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KarenW2
12-10-2002, 10:06 AM
Just wanted to let those who are up for renewing know what might happen to you in the park, before your renewal date is here:

Our PAPs expire on 12-29, so we mailed our forms in on 12-1, figuring we'd have the new cards well in time before expiration. To date, we have not received our new cards, but when we went to the parks this weekend, the machine came up with our current cards not being good any more, but that the renewal has been done!

The first CM said, "What's this?" and looked closer at the card. We explained the ex-date wasn't til 12-29 and that we had mailed our renewal in on the first. Apparently, they have already processed this in the office, but still haven't sent us the new cards!

That meant the CM had to hit some keys to "over-ride" the machine and we were then allowed into the parks. I thought once it was done the first time, it would be fixed for subsequent entries, but it happened the two times we entered DL and the one time we entered DCA! Very frustrating.

Hopefully, we'll get our new cards soon. Last year, we renewed in person and were issued our new cards on the spot, so we didn't have this problem. They were touting the renewal-by-mail thing as being easier, it didn't make it easier for us.

DLfreak
12-10-2002, 10:14 AM
Thanks for the info. :)
Now I"m wondering if I should just go in and do it in person rather than mail it in. :confused:

KarenW2
12-10-2002, 10:28 AM
Hi DLfreak,
It's hard to say! The whole point of the mailing thing was to make it "easier" (for them, obviously!) and that we were to receive the 20% discount for voucher for doing it that way. I'd like to use it on the purchase of the limited edition castle that's coming out this Saturday, but if I don't get our cards & the vouchers before then, it doesn't do me any good! :(

If I'd known it was going to be a problem, I would've talked to the girl at Guest Services when I was there first thing, before we entered the park, to pick up our Candlelight tickets!

mad4mky
12-10-2002, 10:35 AM
I renewed by mail...It was so easy. We got our new cards back in about a little over a week later...
No hassles, no problems. I didn't send the renewals 12 business days before they expired as suggested (they expired on 12/3/02)...as I debated whether or not to renew my oldest daughter's AP...but even not sending it in 12 days before, I received them in time to go to DLR on 12/4/02 if I had wanted...

We aren't going until Jan. 4th or so, so it really wasn't an issue of using the almost expired ones before the new ones came in the mail.

But again...we had no hassles at all...and the 20% voucher was inside each (5 family members) envelope delivered...:)

Ghoulish Delight
12-10-2002, 10:38 AM
Wow, that's pretty sloppy of them. They really should mail them and do what the credit card companies do, have you call an automated number to activate the pass. It would solve issues like this completely.

At least you got understanding CMs.

cstephens
12-10-2002, 10:48 AM
Originally posted by KarenW2
Our PAPs expire on 12-29, so we mailed our forms in on 12-1, figuring we'd have the new cards well in time before expiration. To date, we have not received our new cards, but when we went to the parks this weekend, the machine came up with our current cards not being good any more, but that the renewal has been done!

That doesn't make any sense at all. I remember doing the renewal by mail thing and I think I remember just having to know which card to use depending on whether the expiration date had taken effect.

Have you sent an email into the website to let them know, so maybe they can address the problem higher up? I couldn't tell from your story whether the CMs were going to pass along the problem so it could be dealt with.

Thanks for the heads up.

KarenW2
12-10-2002, 11:19 AM
Hi Cindy,
No, I hadn't thought about emailing them on this. I didn't even think of going to City Hall to talk to them about it either, since I never do that normally anyway. With all the CM discussions about "those horrible APs", going to City Hall "all the time", I try to never go there, unless it's really warranted. Guess this would've been one of those times tho.

We were very short on time, as we were picking up the sheets for the MouseAdventure "Eye Spy only" thing, then going back out for our brunch at Napa (thanks for the recommendation, it was a wonderful lunch, tho more than I would've liked to have paid for it), so we could get the Candlelight tickets, then back in for some time to try to figure out where those pictures were taken and stayed in for the Candlelight's first performance.

I've written email to the Disneyland site for several things in the past and most of the time, I don't get an answer! Or, if I do get one, it's a canned response that has little to do with my reason for writing. I figured I'd give them a couple more days, to see if it finally shows up in our mailbox, then have my DH check into it this weekend, when we may be there for the castle sculpture release.

Thanks for the idea tho! I might just do that today, just to see what kind of response I get before Saturday!

Ghoulish Delight
12-10-2002, 11:43 AM
Originally posted by KarenW2
With all the CM discussions about "those horrible APs", going to City Hall "all the time", I try to never go there, unless it's really warranted. Don't let a few loud bitter employees get to you (just as the employees shouldn't let a few loud bitter APers get to them). When I go into City Hall for any reason, I'm always received well and curteously. As long as you don't go in brandishing you AP and demanding special treatment, you will get fine service and anger no one (except bitter people who are looking for anything to get angry at...and that's their problem, not yours).

