Many people are surprised to find out that Disney’s Armed Forces Salute Tickets need to be activated upon arrival at Walt Disney World or Disneyland.
Just buying them at your Military Base Ticket Office often isn’t all that you need to do. These special Disney military tickets will not work at the theme park entrances or at the Walt Disney World Resort’s other venues unless they are activated first.
This is because you need to prove your eligibility in order to activate your tickets once you arrive at Disney.
(Updated March 2022) – Note, this situation has become more complicated in 2022! Originally all Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets not purchased directly from a Disney ticket window had to be activated via the procedure described below. Then several years ago Shades of Green began selling Salute tickets that were activated and ready for use. They were able to do this when they were connected to Disney’s ticketing system, so buying Salute tickets there was just like buying from Disney. This has been the standard for many years now, if you bought at the gate or from Shades of Green your tickets were active and ready for use, if you bought on base you needed to follow the procedure below.
Then in 2020 when Disney World Re-opened they started their Theme Park Reservation system and those who purchased on base became concerned that they could not make theme park reservations with their exchange vouchers purchased on base (see below for exchange vouched definition). This was incorrect, but many Base Ticket Offices began telling their customers that the vouchers were activated (an incorrect term) to alleviate this concern, they did however then say that an ID check at a ticket window was still required upon arrival (this was the actual ticket activation).
So, if your base tells you your tickets were activated, ask if there is any kind of ID check on arrival, if they say yes, your tickets aren’t really activated and they are just trying to let you know you can link them and make theme park reservations.
On to the Info…
When buying Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets at your Base Ticket Office you will be given what Disney calls Exchange Vouchers.
These Vouchers can come in 3 different forms, depending on how your base does it:
- A sheet of 8.5″ x 11″ paper voucher with all of the names and ticket numbers printed on it
- Stiff ticket sized paper/cardboard vouchers (like the green and blue ones pictured below)
- Actual plastic Disney tickets
No matter the kind, these will be exchanged for your actual tickets (if not using Magic Bands at WDW) or just collected (if using Magic Bands) during the activation process.
Disney Armed Forces Salute Exchange Voucher
Linking your tickets or exchange vouchers to the Disneyland app or your Walt Disney World My Disney Experience account and making Theme Park Reservations is a totally separate process and does not activate your tickets! This can be done prior to activation though.
Note Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets sold at Shades of Green are sold pre-activated and you do not need to follow this activation procedure, they are ready to go at purchase!
Tickets purchased directly from Disney at Walt Disney World Ticket and Guest Relations locations, Disneyland Ticket and Guest Relations locations, and Disneyland Resort Hotels are also ready for use.
Why is there this Activation Process?
Disney allows military resellers (Base ITT/ITR Ticket Offices) to sell these tickets based upon a contract. But, Disney depends on their own ticketing computer system to monitor and control the use of these tickets. This prevents the tickets from being used in an unauthorized manner.
During each individual Armed Forces Salute offer Disney sets exactly how many of the steeply discounted military tickets that each military member is allowed to use. During the 2020 Disney Armed Forces Salute the limit is 6 tickets during the offer period (1 Jan. – 18 Dec. 2020).
When the military member (or spouse) activates these tickets, Disney gathers information on the military member, which they tie to the tickets in their system. This is what tracks the number of tickets that you have activated during the current offer.
Once the tickets have been activated your party does not need to stay together. You can all go to different parks, at different times, on different days, or on any day through the end of the Salute offer.
Activating a ticket also allows that ticket to be used on your phone’s Disneyland Park app, or with your Magic Band (at WDW) as long as both are linked to the same person in your My Disney Experience account and the Disneyland app.
Non-Disney Resort guests (Shades of Green guests) can buy Magic Bands ahead of time from the Disney Store.
The Activation Process
When you activate your Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets you will need to bring your military IDs, or any picture ID for those in your party without military IDs. Young children do not need them.
Everyone that you are activating a ticket for must be present to have their ticket activated.
If the spouse is activating the tickets they must have their dependent ID Card (DD Form 1173) which must show a relationship of either “Spouse” or “Unremarried Widow (which is represented by DB on newer cards)”
If some guests in your party will arrive at a later date, but before you have used up your ticket, you can activate their tickets with them after they arrive, as long as your ticket still has days left on it.
Then what happens next varies depending on whether you are at Walt Disney World or Disneyland
At Walt Disney World
You must take the exchange vouchers obtained from your Base Ticket Office to a WDW Ticket or Guest Relations Window.
Where they will enter some information into their system which the service member or spouse must provide. This is: The service member’s name, birth date, and email.
Disney will take the tickets or exchange vouchers you were given at the time of purchase, they will look at everyone’s ID and then tie his or her name to a specific ticket.
- WDW on property Guests (Using Magic Bands) – Will scan their Magic Band, and be good to go as both the ticket and Magic Band were previously linked to the individual in My Disney Experience. Disney will keep the exchange voucher or ticket.
- WDW off property Guests (Not using Magic Bands) a- Will be provided a new active ticket to use. They should then have everyone sign the back of their ticket so that they won’t be mixed up.
The first time you use the ticket or Magic Band to enter a park or venue, the ticket holder’s fingerprint info will be tied to that ticket. See how this works.
At Disneyland
If you were issued thin cardboard tickets or an sheet of paper as your exchange voucher(s) by your Base Ticket Office you must take the exchange vouchers to a Disneyland Ticket Window.
Where they will enter some information into their system which the service member or spouse must provide. This is: The service member’s name, birth date, and email.
Disney will take the exchange vouchers you were given at the time of purchase, they will look at everyone’s ID and then tie his or her name to a specific ticket.
You may then use the new tickets to enter the parks.
If you were issued ready to use plastic tickets by your Base Ticket Office, or you purchased your tickets at your Disneyland Hotel you may proceed directly to the park entrance.
The first time you use the ticket or Magic Band to enter a park or venue, they will check the member or spouse’s military ID and then each ticket holder’s picture will be tied to that ticket. See how this works.
Why so complicated?
It is for two reasons:
- The intended purpose of these tickets is for the member (or spouse) to spend time in Disney’s parks with family and friends to de-stress. It is not to give the tickets away to other family, adult children, or friends who are not eligible to use them without the member or spouse being present.
- Disney also does this to prevent scalping. Sad but true, but these special 4, 5 and 6 day military salute tickets (3 & 4 day for Disneyland) are about half off the regular ticket prices. That leaves lots of room for profit should someone try to resell them.
Where can you activate your tickets?
Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets can be activated at the following locations:
Walt Disney World Locations:
- All four theme park ticket and Guest Relations windows
- The Transportation and Ticket Center Ticket or Guest Relations windows
- Magic Kingdom Ticket or Guest Relations windows
- Epcot – Main Entrance or International Gateway Ticket or Guest Relations windows
- Hollywood Studios Ticket or Guest Relations windows
- Animal Kingdom Ticket or Guest Relations windows
- Both Water Parks
- Typhoon Lagoon
- Blizzard Beach
- Disney Springs Shopping and Entertainment Area (formerly Downtown Disney)
- Disney Spring’s Ticket Center (10:00 am to 9:00 pm)
Theme Park locations open at least 1 hour prior to park opening.
Note: Not all of these locations are not mentioned on the back of the paper exchange vouchers, but you can activate tickets at all of the above locations!
MDT Tip: You cannot activate tickets purchased on base at Shades of Green or at your Walt Disney World Resort Hotel!
Disneyland Locations:
- The Ticket/Guest Relations booth between Disneyland and California Adventure
- The Downtown Disney Monorail Station with service to Disneyland’s Tomorrowland
Special Purchase Notes for Disneyland:
You may buy your tickets directly from your Disneyland Resort Hotel Front Desk (registered guests), or go the theme park Ticket and Guest Relations locations.
When can you activate your tickets?
If you purchased your tickets/vouchers at a Base Ticket Office you’ll activate your tickets in this manner:
At Disney World:
Your Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets can be activated at any time. You can do it ahead of time (I recommend this) you do not have to do it the same day that you plan to use them. Activating them ahead will not use up a day, only entering a park does this.
I recommend that you activate them the day or evening before you want to use them if possible, this will save time on your first theme park morning.
For instance on your day of arrival, you could take a fun trip to Disney Springs for dinner, some shopping and a movie or show. (Disney Springs Locations with Military Discounts) and while you are there activate your tickets. Or you could take a tour around the monorail hotels, just to look around, or for dinner and or drinks, and hitting the Magic Kingdom entrance for the activation while doing so.
Then the next morning, when you are trying to get into the theme park as quickly as possible, you won’t have to wait in a long line to activate your tickets!
At Disneyland:
You cannot activate your tickets ahead of time, doing so would use up a day of use.
On your first park day:
If you have exchange vouchers you’ll need to go to one of the ticket/Guest Relations booths to exchange them. Then the whole party must go to the same theme park entrance or a quick ID check and final activation and all enter together. You may then split up.
If you have tickets purchased from Disneyland (ahead or at your hotel) simply proceed right to the theme park turnstiles or the Downtown Disney Monorail Station for the quick ID check and final activation.
It’s Easy if you know how
I do get a lot of questions on this. So I hope this clears up any confusion on the subject of Disney Armed Forces Salute ticket activation!
Feel Free to ask Questions in the Comments Section below!
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This MDT Post By: Steve Bell Steve is the the Military Disney Tips Founder. He a retired U.S. Military Member who's been touring the Disney Parks since 1971! Steve's mission is to help military families with their Disney vacations in every way. Check out Steve's Bio. Subscribe to Steve's email newsletter to get website updates and news by clicking this link. |
Planning a Disney Trip? Want to get the best military discounts that are available? Feeling a little confused? See Our Great Disney Discount and Planning Info:
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- Disney Military Tickets – Your Start to Finish Guide
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Our tickets say that they’re etickets and can be taken directly to the turnstiles. Do we still have to activate them?
Hi Jennifer,
Are they Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets or regular mil discounted Disney tickets? Disney World or Disneyland?
Regular mil tickets don’t need to be activated.
Armed Forces Salute tickets have to for WDW, and just learned from a reader on Facebook that at DL you now can go straight to the turnstile w/out activation.
Hi,
For the 2019 Salute to jets. above it says that you can activate the tickets the night before at Disney Springs without using up a day. I called Disney and the cast member said I would have to activate the morning of the first day in the parks. Any insight on this?? Has anyone done the activation. the night prior recently?
Hi Amy,
I’m sorry, but you were given incorrect information by that cast member. You need to keep in mind that the majority of the cast members that you have the ability to communicate with (phone, email, online chat) know almost nothing about their company’s military discounts and their very convoluted rules. Much of what they pass out is incorrect, as in this case.
You can read more about this problem here: https://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tips/Disneys-Call-Center-Very-Often-Wrong-On-Military-Discounts.html. I’ll add this gem to the list.
This problem is one of the primary reasons this site is here, so you can get facts from someone who actually uses these discounts, not a part-time civilian phone bank worker in Memphis who almost never deals with a military caller.
At Walt Disney World you are not required to activate your ticket the first day at the park! (it is different at Disneyland)
Both I and very many others do activate our tickets ahead of time. You can do it at any ticket activation location, but Disney Springs is convenient if you are going to be there to eat. Alternately the Magic Kingdom is convenient to the monorail resorts, while Epcot’s International Gateway is convenient to the Epcot Resorts.
The the facts below go against what the cast member told you.
Hope this helps!
Good Evening Steve,
First, I would like to say thank you. It is awesome you keep us all informed about this special military offer. The question that I have this evening is, I still have my Armed Forces Salute tickets from 1 Oct. 2012 – 28 Sept. 2013. Would it be anyway to use these tickets in September of 2014? My family was unable to attend Disney this year, due to medical reasons. The tickets were never activated. Please let me know if there is any possibility to use the tickets, and not loose the money. Or do I need to contact the Disney ticket office for clarification?
Thank you
Hi there Kenneth,
Well Disney’s policy is that the tickets expire on 28 Sept. and are non-refundable. My only thought is to take them with you and try to get them to apply what you paid towards the new ones, since you never activated them. I imagine you’ll have to go through several layers of management.
Where is Downtown Disney can the tickets be activated? That would save much time the next morning arriving at the park.
Melanie that is a super idea! We do that too sometimes.
You can activate them at the Disney Quest ticket window in the West Side and at the DTD Guest Services counter in the Matketplace between Arribas Brothers and Team Mickey.
We are going with family the first week of July. My husband’s uncle is the military member who purchased these for us. So, we do not have to use one day of our park hopper pass to activate the card correct? We could activate one day and still have four different days to enter parks? (Activate Saturday, and still go Sunday/Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday into the parks for example) And once the activation is completed we do not all have to go to the same park each time, right?
Right on all counts Amanda.
The activation process does not subtract a day from the ticket. You could activate a ticket tomorrow and first start using the park entrances on it next month.
At WDW the party does not have to be with the member, you can go to different parks, even use the tickets on different days. At Disneyland in California the whole party has to enter the park together every single time and they check the member’s ID.
Thanks so much Steve for sharing all of your wonderful info with us! I appreciate it!
Steve –
Quick question…. My brother is in the military and I am planning on taking my 3 nieces to WDW. He wants to purchase the Salute To The Troops tickets for us to use. My concern is that he will not be with us on the trip. I am concerned that he needs to be with us to activate the tickets. Is this true?
Thanks!
You are right to be concerned Karen.
You won’t be able to use the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets without a military member or spouse there in person to activate them.
The only option would be the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets from his Base Ticket Office.. The prices would be just like these at Shades of Green.
Thanks Steve. You validated my concern. I will go with plan B 🙂
Steve,
I’ve tried searching and couldn’t find the answer to my question so here goes: How does the spouse activate the tickets and what information does he/she need? Thank you
Eric
Hi Eric,
Good question
With their dependent ID Card (DD Form 1173) which must show a relationship of either “Spouse” or “Unremarried Widow.” And they will need to provide the service member’s name, birth date, base where assigned, and an e-mail address (the same info a member must provide).
I’ll add this to the post
Why are fingerprints taken? What is the reason for fingerprinting? Will this be during the activation of the id card? Will the children also have to be fingerprinted?
Hi Sharon,
It is to prevent the transferring of tickets between people. All Disney tickets are non-transferable. It also helps deter ticket theft.
First, it isn’t fingerprinting in the traditional sense. No messy ink and big cards. It is like briefly setting one finger on the face of s iPad.
Disney’s finger scanners scan one fingertip for its fingerprint information but does not store the entire fingerprint image, but only numerical information about certain points.
The data on the scans is kept independent of all of any other system and will be purged 30 days after the ticket expires or when the computer determines that it is fully used up. Disney has been doing this for all tickets since around 2006. Prior to that they used a scanner which measured the length of your first two fingers.
This isn’t done on activation rather each time you enter a park. You will hold your ticket up to a scanner and then set your finger on the scanner. This shows you have a valid ticket and it belongs to you.
Yes, the kids will do this too, they will think it’s fun.
Steve,
Your site has been so helpful! My Mother, who is a (retired) military spouse, has been buying the Salute tickets for several years so that she and my brother and his boys can go to WDW with my husband and I. (We live in FL and have passes.) All this time we did not know that the WP&M option included the ESPN complex, the Oak Trail Golf Course or the mini golf! We also did not know that we could buy the tickets at Shades of Green, which saves a trip to the base in Tampa. Thank you for that info!!
