This post is part of our Frequently Asked Question Series in the Disney Armed Forces Salute Ticket FAQ section.
The Disney’s Armed Forces Salute offers huge savings on theme park tickets and resort rooms to those Service Members who are eligible to participate.
Can I Give My Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets to Someone Else to Use?
No I’m so sorry that is not possible.
These highly discounted tickets are only for the member to use with family and friends, not for letting those who are not eligible use them without the member.
Both Walt Disney World and Disneyland have measures in place to prevent ticket sharing
The member or spouse must be present at Disney with their whole party to activate the Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets.
The only tickets that you can buy for someone else (friends, family, dependent children going without you) are the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets.
Also you cannot share tickets!
See our Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets Page for more info.
See Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets prices.
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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:
- Disney Veteran & Military Discount Eligibility Guide
- The Military Family’s Walt Disney World Comprehensive Vacation Planning and Preparation Guide
- Military Disney Tips Disney Packing Checklist
- Disney Military Tickets – Your Start to Finish Guide
- Resorts/Hotel Overview Page
- Dining Overview Page
- Transportation Overview Page
- Technology Overview Page
- Shades of Green, WDW’s Military Only Resort
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Does the Veteran have to be present for the discount tickets or can the spouse be the one with other family to adivate tickets? Example. I am a spouse to a military retired veteran and I have a ID can I take our children without the vet with my I’d.
Yes absolutely, you can take the kids by yourself Marie.
we are taking our family to Disneyland and my husbands parents are coming with. There are 7 of us total and we were wondering if we could have one of my husband’s buddies buy us one of his tickets with my husband’s mother’s name on it. We will be there with a military ID so I know our 6 tickets will be fine, but will that work with her ticket if the military member who bought it isn’t there? I hope this made sense!
Hi Becca,
The only way your friend can activate a ticket of your mother-in-law is if the friend also has a ticket and he activates their 2 tickets in parson at Disneyland with her present.
See http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-Armed-Forces-Salute.html and http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/how-to-activate-your-disney-armed-forces-salute-theme-park-tickets/
If that isn’t possible she will need to use a Regular Military Discounted Disneyland Ticket, see: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
Hi Steve,
Do you know if the Armed Forces Salute tickets for WDW need to be purchased in the same day allotment for the entire party? Example: the military member can only stay for 4 days, but other members of their family can stay for 5. Is the military member able to purchase a 4 day pass for themselves or must it be the 5 day?
Thanks!
HI Jacqueline,
On scene reports say that you can buy a mix of the 4 and 5-day tickets.
Hello, I am looking for some clarification/advice on the Salute tickets. We are going on a large family trip in January, with everyone staying at SOG. I am both retired military and a current civilian military employee. My father-in-law is also retired military. My wife and I both have FL annual passes. We are looking to purchase enough Salute tickets to cover our children, other parents, and siblings. In the past, we have had no issues with doing so with Salute program. However, in reading various info around the web, is this no longer the case? Our base ticket office doesn’t anticipate having the 2018 tickets on hand for several more weeks, and we want them as early as possible to be able to book FPs. Our plan is to go ahead and order them in advance through SOG and have them shipped out to us. Is this a feasible plan?
Hi there Bill,
There has been no change to this particular area of the rules (except an increase in the number during the 2 extensions in the past) since the Salutes started.
Each member, yourself and your FIL are eligible for 6 Salute tickets during the offer period.
Being a pass holder you do not need to buy a ticket for yourself, however Disney requires that one of your 6 be held in reserve for you. This means that between the 2 of you it is possible to purchase 11 Salute tickets. So that is 11 besides you and the wife. This is if your were buying them direct from Disney.
Is that enough? You didn’t mention your party size.
Shades will happily sell you each 6 if you don’t go into details…
My grandfather is retired military, but due to health he isn’t able to go. Would myself, my mother (his daughter) and sister be able to use this with out him if he purchased them for us?
Hi Cameron,
The purpose of the Disney Armed Forces Salute is for the military member to spend time with family and or friends in Disney’s theme parks, not to give or sell the tickets to those not eligible to use without them.
As stated in the third sentence of this FAQ: “The member for spouse must be present at Disney with their whole party to activate the Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets.”
Then the fourth sentence says: “The only tickets that you can buy for someone else (friends, family, dependent children going without you) are the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets.”
Links then follow to more information.
