Admission Media Primer

Admission media can be purchased at the entrance of any of the WDW theme parks (Photo by Brian Bennett)

Ticket Types

Let's simplify the different admission media available at the Walt Disney World Resort by grouping them according to type. Included in each description is the current cost for adults, and children ages 3 to 9. (Note: All prices are rounded up.)

Singles

1 Day, 1 Park Ticket ($51 per adult, $41 per child) - Admission to one theme park only for one day only.

2 Day, 2 Park Ticket ($97 per adult, $76 per child) - Admission to any theme park for two days only.

3 Day, 3 Park Ticket ($137 per adult, $105 per child) - Admission to any theme park for three days only.

These tickets are for those who plan to either spend a short time in Orlando or just want a brief look at the Disney theme parks. These allow you access to one park per day, and are not park hopper passes -- that is, they do not let you hop between parks in a single day. It's a one-park-per-day pass, and the price per day is expensive. In addition, the two- and three-day tickets can be purchased only at a WDW ticket window.

Hoppers

4-Day Park Hopper Pass ($204 per adult, $162 per child) - Admission to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom on any four days, with no expiration date. You can visit more than one park in a day, and the pass does not have to be used on consecutive days.

5-Day Park Hopper Pass ($230 per adult, $183 per child) - Similar to the 4-Day Park Hopper Pass, but good for five days.

Hoppers give you more flexibility as they allow you to visit more than one park in a day. The cost per day of Hoppers is somewhat less with single-day tickets. These are the pass of choice for week-long trips that also include visits to non-Disney Orlando attractions such as Universal Studios and Seas World.

Park Hopper Plus

5-Day Park Hopper Plus Pass ($261 per adult, $209 per child) - Similar to the 5-Day Park Hopper Pass but with an added choice of visiting any two of the following: Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, River Country, Pleasure Island, and Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

Park Hopper Plus Passes are also available for six days ($294 per adult, $236 per child) and seven days ($325 per adult, 262 per child).

Obviously these are admission media for vacationers who do plan to do a lot more than visit theme parks. I believe Hopper Plus Passes are worth the price only if you plan to visit Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, the two main water parks. If you use the Plus part of the pass for anything else, you are not getting true value for your dollar.

Annual Passes

Regular Annual Pass - ($370 per adult, $315 per child) - Admission to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom for one year from time of purchase. Admission does not include water parks, Pleasure Island, or Disney Quest.

Premium Annual Pass - ($498 per adult, $423 per child) - Admission to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom, plus Disney Quest, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, River Country and Pleasure Island for one year from date of purchase.

We are now in the upper hemisphere of WDW admission media. Guests who use Annual Passes are usually spending at least eight to 10 days in Orlando, have scheduled two trips to WDW within 365 days of one another, or plan to use this media to take advantage of an Annual Passholder special at a WDW resort.

The price per day is obviously dependent on the number of days the passes are used. Many first-time guests are appalled by the cost of the Annual Pass and may not be aware of the benefits that accompany this type of media. In addition to discount room, benefits include discounts at many WDW restaurants, Cirque du Soleil, and many Downtown Disney shops. If you take advantage of AP room specials as well as these additional benefits, this media is by far the best deal for you.

Except for the single-day tickets, each of the parks sell identical admission media (Photo by Brian Bennett)

Ultimate Park Hoppers

Ultimate Park Hopper Pass - Admission to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, River Country, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Pleasure Island, Disney Quest and Disney's Wide World of Sports.

The Ultimate Park Hopper Pass can be described as a length-of-stay pass. That is, this pass allows you full access to almost everything you would normally visit on a WDW vacation for the length of your stay in Orlando. This type of admission media is a good deal for very active vacationers who get an early start to their day and are constantly on the go.

Only WDW resort hotel guests are eligible to purchase Ultimate Park Hopper Passes, and you must purchase a pass equal to the number of nights of your hotel reservation.

Prices up to seven days are:

If you are staying on WDW property, an Ultimate Hopper Pass may give you better value for your vacation dollar than a Hopper Plus Pass. For instance, a 7-Day Hopper Plus Pass is $325 and does not include Disney Quest. A 7-Day Ultimate Hopper Pass is $313 and gives you admission to Disney Quest.

If you cannot decide between an Annual Pass and an Ultimate Hopper Pass, consider the benefits of both. If you want to take advantage of an Annual Passholder special or wish to visit WDW twice in one year, choose the Annual Pass over the Ultimate Pass Hopper.

Other Media

Of course you can always purchase admission to other Disney attractions a la carte. These attractions include the water parks, Disney Quest, Pleasure Island, and Disney's Wide World of Sports.

Discount Methods

Admission media discounts are available through the Disney Club and through AAA. For the most part these discounts offer about 10% off the regular price. These are the two major avenues for getting admission media discounts.

The Disney Information Center in Ocala is one place to pick-up your tickets before you arrive at WDW -- and you can get that AAA discount if you are a member (Photo by Brian Bennett)

What's Best for You?

Ask yourself:

• How long is my visit, and about how many days of my visit will be spent in the major theme parks?
• Is there a strong possibility that I may be returning to WDW within a year?
• Is there an Annual Passholder special available during my visit?
• How much do I want to spend on admission media?
• Other than the major theme parks, what other Disney attractions, such as the Water Parks, Disney Quest, and Pleasure Island, do I plan to visit?

Once you've answered these questions, you should know which admission media is best for you.

Note: Because admission media types, prices, and policies may change at any time, the information given in this article is subject to change. Call 1-407-W-DISNEY to get the latest information on admission media.

Next time: Planes, trains, and automobiles.

Class dismissed.

Photos on this page by Brian Bennett unless otherwise noted

The MousePlanet WDW Trip Planning Guide's Admission Media from A to Z has a lot of valuable information on admission media that you may want to read over.

Here's a list of the trip reports that Mike has written that are part of MousePlanet's archives!

Michael Scopa -- August 1999 -- Walt Disney World (CSR)

Michael J. Scopa -- July 1997 -- Walt Disney World (WL/CBR)

Mike Scopa -- July 1994 -- Walt Disney World (WL / CBR)

Also, don't miss Lani Teshima's column, "The Trip Planner" and Michael Hewell's "VIPs" for more travel planning information!

Brian Bennett, author of MousePlanet's WDW Trip Planning Guide (and publisher of the Disney Trip Report Archive), writes:

The first Disney trip report that I ever read was a report by Mike Scopa that I downloaded from the America Online travel library in late 1994. The report was a detailed description of the Scopa family's trip to WDW in the summer of that year.

As soon as I was done reading it, I was hooked.

I picked my own brain and documented my own trips and the things I'd learned from my own experiences. Then, in 1995 I actually wrote a report as the trip unfolded. I took a laptop with me and spent some time in the evenings documenting what had happened that day. (I've repeated that process for my own reports ever since.)

In July 1996, I started my Disney trip planning Web site. Besides including my own reports, I asked for permission from the authors of several other reports and added them to the offering. Since then, the number of reports has expanded greatly. In 1997, I added an information summary for each report to make it easier to sort through the reports that are available.

I still 'blame' Mike for hooking me on this Disney habit.

Thanks Mike!

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