No expiration tickets - - - -what happened.

[NickMaio]

Well it was time for us to buy our no expiration tickets again------ 1 problem---- Disney stopped selling them a few years ago, according to the sales person on the phone.

We bought our first set - 10 theme park days and 10 water park days for $1200 USD - - Great value for a family that goes almost every year.
These days would last us anywhere from 3-5 trips to disney.
---We still have 8 water park days that rolled over from the last purchase.

It is obvious why they stopped selling them - the reasons are really greasy - Come on Disney.
Fun fact - all tickets sold up to the mid 90's were non expiration. You held the days you did not use.

Anyone else lament the loss of the non-expiration Disney ticket???

 

[Dead2009]

Nothing lasts forever, unfortunately.

 

[Po'Rich]

Now the problem is actually magnified. Not only is there a time-limit on when you have to use tickets after the initial date (no more keeping unused days), there is also a time limit by when you have to go (no more buying tickets ahead for a trip in a future year). For my trip this last May, I used tickets that I had purchased a year prior as part of a DVC promotion. Currently, they have such a promotion going on, but it does me no good. Those tickets have to be used by the end of 2018. My next trip isn't until 2019, by which time prices will have increased (probably twice) and there may or may not be a deal.

The result of these changes is that it rewards people who can accelerate their trip plans to go now, but disincentivizes continued loyalty.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Thats business... it was a great deal for your families while it lasted, but for Disney, over time it was a money losing enterprise. It was bound to change. Everyone is looking for a way to save money on their trips, and thats O.K. How many businesses can you find that offers non-expiring tickets or passes where you arent charged for years after a business has increased their prices to cover their costs?

 

[DisneyJoe]

Fun fact - all tickets sold up to the mid 90's were non expiration. You held the days you did not use.

I thought that happened just before the introduction of the MYW tickets in 2005...

 

[Graham9]

First few times we went to WDW, we were surprised that our tickets were everlasting. But the problem had a lot to do with black market trade in tickets with supposed unused dates being sold to visitors on street corners. People were being scammed into buying tickets only to find on the turnstile that the tickets were used up.

 

[FettFan]

First few times we went to WDW, we were surprised that our tickets were everlasting. But the problem had a lot to do with black market trade in tickets with supposed unused dates being sold to visitors on street corners. People were being scammed into buying tickets only to find on the turnstile that the tickets were used up.

Bingo.
I remember back in the 90s, there were "WE BUY USED TICKETS" kiosks all over Orlando. (there might still be some around, but if there are, I haven't seen them. I generally stay at Royale Parc Suites on Irlo Bronson)
If someone had a five day WDW ticket, but only used three days, they would sell the ticket to these street vendors who would then re-sell them as "Cheap Tickets".
Problem is, nobody was guaranteed anything. That "Cheap Ticket" you had could have had less time on it than the vendors were saying.
This is why Disney started with the biometric scanners, but even then it wasn't enough to curb the number of people who were still getting scammed. So they just gave the tickets an expiration date. Two weeks after first use, and the tickets are no longer valid.

I realize its easy to sit back and criticize Disney for being money hungry....but in this case, it was a decision made to help protect unwitting consumers from getting cheated.

 

[donsullivan]

There have also been lots of accounting rule changes over the years that have driven this change. Disney cannot record revenue from a ticket sale until that admission ticket is redeemed by tapping a turnstile and actually entering a park. When they make the sale, it's sort of like selling a gift card, they record no revenue until the gift card/ticket is redeemed for actual admission to the park. As a result, having lots and lots of days of unused admission tickets outstanding, requires them to hold all those funds in separate accounts and it cannot be recorded as revenue. The accounting gets complicated and very expensive to manage over time.

