Planning Basics: What is Included with My Disney World Park Ticket?

You know you need a ticket to get into a Disney World theme park, but once you have that ticket it’s not always obvious what is included with that ticket, especially to first time park visitors.

Please note, I’m discussing here what items are included in a single-day Walt Disney World theme park ticket. There are several other ticket options available, each with a unique set of included features.

Depending on the date of your visit, theme park tickets will cost between $109-159, plus tax. The lower end of the that range is the weekday price during the lowest crowd season; the upper end pricing is in effect during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

For your one-day ticket you get:

• Entry into ONE of Walt Disney World’s four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, or Disney’s Hollywood Studios, during regular park hours.
• The ability to make a theme park reservation (Park Pass), pending availability.
• Access to the free transportation system between locations within Walt Disney World (buses, boats, monorail, Skyliner).
• Access to attractions within your chosen theme park, pending availability.
• Ice water. Guests may request a free cup of ice water at any Walt Disney World theme park quick service restaurant, including those in the theme parks.
• Use of the free basic Genie service, when it launches.

That’s it.

To help you understand the situation, it may also be helpful to know what is NOT included with a basic Disney World theme park ticket purchase. Some of these are:

• Parking. Theme park parking is not included for day guests. Guests of the Disney World resort hotels and Disney World annual passholders are entitled to free theme park parking.
• Access to after hours parties.
• Food. While some special events and parties (Disney Very Merriest After Hours, for example) do include some food items as part of the ticket price, regular theme park tickets do not include food.
• Beverages other than ice water in a cup. Bottled water is not included with your park ticket, nor are any other beverages.
• Visits to more than one theme park during a single day. To visit more than one theme park in a single day, you’ll need to purchase the Park Hopper add-on for your base ticket or have some forms of annual pass.
• Access to Disney’s water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, mini-golf courses, boat rentals, or other forms of recreation outside the theme parks.
• Stroller, wheelchair, or locker rentals. These are all available on a first-come, first-served basis, for an additional fee.
• Access to the Genie+ service. When this product launches, it will only available for an additional fee.

Have any other questions about a basic theme park ticket? Let us know in the comments.