Walt Disney World Resort Update

Update for June 4 – June 10, 2012

Go directly to: News & Views | Join our Networks | Coming Soon | Refurbishment/Attraction Closures | Discounts/Promotions | Comments

News and Views

Walt Disney World hikes ticket prices again | Magic Kingdom again world's #1 theme park in 2011; Islands of Adventure moves up again | Squirrel trumps monorail | Construction update | Quick takes | Crowd update

Walt Disney World hikes ticket prices again

Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix posted a summary of this year's Walt Disney World ticket price hikes on the MousePad discussion forums Friday evening after new pricing information for Walt Disney World ticket was released to be effective yesterday (link). We've got additional information and insights here.

Disneyland Resort raised its ticket prices May 20, and the Walt Disney World ticket price hikes last year took place on June 12, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the increases were coming. Just days after Universal Orlando announced a ticket price hike (including an increase from $85 to $88 for a one-day, one-park ticket), Walt Disney World announced its own hikes. One-day, one-park tickets are up $4 for adults, to $89, and up $4 for children, to $83 (last year, the increase was $3 for adults, $5 for children). The $89 price gives Walt Disney World sole possession of the highest ticket price for a mass theme-park in Central Florida. With recent Walt Disney World price hikes going in the $3 or $4 per year range, that would give Walt Disney World a one-day, one-park ticket at or exceeding $100 in 2015 or 2016. Disney's strategy of announcing price hikes late on a Friday afternoon effective that Sunday is still apparently the implementation method of choice.

The Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More options have both risen $2 to $57 (the same increase as last year). Adult 10-day base tickets are up $27 to $318 (vs. $29 last year), with unexpiring 10-day tickets with both Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More options jumping $46 to $672 (vs. $43 last year). 10-day base tickets for children are up $28 to $300 (vs. 33 last year), with their tricked-out price with all options leaping $47 to $654 (vs. $47 last year). The increases to the all-options passes would have been higher, except for the fact that Disney has added a new discounted price for adding both the Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More options. Previously, each option cost $55 with no discount for buying both. This year, the options cost $57 apiece, but buying both costs a discounted $79. In addition, more “More” options have been added to the Water Park Fun & More add-on. You can now choose to use an option for up to 30 minutes of game access per day at the PlayStation Pavilion at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex or one round of miniature golf at Fantasia Gardens or Winter Summerland per day prior to 4:00pm.

Note: All ticket prices in this story do not reflect the additional 6.5 percent sales tax, with the exception of Florida resident monthly-payment numbers, which represent actual payment costs.

Mid-year ticket price hikes provide a double boost: It provides a nice last-minute boost to the fiscal fourth-quarter earnings, and in this case a few weeks of third-quarter earnings (Disney's fiscal year ends at the end of September), and it puts the new prices out there in time for the publication cycle for guide books and for the start of booking for the following year's packages. Usually those prices are released the same day as the ticket price increases, but as of last night those package prices were not yet available on the Walt Disney World website. Look for Disney Dining Plan prices to be locked in and resort prices to be set soon so that booking can be opened for all 2013 travel packages.

If you'd like to compare the prices below to last year's prices, you can do that here.

Looking at the day-by-day cost increases, though, while the price jumps are still very high percentage-wise, the actual cost-per-day is a bit less scary (except for the first 2-3 days). Let's take a quick look at the incremental day-by-day costs:

Looking at this chart, you can see that the majority of the costs are still contained in the first three days. After that, the incremental cost of adding a fourth and fifth day drops tremendously, and adding a sixth through 10th day is just $10 per day (though it was just $8 last year and $5 two years ago). The increments have all risen this year by anywhere between $2 and $5, but that's about it. The big buy-in is still swallowing the cost of the first three days. The cost differential for children ages 3 through 9 continues to inch smaller, however. With another $1 relative increase for kids (for everything other than 1, 3, or 4 days), the difference between adult and child passes is now just $18 for passes of five days or longer. The Disneyland Resort's top price difference has remained at $20 (for four- and five-day passes).

One-day, one-park water park passes are up $3 to $52 for adults and up $1 to $44 for children. DisneyQuest has had a $1 jump, to $44 for adults and $38 for children. Wide World of Sports admission is up $1.40 for adults, to $14.95, while the children's price is up 96 cents to $10.28. Tickets to Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba are up $2-$4 for adults and $1-$3 for children. Annual passes for water parks and DisneyQuest are unchanged.

