How to Start the Annual Pass?

[WRLeGrand]

If this has been posted before, please merge (I looked and did not see it)

We have purchased the Platinum Annual Pass. We will be traveling in February for our first trip, but I am still fairly unsure about how to actually start/initialize the AP. Do I basically just show up to a Guest Service location on the day we want to enter? Do I need to bring anything with me?

Thank you in advance for the help!

 

[anomamatt]

Go to a ticket window outside the park and they will activate it. Bring ID for all adults (and MBs, of course). And make sure they give you AP cards (for the discounts), they sometimes forget to do that.

 

[disneyvoice]

I have also always been asked to show the credit card with which I purchased the AP in addition to ID.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Go to a ticket window or Guest Services outside a park. Adults must have photo ID. If you bought via DVC, you might wish to have your DVC membership card. I don't recall whether I was asked for the credit card or not. Yes, make sure you get your AP cards.

Your pass will be valid the day you activate it, and will remain valid through the same day in the following year.

 

[adelaster]

I recently activated passes on December 17th. It was my first time too, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. I had read on here that it was better to go to a guest services window so that's what we did. We stopped by the one at Epcot, but unfortunately we didn't get the most awesome cast member. It was one of my least favorite experiences of our trip.

If I were to advise past me:

- Might go to Disney Springs or Hollywood Studios. I know it's all up to chance, but we had very good luck with friendly cast members there.

- Have the bar codes that they emailed to you screenshotted for easy access, but be prepared for them to want to scroll through the entire email. Because I get so many emails from Disney I asked the cast member if they had any suggestions of what I could search for to pull up the barcodes easily- I mistakenly assumed that because they were linked to my magic band they would be reflected on my account on their side as well. They aren't, and it can be difficult to find them amidst the many other emails you have from Disney. The cast member had no tip to help me, but my search tip is "annual will call disney".

- Have photo IDs ready, but honestly I would also have emails and phone numbers written down on a paper that you can hand them, or a screenshot.

- Hopefully you will have a friendlier cast member who will guide you through the process. Mine was frustrated when I wasn't fast enough or was too fast. The personal side conversations didn't help- they made some unkind remarks and tried to pull them off as "jokes". Super weird experience.

- There is a tremendous lag between activating your pass and getting emails saying that they've been activated. Our cast member did not mention anything about the annual passholder magicbands available online, but I knew about them from this website. The more you know before you do it the better- just in case.

- I understand that there can sometimes be a wait at the window. We did not have to wait, but the process did take a while. I would give yourself a good 30 to 40 minutes before you actually want to be doing something else to take care of it.

- If you travel with and manage multiple people on My Disney Experience, I would recommend using the same email (The planners) for everyone.

- I believe they asked how I paid for the passes. I used a gift card, but I think if I had used a credit card they would have needed to see it.

Hopefully this helps- we already love having them. It made the trip much easier and the discounts are pretty swell.

 

[anomamatt]

I have also always been asked to show the credit card with which I purchased the AP in addition to ID.

Good point. I was asked for this too. I actually have several sets of extra AP vouchers that I bought as a price hedge. Hopefully I still have my Disney visa when I finally activate them!

 

[nfouey]

Why on earth would they need the card used to purchase?! Very odd.

I’ll be activating but my wife paid on her card. How’s that going to work! She won’t be with me.

 

[Surgie2]

There is a tremendous lag between activating your pass and getting emails saying that they've been activated. Our cast member did not mention anything about the annual passholder magicbands available online, but I knew about them from this website.

Can you tell more about getting AP MBs online? I have paid for 2 Platinum APs and plan to activate them at guest services on Jan. 26 so just a little over 3 weeks away (but will be leaving home on Jan. 17). Is it too late to order MBs online? We are offsite this trip but have an on-site visit in May so I figured I would wait for MBs until then. But if I have time to get them before our trip this month I might.

