Disney has confirmed their annual ticket price increase will begin on June 2. Go here to see the new pricing. Yikes! Even when you know it’s coming, it’s still a kick in the gut!

Say it isn’t so, Disney! I read a tweet about it, so I went to the WDW website to confirm…and I’m sad to report that it appears to be true. When you click on the link to purchase tickets, you are no longer offered the option for Non-Expiring tickets. What!?! I think Disney was trying to sneak this in under the radar…but how long did they think it would go unnoticed?

This makes me very sad, as one of the chief ways I encourage families to save money on a Disney vacation is by purchasing a multi-day, non-expiring ticket if they plan to return to WDW in coming years. Ticket prices go up every year, and even with the hefty add-0n price of this feature, it’s still cheaper to buy a 10-day non-expiring ticket than, say, two five-day tickets for two separate trips. Additionally, you get added value if you purchase a ticket for a child under the age of 10 who returns to use the remainder of the ticket as an “adult” by Disney standards–since Disney has automatically upgraded those non-expiring tickets to adult tickets in the past.

You didn’t hear it from me (wink, wink), but I’m aware of at least one official Disney ticket vendor who still shows availability of non-expiring tickets–Undercover Tourist. (There may be others, but this is the vendor I trust and recommend.) If you are in need of tickets, you might want to log on soon before they’re all gone. I can only assume that Disney will continue to honor those non-expiring tickets, just as they have the old-school Park Hopper tickets from year’s past that didn’t expire.

I’ve been terribly remiss in updating you on a few discounts around the World for fall/winter. Here’s the rundown of what’s currently being offerred:

• Annual Passholders can receive up to 30% off resort stays (discount varies from resort to resort) for travel dates now through December 24. Thanksgiving week is blacked out.
• Florida residents can save up to 35% off resort stays (again, varying greatly among resorts) for travel dates now through December 15. Thanksgiving week is again blacked out.
• The general public can also get in on room savings of up to 30% off for travel dates through December 22. And, you guessed it, Thanksgiving week is blacked out.
• Just released is a winter room-only discount for the general public of savings up to 35% off for travel dates Jan. 2 through March 7. (This was originally released to Disney Rewards Visa cardmembers, but it now available to everyone.) Must be booked by December 31, and there are no blackout dates listed…but that doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t exist.
• Also new is the “Stay, Play, and Dine” discount for dates Jan. 2 through March 7. This one is a little hard to put your finger on, as they don’t list the specific percentage off of regular prices, and there are tons of variables. There is a 3-night minimum stay (maximum 14 nights) and you must purchase at least a 1-day park pass for all guests in the room, as well as the dining plan (either Quick Service or Disney Dining Plan, depending on the resort category). Little Mermaid section of Art of Animation, campsites at Ft. Wilderness, and 3 bedroom villas do not qualify, but there appear to be no blackout dates. My advice is to price out this deal and the above room-only deal to see which is the best price, as it could vary depending on your needs.

That’s about it for now.

Disney has just announced its newest Armed Forces Salute discounts for active and retired military, including National Guard/Reservists and Coast Guard. (Regarding retired military, this applies to career military–those who served with short-term service, such as my father’s one tour in Viet Nam, do not qualify for these discounts.) Qualifying military can purchase up to 6 tickets–one for themselves and up to 5 friends or family, available beginning August 17. Rates/options are:

• 4-day Magic Your Way plus Park Hopper, $156
• 4-day Magic Your Way plus Water Parks and More, $156
• 4-day Magic Your Way plus both Park Hopper and Water Parks and More, $184

Tickets must be purchased and have at least one day used by September 28, 2013. (They expire 14 days from activation.) Blackout dates include December 24-31, 2012 and March 24-April 4, 2013 at Parks, and July 4, 2013 at the Magic Kingdom only. You can find more information at disneymilitarysales.com or at Shades of Green Resort.

And, speaking of Resorts, Disney is also offering a room-only discount to military personnel for dates from October 1, 2012 through September 28, 2013 (blackout dates November 22-24, 2012, December 23-31, 2012, and March 25-April 4, 2013). Qualifying military will save 40% off rack rates at Deluxe Resorts, 35% off at Moderate Resorts and Ft. Wilderness Cabins, and 30% at Value Resorts–including the new Art of Animation Resort!

These are GREAT deals, so be sure to let all your military friends know about them! So glad that Disney appre

I know I have shared this tip before, but it’s an important one…worth repeating. When you purchase your tickets–as soon as you have them in hand–make a copy of the very lengthy identification code (numbers and letters) found on the back side. This is your lifeline if you happen to lose a ticket while on vacation. You can take a digital picture if your camera is good enough (mine isn’t), or you can type the code into your cell phone for safe keeping, or you can simply hand copy it onto a piece of paper. Just make sure that you don’t put the code in the same place as your tickets–you don’t want to lose both at the same time.

So what happens when you lose a ticket? I just so happen to know because it has, in fact, happened to us. Simply go to Guest Relations and give them the code. They’ll do some fancy typing on their fancy computers and within minutes you’ll have a replacement ticket!

Here’s another helpful tip: tickets that are purchased together in a single transaction are actually linked together in the Disney computer system. (You may notice that when your family enters and re-enters the Parks with multi-day tickets, it doesn’t really matter which member of your party uses which ticket.) So, if you neglect to follow the tip above, and not everyone in your party loses their tickets, you can simply give the Cast Member in Guest Relations a ticket from another member in your party, and they can do the same fancy magic typing and produce a replacement ticket.

You can find the new list of Walt Disney World ticket prices at this link. If you have a trip planned in the near future, buy your tickets TODAY to get current (cheaper) pricing.