Walt Disney World has released 2025 Armed Forces Salute ticket and resort room discounts for military members. This post shares the details of these special offers–including the limited time bonus to get this year’s prices on next year’s tickets. Plus, commentary about the savings, info & recommendations, and more.
This continues the company’s over 100 year tradition of honoring those who serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Of course, it all started with Walt Disney, who was distinctly patriotic. He strongly supported the U.S. military throughout his career, and even attempted to join the Army in 1918 but was rejected for being too young.
In order to serve, Walt Disney forged the birth date on his application for the Red Cross Ambulance Corps and spent a year in France during World War I. During the war, Walt’s brother Roy O. Disney was a petty officer in the U.S. Navy and his other two older brothers, Ray and Herbert, served in the Army.
Throughout the Walt Disney Family Museum (we highly recommend all fans visit), Walt Disney’s patriotism is reinforced repeatedly. Not just in a way that is convenient for the sake of his public image, either. Walt Disney walked the walk, and even the seemingly tallest of tales about Walt’s patriotism are actually true. He was the real deal.
Beyond Walt Disney himself, many veterans have made significant contributions to the Walt Disney Company throughout its over 100-year history, including Disney Legends Admiral Joe Fowler and General Joe Potter. These two were central to the creation of Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and like Walt Disney’s patriotism, the work ethics instilled in both via the military is well documented.
We’ve attended a number of D23 presentations where those who worked for Admiral Joe or General Joe share amusing anecdotes of how they ran things. If the stories are any indication, construction of the Florida Project and the early days of Walt Disney World seem to reflect a certain military sensibility, sounding dramatically different from today’s approach (would probably would not fly).
More recently, the Walt Disney Company has been named by Forbes as one of the Best Employers for Veterans. In part, this is thanks to the Heroes Work Here company-wide initiative to hire, train and support returning veterans that began back in 2012.
The latest tribute to veterans at Walt Disney World is Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors, a special exhibit at EPCOT by President George W. Bush. The extraordinary art exhibit brings together more than 60 vibrant oil paintings by President Bush of service members and veterans who have served in military uniform with honor since 9/11 and whom President Bush has come to know personally since leaving office.
I highly recommend setting aside 15-20 minutes to browse this gallery before hearing the Voices of Liberty and watching the American Adventure. Now that’s a distinctly patriotic way to spend an hour and a half at EPCOT!
Anyway, here are the official details of the 2025 Disney Military Salute (or Armed Forces Salute) at Walt Disney World:
Save $30 when you buy 2025 Disney Military Salute Tickets at 2024 prices—available through February 1, 2025. Savings based on the non-discounted price of the ticket beginning February 2, 2025 (date subject to extension).
Choose between a 4-Day, 5-Day or 6-Day Disney Military Salute Ticket with the Park Hopper or Park Hopper Plus option (formerly the Disney Military Promotional Ticket) for visits in 2025.
Here are details & pricing for Walt Disney World’s 2025 Military Salute Ticket discounted tickets:
6-Day Disney Military Salute Ticket
Purchase now through December 14, 2025.
- With the Park Hopper Option: $409 plus tax
- With the Park Hopper Plus Option: $439 plus tax
5-Day Disney Military Salute Ticket
Purchase now through December 15, 2025.
- With the Park Hopper Option: $389 plus tax
- With the Park Hopper Plus Option: $419 plus tax
4-Day Disney Military Salute Ticket
Purchase now through December 16, 2025.
- With the Park Hopper Option: $369 plus tax
- With the Park Hopper Plus Option: $399 plus tax
Valid Dates & Blockouts – Receive admission for 4, 5 or 6 days, valid for visits January 1, 2025 through December 19, 2025, with an advance park reservation and subject to the following blockout dates:
- April 13, 2025 through April 26, 2025
- November 23, 2025 through November 29, 2025
Tickets and options expire and may not be used after December 19, 2025.
Add Memory Maker for a Special Price – You can also purchase the Memory Maker product for a special price of $98 through December 19, 2025.
Ticket Limits – No more than a total of 6 Disney Military Salute Tickets may be purchased by any Eligible Service Member or their spouse (regardless of the place of purchase and whether purchased by that person or that person’s spouse). In addition, 1 of the 6 Tickets purchased must be used by the Eligible Service Member or their spouse.
Annual Pass Exception – If the Eligible Service Member or their spouse has a valid Walt Disney World Resort Annual Pass at the time of purchase and at the time a ticket is used, then such Eligible Service Member or their spouse is not required to purchase a Ticket for their use and no more than a total of 5 tickets may be purchased by such Eligible Service Member or their spouse (regardless of the place of purchase and whether purchased by that person or that person’s spouse).
Eligible Service Members – Available only to 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 Eligible Military Service Members also qualify if they can present valid and active US Military IDs.
Park Reservations Required – To enter a theme park, both a valid ticket and a park reservation for that park are required. Before purchasing this ticket, check that reservations are available for this ticket for the date(s) and park(s) you would like to visit. Make your reservations immediately after purchasing your ticket because reservations are limited, and you may not be able to get a reservation for your desired date or park.
About the Park Hopper and Park Hopper Plus Options – You can purchase a Disney Military Salute Ticket that includes these options:
- Park Hopper Option:Â Visit more than one theme park on the same day.
- Park Hopper Plus Option:Â Visit more than one theme park on the same day. Plus, get a certain number of visits to a water park, golf course or miniature golf course based on the length of your ticket.
Note: You must make a theme park reservation for each date of your visit. Guests with a ticket with Park Hopper must make a theme park reservation for the first theme park they plan to visit AND enter that first theme park prior to visiting another. The ability to visit a theme park is subject to the park’s capacity limitations.
