Activated Military Tickets Bought at Shades

[PSULion]

Will SOG mail you tickets if you aren't staying there? I was going to order mine from Camp Pendelton since we don't live near a base but I would rather buy activated tickets if all possible.

Sure will. You have to email in an order form and copy of military ID. They come Fed Ex and you have to sign for them. Cost $10 for shipping.

 

[jhoannam]

Sure will. You have to email in an order form and copy of military ID. They come Fed Ex and you have to sign for them. Cost $10 for shipping.

Awesome... we have a PPO for BOG on our first day and I was dreading having to get there extra early to have them activated.

 

[casnider]

We stayed at SOG in April. We received a ticket order form from SOG 40 days or so before our reservation date. We received an email within 72 hours of emailing the completed forms back to SOG, and that email had pictures of our tickets which we scanned into the my disney experience app and we were able to book our fast passes 30 days before our arrival.

When we checked in we were given the plastic tickets that we used to get into the parks. They did not need to be activated.

I'm not sure if others in your party can use the military tickets on different days than the sponsor. I suspect they can't. You could call SOG and explain your situation. I have called them with questions in the past, and they are very helpful.

Since you have already experienced this I would like to ask a question. We are doing the same thing, bought tickets, staying at SOG, already have them linked and Fast passes set. We have Magic Bands all ready. My questions is since every thing is linked should it work "seamlessly" with the Magic band on file. I will of course take the plastic ticket with us just in case but do you have to tell the system "card or band"? Crazy to worry about such things but I hate surprises when you get to the turnstile.

 

[ConnecticutFlea]

Yes it should work seemlessly if both the bands and the tickets are linked in MDE. You don't have to differentiate between ticket or band.

The year before last my son had a problem at the gate which was quickly rectified. He had his hard ticket with him, and the CMs were able to get his band to work. He had no problem last year, nor did the other 7 people we brought with us in 2016, who had all bought tickets at SOG and scanned them into MDE.

 

[casnider]

Yes it should work seemlessly if both the bands and the tickets are linked in MDE. You don't have to differentiate between ticket or band.

The year before last my son had a problem at the gate which was quickly rectified. He had his hard ticket with him, and the CMs were able to get his band to work. He had no problem last year, nor did the other 7 people we brought with us in 2016, who had all bought tickets at SOG and scanned them into MDE.

Okay, great, thank you! I hate surprises and I hate to be "that Person" that holds the line up. Embarrassing! We are actually staying two nights at Coronado Springs before we check into Shades of Green so now I have more magic bands on the way.

 

[DisLaw]

After reading this all though I still wonder if anyone who has activated tickets that they bought from shades of green if they have ever been asked to show military ID at the turnstile? I had understood that once tickets were activated the party could split up so the military person did not need to be present on the first day of use. What is everyone's experience? I'm just envisioning my mom (the military member) wanted to stay at the hotel and rest the first day while the rest of us go the parks and being stopped at the entrance and having to drag her to the park just to show her ID. I thought once they were activated you were good to go.

 

[WiWe]

We just returned from Disney and had used these tickets. We were NOT asked to show our military ID. Everything was linked on MDE , went thru like everyone else.

 

[ConnecticutFlea]

My husband and I have APs. Last April we stayed at Shades of Green. We had family arrive a day after us. We were able to get the salute tickets for them. SOG sent them a scan of their tickets in advance so they were able to make fast passes. They went to a different park than we did the day they arrived. There was no problem. They are not linked to us in MDE. They don't even have the same last name. Since this was their first and only trip, they didn't have magic bands.

 

[monkeybug]

After reading this all though I still wonder if anyone who has activated tickets that they bought from shades of green if they have ever been asked to show military ID at the turnstile? I had understood that once tickets were activated the party could split up so the military person did not need to be present on the first day of use. What is everyone's experience? I'm just envisioning my mom (the military member) wanted to stay at the hotel and rest the first day while the rest of us go the parks and being stopped at the entrance and having to drag her to the park just to show her ID. I thought once they were activated you were good to go.

We don't buy our tickets at SOG, we buy them at our local base and activate them in Disney Springs, but in 6 trips we have never ever been asked to show military ID after that initial activation. We have gone with family and friends each time too, who are not military members, and often we go our separate ways in the parks and just meet up for meals or pool time, which means that my husband and I might be in Epcot (he's the active duty member) and my parents might be in the Magic Kingdom with my kids (with no military IDs) and in 6 trips it's never been an issue.
I would guess that the CMs at the park wouldn't know who bought their tickets already activated from SOG and who activated tickets from the base at GR? And if that's the case I can't imagine them having any reason to ask for an ID, since one is required to activate the tickets. Not saying it couldn't happen, just that it seems unlikely.

