2010 Armed Forces Salute

[Family Fun Mom]

This is a "canned" response modified for the Armed Forces Salute 2010 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 September 30, 2010. Even if you use up all your major park days, the WPF&M entries remain valid until used or 09/30/10. (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.

Thank you very much for that explaination.

 

[Family Fun Mom]

What is Oak Trail?

 

[mdrob214]

What is Oak Trail?

One of the WDW golf courses. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/golf/oak-trail-golf-course/

 

[Angel Ariel]

Bump up for this question...

Is this valid at Disneyland as well? If so, I imagine it's slightly different as this year's was....is there any information for Disneyland anywhere?

 

[Calle&Jakesmom]

Thank you for the explanation Cheshire Figment... it answered all of my questions and helped me make the decision to go for this option even though we'll be at Disney for a total of 6 days.

 

[suedaisy]

This may be listed on this thread, but I can't seem to find this (so please don't yell at me with CAPS or a mean face)...

My father is a veteran, but he was not career service military. I was told by someone else on the boards that he can't purchase the 2009 tickets. I wanted to double check with you experts here. He had plans to drive to the base and purchase tickets in a couple of weeks (for 2010) as he learns about all of these deals when he is at the VA clinic.

I plan the trips for the family, so I do not want him to go to the trouble if he is denied. It seems that he does qualify for Shades of Green in September and January, so I just thought that he could just go buy the military tickets and use the card he always shows for his "deals."

 

[Cheshire Figment]

To activate the tickets a person must have one of the following:

A current Active Duty Military ID Card
A Retired Military ID Card
A Disabled Veteran Military ID Card
A Dependent ID Card (DD1173) indicating "Spouse" in the Relationship field
A Dependent ID Card (DD1173) indicating "Unremarried Widow" in the Relationship field

And "military" includes Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy including National Guard and Reserves.

 

[ADAMANDLISA]

We are taking a "last-minute" trip at the end of January and bringing the in-laws with us. DFIL is a veteran and can get the tickets, but we need 7 days as opposed to 4.

For DH and I, it only makes sense to get new AP's (DS#1's doesn't expire until May).

For DFIL/MIL, can they just purchase 4 of the discounted military tickets to give them 8 days each? (which would be cheaper than a 7 day PH pass through UT or 1 4-day PH through military special and 3-day PH through UT)

TIA!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

We are taking a "last-minute" trip at the end of January and bringing the in-laws with us. DFIL is a veteran and can get the tickets, but we need 7 days as opposed to 4.

For DH and I, it only makes sense to get new AP's (DS#1's doesn't expire until May).

For DFIL/MIL, can they just purchase 4 of the discounted military tickets to give them 8 days each? (which would be cheaper than a 7 day PH pass through UT or 1 4-day PH through military special and 3-day PH through UT)

TIA!

1. I hope that your use of "veteran" means that he is a military retiree (or disabled veteran) with a military-issued ID card which so states.

2. If the APs are renewals within 30 days on either side of the expiration date you will receive 15 months rather than 12.

3. I would say yes. Also, only get hopping (initially) added to two of the passes. On days when you are planning to park hop, have them use the passes with the hopping option; on the days that you will not be hopping, use the other passes. This way you will only have to upgrade two of the four passes. Only if your plans involve five or more days of hopping will you need to add hopping to all of the tickets.

 

[teddygurlkeekee]

Maybe I read too fast, but I didnt see it..

Is there a site or anywhere it shows that it was OFFICIALLY announced this?

(I have problems with OCD and control and I need this proof, to calm my nerves...lol)

 

[ADAMANDLISA]

1. I hope that your use of "veteran" means that he is a military retiree (or disabled veteran) with a military-issued ID card which so states. Oh yes!!! He's retired from the Navy!

2. If the APs are renewals within 30 days on either side of the expiration date you will receive 15 months rather than 12. Oh...I wish, I wish! Ours expired last May. I just told him today that I wished we had used those 10% off coupons when they came out.

