The Disney Premiere Passport: A Mild Rant

[rmgreenesq]

I'm a Orange County, California resident who has frequent business related travel to Orlando, Florida. I was a Disneyland Annual Passholder, but since I'll be traveling to Orlando frequently, I plunked down $979 plus Florida tax for the Premier Annual Passport. My thougt was to fly out to Orlando on the red eye on Friday night for a Monday meeting and spend two days at WDW.

My passport was issued at the ticket booths in Anaheim, and I have no problems entering Disneyland and DCA all summer. On my first trip to Walt Disney World two weeks ago, I attempted to enter the Magic Kingdom, and my pass does not work. I explain to the cast member that this is a California issued Premier pass, and the CM tells me that the admission control computer systems that WDW uses are different than the ones that DLR uses. The CM says that I need to go to guest relations in Florida and have my pass reissued. OK... a half an hour of standing at a Guest Relations window later, and I have a pass that works at WDW.

This morning I attempted to enter Disneyland with my Florida issued pass and guess what? It didn't work! I was issued a one day park ticket. The CM also collected the pass number and promised to add it to their database.

Disney is a multi-billion dollar company, and this passport is the most expensive admission product they sell. I'd think that they could get this right.

Rant is over. Here's hoping that my Florida issued pass is now in DLR's database, and I don't stop the line any more.

Rick

 

[PAGAS]

We changed our Premier Passports to the RFID ones last time we were in Florida. They didn't work at DLR for FOUR days. Each day we had to wait in the ticket line and get a paper ticket, all the while they kept telling us they would work the next day. It is outrageous.

 

[SMD]

I've heard this complaint from so many people. They should just admit defeat and give everyone 2 passes.

 

[rms123]

Oh no! I'm headed to DLR next week and changed ours to the RFID ones in WDW in July. We were hoping to hit the ground running Thursday, but I guess we need to plan extra time for this? Should we go to a ticket booth right away or regular lines?

 

[mkarizona]

When we were in WDW last month the CM's that scanned our passes at the gate kept telling us to go to guest services and have them changed. The CM at guest services told us not to do it because we would have to have them changed back again at DL.

 

[SMD]

Oh no! I'm headed to DLR next week and changed ours to the RFID ones in WDW in July. We were hoping to hit the ground running Thursday, but I guess we need to plan extra time for this? Should we go to a ticket booth right away or regular lines?

You won't know whether or not they will work at the turnstiles until you try them. The ticket booth isn't going to do anything if it hasn't failed to scan yet.

 

[Merry Mousketeer]

I had the same problem. During DIS Cruise 1.0, my wife and I visited WDW and upgraded our Disneyland annual passes to Premier passes, which we have done in years past without any problems. When I returned home, I received an error message when I attempted to add my Premier pass to my Disneyland.com profile. During a recent visit to Disneyland, my Premier pass didn't work and a supervisor was called who said WDW should have "sent a file" so they could enter my pass information in their system. Like others have reported on this thread, he blamed the new RFID system for my Premier pass not working at Disneyland. Each day I was at the park, a supervisor had to issue a one-day park hopper, and if I tried to use my pass for a merchandise discount a supervisor override was required.

When I returned home, my wife called the Annual Passholder number to try and get the problem solved. It took two days of follow-up calls before our passes were entered into the Disneyland system and we could register our passes online. The cast member, who was very nice, gave my wife the impression that he was "creating magic" by rectifying this problem as a special favor.

I will talk more about this on The DIS Unplugged Podcast Disneyland Show, but it appears the "one Disney parks" concept does not currently apply to the most costly of annual passes.

 

[OKW Lover]

Very strange. We don't currently have premier AP's but did have one last year and did not have any difficulty using it on either coast. We bought ours at DLR and it worked fine both there and at WDW.

That was before the current RFID conversion at WDW so perhaps that is the source of the problems you are seeing now.

 

[rmgreenesq]

We changed our Premier Passports to the RFID ones last time we were in Florida. They didn't work at DLR for FOUR days. Each day we had to wait in the ticket line and get a paper ticket, all the while they kept telling us they would work the next day. It is outrageous.

PAGAS & Merry Mouskateer: Did you get your Florida issued passports put into DLR's computer system?

PAGAS: Please tell me that on day five of your trip, the Florida issued passport worked at Disneyland.

