Military $99 5-Day Tickets

[devores]

I didnt speak clearly enough I guess. The purchase price of the ticket will be applied towards the AP. If you paid $124 for the hoppers, then $124 would be credited towards the AP. If you just purchased the base companions, then the $99 would be credited.

Either way, you pay the same amount as you would if you bought AP straight out. You save nothing by upgrading the tickets.

Here is the FAQ on it:

The Companion Tickets may be upgraded to Annual Passes, Premium APs, or Florida Resident Seasonal Passes (with proper Florida ID). The normal 14 day upgrade period does not apply. However, there will not be “price bridging”; this means that the value of the ticket will be what was paid for it ($99, $124, or $149) and not the current gate price of an equivalent MYW ticket. If the ticket is upgraded to an annual product the expiration date will be one year from the date of first use of the Companion Ticket.

And this FAQ answears your questions regarding using two tickets for one person:

When activating tickets or purchasing at a WDW ticket location all members of the party must be present. The Complimentary Ticket may be done only once during the year. The Companion Tickets may only be activated and purchased one time during the year. For example, if a service member purchases only two Companion Tickets, additional ones cannot be purchased at a later time. And it is only one ticket per person.

 

[KPH500]

Got it, thanks! Again ... in no way was I trying to cheat the system, just wanted to be clear on the rules.

 

[Old Snipe]

Gosh, I hope it didn't come across like I was trying to dispute the rules. It was because I knew what the rules were that I was so uneasy about this whole deal, but I also wanted to report on how, at least some agents (SoG and Disney GS) are disregarding the rules. Finally, I do feel a little guilty receiving these tickets and using them apart from a trip with Dad... which I think is against the spirit in which the deal is offered. So I hope that none of our servicemen here think I was trying to milk my connections and thwart the system. Dad wanted us to have these, he paid for them himself, even though he won't be here. Though, I guess by getting Mom out of his hair for a few days is a dream vacation in itself! Anyhow, I hope I haven't come across wrong.

Hey Shan-man,

Please don't feel guilty, you "served" too by enduring all the times your Dad was away from you doing his duty. Many times we overlook the sacrifices the family makes supporting the Dad (or Mom) who is on call in places all around the world. Missed holidays, birthdays, graduations, ball games. You remember.

Thanks for your support to your Dad. Enjoy the benefit Disney has generously given to our Military!

Best Regards!

Paul D (USCG 28 years active duty...so far!)

 

[zmom]

My parents (dad retired military) bought their tickets at the Orlando Naval exchange. They went to Epcot today to activate them for the first time. I asked them if they would try to get and activate tickets for me and my son as we will be camping at the Fort this weekend and our annual passes just expired. They were able to buy two more tickets AND activate them today for us. They were told they were ready to go and my dad would not need to be there with us this weekend. I'll let you know how it works out!

Also, FYI, today is mom's birthday and she was able to use her ticket and then get the $75 gift card for her birthday.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Personally...I dont see a problem (in my particular case) with just following the rules. I dont have to HOPE everything goes right, it just WILL go right. Besides it gives me a chance to hang with the folks who are hooking me up with this deal, and that ALONE is as good a deal as saving money on tickets!!

 

[devores]

My parents (dad retired military) bought their tickets at the Orlando Naval exchange. They went to Epcot today to activate them for the first time. I asked them if they would try to get and activate tickets for me and my son as we will be camping at the Fort this weekend and our annual passes just expired. They were able to buy two more tickets AND activate them today for us. They were told they were ready to go and my dad would not need to be there with us this weekend. I'll let you know how it works out!

Also, FYI, today is mom's birthday and she was able to use her ticket and then get the $75 gift card for her birthday.

I wish people wouldnt report this kind of stuff on the boards. Im glad you were able to circumvent the rules and everything worked out for you, but, there are a number of folks on here who now take what you said as gospel and expect it to work for them as well. There are also a number of folks who have been dissapointed and vacations ruined because they read on here that someone got by the rules and planned thier vacation using this info.

Its nice when things work your way, but the ONLY way to guarntee they always do, is to follow the rules. I do not like to gamble, therefore, I followed the rules to the letter, even though there are numerous possibilities of us (dual military) getting over them.

