Last week Disney introduced a new ticket pricing structure and it’s quite the departure from what we’ve all been used to. It seems like the objective is to easily help guests identify the less expensive times of year, which will help spread out the crowds over the course of the year. Will it help alleviate the heavy crowds during peak times and bump them up during low periods? I guess time will tell (and so will Star Wars Land), but let’s take a look at how the new ticket pricing works.
Date-Based Pricing
The park tickets now no longer have a set price based on the number of days you purchase. The price will vary depending on which dates you choose to visit the parks. If you are purchasing a 4 day, 1 park per day ticket, then the price per day can range anywhere from $93 to $109 per day.
The first step is to select how many days of park tickets you would like and then the system will take you to a calendar showing you the price per day. This will allow you to easily see when it will cost you less to visit Disney World. It’s actually a great tool for planning.
Valid Use Period
The next step is to then decide when will be your first day in the parks. You must choose that carefully because that is what will determine how long your ticket is good for. Tickets used to be good for 14 days after first use, but that is no longer the case! Depending on how many days of tickets you buy, your use period will differ.
After you select a first day, the system will then tell you underneath what dates the tickets are good for. Pay close attention to this because you want to make sure that you will actually be able to use them during the dates specified. For a 4 day ticket with a start date of November 17th, you will be able to use that ticket only until November 23rd. So, your 4 days in the parks must be within Nov. 17 and Nov. 23 because your park tickets will then expire if they are partially used. If you never use them and they have not been activated, then you can apply the value of those tickets to the purchase of tickets for future dates.
Magic Your Way Packages
If you have purchased park tickets as part of a hotel package with Disney, then the valid use period of your park tickets will be the entire length of your stay. Another great reason to stay at a Disney hotel! If you stay off-site for 9 days and you have purchased 3 days of park tickets, then your valid use period will not extend the entire length of your stay in Orlando.
If you want flexibility of being able to go anytime, then they do have an option you can purchase called “Flexible Dates Option” Below you can see how much that would cost to add to our 4 day park tickets between Nov. 17 and 23. Adding that to your ticket will then allow you to not be tied down to specific dates. You can choose to visit anytime until Dec. 31, 2019 and the tickets will be good for 14 days from first use.
As you can also see from the screenshot below, you can now add Memory Maker to your ticket purchase offer as well.
Canadian Resident Discount Tickets
Good news for Canadians! The Canadian Resident ticket offer was released way before the new ticket structure, therefore that ticket promo is not affected by the change. Canadian resident tickets can be purchased until March 15th, 2019 and must be used by September 27th, 2019. If you are planning a trip to Disney World before Fall 2019, then this is a great deal to take advantage of since Canadians are not restricted to choosing specific dates for their tickets.
Sandra Halket from Click the Mouse, a Disney Earmarked travel agency, had this to say about how this offer is advantageous for Canadians right now:
“We are so lucky as Canadians to be able to take advantage of resident offers that were launched before the new ticket model of date based pricing. Canadians can now take advantage of offers such as the Play, Stay, Dine and Save offer and Give the Gift of a Magical stay room offers that both have locked in pricing for tickets. Both Canadian Resident offers (Disney World and Disneyland) end in March, so if you are planning to visit, these offers are available right now.”
How do you feel about the new date-based pricing structure? Will it affect the time of year that you plan to visit Disney World or will you still travel when it is convenient for you? Tell us in the comments below!
Our preferred travel agency is Click the Mouse. They specialize in Disney destinations and will help you plan out all the little details. Best part is that their services are FREE when you book your vacation with them. Personalized service at no extra cost to you! To get a quote from a Click the Mouse travel agent, simply click on the quote button below and they will be back in touch with you:
Laura is a mom of one adorable girl with a love of all things Disney. She traveled to Disney World with her family in 2010 and was hooked. They have since been a total of over 15 times. With all her knowledge of planning Disney trips, she now wants to share that with others. She loves giving guidance, tips and advice to others planning their magical vacation!