I am a veteran and purchased tickets in February 2018 for a trip planned in May 2018. We had a life changing event occur in the first week of May and had to cancel all of our reservations, I still have$900 worth of 4 day 2 Park Universal Orlando passes they expire December 2018.
Are there any options for me to extend these tickets into 2019 or sale them to another military member. Or do I just have to accept that they will expire and I will be out $900 if I don’t use them this year
Hi Shaun,
Typically I’d say no. But I would definitely contact Universal to see if they will work with you.
The voucher/tickets have your name on it, correct? This would be an issue trying to sell them.
Hi Steve,
I’m a veteran and purchased the following tickets:
6x 3-day Salute Hopper
5x Adult 3-Day Hopper, Standard Military Rate
6x Children 3-Day Hopper, Standard Military Rate
We are all part of the same family. I wanted to know if I can switch names on one of the Salute Hopper tickets, as I put down the wrong person for one of them (should have been one of the other adults in our group, instead of a child).
If not, can I upgrade one of the Standard Children tickets to a Standard Adult ticket at the gate?
Thanks for your help,
Drew
Hi Drew, you can do either.
Some base ticket offices feel the need to write names on Salute tickets. They Do Not Have To Do This! I’ve never had this happen in 10 years of buying Salute tickets (probably 16 or more different transactions) .
The only thing that matters is who the salute ticket is linked to at activation by Disney.
You can change the name, cross it off, or leave it, doesn’t matter. All the tickets but yours can be for whomever you choose to let use them at the moment of activation. What it the people in your party changed? Base ticket offices mean well but have little knowledge.
Steve – Sorry I’m sure this question has been asked a thousand times. I am DoD Civilian, my 21 year old daughter was heading to Disney World, we live in Colorado. Do I need to be with her to activate the Disney Armed Forces Salute ticket? I’m so confused on whether we can take advantage of this awesome opportunity.
Hi Arnie,
You would need to be with her. The intended purpose for the Salute tickets is for the eligible person to spend time with friends or family in Disney’s parks. Those people can’t use the tickets without you.
The Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets, which I think you can buy at your base ticket office are only slightly discounted but she can use them without you.
see http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
If we get 6 5-day salute tickets can we split the days up on 2 of the tickets for 2 sets of grandparents to come with us at different times?
Hi Nicole,
Unfortunately you can’t do that:
http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/faq/can-multiple-people-share-a-disney-armed-forces-salute-ticket/
http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/faq/why-cant-people-share-a-disney-ticket/
Each person would need their own ticket, either a Salute ticket or one of the shorter Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way tickets, whatever is more cost effective.
See: http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
My father (retired reserves) purchased six Armed Forces Salute exchange vouchers for our 2019 family trip to DW. We had some life events occur and can no longer go until 2020, after the expiration. Since these are exchange vouchers, can we sell them to another eligible military person to use for their trip this year? We have not linked anything to a reservation.
Hi Kelly,
I’m sorry that there are issues preventing you trip.
Yes, you let another eligible member who has not used any of their tickets yet for 2019 use them. Verification of ID, and tracking of the limit is done when exchanging the vouchers. Had you linked them it would be much harder.
Hello, I am experiencing a similar situation. Who does the exchanging for military members? Disney or the military offices?
Hi Heidi,
Military resellers (n=base ticket offices) just sell the exchange vouchers (whether these are plastic tickets, paper tickets, or an 8.5 x 11 inch paper).
These are exchanged at Disney in person for the actual ticket. Disney does an ID check and assigns the tickets to that person.
Thanks so much for the response. SO even though they took my name and ID at the mil. Ticket office, another military member could get them assigned to them when they exchange then at Disney?
I was to be traveling with a group of friends who are all military spouses, but I am the one that went to purchase the tickets at MWR. However, an issue has come up where I may not be able to attend. So one of them can exchange them at Disney with their ID if I cannot go?
Yes they absolutely can Heidi.
Any name tracking local bases do is totally internal. Most likely to keep you from buying tickets over the limit which you would then not be able to use.
Some bases even go so far write the names on the tickets, while a good idea it is not required and in no way keeps someone else from using it.
None of the above assigns tickets to people in Disney’s ticketing system. (which is the only thing that matters)
The only event that matters is the in person one at Disney for tickets purchased on base.