I do have a question about activation. On the “Top Ten Things To Know About Disney’s Armed Forces Salute Military Discount Tickets” page it says that the first use of the ticket must be on the same day of activation. But on this page it says that it does not have to be used on the same day that you activate it. Which one is true? It makes a big difference on how early we have to get to the park before it opens if activation and first use have to be the same day. 🙂
Again, thanks so much. Your bookmarked now!
Jill
Hi Jill,
I’m so glad the site has been helpful to your family!
The additions to the WPF&M are only about a year or two old, so are “recent”additions to the ticket.
And I apologize for the confusion, Disney changed the AFS offer several times after releasing it (at my prompting).
They always seem to come up with goofy new rules that make no sense and then I have to spend a couple months getting them straightened out… This year I’ve offered to QC the offer before they release it, we’ll see.
You can activate them anytime prior to use! The same day is not required.
You mentioned the need to provide an email address to activate the tickets. My husband was formally in the military and I still have a non-expired ID would we just provide a general email address along with the other info?
Thanks
Well Erin,
The Disney Armed Forces Salute is for current and retired members of the military. Those who separate are not eligible. Wasn’t your husband required to turn in your ID when he separated?
If he’s with you they’ll want him to activate the tickets, the spouse can do it if the member can’t go.
Hi, Steve,
This is a great blog–can’t believe I haven’t found it before. Love the idea of activating tickets at Downtown Disney the night before–thanks for that tip!
This is a little off topic, but I was wondering if you can split up the 4 days on the Armed Forces Salute. Or do they have to be four consecutive days? We’ll be there a week and thought about doing two days early in the week and two days late in the week–skipping a couple of days in the middle.
Thanks for your advice!
Hey Lisa,
Thanks! Glad you’ve found us.
You can use the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets any way you want as long as it is by 28 Sept 2013. My wife’s has 2 days on it right now, we used the first two last Nov.
Steve
That’s great news! Thanks again!!
Hi . This is the exact question I was going to ask. We are purchasing 6 Disney Armed Forces Salute 4day park hopper tickets in May when we go for a day but wanted to use the remaining days throughout the fall (Sept. Oct. Nov.)
That is ok right ??
HI Kanoelani,
Yes that’s right. Check out our Disney Armed Forces Salute page with that detail and many others: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-Armed-Forces-Salute.html
Hi There!
I was wondering if it matters whose email is provided? I dont specifically recall giving an email address when i purchased the tickets, so do I give mine that I likely used when i purchased (if I gave them that one, lol) the tickets or my husbands active duty .mil email address?
Are there any food discounts for military in the park by chance? I noticed that they consider a 10 year old an adult now but mine barely eats a thing unfortunately 🙁
Thank You!
Hi Jessica,
No it doesn’t matter what email you provide, it’s really for promotional purposes, future offers and such.
There are no food discounts in the parks, 🙁 just at non-Disney restaurants at Downtown Disney.
Steve
Thank you Steve!
I tried to search in an effort not to ask a question that has already been answered, so if someone has, please forgive the duplication. I am the members’ spouse. Two years agos when at WDW I purchased the Armed Forces Salute tickets for both my kids, but not one for myself as I was not going to the parks. We are again returning to WDW next month and I want to buy the tickets again just for my kids, I still do not wish to go to the parks. I was wondering if that can still be done without a problem?
On another note, my husband has passed away since the last time I purchased the tickets and I have recently obtained my new ID. I read in another post that the relationship status must be “spouse or “unmarried widow”. When I obtained the new ID my relationship status is listed as “DB”. While still on base I asked what those letters meant and was told the “DB” (Dept. of Defense beneficiary) was now used in place of the “unmarried widow” abbreviation, but meant the same thing. While new to me, I am assuming WDW is aware of the abbreviation and I won’t have any problems with the identification on my ID when purchasing the tickets? Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi Jerry,
Well… With the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets either the member or spouse is required to purchase and activate a ticket for themselves. The person who let you get tickets for just your kids was being kind as you said you had no interest. That may or may not happen again this year, so be prepared to buy one for yourself too. It will still be less than 2 regular priced tickets for just them.
Here is a quote from a contact of mine who works in WDW tickets.
“If the service member is not available the spouse or unremarried widow may purchase and/or activate up to five Tickets for family and guests…Note that the Dependent ID Card (DD Form 1173) must show a relationship of either “Spouse” or “Unremarried Widow” to be able to activate the tickets. No other relationship can purchase tickets or have previously purchased tickets activated.”
I’ve not heard of the DB code, could you get something in writing from the base which says this had replaced Unremarried Widow in case there is a question?
Thank you for such a quick response. Yes, I agree, if I am required to purchase a ticket for myself we would still be saving substantial money.
I did go to a government website for CAC card eligibility and the “DB” is a valid relationship code, but also lists the unmarried widow code as well. I read on a non-government website that the DB code was introduced some years ago and is often used in the case of widow status when sensitivity is a concern. Because it is an unofficial website, it’s hard to know whether that is accurate information or someone’s interpretation. I will check with the base tomorrow and get clarification as I am indeed an unmarried widow.
Thanks again for all the information and your time in investigating my questions. 🙂 This is a most helpful website!
I wanted to give an update on my trip to the CAC office on Base.
CAC personnel confirmed the “URW” abbreviation had been replaced with the “DB” abbreviation for widows sometime between late 2007 or 2008. I have copied the link to the list of DEERS RAPIDS CAC Support Office FAQ’s that gives the explanation:
https://www.hrc.army.mil/tagd/deers%20rapids%20cac%20support%20office%20frequently%20asked%20questions
The list of FAQ’s are quite lengthy, with the answer for this question near the end, so I copied the actual verbiage for this question:
“Will un-remarried widows still show on their ID Cards as URW?
No, there has been a change. ID cards will no longer reflect the Un-remarried Widow status (URW), but will be noted as Department of Defense Beneficiary (DB) the correct annotation given by RAPIDS is now a Department of Defense Beneficiary (DB). In 2007 the actual change of terms URW to DB was recommended through a change request from the Marines and the Army through the Joint Casualty Board, submitted and voted on by the JUSPAC and submitted to Defense Management Data Center (DMDC) for change due to sensitivity over the term “Un-remarried Widow”. Apparently widows did not like to be reminded of their loss. . DMDC was made aware of the concern around the same time the service Project Officers were made aware by the request from their Casualty Office counterparts. Reason for the change came from widows who happened to be members of the Blue Star organization.”
When Base personnel pulled up my record in the office, the “URW” abbreviation was listed in my actual record, however not in the area that prints on the card. (They even printed a “test” card to further assure me that the “DB” was the correct abbreviation code as listed on my current card.) They seemed surprised that the change was not a more known fact…interesting. I plan to bring the documentation they provided to me when I go. It would be beneficial if this information would be made more public with regard to companies that provide these kinds of offers.
Thanks for the update Jerry!
Please let us know how the process works at Disney, if you have any issues or have to show the paperwork.
Thanks, Steve
Back from our WDW trip and happy to report there were no problems/questions with my ID and the “DB” code. I was not asked to show any other documentation. I did ask to speak with a person in supervision at the guest relations area where I purchased the tickets. The supervisor told me that he had been informed of the “DB” in place of “URW” code change sometime ago. He said he couldn’t be exact on when, but thought it had been at least two or three years ago. He said they are consistently being updated in training meetings regarding info pertinent to the military specials, but the information on the Disney website may not always reflect all those kind of details.
Jerry, thanks so much for checking back!
I made sure as I was coordinating today’s Disney Armed Forces Salute renewal that I passed on th Disney management the change to “DB”, but seems like they were already goo to go.
Glad you had a good trip, Steve
Did they take a scan copy of your military ID?
No they don’t Abraham, certain information from the service member’s ID will be entered into their system (Name, Birth Date, base where assigned and e-mail address).
Hi Steve,
I haven’t seen this questions before. If I purchase six Armed Forces Salute ticket and validate only four (one of which will be the military member), can we validate the remaining two the following week? The military member with one of the original tickets would be there to show ID then as well. Do all tickets that were purchased together have to validated on the same day?
Thanks, Jean
Hi Jean,
You can do that. They don’t all have to be activated at once. You can do multiple activations (within the limit of 6 tickets.
HAve fun
Awesome- thanks for all of your great information!
Steve,
I don’t think you answered this question yet. Maybe you did and I missed it.
I want a military friend to purchase 6 of the Salute Tickets, but he will not be with us. My father in law, who is military, will meet us at Disney.
Can we purchase the tickets from our friend & activate them through my father in law? I don’t want to spend $900 & get down there & realize that our friend had to activate them!
Hi Bryan,
The two transactions are totally separate. When a military member presents tickets to be activated it doesn’t matter where they came from or if they purchased them. They ask for nothing but the tickets and a military ID.
But you have to remember that your father in law must activate one of the 6 tickets for himself.
Hi Steve,
My best friend, who is the Military member was suppose to come on our vacation with us. He is leaving to be deployed at the end of month and because of this he found out he has mandatory drill to attend and other mandatory things to do… He is able to come to activate the tickets but he will not be able to go to the parks. We have 6 tickets purchased. He would heave been one of the 6. If he is there to activate it, does one of the tickets have to go to him or can someone else use the ticket he was going to use so the ticket does not go to waste?
Hi Amy,
Per Disney’s rules one of the tickets must be for him.
At Disney World: Once the tickets are active he won’t need to be with you. But at Disneyland He’d have to enter the parks with you each time.
Steve,
We have a larger family with five children. With my spouse and I, we have a total of seven people going to WDW. My husband and I both have military IDs. Will he be able to purchase 6 tickets with his ID and the can I purchase a single ticket with mine?
Hi Marie,
Are you military too or a dependent?
If you are military you are each eligible for 6 tickets on your own.
But Disney does have a “large family” exception to the 6 ticket rule. A husband and wife who have 5 or more dependent children can get the number of tickets they need for the family. SO this will take care of you if you are not military also.
If you are both military you would each be eligible for 7 using this rule (if the one not using their tickets at the time shows a drivers license for ID).
My husband and I will be traveling to Disney World in Sept with three young adults. We are wanting to get the Kids the military 4 day tickets and my husband and I will be purchasing military annual passes because we will be staying longer than the kids. Do you think there will be a problem since we will not be getting one of the 4 day tickets to activate theirs? Thanks in advance.
Hi Julie,
No problem at all> WDW does allow this as the APs are more expensive. I have a FL Seasonal pass and get the AFS tickets for my wife, who doesn’t go as much…
I thought I had the answer but now I’m not sure. So we are going to wdw and my brother in law is an active member. He will arrive on wed morning and wants to activate his ticket then. The rest of the family will arrive on thurs morning. No military members. Can he get tickets for the group or just him/his wife since they will be there at a different time? Also can be get some with waterparks and park hoppers and some with just park hoppers or do they all need to be the same type?
Hi Bridget,
Getting different types is just fine.
What I recommend on the activation is he try to activate them all when he does his. They may or may not do it, be sure he tells them the rest are coming the next day.
If they won’t activate the rest without you there, there should be no problem doing so once you are there.
My husband and I both have active duty ID cards- but he just separated and is starting in the inactive reserves with no ID card. Both of our active duty (service member and spouse) ID cards are still unexpired since he just separated from Active Duty. What can we do to ensure that we don’t run into any problems using the Military Salute room discount and activating and using our tickets? Will the information be double checked with the Army? Since we don’t have a reserve ID to use we could use the unexpired Active Duty ID’s to present at the hotel at check in and to activate the tickets but I don’t want to get in trouble.
Hi Gina,
A valid ID will suffice for check in and tickets, so you won’t have any problems.
I’m just very confused as to why you still have active ID cards. The day I got off active duty and switched to the Reserves (even though it would be a month before I checked into my new reserve unit) I went be the ID office before leaving base and switched cards.
I noticed you sais that the Military Tickets do NOT work with the Key to the World Card. What about with the MagicBands? We were selected to use these at the end September 2013.
Hi Caleb,
As of right now I do not believe you’ll be able to link your Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets to the bands ahead of time. The issue is if you buy tickets ahead of time on base, these are not usable tickets, they’ll be exchanged once at Disney, so linking those ticket numbers will do you no good. Once you have activated your tickets at Disney you can link them, but that’s kind of late for FP+.
I have specifically queried WDW on this exact situation and they have emphatically said that those who buy their tickets on base will not be excluded form the FP+ and whole next gen upgrades (upon full implementation). But they have provided no specifics yet…
Please. please, please, attempt to contact WDW (407-WDISNEY, your resort front desk, WDW Guest Relations) and ask them how you as a mil member with Disney Armed Forces Salute exchange certificates in hand (or that you intend to buy once on property) can actually use this new technology to pre-plan your vacation and use FP+. And share the whole experience with all of us here.
Thanks Steve
Hi Caleb & Steve!
I called Disney last week because I was upset to find out that even though our hotel is booked (POR) I was only able to use FP+ for one day. The CM was extremely helpful, but told me that once I purchase tickets (we are doing the 4 day hopper) then we will be able to use the FP+. There was no way for us to be “allowed” to use FP for additional days even though we are unable to purchase tickets until we arrive in Disney. We are getting magic bands too, so hopefully they can be put on there. Caleb, you didn’t mention if it was the 4 day hopper on sale or the armed forces salute.
I have the same issue for my vacation too Jessica.
We will be using the magic bands. I have a FL Seasonal Pass and could go to MDE now and reserve FP+ for just e for our whole vacation. But the other three will be using the AFS tickets so I can’t do it for them.
Disney says they are working on a fix…
Hi! I was wondering if we have to use these tickets on 4 consecutive days, or just anytime until they expire? Thank you!
You can use them any time before they expire Kaitlin. You do not have to use them consecutively.
The current Salute ends on 28 Sept 2013. The next Salute starts the day after and runs through 27 Sept 2014. Tickets from the current offer are not valid for the next one.
I have another question for you! My Husband and I will be staying at Shades of Green for 8 days.. Can we buy 4 of these tickets for just the two of us, or are we only allowed one set per person during a certain amount of time? Also, would we be able to buy two of the 4 day park hopper tickets and two of the water parks fun and more tickets? Could they all be activated together or would we have to activate one set and then when we’re done with those activate the other set? I’m trying to figure out the best way to do this! Thank you so much!!
“Also, would we be able to buy two of the 4 day park hopper tickets and two of the water parks fun and more tickets?”
I’m sorry, I meant the 4 day park hopper and the 4 day Park Hopper, plus the Water Park and More Options..
You bet!
Hi Kaitlin,
Yep, you can use them back to back, get both kinds and activate them all at once! Sweet isn’t it?
Have fun!
2 of the 4 days we would be in the park would be 12/30 and 12/31…so I guess it would not be cost effective to buy the AFS tickets if ALL the THEME parks are blacked out those days….Correct ? What are “magic bands “
Right Carol,
If your plans require you to have park days on 30 and 31 Dec. you would have to but a 2-day Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way ticket, which would cost more than the Disney Armed Forces Salute 4-day ticket. Consider the MYW or Stars and Stripes pas for the number of days you need.
http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tickets/Magic-Your-Way-Tickets.html
http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tickets/Stars-and-Stripes-Passes.html
Magic bands are a new technology, pare of the Disney Next Gen projects, which take the place of your room key, park ticket, FastPass and FastPass+ ticket, and room charge card. They are in limited beta testing now.
if you go to Magic Kingdom can you get the tickets activated there? Or do you have to go to TTC? Since it was in parenthesis, I wasn’t sure if you MK option was only TTC. Thanks!