Turning to commentary, I’ll start by saying that I think it’s silly that these tickets still are requiring park reservations in 2025. Walt Disney World dropped park reservations for most ticket types in January 2024. Almost a full year later, and this has had absolutely no negative impact on crowd control, managing attendance, or whatever they claimed park reservations did in the first place.
At this point, park reservations are mostly a formality. It’s not 2022 anymore. Attendance has been down this year, and the company is forecasting it to continue decreasing into 2025. The parks have plenty of surplus capacity, and not requiring reservations for the small pool of attendees that buy promotional ticket types is not going to make any difference whatsoever on 345+ days per year.
From a practical perspective, ditching reservations for Armed Forces Salute tickets just makes sense. From an optics perspective, that’s equally–if not more–true. With one hand, Walt Disney World does a great thing by offering these discounted tickets to members of the military. With the other hand, Disney dilutes that act by making these tickets feel like a second-class type. The bottom line is that there’s no point to these reservations anymore–they’re self-defeating. (The flip side is that the reservations are nothing to be worried about. Again, they’re a formality.)
Otherwise, no further analysis is all that necessary. These tickets are by far the cheapest that Disney offers, so if you qualify, jump on this deal.
This is a frequently-offered discount, extended every year since (at least) 2009. The cadence over the last few years has been to release close to Halloween, so if you’re already anxiously awaiting the 2026 version of this deal, it’s safe to anticipate that sometime between the start of Disney’s new fiscal year in October and Veterans Day.
This is a great price for a 4-day, 5-day, or 6-day park ticket. If you’re eligible for these tickets, buy them, as they are without a doubt the best deal you’ll be able to find. None of the authorized third party sellers or other advice in our Discount Walt Disney World Ticket Tips advice applies for those who are eligible for the Armed Forces Salute. This is your best deal, period.Â
Next up, the Armed Forces Salute room-only discounts at Walt Disney World. These are valid most nights from January 1, 2025 through December 19, 2025. Military personnel (active or retired) receive better room-only discounts than the general public, Floridians, or Annual Passholders. Call (407) 939-7830 for rates and to make reservations. Book by December 19, 2025.
For the first time since I can remember, Walt Disney World has actually published a rate and discount chart for the room-only discount. Here are the savings you can expect:
Eligibility requirements are the same for the room-only as the ticket deal. Valid military ID will be required upon check-in and the military member (or spouse) must stay in the room. Additional per-adult charges may apply if there are more than 2 adults per room. Cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion.
This room-only 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; Campsites; The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort; Club Level Rooms; and Suites in Moderate, Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts.
Honestly, I’m surprised by just how low these room-only discounts are. Not the prices (that would be good), but the percentages (that’s bad). These savings tiers are about on par with an average general public room-only offer for the respective timeframes, with the only real advantage here being that they’re bookable much further in advance.
Bounceback deals (which also are bookable far in advance) are better than this, as are Annual Pass and Florida resident rates. For that matter, we’d expect to see ‘stay longer and save more’ general public offers for 2025 that end up surpassing some of these rates. Obviously, they’re better than nothing…but they’re underwhelming as compared to what I expected. And as contrasted with what Walt Disney World should offer the military.
Granted, I’m not calling and checking this stuff every single year, but I was under the impression that the last time my parents booked an Armed Forces Salute rate, they got 40% off at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I’m pretty sure they got the same rate, or maybe 35% off at Port Orleans Riverside and the Fort Wilderness Cabins. It’s been a while and my memory isn’t perfect, but I thought this used to be that caliber of a discount–30/35/40% off. Either my faculties are failing me, or Disney has dialed down the percentages. Either way, it’s a bit disappointing.
Even with these excellent savings, you might instead check out our review of the excellent Shades of Green Resort. My dad is retired military, and we typically stayed at Shades of Green (once it existed) when I was growing up. We’ve stayed there again in the last several years, and it was looking great thanks to its last overhaul.
My parents have stayed at Shades of Green even more recently, and my dad still loves it. He prefers to stay there for the camaraderie and since (how to put this delicately…) children tend to be more disciplined there, and he has some strong opinions on that. He doesn’t really do rides anymore, so I’m pretty positive he wouldn’t want to visit Walt Disney World if it weren’t for the hotel!
Shades of Green is located in the Magic Kingdom area, but sadly is no longer walkable from Disney’s Polynesian Resort. (This is another decision we hope Walt Disney World reconsiders, but it seems unlikely.) Since Shades of Green used to be a Disney-owned Deluxe Resort, its rooms are significantly larger than Value or Moderate Resorts. Additionally, the food is much more reasonably priced. Room rates at Shades of Green are based upon military-ranking.
Ultimately, it’s good to see Walt Disney World renew the Military Salute ticket and room discounts for 2025. While the ticket deal continues to be fantastic and the best option for saving money on admission (for those who are eligible), I’ve gotta admit to being surprised and underwhelmed by the room rates. I hope I’m just missing something, and there are better unpublished rates via the phone, depending upon what and when you’re booking.
I’m glad Disney continues to offer this, and think it would be a terrible decision to discontinue it–at a time when they don’t need any more negative PR own-goals. The U.S. Military Salute is deserved, appropriate, and generates goodwill among not just members of the military–but also those in the general public who appreciate the fact that the Walt Disney Company continues to live up to its historic legacy of honoring service.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Do you have any thoughts on Walt Disney World’s 2025 Military Salute ticket or resort discounts? Are these room rates lower than normal, or is my memory of the discounts incorrect or outdated? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
