Special Info for these Crazy Times:
News for 2021:
- Planning and Executing Your Walt Disney World Vacation During These Trying Times
- 2021 Walt Disney World Armed Forces Salute Ticket Announcement
- Using Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets in 2021
- Using the Walt Disney World Theme Park Reservation System
- Park Hopping Returns to Walt Disney World Starting in 2021
Everything is Different at WDW since it Reopened. See Our Trip Reports:
- Our Return to Walt Disney World (Aug/Sep 2020)
- Our Second Trip Back to Walt Disney World (Nov 2020)
- Our Third Trip Back to Walt Disney World (Jan 2021)
Well, it’s certainly been a crazy 11 months in Disney history,
In the past year we’ve seen theme park closures, lack of information for the military community, partial theme park reopening, had to wonder when or if we would find out about 2021 military discounts, a 2020 ticket purchase extension, then a 2020 ticket purchase extension cancellation, and now confusing ticket rules for 2021.
Whew…
Updated – 5 March 2021 – Added Salute Ticket Upgrade Information.
In this post we will focus solely on the Disney Armed Forces Salute 2020 and 2021 ticket rules for use in 2021.
These rules all apply to Walt Disney World’s Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets only, as Disneyland has not even reopened yet.
2020 Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets
This is the most confusing part!!!
The 2020 Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets had 2 different purchase periods. When you purchased your 2020 tickets, could affect your 2021 ticket purchase limits!
The 2 different purchase periods:
- On or prior to 18 December 2020
- From 19 December 2020 through 14 February (this period was cut short by 2 weeks at most sales locations)
Use Period:
- All 2020 Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets are valid for use through 26 September 2021
- At midnight on the 26th they become invalid for use
- Base Ticket Offices have been instructed to allow members to use 2020 Salute Tickets that they could not use by the 26 Sept. 2021 towards new tickets
Ticket Purchase Limits:
- On or prior to 18 December 2020 – Eligible members, or spouses in their place, could purchase up to 6 2020 Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets
- From 19 December 2020 through 14 February – Eligible members, or spouses in their place, could again purchase up to 6 2020 Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets
- 2020 Tickets purchased in this time period count against the 2021 Salute Ticket purchase limit of 6
Disney Armed Forces Salute Ticket Upgrade Information:
When WDW reopened, they did not start reselling the 2020 Park Hopper Plus version of the Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets. With Typhoon Lagoon reopening next month will those who only had the option to buy the Park Hopper version but wanted the Park Hopper Plus version be able to upgrade to the 2020 Salute Park Hopper Plus at all? As of 15 March we have the answers!
2021 Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets – As always, the 4-Day Salute Ticket with Park Hopper may be upgraded to a 5-Day Salute Ticket with Park Hopper, a 4-Day Salute Ticket with Park Hopper Plus, or a 5-Day Salute Ticket with Park Hopper Plus. You must do this in person at Disney World (alternately those who purchased from Shades of Green may upgrade there). To upgrade you’ll pay the price difference (with sales tax through Disney).
2020 Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets – 2020 Salute Tickets may be upgraded to any 2021 version! This includes both length and Park Hopper Plus option. This can only be done through Disney! We have had a report of one longtime reader doing this over the phone, they upgraded their 2020 Salute Tickets with the 26 Sept 2021 expiration to 2021s with the 17 Dec 2021 expiration. They were told it would be for the price difference, but then the cost was waived!
2021 Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets
Just 1 purchase period:
- 15 February to 17 December 2021
Use Period:
- All 2021 Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets are valid for use through 17 December 2021
- At midnight on the 17th they become invalid for use and lose all value
Ticket Purchase Limits:
- From 19 December 2020 through 17 December 2021 – Eligible members, or spouses in their place may purchase up to a total of 6 tickets. The 6 can be 2020 and or 2021 Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets
Questions that I’ve asked Disney to clarify:
- Is it possible to bring the 6-day version of the Salute Tickets back for 2021? (No answer on this yet, but it’s doubtful)
Wrap Up
I hope this helps clarify the confusing situation that Disney has created this year.
I’ll post any updates from Disney here.
Please see these other posts covering the Disney Armed Forces Salute
- Disney Armed Forces Salute Main Page
- 2021 Walt Disney World Armed Forces Salute Ticket Announcement
- 2021 Disney Armed Forces Salute Information – Rooms, Tickets, Memory Maker
- 2021 Disney Armed Forces Salute Room Package vs Room Only Reservation
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below!
