Questions about CP's free admissions

[tar heel]

We're going to vist our CP son in a few days. Since we'll be returning during the holiday season and this trip is, conveniently, three family members, we're not planning to buy any passes. CP DS will be getting us in with his "up to three people, up to six times" admissions. I have a couple of questions:

1- Fast passes. My 13-year-old is really concerned about whether we'll be able to get them. Will we? Do they give us a ticket of some sort or just let us in the gate?

2- Evening EMH. DS has to work until 4 p.m. the day we arrive, so we'll be heading to a park fairly late in the day. I plan to add CP DS to our resort reservation, so he will have a resort ID. Will the four of us be able to stay for evening EMH?

TIA.

 

[Dee/Belle]

My friend worked at Downtown Disney and he gave us the day pass. Basically, you go like normal to go through the gates and he has to be with you and show some kind of card (to show he's in staff) and they'll go from there to give you the passes (they look like the normal ones you would buy). So YES, you'll be able to get FP. I'm not sure about your second question, though.

 

[Joanna71985]

We're going to vist our CP son in a few days. Since we'll be returning during the holiday season and this trip is, conveniently, three family members, we're not planning to buy any passes. CP DS will be getting us in with his "up to three people, up to six times" admissions. I have a couple of questions:

1- Fast passes. My 13-year-old is really concerned about whether we'll be able to get them. Will we? Do they give us a ticket of some sort or just let us in the gate?

2- Evening EMH. DS has to work until 4 p.m. the day we arrive, so we'll be heading to a park fairly late in the day. I plan to add CP DS to our resort reservation, so he will have a resort ID. Will the four of us be able to stay for evening EMH?

TIA.

1) the tickets that you use to get in are good for FPs.

2) As long as you have a resort ID you can go to EMH.

 

[tar heel]

Thanks -- I knew I'd get my answers here!

One more question -- the tickets are strictly park, right? We would have to use two of his admissions to go to two parks in one day, right?

 

[Dee/Belle]

If I remember correctly, we started at AK and then went over to MK. This was two years ago, granted, but I hadn't heard it changed. Hope that helps.

 

[Traveliz]

Thanks -- I knew I'd get my answers here!

One more question -- the tickets are strictly park, right? We would have to use two of his admissions to go to two parks in one day, right?

No - that's not the way I understand it - I believe when he brings you in you are given and one day hopper to use for the day - it will be good for your fast passes and as well to enter the other parks.

I am going in a couple of weeks with a friend and I have an AP but my daughter is going to get my friend in at least a couple of our days there.

BTW - how is your son doing and does he like the program?

Liz

 

[Joanna71985]

Thanks -- I knew I'd get my answers here!

One more question -- the tickets are strictly park, right? We would have to use two of his admissions to go to two parks in one day, right?

Nope. The tickets given are hopper tickets. When my family came down in 2006, we went to MGM and Epcot in one day on the same tickets.

 

[tar heel]

That is just the best news! I'm truly surprised the tickets are hoppers and love hearing it! Now, we won't have to skip a park and we may be able to hit the Food and Wine Festival more than once.

DS likes the CP overall but is really working hard. Most weeks he's only had one day off. He's actually saving $ b/c he doesn't have time to spend it, he says! He doesn't have a car and has found the transportation to be a bit of a pain, though.

 

[Joanna71985]

That is just the best news! I'm truly surprised the tickets are hoppers and love hearing it! Now, we won't have to skip a park and we may be able to hit the Food and Wine Festival more than once.

DS likes the CP overall but is really working hard. Most weeks he's only had one day off. He's actually saving $ b/c he doesn't have time to spend it, he says! He doesn't have a car and has found the transportation to be a bit of a pain, though.

F&W is awsome! I wish I could be there this year.

Where does he work? And I totally agree about the buses. I really missed my car while on the CPs.

 

[tar heel]

Joanna -- He's working at the All Star Music food court. With very few exceptions, he's been assigned really early hours and is off by 2. He gets up at like 4 or 4:30 a.m. Sometimes he has to arrange special transportation b/c the buses aren't running yet. He's definitely changed his stay-up-half-the-night-and-sleep-late college schedule!

 

[polymerpig]

My daughter will be starting the College Program in January. She has heard about the "3 people up to 6 times" pass, and the resort discounts (is it 40% off ?). Are there also discounts on admission tickets? What about cruises?
Thanks

 

[Joanna71985]

Joanna -- He's working at the All Star Music food court. With very few exceptions, he's been assigned really early hours and is off by 2. He gets up at like 4 or 4:30 a.m. Sometimes he has to arrange special transportation b/c the buses aren't running yet. He's definitely changed his stay-up-half-the-night-and-sleep-late college schedule!

