Ticket purchase options

[mickeyluv'r]

Just make sure you are comparing after tax prices. Some of these sites include tax in their price and some add it on later. I know UT and I believe PS, include tax in all their prices

Taxes and shipping costs. I also put a value on any place that offers me a chance to get a refund/cancelation.

Since we are talking WDW, historically, room only reservations offered more generous cancelation terms than pre-booked vacations. ALWAYS READ the FINE PRINT!!!!!!!!!

It also bears mentioning, historically some non-WDW ticket sellers are shady. Make sure any seller is an authorized WDW ticket seller.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I'm going to disagree on this point. While it may have been best for you, that doesn't mean it is universally always the best deal for everyone.

Finding the best deal involves a number of variables:
a. date you are traveling vs. WDW pricing seasons vs. weekend/weekday rates
b. which hotel and room category within that hotel
c . make-up of you party, especially kids vs. adults. vs infants (infants eat free at buffets, but are charged for meals at non-buffets)
d. the value you place on cancelation policies, and conversely the ability to pre-pay
e. hopping, Dining Plan
f. other variables, like airfare, rental cars, when you can take time off from work. In some cases, taking advantage of a WDW discount means.

In the past, one small drawback of getting tickets via UT was waiting for them to arrive in the mail, but that isn't a factor much these days.

Another potential variable is how one plans to pay for their vacation. For someone planning on paying with something like credit card points or their tax refund, waiting might be better.

Understood. I didn't state that it was universally better, just that it was better for me. The "free" dining discount does make sense for a lot of families and it is one case where purchasing tickets from a 3rd party doesn't work, which is why I posted it as a drawback. But I also wanted to convey that the "free" dining discount doesn't work out best for everyone so the OP (and anyone else reading along) would know to evaluate all available discounts to determine what was best for them.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Understood. I didn't state that it was universally better, just that it was better for me. The "free" dining discount does make sense for a lot of families and it is one case where purchasing tickets from a 3rd party doesn't work, which is why I posted it as a drawback. But I also wanted to convey that the "free" dining discount doesn't work out best for everyone so the OP (and anyone else reading along) would know to evaluate all available discounts to determine what was best for them.

Agreed. I wasn't trying to attack your post, just to give more info. on the original topic.

In short, finding the lowest price often = some legwork.

And I didn't even add some, like AP's/TiW, or discounted Disney giftcards.

Historically, there were also sometimes deals from places like AAA. Sometimes, if you went through AAA, you got bonuses.

WDW also sometimes adds a few bonuses, and sometimes they might be worthwhile. Mostly they are like a round of mini-golf...but you never know.