Buying Theme Park Tickets at Discount Stores Safe!!??

[Alberta]

Hey everyone,
My family and I were wondering what we should do about park hoppers for WDW and Universal/ IOA. We only have about eight or nine days in Orlando. So my question is... how safe is it to buy those discounted park hopper tickets from stores all over Orlando. Like the seven day ones that have three days spent on them. My mom thinks it would be a good idea and if it's safe it would be a really good money saver! But I'm just really unsure, who knows that there's four days on there when there may only be one!!! So I was just wondering if anyone has done this method or heard things and just how trustworthy it is!!
Thanks a bunch for any input!
Alberta

 

[merryweather's twin]

I have never tried this but I have heard that it is illegal to buy used tickets becouse they are non transferable. I would also be very upset to find out that more days were gone on them than I thought ..... there is no way to tell untill you are at the parks. More than anything if you get that fly by night feeling about it do not do it! Last year 2001 we were in line at MGM behind a few people On Dec 27th and a family was being taken to security to sort things out becouse the passes they had were used and the names did not match!THey had a 5 yo who was crying . I do not know for sure how they got the tickets or why they were so sure they had 4 days left....For me the stress would not be worth the savings.

 

[Alberta]

bump

 

[sha_lyn]

DON'T DO IT
It is against the law and very risky too ...


I have read many horror stories on the DIS over the years about used tickets that were suppsoe to have days left and did not. One person recently retold their story about only the plusses beign left when they were promised that there were days left on used passes they bought. One time someone new poster here hoping we could help them demand their money back from WDW when they bought used passes road side. They couldn't understand why WDW wouldn't honor the tickets since they bought them from someone claiming to be a "resaler". Anohter story was a poster here who bought their tickets off e bay fro msomeone claiming the tickest were bought from WDW and never used becaused memebers of their party cancelled the trip. Turns out the tickets were completely used up.

 

[epcotfan]

I wouldn't do it either. They are non transferable and you have no way of knowing how many days are left on the passes. Many people have been turned away at the gates because of these scams.
You are better off buying your tickets directly from Universal or Disney.

 

[SueM in MN]

We have walked by some of those roadside stands, where the "sellers" ask "Do you need tickets?"
When we said that we already had tickets, they ask, "Do you want to sell your tickets?"
So that is how the "resellers" get some of their tickets to sell. Very risky to buy from them (as well as illegal, as other posters mentioned).
We have seen people who were stopped at the gate with "bad" tickets. In one situation, we could hear the woman yelling at the man that they should not have tried to save money by buying from a roadside stand (just like the confessions on the stand on TV shows). It's not a pretty sight and whatever money they paid for the tickets is lost. Even if the days are not completely used up, the tickets do say on the back that they are not transferrable and are to be used on any and all days by the same person. The tickets can be confiscated if this is not followed. The sellers may say that there is no name on the ticket, but that little magnetic strip on the ticket is better than a name. When put into the Disney computer, it can tell when the ticket was bought, where and how it was originally bought (and I'm sure that not many people originally pay cash for their tickets), dates and times the ticket was used.

 

[Alberta]

Thanks for all your reply's! Is this still applicable to the actual stores in Orlando? We were thinking of checking out the actual shops that are advertised that claim to sell partially used park hoppers for a discount. NOT the individual people or roadside stands. Just wondering cause we saw about 6 stores throughout Orlando and they had posters and must have been legal if they can advertise and own a place for that type of business. Thanks a bunch guys!

Alberta

 

[SueM in MN]

It's not legal to sell any partially used tickets. The tickets say on the back that they are non-transferrable and are to be used by the smae person on each and every day. So, it doesn't matter where you buy them, the tickets could still be no good or be confiscated by WDW when you use them and you will be out the money.
In fact, we have been "accosted" by the ticket buyer/sellers on the sidewalk at roadside stands, but also inside the outlet mall in a very nice, permanent looking kiosk with signs saying that they sell discounted tickets. Buy at your own risk.