 

[DisLaw]

Thanks so much! This is what I thought but then the salesperson at Shades told my mom that possibly she might need to show ID and be with us at the first usage, but she wasn't certain. This didn't make sense to me since the tickets would be activated already and so I was just wondering what everyone's actual experience was. I understand the activation process but I had been told first by the staff at Shades that once they were activated we could split up and the military member did not need to be with us. Then when my mom went to actually buy the tickets she was told differently.

I feel better now, because I did not want to run into a problem at the gate! We are so thankful that Disney offers this for military families so I want to follow the rules yet I know there are times we will be splitting up and I hate finding new things to worry about!!

 

[twodogs]

I think I know the answer but I'll ask to be sure. We bought Salute tickets at our base, activated them as GS two weeks ago (they required my dad's military ID to activate as usual and asked if all party members were present (we were)). We used 3 days of the 5 day hopper with water parks (we used parks days only since temps were 37 degrees)! If me, DH, and DDs come back to WDW in August WITHOUT my dad (military member), will we need military ID? I think the answer is no, since they've been activated and partially used, but just checking. After that spring break craziness, my dad may need a WDW break!

 

[DG25]

I have no idea what the cms are trained to do... But I can say with certainty that we never showed any military ID at the gate. Neither have several other military families we know. The only time we needed ID was to purchase the tickets through the mail. Once SOG mailed them to me I could have given them to anyone I wanted.

I don't think it's a HUGE issue, bc not many people will figure it out, and each military member can still only buy 6 a year. But the potential is there, and I can't understand why Disney now allows SOG to mail out activated tickets.

That is funny we have had to show military I'd every time we ever bought these tickets and then again when we activated the tickets. Although we have the opposite problem with resort stays, we have never once been asked for military I'd when we check into a resort under a military rate. This is at WDW. At DL we have been asked every single time to show id or we would not be able to get our rooms. Actually once I showed up in am and had to wait all day, they would not give us our room, even though we have gone every year for more than 28 years and always under military. Different policies for the different resorts.

 

[ConnecticutFlea]

The tickets from SOG are already activated. If you bought them on base they need to be activated at Disney before use.

We had a reservation at POR last October and we were asked for our military ID when we checked in.

 

[PSULion]

That is funny we have had to show military I'd every time we ever bought these tickets and then again when we activated the tickets. Although we have the opposite problem with resort stays, we have never once been asked for military I'd when we check into a resort under a military rate. This is at WDW. At DL we have been asked every single time to show id or we would not be able to get our rooms. Actually once I showed up in am and had to wait all day, they would not give us our room, even though we have gone every year for more than 28 years and always under military. Different policies for the different resorts.

I think you're misunderstanding what I wrote. We needed our ID to buy the activated tickets from Shades of Green, and when we used base ITT, we needed ID to both buy them and activate them. But the question asked if ID would be needed at the gate to get in after the tickets were activated. In 4 trips with these tickets never once have they asked for military ID at the tapstiles.

 

[sharonabe]

I think I know the answer but I'll ask to be sure. We bought Salute tickets at our base, activated them as GS two weeks ago (they required my dad's military ID to activate as usual and asked if all party members were present (we were)). We used 3 days of the 5 day hopper with water parks (we used parks days only since temps were 37 degrees)! If me, DH, and DDs come back to WDW in August WITHOUT my dad (military member), will we need military ID? I think the answer is no, since they've been activated and partially used, but just checking. After that spring break craziness, my dad may need a WDW break!

I'm 99% sure you are okay. This shouldn't be any different then if you had used them all in that one stay and your Dad stayed at the resort. You may want to ask Steve over at http://www.militarydisneytips.com/Disney-Armed-Forces-Salute.html just to be sure.

 

[DisLaw]

Thanks everyone! I'll let you know what happens. I just always thought once they were activated you didn't need the military ID at the parks. If anyone else had a recent experience I'd love to hear it!

 

[DVC4US]

Thanks everyone! I'll let you know what happens. I just always thought once they were activated you didn't need the military ID at the parks. If anyone else had a recent experience I'd love to hear it!

Once the tickets are activated(at GR, a ticket booth or straight from Shades of Green) you do not need the military member to enter the park. My DD & SIL use these tickets that my dad(military member) purchases all the time and we have been in the parks several times without him with no issues. We just did this a couple of weeks ago and everything was great!