Theme park annual pass prices are also increasing. The biggest impact is the fact that Walt Disney World is joining the Disneyland Resort in not providing a lower price for child annual passports. All guests will now pay the full price for annual passes, and the Adult prices are increasing substantially on top of that. It may be that, like Disneyland, Walt Disney World is looking to “thin the herd” of Annual and Deluxe Passholders. The Annual Pass is up $55 to $574 (child price last year was $478), compared to a $20 increase for the adult AP last year. Premium Annual Passes increased $50 to $699 (child price was $598) vs. $20 last year. Standard and Premium Annual Pass renewal prices both jump $50, vs. $80 and $20 respectively last year.

Disney Vacation Club members and Florida residents save $149 on a new AP, $144 on a renewal AP, and $140 on a new or renewal Premium AP. Florida resident Seasonal and other reduced passes are also rising. Seasonal passes are up $30 to $299 with renewals up $28 to $269. Weekday Select passes are up $20 to $199, while renewals are up $15 to $179. Epcot After 4 passes are up $16 to $165 with renewals up $11 to $150.

While the Premier Passport (good at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts) rises a whopping $100 to $849, it's still a great value when you consider that the cost of the passes individually (Walt Disney World at $699 and Disneyland at $649) is an eye-popping $1,348, largely on the strength of the Disneyland Premium AP's recent $150 price hike. That's a savings of $499. Of course, there's an argument to be made on consolidation of renewal dates vs. travel dates to each coast, but the net savings could quite possibly still be sufficient to make it worthwhile.

Florida residents can also continue to buy monthly-payment Annual Passes of all types. For each pass, a down payment of $94.79 (including tax) must be made.

As we noted last year, the price increase helps Disney to cover contractually obligated raises to employees and other rising costs of operating the theme parks and resorts. To help combat the affordability issue, Disney may continue to discount room rates and offer special pricing or Free Dining promotions, though with recent decreases in promotions, that might not happen. If they do, it would be so that Disney would continue to keep attendance up and rooms filled while the relative value of the park passes continues to increase. As the economy rebounds, instead of having to put a huge price increase in place to bring prices back to market value, Disney will just continue the decrease in promotions and have the net profits shoot back up. It’s a great way of preserving the relative market value of the park passes against the price increases in other entertainment venues (major league sports, movies, Broadway shows, ski passes, etc.).

However, that doesn't change the fact that five days of Park Hopper tickets for a family of four (two adults, two children age 3-9) now cost $1,264 plus tax, or $1346.16. That's nearly a 6.6 percent increase over last year's price of $1,186 plus tax, or $1,263.09. That pales compared to the increase for annual passes for the same group. With the elimination of child pricing, increases range from a 12 percent increase for Premium Annual Passes to nearly 16 percent for Florida Seasonal or Weekday Select Passes. Premium Annual Passes for that whole family would cost $2,796 plus tax, or or $2,977.74 per year.

Is this year's price increase too much, or is it justified? Join the discussion on our MousePad discussion forums.

Everything looks nice and fresh after Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's refurbishment in this view from the second lift hill. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Big Thunder's queue has been slightly re-routed, and newly-installed themed wall sections in the upstairs queue provide much less of a wide open feel. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Could these FastPass-style boxes in the queue be intended for some future FastPass Plus feature? Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

On the third lift hill, many scenery issues have been addressed, as well as well as improvements to the lighting. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Magic Kingdom again world's #1 theme park in 2011; Islands of Adventure moves up again

Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom finds itself atop the heap in theme park attendance yet again, with 2011 attendance of 17.14 million visitors, up 1 percent from last year. Disneyland Park in California again came in second at 16.14 million guests, also up 1 percent. Tokyo's Disneyland and Disney Sea parks finished third and fourth with 13.996 million and 11.93 million, respectively, both down due to last year's tsunami that shuttered the parks for weeks. Those were the only Disney parks to show crowd decreases in 2011. The information comes to us via the annual theme park attendance listing, now put together by AECOM (a professional technical and management support services firm) and published by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA).