That's awsome about All Stars. I have stayed at AS Sports once, and enjoyed it. And I know about the early morning shifts. I had quite a few last summer. In fact, when I had the early morning ones I was usually the only one on the Epcot bus.

My daughter will be starting the College Program in January. She has heard about the "3 people up to 6 times" pass, and the resort discounts (is it 40% off ?). Are there also discounts on admission tickets? What about cruises?
Thanks

Yes, there is a ticket discount. As for the DCL, I believe you have to have been working at Disney a certain amount of days to get a discount there.

 

[tar heel]

We're back from our visit with DS and had a wonderful time! The tickets are totally awesome! I couldn't believe we got in free. We stayed at All Stars for $59 a night and ate two meals at the F & W Festival using Disney giftcards I "earned" on Sunshine Rewards. It was by far our cheapest Disney trip ever -- a good thing since we'll be back in less than two months! Which brings me to my next set of questions:

Do DS's free admissions (he's still got three days left) have blackout dates? Specifically, can he use them during the Christmas holidays? Can he even get in free himself those busy days?

And when do these expire? Is it the day he checks out? I want to make sure it's not the last day he works, since we won't know when that is for a while.

We're also going to need to buy a hopper for one of his brothers. Can he use his discount (with my $, of course )at the regular ticket booths or does he go somewhere else?

We're trying to figure out exactly when to go down to get his stuff, and the answers to these questions may play a role.

Thansk!

 

[Joanna71985]

We're back from our visit with DS and had a wonderful time! The tickets are totally awesome! I couldn't believe we got in free. We stayed at All Stars for $59 a night and ate two meals at the F & W Festival using Disney giftcards I "earned" on Sunshine Rewards. It was by far our cheapest Disney trip ever -- a good thing since we'll be back in less than two months! Which brings me to my next set of questions:

Do DS's free admissions (he's still got three days left) have blackout dates? Specifically, can he use them during the Christmas holidays? Can he even get in free himself those busy days?

And when do these expire? Is it the day he checks out? I want to make sure it's not the last day he works, since we won't know when that is for a while.

We're also going to need to buy a hopper for one of his brothers. Can he use his discount (with my $, of course )at the regular ticket booths or does he go somewhere else?

We're trying to figure out exactly when to go down to get his stuff, and the answers to these questions may play a role.

Thansk!

Glad you had a good trip. Now for the questions:
1) I was told that you do and you don't have blackouts. However, I am pretty sure there are blackout dates for the maingate (and his work ID).

2) They expire Dec 31 (so Dec 31 is the last day to use them)

3) CPs get discounted tickets at Company D

 

[tar heel]

Yikes -- so even though his CP doesn't end until January 4, the tickets are over December 31! I'm glad I asked that one.

It sounds like there's not a clear answer on the blackout dates . . . Does anyone know how he would find out the blackout dates?

 

[Joanna71985]

Yikes -- so even though his CP doesn't end until January 4, the tickets are over December 31! I'm glad I asked that one.

It sounds like there's not a clear answer on the blackout dates . . . Does anyone know how he would find out the blackout dates?

There should have been a card with the maingate that lists the blackout dates for all the Disney parks. If he can't find his I will try to find mine.

 

[WVDisneyFan]

My DS did the CP program last year. I believe there are black-out dates. Have him check the portal. It will list the blackout dates and the number of passes still available. My son loved the program and moved (permanently) to Florida this past weekend. I miss him terribly but I know he is happy there.

 

[khancock]

It sounds like there's not a clear answer on the blackout dates . . . Does anyone know how he would find out the blackout dates?

The main gate pass comes with a booklet and the blackout dates are printed on there. The pass fits inside the booklet, so he should still have it. If not, he can also look on the cast portal (think it is called the hub now). He could also ask his managers.

 

[tar heel]

The blackout dates were worse than I expected, so we're looking at changing our trip dates since buying passes would be approximately $750. Only Epcot is available Dec. 27-30 and it's blacked out Dec. 31. I knew MK was going to be blacked out but didn't realize AK and MGM would also. I thought they might all be unavailable Christmas day, but it turns out only MK is blacked out that day.

I'm assuming the maingate guest hopper passes would become one-park passes if we went to Epcot Dec. 27-30. We like Epcot, but it would be really hard not to do the other parks.

I sure wish he could get us in the days right before his CP ends, then he and his junk could just come home with us. If we decide to just bite the bullet and buy passes, that's when we'll go.

 

[IrishGoofy1986]

MK: July 4th, and Dec. 25-31.
Epcotec. 31
MGM: Dec. 27-31
AM:April 2-11, Dec. 26-30