I don’t like to repeat myself when it comes to photography – if I find a cool angle on a shot, tomorrow I want to find a different one. This can be a real challenge sometimes, though, now that I’ve been a Disney photographer for nearly 40 years! But I’m always in search of new locations and perspectives that showcase the grandeur and magic of Disney destinations around the world.
This little philosophy of mine was the primary reason I was invited to Tokyo Disneyland in early 1989. The park had been open for a few years by that point and the team over there was looking for a fresh perspective on how to photograph the resort.
The photo you see here was taken during that trip. My idea was a classic “East meets West” visual, with Mickey Mouse greeting a young Japanese woman in a traditional kimono. While this image may appear clean and simplistic in form, it took a lot of preparation to set up – Tokyo Disneyland is one of the most popular theme parks in the world, and we needed its World Bazaar area (its version of Main Street, U.S.A.) completely clear of guests and cast members. It took a lot of discussions, but it was also a good lesson for my fellow photographers in Tokyo for turning dream photos into reality.
I made some great friendships on that trip, and I still remain in touch with members of that team to this day, more than three decades later. We frequently talk about new technologies in our field and share advice on one another’s assignments. And it all started with this photo, which has always been one of my favorites. Simple, elegant and uniquely Tokyo Disneyland!
During “normal” times, you all but need a PhD to understand all the permutations of Disney World tickets. One strange result of pandemic-era changes to park practices is that buying park tickets is, at least for trips taking place in 2020, (a little) simpler to understand. Here’s what you need to know today.
The world of Disney theme park ticketing is a little different in 2020.
I’m planning to visit Walt Disney World in 2020. Can I buy tickets now?
Yes. While there was a pause on ticket sales earlier this year, Disney World tickets are now being sold.
What kind of tickets are available right now?
Currently, the only type of ticket available for purchase for visits during 2020 is a Standard Theme Park Ticket.
What does that mean?
Standard theme park tickets entitle you to enter one of Disney World’s four main theme parks (Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios) per day. That’s it.
How much do Standard Theme Park Tickets cost?
The price varies depending on two factors, date of ticket first use and number of days worth of tickets you’re buying. The lowest price ticket for an adult costs $109 (plus tax) for a one-day admission during the lowest demand season.
The highest price one day ticket for an adult costs $159 (plus tax) for admission during peak holiday season.
So I have to pay that much for every day of my trip?
No, not exactly. If you buy a ticket for more days of entry, the price per day goes down. For example, a 7-day theme park ticket in low season costs about $472 per adult, or about $67 per day. The longer you stay, the more your price per day goes down.
How many days of tickets can I buy at a time?
For trips during 2020, the largest ticket Disney sells is a 7-day ticket. In the “before” times, you could buy longer tickets (up to 10 days or annual passes).
How do I know how much my tickets will cost?
You’ll need to go to the Disney World website, go to the “Parks & Tickets” menu and select “theme park tickets.” From there you’ll be prompted to select your ticket start date and the number of ticket days you desire. Then you’ll be quoted a price. You can also do this via the My Disney Experience app on your smart device.
Are there lower prices for children?
Yes, kids ages 3-9 pay a slightly lower rate, a few dollars less per day. Note that children become “adults” for ticketing purposes at age 10.
Little ones under the age of three do not need an admission ticket. They get in free.
Are there discounts for senior citizens?
No, sorry. There are no discounts for seniors.
Are there ANY discounts on Disney theme park tickets?
There are a handful of reputable WDW ticket wholesalers offering modest discounts on park admission. Among them are: Official Ticket Center, Undercover Tourist, Tripster, Boardwalk Ticketing, Maple Leaf Tickets, and Park Savers.
TouringPlans has a tool that lets you search all of these at once. Go to our Ticket Price Comparison tool for more information.
I thought Disney World tickets cost the same amount no matter when you traveled.
That was once the case, but it has not been true in a while.
If you haven’t been to WDW in the past decade, you can pretty much forget everything you once knew about Disney ticketing. The old “no expiration” tickets were fully discontinued in 2015, with some steps toward discontinuation several years before that. From 2013-2015, one-day tickets to the Magic Kingdom cost more than one-day tickets to the other theme parks. In 2016, Disney moved to the tiered pricing model for one-day tickets, with different prices on different days. In 2018, started tiered pricing for multi-day tickets. It’s been a journey.
If I buy a three-day park ticket, do I have to use the ticket on consecutive days?
No. All tickets now start on the date of first purchase. They’re good for the number of days you’ve paid for, plus a small buffer. For example, you have up to five days to use your three park admissions. The buffer days allow you take breaks from the parks during your trip to, for example, spend the day hanging out at the pool or visiting other area attractions.
What happens if I end up skipping my trip and don’t start using my ticket?
