Paper or Plastic (tickets)

[donsullivan]

My understanding on this one has always been:

1) The paper tickets are issued at all ticketing locations (TTC, Guest Relations, etc..) so that no matter what ticket type a guest chose to purchase, and no matter what location they do it at, the machine could print it as the next one off the roll. It doesn't matter if it's a one-day/one-park, or a Premium Annual Pass. This allows them to issue every admission ticket type from every ticketing location on the property quickly and easily.

2) Resort guests get the plastic ticket option for the simple and obvious reason that the paper ticket would get all mashed up trying to open the room door. Since they will already have that plastic card as a room key, it only made sense to have the option for that to serve as their admission media for the parks. Since this form factor was a given it set the shape and form standard for the paper tickets.

Just what I've heard as the reason for all this...

 

[tampabrad]

The paper AP is used for park entry and fast pass. Over a year my ticket probably gets scanned about 40 times.

A paper AP ticket costs me $208 and up to around $600 for a new Premium AP.

My ticket comes out to about $1 a day if I were to use it every day I could. In reality about $11.

The plastic ticket is used for getting into the room, resort security, park entry, fast pass, and room charging. Over a five day stay this ticket could get used I would say about 60 times with park hopping, 3 meals, gifts, and going back and forth to the room.

The plastic ticket costs (with room and park admission) about $100 minimum a day.

Over a year that plastic ticket will still cost $100 a day.

Simple economics, my ticket costs less, is used less, and has more of a chance of getting replaced, therefore I get cheaper stock paper. Hotel guests spend more for their ticket, use it more, and are generally more careful not to lose it, therefore they get a more durable stock.

 

[Dangeresque]

To the OP: I am going to point out that this was probably their objective...

They're basically encouraging you to spend your $$ on a lanyard and they're hoping you'll buy it @ WDW. Then, this could possibly interest people in pin trading, etc...

A chain reaction of spending all because they were smart enough to give you a paper ticket! :lol: Smart little devils.

Diabolical

 

[Siege898]

I didn't read all of the posts, but try to tear an AP, its almost impossible. When I got my new ticket, I tried to tear my old ticket, and actually couldn't.

 

[Ringo8n24]

I never knew the AP's were paper. I have been meaning to purchase some for us, but I am afraid I may wash the darn thing in the laundry by accident. Lord knows how much money I have found in the machine from my husband's pockets over the years. I could have probably paid for the AP's already. Has anyone ever washed the AP's in the laundry?

 

[SpenceMan01]

Somebody answer me this:

If you were to buy park tickets from a non-Disney source, and you were to stay at a Disney resort (ie: room-only reservation), is it possible to have them transfer your park ticket to your plastic room key?

 

[Master Yoda]

I never knew the AP's were paper. I have been meaning to purchase some for us, but I am afraid I may wash the darn thing in the laundry by accident. Lord knows how much money I have found in the machine from my husband's pockets over the years. I could have probably paid for the AP's already. Has anyone ever washed the AP's in the laundry?

I have never washed one but Disney will replace them free of charge. Just bring your ID or to be extra safe and save the CM a little bit of a headache I have been told to photocopy the back of your AP's and bring said photocopy with you when replacing your ticket. I don't know if this actually helps anyone but it cant hurt.

 

[LilRoo714]

I have never washed one but Disney will replace them free of charge. Just bring your ID or to be extra safe and save the CM a little bit of a headache I have been told to photocopy the back of your AP's and bring said photocopy with you when replacing your ticket. I don't know if this actually helps anyone but it cant hurt.

You'd be surprised but yes, bringing a photocopy of the ticket would help enormously!

When you purchase an AP all of your information is stored in the computer system in the event that you would lose your pass and need to be reissued a new one. If by some slight of hand, the cast member who originally entered your information misspelled even one letter by accident - such as "Smiht" instead of "Smith" - your information would be almost impossible to locate in the system.

Therefore, having your AP photocopied gives the cast member who's printing you out a new pass something to search for. If you look on the back of your paper ticket there's a set of numbers on the bottom of the ticket that represent the location and date where your ticket was originally purchased. By looking up this information, they can have your pass printed out very quickly. Of course they'll still need your ID to verify that the copied ticket was actually yours - so always bring an ID!

 

[LilRoo714]

Somebody answer me this:

If you were to buy park tickets from a non-Disney source, and you were to stay at a Disney resort (ie: room-only reservation), is it possible to have them transfer your park ticket to your plastic room key?

