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The Walt Disney World Military Discount is Amazing

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The Walt Disney World Military Discount is Amazing

When it comes to military discounts, the Disney military discount is one of the best! Whether you plan a trip using the Walt Disney World military discount or the Disneyland military discount, you will save a significant amount of money.

Walt Disney World in Florida is a popular spot for many military families. It is drivable from many of the duty stations in the South, East Coast, and Midwest. You can also fly into Florida from other places, including overseas.

Walt Disney World opened in 1971 and is made up of several different theme parks. It is a lot bigger than Disneyland in California. Disney World is made up of the Magic Kingdom (which is similar to what you find at Disneyland), Disney’s Hollywood Studios (where you will find Star Wars Land), Epcot (where you can find themed festivals, international cuisine, live entertainment, and more), and Animal Kingdom, (with animals, and The World of Avatar.)You can also find two waterparks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.

The Walt Disney World Military Discount is Amazing

If you are curious about the Walt Disney World Military Discount, this is what you need to know:

  • The Walt Disney World Military Discount can be used from January 1, 2025, through December 19, 2025, with the following blackout dates: April 13, 2025 through April 26, 2025 and November 23, 2025 through November 29, 2025.
  • You can choose a 4-Day, 5-Day or 6-Day Disney Military Salute Ticket with the Park Hopper or Park Hopper Plus option.
  • Here are the different options with prices:
    • 6-Day Disney Military Salute Ticket – purchase now through December 14, 2025.
      • With the Park Hopper Option: $439 plus tax
      • With the Park Hopper Plus Option: $469 plus tax
    • 5-Day Disney Military Salute Ticket – purchase now through December 15, 2025.
      • With the Park Hopper Option: $419 plus tax
      • With the Park Hopper Plus Option: $449 plus tax
    • 4-Day Disney Military Salute Ticket – purchase now through December 16, 2025.
      • With the Park Hopper Option: $399 plus tax
      • With the Park Hopper Plus Option: $429 plus tax
  • You can get the Memory Maker for $98 through December 19, 2025.
  • The difference between the Park Hopper Option and the Park Hopper Plus Option is that with the Park Hopper Plus, you get to visit more than one theme park on the same day and get a certain number of visits to a water park, golf course or miniature golf course based on the length of your ticket. With the Park Hopper option, you can visit more than one of the four theme parks daily.
  • You will need a valid ticket and a park reservation for each park you want to visit. Check out the Theme Park Reservation Availability page.
The Walt Disney World Military Discount is Amazing

Who can qualify to use this military discount?

  • 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) qualify for this discount. Military spouses can also use the discount with a valid and active US Military ID in the absence of their service member.

Where do you buy the tickets?

  • Service members or their spouses can purchase the Military Salute Tickets at participating US military sales outlets. They can be used by themselves, family members, and friends, and you can buy up to six of them. The service member or spouse must be with anyone else who has a ticket on the first day to activate the tickets.
The Walt Disney World Military Discount is Amazing

Can you get a military discount on the hotels?

Where do I go for more information?

The Walt Disney World Military Discount is Amazing

If you are curious about the Disneyland Military Discount, you can find out more information on my Disneyland military discount page.

The Walt Disney World Military Discount is Amazing

What You Need to Know About the 2025 Disneyland Military Discount

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Disneyland is one of my favorite places to go, and it’s great that there is such an amazing Disneyland military discount.

What You Need to Know About the 2024 Disneyland Military Discount

Growing up just 20 minutes from the park, I went often, having annual passes from the age of 10 to 18. Since I moved out of Southern California, I have tried to visit whenever we were able to. During those visits, we have used the Disneyland military discount four different times, the last of which was in October 2022.

On three of those visits, we went with the 3-day Military Salute Tickets, which is an amazing discount! On the last visit, we received a smaller discount on one-day tickets that we bought at our MWR travel office.

There is a lot to love about Disneyland. The park has magic, and for me, a lot of that is based on nostalgia. I have so many memories from my childhood and even of my own children as they have gotten older.

I have had a difficult time with the crowd levels over the last few years. I have never seen so many people at Disneyland. I am not sure if this will ever get better or not, but it is something to think about. When I was a kid, there were times of the year when you could literally walk on the rides, but that just doesn’t exist anymore, and I need to come to terms with that, haha.

What You Need to Know About the 2024 Disneyland Military Discount

Disneyland Military Discount Details

Now for the discount details. You can choose between a 3-day or a 4-day Park Hopper pass. Keep in mind that at Walt Disney World, you can get a 4-, 5-, or 6-day pass, while at Disneyland, it is just 3 or 4 days.