So, for those reading and have questions, follow the rules posted, they are the only guarantee on here. Others have gotten lucky, others have failed. If you feel like gambling your family vacation based on info you read on a discussion board, you get what you deserve.

to zmom,

I am not knocking you in any way. I just dont want to see anyones vacation ruined based off of hearsay is all. Im glad your situation worked out for ya, but it is not always the case and people need to realize they take a gamble when they try to go against the rules.

Im off the soapbox now.....

 

[zmom]

You're right, I shouldn't have encouraged anyone. I found out about this deal and told my parents so they could come to Disney with me and their grandson (normally they can't afford to go as much as us). I intend on using the tickets with them, but wanted to save them the hassle of having to be at the gate exactly when we got there. I was just trying to return the favor of all the help I've recieved here on the boards and obviously stepped out of line

 

[Shan-man]

I just wanted to add also, that we (my parents or myself) were not looking to break the rules. I only told Mom about the deal so they could look into it for themselves. It was the Shades of Green ticket agent who broached the whole subject of buying extra tickets for family and friends. She was pitching them, even after hearing the details of our forthcoming trip! Mom had never read the rules for this deal, so she had no idea what the agent was suggesting involved any circumvention. It wasn't until she called me with the news that I started raising questions about the rules, and concerns that there might be a problem. Mom had already activated my ticket before I even suggested there might be a problem with activating the ticket. As I said in an earlier post, Guest Services at Animal Kingdom acted as though there were no problem with activating the ticket without us there. The same thing at DtD, no problem issuing a new ticket and activating it. I'm not saying this will work for everyone. I'm not saying whether it is or is not ethical. But I am saying Disney seems less concerned about the letter of this law than some of us do.

 

[KingBee]

Even if Disney seems to be not concerned with people getting around the rules, later on down the road, possible promotions, deals, offers, benefits(however you want to call it) may be decided against because of too much bending of rules. I too hope people don't take the "Hey, I just did it so go ahead and try it" approach. It only hurts all of us in the end. I teach my kids this all the time...."It only takes one to ruin it for everyone" I'm not saying in the specific situations explained here in this thread, will cause us to loose benefits, I'm saying that if more and more people keep trying it can lead to us not having these offers again in the future.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I sometimes get frustrated with the rule benders who want to cash in on a benefit extended to those who did their time. I mean, if you want the benefit, do the job. JMHO.

 

[drillwife]

Does anyone think they will continue this thru next year? My husband is in Iraq this year and we plan on going next year when he gets back. It would be awesome if they did.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Does anyone think they will continue this thru next year? My husband is in Iraq this year and we plan on going next year when he gets back. It would be awesome if they did.

While anything is possible, it is doubtful Disney is giving tickets away to anyone because they really want to do something nice for the military. You can bet if the economy improves and Disney doesn't have to do these things to fill parks, the promotion will end. Anyone's guess is just that - a guess.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

I sometimes get frustrated with the rule benders who want to cash in on a benefit extended to those who did their time. I mean, if you want the benefit, do the job. JMHO.

I feel guilty of this....Im not military, but Im benefitting from the discount. Is that wrong?

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I feel guilty of this....Im not military, but Im benefitting from the discount. Is that wrong?

Nah, I'm just in a mood. In 27 years I slept in holes in the ground, waded thru swamps, ate unspeakable things, lived in tents in sandstorms, was sent to hostile fire zones in places where people wanted to kill me, saw angry Russian soldiers up close and personal, jumped from planes, was tossed out of helicopters in the middle of nowhere, treated patients while the freakin Navy threw shells over my head from some darn battleship 20 miles off shore (I'll never get over that one) and I get a little edgy with some people who sat in their lazy boys watching TV by the fire and want to distort the rules so they can have a benefit offered to the military. I'll be over it tonight after my Merlot. Hey, I should probably be happy I lived thru all that crap and still have all my arms and legs and half my mind. I had some patients who couldn't say that.

