Do I have to go to guest services after purchasing pass online?

[Eamethyst]

I know that was the thing that threw me off. We got our AP bands in the mail. Since we are Florida residents, we were able to verify our residency online so all we have to do is activate them at the park. The cast member said it's something being tested and we were lucky enough to get picked. The only thing that we are waiting on is the magnet. We get that after we activate.

Ap bands? Do you mean the magic bands? The magic bands you can activate online through your Disney account. Make sure the band is linked to the account and activate.
I'm a little confused by that statement. Did you get your bands in the mail before you activate your AP? IS that what you are saying. I think that when we talk to customer service on the phone we sometimes get different answers for the same question from CM's.

 

[ThatMouse]

It's odd that AP people need to be activated in person? For Florida Residents, we can go directly to the turnstiles using any existing or new magic band that has been linked.

We do however need to pick up our discount cards in person, somewhat annoying. I suppose a lot of people forget about it and Disney's happy to keep that money.

 

[Eamethyst]

It's odd that AP people need to be activated in person? For Florida Residents, we can go directly to the turnstiles using any existing or new magic band that has been linked.

We do however need to pick up our discount cards in person, somewhat annoying. I suppose a lot of people forget about it and Disney's happy to keep that money.

What discount card are you talking about?

 

[ThatMouse]

It's a yellow card you need to get pass holder discounts at a lot of the stores and restaurants. 10% to 20% off.

 

[Eamethyst]

It's a yellow card you need to get pass holder discounts at a lot of the stores and restaurants. 10% to 20% off.

Are you talking about the AP pass card? I always presented that and received the discounts.

 

[GrimGrinningLeota]

Ap bands? Do you mean the magic bands? The magic bands you can activate online through your Disney account. Make sure the band is linked to the account and activate.
I'm a little confused by that statement. Did you get your bands in the mail before you activate your AP? IS that what you are saying. I think that when we talk to customer service on the phone we sometimes get different answers for the same question from CM's.

I too am still confused because what is being described by ELG13 sounds like standard procedure to me. So not sure what was unusual/unexpected about getting the MBs in the mail then activating pass at park entry.

 

[Eamethyst]

I too am still confused because what is being described by ELG13 sounds like standard procedure to me. So not sure what was unusual/unexpected about getting the MBs in the mail then activating pass at park entry.

It is confusing on especially people are staying things that Disney does not to for they do not offer. Lets make it simple. You are a florida resident. You have two options. ) to purchase any ticket/pass online. 2) purchase Any ticket/pass at Disney Springs, theme park, or transportation center. If you go to Disney Springs, parks, transportation center to purchase the pass that comes with a complementary magic band, you will get the ticket that day but you will not receive the magic band. You will have to go online into your Disney account and order the complementary magic band. You get to choose the color.
If you go online to the Disney website and log in. You can order your Epcot pass and your magic band. It use to be that you could order both, have the magic band mailed to you before your visit but that has changed. You can still order the pass and the magic band, pick out the color but you won't receive the magic band until you activate your pass.


If you are staying onsite at Disney you would be able to receive your pass and magic band at the same time.

Someone mention a discount card. Disney does not offer a discount card. It's the AP's that offer discounts. When people go to the parks or Disney springs they present their AP holder card to the cashier and receive a discount. The AP bands are not called AP bands. They are called magic bands. This is why is it confusing because people are saying things by different names.

 

[GrimGrinningLeota]

It is confusing on especially people are staying things that Disney does not to for they do not offer. Lets make it simple. You are a florida resident. You have two options. !) to purchase any ticket/pass online. 2) purchase Amy ticket/pass at Disney Springs, theme park, or transportation. If you go to Disney Springs, parks, transportation center to purchase the pass that comes with a complementary magic band, you will get the ticket that day but you will not receive the magic band. You will have to go online into your Disney account and order the complementary magic band. You get to choose the color.
If you go online to the Disney website and log in. You can order your Epcot pass and your magic band. It use to be that you could order both, have the magic band mailed to you before your visit but that has changed. You can still order the pass and the magic band, pick out the color but you won't receive the magic band until you activate your pass.


If you are staying onsite at Disney you would be able to receive your pass and magic band at the same time.

So your MB won’t arrive until (maybe) 3 weeks after you first “activate” your pass? So you could be going to Epcot for three weeks and not be able to use your magic band because it hasn’t arrived yet?

