Our theme park tickets got linked to another guests accounts! Any experiences with the Ticket Usage department?

[peacefrogdog]

In 2011, I purchased 6-day Magic Your Way tickets with no expiration from Undercover Touri$t (I have the receipt). We last used them in 2017 when they were attached to our magic bands. In preparation for our upcoming November 2023 trip I noticed they don't appear in MDE account. When I tried to scan the code on the hard copies of the tickets, I got a message saying they were already associated to an account.

I spoke with Disney this AM. The cast member told me that she has located the tickets, but they look to be linked to another customer's account. Understandably she can not divulge the name of that person nor provide details regarding what information is on that ticket other than it was last used for park entry in 2017. This fits with when we used them l last in spring 2017.

She suggested i contact the "Ticket Usage" department by email (ticket dot usage at disneyworld dot com) with information about the tickets, my purchase receipt, scans of our ID and the tickets. I have the exact dates (and approximate times) of when we last entered a Disney theme park from the date stamp on my photos, as well as the tickets in hand. I hope that will help them validate these tickets are actually ours. However she could not predict how long it would take to hear back from them.

I'm really hoping (but at the same time a bit said) this is an issue of Disney making a technical error. I guess someone could have obtained my ticket information somehow, but that their records show the tickets were last used in 2017 (which fits with our last trip) is reassuring. Hopefully someone didn't steal our ticket info and then used the tickets later in 2017.

Has anyone else had to contact Ticket Usage and how long did they take for them to respond. We are going to Disney with friends who have already booked theme park entry, so hoping to get this ticket situation sorted to be able to do the smae.

 

[lanejudy]

We last used them in 2017 when they were attached to our magic bands. In preparation for our upcoming November 2023 trip I noticed they don't appear in MDE account. When I tried to scan the code on the hard copies of the tickets, I got a message saying they were already associated to an account.

Are you sure they are not attached to either your MDE or another member of your party's MDE? Tickets are never linked "to a magic band" but rather to the MDE account. If they were attached to your account previously, it's highly unlikely to be attached to someone else now. You get that message when you try to link tickets that are already linked (even to your own account).

Have you been to WDW since the 2017 trip when you last used these tickets? It is possible the tickets were inadvertently used up on that trip, especially if you didn't prioritize or check. The issue of unintended ticket use has been an ongoing issue pretty much since MDE started. That would also explain why you can no longer see the tickets, especially if originally linked through someone else in your party. Though why the CM wasn't able to tell you they were used up ... could just be she didn't know how to deal with that.

 

[peacefrogdog]

None of my travelling party from 2017 (my wife and 3 kids) have their own MDE account. Further, three other tickets (linked to my three kids) used during that trip do appear in my MDE account. It's just the two for me and my wife that are missing.

We have not been to WDW since 2017. The day after our last park entry to Animal Kingdom, we when to typhoon lagoon but would have had separate tickets for that.

I'm interested in hearing more about unintended ticket use. How does it occur without holding your magicband at one of the park's turnstiles?

 

[Eastern]

I would call back and talk to someone else. The ticket CMs are usually excellent at fixing problems but the one I had yesterday seemed confused. I had an extra AP assigned to an 'extra' account to prevent wrong usage at the gate and she wanted to 'merge my account' to put the ticket back. She said after that I can get my tickets prioritized at the gate. I said that's why it's in the other account...Had to insist she not add the AP ticket back to my account holding the daily ticket.

Point being, as lanejudy said, maybe the CM just didn't know how to deal with the problem.

 

[seashoreCM]

I would say just create a quick diary of your 2017 vacation (park visit dates and, if possible, times) and submit that. Even credit card receipts can help jog your memory.

That may be all it takes to get it resolved for old non-expiring tickets. Easy, quick, and not very dirty for the back room staff to go from there and recreate the remaining ticket days in your own account.

You can use other tickets in your account to choose which parks on which days in advance. Just be sure to make sure the ticket priorities are adjusted correctly before you enter a park.

 

[lanejudy]

I'm interested in hearing more about unintended ticket use.

Tickets are linked to the MDE account and profile, NOT to specific MagicBands. Any MB or hard plastic ticket linked to the same profile could pull from that ticket.

These are some ways non-expire ticket days inadvertently get used so you need to make sure you rule out, especially if 3 tickets are showing but 2 are not:

• Did you allow anyone to "borrow" a MB, thinking they linked their ticket to it?
• Was 2017 the only time the family used these tickets, or did you have an earlier trip? It's hard to tell from your OP if you only used the tickets on your 2017 trip, or you state that is the last time you used them so maybe you had used some days prior.
• How old were the kids in 2017, was anyone young enough to not need a ticket? If there was an earlier visit, same question.
• Is it possible two people used more days than you initially recall?
• Did somebody run back to a park on a resort day or before leaving on departure day to grab a souvenir?
• Was there ever a date that maybe one of the kids didn't feel well and someone stayed at the hotel?
• Was there any trip that you used other/regular tickets instead of the non-expiration ones?
• Was there an "adults only" weekend trip at some point? Even if you thought it was using other tickets.
• Did any of the kids ever take a trip without the whole family and use a MB? Maybe a school trip, with a relative/friend, etc.