I'd suggest picking up the telephone. For these kinds of specific problems, the customer support line is usually pretty helpful at directing you to the right place to get it resolved. And it'll probably be much faster than email as they can often take a day or two to get to your email.

stan4d_steph
12-10-2002, 12:18 PM
Originally posted by KarenW2
I'd like to use it on the purchase of the limited edition castle that's coming out this Saturday, but if I don't get our cards & the vouchers before then, it doesn't do me any good! :(

Well, don't worry too much. I don't think you'll be able to use it on the castle anyway, since it's a limited edition item. There are so many restrictions on the use of the 20% voucher, I think it would have been easier for them to list where it could be used. It's nice to get the perk, but when there are so many caveats it becomes more of a hassle than a benefit.

hefferdude
12-10-2002, 12:26 PM
We renewed in advance. Got the discount and the coupon! So far so good. Went to DL before our old cards had expired thinking we couldn't use the new ones till they did. Our old card worked to get in but would NOT access the fast pass system.:confused:
My wife had lost her card so used the new one ( this was with 2 weeks or so to go on the old. ) It worked fine. We explained the confusion to the gentleman at the AP pavilion who directed us
to an understanding gate CM who very nicely handed us regular paper media to use that day. This was in August this year. Actually no harm no foul but we were really worried for awhile there.:eek:

Techie7
12-10-2002, 12:44 PM
Originally posted by stan4d_steph
Well, don't worry too much. I don't think you'll be able to use it on the castle anyway, since it's a limited edition item. There are so many restrictions on the use of the 20% voucher, I think it would have been easier for them to list where it could be used. It's nice to get the perk, but when there are so many caveats it becomes more of a hassle than a benefit.

Actually I think the castle is going to be an open edition. All following pieces will be limited edition. I would check and verify this yourself first though. Information can be found on the AP section of the Disneyland.com website.

KarenW2
12-10-2002, 11:11 PM
I'm happy to say today's mail brought our new PAPs, the 20% off vouchers and the credit card receipt. The receipt's dated 12-6, but the envelope was postmarked 12-9.

Looks like we're ready to go back to the park on Saturday, to use one of the 20% off vouchers for the castle piece, if all goes according to plan and the info I got from the CM is correct!

Hefferdude, it's odd that your current APs wouldn't work in the FP machines. Ours worked just fine Sunday, but we only got one FP each, for Small World, since we were already doing the Eye Spy Only thing, the Napa Rose brunch and the Candlelight that night.

Ghoulish Delight, I never wear my PAP in a lanyard! I carry it very discretely in my fanny pack and only get it out when needed.

Now if I can only get them to straighten out our subscription to Disney Magazine, I'll be a happy camper! I wrote email several months ago (no answer), then snail mail to the address listed in the magazine and a copy with the PAP renewal papers, just in case. We'll see what happens.

DLfreak
12-11-2002, 09:42 AM
Originally posted by KarenW2
Hi DLfreak,
It's hard to say! The whole point of the mailing thing was to make it "easier" (for them, obviously!) and that we were to receive the 20% discount for voucher for doing it that way. I'd like to use it on the purchase of the limited edition castle that's coming out this Saturday, but if I don't get our cards & the vouchers before then, it doesn't do me any good! :(

If I'd known it was going to be a problem, I would've talked to the girl at Guest Services when I was there first thing, before we entered the park, to pick up our Candlelight tickets!

Well thanks for the info. :) I think I'll take my chances on the mailing...just easier for me. Plus I don't know if I'll be going a lot around Christmas anyways....too much going on. And I'd really like that 20% discount voucher! :D
BTW...I live in Fallbrook...not too far from you. :)

hefferdude
12-11-2002, 11:53 AM
Hefferdude, it's odd that your current APs wouldn't work in the FP machines. Ours worked just fine Sunday, but we only got one FP each, for Small World, since we were already doing the Eye Spy Only thing, the Napa Rose brunch and the Candlelight that night.

Oops. Actually that goofey thing with our APs was September not August '02. Maybe they got that one fixed. ( if enough APrs had a
similar problem.)

KarenW2
12-11-2002, 03:36 PM
Hope you don't run into any problems with renewing by mail. Obviously, if you won't be going to the park before you get your new card, you won't even know if there was a problem or not.

BTW, the 20% off vouchers are only good thru 1-31-03! Not a very long time to use them, if you ask me. But we intend to use one this weekend, so we'll just have to figure out when the time is right to use the other one, before it expires.

Yep, Fallbrook is pretty close to where we are, about 15 - 20 mins from our house to Quilter's Cottage for me, depending on traffic.

AVP
12-11-2002, 04:20 PM
Karen,

I've had the exact same thing happen to me all week, and I did go into City Hall to ask about it today.

The CM explained that they are changing the barcodes on the APs when you renew by mail, which they have not done in prior years.

