How do you avoid the kids losing their passes?

[ccrosner]

As I understand it, each of us (DH, DD, DS and me) will be given a credit card to be used as our room key and pass into the parks (we've bought Ultimate Park Hoppers). Any suggestions for not losing them? Can I buy a lanyard or something at the Disney Store to put them around our necks? Obviously, my DH and I can hold onto them (there are 6 others going as well) but I thought a lanyard might give my kids more independence.

Thanks for any ideas!

 

[disneyeveryyear]

I guess it depends on how old your kids are. Mine are 4 and 9 and all passes stay in my fanny-pack.

They are given pass to put in machine to enter park and then all come back to me.

If your kids are so young that you worry, I probably wouldn't let them keep their own passes. However, just write down the numbers from the back of the passes on a piece of paper and keep it in your wallet. Then if it is lost, they will void that one and issue a new one.

Have a great trip!

 

[dsnylndmom]

What we did actually worked great. Our kids are almost 5 and 9 and we punched a hole at the top of each card(no where near the magnetic strip)and hooked them on my lanyard. I tend to lose things too so this worked out real well for us.

 

[WishUponAStar]

The passes, having a magnetic strip on the back, should be protected. A scratch can mess up the machines reading. Had this problem once and it is a pain everytime you enter the park. Oddly enough, a birth-control package (depending upon your brand) is just the right size and can protect your ID well. Ours is black plastic covered with a felt like material. You just throw them away anyway. I would take off the prescription info. Strange but true.

 

[house_of_princesses]

How about an over the neck id/ticket holder? I think they sell something like a lanyard in the fishing section at Wal Mart. (At least that's what I remember reading on the Cruise board.)

 

[Memaw2Wm]

My grandkids are 6 & 8, so I handed them the passes at the machines and collected them as soon as we passed through and put them back into my fanny pack.

 

[crisi]

You'll have your park passes out a lot - for FastPass machines. My id at work is on a lanyard in a plastic protector, and its a real pain to get in and out of the plastic - they kind of stick together. So whatever you decide to do, make it easy to get in and out (or off and on if you punch a hole in it - it won't go through the FastPass machines attached to the lanyard), or it will just end up in a pocket anyway.

We have one person in the group (usually me) carry them all for all the members of the party that are together. Then I'll run for fastpasses while the kids ride something with dad. The go in my backpack or pocket. But my kids are little yet and don't split off from mom and dad.

Travel stores sell small neck pouches for passports and money, that might work well for a kid.

Also, you should be aware that they can be made "credit card like" in that its possible to put charging privledges on the card and charge back to your room. Its your decision on if you want to do this (we do for the adults, means we carry less stuff) at all, much less on the kids cards. My hope is that by the time my kids are old enough to seperate from us for a few hours, they will be old enough to trust with a room key with charging privledges that they can use if they need a snack.

 

[tjmw2727]

I carry them all!! My girls are a bit young, 7 and 9 and we have AP's in addition to the room key. The room keys for the kids do not have charging privlidges so we leave them in the room. I carry my ID, room key and all our AP's in the outer pocket of my belt bag. This way they are easy to get to for fp's but also zippered secure right in front of me.

If your kids are older and you trust them you can have a small limit on the room card/park pass. My sil did this with my older neices (13 and 15) so they could get a soda, lunch etc. She also went to the local dmv and got them a "walking ID" for easy identification just in case.

If your kids are old enough to carry the room key and or park pass then find out what's comfortable for them. I know my neice would never wear a lanyard but did fine with a fanny pack, my other neice liked cargo shorts with zipper pockets.

You should also photocopy the back of all the passes or write down the numbers in case its lost. I think the UHP that's tied to your room key can be replaced fairly easily as well. Of course it requires a trip back to the resort and a bit of hassle.

Have a great trip -

TJ

 

[JetMom]

I also carry all the passes for the family -- even DH!

I am also the designated fast pass getter for the family.

It works well for us.

 

[Maddle]

Hah - my sister is 43, and I hung on to her pass too. (most of the time, anyway) and you can just FORGET about those kids (hers and mine) - they lose everything....

I have a little-little leather wallet/ID holder with a key ring attached to it. I keep the passes in there, and a little loopy-wire-thingy attached to the key ring on one end, and my belt loop or fanny pack on the other. (The loopy wire thingy sort looks like a telephone cord, and it is for keys. I picked it up at Wal-Mart.)

When we passed through the gate, they handed them back to me directly, ("that's one, that's two....that's six - okay, we got 'em") For FP, my son and I would go, and keep count of them.

One suggestion - those magnetic strips can be very sensitive and get corrupted easily. Keep the passes in the cardboard sleeve they come in. I put all six together, no problem, but as soon as one or two went into the leather wallet with out the sleeve protection, they would get messed up. I think the leather has some static electricity. If they do get corrupted, they can be replaced at Guest Services at the parks.