Welcome back to planDisney, Molly!
Virginia is for Disney lovers and it's always a pleasure to share Disney vacation planning tips and tricks with a neighbor. Instead of sharing a cup of sugar, I'll share that Walt Disney World Resort's 18-month
50th Anniversary Celebration kicked off October 1 and extends until next spring. Instead of getting a package at your front door, I'll share that bookings for 2023 theme park tickets, Disney Resorts Collection hotel stays, and vacation packages go on sale June 8.
Disney's theme park tickets come in two age categories: child (ages 3-9) and child at heart (ages 10+). Children under the age of three are special guests of Mickey Mouse and do not need a ticket or theme park reservation, though they do need to be included on any advance dining reservations, even if they are not eating.
When purchasing your Walt Disney World Resort theme park tickets
online, you'll first select the number of days you wish to visit the parks and your ticket type. Scroll down to the bottom of this
ticket guide to get an idea about what you can experience with varying ticket lengths based on planDisney panelists' experience. Once you select your ticket type, you'll select your ticket start date on the same screen. The end/expiration date is set by default. Disney tickets have dynamic pricing, so you'll notice that certain months and days are more expensive than others.
Keep an eye on the little green circles that appear in the date boxes. Valid admission and
theme park reservations are currently required for theme park entry. A solid green circle means all parks are available that day; a half-green circle means some parks are available. In my experience, theme park availability starts to fill up one month in advance but I recommend having your theme park reservations in place at least two months in advance.
Scroll down further to select the number of tickets you want for each age category. This is where you will see your total price and click "Continue." Once you've selected the items for your cart, you can proceed to checkout or save your cart for a future purchase. There's even a button to "Compare Vacation Offers."
When you check out, you'll be asked to assign each ticket to a member of your
Family and Friends list in My Disney Experience. You can click "Add a New Guest" for anyone without a My Disney Experience account, which means you will manage their plans.
There are four options for shipping: email, U.S. Domestic Standard, U.S. Domestic Express, and International Express. In addition to your ticket and theme park reservation, a method of entry (
MagicBand, admission card, or
Disney MagicMobile pass) is required. If you'd like to receive an admission card before your trip, choose the U.S. Domestic Standard option.
I enjoyed our chat today, Molly. Hope to see you around the planDisney neighborhood again soon!
Choose magic,
Jennifer