Disney’s Armed Forces Salute is a fantastic discount available to military members. This discount includes both ticket and room discounts.
1. The Armed Forces Salute is a Temporary Offer
The Armed Forces Salute is a relatively recent innovation by the Walt Disney Company. The first version of the Salute was first offered in 2002 for one year only, during the travel industry downturn after 9/11. It ended once people started traveling again.
Military members then had to again be satisfied with the slight Regular Military Discount on Disney Tickets that had always been available through Military Base Ticket Offices.
The Disney Armed Forces Salute returned again in January 2009 as the current economic downturn came into full swing and the general public reduced their vacation spending. The AFS has been running since then with a couple of notable breaks.
So if you are considering a Disney vacation within the next couple of years keep in mind that we never know if the Salute will be renewed again or not.
It is currently scheduled to end on 28 September 2013 and we most likely won’t know until very close to that date if it will be renewed. It might be a good Idea to plan your vacation during a time when you know you’ll have the discount, rather than when you might not.
2. What Type of Tickets are available for the Armed Forces Salute?
There are several different Disney Theme Park Tickets available through the Armed Forces Salute for Disney World and Disneyland.
For Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida, Four-Day Tickets are available. These are available with three different options.
- Park Hopper Option
- Water Park and More Option
- Park Hopper, plus the Water Park and More Options
For Disneyland in Anaheim California there is a Three-Day Ticket with only one option available.
- Park Hopper Option
3. What are these Options?
The Park Hopper Option allows you to visit multiple Disney theme parks on the same day. You can start your day at one park then switch to another (as many times as you want), or even take a break in between.
The Water Park Fun & More Option allows 4 visits to the following Disney entertainment venues:
- The Water Parks: Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach
- Disney Quest indoor entertainment area
- General admission into the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex (including 30 minutes of game access at The PlayStation® Pavilion)
- 9 Holes of Golf at Disney’s Oak Trail 9-Hole Golf Course
- One round of golf a the Mini-Golf Courses: Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course & Disney’s Winter Summerland (prior to 4pm)
These WP&M visits are entirely separate for the theme park admissions on your ticket. You may use these WP&M visits on the same day or different days than your theme park admissions. You may use one or more WP&M visits per day.
4. What Dates are the Armed Forces Salute Tickets available for?
As I mentioned above the current Armed Forces Salute ends on 28 September 2013. That is the last day that you may use these tickets for theme park admission or use the Water Park & More visits (if you have that option on your tickets).
- Walt Disney World tickets must be purchased by 25 September 2013
- Disneyland tickets must be purchased by 26 September 2013
Blockout Dates
Disney has what they call blockout dates, dates on which these tickets are not allowed to be used.
At Disney World these dates are:
- 24 – 31 December 2012 – No theme Park or WP&M Use
- 24 March – 4 April 2013 – No theme Park or WP&M Use
- 4 July 2012 – No Magic Kingdom Use (You may Use them at the other theme parks and use your WP&M Visits)
At Disneyland these dates are:
- 23 December 2012 – 2 January 2013 – No theme Park Use
- 15 – 17 February 2013 – No theme Park Use
- 25 March – 5 April 2013 – No theme Park Use
- 4 July 2013 – No theme Park Use
5. Where can I purchase the Armed Forces Salute Tickets?
Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets can be purchased at several places:
- Your Local Base MWR Ticket Office
The Orlando ITT Office(See the comments below, it seems they are no longer carrying these tickets)- Shades of Green, the Military Owned and Operated Resort on Disney World property.
- Disney Theme Park Ticket Booths and Guest Relations offices
Tickets that are purchased at Non-Disney locations will need to be activated at a Disney Park prior to their use for entry.
If you plan to purchase your tickets at a Disney location all members of the party must be present, as they will be activated at that time.
A note on sales tax: There is no sales tax charged at military resellers, but you will pay sales tax at any Disney location.
6. How many Armed Forces Salute Tickets can I purchase?
Durring the current Armed Forces Salute, military members are entitled to purchase up to 6 Armed Forces Salute Tickets.
One of the tickets must be for the military member. The other 5 tickets may be for anyone the member wants to purchase them for. This requires the military member to physically go to the theme park with their party.
What if the military member can’t go to the Disney Park?
Disney does take into consideration that military spouses might want to take the kids on a Disney vacation while the military member is deployed and they make an allowance for this.
Military spouses are allowed to purchase and activate up to 6 of the Armed Forces Salute Tickets during the current offer. The spouse would activate the tickets in place of the member.
What if I need more Armed Forces Salute Tickets?
