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Comments (4)
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Save/SharePolice in Orlando recently arrested 14 people and recovered more than $1 million of merchandise in an undercover investigation involving the illegal reselling of theme park tickets.
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The passes don't seem to be counterfeits. Instead, the tickets for WDW, SeaWorld, Universal, and other theme parks seem to consist of unused days remaining on multi-day passes. The vendors bought these passes for pennies on the dollar, and then resold them to theme park enthusiasts eager to pay less for admissions than the price at the gate. Such buying and reselling is against state law in Florida, but the vendors were operating fairly out in the open.
What does this mean to tourists who might be interested in buying cut-rate tickets or selling passes with unused days on them?
While no small-time buyers and sellers were arrested, it's not a good idea to get involved in the theme park ticket black market. One reason why is that the parks (Disney especially) have ramped up the use of fingerprint and biometric ID scanners: If you don't match the pass's original buyer, you can be denied admission, or staffers may ask to see ID. It's also difficult to verify if a black market pass will deliver as promised: A pass may have only one day (or no days) left on it, and you could have bought it believing it was valid for four days. And since the operations buying and reselling tickets are illegal, you don't have much legal recourse trying to get your money back.
To avoid the stress, not to mention the possibility of getting ripped off, try saving money by using the many tips provided in the Disney stories linked to below.
MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL:
The Completely Obsessive, Absolutely Indispensable Guide to Disney World
Confessions of a Disney Cast Member
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For many years I would take night flights to JFK from California and now from Argentina. I'd buy a one day MTA pass with unlimitted bus and subway rides. I could go all over the city for a very low cost. Then, I'd return to JFK for a flight to Europe. Fantastic. The last time I did this was in October, 2010. I was SO disappointed to see that the minimum amount of time for a pass is 1 week for $29.00. Not a good idea for a 1 day visitor. Buses no longer take cash and transfers are no longer offered. If you wanted to go, for example from 8th Ave and 34th St to 1st Ave and 72nd St, it would cost almost $4.50;rather expensive.
So, I thought of a business to recycle MTA cards. If you had a 1 week card and only used it for 3 days, you'd be able to sell the unused days.
The article says that this "scam" is against the law in Florida. What about N.Y.? I will fly to Europe from now on via Miami. Good bye, NY NY.
Posted By Jerry on August 4, 2011, 11:56 AM
What do all these theme parks expect especially Disney. People can't afford to take a family with the prices they charge. I guess for some parents this maybe the only way their child will get to see Disney with discounted tickets.
I know it is not right but you can feel a bit angry when you see what they charge. I am very fortunate I can afford to pay for these trips but sometimes it does anger me to see these ridiculous prices that parks, hotels, and restaurants charge. No wonder people try to cheat when the system is setup to cheat the people!!!!
Posted By Lisa Folsom Mom on August 5, 2011, 3:53 PM
Genius Blog-Post, kann ich nur sagen!
Posted By polski prawnik on March 6, 2012, 2:29 PM
Ich lese Blogs. Es ist sogar besser als Lesen von Zeitschriften oder Bücher.
Posted By mialem wypadek on March 7, 2012, 12:27 PM