New annual passholder question

[Minnie824]

We purchased an annual pass end of 2017 and have not yet activated it. We will be going next week and i have a couple of questions regarding this. First, if we do not have magic bands with us, will they provide new gray magic bands for the annual pass? We are staying offsite so will not have any via the resort. I do have old ones to bring along which still say 'active' on my account but they are years old. Second, we are arriving at different times. DH and one DD arriving first. Would they be able to activate all 4 of our annual passes or do we need to be present to activate them? Thanks!

 

[Robo]

We purchased an annual pass end of 2017 and have not yet activated it. We will be going next week and i have a couple of questions regarding this. First,
1. if we do not have magic bands with us, will they provide new gray magic bands for the annual pass? We are staying offsite so will not have any via the resort.
2. I do have old ones to bring along which still say 'active' on my account but they are years old. Second, we are arriving at different times. DH and one DD arriving first.
3. Would they be able to activate all 4 of our annual passes or
4. do we need to be present to activate them? Thanks!

1. No, if you are not staying at a WDW Resort.
2. They will still work for park admission and FP+.
They will work even with completely dead batteries.
After you return home from that first trip, you will be able to customize your new AP MBs
and they will be sent to you (if you live in the US.)
3. Nope.
4. All guests 18 years and older must be present and show a legal photo ID.

 

[gatorlisa]

You will not be able to select your free Annual Pass Magicband until you have activated the AP. So for your first trip, you'll need to plan to bring your old ones and use those. They will work fine for park entry and FP use. They might not work for automatically linking ride photos to your account. For all but Pirates, SDMT, and Frozen, you can tap your Magicband under the photo viewing screens at the end of the ride. If the batteries are dead, you'll miss out on the Pirates, SDMT, and Frozen ride photos.
It is my understanding that all adults have to be present and show photo ID to activate a new Annual Pass, so your husband and daughter would be able to activate theirs, but not anyone else's.

 

[Disney Khi]

Re Magic Bands:

When we activated our new APs at the IG of Epcot this past August, the CM told us that we could pick up MBs at the ticket office in Liberty Square. She said we could get any color, but they wouldn’t have our names printed on them. We were staying at BC and already had bands from that so we didn’t bother trying to get them and just ordered them after we got home. That might still be an option if you wanted to get new ones.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Re Magic Bands:

When we activated our new APs at the IG of Epcot this past August, the CM told us that we could pick up MBs at the ticket office in Liberty Square. She said we could get any color, but they wouldn’t have our names printed on them. We were staying at BC and already had bands from that so we didn’t bother trying to get them and just ordered them after we got home. That might still be an option if you wanted to get new ones.

FYI, I think I remember @rteetz reporting something similar recently about a CM advising him he could pick up his AP band at the Liberty Square ticket office.

 

[rteetz]

FYI, I think I remember @rteetz reporting something similar recently about a CM advising him he could pick up his AP band at the Liberty Square ticket office.

That was my experience in January yes.

 

[Tomh]

FYI, I think I remember @rteetz reporting something similar recently about a CM advising him he could pick up his AP band at the Liberty Square ticket office.

That was my experience in January yes.

Awesome piece of information there, thanks! I will be upgrading to an AP this summer for the first time, and had no idea about this.

 

[rteetz]

Awesome piece of information there, thanks! I will be upgrading to an AP this summer for the first time, and had no idea about this.

I didn’t actually try it so no idea if it’s true.

 

[Robo]

I didn’t actually try it so no idea if it’s true.

Yup.
The thing that seems so odd about it is, why would THAT location just happen to be the only spot in WDW
that would be able to offer generic MagicBands for APs?

And, I don't think we've ever read any reports that anyone has ever
actually picked up an AP MB at the Liberty Square GR?
Anyone?

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

People definitely have picked up AP MBs at the Liberty Square ticket office. I went to that location myself to verify what they can do there before I started telling my guests to go. I don't like giving out bad info because it's what I heard in the rumor mill.

CMs are not supposed to offer this proactively unless a guest is from outside the country and therefore cannot have their AP band shipped to their home. Aside from that, it's mostly meant to satisfy "I WANT IT NOW!!!!!" pushback.

AP MBs come from a different inventory of on-hand MBs than the ones sold in merch shops or in the ticket windows. (Why, I don't know.) Liberty Square's office is the only one given stock from that inventory.

There was a pilot program to allow vacation planning coordinators to use a specific procedure to give out AP MBs, but the only place doing it was DAK, and I'm not sure if they still do. The inventory stuff became an issue because the MBs in the ticket windows "belong" to the merchandise line of business and the revenue has to be moved around and accounted for and whatnot. It's a bunch of business-speak that makes no sense to me.

 

[bookbabe626]

People definitely have picked up AP MBs at the Liberty Square ticket office. I went to that location myself to verify what they can do there before I started telling my guests to go. I don't like giving out bad info because it's what I heard in the rumor mill.