Hi Rosie,
You can go direct to the Guest Services window at the MK main entrance!
Thanks, I edited it to make it a little clearer.
Steve
My husband is retired from active military service and we are planning a Disney World trip for our family which includes a son and family who do not have military ID’s. Since this trip is our gift to them, can we purchase a total of six Armed Forces Salute passes for us and this family? The retired service member will be present to activate these tickets.
Yes Mary Ann, you sure can. As long as the member uses a ticket the other 5 can be for anyone they want.
Hi Steve,
My husband and I bought two of the 4 day military salute tickets in December but only used one day. We are getting ready to leave for another Disney vacation and are wanting to buy 6 tickets (two for us, four for other family members). I know in the past you were allowed to buy more tickets throughout the year as long as only 6 were activated at one time. Is this still the policy or will we only be allowed to purchase 4 tickets when we arrive? Thanks so much!
Hi Jessica,
You didn’t mention when your vacation is and right now that matters.
The Disney Armed Forces Salute which is currently ongoing, and under which you bought your 4 tickets ends on 28 Sept 2013.
If your vacation falls within that timeframe, you’ll be allowed 2 more tickets. You’ll have 3 days left on 4 tickets and 4 days on the new 2.
The new offer starts the day after on 29 Sept. You’ll be able to buy 6 then.
The two offers are mutually exclusive and you cannot use one offer’s tickets during the other.
Have fun! Steve
Thanks for this helpful blog, Steve. Once purchased, do you know if you can link the Salute the Military tickets to your reservation on My Disney Experience for planning purposes?
Hi Jennifer,
That is the big issue right now. Tickets you buy on base ate not the actually tickets you’ll use in the parks as they are exchanged during the activation process at Disney.
We know for sure that once active you can link the tickets, which is what people are doing during the current beta test.
Disney has said they are aware of the issue and will work it.
You said that “Tickets you buy on base ate not the actually tickets you’ll use in the parks as they are exchanged during the activation process at Disney.” This has never been the case in the four times I’ve used them. We got plastic cards on base, took them to Guest Services and activated them, signed the backs of them, and used them to enter the parks and to get fastpasses. They won’t work until they are activated, but the cards we got were never exchanged for something else. (In fact, I was able to link the last ones I got to My Disney Experience before going to Disney, and I typed in the number on the back of the cards I had gotten on base months before. It said online that the ticket was a four-day military salute park-hopper, so the actual ticket number is actually on those cards, too, even before it is activated.)
Dorothy,
THat was the process since 2009.
But, over the summer WDW switched over from the paper (or RW&B AFS plastic ticket) to the new RFID green plastic tickets for everyone. Disney briefed me that the RFID tickets would not be sold at Base Ticket Offices, rather they will sell the old paper exchange certificates which will be exchanged for RFID tickets during the activation process on property.
The question on everyone’s mind is will any FP+ reservations made against the exchange certificates survive the activation process.
Hi!! This is my question… has this been fixed? With Disney requiring reservations to enter the parks, how do you link them in order to reserve your park days prior to activating t by e tickets?
Hi Jen,
Has what been fixed?
Here is the link to linking instructions: https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/my-magic-plus/linking-disney-military-tickets-and-fastpass-plus-reservations/
Hi, Steve — great site! I am planning on another visit in January, so was just reading what you have here. Wonderful info! I just am posting so you know — I used My Disney Experience in August to prepare for my trip in mid-September. It asked me to type in the ticket info, which I did from the Salute tickets I had purchased back in March. It knew immediately that these were military salute four day park hoppers. I was impressed! I got three Fastpass+ rides for each day online. Then I went to Ireland for three weeks and when my husband at home got letters about Magic Bands, I just figured we wouldn’t be able to use them since I didn’t have time to think about that in Ireland. When we got to Art of Animation, though, we had Magic Bands, and they did show the military tickets on them, plus the resort, of course (we didn’t do the meal plan, but the Magic Bands would have had that, too). My concern was that the Magic Bands might be active to get into a park without me having to activate them with my military ID card. However, I didn’t try to enter a park. I went to Guest Services to activate things like I think should be done. And the Cast Member did activate the tickets, and also the Magic Bands, so although they do show the tickets, you still have to activate it (which I was very happy about). The Magic Bands worked like magic, too! I know they are still in the early stages, but we had no problem using them on our trip — and you can wear them while you’re swimming, too! And they had the Fastpass+ things on them, too. Just thought you’d like to know my experience.
-Dorothy
Hi Dorothy,
Thanks for posting your experience.
The tickets are identified in the system as to what type and length, options etc by their ticket number.
I just want to be sure I understand, you said you made FP+ reservations on unactivated tickets and they carried over through the activation process?
What type of tickets die you get on base oht old plastic red white and blue ones or the paper ones they use now?
Hi again, Steve! I didn’t know that they moved to paper vouchers that then are exchanged for RFID green cards. That makes sense! I had the old plastic red, white and blue ones that I got in March of 2013. And yes, you’re correct — I typed in the ticket numbers on the back of those plastic cards, associated one for me and one for my DD, and used My Disney Experience online to select three Fastpass+ things for each day. When I actually got to Disney World and activated the tickets and also the Magic Bands (the CM needed to actually do something to both objects), and the Fastpass+ features I had selected were still there and worked with the Magic Band without any trouble at all. I guess when we go in January, we’ll be doing the new paper voucher thing, so we’ll see if I can then even select any Fastpass+ things as I am not sure how that would work if you don’t have an actual ticket number. I will be reading this blog and seeing what others post. Thanks again!
Thanks Dorothy,
to clarify the paper vouchers are the thin cardboardy tickets like they used to issue at the gates a Magic Your Way Tickets.
Like the one pictured on this post: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-tips/disney-military-ticket-physical-security/
THey do have a number on them and people have linked them, but we need to find out if the FP+ will cary over. This ticket voucher (paper ticket) system is what they have always used for annual passes purchased elsewhere i.e. Shades,
Good to know! Thanks, Steve! 🙂
Any word yet on whether the paper vouchers are working for FP+?
Hi Andrea,
Yes we’ve now had numerous reports from readers that the Disney Armed Forces Salute exchange vouchers (Plastic green tickets) purchased on base can be used for FP+ reservations and they will carry over to the actual tickets upon activation.
I see that you addressed a similar question in June, but I wanted to confirm that it has not changed with the 2013-2014 offer. My father plans to purchase 6 military promotional tickets for a vacation with 9 family members (3 of whom will have regular tickets). Unfortunately all 9 of us will not be together more than 2 days of our overlapping vacations. Can he activate 4 of the military tickets when my brother arrives and the additional 2 when my family arrives days later?
Thanks,
Shanda
Hi Shanda,
He will be able to do this, no problem!
Thank you so much!!! Your website has provided us with information we are not able to find anywhere else. You provide a very valuable service and do it extremely well.
Shanda
Thanks so much Shanda!
Hi, I am a 100% disabled veteran with an ID card. I assume that I am eligible to buy these tickets as well? I do have MWR, commissary and Exchange on my card as well.
Yes Tammy, you sure are!
Steve,
You indicated that a 100% disabled veteran would be able to purchase the Salute to Military tickets, but in your general posting it requires DAVPRM. I have looked at the past Shades of Green pdfs on thesubject where it clearly stated DAVPRM only, but the latest information just identified 100% disabled veterans with ID. Can you confirm that DAVTMP 100% would be eligible? Thanks for the great site and service.
Hi there Chad,
There isn’t any eligibility information on this page so I’m not sure which pages you are referring to. Could you please send me links so I can check them.
But a 100% DAVPRM is required for purchasing Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets.
Any chance to get the temp upgraded to a permanent?
Thanks Steve for the quick response. My comment was to confirm your response to Tammy that she as a 100% disabled Veteran with base privileges would be able to use the Salute. On the eligibility page http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-Armed-Forces-Salute.html#eligibility it states 100% Service Connected Disabled with the DAVPRM code on their military issued ID. When I contacted Disney about the ID requirements they referred me to the Shades of Green. On the Shades of Green website they do not specify DAVPRM as a requirement for 100% disabled Veterans. Disabled Veterans rated less than 100% but are I/U are eligible for a DoD ID card. So are there two seperate eligibility requirements here? One for 100% and the second for less than 100% but I/U with a DoD ID (DAVPRM). Unfortunately I have been DAVTMP for 13 years so I don’t think I couldget the rating made permanenet by the expiration. Thank you so much for your assistance.
Chad
Got ya Chad,
One thing I’ve learned in the years of doing this site, is that most Disney castmambers, especially at the call center, don’t know very much about military discounts. One reason I started the site.
I’m surprised (sort of) that they told you to call Shades, guess it was that castmember’s easy button. Usually what happens is the call center worker does the equivalent of a google search on their network and quote you whatever document pops up, it might be years old, or they go off what they “remember” or were told by someone else.
We are talking about 2 different systems here, the Disney Armed Forces Salute eligibility and Shades of Green eligibility (which they quoted to you). Shades eligibility is different in many significant ways from Disney’s. For the Salute it is indeed a requirement for Disney to activate it, that the ID has DAVPRM.
Other ticket sales at Shades go by their eligibility though.
Hope that is clearer, let me know!
Cheers
Thanks Steve. The SOG website: http://www.shadesofgreen.org/4DAY2011.htm only states 100% Disabled Veterans with a United States Uniformed Services Identification Card (DD 1173), as a requirement for the Salute ticket package. I would hate to buy these tickets and then have an issue getting them activated. It seems like Disney is hands off except for the activation which is to prevent scalping. It would be nice for Disney to come out with specifics on these offers. I appreciate your service to our country and to continue to help spread the word to the military fraternity.
Hello!
I tried to find the answer before asking so I apologize if you’ve already covered it.
My ID expires January 3rd. I’m planning on going January 1st (checking into Shades of Green and activating my tickets that day)…so it shouldn’t be any issue using the tickets past the 3rd as long as I activate them before that, right?
Yep, no problem with the tickets (no ID checks after activation). IDK if Shades will clue in on the expiration being prior to departure (if that is the case).
Thanks! I figured that was the case with the tickets, but didn’t want to assume. I’ll give Shades a call just to double check on the hotel.
Hello,
I purchased tickets for my family to go, but we may not able to go at this time. Could another military family use them?
Hi Gina,
Yes you can give them to anyone who eligible, it is only after they are activated that they become nontransferable.
Hello!
My father purchased the Disney Salute Tickets, we are all going in January and we have the tickets that need to be exchanged when we arrive for the actual tickets. My question is when we go to exchange the tickets can they link them to our magic bands? I am sure you have said this somewhere, but it would help if you could get back to me on this so I am not so confused.. lol.
Thank you so much,
Amanda
Hi Amanda,
No Problem!
So to be sure, you are staying at a Disney resort and they have emailed you that you will be testing Magic Bands?
Do you have a My Disney Experience account? https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/
When you login to MDE, link your resort reservation with your conformation number by clicking on Link Existing Reservations and Tickets.
You can also then link your Salute Tickets and begin making FP+ reservations.
Steve,
What number did folks use on the green tickets they got on base? I tried the number under the barcode, and it is telling me it is not valid. I didn’t get a plastic card, but rather a thin cardboard “exchange certificate”. Anyone else having this problem?
Mine is not a Salute Ticket, but says “Exchange Certificate” on it. Please Help!!
Ok so I answered my own question, and thought I would post to help others, its all about the MOBILE APP!! If you download the mobile app you can SCAN the barcode on your exchange certificate and Voila! Tickets are linked up easy peasy.
Thanks for a great website by the way
Excellent Melissa,
Great tip about the app!!!
Steve,
What a great site! My brother in law is a veteran and also lives in orlando. Can he purchase five tickets for us and then activate them for us without buying a ticket for himself? After he activates are they each in someone’s name? Or do we have to buy him a ticket and not have him use it? Thanks for all your answers in advance!!
Hi Michele,
Thanks so much!
First, Disney’s Armed Forces Salute Tickets have many rules and are very restrictive. This is because of what a great deal they are.
Second, the purpose of the tickets is for the military member to spend time with family or friends in the Disney parks.
So, for your questions, your brother in law must have a ticket for himself, he can then buy 5 more for whoever he wants. He and the whole party must go together to WDW to activate the tickets. You may then use the tickets without him, his will remain valid through 27 Sept 2014. When the tickets are activated each person’s name is associated with the ticket (adults need picture IDs). During the first park entrance each person’s fingerprint is also associated with the ticket. These measures are to prevent scalping and ticket sharing.
Hope this clears it up
p.s. even if you pay for his, you will still be saving a huge amount (the most possible).
Oh, Michele in rereading I noticed you used the term veteran. Did your BIL retire from the military after 20 years of service? That is required. Just serving a couple years and quitting doesn’t count. Veteran is usually the term those who didn’t retire use to refer to themselves.
I have a small question. We are taking the grand kids to Disney in February and buying the military discount tickets. Our son is deployed and meeting us in Orlando to spend the time with the kids at Disney. We are wanting to buy the tickets here at Fort Benning. Does the same serviceman that purchases the tickets in Fort Benning have to be the same serviceman that activates them? We want his friend who is also Army to purchase them here and him activate them when we meet up with him in Orlando. Thanks Ted
Hi Ted,
There is no connection between the purchase on base and the activation at Disney. The only thing that matters is that an eligible person activate them, it doesn’t have to be the person who bought them.
Alternately, your son can buy them at Shades of Green or direct from Disney (plus tax) once he arrives.
Hello. My family and I went to Disney with my brother in November. He’s military and bought salute tickets for us and his family. We used two days on our 4 day ticket and we’re thinking about using the rest in the summer. I thought I read somewhere that we can upgrade the tickets to water park fun and more at the gate. My brother will not be with us this summer. Can we upgrade the tickets without him?
Hi Tiffany,
Yes, I believe you’ll hav no problem doing it without him.
Thank you!
Hi Steve, Great Information.
My question. I purchased 2 Disney Armed Forces Salute 4 Day Park Hopper theme park tickets on December 6, 2013 for my wife and I. I understand we are allowed 6 total. That would leave 4. We are planning returning in March. Will I be able to purchase 2 more for my wife and I again?
Yes you sure will Ron. The limit of 6 tickets is for the entire offer period (through 27 Sept. 2014).
Hi Steve– your site has been an excellent resource!
I have a question regarding the 4-day salute Park Hopper passes. We have a party of four adults, and we are planning to stay 6 nights in September (before the Salute expiration date). We want to be in the parks as many days possible (i.e. more than the 4-day passes would allow). Essentially, we want 6-day passes instead of 4-day passes.
Will we be able to purchase the allowed maximum of six 4-day salute passes (which would give us 24 tickets, so to speak), but split up the passes upon activation so that each member of our party will have 6-day tickets? Or will each member need to purchase a 4-day salute pass PLUS a regular 2-day pass in order to have 6 days of park hopping tickets each?
I hope this question isn’t as confusing to you as it is to me!
Thanks in advance,
Meagan
Hi Meagan,
Good question!
Every Disney ticket, no matter what type is non transferable. So tickets can not be shared, they use fingerprint scans at the point of entry to prevent this. On first use you scan your print and it is associated in the system with the ticket you used for entry. Each following entry the ticket will not work without the same fingerprint.
There are a few options for your situation. They will all take a combination of Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets and Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets (available from many base ticket offices and Shades of Green). I’ll use Shades prices, base’s are w/in a dollar. Here they are from most expensive to the cheapest.