I appreciate you response. I’m officially not going to be able to make the trip now so I just want to confirm. The mwr ticket office gave me plastic tickets, and I received and email after I purchased them. The ticket mwr office didn’t think anyone else could use them. But you’re saying the activation is what counts and another military member or spouse can activate the tickets at Disney? Thanks again- sorry for the repeated questions. I just don’t want my friends to get there and not be able to use them
Hey Heidi,
That’s a bummer!
Yes, unactivated tickets not purchased directly from Disney are not linked to a person and are ready for activation by any eligible person.
Once caveat, ticket offices linked into the Disney ticketing system (like Shades of Green and Patrick ITT) sell activated tickets, but these are only linked to a person when linked in My Disney Experience (I just did this with Patrick tickets).
Many ticket offices do not know this, because while they mean very well they receive anywhere from some to zero training. Also practices vary from office to office. All will record your name and the number you buy, to in theory keep you from buying more than Disney’s limit. But I’ve never been looked up to see if I’ve already bought some when purchasing… In actuality, you could go in and buy 12 (for convenience, or payment reasons), then you and another eligible person could activate each of your own 6 at Disney. Some bases record all names of the party, and some go as far as to write names on the tickets, but that’s all meaningless to Disney.
As we talked about before, the thing that matters is the person who activates the tickets at Disney. That is when the ticket would be tied to the member and deducted from their limit.
And you mentioned earlier that you were going with a group of spouses. The ideal way to do the activation anyway would be for each spouse to activate their own ticket. Doing so deducts just 1 ticket from their husband’s allotment instead of all the tickets from one husband’s (in case of a return trip in 2023 for any of them, make sense?).
I do want to address one other angle, and that is what about your ticket? Will it just go unused? Or will someone else use it (someone else going in your place, or you could actually sell it to an eligible person)?
If someone else will use it AND you have linked it to yourself in My Disney Experience, and maybe also made theme park reservations, you’ll need to take some steps.
1. Cancel your theme park reservations
2. Call the Disney Internet Help Desk at 800-848-6413, option #3 to have the ticket unlinked from you. They make a fuss when asked to do this, but explain the situation and they will do it.
I hope I’ve eased your mind. Let me know or if you have more questions.
My fiance and I (he’s active duty) are planning a trip to Disney in November with 2 of our friends. We booked our hotel separately from our friends. Can we purchase the salute tickets for them and activate them all together? Would we all still be able to make separate FP+ reservations 60 days out? We’re all staying on property, just two different hotels/reservations.
Hi Stephanie,
Yes you can do that. He’ll buy the Salute tickets. Each couple will link them to their My Disney Experience for individual FastPasses. And when you all arrive He will activate them for all.
Note: if you are all doing the same fastpasses and they are linked as friends and family in his MDE then he can link their tickets and make all the fastpasses.
Hi! My Mom is a Veteran and would like to help us out (Family of 6) by buying a Salute your way ticket for each of us.However, she would like to only do one day in parks with us… Would she still need to purchase a salute your way 4 day pass in order to go wth us? Or can she purchase 6 Salute your way tickets for us,and then just buy a 1 day military discount ticket for herself? She will be in florida on vacation but cannot possibly do disney like we will because of age and also because she doesnt want to. haha. Thanks!
Hi A,
Well, first let’s see if your mom is eligible because you used the term veteran to describe her. Veteran is a term the civilian population uses to describe anyone who has served for any time period at all. While it might have a meaning for Veteran’s Administration benefits, the term has no meaning for Military Benefits.
In order to be qualified for almost all discounts related to Disney including the Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets she would need to be retired military, i.e. having served for 20 years or more and retired afterwards from the military, have been medically retired with full benefits, or be 100% permanently service connected disabled. Does one of these three describe her?
If so she would have one of the military IDs shown on this page: https://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-World-Military-Discount-ID-Guide.html the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th on the left side.
If she doesn’t have one of these IDs there are no discounts available directly from Disney for her. 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
Now, to answer your question if she is retired military with a valid ID.
– Each military member is allowed to purchase up to 6 Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets. There is one exception that allows more but your situation does not qualify.
– Each military member must have a salute ticket of their own. She can not purchase a 1-day for herself and qualify to let you use her other Salute tickets.
So she will need to buy the 6 Salute tickets and one Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Ticket for a child age 3-9 (if you have one) as it would be cheaper than buying an adult one.
Shades of Green’s Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets prices are here http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/ Base Ticket Office prices are similar.
All 7 of you will go the first day and then she will not need to go thereafter.
