[mickey]

Walt Disney World Resort has unveiled an innovative new product lineup that will allow guests to better tailor their vacations by allowing them to build customized theme park tickets and packages.

New Magic Your Way Tickets and vacation packages will be available for booking and travel beginning Jan. 2, 2005, and will provide a wider range of options that allow guests to design a Walt Disney World vacation that matches their needs and desires.

For the first time ever, the new Magic Your Way Tickets will offer significant year-round savings that grow the more days a client visits. A seven-day theme park ticket, for instance, averages just $29 per day, or less than half the price of a single-day ticket ($59.75 per adult, before tax).

With the flexibility of adding options like Park Hopping or water park visits to theme park tickets or selecting a vacation package that includes meals, Disney’s Magic Your Way Vacations put guests in control of framing the vacation that best suits their desires and budgets.

“People today expect flexibility and customization whether they’re buying a computer or a cup of gourmet coffee,” said Randy A. Garfield, CTC, executive vice president of sales and travel operations, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and president of the Walt Disney Travel Company. “And now guests will have that same ability to customize their dream vacations, creating the ticket or package that is just right for them.”

Some guests may choose the new affordability of a 7-day Magic Your Way Base Ticket to the four Walt Disney World theme parks. Others may be interested in the added flexibility and fun of a ticket that includes admission to water parks, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island and other great venues. Or some may even choose to maximize a single day at Walt Disney World with a ticket that lets them visit multiple parks in the same day. Ultimately, this expanded menu of ticket add-ons puts the power of building a customized Walt Disney World itinerary into the guest's hands.

With Disney’s Magic Your Way Vacations, a Walt Disney World vacation also becomes even more affordable. A family of four will be able to enjoy a weeklong (6-night/7-day) Walt Disney World vacation – including a stay at an on-property Disney Value Resort hotel with tickets to all four theme parks during regular or value season – for less than $1,500.

The Walt Disney World Resort will switch to Magic Your Way tickets – available to all guests, whether or not they stay at a Disney resort hotel – beginning Jan. 2. The move is aimed at putting value, flexibility and relaxation back in family vacations while giving guests customized options, so they choose the ticket features they want.

“Recent research shows that longer vacations are high on the wish list for families,” Garfield added. “With so much to see and do at Walt Disney World, guests want to take a week to experience it all, at their own pace, without the rush. Now they can, at prices more affordable than they ever imagined, thanks to new value pricing that rewards longer stays.”

“Simply put,” he said, “the longer you play, the less you pay, per day.”

The Magic Your Way Tickets also offer guests more flexibility, allowing them to customize their tickets to create their dream vacation no matter its length.

With the Magic Your Way tickets, guests first choose the number of days they want on a base ticket that allows them to enter one theme park each day. Then, they can decide which options they want to add, paying for only those features they want, such as the ability to visit multiple Disney theme parks each day or to visit Disney water parks, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island or other exciting venues.

Add-on purchases to the base ticket include:

* Park Hopper Option - Adding the Park-Hopper Option lets the guest come and go as they please through all four Disney theme parks on the same day or every day for each day of their pass. Extra cost to the base-price ticket: $35 – or just $5 per day on a seven-day ticket.
* Magic Plus Pack - For Disney fun beyond the four theme parks, this option provides the choice of admission to Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, DisneyQuest, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island or Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. Extra cost to the base-price ticket: $45 (includes 2-5 visits to Magic Plus Pack attractions, depending on the number of base ticket days purchased).
* No Expiration Option - New Magic Your Way Tickets expire 14 days after their first use. Electing the No Expiration Option means the guest is free to come back and take advantage of unused tickets at any time. Extra cost to the base-price ticket: $10 if 2-day ticket purchased, up to $55 if 7-day ticket purchased.
* Magic Your Way Premium Ticket - To capture all that Walt Disney World has to offer, this ticket combines the benefits of the Park Hopper Option and the Magic Plus Pack Option.
* Advance Purchase Savings Tickets - The savings get even sweeter when clients purchase select, multi-day Magic Your Way Tickets of 5-days in length or more with either the Park Hopper Option and/or the Magic Plus Pack Option in advance, before leaving home.

These same, new ticket options are the cornerstone of a new menu of Walt Disney World Resort vacation packages offered by the Walt Disney Travel Company. These new vacation plans, which no longer require a minimum length of stay of at least three nights, also become available for sale and travel beginning Jan. 2, and include the following options:

* Disney’s Magic Your Way Package – This base package helps clients experience the magic of a Walt Disney World vacation at an affordable rate. The package includes accommodations at a Disney-owned and –operated resort hotel, and Magic Your Way base tickets for everyone in the group.
* Disney’s Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining – This exciting new package features a new option that seasoned Disney guests have longed for – the ability to include convenient and affordable meals in vacation plans. The package includes everything from the Disney’s Magic Your Way Package, and adds a dining plan that includes two meals and a snack per person, per package night at more than 100 restaurants across the Walt Disney World Resort.
* Disney’s Magic Your Way Premium Package – This deluxe package includes everything from Disney’s Magic Your Way Package as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner per person, per package night, along with other exciting options like recreation, theme park tours, and admission to the Cirque du Soleil show La Nouba, and more.