I'm asking because the supervisor that gave me the paper one day park hopper ticket seemed to know about this problem and took my passport number down and promised to add my Florida passport to DLR's admission database. If it doesn't work next time, a strongly worded letter goes off to guest relations.

Rick

 

[wiigirl]

I've heard this complaint from so many people. They should just admit defeat and give everyone 2 passes.

x2

 

[Merry Mousketeer]

PAGAS & Merry Mouskateer: Did you get your Florida issued passports put into DLR's computer system?

PAGAS: Please tell me that on day five of your trip, the Florida issued passport worked at Disneyland.

I'm asking because the supervisor that gave me the paper one day park hopper ticket seemed to know about this problem and took my passport number down and promised to add my Florida passport to DLR's admission database. If it doesn't work next time, a strongly worded letter goes off to guest relations.

Rick

Yes, after two-days of phone calls our Premier passes were entered into Disneyland's system and we could update our Disneyland.com profiles with our Premier pass numbers. We will be at Disneyland next weekend and will see if they work at the turnstiles.

 

[lurkergirl]

We leave for a Florida in less than two weeks - I'm hoping that the Magic Bands, which have the pass on them for us at least (I know people have had issues registering them on My Disney Experience), will allow us to enter without switching to the RFID cards.

I will *not* give up the pass that I know works in California just for a few days of easy entry in Florida.

 

[HydroGuy]

I'm a Orange County, California resident who has frequent business related travel to Orlando, Florida. I was a Disneyland Annual Passholder, but since I'll be traveling to Orlando frequently, I plunked down $979 plus Florida tax for the Premier Annual Passport. My thougt was to fly out to Orlando on the red eye on Friday night for a Monday meeting and spend two days at WDW.

My passport was issued at the ticket booths in Anaheim, and I have no problems entering Disneyland and DCA all summer. On my first trip to Walt Disney World two weeks ago, I attempted to enter the Magic Kingdom, and my pass does not work. I explain to the cast member that this is a California issued Premier pass, and the CM tells me that the admission control computer systems that WDW uses are different than the ones that DLR uses. The CM says that I need to go to guest relations in Florida and have my pass reissued. OK... a half an hour of standing at a Guest Relations window later, and I have a pass that works at WDW.

This morning I attempted to enter Disneyland with my Florida issued pass and guess what? It didn't work! I was issued a one day park ticket. The CM also collected the pass number and promised to add it to their database.

Disney is a multi-billion dollar company, and this passport is the most expensive admission product they sell. I'd think that they could get this right.

Rant is over. Here's hoping that my Florida issued pass is now in DLR's database, and I don't stop the line any more.

Rick

Wow, that is surprising. I have had a DLR DAP but never for WDW. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[mom2rtk]

Disney loves to sell things that sound good, but that their IT department just can't quite pull off. Wait until you get a load of FP+.

 

[pinksand]

Our premiere pass didn't work at the parks that ended in "Kingdom" (i.e. Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom). Those were the places with the Mickey rings. They had to get a manager over to swipe them, and whoever was unfortunate enough to be behind us always gave us the stinkeye.

At Epcot and DHS it was fine.

 

[yoyoyo]

We had no problems upgrading our DL passes at WDW in 2012. Used them at both locations that year without a hitch.

 

[SammiL]

That's terribly frustrating.

I upgraded my annual pass to a Premiere pass at the Disneyland ticket booths in July for my WDW trip in late Aug. It was quick and easy. I had the chance to test the magic bands in Florida and apparently was lucky bc i had no issues linking my premier pass or getting into any of the parks. Ill be heading back to Disneyland in Anaheim next month and will have to see if I run into an issue getting back into the parks!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[JOANNEL]

I think it's all Disneyland software. We just returned from Aulani and Disneyland. Had no trouble in Hawaii with two couples in a two bedroom and having two different credit cards on the room keys. Well not at the Grand Californian. We had more trouble getting keys and keys that worked. Very frustrating. Has to be just DL. We have done the same thing WDW and on the cruise line with out any issues.

 

[rmgreenesq]

Our premiere pass didn't work at the parks that ended in "Kingdom" (i.e. Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom). Those were the places with the Mickey rings. They had to get a manager over to swipe them, and whoever was unfortunate enough to be behind us always gave us the stinkeye. At Epcot and DHS it was fine.

Sadly, the Mickey ring is at all turnstiles now.

 

[pycees312]

I am floored this problem still exist.... i bout the premier the first year it was offered i think in 2009!! sheesh....