Posts Tagged ‘park tickets’

Take advantage of Disney’s latest offer for vacation packages from November of this year through March 27 of 2010.  Purchase a regularly-priced Magic Your Way package and receive additional nights and park tickets free.

For stays in select Disney Value Resorts, guests who purchase a package that includes five nights and a five-day park ticket will get two additional nights and two extra days of park admission free of charge.

Those choosing a Disney Moderate, Deluxe, or Deluxe Villa Resort can book a four-f night stay, four-day ticket package and receive three more nights and tickets at no additional cost.

This exceptional offer must be booked by December 20, 2009 and is applicable for most nights from November 1 to 24, 2009, December 8 to 24, 2009, and January 3 to March 27, 2010.  Special pricing includes a base ticket and accommodations.  Ticket options and dining plans can be added to these discounted packages at regular prices.  Only a limited number of rooms are available; contact Whimsical World Travel to start planning your magical vacation soon!

Disney Parks will continue the popular “What Will You Celebrate?” theme in 2010 with a new focus.  At a time when many are facing challenges, Disney has chosen to celebrate volunteerism for the coming year.  Hoping to inspire one million people in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada to contribute a day of service, Disney will reward program participants with a one-day ticket to a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort.

Guests who are visiting on a vacation package or have an Annual Pass or Passport can choose one of the following:

• a special FastPass for the participant and up to five additional guests
• a collectible Ear Hat figurine with trading pins
• the option to donate the ticket to a designated non-profit organization

Beginning January 1, 2010, individuals six and older may log onto the dedicated “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day” program website to search and sign up for a selected activity.  Upon completion of the service, Disney will email a confirmation certificate which can be exchanged for a ticket to be used on the day of redemption or upgraded to a multi-day ticket or Annual Pass at additional cost.  The one-day ticket will be valid for most days through December 15, 2010 with the following exceptions:

• March 29 to April 8, and July 4, 2010 at the Walt Disney World Resort
• February 13 and 14, March 21, June 21 and 22, July 4, November 21, and December 11 and 12, 2010 at the Disneyland Resort

For more information about the program, and to sign up for email reminders, visit the website and start planning your own special celebration!

By far the most popular option for a Walt Disney World vacation is the basic Magic Your Way Package.  This always includes at least one night’s stay in a Walt Disney World Resort, and a minimum one-day base park admission ticket.  Some specially-priced offers may require a longer minimum stay or certain types of ticket options to qualify, or might only be available at specific resorts.

For 2011, the basic Magic Your Way Package also includes the following:

• A $15 voucher valid for food and non-alcoholic beverages and a souvenir merchandise keepsake at Planet Hollywood, Downtown Disney® West Side. VIP Preferred Seating is available from 11 am through 6 pm. Not valid with any other offers or discounts. (One per room).

• One certificate per room for a round of miniature golf at either Disney’s Winter Summerland or Fantasia mini-golf courses.

• Arcade Card valid for 100 game play points in arcades located in the Walt Disney resorts (One card per room).

• Walt Disney World® Marina Discounts – 15% off the regular price of any boat rental at participating Walt Disney World marina locations.

• One Walt Disney Travel Company luggage tag per person.

• Niki Bryan Spa Discount – 15% off most 50 minute or greater services at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa or Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. (Hand and foot treatments are excluded. Age restrictions apply).

• 10% off the regular price of Guided Bass Fishing Excursions and Bass Nitro Fishing Excursions at select Walt Disney World marinas. Excursions include fishing equipment, rod, reel, shiners, artificial bait, non-alcoholic beverages and a 1-year membership to B.A.S.S. (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society).

• 10% off the regular price of all activities including parasailing, water skiing, wakeboarding and tubing trips at Sammy Duvall’s Water Sports Center located at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. (Subject to availability; restrictions apply.)

• NEW! Children Activity Centers – 15% off the regular hourly rates at the Children Activity Center located at select Disney Resort Hotels. Minimum charge of two (2) hours per child. Services available for children age 3-12.

The Magic Your Way base ticket, available from one to ten days, is valid for admission to one park per day.  You may choose to come and go from the same park as many times as you wish during the day, but cannot use the ticket to visit more than one park on the same day.  Tickets are valid for visits to all the parks, and can be used for any combination of park visits during the stay, but only one each day.

