Hiya Michael,
Welcome to
planDisney! I come from a military family, so first, please accept my thanks for your service to this country. I am honored to answer your question today.
Speaking of your question, it's really great. Since this is the inaugural year of the
Disney Celebrates America Military Salute ticket, there are quite a few questions around it. My parents actually purchased one for my daughter this year, so I was super fortunate to talk to some amazing people over at Shades of Green about the ins and outs throughout the entire purchase process. Just as with the traditional Military Salute Tickets, the Eligible Service Member (or their Spouse) is eligible to purchase up to six tickets, with at least one of those tickets being reserved for the Service Member or their Spouse. Now, if your plan is to purchase a ticket for your Spouse (and they have a valid, active military identification card), you can use the other 5 tickets for family and friends. If you do not have a spouse (or they do not have valid identification), then no worries. According to the guidelines, if you have a valid
Walt Disney World Resort Annual Pass at the time of purchase (and the time the ticket is used), then you are not required to purchase a Disney Celebrates America Military Salute ticket for your own use. However, you will only be allowed to purchase a total of 5 tickets (not 6) for use by family or friends.
I hope this was helpful, Michael. Before I let you go, I wanted to make sure you also understand the guidelines for activating your Disney Celebrates America Military Salute tickets. To activate them, you must show valid military identification and scan them into the theme park on first use. If not all of your family can join you on July 4th, you will need to plan a separate visit with them so you can activate their tickets. If you need anything else, please come back and see us. We would be happy to help you in any way that we can.
Happy Planning,
Ashley F.