Disney World Theme Park Ticket Information

A Disney Vacation How-To Guide from Build A Better Mouse Trip

This Disney World admission ticket “how-to” guide covers the ticket needs of the vast majority of Walt Disney World Resort visitors. Disney does offer annual passes and some other options that only affect very small, specific situations but the above information applies to almost everyone who visits the Disney World theme parks, whether you purchase your ticket as part of a Walt Disney World Resort vacation package or you just walk up and buy a ticket at the gate. Your Mouse Trip Travel agent can make help you select a ticket that covers all of your Disney vacation priorities without wasting money on options you won’t use when you purchase tickets or book your vacation through us. 

Disney World Basic Ticket

The basic ticket is your Disney World theme park pass; you can purchase varying lengths (one to ten days) and add on various options but all tickets start with this foundation. The basic ticket is available for one or more days and allows you to enter one Disney World theme park (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom) per day. You cannot enter a Disney water park with this ticket and you cannot start in one park and then move to a different theme park within the same day with this ticket. It is the most economical option for entering the Disney World parks. Disney recently made a change to their theme park admission tickets where ticket price may vary depending on your arrival date or date of first use. They’ve also changed how long the tickets are valid after first use. Tickets purchased as part of a Disney vacation package will be valid for the length of time indicated below based on ticket length or for the length of stay included in your package, whichever is greater.

For Tickets Not Part of A Disney World Vacation Package

1-Day base tickets are valid for admission on the specific start date selected. Multi-day tickets are valid for admission beginning on the start date selected and must be used within a limited time period.

2-Day Tickets are valid any 2 days within 4 days beginning on the start date

3-Day Tickets are valid any 3 days within 5 days beginning on the start date

4-Day Tickets are valid any 4 days within 7 days beginning on the start date

5-Day Tickets are valid any 5 days within 8 days beginning on the start date

6-Day Tickets are valid any 6 days within 9 days beginning on the start date

7-Day Tickets are valid any 7 days within 10 days beginning on the start date

8-Day Tickets are valid any 8 days within 12 days beginning on the start date

9-Day Tickets are valid any 9 days within 13 days beginning on the start date

10-Day Tickets are valid any 10 days within 14 days beginning on the start date

For example, a 6-day base ticket with a start date of April 1, ticket is valid any 6 days from April 1 to April 9.

Note about FastPass+ and tickets: You can book FastPass+ reservations sixty (60) days prior to your arrival if you have a reservation an official Disney World hotel or at select Disney World 'Good Neighbor" hotels and have pre-purchased theme park tickets or have a Walt Disney World Resort vacation package reservation that includes theme park tickets.   If you are not staying at a Disney World hotel but have purchased your Disney World theme park tickets, you can book FastPass+ reservations thirty days (30) days prior to arrival. 

Note about MagicBands and tickets: Disney has introduced MagicBands which are a wristband with an RFID chip that guests can use instead of traditional tickets.  Your admission ticket is linked to the account associated with the Magic Band.  Guests three (3) and older who are staying at an official Disney World hotel age receive a complimentary MagicBand and individual MagicBands can be purchased separately by everyone else.  Click here for more information on MagicBands. 

Disney World Ticket with Park Hopper Option

You’ll frequently hear people say “park hopper tickets” or “basic tickets” but, in truth, Park Hopping is an option that you add to a basic ticket. This option increases the cost of your ticket, but allows you to move between the four Disney World theme parks at your convenience; you are not restricted to one park per day. You don’t pay by the day for Park Hopping, the option is good for the full length of your ticket. The park hopping option is discounted a bit on one day tickets. Remember that each of the Disney theme parks has more than enough activities to fill a full day and moving from one park to another takes time so park hopping may not benefit every guest. Park Hopping can be nice if you want the flexibility offered to move about the four parks, especially if you have children and your trip only allows for one full Magic Kingdom day and want to use extra time to return to this park. Park Hopping does not include water park  admissions.

Disney World Park Hopper Plus Option

The Disney World Park Hopper Plus option is an upgrade to the Park Hopper option that grants entrance to the two Disney World water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon), to the two Disney World miniature golf courses (prior to 4PM), spectator admission for amateur events at ESPN Wide World of Sports, and Disney Oak Trail golf benefits. The number of total entrances allowed is equal to the number of days on your Basic Ticket. You can go to a theme park and a water park on the same day with this option or you can use these entrances on a day that you are not going into a theme park; for example, you may want to spend an entire day at a water park. I love this option during warm months, especially if I have a full week or more at Disney World, but it may not be a great value for short trips. Families with toddlers and very young children may find that this option isn’t especially practical. Remember too that Disney closes one water park for refurbishment from late October – mid-March. If you’re going in the winter months, you may want to wait until your vacation to add this option when you have a better sense of the actual temperatures during your trip; this option can be added at the guest services desk at your resort or at any of the parks. You can purchase a separate single-day admission to the water parks but this option is the best deal if you plan to do two or more of these activities.

Note: If you want to go to a two Disney water parks or a water park and miniature golf on the same day, you can. Doing that will use two admissions from your Disney World Park Hopper Plus option and you are limited to one miniature golf game per day.  Guests who book a Walt Disney World Resort vacation package through Disney (we book directly through Disney) receive a booklet with vouchers for four (4) free rounds of miniature golf (prior to 4PM) so you will want to use those vouchers before using your Park Hopper Plus credits.  

This feature was previously called the Water Park Fun & More option and could be purchased separately from the Park Hopper option but this was discontinued as a "stand alone" upgrade on February 12, 2017. 

Click here to read more about the vouchers and discounts available as part of a vacation package. 

Don't Miss Out on Great Experiences at Disney World!

We want to help you have the most wonderful, most memorable Disney World vacation possible. We know that giving you good, up-to-date information and a few simple tools will make a huge difference in your experience. Long lines become short lines and you will have great memories of shared experiences instead of missed opportunities.  

Here’s How We Help You Have A Great Vacation:

• Your travel agent – You have one agent from start-to-finish who knows your name and your priorities and who wants to do everything possible to help you have a wonderful experience.

• “Best Days” Vacation Planning – We’ll help you pick the best park for each day based on hours and expected crowd levels then we help with dining reservations and understanding which Disney Genie+ and individual Lightning Lane selections might be right for you.

• Saving Money – Of course we watch for discounts and promotion and automatically apply the best available offer to your reservation but we also help you avoid up-sells and options you won’t use.

• We Are Fee-Free - We book directly through Disney and we never charge a service fee so you never pay any extra to use our services when you book your trip through us. You can have all the benefits Disney offers PLUS all the services we offer.