When I made our room reservations at POR they asked us about tickets and I declined because it seemed like could get cheaper park hoppers thru the market we'll be attending in Orlando. Well, after looking closer at the paperwork dh brought home, all we save buying the tickets at the market venue is tax. So, wouldn't it be better/easier to call Disney back and get 3 day park hoppers added to our room reservation? Simpler for check in and then our room key is our park key, correct? Thanks.

nvmom

In 2005 I ordered park hopper tickets from Disney. I didn't have a package, just room and tickets. They mailed the tickets to me. The park tickets were not the same as our room keys. The time before that I bought the tickets from the Disney store for a little less money. The only difference was that the tickets I bought from Disney had 3 different designs so that we could tell whose was whose. The ones from the Disney Store were all the same.

For tickets to be on your room key card you must book a package. Room prices are basically the same, tickets can be of any length, but taxes for room and tickets are included in the package price, as well as some small complementary amenities like a free round of mini-golf, free Planet Hollywood burger meal, Sea Racer boat discount, and souvenier luggage tags (these amenities change often). Booking a package also entitles you to book an optional dining plan, and package promos seem to open up earlier and more often than room only discounts sometimes.

The entire package must be prepaid 45 days prior to travel, and after that date has cancellation penalties. If you book a room only reservation BY PHONE you only pay for the first night, the balance is paid at the resort. The cancellation penalties for a room only reservation kick in at 5 days prior to your trip instead of the 45 day mark. Booking a room only online you also must pay in full at the 45 day mark, and cancel penalties start at 6 day prior to your stay, so those are better to do by phone.

Packages get everything paid up front, you will receive a voucher packet a few weeks before your trip. Room only reservations basically you have a mailed or emailed confirmation, no packet. Please note that both ways of booking entitle you to use the Magical Express transfers.

If you just call to add tickets to a room reservation, you will be sent separate admission tickets. They can often make a room booking a package and apply your one night deposit to it (instead of the normal $200 package deposit). You will get a different reservation number though from the room reservation you are now holding. But you have to tell the Disney res agent that you want to make your booking a package.

alternatively you can buy tickets separately and have the CM at the resort add them to your resort ID.

Huh, well maybe we should just save the tax and buy them at the convention center then? Thanks.

nvmom

You can have your Tickets added to your room only stay by
requesting KTTW tickets which are Keys to the Kingdom Tickets... that is the only way to add tickets to a room stay Besides upgrading to a package Reservation. KTTW Tickets are the way to go because if you have to cancel your reservation you can get the money back for your tickets too.. if you by Hard Tickets they are non-Refundable

You can have your Tickets added to your room only stay by
requesting KTTW tickets which are Keys to the Kingdom Tickets... that is the only way to add tickets to a room stay Besides upgrading to a package Reservation. KTTW Tickets are the way to go because if you have to cancel your reservation you can get the money back for your tickets too.. if you by Hard Tickets they are non-Refundable

Actually, they are called Key to the World Tickets. The nice thing about the tickets, adding them (and you do have to pay for them upon booking) to your room-only reservation locks in the ticket price, as long as you don't remove/change the ticket type.

The tickets are then added to your room key. They also now show up on the Disney confirmation as tickets (prior, it showed up as a lump sum deposit - and the front desk couldn't always see that there were tickets on the reservation).

I usually purchase my tickets a few weeks prior to the trip and they are always added to my room card. The room is usually reserved 6 -8 months in advance. I just call and ask to purchase the tickets, and there is some slight discount for an early purchase. One time the CM at check in screwed things up but another easily corrected the problem.

Since the last price increase in August 2007 advance purchase ticket discounts have been stopped.

Since the last price increase in August 2007 advance purchase ticket discounts have been stopped.

Right - BUT, ordering the tickets does lock in that price (in case of ticket price increases). As long as you don't change the ticket type.

I chatted online with a Disney reservation agent today, and asked if I could change a room-only reservation to a Magic Your Way package plus dining, and how far in advance I would have to make the change. The agent said that I could upgrade to the package plus dining as few as 3 days before my arrival date (and pay the package in full, of course). That's encouraging for those of us who might not be quite ready to pay the entire package cost 45 days in advance.

except that technically, there is no direct path to upgrade a room only to a package. i don't know why the DRC agent simply said yes, it's possible. in theory, if you cancel a room, it's available again as a package, but that's not always the case in practice. in fact, the proper way to do it is to book the package first, then cancel the room only so you're guaranteed to have at least something.

there's no guarantee that at 3 days out, this will be possible.

the only real way to safely defer the costs of the tickets and DDP is to book a package with 1 day base tickets and then add the DDP shortly before the vacation and you can upgrade individual tickets as necessary.

you might even be able to get away with booking for 1 or 2 people and then adding more on at the end.

except that technically, there is no direct path to upgrade a room only to a package. i don't know why the DRC agent simply said yes, it's possible. in theory, if you cancel a room, it's available again as a package, but that's not always the case in practice. in fact, the proper way to do it is to book the package first, then cancel the room only so you're guaranteed to have at least something.

the only real way to safely defer the costs of the tickets and DDP is to book a package with 1 day base tickets and then add the DDP shortly before the vacation and you can upgrade individual tickets as necessary.


A guest service agent probably would be able to take that room-only and make it a package room. BUT, I personally wouldn't chance it 3 days out (or even 30 days out). I would, as Brad said, start with a smaller package and then upgrade it when I could afford to pay more.

Denise

So when I check in at the POR can I just tell the CM right then that I'd like 2, 3 day park hoppers and just pay right at the desk? or will I have to stand in line at a ticket booth outside a park?

nvmom

So when I check in at the POR can I just tell the CM right then that I'd like 2, 3 day park hoppers and just pay right at the desk? or will I have to stand in line at a ticket booth outside a park?

nvmom

The front desk will likely ask you if you want tickets (you can get them done there).

Denise

The front desk will likely ask you if you want tickets (you can get them done there).
...and they will be added to your room key.

...and they will be added to your room key.

Yup, as KTTW tickets.

Denise

Yup, as KTTW tickets.

As a friendly correction in terminology, you are just adding park admission to what is referred to your Key to the World card. :)

As a friendly correction in terminology, you are just adding park admission to what is referred to your Key to the World card. :)

Oh - sorry. I did travel for 7 years - including one year at DRC, and just am used to using terminology as I used it with Disney (but abbreviated).

Denise (now going back to lurkdom).