Planning a Disney Trip? Want to get the best military discounts that are available? Feeling a little confused? Get Our Email Newsletter
Read about the Temporary Changes to Disney World during their Post-Lockdown Re-Opening
See Our Great Disney Discount and Planning Info:- Disney Veteran & Military Discount Eligibility Guide
- The Military Family’s Walt Disney World Comprehensive Vacation Planning and Preparation Guide
- Military Disney Tips Disney Packing Checklist
- Disney Military Tickets – Your Start to Finish Guide
- Resorts/Hotel Overview Page
- Dining Overview Page
- Transportation Overview Page
- Technology Overview Page
- Shades of Green, WDW’s Military Only Resort
Disney Guidebooks By MDT
|
Military Disney Tips' Recommended Disney Travel Agent
Ears of Experience Disney Only Travel Agency. Military family owned and operated! They know all the ins and outs of Disney military discounts! |
My family of 6 is going to Disney World, dad is retired navy. My brother army wants us to take his son with us. Can he buy his son a ticket and when we get to Disney world my dad activate all 7 salute tickets?
Hi Marc,
If I understand correctly, your brother who is in the army wants to send his son in addition to your party of 6 people including your dad who is retired military. Correct?
The book answer is no, your dad can only activate 6 Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets.
Tickets purchased long distance through Shades of Green are pre-activated though…
https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/buy-military-discounted-disney-tickets-by-phone/
I have 2 days remaining on a military pass from last year and we had to cancel our trip due to Covid. We would like to reschedule and use those tickets this December 2021 but this site says they are only good til September 2021.
Can you extend til the end of the year as we are waiting for Covid vaccines.
Thank you
Hi Ann,
1. I’m not Disney, just a passionate fan so I can’t extend anything.
2. I assume you have 2020 Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets, though you didn’t specify (there are several different military tickets for Disney). Yes these are valid through 26 Sept 2021. Base Ticket offices are supposed to let you use these towards new tickets if you can’t use them by 26 Sept.
I am a retired military veteran of 26 years. I do not have children but I would like to sponsor my neice and her family, 2 adults and 3 young children, do I have to go with them or can I just sponsor them for tickets and/or shades of green hotel packages?
Hi Christopher,
For any and all room discounts you must be in the travel party and occupy one of the rooms.
Non-military cannot access Shades of Green at all without an eligible member.
There are actually 3 different types of military discounted tickets for Disney World.
Only the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets may be used without the sponsor as part of the party and physically being present.
See: https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/military-discount-theme-park-tickets/regular-military-discounted-magic-your-way-tickets/
I bought my tickets (6 day park hopper) last month January for a trip that I have planned for in June. So just to make sure I understand, if I wanted to purchase and add the fun option to my ticket, as of now that’s not allowed correct?
Hi Khristen,
Upgrades for the 2020 tickets are in question as they are no longer for sale and they were not selling the Plus versions at all after reopening.
I’m still trying to get Disney to answer.
I bought Some 5-Day Park hopper passes, however I need to activate them so I can add them to my mydisney account in order to reserve dates at the theme parks. How do I activate the passes (into tickets)? I am not physically located close to Disney World.
Hi Keith,
Someone gave you some bad info there. You do not need to activate your tickets to add them to MDE. These are 2 totally separate things.
See: https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/my-magic-plus/linking-disney-military-tickets-and-fastpass-plus-reservations/
After linking you do still need to activate them when you arrive so that you can use them.
Hello, my family has 2020 6 day Military Salute Tickets, that we bought for a cancelled trip last year, that expire in Sept. 2021. We now want to visit in Nov. 2021. I see that you wrote “Base Ticket Offices have been instructed to allow members to use 2020 Salute Tickets that they could not use by the 26 Sept. 2021 towards new tickets” but as of now, the base we purchased has said that isn’t an option. Have you found a base that will upgrade tickets to ones that would be valid in Nov 2021 (either the new Military salute tickets or just military discounted base tickets)? We tried reaching out to Shades of Green, but we haven’t heard back from them. Thanks!
Hi Dave,
I do not personally know of any that are. No one has passed this back to me.
But I do know of one case of Disney converting someones 2020 tickets to a 17 Dec 2021 expiration ( I just heard this from the individual, who I’ve corresponded with for years, a couple days ago). Here is what they said: “We bought 2020 AFS tickets back at beginning of March last year. We were slated to go in May. Well you know that didn’t happen so we moved it to December and we still couldn’t go. Then we switched to April and due to hubs training being pushed back we can’t go till end of this year after the tickets expire. So I called Disney yesterday and held on for 3 1/2 hrs but finally spoke with someone and he said we could upgrade and pay difference to 2021 tickets he had to have someone in guest relations call me back we have 3 tickets so the difference would have been 80 per ticket. She waived it for us! That hold was worth it”
So give calling Disney a try when you have a bunch of time…
Hi Dave,
I just updated this post. Shades of Green advised me that Disney WILL upgrade your 2020 Salute Tickets to 2021 versions!