A look back: this article covers Disney's 2021 rebrand of the old Ultimate Ticket into what we now call Disney Magic Tickets. If you're after current pricing and how Magic Tickets work today, head to our Disney Magic Tickets guide instead.
For as long as I can remember UK guests had the ability to purchase Disney's 7, 14, or 21 day Ultimate Ticket. The ticket was always great value compared to paying for tickets on the day. The ticket included access to all 4 theme parks and both water parks (with unlimited park hopping), Memory Maker, as well as a few extras like ESPN Wide World of Sports, and one round a day at Fantasia Gardens or Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Courses.
Now, Disney is replacing the "Ultimate Tickets" with "Magic Tickets" for all new tickets purchased starting November 3rd, 2021. "Magic Tickets" are mostly the same as the previously named "Ultimate Tickets", but with a few tweaks. If you're buying your ticket as part of a Walt Disney World holiday package, you won't see any difference. The first day your tickets are valid is the first day you visit a park after checking in to your Disney hotel - just like before.
However, if you're staying off-site and purchased your tickets separately in advance, they are now date-specific. You used to be able to buy your Ultimate Ticket and use it at any time in that year, but now you must declare a start date (alongside making park reservations). This also allows Disney to adjust the price based on the season you want the tickets for, just like how it is when buying day tickets in the US.
If you'd already paid for your 2022 Walt Disney World tickets in full, they were honoured and you didn't need to declare a start date (but you still needed to make park reservations). If you hadn't paid in full (for example, only paid a deposit), your tickets were transferred to "Magic Tickets" if the balance wasn't paid by November 2nd (or earlier depending on your ticket vendor of choice). If you booked your tickets as part of your Walt Disney World holiday package, no action was needed.
A plus to this change is that a 14-day "Magic Ticket" can now be used for 14 days of park access over an 18 day period, (instead of 15 previously), and a 7-day ticket can be used over 15 days.
Disney continued to sell and honour all Ultimate Tickets purchased before November 2nd, 2021. After that date, guests were purchasing "Magic Tickets" and had to choose a start date in advance, with pricing for those tickets not available until November 3rd.
Ultimate Tickets are long gone at this point, replaced entirely by the Magic Tickets described above. If you're planning a trip now, our Disney Magic Tickets guide covers current pricing, seasons and where to buy.
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