Ultimate Guide Disneyland and Walt Disney World Military Discounts

Steve of MilitaryDisneyTips.com nicely wrote up this guide to Military discounts at Walt Disney World to explain how the discounts work to both you and me.

I’m often asked, “Are there any military discounts for Disney?”

The short Answer is; Yes.

The long answer is; The discounts are many and varied and your exact military status governs your eligibility for the various offers.

The most publicized and well-known military discount is Disney’s Armed Forces Salute. Special short term offers for a specified period (usually one year), which include greatly discounted Disney World and Disneyland theme park tickets and up to 40% off Disney resorts. The Armed Forces Salute ran in 2002 and then started again in 2009 through the present.

There is another Disney ticket discount, which has always been available. Military base ticket offices sell slightly discounted Disney Magic Your Way tickets. These tickets are from 4% to 8% off, based upon the number of day and options purchased. These are for both Disney World and Disneyland and are only available from military base ticket offices.

Military vacationers going to Walt Disney World in Florida have an additional way to save on their vacation. Shades of Green is a military owned and operated resort located on WDW property. The resort was purchased from Disney by Army Morale, Welfare, and Recreation many years ago in order to provide a cheaper option for military members and their families who want to relax and de-stress at Disney World. You can also look into some of the cheapest Disney hotels offered to see how they compare to this discount!

Shades of Green is a Deluxe, Magic Kingdom Area Resort with rates based upon rank that are closer to a Disney Moderate Resort price. Shades has all the amenities two pools, several restaurants, and the largest guest rooms on Disney World property. There is also a ticket office at which all the tickets mentioned above can be purchased as well as Shades all-inclusive Stars and Stripes passes.

(Shades of Green Eligibility: Active, Guard & Reserve, Coast Guard, Retired, 100% service connected disabled, Spouses thereof, DoD Civilians, and several others)

For those who don’t care if they stay on Disney World property, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels offer special military rates, as do the Downtown Disney Area Hotels.

Besides Disney, there are many other options for military discounts in the Orlando area. Universal Studios, SeaWorld, and Legoland all offer discounts, as do many other venues.

So, yes there are military discounts available for Disney. We’ve hit all the high points, but some of the details can be tricky. If you are a military member and are interested in any of these discounts I encourage you to spend some time researching your options and it will really pay off!

Steve produces the MilitaryDisneyTips.com website. He’s a retired military member, former Disney Cast member, and frequent visitor at Disney World (He says it’s for research).

Current Disneyland Military Discount Promotions

The Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World will often offer additional promotions throughout the year that will vary from their typically offered discounts.

Here is the current discount ticket offer that is good through the end of the year for the Disneyland Resort: 

Military Discount Hotel Rates at Disney World

At Walt Disney World, military can expect to receive discounts (up to) this percentage based on the hotel selected:

• 40% off Deluxe Resorts
• 35% off Moderate Resorts
• 30% off Value Resorts

• Offer excludes the following Disney Resort hotels: The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.
• Offer excludes the following room types: 3-bedroom villas, suites in Moderate and Deluxe Resort hotels, Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows.

And of course, don't forget Shades of Green that Steve mentioned above.

• Shades of Green is a Deluxe, Magic Kingdom Area Resort with rates based upon rank that are closer to a Disney Moderate Resort price. Shades has all the amenities two pools, several restaurants, and the largest guest rooms on Disney World property.

Over at Disneyland, military members also receive a discount on their hotel stay at Disney owned resort hotels.

Military Discount on Special Events

Disney typically offers discounted tickets on select dates for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Walt Disney World.

Tickets can be purchased at ticket booths or the Shades of Green resort.

Unfortunately, there's not a military discount offered for Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland at this time.

Military Discount on PhotoPass and Memory Maker

At Disneyland, eligible military are offered discount purchases of the Disney PhotoPass Collection: 

This product can only be purchased at Main Street Photo Supply Co. in Disneyland Park or at Kingswell Camera Shop in Disney California Adventure Park.

Walt Disney World offers Memory Maker at a discount:

You can also purchase the Memory Maker product for a special price of $98 through December 16, 2022.

Eligible Military

To be eligible for these discounts, these are the criteria set forth by Disney:

• Disney Military Salute Tickets may be purchased at participating US military sales outlets by Eligible Service Members (defined below) or their spouse (but not both), for use by themselves and family members and friends, as provided herein. These Tickets may not be otherwise transferred, distributed or resold.
• “Eligible Service Members” are active or retired members of the US Military, including the National Guard, Reservists, the US Coast Guard, the US Space Force, 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 US Military IDs in the absence of active or retired Military Personnel or Commissioned Corps Members.
• The actual prices charged at the individual US military base ticket offices for Disney Military Salute Tickets may be less than the prices set forth above.
• Participating military sales outlets must require that Eligible Service Members (or their spouse) present valid military identification to purchase Disney Military Salute Tickets.
• Subject to certain exceptions, 4-Day and 5-Day Disney Military Salute Tickets for admission to the Walt Disney World Resort are not valid until activated by the Eligible Services Members (or their spouse) at a Walt Disney World theme park ticket window.
• No more than six (6) Disney Military Salute Tickets may be purchased by any Eligible Service Member or spouse (regardless of the place of purchase and whether purchased by that person or that person's spouse). In addition, one (1) of the six (6) Tickets purchased must be used by the Eligible Service Member or his/her spouse.
• Each Disney Military Salute Ticket must be used by the same person on any and all days.

Disneyland Planning Tips

There is always a lot of information to consider before planning a Disneyland vacation. Make sure to spend time planning your days in the theme parks and become familiar with everything Disneyland has to offer. Don’t forget to subscribe to our FREE Deals Newsletter to stay on top of the current planning tips, strategies, and deals.

You can discover more about planning your trip to Disneyland from these links:

• California Adventure Touring Strategy: Guide to Maximize Your Mornings
• Disneyland Morning Touring Strategy: Guide to Maximize Your Mornings
• How to Plan Your Disneyland Trip
• Disneyland in the Summer
• 40+ Places to Find Cheap Food in Disneyland