EnchantAway Travel with Fred Briley

🎟️ Exploring Walt Disney World Ticket Options 🎟️

Planning a trip to Walt Disney World can be both exhilarating and overwhelming, especially when it comes to selecting the perfect ticket options. With a variety of choices tailored to different interests and budgets, navigating the ticketing landscape is crucial for maximizing your magical experience.

In this post, we’ll delve into the diverse range of Walt Disney World ticket options available, from single-day admissions to multi-day passes. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned Disney enthusiast, this guide will help you make informed decisions to ensure a truly enchanting visit to the Happiest Place on Earth.

Ticket Types

1 Park Per Day

Walt Disney World Resort has four exciting theme parks to explore: Magic Kingdom park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With the “1 Park Per Day” ticket, you can visit one park per day.

Water Park and Sports Option

The “Water Park and Sports Option” allows you to visit one theme park each day of your ticket and one visit per day to one of the following locations:

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park
Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course
FootGolf at Disney’s Oak Trail
Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course
Disney’s Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course

The number of visits is based on the length of your ticket. For example, a 3-day ticket allows three visits, and a 4-day ticket allows four visits.

Example Itinerary for a 4-Day Water Park and Sports Option:

Day 1: Visit Magic Kingdom and play miniature golf at Disney’s Fantasia Gardens.
Day 2: Play golf at Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course and explore EPCOT’s World Showcase.
Day 3: Visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom and swim at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon.
Day 4: Spend the day at Disney’s Blizzard Beach and finish at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Park Hopper Option

The “Park Hopper Option” allows you to visit multiple parks per day. You could visit one park or all four parks in one day. However, this option does not include admission to any of the water parks or sports venues.

Park Hopper Plus Option

The “Park Hopper Plus Option” combines the “Water Park and Sports Option” with the “Park Hopper Option.” Similar to the “Park Hopper Option,” you can visit as many parks per day as you would like. The number of water park and sports visits is limited to the number of days you purchase. For example, a 5-day Park Hopper Plus Option allows five visits to the water parks.

Military Tickets

Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets

Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets are available to current serving members of the military, individuals 100% medically retired, or those who have completed 20 years of service. Ticket options come in 4-day, 5-day, or 6-day options and are available in either Park Hopper or Park Hopper Plus options. These tickets must be purchased by the service member and are limited to six tickets, though Disney can make exceptions for larger families. One ticket during each purchase period must be for the use of the member or spouse, and the rest can be used by anyone else (family or friends). Park reservations are required through the My Disney Experience app or Disney website.

Magic Your Way Tickets

Magic Your Way Tickets are similar to the Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets but come in a wider range of availability from 1 to 10 days. Unlike the Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets, Magic Your Way tickets can be purchased as any of the four ticket types mentioned above.

Ticket Windows

One of the beautiful things about Disney World tickets is that you can use them in many different ways. When planning your Disney World vacation, it’s important to keep in mind your ticket window.

For 1-day tickets, you need to select the specific day you want to visit the park(s). Multi-day tickets have a usage window that varies based on the number of days purchased:

2-day ticket: can be used within a 4-day window
3-day ticket: can be used within a 5-day window
4-day ticket: can be used within a 7-day window
5-day ticket: can be used within an 8-day window
6-day ticket: can be used within a 9-day window
7-day ticket: can be used within a 10-day window
8-day ticket: can be used within a 12-day window
9-day ticket: can be used within a 13-day window
10-day ticket: can be used within a 14-day window

Special Offers

Throughout the year, Disney World offers special promotions on specific tickets. These deals can be quite advantageous, but it’s essential to pay attention to the fine print.

For example, right now Disney World has two special ticket offers:

4-Park Magic Ticket: Guests can purchase a 4-Day, 4-Park Magic Ticket starting at $99 per day, plus tax (total price starting at $396 plus tax). This offer is for date-based tickets with start dates from April 2 through September 22, 2024.

3-Day, 3-Park Ticket: Guests can purchase a special 3-Day, 3-Park Ticket to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park only, starting at $89 per day, plus tax (total price starting at $267 plus tax). This offer is for date-based tickets with start dates from April 2 through September 24, 2024, and tickets must be used within five days of the selected start date.

Special Event Tickets

Throughout the year, Disney World hosts special ticketed events like Disney After Hours, H2O Glow After Hours, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and Jollywood Nights.

These events are highly popular and tickets do sell out. Admission to the park is included but only during the event times, so admission anytime prior requires a separate park ticket.

Additionally, many of these events include complimentary food and beverages. For example, Disney After Hours at Hollywood Studios includes complimentary popcorn, ice cream, and bottled beverages. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party has trick-or-treat stations set up around Magic Kingdom. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party includes complimentary Christmas cookies, hot cocoa, egg nog, and hot cider.