Disneyland Paris saw a jump of 4.7 percent, enough to lift it from sixth to fifth place on the list in 2011, to 10.99 million visitors. Epcot dropped to sixth, stable at 10.83 million visitors. Disney's Animal Kingdom had another increase of 1 percent to 9.78 million, keeping the “Nah-ta-zu” park in seventh place, while Disney's Hollywood Studios park was in eighth, with 9.7 million visitors, also up 1 percent.

Ninth-place Universal Studios Japan was again the top non-Disney park, with 8.5 million visitors (up 4.2 percent), with the again-surprising Universal Islands of Adventure in Orlando leaping into the Top 10 with 7.67 million, an incredible jump of 29 percent due to the influence of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, following last year's 30.2 percent increase.

Disney's California Adventure dropped from 11th to 14th, despite a 1 percent increase to 6.34 million. That number should jump in the next two years with the relaunch of that park (including the opening of the new Cars Land area).

Universal Studios Orlando was in 15th with 6.04 million, an increase of 2 percent.

Hong Kong Disneyland dropped from 14th to 16th despite a 13.5 percent increase to 5.9 million. Even with a 4.7 percent increase to 4.71 million, Walt Disney Studios Paris dropped from 18th to 20th, closing the gap on SeaWorld Florida at 5.20 million (up 2 percent) and Universal Studios Hollywood at 5.14 million (up 2 percent). Busch Gardens Tampa dropped two places to 23 despite an increase of 2 percent to 4.28 million.

Attendance grew at all Disney parks in Florida, California, Paris, and Hong Kong. Disney parks held the top five domestic slots, with Universal's Islands of Adventure dropiing Disney California Adventure Park down to seventh. The Harry Potter Effect continues to boost the Universal park, though it still has a huge gap to make up to catch Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The U.S. and world water park rankings again were led by Typhoon Lagoon, at 2.06 million, up 1 percent. However, on the world rankings, Blizzard Beach was knocked down to third place by Chimelong Water Park in Guangzhou, China, which was up 11.8 percent to 1.9 million. Blizzard Beach was up 1 percent to 1.89 million, holding on to the number two slot in the U.S. In staying steady at 1.5 million, U.S. number three Aquatica dropped one slot to sixth in the world.

You can view the full report online.

A look over the wall shows that Maurice's cottage is coming along nicely in the new Fantasyland Forest. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

The second Dumbo spinner is now in place, and is getting final touches before it can open. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Casey Jr. blows water mist “smoke” from his stack. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Squirrel trumps monorail

Last week, the Walt Disney World Monorail System was brought to a near halt by a squirrel on the tracks in an incident caught on video. The lost rodent somehow found its way onto the monorail beam in front of an express train near the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Monorail Gold would slowly approach the squirrel and blast its horn, causing the squirrel to run a short distance then stop to catch its breath. This exercise continued for nearly 45 minutes until the pair finally reached the Magic Kingdom station, at which point the squirrel had a way to leap safely off of the monorail beam. It raced onto the platform and took off for the safety of less-populated areas.

The video was posted on YouTube last Monday, and a fierce (family-unfriendly) debate ensued in the comments on YouTube. Some argued that the driver should be given an award for showing care for wildlife, while others argued that the driver should have plowed right over the squirrel at full speed. Still others faulted the original poster for making a point of the fact that the monorail pilot was a woman.

There's a more family-friendly discussion of this incident on the MousePad discussion forums. What's your opinion?

On both queues at Pirates of the Caribbean, sections have been masked off for future interactive elements. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

You and a friend can “get a head start” at this joint photo opportunity near the exit queue to the Haunted Mansion. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Snow White's Scary Adventures closed for good last Thursday night. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.

It's rumored that management may be removing this dual split rail for the Horse-Drawn Trolley. It's seldom that more than one trolley is being used at a given time. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Construction update

The following is a listing of interesting items from paperwork filed with Orange County in the last week:

• Magic Kingdom Pecos Bill – construction.
• Magic Kingdom Tom Sawyer Island – construction.
• Magic Kingdom fireworks compound – construction.
• Epcot Mexico pavilion – fire protection.
• Epcot Mexico pavilion – construction.
• Epcot Mexico pavilion cast elevator – mechanical.
• Epcot Soarin' – restroom directional signs.
• Disney's Hollywood Studios Theatre of the Stars – electrical.
• Disney's Hollywood Studios Soundstage 2 – office modifications.
• Transportation & Ticket Center West Gate – electrical.
• Downtown Disney Westside Cirque du Soleil – mechanical repair of sprinkler heads.
• Wide World of Sports Complex safety office – construction.
• Grand Floridian Resort & Spa housekeeping breakout room – electrical.
• Port Orleans Riverside loading dock – concrete.
• Caribbean Beach Resort elevators – contractors general conditions.
• Caribbean Beach Resort Customs House – construction.
• Fort Wilderness Trailer B007 – construction.
• Disney's Art of Animation Resort boat ramp – construction.

