Can I use package tickets early???

[RipClutchgoneski]

something very interesting happened to me last week and I am hoping someone can confirm what WDW is telling me is true....

I have a room and ticket package booked for 5/11-5/14. The tickets are 5 day tickets. We are staying offsite for a work trip first. We are planning on going to the parks 5/7 and 5/8.

I kept waiting for fp+ dates to show up as I approached the 30 day mark for 5/7 and 5/8 but noting. So I called over the weekend. The CM told me that package tickets cannot be used before my room check in date. Here are my options:

1. Separate the tickets from my resort reservation this would enable me to make fp+. However I'd have to pay at the higher ticket rate (he did put me on hold to see if there was a way around this). I'd also lose my existing 60 day fp+

2. I asked if I could stay on property 5/7 and 5/8 but that essentially would be a new reservation and I'd have to pay the higher ticket price and lose fp+

3. He said there is a 10 day window before my 5/11 check in where I can activate the tickets early in person by going to guest relations at a park. I can't do fp+ Early though.

I think I am going to go with option 3 and I guess do day of reservations. I don't want to lose existing fp+ or pay more. The whole thing kind of sucks and honestly scares me that I'm going to get to guest relations and they're going to tell me that I can't do the early activation. Has this happened to anyone? Someone else suggested I go to my resort on 5:7 and they may be able to activate the tix.

For what it's worth the most recent CM thought like I did. I have 14 days from use so as long as the dates fall when my stay is I'm good. This is NOT the case. This never even occurred to me that I couldn't use the ticket early.

Can someone confirm?

 

[siskaren]

Believe it or not, #3 is actually correct.

For what it's worth the most recent CM thought like I did.

Your tickets are part of a package and you can't use them to book FP until you're within 60 of your reservation. (Basically the system doesn't see the tickets until you hit the 60 day mark.) If you had done a room-only reservation and bought the tickets separately, you would have been able to book FP once you were within 30 days of your offsite stay.

 

[RipClutchgoneski]

But can I get them activated early? On 5/7? Where do I do that?

 

[cassie58]

Yes, you can activate them early. We did this on a trip in 2011 where we had a room only reservation for 2 days prior to a free dining package. Got good advice on that exact question from Cheshire Figment (RIP) who had great ticket info. on here. At that time we had to go to guest relations at Downtown Disney(now Disney Springs), who printed tickets for us(pre-Magic Bands). Even though we were on property, resort could not do it. I am not sure if you can now do it at any Guest Relations at any park, might be easier to activate on your bands. Hopefully someone can answer that part for you. As for FP, they were still paper ones that you pulled that day in the park, so I did not have to deal with booking them ahead, but I think you will still be stuck with making day of for those two days, or once activated, maybe you can make them for both days.

cassie58

 

[MakiraMarlena]

10 day window? I've never heard of it being more than 3 days. and it has to be in person at Guest Relations at the parks (there are Guest Relations outside the park gates), or Disney Springs. I think 5/7 is 4 days early?

Of course, because your tickets were booked as part of a package, you won't be able to make FP+ reservations for those days ahead of the package date, at least not until you have the tickets activated to cover them.

 

[RipClutchgoneski]

I'm (now) somewhat ok without fp+ on the 7th and 8th. I just want to be sure we can get into the parks (4 days early) with our existing tickets. As expected, Disney CMs give me different answers.

 

[siskaren]

10 day window? I've never heard of it being more than 3 days. and it has to be in person at Guest Relations at the parks (there are Guest Relations outside the park gates), or Disney Springs. I think 5/7 is 4 days early?

It was 3 days for a long time, but it is now 10 days

I'm (now) somewhat ok without fp+ on the 7th and 8th. I just want to be sure we can get into the parks (4 days early) with our existing tickets. As expected, Disney CMs give me different answers.

Like I said, the CM gave you correct information this time.