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Walt Disney World will always hold a special place in the heart of military spouse Allie. After all, it’s not every day that your future husband gets down on one knee to propose marriage during the EPCOT fireworks show.
But Allie, a former intern at Innoventions in EPCOT, also loves Disney because of how patriotic and military-friendly they are. And if you’ve ever taken advantage of the great discounts Disney offers military families, you’ll agree.
READ MORE: 5 things to know before going to Disney
Thinking about booking a Disney vacation? Before you go, check out the following Disney discounts you can get as well as a few things to keep in mind. (The first thing to keep in mind is to have your military ID. You’ll need a valid ID to redeem all of these deals.)
Hopper Tickets
Through Disney’s Armed Forces Salute program, military personnel can get discounted tickets to Disney theme parks. These deals are good for all military members, including active duty, National Guard, Reserve, retired military and spouses.
For the 2022 Armed Forces Salute at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, choose between a 4-Day or 5-Day Disney Military Salute Ticket. Purchase through December 16, 2022 and receive 5-Day Military Promotional Tickets for $349 plus tax or 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets for $329 plus tax. Add the Park Hopper Plus Option for $30 more plus tax.
You can also purchase the Memory Maker for $98 through December 16, 2022.
For the 2022 Armed Forces Salute at Disneyland Resort, military personnel can choose between a 3-day and 4-day Disney Military Promotional Park Hopper Ticket. Purchase the tickets from July 6, 2021 through December 12, 2022 and receive admission for three days for $225 or four days for $260 for usage July 6, 2021 through December 16, 2022.
Buy tickets at your military installations‘ ticket office or Shades of Green (see below).
Keep in mind: These tickets can’t be combined with other discounts or promotions, they may not be valid on certain blockout dates, and they’re limited to six tickets.
Disney Hotels
The Disney Armed Forces Salute program also applies to Disney Resort hotels, where military members can get select rooms at special discounted rates. This includes a variety of Walt Disney World resorts, but excludes The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.
Disneyland Resort hotels in California include Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, Disneyland Hotel, and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.
Keep in mind: The number of rooms at the reduced rate is limited, advance reservations are required and minimum stay requirements may apply. Just like ticket sales, the discounts on resort rooms may also be subject to blockout dates.
Extra Time in the Parks
Another perk of being a Disney Resort hotel guest used to be Extra Magic Hours, which allowed early admission to select attractions, stores, entertainment and restaurants during each day of your hotel stay. Unfortunately, that benefit was suspended and isn’t going to return.
But Disney is still giving guests extra time in the parks. Through the Early Theme Park Entry offer, Disney Resort hotel guests and guests of other select hotels get a 30-minute early entry to any Walt Disney World theme park, every day. And through the Extended Evening Theme Park Hours benefit, guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resort, Disney Deluxe Villa Resort or other select hotels get extended evening hours on designated evenings in select theme parks.
Keep in mind: Guests need valid admission, a park reservation and a resort ID.
Shades of Green
Another option for lodging is Shades of Green, an Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) in Orlando, Florida. It is a military-owned resort located within Walt Disney World that offers affordable military room rates and discounted tickets for all Disney World venues.
Disney Cruises
The Disney Cruise Line offers military discounted cruise rates on select sailings. The discounted rates are valid for new bookings only and are limited to a maximum of one stateroom per military member, per sailing.
Keep in mind: The discounts are always changing, so visit their website frequently to look for updates.
This story was written by Heather Sweeney
