Your Thoughts: Purchasing Disney Tickets Off-Property

[wdwjmp239]

You've seen the restaurants, hotels, stores, and ticket booths around the Disney and International Drive (closer to Universal Studios) area selling Disney and Universal Studios tickets for a discounted price. Has anyone ever bought tickets from these places? What was your experience? Did they try to sell you something different?

 

[Kramerica]

They sell partially used tickets. Like. If a family buys 3 day tickets and uses them for two, they sell them to the shop and they sell them to you. If I understand correctly

 

[wdwjmp239]

They sell partially used tickets. Like. If a family buys 3 day tickets and uses them for two, they sell them to the shop and they sell them to you. If I understand correctly

Interesting. Used tickets.

I'm an Annual Passholder, but I was just thinking about what the big draw is towards these ticket distributors.

 

[Kramerica]

I am too. Even if I wasn't, I'd stay away. If there's a problem, you're our of luck. Plus, I want to support Disney.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Interesting. Used tickets.

I'm an Annual Passholder, but I was just thinking about what the big draw is towards these ticket distributors.

I've heard it is a high pressure attempt to lock you into a time-share. It wouldn't surprise me if they were using used tickets. It is not a Disney timeshare and these folks are not affiliated with Disney. The person who told me said he had to get belligerent just to get them to sell him the promised discounted tickets.

 

[wdwjmp239]

I am too. Even if I wasn't, I'd stay away. If there's a problem, you're our of luck. Plus, I want to support Disney.

No lie. They always looked like shady places of business anyways. But, the one thing that I have done before in the past (before I was a passholder) was purchase my park tickets at a Disney Good Neighbor hotel (these are the off-site hotels in the area).

 

[Rasvar]

It is a crapshoot. Some places have sold bad tickets. The other thing is that tickets are technically non-transferable. This is one of the reason that they have the biometric readers. In theory, Disney could confiscate it as an illegal ticket and not give you any money for it. Now, I don't know if this happens but Disney is always looking at fighting that secondary market. I have always recommended against them based on the handful of bad stories but I have no direct knowledge.

 

[mickeysbrother]

My mom and I used to buy used tickets there a long time ago! When the tickets used to be stamped on your day of entry! Back then it was easy to find 2 days left on a hopper pass. There was no expiry date or anything like that! Now If ur staying off property in a hotel they have Disney and universal tickets for sale and they are Disney tickets so I guess they are bought from Disney directly! I would assume that the discounted tickets still have the same concept and they have 1 or 2 days left on some of them but make sure they are still in the 2 week period from first use if I decide to there!

 

[wdwjmp239]

I've heard it is a high pressure attempt to lock you into a time-share. It wouldn't surprise me if they were using used tickets. It is not a Disney timeshare and these folks are not affiliated with Disney. The person who told me said he had to get belligerent just to get them to sell him the promised discounted tickets.

YES!! That's what I thought they were! I remember my wife and I stopped off to get something quick to eat at the Haines City/Clermont exit and there was a ticket distributor at the Denny's in Davenport (US 27 @ Exit 55 I-4). While we were waiting for the hostess to come seat us, this guy approached us and wanted to know if we'd be interested in looking into a timeshare "DVC-type" investment property. I looked at the guy and told him, "No thank you." He continued on with his sales pitch and offered to sell us Disney Tickets for $50 if we signed up for this thing he was selling. I told him, "No thank you." At this point, the manager of the restaurant comes up to seat us and I told the manager that the ticket dude was harassing us. The manager approached the guy, talked to him, and as we were leaving, the ticket guy apologized to us for the sales pitch and admitted that he's not exactly a fan of the job he was given and that he's just a statistic of the current economic/unemployment state.

 

[Rasvar]

My mom and I used to buy used tickets there a long time ago! When the tickets used to be stamped on your day of entry! Back then it was easy to find 2 days left on a hopper pass. There was no expiry date or anything like that! Now If ur staying off property in a hotel they have Disney and universal tickets for sale and they are Disney tickets so I guess they are bought from Disney directly! I would assume that the discounted tickets still have the same concept and they have 1 or 2 days left on some of them but make sure they are still in the 2 week period from first use if I decide to there!

