Veteran Discounts for Disney, Universal, and Other Theme Parks

14 October 2021 by Steve Bell 4 Comments

Did You Serve in the United States Military, but Did Not Retire? Looking for Disney Discounts?

You May Be Eligible!

A Confusing Subject

This topic can be quite convoluted and confusing due to the different statuses and programs involved. With this page and the ones it links to, I will attempt to help you to figure out just what you are eligible for.

Discounts for current military members, retirees and other military supporters are the primary focus of this site and are covered a throughout the site. Here I’ll focus on all the others.

The Painful Truth

Let’s get right to the elephant in the room…

The very best discounts, Disney’s Armed Forces Salute Room and Ticket Offers plus Universal Orlando’s Freedom Pass are only for current/retired military and certain others.

Disney Armed Forces Salute:

• Current military members:
  • Active
  • Reserve
  • National Guard
  • Coast Guard
  • Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service (PHS)
  • Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• Retired military members:
  • Active
  • Reserve
  • National Guard
  • Coast Guard
  • Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service (PHS)
  • Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• 100% Service Connected Disabled.
• Medal of Honor Recipients.
• Spouses 
• Un-remarried Widows
• Foreign partners/Coalition partners stationed at a US base are eligible. They must have a permanent US Military issued ID (CAC card with blue stripe).

Disney Armed Forces Salute Info

Universal Orlando’s Freedom Pass:

• Active Duty (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, Reservists) and spouses
• Retired Military service members and spouses
• Department of Defense Civilians

Freedom Pass Info

The Best Way to Get to Universal Studios from Disney World

OK, we’ve got that out of the way, now let’s press on with what you are eligible for!

Non-Retired Eligibility Categories

Here is the list of various statuses that have eligibility. These will be followed by descriptions of what they are eligible for.

Purple Heart Recipients

Former Prisoners of War

Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities

Individuals approved and designated as the Primary Family Caregivers of eligible Veterans under the VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers

Involuntarily separated service members under the Transition Assistance Management Program

Personnel separated under the Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI) and Special Separation Benefit (SSB) programs for two years after separation

All Veterans with an Honorable Discharge

Purple Heart Recipients

Purple Heart Recipients are eligible all tickets available at Base Ticket Offices that do not require a military or retiree ID, and Stays at Shades of Green. There is no difference between this category and current/retired military members.

• Disney Armed Forces Salute courtesy of Disney
• Base Ticket Office and Shades of Green as part of the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018

Former Prisoners of War

Former Prisoners of War are eligible to purchase all tickets available at Base Ticket Offices that do not require a military or retiree ID, and Stays at Shades of Green.

• As part of the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018

Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities

Veterans with service-connected disabilities rated at 100% are eligible for the Disney Armed Forces Salute Room and Ticket Discounts, purchasing all tickets available at Base Ticket Offices, and Stays at Shades of Green.

• As part of their MRW benefits

Veterans with service-connected disabilities rated at less than 100% are eligible for to purchase all tickets available at Base Ticket Offices that do not require a military or retiree ID, and Stays at Shades of Green.

• As part of the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018

Individuals approved and designated as the Primary Family Caregivers of eligible Veterans under the VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers

Primary Family Caregivers are eligible to purchase all tickets available at Base Ticket Offices that do not require a military or retiree ID, and Stays at Shades of Green.

• As part of the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018

Involuntarily separated service members under the Transition Assistance Management Program

TAMP Individuals are eligible for stays at Shades of Green and to purchase all tickets available at their Attraction Ticket Office that do not require a military or retiree ID.

• As part of their MRW benefits

Personnel separated under the Voluntary Separation Incentive (VSI) and Special Separation Benefit (SSB) programs

VSI Individuals are eligible for stays at Shades of Green and to purchase all tickets available at their Attraction Ticket Office that do not require a military or retiree ID, for a two year period after separation.

• As part of their MRW benefits

All Veterans with an Honorable Discharge

If you do not fall into one of the categories above, but served Honorably for a period of time and have a DD-214 showing an Honorable Discharge, you are eligible for stays at Shades of Green in the months of January and September and to purchase all tickets available at their Attraction Ticket Office that do not require a military or retiree ID while staying there as a guest.

• As part of Shades of Green’s Salute to our Veterans Program

More Information on These Discounts

Shades of Green

Shades of Green is the U.S. Military owned and operated Resort Hotel located Right on Walt Disney World property.

It is a first class resort and prices are very reasonable.

I have extensive content on Shades of Green here on the site for you to check out. You can start on the Shades of Green Resort Veteran Overview Page.

Base Ticket Sales Offices

Many military bases have Ticket Sales Offices that sell military discounted tickets to the base populous. These tickets are for the big national theme parks like Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Studios on both coasts, the various SeaWorlds and Busch Gardens as well al local attractions and events.

But what if you don’t live near a Base with a Ticket Office?

There are some Ticket Office that are not on a Base, such as Shades of Green and the Orlando ITT Office.

There are also Bases that will sell you tickets long distance and ship them to you!

See:

• Base Ticket Offices for Veterans
• The Orlando ITT
• Ticket Offices that Sell Long Distance

You’ll need to discuss with individually them how to verify your status.

The Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018

This is Shades of Green’s ID policy for this program:

Veterans must present a Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) indicating at least one of the three acceptable eligibility statuses (PURPLE HEART, FORMER POW, or SERVICE CONNECTED); or HEC form H623A indicating placement in VA health care priority group 8E paired with an acceptable credential like a REAL ID-compliant State driver’s license or a U.S. passport.

Note:  VHICs are issued to veterans enrolled in VA health care.  Visit: va.gov/healthbenefits/vhic/ for information regarding eligibility for the VHIC and the application process.

Primary Family Caregivers must present their letter from the VA Office of Community Care that indicates they are assessed, approved, and designated Primary Family Caregiver of an eligible Veteran under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers and are eligible for these privileges paired with an acceptable credential like a REAL ID-compliant state driver’s license or a U.S. passport.

To obtain VA forms, go online to va.gov/health-care

Wrap Up

I have several much more detailed pages on some of these topics which you can check out using the links below:

That’s it for this overview.

Please share your experiences and ask questions in the comment section below!

Links to my content specifically for Non-Retired Veterans

• Veteran Discounts for Disney, Universal, and Other Theme Parks
• Disney Military Discounts for Veterans Who Did Not Retire from the Military
• Do 100% Disabled Veterans Qualify for Disney Military Discounts?
• Disney Veteran Discount and Disney Military Discount Eligibility Guide
• Disney Discounts and the John McCain Defense Authorization Act
• Shades of Green Stays for Non-Retired Veterans
• Why Not All Veterans Qualify for Disney Military Discounts (Explained Clearly) Plus Options