– Buy 6 Disney Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way hoppers – $2106
– Buy 4 Disney Disney Armed Forces Salute hoppers and 4 Military Magic Your Way 2-day hoppers – $1680
– Buy 6 Disney Disney Armed Forces Salute hoppers and 2 Military Magic Your Way 2-day hoppers – $1516
– Buy 4 Disney Disney Armed Forces Salute hoppers and 4 Military Magic Your Way 2-day basic (no hopping those days) – $1436
– Buy 6 Disney Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way basic – $1434
– Buy 6 Disney Disney Armed Forces Salute hoppers and 2 Military Magic Your Way 2-day basic – $1394
The Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets may be used back to back by the same person, while doing so would give you 8 days it is cheaper that combining with a 2 day. Those who might come back should use these, they are good till 27 Sept 2014.
Combos with non hoppers would require a days where you stayed in one park, at least for those with non hoppers.
Here is a link to Shades Prices
Hello Steve,
We are planning a trip for 2 adults this summer. I have recieved my Military Salute voutures and scanned them into my phone using the iPhone App from disney and had them matched to our names. Will these tickets still need to be activated when I arrive?
Hey Scott,
Yes they still will. This is Disney’s chance to verify that you are entitled to use the discount tickets.
Hello!
I was wondering how this works. Once you receive the vouchers, you can scan them in so that reservations can be made, etc? And then just active them once at the park??
We would be purchasing our tickets now for use in December, it would need to reserve what parks we’d like to visit along with dining reservations. Thanks!
Yes that’s how it works
Here is the link to linking instructions: https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/my-magic-plus/linking-disney-military-tickets-and-fastpass-plus-reservations/
My son is active in the military and deployed. Can my grandchild, who is his dependent use her military dependent ID to activate the passes since her dad, my son is unable to go with us?
Hi Marie,
Unfortunately not. The Disney Armed Forces Salute discount tickets are for the member or spouse, children are not eligible.
Do you live near a base and have access to go on it because of her?
You could go by the ticket office and see it they will sell her the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets. More expensive, but still a little off.
Hi I’m the grandparent of twins. My daughter is in Afghanistan and I have the twins (4 yrs.) id cards. Can I use them to get use into the Magic Kingdom park with a military discount?
Hi Sheryle,
There are two different types of military discounted tickets for Disney. There is the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets and the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets.
Disney Armed Forces Salute is a special program which allows military members to spend time with family and friends in Disney’s parks. Because of it’s purpose and large discount there are many rules, one of which is that the military member or their spouse must be part of the party and have a ticket for themselves. Per Disney’s rules the member must activate the tickets at WDW with the whole party present. The tickets may then be used individually. So this would not work for your situation.
The Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets are slightly discounted tickets sold by Military Base Ticket Offices and Shades of Green. These are not restricted. These are 1-10 day tickets with all the regular options you’d find at a Disney ticket booth. Normally the member buys these, but since you have the kids I assume you were given paperwork to access military bases with them. You could go by the base ticket office to see if they will sell you these using the girl’s IDs.
Here is a link to the price list at Shades of Green (the military hotel at WDW) prices on base would be within a dollar: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tickets/Magic-Your-Way-Tickets.html
Hi Steve,
I took a trip to Disney World in June of 2013 & took advantage of the Disney Salute’s theme park tickets. They were great.
Can I purchase the Disney Salute Tickets again in May of 2014?
Thank you
Yes Christine, you sure can. The current Disney Armed Forces Salute timeframe is 29 Sept 2013 to 27 Sept 2014. So with your last trip falling in the previous Salute, you are eligible for 6 Salute tickets during this one
Thank you so much!!
Quick question – that I don’t think I’ve seen answered on here before (or at least as best I could tell scanning thru everything…)
We are planning a trip to Disney World next year with my best friend’s sister, who is active duty Air Force. We were originally planning for her to purchase military tickets for all 4 of us but I have a concern. Some of the sites I read state in the policy that half of your party has to qualify for the military discount (ie: in our case she could only get one of us in on the military ticket because none of the rest of us are active duty or retired military) but other sites don’t say anything about this in their policy, they just state that the military member has to be present.
If she were to purchase 4-day passes for us (her plus 3 guests) do you think we would have any problems getting in? I know this is probably a premature question, since it appears that Disney updates their Salute to the Military each September and we’re not planning to go until March 2015, but I’m just trying to think ahead…
Thanks in advance for any info you can offer!
Hey there Johnetta,
That is totally untrue. The military member must activate a ticket for themselves, the other 5 can be used y whoever they like. There is no ratio of qualified to unqualified.
I hope you all have a great time when you do go!
btw, that is a new one, never heard it before.
Well…leave it to me to come up with the strange rumor of the day!! LOL!
Thanks for the quick response and the confirmation. We are definitely looking forward to visiting Mickey again – and taking a friend for their first Disney experience…now if they’ll just hurry up & announce the next military promotion so we can get those tickets purchase for next March!
How many tickets can a service-member actuate at one time?
For example: My husband (active) buys 6 AND his brother (active) buys 3. Can my husband activate ALL 9 at Disneyland?
Also: Why the need at DL for a service member ID at very entrance?? We have a variety of ages going and it seems crazy that my husband would have to be with each person every time they park-hopped or came back from a nap!
Sorry Brooke, 6 is the limit. Each military member (or spouse in their place) is allowed 6 Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets during this offer period (29 Sep 2013-27 Sep 2014).
If your party is you, your husband and your 7 direct dependent children, you qualify for the large family exception But if your party of 9 contains friends or other relitives your limit is 6.
You’ll need to use the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets for the other 3 (preferably kids): http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
Actually Disneyland recently stopped this procedure, the member only needs to be with their whole party during ticket activation.
I was able to link my salute tickets to MDE. I just called Disney to ask a question about the activation process and they told me if I successfully linked them to MDE then they should already be on the magic bands and I shouldn’t have to activate when I arrive. Any news on whether this is true or not? Did I just receive some bad info. It would be great if it were true, but I wouldn’t be very happy if I skipped activating the night before at Downtown Disney and ended up having to do it when I get to the park.
Hi Shannon,
I just heard the same thing from another reader this morning. She read it on a Disney message board.
Hi Steve, Thanks for the information. I have a question: My daughter Army 1st LT Holley WImunc is a fallen soldier and I see that “Shades of Green” offers 50% off the hotel room for AFRC Survivors Family Program and was wondering if a discount is also eligible for Disney World theme parks as well under the Surviving Families Program. The second part of my question to you is my “ex” husband is retired military but I still have my ID card which has an expired date as I never renewed it…can I still use my dependent ID card for validation and purchase of WDW military discounts even though its expired. Thanks.
Hi Julie,
Since she isn’t eligible for the Disney Armed Forces Salute, when staying at Shades under this program she would be able to buy the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets and also tickets to the other Orlando area attractions, just not the Armed Forces Salute tickets.
Sorry, but IDs have to be valid to qualify.
Thanks, Steve
Do young kids need id? our teenage kids have identification cards but our young ones do not.
No they don’t esmi 😉
Hi Steve,
This is such an impressive site and full of great information! Thank you for your dedication and for taking the time to patiently answer everyone’s questions!
I’m heading to WDW in a few weeks with 2 family members and 3 friends and we are overlapping days (5 people + me). I wanted to confirm it would be OK for me to purchase 6 tickets with my military ID on a Sat, activate 3 (myself + 2 family members) on that Saturday, and then when the rest of the party arrives on Wed, I could go with them and activate their 3 tickets? In other words, is it OK for me to activate my own ticket one day, and then subsequently activate additional tickets for other people a few days later?
Thank you, Steve!
Hey Brooke,
Thanks so much, I appreciate it!
Yes that should be no problem at all. But you might also ask when doing the first activation, if you can do them all. Sometimes a helpful castmember will allow it.
Hi Steve,
I have questions about Magic bands, FP+, and the Military Salute tickets. I have purchased and received our ticket numbers from SoG and linked them with MDE. We plan to arrive in Florida on 11 July but start our 4 days on the 12th. Is it possible to activate our tickets at Downtown Disney on the 11th and purchase Magic bands to link them to? Also, will our FP+ reservations be linked to the Magic band if we do this?
Thanks.
Hi Sharon,
Yes to all.
You can activate your tickets ahead of time at DTD, we often do. And yes once you buy your bands and link them to each individual, their FP+ reservations will be linked to the band as well.
Have fun!
Thank You!!!
How do you link them to MDE?
Hi Jen,
Here is the link to linking instructions: https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/my-magic-plus/linking-disney-military-tickets-and-fastpass-plus-reservations/
Steve,
In the description of the military salute it says “to be used by themselves, family members (including spouse) or friends.”
How does Disney define the friends portion?
Thanks,
Chris
Hi Chris, they mean essentially anyone you want to accompany you.
You just can’t sell them to strangers… is what they are implying. They are for you to spend time in the parks to de-stress with who you want.
I purchased 3 tickets at the MWR, we are going to Disney on Thursday. I have the Disney Experience app on my phone and was trying to set up fast passes, but does anyone know if I can only set up fast passes once I have the ACTUAL tickets? The app let me scan the barcode that was on the exchange tickets. But I don’t want to mess anything up with our fast passes by trying to schedule events until I know whether or not I am allowed to using the MWR tickets….. please help.
Amanda,
Go ahead and scan the barcode. You can then make your FP+ reservations and when you activate the tickets (and get the real ones) the FP+ will carryover.
Make sure you keep track of who you link each of the tickets you have now to.
Steve,
My husband purchased 4 tickets at TX base for our 17 year old and his 3 cousins. We both work and will not be able to go this time. My husband is retired after 24 years of service. My son has a military ID, will he be able to activate this tickets when he arrives to any park.
Hi Ana,
I’m guessing that the military ID your son has is a dependent ID? Also your husband bought Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets and not Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets? THe Salute tickets are a huge discount, the regular mil tickets just a slight one.
If they are Salute tickets your dependent son will not be able to use them. Only the member or spouse can activate these in person at Disney.
Did your husband tell the person at the ticket office that neither of you were going? These tickets are non refundable, but perhaps he can get them to exchange them for the more expensive regular tickets which your son can use without you.
Steve, I have the older “Green” (DD Form 2) Army Reserve ID card. I am still in the Army Reserves and the ID card is not expired. Am I eligible to use that ID card for the Military Park Hopper Discount? Thank you for your help.
Yes you sure are Brad
Steve, thanks for the great site. So much valuable information! I was hoping you might be able to shed some light on a couple of things. We are planning a trip to WDW early next year and plan for 6 days in the park. My father is retired AF and was planning on buying salute tickets for us (there are 6 of us). I am reserve and was then going to purchase salute tickets to cover the extra 2 days (even though this would give us 2 unused days, it is slightly less expensive than a regular 6 day pass). My question is, would this be frowned upon by Disney? We’d have 2 sets of tickets per person in that case and would likely be activating them at the same time. Could both sets be linked to our magic bands?
Also, I am not currently on orders and my father, technically, does not have an assigned base with retiree status. How does that work when they ask about the base one is assigned to?
Thanks!
Karen
HI there Karen,
Great questions!
You do not need to be on orders as a Reservist to use the discount! Your dad will just say I’m retired if they ask, they may not doe to his retired ID.
You both serve(d) you country so are entitled to your benefit, there is no issue whatsoever with both of you using the discount for your whole party. THis occurs all the time, for example when both spouses are military.
Using the tickets back to beck, even for 6 days is the cheapest route to go!
You shouldn’t have any issue linking 2 tickets per person in MDE.
Have fun
Thanks, Steve! Keep up the great work!
Sorry to hack your post… But what if you’re stationed not on a base (for example… We are on recruiting duty and are not assigned to a base) how does that work then?
No problem Megan!
Rather than type it all out, see this post: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/buy-military-discounted-disney-tickets-by-phone/
Hi –
I have a question about activating the tickets, My Husband is active Guardsman and we will be purchasing tickets for a trip this December with our 2 daughters as well as my Mother. However my Mother will be on a different flight and may not arrive until several hours later, since our flight day is also a park day for us, we’d like to go straight from the airport to the hotel and then to the park until nap time & check in, but as i understand all members must be present at activation, or could we activate 4 of the 5 tickets and regroup later on to activate hers? Thanks so much! – Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Yes you can activate he’s later when you all go to a park later in the day, after her arrival.
Thanks so much, that makes everything easier, and thanks for all the great info you shared here, its been so helpful to me in planning our fist disney vacation.
My pleasure Lisa!
Hi Steve! Thanks for all the great tips! I have a question on the Armed Forces tickets regarding activation. We plan on buying the tickets for my husband (retired service member), myself and my daughter. I will be going to the park for a day prior to them. Can I activate my own ticket when I go and then my husband can activate his and my daughters at a later date?
Thanks!
Sue
Yes you sure can Sue. That won’t be an issue at all!
Hi Steve! Thanks for so much helpful information. I need some help. I waited too long to buy current Military Salute tickets from my ITT office, now they say the only option is to buy at the gate. Can I purchase the Salute tickets now (so I can try to make some fast pass reservations) and activate in a couple of weeks when we get there since everyone in the party won”t be present to activate at the time of purchase? Thanks in advance. This is driving me crazy because I waited so long to purchase
Hi Robyn,
What are your travel dates, before or after 27 Sept?
Oh, I should have been more clear. We’re going to be there Sept 21-26th. I’d like to purchase the Military Salute tickets when I’m there on September 6th do I can start getting Fast Passes, but not all people that are going with me later in the month will be present with me that day to activate. So I was wondering if they’d just let me purchase them on 9/6 and activate them when we all return on 9/21? Thanks again for your help
Yep, absolutely. You can buy them from Shades of Green with no tax or WDW. just explain if you buy them from WDW that you will activate them later and are getting them for FP+.
Then link your tickets to your MDE account to start making your FP+.
Hi Steve, I have an activation question. I believe you said in response to a previous question asked by Lisa that late arriving party members can be activated at a separate time. But my question is, can they be activated the next day, and do they have to be activated at the same location as the military member originally activated their ticket? I know the military member has to be present again, just wasn’t sure about location and dates.. Also, I assume only the military member has to accompany the late arrivers, not the entire party?
Thanks!
Hi Vicki,
You can activate them at any time (any day) they arrive at any location. If you ask, they may even activate them without the people present. While against the rule, some cast members will do it. I recommend bringing a copy of their DL if you want to try this.
Hi Steve,
Once we activate the tickets, do we have to use them in the next 4 consecutive days?
Also, with the water parks fun & more added can we enter those parks on 4 separate days than the days we enter the major theme parks?
Thanks!
Hi Cheri,
You have until the end of the Salute offer to use both the theme park days and WPF&M entrances.
See:
http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-Armed-Forces-Salute.html
http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disneys-Armed-Forces-Salute-FAQ.html
http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tickets/Disney-Water-Park-Fun-and-More.html
Hi Steve,
We just received our Military Salute tickets from Camp Pendleton and on the ticket it says to “redeem this Exchange Certificate at one of the following ticket sales locations: Transportation Ticket Center Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom” It does not mention the water parks or Downtown Disney. Are those sites still options? We were planning on going to Blizzard Beach the first day and I wanted to activate the tickets there.
Thanks,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
Yes DTD and the water parks are still available!
Hello was wondering how long do we have to use them after activation. And was wondering if we could get more than 6 tickets activated? We are having a family reunion and my husband which has not seen family for over a year could he get more than 6 military salute tickets for family?
