Quickest way to get tickets with gift cards?

[nilseks]

We are going to DL in 2 weeks, staying offsite. I haven't purchased tickets yet but I have a bunch of gift cards and a Disney Visa rewards redemption card I would like to use toward tickets.

I know lines/crowds will be high when we are there, and I don't want to waste a lot of time buying tix at the gate. What would be the quickest option to use my gift cards and redemption card? Should I purchase online and get e-tickets? But if I get those, do I then have to get into some kind of line to exchange them at DL? Or would it be faster to buy them ahead of time at my local Disney store, or is there somewhere to buy them at Downtown Disneyland?

Thanks for any input!

 

[DG24]

My understanding is you can only use one gift card on line, I could be wrong but that is what I heard so I did not do it when we bought ap in jan. If you can go the night before that would be the best. We got in way to late, and the parks where closed so we went first thing in morning, got in line and it took almost 45 minutes for two APs. First she had to check each gift card. Then she had to do something in the back. Then she finally did one, but it had the wrong date on it and she had to start all over again. I had about $1100 in gift cards to pay for them and I'm not sure what normal is but I was getting upset and the six year old with me was getting really upset. The cast member who was there telling people what window was open even came over twice to ask what the problem was. When she finally got the second one done she did the same thing, wrong date and we had to wait again. I am usually pretty patient but it was really frustrating.

But the good part, because she was so slow we decided to skip DCA EE and go right into Disneyland. We made it a few minutes before park opened and walked to end of Main Street, I figured I would do the photopass thing first. We went in the store and they said it would be a few minutes, I said fine. Then a security man came in and ask our six year old if she wanted to open the park by starting the music for the day. Now we have opened both parks at the gate and we have opened DL at rope drop but we never started the music so this was cool, and we would not have even been there if the cm did not take so long with our tickets.

 

[nikkislaght]

There are a couple of online companies that require you to exchange your e voucher at the ticket booths.. there are also a number of online sellers that you can take your ticket straight to the gate and they will exchange it for your real ticket there.. saving you double up line waiting.. I think I heard Disney puts a cap on how many Gift cards you can use to buy your tickets.. but dont qoute me on that ...
buying online ahead of time is cheaper from a non Disney site...

 

[squidlet]

Should I purchase online and get e-tickets? But if I get those, do I then have to get into some kind of line to exchange them at DL?

You take the eticket, which you either print out or store on your smart phone, directly to the entrance turnstile. They scan it, take your picture, and give you a credit card size paper ticket. It is quick and easy.
I'm not sure if you can use multiple forms of "payment" online, however. You might have to call and handle that over the phone.

 

[DG24]

Disney does not put a cap on how many gift cards you can use as long as you buy them at the hotels or gates, they do put a restriction on using them online, I heard it was two, but both times I used them for the Disney store I could only enter one. Maybe it is two different payments systems you can use.

This was about three years ago, and is only if you have a Disney store near you. I collect disney gift cards to pay everything. Especially when you can get the 5% at target. So like in August we get 40% off the grand, then another 5% or another $200 for paying with gift cards. Savings of just under $3000. Anyway, I took a large amount of gift cards from target, all $50 and ask if I could get them all put onto one gift card at the Disney store. They did it. It took a while but if you can do that ahead of time it will cut down on the time you wait at the ticket booth. I would call ahead, some people say they would not do this for them, but my seattle store does it for me, worth a try.

 

[DG24]

Oh, and if you can get it all onto just one gift card, then you can buy you're tickets online and skip the gate, since you can use just one gift card and not a bunch of fifty dollar ones.

 

[SMD]

If you have a local Disney store, just go there.

 

[nilseks]

Thanks everyone! DG24, that was my big fear. I don't want to have 3 kids in tow and be waiting forever to get in...we are way too antsy for that. I have $100 gift cards so I suppose I could go online and buy each e-ticket separately with a gift card, but I'm afraid of screwing it up somehow or having problems. I live 20 minutes from a Disney Store so I guess I should just pop over there and buy our tix. Sounds like the most foolproof way to go.

 

[nicolispicoli]

I don't think I read if you are staying onsite. I used a bunch of cards to pay for our stay at the GCH, including tickets. You can get them right at the desk, I am sure it's the same for all onsite hotels. But you might be staying off site, if you are, then I agree that you should just got the DL store.

 

[whistlinmickey]

You can also use a Disney Vacation Account to accumulate the value from multiple gift cards in a single account. If you order tickets online or over the phone, you can use the single DVA account number just like a single gift card number. A DVA is sort of free to open and add gift cards to it (it requires a different payment type to open the account). It does make it a lot easier than standing in line and using dozens of gift cards at the ticket booths.
With a DVA you may also qualify to order bonus gift cards if you keep a balance in it for 120+ days before spending it. Just be aware that they recently changed their policies so that they may require that your funds be in the account at least 10 days before you can spend them. And from what I understand, you can only use your DVA online or over the phone. They can't accept the account number at the ticket booths, even though it's almost just like a gift card number. Leftover funds in a DVA can be refunded to the original forms of payment or used to buy a gift card up to $500.

 

[DG24]

Sorry I would call ahead to your Disney store. The reason we did not get our tickets until we got to disney was our disney store in jan had no AP's and had no 3 day park hoppers. I went to 4 safeways before I could find 3 days hopers, bought them and then up grades them to the APs. Thank goodness we are staying on sight in August when we need more tickets with gift cards. At least the kids won't be really antsy waitng at the gate.