Tickets on Ebay/Craigslist?

[goofykb03]

Thanks all. You have reinforced my gut instinct that it is absolutely crazy to buy Disney tickets from anyone but Disney!

For the poster who mentioned AAA... it may have changed seasonally, but last time I checked their "discounted" tickets were more expensive than on Disney's website! I haven't checked it out in awhile though.

I didn't even realize that you couldn't enter more than one park in a day without a hopper. I just figured the hopping option was a convenience if you were all over the place (ie - I figured Disney assumes you'll pay for convenience haha). All makes sense though. I forgot about the finger scanners (since, as previous posters have mentioned, it doesn't always get used) but I 100% agree that I wouldn't want to take a chance on being there when it does get used! I actually have no idea if any of the tickets were even used yet or not, I hadn't even looked at the listings yet since I was already skeptical.

I do know that the GAD ticket can be upgraded to a hopper, but the day we fly in will only be enough time for one park anyway so we were just going to use it then. I will price everything out again a million more times before July though and hadn't thought that upgrading it might save some money, so thanks for that reminder! ?

 

[dzd]

Yeah, those scanners are not real effective. More of a deterent than anything. I was a believer until in college a friend let another friend borow her little sisters AP, I insisted that it wouldn't work and she could lose her sisters AP. So we set off for MK and sure enough the first time through he can't get it. Imake a coment like to bad you don't have the fingers of a 11 year old little girl, and can you guess where this is going? That's right he slid his finger out of the scanner to about the size of a little girl and presto! Green light.

Lucky chance nope, worked every time AK, EP. Sometimes took two trys but got it.

Untill, we tried at HS, that time it failed on the first attemp, I might add I fail from time to time with my AP and mine is ligit!. Just as he was going to try for two, a CM came over and said let me reset that for you! He rescanned the finger now so that the pass was coded to his finger! I couldn't believe it. Of cource the whole va@cation I was made fun of since I was so insistent that it wouldn't work. I think I said at least I'm not going to hell for stealling from the disney gods.

Any way moral of the story, no pun intended, is that bioscaners are just a deterent.

 

[vicki_c]

But then how do those places that buy and sell tickets stay in business? The guy at the one we went to said he had been in business for 30 yrs in that same spot. I know that if bought tickets from one of these places and then was unable to use them, I would be right back there raising a stink about it, kwim?

Just scratching my head on this one.......

Because you don't really have any recourse. If you did buy bad tickets from the guy set up with the card table in front of the 7-11, what are you going to do -- stand there all day or all week to get your $$ back? No, people are on vacation and that's not what they're going to generally do.

The bottom line is - buy tickets from authorized Disney ticket sellers. If you don't, all risks are yours because Disney is not going to help you out.

See this thread on the Budget board on the same topic. See post #12 where Cheshire Figment (Disney ticket CM) discusses what he did with the family who bought their tix on 192.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2441950

 

[purvislets]

I didn't even realize that you couldn't enter more than one park in a day without a hopper. I just figured the hopping option was a convenience if you were all over the place (ie - I figured Disney assumes you'll pay for convenience haha). All makes sense though. I forgot about the finger scanners (since, as previous posters have mentioned, it doesn't always get used) but I 100% agree that I wouldn't want to take a chance on being there when it does get used! I actually have no idea if any of the tickets were even used yet or not, I hadn't even looked at the listings yet since I was already skeptical.

I know you used to be able to, back when the tickets were individual. I remember clearly my dad having all of our tickets in his wallet. We went to MK first, used one ticket and later that afternoon went to MGM (as it was back in the good ole days) and used a different ticket. But now, they combine them all onto one multi-use ticket so you can't do that anymore.

 

[PirateMom78]

You cannot use multi day tickets like park hoppers. I know many people who would like to do this but it isn't possible. I would never buy tickets from EBay or Craigslist...way to risky.

 

[Slayerextreme]

where as I am sure that there are people that are asked to "scan" their finger at the parks each and every day....it really dont matter...the "scanner" for lack of a better term does not scan your fingerprint and place it on you Disney ticket....Your Disney ticket has a bar code not magnetic storage strip where your name/ss/fingerprint/life history/bank info/census info/traffic violations are imprinted onto the ticket.....
thats just not the way it works.....


try this, next time you go to disney.....you and your wife make sure your finger is scanned when entering the park.....swap tickets and go to another park (same day if park hopper, next day if not) .....bet ya the cost of your next park tickets that you will get in the gate, after your tickets barcode is scanned and you scan your finger again.....their system does not...repeat does not scan "fingerprints"

does anybody actually think that Disney has a system large enough to scan and associate an individuals fingerprint and then attach that to a person in such a way as it could seperate or identify that person in a group by just running a barcode scanner and a biometric reader????

