Old ticket and fastpass?

[JenniferW]

I have an old ticket, the kind where they stamp the date onto the ticket and you can only go to WDW and Epcot, how can I use Fastpass?

Jenn

 

[Geoff_M]

My guess is you'd have to take your old ticket to a Guest Relations location and exchange it for a newer style ticket with a magnetic strip in the back.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

A CM can override the fast pass machine and give you a fast pass, just show him/her your ticket.

 

[GoldenOldie]

It can be done either of the above ways. I would suggest if you have one day left on it to use Gail's method. If you have more than one day left on it, use Geoff_M's method.

If you want to be able to use it at any park, then you will have to convert it per Geoff's suggestion. The ticket you get back will be good at all four parks.

 

[JenniferW]

It has 3 days left, never been used but if I exchange I will lose a lot, it cost only 78 dollars years ago and is only for WDW and Epcot. Don't they just give you credit for the 78 of the ticket and the minimum hopper is a 4 day and runs around 200 and I would pay the difference? I have other tickets to use for the other parks so don't need to go to MGM and AK with these. We have a collection of partially used tickets : )

Is there always an attendent at the machines?

Thanks!

Jenn

 

[Geoff_M]

Which brings up a possible complication to my suggestion... Older tickets are only good for the parks that were open when the ticket was purchased.... So it may not be good for MGM and/or AKL. Can they "lock out" those parks on a newer ticket if you exhange it?

A couple of thoughts on Gail's suggestion:
1) Is there supposed to be a CM on duty at the FP machines at all times? I recall usually seeing them nearby, but I can also recall times when a CM wasn't stationed at the distribution point.

2) You can hold as many FP's at one time as you like since there's no way to track the FP usage with the old ticket.

 

[GoldenOldie]

Originally posted by JenniferW
It has 3 days left, never been used but if I exchange I will lose a lot, it cost only 78 dollars years ago and is only for WDW and Epcot. Don't they just give you credit for the 78 of the ticket and the minimum hopper is a 4 day and runs around 200 and I would pay the difference? ...

You won't lose anything because it won't cost you anything. You aren't upgrading your ticket, you are only exchanging it for one of the current magnetic strip tickets. You will get back a new ticket that has exactly the same number of park admissions as your old one had. It costs you nothing to do this exchange.

The advantage to doing this is three-fold. First you won't have to hold up the entrance line coming in a park while a gate CM goes to find a date stamp to mark your ticket. Second, you won't be dependent on finding a CM at each ride to get a FastPass for you. They aren't always around the FP machines anymore. Finally, you will be able to use those tickets at any of the four parks.

 

[GoldenOldie]

Originally posted by Geoff_M
Which brings up a possible complication to my suggestion... Older tickets are only good for the parks that were open when the ticket was purchased.... So it may not be good for MGM and/or AKL. Can they "lock out" those parks on a newer ticket if you exhange it?
No they can't. You will have admission to all four parks by exchanging it.

A couple of thoughts on Gail's suggestion:
1) Is there supposed to be a CM on duty at the FP machines at all times? I recall usually seeing them nearby, but I can also recall times when a CM wasn't stationed at the distribution point.
Many of the FP machines do not have a CM there all the time due to the cutbacks Disney instituted over the last few months.

2) You can hold as many FP's at one time as you like since there's no way to track the FP usage with the old ticket.
This is true only if she continues to use the old ticket. Not true if she exchanges it.

 

[seashoreCM]

Make sure you do a no-money exchange so the new magnetic strip pass has the three remaining days on it. Also ask for the old ticket back as a souvenir, they will stamp it "void".

Don't apply the value towards a hopper pass with more days, the exchange rate is very bad. For example (if the prices quoted above are true) your fourth day will cost you $122.00 when you pay the balance for a new $200. 4 day pass after applying the $78. remaining value of the old 3 day pass. Whereas doing a no-money exchange, you can buy a one day pass later for your fourth day for about $52.00.

So that the computer systems would be simpler, Disney's policy recnetly has been to issue only one kind of magnetic pass for no-money exchanges of old passes, good for hopping to all theme parks. Non-magnetic passes never have surviving plus options since those with plus options back then had the plusses valid only for the first seven consecutive days.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[trracers]

Sept 2000 DH and I went and used two days left from our HONEYMOON in 1991! It was great, and I had no problems with the old tickets. The CMs all commented on how old they were and we are framing them with some photos, receipts, etc. It is cool. There were CMs at all the fastpasses (but it was last year) and we did get to get as many fastpasses as we wanted, but since it was Sept, we didn't need FPs anyway!! Have a great time and be sure to keep your ticket as a souven. whichever way you go.

 

[JenniferW]

Thanks, I will probably exchange it for an equivalent ticket.

Jenn

 

[Simba's Mom]

I did exactly this a couple years ago-with a ticket from 1987. Just went through the turnstile. There was a CM at any FP machine I went to to override it and print me out a FP. But it may not be so easy now-I heard talk about cutting back the various nos. of CMs working, but when we went last month, I think all the FP machines had CMs there. Just watch out for those CMs! The second time I went to get a FP, the CM told me, very straight-faced, that I couldn't get a FP since my pass was from before there were FP machines. He was only teasing me, laughed when he saw the look of panic on my face. But initially he did such a good job of convincing me he was serious! And those passes make such a great conversation piece with the CMs at the front gate-they love to see how much it cost "back in the good ole days"