When most people think of Walt Disney World, “free” is not a word that comes to mind. In fact, locals in Orlando have been known to refer to the place as “Wallet Disney World.” But in 2009, Disney is offering a free ticket if you visit on your birthday. And the offer is valid at Walt Disney World in Florida or Disneyland in California.
There is some fine print. Disney would like you to register in advance. Adults can register children under 18. Showing up at the parks is allowed but not encouraged. (Disney says pre-registering is just about saving you time, but it’s also helpful for their marketing.)
If you do register in advance, Disney will send you an email reminder two weeks in advance. Then you just bring your confirmation with ID to one of the parks.
Annual Passholder or guests with Multi-Day tickets will be able to choose from other gifts, including a gift certificate valid on your birthday, or a special FastPass to let you cut down wait time.
So why is Disney doing it?
Well, first, while they don’t release official attendance figures, it’s hard to believe that the parks aren’t suffering some with the current economy. And Disney has generally shied away from the “Second day free,” “Adults go for children’s prices” and “$10 off with a can of Coca-Cola” type specials that other parks will do regularly to boost attendance. Both the California and Florida parks do, however, offer “residents specials” for locals. This is a nice way to discount without officially discounting.
In addition, most people don’t go alone. And with single-day ticket prices at $75 for an adult and $63 for children ages 3 to 9, a family of four will still spend a fair amount of money for three tickets. Plus, the free ticket is good only for one day, whereas most visitors get multi-day passes, especially at Walt Disney World, with its four theme parks.
And, of course, there’s food and merchandise. You can’t officially bring your own meals into the parks, and just try to resist all the nicely displayed souvenirs.
Still, at a time when the cost of almost everything related to travel is going up, the Disney birthday special is a nice idea. If nothing else, it will help offset the cost of gas or the cost of checking those mouse ears in your luggage on the way home.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
