Hiya, Alison! Welcome to planDisney. There are several ticket options so I am glad you came by with this question for us to help you get the information you need for your upcoming trip to
Walt Disney World Resort.
One of my closest friends is a military spouse. We actually met on board Disney Cruise Line and have had many family trips to the Most Magical Place on Earth together. I will share the ticket options we looked into for our shared trips.
- Standard Theme Park Tickets—You can purchase date-based tickets for the length of your stay at Walt Disney World. The more days you plan to go, the less expensive the tickets are per day. (As if I needed a reason to stay longer.) These tickets require you to pick a start date, and they expire within a window of time based on the length of your ticket. You can get a base ticket (one park per day) or add the Park Hopper option, the Water Park and Sports option, or the Park Hopper Plus option. Since these are date-based tickets, you do not need theme park reservations. There is no requirement for military eligibility or limit on the number of tickets you can buy. You can purchase these online or at the theme parks.
- Magic Your Way tickets—These are offered through your local base travel office; the military resort at Walt Disney World, Shades of Green; or the Shades of Green Online Request Form. An eligible service member or spouse (but not both) can purchase up to six Magic Your Way tickets per promotional period. One of the six must be used by the military member or spouse and the other five can be shared with family and friends who are enjoying the theme parks at the same time as the sponsoring member. The tickets in the current promotional year expire on December 20, 2024. These tickets are not date-based, so theme park reservations are required for park entry.
- Disney Military Salute tickets—You can purchase up to six 4-, 5-, or 6-day Military Salute tickets at participating US military sales outlets for your family and friends who are traveling to Walt Disney World Resort with you, with the same requirement that one at least one of these tickets be used for the military member or spouse. These tickets have to be activated at a theme park ticket office with your military identification. These can also be purchased as a base ticket or with the Park Hopper or Park Hopper Plus option, and they require theme park reservations, too. These tickets also expire at the end of the current promotional period, December 20, 2024.
It looks like the expiration date for either of the military tickets would keep them from being options for your trip at Christmas. For this and many other reasons, I always recommend reading the fine print before purchase.
I'm not sure if this clarifies the questions you had after your research. I hope so, but if not, please
submit a follow-up question. I would love for you to have the information you need to make the best ticket purchase for your trip.
With my gratitude for your family's service,
Jana