Disney Ticket Options, Explained
Walt Disney World offers four distinct theme parks, two water parks, two mini-golf courses, and more. It can be hard to decide what sort of ticket to get and what would be a value for your family. In this blog, we'll explain all of the theme park ticket options and add-ons as of the date this post is published. We'll also explain the unique pricing that Disney employs, and what you actually get in the mail when you order tickets.
Before I go much further, though, you can get your tickets two ways. You can order them ahead or buy them the day you want to enter a park at the ticket booth. There are some advantages to purchasing tickets, especially in multiple days, ahead, so if you know you'll be there, purchasing ahead is my recommendation. One major advantage of purchasing ahead is that you open up your window to make FastPass + reservations 30 days ahead of the day you want to ride.
Ticket Options
4-Park Magic Value, Magic Select, and Magic Summer tickets
With these you get one admission to each of the four theme parks, with a limit of one park per day. The ticket expires within 7 days of first use or by a specific date, whichever comes first. The only difference between these options is the price based on whether it is value season, regular season, or summer/peak season.
If I spent a week at Walt Disney World with this ticket, I would get one day at Magic Kingdom, 1 day at EPCOT, 1 day at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and 1 day at Disney's Hollywood Studios. On the other days, I would have to do something outside of the theme parks.
1 park per day ticket
With this ticket, you choose how many days and which parks you want to visit. The only limit is that you can only visit one park each day.
If I spent a week at Walt Disney World with this ticket, I might spend two days at Magic Kingdom, three days at EPCOT, two days at Animal Kingdom, and zero days at Disney Hollywood Studios if I felt like it.
You can also choose to purchase admission to any water park, golf course, or mini-golf course separately on any day (or even on a day you are not visiting a theme park).
Add-Ons
Park Hopper
For a current price of $55 more per day, you can add the option to visit multiple theme parks on the same day to your ticket. This will apply to every day of your ticket. So, say you purchased a 1 park per day ticket for 10 days, but then added on the park hopper, you can now go to multiple theme parks, each day, for 10 days. There is no limit to how many parks you can visit or how many times you leave and re-enter a park in a day.
This option is ideal for guests that want the flexibility to change their mind and change parks during the course of a day, or guests who plan an itinerary down to the minute that involves multiple parks in a day.
If I spent a week in the parks with this ticket option, I might spend my first morning in Magic Kingdom, and evening in EPCOT. Then, I might go to Animal Kingdom the next morning, and return to EPCOT or Magic Kingdom. And so on for the length of days of my ticket.
Park Hopper Plus
This $80 per day add-on gets you the benefits of the park hopper AND one visit per day to any one of the following:
Blizzard Beach water park
Typhoon Lagoon water park
ESPN Wide World of Sports
Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course
Disney's Fantasia Gardens mini golf course
Disney's Winter Summerland mini golf course
For example, if you have a 10 day ticket, you can choose 10 additional admissions from the above list on any day of your stay.
If I spent a week in the park with this ticket option, I might spend a morning at the Magic Kingdom, the afternoon at Typhoon Lagoon, and the evening at EPCOT. The next day, I might start my day at the Oak Trail golf course, then go to Disney Hollywood Studios for Lunch, then play some mini golf (using two add on options which means a different day I won't have any), then go to EPCOT for Illuminations.
Special Tickets
Some events require a special separate ticket. This means guests holding theme park tickets will not be allowed to stay during the event and only guests with a "hard ticket" to the event will be allowed to stay. These events include:
After-hours events
The park stays open late only for those who purchased the special additional ticket. This is only available at Magic Kingdom, Disney Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom (not EPCOT) at this time, and only on select dates.
Disney Early Morning Magic
At the Magic Kingdom and Disney Hollywood Studios, Disney is offering an additional ticket event that gets you into the park 1.5 hours before guests and includes a table service breakfast. At the Magic Kingdom, the only attractions open will be in Fantasyland, while at Disney Hollywood Studios, they will be in Toy Story Land only. You'll arrive at the park at about 7:30 AM. Regular guests enter at 9:00 AM. Breakfast is at about 10:00 AM.
Disney advises to plan your transportation to the park carefully as this might actually be BEFORE park transportation typically runs.
Disney Glow Nights
At the Typhoon Lagoon water park, the water park stays open late only for guests with this ticket. This is only available on select dates.
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
A themed party during the Halloween season at the Magic Kingdom that features special fireworks, a special parade, and characters in special seasonal outfits. Also, trick or treating and villain dance parties.
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
A themed party during the Christmas season at the Magic Kingdom with a special parade, special fireworks, snow on Main Street USA and hot chocolate.
Resident Passes and Annual Passes
Florida residents can get discounted 3 day or single theme park tickets. They are also eligible to purchase a Florida Resident Annual Pass. For more information, see Florida Resident information on Disney's official website.
Anyone can purchase an Annual Pass. Annual passes come in a few different flavors:
Water parks pass - unlimited admission to Disney Water Parks during the course of the year. This pass does not include any theme park admission.
Platinum Pass - unlimited admission to Disney theme parks with park hopping, Disney Photopass downloads (including ride photos), parking at the theme parks, and up to 20% discounts on select dining and merchandise for a year.
Platinum Plus Pass - all of the above included in the Platinum Pass, plus admission to ESPN Wide World of Sports, Oak Trails Golf Course, and the two water parks for the course of the year.
Annual passes are a good option if you are visiting Disney for more than 10 days at a time or plan to visit Disney multiple times during the year.
Disney's Ticket Pricing Scheme
It's important to know that the more days worth of tickets you purchase, the lower the price per day is going to be. Disney rewards longer stays with larger discounts on the ticket price. You can easily calculate this on Disney's official website.
For example, using current pricing as of this publication, the price for a 1 day 1 park ticket is $109. But watch what happens as you add days:
2 days - $101 per day (-$8 from previous)
3 days - $98 per day (-$3 from previous)
4 days - $93 per day (-$5 from previous)
5 days - $78 per day (-$15 from previous!)
6 days - $67 per day (-$11 from previous!)
7 days - $59 per day (-$8 from previous)
8 days - $53 per day (-$6 from previous - Now saving more than 50%)
9 days - $48 per day (-$5 from previous)
10 days - $44 per day (-$4 from previous)
You cannot buy a package for more than 10 days (but you can buy two separate packages or an Annual Pass).
What Actually Comes In the Mail
If you order your tickets ahead, you will get either a Magic Band or a card.
You will get a magic band if you are an Annual Passholder OR if you are staying at a Disney Resort Hotel. The magic band is a sturdy waterproof bracelet that contains a radio frequency device that can be used to unlock your hotel room door, access the theme park, use your fastpasses, and pay for purchases if you choose to link a credit card.
If you do not meet those criteria, you can still purchase a magic band and link your tickets to it through your MyDisneyExperience app. It is important to bring your magic band with you in your carry on luggage and NOT in your checked bags.
You will get a card that holds your ticket information if you are not staying at a Disney Resort Hotel and are not an Annual Passholder.
You may also choose to receive a card instead of a magic band if you are concerned about interference with a pacemaker or other medical device.
A magic band with a monorail decal by Magic Your Band, on the monorail, looking at a monorail
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