High Performance Karting from Richard Petty Driving Experience debuted for the first time to the general public at Car Masters Weekend at Downtown Disney West Side to celebrate all things “Cars.” Photo © Disney (Gene Duncan, photographer).

Quick takes …

…The Carbon-Freeze Me Experience is now open every day, rather than only Star Wars Weekends event days. It runs through June 16, a few days past the end of Star Wars Weekends on June 10. Call 407-WDW-TECH (407-939-8324) to make reservations. Walk-ins will be accommodated as availability permits.

…One Walt Disney World-area airport is trying to ditch the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at its security checkpoints. Orlando-Sanford International Airport will find out later this month whether it will be allowed to bring in a private company to replace TSA screeners. The airport is currently serviced by Allegiant Airlines from over 40 domestic airports, as well as several scheduled and charter international airlines.

…Disney's Art of Animation Resort officially opened last Thursday. Check out our look at the history and the story of the resort.

Surf's up at the Big Blue pool at Disney's Art of Animation Resort, which opened last Thursday. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Squirt has his own playground adjacent to the pool area. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Throughout the grounds of Disney's Art of Animation Resort are trivia signs about the Disney and Disney-Pixar classics being showcased. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

Pride Rock is ready for its closeup when the Lion King section of Disney's Art of Animation Resort opens later this summer. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.

…Reservations for Party for the Senses at this year's Epcot International Food & Wine Festival open August 14.

…The start of the refurbishment at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue has been pushed back to October 1.

…Want to find out more about the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game, or perhaps the Kim Possible and Agent P World Showcase Adventure games? The Disney Parks Blog will be hosting a live chat with Imagineer Jonathan Ackley this Thursday at 1:15 p.m. EDT.

…A construction permit filed with the Orange County Clerk's Office for construction at the Disney's Art of Animation Resort Boat Ramp would seem to indicate that there's a chance that boat rentals may be coming to Hourglass Lake.

…The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Marriott International has contracted with Gaylord Entertainment Co. to manage the company's four convention resorts, including the Gaylord Palms near Walt Disney World. The Gaylord Palms is the third-largest convention resort in Central Florida, behind only the Orlando World Center Marriott and the Rosen Shingle Creek.

…The MousePlanet Newsletter is here! The newsletter contains a recap of the week's articles (in case you miss a day), news that may have developed since the weekly Updates were published, and tips about what's happening at the Disney theme parks for the coming weekend. We'll also include a fun MouseAdventure bonus, such as an Eye Spy or a trivia question. To subscribe to our free newsletter, go to the MousePlanet main page and enter your email address in the top right box labeled “Join the MousePlanet Newsletter.” Click Join, then fill out the fields in the registration page, including your first and last name. The Newsletter is free, but you must complete this registration to receive it, even if you may have signed up for one with us in the past.

…The date has been announced for the 2013 Expedition Everest Challenge. The event will take place May 4, 2013. No date has been released yet for the opening of registration.

…The 2013 Princess Half Marathon weekend takes place February 22–24, 2013. Registration opens Tuesday, July 10 at 12:00 p.m. EDT.

…Registration for the September 28–29 Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend is now full. There is a waitlist in case additional spots become available. The related runDisney Kids' Races are now 54 percent full and the 5K is now 51 percent full. A one-mile race has been added to the runDisney Kids' Races.

…Registration for the November 9-10 Disney's Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend is 69 percent full.

…Registration for the January 10-13, 2013, Disney Marathon Weekend is now open. Registration for Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge is 65 percent full.

