Buying Annual Passes for family?

[DoleWhip]

Hello, I have a question about buying Annual Passes.

I was considering getting APs for my family. Myself, Mom, Dad, 2 teenage brothers.

We will probably stay at the Dolphin, so I was thinking, it might be easier for everyone if I just walked to the gate, waited in line, and bought all the passes for the whole family. Then they can relax, have breakfast, take time getting ready.

My question is, does everyone have to be present at the ticket window in order to buy APs?
Or would it be good enough if I just bring along everyone's ID with me?

Also, my youngest brother does not have any picture ID, will that be a problem?

Can anyone advise? Thank you.

 

[beansmom]

dole,

just curious...how many times a year do you all go? I'm thinking of buying an AP, too, but since I live in Texas, I'm wondering if I will get enough use of it to justify the purchase.

I mean, I could go 2-3 times during the year but wouldn't the additional expense offset any savings of an AP??

Just wondering.

 

[loriandmatt]

DoleWhip - i don't think this will work if you are talking about buying and activating the passes at once. When buying our AP's last year they still fingerscanned and checked ID when activating passes, so you doing it alone for the group will not work.

What we did to save time was to purchase AP vouchers ahead of time and then just activated them (with ID, each person there, and the fingerscans) when we arrived at WDW.

To answer beansmom's question a bit....we find the AP's usefull and we are in Philly. (i am not sure how long your journey is, but ours is 16-18 hours in a car.) We generally take a long trip each year (over 8 days) and the AP's pay for themselves on that trip alone. (it is generally said that with a trip of 8 or more days OR trips totaling more than 8 days in a year an AP is a better value than hoppers each time.) We get as much bag as we can from our bucks on AP's by that long trip i mentioned above, a smaller trip at about our 6 month point( (6 months since our last trip) and then schedule our big trip for the next year a week before the one the year before. (i know i have just confussed the heck out of you so i will give example dates:
10 day trip mid Oct 2001 - buy AP's - already pay for themselves.
5 day trip early June 2002 - use same AP's
10 day trip late Sept 2002 - use same AP's

Now when those AP's were set to expire we don't renew them, we will just get new AP's at the beginning of our next trip. (seemed a waste of money to renew them and let them sit for 6 months)

- lori

 

[BrianD]

Actually, they don't finger scan you at the time of activation. At least not anymore. I think your finger scan is recorded with your first entry into one of the parks. I noticed that it took a few seconds the first time when I did the finger scan.

 

[loriandmatt]

Brian D - your right! (it's all coming back to me now!)

We happened to turn in our vouchers and activate our AP's one right after the other while in front of MK. You are correct. We needed ID to turn in the vouchers and get our AP's. Then we went to the turnstiles, they ran the AP thru and then took our fingerscan. Each entry after that we ran the AP thru the turnstile and then put our fingers in for varification.

So - i am not sure if DoleWhip could get the AP's or not for his family members. (even if he had their ID's on him they may not do this without those folks actually being there.) Sounds like a call to someone at WDW is in order to get to the bottom of this one.

- lori

 

[Chuck S]

DoleWhip, While you would lose 1 day on the AP, if you're arriving the night before, and the parks are still open, why not go get your passes then? You could have a nice meal inside the park, ride something, then turn in for the evening and relax in the morning.

Beansmom,
Usually if you do the parks for 8 or 9 days a year APs will save a little money over Hoppers. Plus discounted room rates are available seasonally.

 

[wbk]

8 days has always been the rule of thumb for breakeven with regrds to annual passes over park hoppers. When we had annual passes a couple of years ago, we were fortunate to be able to enjoy 3 trips to WDW for a total of 24 days. It was like getting free admission to the parks for 16 days!

 

[copper0426]

loriandmatt. I agree with you all the way. We buy annual passes, go for about 7 or 8 days, we live in FL so we usually get there after about 6 months and go a week or so again before the expiration date.

This past year, We went for a week in April, 5 days in June, 4 days in July and 2 weeks in December. We definately got so much more bang for our buck this past year.

Hope this helps.

I also know that there is a place at the marketplace where you can buy passes, I do not know what the hours are or if you can by for more than yourself.

Diane

 

[seashoreCM]

If you make more than one trip within a year, the Premium annual pass outdoes all other admission media on the eleventh Disney day, not counting other discounts. For a single trip, it takes 15 days to outdo the Unlimited Magic pass. Except that a PAP will never outdo a regular AP unless you use the water parks, Pleasure Island, or Disney Quest, approx. 5 visits.

If you are not going to be at WDW exactly on the annual pass' expiration day, using it for just the evening on the first day is a bonus over hopper passes, not a waste.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[loriandmatt]

copper0426

love your signature line!!!

My DH (a cop here in our Philly suburb) loves Disney as much as me. (borderline fanatical) He just can't admit that to his cop buddies for fear they think him a sissy! (yet he is the one who obsessively collects dinsey art and housewares!)

- lori

 

[minivan3]

We are getting AP's for the first time in October for our children. What sort of ID is expected for a Child? Would picture school ID work?

 

[BuzzMe]

We've never needed any ID for our kids when buying APs.

 

[Minnie's Mate]

You can purchase the AP's without the i.d.'s. They are activated when you buy them at the International Gateway. When first used they will do the finger scan. I.D.'s aren't required for children.

I don't think they ask for an I.D. unless the scan doesn't work after their first use. This is to keep someone from using another person's AP and claiming there is something wrong with the finger scanner.

On our last trip, we renewed our AP's at guest services at DTD. On our last day in the parks, they quit working...all of them. We went to guest services at AK and were given replacement cards with the same expiration date and told we would have to have the finger scan recorded over and to just tell the CM at the turnstile what was going on.

 

[copper0426]

Children do not need Id's nor are they required until a certain age to do the fingerscan. Our son is 6 and he just inserts his pass and walks in.

LORI, I was the first person to take my husband to Disney when he was 25, he pretty much put up a fit about going to a kiddy place. Needless to say, after the first day, he plans all the disney trips now. He talks with other cops he works with about Disney and gives a whole speech to someone who asks "why are you going to disney again you were just there last month".


Disney is the place were everyone becomes a child again and you believe in Magic.