Tickets and Annual Pass Questions - Please add your ticket questions to this thread

[JJ2017]

I was posting a lot about the online verification for Florida residents this past August. Just an update. My father received his FL driver's license around 8/12. The online verification did not work immediately and we were advised to just "wait." No one knew how long. Today, 10/6, his online verification worked. So that might be an indication of the waiting period for new Florida residents to use the online feature. Just sharing!

 

[PolyRob]

Can you activate an AP "exchange certificate" at your resort's concierge? I have a guest in my travel party that has a Sam's Club AP purchased prior to the price increase linked in MDE and was wondering if she could activate it before everyone else arrives and we head to AK.

 

[Robo]

Can you activate an AP "exchange certificate" at your resort's concierge?

Maybe.
BUT, if the CM there is at all hesitant/reluctant to do so...

DON'T.

 

[PolyRob]

Maybe.
BUT, if the CM there is at all hesitant/reluctant to do so...

DON'T.

Thank you!

 

[MMSM]

Please help me! I am buying park hopper option plus for April 3rd. When I click on terms it says plus credits have to be used in same time frame. This is wrong, right? Do I still have 14 days? We want to park hop on a Friday and do water park on a Sunday. Will it be ok?

 

[hiroMYhero]

Please help me! I am buying park hopper option plus for April 3rd. When I click on terms it says plus credits have to be used in same time frame. This is wrong, right? Do I still have 14 days? We want to park hop on a Friday and do water park on a Sunday. Will it be ok?

A 1-day date-based PH + is only valid for a total of 2 days:
From the Ticket Sticky -
Selection of the Park Hopper Plus Option to include visits to Disney water parks and other attractions—along with same-day admission to more than one theme park— adds another day to your valid use period.

Your + options will be valid on April 4th.

 

[CanuckHockeyDad]

Please help me! I am buying park hopper option plus for April 3rd. When I click on terms it says plus credits have to be used in same time frame. This is wrong, right? Do I still have 14 days? We want to park hop on a Friday and do water park on a Sunday. Will it be ok?

The “old” 14 day time frame is no longer valid. Various # of days tickets are good for a certain # of days. Adding PH+ extends the expiry date an extra day.

Only a 10 day ticket is good for a 14 day ticket.

A 9 day PH+ ticket is good for 14 days.

Good info here:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/faq/tickets/ticket-dates/

 

[CanuckHockeyDad]

Meant to say “only a 10 day ticket is good for a 14 day period”.

 

[fan1080]

Quick question that I didn't see an answer for in the thread...

We were at WDW in early Aug this year. We all had airmiles tickets that had to be activated at guest relations (Canadian Resident Tickets). Some were purchased after the introduction of expiry dates but were still valid, and one was purchased prior to the introduction of expiry dates, early 2017.

At guest relations, the ticket agent informed us that all tickets were good to go with the exception of the ticket purchased in 2017. She said we had to upgrade the ticket to the current gate price prior to being able to use it. I even showed her that the expiry date in MDE was showing 2030, but she didn't want to see that information at all, just said it doesn't matter what MDE is showing, her system was telling here it had expired.

After a very lengthy discussion and multiple times she went out back to discuss with someone else, she still said we had to pay the price difference. She finally gave in when I asked to speak with her manager, and offered a one-time courtesy, and allowed the ticket to be used as is.

So, what is the deal with tickets purchased prior to the introduction of expiry dates? Do these now have an expiry date? I can't seem to find any information on them anywhere. I still have one of those old tickets left, unused, and would like to know what to expect when we do use it in the future.

 

[Robo]

Quick question that I didn't see an answer for in the thread...

We were at WDW in early Aug this year. We all had airmiles tickets that had to be activated at guest relations (Canadian Resident Tickets). Some were purchased after the introduction of expiry dates but were still valid, and one was purchased prior to the introduction of expiry dates, early 2017.

At guest relations, the ticket agent informed us that all tickets were good to go with the exception of the ticket purchased in 2017.
1. She said we had to upgrade the ticket to the current gate price prior to being able to use it.
2. I even showed her that the expiry date in MDE was showing 2030, but she didn't want to see that information at all, just said it doesn't matter what MDE is showing, her system was telling here it had expired.

After a very lengthy discussion and multiple times she went out back to discuss with someone else, she still said we had to pay the price difference. She finally gave in when I asked to speak with her manager, and
3. offered a one-time courtesy, and allowed the ticket to be used as is.