I agree with PP to make as detailed a list as you can - but not only your 2017 trip also include back to 2011 and any time you were at Disney since the tickets were purchased.

Then you may need to re-contact WDW ticketing. Ask if they can see your's and your wife's non-expiring tickets on your profile, then ask if they can please tell you the dates they were used. I suspect the tickets are there but used up, and the CM you spoke with didn't know how to fix it. It's very unlikely 2 out of 5 tickets on your MDE account would have been somehow transferred to anybody else. WDW IT makes mistakes for sure, but that's one I've never run across. If you have your details all listed out when you call, you should be able to get it resolved -- just know it may be a long call.

 

[peacefrogdog]

Tickets are linked to the MDE account and profile, NOT to specific MagicBands. Any MB or hard plastic ticket linked to the same profile could pull from that ticket.

These are some ways non-expire ticket days inadvertently get used so you need to make sure you rule out, especially if 3 tickets are showing but 2 are not:

• Did you allow anyone to "borrow" a MB, thinking they linked their ticket to it?
• Was 2017 the only time the family used these tickets, or did you have an earlier trip? It's hard to tell from your OP if you only used the tickets on your 2017 trip, or you state that is the last time you used them so maybe you had used some days prior.
• How old were the kids in 2017, was anyone young enough to not need a ticket? If there was an earlier visit, same question.
• Is it possible two people used more days than you initially recall?
• Did somebody run back to a park on a resort day or before leaving on departure day to grab a souvenir?
• Was there ever a date that maybe one of the kids didn't feel well and someone stayed at the hotel?
• Was there any trip that you used other/regular tickets instead of the non-expiration ones?
• Was there an "adults only" weekend trip at some point? Even if you thought it was using other tickets.
• Did any of the kids ever take a trip without the whole family and use a MB? Maybe a school trip, with a relative/friend, etc.

I agree with PP to make as detailed a list as you can - but not only your 2017 trip also include back to 2011 and any time you were at Disney since the tickets were purchased.

Then you may need to re-contact WDW ticketing. Ask if they can see your's and your wife's non-expiring tickets on your profile, then ask if they can please tell you the dates they were used. I suspect the tickets are there but used up, and the CM you spoke with didn't know how to fix it. It's very unlikely 2 out of 5 tickets on your MDE account would have been somehow transferred to anybody else. WDW IT makes mistakes for sure, but that's one I've never run across. If you have your details all listed out when you call, you should be able to get it resolved -- just know it may be a long call.

Thanks for this input. None of those situations listed above apply to me (I keep obsessive lists and documentation of my trips).

I called ticketing again - another CM found the same information as the previous - that she can see information about the two tickets but they are listed under people who are NOT part of my travelling party. She could not divulge their names, but confirmed the last names are completely different and that the tickets were linked to those peoples MDE account in April 2023. For reference, I can say with 100% certainty that I did not give my tickets to anyone during that time.

When I provided the dates for the four days I used the tickets, she confirmed they fit with what shows up on the ticket information, as well as that there are two days remaining on each ticket.

So at this time, it seems like the reason the tickets do not appear has nothing to do with running out of days, but that yes, that have been linked to a completely different account from mine that belong to someone I likely don't know. The reason the main ticket line can't do anything at this moment is because they can't remove a ticket from these other people's accounts without looking into it further (even though as a mentioned, what I have listed as the last four dates/parks I used the tickets seem to match with information on those tickets).

I'm waiting to hear back from a supervisor right now.

 

[lanejudy]

I'm glad you got more info from the second call. Good luck getting it resolved! It does sound like you have the documentation to prove the tickets belong to you, so WDW will just need to figure out how it happened and notify the other party (they may not even know!).

 

[peacefrogdog]

Resolution!

Yes the second call was more productive, but that I had the opportunity to dig up details of my last park visits (that allowed them to confirm those tickets were mine) streamlined the process.

Through digging they were able to see that the tickets were indeed linked to my account before before being moved to someone else's account that they described was a technical glitch. Combined with me providing them with the specifics of the days & locations when when they were last used in 2016 and 2017, they moved the tickets back into my account after 40 min on the phone.

But this is proof that WDW IT issues do occur. Kind of scary I guess. I'm lucky that the other people didn't end up using the tickets.