Flex Pass Superthread: Disneyland Resort Introduces New Annual Passport that Combines Value and Flexibility

[DoleWhipMouse]

I wasn’t able to buy the flex pass online, so had to call and purchase over the phone. Is there any way I can link it to my profile? I won’t have the option to reserve days online if not

 

[sgrap]

Has anyone upgraded from tickets to the Flex pass and then had an issue getting back in the parks lately? If there are still reservations available, will they help you reserve that same day, or do the reservations have to be made a day in advance at least?

 

[Evita_W]

Have any signature or signature plus Passholders renewed down to the Flex pass? I heard if you do you can keep your parking for $250. I just want to make sure that is true. I might be interested in the flex pass next year when I renew depending on how fast reservations fill up.

Yep, we did this and were able to keep parking for $250, but we have had our passes since before they stopped offering the parking add on, so. It sure if that is why it was allowed or because we had signature plus passes last year. Either way, we probably wouldn't have renewed without the flex pass as an option due to the most recent price increases.

 

[Jperiod]

Has anyone upgraded from tickets to the Flex pass and then had an issue getting back in the parks lately? If there are still reservations available, will they help you reserve that same day, or do the reservations have to be made a day in advance at least?

There haven't really been any days, except maybe July 4th for a bit, that have been blocked from reservations. When we upgraded, we made our reservation right there at the ticket booth and walked back in.

 

[midnight star]

Yep, we did this and were able to keep parking for $250, but we have had our passes since before they stopped offering the parking add on, so. It sure if that is why it was allowed or because we had signature plus passes last year. Either way, we probably wouldn't have renewed without the flex pass as an option due to the most recent price increases.

Depending on the increase next year, I am considering getting this. I’m just worried by March everyone will have it and reservations will be hard to come by. I guess I could always upgrade. Right now is the perfect time to get it while few people have it.

 

[Mit88]

is the flex pass worth it for someone out of state? I’m coming out for D23 weekend + Monday. But I’ll be there part of Thursday and part of the Tuesday after expo. I dont want to buy full day tickets for those 2 days so I was thinking about looking at getting the flex pass. Theres also a chance, but not a guarantee that I make it out next summer as well.

How is the reservation system? Do they book quickly, or already filled for that weekend? Is there any way to tell?

Are you able to book multiple days in a row?

 

[twodogs]

We are possibly going to try to upgrade our 3 day hoppers with MP to the FP after our planned October trip. We are from out of state and have to fly, so this makes me very nervous, since we almost always come on weekends when the pass is reservation only. And we would not be able to use it over the holidays, which is not a deal breaker. But we usually do 3 park days, so I would only know for sure I was getting 2 (if I can even get those when this pass gets more popular) days at the time of making my trip. I guess I could pay to upgrade on the spot if we couldn’t get day 3, but what makes it economically viable is actually being able to use it!!

If I understand this thread, which I have read in real time so maybe I am forgetting something from way back, if I buy the 3 day PH with MP from Disney ($400), I can do my 3 days in October with my tickets. Sometime on the last day, I need to upgrade to FP to apply the cost of my tickets to the FP.
-will the entire $400 be applied (ie will my MP purchase be credited if I plan to buy MP with my FP as well)?
-can I use the FP right away to make a reservation for the very next day? Is that done on the app?
-do I have to visit a ticket booth at some point to get a physical FP (we have never had an AP so I don’t really know if it is a virtual card or a physical card)? Is this a long process (I know the lines are not predictable)? Do they take your photo, etc?

Thanks all. This is going to be our third trip since May. I should have upgraded in May, but I hesitated thinking I was going to have to go to Sig Plus because I wanted the holidays. It was too pricey (though with these 3 trips, we would be breaking even about now...). So I didn’t do it. Then in June, SWGE was so crazy that I totally forgot to try to look into FP. So now I am going to figure it out. If we go even one more 3 day trip and can use this pass, we will be ahead on cost (that is, if we can get a reservation for whenever that next trip might be...).

PS I do not want to buy tickets from other vendors even though I realize they can be cheaper and the full gate price may be applied.