Per the Disney website, “After expiration date, the price paid for a wholly unused ticket can be applied to the purchase of a new ticket with an equal or higher price.”
If I decide never to visit WDW, can I get a full refund on a ticket I’ve purchased?
No. You can make changes to a ticket, but they are non-refundable.
What kind of changes could I make to a WDW ticket? How do I make them?
You can change the start date of your ticket or the number of days of your ticket.
Make changes to your tickets prior to midnight (Eastern time) of the day before your ticket’s first valid use date. After your first valid ticket date, you can use the My Disney Experience app to add additional days to an eligible ticket or to add ticket options (most of which are not available for visits in 2020). There’s no change fee to modify, but an additional cost applies for dates with higher ticket prices.
Can I get a refund if I change to a visit date at a cheaper time of year?
Unfortunately not. No refund or credit is given for changes from dates with higher prices to dates with lower prices.
Is a theme park ticket all I need to enter the parks?
In pre-pandemic times, all you needed to enter the Disney theme parks was a valid admission ticket. That’s not true today. Currently, you need a theme park reservation in addition to your park ticket.
What’s a theme park reservation?
Pretty much what it sounds like. Much like making a reservation for a popular restaurant, you need to put yourself on the “list” of people with permission to enter the park.
Is there an additional charge to make a theme park reservation?
No. Having a park ticket gives you the right to make a park reservation (pending availability). There’s no additional fee associated with this step.
Are park reservations hard to get?
Not in general, not right now, but there are some days when some Disney theme parks are fully booked.
How can I tell if the park I want to visit is available?
Use the My Disney Experience app or Disney World website and and look for the Availability Calendar. This will show you which parks are open for reservations on which dates. For example, in the photo below all parks are available on September 14, but on September 13 Disney’s Hollywood Studios is not available for reservations. If you didn’t already have a reservation, you could not visit Hollywood Studios on that date. Also note that the availability is slightly different for guests staying onsite at Disney resort hotels and for guests staying elsewhere. There is somewhat more availability for resort guests.
If you want to make reservations for more than yourself, you’ll need to have your friends/family linked to your Disney World account.
Is it possible that I could buy a theme park ticket, but that there would be no reservations available for the park I want to visit, or for any parks at all?
Theoretically yes, this could happen. (Though again, there is currently broad availability for the remainder of 2020.) Before buying a ticket, you should absolutely check the Availability Calendar to assess whether the parks you want are available. Then, as soon as you have your ticket and linked it to your Disney account, you should make reservations for your preferred parks/dates. You can later tinker with your reservations (pending availability), but you want lock in your reservations as soon as possible.
Can I add park hopping to my DisneyWorld ticket?
Disney veterans know that “park hopping” is visiting more than one of Disney’s four main theme parks in one day. Pre-pandemic, guest wishing to park hop would need to buy the popular Park Hopper add-on for their standard theme park ticket. Park hopping is unavailable in 2020. There is no park hopper upgrade available for tickets purchased for 2020 visits. (You can buy Park Hoppers for 2021 visits, though it’s currently unclear how reservations for park hopping will be necessary and if so, how they might work.)
Can I buy the water park ticket supplement?
The WDW water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon) are currently closed. You cannot buy single or multi-day water park tickets for 2020, nor can you buy a water park supplement, which would allow you to visit the water parks in addition to the theme parks, for a standard ticket for visits in 2020.
Can I buy a ticket to an after hours party?
Not currently. Disney announced that there would be no Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party events in 2020, so obviously there are no tickets available this year.
Are there any supplements I can add to my standard theme park ticket?
There is still the Memory Maker option available. Memory Maker is a photo service that allows you to download pictures taken in the parks on some rides and by PhotoPass photographers stationed in the parks.
Is adding the Memory Maker option worth it?
“Worth it” is in the eye of the beholder. However, in general, the more people in your party and the longer your visit, the more likely you are to enjoy having the Memory Maker. However, there is one giant caveat in 2020 – you MUST be wearing a mask for all photos. If that will diminish your enjoyment of the pictures, then maybe you want to skip the Memory Maker this time.
Do I need a ticket to visit Disney Springs?
Nope. There is no form of admission required to visit the Disney Springs shopping/dining/entertainment area.
You might need a ticket or reservation for a particular activity or venue at Disney Springs (such as buying a ticket to a movie or making a reservation for a restaurant), but you don’t need to buy any ticket to walk around, shop, or eat at quick service venues.
Have you purchased a Walt Disney World theme park ticket for a visit in 2020? Do you want to? What other questions do you have?