Disney also takes into consideration large families, those with more than 4 children. Families in this situation will be allowed to purchase the number of tickets they need. You may not be able to do this at a Non-Disney location though, so you may need to purchase your tickets at the Disney Parks.
This exception applies only to a single family unit. Disney’s example is a Dad, Mom, and their dependent kids. It does not apply to parties consisting of: adult children, grand kids, the member’s or spouse’s parents, cousins, friends, etc.
For those who need do fall within Disney “large family” exception to the 6 ticket rule, there are still the Regular Military Discount on Disney Tickets.
7. How much do the Armed Forces Salute Tickets cost?
The Disney World Tickets cost:
- Four-Day Park Hopper Tickets – $156.00
- Four-Day Water Park and More Tickets – $156.00
- Four-Day Park Hopper Tickets plus the Water Park and More Option – $184.00
The Disneyland Tickets cost:
- Three-Day Park Hopper Tickets – $125.00
These prices are before to tax, so you’ll pay these prices at military sales locations and tax will be added at Disney locations.
The American Flag flies proudly over Disney World’s Epcot
8. How do I activate the Armed Forces Salute Tickets?
Armed Forces Salute Tickets that were purchased at Non-Disney locations such as Bast ITT/ITR offices or Shades of Green will need to be activated before you try to use them at a theme park turnstile for entrance.
You can do this at Disney theme park ticket booths or at Disney Guest Relations locations.
The first use of the ticket must be on the same day of activation.
All members of the party will need to be present at the time of activation, including either the military member or their spouse who will be activating the tickets.
Why does Disney require the activation process and that everyone be there? They do this to prevent scalping of these half price tickets…
See this great new post on the activation process
9. Are there any restrictions on how the Armed Forces Salute Tickets can be used?
Besides the Blockout dates mentioned above and the expiration date there are no restrictions.
You can use the 4 days of your tickets 4 days in a row, over a longer vacation stay, or here and there throughout the year.
The same applies to the Water Park & More visits, you’ve got until 28 September 2013 to use them up.
10. What if I need more days than the Armed Forces Salute Tickets offer?
In some cases you may want to spend more days touring the Disney parks than are available on the Armed Forces Salute Tickets.
At Disney World one idea is to opt for the Water Park & More Option (or add it to you hopper ticket). The WP&M visits can be used on non-park days to fill out a longer stay.
Another option is to buy tickets for the additional days on top of your Armed Forces Salute Tickets. But you should be careful doing this, depending on the options you select for your regular Military Discounted Disney tickets it becomes more costly to add a second ticket versus just opting for the number of days that you need using the regular military discount instead of the Armed Forces Salute.
What about back to back AFS ticket use?
It is still unclear whether Disney will allow those who have less than 6 people in their party and want to have 8 days of ticket use to use the Armed Forces Salute Tickets Back-to-Back. While Disney’s official policy is and has been in the past not to allow this, it has been allowed by theme park ticket departments.
UPDATE 10/1/12 Disney has announced that Back-To-Back use will not be allowed, 7 calendar days must separate use of AFS tickets by the same person.
So there you have it
The ten top things you need to know about Disney’s Armed Forces Salute.
Many of the above items are questions that I’m often asked via email and the ask a question page on this site.
Are there any other questions that you have? Leave them in a comment below!
Did you enjoy this post? If you’d like more like it, please share it through your favorite social media by clicking the buttons below to let me know.
Steve Recommends
Here are my recommendations for products and services I've reviewed that can improve your Disney planning. This is a short list since it only includes my top picks.
Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World - Best WDW Planning book in my opinion
Hidden Mickeys - Kids of all ages will love finding Hidden Mickeys at WDW
Disney World Savings Guide - A great eBook by a former Disney Castmember
Ears or Experience - My recommended Travel Agent, Fee Free, Disney Only, Military Family Owned
YourFirstVisit.net The premier website for first time visitors to Walt Disney World!
Simple Stroller Rentals - Beats WDW's prices, plus they offer a 10% Military Discount
TouringPlans.com - The website of the Unofficial Guides - Crowd Forecasts, Pre-made Touring Plans, plus lots of other detailed info
Disney World Lines iPhone App - Current Crowds, Recommended Parks, Wait Times, & Fastpass Return Times on your iPhone
My Disney Experience - The Official Disney iPhone App
Follow Military Disney Tips
Like our very active Facebook Page - Follow MDT on Twitter - Follow MDT on Pinterest
Get Steve's Free newsletter- The first place you'll hear about an Armed Forces Salute renewal!
