I've heard that you can buy discounted tickets online via disneyworldhotelsandtickets.com. My friend said they can offer the discounts because they buy in bulk. Is this legit?

We get a lot of questions about discounted tickets. Perhaps it's because no matter how many ways you figure out to scrimp and save on hotels, transportation, and food, there's always the overwhelming expense of the theme park tickets themselves. So who can blame readers like these for trying to score a deal?

Internet bargain hunters run into immediate problems, however. Web sites such as disneyworldhotelsandtickets.com have not been authorized to sell Disney theme park tickets at all. Disney's own site, Disneyworld.com is the only online medium authorized to sell tickets.

The ticket-selling outlets mentioned in the first question above, which are often located in the lobbies of off-site hotels, are a different story. These outlets are authorized to sell Disney one-day tickets as well as multiday passes such as the Park Hopper Plus and often offer them at slightly discounted rates. The key word here is "slightly." You'll save an average of $3 - $4 per person per day. Every bit counts when you're pinching pennies, of course, but don't think you're going to drastically slash your vacation costs by visiting one of these outlets.

So, if you opt to buy tickets from a non-Disney source, such as from the booth in the lobby of an off-site hotel, you will be getting legitimate tickets at a slight discount. Make sure, however, that you're getting what you need and only what you need. If you're going in the summer, for example, and want to visit the water parks, you'll need a Park Hopper Plus. Going in a chilly season? You probably don't need the Park Hopper Plus, only the cheaper Park Hopper. And only those with preteens and teenagers who'd adore hanging out at DisneyQuest, or sports nuts who want to visit Wide World of Sports, really need the top-of-the-line Ultimate Park Hopper.

Off-site outlets are also legendary for trying to aggressively hawk all sorts of other tickets as well. One family wrote in with the story of how a salesman at an off-site outlet urged them, even though they had their own car, to buy tickets for the hotel shuttle and thus save the "horrendous" cost of Disney parking. They bought the tickets at $4 a person, for a total of $16, and wound up on a long, winding journey to the Magic Kingdom, stopping several times to pick up riders at other hotels, only to find that the parking fee was $7. Buyer, beware!

Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated June 2005.