You have till the end of the offer 3 Oct for the offer which starts Sunday. The limit is 6 Kelli, unless both you and your husband are military members or you two have more than 4 dependent children.
See: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disneys-Armed-Forces-Salute-FAQ.html
Hello,
My father bought my family 4 tickets from the deeply discounted DIsneys Armed Forces Salute Tickets. We plan on going in early December though he will not be with us. Will we be able to activate our tickets if we were to bring a copy of his ID or is there anything else we can do? Any help would be appreciated. HE was not aware of any activation to these tickets when purchased.
Thanks
Hi Arnie,
Unfortunately not, he or his spouse must go with you to activate the tickets. Sorry but the reason these are so cheap is that they are for the member to enjoy time with family and friends in the parks they aren’t supposed to be given away.
There are two possible options:
He could return the tickets to where he purchased them and although they are non refundable he could try to get then to take them back as they didn’t explain the activation process. Instead he would get the slightly discounted Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets (http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/).
You could take the tickets with you to Disney along with his receipt and ask them to use the value towards regular admission tickets. The might do that if you explain the situation.
By the way, are these tickets for the new offer which just started 28 Sept, or the old offer which ended the 27? The old offer’s tickets are no longer valid.
Steve,
My brother is a service member. We will be taking his teenage son to Disney next year. If his parents buy him a military discounted ticket, will his dependent ID be enough to activate the ticket if the service member and spouse aren’t with us or do we need to consider getting him a normal ticket? The rest of the party will have annual passes.
Thanks
Hi Fran,
Unfortunately non-spouse dependents art not eligible for the Disney Armed Forces Salute. His dad could get him a Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way ticket. These only save 4-8% though.
http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
Hey Steve,
Disney is giving me conflicting information about the process of activation of the tickets. Shades of Green says it just like u do. That u activate them at guest relations everyone gets a card or put on magic bands and that it. u do not have to go to the same park…SOG , also pointed out once u get your plastic cards they have no way of knowing it was a military ticket nor could you go to Down Town Disney and activate them unless u just had the water park and more added with the theme park tickets. I called Disney twice. They say that once you buy the ticket from SOG u get a voucher. U take the voucher to Guest Relations to get the tickets (plastic card or on your magic bands). Then the service member and the whole family has to walk through the turnstile (into the park) together. That walking into the park activates them. This makes me nervous.. Have u heard anything like this? Thanks
Amanda M
Hi Amanda,
Don’t worry! Both Shades and I are correct.
I do love Disney cast members, but… The Disney call center, email guest relations, internet chat CMs sadly know almost nothing about their company’s military discounts. I complain to Disney about this constantly. I’ve heard some doosies that they’ve told people.
I don’t know why this is, it really shouldn’t be, but I speculate that:
They really deal with military info VERY infrequently
They are all part timers
There is no training on mil discounts
Their network is very hard to find things on
When they get a mil question they go of what they: think they heard, remember (maybe from 4 years ago), what someone else told them.
Whatever the reason, they are almost always wrong, call 5 times and you’ll get 4 different answers 😉
Hello Steve,
My brother is a service member in Pensacola and we (my family) will be meeting him and his wife and Orlando. If him and his wife already has season passes to WDW does he or his spouse still have to be one of the 6 tickets? They will only be visiting one park one day with us because he has to be back on base the next day. Also is it possible to switch the parkhopper option with the water park option? They both are equal in cost? I appreciate the information here on this site, its really cleared up a lot of questions I’ve had!
Thank you
Hi Eric,
Being passholders, they will noy need their own Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets. They can activate the ones for you with no problem. They will not have to be with you for the entire stay.
There are 3 types of Disney Armed Forces Salute 4-day tickets available, park hoppers or Water Park Fun and More (both the same price, or both together (more expensive.
http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-Armed-Forces-Salute.html
Hi Steve
This website is a godsend! Very informative.! My question is that I want to give my six tickets to my mother and nieces/nephews. My wife and I can only spend the first day with them because I need to be back on base the day after. Can I purchase 1 day tickets for my wife and I and activate the other six tickets for my family?
Thanks for the info!
Nino
Hi Nino, you’ll be able to activate 5 for your family, one must be reserved for your later use.
The 6th will have to be a Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way ticket: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
Hello,
Can the military personnel activate only the guess passes or must you go with the military personnel your first day?
Thank you!
Darla, the latest intel from WDW Tickets Dept. is that, the member may activate up to 5 tickers for others without having one themselves. But they must keep one un-purchased ticket in reserve for themselves.
Hi. Steve,
Do you have any information on disabled vets. All I see is information on 100% disabled vets. I am 60%. Does this mean my family is not eligible for any military discounts? We have 5 in our family. Any information or direction would be greatly helpful. Thank you for your time.
Hi Maggie,
There are no discounts available directly from Disney for those less than 100%.
There is the this one discount available for non-retired veterans which is from Shades of Green. It is only for the months of January and September. Here is my post with details including what documentation is required: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Shades-of-Green/Non-Retired-Veterans.html
Hi Steve,
If the Military Armed Forces Salute Disney tickets are activated in November, is it okay that they are not actually used until January?
Thanks!
Vicki
Yes, that is perfectly OK Vicki. You’ll have until 3 October 2015 to use all days on the tickets.
My son-in-law is in the military. He and my daughter are thinking of getting an annual pass. Can they still get the discounted military ticket for me and my son and have it activated even though their not using one since they’d have annual passes?
Yes they sure can Patti.
I am going in February 2015 with my family. I am a member of the IND National Guard with no ITT office close. What are my options to purchase tickets? How far in advance is necessary.
Hi Dave, see: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/buy-military-discounted-disney-tickets-by-phone/
Hi Steve,
Both of my kids are under 10. Is it okay that when I linked the park hopper to my kids, the pass lists for 10+ yrs old? Buying a ‘kid’ park hopper was not an option. This won’t cause any problems will it? I was able to link it to their profiles in my Disney account by just clicking through the warning.
Thanks!
Vicki
Hi Vicki,
There is only on version of the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets for all ages at the same price, so no problem. This is unlike the Magic Your Way tickets (military and full price) which have the 3-9 and 10+.
Hi! My husband and I were thinking of doing a separate DisneyLand trip from each other due to crazy work schedules… He is active duty I’m just a spouse, but my question is will they allow me to use 6 tickets if I go with my family and then allow him to use 4 tickets when he goes with his family???
Hi Brianna,
No, the limit is 6 per military member.
The spouse has no benefit, they are using the member’s. You can use 3 and 3 or 4 and 2, etc. but no more than 6.
I just got my vouchers fromCamp Pendleton and I linked 3 with no problem, but I cannot link my last ticket because it says the ticket is for 10 and Up and my youngest is 6. My husband insists that when he ordered the tickets from CP they didn’t ask him if there was anyone under 10. Was this an error? Can this voucher still be used by my 6 year old?
Hi Laura,
Did you get Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets? There is only one ticket type for age 3+ no adult or child.
Or were they 1-10 day Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets? these do have adult and child tickets.
Call Disney’s Internet Help Desk at 800-848-6413, they should be able to help.
I have a question I’m in the guard. We wanted to go to Disneyland but the only time we can go is a month after I enter the “reserve” part of my contract. My military ID expires dec 11th and I’m unsure if I get some other form of ID after. Can I still purchase the salute discount tickets and somehow activate them?
Hi Little,
Sorry I’m not sure what you mean.
Are you saying you are on active duty orders or AGR status now and will be returning to DSG status? if so you’ll be eligible to activate Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets.
But if you mean you are switching to an inactive reserve status where you do not participate, then you would not be eligible to activate Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets.
You can buy the very slightly discounted Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets now and use them later. These do not need to be activated.
http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
Is it possible to link exchange certificates to MDE before the certificates are activated? We can’t activate the certificates until we arrive in Orlando, which would defeat the purpose of being able to make reservations in advance with the Fastpass. The purchase receipt lists “ticket numbers” but it’s not the correct number of digits so isn’t working. Thanks for the help!
Yes you sure can Lisa, see: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/z-popular/linking-disney-military-tickets-and-fastpass-plus-reservations/ for instructions.
Hi. I recently purchased the 4-day park hopper military exchange certificate from Fort Polk. I’ll be at the parks beginning on the 18th of November until the 21st of November. I linked my exchange certificate to my “My Disney Experience” account and when I view my ticket, it shows Status: expired. Now the date expired says October ?, 2015. Being that we’re still in 2014, is there possibly a glitch, or was I given an invalid exchange certificate? Nothing has been activated. Also, was I only supposed to receive the Exchange Certificate or should I have also gotten actual tickets from Fort Polk?
Thanks, Oriana
Hi Oriana,
All you need right now is the exchange certificate, you get the real ticket when you activate it at the park.
Give Disney’s Internet Help Desk a call at 800-848-6413 regarding the expiration date.
Thank you!
My aunt (military spouse), mom and my family of 4 are going to disney in January. We are flying in from 3 separate locations. My family of 4 arrives very early in the morning while my aunt doesn’t get into orlando until very late. Of course, my kids are going to want to hit the park first thing when we get there. If we link the military bought tickets to our magic bands before we go, will my aunt still need to be with us to provide her military ID that first morning?
Yes she sure will Heather.
The linking in MDE is only for FastPass Plus.
Unfortunately the tickets will not work until she arrives and proves eligibility in person with her ID.
How about WDW’s mini golf or Downtown Disney while you wait?
See this list for more ideas: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tips/Free-Low-Cost-Ideas.html
My husband and I are planning a trip to disney in June. My sister and her husband will be joining us two days after we arrive to disney and they will be using two of our military tickets, . Is it a problem to activate their tickets two days after we activate ours?
No that won’t be a problem Brittany. THe real issue is trying to activate tickets for someone without them being there.
Hi, Steve.
Here’s my dilemma. Husband called Camp Pendleton and we just received our green exchange certificates. However, there’s a big OH NO! Not only did they forget a number on our home address (thankfully I could pick it up at FED EX) but they misspelled my husbands first name. His CC was charged without incident, but my worry is that when we go to activate they won’t allow it because his name was misspelled.
I’m thinking it should be ok since we will all present our military ID’s to activate at the park, but I just want to be absolutely sure.
Please let me know if he needs to call the Camp Pendleton ITT to get his name and house number on our address corrected.
Thanks a bunch!!
Hi there,
I don’t think it will be an issue Andi. It is an understandable mistake.
Thanks. I thought it would be ok too, but always nice to get reassurance.
And thank you for this website! We always bought our tickets at WDW since my husbands base does not have an ITT office. Your site has really helped with the new FP+. So a BIG THANKS!
Sincerely, Andi
I’m so glad, thank you!
Firstly, thank you very much, Steve, for all the help, advice and time you put into this helpful site! I have purchased our Armed Forces Salute tickets for a trip in Sept. 2015. I have successfully linked our green vouchers to my MDE account. I know I can make Fast Pass Plus reservations in August. Will I have to wait until I get to WDW to link my existing magic band (from last year) to my tickets and reservations? If so, that is no problem.
Thanks.
Michelle
Hi there Michelle,
Thanks so much!
Your bands should still be linked to each person in your MDE account, they don’t go away. I have numerous bands from each visit.
The bands are linked to a person, as is the ticket, so the ticket will automatically be on the band.
In MDE click on “Profile” and then on the next window “Magic Bands and Cards”. You should see your band.
OK…so I can use EITHER the ticket (once activated at the park) OR the magic band, because both are connected to my name and fingerprint? Do I have that correct?
I am gathering I do not need to do anything else with my Magic Band, except make sure that it is “active”. Please correct me if I have this wrong.
Thanks so much, Steve. CW3 Mr. Gregurich and I will have fun as will my guests!
Yes you’ve got it, prefect! 🙂
Upon arrival, you’ll activate the tickets, they can double check then the the bands are all set at that time. Once you’ve done that you can use either the tickets or bands for everything interchangeably.
I have an 8 night reservation onsite at Disney World in August 2015 and wanted to purchase tickets to cover 8 days and we have a total of 3 people in my party, including myself. I’m a military retiree and the local base suggested I could buy up to six 4-day Military Salute tickets, essentially 2 tickets for each person in the party and use the tickets back to back to cover the 8 days for each of us. They say some of their customers have done this. But, I’ve heard conflicting information from Disney CMs that each person can only use one ticket during the current promotion year. I know there were restrictions, like these, in the past. But with base ticket people telling me I can do this, I’m wondering if I do go ahead and buy these as suggested, whether I’ll have an issue getting the second set of tickets activated for the same people so all 3 of us will be covered for 8 days instead of just 4. Hopefully you can tell me something definitive.
Thanks for any help in clearing this up.
Go ahead Joe, you’ll have no issues.
Back to back use of the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets has always been allowed.
We’ve done it before ourselves.
Hi there..i just was reading this and I was just told today that the 6 tickets I have purchased for 3 of us to use 2 each we are not allowed to do and they won’t activate them. I don’t know what I should do but I had a horrible meltdown and couldn’t stop crying because we don’t have the money to replace these nonrefundable tickets…any ideas?? Please help!
Hi Angela,
I’m sorry you are having problems. Did someone at a Disney park tell you this? or was it the dreaded call center?
Disney has allowed the back to back use of Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets for years. I have myself activated multiple tickets for one person, I will be activating the second for my wife in a month or so.
Unfortunately many Disney cast members are very unfamiliar with their company’s military discounts and go off what they think is right or remember (incorrectly) form the past.
Two courses of action:
1. Go to a different individual at a different window or location, to get someone who knows what they are doing
2. Ask to speak to a: Lead, Supervisor, or Manager, this is the Disney “chain of command”
Thanks, Steve.
Do you have any idea why the Disney ticket reps I’ve talked to say that only one Disney Armed Forces Salute ticket per person can be used each year (they said it’s in their policy regarding these tickets). And what should I do if I run into one of these folks when I try to activate both sets as I’ve described?
I do…
Most cast members deal with military discounts very rarely, or never so are very unfamiliar. And for some reason Disney is unable to train them properly.
Disney is aware of this and I complain to them regularly about it. I just get a shrug…
If you’d like to read more, see: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tips/Disneys-Call-Center-Very-Often-Wrong-On-Military-Discounts.html
Hi Steve –
We are heading to WDW for my in-law’s 50th anniversary. All families involved are military except one. The non-military family needed 4 tickets, so two military families of 4 each purchased 6 military tickets in order to get the non-military family the discounted tickets (got all of that?).
The non-military family and one military family are arriving in the morning and want to go to the parks. The other military family that purchased two of the tickets for the non-military family won’t be there until that night. Do you know if WDW will allow them to activate all four of the non-military family’s tickets since they are with a military member, or would both military members be required to be there to each activate their 6?
We were also thinking of a possible workaround to be that the military member activates 4 and his spouse activates another 4. I don’t recall our tickets being registered to us when we purchased them on base, so not sure if this is an option.
Thanks for your help.
Hi Susan,
The ticket activation limit unfortunately is 6 per military member (not the spouse, the spouse is in place of the member).
So to activate those 4 tickets, given that the first arriving military family has 4 members, you will need a second military member present as that first family can only activate 6 tickets.
Sorry.
My son has a military id that expires on May 10, 2015. He served 5 years in the Navy, used his GI Bill to attend college. He will commission on May 1 in the Army. He won’t get a new id until he reports in June. All this to say that the vacation is “between” the valid dates on his ids. When we made the hotel reservation, we were told that he would need to show his expired id and new orders to prove he was active for the hotel discount. Can this be done for the tickets as well? Thanks for your help!