The Park Hopper option allows you to move from park to park throughout you stay, visiting as many parks as you wish on a single day.  So, you may choose to go to one park for breakfast, travel to another for an afternoon parade, and catch the evening fireworks at a third.  This is a great convenience for returning guests, but not always necessary for first-time visitors, or those with young children.

The Water Park Fun & More option adds access to Disney’s Blizzard Beach, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, Wide World of Sports, DisneyQuest, and Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course.  For each day of your ticket, in addition to regular park admission, you receive a “Plus” option for admission to one of these water park or “fun” venues, or a round of golf at the nine-hole Oak Trail walking course.  You may or may not choose to use a plus option on the same day you use one of your park admission days.

Keep in mind, that the Plus options do NOT allow you to come and go from the different venues as the Park Hopper admission ticket does for the major parks.  For each Plus venue you visit, you will have to use another of your Plus options.

The standard Magic Your Way ticket expires 14 days after first use.  The No Expiration option can be added prior to the end of the 14-day window to prevent the loss of any unused days.  This can be an expensive option since a flat fee is added based upon the length of the original ticket, not the remaining unused days.  Since additional days after the first four cost only a few dollars, this is generally not cost-effective unless you are planning to return for a couple of days only and don’t wish to book a package for the stay.

For some more tips on tickets, visit our fav5 tix tips!

If you wish to add dining, Disney offers several different options for that, as well.  Tomorrow, we’ll review the various types of dining plans available with the Magic Your Way Package.

Park Tickets can be one of the most costly components of a Disney vacation, and there are seemingly infinite combinations of days, park hopping, water parks, and expiration options to choose from.  We thought we’d pass along a few suggestions for minimizing the ticket turmoil:

• Extra days can help you save!  Many people on a tight budget purchase park tickets for only a few days of their stay in an effort to economize, not realizing that after four days, the cost of additional days is minimal.  As an example, the difference in price between one adult (ages 10+) Park Hopper for FOUR days and one for TEN days is less than $20.00, or about $3.00 per day,  substantially reducing the cost per day to visit the parks.   Don’t forget that you can always add days to a ticket as long as the total admissions do not exceed ten days.  These upgrades must be made prior to, or within, 14 days of first use.  Taking advantage of the low prices for extra days allows you to visit a park at night for the fireworks only, or enjoy a farewell character breakfast on your departure day.

• Decide whether you truly need the Park Hopper option.  If your children are very small, or you are first-time visitors, there is generally more than enough to see and do in a single park to fill an entire day.  Arrive early, take a break, and return to the same park for the evening entertainment.  Plan your dining reservations in the “park of the day” or at a resort restaurant located nearby.

• Consider an Annual Pass.  Now that Annual Passholders have access to packages that include the dining plan, the pass becomes even more attractive for anyone making multiple trips within the span of a year, or planning an extra-long stay.  Historically, excellent room discounts have been made available to Passholders for selected dates throughout the year.  Annual Passholders are also entitled to a number of additional perks which currently include discounts on dining, merchandise, special events, tours, spa treatments, and recreation, as well as a subscription to the Mickey Monitor quarterly newsletter, and eligibility for Tables in Wonderland membership.

• Remember that a hard ticket to a special Magic Kingdom event such as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will generally get you into the park around 4:00 p.m.  If you’ve decided against the Park Hopper option, this is a great way to visit two parks on the same day, using your regular park ticket for one park, and your party ticket for the Magic Kingdom.  The parties don’t begin until 7:00 p.m., giving you several hours before the festivities begin to enjoy the attractions or grab an early dinner.

• Tickets can get lost.  If possible, make photocopies of your tickets and keep the copies some place other than where you’re storing the tickets.  While Disney makes every effort to resolve lost-ticket issues, replacements can be issued far more painlessly if you have all the ticket information available.   If you purchase your tickets after arrival, take a clear picture of the backs using  a digital camera, or simply write down the numeric information.  If  you’re staying at a Disney Resort and purchased tickets separately rather  than as part of a package, you can generally have new, unused tickets loaded onto your Key to the World (resort ID) card.