magic bands? Thank you
Jackie,
You can absolutely still link tickets purchased from Park Savers (or any other authorized reseller) to your My Disney Experience account and use your MagicBand to gain entry to the parks, make purchases, etc. Your MagicBand, along with your fingerprint, is essentially the ‘key’ to access the information stored in your My Disney Experience account.
Hope that helps!
Rob
Very helpful information, thank you Rob!
As to the Annual Pass, remember that (aside from including park hopper, 20% merch discount, and 10% off at table service restaurants) it also includes Photopass. So if you tend to want to buy the pictures and are going solo or in a twosome, the $199 savings ($169 advance purchase) can make a difference on annual vs. multi-day. Particularly if you are thinking you might do two short trips in a year (avoiding the Photopass price a second time, plus two separate 4-day Park hoppers are as much as an annual pass anyway). Or, with a bigger group, consider buying one annual pass and the rest multi-day tickets if the math works out for the expected savings on souvenirs, food, and Photopass to do so.
Plus, if you plan to go twice the first year, annual pass could make sense even if you just plan to go once a year after (bonus if you end up back more!). For renewals, current prices drop from $849 to $721. So if you save close to $200 on the free Photopass and then another $50-100 on discounts between food and merchandise, you’re basically at the equivalent of the of a 4-5 day park hopper in year two anyway. Plus, you may get additional room discounts not available to the general public and discounts to tours, experiences, and special event tickets (like Halloween).
HI Tom, thanks for the great article.
We are planning on going first week of Feb 2019. I can currently buy tickets through my union for a 7 day park hopper for $455, which appears to be a good discount.
I’m wondering though, as the new prices go into effect Oct 16th and prices will be based on busier times of the year, is there any chance that tickets for Feb of 2019 will actually be cheaper? I’m doubting it, but thought it couldn’t hurt to get your insight before buying the tickets.
Thanks for any help.
Tom, I’ve seen where Disney has extended the Military Salute Tickets to include DoD civilians until Dec 19, 2018. I don’t think this has been done before. Disney is saying it’s a “test.” Do you think there’s any chance that this could be extended into 2019?
I want to purchase from a third party vendor and bridge to annual passes for my family to receive the third party vendor discount and have those days credited to the annual pass price as you suggested. If I’m reading you correctly, Disney will honor the face value of the ticket, meaning purchasing a larger number of days will offer a deeper discount toward the annual pass. For example, a 10 day park hopper pass purchased from Parksavers for $454 before Oct 16, 2018 price changes may be worth more to bridge in November when we’re taking our trip? At the very least it would be worth the 454 we paid for it?
While you await your answer, where do you see a 10-day park hopper for $454 at ParkSavers? I only see it at $524.
It looks like it’s the 10 day non hopper ticket that is $454.
As of right now, everything you’re asking/suggesting is correct.
The big question is how the tickets will be valued after October 16–will the new system recognize the maximum *current* face value then, the minimum, or what you paid for the ticket? Worst case scenario: it’s worth what you paid. Best case: they credit the highest possible date-based price for the ticket. No one will know for sure until that date.
Interesting, but actually I find tickets at official WDW site to be cheaper than any of other options from this article. Also I don’t see any tax added in the end of the booking, the price stays the same. But I’m coming from Europe (I even see the prices in EUR). Is it possible that they have different prices (and tax policies) for those coming from abroad?
I love Getaway Today Vacations!! They are my favorite way to book.
“Do not consider an Annual Pass unless you will visit Walt Disney World for roughly 15+ days in a 365 day window. Tom, you should make it clear that may not apply to those who make multiple trips in a 12-month period. We live in NYC and used to visit Disney twice a year spending $372 for 3-day PH tickets each time; that’s $744. One time we decided last minute to add one more day at Magic Kingdom for another $105 or so. The past few years, we’ve gone three times a year, so just keep multiplying. We discovered buying an Annual Pass cost only $85 more than 2 trips at 3 days each. Essentially, even just a minute more than that is gravy with an Annual Pass. And then we got the 20% shopping discount and the 10-15% dining discounts. And PhotoPass (which we love!). When we renew (which is a lower price than a new AP), we will be way ahead of the game, doncha think?
Hi! We just purchased 11 tickets from ParkSavers, various days and our total price listed was $5,008.00. Last week we received our tickets and the invoice included with the tickets has a tax total of approximately $350.00. In your blog you state: “If you’re comparing prices, remember to compare apples to apples: Disney prices don’t include the Florida 6.5% tax, whereas prices from the sellers we recommend do include tax into the final price you pay.” So, I’m curious as to WHY we were charged taxes when you commented differently?
Did you pay a total of $5,008.00 or a total of $5,350.00? If the former, the tax was included in the final price, but for bookkeeping purposes, they show the 350 as tax on the invoice. If the latter, then indeed, they have quit including the tax in the price.
1,000 comment! Woo!!! I am special! 😉
Thanks for the great write up! Pricing as of today (8/20/18) has Undercover Tourist lower than Park Savers, Get Away Today or Tickets at Work (my company participates) for my ticket needs. From reading other comments here, it seems like it may be worth noting that a reader should check all sites on any given day rather than promoting any one of the sites.
Not sure why undercovertourist is not listed as the lowest as it is cheaper and a better website
6 Day Hopper Tickets for 6 Adults + 1 Child:
WDW: $3631.65
Undercover Tourist: $3339.24
Park Savers: $3332.00
Any one go through costcotravel.com? It is a really great discount (not many onsite choices) but it is so easy to add disney and universal tickets. I haven’t booked anything yet, just wondering if there are good or bad experiences with booking through them.
We are in Florida for a 20 day holiday and I am considering the annual water park pass along with a 7 day pass, is the annual water park pass worth it?