The 2025 Disneyland Military Salute Ticket prices are:

3 Day Park Hopper Tickets : $295

3 Day Park Hopper Tickets with with Lightning Lane Multi Pass: $391

4 Day Park Hopper Tickets : $349

4 Day Park Hopper Tickets with with Lightning Lane Multi Pass: $477

What You Need to Know About the 2024 Disneyland Military Discount

Where to buy the Disneyland tickets?

You will need to buy your tickets at a participating US military base ticket office. A few years ago, you could buy Disneyland tickets at the park, but you can no longer do so. You will need to buy them ahead of time.

You still need to get a reservation for the days you want to visit the parks. Once you get your tickets, you can link everything on the Disneyland app. Please double-check on the Disneyland website before your visit, as things can change.

Who can get these Disneyland tickets?

The great thing about this military discount is that it applies to quite a few military groups. The Disneyland website states, “Eligible Service Members” are 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).”

When can you use these tickets?

It is essential to know when you can use these tickets. They are valid through 12/27/25, but you must purchase them by 12/23/25.

How One Military Spouse Said Yes to the Journey and Ended Up With An Amazing Career

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Animal in africa

Wouldn’t it be fun to be in the same Time Zone? This question kept bouncing around in my head. My husband had been called up from the US Navy Reserves and was stationed at As Sayliyah Army Base, Qatar.

After 18 years of marriage, I was used to the Active Duty / Civilian Life hybrid. On 9-11, as I watched the second Twin Tower fall, my husband called from work. He asked me to be prepared to take a phone call from his Navy Reserve Command. By that afternoon, I received the call that he was to report for Duty immediately. Now, nine years later, it was time for him to once again report for Active Duty. 

After we were married, as the “trailing spouse,” nonprofits were my specialty. With a passion for Human Rights and International Development, I spent most of my time Stateside, occasionally taking short assignments in Africa. With my husband being recalled to Qatar, it seemed like the right time to take the leap. I was going to work in Africa full-time.  

Elephant in Africa

Easier said than done. For months, I started going to job sites and scouring openings each day. One day, at my wit’s end, I called my husband and started moaning and complaining. “There is nothing out there. No job fits my skillset.” My kind husband sternly told me to find two jobs.

Regardless of how well they fit, apply. Knowing he was right, I went back online and was surprised to find an opening I hadn’t seen before. Odd, as it was posted over a month before. While not exactly my skillset, it was in the perfect place for me, South Sudan. 

As fate would have it, I had been working with the Lost Boys and South Sudan on the Referendum for Independence. In 2011, the Republic of South Sudan became the newest nation on Earth. If I could land this job, I’d not only fulfill my dream of truly helping build the nation, but I could also be in the same Time Zone as my husband. I applied.

Africa

Fast forward several months, and I received an email. Would I be willing to come to New York City for a job interview? What an opportunity! I walked around Central Park discussing my role with the Wildlife Conservation Society South Sudan.

It was a hot Summer Day in NYC. Many of the questions kept coming back to my being a Military Spouse. Interestingly, I later found out that this played a key role in their hiring me. They believed my ability to handle life as a MilSpouse showed that I could live and work in South Sudan. I had hit the MilSpouse Lottery! Woohoo!

In reality, my husband was feted by the Qataris. He enjoyed Jet Skiing and friendly Shooting Competitions with his Qatari counterparts. As I lay sweating in our Juba Guesthouse, listening to Antonovs circling the skies, his Army Chaplain frequently asked if I was okay. But, even though our camp in Boma, South Sudan, had become snake-infested, I forged lifelong friendships. 

Animals in Africa

Out of hardship comes strength and clarity. I so deeply love our mission of saving Africa’s Wildlife that it became my mission. Upon returning home, when my husband’s tour ended, I founded my company, Flyga Twiga. For the past 11 years, I have been helping others experience Africa at its best. 

Safari is the Swahili word for “journey”. Just as we are on the MilSpouse journey. I think a key MilSpouse Super Power is the ability to say yes. Yes to the journey. Yes to opportunities. Yes to embracing the unknown. Yes to adventure. Saying yes to the wonderful, Crazy Life!

