One of the true discounted programs is the FlexTicket. For admission to five parks (Universal's pair, SeaWorld, Aquatica, Wet ‘n Wild), you want the Orlando FlexTicket ($320 adults, $300 kids 3–9), which grants unlimited admission to all of the parks for a full 2 weeks. It’s sold by those parks. Tack on Busch Gardens for $40 adults or kids. Considering 1-day admission to Busch Gardens alone is twice that, you don’t have to get near a calculator to see the savings, but you do have to go to as many parks as possible. Once you’ve paid for parking at your first theme park ($17 is the going rate), you can keep your ticket and avoid paying it again. Many hotel closed-circuit TV programs promise $10 off, so when you’re buying a FlexTicket in person, claim you learned about it from your in-room programming and ask for the deal. FlexTickets are sold online, too (http://tickets.visitorlando.com, the area’s official tourism bureau, gives small discounts on it).
Universal and SeaWorld discount the gate price if you book online, and all the parks discount per-day entry if you buy multiple days. SeaWorld and Busch Gardens also offer courtesy admission for members of the military and their families. Check www.herosalute.com to see if you are eligible. Orlando Magicard (www.visitorlando.com/magicard) grants discounts to heaps of attractions, meals, home rentals, and hotels. The participants are members of the local tourism bureau. Its discounts aren’t much different from what the free coupon circulars promise, but they’re still good deals. You will also find coupons through OrlandoCoupons.com and the discount circular HotelCoupons.com.
A few outfits such sell faintly discounted tickets. Maple Leaf Tickets (800/841-2837; www.mapleleaftickets.com), the Official Ticket Center (877/406-4836; www.officialticketcenter.com), Undercover Tourist (800/846-1302; www.undercovertourist.com), and Ticket Momma (866/996-7508; www.ticketmomma.com) are all accredited by the Better Business Bureau. No Disney deals ever seem deep enough to offset shipping fees or the hassle of picking up your tickets at some third-party office; however, multiple purchases, stays of a week or longer, and third-tier diversions such as dinner shows ($10–$15 off) may work out for you. Tickets are nontransferable. A desk at the Orlando Official Visitor Center furnishes similar discounts on tickets you can trust.
One to be wary of is the Go Orlando Card (866/628-9036; www.goorlandocard.com), which offers admission to many secondary attractions. The catch is you get an obscenely short time to use it. Rare is the person who can visit enough places to make the price (a 2-day card is $120 for adults) pay off.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