FYI – the Orlando ITT office no longer sells the Disney Salute tickets. They still sell others, but no longer sell the Salute deal for 2012 or plan to for 2013. We just went there last week to get ours, but were told that Shades of Green is now the only place to get them on site without having to pay tax at the actual gate of the parks.
Thanks for the update Danelle!
I was there a couple months ago and they were still selling them.
Is it possible to use one set of 6 in December of 2012 and a second set of 6 in September 2013. We used the offer in September 2011 and December 2010. I am not sure if those were the same offer or if the rules were different with that offer but we are thinking of going twice in the next year and figure we should get them both in with this offer in case it isn’t renewed. The person at ITT said they do not keep track of who is buying them but there may be an issue when we go to activate the second set.
Hi Tricia,
You’ll only be allowed 6 tickets between 1 October 2012 and 28 September 2013. That is the time period of the new offer.
The previous offer period was 24 October 2010 through 30 September 2012, with a limit of 12 tickets. Thats why you were able to use the Salute offer twice.
ITTs are supposed to keep track, but Disney sure does as well. So you’ll need to find other ways to save on the second vacation.
Don’t forget that you can use the Armed Forces Salute room discounts as many times as you want!
Do you know if disabled veterans are eligible for the AFS tickets? Thanks for the information.
Hi Amy,
Check out this post and let me know if you have any more questions: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-discounts/disney-military-discounts-a-confusing-topic-for-disabled-veterans/
Steve
If you havent used any of the 4 days on military tickets that expire on Sept 30 2012, can you apply that cost toward the new military tickets that expire in Oct 2013? Thanks
No Brian, unfortunately you can’t. All value of the ticket expires 30 Sept as far as I know. That is the way it is supposed to work.
It might be that you could talk a Manager into helping you, but don’t count on it!
What is the policy for the stars and stripes tickets when there are 10 people (8 children) in your immediate family? Do I need to contact Disney directly prior to our vacation? Or is that something that I need to contact SOG about? Also, do I purchase tickets at SOG, or via fax with SOG when there are 10 of us? Thanks for your help!
Hi Tiffany,
From what I’ve heard ITT Offices including Shades seem to be unaware of the exception for large families and stick to the 6 limit.
You could call the shades ticket office to ask if they’ll sell you 10 @ 407 824 1403. You’ll save the tax there.
If they say no then just go to a Disney theme park ticket booth once you get there. Nothing to do ahead of time.
Have a blast!
Hi! I have a question. My father was retired miltary, and if my mom (widow) purchases the tickets for us on base, does she have to be with us when we activate the tickets, or can we take along the military id? She recently fell and broke her hip, had a full hip replacement, and would like to make the trip, but no theme parks! She doesn’t drive, so actually going to the park would not be doable for her. She wants to purchase the tickets for the kids for Christmas. Thanks in advance!!!
Hi Alicia,
It is important to note that there are 2 kinds of Disney Discount Tickets for the Military.
- The Disney Armed Forces Salute which this page talks about, is a temporary offer (which has been going since 2009) and offers theme park tickets at about half off. These have lots of restrictions one of which is the military member or spouse MUST go to a Disney them theme park ticket window or Guest Relations location with their whole party to activate the tickets. There is a Guest Relations office in Downtown Disney which might be easier to get to than the theme parks.
- And the Regular Military Discounted Disney Tickets which we have always had. These are the same tickets in all the varieties that the general public can buy at the theme park gates. These are slightly discounted 4%-8% depending on length and options. These can only be purchased at Base Ticket Offices or Shades of Green. They come in two varieties, those that are ready for use and those that need to be exchanges at the Disney theme park ticket window (with a military ID). So in this instance she’d have to ensure that the tickets purchased are ready for use.
My family of 4 is traveling to WDW November 12, 2012 with my parents (total of 6). My dad’s Military ID card reads “Department of the Air Force Civilian Identification” Status “RET/CIV”. Will he be able to receive a Military Salute Discount Tickets or any other park admission discounts? Thank you!!
Hi Kristi, as a retired DoD Civilian your dad is not eligible for Disney’s Armed Forces Salute, but he is eligible to stay at and purchase the regular military discounted tickets at Shades of Green.
Have fun!
I am having a hard time deciding between Park Hopper or Park Hopper plus Water Parks. If I do Park Hopper only could I add WP&M on site should we have time while we are there?
Yes you can add the WP&M option once you get there for $28 plus tax. Have fun Angela
My mom is the spouse of a retired navy chief and she is buying the tickets for me because I don’t have time to get to a base myself. I am a currently reservist. Will I have any issues getting into disneyland since I’m not the purchaser?
