Ticket Options: eticket vs physcial

[FeistyDisneyMom]

I am completely at that point where I am overthinking every single thing. I went to buy our tickets after finally deciding on 4-day hoppers w/ MP and working out budget so I know how it impacts my merch/food side when I got to the delivery method...

Is there any reason to have physical tickets? Or better to just go with etickets? The souvenir junkie in me craves the tangible ticket, but let's be real: I've got 5 kids and enough clutter to last a life time, perhaps one LESS physical item is a good thing.

Anyone have an opinion (or possibly relaxation techniques I can try so I stop stressing over the small stuff? They say knowing is half the battle, but I know its silly to stress about and I'm still stressed so....)

Thanks all

 

[ashley0139]

If you get the e-tickets, you will get a physical ticket when you get to the gate anyway. They print one for you there when you enter so you can get fastpasses and stuff.

And yes, you're overthinking.

 

[sherilaine]

One suggestion is when you do get the physical card stock ticket at the gates on your first day, take a picture of the back of each one so that if someone losses their ticket you will have an easier time having it replaced. Once you are in the parks, if you have maxpass you can likely put those tickets away until you hop. MaxPass is great that it reduces the need to pull out the tickets to put into the traditional fast pass machines.

 

[midnight star]

^Like she said, you will get the physical ticket once you scan in anyway. When you buy online, the tickets will automatically be in the app, and you can add names, so you know which ticket belongs to who.

 

[sherilaine]

^Like she said, you will get the physical ticket once you scan in anyway. When you buy online, the tickets will automatically be in the app, and you can add names, so you know which ticket belongs to who.

I never figured out how to do this last trip so I will have to look into that - I had to just remember the numbers. Which was a pain.

 

[Winnowill]

I never figured out how to do this last trip so I will have to look into that - I had to just remember the numbers. Which was a pain.

You have to add the names when you first scan them into the app. If you wait to do it later, you can't.

 

[VandVsmama]

Aboslutely e-tickets. Also, load the e-tickets into the Disneyland app on your smart phone. Here's how you do this:

• in the "Park Info & Entry" section of the app, click on "My Tickets."
• then click on "Link Tickets & Passes."
• now scan the bar code for each ticket or pass.

This works whether you've purchased the tickets yourself or if you're also linking tickets that other people have purchased (like other extended family members travelling with you).

** edited to add **
2 trips ago, my DH lost his park ticket. He foolishly had it in the pocket of his shorts instead of his wallet and didn't realize it was gone until we got back to the hotel room late one night. Thankfully, based on advice from people here, I had taken pictures of each of our tickets on the first morning. I took a photo of the bar code side of the ticket. And I'm talking about the ticket that they print out for you on card stock.

So when you purchase e-tickets, the first day you go to the parks, the CM at the main gate scans your e-ticket. They either scan the printed e-ticket that you printed at home or they scan the bar code from an email on your phone. Or they scan the e-ticket that you've already linked to the Disneyland app on your smart phone.

After that, a physical ticket is printed out on card stock. That's the ticket that you have to sign. And THAT is the ticket that you take a picture of.

Why is this important? Because if you lose that ticket, the fact that you have a photo of it means that they can replace it at no cost to you. Keep the electronic receipt just in case from when you originally purchased the tickets.

 

[Jaina]

You have to add the names when you first scan them into the app. If you wait to do it later, you can't.

Or if you buy them directly from Disney, make sure you're signed into your account when you buy them, and give them names then. The tickets and names will automatically pop up!

 

[Cera1234]

We did e-tickets and I just put them in to the app and our names automatically came. I also linked my parents tickets and their names automatically appear on their tickets as well.

 

[sherilaine]

I wonder if it's the Canadian deal that was the issue - last year I purchased them through the 25% off Canadian promotion - I did enter the names when I placed the order online and they never showed up in the app. I guess we will see what happens this year when we do that again.

 

[Cera1234]

I wonder if it's the Canadian deal that was the issue - last year I purchased them through the 25% off Canadian promotion - I did enter the names when I placed the order online and they never showed up in the app. I guess we will see what happens this year when we do that again.

Ours are the Canadian deal tickets. Names are there

 

[sherilaine]

Ours are the Canadian deal tickets. Names are there

Perfect - then hopefully it works for us this time.

Thanks!

