Purchasing Tickets at Resort

[ParentsOf4]

A friend hasn't bought tickets and was planning on purchasing these when she checks-in at POR. What are the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing tickets at check-in?

 

[Master Yoda]

There are no real pros or cons. Purchasing at you resort is no real different than buying them anywhere else. The cost is the same, time is the same, etc. About the only thing that might be easier is if you book as package with tickets included. The cost will be the same but you will not have to make an additional stop to get tickets.

 

[Master Yoda]

If purchasing at check-in, can she get them added to the room key?

Yes

 

[flynnibus]

A friend hasn't bought tickets and was planning on purchasing these when she checks-in at POR. What are the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing tickets at check-in?

disadvantage... no possible discounts!

 

[dreamfinder]

If purchasing at check-in, can she get them added to the room key?

Yes

Just to note, you can get any pretty much and ticket added to your room key. You just would need to ask the concierge to do it.

The only disadvantage is that you will pay full listed price. If they bought them from a reputable 3rd party ticket reseller, they could save anywhere from $5 - $30 or so.

The cost of buying that at the front desk is the same as buying them at the windows at the parks or online direct from WDW or at the Disney Store.

By buying them at the resort in theory you would save 3-5 minutes the morning the park opens by avoiding having to do it then.

 

[flynnibus]

Is the price the same as if purchased online directly from Disneyworld.com?

You'll pay Disney's regular prices... vs possibly buying the tickets discounted from any number of sources.

Disney doesn't discount WDW tickets for online purchase to my knowledge (DL does for certain tickets).

 

[Master Yoda]

Is the price the same as if purchased online directly from Disneyworld.com?

Yes. What length of ticket are you looking at?

 

[Rob562]

The other thing that pre-purchasing tickets does (either via booking a package reservation or buying the tickets on their own) is protect you from ticket price increases that may happen between now and the trip.

-Rob

 

[Pioneer Hall]

My friend hasn't decided if she needs 6 or 7 day tickets. Track Track is closing the day after she arrives. She's never been on TT and is taking her 9 year-old son for the first time so the question is whether they try to make it to Epcot that night (they land at 6 PM) to ride TT one time before it closes. If they get to POR early enough, they'll go with 7-day tickets and head straight to Epcot. If not, then it will be 6-day tickets.

Adding a day is very easy and only costs about 8 dollars at that point. So she can buy the 6 day ticket to be safe, and then add that 7th day if need be by just paying the small difference.

 

[ssnyder4]

I guess it depends on how badly she wants to ride TT and what time Epcot closes that night. I would think if she has tickets in hand she could almost head straight to the park and check in at the resort after riding TT. That's just an option. I don't know your specifics, driving, flying, etc. but if you're using ME to get to the resort it could slow down your plans a little. For that reason, pre-buying might leave you with a ticket that you can't use if your flight gets delayed and then ME has long lines.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

That's good advice but we only realized a couple of days ago that TT's last day open was the day she arrived. Originally, she and her son were planning on arriving at POR and taking it slow that first evening. They arrive tomorrow (Sunday) so it's difficult to purchase tickets in advanced, especially since she wants them on her room key. At this point, she's treating it as an adventure ("will we be able to make it on time?") but understandably her nine-year-old will be hugely disappointed if he doesn't have the chance to ride TT, having never been to WDW before.

I think someone who is familar with the routine could make it from MCO (landing at 6 PM) to TT by 9 PM. She's less familiar and probably willk lose time here and there, not even being 100% sure how to get to TT. I'll post tomorrow night to let people know if she made it.

Thanks for all the help!

Like I said above, she should buy the ticket for only 6 days since she can upgrade it there and only pay the difference. This way is she decides to head to Epcot that first day she can just add the extra day later on. However, if she decides not to go then she didn't waste the 8 dollars per ticket for the extra day.

 

[slappy magoo]

The only real advantage to buying your tickets on-site is that you won't have to have that sickening feeling when you realize, Oh, no! I left the tickets back home!"

 

[wdwcandice]

Good for them....that's some Disney Magic right there. Hope the young man enjoyed it and rode it a couple times!

 

[SMS55]

It also depends on what you are buying. If you are buying a seasonal like I do, you have to go to the window at a park or to Downtown Disney to get them. They are not available at the hotel.