I assume you are paying for all the tickets, so compare the price of buying all 7 military tickets to the 6 full price ones you would buy without her assistance and you will see you will come out way ahead.
My daughter is active duty military and a florida resident. She gets the seasonal pass for herself and her son. My family is all going down to go to disney world together. I know she can buy 6 salute tickets but must she use one of them or can she use her season pass and give the 6 to my family members. She will be there for the activation and first time gate entry.
Hi Nancy,
I’m a FL Silver (Seasonal) Passholder too.
I use my pass, I don’t need a Salute Ticket and my guests use the Salute tickets.
Technically by the rules she is allowed 5 Salute tickets for others, 1 must be reserved for her even though she doesn’t need it. This is because normally if she used 1 herself she’d have 5 left for others. HAving said that I know others have gotten 6.
I have two 4 day Hopper tickets that I know can be used on non-consecutive days. My question is can I go for 2 days with my friend one month and then go for 2 days with my husband the next?
Hi Myra,
No you can’t. Disney tickets are assigned at first use to a single individual. Tickets cannot be shared by 2 or more people.
See: https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/faq/why-cant-people-share-a-disney-ticket/
You’d need a second 4-day Disney Armed Forces Salute ticket ($265) or a 2-day regular military discount ticket ($226 non-hopper/ $296 hopper) for your husband. (WDW Prices, you didn’t say WDW or DL)
See:https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
Hello veteran here with a quick question that I’m sure you have answered before but just looking to be sure I have correct information.
My sister and her husband have four children and I wanted to surprise them with tickets to Disney World Orlando, I’m not looking to attend with them and its a gift for their anniversary, having said this am I still able to purchase tickets for them using my military discount? Thank you
Hi Dylan,
Well, sorry, you have not supplied enough info about yourself for me to answer. Veteran is a very vague word that means different things to many people. Are you retired military or one of the veteran categories that get benefits or did you just serve for a while….
Please see these posts to narrow down your status. Give them a look over. If you still have a question ask it in the comments on one of those posts. Thanks
https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/disney-veteran-discount-and-disney-military-discount-eligibility-guide/
https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/disney-military-discounts-for-veterans-who-did-not-retire-from-the-military/
https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/disney-discounts-and-the-john-mccain-defense-authorization-act/
https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/shades-of-green/shades-of-green-stays-for-non-retired-veterans/
Hello. We are planning a trip to WDW later this year and were told by MWR that if the hopper is for 5 days the military service member does not have to go to the parks to activate tickets and could just purchase tickets for others. Is this correct? Thank you.
Hello Chris,
First, while we all are thankful for those who work in our Base Ticket Offices, we must also understand that through no fault of their own, many of these people have very little detailed knowledge of the Disney Armed Forces Salute and Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets. While many ticket offices are expert (like mine @ Wright-Patterson AFB), others regularly put out bad information and put people in preventable, very costly, mistaken situations.
Often a military spouse will PCS into a base with their member and be looking for work. They will be hired to run the ticket office, but the person doing it prior will have already PCSed out. With no real training they will be handed a binder and be told “you are it.” This exact situation happened at my last base. The smart ones in this situation read Military Disney Tips to get their info; many have told me that they do this including the young lady at my last base.
Now to your question.
At WDW there are 3, 4, & 5-day Disney Armed Forces Salute Hopper or Hopper Plus tickets for the 2020 Disney Armed Forces Salute offer. The more expensive Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets come in 1 – 10-day lengths hopper/hopper plus.
At Walt Disney World, without question the member (or spouse) does have to be present to activate a Disney Armed Forces Salute purchased on base for someone else!
Please read http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-Armed-Forces-Salute.html and all its linked pages about the Salute.
You cannot purchase Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets for others to use without you (or your spouse)!!!
You can purchase the Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets for others to use without you (or your spouse).
See http://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/disney-military-discounts/regular-disney-military-discount-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-tickets/
Hello, I purchesed my tickets just two weeks ago to go on trip in April. I am active duty. I wont be in country after the end of April. I asked for a refund but ITT said that my tickets are non refundable. I would love to give tickets to my parents to take my kids later in the summer, but everyone says that I have to be present to activate tickets. Is there a solution to this problem, I don’t want just to throw away $1100 that I’ve been saving for awhile! Can another military ID holder to go with them to activate tickets?
Hi Arina,
I’m still waiting on a reply from Disney.
