So you’ve decided to take a trip to Disney World: Yay!
There are lots of things to consider when heading to Disney World, like where you’ll stay, where you’ll eat, whether or not to buy Memory Maker, plus so much more! One of the first things you’ll need to do when booking your vacation is buy tickets, but there are some things you’ll need to know when you buy them, like when your tickets will expire.
The short answer to when your tickets will expire is this: It depends. It depends on how many days your ticket is good for. For example, a single-day ticket must be used on the day you select at the time of purchase. So when you purchase your ticket, you will select which day you will use it on, and it is only valid that day.
When making this decision, make sure you double check that there is a park pass reservation available for the park you want to visit that day. Per the Disney website, you are able to make changes to your ticket up until midnight ET the day before your ticket becomes valid.
If you’re purchasing a multi-day ticket, you will pick the date you want your ticket to start, and then you will be given a window during which the ticket is valid. Multi-day Disney World tickets can be used on non-consecutive days, which is why Disney gives you that window. For example, if you are purchasing a 4-day ticket, with a start date of June 23rd, you will be able to use that ticket any four days between June 23rd and June 29th.
For this ticket, it will become valid on June 23rd and will expire on June 29th, and you can go to the park (provided you have a valid park pass) on any four days in that window. This allows you to build other activities into your trip and still get the savings you get by buying multi-day tickets over single-day tickets. For example, you could go to the parks on June 23rd and June 24th, spend June 25th at your resort pool, spend June 26th at Disney Springs, and go to the parks for your remaining two days on June 27th and June 28th.
Another important thing to know is that Disney World tickets are nonrefundable. Once you purchase your ticket, it is not possible to get your money back for it if you change your mind. You can change the dates on the ticket up until midnight before the first day your ticket is valid if your plans change. However, if you change your ticket dates, and the price for the new dates is lower, you are not eligible for a refund of that difference. If you change your ticket dates and the new dates cost more, you will need to pay the difference.
If you do not use any days in your ticket, the price for the ticket after it expires can be put toward a new ticket of equal or greater value. This only works if your ticket goes completely unused, though. So if you use only two out of your four days before your ticket expires, you cannot put the unused days toward a new ticket, but if you don’t use any of your four days, you are able to put the amount you spent on those days toward a new ticket.
Navigating the Disney ticket purchasing system can seem complicated, especially with the added stress of the park reservation system, so the best advice is to just read the fine print and make your selections carefully.
As always, make sure to stay tuned to AllEars for the best Disney World tips and tricks!
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How many days do you like to visit Disney World on a typical trip? Let us know in the comments!
I remember when a park ticket never expired! And really that is how it still should be, even if you use just part of those days.
I wonder if Universal and other parks do this? I think it is wrong! Like a gift card, even if you use part of it the rest never expires (unless that store goes out of business).