The 2017 Disney Military Promotional Ticket offer, commonly referred to as the Armed Forces Salute Ticket has been announced. There are some noticeable changes in the format of the offer from previous years, as well as an increase in price.
The Armed Forces Salute began as a short-time offer in 2002, and has been renewed each year since 2009. Each year’s offer has been a little different. In recent years, it has been a heavily discounted price for a 4-Day ticket that included the Park Hopper Option. There was also an option for a 4-Day single-park ticket with the Water Park Fun & More Option at the same price. There has also been a concurrent room discount offer.
The offer details for 2017 are as follows: choose between either a 4-Day ticket with Park Hopper Option for $209 plus tax or a 5-Day ticket with Park Hopper Option for $224 plus tax. The Water Park Fun & More Option can be added to either of these choices for $37 more plus tax. The tickets must be purchased by December 16, 2017, and are valid from January 1-April 8, 2017, and April 24-December 19, 2017.
As usual with these offers, you must be an “Eligible Service Member” to purchase or use these tickets. “Eligible Service Members” are defined by Disney as “active or retired members of the U.S. Military, including the National Guard, Reservists and the U.S. Coast Guard, the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service (PHS), and the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Spouses of Military Service Members also qualify if they are able to present valid and active U.S. Military IDs in the absence of Military Personnel.” No more than 6 tickets may be purchased by the “Eligible Service Member” or spouse (there are accommodations made for larger immediate families).
The tickets can be purchased at any military base travel office, at the Shades of Green Resort, or at any Walt Disney World ticket window. Valid military ID is required to purchase and activate the tickets. I would recommend purchasing the tickets from your local base travel office because they would then be exempt from the sales tax.
Before the tickets can be used, they must be activated at any Walt Disney World ticket window, or at Guest Services in Disney Springs. The “Eligible Service Member” or spouse must be present to activate all tickets in the party. Once activated, the tickets can be used as any other Park Hopper ticket. Essentially, what you purchase in advance is a voucher that is redeemed for your tickets at Guest Services.
You can link your tickets to your My Disney Experience account, and make your FastPass+ selections whenever your timeline opens (60 days for on-property guests and 30 days for off-property guests).
(Photo from the author’s personal collection.)
Joshua Shusterman is United States Marine and has been stationed in both North Carolina and Hawaii. He is an avid Disney fan, and has taken several trips to Walt Disney World as well as Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, and Disneyland Resort. He has extensively researched military discount programs and offers from The Walt Disney Company, and loves to spread the word to his fellow service members. He can be reached on Twitter @JLShusterman or email at JLShusterman@Gmail.com.