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

I chilled out and bought the tickets. 4-day promo park hopper e-tickets w/ mp added. Now I'm too excited to sleep

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Do you have a trip binder? When I overthink trips (aka my brain starts overheating), I print out everything (!), down to the smallest detail, color code things, post its, brochures, you name it -- just for peace of mind -- so that I have it ready for reference, in case I forget or need it later. I try to organize the binder so that I can find things fairly easily later. Then, once I know that I at least have it printed or written down somewhere "safe" where I know I can find it at a moment's notice, my brain can start letting go and I can start relaxing. It really helps. Well, that and cutting back on caffeine before a trip.
As for tickets, once you get your hard tickets at the gate: totally agree about the photos! One photo of each ticket with a clear image of the bar code and number -- making sure to match each person with the photo/ticket (so you can easily find the right photo if a ticket goes missing). Agree that this comes in very handy if an emergency happens. My sister's tickets got stolen in DL and were easily replaced at Guest Services because of the photos -- and the stolen tickets were easily cancelled, too.
Keep the hard tickets in a zipper bag (water rides + paper tickets = big mess) and tuck them away where you know you can get to them if needed. If the app goes wonky (and this is rare, but has happened to a few posters here) and your tickets disappear from your phone, you'll need the hard tickets to rescan.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

I do not have a binder, but I know what I'll be doing tonight! Great tips for the tickets too - I wouldn't have thought to do the ziplock but that makes sense. Also wouldn't have thought to take pictures, but will definitely do that now.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I do not have a binder, but I know what I'll be doing tonight! Great tips for the tickets too - I wouldn't have thought to do the ziplock but that makes sense. Also wouldn't have thought to take pictures, but will definitely do that now.

The binder really helps for future trips, too -- that way I know where to start looking when I begin planning the next trip. I try to have a section in the back titled "Next Trip" -- that holds menus, hotel brochures, any post it ideas for improvements, business cards from stores/restaurants/tours/etc. that we might want to hit "next time," etc. And when friends ask, "So, where did you get/who did you call/how did you find..? -- out comes the binder!
Don't forget to email/text the ticket photos to your DH or another responsible adult (or, if you are paranoid like me -- to every adult on the trip) so that you have back up copies in case your phone dies and eats the photos. The bar code photos also work for scanning at the FP return machines -- some people use the photos so that they don't have to open the app for every return scan.

 

[VandVsmama]

Do you have a trip binder? When I overthink trips (aka my brain starts overheating), I print out everything (!), down to the smallest detail, color code things, post its, brochures, you name it -- just for peace of mind -- so that I have it ready for reference, in case I forget or need it later. I try to organize the binder so that I can find things fairly easily later. Then, once I know that I at least have it printed or written down somewhere "safe" where I know I can find it at a moment's notice, my brain can start letting go and I can start relaxing. It really helps. Well, that and cutting back on caffeine before a trip.
As for tickets, once you get your hard tickets at the gate: totally agree about the photos! One photo of each ticket with a clear image of the bar code and number -- making sure to match each person with the photo/ticket (so you can easily find the right photo if a ticket goes missing). Agree that this comes in very handy if an emergency happens. My sister's tickets got stolen in DL and were easily replaced at Guest Services because of the photos -- and the stolen tickets were easily cancelled, too.
Keep the hard tickets in a zipper bag (water rides + paper tickets = big mess) and tuck them away where you know you can get to them if needed. If the app goes wonky (and this is rare, but has happened to a few posters here) and your tickets disappear from your phone, you'll need the hard tickets to rescan.

I've done the whole "put the tickets in a ziplock bag" thing before and it helps on Splash Mountain!

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

The binder really helps for future trips, too -- that way I know where to start looking when I begin planning the next trip. I try to have a section in the back titled "Next Trip" -- that holds menus, hotel brochures, any post it ideas for improvements, business cards from stores/restaurants/tours/etc. that we might want to hit "next time," etc. And when friends ask, "So, where did you get/who did you call/how did you find..? -- out comes the binder!

Great idea! I'll be planning a 2022 trip to DLR (and might sneak in a WDW trip in 2020), so a Next Trip section makes a ton of sense.

Don't forget to email/text the ticket photos to your DH or another responsible adult (or, if you are paranoid like me -- to every adult on the trip) so that you have back up copies in case your phone dies and eats the photos.

This sounds exactly like my level of paranoia! We'll be uploading to the cloud too, just in case

 

[sherilaine]

Just bought our tickets online for next week and this year I have success with the names for each ticket showing up in my app almost instantly. Last year I entered the name for each ticket but they never displayed on the app which was disappointing so yeah!!

 

[StlZNF]

When buying the tickets online and printing the email, does that slow you down during park entry to get your physical tickets? Would it be better to have them mailed?

Haven't been to the parks since 2012 so it's an entire new experience, and I'm probably overthinking as well. Thanks!