Not able to visit the parks day before check-in?!? I'm about to pull my hair out!

[OnceUponATime33]

HELP! This is my first visit to Disney World. We are arriving in Orlando the night of February 22nd. For the 22nd & 23rd, we are staying off-site.

On the 24th, we are checking in to our Disney Resort. We booked our tickets & hotel reservation together as a package.

We decided we want to go ahead and go to a park on the 23rd, but still stay offsite that night. I called to add the fifth day, and specifically told the lady I wanted to go the day before check-in. She added it no problem. However, I realized after she added it that I wasn't able to select fastpasses for the 23rd.

I called back, and the fastpass person told me that this was because tickets aren't activated until check-in. He transferred me to the package office so I could remove the fifth day, and she told me that what the guy at the fastpass office told me was WRONG, and transferred me again to the fastpass office. They AGAIN told me that tickets wouldn't be activated until check-in.

I've seen on these boards people saying that if you go to guest services and request tickets early, you can get them 3 days before check-in.

Can anyone who has gone recently confirm/deny this? I am so frustrated and I'm about to pull my hair out!! We can't afford to stay on-site for one more night, but we really wanted to have that 5th day so we could see Hollywood Studios. This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us!

I'm not sure whether I should cancel the 5th day or what. HELP please!!!

 

[hiroMYhero]

HELP! This is my first visit to Disney World. We are arriving in Orlando the night of February 22nd. For the 22nd & 23rd, we are staying off-site.

On the 24th, we are checking in to our Disney Resort. We booked our tickets & hotel reservation together as a package.

We decided we want to go ahead and go to a park on the 23rd, but still stay offsite that night. I called to add the fifth day, and specifically told the lady I wanted to go the day before check-in. She added it no problem. However, I realized after she added it that I wasn't able to select fastpasses for the 23rd.

I called back, and the fastpass person told me that this was because tickets aren't activated until check-in. He transferred me to the package office so I could remove the fifth day, and she told me that what the guy at the fastpass office told me was WRONG, and transferred me again to the fastpass office. They AGAIN told me that tickets wouldn't be activated until check-in.

I've seen on these boards people saying that if you go to guest services and request tickets early, you can get them 3 days before check-in.

Can anyone who has gone recently confirm/deny this? I am so frustrated and I'm about to pull my hair out!! We can't afford to stay on-site for one more night, but we really wanted to have that 5th day so we could see Hollywood Studios. This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us!

I'm not sure whether I should cancel the 5th day or what. HELP please!!!

Go to Guest Services and they will activate the ticket portion of your package. Once that is activated, you can schedule FPs for that park day.

 

[prudence64]

should be able to do it for the off site day at 30 days out, correct?

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Being that the OP is staying offsite for the beginning of their stay, does that mean they can't book fps until 30 days out? Just curious how that works. Same with ADRs. 60 instead of 180?

 

[dachsie]

You wont be able to make the FP+ until Jan 22 - 30 days out.

 

[hiroMYhero]

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should be able to do it for the off site day at 30 days out, correct?

Being that the OP is staying offsite for the beginning of their stay, does that mean they can't book fps until 30 days out? Just curious how that works. Same with ADRs. 60 instead of 180?

You wont be able to make the FP+ until Jan 22 - 30 days out.

The tickets are part of the package and remain inactive until check-in. The only way to activate is at Guest Services and then make "day of" FPs.

See mesaboy's bullet #3 in his FP thread.

Your off-site stay does not have active tickets to open the FP window as described at the end of this:

The FP system opens up the 60-day booking window by one of the following:
1. Room-only reservation + Active tickets

2. Package reservation (room + non-active tickets - these tickets become active on check-in day)

In your situation, your room-only reservation does not have active tickets so the FP window will not open for that reservation.

You can only activate your tickets early when you are at WDW. At that time, you can book FPs during your room-only stay.

If your FP section of MDE is showing that the 30-day window is open, then you have active tickets and #1 applies to you. If you don't see an open 30-day window, then it's #2 and you have to wait until 60 days prior to your package check-in.

 

[Alesia]

Being that the OP is staying offsite for the beginning of their stay, does that mean they can't book fps until 30 days out?

Yes, but only for the offsite portion of the trip. The onsite days can be booked at 60 days.

Same with ADRs. 60 instead of 180?

No. ADRs work differently. People who are staying onsite can book for up to 10 days at 180 days from their first day onsite.

People who are staying offsite can book 180 days in advance.

 

[OnceUponATime33]

I wasn't too concerned with the fastpasses anymore, I just needed to make sure I'd be able to activate my tickets early, because the call center was assuring me that I couldn't.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

 

[POOHsie]

I wasn't too concerned with the fastpasses anymore, I just needed to make sure I'd be able to activate my tickets early, because the call center was assuring me that I couldn't.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

The call centers seem to have a policy of telling people they can't activate their package tickets early. However, WDW itself has a policy allowing advance ticket activation of package tickets (up to 3 days prior to check-in) by visiting a Theme Park Guest Relations facility or GR facility at DTD (2 locations). Bring photo ID and your Disney resort reservation info with you. They will verify your resort stay. Everyone who has done this procedure and posted here after their trip has been successful. But the confusion certainly makes visitors anxious.