Picking up park tickets earlier than check-in

[stargazertechie]

If a Guest want Early Package Ticket Pickup, they go to a theme park Guest Relations Window and the interaction is between GR and the Resort. CRO has no control at this point.

Thank you CF for clarifying this point professionally without talking down to anyone. I just wanted to thank you for all you do for this board, all of the AWESOME info you give us, and the fact that you are so prompt about it. I hope I get to meet you one of these trips, so I can say thanks in person!

 

[Sandisw]

Tickets cost the same regardless of if they are part of a package or not. By letting you pick them up early they are guaranteeing that you will visit Disney instead of sea world or universal etc therefore gaining revenue from in park purchases.

So if you can't pick up tickets early you will purchase say 5 day tickets and visit disney 5 days. If you can pick up tickets early you would purchase say 8 day tickets instead. Of course the cost of the extra days is minimual but Disney stands to gain money from the purchase of meals and snacks etc for three days that would have otherwise gone to the competition.

I don't think free dining has anything to do with it as this would be in effect for all packages paid dining and free dining.

I still say its a computer issue. If the CM at guest relations doesn't handle the early pick up properly and/or let the resort know you have your tickets. Or if the resort CM's are having troubling separting the tickets back off the KTTW cards and indeed issuing double tickets that is a bigger problem.

Yes, it would affect all packages. But, how many people do you think do a room only reservation and then switch to a package reservation unless they have to to get something like free dining?

I am not saying it shouldn't be allowed. I don't think there should be an issue since its no longer a length of stay situation.

But, its possible that in Disney's mind, they want to limit allowing package tickets to be picked up early so that someone thinks twice about doing a split room only/free dining stay.

They put black out periods in for a reason, whether we agree with them or not, and they may feel they want to make it harder for those people.

While there certainly are people here who say they would simply go to an off site attraction, Universal, etc, there are many who would not and will not chance it.

IMO, one of the reasons for all of this split package is the check in on a valid day, get the whole stay, but check in during black out and get nothing. If they treated package promos like free dining the way they do room only discounts it wouldn't be an issue.

You get free dining for the dates that are included and not the dates that are not. So, if you stay 7 nights, and only 3 nights are part of a free dining date, you get 3 free and pay for 4--regardless of when you check in/out.

Not that this would be as popular, but it might be perceived as fair to everyone, no one has to pick up anything early and check in/out date becomes of less importance.

 

[tyniknate]

Thanks, CF, for the prompt answer.

No need for the snarky remark posted earlier by another poster. It doesn't serve any productive purpose.

 

[Downey Family]

IMO, one of the reasons for all of this split package is the check in on a valid day, get the whole stay, but check in during black out and get nothing. If they treated package promos like free dining the way they do room only discounts it wouldn't be an issue.

You get free dining for the dates that are included and not the dates that are not. So, if you stay 7 nights, and only 3 nights are part of a free dining date, you get 3 free and pay for 4--regardless of when you check in/out.

I agree with you 100 percent.

 

[tjmw2727]

I still think it has more to do with computers and potential mistakes (double issued tickets) than Disney loosing money via spit stays. It would be nice if they could simply address that issue and continue to issue tickets early.

IMHO you have more to gain by booking free dining and then extending your stay then you do by picking up tickets early. If you pick up tickets early you simply get the benefit of a multi day discount, if you extend your stay you get an extra day of free dining and the benefit of multi day discount. I doubt many people have a complete 3 meals on Disney property on departure day.

Why does Disney care where you were prior to free dining? Wouldn't they rather you have been on property than home or off property?

What about folks who have an AP but purchase a couple days of MYW tickets with a package to get free dining?

And I do actually think folks who may not otherwise book Universal or offsite will definately consider it if they can't get package tickets early. My sil has been wanting to visit Nick hotel with her kids so she is probably going to book that instead of a WDW property for 2/3 nights prior to our trip.

If the rumor bears out about no early tickets, my family is likely going to do a night or two at universal to see the harry potter area with front of the line instead of Disney.

Yes, it would affect all packages. But, how many people do you think do a room only reservation and then switch to a package reservation unless they have to to get something like free dining?

I am not saying it shouldn't be allowed. I don't think there should be an issue since its no longer a length of stay situation.