While the used ticket sales issue was absolutely a contributing factor for why they've made these changes, it's certainly not he only reason.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Bingo.
I remember back in the 90s, there were "WE BUY USED TICKETS" kiosks all over Orlando. (there might still be some around, but if there are, I haven't seen them. I generally stay at Royale Parc Suites on Irlo Bronson)
If someone had a five day WDW ticket, but only used three days, they would sell the ticket to these street vendors who would then re-sell them as "Cheap Tickets".
Problem is, nobody was guaranteed anything. That "Cheap Ticket" you had could have had less time on it than the vendors were saying.
This is why Disney started with the biometric scanners, but even then it wasn't enough to curb the number of people who were still getting scammed. So they just gave the tickets an expiration date. Two weeks after first use, and the tickets are no longer valid.

I realize its easy to sit back and criticize Disney for being money hungry....but in this case, it was a decision made to help protect unwitting consumers from getting cheated.

Well, that is a nice spin... but, the only reason that Disney cared at all was because if you had a ticket like that they were not able to sell a new one. There is nothing wrong with them being concerned about that... they are in business to sell those tickets. And the public needed to be aware of the fact that after the scanners were introduced there was a good chance that they were going to be paying for a new ticket as well. The very same reason why I couldn't give what was left of my ticket, something I paid for, to a family member. That was something that was much more readily possible before all the electronics happened and the cards were simply stamped on the date line manually.

So now like you said, new people are not getting scammed (buyer beware), however, you get to pay for a ticket that you don't use completely and Disney gets to keep the money you paid. How generous of them. Now I don't think that they should be forced to hold that liability over their heads forever, lets just not make sound like it was done to strictly benefit the bargain hunter from being scammed. Disney is a lot of things... saintly ain't one of them.

 

[JIMINYCR]

however, you get to pay for a ticket that you don't use completely and Disney gets to keep the money you paid. How generous of them. Now I don't think that they should be forced to hold that liability over their heads forever, lets just not make sound like it was done to strictly benefit the bargain hunter from being scammed. Disney is a lot of things... saintly ain't one of them.

Well theres expiration dates on lots of things besides Disney tickets. Its up to the buyer to use any purchased item before the expiration date. If you buy 7 days of Disney days but only use 6 of them its not their fault. You are aware of the expiration. Disney only made out because you decided not to use the day you purchased.
If I buy a carton of milk or a package of meat and let it spoil because I didnt use it before the expiration date... are you saying the grocery store is at fault and they dont deserve the money I paid for the items I didnt get to use? I agree the old non expiring tickets were valuable and a good buy for us when we got them, but dont fault Disney for changing a policy that was not in their best interest. As I said before... how many places can you buy a non-expiring ticket for anything that can be used years and years and years into the future?

 

[Pixieish]

Well theres expiration dates on lots of things besides Disney tickets. Its up to the buyer to use any purchased item before the expiration date. If you buy 7 days of Disney days but only use 6 of them its not their fault. You are aware of the expiration. Disney only made out because you decided not to use the day you purchased.
If I buy a carton of milk or a package of meat and let it spoil because I didnt use it before the expiration date... are you saying the grocery store is at fault and they dont deserve the money I paid for the items I didnt get to use? I agree the old non expiring tickets were valuable and a good buy for us when we got them, but dont fault Disney for changing a policy that was not in their best interest. As I said before... how many places can you buy a non-expiring ticket for anything that can be used years and years and years into the future?

There's a bit of a difference though - food has a biological shelf life. Disney tickets never will have that - their expiration is strictly man-made.

 

[Gringrinngghost]

It is obvious why they stopped selling them - the reasons are really greasy - Come on Disney.

It's bigger than that... go fancy a trip down US-192 and tell me how many "Used Tickets" places there are. It's literally because tickets were being abused.

 

[JIMINYCR]

There's a bit of a difference though - food has a biological shelf life. Disney tickets never will have that - their expiration is strictly man-made.

Yes... but the point being... you know what the expiration date is and the grocery store isnt at fault because you failed to use it before it expired and they arent looked at as being greedy for keeping the money you paid for something you didnt use up.