Hi there Mark,
You will be just fine for the room discount, but will definitely need a valid ID for the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets! (different departments).
Is there no military installation within a decent drive where he could get a new ID prior to your trip?
Steve,
Thanks for all the great information…hopefully you might be able to answer a question for me. My and my husband (AD and retired) are going on a Disney Cruise in June while our kids will be staying with my mother in law and going to Disney World. Would I be able to get Armed Forces Salute tickets for the kids and activate them before we pass them off to her? My mother in law is an annual pass holder so don’t need to worry about her having tickets, but I have not been able to find out if the military member has to have a ticket to activate the additional tickets for our kids. I don’t want to have to buy 3 tickets just so the kids can get it if I don’t have to! Thanks!
Hi Tina,
Disney has relaxed on this lately. Now rather than the member needing to buy a ticket, they must keep one in reserve for themselves.
So you should be just fine buying just the 2 for the kids.
Steve – do you know the hours of the Transportation and Ticket Center? I found the monorail hours on the Disney website, but are the TTC hours the same? We will be arriving at our hotel late in the evening but would like to activate our tickets before we go to the park the next morning. Expecting large crowds for Star Wars Weekend so hoping to save some time! Thanks so much for the information.
Pretty sure that it has the same hours as the MK Tanya. You could always take a Disney bus from your hotel to the MK and use a Guest Relations window there.
For the military 4 day thing, can I buy the one 4 day tickets and use all 4 on 1 day? I would like to take me, my wife, and 2 others to come and stay for 1 day. And how would upgrading them to the visiting any theme park work? Would that be an extra $30 per ticket or for all 4 tickets?
Hi Andrew,
No sorry, you’ve got it wrong. Each Disney ticket (military or regular) is for an individual person and is explicitly non-transferable.
A 4-day ticket is for one person to use on 4 different days.
All multi-day tickets can be used at all the theme parks.
If you are convinced you only want one day see the Shades of Green prices: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tickets/Magic-Your-Way-Tickets.html
You can buy them at Shades, the Orlando ITT, or your base ticket office.
You’ll need 4 each 1-day tickets, with hopper option if you want to visit multiple parks in one day – $138 per adult.
If there is any chance you’s return for another day or more you are better off buying the 4-day Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets for $177 each. You have till 3 October 2015 to use all days.
so much info to consume. Ok. if we buy our tickets thru the base, then order our custom bands thru MDE, when and where do we link the vouchers to the bands? I know the bands will be attached to our MDE account, not sure if the activation people link these for us. Thanks in Advance!!!
Hi Jennifer,
Both the tickets and the bands are linked to an individual. The person is what connects them. There is no action required to link the ticket to the band.
The bands will come from Disney linked to a person already. When you link a ticket to a person, they are then all set.
Steve, I wrote a comment on a previous thread but I thought I’d come here instead. You said we have to show proof of base, what if we are stationed not a base currently (recruiting duty). What can my husband provide as proof?
Hey Megan, they just ask where you are stationed, you can just say the town you are in.
My husband and I are recent annual passholders. Our family is visiting and we will be going to Disney next month. We will be using the last 2 armed forces salute tickets for our family members. Will this be a problem since my husband did not use/reserve any of the 6 for himself ? We will be present during the visit.
Honestly Anica, I think it will just depend on the individual cast member. If you get any pushback ask to speak to a Lead, Supervisor, or Manager. I think you can work it out in your favor.
I have a question about acivating…when you say they gather info to activate is Disney able to get into the military system and see and personal info? I have great concerns where my information is shared. Is disney just looking at a valid i and outting it into their system or using both systems?
Hi Patti,
No need to worry!
First, hundreds of thousands of military members have used this awesome program since it started in 2009 with no ill effects.
Disney does not have access to any military or DoD systems, or to any privacy act data.
Disney merely asks you for your address, phone number and where you are stationed after getting your name off of your valid military ID.
can i activate 3 pasess one day and another three the next day for my sister and his kids ??
Jose, you should be able to do them all at once.
Good Morning Steve! Thank you for all of your helpful information. I am the wife of a retired military officer. My 12 year old daughter and I will be flying in to Anaheim on the 31st of May and will be leaving on the 4th of June. The evening that we are getting into Anaheim, we will unpack our bags at the Hotel and be heading to The Rainforest Cafe in DTD for Dinner (around 6pm). I was wondering WHERE at in DTD are we able to activate our tickets and will they be open that late in the evening? I am alone with child, in a place I have never been, with no car!! (stressed) All of your help is greatly appreciated!! Thank You…Rayette
Hi there Rayette,
Thanks so much!
There isn’t a Guest Relations office at Disneyland’s Downtown Disney that I am aware of.
Fortunately The Disneyland Resort is much smaller than Walt Disney World. Everything is in walking distance.
You’ll walk through Downtown Disney and then go to either of the Disneyland or California Adventure ticketing areas to activate your tickets.
Here is a map on Disneyland.com
:0) Thank You Steve!!….Rayette
All of the information you have given it great. I have a questions regarding these Armed Forces Salute tickets for Disney World. My dad, who is retired Air Force, would like to buy my family of 5 the 4-Day park hopper Armed Forces Salute tickets and not go on the trip with us. I, who am active duty, would also like to purchase tickets so that we have a total of eight days in the park. My question is, is this possible to do with the fact that my father won’t be attending the trip?
Hi Joe,
Under the current rules each military member/retiree is limited to 6 Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets during the offer period. These special tickets are for the use of the member (or spouse) to spend time with family and friends in the Disney parks. They cannot be given to others to use.
So your dad would have to go with you and have a ticket for himself as well.
The important point is that it isn’t the purchase that is tracked (except by some bases which does not matter) it is the activation at the Disney park that is tracked and goes against each member’s total. He could actually buy the tickets for you but you can currently only activate 6 by yourself when you get there.
You did not mention when your vacation timeframe is, but you should stay tuned for info which could impact your situation. The Newsletter is a way to be advised of any news.
Hey Steve,
Thank you so so much for this site! I am a Disney Travel Agent and am learning so much more about the military discounts though you than I did through my training!
I have a tricky question! One of my clients has a sister that is in the military. As a gift she bought her the WDW Salute tickets thinking that she did not have to be present for them to use as she is on base in California and they are going to Disney in September.
Since she will not be there to activate the tickets for my clients, are they out of luck on using the Salute tickets? Or is it possible to have one of her military friends that will be in Orlando activate the tickets for them?
Thanks so much for the great site and information. I am learning so much!
Hey there Alston,
Welcome and thanks!
If she does have military friends in the Orlando area she is in luck.
Hope this helps!
Steve
Similar question – So if the friend is planning on using their salute passes then they cannot activate passes from another military member?
Specifics of my situation – my brother is in the military and as a result gets 6 passes. He was going to use those passes for himself, his wife, and four other family members.
A friend who is in the military was purchasing two tickets for my children (tickets 7 and 8). Would my brother not be able to activate those two tickets since he is planning on using the 6 of his for the rest of our family?
Hi Jeremy,
You didn’t mention when this trip is and that matters. Disney recently extended the current Armed Forces Salute through 20 December and increased the ticket limit to 12 for the 29 September 2014 – 20 Dec 2015 timeframe.
There currently is no offer past that timeframe, but I am expecting a new 2016 calendar year offer. This offer will return to the 6 ticket limit.
Now to your question.
I does not matter who buys the tickets. The only thing which matters for the limit is who activated them.
If you are going prior to 20 Dec he can activate 8 tickets as that is below his limit of 12. That is as long as he hasn’t already used some during the current offer which would push him over his limit.
If you are planning for a 2016 vacation, first there is no salute yet for that time and when it does come out the limit will be 6, so he wouldn’t be able to activate another 2.
Your option at that point would be the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets.
Hey Steve,
That sounds like great news. I appreciate the quick response. We are planning on going at the end of this month, so it sounds like we are in luck.
One more question – my brother also has a civilian job that he is trying to schedule this vacation around. There is the possibility that he won’t be able to make it.
So, is the offer still the same in regards to the spouse being able to activate the full amount? If he is unable to go would my sister-in-law still be able to activate up to 12 (including hers) by herself?
Yes she sure will.
Hi,
I am wondering if we purchased the tickets and planned our trip but it is 10 days after my husbands and my military ID expires – will we still be able to go in?
Thanks
Hi Maria,
Once his ID expires he will no longer be eligible for military discounts.
The Disney Armed Forces Salute both tickets (activation at the park) and rooms require a current ID.
You could buy the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets on base now and use them after, but the savings are minimal on those.
If you want to save, go now… Otherwise it is general public prices.
Hi. I was able to purchase the park hopper salute as a dependent child at the MWR ITT office as an adult child and am now wondering if I won’t be able to use them if I present my ID at Disneyland and they discover if I am an adult child! Do you know how this will work? Thank you!
Hi Sean,
You will not be able to activate the Disney Armed Forces Salute ticket. Only the member or spouse is allowed to do so and they must have one for themselves.
If they won’t be going you’ll have to either go back to the ITT and make them let you exchange the non-refundable Salute ticket towards the Regular Military Discounted tickets which will only save you a little, or ask at Disney if they will allow you to use the ticket towards a full price one, once you are there.
If you do go the Disney route vs ITT be sure to bring your receipt, a letter from your sponsor stating they couldn’t come and a photo copy of their ID.
Thank you Steve & thank you for replying so quickly– I wasn’t entirely sure why I was able to purchase one in my name even though I was a child of the sponser — after the fact lol. I guess I will take it back and buy the more expensive version. =( At least I’ll save on tax and will get it out of the way already lol. But…. Does Disneyland counter staff/check-in people really check whether or not I’m a child or not? All it says is ‘relationship: CH’ on my ID. It might not be worth the risk but I am wondering lol
You bet!
All I can say is that they are supposed to be looking for SP in the relationship block. As to whether each cast member dose every time… IDK
I have a question regarding buying additional tickets when the military member already has one.
Scenario: My dad (the military member) purchased 4 military salute tickets (himself, his wife, myself and my sister) last November. He & his wife used 2 days and my sister and I used all 4 of our days. Can he buy 2 more for my sister and I and activate those without having to buy another for himself – since he still has active days on his ticket?
TIA!
Yep he sure can Meagan!
Hi Steve,
I have a similar situation. I have 2 days left on my ticket and I’d like to purchase 2 more tickets for my brother and nephew. Since I’ve already done the activation process (for my Wife, Mom neices, etc…) do I need to activate any new tickets purchased? I’d like buy and send the tickets, then meet them later on in the week on their last 2 days.
Thank you!
Hi Nino,
You can activate tickets for more guests, but you have to be there with them to do so. They can not use the tickets until you activate them, so you’d need to meet them at the beginning for their trip.
I had purchased tickets but only ended up using 2 of them. Can I take my last two and use one for me and one for someone else without any extra charge?
Yes latrina, by 20 Dec 2015.
Hello Steve! First of all, thank you so much for all of your amazing info! I have a question about the activating process. I know that we all have to go and get our military salute tickets activated at Guest Relations. We only bought the park hopper salute tickets and would like to add on the water parks and more option when we activate them. We decided to leave early and do the water parks before we start the rest of our trip. Will this be possible? Can we accomplish all of this at the Downtown Disney Guest Relations? So excited! Only 3 days 🙂
Hey Natalie, thanks!
Yes, absolutely possible! It will be $30 plus tax to add the WPF&M option to your Salute Hopper tickets at DTD.
Have a great time!
Steve,
My wife and I have season passes, can we purchase tickets for my brother and sister-in-law and activate without buying any for ourselves?
Absolutely Bob,
I have a FL Seasonal too and get the Salute tickets for family and friends all the time.
Thank you so much for this site and explaining the process so clearly.
My pleasure Cristabel
Hi, Steve! My husband and I (and our 3 kids) are so excited to have booked airline tickets, our car rental and WDW hotel reservations for the last week of August!!! We have everything set, EXCEPT for our park tickets! My dad (retired Navy) said he could purchase a WDW 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets through a participating military sales outlet, here, in San Diego, but here’s my question— do I really have fly to him to Florida with us to activate our tickets??? (LOL!) Is there any other way???? Can a Florida friend of mine, who is currently in the Navy, activate the tickets that my dad bought? OR this may seem like an even sillier question, but I live right next to Disneyland—is it possible to activate the Disney World tickets there? It just seems like a great deal, but I don’t feel comfortable with my dad spending all that money! I appreciate any and all the info you give me! Thanks in advance!
Hi Arianna,
Several good questions.
First, WDW tickets cannot be activated at DL. They are actually separate companies and offers.
An eligible person must activate the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets in person with their guests. The reason for this is that the intended purpose of this fantastic offer is for military members to spend time with family and friends in Disney’s parks, not to give (or sell) these highly discounted tickets to those who are not eligible. There are the slightly discounted Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets for that purpose.
The person who buys the Salute tickets does not have to be the person who activates them.
But whether your dad goes with you or your friend meets you, they must have their own ticket as well as yours, as you will be their guests. They cannot just activate tickets for you.
If your friend activates the tickets, the number of tickets activated will be deducted from their allotment for this offer period, so they must be OK with that.
Hope this clears things up.
Hi Steve.
Just wanted to clarify because I am in a similar situation as Arianna. My father is retired Army, but still working for the Department of the Army in Arizona. He can obtain the tickets for us, but I am no longer in the Army myself. My military ID expired a while ago. Does my father have to be present to activate the tickets? Or can I activate? I know you’ve probably already answered this question a million times, but my wife and I are wanting to research if this is possible before purchasing the retail price of the tickets. Yes, I understand that Disney wants family to spend time with each other, but my father offered as well to purchase the tickets for us.
Just need to know if my father really necessarily need to be there to have the tickets activated? Or can I do so and show that I WAS a prior service member just to show proof that I was in the service.
Thank you and many blessings!
Regards,
Jason
Hi Jason, no problem.
Unfortunately it is absolutely necessary for your father to be there to activate the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets and have one himself. Only current and retired members are eligible to do so.
The next best option for you is the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets, these only offer 4-8% savings based on length and options, but he can buy these ready to use tickets and send them to you to use without him.
See: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
FYI Shades of Green prices (bases similar): http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tickets/Magic-Your-Way-Tickets.html
Steve;
Can I buy a ticket (not activate it) using my Military ID then have my son activate the ticket using his Active Duty Military ID card? He will be joining us for part of our vacation and we’d like to have the ticket for him to activate as soon as he arrives.
Thanks!
Absolutely Cathy!
Steve – My cousin is a military spouse of an active duty service member. She is planning to buy my family of 5 salute hopper tickets. She can only spend 1 day with us so she is planning to purchase a 1 day military discount ticket. Will she be able to activate our 5 salute hopper tickets when we meet in Florida since she is only getting a 1 day pass?
Thanks,
Not per Disney’s rules Robby,
She is required to have a Salute ticket or annual pass to activate Salute tickets for others.
Give her the extra $77 for her to get a Salute ticket. Still a huge savings when averaged into what you are saving.
I was going to ask this same question. My dad is a retired Marine Corps officer and we are meeting for the second time in Orlando. My parents don’t want to spend more than one day with us at Disney since we already did it a few years ago. I was going to have them by the one day tickets. Guess that plan is out.
The 4-day Salute ticket is not too much more than a 1-day. They cost less that a 2-day Caryn.
