2010/2011 Armed Forces Salute Tickets

[goofyredraider]

Does anyone know approximately when they extended the current promotion last year that goes until the end Sep 2012? We are so hoping they continue with this program, too...as this is the only way we have been able to afford to go. We are hoping to go once again at the beginning of October this year --- so hoping we do NOT get cuaght in limbo as they decide. Any ideas?

I believe they renewed in June of last year.

I am also hoping the program is renewed, and even more hopeful with the announcement of their "HEROES WORK HERE" program. It seems Disney is standing behind their commitment to support military families and veterans. As a military family, discounts aside, I really appreciate that commitment.

 

[Mrsjvb]

I can't quite understand why they're limiting to only 6 uses at a time since the option is there to buy for friends/family, and to buy 12. I mean how many of us are going to disney as a welcome home family trip with grandparents etc? Given the circumstances it seems very easy that any one extended family would be travelling all at the same time .

I am not arguing about it, I just don't understand the reasoning behind it.

they have to draw a line somewhere. and no most people are not bringing extended family. your typical family is still Mom dad and 2 kids. they automatically gave you an extra 2 for flexibility. and of course exceptions are made if the sponsor's family is larger than 6( I know somebody with 5 kids although they are en route to Guam and would rather hit Colonial Williamsburg than WDW anyway)

its not meant to enable you to bring 3 generations at once to WDW. nor is it meant to be abused by offering the deal to everyone you know

the original Promo, back in 2009 WAS abused.. BIG time which is why they changed the rules. For what it is worth the 2009 version worked well for our family.. this current one DOES NOT. ( we won't mention the fact that DH has been OCONUS for the last 2 years and we couldn't have gone even if we wanted to)

 

[Mrsjvb]

My pref would be if you could have more then four days since every time we have gone its been for 6-7 days

This. we always go 7-10 days. even just the 2 of us( we have no kids and for a variety of reasons I will NOT go on vacation with ANY of either extended family) even each of us getting 2 tickets under the current promo it is actually a better deal for us to buy an AP this year as we can also snag a TiW card which helps on dining costs.

4 days is just plain NOT enough time to do WDW justice. doubling up the tickets is more expensive than just buying the regular Military discount tickets at SoG or ITT/MWR.

esp since the DL ticket is 3 days..half the number of parks but only one less day. We only had 2 days in DL last year( and I would have LOVED to add that third in but alas he had to get back to work) and it was much more reasonable as far as restrictions go.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Well, I can't complain, it has worked well for the 2 of us. We used 2 in Dec 2010 and and finished out the days in April 2011, and we were able to use 4 in Jan 2012 for a total of 8 days, it was the cheapest option for us. We usually only go for 3 to 4 days at a time, and have gone for even less than that.

We plan to use 4 in June when we take my MIL and her husband, leaving 2, I just hope they extend it or at least have some kind of affordable tickets, that's what always breaks my budget. Maybe, I'll give in and buy AP's for Christmas, we miss having those, but we wouldn't have gotten much use out of it the last couple of years, with life being so unpredictable.

 

[Mousemommy1]

This. we always go 7-10 days. even just the 2 of us( we have no kids and for a variety of reasons I will NOT go on vacation with ANY of either extended family) even each of us getting 2 tickets under the current promo it is actually a better deal for us to buy an AP this year as we can also snag a TiW card which helps on dining costs.

4 days is just plain NOT enough time to do WDW justice. doubling up the tickets is more expensive than just buying the regular Military discount tickets at SoG or ITT/MWR.

esp since the DL ticket is 3 days..half the number of parks but only one less day. We only had 2 days in DL last year( and I would have LOVED to add that third in but alas he had to get back to work) and it was much more reasonable as far as restrictions go.

I agree...4 days is never enough, and we always go for longer than a week. We too are opting for the AP this year as it is a much better deal for us. Going to WDW for 4 days is absurd, unless you live close by and can do quickie trips, but we have to stay at least a week to make the airfare worth it.