 

[Shan-man]

In that case, you're pissed at Dad too, cause he was 10,000 feet overhead in a cozy cockpit, and sleeping in a real bed at the end of every sortie! LOL. Sorry you got the ***-end of the war dude! And if you read my previous post, I do feel guilty benefiting from this deal, I certainly didn't earn it, but hell, they were SELLING it to my Mom. So I don't feel THAT bad. Bless you for your service.

 

[KingBee]

I feel guilty of this....Im not military, but Im benefitting from the discount. Is that wrong?

Don't feel guilty bud-your considered family!

 

[ftwildernessguy]

In that case, you're pissed at Dad too, cause he was 10,000 feet overhead in a cozy cockpit, and sleeping in a real bed at the end of every sortie! LOL. Sorry you got the ***-end of the war dude! And if you read my previous post, I do feel guilty benefiting from this deal, I certainly didn't earn it, but hell, they were SELLING it to my Mom. So I don't feel THAT bad. Bless you for your service.

Half that crap happened to me in the United States!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Don't feel guilty bud-your considered family!

Thanks man!!

 

[Skyw]

I quickly looked thru this post......We just came back using the mil tickets. We went to SOG and got them. Just hubby and I. We activated them at the ticket counter with some of our party. My SIL was not coming until the next day but we activated her ticket. The CM had us print her name on the card and that was it. 3 people in our group only used 4 days, so they still have one more day to use until Dec23rd. And they don't have to be with us. That is what I was briefed at the Ticket Counter.

I called SOG before I went to clear up the confusion. I was worried about DSIL not being there at activation. We also lost a ticket and they re-issued one no problem.

 

[Cindy F]

Nah, I'm just in a mood. In 27 years I slept in holes in the ground, waded thru swamps, ate unspeakable things, lived in tents in sandstorms, was sent to hostile fire zones in places where people wanted to kill me, saw angry Russian soldiers up close and personal, jumped from planes, was tossed out of helicopters in the middle of nowhere, treated patients while the freakin Navy threw shells over my head from some darn battleship 20 miles off shore (I'll never get over that one) and I get a little edgy with some people who sat in their lazy boys watching TV by the fire and want to distort the rules so they can have a benefit offered to the military. I'll be over it tonight after my Merlot. Hey, I should probably be happy I lived thru all that crap and still have all my arms and legs and half my mind. I had some patients who couldn't say that.

Actually, to be fair-no rules are being bent-the companion passes are for whomever the service member sees fit to give them to and really isn't up to anyone else's approval.

To quote my father "I don't get all this adulation for the military. We signed up, we did a job we were paid to do, no one forced us to re-enlist, a thank you is nice but give it a rest-it's a job. No one else gets all this for doing what they're paid to do-police officers certainly don't" Yes he is retired Air Force as well as a retired police officer.

That is my father's opinion and although I don't necessarily agree with him, I do see his point.

As far as being a military dependent...I am grateful for my years as a military child as well as a military wife HOWEVER...you choose to join and/or stay in the military, you choose to marry into the military-no one chooses to be born into the military...and you certainly don't get paid for it.

I'm not boo hooing and whining about being a military dependent anymore than you are boo hooing and whining about being active duty--just stating the facts-just as you did.

We learned early on not to get too close to friends or too attached to anyone because either your family or theirs would be transferred fairly soon anyway. Don't get too attached to a school because you won't be there long anyway. Be happy with seeing your grandparents and other extended family maybe once a year.

Pretend you don't hear mom crying in the bathroom when dad is gone, put his aftershave on a hand towel and put it in your pillowcase so you won't miss him so much. Pretend that hearing his voice on your birthday on a cruddy overseas phone connection is just as good as him being there and pretend you are never afraid he will not come home.

So, the next time you are tempted to think dependents are "gaming the system" and didn't "put their time in", think again and think about the perceived slap in the face you may be handing out. You are not the only one with feelings nor the only one with past service related demons.

Shan, you are entitled to whatever your father wants to give you and it is with Disney's blessing.

BDR, you are entitled to the same thing. Your friend wishes to gift you with his companion passes therefore you are entitled to them by his wishes.

ftwildernessguy, I thank you for your service just as I thank my father for his and I hope you, all service members, and their friends/family are able to enjoy the "thank you" Disney has extended.