So, keep checking back here as I’ll keep updating.
So my dad ( retired army) is planning to go with us next year to disney. He does not want to go as,long as we do can he activate 2 armed force salute tickets each (total of 6 tickets including his) for us and just one for himself? So my mom and him would do a 5 day and me and my husban,would do 6 day plus 4 day?
Hi Stefanie,
Yes, the Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets can be different lengths and you can use 2 tickets back to back.
He needs to activate your second set before his is used up.
I have two, unused 2-day standard (non-military) Disney World tickets that I have acquired due to a previous cancellation. My upcoming trip needs more than 2 days of tickets. Can I upgrade these standard tickets to armed forces salute tickets? If so, where and how can I do this?
Essentially, is it possible to upgrade standard tickets TO AFS tickets? I understand if so I would pay the difference.
Thank you.
Hi Jessica,
They should let you use the value towards Disney Armed Forces Salute tickets. You would have to do this in person after arrival at a Ticket/Guest Relations location.
Should be no problem, other than the issue of not making fastpasses ahead.
My mom has the military salute 3 day salute. I need to use the final day. Can my mom give her pass to my cousin when we go to Disneyland? Its been activated
Hello Edward,
I’m so sorry that is not possible.
See:https://www.militarydisneytips.com/blog/faq/why-cant-people-share-a-disney-ticket/
I used 4 of my tickets this year already. I want to plan another trip this year. Is it possible to buy my final two then have my father also a veteran buy the remaining ones from shades of green since they come activated?
Hi Hunter,
Possible, not within the rules if he’d not going with you.
My mom is labeled as my brothers dependent and wants to get 6 passes. Does my brother have to go as well or can she activate them as she is his dependent?
Hi Victoria,
Sorry, non-spouse dependents are not eligible for the highly discounted Disney Armed Forces Salute. Just your brother and his spouse are. In order to use one of these special tickets for herself, your mom would need to be part of your brother’s (or his spouse’s) travel party. Or really stretching the rules to the extreme, one of them would need to be one of her party of 6. Stretching because these special tickets are intended for the member and or spouse to spend time with family and friends in the parks to destress, not to be given away or sold to those who are not eligible. Either of these scenarios would use up his entitlement of 6 tickets (through 26 Sept 2021)!
Non-spouse dependents are however eligible for the slightly discounted Regular Military Discounted Magic Your Way Tickets. She can buy as many of these as she’d like on her own with her military dependent ID at a base ticket office or Shades of Green, and use them without his being present. This is the appropriate way for her to go.
Hope this helps.
If my cousin who is an active service memeber and purchases a 6 day military promotional ticket for the 5 members in our party, does he need to be present with us at the gate or does him being on the vacation count as him being “with” his party. For example if he decided that he didn’t want to go to the park one day, can the rest of the party still go to the park? Thanks.
Hi Derek,
The eligible member has to have their own ticket. They need to activate theirs and their guest’s tickets in person with their valid ID. After activation the party can split up.
Hey! My friend and I have 6 day salute tickets. She activated them under her ID and we have 3 days remaining. Something came up and she can no longer go on the Disney world trip we had planned. Since these are already activated can I go without her?
Hi Amanda,
Yes you can use your ticket without her since it is already activated.
Is there anyway to sell your Disney military tickets to another service member if you can’t go before the expiration date? They are non refundable and we aren’t going to be able to go before the expiration date.
Yes absolutely Teressa,
No name is officially linked to the ticket until activation at Disney. Some Base Ticket Offices think they need to write names on the tickets, but they do not (though it is good practice for buyers to do this to keep them straight).
If you have linked them to your My Disney Experience account you will need to call tech support to get them unlinked. They sometimes balk at this but will do it. Call, Disney’s Internet Help Desk at 800-848-6413, Option #3.
You can then sell them to others who are eligible to activate them.
I just purchased 5 x “Disneyland 1 Day 1 Park” tickets for at my local Navy MWR ticket office intended for my brother and his family. Can they use these tickets without me being present? On each ticket they show “DanielHxxxxx Party”. These aren’t the military promo tickets or the 3-4 day park hopper, just the single day admittance tickets. I’m a Navy Reservist. My brother was going to make the reservations and link them to his account.
Hi Dan,
Yes they sure can. The Regular Military Discounted Disneyland Tickets (Non-Salute) do not require an ID for use. Anyone that you buy them for can use them without your being present.