 

[anomamatt]

Can you tell more about getting AP MBs online? I have paid for 2 Platinum APs and plan to activate them at guest services on Jan. 26 so just a little over 3 weeks away (but will be leaving home on Jan. 17). Is it too late to order MBs online? We are offsite this trip but have an on-site visit in May so I figured I would wait for MBs until then. But if I have time to get them before our trip this month I might.

You have to activate APs before you have the option to select them online.

 

[Surgie2]

You have to activate APs before you have the option to select them online.

Ok that makes sense. I may just want to buy a light pink MB in January anyway

 

[North of Mouse]

Why on earth would they need the card used to purchase?! Very odd.

I’ll be activating but my wife paid on her card. How’s that going to work! She won’t be with me.

We have activated our AP's outside the MK many times and have never been asked for our credit cards! They always ask for ID only - at least that's been our experiences.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Avoid Epcot's guest relation window outside the park to activate them, I've gone there twice for AP and they screwed it up both times. Once the pass wasn't activated properly and the other the cm put in the wrong date (shorting me a month of my pass).

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

For any will call tickets, AP or otherwise, the CM is supposed to ask for the confirmation number, the ID of the purchaser, and the credit card used to purchase. All of this is for validation to prevent fraud. (The credit card can be omitted for third-party purchases.) Obviously, not all CMs do everything by the book, but they're supposed to.

For APs specifically, ID for all adults 18+ is needed, and proof of Florida residency or DVC membership if applicable to the pass type.

If you have MagicBands, bring them along as well, but if you don't, it's no big deal.

Any ticket window at any park can handle it. Guest Relations can as well, but there's no need to go to them unless there's some special situation to be dealt with.

 

[rachelsmom97]

For any will call tickets, AP or otherwise, the CM is supposed to ask for the confirmation number, the ID of the purchaser, and the credit card used to purchase. All of this is for validation to prevent fraud. (The credit card can be omitted for third-party purchases.) Obviously, not all CMs do everything by the book, but they're supposed to.

For APs specifically, ID for all adults 18+ is needed, and proof of Florida residency or DVC membership if applicable to the pass type.

If you have MagicBands, bring them along as well, but if you don't, it's no big deal.

Any ticket window at any park can handle it. Guest Relations can as well, but there's no need to go to them unless there's some special situation to be dealt with.

I am hoping I will not have a problem if I don’t have the credit card I used. I do have confirmation and ID and it is loaded in My Disney Experience. I purchased in November, our credit card was hacked in December so I have a new card. I am going to activate in February.

 

[roysbrew]

we are travelling in march but I just bought the platinum AP for myself. How do I reserve my FP at 60 days if I don't have the pass yet?

 

[Robo]

we are travelling in march but I just bought the platinum AP for myself. How do I reserve my FP at 60 days if I don't have the pass yet?

Put the confirmation number of the AP(s) in your MDX account.
(The number(s) may already be there if you ordered the AP(s) through your MDX account.)

That's all you need to be able to book advance FP+ when your date comes up.

 

[Robo]

I am hoping I will not have a problem if I don’t have the credit card I used. I do have confirmation and ID and it is loaded in My Disney Experience. I purchased in November, our credit card was hacked in December so I have a new card. I am going to activate in February.

Don't worry about it.
That happens all the time.

 

[kmc8826]

Minor tangent but this isn’t a big enough to deal to post separate thread; I renewed our AP’s online but our card for discounts etc is for 2016-2017. I will need to go to guest services to get a new card right?

 

[Robo]

Minor tangent but this isn’t a big enough to deal to post separate thread; I renewed our AP’s online but card for 2016-2017. For discounts etc I will need to go to guest services correct?

Guest Relations or a ticket booth for a new card, yes.

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

I am hoping I will not have a problem if I don’t have the credit card I used. I do have confirmation and ID and it is loaded in My Disney Experience. I purchased in November, our credit card was hacked in December so I have a new card. I am going to activate in February.

Just let the CM know that and it won't be a problem. If you've got the confirmation number and your ID they can manage without the credit card. We're all well aware of the prevalence of credit card fraud.