If you’re interested in attending one of these special events, keep an eye on Disney World News to purchase your tickets when they become available!

Let’s wrap it up!

By understanding the different ticket options and their respective windows, you can tailor your Disney World experience to fit your unique preferences and schedule. Happy planning, and may your Disney adventure be filled with magic and wonder!

Tips for Making the Most of Disney’s upcoming Lightning Lane Pass

Welcome to the magical world of Disney! If you’re new here, you’re in for a treat. Let me take you back to the days of the beloved FastPass, a free service that let you pre-select arrival times for up to three rides per day, 60 days before your vacation. This nifty system helped us plan our park days and ensured we hit all the must-see attractions without the stress of long lines. But then, COVID happened, Disney shut down, and when it reopened, we were introduced to Disney Genie+.

Genie+ is a paid service that lets you book one ride at a time starting at 7 AM each day. After using your first ride or waiting two hours after the park opens, you could book another. This cycle continues throughout your visit. While I have my thoughts on Genie+, that’s not why we’re here.

Starting July 24th, Disney will replace Genie+ with the Lightning Lane Single Pass and Multi Pass! These new options bring back some of the FastPass magic, although they’re not free. Let’s dive into what these new passes are all about and how they can enhance your next Disney adventure!

What is the Lightning Lane Pass?

Lightning Lane Passes let you skip the standby line and join a shorter line for select attractions and experiences.

Types of Lightning Lane Passes

Lightning Lane Single Pass: This allows you to skip the line for Disney’s most popular attractions. You can purchase up to two single passes per day for these rides:

Magic Kingdom: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle / Run
EPCOT: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Hollywood Studios: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Animal Kingdom: Avatar Flight of Passage

Lightning Lane Multi Pass: This pass lets you skip the line for multiple rides per day. Here’s a quick rundown of the rides available by park:

Magic Kingdom
- Group A (choose up to one): Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan’s Flight, Space Mountain, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- Group B (choose up to three): The Barnstormer, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Haunted Mansion, “it’s a small world,” Mad Tea Party, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tomorrowland Speedway, Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
EPCOT
- Group A (choose up to one): Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Soarin’ Around the World
- Group B (choose up to three): Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival, Journey into Imagination with Figment, Living with the Land, Mission: SPACE, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Spaceship Earth, Turtle Talk with Crush
Hollywood Studios
- Group A (choose up to one): Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Slinky Dog Dash
- Group B (choose up to three): Alien Swirling Saucers, Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, Disney Junior Play & Dance!, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Muppet*Vision 3D, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania!
Animal Kingdom (choose up to three): DINOSAUR, Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, Feathered Friends in Flight!, Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!, It’s Tough to Be a Bug!, Kali River Rapids, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Naʻvi River Journey

Purchasing and Pre-selecting Lightning Lane Passes

Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort can purchase and pre-select rides 7 days before check-in.
Non-resort guests can do so 3 days before each park day.
International guests must wait until they arrive in the U.S.

Cost of Lightning Lane Passes

Prices for both Single and Multi Passes vary based on date, park and attraction.

Booking Additional Rides

Single Pass: Once you’ve used your 2 passes, you’re done for the day.
Multi Pass: You can book another ride as soon as you scan into your first pre-selected ride.

Tiers and Park Hopping

Tier restrictions apply only to pre-selections. Once you’ve used your first ride, you can make selections in any of the four parks.

Get ready to make your Disney trip even more magical with these new Lightning Lane options. Happy planning and see you at the parks!

My Two Cents on Lightening Lane

Make sure to have a plan for what parks you’re doing on what days
- When you go to purchase your Lightening Lane Pass and make your pre-selects, you’ll be purchasing/selecting for a specific park.
Do your research
- A couple days before purchasing you Lightning Lane Pass, keep on eye on the wait times in the parks. This will help you have an idea of what rides you may need the pass for and what rides you’ll probably be able to walk on to.
Don’t feel pressured to buy
- There are a lot of things to take in to account when choosing whether or not to purchase the Lightning Lane Pass. You could be going off season or the rides you want to ride may have low wait times. As an already mentioned, do you research and don’t feel pressured to buy the pass for every park day. I can already tell you that, four our two week trip in September, we will only be buying it for specific days because we just know we won’t need it for some of them.
Be ready at 7am (EST)
- Ensure you connect everyone in your travel group on your Family & Friends list in the My Disney Experience app so you’ll be able to purchase Lightning Lane passes and make plans for everyone that is eligible.
- Open up the app and start refreshing around 6:55am. Once the app lets you, get the pass purchased and start booking those pre-selects!

Have questions?

Have questions about the new Lightening Lane Passes? Let me know in the comments below!

