Going on vacation is not something that military families do annually. With moving every 1-3 years, sometimes that leave time is used for the move. If you are a military family looking to plan a vacation on your time, this is for you. Plan the fun vacation, without lugging your belongings with you for a PCS, and save some money with military discounts!
For a long time, I felt bad about asking for military discounts. Until a business owner told me she offered it as her way to say thank you and wanted people to use it! Do not feel guilty for utilizing discounts to make memories on a great vacation with your family or friends.
Disney
The big kahuna – Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Every Super Bowl, the winning team announces they are going to Disneyland. It is a park full of rides, characters and food that are all over social media. Disney is also synonymous with expensive. It is not a cheap vacation. There are ways for military families to save money on their stay to visit the mouse.
Salute Tickets
These tickets are park hopper tickets with Genie +. Genie+ is now in place of Fast Pass or Max Pass. The Genie+ program is an add-on program so needs to be included in tickets or purchased the day of.
Walt Disney World has two park hopper tickets up for offer. A four- and five-day salute ticket option with four options within that.
5-Day Military Salute Ticket
– With park Hopper option
– With Park Hopper Plus Option
– With Park Hopper Option and Genie+ service
– With Park Hopper Plus Option and Genie+ service
4 Day Military Salute Ticket
– With park Hopper option
– With Park Hopper Plus Option
– With Park Hopper Option and Genie+ service
– With Park Hopper Plus Option and Genie+ service
Disneyland has their own ticket offering for the Salute tickets. They offer a three and four day Salute ticket.
3 Day Military Salute Ticket
-With Park Hopper
-With Park Hopper and Genie+
4 Day Military Salute Ticket
-With Park Hopper
-With Park Hopper and Genie+
There are black out dates for these tickets. Typically the black out dates include part of April for spring break and the last two weeks of December and first week of January for the holidays. The prices change every year, so are not posted here so this can be referred for the foreseeable future when this needs to be updated.
Shades of Green
This hotel is an Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) located in Orlando, Florida. It is within Disney property, meaning the perks of being close to the Magic Kingdom and Transportation and Ticket Center with transportation to all the Disney World parks with the perk of large rooms affordable, delicious meals. Like other Deluxe resorts on property, there is a spa and gym but also a Yoga Studio, tennis courts and two PGA golf courses.
Shades of Green reservations are open to:
- Active-duty service members and their families
- Cadets of the armed forces academies
- Armed forces retirees
- Honorably discharged veterans with 100 percent disability and their families
- Foreign military members attached to U.S. military installations and their families
- Current and retired DoD and Coast Guard employees and their families
Rates for rooms are broken into three categories based on rank. These rates change annually, so be sure to check their website for the most up-to-date prices.
Universal Orlando & Hollywood
While we did not know for years that Universal offered this, I am sharing so others are not in the dark about this great deal. The Military Freedom pass from Universal is a pass for purchase for military members and their family members for admission to the park from January to December of that year. In 2023, blackout dates were added for April but previously there were no blackout dates! We used it this past year and it was such an amazing time. It was $800 in tickets for the four of us to enjoy the parks in Orlando for ten days.
This ticket is available for purchase on your military installation at the Tickets or Travel office depending on the military service branch. When this ticket is purchased on base, you save with no tax. Hey, every little bit helps. These passes are not transferrable to different parks. You get one for Universal Orlando or one for Universal Hollywood. You can get both if you are going to both coasts in one year.
Armed Forces Vacation Club
I cannot speak to this with personal experience, but have heard lots of positive feedback from other military families. The AFVC offers week-long deals on hotels, homes or rooms for a discounted price for active and retired military. For example, a week-long hotel stay in Orlando, Florida on looking today was for $409 for a room sleeping four with a full kitchen. That is less than a night at a deluxe room on Disney property. Lodging is a big chunk of the vacation budget, and if you can save a little in this area, it can help lessen the stress.
National Parks
If your family is more a fan of hiking or camping, the National Parks is a great way to explore the U.S. Did you know that active duty and retired military personnel and their families can get an annual park pass for free? This doesn’t cover camping fees or cabin fees, but this does provide the cost savings of entering into the park.
Freebies
Places like Sea World Orlando and San Diego, and Busch Gardens Tampa and Williamsburg offer the Waves of Honor program allowing for a free entry for an active duty member and up to three dependents (this can sometimes be extended to the number of people in your family at the guest services desk at the theme park) for the day.
The San Diego Zoo offers free admission to active duty military with proof of their military ID. San Diego is quite the vacation destination, and this is great savings.
Presidential Libraries across the nation, including the Nixon Presidential Library, offer a discounted ticket for active duty.
What is your favorite vacation deal you have found over the years?
