How to get cheap tickets for Disney World?

January 12, 2005 7:39 AM

My wife and I are going to Orlando on vacation next month.
I'm looking to go visit some of the parks however I was wondering if there is a way to acquire tickets at a reduced cost. Has anyone found a way to do this without using the timeshare method (free tickets for them trying to sell you something)?
posted by Hands of Manos to Travel & Transportation (12 answers total)

I seem to recall we always got our tickets at our local AAA office at a discount when we went; of course we lived in Florida, so I'm not sure if you can get them in other states. Definitely worth a call, though.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:15 AM on January 12, 2005 [1 favorite]

Try avoiding the timeshare thing at all cost. My wife and I have been through it twice, and at the end of both presentations you can't help but feel like a cheap piece of crap for not buying into it. Oh, and when they say the presentation would last an hour, plan on sticking around for two and a half.

Florida residents usually get discounts on tickets, but there have been special deals lately on multi-day passes at the various parks. AAA members do get a discount as well.

If you're going to a Disney park, you're best bet would be to go to a Disney store at some mall to buy your tickets in advance so you can avoid the lines at the ticket gate at the park itself.
posted by icontemplate at 8:39 AM on January 12, 2005

Credit unions in nearby states often have discount packages & if you stop at a rest-stop visitor's center on the interstate on the way down you can pick up promotional discounts. There are usually kiosks around the park areas/nearby tourist stores (like in/near Kissimmee) where discount packages are also sold cheaper than what you can get at the park gates (or used to be). We got a two-day at Disney/one-day at Universal/one-day at Sea World package when we went about 5-6 years ago that was great - going to Sea World was a welcome rest to decompress from all the walking at the other parks.

Suggestion: When you go to Disney, go to Magic Kingdom first - get there early enough to get across and be waiting at the ropes on Main Street before they're open. Go to the water ride/Thunder Mountain 1st (right next to each other). Immediately then go to Space Mountain -- by that time (around 10-10:30) the first crush will have slackened off & you'll only have a 30-40 minute wait, following which you'll have made the top three rides and out by around 10:30-11:00 & be free to laze around.

When you take the monorail, go to the gated part of the station platform and ask the guard if you can take the next train & ride in the 1st car with the engineer. The view's great & it's a short wait until the next train - it's worth it.
posted by Pressed Rat at 8:49 AM on January 12, 2005

Second Pressed Rat's suggestion; the visitors' centers at the Florida state line are a great stop if you're driving. Lots of deep discounts on hotels and theme park tickets.
posted by Vidiot at 9:30 AM on January 12, 2005

You used to be able to purchase some peoples' unexpired tickets on eBay, though I would caution that Disney are bringing in a new biometric pass system designed to end this. It may still work at the non-Disney theme parks though.

Have a fantastic time, explore the many theme parks (including the smaller ones) and check out sites like LaughingPlace.com and WDWMagic.com for advice.
posted by skylar at 9:32 AM on January 12, 2005

Pardon me for not answering the question you asked.

If you haven't already, please, please, please get The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2005

My enthusiastic recommendation is based on my experience with the Disneyland edition. The touring plans contained therein are nothing short of groin-tinglingly cool. If the WDW edition is anything like the Disneyland edition (it is), you'll see everything you want AND take a nap in the afternoon. And you won't spend much time in lines.

It really is remarkable.
posted by Moistener at 10:01 AM on January 12, 2005

Response by poster: Hi guys,

Thank you so much for this wonderful information (and I will go directly to that link Moistener). Just to make sure, I don't want to go JUST to Disney (we were there 4 years ago) but I'd also like to visit Universal too. Any ideas about that as well?
posted by Hands of Manos at 10:10 AM on January 12, 2005

This page lists all sorts of discounts for Universal. There is the AAA discount, and if you have a certain amount of Hilton points you can trade them in for Universal tickets. There are also links on the site with information about Disney discounts, and Sea World, and other places. (I *heart* Google)
posted by SisterHavana at 10:26 AM on January 12, 2005

Disney's been using biometrics pretty heavily for at least a year. Many of the discount tickets are old multi-day passes that somebody has sold, so you get the last day. Disney's biometrics are making short shrift of that.

Most discounts are for multi-day tickets. As I'm a FL resident, I haven't used any of the visitor's center packages, so I don't know if they're any good. I just wanna say "beware", and make sure you have enough money for the full price ticket after you spend it on a discount ticket just in case it's shady.
posted by taumeson at 10:27 AM on January 12, 2005

As someone from Michigan, I found the best deal to be to buy the tickets from the AAA Office in Orlando when I got there. I compared the discount stands, credit union discounts, and the AAA office in Michigan, but the Orlando office was the cheapest amongst them. Note that this was 7-8 years ago though, so think may have changed.
posted by tuxster at 11:10 AM on January 12, 2005

Be careful with those kiosks, too. If you do decide to go to one, ask to see the tickets first. A lot of those places buy the tickets that Cast Members get as part of their compensation. Then they resell them to tourists. The problem is that it might get the Cast Member fired, as they are supposed to accompany the ticketholders while they are in the park.

The comp tickets are easy to spot, as they don't have whatever graphic Disney is currently using on them, they're just white cardstock with a name printed on them. Check the expiration date.

If they're regular tickets and it's a good deal, go for it. The kiosks are at all the Turnpike rest areas, the world famous Yeehaw Junction, and everywhere in Orlando. You can't swing a cat without hitting them.
posted by Elsbet at 11:16 AM on January 12, 2005

Universal Islands of Adventure is pretty good; the studios are less good. When I went there was a very cool thing allowing guests of the hotel to go to the front of the lines on most of the big rides. I don't know if this is still the case or not. I'd also add that while I was out there I did see the occasional offer for discount tickets at places like supermarkets or by way of coupons in magazines.
posted by skylar at 4:40 PM on January 12, 2005