Crowd update

Join our networks
Facebook MousePlanet MouseAdventure The MouseStation Podcast	Twitter @MousePlanet @MouseStation @MouseAdventure @MPMark (Mark Goldhaber) @MousePlanetAVP (Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix) @MPStephanie (Stephanie Wien) @MPSteven (Steven Ng) @MousePlanetJeff (Jeff Kober)

Don't keep it to yourself! Send us your news tips, rumors, and comments. Email Mark here.

Talk about these stories and more on our Walt Disney World discussion forum here.

Coming up

• Through June 10: Fridays through Sundays: Star Wars Weekends.
• June 18: Cars wing of Disney's Art of Animation Resort opens.
• July: Remainder of Storybook Circus opens at Magic Kingdom.
• August 10: The Lion King wing of Disney's Art of Animation Resort opens.
• September 7-8: Night of Joy.
• September 11, 14, 18, 21, 25, 28, 30, October 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28, 30, 31, November 2. Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
• September 15: The Little Mermaid wing of Disney's Art of Animation Resort opens.
• September 28–29: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend.
• September 28 to November 12: Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
• November 3: MouseAdventure World Explorers IV.
• November 9–10: Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend.
• November 9, 12, 15, 16, 25, 27, 29, and 30, December 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, and 21. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.
• November 22, 23, 25: Old Spice Classic.
• “In time for Holidays 2012”: Little Mermaid– and Beauty and the Beast-themed sections of New Fantasyland open at Magic Kingdom.
• December 13: Disney Vacation Club Condominium Association annual meeting.
• January 10–13, 2013: Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend.
• February 22-24, 2013: Disney's Princess Half Marathon.
• May 4, 2013: Expedition Everest Challenge.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• Snow White's Scary Adventures – closed permanently on May 31 for conversion to Princess Fairy Tale Hall.
• Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin – closed for refurbishment June 27-29.
• Enclosed Dumbo queue, – opens in July.
• Second Dumbo spinner – opens in July.
• Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station – opens in July.
• Liberty Square Riverboat – closed for refurbishment August 4-10.
• Country Bear Jamboree – closed for refurbishment August 22–October 17.
• Be Our Guest Restaurant – opens by Holidays 2012.
• Maurice's Cottage – opens by Holidays 2012.
• Gaston's Tavern – opens by Holidays 2012.
• Bonjour Village Gifts – opens by Holidays 2012.
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid – opens by Holidays 2012.
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – opens 2014.
• Princess Fairy Tale Hall – opens 2014.

Epcot

• Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure – closed May 19 to make way for the Disney Phineas and Ferb: Agent P's World Showcase Adventure, which opens in late June.
• Test Track – closed through November 30 for “reimagining.”

Disney's Hollywood Studios

• The American Idol Experience – closed for refurbishment June 14-15.

Animal Kingdom

• Affection Section – closed for refurbishment May 3-June 30.

Resorts

• Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – Grand Floridian Spa closed through mid-2013 for refurbishment.
• Wilderness Lodge – metal roof seams recoated thorough June 29.
• Beach Club Resort – Cape May Cafe closed for refurbishment July 9 through August 3.
• Yacht Club Resort Yachtsman Steakhouse – closed for refurbishment August 27 through September 15.
• Yacht Club Resort – building exterior repaired and refinished through August 3.
• Yacht Club Resort – rooftop HVAC hot water piping replaced January 9 to September 28.
• Saratoga Springs Resort – villa buildings undergo exterior cleaning and painting one at a time between the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday through August 30.
• Fort Wilderness Campground & Resort Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue – closed for refurbishment October 1 through December 31.
• Coronado Springs Resort – Ranchos buildings experiences tile roof repair and replacement through July 27.
• Pop Century Resort – repairs of concrete deck at Hippy Dippy Pool through September 28. The pool remains open during the work, but some small sections of the pool deck will be closed periodically throughout this period.

Water Parks

• Typhoon Lagoon – closed October 28 for annual refurbishment.
• Blizzard Beach – closed for annual refurbishment upon reopening of Typhoon Lagoon.

Elsewhere

• Palm Golf Course – closed through June 8 for refurbishment.
• Oak Trail Golf Course – closed June 6 through September 28 for refurbishment.
• Cirque du Soleil La Nouba – performs Tuesdays through Saturdays. For 2012, the show is not be performed:
  • July 24
  • September 18–22
  • November 27

Current Discounts & Promotions

Discounted rooms and packages released for summer

Two new discounts have been released for this summer, one for room and ticket packages and one for room-only reservations. Both discounts are available for stays most nights from June 15 through August 14 and must be booked by June 14.