(btw I am a fl resident and will not be staying onsite)

 

[Eamethyst]

So your MB won’t arrive until (maybe) 3 weeks after you first “activate” your pass? So you could be going to Epcot for three weeks and not be able to use your magic band because it hasn’t arrived yet?

(btw I am a fl resident and will not be staying onsite)

Your magic band should arrive in a week but it could take up to 2 weeks because of the post office. You live in Florida so I would expect it in a week. Disney says give it 2 weeks to receive. For people that have purchased the ticket hotel package Disney says they will mail out their magic bands 3 weeks ahead of time.
Yes you have to activate your pass before you receive the magic band since you are not staying onsite.
I hope Disney will change this procedure. Make it little less complicated. Why not allow people to receive their magic bands in the mail prior to them picking up the AP's, after 4pm pass. It would make it easier for people.

Make sure you have the email confirmation either on your phone or printed out and your ID. If you want to avoid having to pay the parking fee the first time go to Disney Springs to pickup your pass. If you go to Epcot and pickup your pass, you will have to pay parking then go to guest relations to pickup the pass and they will reimburse you the parking fee. If you are in rush that day or just don't want to have to deal with the parking go to Disney springs ahead of time.

 

[ELG13]

Ap bands? Do you mean the magic bands? The magic bands you can activate online through your Disney account. Make sure the band is linked to the account and activate.
I'm a little confused by that statement. Did you get your bands in the mail before you activate your AP? IS that what you are saying. I think that when we talk to customer service on the phone we sometimes get different answers for the same question from CM's.

The bands that are assigned to us for our annual passes are in my possession. We aren't arriving until May. Normally, according to all the info I was given on this site and Disney site, my magic bands linked to my annual pass would not be sent until AFTER we went to the park the first time. I am not speaking of the normal magic bands that are sent when your book a trip. They have started rolling out a new process for Florida resident annual passholders that allows us to verify our residency online and receive our annual pass magic bands. The only thing we need to go to guest services for is the annual pass discount card. I'm sorry it's confusing. I was confused at first as well. We ended up with two sets of magic bands, one that was sent for our annual pass and then the normal ones that they sent for our resort reservations. We should have only had one set, the resort set. But with the new procedure, I was able to verify our residency online and get our annual pass bands (the ones that have the annual pass slider) head of our trip.

 

[GrimGrinningLeota]

So we just bought APs and our bands got sent to us and all we have to do is go to the park. We are Florida residents though and apparently, after calling and clearing up the confusion, the cast member told me it was "pixie dust that stitch had gotten ahold of and was sprinkling everywhere"...so we got lucky because it's something new being tested but not rolled out. We do still have to go to get our card but our magic bands/passes are just waiting for that first park scan to activate. The only way I knew it had happened was I went to look at the different magic band options and I could pick ours, confirm them, and they said they were shipped.

OK. Now i understand what was unusual about this, you received the bands in the mail before your pass was activated. I misunderstood all along, thinking we got our bands in the mail first (being Florida residents and NOT staying on site). Im
Ok now. Move along. Lol

 

[GrimGrinningLeota]

The bands that are assigned to us for our annual passes are in my possession. We aren't arriving until May. Normally, according to all the info I was given on this site and Disney site, my magic bands linked to my annual pass would not be sent until AFTER we went to the park the first time. I am not speaking of the normal magic bands that are sent when your book a trip. They have started rolling out a new process for Florida resident annual passholders that allows us to verify our residency online and receive our annual pass magic bands. The only thing we need to go to guest services for is the annual pass discount card. I'm sorry it's confusing. I was confused at first as well. We ended up with two sets of magic bands, one that was sent for our annual pass and then the normal ones that they sent for our resort reservations. We should have only had one set, the resort set. But with the new procedure, I was able to verify our residency online and get our annual pass bands (the ones that have the annual pass slider) head of our trip.

Got it. Man. This was way more convoluted than I intended! Awesome that you have your bands already!! I’ll order online with plenty of time either way. Whew.

 

[Eamethyst]

OK. Now i understand what was unusual about this, you received the bands in the mail before your pass was activated. I misunderstood all along, thinking we got our bands in the mail first (being Florida residents and NOT staying on site). Im
Ok now. Move along. Lol

Right. It's confusing. Unless you stay onsite you have the option of getting your magic bands in the mail. Disney does not ship to certain countries so if people live in this countries people who get the ticket hotel package then they can receive their magic bands at the hotel with the ticket.

