Welcome, Yari!
I’m so happy to hear that you’re using our planDisney website and previous answers as a resource for your upcoming vacation planning. “It’s what we do, it’s what we LIVE for,” as the sea witch Ursula would say. I’m happy to clarify the special offers available to you and your extended family with various military affiliations and scenarios for visiting the Walt Disney World Resort.
There are two different types of tickets available as special offers for families associated with the United States Military. The
Disney Military Salute offer is expressly for active or retired U.S. Military personnel and their spouses. As eligibility is limited for these special Military Promotional savings, the service member (or spouse) must be present to activate the tickets upon arrival at the Walt Disney World Resort and must also be one of the recipients of the maximum six tickets purchased in any calendar year.
Shades of Green sells
both the Military Salute (Military Promotion) and Magic Your Way tickets, which can be confusing when inquiring about a general military special offer and I suspect why you were told one ticket holder must be the service member.
Magic Your Way tickets are available at special savings with
expanded eligibility, to include Veterans and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Civilians, for example. These can be
purchased online through Shades of Green, an Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) located on Walt Disney World Resort property. Their
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the ticket purchasing process express that while you must be eligible to purchase these theme park tickets at special savings, anyone may use them. In this case, an eligible father may certainly purchase the tickets through Shades of Green and gift them to his family without requiring his attendance on that vacation. These Magic Your Way tickets do arrive in the mail to you already activated, so no further proof of eligibility is required upon arrival at the Walt Disney World Resort.
If a family member is eligible for special savings but will not be on the trip with you, purchasing Magic Your Way tickets through Shades of Green is the way to go. You can take advantage of the generous savings through your military affiliation and eligible family member, but they are not required to join you on the trip.
I hope this helps clarify the different theme park ticket offers available to our wonderful military communities. I hope one of these scenarios applies to your family and that you can take advantage of special savings through an eligible family member.
Please let us know what other questions you have; we’d love to help you make the most of this special vacation!
Wishing you a magical stay,
Amy