Hi Chefdizzle,
No there won’t be any issue with Disney. The tickets themselves aren’t associated with a name until Disney activates them at DL.
The only issue is that if the Base keeps good records the number of tickets she buys for you will be reduced from the 6 they will let her buy. You might have to return the favor if she needs some.
My sister is going to buy the tickets for us and is willing to drive to Disneyland with us to activate the tickets, but she does not want to actually go into the theme park. Can she activate the tickets at the guest services and then can we proceed to the gate without her? We are trying to figure out if we actually have to buy her the ticket as well (and have her walk in and then walk out) or if one of us could just use the ticket once the activation process was complete. Thank you!
Hi Lisa,
That is great that your sister is willing to do that for you!
She definitely has to have a ticket, there is no way around that. She will have to activate one for herself and your whole party. You must all be there at the same time. There is an indication that Disney World has a new rule (and I assume it might be the same at Disneyland) that the Armed Forces Salute tickets need to be used for park entry on the same day activated. Ask at the guest services window when you all activate them if she needs to enter the park. She could leave right after.
Have fun.
Hi Steve, my father is retired military and his wife is planning to purchase tickets for themselves and other family members ( I am eligible to purchase my own). Our question: can she activate her ticket on one day,so that she can enjoy a day in the parks with us,and activate the rest later in the week when the other family members arrive? Or does she have to activate all of her tickets at the same time on the same day? Thank you!
Hey there Claire,
Well, Disney’s rule is that the member (or spouse) must activate their guests tickets when they do their own, and everyone must be present.
But I hear all the time about this not being adhered to. But it’s not a guarantee.
What I’d recommend trying in this situation is have her get photo copies of her guests’ driver’s licenses and try to activate all of her tickets when you do yours. If one ticket window balks, try another.
Are prices the same for children ages 5 & 2 for armed forces salute 4 day ticket?
Yes Debra, they are. It’s still pretty close to half off.
A regular military discount 4-day child’s hopper goes for $288.
Just to verify: must the tickets be used consequetively or can you use a day here and there, as long as they are used by September 2013?
Hi, you can use a day here and there through 28 September 2013! That’s how I used mine.
I have several questions.
1. Last week when my son went to purchase tickets at Shades of Green, he was told if wanted all six tickets he would have to be them all at the same time. He wasn’t allowed to buy 1 now and 4 later in the year. Was that information correct?
2. If we purchase the Park Hopper Plus do the water park days count as one of the four days of usage? For example, if we went Mon, Tues, and Wed to disney parks and on Thurs went to a waterpark would our 4 days be done? Or are the water park days 4 days plus 4 disney days???
Thanks for your assitance.
Hi Barbara,
While Disney’s published rules says nothing about buying all 6 at the same time, Disney did at one time say that this was the case and apparently Shades is using that rule. Disney later did say this is not the case. So if Shades won’t sell him one he may need to go to a Disney ticket booth and pay tax on his ticket.
Think of the ticket with the water park and more option as 2 tickets in 1. You’ll have 4 theme park days plus 4 admissions to the WP&M venues.
Have fun!
We got 4 military salute tickets… can we activate them at a WDW resort guest relations desk or will it have to be at the theme park… just trying to avoid additional lines.
Eliza , you can activate them at any Disney World Theme Park Ticket booth or Guest Relations location (at the parks and Downtown Disney), but unfortunately not at your resort. If you go to DTD the day of your arrival (if you aren’t going to the parks) you can do it then.
Hi Steve,
Do you know if honorable discharges qualify for this offer? Specifically my fiance received a medically-related (med board) honorable discharge, and we were looking into this offer. Thanks!
Hi Aimee,
So as I understand your question, he is totally separated and has no base access?If so then there is only one offer he is eligible for and it is through Shades of Green. Unless he is 100% disabled and that is a different conversation.
Hope this helps.
I was at Disneyland on Nov. 24th & 25th using military salute tickets, and for the first time ever, the military member was required to be present every day when the activated tickets were used by family members, not just on the first day to activate the tickets. Very inconvenient. They said the change was because there were counterfeit tickets being used.
That is very interesting Marvin,
Could you explain how that happened for us? This year Disneyland did include this on their website, but I didn’t think that it was correct.
First did you have the hard plastic tickets with the Armed Forces Salute logo (from ITT), or the regular paper tickets with the Disney characters (from Disney ticket booths)?
How’d it go down at the turnstile, did they say “Where is the military member” when a dependent scanned their ticket?
