2013 Military Discount Prices On Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

22 May 2013 by Steve Leave a Comment

Military Discounted Tickets are available for the 2013 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a special event held each winter on select nights at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom theme park.

Your Disney Armed Forces Salute ticket will not get you into Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, the purchase of an additional event admission ticket is required to attend.

Celebrate the magic of the season in the holiday wonderland of Magic Kingdom theme park. Gather with loved ones for a festive sight and sound filled special event that is sure to make you merry! This festive celebration is filled with live entertainment, spectacular fireworks and an oh-so-jolly holiday parade.

The event is held on select nights in November and December 2013.

Active and Retired U.S. Military, including members of the U.S. Coast Guard and active members of the National Guard or Reservists, may purchase discounted Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Tickets for special military priced event nights. They may also purchase additional tickets for up to five (5) family members and/or friends.

These special tickets must be purchased in person (with proper military ID) at Walt Disney World. They can not be pre-purchased over the phone (like the full price tickets) or from military resellers. So you can’t get these at Shades of Green and your base ticket office!

Military Discounted Prices are offered only on the following nights:

November 8, 11, 14, 15, 17 & 21, 2013

Time: 7 PM to Midnight

Note: While the published start time is 7 PM, you can get in as early as 4 PM with your MVMCP ticket

Military Discount Prices are:

Adult: $43.40 + tax
Child: $39.90 + tax

Military Disney Tips Exclusive Information

Special Military Purchase Details And Procedures!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party often sells out!

But you will not miss out as Disney World has established special purchase procedures for military members.

Walt Disney World will sell the military discounted tickets for sold out events even when regular tickets are unavailable. This is because these military discount tickets are only available in person!

Walt Disney World has confirmed to me that they again have extended the guarantee that military members will not miss out on being able to attend these parties because they have to wait to buy their tickets in person.

How purchase your Military Priced Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Tickets

Once you arrive for your vacation at WDW you can purchase your Military Priced Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party tickets at any Disney World ticket window. If your desired date is sold out you can still buy your tickets, but you must do so the day of the event at the Magic Kingdom Guest Relations windows only (nowhere else).

If your date with the military price is sold out you will still get the military price.
If you want to attend a date without the military discount which is sold out you can do that too (at the full price) and your mil ID.

So, in review:

Military pricing for November dates through the 21st only

Military can buy tickets for any sold out MVMCP in person at Magic Kingdom Guest Relations. But only the Nov. dates through the 21st will be at the military price, other dates will be full price.

Additional Information

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Filed Under: Military Discounts Tagged With: Christmas, Magic Kingdom, Military Discount, military discounted tickets, Walt Disney World

2013 Military Discount Prices On Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

22 May 2013 by Steve Leave a Comment

Military Discounted Tickets are available for the 2013 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a Halloween themed special after hours event held on select dates in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom theme park.

Your Disney Armed Forces Salute ticket will not get you into Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, the purchase of an additional event admission ticket is required to attend.

The event is held on select nights in September through November 2013.

Active and Retired U.S. Military, including members of the U.S. Coast Guard and active members of the National Guard and Reserve, may purchase discounted Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Tickets for special military priced event nights. They may also purchase additional tickets for up to five (5) family members and/or friends.

Military Discounted Prices are offered only on the following nights:

September 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, & 27

Time: 7 PM to Midnight

Note: While the published start time is 7 PM, you can get in as early as 4 PM with your MNSSHP ticket

Military Discount MNSSHP Prices are:

Adult – $41.30 plus tax
Child (3-9) $37.80 plus tax

Military Disney Tips Exclusive Information

Special Military Purchase Details And Procedures!

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party often sells out!

But you will not miss out as Disney World has established special purchase procedures for military members.

How purchase your Military Priced Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Tickets

Once you arrive for your vacation at WDW you can purchase your Military Priced Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets at any Disney World ticket window. If your desired date is sold out you can still buy your tickets, but you must do so the day of the event at the Magic Kingdom Guest Relations windows only (nowhere else).

If your date with the military price is sold out you will still get the military price.
If you want to attend a date without the military discount which is sold out you can do that too (at the full price) and your mil ID.

So, in review:

Military pricing for September dates only

Military can buy tickets for any sold out MNSSHP in person at Magic Kingdom Guest Relations. But only the Sept dates will be at the military price, other dates will be full price.

Additional Information

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Filed Under: Military Discounts Tagged With: Halloween, Magic Kingdom, Military Discount, military discounted tickets, Walt Disney World

How Does Disney World Free Dining Compare To The Disney Armed Forces Salute?

13 May 2013 by Steve Leave a Comment

Since Walt Disney World announced a free dining offer last week for dates from 2 through 25 September 2013, I’ve had quite a few questions as whether this is a good deal compared to Disney’s Armed Forces Salute.

And The Answer Is…

It Depends.

Sorry, but there is no cut and dried easy answer, every case is different. There are lots of variables such as, the number in your party (adults and kids 3-9), the length of your vacation, resort level desired (value, moderate, deluxe), and your eating habits on vacation.

Free Dining Specifics

In order to get the free dining added to your room reservation, you need to be paying the full non-discounted rate for your Disney resort room. You cannot combine free dining with the Disney Armed Forces Salute room discounts. And you must purchase (with your room) at least a 2-Day Magic Your Way Base Ticket for everyone in your room, at the full general public rate.

I Called In The Expert

I touched base with Amy from Ears of Experience on this one. Ears of Experience is my recommended Disney travel agent. Amy Said:

“General speaking larger parties and or those staying for longer periods of time will save with the free dining deal. Those there for shorter trips are better off with the Disney Armed Forces Salute.”