Discounts on package stays are available for a minimum stay of three nights and a minimum Magic Your Way base ticket of two days. These rates are available for June 15 through August 4 at Value and Moderate Resorts and July 15 and August 14 at Deluxe and Deluxe Villas Resorts. This discount does not include Disney's Art of Animation Resort.

Room-only discounts are available for June 15 through August 4 (Value Resorts) or August 14 (Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villas Resorts). Discounts are 15 percent at Value Resorts, 20 percent at Moderate Resorts, and 25 percent at Deluxe and Deluxe Villas Resorts. This discount does not include suites and 3 bedroom Grand Villas.

No other discounts or group rates apply. The number of discounted rooms at these rates are limited, and additional minimum stay lengths may apply for weekend arrivals.

Both packages use discount code C8Q.

For the discounted packages, you can make your reservation through the Walt Disney World website or by calling (407) 939-4990 or your favorite travel agent.

For the room-only discounts, you can make your reservation through the Walt Disney World website or by calling (407) 939-1920 or your favorite travel agent.

MousePlanet’s preferred Disney travel providers are MouseEarVacations.com (link), Small World Vacations (link) and Get Away Today (link).

Passholder room discounts available through June

A Passholder discount is available for most dates through June 14.

Passholders can book this discount through the day of arrival if rooms are still available. As with all discounts, rooms available at these rates is limited, and minimum length-of-stay requirements may apply for Friday or Saturday arrivals. No group rates or other discounts apply. Suites and 3- bedroom Grand Villas are not included.

You can make your reservation through the Walt Disney World Passholder website or by calling (407) 939-1876 or your favorite travel agent and mentioning discount code RX2. MousePlanet’s preferred Disney travel providers are MouseEarVacations.com (link), Small World Vacations (link) and Get Away Today (link).

Tables in Wonderland members can save on tickets to La Nouba

Tables in Wonderland members can purchase discounted Category 2 tickets La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil on performances Tuesday through Saturday nights, May 29 to June 27. Prices for members and up to 3 guests are $57.85 plus tax for adults and $46.80 plus tax for children. To purchase tickets, call 407-WDW-SEAT (407-939-7328). Note that a valid Tables in Wonderland ID and advance purchase is required. Tickets must be picked up at the La Nouba box office Will Call window.

Military ticket offer

From now through September 28, 2012, active and retired U.S. military personnel can purchase 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets with either the Park Hopper or Water Parks Fun and More option for $138 per ticket, plus tax, or with both the Park Hopper and Water Parks Fun and More options for $165 per ticket, plus tax. No Base ticket is available with this offer.

The tickets expire and may not be used after September 30, 2012. July 4, 2012 is a blockout date.

Eligible service members include active or retired members of the U.S. military including the U.S. Coast Guard, National Guard, and Reservists. Disney Military Promotional Tickets can be purchased at Shades of Green or at a participating military base (MWR/ITT) office. There is no tax charged for these tickets but they must be activated at a theme park ticket window. Tickets may also be purchased at Walt Disney World Park Ticket Offices and Guest Relations Offices where tax will be charged. No more than twelve Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets may be purchased, activated and/or used by any Eligible Service Member or spouse during the life of this promotion, and no Eligible Service Member or spouse may purchase, activate and/or use more than six Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets during any single week of the promotion. One of the Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets purchased on each occasion must be for use by the Eligible Service Member or spouse. This offer is for active or retired members of the U.S. military, including the National Guard, Reservists and the U.S. Coast Guard. Valid military identification is required. The tickets are non-transferable and may not be resold.

The tickets may be upgraded to Seasonal Passes or Florida Resident Weekday Select Passes (for Florida Residents), or Annual Passes, Premium Annual Passes, or Disney Premier Pass with credit toward the upgrade based on the actual price paid. The no-expiration option and other upgrades, such as additional days, are not available.

For complete information regarding Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets, military personnel may call 407-939-7830, visit the Walt Disney World website, or participating U.S. military base ticket offices.

Don't keep it to yourself! Send us your news tips, rumors, and comments. Email Mark here.