The counterfeiting story doesn’t make sense, each ticket has an individual number on it’s magnetic strip. If you had the capability to make fake tickets that worked, why do military ones, which stand out?
Hello. I am active duty and have three dependants(1 adult, 5 yr old, and 2 yr old). I would only like to see Disney for one day. What is my best option?
Hi Michael,
Here are the rates for the regular military discounted Disney tickets (Not the Armed Forces Salute) at Shades of Green. You can buy them there or at your base ticket office a very similar prices: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tickets/Magic-Your-Way-Tickets.html
Dear Steve:
You may have answered these questions already, but I’m going to Disney World next month and want to make sure I have all the rules straight.
My cousin is retired Air Force and bought six Military Salute tickets for herself and my family in October at Shades of Green. We then went to EPCOT where we received the activated hard plastic tickets; however, we did NOT go into the park at that time. Our plan was to use these tickets for our January trip.
Will we be able to do this? I’ve read elsewhere that the tickets have to be used right away once they’re activated and then expire within two weeks of that activation and use.
I greatly appreciate your assistance!
Hi Kathleen,
You are all set. ONce activated you can use the tickets anytime until 28 Sept 2013. Except during blockout dates, 24 – 31 December 2012, 24 March – 4 April 2013, July 4, 2012 (No Magic Kingdom only).
There was some talk initially out of Disney that the tickets had to be first used the day of activation, but that turned out not to be the case.
Have a great time!
2 questions. 1: Can the military member ACTIVATE more than 6 tickets, as we already have 2 from a different member but they weren’t activated. So we need a total of 8 activated, but only need to buy 6. Is this possible? I would think it wouldn’t matter how many get activated.
2: How much are the 2 park with 3rd day free Universal tickets that military members can buy for friends and family? Reply ASAP plz!!!!! Thanks
Hi Brian,
The limit is on the number of Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets that you can activate. The max is six. The limit is on the number a member can use.
You’ll need regular military discounted Disney Tickets.
The flyer I have from Universal does not list prices it says a 2 day ticket with a third day free from your base ticket office. A regular military 2 day 2 park ticket is about $137.
So if I’m understanding this correctly – if my family arrived at Disney World on a Saturday we could buy our Armed Forces Salute Park Hopper, plus the Water Park and More Option tickets from SOG that day.
We could then go to say Disney Quest that evening, and start our actual park days the next day. How/where would we get our tickets activated to be able to go to Disney Quest that first evening?
We would then have through the deadline in September 2013 to use the remaining park days and WP&M visits or just the typical 14 days that regular tickets have?
Good Questions Sandy,
Everything you said is correct. After purchasing your tickets at Shades you could activate them at the Downtown Disney Guest Relations counter, between TrenD and Arribas Brothers.
Your four park days and four WP&M entrances all expire on 28 Sept 2013, there is no 14-day or consecutive use rule.
Have fun!
I was just told they need to be used within 14 days of activation.
Hi Heather,
Whoever told you that is mixing apples and oranges.
There are two kinds of military discounted Disney tickets. The 4-day Armed Forces Salute tickets which require activation and do not expire until 28 Sept 2013. And the regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets, which come in all the lengths and varieties available to the general public but at a 4-8% discount. Some Magic Your Way tickets do expire 14 days after “first use” and there are more expensive ones which never expire.
Hope this clears it up, you can see the prices for the regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets here.
My husband is active duty Marine Corps and I am planning our trip for next September(early September before the deadline). I was just reading the guidelines about the armed forces tickets and was a little disapointed and was just wanting to make sure I understood it correctly.
It would be just my husband, myself, and our 4 year old daughter, so three tickets for four days, but I had originally thought I could buy three more tickets, and use them to make a 8 day vacation out of it. I am not allowed to do that, correct?
And if I wanted to extend our vacation, what would the best deal be for our situation. I am thinking only a park hopper(maybe with the water parks) but now I am so discombobulated about what to do that I am wondering if it’s even financially able to make it a longer trip. Any advice?
Hi Melissa,
Disney officials have confirmed to me that back-to-back use of the Armed Forces Salute tickets is now allowed. There was a period when they had said they wouldn’t allow this. But you’ll be good to go.
My husband purchased 6 tickets back in July and we used one day and now have 2 days left (we purchased the Armed Forces Salute tickets for Disneyland in CA). My question is this: I know he has to be present and show his ID on all three days that we use the tickets, but does he have to have his ticket as well? We are going to Disneyland with different people this January and wanted to use our tickets and then buy another day(not another armed forces salute, just a regular ticket) on the final day of our other guests 3 day pass. Could we do this since he would still be there? Or does he need to use his Armed Forces Salute ticket in addition to showing his military ID with our guests all three days? I hope this wasn’t too confusing, thanks in advance!