3. I would say yes. Also, only get hopping (initially) added to two of the passes. On days when you are planning to park hop, have them use the passes with the hopping option; on the days that you will not be hopping, use the other passes. This way you will only have to upgrade two of the four passes. Only if your plans involve five or more days of hopping will you need to add hopping to all of the tickets.

I never thought of that! Thank you for saving us even more money!


Thank you for answering so quickly! You are amazing!

 

[PrincePrincePrincess]

Does anyone have any idea why they opted to provide a 4-day ticket rather than a 5-day? I'm not complaining. As a lover of marketing I'm merely curious.

We're going the first week in February. We had planning to but 5-day tickets at the regular price. These $99 tickets were a great surprise! I'm amused at myself because while it would be cheaper than originally planned to buy a 4-day ticket and then purchase a single ticket for day 5, I can't bring myself to do it because I'm a value junkie. Now I feel that spending money on a ticket for day 5 is a waste and we should utilize the free ticket at SeaWorld. (I'm the only one in the family that feels this way so I probably won't win.)

I'm just curious, are military visitors to the park not profitable after 4 days? Or do they end up losing money because of Shades of Green? Like I said, I'm totally not complaining about 4-day tickets. I'm just trying to understand the rationale behind it.

 

[LadyZolt]

Does anyone have any idea why they opted to provide a 4-day ticket rather than a 5-day? I'm not complaining. As a lover of marketing I'm merely curious.

I'm guessing that the primary reason is that the economy is improving and Disney is predicting it won't be as desperate for business in 2010 as it was in 2009. If they're wrong, I imagine we'll see the details of the offer change to lure people in. In 2009, there were many, many of us who would not have gone to Disney but for the military offer -- and the big deal about that was the military member got a totally free 5-day PH WPF&M ticket! Also, the 40% off resorts. This 2010 offer is OK, but honestly it's not enough for me to plan a visit. No free ticket for the military person, only 4 days -- nope, not a good enough incentive for me to add it to my travel plans. (We do have a Disney cruise scheduled in September for the transatlantic, but that won't get back to Florida until October and this offer expires in September.)

I think that the answer for promotions like this always includes the profit margin in some way.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[PrincePrincePrincess]

See, they sucked us in last year with the great deal. Because we live in the Pacific NW we took a last minute trip to Disneyland rather than Disneyworld. The whole trip cost us maybe $1,500 with 2 adults and 3 kids (and that's including airfare). But we all became Disney junkies on that trip and we HAD to go to Disneyworld as soon as possible. We were even willing to pay full price!

 

[MelanieC]

Thanks - I'm now sitting here writing up a proposal to why we need a one week trip this summer. Originally we weren't going to go since we have to go to Missouri two times this summer since DD starts college next fall.........but now I'm writing down all the ways to have an inexpensive last fling before she starts school.

 

[danceintherain]

Is there any reason beyond "hoping" that we should expect the Sept. 30th date to change?

No. Disney announced recently that we should expect fewer discounts next year in comparison to the discounts released this past year. I'm sure they have a reason for only extending it through the end of September. Maybe they expect the economy to recoup enough that people won't need the discounts to go to Disney anymore.

Maybe I read too fast, but I didnt see it..

Is there a site or anywhere it shows that it was OFFICIALLY announced this?

(I have problems with OCD and control and I need this proof, to calm my nerves...lol)

The information on these boards is usually very reliable. Well... the information given by the moderators anyways. Obviously opinions of individual people are often incorrect assumptions. Cheshire Figment is an employee at Disney, and while sometimes they don't know all the details of how Disney will handle particular promotions, usually its not intentionally misleading.

The offer for next year cannot be purchased yet, so they haven't updated the Disney site about it yet.
Here's this past year's link though:
http://bookwdw.reservations.disney....romotionCode=fy09military&market=fy09military
Or go to the Disney Vacations website and search military discounts.
I would imagine the information would change soon after January 3.
The information on these boards and wdwinfo.com the accompanying website is usually much more up to date with information than the Disney website.

