How do I activate our tickets to WDW?

[losfp]

Hi all, I'm a little confused with some of the details with our tickets for our trip in October (We are flying in from Australia). I'd appreciate it if some folks with any WDW experience can give me a bit of advice.

There's 4 of us. The youngest will be 2.5 so she won't need a ticket. As for the rest of us:

I bought a premium passport so that we have access to TIW, discounts etc. This will be upgraded to a Premier Passport at some point during our WDW trip, before we go over to Anaheim.

For my wife and 7 year old daughter, I bought e-tickets from Undercover Tourist.

I assume I'll have to do SOMETHING before I'm able to use the tickets at the gate - for one thing we won't have any physical tickets or bands until we do as they are all online/e-tickets.

We are arriving in Orlando quite late and staying with a cousin of mine who lives there. We are going to relax the next day to recover from the long flight. On day 3, I'd like to start on the parks as early as possible but I am not sure whether I have to visit the resort we're staying in, or a park ticket booth, or both before we are able to enter the parks for the first time. I can get the magic bands we will receive as part of the resort stays sent to my cousin's house first, I'm just not sure if they are then "ready to go" or still need activation somehow by a Disney CM.

 

[kmb584]

Your bands will be ready to go once you/your cousin receives them. Visit a ticket booth as well for an RFID ticket as you'll need to show that for discounts.

 

[Robo]

Your bands will be ready to go once you/your cousin receives them.

Not quite true.
Since the OP purchased an Annual Pass, he needs to go to a ticket booth or Guest Relations with a legal photo ID in order to activate the AP.

The non-AP Undercover Tourist tickets do not need to be activated to be used.

Visit a ticket booth as well for an RFID ticket as you'll need to show that for discounts.

Yes. And that's what makes this answer A-OK... as that trip to the ticket booth or Guest Relations to get the RFID card version of the AP will be the same visit that activates the AP.

 

[kmb584]

Not quite true.
Since the OP purchased an Annual Pass, he needs to go to a ticket booth or Guest Relations with a legal photo ID in order to activate the AP.

Ah, true. I completely missed the AP part of the original post.

 

[losfp]

Many thanks guys. A super super early trip to a ticket booth will do it then. Wasn't sure if I had to check in to our resort as well

 

[Robo]

Many thanks guys. A super super early trip to a ticket booth will do it then. Wasn't sure if I had to check in to our resort as well

Most days, a ticket booth and Guest Relations will be open outside any and all of the theme parks (and TTC) by about 7:30AM.
If the park has a 7AM EMH (rare, but it happens,) then a ticket booth and Guest Relations will be open outside that park (and TTC) by about 6:30AM.

 

[losfp]

Most days, a ticket booth and Guest Relations will be open outside any and all of the theme parks (and TTC) by about 7:30AM.
If the park has a 7AM EMH (rare, but it happens,) then a ticket booth and Guest Relations will be open outside that park (and TTC) by about 6:30AM.

Great! that's useful to know