Walt Disney World Ticket Media

Now this is a subject of biblical proportions in that, what used to be simple, is now so inherently complicated, it may require a B.Sc. in Economics to understand all the wild gyrations of the various tickets and options available. Here's hoping that at least some of this is comprehensible.

The tickets mentioned below do not take into account "Hard ticket events" such as Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) or Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP). They are separately ticketed events that have no relevance to MYW tickets. If you are in the Magic Kingdom (MK) on the day of a hard-ticketed event, you will be required to leave the park at the end of the normal park day and re-enter with your "hard ticket" for the event.

The basic, core ticket is called a Magic Your Way (MYW) Base Ticket. This is the first item you will read about when you arrive at the Disney ticket windows outside the four theme parks. It is a one-park, one-day ticket. Pretty simple, huh? OK, fasten your seat belts.

To that base option you can add the following accoutrements: Park Hopper option (allows you to visit more than just one park during that day). Water Park, DisneyQuest & Wide World of Sports add-on. No-expiry option. The tickets do not fall under the 14-day from first use expiry window and are good for the life of the ticket. MYW tickets are also sold at two cost levels: Adult tickets are deemed to be guests who are 10 years of age and older. Child tickets are sold to guests aged between 3 and 9 years of age. There is no charge for children under the age of 3 years old. At present there are no discounts for seniors which seems unreasonable considering that seniors probably don't make as much use of the offerings as much as their younger cohorts.

To establish which type of ticket is best for your group, you first have to establish your park-visiting patterns. Are you staying on-site? Will you visit Disney's parks every day or just some days? Do you like to hop between the parks? Will you make use of the Water Parks option? Will you be returning to the WDW Resort within the next year? By figuring this out, you will prevent yourself from purchasing a ticket option that is inappropriate for your needs.

It's very possible, if you are going to return later the same year, that an Annual Pass is the best option or, if your visits are shorter, it may be wise to get a 10-day hopper MYW ticket with the no-expiry option that allows you to visit twice for 5 days. There is also no point in purchasing the all-singing, all-dancing premium ticket if you only like to go to the MK, don't hop, don't like the Water Parks, DisneyQuest or Wide World of Sports and like to spend a couple of days hanging out at your resort pool.

Every Disney park ticket media carries the benefit of complimentary use of the Walt Disney World Transportation.

(*) Prices are subject to Florida sales tax except as noted. In addition, prices are subject to change, for benefits and restriction you should go to: www.disneyworld.com.

Last Updated: June 18, 2009