Good morning Steve. I have used my 1st set of 4 Salute tickets and am looking to purchase 4 more to get me through December 2015. I will buy my tickets at NAS Jacksonville and I was going to drive down to Downtown Disney and activate them for myself and my family so I can do Fast Pass, etc… for October, November. Here is my confusion and question. Can I (the service member) activate the tickets for my family without them being present. The Disney website says “Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets for admission to the Walt Disney World Resort are not valid until activated by the Eligible Service Member (or their spouse) at the Walt Disney World theme park ticket windows. It says nothing about everyone in the party being present to activate. I am reading your replies and it says everyone must be present at the time the tickets are activated.
Please put me on the right path. I would hate to drive from Jacksonville to Disney to activate and be told “NO” everyone must be here to activate.
Any feedback is greatly appreciated and I love your website!!
No problem Brian!
Everyone must be present for the activation process, sadly to prevent scalping…
But you do not need to activate the tickets to make your FastPass Plus reservations!
See: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/my-magic-plus/linking-disney-military-tickets-and-fastpass-plus-reservations/
Thanks Steve, I appreciate the info.
What about one person using 2 Military Salute tickets? I’m pretty sure this can be done, so I’m wondering if the service member can activate 2 MS tickets for me at the same time? Thanks!
Yes absolutely Rachael.
As long as they do the same for themselves.
Ok Steve
I have another question on the ‘back to back’my family and I are going for 8 days, so I am purchasing 2 tickets for each of us. How will this affect the Fast pass reservations, and do I activate all the tickets at once, or do I need to activate the second tickets halfway through our trip? Thanks in advance.
Hi Julie, Just like 2 tickets per person. That will allow you 8 days worth of FP+ per person.
Then on arrival you can activate 2 per person. There is a chance the cast member might be unfamiliar and say you can only activate one, in that case just ask to speak to a Lead, Supervisor, or Manager.
Worst cast you’ll have to activate the second batch later.
Hi! I’m buying myself and family the salute pass but i can only go for a day. Can they still use their remaining 2 days without me? Thanks!!!
Yes they sure can Carla
Hi,
So if my dad purchases the salute ticket for me and I plan to go a weekend before we go as a whole family. Am I able to activate the ticket with my military ID? My dad’s name would be on it, so I am a dependent and have my own military ID.
Thank you.
Sorry, no Hannah.
Non-sopuse dependents are not eligible for the Disney Armed Forces Salute and can not activate the Salute tickets.
You can however use a Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way ticket without him.
See: Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets
So do I purchase the salute tickets at our local mwr office or do I go to Disney? Also need to find out the cost for Disneyland would that be mwr as well?
Please see: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-Armed-Forces-Salute.html Shawn
We purchased the 4 day magic your way tickets with water park fun & more option. Once the tickets are activated how long do we have to use them before they expire?
Tickets from the current Disney Armed Forces Salute expire on 20 December 2015 Katie.
Hi, should we buy Disneyland tickets in advance for the discount, or can we the same discount (Military Salute Discount, 3-day hopper) at Disneyland? Will we save any time by purchasing in advance if we have to activate at the park anyway?
Hi Moramay,
It is the same price at Disneyland that it is on base (usually), some bases might discount a dollar or two.
Hi there,
My dad is in the British military does he quality for this ?
Thanks
Hi Kimberley,
Thanks for checking out the site!
The only 2 discounts for non-US military are: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/shades-of-green/non-us-military-members-eligible-to-stay-at-shades-of-green/ & http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-Armed-Forces-Salute.html
But both are for those serving with US forces and require a US issued ID like the one at the bottom left of this page: http://www.cac.mil/common-access-card/
Hi Steve,
My boyfriend and I have already used one day of our 3 day park hopper military tickets a couple months ago. We bought ours last year and our offer expires October 3. We would hate to have them go to waste but my boyfriend has been shipped off to a station overseas. Can we have someone else use his ticket if his has already been activated? I guess what I’m asking is after activation are id’s required?
Thank you!
Hi Samantha,
All Disney tickets (whether military or otherwise) are non transferable, so the initial user is the only person allowed to use the ticket on followup visits.
Disneyland uses pictures taken with an iPad of multi-day ticket holders to enforce this.
bt the way the offer has been extended and your tickets are now valid through 20 December 2015. See this post
Hi Steve,
Our friend is in military & we plan on going to WDW together in October. The problem is, we’ll arrive in Orlando on different days. He’ll be there starting Oct 17, & our own family will be there on Oct 18. Can he activate his ticket first on Oct 17, ENTER THE PARK THAT DAY, and then activate ours the next day on Oct 18? Or do we have to activate all the tickets on the same day?
Hi Anita,
Yes he will be able to do that for you, The issue is that each person must be there when their ticket is activated by the member,
Hi Steve,
I’m reading through all your info (THANK YOU, by the way!) and have a question. Before the December 20 ticket extension we were allowed to buy 6 tickets. (meant for immediate family members) Now we can buy 12, but do they have to be used by immediate family? Does this count cousins??
Thank you!
Hi Monica,
There has never been an immediate family member restriction on the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets. Your 6 or 12 tickets currently can be used by anyone you’d like as long as the member or spouse uses one.
The only time that immediate family members come into play is for those who need more than the limit for their immediate family.
Thank you so much. I do remember reading that (as I was wondering how we could bring our 5 kids). I just assumed that’s how it was for anyone buying tickets.
We are planning a trip to Disney and my boyfriend planned on purchasing the Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets for us and our children. Is he able to get this ticket for me even though we are not married. And what about the children?
Yes Denise,
The tickets besides his own can be used for whoever he chooses.
Can a military member who is also an annual pass holder purchase and activate promotional tickets for friends without having to buy one for themselves?
Yes absolutely Chris,
I do that all the time with my FL Seasonal Pass
Thank you!
Do you know if this is also true for current cast members who are also military salute-eligible? Or would we need to buy him a salute ticket in order to take advantage of tickets for ourselves? My father-in-law is retired military who currently works at WDW.
Also, he said he would get us in for a day or two with his gate pass (he is saving some for other family members, which is why we’re hoping to do part salute/part gate pass). Will there be any conflict with the system thinking we’re using our salute ticket on days where he walks us into the park with his pass? I’d hate for my MagicBand use for a purchase or PhotoPass to cause us an issue with the number of tickets we have.
Fingers crossed for a 2016 announcement soon! Thanks for the GREAT SITE!
Hi Mike,
I’ve been out of the cast member game since 1988.
Anything I had to say on this would be a guess and probably wrong. 🙂
The best thing to do is have him ask Tickets if he can buy you the Salute tickets without buying his own. My guess is yes. But he should get it from the horses mouth.
BTW I sure do miss the Main Gate Pass…
Thanks!
I bought the Armed forces salute tickets 4 day hopper they say they expire on Dec 20 we will be not be going to WDW until the 17th of Dec when I will activate them and start using but one day we planned to go to Universal (Dec 20) and then back to WDW on the 21st will I still be able to use my last day of my 4 day hopper or will I have to purchase another ticket.
No Mignon, the tickets will only work through the 20th. So do Universal on the 21st.
Hi Steve,
Ok so my family of three is going to disney world and also my brother family of three to and i am purchasing their tickets for them with the walt disney armed force salute ticket. Now my questions is my family is planning to go earlier than them by 2 days and so can i go ahead and activate all 6 tickets and only go ahead a use 3 of them first and then when they arrive the just scan their fingerprint on their card and go in?
Hi Jenny,
They will not allow you to activate their tickets without them being present, so you’ll do theirs later.
Hello. Since the DLAND tickets can be brought directly to the entrance, are they activated by the Military member at the entrance, or does DLAND not require activation? Thank you for the helpful info!
Hi, when purchasing from Disney (DL or WDW) the activation is done at the time of purchase.
Hello Steve,
I had a similar question to his. I think his question was regarding where this post says at DL the tickets can be taken right to the entrance. So does that mean the activation process is literally done at the turnstiles?
Thx for any clarification!
Hi Val, thanks so much!
No, it is at the ticket windows, which at at the entrance to each park.
My family is going to Disney world in a few weeks. My husband daughter and I have 8am reservations at crystal palace. My grandmother will be driving down from Jacksonville that day to spend the week with us and the rest of our family. Is there any way we can activate our tickets with a copy of her Id so they don’t have to wait another hour for the park to open?
Per Disney’s rules she has to be present with a photo ID to activate her ticket.
But you could try with a copy of her license.
Thank you! We haven’t been able to get a larger reservation for all 9 of us. She is 82!!
Can you clarify the activation process?
Specifically, My friend (active marine) was going to purchase 2 tickets on sunday evening for my wife and I. We were going to meet up with him that sunday evening to activate it, and enter the park on monday. The salesclerk at the Disneyland Booth said that we would have to enter the park to activate it – which would be kind of a waste since we wouldn’t get there until sunday evening. Just wanted to know if you knew that is the way it works at Disneyland. Sounds like you can activate without entering the park at Disneyworld.
Hi Eucen ,
No, that is totally incorrect. The Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets are activated at the time of purchase at the ticket booth. You could come back a month later for the first day’s use.
Since you did’t mention it, you know your friend must have his own ticket in order to activate yours right?
What if the tickets are already purchased from a base, and just the activation needs to be done? Can they be activated at the ticket booth, enabling all the family members to go their separate routes when entering the parks?
Thanks for all your help Steve! I’m going to DL next week and want to make sure my vouchers can be activated the night before we enter the park, so all the family members don’t need to be together the morning of entrance.
Yes, absolutely!
Hope you have fun.
We purchased 4 tickets at SOG last month for a future visit and planned to go get them activated to save time on our future trip. Instead of getting a voucher like we had in past trips, we got actual tickets. We were told that as of May, we no longer had to go through the activation process. . I questioned him about this but he was adamant it was no longer required. Have you heard anything about this change?
Genie, That is correct for Shades of Green only. They just recently started this.
Hi Steve,
We’re a military family that purchased the Salute 4-day Hopper Pass but only had time in 2014-2015 to use it three days. We were planning our next visit to Orlando this month, only discover the passes expired October 3rd…nine days ago. Is there any way we can request an extension to use the remaining day on the Hopper Pass? Can you direct us to the office email address?
Thanks, Winton
Hi Winton,
You are in luck… You seem to have missed the 2014-2015 Extension Announcement.
Your tickets, no matter what is printed on them are valid through 20 December 2015.
See this
Hello
I am trying to clarify the activation for the tickets. We are arriving in Disney on Dec 13 but we are flying standby. The ticket agent at our base told us today that the tickets HAVE to be activated by Dec 14. We are now questioning if we want to take a risk of buying 6 tickets and not getting to Florida on the 13th due to any weather related issues. Therefore we wouldn’t be able to activate the tickets by the 14th. Do you know if this date is correct or not? I see in a previous post someone is planning on activating theirs on Dec 17th.
Thank you for your help!
Hi Jasmine,
They were wrong…
Dec 17 is the deadline for activating the 4-day Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets. Disney won’t activate the ticket if it can’t be used up by the 20 Dec End date. (17, 18, 19, & 20)
Hi, Do you think it is worth going to the park the night before to validate our tickets? We are a large group staying in a condo outside of Disney. Is it worth paying parking for multiple cars just to validate? Our first day will be in the Animal Kingdom on Mon. Nov. 2nd. Thanks, Dawn
Hi Dawn,
It just depends on what the lines at the ticket booths/guest relations are in the morning. The actual activation won’t take more than 15 minutes or so.
You could do it at Disney Springs (Downtown Disney) the night before and grab dinner.
My husband and I will be flying to WDW. We will be meeting up with the rest of the family once we get there. We have already purchased the park tickets for everyone (16 total), 12 of which will need to be activated. We are bringing the tickets with us (via carryon). What happens if our plane is delayed or cancelled. Will our family be in Florida and not be able to go to Disney if we are not able to get there timely. That would be a huge disappointment if grandkids would not be able to go to Disney after waiting so long to go. I hope and pray it doesn’t happen but you know how the airlines are.
Hi Debbie,
The non Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets are usable without activation as you said. These could be FedExed to them ahead of time. But the Salute tickets require a member or spouse to activate them. Are there others in the party that could do this who are sure to be there?
Hi Steve,
My husband and I want to go to Disney in November. He was in the military until last year, and is not retired but has an individual ready reserve ID. I still have my original ID that states me as an active duty spouse. My father is retired military and says he will buy the tickets for us. Would I be able to activate the cards at the gate for my husband and I since my dependent ID says active duty?
Hi Precious,
Technically you would be able to activate the tickets or buy them there yourself.
But your father is really the only one eligible and he should buy and activate the tickets as well as accompany you with his own ticket.
Thanks!
Hello,
My family, my brother’s family, and my in-laws are going to WDW in Sept 2016. We need 10 tickets total. My husband and I are eligible to purchase salute tickets and my mom is as well (unremarried widow). However, she will not be coming on the trip with us. If we buy 6 tickets, can my mom purchase the other 4 we need even if she won’t be there?
Thanks,
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
No, these special tickets are for the member (or spouse in their place) to use with family and friends, not to give away.
The limit is not on buying tickets it is on the activation process. She must go and have a ticket herself.
The next best option is the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets for the kids (3-9) as they are cheaper.
See: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
And: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tickets/Magic-Your-Way-Tickets.html
What about the Stars and Stripes passes available through SOG? Do you know if the eligible military member can purchase those tickets for others to use?
Yes you can buy those from Shades for others as far as I know. They do require proof of staying on property though. Because of that I don’t know if they’ll sell them ahead of time.
Quick Question. I purchased the tickets at my MWR recently, but since that time have completed my contract in the military. As such, I still have my military ID but it has since expired. Am I just out of luck with utilizing my tickets?
Unfortunately you are no longer eligible Kelly. A valid Id is required to activate the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets.
I am in a similar situation. I have purchased tickets and made reservations for a trip in February right after I finished my time in the service. I still have my active duty ID card but it will have expired a week before I get to Disney. Will I be out of luck? Do the people doing the activation specifically check the expiration dates of the ID cards??
You’ll be out of luck Papa Joe.
The absolutely look for expirations. Why wouldn’t they?
You’ll need to ask Disney to use the value you paid for the salute tickets towards full price tickets.
Just to be sure you have the special 4-day Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets and not some variety of Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets, right?
Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets, these can be used without an ID.
Can you change your dates to prior to the CAC expiring?
Hello Steve!
I do not see this question answered. If I purchase DL tickets and we decide to go to DW instead, can I activate the DL tickets at DW?
Hi Olga,
No, sorry you cannot. They are 2 totally separate offers.
Hello, I’m 17 and my mother in the military planned on buying me and my cousin the 4-day hopper pass on Dec. 14th. If i was to present my military ID at WDW without my mom, would it work? Also, the 4 days would go through out a whole year, correct?
Hi Carson,
Non-spouse dependents are not eligible for the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets on their own. The member or spouse must accompany them.
You’ll need the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets, see http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
If my Dad buys my Family 5 of the 4day pass hoppers to use back to back for 8 days and then 1 of the 4 days for himself. Will this work when activating them since he doesn’t want to stay 8 days. It would be my Wife and I with our 4 year old daughter for 2016. Or will he have to buy 2 for himself and then only 4 for my family? Then purchase the other tickets through the regular military discount to add on the remaining days.
Thanks for your help and time,
Brad
Hi Brad,
He’ll have to have an active ticket (all days not used) when he activates your second set.