Discovering Disney World: A Personal Journey

Growing up, my family never really went on extravegant vacations. Not that I remember at least. The one VACATION I do remember was a trip to Oklahoma for a family reunion (I think) as a kid. Every once in a while, we’d hit up Kentucky Kingdom or Kings Island, but those “theme parks” were only a few hours away. So needless to say, I never experienced Disney World as a kid (which is super sad because I’ll never get to experience Stitches’ Great Escape…#SadDay). There was talk of going to Disney World one time but it never came to fruition. I think, when it came down to it, we never went because of finances. Don’t hold me to that.

“Do you wanna go to Disney?”

Flash forward to August(ish) 2017…enter Rachel Sanford…the woman how would one day become my wife (#LuckyHer). Rachel went to Disney World a few times growing up. Shortly after we started dating, she asked me if I wanted to go to Disney World with her and her family. She told me her mother loved introducing people to Disney World for the first time. Having never gone, I didn’t see the big hype but decided why not. Shortly after meeting her, Rachel’s mom passed away before we could take our Disney trip. Rachel and her dad decided, since the trip was already booked, we should still go. And so began all the prep work of planning a Disney World trip.

As the days went along, I remember Rachel talking to me about all the different rides, and all the different shows, and all the different food but none of it ever made since to me. She even showed me family photos of her going to Disney World as a kid to help put it in to perspective. In the background, her and Bob (aka: Rachel’s dad) were doing all this training to make sure I had the best Disney World trip of my life (and probably enjoy it themselves lol). Little did I know what was in store for me.

Let the magic begin!

Eventually…May 13th, 2018 came along and it was time to head to Disney World. To this day, Rachel stills gives me crap for how the 10 hour car ride went down. Rachel was in the front seat with her dad and spent the whole 10 hours either blaring Disney Pandora, doing Disney trivia, or doing a Disney coloring book. The energy she had about going to Disney was out of this world. Meanwhile, there I am in the back seat listening to my own music (probably John Mayer) trying to do some undergrad work. I was nowhere near her level of excited for Disney World. Some of that probably came down to the nerves that come with going somewhere new for the first time. Some of it could have also been the fact that I was on my first vacation with the man who would soon become my father-in-law.

10 hours later we arrived in Orlando, Fl. Of course it was raining. Because what other type of weather is there Florida in May? Our first stop was Disney Springs. If you don’t know, Disney Springs is like the outlet malls of Disney. It has all the shopping and food you could possibly imagine. There’s even a MASSIVE Disney store that has everything Disney related you could possibly buy. After grabbing some fish and chips from one of the restaurants, we walked around, did some shopping, and headed back to the hotel to get some rest before the big day.

The next morning, we packed up and moved to our Disney Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, before heading off to Magic Kingdom. I vividly recall walking up to the park entrance and feeling the excitement finally set in. Despite never having been to Disney World as a child, I had always heard about it and seen friends’ experiences. The moment I had been waiting for, for 26 years, was finally about to happen. As I entered Magic Kingdom and strolled down Main Street U.S.A., my eyes locked on Cinderella’s Castle. The sight was overwhelming, but in the best possible way. It was a moment frozen in time, etched into my memory like yesterday. In that instant, a wave of curiosity swept over me, my desire to experience more intensified, and I became the person I was meant to become… but more on that later.

For the next 5 days, let me tell y’all…I lived my best life. So many people think that Disney World is a place for kids. But as Walt Disney said, “Adults are grown up kids” and man is there so much to do at Walt Disney World for kids. Over the 5 days.. I rode some of the best rides I’ve ever been on, saw some spectacular performances, and ate all the food I could possibly imagine without feeling guilty because of the amount of walking I did. I learned a lot about taking a tip to Disney and learned even more on the trips I’ve taken since (more on that later).

Well, hello there!

Now at this point, you might be wondering what this has to do with an introduction. Well…hi….my name is Fred Briley…and I’m a Disney adult! My wife may have made a mistake by taking me to Disney World. Telling you that I’m addicted to all things Disney parks would be an understatement. In addition to being a Disney adult, I’m the other half to my beautiful wife Rachel (mentioned above) and the father to two beautiful, Disney-loving girls, Raelynn and Harper. Full time, I serve in the U.S. Army and am currently stationed in New Orleans, LA where I work at the New Orleans Military Entrance Processing Station. Part time, I work as a travel agent for EnchantAway Travel specializing in Disney, Universal, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and Carnival Cruise Line!

So, with that said, welcome to my travel blog! Join me as we journey through the enchanting worlds of Disney, the thrilling adventures of Universal Studios, and the unforgettable voyages with Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean. Be sure to check in each week for an exhilarating exploration of these amazing destinations. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or dreaming of your first adventure, my goal is to provide you with insider tips, captivating stories, and expert advice to enrich your experiences. Get ready to explore new horizons, uncover hidden gems, and fuel your wanderlust. Stay tuned as we embark on these extraordinary journeys together!

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