Waving hello to you across the Tar Heel State, Kevin!
I'm so glad you've brought your question to us today. As a planDisney panelist, I'll always recommend planning ahead for your Walt Disney World Resort visits. Sure, you might find same-day
theme park admission available at the main entrance ticket windows, but you'll miss out on some helpful extras by waiting to purchase at the park. Let's walk through the details.
First, purchasing in advance helps ensure you can visit your preferred theme park on your preferred day. Date-based tickets do not require theme park reservations, but waiting until you arrive might add unnecessary stress to your visit.
Second, you'll miss out on the chance to
join Virtual Queues for select attractions if you don't have tickets linked to your MyDisney Account ahead of your park day. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT (my favorite attraction) and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom Park are both currently using a complimentary Virtual Queue and do not have a traditional standby line. You'd need to try and join one of these queues at 7 a.m. the morning of your visit to experience without an additional purchase (more on that in a minute). Guests have a second opportunity at 1 p.m., but I always like to go for the earliest offering in hopes of getting an earlier boarding group.
Third, you'll want to have your tickets linked to purchase
Lightning Lane Passes. This is an optional purchase, but guests can buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass and/or Single Pass for their park day to reduce standby waits at popular attractions. If you are staying at a Disney Resorts Collection hotel (
or another eligible resort) you'll have access to purchase and plan 7 days before check-in. If you are staying off-property you can purchase 3 days before your ticket start date. These passes definitely come in handy if attractions are your top priority and purchasing as soon as you are eligible will give you a greater selection of experiences and return windows to choose from.
Finally, if you plan to purchase a room and ticket Vacation Package, purchasing in advance will allow you to secure with a minimal deposit and make payments until the final balance is due 30 days prior to arrival. Theme park tickets on their own must be paid in full at the time of purchase, but a room and ticket package is a great way to budget your vacation and also take advantage of perks like
Early Theme Park Entry during your visit. There's even a special
water park perk for 2025 resort guests.
Kevin, if you have additional questions please come back and let us know. We'd be happy to offer additional recommendations to make your upcoming visit as magical as possible.
Magic and memories,
Amy