I am sure that Disney has reduced the amount of reselling of "extra-day" tickets due to the fact that their tickets are now biometrically tied to the ticket.....but it the same logic as "hey man, ya better slow down up there on route 8, I hear there is a cop sitting there all the time now watching for speeders".....

He slows down because I "told" him to slow down,,,,,even if the cop is not there, or he cant see him...he still slows down.....

 

[vicki_c]

Slayer - I didn't notice anyone saying it was your actual fingerprint in this thread (maybe someone did, but most just referred to biometrics I think) Anyway, most people who know anything about the Disney ticketing know it's not your actual fingerprint. There are numerous threads on the boards that quote the actual technical description of how the biometrics work and it's not a fingerprint.

And tickets purchased in one transaction are supposed to be grouped together for the specific purpose that anyone in a group/family could use each other's tickets on subsequent days after the initial finger scan (which doesn't always work as I can vouch for problems mixing up our family's tickets). So while there is some truth in your posts about the accuracy of the scanners, your example of switching tickets with your spouse wouldn't really prove anything.

Now go back to your booth on 192 ... (just kidding folks)

 

[chartle]

There is also another class of ticket that does require finger scans.

Since YES (Youth Education Spots) tickets are sometimes collected by the leader its easy to mix up tickets so there is no finger scan with them.

 

[LekiaHall]

Last year on our first trip to Disney, I purchased tickets for our (extended)family of nine from someone on CraigsList. Can't remember exactly, but I think we paid $100 each for 6 day MYW passes. Met seller at AK first day, had all family members enter park with their tickets; when they got through successfully, I paid the guy and went in. Never had a problem during the length of our stay. BUT, I will say that I was always nervous at gate entry! That alone convinced me not to be bothered with the whole thing again. The tickets were legitimate (through a special offer), but I couldn't handle the nervousness involved during gate check-in. This year, I purchased through Undercover Tourist.

Also: re:

Okay, I have a similar question then: What about all of those "cheap ticket" places along 192 in Orlando? How are they able to buy and resell unused tickets? On our way out last week, we still had a day left on our tickets so we stopped in one of those places to sell them.

What I learned was that you sell to those resellers and either they or you take the tickets to Disney to extend the days...when this happens, you get a whole new pass not associated with fingerprints. Not sure if this is true or if it has changed, but this is what I was told from a company that was trying to sell me used tickets (I didn't go with them).

I say...avoid the headache and anxiety. If this were a 1-day pass, I'd probably go for it...not worth it if you plan to try to enter the parks multiple days.

Good luck to you and enjoy your vacation!

 

[Sandi]

Your experience was not the norm. I was just at Disney World last week, during Spring Break, and only one time did I not have to put my finger on the scanner. People who like to pass the tickets around are the whole reason for the finger scan.

That was my experience last week, too. And, in August of 2009 and April of 2009 and July of 2008 and February of 2008 . . .

One time, we went into DHS to go to guest services who then told us we had to go to Will Call, outside the gate, for our GAD FPs. When we tried to re-enter, we were denied access because the tickets had been used in the last 15 minutes. We just explained what happened and were allowed in. I was glad that they stopped us. You're purchasing entry into private property. The tickets all clearly say they are non-transferrable and that is your contract with WDW.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Those "cheap ticket" sellers are doing exactly what is not allowed, buying unused tickets and selling them to 'rubes' who will attempt to use them and be denied at the park gate with the scanner system. When you go back to get a refund, you won't get one or they won't be there. BEWARE as the above posters have noted.

Before WDW started doing the finger scans with their tickets I remember watching Inside Edition and they did a story on families who went to purchase their tickets from these ticket sellers along 192 because they were so cheap. Well one family who bought their tickets at one of these locations tried to enter the Animal Kingdom and it turned out the tickets they bought had 0 days left on them, then I remember seeing that they had to be escorted away by Disney security. Finally when the reporter for Inside Edition went back to the ticket dealer along 192 they were no longer working there.

 

[cdepauli]

I do know that the GAD ticket can be upgraded to a hopper, but the day we fly in will only be enough time for one park anyway so we were just going to use it then. I will price everything out again a million more times before July though and hadn't thought that upgrading it might save some money, so thanks for that reminder! ?

I think you're still confused. You can upgrade your GAD ticket to ANY type of ticket media from a 1 day park hopper to a 10 day non-expiring water park fun and more park hopper. What people are suggesting, is - if you are using your GAD on the same 4 day trip - upgrade the 1-day base ticket (which is worth $84.14) to a 4 day base ticket (no park hopping over 4 days) or a 4 day park hopper, if you are planning to park hop on any day. You will just pay the difference in price between the one day ticket and whatever ticket you want to upgrade to.