Amy Millican is Owner & Founder of, Flyga Twiga™ LLC, a Personal Safari Service, specializing in East and Southern African bespoke Safaris. Named One of Top “21 Businesses We Love” by Military Spouse Magazine. The United States Military affiliated are Flyga Twiga’s primary Clients. Amy lives and works out of South Korea, home to the largest overseas US Military Base. 

Thank you to Amy for her guest post about how she took the opportunity to work with the Wildlife Conservation Society in South Sudan while her husband was in Qatar. If you would like to write a guest post for Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life, please fill out my Guest Post Sign Up form.

To the Military Spouse Whose Season of Deployment is Over

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When Your Season of Deployment Is Over

When my husband first deployed to Iraq, I was 27. I am now 46. The time between now and then seems impossible. Almost 20 years? How?

He deployed three more times in the seven years following that deployment. We had two more children and returned to the US after four years in Germany.

It felt like the deployments were never going to end! It felt like he would always be deployed and always have to be away from us. But here is the truth about time in the military: It does eventually end. Not only that, but deployment schedules change over time based on many factors.

My Husband Is Now Retired From the Military

My husband retired from the military last year after 21 years of service, and we are now living the veteran life. Coming from the National Guard, some things didn’t change much for us, unlike how they would have had he retired from active duty.

One of the most significant changes is that he will never be called up again. He will never come home from a drill weekend with news of a deployment. He will never be called up to go if something goes down in the US. We will never again have to cancel plans because of the military. That chapter of our lives is forever over.

The Season of Deployment Is Now Officially Over

The season of deployment is over for us. We are done worrying about, thinking about, and wondering about deployments. It is in our past, and wow, that takes some getting used to.

When you have been doing something for so long, when something has been a part of your life for so long, it’s a weird feeling when suddenly, that chapter of your life is over.

I like to look at my life, especially my military life in seasons. And now we are in a different one. But you can be sure I have taken what I learned during seasons of deployment with me. I have learned so much from letting my husband go, being a solo parent, and sending him off to places unknown. I am not the same person I was when he first joined the military.

We All Change After 20 Years

Then again, no matter your lifestyle, who is the same person after 20 years? Life experiences change us. They just do. And for me, so much of the last 20 years has been spent in military mode. The next 20 will look a little different.

Veteran life can be complicated in many different ways. From finding the right after-military job to dealing with a change in benefits, there is much to take in and a lot to get used to. When I was a younger military spouse, it always felt like retirement was so far away, but then we were there, saying goodbye to military life and embracing all this new season has to offer.

If you are just now entering this season, or for whatever reason, you know deployments are no longer in your future, know that your feelings are valid. Even if you find yourself missing parts of time away from your spouse.

Veteran Spouses Have Much to Offer Military Spouses

As military spouses, we have to find ways to get through deployments and that time apart, and we can grow for the better through some of that. The military lifestyle creates independence, and we can sometimes get much more done while they are away from us. When your spouse is home and not going anywhere, it can take some getting used to.

As veteran spouses, we also have so much to offer military spouses. We can be a listening ear since we have been there before. We can advise on deployments, PCSing, and military life in general. We can use what we have learned to help those currently going through it.

Resources to Help Transitioning Military Spouses

If your service member is about to retire or has just done so, and you are a bit nervous, I want to reassure you that you are not alone.

Here are some resources that can help:

The Department of Defense’s Military Spouse Transition Program

Transition & Strengths Coaching Services

Benefits for Spouse of a Military Retiree

What Milspouses Should Know Before Military Retirement

To the Military Spouse Whose Season of Deployment is Over

Does TRICARE Cover Doulas? What You Need to Know for Your Next Birth

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Does TRICARE pay for doulas?

Before I had my own children, I went through doula training and attended quite a few births. I absolutely loved it. When I had my first child, I had a doula at my birth.

Doulas can provide fantastic support for a woman during childbirth. According to DONA International, a doula is “a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to their client before, during and shortly after childbirth to help them achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible.”

A doula can be perfect for anyone, but it is pretty much a must for a military spouse giving birth without their spouse by their side. The question is, does TRICARE cover a doula? Yes, they do. They have since 2022 and just expanded overseas on January 1, 2025.

The TRICARE Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration (CBSD) includes certified non-medical labor doulas, certified lactation consultants, and certified lactation counselors. The certification and participation requirements were also updated on January 1st.

Which TRICARE do you need to receive this TRICARE benefit?

To receive these benefits, you will need to have:

  • TRICARE Prime
  • TRICARE Prime Remote
  • TRICARE Select

How do we use a doula with TRICARE?

