When to buy two-day tickets?

[megankj]

We're only going to need 2-day, non-park-hopper tickets next month. The plan is to arrive the evening before- probably in the 7pm range. Should we walk down to the esplanade to get tickets that night and save time in the morning? Just get there early enough to buy our first day in the parks? Something else? If it makes a difference, we will be doing MaxPass if available.

 

[SteveMP]

That or you could save money buy purchasing online before since you have time.

 

[SMD]

If you can afford them now and a reseller has then at a savings, you might as well buy now. But 2 day tickets are usually only discounted a few dollars, so if you're delaying because you may not go, you could always stop by the ticket booths the night before and then at least walk through DTD and World of Disney to take a look. I'd probably just buy etickets online 2-3 days before, that way you hand onto your money as long as possible, avoid the hassle of the ticket booths, but still have time to contact Disney if something goes wrong with the purchase.

 

[megankj]

Yeah it didn't seem worth the hassle of going through a third-party for a savings of $2-$4 per ticket, but buying online a couple days ahead does make sense. And as a bonus- waiting till we're on the trip means I can get my friend/travel buddy to pay for this one, that way he's not having to pay me back one big lump sum after I pay for everything up front (which isn't a big deal- just seems nicer to each pay for some things and then just settle up the balance at the end).

Is the exchange process for a hard ticket at the gates quick? With a short visit, we want to maximize our morning!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

If you buy your tickets on the DLR app, you will show the bar code on your phone (take a screen shot of the bar code as a back up) at the turnstiles. The CM will scan it and give you a paper ticket. It's an easy process.