Annual Pass - Plastic Cards request!

What Lou reported about paper vs. plastic makes sense, but you would think someone paying $400+ could at least have a plastic card with Annual Passholder clearly printed on it. Why then are the AP Vouchers plastic?

I still cannot figure out how the CMs at the gates can see the tiny print on the pass. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred they wave you thru in a second or two.

As far as the data on the AP being so extensive, the data on a credit card would simply amaze you.

We AP's need to revolt. I elect Lou to lead the charge. :yes:

The magnetic strips on the plastic hotel room-key cards really don't hold up much better than the tyvek stock, in my experience.

(Though yes, the plastic is slightly more durable)

"I still cannot figure out how the CMs at the gates can see the tiny print on the pass. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred they wave you thru in a second or two."

The info on the pass pops up much larger on the CM display, and even more info is available there. But if your ticket/pass unlocks the turnstile, then waving you through is all they should do (by using the computer to determine admission entitlements, you are able to increase throughput and efficiency, and guest satisfaction) [unless you're referring to when the pass does *not* work]

Clarification: I was referring to the CMs at the parking entrances ability to read the APs. Sorry if I confused you when I mentioned gates.

I just put in an email for the plastic AP and PAP and was nice.

I agree with you Lou, Last June we did Eride at Mk twice and we had plastic cards from the resorts!! If they can print plastic for one afare nights then they should be able to do the AP and PHP. A few years ago(2000 and 2001)our 6 day hopper plus with 3 day water park(9 days total)were PLASTIC.

Hope that Disney get the message soon and make those lines at guest relations shorter.

Gee, it's also strange that they would print tickets for the same event on 2 types of product. My MVMCP ticket this past Dec 2004 was the same paper stuff as my AP!

Gin

It's werd that they use paper for AP tickets, and plastic for the hopper tickets. The CMs are right about the plastic cards' magnetic strips being fragile. My plastic hopper only lasted two days before it had to be replaced with a paper one.

I highly doubt that my Annual Pass (if it was plastic and had a magnetic strip) would get used more than my Disney Credit Card in the three year period before they replace it and I haven't had a problem with that! There must be a logical reason...I just wonder what it truly is. I agree with Amanda...I find it hard to believe that they print more AP's a year than they do hotel keys and special event tickets! There must be a CM out there on our site who can get the real answer for us!

And they just released new ticket designs, both in paper and plastic.... grrr...

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Originally Posted by TrendyMagic

And they just released new ticket designs, both in paper and plastic.... grrr...

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I take it that you'r not happy with the changes.

The real answer? I think it's probably pretty simple. APs are printed at the parks. At the parks, they only have printers to print on the primary admission media (the tyvek-based passes come on a roll, with alternating designs on each roll - that's why the choice of pass is 'random'). It's much easier to simply designate one printer as a pass printer in software and then loading up AP media. If you have a problem with KTtW media, it gets reissued on tyvek at the parks.

At the resorts, if you buy an admission ticket to anything, it comes on the KttW media (plastic room key) - because that's what kind of printer they have. (Although they may have stocked pre-printed tyvek-based passes at times.. I've normally seen them print them on the room key printers). This is probably partly why you can't get your AP activated at the resort - they don't stock the media or have a way to print on it. This is also why special event tickets purchased at the resort come on plastic KTtW media. If you were to purchase the same ticket at the parks, it comes on tyvek.


Granted, you could put the tyvek/paper printers at the resorts, and plastic-based printers at the parks simply for printing APs, but this would be quite costly. And perhaps confusing.

Additionally, there are reasons I have been told about the encoding of the information on the passes - and the software used to do it. But I don't know details.

While plastic might stand up a little better to water, the plastic cards are really not that much more durable than paper. And none more durable if you put the pass on your fridge with a magnet.

I'm not a CM, etc - and I think it would be nice to have plastic APs (or for the 50th, how about gold?) but this may provide a little insight as to why things are how they are?

They used to have plastic APs awhile ago. The passes used to have your picture on them because they used to take my picture. I have some of mine from the 80s and whatnot. I don't know why they switched to paper but I remember my family was upset, but maybe it will change back someday.

Well we upgraded our APs to PAPs this past trip, and got stuck with paper passes again. And with all the rain we got, those passes are now looking rather shabby. I also got stuck with the "Cinderellabration" one when I had a Donald one before....grrrr.

I am happy to report DH and I got almost $11 back in cash when we upgraded though, I think we made CM Julian from Germany's night. :yahoo:

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Originally Posted by Mandabella

Well we upgraded our APs to PAPs this past trip, and got stuck with paper passes again. And with all the rain we got, those passes are now looking rather shabby. I also got stuck with the "Cinderellabration" one when I had a Donald one before....grrrr.

I am happy to report DH and I got almost $11 back in cash when we upgraded though, I think we made CM Julian from Germany's night. :yahoo:

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I'm confused...how did you get money back from upgrading?? Also...do all guest services have paper AP's or are there any in particular that print them on plastic? We will be activating ours at DTD when we arrive. I haven't told my DH that they are going to be paper...he isn't going to be happy.

the simple thing for Disney to do would be to just have ONE location that you activate your AP's like Downtown Disney so that it would also possibly be a money making thing because ppl are likely to shop while they are there....that way they wouldn't have to worry about programing each computer at all the different parks to make them....but then again that is an easy way to do it and we don't want to make it easy do we?...lol