 

[buffettgirl]

didn't mean to open a can of worms. Like I said earlier, I am not ungreatful.

the 2009 program was abused but then this one came out and they deliberately offered it to be used by extended family and friends. That was a big change over the first program. They also allowed the service member to activate tickets for those not present. Those were the biggest abuses in the original program and they eliminated them or rather, made them legal.

Again, I'm not ungrateful but we are people who generally do travel with extended family.

I would also like a 2nd option of more than 4 days in teh next program. In the past we always did 10 day trips and would buy a full 10 day pass. Now we limit our trips to shorter periods and simply make due with the 4 day pass.

again, not ungrateful.

 

[appleorchard]

I think the four day tickets were a way to offer something to the military but also keep a lid on it at the same time. Most people do go for more than 4 days, and buying two tickets puts your cost pretty close to the cost of an 8 day pass, so Disney isn't losing much. People get very heated over the issue of whether using tickets for family and friends is somehow "cheating" the system. Disney allows it, so it isn't.

The first year, you saw the tickets for sale on eBay. Sure, activating the tickets and selling them to strangers would be abuse of the system, although I can understand the temptation for young soldiers who don't make much money.This doesn't seem to be happening anymore.

The first year, the offer was for 5 days, which better fit most people's visiting styles. Now it's 4. Maybe next year it will only be three. We've enjoyed using it, we've enjoyed offering it to family and friends who have used it with us and in some cases, saved days for later trips on their own. My sister can stretch a 4 day ticket through 2 trips! It's been a great perk, one they never had to offer and I wish people wouldn't get their knickers so in a knot over how it's used. As long as it's within Disney's guidelines.

 

[buffettgirl]

oh gosh, I wasn't getting my panties in a bunch. I was just asking.

 

[appleorchard]

Oh, my goodness, I didn't mean you at all! Some people in the past have gotten upset with the way people used tickets for family and friends. Sorry.

 

[buffettgirl]

oh ok LOL. I was like woooah...I wasn't even wearing undies today.

lol

and yes, the first promotion was horribly abused. They were giving one freebie to the service member, remember? and 99 for a 5 day with $25 options for hopper and 25 for WP&M,so it was quite a deal.

 

[appleorchard]

Yeah, those were the days! I'd forgotten the servicemember's ticket was free!

 

[yesallours]

I'm hoping they'll come up with a new version after October. Like everyone else, we'll take what we can get, very grateful. We are going to be in WDW for Christmas, cruise first then Shades of Green for the big day itself. We have to wait to see if WDW will give any ticket discounts other than the usual no-tax tickets at SOG, before we make plans for ADR's or even decide to spend the whole time at WDW or go to Universal, so we're just waiting to see what is offered and then spend the money we've been saving!

 

[buffettgirl]

I'm hoping they'll come up with a new version after October. Like everyone else, we'll take what we can get, very grateful. We are going to be in WDW for Christmas, cruise first then Shades of Green for the big day itself. We have to wait to see if WDW will give any ticket discounts other than the usual no-tax tickets at SOG, before we make plans for ADR's or even decide to spend the whole time at WDW or go to Universal, so we're just waiting to see what is offered and then spend the money we've been saving!

I think Christmas week was blacked out already on these tickets. So you might be out of luck even if they do extend it.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I agree...4 days is never enough, and we always go for longer than a week. We too are opting for the AP this year as it is a much better deal for us. Going to WDW for 4 days is absurd, unless you live close by and can do quickie trips, but we have to stay at least a week to make the airfare worth it.

Well, I certainly don't think 4 days is absurd, in fact we have driven down and done 1 day, 2 nights. I wouldn't do that if we had to fly, but driving 6 hours for one say at the MK isn't at all absurd, that's just who we are!

 

[buffettgirl]

Well, I certainly don't think 4 days is absurd, in fact we have driven down and done 1 day, 2 nights. I wouldn't do that if we had to fly, but driving 6 hours for one say at the MK isn't at all absurd, that's just who we are!