 

[Pixieish]

Yes... but the point being... you know what the expiration date is and the grocery store isnt at fault because you failed to use it before it expired and they arent looked at as being greedy for keeping the money you paid for something you didnt use up.

Okay, then why were stores issuing gift cards required to eliminate expiration dates?

 

[JIMINYCR]

Okay, then why were stores issuing gift cards required to eliminate expiration dates?

Its a different circumstance driven by the states. If you buy $100 gift card ( can also be gift certificates) you are intending to use it to buy $100 of product. In my state, and many others, ( Im not sure about FL ) they are are using this as a way of getting more income into their state coffers. If a company has sold x number of dollars in gift cards or gift certificates and they were not used... that gets reported as unused gift card or gift certificate income they claim the company isnt entitled to keep and the company has to send it into the state treasury.
So the state can keep the money!!!!

 

[hsisthebest]

Nothing lasts forever, unfortunately.

Except the cold November rain...

 

[Debbie]

I miss the no expiration part as well. In the 80's, I was single and could afford to go whenever the chance popped up. I would always buy a 5 day ticket no matter if I had days remaining from the last trip, with the thinking that one day I might grow up and not have the funds like I did. One time, in 1985, things must have been bad for Disney as they had a buy 3 days get 1 free (or buy 4 get one free), so my previous tickets stayed in the safe and we took advantage of the special. I actually got a few trips of using old tickets from the 80's because sure enough, I had married, and had a baby and had a limited budget.... It would be nice for me to tell my kids to buy me one day or two days tickets for Christmas and I could save them for my next trip without worry of expiring. I'd love to plan to go this spring---but life can also get in the way i.e. elderly parents needing care etc. But I guess a gift card to go towards the purchase of a ticket will have to do.....

 

[Goofyernmost]

Well theres expiration dates on lots of things besides Disney tickets. Its up to the buyer to use any purchased item before the expiration date. If you buy 7 days of Disney days but only use 6 of them its not their fault. You are aware of the expiration. Disney only made out because you decided not to use the day you purchased.
If I buy a carton of milk or a package of meat and let it spoil because I didnt use it before the expiration date... are you saying the grocery store is at fault and they dont deserve the money I paid for the items I didnt get to use? I agree the old non expiring tickets were valuable and a good buy for us when we got them, but dont fault Disney for changing a policy that was not in their best interest. As I said before... how many places can you buy a non-expiring ticket for anything that can be used years and years and years into the future?

Let's compare apples to apples here. The non-expirational tickets worked just fine and the only ones that benefited from putting an expiration date on them was Disney. Milk that spoils does not compare with something that is just as new a year from now then it was when it was purchased. Don't get me wrong, it is something that I understand and in some little minor corner of my mind am not really upset about, however, it has completely changed how often or how much I spend when I am there under the new system. Now if I am planning 4 days and just get tired out or not feeling well I will have to pay for a day that, I not just didn't want to use, but couldn't. My going to the office and saying... Hey, I've got a cold so could you give me back my last day, since I cannot use it. I want to but I can't.

Before I bought a 10 day knowing that I wasn't going to use it all on one trip. I spent money in the parks with less concern because having prepaid, it almost felt like I was getting admittance for free and could therefore be free to spend more since I didn't have to come up with ticket money on that trip. We all play little mind games with ourselves.

 

[OsbourneCox]

f I buy a carton of milk or a package of meat and let it spoil because I didnt use it before the expiration date... are you saying the grocery store is at fault a

I really don't like your analogy.
Those food products have a very real life span where they truly ruin or degrade. And once they expire they have no intrinsic value left.

Conversely, Disney park expirations are completely arbitrary-- for the sake of this exercise--- parks don't degrade or spoil (obviously) if unused. Thus, the parks retain their intrinsic value irrespective of buyer use or not.

The food if unused becomes a tangible loss of product/service
With unused days there is no tangible loss of product/service

 

[OsbourneCox]

Sorry CherylM and Goofy I just now read your posts about the food analogy.