Are Disney World No Expiration Tickets Worth It?

I’ve read rumors that Disney World will eventually cancel the “no expiration” option for Magic Your Way and Park Hopper tickets. This may or may not be true in the future, but rest assured you can still purchase this feature as of 2013…if you know where to look.

The weird thing is that you won’t find the no expiration option on the Disney World website.

However, a search on reputable reseller Undercover Tourist’s site shows that you can indeed buy no expiration tickets.

So what’s the deal? The best explanation I’ve heard is that the new Disney website hasn’t integrated the option yet, but you can still purchase no expire tickets at Disney ticket booths or from travel agents. The whole thing seems a a little “off” to me, but the bottom line is you still have the choice.

But is it worth the upgrade?
The short answer is yes, as long as you plan to visit the park 3 or more different times in the future.

The key here is the number of different visits. Splitting your tickets between only 2 visits is not enough to offset the risk of paying in advance for something you might never use.

Here is how the math breaks down using Undercover Tourist’s cheaper rates…

The cost of an adult 10-day Park Hopper with no expiration date is $ 656.95

Let’s assume 10-days translates into three vacations of 3-days + 3-days + 4-days. If you were to buy tickets for those three trips individually, the cost would be $950.45.

Adult Park Hopper (3 day) $ 312.75 +
Adult Park Hopper (3 day) $ 312.75 +
Adult Park Hopper (4 day) $ 324.95
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Total Cost = $950.45
Savings of $293.50

So in this scenario you save almost $300 PER ADULT with the no expiration option. A family of two adults and two children would then save close to $1000 by simply buying their tickets in advance.

On the flip side, you actually LOSE MONEY if you divided your 10-day no expiration tickets between less than 3 separate vacations…

Again, the cost of an adult 10-day Park Hopper with no expiration date is $ 656.95

Compare that to a standard 5-day park hopper adult ticket of $324.95 at Undercover Tourist.

Vacation 1: Adult Park Hopper (5 day) $324.95 +
Vacation 2: Adult Park Hopper (5 day) $324.95
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Total Cost = $649.90
You Lose = $7.05

Compounding savings
Another caveat to keep in mind is that Disney World ticket prices increase every year, so you can save even more if you spread your visits across several years. A 5% annual increase on a 3-day Adult Park Hopper ticket is $13.50. Multiply this by 2 years to add another $27 saved, then multiply that by four individuals to put another $100 in your wallet for planning ahead.

Of course there is always the risk your future vacations won’t materialize as planned. This is the gamble with purchasing anything in advance. In the end, only you can decide if no expiration tickets are worth the risk.

Just keep in mind, with all of the rumors flying around, you might want to take advantage of them now while they are still available!