An Example

A 4-day 5-night vacation Sunday through Thursday night at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, for 2 adults and 2 kids.

Free Dining Plan

Room at the full rate $952.00
4-day Park Hoppers $1297.18 (public price)
Free regular dining plan
- Which gives you credits for one table-service meal, one quick-service meal, and one snack per night of your hotel stay plus a refillable mug for non-alcoholic drinks at your resort. You’ll have to pay for any other food items.
- Total Cost $2249.18 for Room, Tickets, and Dining

Disney Armed Forces Salute

Room at the 30% off AFS rate $666.40
4-day Armed Forces Salute Park Hoppers $624.00
Total Cost $1290.40 for Room, & Tickets
This leaves a $958.78 difference from the free dining plan.
- Based on your families eating habits you should be able to eat for less than this.

Many Variables

As I mentioned there can be so many variables. Adding more people to your party drives up the cost of eating a la carte and makes the free dining more attractive. Longer stays can bring in many different mixes of military discounted tickets to combine with the 2-day minimum Magic Your Way ticket.

Will Free Dining work for you?

Possibly, you can run all the numbers for your situation yourself. Or have a professional do it at no extra cost you. Amy told me she save one family around $900 on their vacation last Friday. There is no guarantee you’ll save that much, but it is worth a try!

Ears of Experience is a Fee Free Disney only Travel Agency. They are a military family owned and operated business and thousands of Military Disney Tips readers have used them over the years.

Click this link to fill out their contact form, or call Amy directly and say that you heard about her here, 1-877-80MOUSE.

Here are links to other topics discussed in this post:

Disney’s Armed Forces Salute

Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets

Stars and Stripes Passes

Ears of Experience

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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

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Filed Under: Disney Military Discounts Tagged With: Dining, Disney's Military Salute, Military Discount, Military Discounted Rooms, military discounted tickets, Walt Disney World

Military Disney Tips Turns Five Years Old Tomorrow!

30 April 2013 by Steve 2 Comments

It has been another fantastic year for Military Disney Tips!

Military Disney Tips has grown from the humblest of beginnings to the large, very successful resource for military families that it is today. While I have put quite a bit of time and effort into the site, it’s you the readers who make the site so successful.

I wanted to take a moment to say thanks to all of you. I’m so appreciative of your interest, support, and contributions. It’s been my pleasure to try to help you in any way I can to plan for your Disney vacations.

Hang on to your hats, cause this will be a longish post, as I feel we have a lot to brag about this year…

With the growth of the site and its readership (on the site and blog, facebook, and the newsletter) has come a certain clout, which has allowed me to advocate to Disney for our community on both discounts and policies. Good things are coming, but more on that as the next year unfolds.

One positive change I was able to get initiated this past year, was a change in the way the Disney World Thanksgiving and Christmas Party military discounts are handled. Many military families used to miss out on this discount, as you had to get your discounted tickets in person and the party could be sold out by the time you arrived at WDW to get them.

The Year In Numbers

The past year has seen continued awesome growth for MDT.

Military Disney Tips received over 564,000 visitors and 1,903,000 pageviews during the last 12 months. Up from 242,412 visitors and 765,159 pageviews the previous year.

Our Newsletter has grown to over 4,125 subscribers, an increase of 2400.

Our FaceBook page has grown to over 5,150 followers this year, up over 3800.

What You Want To Know

The big question on everyone’s mind right now, as it is every year at this time is, will there be a Disney Armed Forces Salute renewal past 28 September 2013?

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Filed Under: Special Tagged With: 2012 Disney Military Salute, 2013 Disney Armed Forces Salute, Armed Forces Salute, Christmas, Disney Resorts, Disney's Military Salute, Disneyland, Downtown Disney, Guest Post, Legoland, Magic Kingdom, Military Discount, Military Discounted Rooms, military discounted tickets, Military Disney Tips, Orlando Florida, Special Events, Thanksgiving, Universal Military Discounts, Universal Studios Florida, Walt Disney World, Your First Visit

Heroes Work Here One Year Update

5 April 2013 by Steve Leave a Comment

Last month at the annual shareholder’s meeting Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger gave an update on the Heroes Work Here Program which began in March 2012.

He announced that the Disney Company surpassed its goal to provide 1,000 career opportunities for returning U.S. veterans over a three-year period – hiring more than 1,300 veterans in just one year.

During the past year specially trained Disney recruiters placed veterans in a variety of jobs – from internships to executive roles – through national career expos and by providing one-on-one assistance to help transition to the private sector.

I was able to attend the career expo held at Walt Disney World. See my writeup

He also committed to a new goal of hiring an additional 1,000 U.S. veterans over the next two years. Which would bring the three year total to 2,300 veterans.

Public Awareness

Disney also premiered a new public awareness video:

Nonprofit Support

Additionally, Disney will continue to invest in select nonprofit organizations that provide training and other support services for veterans. Over the past 10 years, Disney has donated more than $1.2 million to the USO alone.

Kevin Preston, Disney’s director of veteran initiatives and retired Army Colonel explains why the Heroes Work Here program is important:

“We are a veteran-friendly company and the program is about telling veterans that we are interested in them – if that means they find a job at Disney, great; if it means sharing knowledge that will help them find employment elsewhere, that’s great too. We just want to help this diverse group of people find jobs after they have valiantly served their country.”

Disney provides online workshops and coaching via their Heroes Work Here website.

See my post on the Heroes Work Here website

Disney’s official site

Filed Under: Special Tagged With: Disneyland, Heroes Work Here, Walt Disney World