Using Disney tickets before Disney stay

[hattyho]

A friend said this morning they have booked a package with Virgin for 9 nights offsite then 5 nights onsite with a 14 day Disney pass. She said they are getting the free dining for their 5 nights onsite. Is this possible? I always thought your Disney tickets needed to be activated at check in to get the free dining. Can you use them for 9 days before checking into a Disney hotel & still get the free dining? TIA

[chmurf]

if they have 9 days offsite, then a 5 days free dining package with 14 days tickets, their tickets won't be valid until check in for the package stay

this means for the first 9 days, they won't have (valid) tickets.


ETA : the only way to go is to book, for example, a 5 days stay with free dining and tickets, then the 9 days offsite and use the leftover days for the offsite stay

[Shooby doo]

No, if they weren't attached to the Free Dining it might have been a possibility. In the past you have been able to activate them up to 10 days before but it has always been at their discretion but in this case it's booked as a package. The only way this works is if it's the onsite stay first, if Virgin are telling them different then advise them to get it in writing !
SD

[hattyho]

Thank you, I didn't think it sounded correct but I didn't want to say anything until I checked with the trusty DIBB! I'll mention it to her later.

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by hattyho

A friend said this morning they have booked a package with Virgin for 9 nights offsite then 5 nights onsite with a 14 day Disney pass. She said they are getting the free dining for their 5 nights onsite. Is this possible?

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Well, yes. If they booked an onsite package with tickets and free dining then they will get the free dining for their 5 nights onsite. Getting the free dining whilst they are staying onsite isn't an issue.

However, usually, they won't be able to use the Disney tickets until they check in. So they won't be able to visit Disney during the first 9 days. That might not be a problem for them - perhaps they only plan on visiting Disney during their last 5 days? They may be doing other things during the first part of their holiday?

If they do want their tickets before they check in then I have heard that it can be possible to get them before they check in. Some people say you can get them 3 days beforehand, others say 10 days before. However, Disney's website states that if you have booked a package with them then it is not possible to collect the Park Tickets prior to the check-in date.

[fluffychicken]

I emailed about this a while ago and was told you could activate 10 days before arrival.

" It is possible to pick up your package tickets up to 10 days before your check-in date. We recommend stopping by the Resort in which you will be staying as the Cast Members there will be able to serve you most efficiently.

Guest Relations offices at the Theme Parks and Disney Springs® area can also assist you."

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by fluffychicken

I emailed about this a while ago and was told you could activate 10 days before arrival.

" It is possible to pick up your package tickets up to 10 days before your check-in date. We recommend stopping by the Resort in which you will be staying as the Cast Members there will be able to serve you most efficiently.

Guest Relations offices at the Theme Parks and Disney Springs® area can also assist you."

See more...

I have seen that mentioned before.

Disney's UK website (here) says the following though:

"If you have booked a Package with us (i.e., Flight inclusive, Disney Resort Hotel + Ticket, Disney Resort Hotel + Ticket + Dining) your ticket is linked directly to your MagicBand which will be activated upon check-in. Therefore it is not possible to collect your Park Ticket prior to your check-in date."

[sha9]

As said, the free dining part isn’t an issue but the park tickets won’t be valid until the Disney stay. If that affects your friends plan then they need to contact Disney and ask if it’s possible to activate them early. I wouldn’t bother contacting Virgin as it’s irrelevant what they say. If Disney say yes I’d want it in writing. If they say no I’d be back to VH.
It does depend on if your friend even plans to visit Disney before the onsite stay. And if so, if VH told them they could access the tickets.

[KRBarnard]

If your friend has booked the Hotel+Tickets package through Virgin to get them the free dining offer, they won't be able to get the park tickets before they check in for their 5 night stay. I was in Thomas Cook a couple of months ago when a customer was complaining (shouting) at the store manager as his family had just got back from Disney and had this problem and it had "ruined" the first part of their holiday as they had no other tickets. The TA who set up their holiday had booked their offsite bit for the first part of the holiday and told them to go to Disney to get their tickets and they hadn't been able to. I would advise her to ring Disney direct to confirm for definite, and then speak to Virgin to get it all swapped round.