Pix's Super Happy Fun "Why is my ticket made of paper" thread

[DMC-12]

Add me to the list of people who worry that I will wear it out.

Yeah... I mean... they look like crap and wear out after a while.

I mean... c'mon... Six Flags even has a nice Hard Plastic Laminate card with your digital pic and stuff... So, Surely the Mouse house can do better than crappy Tyvek.

 

[Pixie Duster]

Again they use a reel so that the Guest can get any ticket normally available at any window. We are much bigger than Six Flags and Universal, we offer more tickets, and we need to be able to let the Guest go to any ticket window and get any ticket we normally offer. We offer so many kinds of tickets it's unreal, and so we need to be able have a consistent simple system of printed the tickets without have special areas just for APs. If it seems that Guests would prefer the hard tickets, including the possible hassle of it all, then I guess we will go for it.

 

[DMC-12]

Again they use a reel so that the Guest can get any ticket normally available at any window. We are much bigger than Six Flags and Universal, we offer more tickets, and we need to be able to let the Guest go to any ticket window and get any ticket we normally offer. We offer so many kinds of tickets it's unreal, and so we need to be able have a consistent simple system of printed the tickets without have special areas just for APs. If it seems that Guests would prefer the hard tickets, including the possible hassle of it all, then I guess we will go for it.

Errr.. I understand that Disney is MUCH bigger than Six Flags... but thanks for pointing that out... otherwise I would of been lost and confused. :lol:

Nope... I am a hard ticket guy... I have a digital issue state Drivers License (the hard plastic laminate "credit card" type) And that thing has been thru the washer a few times... its been run over... its fallen in the mud when I go to get it out of my wallet... and it still looks like new... and its 5 years old.

Six Flags has the digital issue Passes (much like the drivers License).. and
they are great.

 

[yurchat]

Not sure if it's been said before but if you go to Guest Relations at any park with your ID they will reprint you AP no questions asked and no charge. I have about 4 from this year alone. They even give you a new sleeve each time. So I really don't see why one would worry about it being damaged.

 

[AEfx]

Again they use a reel so that the Guest can get any ticket normally available at any window. We are much bigger than Six Flags and Universal, we offer more tickets, and we need to be able to let the Guest go to any ticket window and get any ticket we normally offer.

Which is a great benefit. And the existing system could be left exactly as-is - you could get a paper ticket at any window.

We offer so many kinds of tickets it's unreal, and so we need to be able have a consistent simple system of printed the tickets without have special areas just for APs.

I guess I just fail to see how big of a deal it would be to set up, one station in each park, a way to get your hard AP. Especially if it didn't have a picture. Just a hard card with your name printed on it. While I realize some people don't understand why one would want it, conversely I don't understand what the big deal is about making them. Best of both worlds - allow us to have a hard ticket AP and leave the convenience of paper tickets.

Heck, even make it so they have to MAIL us the AP's...I don't think many of us care, we just want a real card. Although Woody13 is very convincing, I've ripped an AP before, I've never ripped a credit card. You can break a card, but I don't care what fibers or platsics or whatever (can you tell I'm a science guy? LOL) are in it, it's still a piece of cardboard where the printing gets smugded when wet. The AP still works, but mine is definately smudged and icky looking after a week in the parks.

Yes, the "hard ticket" events, when NOT purchased from WDW ticket booths, does come as a plastic credit card. However, as I noted earlier, these are not personalized and pre-printed.

If it seems that Guests would prefer the hard tickets, including the possible hassle of it all, then I guess we will go for it.

"Then I guess we will go for it"? Does that mean you are in charge of making that decision? If so, then happy day. I hope it's working when I come down in February.

AEfx

 

[tigger248]

My parents had APs a couple years ago and we were quite shocked that they were paper. WDW is the only theme park I've ever seen that didn't have plastic cards with pictures on them. I voted that I was afraid that they'd wear out, simply because I've seen it happen. Not necessarily on an AP, but on a park hopper. In 2001, I went to WDW and it rained every single day of our 7 and a half day trip. Our tickets (on the same paper/cardboard/whatever) tickets as the APs looked like hell by the end and no longer scanned. Regardless of what they're made of, if it's not plastic, it's not gonna last forever. The sleeves help, but in a torrential downpour that even soaks through your water resistant backpack, the ticket will get wet.

I have worked at Six Flags (yeah I know, they're not really comparable to Disney, they're lower quality, and they're considered the enemy) in season passes for 6 years. For the past couple years, I have been one of those in charge of season passes. The plastic cards we use cost about a dime a piece. The printers are expensive to an individual, but affordable to businesses (we have the tightest budget I've ever seen, if we can afford them, I'm sure WDW can). The resorts use printers like our old ones, but we purchased newer ones in 2002 that are smaller and quicker. I don't see why they can't have one printer at say Guest relations in the parks to print off APs. It wouldn't really take any more time to do (maybe the time for the cm to travel to a different computer hooked up to that printer. I don't know about WDWs system, but with ours, we can only route each computer to one printer and I'd assume that the primary printer would still be the "regular" ticket printer). The pictures are usually crap, plus WDW has the biometric finger readers, so pictures wouldn't even be necessary. There wouldn't be any more labor involved (unless demand is high for APs and there were to be one window for AP's only) and all that would be necessary is a new printer per location (and by location I mean park guest relations). Signs directing future AP holders would also be necessary. Time wouldn't even need to be a factor. The process to even take the picture is very quick. We can process a pass (picture, print, all of it) in less than 30 seconds.

