2010/2011 Armed Forces Salute Tickets

[Cheshire Figment]

This is a "canned" response modified for the Armed Forces Salute 2010/2011 tickets with the assumption you have both the Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More (WPF&M) options.

Hopefully this will make it a little clearer. In effect you have two tickets with different privileges on one card. Everything expires at Midnight on October 1, 2011. Even if you use up all your major park days, the WPF&M entries remain valid until used or 10/01/11. (Note you do not have to use the days consecutively.)

You have four days of access to the four major parks (AK, DHS, EC, MK), and may visit more than one major park on a single day without any extra charges. Without the Park Hopper option you can only go to one major park per day.

You have four entries to the minor parks (BB, DQ, OT, TL, WWS). These may or may not be used on the same days as you go to the major parks. However, if you went to TL in the morning, Oak Trail in the afternoon, and Disney Quest in the evening of one day you would have used three of the four entries. (Note that leaving and returning to the same minor park on the same day does not use an extra entry.)

If you go to minor parks only on one day and do not go to a major park you do not use up one of your major park days.

If you were to go to a Water Park in the morning and then one of the major parks for the remainder of the day you would have used one minor park entry and one day of major park entry.

Note that with the ticket unless you have the hopper option you can only go to one major park per day. Unless you have the WPF&M option you cannot go to a minor park without upgrading or purchasing a separate ticket.

 

[danceintherain]

Cheshire Figment said:

Our friend whose husband is active military called her ticket office in San Antonio a few weeks ago and at that time she was told the military tickets they had (not much of a discount from Undercovertourist) were only for military and their families, not friends. So I am not sure what they will tell her about these new tickets or if her ticket office will even be able to get them time for the Nov 7 departure.

The new offer was only released on Sunday, so the ITRs didn't get them until Monday. I went into mine on Monday to find out some info, and they knew about the offer but hadn't received pricing information yet.

I asked about ticket turnaround, because we're leaving the area on Friday and arriving at Disney on November 7th. She indicated that there probably would be time, and they could send them to us when they got in. I wasn't willing to take this risk. The office here orders Disney tickets on Wednesdays (I suppose its possible that they could order these tickets sooner, but I doubt it), then it can take 2 weeks for them to get them back. I think the person I talked to at the office said 10 days, but either way I'm looking at a very risky situation.

Anyways, we're buying our tickets when we arrive. Yes, it would be nice to get the extra $10ish per person, but we're not sure if we feel like going out of our way to go to Shades of Green to purchase the tickets. We plan on deciding when we arrive.

 

[MelliRobi2]

I am the wife of a military member and I'm planning on a girls trip in Sept. 2011, because of the military offer...do I need to buy reg tickets to get free dining or can I just purchase the military ticket...I thought they made exceptions to that last year also...the number of ticks I can get are 6 now? I remember it being 4?? thanks...I'm just trying to figure out the best deal I can get since we are trying to do a low budget trip and I know we want dining.

 

[danceintherain]

I am the wife of a military member and I'm planning on a girls trip in Sept. 2011, because of the military offer...do I need to buy reg tickets to get free dining or can I just purchase the military ticket...I thought they made exceptions to that last year also...the number of ticks I can get are 6 now? I remember it being 4?? thanks...I'm just trying to figure out the best deal I can get since we are trying to do a low budget trip and I know we want dining.

I doubt they made an exception for Free Dining (even AP holders have to buy tickets with FD). However, you can add the Dining plan when using the military room-only discount and buying the military tickets . That is an exception, because normally tickets must be added in order to add the DP.

The # of tickets is 5+the service member. The only exception to this is if the service member has and will be traveling with more than 5 dependents.

 

[mdrob214]

One last (I hope!) question for Cheshire Figment: (Thank you so much for the help, CF!)

I have a spouse ID--it is DOD form 1173-1 (spouse of a reservist). I just want to verify that I can, in fact purchase these awesome tickets without DH. I also want to verify that, yes, I can purchase 2, and then come back and purchase 2 more later.

Thank you!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Yes and Yes.

 

[mdrob214]

Yes and Yes.

 

[lsherry]

CF, thank you for explaining the ticket situation to me.

 

[madelyn]

We are traveling to WDW in early November with a friend whose husband is active military. She was able to order a ticket for herself at her local base (San Antonio) ticket office yesterday (Tuesday). I asked her if she would be able to get tickets for us (four of us traveling with her need tickets) but I wasn't sure if she wanted to save tickets for other family members or friends in case she took another trip within the year. So she called her local ticket office about getting tickets for us and this is what she tells me: "The lady says I can only get the ticket for myself. I think she said if I wanted more even just for dependents, the military person would have to get them. The spouse can get one, and only for herself/himself w/out the active duty person there." Is she being told the right thing? The rest of us have ordered our tickets already from Undercovertourist already but the savings would be nice!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Technically each MWR/ITT office can set it's own policy as far as the sale of the tickets are concerned.

What is the overriding control, however, is Disney's rules about activation of the tickets. If you go to the locked sticky Everything About WDW Tickets in this Forum, especially Post #17, you can get a lot more information. An easy way to get to the sticky is by clicking on the link in my signature.

I had an incident a few months ago where a service member came to my window to activate four tickets he had purchased at a base. When I looked him up in the system I saw that six tickets had already been activated. He pointed to a group standing outside the turnstiles anjd said that is wife had already done "her six". I explained the rules to him, sold him regular tickets and suggested that he attempt to see if he could get the tickets refunded at the base or find another service member who could use them.