Does anyone have any idea why they opted to provide a 4-day ticket rather than a 5-day? I'm not complaining. As a lover of marketing I'm merely curious.

I'm just curious, are military visitors to the park not profitable after 4 days? Or do they end up losing money because of Shades of Green? Like I said, I'm totally not complaining about 4-day tickets. I'm just trying to understand the rationale behind it.

My guess is they just don't want to sell anything at a discount for more than they have to. Most Disney-goers are not well informed about all the intricacies of planning a Disney vacation. They may not realize the restrictions of the tickets, and thus may purchase at full price any extra days they need. They think they're getting a good deal, when in reality they're paying more.
For example:
4-day Armed Forces Salute Ticket - $99
3-day base ticket - $233.24
For a total of $332.24
7-Day Base Ticket = $249.21

4-day + 2-day = $265.14 vs. 6-day = $246.02
4-day + 1-day = $183.14 vs. 5-day = $242.82

Even if only a small portion of people do this, Disney makes money on them. Maybe I'm wrong, and there aren't many people who are THAT smart, but if I can see how it could happen. There are plenty of people who go to Disney and pay rack rates for rooms every time without ever looking into the possibility that they could stay there for cheaper. The same people wouldn't think twice about buying extra days at the regular rate.
The only way it's technically cheaper is if they only need an extra one-day ticket, which DIS Boarders would know could be acquired by "giving" a day for a Disney day. If the whole family does it, the whole family gets a free admission.

Overall, I'm pretty sure Disney looked at the numbers from last year, and realized that they were losing money with the 5-day tickets. Maybe people only used 4 of the days anyways and spent the rest of their vacation elsewhere in Orlando. Obviously, the tickets potentially get people into the parks where they make up the difference of how much they saved on their tickets.

It sucks for us, but I'm sure plenty of people will still take advantage of the offer.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Does anyone have any idea why they opted to provide a 4-day ticket rather than a 5-day? I'm not complaining. As a lover of marketing I'm merely curious.

I'm just curious, are military visitors to the park not profitable after 4 days? Or do they end up losing money because of Shades of Green? Like I said, I'm totally not complaining about 4-day tickets. I'm just trying to understand the rationale behind it.

Who Knows What EVIL Lurks In The Heart Of Disney Marketing?!

 

[MelanieC]

Thanks - I'm now sitting here writing up a proposal to why we need a one week trip this summer. Originally we weren't going to go since we have to go to Missouri two times this summer since DD starts college next fall.........but now I'm writing down all the ways to have an inexpensive last fling before she starts school.

Ok - Hubby is biting (Insert evil smile here, lol )
His one caveat is that he is waiting to say yes 100% if US/IOA comes out with their military deal. I know I just saw Sea World's announced on Military.com, so hopefully US follows suit.

I agree about the 5 days to 4 days - I'm totally happy for anything, but 5 days would have been perfect. That 1 extra day in the parks really makes a difference. Just think of all the food, snack and one less night at a hotel Disney doesn't make. Oh well - I'm happy DH is considering it. Doing the happy dance

 

[Family Fun Mom]

I agree that the 5 day was a much better offer, it's hard to cram in all of the Disney fun in only 4 days. If IOA does a military offer that would make it more worth the trip down the Florida.

Now, we wait to see if they offer a good pin for resorts. If they don't, we're probably staying offsite this time. Got my fingers crossed!

 

[LadyZolt]

Now, we wait to see if they offer a good pin for resorts. If they don't, we're probably staying offsite this time. Got my fingers crossed!

You might consider Shades of Green instead as you can still take advantage of Extra Magic Hours, and you can easily walk to the Poly and hop on the boats or the monorail. You can sleep in later, too, as you're closer to the action at SOG than at an offsite location.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)