This change was made to reduce fraud. Under the old system, it was theoretically possible for someone to have two valid, working APs at the same time. If both have the same barcode, there is no way to tell the new one from the old one, except by looking at the expiration date. And most front gate CMs don't check the expiration date - if the computer accepts it, they just let you in.

This glitch in the system was apparently exploited, and the park is taking steps to keep it from happening this year. Your old AP is inactivated as soon as your new one is mailed, and the new one is valid immediately.

The CM I spoke to was sympathetic, but said there was nothing that could be done. She said to start using my new AP as soon as I get it, which should solve the problem.

AVP

WickedQueen
12-11-2002, 04:46 PM
This is so odd! I renewed by mail and in the mailing it said to not use the new card until the old one expired. I went to the park the day before it expired and my old one worked just fine! I didn't try fastpass though.

KarenW2
12-11-2002, 11:33 PM
Hi Adrienne,
Thanks for the info! Sorry the same thing happened to you. What they said is about what my DH figured, but it was still kind of a drag to have to go thru it each time we went thru the gates. At least it was a "slow" day for us - we usually go back & forth a couple of times when we're there for the whole day & evening.

Happy we won't have to deal with it again for another year now!

PurpleDove33
12-11-2002, 11:53 PM
I had to renew my AP in person. My renewl form didn't arrive till Nov 25th. And my renewl date was Dec 1st which is not 12 working days. I went to the park that day my form arrived to renew my pass. And was told to start using my new one even though the date wasn't expired on the old one. It worked just fine. I thought they wanted to get away from you renewing it in person. I was told if I didn't mind the same picture, it would be ok to do it. But I also didn't want to miss out on the 20% coupon that was sent out for the renewal in the mail. It wasn't my fault that they didn't mail it on time. At first they didn't want to give it to me, but then the said oh well, and just gave it to me. At least I am safe for another year.

Crazytigger
12-12-2002, 05:05 AM
I always renew in person. It gives me another "EXCUSE" to visit the park. Gotta renew my pass. :D

AVP
12-12-2002, 06:28 AM
Originally posted by WickedQueen
This is so odd! I renewed by mail and in the mailing it said to not use the new card until the old one expired. I went to the park the day before it expired and my old one worked just fine! I didn't try fastpass though.

Weird! When I got home last night, my new AP was here, along with a little note that said "Please begin to use your new Passport now, your current Passport is no longer valid." And the barcodes are different.

I should try the old one in FastPass today and see if it works or not - hadn't thought about that.

AVP

hefferdude
12-12-2002, 07:08 AM
Your old AP is inactivated as soon as your new one is mailed, and the new one is valid immediately.

That should translate into "the old AP is inactivated as soon as the new AP is PROCESSED at wherever they do this"

The bad deal is ( ie ) a Delux AP is now 320 - N days per year.
N is the number of days from the "card is processed point" + days in the mail which could be as long as a week. Net loss of as long as 7 days so your DlxAP is now only good for 313 days/year.

Sounds like a little false advertising on their part.

The real deal is real savings to Disney.
For example, If 200,00 people hold DlxAP's and lose ( for the sake of discussion ) 5 days do to this current system, this translates into 1 million days which is mui beaucu $$$$ in savings for Disney at the APr's expense.
Expand this to include SoCals and Premiums. Yikes!

The actual $$ is too abstract as there is no way for me to determine how days per year the average APr attends DL but it theoretically ( and very simplistically ) could approach $1M or better. I'm sure Disney could easily do the numbers from their database ( they probably have)

Why doesn't the main system/database just invalidate the old AP THE MOMENT the new AP is scanned at the gate. If an old AP is already in the park that day, the new AP is not accepted until COB that day.

Disney duh - uh! ( or is that really us APrs ?:( )

Ghoulish Delight
12-12-2002, 07:18 AM
Originally posted by hefferdude
The bad deal is ( ie ) a Delux AP is now 320 - N days per year.
N is the number of days from the "card is processed point" + days in the mail which could be as long as a week. Net loss of as long as 7 days so your DAP is now only good for 313 dpy.
Are you sure? Doesn't it renew with the same expiration date as the old one, even if you renew beforehand?

Like I said before, a simple credit card style activation system would solve this problem. The new card remains inactive until you receive, call an 800 number and enter some ID code (like SSN, or maybe the last 5 digits of your old card or something). Problem solved.

mad4mky
12-12-2002, 07:27 AM
Originally posted by Ghoulish Delight
Are you sure? Doesn't it renew with the same expiration date as the old one, even if you renew beforehand?


Yes...that what happened for our renewals...which we did by mail, with no hassles, no problems.

hefferdude
12-12-2002, 07:29 AM
Are you sure? Doesn't it renew with the same expiration date as the old one, even if you renew beforehand?

You're absolutely right. But if I tried to go to DL and use my old AP the very day the new one was processed and I hadn't received yet, my old AP might not work. And unless I was persisstant with Guest Relations that day I would not be able to gain entry until my new AP had arrived in the mail.