If you would like to use a doula with TRICARE or any of the other CBSD benefits and you are stationed in the United States (CONUS), then you don’t need any referrals. However, if you have TRICARE Prime, you will need a referral from your PCM (Primary Care Manager) if you see a non-network provider. There could be extra charges if you apply without that referral.

If you are stationed overseas (OCONUS), you must register for the CBSD before getting services. You can do so through International SOS on the TRICARE Overseas website. Make sure to register as early as possible in your pregnancy. They will let you know within 14 days if they can find a TRICSRE-Authorized provider where you are stationed.

What else should you know about getting a Doula through TRICARE?

You must be at least 20 weeks pregnant to qualify for a doula. You also need to plan to give birth outside of a military hospital or clinic. And thirdly, you need to see a TRICARE authorized provider for your birth event.

As of January 1st, 2025, they will cover up to six hours of visits by a certified labor doula. These hours can be split into 15-minute increments. Then, you also get one untimed visit during the actual birth.

For more information, please visit the TRICARE Childbirth and Breastfeeding Support Demonstration page.

Fort Moore and the Story of a Military Spouse

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A few years before my husband joined the military, we went to the movies to watch the 2002 film We Were Soldiers. What I really enjoyed about this movie was that we not only got the story of Lt. Gen Harold G. Moore, played by Mel Gibson, but we also got the story of his wife, Julie Moore, played by Madeleine Stowe. As we watched scenes of the men going off to Vietnam, we also watched scenes of the wives at home at Fort Benning. Even back then, before I knew I would be a military spouse, I could see what these spouses went through and how they needed one another.

As the years went on and I, too, became a military spouse, I could relate even more to these women. Although my husband served in a different war during a different time, my time in Germany was similar to that of the women portrayed in this movie.

My favorite scene of We Were Soldiers is a deleted scene. As we start to watch, we see helicopters flying, and then the camera goes to the chapel back at home. One of the wives starts to sing the hymn “On the Solid Rock I Stand” but is unable to finish because she is trying to hold back her tears. Julie Moore and the other members of the congregation help her by starting to sing the song, too. The movie then goes back to the helicopters.

What I love about this scene is that it gives us an example of the military community and how we can step in to help each other. Especially in a time of war, we need each other more than ever. You can also catch the real Julie Moore and her daughter sitting behind Keri Russell.

On May 11, 2023, Fort Benning became Fort Moore to honor Hal and Julie Moore. Maj. Gen. Curtis A. Buzzard, Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Moore commanding general stated, “Together, Hal and Julie Moore embody the very best of our military and the very best of our nation. They were dedicated to their country, committed to their family, and inspired generations of Soldiers to follow in their footsteps.”

Hal Moore served in the military for 32 years after graduating from the US Military Academy in 1945. He wrote the book, We Were Soldiers Once…and Young which the movie was based on. We Were Soldiers depicts the first major battle of the Vietnam War in the la Drang Valley. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross after that fight.

His wife, Julie Moore, who he married in 1949, was an Army brat born at Fort Sill. In the movie, another powerful scene is when a taxi comes to Julie Moore’s door with a telegram, and she knows exactly what it means. She answers the door to see that the taxi driver just needed help finding the correct address and wasn’t there about her own husband. She gets very upset, rightly so, and then asks to take the telegram to the new widow herself. She also tells him to tell the taxi company to bring all of the rest of the telegrams directly to her.

Julie supported her fellow Army wives and families by changing how the Army delivered the casualty messages. As you can see in the scene, the Army was not prepared for all of this. Because of Julie, the Army changed its policy to what we see today: uniformed soldiers delivering the notices.

Julie wrote a letter to the director of We Were Soldiers in 1996 about her experiences as a military spouse. In the letter, she says, “It is really hard to describe the special closeness that Army wives have to each other. Even though I was lucky enough to end up a General’s wife, I never forgot that I started out as a lieutenant’s wife and the burdens they carried of raising young children with never enough money or husband.” You can read the rest of the letter here.

The change to Fort Moore recognizes both Hal and Julie Moore, who are both buried at Fort Benning Cemetery.

9 Things You Wish Were True About Military Life

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9 Things You Wish Were True About Military Life

Military life can be a crazy ride. From deployments to PCSing every few years, this life isn’t without its struggles. Some days we wish we had a magic wand to make everything a little easier.

So let’s have some fun…here are 9 things you wish were true about military life:

  • That every deployment came with a nanny

Let’s face it, us military spouses can get burned out really quickly when it comes to solo parenting. What if every military family received a nanny with deployment orders? That would make life so much easier!