So, what is the deal with tickets purchased prior to the introduction of expiry dates?
4. Do these now have an expiry date? I can't seem to find any information on them anywhere.
5. I still have one of those old tickets left, unused, and would like to know what to expect when we do use it in the future.

1. I've never heard of anything like that with "older" tickets.
2. That would be my first clue you were dealing with an ill-informed CM (and it looks like it clued you, too.)
But, MDX can be glitchy. Do the older tickets retain that 2030 expiration date?
3. I wish I could keep a running count of the number of times THAT line is trotted out. (Sometimes, it is even TRUE.)
4. I can't speak directly to your specific tickets (as they ARE "specific" tickets and do have some unique rules,)
but in general, a purchased ticket will retain the rules that were in place when it was issued.
One of those rules is that (unless these is a specific expiration date) it will remain valid for use, "as-is." Even the oldest WDW park admission tickets can still be used for, well, park admission. Also, the "expiration date" of 2030 is used by WDW as a "place holder" date.
It is likely that even THAT date will not be a "hard date" when unused tickets and AP will actually "expire." (But, literally, time will tell.)
5. There is a department at WDW that usually offers reliable ticket information:
Call WDW Ticketing:
(407) 566-4985 (option 5)
Hours: 8:30am-4:30pm ET Mon-Sat
-or-
Email ticket.inquiries@disneyworld.com

Overall:
If your ticket retains the "2030" expiration date shown in your MDX, it should still be valid for use.

Edited to add:
Regarding #2 above.
WDW's MDX software has, in the long run, proven to be unreliable for various kinds of ticket indicators.
But, if you could actually SHOW a CM, in-person, that a ticket is posting as valid in YOUR MDX account...
right there in front of that CM... a company that offers good customer service should honor that information.
It is the company's own software that is designed to tell the guest what is valid.
If they won't stand by that information, how could a guest trust any other information from the company.
(I'm not talking about various ticket glitches that come and go on a sketchy basis. I'm saying that if a ticket continues to show as valid, over time, and that info can be shown to a CM at the time, it should behoove that CM to
look at the guest's information and make accommodation for that guest at the time.
(Which, this CM actually DID do.)
So, that's why (if the CM bluntly ignored the guest's MDX info, as stated) that the CM was (in my opinion)
giving poor customer service to the guest.

 

[lanejudy]

Some were purchased after the introduction of expiry dates but were still valid, and one was purchased prior to the introduction of expiry dates, early 2017.

When was the oldest ticket purchased? I believe it was 2016 when WDW tickets first had expiration dates - and most tickets purchased that year (2016) expired 12/31/2017. Tickets purchased in 2017 largely expired 12/31/2018. There was a second change in ticketing policy last fall (Oct. 2018) that included date-based tickets with a start-date as well as expiration dates. But expiration dates have been part of the scene for about 3 years now.

If the ticket was purchased in 2017, it sounds like the CM was correct and you were pixie-dusted.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[fan1080]

I'm saying that if a ticket continues to show as valid, over time, and that info can be shown to a CM at the time, it should behoove that CM to
look at the guest's information and make accommodation for that guest at the time.
(Which, this CM actually DID do.)
So, that's why (if the CM bluntly ignored the guest's MDX info, as stated) that the CM was (in my opinion)
giving poor customer service to the guest.

Hi Robo,

Yes, the ticket in question was showing valid, and she refused to look at the MDX information. I handed her my phone and she just said something along the lines of, "I don't need to see that, my system has the info right here".

Now mind you, this was after about 20 minutes at this point and she had already gone back to discuss with someone at least once by this point, so she was getting frustrated (me too). Not an excuse, but we are all human and emotion sometimes gets the better of us. For the most part, though, it was a civil back and forth.

Thanks for your answer. I may have to call the number you listed as it looks as though from another reply after yours that the ticket I still have may indeed be expired. Although, the last one I have I believe was purchased even before the one we had issue with this summer.

 

[fan1080]

When was the oldest ticket purchased? I believe it was 2016 when WDW tickets first had expiration dates - and most tickets purchased that year (2016) expired 12/31/2017. Tickets purchased in 2017 largely expired 12/31/2018. There was a second change in ticketing policy last fall (Oct. 2018) that included date-based tickets with a start-date as well as expiration dates. But expiration dates have been part of the scene for about 3 years now.

If the ticket was purchased in 2017, it sounds like the CM was correct and you were pixie-dusted.

Enjoy your vacation!