Hi Melissa,
Well there are a couple issues. First, and most important, the 26 October 2010 through 30 September Armed Forces Salute ended on 30 Sept. and tickets from that offer are no longer valid they expired along with any days left on them. So you’ll need to either buy new Armed Forces Salute tickets from the new offer which started on 1 October or 4-day regular military discounted tickets from your Base Ticket Office.
The other thing, and I’m not really sure I understood you, but all of your tickets must be used by the same person every time. Tickets used by one person on one day can’t be used later by another person. Was that what you were trying to ask when you said 3 other guests and your husband not using his ticket?
Hi again, sorry I thought it sounded a little confusing. We did purchase the new ones in November (I was thinking about the last time we purchased them) So we do have the new set of military tickets. We bought one for my husband, myself, my brother, his wife, and my mother. Now I know in order for my mother, brother and sister in law to use their tickets, my husband has to be there and show his military ID, but does he need to have his ticket as well? We’re thinking of going to Disneyland in 2 weeks with different people and we wanted to use our armed forces tickets, since we don’t have the money to buy regular park tickets right now, but I’m worried if we do that, then on my families’ last day they won’t be able to get in. We would be going with them, and purchasing a regular park ticket on their last day of the three days. Hope this was easier to understand. Thanks
LOL!
You know this is a quirk at Disneyland. At Disney World once their ticket is active the member (and their ID) don’t have to stay with their guests, they can go to different parks on different days if they want.
But to your issue, I think you should be fine, though I’ve not been to Disneyland since they started this requirement. When does the military member show their ID? As everyone is going through the turnstile?
I think Disney’s issue is that the AFS tickets be used by actual family/friends of the member and not someone that they scalped the tickets to. So even if you guys use a different kind of ticket I think you’ll be good showing his ID with their tickets.
Hi Steve,
I see that we can use 2 days of tickets now and then the other 2 days in September. My question is this, does the military member (my son) have to be with all ticket holders everytime the ticket is used or just when activating them. For example, my husband and I may go in Septembe without our son. Can we use the tickets without him being there? They will be activated when we go in February. Thanks
Hi Brenda,
Disney World dos not require the military member to remain with their guests at all times. It is perfectly OK to use the tickets at different times (days) and at different parks. YOur sone just has to be there (with the whole party) to activate them.
Disneyland however has a different policy, they require the military member to enter with their guests on every day.
Have fun!
Thanks, we can’t wait to go!
I saw above in your answers regarding purchasing tickets more than once in the year period but I wanted to clarify. My family of 5 just went on R&R in December and my husband purchased the tickets for us 5 and my mom (so used all 6). My daughter and I are running the Princess Half in February and my husband will not be with us since he will be overseas at the time. Do you think I will be able to purchase us a set of the Salute tickets this time around? (I am bringing some girlfriends with me, too- I would love to be able to buy tickets at the Salute rate for them as well!) Possible? Crazy talk? Any thoughts would be great!
Hi there Heather,
It is six tickets during the year long offer (1 Oct 2012-28 Sept 2013), so if it was December 2012 you are talking about unfortunately you are done until a new offer period. If it was Dec ’11 you were talking about you are good to go.
Your next best option, though nowhere as good are the regular military discounted magic your way tickets from Shades of Green or your Base ITT.
Good luck with the race!!!
I know this is probably a silly question, but my brother was going to buy us tickets to Disneyland, but he wouldn’t be able to come with us for he is moving to Arizona and I do understand that it’s been said many times that the person purchasing the tickets must be present to activate them. BUT I was just wondering…what if we had notarized documents stating the names of who the tickets would be for and a photocopy of my brother’s military id & driver’s license. Would that be acceptable?
Hi Pauline,
No sorry.
The type of ticket you are talking about are the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets. These tickets are sold at a very large discount. This is to enable military members the opportunity to spend time in the Disney parks WITH family and friends. Disney has put their rules in place to try to ensure that this is how the tickets are used. The military member (or their spouse) must activate the tickets in person (no exceptions, at all, ever) and Disneyland in California goes one step further requiring the military member to enter the park each day with their guests.
There is another type of military discounted Disney ticket sold at military bases. These are the same tickets sold to everyone by Disney at their parks but at a slight discount (4-8%). He could buy these for you. He needs to ensure they are ready for use and don’t have to be exchanged at the park with a military ID. Disney sends both types to the base ticket offices.