I'm not sure this is possible... what non-Disney source are you referring to?

Really, if you're not purchasing your tickets and checking into your hotel at the same time, it's kind of a waste of time to wait at Guest Relations or your hotel to have everything combined, IMO. It seems like it's also safer for the more forgetful people among us not to have your room key and ticket on one in case you lose it. I know many people enjoy the convenience of only having to carry around one card, but why would you want to waste valuable vacation time waiting in a line so you have one less tiny paper ticket to carry? :wave:

 

[spike595]

I don't think it is paper, but some kind of mylar/ PVC type dealie. I've washed it and it didn't hurt it, but I wouldn't recommend putting it in the dryer. I think the heat would make it un-readable. At any case I get the AP for entrance to the parks, not some kind of status-symbol. If that were the case I would get a T-shirt that says " Hey look at me I'm an AP holder":lol: . I get my kicks knowing that I go to Disney several times a year.:sohappy:

 

[Gorjus]

I see the light

Thanks for all the chemistry and engineering lessons. This is how I am going to understand it (never let facts get in the way of a good story ): The plastic cards, while seemingly more durable, actually aren't. The magnetic strip can scratch off a plastic card, but not a paper card. And let's not forget that the paper card takes up less room than a plastic card. A plastic card, along with your ticket info, is needed as a room key. A paper card is not. If I am a passholder, I'm either sleeping at home, or in a different room each stay.

For the poster who thought anyone cared about what kind of card they had for status reasons, I don't doubt there are some, :veryconfu :brick: but my concern was for longevity.

For the record, as a passholder, I've never had a pass last one complete year. At some point in the year, it needs to be replaced because the magnetic strip isn't working. I imagine it is the same with plastic.

 

[ilovepluto23]

It doesn't make much sense to me either.

Although the room key can't be made of paper b/c it will probaby tear while you try to unlock your door!

 

[Horizons78]

It doesn't make much sense to me either.

Although the room key can't be made of paper b/c it will probaby tear while you try to unlock your door!

Or better yet they COULD make them out of paper and install the huge ticket scanners from the park entrance. This way you could insert your ticket, have it sucked into the machine, declined, and shot on through to the interior of your room leaving you staring blankly at a locked door with a blinking red light.

 

[shoppingnut]

Really, if you're not purchasing your tickets and checking into your hotel at the same time, it's kind of a waste of time to wait at Guest Relations or your hotel to have everything combined, IMO. It seems like it's also safer for the more forgetful people among us not to have your room key and ticket on one in case you lose it. I know many people enjoy the convenience of only having to carry around one card, but why would you want to waste valuable vacation time waiting in a line so you have one less tiny paper ticket to carry? :wave:

It depends on where you are from, because people from the UK can buy tickets over there at much cheaper prices that aren't sold here, like 14 and 21 day tickets.

All I can say though is that I've never had a problem with carrying/losing my room key and AP card.

As far as I am concerned the plastic and paper are about even in longevity. The paper one gets bent in some of the machines when entering the park and then doesn't work in another park but will work in the park that bent it. Go figure.

 

[uglybug2005]

The mag stripe on a Ving card is divided into about 8 different segments, much smaller (and weaker) than the single-segment mag stripe on the paper ticket or plastic certificate. I did not mean that the paper ticket's mag stripe is stronger than the one on a plastic certificate/mailed ticket, just that the one on the plastic cert/mailed tik is not stronger than the paper one.
So, if the paper ticket costs less and its mag stripe is just as strong, the paper ticket is better in most cases.
If you don't have to wait in two lines every time you have your ticket issued, that is more convenient for you.
If the most common reason APs are reissued is "we left them in the hotel... again." then paper is better for a third reason.
All of these things have been taken into consideration. The benefit of having a plastic ticket is all perception.
Sit at a ticketing location for a day, count the number of mailed tix/certs that people have demaged before they even got to FL. Count the number of paper demags. Count the number of forgotten/lost APs. Count the number of Ving cards and plastic stock tickets that have been demaged, bent, scratched, chewed (YES, Chewed), etc. Your tune will change.

 

[uglybug2005]

And for the record, while it is wise to photocopy 1-10 day tickets, photocopying any yearlong pass is a waste of time/paper. As an AP holder, you are required to carry photo ID with you when using the pass. One of the reasons for this is so that if the pass is lost, misplaced, or destroyed, your demographic info can be matched from the photo id to the ticket info in the database and your ticket can be replaced. This is also why there is no reason to worry about washing your APs.
Day tickets, on the other hand...