Interesting, thanks for that info, I didn't realize ticket valid-use-dates started prior to Oct 2018.

 

[Donald - my hero]

Just poking my head in with some extra information about the tickets that show expiration date of 2030 .. those are from the 1st Canadian Resident Discount and they were in fact non-expiring tickets. They were sold during 2016/17 and when we added them to our MDE accounts it assigned the date of Dec 31, 2030. These are not your standard run-of-the-mill ticket (not like there is such a beast anymore!), some came with exchange vouchers and they all need to be verified with proof of residency. SOooo the Cm wasn't giving you any special treatment @fan1080, you were correct, those tickets are still valid, as is! However, heaven help you if you want to upgrade them in any fashion because you'll experience 3rd degree sticker shock, you will lose all of your realized discount and be out a huuuuuge chunk of change.

 

[fan1080]

Just poking my head in with some extra information about the tickets that show expiration date of 2030 .. those are from the 1st Canadian Resident Discount and they were in fact non-expiring tickets. They were sold during 2016/17 and when we added them to our MDE accounts it assigned the date of Dec 31, 2030. These are not your standard run-of-the-mill ticket (not like there is such a beast anymore!), some came with exchange vouchers and they all need to be verified with proof of residency. SOooo the Cm wasn't giving you any special treatment @fan1080, you were correct, those tickets are still valid, as is! However, heaven help you if you want to upgrade them in any fashion because you'll experience 3rd degree sticker shock, you will lose all of your realized discount and be out a huuuuuge chunk of change.

Thanks for that. From all the research I did prior to purchasing them, I was fairly certain they were still valid. And yes, upgrading them would not be suggested.

Disney has done themselves a disservice with all these odd tickets and rules. Not that they care because people are going to go regardless.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for the next time we go and use the last ticket we have.

 

[JJ2017]

I'm going in circles with emails with Disney. I am now being told that my father who is a Florida resident cannot purchase his grandkids (my kids - not residents) florida resident annual passes to visit with him. Is this true? I was originally told (by Disney) that this is possible. Thanks!

 

[lorenae]

I'm going in circles with emails with Disney. I am now being told that my father who is a Florida resident cannot purchase his grandkids (my kids - not residents) florida resident annual passes to visit with him. Is this true? I was originally told (by Disney) that this is possible. Thanks!

Yes, that's true. You have to be a Florida resident, and that is Disney's policy.

However, purchasing Florida residents' APs for children with a parent/grandparent being a Florida resident AP holder hasn't even been a question as far as I know. It might be quite a bit cheaper to by parkhopper tickets for them (discount Florida resident tickets) than buying APs unless they are going a LOT with him.

 

[lanejudy]

I'm going in circles with emails with Disney. I am now being told that my father who is a Florida resident cannot purchase his grandkids (my kids - not residents) florida resident annual passes to visit with him. Is this true? I was originally told (by Disney) that this is possible. Thanks!

If I recall, you want your father to purchase FLR APs and activate them without him present. I don't know if that can be done. A FL resident grandparent can purchase tickets for the grandkids, but has been required to be present with ID to activate them in the past. That may hold true for the new electronic verification as well, especially since he isn't purchasing a ticket for himself. I think your options are to buy the kids regular tickets, or have your father join you at the parks, at least for the first day.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[lorenae]

If I recall, you want your father to purchase FLR APs and activate them without him present. I don't know if that can be done. A FL resident grandparent can purchase tickets for the grandkids, but has been required to be present with ID to activate them in the past. That may hold true for the new electronic verification as well, especially since he isn't purchasing a ticket for himself. I think your options are to buy the kids regular tickets, or have your father join you at the parks, at least for the first day.

Enjoy your vacation!

Oh, I wasn't aware of that. In order for them to use FL resident tickets, they have to be with a Florida resident, and activated by the Florida resident. Not sure how that would work with APs, once they are purchased, but definitely can't be activated without him.

 

[JJ2017]

If I recall, you want your father to purchase FLR APs and activate them without him present. I don't know if that can be done. A FL resident grandparent can purchase tickets for the grandkids, but has been required to be present with ID to activate them in the past. That may hold true for the new electronic verification as well, especially since he isn't purchasing a ticket for himself. I think your options are to buy the kids regular tickets, or have your father join you at the parks, at least for the first day.

Enjoy your vacation!

good memory! my dad might be joining us to help the kids get activated. but now that disney is telling me even that cannot be done, i started to lose it!!!!!!!!!