From our friends at touringplans.com Filed Under: discounts, Trip Planning, Walt Disney World (FL), Disney Admission and Tickets, park reservations, theme park tickets, tickets
The holiday spirit isn’t cancelled at Walt Disney World this year, however things may appear a little different than they have in the past. This year, the holiday season will take place from November 6 through December 30 and there will be festive décor, special merchandise, seasonal food & beverage offerings, as well as entertainment offerings all across Walt Disney World Resort. The holidays will not only be celebrated at all four Walt Disney World theme parks, but also at Disney Springs too!
Let’s talk about the giant elephant in the room though. Of course, due to the nature of things, a few staples of the holiday season will not be taking place this year. Mainly, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and the Castle Dream Lights at the Magic Kingdom and Candlelight Processional at EPCOT. There will still be other great holiday offerings that will be available though. So, let’s see what this year’s merriment will entail.
First, at the Magic Kingdom, in place of the Castle Dream Lights and A Frozen Holiday Wish (which is where Elsa lights up the castle in icicles), the castle will showcase special projections that will give a colorful backdrop. The appearance of the castle will be transformed with a rotating series of designs including a whimsical Christmas sweater and a regal overlay of red, green and gold ornamentation. The Magic Kingdom will also include special character cavalcades with Christmas friends on festive floats in their holiday finest. Plus you might see Gingerbread Men, Elves and Reindeer, and the Toy Soldiers who will join the Main Street Philharmonic as they march through the Magic Kingdom.
Moving over to EPCOT, the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays will continue, granted, they will be scaled down a bit. This festival will start later in the holiday season, on November 27. Here, the Holiday kitchens will return around World Showcase promenade. In addition, inside World ShowPlace will be the musical group JOYFUL!, who present a journey through R&B, Gospel, contemporary and traditional Christmas and holiday music. Also, the Voices of Liberty will bring their incredible musical stylings to the America Gardens Theatre stage for a special holiday concert.
Moving over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Minnie’s Holiday Dine will be taking place at Hollywood & Vine starting November 6 which will include Santa Goofy, as well as characters in their holiday finest. No word on if the Sunset Seasons Greetings projections will be shown on the Tower of Terror this year.
Poor Disney’s Animal Kingdom….they park finally got a great holiday celebration last year and this year, once again, it seems that they aren’t going to have much in the way of the holidays. The one thing that has been announced is that Guests will be able to see festive flotillas with characters along the waterways. I do hope that they will at least be able to do some of the holiday decor and entertainment, in at least some way, that they introduced last year.
Moving over to Disney Springs, the festivities will definitely be merry and bright! It appears that the Christmas Tree Trail will be available for Guests, just in a different way, with the elaborately decorated trees spread throughout Disney Springs. In addition, in the evening, Guests visiting areas within Town Center, West Side and The Landing will encounter a magical snowfall. Oh and Jock Lindsey’s will once again become Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar complete with delightful holiday décor and a delicious limited-time menu filled with festive favorites.
The resorts will still be getting in on the fun too, but again, not in the same ways. the lobbies will be decorated with trees and other festive flourishes. Unfortunately though, the popular gingerbread displays will not be occurring at the resorts, including Disney’s Grand Floridian, Disney’s Beach Club, and more.
So, as you can see, this year, while the holidays at Walt Disney World will be different, they will still be just as festive as ever.
From our friends at touringplans.com Filed Under: Holidays, News, Walt Disney World (FL), Christmas, Disney Springs, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, walt disney world
The most magical time of year begins Nov. 6 with new entertainment experiences, special dining options and more
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Sept. 8, 2020) – A reimagined holiday celebration will begin Nov. 6, 2020, at Walt Disney World Resort, with the four theme parks, Disney Springs and Disney resort hotels decked for the season. Through Dec. 30, guests will discover seasonal food and drinks at The Most Magical Place on Earth, as well as special merchandise and enchanting new entertainment experiences.
When night falls at Magic Kingdom Park, projection effects will transform Cinderella Castle with a kaleidoscope of designs, including a whimsical Christmas sweater and a regal overlay of red, green and gold ornamentation. The iconic castle will provide the perfect colorful background for guests seeking a magical holiday portrait.
Highlights from the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will begin Nov. 27. Holiday kitchens will return around the World Showcase promenade, offering favorite dishes such as Slow-roasted Turkey with Stuffing at the American Holiday Table.
Other highlights for the upcoming holiday season at Walt Disney World include:
At Magic Kingdom, characters synonymous with the season – including gingerbread men and elves – will join Disney characters in cavalcades through the park. On Main Street, U.S.A., toy soldiers will march with the Main Street Philharmonic as they bring musical cheer for all to hear.
Favorite Disney characters dressed in their holiday finest will appear in festive flotillas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, holiday promenades at EPCOT and merry motorcades at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Minnie Mouse will host a yuletide dining experience at Hollywood & Vine, inviting some of her best pals – including Santa Goofy – to join the fun.