I also don't think it's absurd. We're flying from MA and we take a 7 day trip usually. But we also get hoppers and we get water parks, so we have those options as well. I mean, the airfare is the same if you go for 7 days or 10 days. And while I used to like my 14 days trips to Disney those didn't happen too often, every 2 or 3 years. And so yeah, going every year I spend more in air but, but I also don't buy 10 or more day passes either. this year I found great deals (and was actually able to use frequent flyer miles - amazing!) This trip is only 6 days but I've booked a really early flight there and a really late flight home, so we'll have the day we arrive to do a half day in the water park or something else, a mid week water park break, 4 park days and the final day will be DTD, shopping, early dinner, and then home.

 

[redshirt]

IF they do extend it or offer up a new one in October, I really hope they take off the "lifetime" cap or refresh it. Since this deal has been running for what will be 3 years I am sure many people, myself included, will have reached their 12 tickets. And yes, it may come across as ungrateful, but it would really suck if they are offering military deals that you are not eligible for, just because you have used (NOT ABUSED) their previous offers.

*on a side note I wish disney would come out and specifically say somewhere what they consider the lifetime (2010 or 2011 start). No one seems to have an official answer. Just one CM's word against another.

 

[appleorchard]

There is no "lifetime" cap and the current restriction of 12 within a two-year period just began this year. The time period is October 2010 to Sept. 30, 2012 for using a total of 12 tickets. This restriction didn't exist before this year--it was simply 6 tickets per year. The fact that they did combine it may mean they want more people to take advantage of it or that they're phasing it out. hopefully we'll all know in a few months!

 

[crostorfer]

We will hit 12 tickets in September, and there are only three of us, LOL. Just goes to show you how many times I've been to Disney in the last two years. I've been so grateful for this promotion and the military room only discount. We've been able to use both to a great advantage, and combined with ridiculously cheap airfare deals at the right time, we've really done Disney much cheaper than we ever thought we could. We've saved multiple thousands of dollars staying Deluxe. There is no way we could stay rack rate at the Polynesian, but at 40% off, the Poly is our home away from home.

If Disney doesn't come out with another military discount after October 1st, I personally won't be heartbroken. This is my daughter's last year as a Disney "kid", as she's turning 9 in June. So, in 2013, not only would I have to pay the extra adult in room charge, but I'd have to pay adult dining plan. (We're dining plan people and we don't stay at Shades. I need a better pool and a food court.) Not only is she about to be a Disney "Adult" but she wants bigger, faster, scarier rides than Disney offers. Our future Orlando trips, if they happen, will be centered around Universal and Sea World/Aquatica/Discovery Cove. We may venture to Epcot for a day to eat and shop, but our future trips will be much less Disney-centric.

I hope for the rest of your sakes that they come up with another great promo for 2013, but I'm not sweating it for our family. We had a great run.

 

[lovesdumbo]

not only would I have to pay the extra adult in room charge

Not that this changes your other concerns but the extra adult fee for the room doesn't kick in until you are 18.

 

[Mrsjvb]

IF they do extend it or offer up a new one in October, I really hope they take off the "lifetime" cap or refresh it. Since this deal has been running for what will be 3 years I am sure many people, myself included, will have reached their 12 tickets. And yes, it may come across as ungrateful, but it would really suck if they are offering military deals that you are not eligible for, just because you have used (NOT ABUSED) their previous offers.

*on a side note I wish disney would come out and specifically say somewhere what they consider the lifetime (2010 or 2011 start). No one seems to have an official answer. Just one CM's word against another.

there really isn't a lifetime cap. its just that the first year was 6 tickets and the second year was six tickets and they were nice enough to roll over entitlement( hey of the Military can increase the Unused leave Day roll over from 60 to 75, why can't Disney do something similar, right?! hehehe)

my guess is, if they just extend the current one, it will be the same.. 18 tickets total over the 3 years

But Like I said I'd rather see a totally different configuration. wonder what the biggest seller is overall? a 7 day Park hopper? than give us a better than average break on those tickets.