Welcome to planDisney, Gilman!
Thank you for your service to our country. Mine is a military family too, and I know just how special vacations spent with our loved ones are, and how much those memories carry us through when we’re not together. I’m glad to hear you’re starting to plan a visit to the Walt Disney World Resort, and it’s a pleasure to offer some help today.
The
military promotional theme park tickets are a fantastic deal, and they can be purchased at your local base ticket office. Note that the current offer is good through December 17, 2021, so if you’re thinking about a 2022 visit, the military promotional offers are usually released each autumn. The
Disney Parks Blog is a great source of news and information, so be sure you’re following them on social media or checking in to see what’s new.
While it’s possible to purchase vacation packages without theme park tickets (that’s called a ticketless package), it’s not currently an option because the Disney Dining Plans are unavailable as part of the phased reopening of the Walt Disney World Resort. We’re hoping the dining plans will be returning (I love them!) – again, the Disney Parks Blog is the best place to watch for any news. If you’re hoping to pre-budget for meals, we have
lots of advice here on planDisney on how to do that. One of my favorite suggestions is to
purchase Disney Gift Cards in small increments as you lead up to your trip. You can then combine them and use them to pay for your meals throughout your stay.
For
Disney Resorts Collection hotel rooms, there is currently a military discount available. To check availability for your visit dates before December 17, 2021, call (407) 939-1936 to speak with a Cast Member. The
military discount on hotel rooms isn’t available online; it can only be booked by phone or through a travel agent who is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. If you’re looking at 2022 dates, the military discount is still yet to be announced, so stay tuned.
So, Gilman, to put it all together, you would purchase your tickets and make your resort hotel reservation, and then link them all in
My Disney Experience. Once you’ve created your account and linked the tickets and reservations to each Guest, you’ll be able to make your
Disney Park Pass reservations for each day of your visit. Guests must have reservations for each day they wish to enter the theme parks, so you’ll want to purchase tickets with enough advance notice to make yours.
I hope this helps as you get started with your planning. I know this was a lot, so please come back and see us if you have any more questions. It’s always a pleasure to help a fellow Guest with their Disney dreaming.
Wishing you a magical vacation,
Robyn