 

[ZJ5/9D47]

We are possibly going to try to upgrade our 3 day hoppers with MP to the FP after our planned October trip. We are from out of state and have to fly, so this makes me very nervous, since we almost always come on weekends when the pass is reservation only. And we would not be able to use it over the holidays, which is not a deal breaker. But we usually do 3 park days, so I would only know for sure I was getting 2 (if I can even get those when this pass gets more popular) days at the time of making my trip. I guess I could pay to upgrade on the spot if we couldn’t get day 3, but what makes it economically viable is actually being able to use it!!

If I understand this thread, which I have read in real time so maybe I am forgetting something from way back, if I buy the 3 day PH with MP from Disney ($400), I can do my 3 days in October with my tickets. Sometime on the last day, I need to upgrade to FP to apply the cost of my tickets to the FP.
-will the entire $400 be applied (ie will my MP purchase be credited if I plan to buy MP with my FP as well)?
-can I use the FP right away to make a reservation for the very next day? Is that done on the app?
-do I have to visit a ticket booth at some point to get a physical FP (we have never had an AP so I don’t really know if it is a virtual card or a physical card)? Is this a long process (I know the lines are not predictable)? Do they take your photo, etc?

Thanks all. This is going to be our third trip since May. I should have upgraded in May, but I hesitated thinking I was going to have to go to Sig Plus because I wanted the holidays. It was too pricey (though with these 3 trips, we would be breaking even about now...). So I didn’t do it. Then in June, SWGE was so crazy that I totally forgot to try to look into FP. So now I am going to figure it out. If we go even one more 3 day trip and can use this pass, we will be ahead on cost (that is, if we can get a reservation for whenever that next trip might be...).

PS I do not want to buy tickets from other vendors even though I realize they can be cheaper and the full gate price may be applied.

Just a tip...once you upgrade to a pass, your original ticket and all its perks are immediately lost including the extra magic morning if you haven't used that yet. The ticket booth ladies suggested upgrading only by leaving the park mid-day on the last day and upgrading at a ticket booth in the plaza. If dates are available, you can make reservations through the app right then. My line recently was over half an hour long in the morning. I had to go to the booth to pick up my pass since it was my first time. They require you to keep your physical card ($25 replacement fee) forever so I'm guessing renewals don't have to go to a ticket booth on property. No photo was taken but a gate CM had already taken mine when using my original ticket and I'm assuming it was tied to my account.

 

[EmJ]

Just a tip...once you upgrade to a pass, your original ticket and all its perks are immediately lost including the extra magic morning if you haven't used that yet. The ticket booth ladies suggested upgrading only by leaving the park mid-day on the last day and upgrading at a ticket booth in the plaza. If dates are available, you can make reservations through the app right then. My line recently was over half an hour long in the morning. I had to go to the booth to pick up my pass since it was my first time. They require you to keep your physical card ($25 replacement fee) forever so I'm guessing renewals don't have to go to a ticket booth on property. No photo was taken but a gate CM had already taken mine when using my original ticket and I'm assuming it was tied to my account.

How late are the ticket booths open? Our family is also considering upgrading to the Flex Pass on the last day of our March trip, but I hadn’t planned on having to leave mid-day, and would not want to.

 

[Rich M]

Just a tip...once you upgrade to a pass, your original ticket and all its perks are immediately lost including the extra magic morning if you haven't used that yet. The ticket booth ladies suggested upgrading only by leaving the park mid-day on the last day and upgrading at a ticket booth in the plaza. If dates are available, you can make reservations through the app right then. My line recently was over half an hour long in the morning. I had to go to the booth to pick up my pass since it was my first time. They require you to keep your physical card ($25 replacement fee) forever so I'm guessing renewals don't have to go to a ticket booth on property. No photo was taken but a gate CM had already taken mine when using my original ticket and I'm assuming it was tied to my account.

Just remember that by waiting till the end you also lose out on discounts. We waited till the last day of our trip to upgrade all but one of our passes. We upgraded one of them to get the discounts. We upgraded the rest on the last day using the App. We returned to the ticket booth on our next trip to get our cards.

One side not that the person who upgraded there ticket first to get the tickets did have lots of problems getting the MP to work. She returned to Customer service several times. The last time they gave her a single day park hopper ticket to use for MP.

Ticket booths are open I believe up until the gates close. Not 100 percent sure but I know I have gone to a ticket booth as late as 11 PM.

 

[Jperiod]

It took us at least a half hour to upgrade at the ticket booth, with no line. We couldn't upgrade through the app.