But, its possible that in Disney's mind, they want to limit allowing package tickets to be picked up early so that someone thinks twice about doing a split room only/free dining stay.

They put black out periods in for a reason, whether we agree with them or not, and they may feel they want to make it harder for those people.

While there certainly are people here who say they would simply go to an off site attraction, Universal, etc, there are many who would not and will not chance it.

IIMO, one of the reasons for all of this split package is the check in on a valid day, get the whole stay, but check in during black out and get nothing. If they treated package promos like free dining the way they do room only discounts it wouldn't be an issue.

You get free dining for the dates that are included and not the dates that are not. So, if you stay 7 nights, and only 3 nights are part of a free dining date, you get 3 free and pay for 4--regardless of when you check in/out.

Not that this would be as popular, but it might be perceived as fair to everyone, no one has to pick up anything early and check in/out date becomes of less importance.

 

[Pongo23]

We are going in about 2 weeks and our original plans called for us to arrive rather late our first night, so we booked an offsite hotel for that night before checking in onsite. Our plans have since changed and we will be arriving early that first day. I called a few days ago explaining our situation and asking if there was anyway to change our tickets from 6 days to 7 days and to pick them up the day before we check in onsite. I was told that would be no problem as long as we pick up the tickets at a park. I was informed to bring my reservation number, and that I would be issued paper tickets for our 7 day passes which would then be converted to our cards when we checked in onsite the following day.

We will not be there during free dining. The only purpose of my call was to see if I could upgrade my tickets and pick them up a day early. If I show up at MK that first day with my super excited kids and have a hard time picking up our ticktets, I will be less than thrilled. That would not be a great way to start a magical week!!

 

[Amy276]

I really hope we will be able to pick up our park tickets early in November. I originally booked the week after Thanksgiving based on the dates of a pin code I received and then decided to add to add a few days before due to flight tickets being cheaper.

If I am unable to pick up my tickets early then I will seriously consider spending that time at Universal instead. I was already planning on going one day just to see the Harry Potter stuff, but if Disney wants to make me purchase separate tickets then I might as well spend that money at Universal instead. I will just have to run the numbers and see which makes the most sense.

What really bothers me is this only affects those of us doing a split stay before our package deal. If it was the other way around and the black out days were afterwards then Disney wouldn't care as I believe tickets are good for 14 days after first use.

I hope someone will try to do early pick up for their park tickets soon and post about their experience. I still have awhile before my 45 days to make changes, but now I will start thinking of a back up plan in case I need one.

 

[Raetz]

I still say its a computer issue. If the CM at guest relations doesn't handle the early pick up properly and/or let the resort know you have your tickets. Or if the resort CM's are having troubling separting the tickets back off the KTTW cards and indeed issuing double tickets that is a bigger problem.

I think you are right about the computer issue. Last December I decided to see if we could get our tickets a day before our package started. We went to DTD guest relations to see if we could pick up our tickets early. The CM said yes and started the process. She tried and found out that we would have to go to our resort to get our tickets. No big deal, so we went to POP and got or tickets.

We were told since we got our tickets early that they would separate from our room key and dining credits and that they could not be combined later.
I didn't argue, I figured I would try and have them combined later. The next morning we check in and I am told again they can't be combined.

The only reason I was trying to have them combined was the tickets we got early were identical looking as our room keys (KTTWC). Just trying to avoid confusion.

I tried again to combine them again at AK before they opened. The CM said she would try. Long story short she found out, I had park hoppers on both sets of cards. 7 day hoppers on the one set and 8 day hoppers and our dining credits on the other. It seems the because of some internal computer of CM error we had 2 sets of valid tickets. Even if it was human error, the computer system did not catch it. We ended up using 4 out the extra 8 days of admission.

 

[notnothin]

Easy for us - If this policy is enforced when we go in 2 weeks, we will just go to Universal instead. Disney will lose our reservation for 3 additional nights.

I wasn't trying to save money by doing it this way. I ordered my tickets and made plans based on well established policy. If Disney has changed that policy, so be it. I won't lose sleep over it, but Disney will get less of my vacation money this year.

There is a lot to do in Orlando besides WDW.

In this situation would you lose the deposit for the first night as you would be within your 24 hour cancellation window?