Inside World ShowPlace at EPCOT, JOYFUL! will take guests on a musical journey of holiday music, while Voices of Liberty will use their eight-part harmonies to share songs of the season at the America Gardens Theatre.
Elaborately decorated Christmas trees will spring up throughout Disney Springs, and a magical snowfall will occur within Town Center, West Side and The Landing. In addition, Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar will transform into Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar with delightful décor and a limited-time menu of festive favorites.
Disney resort hotels will deck their halls for the holidays, including iconic Christmas trees in lobbies and other festive flourishes.
Santa Claus will wave to guests as he makes pop-up appearances at each park, as well as Disney Springs. At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, for example, he will sail down Discovery River on a special flotilla.
More announcements about the 2020 holiday season will be made in the coming weeks. For more information on Walt Disney World Resort, visit WDWNews.com and DisneyParksBlog.com.
We’re looking forward to the holidays and today, we have an update on some of the festive experiences coming to Walt Disney World Resort. Building off of our recent experiences of operating in a new environment, we’ve reimagined the holidays which will, of course, apply current our current health and safety measures while still keeping the joy and magic of the season. And while things are looking a bit different at Walt Disney World and beyond, we can’t wait to celebrate with you.
We know how much our guests love the holidays, so from Nov. 6-Dec. 30, they will be able to enjoy festive décor, themed merchandise, seasonal food & beverage offerings and entertainment all across Walt Disney World Resort. Holiday magic will be in full force at the four theme parks and Disney Springs, and Santa Claus will make time for special pop-up appearances at each location, waving and exclaiming holiday wishes to all.
Guests will be delighted by the sight of festive flotillas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, holiday promenades at EPCOT and merry motorcades at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Character cavalcades at Magic Kingdom Park will take on a special holiday twist, with Christmas friends on festive floats in their holiday finest. Gingerbread Men? Check! Elves and Reindeer? Check, check! And, my personal favorite, the Toy Soldiers, will join the Main Street Philharmonic as they march through Magic Kingdom Park, bringing musical holiday cheer for all to hear.
When night falls, special projection effects will give a festive look to Cinderella Castle this year, providing a colorful backdrop for our guests’ photos. The appearance of the iconic castle will be transformed with a rotating series of designs including a whimsical Christmas sweater and a regal overlay of red, green and gold ornamentation. This will be in place of the Castle Dream Lights. Other holiday experiences that draw big crowds will be on hiatus this year as well, such as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Candlelight Processional at EPCOT. We know these experiences are a cherished part of holiday traditions that will be missed by guests and cast members alike, but we’re glad to be able to bring holiday magic in other creative ways.
Of course, the holidays wouldn’t be complete without enjoying a meal among friends and family. Minnie Mouse will be hosting a yuletide gathering for all her friends at Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios starting Nov. 6. Santa Goofy will be there, along with Minnie and more in their holiday best.
Shifting gears to Disney Springs, guests will discover Christmas around every corner as they come across a collection of elaborately-decorated Disney Christmas trees spread throughout this retail, dining and entertainment destination. In the evening, guests visiting areas within Town Center, West Side and The Landing will encounter a magical snowfall, adding an extra touch of wonder to their holiday shopping. And to top it off, Jock Lindsey will once again be turning his hangar bar into Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar complete with delightful holiday décor and a delicious limited-time menu filled with festive favorites.
Disney Resort hotels will also be decked out for the holidays, with their lobbies featuring iconic trees and other festive flourishes. One thing to keep in mind is that our gingerbread displays will not return to the Resort hotels this year. While we know they are a favorite of people taking in the holiday décor, we’re not able to include those displays due to physical distancing guidelines.
Starting a bit later in the season, on Nov. 27, we’ll celebrate highlights from the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. Holiday kitchens will return around World Showcase promenade with favorites like American Holiday Table featuring Slow-roasted Turkey with Stuffing and Bavaria Holiday Kitchen with dishes like Cheese Fondue in a Bread Bowl.
Guests will be invited to step inside World ShowPlace to enjoy the returning group, JOYFUL!, who present a journey through R&B, Gospel, contemporary and traditional Christmas and holiday music. Also, the Voices of Liberty will bring their incredible 8-part harmonies to the America Gardens Theatre stage for a special concert of favorite carols and songs of the season. There are plenty more details about this festival to come, so stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog.
We’re all looking forward to creating new holiday traditions with our guests and cast members this year, as we introduce unique ways to enjoy the season together. So, make your list – and check it twice – because there’s a lot of holiday fun to see and do here at Walt Disney World Resort!
From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com Filed Under: Disney Springs, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort, DAK, DHS, Holidays, MK, WDW
