Hiya Krisca,
Welcome to planDisney! In my house, everyone knows the way to my heart is through gifts of Disney trips (or Disney Gift Cards), so how amazing your cousin gifted you theme park tickets. I’m biased, but they really are the best gifts!
So, let’s talk about how to redeem your gift. Krisca, whether or not your cousin needs to be present depends on where they purchased them and the type of ticket. There are two types of military tickets:
Disney Military Salute Tickets and Magic Your Way Tickets. If your cousin purchased either ticket type through Shades of Green resort, at this time, tickets purchased through
Shades of Green are activated at the time of purchase and do not require the military service member to be present for entry. The same goes for Magic Your Way Tickets; no matter where they are purchased, they are
activated at the time of purchase, so your cousin would not need to present a military ID at Disney World for activation. If your cousin purchased a Military Salute Ticket from their local base’s ITT office, they will need to be present in order to activate and use your tickets at Walt Disney World Resort.
I hope this was helpful, Krisca. Before I let you go, the first day of your visit coincides with one of my favorite events,
EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. The
menus for the festival were just released, and the options look incredible. My family and I love to browse the menus in advance to plan what we want to eat and strategize our itinerary. It helps us maximize our day and ensure we don’t miss out on something we must try.
Happy Planning,
Ashley F.