  • That you could use a “Get out of deployment free” card

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get out of a deployment because it wasn’t the right time, or your kids were too young, or because you just didn’t think you could handle another deployment with everything going on? The reality is, there is never a good time for a deployment but we plow through anyway.

  • That you could PCS somewhere simply because your BFF did

Wouldn’t that be amazing? Your BFF went to Fort Carson, which means you get to go there, too. How fun would that be?

  • That ALL military housing was nice, safe, and you wanted to live in it

Unfortunately, not all military housing is created equal. And sometimes housing can make people sick. Wouldn’t it be nice if all military housing were up to code, was nice and safe, and allowed everyone who lived there to have a good home they enjoyed living in?

  • That your spouse could get leave when they needed to, and planning family vacations would be easier

Have you ever had to change the dates of a trip because of the Army? We sure have. If only leave dates could be taken at the perfect time, and could never be changed.

  • That every FRG meeting would be filled with information you need to know with zero drama

Some FRGs are amazing but a lot of them get a bad rap, and maybe for good reason. Wouldn’t it be nice if the FRG was always a fun place to go, with lots of great information, and without any drama? Maybe us military spouses do have the power to change the FRG into a good and helpful place for military spouses to go 🙂

  • That you could always shop at the Commissary on payday without the crowds

What if you never had to wait more than a few minutes, even if you do go to the Commissary on payday? That would be nice!

  • That it would be easy to make friends no matter where you go

Making friends during military life can be a little bit frustrating sometimes. Yes, you have to get out there but sometimes that isn’t enough. What if making friends was easy, no matter who you are, and where your PCS to?

  • That all the challenges when it comes to military spouse employment would go away

There are so many spouses who have to put their careers on hold or pursue something different because they are married to someone in the military. What if these challenges could go away? What if things were a little bit easier regarding a military spouse and their own career?

This list can be a lot of fun and hopefully make you laugh a little, but the reality is that there are things you can do to change and make military life a little better for your family and others.

Be kind. Make friends. Work for changes. And don’t be afraid to figure out a way to make things a little better for everyone.

What about you? What would you want to change if you had the power to do so?

The Waiting Military Spouse

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The Waiting Military Spouse

The Waiting Military Spouse

Military spouses have to wait. This is so much a part of the military lifestyle. So much a part of our lives as military spouses.

We wait for the enlistment to go through, not really knowing how much our life could change. Not really knowing what this will mean for us, for our marriage, for our family.

We wait for the first duty station. Will we stay close to home? Will we go overseas? Will we get homesick?

We wait for the movers to come. Is everything ready? Will anything break? Are we really doing this?

We are the waiting military spouses, always waiting on something. Always trying to make the best of it. Always looking for the silver lining.

We wait to feel like this new place as home, and wonder if it might never be. We wait to find new friends, missing those back at home or a previous duty station. We wait to figure out how to find our way in this new community.

We wait on deployment orders, knowing they will come soon. We wonder how we will make it through those months apart, and how we should handle the months before they have to go. We wonder what the deployment will really be like and if we have the strength to get through.

We wait as our spouse leaves for overseas, praying they make it home again. Praying that everyone stays safe. Praying that we can get through this time apart, even if one day at a time.

We wait as the homecoming date seems to change. We wait as we have to help our children through the deployment. We wait as the days seem long, and the weeks feel even longer.

We wait during those last few weeks of deployment. We wait to get the call they are actually coming home. And we wait with a toddler on our hip as we watch the plane land or the ship come in.

We wait as things will take time to get back to normal, and we wonder if they might never actually do so. We wait as we have to work to bring our spouse back into the family dynamic, and wonder if it is as hard for us as it is for other military families.

We wait on PCS orders, taking us to a new location. We are never really sure what that new home will be like. We hope for the best, and try to take it all in stride.

We wait to work on our own careers, knowing we can’t do exactly what we want from an overseas location. We wait to start our own path because sometimes solo parenting is a little too difficult. We sometimes have to wait on our own dreams or be creative in how to pursue them through the ups and downs of military life.

As military spouses, waiting is all a part of the game. We know this, and yet sometimes, that waiting seems too hard. We have to find ways to be patient, even if that patience doesn’t come naturally. Even if that patience is difficult to find.

We wait. For our spouse. For their career. For everything military life brings us. We wait. That’s what we do. We are the waiting military spouses.