 

[pershing]

I don't know if this has been asked before:

I am an ex-wife of a Service Member. I have 3 son's with Dependent cards.

My ex lives near Fort Devens and I live near Otis Air Force Base.

He is not a Disney Dude at all, but he doesn't mind the kids going every other year.

Can we go with him to buy the tickets and then go to WDW without him? Or must he be there at WDW also? (I dragged him there once, but unlikely to get him there again. He much prefers chomping thru the White Mountains to running around a Disney Park.)

I'm just confused as to what, where, and how 'Activation' occurs? Is that the act of picking up the tickets at the base? Or going thru the ticket turnstile?

Thanks ahead of time.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

As you do not have a DD1173 yourself, he would have to be the one to puchase and he must be at WDW to activate the tickets. That said, if he was in the area and could get to WDW he could do the purchasing and activating here and then send the active tickets to you.

But no other dependent but the Spouse can activate tickets.

 

[madelyn]

We are traveling to WDW in early November with a friend whose husband is active military. She was able to order a ticket for herself at her local base (San Antonio) ticket office yesterday (Tuesday). I asked her if she would be able to get tickets for us (four of us traveling with her need tickets) but I wasn't sure if she wanted to save tickets for other family members or friends in case she took another trip within the year. So she called her local ticket office about getting tickets for us and this is what she tells me: "The lady says I can only get the ticket for myself. I think she said if I wanted more even just for dependents, the military person would have to get them. The spouse can get one, and only for herself/himself w/out the active duty person there." Is she being told the right thing? The rest of us have ordered our tickets already from Undercovertourist already but the savings would be nice!

Update to my question above. My friend went to pick up her ticket today and at that time she was told she can purchase for friends. They did not have all the facts since her ticket was the first they sold. So as of now, she has intentions to order tickets for us. Yea!

 

[vettegirl]

I purchased my tickets yesterday at my base in San Antonio and there were no questions asked, and my DH wasn't even with me.

 

[ICan'tWait]

As you do not have a DD1173 yourself, he would have to be the one to puchase and he must be at WDW to activate the tickets. That said, if he was in the area and could get to WDW he could do the purchasing and activating here and then send the active tickets to you.

But no other dependent but the Spouse can activate tickets.

That's great to know about the activiation. I thought we all had to be together when activating. I also read that one of the six had to be the active service member. Does that mean no matter what the service member has to get a ticket for her/himself or does that just mean they can purchase and activate up to five tickets for family?

 

[CinderellaDreamer]

I don't know if this has been asked before:

I am an ex-wife of a Service Member. I have 3 son's with Dependent cards.

My ex lives near Fort Devens and I live near Otis Air Force Base.

He is not a Disney Dude at all, but he doesn't mind the kids going every other year.

Can we go with him to buy the tickets and then go to WDW without him? Or must he be there at WDW also? (I dragged him there once, but unlikely to get him there again. He much prefers chomping thru the White Mountains to running around a Disney Park.)

I'm just confused as to what, where, and how 'Activation' occurs? Is that the act of picking up the tickets at the base? Or going thru the ticket turnstile?

Thanks ahead of time.

He would have to be present at WDW to activate the tickets at a ticket office near a front gate, but he does not have to go through the turnstiles with you. Once they are activated at the ticket office, you are good to use them without his presence or i.d. to enter any of the parks.

For example, my mother-in-law is our family's service member. She goes with us to the entrance to a ticket booth. She shows her military i.d., we then use our credit card to purchase our 5 tickets (she does not buy one for herself). She goes back to her home in Orlando, and we enter and enjoy the parks for four days. We do not have to show any military i.d. to use the tickets.

HTH

 

[madelyn]

I purchased my tickets yesterday at my base in San Antonio and there were no questions asked, and my DH wasn't even with me.

Odd that the same office would say that my friend who ordered who ticket earlier in the week but did not pick up until today would be told something different. But maybe she talked to a different person and she was the first person that person sold to? Her spouse was not with her either.

 

[Momtomouselover]

One last (I hope!) question for Cheshire Figment: (Thank you so much for the help, CF!)

I have a spouse ID--it is DOD form 1173-1 (spouse of a reservist). I just want to verify that I can, in fact purchase these awesome tickets without DH. I also want to verify that, yes, I can purchase 2, and then come back and purchase 2 more later.

Thank you!

I'm not sure about the "come back and purchase 2 more later". We are in the same boat. That is, my mom would like to come in Dec and she has a spouse ID, but then if they decide to come in May and purchase tickets for my mom, dad, sis, and her daughter (a total of 5) I don't know if they can do that. Look at this from the SOG website -

No more than six (6) Disney Military Promotional Tickets may be purchased and (if applicable) activated by any Eligible Service Member or spouse (regardless of the place of purchase and whether purchased by that person or that person's spouse), and all six (6) must be purchased at the same time.

It is the last statement that concerns me. They would be purchasing less than 6 but do not want to purchase them all in Dec. due to the cost right before Christmas. Cheshire or others can you explain this??

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The internal publication states

any time during the offer period

and does not state that it is only a one-time purchase. There is the limit of a total of five tickets if it is not activated by the service member and a total of six tickets if the service member is present to do the activation.

 

[llqool]

For those of you who have purchased these tickets thru ITT/MWR -- do they levy a surcharge on the tickets or a shipping fee? We have only ever gotten our tickets thru SoG (and they *don't* do that!).