 

[Eamethyst]

There have always been two sets of magic bands. 1) for onsite hotels guests. 2) for AP holders. This new procedure has been in affect for while. If you book a ticket/hotel package you have the option of receiving the magic bands at the hotel or they will be mailed to you 3 weeks ahead of your trip. If you live in a country that Disney does not ship to and your purchase the package then you will receive ticket and magic band at the hotel.

Florida AP holders receive a magic band. They have always been mailed out to them. Disney has always verified online Florida residency. There is new upgrade for magic bands. people who purchase an AP or renew an AP have the option to upgrade the complementary magic band to one that is set at a discount price. People that book hotel packages have the same option.

Disney is doing it a little different and or they have added a new step, etc so they say its new.

 

[ELG13]

It was confusing but I think I misunderstood your question to be about an annual pass option I had JUST read about lol. If you aren't staying on property or purchasing an AP you don't get complimentary magic bands, but you can order them for a price Just make sure you bring your confirmation and the card you purchased the ticket with and you will be good!!!

 

[GrimGrinningLeota]

It was confusing but I think I misunderstood your question to be about an annual pass option I had JUST read about lol. If you aren't staying on property or purchasing an AP you don't get complimentary magic bands, but you can order them for a price Just make sure you bring your confirmation and the card you purchased the ticket with and you will be good!!!

Yeah my initial question was how to avoid waiting at guest services the first time we go to Epcot. Solution seems to be I can do it at Disney springs on a random weekend when I have time to fuss with it.

 

[ELG13]

There have always been two sets of magic bands. 1) for onsite hotels guests. 2) for AP holders. This new procedure has been in affect for while. If you book a ticket/hotel package you have the option of receiving the magic bands at the hotel or they will be mailed to you 3 weeks ahead of your trip. If you live in a country that Disney does not ship to and your purchase the package then you will receive ticket and magic band at the hotel.

Florida AP holders receive a magic band. They have always been mailed out to them. Disney has always verified online Florida resending. There is new upgrade for magic bands. people who purchase an AP or renew an AP have the option to upgrade the complementary magic band to one that is set at a discount price. People that book hotel packages have the same option.

That's good to know now and would have saved me a load of confusion when I bought mine!! Ugh...everyone told me I wouldn't have our magic bands (with the AP slider) at our first trip because they don't get mailed out until our pass was activated on our first park entrance. Even the 3 cast members i spoke with (because I was paranoid something was wrong lol) said it was new and not the norm . Maybe they didn't realize I was a Florida resident? Before when I purchased a normal vacation package, I never had to verify my residency. With the APs I had to enter my DL#. I don't get my magnet until after we activate it though, which was weird....why not just send it with my bands??

 

[Eamethyst]

It was confusing but I think I misunderstood your question to be about an annual pass option I had JUST read about lol. If you aren't staying on property or purchasing an AP you don't get complimentary magic bands, but you can order them for a price Just make sure you bring your confirmation and the card you purchased the ticket with and you will be good!!!

Exactly. People don't always stay on site. Those people can order one online or they can go into the parks or Disney springs and purchase a magic band. The complementary ones come in different colors.The new option is you can upgrade a complementary magic band for a fee and get a character, design on it.

 

[Eamethyst]

That's good to know now and would have saved me a load of confusion when I bought mine!! Ugh...everyone told me I wouldn't have our magic bands (with the AP slider) at our first trip because they don't get mailed out until our pass was activated on our first park entrance. Even the 3 cast members i spoke with (because I was paranoid something was wrong lol) said it was new and not the norm . Maybe they didn't realize I was a Florida resident? Before when I purchased a normal vacation package, I never had to verify my residency. With the APs I had to enter my DL#. I don't get my magnet until after we activate it though, which was weird....why not just send it with my bands??

I have know idea. I bought my AP pass 2 years ago. I was verified. My magic band came with a slider. I didn't get a magnet. Of what I've heard about the magnets. Not everyone gets them. They run out. Or they were for a limited time. When we purchase anything online we have to verify with our address. Disney verifies with the billing address not a just a mailing address. If you billing zip code does not match a florida zip code you can't purchase the Florida resident passes. If you go directly to Disney guest relations and purchase a florida resident pass then all you present is your ID which shows you are a Florida resident and a credit card. It's always been there.


If you spoke to a CM that is newer to Disney everything to them is new. HA ha.

 

[ELG13]

I have know idea. I bought my AP pass 2 years ago. I was verified. My magic band came with a slider. I didn't get a magnet. Of what I've heard about the magnets. Not everyone gets them. They run out. Or they were for a limited time.

So the only reason you would have gone to guest services was to get your AP discount card?