Personally, I'm out of state and I don't worry about not getting reservations because I know I'll be online promptly to make the reservation 30 days in advance.

 

[Rich M]

It took us at least a half hour to upgrade at the ticket booth, with no line. We couldn't upgrade through the app.

Personally, I'm out of state and I don't worry about not getting reservations because I know I'll be online promptly to make the reservation 30 days in advance.

Interesting. We went under our tickets and it said upgrade your tickets and we clicked that. It made it so easy for us. I hope others will be able to do the same to make it easy.

 

[SeattleTink]

Interesting. We went under our tickets and it said upgrade your tickets and we clicked that. It made it so easy for us. I hope others will be able to do the same to make it easy.

I did this in May when I upgraded my ticket....however, you still need to go to the ticket booth to get your actual card. The only way you can get AP discounts is to present your card. You cannot get any discounts with your phone. Like others have said, this was about a 40 minute visit to the ticket booth.

 

[twodogs]

I agree that I can be on right at 30 days but we do 3-4 day trips, and that is what is bothering me, that the last 1-2 days will be chancy, unless they are good to go days.

 

[twodogs]

Just remember that by waiting till the end you also lose out on discounts. We waited till the last day of our trip to upgrade all but one of our passes. We upgraded one of them to get the discounts. We upgraded the rest on the last day using the App. We returned to the ticket booth on our next trip to get our cards.

One side not that the person who upgraded there ticket first to get the tickets did have lots of problems getting the MP to work. She returned to Customer service several times. The last time they gave her a single day park hopper ticket to use for MP.

Ticket booths are open I believe up until the gates close. Not 100 percent sure but I know I have gone to a ticket booth as late as 11 PM.

Since this is only a 3 day trip, I don't want to chance upgrading one ticket early in the trip and then potentially not being able to get a reservation for the third day, just to take advantage of the discounts. While my kids can "need" a lot of merch, and 10% off of that would be great (and 10% off of food), for this trip, it may not be worth the risk. I guess I could upgrade at the end of day 1, if day 2 and 3 look available for reservations, but then if my FPs/MP got messed up, I would be really, really mad. So the likelihood is that I will wait and upgrade them all on the last night in the parks (which will actually be the Halloween party night, but we will have a day ticket and a party ticket that day) so that there is no risk of not getting into the parks. Then we will either pick up the hard passes the next day on departure day or on our next trip.

If we don't have the hard passes yet, we can still get into the parks if we have a reservation, but we can't get any discounts without the hard pass, correct?

Are ticket booth lines non-existent near park closing time? I have never paid attention and thought that might be a good time to go pick up the passes. Does everyone have to go to the ticket booth to pick up their hard pass, or can I get them for my entire family?

 

[twodogs]

Also, is the Flex pass able to get the other AP discounts like discounted Halloween party tickets, room discounts if available etc, or is that only the higher level APs?

 

[socaldisneylover]

Also, is the Flex pass able to get the other AP discounts like discounted Halloween party tickets, room discounts if available etc, or is that only the higher level APs?

Same discounts. You are considered an Annual Passholder. You'll receive the 10% food and merchandise discount rather than the 15% that the Signature passes have, otherwise it's the same basic benefits.

 

[Rich M]

If we don't have the hard passes yet, we can still get into the parks if we have a reservation, but we can't get any discounts without the hard pass, correct?

Are ticket booth lines non-existent near park closing time? I have never paid attention and thought that might be a good time to go pick up the passes. Does everyone have to go to the ticket booth to pick up their hard pass, or can I get them for my entire family?

I have found the ticket booth lines to be pretty empty late but they do usually only have like 1 or 2 lines open. As others have stated it does take a little bit of time so if others are doing the same thing the wait can be a little long depending other people's need.

We found the discount to be hit or miss with the app. Some would give it to us with ID and the app.

 

[mich311e]

I guess I could upgrade at the end of day 1, if day 2 and 3 look available for reservations

Question - Is there a way to check for reservation ability without having the Flex Pass? I'm looking to get 5-day tickets and upgrade before the end of our trip. Thanks!

 

[SeattleTink]

I'm making my first return trip to use my FlexPass September 13 - 17. Today is the first day I can make a reservation for September 13 and it is showing as not available? Reservations have only only been open since midnight...any idea why it could be so busy? There has only been one date all summer that has been blocked from making reservations (July 4). Hoping this is maybe a glitch?