So my family and I are "celebrating" my unemployment by going to Disney World the first week of June. Actually, we told Alex we'd take him in the fall after all that he's been through but moved the trip up in case my next job won't let me take vacation later in the year. So I was wondering if anyone out there knows where we can purchase tickets to the Disney parks at discounted prices. We're looking at 5 - 6 day passes with or without the park hopper. So far we've only gotten as far as the Disney website and perused ebay. We know people who live in Florida and they get discounted tickets, but I think they have to actually go with and they won't be doing that. Any help you can offer is greatly appreciated.

Darren,

What you may want to consider (depending on your time schedule and the price of the tickets) would be to spend a morning at a timeshare presentation in order to get free park passes and some other goodies. Of course, you have to be willing to sacrifice one morning to listen to several hard sales pitches from agressive salespersons, and if that doesn't interest you, then read no further. But I always see these mass faxes that come across advertising for free theme park tickets and even free hotel/airfare sometimes if you're willing to listen to their sales pitch about whatever resort it is they put you up at. And I've even done it a few times myself with mixed results. But if you're really in a financial pinch and willing to sacrifice some extra time...

My parents are Disney-freaks, I'll ask them after work.

I think there is a relatively small discount if you buy them beforehand at the Disney Store in the mall. Plus, you don't have to wait in line down there. I've got some coupons for rental cars down there if you want me to drop them in the mail for you. Any other questions, you can shoot me a PM. I haven't been there since I was in Jr College, but I've been there I think 8 times in the past so I know a bit about the place and surrounding area.


Edit; Fixed has got a point. My sister and her fiance went to the Dells last summer on one of those 'free hotel' dealies, and they swore by it. Don't know what its like for Disney, but they thought it was a great deal to sit there and not pay attention to the salesmen and get free hotel stay.

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Thanks about the timeshare tip, but I don't know if we could sit through another one of those. And actually, that's how we're going to Disney, we own a timeshare and we booked our villa by trading one of our weeks in.

Any other helpful tips from anyone and everyone is greatly appreciated.

I think they went a little far by raising Goofy.

I went earlier this year. AAA seemed like the best way to get discounted park tickets. They seem more willing to use the accomodations as a loss leader by discounting the hotels rather than the actual parks. We payed more for tickets than we did for 4 nights in an on site hotel.

If it saves you any money, don't get a park hopper. Just budget one day at each of the parks you would like to visit and stick to that schedule. The kids will never know the difference. Try to find out in advance which day each of the parks are on extended hours. I'd plan on staying at each park till the end of the night, as they each have a show at closing which can be a fun way to wrap up the day.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

yeah, i was gonna say disney store as well.
park hoppers are nice, but not really worth the extra cash.

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@audioidkid

We did the same thing the first time I was unemployed in 2001.

"Don, you just lost your job. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to Disney World!"

It was a similar situation to yours. We were planning to go later in the year, and were afraid a new job would throw a monkey wrench into our plans.

My wife is a Disney-freak. She participates on more than one Disney message board. The consensus is that there really aren't any deals on tickets out there that are much better than the Disney web site. A very useful reference is the book "The Unofficial Guide to Disney World 2009." If you don't want to buy it, you can probably find it at the library. Lots good info. Things like rating different rides. Strategies for minimizing time in lines. Restaurant menus.

Having stayed both on property and off. We decided we like off. In 2007 we rented a house. Lots of space,
2 crappers, and our own private pool and spa. It was reasonable, too.

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Everyday when the sun goes down, I get with my friends, I begin to clown.
Now I don't care what the people are thinkin'. I ain't drunk, I'm jus' drinkin'!
-Albert King

I just got a deal offer in the mail today and cannot use it. It's yours if you like but travel dates are limited.

$635 per adult for 4 nights-5 days including room, park tickets and dining plan for Sunday-THursday stays from May 3 until May 21

$658 per adult same deal for Sunday-Thursday stays May 22 through June 12 and again June 24 through August 8.

KIDS UNDER 9 ARE FREE INCLUDING FOOD PARK TICKETS AND LODGING.

Stays are in a standard room.

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me as it cost me more than that for the same amount of days in their deadest season.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I just noticed the offer says non transferable. I'd take my chances.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I know this sounds a bit crazy, but my sister just got back from there and she paid a Ride Expeditor for the day $800 and they didn't wait in any lines at all. They used the guy for 2 days. I guess the Cinderella show, people line up at 9 AM for the lunch tea party, or something like that and it is always sold out. They got there at 11:50 and had a reserved table. Didn't wait in one line for any ride, got right on.

I am not pushing it, as I think it just makes her kids more spoiled than they already are, just making the world aware. She thought it was too much before she got there, but then after was gload she did it.

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Thanks GD, but we already have our place booked through our timeshare. The cost for 7 days was around $170 (off premises, 10 minutes away). I'm just looking for deals on the park tickets, but I appreciate all the help.