CMs are not supposed to offer this proactively unless a guest is from outside the country and therefore cannot have their AP band shipped to their home. Aside from that, it's mostly meant to satisfy "I WANT IT NOW!!!!!" pushback.

AP MBs come from a different inventory of on-hand MBs than the ones sold in merch shops or in the ticket windows. (Why, I don't know.) Liberty Square's office is the only one given stock from that inventory.

I will be going there to get my AP bands in May after we activate our APs, and I will report back as to what I find. I'm hoping they have the AP sliders available, since we're Canadian and that office seems to be our only hope of getting them.

 

[summerlvr]

I will be going there to get my AP bands in May after we activate our APs, and I will report back as to what I find. I'm hoping they have the AP sliders available, since we're Canadian and that office seems to be our only hope of getting them.

Guest Services at Animal Kingdom had sliders in January when I renewed my AP

 

[Minnie824]

Thank you for all the info! I have old magic bands I dug out to bring along. This trip is short, more for a sporting event than a vacation so as long as I can get into the park with the old ones I'm good.

 

[lailah]

We also will be activating our new passes next week. We will be upgrading from 7 day hoppers to annual passes which I'm assuming I can do at AK since that will be our first stop. Is there a difference between the AP Magic Band the the regular one? I'll have to make sure to get my slider too.

 

[Robo]

We also will be activating our new passes next week.
1. We will be upgrading from 7 day hoppers to annual passes which I'm assuming I can do at AK since that will be our first stop.
2. Is there a difference between the AP Magic Band the the regular one?
3. I'll have to make sure to get my slider too.

1. Yes.
2. Nope.
3. THAT's the difference, if you're looking for one.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

We stayed onsite when we activated our APs, so we had existing MBs for that trip, however, they do give you a card that can work for park admission, the discount, etc. etc.

I believe they should be able to link an existing MB onto your account, much in the same way they'd be able to link it if you purchased a brand new MB during your trip.

We selected MBs once we got home and they were sent to us a month or so later.

 

[subtchr]

People definitely have picked up AP MBs at the Liberty Square ticket office. I went to that location myself to verify what they can do there before I started telling my guests to go. I don't like giving out bad info because it's what I heard in the rumor mill.

CMs are not supposed to offer this proactively unless a guest is from outside the country and therefore cannot have their AP band shipped to their home. Aside from that, it's mostly meant to satisfy "I WANT IT NOW!!!!!" pushback.

AP MBs come from a different inventory of on-hand MBs than the ones sold in merch shops or in the ticket windows. (Why, I don't know.) Liberty Square's office is the only one given stock from that inventory.

There was a pilot program to allow vacation planning coordinators to use a specific procedure to give out AP MBs, but the only place doing it was DAK, and I'm not sure if they still do. The inventory stuff became an issue because the MBs in the ticket windows "belong" to the merchandise line of business and the revenue has to be moved around and accounted for and whatnot. It's a bunch of business-speak that makes no sense to me.

Thanks so much for these insights!

I realize it's probably just more "business-speak", but can you (or anyone) explain the reasoning for why those who purchase APs are not given the option to customize and have their MagicBands sent to them in advance, as Disney resort guests are? I mean, Disney HAS your money, even more of your money than if you book a room only reservation. There are no refunds once you purchase, so no one could buy an AP "just" to get a free MagicBand, then get a refund. (And who would do that anyway, considering the high price of an AP...?)

Just one of those head-scratcher decisions, IMHO...

 

[Robo]

I believe they should be able to link an existing MB onto your account, much in the same way they'd be able to link it if you purchased a brand new MB during your trip.

I'm not sure what you're saying here, but if there IS an existing MB in a guest's account in that guest's name, it will automatically
be usable with that guest's new AP. Nothing needs to be done for that to happen.

OTOH, if you're talking about an older MB that has been registered to another guest (other than the guest who buys the new AP,)
that is not possible, as once a MB has been connected to one particular guest, that MB cannot be transferred to another guest.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

I'm not sure what you're saying here, but if there IS an existing MB in a guest's account in that guest's name, it will automatically
be usable with that guest's new AP. Nothing needs to be done for that to happen.

OTOH, if you're talking about an older MB that has been registered to another guest (other than the guest who buys the new AP,)
that is not possible, as once a MB has been connected to one particular guest, that MB cannot be transferred to another guest.

Yeah I wrote that in a very confusing manner. I meant the former.

 

[dlaushey]

I purchased my AP on-line via MDE and then picked up the AP ticket at GS/Disney Springs a few weeks later. I was given the AP slider when I picked up the ticket and they told me I could go to MDE and order and customize my MB. We have not activiated the APs (don't plan to until Marathon weekend 2019 but purchased before latest price increase). We have 6 AP's and have customized 5 but have not placed the order yet - waiting on last person to pick their color and name. My point being, you can purchase an AP and not activate but still order customized MB's before activating.