Staying in the “middle of the magic” at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel is the best and most relaxing way to enjoy a Walt Disney World vacation. With 22 uniquely themed Resorts – Value, Moderate, Deluxe, Disney Vacation Club Resorts, and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground – there’s one for every taste and budget. Now that a longer Disney vacation just became more affordable than ever, clients will be able to enjoy their hotel like never before – spending quality “R & R” hours between park visits, whether it’s swimming, napping, shopping or dining.

Benefits of staying at a Disney resort include more time in the parks, more convenient transportation and more magic all around:

* Extra Magic Hours: Each day, one of Disney’s magical theme parks opens one hour early exclusively for resort guests, or, as a new feature, stays open up to three hours extra after regular park hours so Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests can enjoy select attractions (valid theme park ticket and Resort ID required).
* Convenient Transportation at No Extra Charge: Motor coaches, monorails or boats arrive steps from any Disney resort door to get guests to and from Disney theme parks, water parks, Downtown Disney Area and more.
* Dining Plan: Guests selecting accommodations at a Disney-owned and –operated resort hotel can book Disney’s Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining, which includes two meals per day and a snack per person, per package night at more than 100 select restaurants across the Vacation Kingdom.

[mickey]

Just to give you an idea on the ticket prices. They are quite a bit cheaper for 7 days. No information is giving if you can buy longer than 7 days. These prices do not include the 6.6% sales tax, and no indication is given if these are the advance purchase price or the gate price.

[mickey]

Here are the prices to add the water parks, etc.

[skwak]

Mickey, great posting and I will certainly print it and read it. It must have taken you forever to type this. Especially since Mickey only has 3 fingers and 1 thumb per hand!

[MerlinMatt]

OK, this is a LOT to swallow.

But, I bought (am buying) APs to take advantage of next month's trip as well as a trip that I have planned for next October. But it sounds like this new program might mean that I might be throwing money away.

Mickey: do you have any idea if they'll be able to help me with this in January when I begin planning my October trip (Grand Gathering)?

[mickey]

And finally, the Premium pass, which combines hopping and the water parks, etc. Please note all of these passes expire 14 days after the first use. There is an additional feel between $10 and $55 to make the tickets non-expiring.

However, there is a requirement for guests selecting the Magic Your Way Premium Ticket that the length of their ticket match the number of nights of the resort stay plus one day.

This reads to me that you also must be staying on site to purchase the Premium Pass.

[Princessfooh]

Quote from above: And finally, the Premium pass, which combines hopping and the water parks, etc. Please note all of these passes expire 14 days after the first use. There is an additional feel between $10 and $55 to make the tickets non-refundable.


Non-refundable? I think you meant to say unexpiring...or something to that effect.

[mickey]

The thing that I am most excited about is the dining options. The Magic Your Way Plus Dinning includes the following:

• 1 Table service meal at one of the 100 available restaurants, including appetizer, entree, dessert, non-alcoholic beverage and all taxes and gratuities
• 1 counter service meal including an entree and non-alcoholic beverage
• 1 snack, such as ice cream, pop corn, etc.

The table service can also be a character meal. You will get the meals listed above for each night of your stay. They have removed the expensive restaurants such as California Grill, Jiko, Artist's Point, etc. You can exchange two table service meals for a signature service restaurant or a dinner show.

As an example of the price, two adults can stay at a value resorts for 6 nights, 7 days, with the basic park passes and this meal plan for $1,368. I figure the resort as $515 and the park passes as $425, so that leaves about $428 for the meal plan, or about $36 per adult per night. Not bad compared to the $69 per adult that the silver plan is right now.

[mickey]

Originally Posted by Princessfooh

Quote from above: And finally, the Premium pass, which combines hopping and the water parks, etc. Please note all of these passes expire 14 days after the first use. There is an additional feel between $10 and $55 to make the tickets non-refundable.


Non-refundable? I think you meant to say unexpiring...or something to that effect.

A ha, yes! Sorry, typing too much too quickly. That has been changed, thanks!

[MerlinMatt]

Hmmm.. the more I look at it, it still seems that APs are still better because of resort discounts...

Now I have to break out my spreadsheets again...

[mickey]

Oh, and a thing they tried to sneak through here:

One day one park passes are increasing to $59.75 for adults and $48 for kids, plus tax!

Also, one day park passes can now be purchased in advance!

[mickey]

Just because I know some one will ask:

Guests that have already purchased Disney Park Hopper passes or booked a 2005 vacation package with other ticket types can still use those tickets for their vacation, or they may elect to change their tickets to the new Magic Your Way Passes by simply paying the difference (no refunds will be issued if the new ticket is of lesser value).

[FireAngel]

great great great post!!!

[chiasgirl]

These new prices are fabulous! I wish they were starting them effective Dec 1 instead of Jan 1. We are buying our tickets from our military base at the best price I can find anywhere. To buy passes for the same number of days and add the park hopping option I would save $63! (I would save well over $150 off gate prices!) That's only for 2 of us not even a family of 4!

[disneymom]

Can you help Mickey?????
I have already booked a room using the AP rates for our Feb trip. I haven't purchased the AP's yet but was going to do it at our local Disney Store. How can I get a deal on my hotel now that the other rates expired yesterday?