Media Reports on Ticket Prices

[LuvsBlueDiamonds]

Several major news outlets are reporting about the rising costs of tickets to Disney and Universal.

Suggesting... families try social media sites, buy tickets online or check the theme park's own website for deals.

Anyone able to find a deal to save a few bucks this summer?

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

Several major news outlets are reporting about the rising costs of tickets to Disney and Universal.

Suggesting... families try social media sites, buy tickets online or check the theme park's own website for deals.

Anyone able to find a deal to save a few bucks this summer?

Yea, lots of people have, and the vast majority get screwed by buying fake tickets. If you can't afford to buy reputable tickets, save longer.

 

[dansyr2514]

Despite the previous poster's very curt response....you can save a few dollars!
AAA's tickets are generally discounted and I have purchased from Undercover tourist. If you sign up for Mousesaver's newsletter, there is a link for Undercover Tourist. If you click that link, it will save a few dollars off their already discounted prices. I don't think it's ever going to be more than $5-10 off a ticket but still better than nothing.
Also, some places of employment offer a discount through tickets at work. I don't find the prices to be that much of a saving, but they offer combo tickets sometimes for Universal/Disney.
I would never buy tickets through ebay or such but there are a few places to save a few bucks!

 

[PeterPan09]

There are approved places where you can save a few dollars, and depending on how many tickets you buy and how many days you want it might be worth it. An approved seller will have something that says they are approved by Disney, they will have Disney signage. Most of the places referred to in the post above will happily show you documentation. My basic rule is to stay away from any place with a big balloon outside and signs that say CHEAP TKTS HERE!!!

As a former ticket person, I beg of you PLEASE make sure that your ticket discounter is approved before you hand over that credit card. There is nothing worse than getting to the turnstiles and finding out those "discounted" tickets were used by someone else and you can't get into the park. And I know someone has a story about his sister's/cousin's/brother's son in law who got in after being scammed-but Disney's sympathy for such things has pretty much run out. (same with Universal, so I understand) I've seen families have to fork out the money for the real tickets and pretty much know that they would not get their money back from the balloon place they bought the tickets from. Unless you go with a cop, they're just going to laugh you right out of there. Nobody wants to buy tickets twice.

Also, approved discounts are offered through time share presentations-but as Pete said on a recent podcast-know what you are getting into. It's a LONG presentation, will take up most of your day and it will be very high pressure.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Generally if the people tell us where they actually bought the tickets we will sell them what they need and return the invalid tickets to them, stamped VOID, and notes in the system not to reissue them so they can try to get a refund from the seller. If they persist that they are legal tickets we let them talk to Security.

 

[FireDancer]

You have to be a little skeptical of anything that seems too good to be true. You won't get a 10 day parkhopper for $100 from a reputable place. I would stick with Undercover Tourist or AAA for discounted tickets.

Another option are the time share offers. If you are willing to give up half a day and sit through a hard sell you can get some discounted tickets. I have never heard of those being scams, provided they are an actual time share location, but if anyone else has they can chime in.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I think part of the problem with Disney tickets is alot of people don't understand how they work. Most of the time when you buy a theme park ticket when you go to the park they take the ticket and then when you leave they stamp your hand or whatever. I'm talking about parks like Kings Island, Cedar Point ect... Of course you should do your research and understand what you are buying, but I think is partly why people might think the tickets on ebay, Craigs list ect...are okay.

 

[seashoreCM]

Most timeshare prize tickets cannot be upgraded. So they may cut your ticket budget only by a miniscule amount (like eight dollars a day) if you need more tickets to finish the vacation with.

Disney tickets are not the only kind of ticket that can be part of a scam on eBay, Craigslist, etc. Put it simply, it is just not a good idea to buy tickets from private individuals where it can be difficult to get your money back if something goes wrong.

 

[PeterPan09]

Generally if the people tell us where they actually bought the tickets we will sell them what they need and return the invalid tickets to them, stamped VOID, and notes in the system not to reissue them so they can try to get a refund from the seller. If they persist that they are legal tickets we let them talk to Security.

The bottom line is that buying from those outlets usually means that you're going to pay twice. Once to the scammer, then once to Disney to actually get in the park.

I honestly didn't know how pervasive this was until I spent a few months full time at MK ticketing. Scammers were there nearly every day trying to upgrade and buy tickets, victims of scammers were there nearly every day. People that had my job were approached by scammers to try and get them to join in. According to our security folks, fraudulent park tickets are a multi-million dollar business. And yes, Disney is not the only victim. Universal always had a problem too, but that has increased dramatically since Harry Potter opened.