Thanks for posting this info. I have a question. My husband is in the National Guard, serving 1 weekend a month, 2 weeks a year. He was in training, active duty, last year until April. Is he eligible for the Armed Forces Salute tickets? I noticed that there is a requirement to show papers stamped that he was active duty as of last January…
Hi Rain,
Reserve and Guard members are eligible with just their ID (which looks identical to an active ID) there is no requirement to be on extended active duty to qualify for the AFS. I was a reservist for 26 years and used it every year they offered it.
Hi Steve,
I saw your post about the National Guard, my husband was a reservist at the Guard in California, and still has his military id, but expired. We are planning a trip to Walt Disney next month, can he still purchase the Military Appreciation Tickets for the discounted price, or at the local Air Force Base?
Hi Cynthia,
Unfortunately since he is no longer a Guardsman he isn’e eligible for most discounts.
The only one would be at WDW in Florida: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Shades-of-Green/Non-Retired-Veterans.html in the months of Sept. and Jan.
Great website, thanks for compiling all the info. My father in law is a veteran. He may not want to go to Disneyland with us but his spouse is. I notice that spouses are allowed to purchase and activate tickets. Does the spouse have to show some sort of military ID? She currently does not have any. Thanks
Hi Chris, thanks.
Most people (including non-retired veterans) mistakenly confuse and misuse the terms veteran and retired military.
So I’m unsure what your father’s exact status is. There are a few:
Which of these is your dad?
I just want to make sure I am clear on the water parks and more option. The wate park option can be used on different days than the theme park days?? So it could be used on 8 different days if you wanted to go to the theme parks 4 days and then the water parks 4 days? Thanks for any clarification! I just recently found your website and it has lots of valuable information on it. Thanks!!
Hi Susan, welcome.
Yep, you have it right.
Think of the water park & more option as 4 entry tickets (like a movie ticket) to be used when you want.
Like you said, you could use them individually on different days from your theme park days, or on the same day you go to a theme park. You can use them one per day, or use multiple WP&M entrances on the same day (for instance a water park during the day, and Disney Quest at night).
HOpe that clears it up!
Hi Steve, My husband and I will be at Disney in early March, we are going to purchase the Military theme park tickets. My question is, can we buy them at the military base we live close to which is Fort Dix or do we have to get them at Shades of Green. Last time we got them we waited in line for almost 1 hour to purchase the tickets.
Hi Pam,
You are right the line can get long at Shades…
There are a couple kinds of military tickets for WDW, so just to be sure you have all the info I’ll talk about both.
The Armed Forces Salute tickets – Can be purchased at your local base (Ft. Dix) ticket office and Shades of Green, both without sales tax added. Or at Disney ticket booths with sales tax added. Tickets not purchased from Disney must be activated at a Disney ticket booth (theme park or water park), the Downtown Disney Guest Relations counter, or Disney Quest prior to use for park entry.
The regular military discounted Disney Magic Your Way tickets – Can be purchased at your local base (Ft. Dix) ticket office and Shades of Green only, without tax. Tickets sent to bases come in 2 varieties, those which are ready for use and those which have to be exchanged at a WDW ticket booth. Disney sends both kinds randomly (I’m told) to bases. Also Bases do not always carry all types of tickets (lengths & options) so check more than 2 or 3 weeks out as they may have to order them.
One last thing if you are staying at Shades of Green they will let you pre-pay for your tickets and have them waiting for you when you check in.
HI Steve I’m going to Disneyland in may and my sister is a spouse of the military and she wanted to get 3 park hoppers as a gift for my birthday, but does not want to go to the park. Would she be able to purchase them still for us? Or does she need to be present all 3 days?
Hi Melinda,
In order to use the Armed Forces Salute tickets, yes she does have to go with you every day (at Disneyland, WDW is different).
But there are the slightly discounted regular military Disney Magic Your Way tickets which you can use without her.
Tickets sent to bases come in 2 varieties, those which are ready for use and those which have to be exchanged at a WDW ticket booth. Disney sends both kinds randomly (I’m told) to bases. Also Bases do not always carry all types of tickets (lengths & options) so check more than 2 or 3 weeks out as they may have to order them.
Hi Steve
The Armed Forces Salute is it offered to the British Forces?
Thanks
Andy
Hey Andrew, Just for those issued a US military CAC (ID), usually those stationed in the US. See this page:http://www.cac.mil/common-access-card/ very bottom left image.
Hi. I had a question about the 4-day salute hopper w/ wp&m. Is it 4 days at the theme parks and 4 days at the wp&m? So a total of 8 days?
