Thrifty Thursday: One Day Ticket, Multi-Day Ticket, or Annual Pass?

You have done it!  The reservation is made, the excitement is building!  You are going to Disney and now it’s time to buy the tickets!  What is the best deal for you?  Confusion is likely to set in when you begin the decision process since the options for Disney tickets are almost infinite!  Let’s just break it down a bit and reduce the risk of nervous breakdown before you enter the park!

Disney has many options when buying tickets so you basically can customize your park tickets to fit your family’s fun and interests.  The table below is the basic single day ticket with and without water park options and park hopper options and the annual pass rates as of June 2013.  For the sake of ease and space, I’m going to briefly mention that adding days to a single day ticket gives you per day discounts as opposed to buying a single day ticket each day at the gate. 

^{* Charts via AllEars.net.}

If you are the once a year Disney single visitor, an annual pass just doesn’t make sense for you; however, if you visit Disney with your family for more than 10 days total within a 12-month period, an annual pass might just be the ticket for you (pardon the pun).  If you are going to Disney in late December 2014 then returning the week after thanksgiving 2015, you will be using the annual pass twice within a 12-month period.  Annual Passholder benefits include some great discounts:

• 10%-20% off select Walt Disney World restaurants.
• 10% off most merchandise purchased at Disney owned shops on property, as well as many other merchandise locations.
• 10% off many recreation opportunities including the Richard Petty Driving Experience, golf, mini golf, massages, parasailing, boat rentals and more.
• 15% off many backstage tours.
• 20% off many Alamo car rentals.
• Discounts on special events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
• Access to intangible perks such as invitations to previews of new attractions.
• Disney resort room discounts when available

 Since we usually vacation twice a year at Disney, our math has shown that the annual pass is the saving for us!  Make yourself a chart and list all the expenditures you expect for food, car rental, hotel, souvenirs, and special events and tours.  Add in your ticket for days in the park and then take the discounts off the expected expenditures and add the annual pass ticket in!  Keep in mind too, that Disney sometimes offers package promotions where the savings you get are a better deal than buying your tickets separately. A Disney travel agent can let you know what the current promotions are and how they will affect your savings.

So, which works best for your situation?

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Leigh Anne, originally from Mississippi, lives in North Alabama with her husband and a menagerie of furry kids (FIDS), including dogs, cats, exotic birds, fish and a lionhead rabbit. Figment, her African Grey parrot, is named after Disney’s small purple dragon, Figment. She works as a motivational speaker and pastoral counselor. In 1974, Leigh Anne marched with the Enka High Marching Band in the Magic Kingdom daytime parade. Leigh Anne fell in love with Disney while on her Disney honeymoon with her husband in 2002. They have made an annual trip back to Disney to celebrate their anniversary every year since. Since they own a piece of the mouse with their Disney Vacation Club (DVC), some years they go twice! She also plans to be the grandmother that introduces all her grandchildren to Disney World first. She has a great start ~ 2 out of 3 so far! As a DVC member married to the best Disney shopper in the world, Leigh Anne has lots of experience in finding the most frugal way to have the most fun in the parks and resorts! Leigh Anne admits to being spoiled as a DVC member but is always on the lookout to keep their WDW vacations fun and frugal! She blogs at Queen of Hysteria and tweets @la_haygood

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