The fact that the dates are no longer stamped is another thing that makes it harder. You really have no idea of how many days are actually left on the ticket.
Also, If you are buying from a hotel (usually a "Good Neighbor Hotel"), you can relax and feel secure. But I would avoid those stands along US 192 or some of the places along the Florida Turnpike.

 

[wdwjmp239]

My mom and I used to buy used tickets there a long time ago! When the tickets used to be stamped on your day of entry! Back then it was easy to find 2 days left on a hopper pass. There was no expiry date or anything like that! Now If ur staying off property in a hotel they have Disney and universal tickets for sale and they are Disney tickets so I guess they are bought from Disney directly! I would assume that the discounted tickets still have the same concept and they have 1 or 2 days left on some of them but make sure they are still in the 2 week period from first use if I decide to there!

A long time ago was long before the days of biometric readers at Disney. So, it was easy to purchase a ticket for cheap that was stamped for the day you were going. I think my parents, as well, purchased tickets from them when I was much younger.

 

[Rasvar]

A long time ago was long before the days of biometric readers at Disney. So, it was easy to purchase a ticket for cheap that was stamped for the day you were going. I think my parents, as well, purchased tickets from them when I was much younger.

I use to buy and sell unused tickets in the day when the dates were stamped. It made sense. Disney tried doing the signature thing and actually checked ID's for a while and then just went to the mag stripe tickets. That is when I stopped doing it.

 

[mickeysbrother]

A long time ago was long before the days of biometric readers at Disney. So, it was easy to purchase a ticket for cheap that was stamped for the day you were going. I think my parents, as well, purchased tickets from them when I was much younger.

Ahhhh technology! Sometimes it just sucks...

I remember when the fast pass machine used to take any Disney ticket... So water park tickets and other passes were able to use! So one year I went I brought 25 tickets to use them and they all worked but when I went again it stopped working! I talked to a cm and told them they finally caught me... They laughed and gave me a couple of fast passes to use on any ride

 

[luv]

I have bought tickets from people other than Disney, but only from legitimate places. I wouldn't stop at any old "Cheapest tickets in Orlando!" place. Lots of those places scam people. Just not worth risking the money to find out if it's a deal or a scam.

 

[Tip Top Club]

They are partially used tickets. It's scalping. Please buy your tickets from Authorized retailers only. (It should be pretty obvious) If you buy partially used tickets when you go to put your finger on the scanner you will be turned away. Don't waste your money.

 

[FettFan]

Interesting. Used tickets.

I'm an Annual Passholder, but I was just thinking about what the big draw is towards these ticket distributors.

Selling used tickets is also

a. illegal.

b. worthless, since Disney uses biometric scanners. You know how you put your two fingers in and press down on the pad at the turnstile? From what I understand is that it measures the distance between the tips of those fingers to your first knuckle and saves it in the computer system. Each time you gain entry to the park it compares your biometric data to what was saved the first time....so unless the person you buy the tickets from has the exact same finger length you do, it's not going to work.

c. totally worthless. Disney does not honor these partially used tickets and if you try to pass one off, it will wind up with you being taken to the box office of the park, where you will either be sold a brand new ticket or dismissed outright with the wish of having a Magical Day.



EDIT -- And for the love of God and all that is holy, never EVER agree to sit in on a timeshare presentation for Disney tickets. Those jokers will try to ruin you if you don't buy into their program.....see, you don't get actual tickets, but vouchers.

The problem with vouchers? They are only good for select non-peak times. You can it through a timeshare presentation and get the voucher in May, but it won't be valid until October/November....that is, IF Disney decides to honor them at all.


Your best bet is to buy directly from Disney, either at the park itself, at the Disney stores, or online at disneyparks.disney.go.com/disney-tickets

 

[alissafalco]

I did approach one of those booths a few years back and it was exactly what everyone is saying. They were trying to rope me into a timeshare presentation. It took me almost 20 minutes just to get away from the booth and tell them I wasn't interested.

 

[TubaGeek]

No. Just no.

 

[bethymouse]

My husband wanted to try to buy "discount" tickets. I told him about the scam, and he wasn't surprised. I wouldn't take my chances. You may get like a few dollars discount anyway! Not worth it IMHO.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

There are some reputable discount ticket sellers. Undercover Tourist and Orlando Fun Tickets are popular ones. They are even talked about on the Moms Panel. Just whatever you do, don't go to some shack on the side of the road!