If I purchase park tickets from Orbitz, am I still able to link them to my MDE account so that I can make FP+ at 60 days out? I do have a resort reservation.
Yes, I did this recently. However, there is a waiting period of about a week between the time you buy them on Orbitz and the time they are confirmed with Disney and able to be entered into MDE. Many people have reported getting a confirmation email from Disney once everything is squared away, but I didn't and had to go back into my Orbitz account to find the number to enter on MDE. But once I found the number everything worked perfectly!
I purchased through CheapTickets (same as Orbitz) last month and it was easy. The Disney confirmation number showed up in my CheapTickets account 3 or 4 days after purchasing. I would consider CheapTickets instead as they have a higher % cash back through Ebates than Orbitz, 6.88% instead of 3%.
I don't know what Undercover Tourist prices were at the time, but the 5 day hopper I purchased in January through CheapTickets was $320 after subtracting Ebates cash back.
I have no stock in UT.
I've never bought tickets from them.
But, I do keep track as best I can of what processes are available where and report it here.
You bought tickets from Orbitz and stated that, "It seemed much quicker than waiting for UCT tickets in the mail."
And, rightly so.
But, it's also true that one can order tickets from UT and connect them to MDE without waiting for them to come in the mail.
It's also true that one can order tickets from Disney World and connect them to MDE without waiting for them to come in the mail.
You have the option to have your tickets delivered to our Orlando pickup location (you can see details when you add tickets to the shopping cart).
For Disney, you would also have E-ticket delivery as an option.
I rechecked the UCT website, and only see the e-ticket option for Sea World and Legoland tickets.
WDW and Universal are currently only being offered by mail. I do know that Universal tickets were being offered with an e-ticket delivery option two weeks ago as I snagged 5 at the pre-update price. I opted for USPS mail delivery as I don't want to worry about printed paper tickets for a multi day visit. I'm still waiting as UCT has a 16 business day delivery window for Uni tickets.
I wouldn't be able to venture a guess as to why the e-ticket option isn't currently available, but it may have something to do with the recent price increase.
We went with Orbitz this year and the money saved will likely go to the Dole Whip stand. We already have magic bands and don't need the hard tickets.