FYI an 8-day child’s hopper is cheaper than 2 Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets, see: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tickets/Magic-Your-Way-Tickets.html & http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
Hello,
What if both married members are active duty. Are we able to get 12 tickets, vice 6?
Hi Debbie,
Absolutely, you are each entitled to your 6.
See: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/two-military-members-in-a-family-and-disneys-military-salute/
Hi Steve,
My family is arriving in WDW in June with my dad who is retired military. We plan on purchasing all the tickets at SOG as we are staying there. Did I read correctly that we don’t have to activate them separately if purchase at SOG? We plan on purchasing 6 Armed Force Salute and two Stars and Stripes.
Hi Alicia,
Yes that’s correct. The Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets now sold at Shades of Green are pre-activated.
Yay!! What a time saver. Thanks for the info
Hi! I bought my tickets online through Shades of Green, does this mean my tickets are pre-activated? or is that only if you buy the tickets in person at Shades of Green? Thanks!
Hi Amanda ,
They will be the green hard plastic pre-activated tickets with a character on the front.
Hi, my husband and I purchased the 3 day hopper pass through his military base. He just found out he is getting medically released from the military, which was unexpected. Are we still able to use our tickets even though he will be getting out before we have a chance to go to Disneyland?? He bought the tickets while being active but by the time he has the time to go to Disneyland he will have already been released. Thank you in advance for your time!
Hi Chelsy,
This is a question that I get from time to time (quite a few lately).
Unfortunately the Disney Armed Forces Salute is only for current or retired members.
You need a current CAC or military ID in order to activate the tickets upon arrival.
Disney will look for a CAC or ID as depicted on this page.
I highly recommend rescheduling to prior to his separation!
If that is not possible, then Disney should let you use the tickets purchase value towards full price tickets. A polite escalation up the management chain might be required.
I am so excited to see that AFS tickets purchased at SOG do not need to be activated anymore! But…we have family coming with us and will also have to buy some of the regular discounted tickets-do those need to be activated?
Hi Liz,
No, the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets do not need to be activated. They are ready to use.
Thanks! Now we started looking at the Stars and Stripes tickets for our family-can’t believe how little the price difference is and they could gain 2 extra park-water park days. Do those need to be activated? Thanks so much for your help!
Hi Liz,
No, there is no activation process for the Stars and Stripes. That is solely for the Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets.
Hello,
I know this is mentioned in FAQ, but I just wanted to make sure because I’m getting different answers from Disney. My husband is Active Duty and we bought 6 salute tickets. (4 for my family and 2 for my dad and his wife). The 4 of us will go Sunday and my dad won’t go till Tuesday. Can we activate all 6 without 2 people there or just activate 4 on Sunday and 2 on Tuesday?
Thanks for clarifying!!
Hi Stacey,
That doesn’t surprise me.
You cannot activate tickets for people who are not there. So once the 2 get there on Tuesday you’ll activate theirs. This will work as you’ll still have days left on the member’s (or spouse’s) ticket (whoever is doing the activating).
Steve,
I’ve been searching for an answer for quite some time and have come up empty handed, but I figure if anyone knows it will be you!
My husband and I took an adult only trip and used 3 days of the military salute 4 day tickets purchased at Shades of Green for each of us. We are now contemplating a family trip toward the end of the year (including the kids). We have 5 kids and always have to go to the ticket window at the park to get an additional ticket for the 5th child since she is the 7th immediate family member.. For this next trip, I’m thinking my husband and I can use our remaining day and purchase additional regular discounted tickets for the other 2 or 3 days we plan for this next trip and purchase 5 military salute tickets at our local base ticket office for the kids since we didn’t purchase the other 2 there, thereby limiting the total number we can purchase there. Since you are the wise military Disney guru, do you see any problems in this plan? I’m assuming since my husband and I will still have a day left on our tickets that we can activate the additional 5 before that day is used up, but do you foresee any issues with the additional ticket being activated? We’ve only activated 7 tickets once before and that was all at once. Also one of our kids is a dependent full time college student now, if that makes a difference. Can you please give me some direction of what the best way to go about this would be? I’d hate to get there with 5 more salute tickets and find out that it wouldn’t be allowed for whatever reason. I hope this long rambling question has made sense. Thanks for any help you can give me!
Hey Rachelle,
You absolutely should be able to do what you propose.
The oldest still has a dependent ID I assume.
The only obstacle would be a less than knowledgable cast member. In that case just politely escalate to management, explaining you are a “large family” still have an active ticket for the member and just need to activate tickets for all of your dependent children. Plus you are going to spend more on additional tickets for you two.
Steve,
I am hoping you can clarify some things for me. Our base allows the Civil Service Civilians to purchase these tickets. They say anyone can activate them. I have seen different answers on websites. Just want to clarify before I get stuck with 5 tickets I cannot use!
Hi Lindsey.
There are two totally separate and different Disney tickets sold by base ticket offices.
The Disney Armed Forces Salute – for military only! Highly discounted. Any base worker who allows a DoD civilian to buy these should find work elsewhere. You will not be able to activate these and use them at Disney with out a current military ID or retired military ID (or spouses). see: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-Armed-Forces-Salute.html
The Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets – can be bought and used by civilians. there is no activation they are ready to use, but these save you only 4-8%. see: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/ These are what you’ll need.
Hi there,
My parents and I are planning on going to Disney World in May. My parents live right by disney world and my dad, who is retired military, can get the tickets at Shades of Green. Now, I live in Ohio and my question is, do I need to be present when he purchases the tickets or will I have to activate my ticket when I get there in May?
Hi Elisabeth,
Shades now sells their Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets pre activated, so you’ll be all set.
Last September I bought one for my wife while I was at shades by myself and in October we went right to the park and went in.
I know that we can’t use them to enter a park on a blockout day but can they be activated on a blockout day? The 1st 2 days of our trip are the last 2 days of the spring break blockout days so we’ll just be enjoying our resort, Disney Springs, and Seaworld. Do we need to wait until April 2nd to activate the park tix or can we activate beforehand?
Hey Amanda,
Great question. Yes you can activate them on a date that is blocked out as that process is separate than actually using it to go in a park.
Hey there!
You might have answered this above, but I just want to clarify. My family and I went to Disney World in January with the 4 Day Military Salute tickets. Unfortunately, my son got sick, and we only ended up spending 2 of the 4 days in the parks. We have planned to go back to Disney in March – will the 2 days left on the tickets still be good? I was told at the park that the hopper passes expire after 14 days and wanted to see if the Military Salute tickets shared these same rules regarding expiration.
Thanks so much!
Hi Meg,
The Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets do not expire till the end of the offer in this case 19 December 2016. So your days left absolutely are still good.
The confusion is that all Magic Your Way tickets, including the slightly military discounted ones (not the highly discounted Salute tickets) do expire 14 days after first use.
If we purchase the tickets at the base, what is the proce5 on getting magic bands?
Hi Jennifer,
It depends entirely on where you are staying. Disney Resort guests are shipped their Magic Bands for free. Non-Disney Resort guests can buy theirs from the Disney Store if they’d like to use them.
Please see our Disney tech overview page: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/My-Magic-Plus/My-Magic-Plus.html
I’m not sure if it’s different because it’s now 2016, or if it varies by where you bought tickets but We just bought ours at Davis-Monthan AFB and we were told we could take the paper tickets straight to the gate. On the tickets it also says to take them to the turnstiles, no need to stand in Will Call or Ticket Booth lines. I stumbled upon this article and was worried I’d have to stand in long lines the morning we were going to be in the parks so I went ahead and called Guest Relations to find out if they did or did not need to be activated. The woman I spoke with told me to just take the paper tickets straight to the gate, A regular ticket would be issued upon entry. A big “Thank You” to Disney! These specially priced tickets are the only way we are able to afford this vacation. I can’t tell you how excited we are to take our kids.
Hi Sylvia,
There is no way to issue tickets at the turnstiles/gate. You’ll need to exchange the paper vouchers for a real plastic ticket at a ticket or guest relations window. I recommend you do it the evening you arrive rather than in the busiest time of the day (opening). The exchange process takes ID verification and entering your info into their computer system.
1. No computers at the turnstiles.
2. You would be holding the line up for 5-10 minuted that it takes to exchange the vouchers.
Bad info all around both from MWR and Disney. See: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Tips/Disneys-Call-Center-Very-Often-Wrong-On-Military-Discounts.html
The tickets themselves even state to take them straight to turnstiles not the ticket booth??? This is our first time using the military discounted tickets. I guess we’ll just go early, any info on when the guest relations booth opens? We won’t be able to go the day before as we will arrive around 10pm the night prior to using our tickets.
There is one by each park entrance Sylvia.
Let us know how it goes!
Sylvia, Disney just got back to me and said there has been no change to the activation procedure!
HI,
you mentioned that the tickets sold at shades of green are pre- activated. I come in a whole day before my family and i was going to buy them before my family got there. but since they come pre activated does that mean i cant buy them until everyone is present and accounted for? thanks.
No Kirby,
You’ll be able to buy them all on arrival.
I bought one for my wife without her being present.
Hi, I am a DOD civilian and went to my base’s ITT to get Disney tickets. They sold me the Salute tickets. I thought this was wrong and asked and they said they sold me the correct ones. I looked up eligibility and I don’t fall under any of the requirements. I do have a CAC card but it says civilian on it. Did they sell me the wrong tickets?
Hi Lenny,
They sure did!
You’ll need to take them back, but be prepared for an argument as they are non-refundable. Add in the fact the person there thinks that you can use them and you might have a fight on your hands. Threaten legal action if required.
You need to purchase the much less discounted Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets.
See: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
I was afraid of that. Well, wish me luck, and thank you for the info.
Update: At first, ITT was trying to make it my fault I was sold the tickets. They said that since I linked them they have to find out if Disney would them a refund on the tickets. I told them the problem was not me linking them, the problem is that I was sold the wrong tickets even after I asked for verification that they were the correct ones before I paid for them. After giving me the run around for 2 days, they decided that the clerk who sold me the tickets was in error and refunded my money. Thank goodness I decided to triple check the tickets, and your site really helped. Thank you!
Awesome Lenny, so glad it worked out in the end!
We are a family of 6,so we will use all of our tickets. We have friends that are going with us. Their family member can purchase tickets for them. Would we be able to activate for them or do they need the military member that purchased the tickets for them>
The limit in on activations Maria, not purchases.
Each eligible member (or spouse in their place) can only activate 6 Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets.
You will need Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets for the other.
See: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
I have 7 kids (4 of mine, 3 from my wife previous marriage. ages 8,10,11,12,14,15, what is required to get the extra tickets above the 6 per year to cover our larger family.
Hey G-Man,
Just their dependent IDs
So to activate the tickets, you just tell them the military member name, birthday and an email that the number of tickets get deducted from and show an active/retired ID?
Yes you provide a valid ID and answer a few questions.
Do you have to use them 3 continuous days in a row? Or can you go to the park for Monday- Tuesday, sight see Wednesday, and return to the park on Thursday?
Hi Patti,
No you do not, please see the Disney Armed Forces Salute main page for that info and all the other rules and info: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-Armed-Forces-Salute.html
Is it valid for foreign military as well??
Please see: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Military-Discounts/Discount-Finder/Foreign-Military-Member-Discounts.html
Well, we dont have have discount in Hopi Hari as well, haha
tks a lot for your reply.
Best Regards.
If you activate your tickets while having dinner at Disney Springs as suggested above, does this count as one days ticket use?
Hi Courtney, no it does not. Only entering a park does.
We bout the four day salute for 4 adults and 1 child, does this count as 5 tickets or 20 tickets?
Just 5 Krys
My 15 year daughter is going on road trip with another family. Can she use a 3 day pass that I purchase for her as long as she has her dependent ID to activate it? Hope so or she wont be going.
Hi Greg,
No unfortunately non-spouse dependents are not eligible for the Disney Armed Forces Salute on their own. You can however buy her an Regular Military Discounted Disney ticket.
See: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
Hi Steve – thanks so much for taking the time to put all this information together. I’m hoping to clarify something. My dad who is the retiree purchased 6 Armed Forces Salute tickets and we hoped to use them in the following manner – 1-ticket for my dad(he will only do 4 days); 1-ticket for daughter’s boyfriend(again 4 days); and 2-tickets each for my daughter & her husband(total of 8 days). Is this possible? In an earlier comment I thought I read that my dad would have to activate 2 tickets for himself if he was doing this for others, but Disney’s website does not say that, it just says that one of the 6 tickets has to be for the member.
Thanks
HI there LeiLani,
Thanks so much!
Yes, this should be doable! If there is any pushback he should say that he will be taking days off in the middle of the vacation and that he’ll be accompanying your daughter and hubby on some days of the first visit and then again later in the trip on the second ticket.
Worst case he would have to make 2 different activation stops, one for the first 4 tickets and then again while his ticket is still active to do the last two. Hope that makes sense.
Thanks so much Steve.
If we need to make 2 different activation stops that’s not a big deal, just wanted to make sure he could activate only one ticket for himself and 2 each for my daughter and son-in-law. He likes to play golf on his off days and if he wants extra days he is going to upgrade to an annual pass.
Thanks again.
Yep, as long as his is still active during the second stop you will be all set.
Thank you for all your research and info. I am planning on buying 2 military armed forces salute tickets for Disneyland for my daughters.
They have a dependent ID which is good until Apr 21, 2016. I will go with them to activate in June when we visit the park. I will have my retired ID with me.
Do you think it will be a problem for activation since they will be over 23 and their ID will no longer be current? They will have their drivers license for ID purposed but not a current military dependent ID.
Appreciate any wisdom before I buy my tickets
Thank You
Hi Ellen,
You can use your extra tickets for whoever you like, they do not need dependent IDs, just a photo ID.
But you must also activate a ticket for yourself, whether you use it to enter the parks or not.
I screwed up and didn’t activate my 4 day park hopper before it expired!
I had an immediate family member pass away 3 years in a row and we could never make it to Disney. Am I out of luck?
Hi Joe,
The Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets are only valid for use within the offer period that they are for.
There is a very, very slight chance that you could take it in person and plead your case in person. They might allow you to use the value towards current tickets. But Do Not Count On This!
Bring any substantiating documentation that you have.
Thank you Steve!!
Thanks so much for all the info you provide, it is so helpful. Our Marine will arrive at WDW a day later than us. If he purchases the Salute tickets from Shades of Green and has them mailed and then sends ours to us, would we be able to visit a park before he arrives since the tickets are pre-activated? Or does he have to be with us for the first use?
You should be able to use them Tricia.
The tickets purchased from Shades of Green and mailed… are those pre activated? Or still need to be activated at the gate upon arrival?
Those come activated Sam.
Hi Steve,
My apologies if this has been answered already. I’ll be traveling to WDW this summer with a party of 6, and we have the 4-day Mil Tickets. Four of us arrive in the morning, the other two in the evening. Since I’m the military member, can I get the first four tickets activated during the day when we arrive and then go with the late arrivals to activate their tickets, either late evening if Guest Services is still open or first thing the next morning? Yes you say above that all tickets have to be activated together, but I’m wondering if that is just so the military person is with the group for all activations?
And along the same note, how late are the different Guest Services areas open each day? Inline with park hours?
Hey Sean,
Yes, absolutely you can activate the first 4 and then 2 more later.
I did mention this in the post, but there is a lot to assimilate and you must have missed it.
“If some guests in your party will arrive at a later date, but before you have used up your ticket, you can activate theirs with them after they arrive.”