Some questions about Disney Reservations/Tickets

If your not staying at a Disney hotel can you still use the My Disney Experience to get magic bands and make dining/fast pass reservations? Can you link your hotel reservations if your staying at the Swan/Dolphin (not technically Disney hotels but they do offer most Disney perks?)

I plan on buying my tickets through the Disney site - I will then be able to link them to My Disney experience? Do I have to buy the tickets all together to link them or can I buy each of ours separate? (so I can use different payment methods)

Can you pay for the tickets online with more than 1 gift card? If not can you do that at the Disney store?(are the ticket prices the same there?)

Does it matter when you buy your tickets? Do they expire? Does the price go up every year (so does it pay to buy now instead of waiting months?)

Also is there a way to combine multiple gift cards onto 1 gift card or somehow add to your account so you can pay with Magic Band (for restaurants and stuff?)

Thanks

ETA - do I need to get a magic band for child under 3? since there not getting a ticket and we're not staying at a resort do they still need one? for fast pass or dining reservations?

And can you get the magic bands at the Disney store? I see they sell them online but they charge shipping

Message edited 6/5/2015 8:24:52 AM.

Re: Some questions about Disney Reservations/Tickets

I don't have all of the answers, but I can say that I purchased my tickets two years ago from an outside vender and linked them to My Disney Experience With no problem. I was able to book our fast passes 30 days out from our trip. I booked reservations over the phone for T Rex since it wasn't available on the website. So I just wanted to point out that just because the website doesn't show availability fir something doesn't mean you can get a table. Try calling direct.

Re: Some questions about Disney Reservations/Tickets

You can link tickets purchased from anywhere. Multiple sources are not a problem. (I would use undercover tourist as they are cheaper.) Order your tix, then when you receive them, you just create an account at mydisneyexperience and put in the ID code - a long number - that is on the back of your ticket. It doesn't matter where you got the ticket from.

If you stay on property, Magicbands are free. If not, you can buy one, but you don't need one. We stayed off property and just used our regular tickets to get on the rides.

Off property you can book FP up to 30 days in advance. On property is 60 days. I can't remember if the Swan/Dolphin are considered on property for FP booking 60 day privileges or linking your reservation.

I would buy sooner rather than later. They don't expire until you start using them and the price will only go up.

Under 3 don't count for anything - tickets, dining at buffets, etc. so no, you don't need anything for them.

Not sure about the GC/Disney store questions.

Re: Some questions about Disney Reservations/Tickets

Yes, you can still use the My Disney Experience App if you are staying at the swan or dolphin. You also get the 60 day fast pass window. However, you will not get magic bands.

If you want magic bands, you will have to buy them (they sell them in the parks, in the hotels and I believe online at the Disney Store.)

Whether you buy your tickets directly through Disney, mousesavers, AAA or some other discounter, you can link them on the my disney app. It doesn't matter if you buy them all together or one at a time.

I'm not sure if you can use more than one disney gift card at a time online. You may be able to do it if you call instead of ordering online though. You can deposit multiple gift cards into a Disney Savings Account and then withdraw them as one gift card. You used to be able to pay with multiple gift cards at the Disney store, but I'm not sure if they still allow this. Ticket prices are the same at the Disney store as they are online or over the phone at Disney.

Tickets expire after first use. Prices are usually raised once a year. The last increase was in February of this year.

If you are staying at the Swan or Dolphin you do not get charge to your room privileges at the parks, so you won't be able to pay for things with a magic band.

You don't actually have to use magic bands, you can just use your tickets for admission and fast pass access. Children under 3 do not need a magic band and/or ticket. If you were staying at at Disney hotel, they would get one automatically, but it is not necessary since there is nothing "linked" with it.