Hi Desiree,
Yes and no…
You can use the WP&M on 4 days making 8 total days, but think of the water park & more option as 4 entry tickets (like a movie ticket) not days, which you can use whenever you want.
Like you said, you could use them individually on different days from your theme park days, or on the same day you go to a theme park. You can use them one per day, or use multiple WP&M entrances on the same day (for instance a water park during the day, and Disney Quest at night).
Hope this clears it up a bit, let me know!
Steve
Thank you. I can make it an 8 day vacation if I use the 4 wp&m on different days & the park hopper on another 4 days? Also since its the park hopper, I can go to the different parks on the 4 theme park days?
Thank you so much for the info. I am new to this.
Yep, you’ve got it right! Have fun!!!
Hi Steve,
My dad is purchasing the Salute to Military tickets and we will be headed to Disneyland in a few weeks. I understand that he will have to be present to enter the park each day, but will he have to be present EACH time we hop parks throughout the day? He most likely won’t want to do all of the same things that my siblings and I will want to do all day each day.
Thanks for your help!
Shannon
Hey Shannon,
I have to preface this with “I’m not truly a Disneyland expert” I’ve been, but quite a while ago, long before the Armed Forces Salute started.
Disneyland is different in this respect from WDW, they say on their website that: “Military member (or spouse) must accompany the persons using these tickets for Theme Park admission.”
I have heard from some readers that the member or spouse must enter with their guests, but I’m not sure how they monitor this. Does the turnstile advise the cast member that a military ticket has been scanned and then they ask to see an ID for the party? IDK?
Also not sure how this would effect hopping, cause as you say the party might want to split up.
Wish I could have been more help!!!
If you do find out let me know, here or via my contact page…
Hi Steve! I think you answered this but I’m not 100% sure. Are all Reservists eligible for the Armed Forces Salute or only active Reserve? My husband is in school on an Air Force scholarship and is currently Air Force Reserve- does that work?
Thanks!
Hi Jen,
That depends on which type of Reservist he is.
Disney uses the term “active reservist” though that isn’t an actual status. What they are trying to say is “Selected or Ready Reservist” or more simply current reservist. These Reservists have duty requirements through out the year with their unit and are paid to perform this duty. They have a CAC (military ID) like the one on this page: http://www.cac.mil/common-access-card/
They do not have to be on long active duty orders. And there is no way to tell them from a regular active duty member by looking at their CAC (ID) as they are identical.
An Individual Ready Reservist (IRR) performs no duty and receives no pay. They have separated form the military and simply been told to keep their uniforms for a period of time in case they are called back.
Here is my page with the ID guide Disney ticket workers use: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-World-Military-Discount-ID-Guide.html
Hope this helps, let me know! Steve
Thanks, Steve! This is helpful. He does have service requirements during the year and gets paid “active duty” pay for those times. I think he qualifies.
Sounds like it, his ID looks like this right? http://www.cac.mil/common-access-card/
My husband is deploying in early June and towards the end of June I would like to take 3 of our 4 daughter’s on vacation. There is so much information out there. Can you please advise me to a user friendly website? Thank you
Michelle
It can be overwhelming Michelle. I’ll give you my stock “favorite sites.”
The first is totally focused on first time visitors and run by my friend Dave. The others have been around for 15 years or so and are the “big” sites.
http://yourfirstvisit.net
http://allears.net/index.html
http://www.wdwinfo.com
http://www.disboards.com
Also check out the disney food blog if you’d like to learn more about the great food options at WDW, http://www.disneyfoodblog.com
My husband served 6 years active duty (tour to Iraq) and 4 years in the active reserves. His military card states that it expired as of September 2011.Does he qualify for the salute to military tickets?
Hi Nicole,
Unfortunately no, only current or retired members are eligible for the Disney Armed Forces Salute and Regular Military Disney Tickets.
But there is this one offer that anyone who served is eligible for, from Shades of Green.
Here is the only discount available for non-retired veterans, including what documentation is required: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Shades-of-Green/Non-Retired-Veterans.html
Hope this helps,
Steve
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF I GO WITH MY WIFE, THERES A CHANCE THAT I CAN BUY 6 TICKETS AND MY WIFE 6 MORE FOR A FAMILY GROUP OF 12. THE GROUP INCLUDE MY SONS , MY BROTHER MY SISTER. BROTHER IN LAW ,SISTER IN LAW NEPEWS AND NIECES AND MY MOTHER AND MOTHER IN LAW
Hello Rafael,
No Sorry, the limit is 6 per military member during this offer. The spouse can only activate the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets if the member doesn’t go.