Unable to partake of FastPass+

[BurleyGirl]

I am soooo bummed (angry is really the better word for it)...
Just found out that we will not be able to link our Unexpired WP+More Park Hopper tickets (with five days remaining) to our upcoming on-site (Yacht Club) Thanksgiving week stay!

I have been following the Disboards so I am well aware of the pros/cons of the FastPass+ (but I guessed I missed this fact about not being able to use with old tickets) and I was going to try to go with a positive attitude. Now I learn that I don't even get to use the system...I have to wait until day of to make our selections, and this during a busy time, no less.
To make matters worse, we are taking a couple of first-timers with us, so they'll (well, me, since I'm the planner) will be able to make their selections, but myself and my DH and our 15-year-old son will be stuck with whatever is left available.

We are rope-drop people, and that was going to be my strategy still...using the FastPass+ selections for later in the evening. If I calm down and don't cancel our trip, then I guess I'll still use this rope-drop strategy and hope for the best...

Just posted this as I need a little Disboards group therapy

 

[3dog2kidmom]

I was able to link my DH's unexpired n/e ph ticket to his magic band...

 

[2girlsmom]

Am I correct in understanding that this is old tyvek tickets, without the RFID? I am surprised Disney hasn't come up with any way to link old tickets, after all, my initial annual pass was tyvek when we linked it in MDE.

 

[BurleyGirl]

2girlsmom: They are paper tickets which were purchased in 2006. Sorry to be so dull that I don't know what your abbreviations are (tyvek). The agent this morning did not mention anything about any options for linking, other than I could not do it.

3dog2kidmom: I don't know about linking with magic bands, but sounds like there is a glimmer of hope (?), although again, the agent this morning did not mention magic bands...I will check into it.

Thanks for your responses!

 

[3dog2kidmom]

3dog2kidmom: I don't know about linking with magic bands, but sounds like there is a glimmer of hope (?), although again, the agent this morning did not mention magic bands...I will check into it.

Thanks for your responses!

BurleyGirl --- As long as you have ordered your bands and they are showing in MDE, try to link your ticket with the app. My DH's was the old tyvek kind (non-RFID) too. I did it on my phone, there is an option to scan (take a picture) of the ticket. It linked immediately, and now in MDE it shows him with valid park admission. Even tells me he has 7 days left (which is great since I couldn't remember how many days he had used). Good luck!

 

[2Tiggies]

BurleyGirl I don't know what your tickets look like and am not familiar with pre 2006 tickets, but have you set up a MDE account? Just wondering if you could try link them? Speaking in the dark here as I'm not familiar with the tickets you have but you didn't mention having set up an account so I'm just wondering if the problem is that they don't have a ticket number you can use or if you've just been told you can't.

 

[BurleyGirl]

BurleyGirl I don't know what your tickets look like and am not familiar with pre 2006 tickets, but have you set up a MDE account? Just wondering if you could try link them? Speaking in the dark here as I'm not familiar with the tickets you have but you didn't mention having set up an account so I'm just wondering if the problem is that they don't have a ticket number you can use or if you've just been told you can't.

Yes, I was trying to link them to my MDE account when I encountered the problem. They have options for tickets purchased prior to 2010, which I tried, but it would not let me. I called for website assistance and that's when I was told I would not be able to. Neither one of the agents I spoke with gave any indication that there was a way around this problem...just that I was in the same predicament that many others (like the daytrippers) were in. However, I'm not a daytripper...I'm spending (well now I'm considering spending) over $3000 to say onsite which should allow me what Disney has now made a crucial "perk" to staying onsite.
Frustrated to say the least!!

 

[BurleyGirl]

BurleyGirl --- As long as you have ordered your bands and they are showing in MDE, try to link your ticket with the app. My DH's was the old tyvek kind (non-RFID) too. I did it on my phone, there is an option to scan (take a picture) of the ticket. It linked immediately, and now in MDE it shows him with valid park admission. Even tells me he has 7 days left (which is great since I couldn't remember how many days he had used). Good luck!

I haven't ordered my bands yet (actually, am not sure when I am supposed to do that), but your experience certainly gives me much hope! Thanks for letting me know!!

 

[ilovebassets]

Have you tried calling ticket services at 407 566 4985? I had a ticket/resort/fast pass plus issue and they were able to help me when the original numbers I called could not. Don't give up! Be calm but firm that spending this much money should entitle you to all the perks of staying onsite when you have a valid ticket as disney advertises.

 

[BurleyGirl]

Have you tried calling ticket services at 407 566 4985? I had a ticket/resort/fast pass plus issue and they were able to help me when the original numbers I called could not. Don't give up! Be calm but firm that spending this much money should entitle you to all the perks of staying onsite when you have a valid ticket as disney advertises.

I will give that number a try. Thank you for the words of encouragement!!

 

[Kate and Family]

It's a new system, I would not rely only on what an agent says - they are still learning the system as well. As others have suggested - call Disney!

Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Twende]

Each time you call, you get a different Cast Member and often a different answer to the same question.

I would start by getting a MDE account and list all members of your travel party. Friends with tickets can book their FP+ now so do so. Continue to look for a way to link old tickets.

We had a large group in late Nov 2013 and it seemed everyone had different tickets. Some had tickets with the room reservation, some had Premium Annual Passes, some had Annual Pass vouchers, some were using old paper tickets, some bought tickets off of an outside ticket seller,and some were upgrading old one and two day tickets. It took work but I was able to link them all and get FP+s for the length of the tickets. For example my son was upgrading an old 2 day pass that he was using in a park first in. Order to bridge the upgrade price. No matter what we did before hand his FP+s could only be scheduled for 2 days. Once he entered a park, went to GR and upgraded, then we could copy our times to his Magic Band so that his times matched ours.

Even if you can not find a way to do this before you arrive, you should be able to use the copy feature on MDE to match up FP+ times. If you still have problems go to a Guest Relations/Guest Services desk, preferably
at a non busy time of day, and they can fix it for you. Many times the desks at Downtown Disney are not as busy and super helpful.

 

[DVCFan1994]

I will give that number a try. Thank you for the words of encouragement!!

Try and try again (and again) if it does not work. There are such inconsistencies with the people on the phone. I had the older APs that could not be linked last year. We are not local, so I had not had a chance to switch them out for the RFID cards which can be linked to MDE. I called the MDE tech support without help, and then called ticketing,or was connected to them when I had a complaint about being unable to link my tickets. They essentially assigned my paper tickets a number as if they were an RFID card, and then they could be linked. It took a little time, and a few calls to find someone who knew what to do, but it was finally done. I know my tickets were different than yours, but I would think there has to be a way for them to link up the account. You are absolutely correct that as an onsite guest with tickets purchased you should be able to make full use of the benefits of staying onsite. Good luck!

 

[dmunsil]

I was able to get tickets purchased in 2003 linked to MDE, but it required reissuing them on RFID media at guest services. Once I had the new plastic tickets, they linked immediately. I was lucky in that I had a short trip to Orlando a couple months before the big trip, and I took a detour over to guest relations to do the ticket swap in advance.

Worst case, it would seem like you'll have to dedicate a little time the first day to do the ticket swap, then get them linked to your MagicBands, and then you'll be able to pre-book FP+ for the rest of the trip. You will be able to use your phone or tablet to book and won't need the kiosks. So you're in better shape than someone who's staying offsite.

If you want to solve this problem by expending cash, you could buy some ordinary expiring tickets now for this trip, and save the old tickets for the next trip. While you're there on this trip, you can bring the old tickets along and find some time to go to guest relations and convert the old tickets to new RFID media so you can link them easily for the next trip.

 

[BurleyGirl]

Thanks so much to each of you for your rays of hope you're shining on the situation!

Dmunsil, your scenario would be fine if one was able to spend an extra $1200, as I realize I could use the non-expiring tickets later. But, that can't happen for us.
However, I wonder why I couldn't just FedEx the tickets to Disney for them to do whatever they have to physically do with them, and then return them to me and let me go on my merry, planning way?

 

[basketlacey]

I had this issue when I bought APs for my kids at the Disney Store last month. Apparently the stock they keep on hand is really old and they couldn't be linked. I had to wait until I was there and exchanged my voucher for an actual AP and then I could make FP+. It wasn't a busy time so we were able to get everything except TSM. Good luck. I hope you figure something out!

 

[johde]

I had no issued with my old 10 day, +PH, +WP, NE tickets being linked. They were originally purchased in 2009 and I got new media (still not RFID) in January 2012. Like everyone else said, I'd go to the App or the Website (I used the website) and match up your ticket to the picture type in the code at the bottom, or scan it in with the app, and give it at shot.

 

[KayKyle'sMOM]

To link my grandparents Unexpired hopper pass from 2005 I had to call the help desk for the my Disney experience. They linked them for me.

 

[Amanda999]

2nd PP: keep trying. I linked 4 old paper non-expiring tickets online. I just kept entering numbers - there were several sets of numbers on each ticket. I just took one ticket and kept trying different numbers on that 1 ticket in the different versions of tickets they show online (saying something like "does this look like your ticket?"). I finally got them to link - to a ticket that didn't look anything like mine.

Then again, I'd probably just call ticket services as another pp said! They were very helpful when I had an unrelated question.

I think you'll get them linked! Good luck!

 

[Traveliz]

2girlsmom: They are paper tickets which were purchased in 2006. Sorry to be so dull that I don't know what your abbreviations are (tyvek). The agent this morning did not mention anything about any options for linking, other than I could not do it.

3dog2kidmom: I don't know about linking with magic bands, but sounds like there is a glimmer of hope (?), although again, the agent this morning did not mention magic bands...I will check into it.

Thanks for your responses!

Tyvek is not an abbreviation - it's a type of material tickets are made of...its the paper type that you can't really tear even if you try...hope that helps.

Liz