Why are AP's paper???

[unixadm]

We were down in May and purchased annual passes. What I can't understand is that people staying for a couple of days get their park passes attached to their room key which is hard plastic....yet I buy an annual pass and it is made up of paper.

After a week of use, they are dog earred and beat up. We are going back in September and I figure they will be ruined by then and need replacing.

Why don't they just make them plastic?

 

[ECurto]

Amen... why indeed! I heard somebody say you could have it added to your room key. I am going to try that when we are down there this DEC.

 

[jerbroni]

I've got 11 days on mine so far and it's barely showing any signs of use. I've been packing it around in my pocket and the little sleeve they give you with the benefits summary is kind of faded from getting sweaty and the water rides, but overall the ticket itself is near mint!

 

[SnackyStacky]

Amen... why indeed! I heard somebody say you could have it added to your room key. I am going to try that when we are down there this DEC.

Annual Passes can't be put onto the room key.

I think at one point they did use the plastic, but because it's not as pliable - if there was a bend in it, the turnstiles wouldn't read it, and it made it that much more difficult to get through the turnstiles.

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

I didn't think they were actually made of paper, even though they bend. I don't have a current one, but they were hard to rip, and you could get them wet. I thought they were made of a space-aged polymer...perhaps by the makers of Nu Vinyl?

 

[bicker]

Annual Passes are not paper. They're made with Tyvek, a plasticized product that is more durable than plastic.

 

[civileng68]

Annual Passes are not paper. They're made with Tyvek, a plasticized product that is more durable than plastic.

This is true. the tickets are not as tearable as you may think. TRUST ME! I took last year's expired AP's and tried to tear them and it takes work.

Also, never worry, if you needed a replacement, a quick trip to Guest Relations gets you a brand new ticket to use.

 

[lillygator]

it drives me nuts...I like the old AP's with the pics on much better!

 

[GoldenOldie]

...Also, never worry, if you needed a replacement, a quick trip to Guest Relations gets you a brand new ticket to use.

And therein lies a major reason that AP's are all still paper. It costs Disney far less to issue/reissue a paper one than a plastic one. Why is this a problem? Because they replace literally hundreds of them every day. Some people have legitimate reasons for having it replaced (like it doesn't work right in the turnstile, they lost it or it got demagnetized) but many others (a lot more than you might think) show up at WDW and forgot their AP at home or their spouse/S.O. has it with them at another park or they left it in their room and they don't want to go back for it.

 

[bicker]

Are we actually even sure that low-tech plastic passes would be more expensive than high-tech Tyvek passes?

 

[sugermouse]

 

[safetymom]

I used my AP 86 times last year and it still looked like new at the end of the year.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Mine have never lasted me the entire year. I have alway had to get a replacement...most of them are due to being de-magnatized, but I have destroyed a few in my back pocket (in the sleve).

 

[Laurajean1014]

Aren't they tyvek which is sturdier than plastic?

 

[goofy4tink]

24 days on my soon to expire AP. It has just started to develop a crease in it but that would be my fault. For our last trip, 2 weeks ago, I didn't bother putting the APs back in their little holders...so they got creased. But, if you keep them in the folder, you will be all set. I actually like them better this way. Since I carry all our passes, they take up less room than the plastic room keys. Of course, if you have to carry the room key and the AP in the folder, it's going to be fatter. But, I can live with it.

 

[DebbieB]

I've had AP's since 1998, used them about 20-25 days each and have never had to replace one. I don't understand why people get so upset over this. As they long as they allow you to get in, what's the difference?

 

[SueM in MN]

On our last trip, my DH had to get his AP replaced because it got de-magnetized. That was only the 2nd replaced AP we've had in our family of 4 who have had APs for about 15 years.
While waiting for a new card, my DH asked the CM about the APs compared to the plastic cards.
The CM said they actually replace a lot more of the plastic cards. The APs are made of a combination Tyvek and paper which is very tough. He told DH that APs are replaced for basically 2 reasons, getting demagnetized and being run thru the wash (besides people losing them).
Ways the plastic cards get damaged include cracked or bent cards (people tend to put them in a pocket and forget they are there, then sit on them), scratches on the magnetic strip and getting demagnetized.

 

[TDC Nala]

Had my current PAP since September.

1) It got wet at Typhoon Lagoon. Normally if they dry out they're fine, but my friend had to try and iron it. Got a new AP issued at Epcot.

2) Presenting it at PI to get a guest pass for someone, they said it had been demagnetized and issued me a new one. I now have the only PAP around that says "Pleasure Island" on it.

So, mine has been reissued twice. If the plastic ones cost more, I can see why they stick with the ones they're using now.

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

After our recent 13 day trip, our annual passes looked almost new, but the paper sleeve to store them was in bad shape. Luckily I got 5 sleeves (one for each pass) and saved the 4 we didn't use, so they are now stored in a fresh sleeve awaiting our next trip.

 

[cranbiz]

I got mine in November and have used it about 15 times. It looks a little worn, but works fine.

The sleave on the other hand liiked horrible. I asked at guest services at DTD to replace it when we were upgrading DS's seasonal AP to a full AP and I was given a shiny new sleave.