 

[LisaTC]

Well, this is rather cumbersome, isn't it? I've read Cheshire's Sticky and all seems like very solid information that offers no reason for me to question it. We are at POR 10.22-10.29, so our first night is room only (AAA rate) as FD pkg doesn't begin until 10.23. I have 7 day MYW PH tickets, but even though Cheshire indicated that we can pick up our tix 1 day early (& may possibly be able to do at the resort since we are staying at the same resort as our pkg) it seems they cannot be added to our KTTW. We get in around 1-2 is on Sat and we have a 7:15 at HDDR, so maybe I'll take that day off and not fuss with going to a park at all since we won't have much time and just get the pkg tix the next day and have everything on the KTTW...seems easier. For those with more than one day prior to their pkg starting, I can see why you'd want to get your tickets early and I know many who have, even recently, so I don't know what the snafu is, but it is clearly spelled out on this board that is continues to be doable.

 

[Robo]

Looks like nothing has changed, at least for now.

Looks like package tickets can still be obtained up to 3 days in advance.

Looks like Disney MIGHT be getting ready to change this in the future.

Looks like we need to keep track, as time goes by.




.

 

[Hook's Girl]

GR calls DRC for approval to do it. Approval will not be given.

I'm sorry, I've been gone a few days. Just want to reiterate that this has never been the policy. So again, nothing has changed. In my YEARS in Guest Relations I have never called, IM'd or Emailed DRC about early ticket pickup.

Again, nothing has changed. There has been no communication to Guest Relations by any means. While things are subject to change at any moment at the Walt Disney World Resort, please know that early ticket pickup is STILL available at any Guest Relations location.

 

[Nermel9]

I'm sorry, I've been gone a few days. Just want to reiterate that this has never been the policy. So again, nothing has changed. In my YEARS in Guest Relations I have never called, IM'd or Emailed DRC about early ticket pickup.

Again, nothing has changed. There has been no communication to Guest Relations by any means. While things are subject to change at any moment at the Walt Disney World Resort, please know that early ticket pickup is STILL available at any Guest Relations location.

THANK YOU! Until I hear otherwise, I'm just going to assume that I'll be able to pick up my tickets on 9/29, a day earlier than our package starts!

 

[Hook's Girl]

THANK YOU! Until I hear otherwise, I'm just going to assume that I'll be able to pick up my tickets on 9/29, a day earlier than our package starts!

Please do!

 

[gigi1313]

There has been no communication to Guest Relations by any means. While things are subject to change at any moment at the Walt Disney World Resort, please know that early ticket pickup is STILL available at any Guest Relations location.

so, basically, Guest Relations doesn't talk to Guest Relations about any guest relations issue?

 

[stargazertechie]

I'm sorry, I've been gone a few days. Just want to reiterate that this has never been the policy. So again, nothing has changed. In my YEARS in Guest Relations I have never called, IM'd or Emailed DRC about early ticket pickup.

Again, nothing has changed. There has been no communication to Guest Relations by any means. While things are subject to change at any moment at the Walt Disney World Resort, please know that early ticket pickup is STILL available at any Guest Relations location.

You are amazing

I'm also glad to know that I'm not losing my mind

 

[goNsoon2WDW]

I'm sorry, I've been gone a few days. Just want to reiterate that this has never been the policy. So again, nothing has changed. In my YEARS in Guest Relations I have never called, IM'd or Emailed DRC about early ticket pickup.

Again, nothing has changed. There has been no communication to Guest Relations by any means. While things are subject to change at any moment at the Walt Disney World Resort, please know that early ticket pickup is STILL available at any Guest Relations location.

Where are the GR locations?
Is GR located only at the theme parks or can this be done at one of the water parks as well?

TIA

 

[Robo]

1- Where are the GR locations?
Is GR located only at the theme parks or

2- can this be done at one of the water parks as well?

TIA

1- Outside (and inside) all four Theme Parks (including at Epcot's International Gateway,) both Water Parks, TTC, and 2 locations in DTD.

2- Yup.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The Water Park Guest Services do not have all the capabilities of the Theme Park, DTD or TTC offices. We cannot handle anything that deals with Resort Reservations while the others can.

 

[PHefner]

How late is the DTD GR open usually?