I'm not trying to complain. I don't even have an AP, so I really have no right to complain. But, that would be why I'd want something seeming more permanent. The above, is not meant to go against any of the reasons previously listed. I only meant to state why I believe it would be possible for WDW to use plastic APs. I understand why they don't, but I also know firsthand, some of the hardships things like park hopper tickets, APs and SPs all go through. I find it more inconvenient to the guest to have to have it replaced because they got caught in an unexpected rainstorm than to take what may be a few extra seconds to print them on sturdier paper.

 

[Laura]

Even though I'm not an AP holder, I pretended I was for 1 second and voted that I wouldn't want it to be worn out - although I will admit I would want a nice shiny plastic AP for ego reasons too if I were to ever get one LOL.

 

[Laura]

Also I wanted to add that I have a horrible habit of leaving things in my pockets - heaven forbid I ever shelled out the cash for an AP and then accidentally put it thru the washer and dryer.

 

[Gail Hayden]

Also I wanted to add that I have a horrible habit of leaving things in my pockets - heaven forbid I ever shelled out the cash for an AP and then accidentally put it thru the washer and dryer.

No worries there, they will replace annuals with just an ID.

 

[xfkirsten]

For the people who've pointed out how quick Disney is to replace the "paper" APs when they're damaged, that's exactly my point. It would be annoying to have to take the time out to actually go get a new one all the time, as opposed to getting a nice plastic one (as DL does) and not even having to worry about it.

 

[speck76]

I could not answer any of the selections, they do not fit.

I like that it is NOT plastic, as my wallet is large enough already. I have not ever kept it in the sleeve (because the sleeve is fat, and I dont want it in my wallet. I have also not had problems with it getting ragged, or losing its information. I have had the pass since April, and it is working fine for me.

Now, I wish the AB and Universal parks would switch to something besides plastic.

*dreams of a thin wallet*

 

[tigger248]

For the people who've pointed out how quick Disney is to replace the "paper" APs when they're damaged, that's exactly my point. It would be annoying to have to take the time out to actually go get a new one all the time, as opposed to getting a nice plastic one (as DL does) and not even having to worry about it.

That's how I feel about it too. To me, it's more inconvenient for a guest to have to constantly get their AP replaced than it is to possibly have to go to a separate building or line to have a more sturdy, plastic one. The kind of ink they put on those generally will only fade if exposed to extreme chemicals (like if you put it in chlorine daily like many kids with pockets in their swim trunks do. However, this wouldn't be a problem so much at WDW) or if extreme lotion or sun tan lotion gets rubbed onto it (I'm sure this happens less often with higher quality inks ).

Just because many people take good care of theirs, doesn't mean everyone will. There are those who either don't take care of them, or who have unfortunate things happen to them (like putting them through the wash or getting caught in the rain...). As for taking up space? Leave it at home when you're not going to the parks.

 

[speck76]

That's how I feel about it too. To me, it's more inconvenient for a guest to have to constantly get their AP replaced than it is to possibly have to go to a separate building or line to have a more sturdy, plastic one. The kind of ink they put on those generally will only fade if exposed to extreme chemicals (like if you put it in chlorine daily like many kids with pockets in their swim trunks do. However, this wouldn't be a problem so much at WDW) or if extreme lotion or sun tan lotion gets rubbed onto it (I'm sure this happens less often with higher quality inks ).

Just because many people take good care of theirs, doesn't mean everyone will. There are those who either don't take care of them, or who have unfortunate things happen to them (like putting them through the wash or getting caught in the rain...). As for taking up space? Leave it at home when you're not going to the parks.

Why punish some for the careless mistakes of others?

 

[attisb]

In the interest of me being bored I looked up the prices of these machines.
A plastic card printer with magnetic writers is about $3000-4000 each. These are professional printers and not the small business kinds. Disney would recoupe this money very quickly, possibly in a day.

The cards themsevles would cost about 12-15 cents each. The cards would be printed on one side just like they are now.

If you would to put one of the printers at each of the Guest Relations it would be the best situation. You still use the "paper" printers to get tickets, but then just go and exchange them for the plastic ones.

 

[speck76]

WDW could always give AP holders the option of a plastic card for an extra fee......sounds like a good business move......charge a premium for a premium in service.

 

[BwanaBob]

I can't seem to find the logic in this.

Ticket windows...paper?

Resorts, and "outside" sales...plastic?

Why the heck have both?
Most ticket sales are multi-day anyways. I say go plastic.

Here you go Pixie...since you're in the Research wing...

Tell your higher-up peeps to go plastic all the way...then get them to devise a way to treat them like "gift-cards". People can hold on to them...purchase more days...spend their days... carry a balance... use it to open their hotel room door...charge on it...

the opportunities are endless.

Then when You're sick of it (ie: Brad... ), dispose of it at a designated Disney re-cycle drop-off so it doesn't cost the MOUSE anymore money.

:sohappy:

 

[PhotoDave219]

Actually, that whole line of thinking was raised in th esame meeting that Pixie and I were in with ticketing a few months back.

Long story short... it's all about volume. They dont want to have two seperate machines at all the ticketing locations, with one handling APs and the rest handling all the other ticket media. Thats the reasoning and rationale i was given.

Whats going to be a bigger nightmare is the lines for the ticket windows, guest relations and teh turnstyles on January 2 when the new 'Magic Your Way' comes into play.

 

[attisb]

For the Magic Your Way tickets they should do something similar to Circut City and Best Buy in Store Pickups. You purchase online, print a number and get the tickets at the park. Will save alot of time in lines.

 

[barnum42]

Again they use a reel so that the Guest can get any ticket normally available at any window.

When I went to get an Annual pass time bofore last I was directed away from the main ticket booths to Guest Services.

 

[barnum42]

*dreams of a thin wallet*

Go work for Disney - that will give you a thin wallet :lol: