Paramount Parks Pictureless Pass Confusion

[disneygurlz2s]

Just had to share this story, especially if it saves any Paramount Parks passholders from the confusion and general p---ed-off-ness that my poor sister went through today....

 

First, a little backstory... my family (older sibs, their kids, my mom, etc) have all been either A) PKI passholders and/or B) PKI employees forever. And, for as long as there have been season passes, their have been season pass pictures. That is, until this year.

 

When I bought my PKI gold pass back in the fall, I was photographed and had my picture (the worst one I have ever had taken) printed on the pass. However, last weekend, when I bought and processed Sammi's pass, they took her picture but it was NOT printed on the pass. I was a little surprised and I asked the employee what the deal was. She said they were no longer printing them on the cards; that they were captured on the computer and when you scan your pass at the gates, it comes up on the employee's screen.

 

Unbeknown to me, my older sister went up to the park to be processed last weekend, also. Apparently, there were some teenage girls ahead of her who were acting up in line, and it was taking forever for her to get up and be photographed. When she was done, she just signed her pass, stuck in in her purse and went on home. It wasn't until she got there that she realized her pass had no picture. She asked a friend of hers about it, and she (like me) had been processed last fall, so she told my sister that her family's passes also had pictures.

 

Well, today my sister called the park and got an uniformed employee in the info center (where my sis and I used to work) who told her that her pass needed a photo. My sister (who always has to do everything RIGHT NOW) jumps in her car and drives up to the park (a 20 mile drive) stands in line and then finds out that they are no longer putting pics on passes. She was ticked!!

 

They have no signage in the processing center telling people that this is the way passes are being done, and clearly the staff making the passes are not pointing this out. Now, obviously, sis is the exception to the rule in that she didn't go into the park, so she didn't use her pass immediately, but still, the park is not doing a real good job of informing people of their new procedure. Even the info center didn't know that they weren't printing pictures on the passes anymore.

 

I ended up calling Guest Relations on my sister's behalf (she's too nice to complain-not me!!) and I got her three free tix for her trouble. But I thought I would pass this along to any other Paramount passholders out there so that you would know this before you go and get processed!!

 

Shari

[shesaidboom]

I got my pass a few days ago [for PCW] and they put a picture on mine. Did they tell you it was for all Paramount Parks or just for PKI?

[Bubba Z]

That might just be PKI, because I just got my craptacular picture taken at PKD two weeks ago.

[mforce79]

I don't know, it just doesn't sound like that big of a deal to me. Why go through all that trouble of driving back to the park the next day for something that was assumed to be the parks mistake to begin with? I would have just taken care of the issue the next time I was planning on visiting the park...

 

And why would you need comp tickets if everyone has season passes?

[coasterdave]

I have a pass from Carowinds and it does not have a pic on it. I got it in the fall of last year, nut I have heard that they have started putting the pics back on at Carowinds. Should be interesting to say the least.

[coaster1]

I have my Carowinds pass with no photo as well.

 

They are using Biometrics with the pass. They ask you for your pass and you scan your hand. The photo comes up on the turnstyle operators screen. Hence why they take your photo and don't print them.

 

I thought this was pretty cool .. but at the same time .. I do like photos on my passes since SDC makes you show an ID every time.

[Reon]

I thought it was just for opening weekend when everyone was getting their passes at the same time....

Maybe this has to do with change of ownership?

[Jeezus Juice]

For the record, PGA still has photo's on the passes as well.

 

I like biometrics and all but unfortunately people don't know how to use them. Hopefully this won't hold up the queue's like it can at WDW sometimes.

 

It's a cool idea though, sucks you had to go through so much trouble!

 

-Don

[disneygurlz2s]

it just doesn't sound like that big of a deal to me. Why go through all that trouble of driving back to the park the next day for something that was assumed to be the parks mistake to begin with?

 

Well, first of all, you don't know my sister.... LOL

 

Second, the whole reason she freaked out and ran back up there was because she was concerned that, since the park employee was so emphatic about the fact that you MUST have your picture on the pass, if she didn't get back there fairly soon she might have more of a hassle if she went back a month from now and tried to use her pass. Like I said, you'd have to know my sister.

 

And as for why the free tix were such a good deal, well, my sister has 5 kids, 6 grandkids and a husband who is dying of cancer who she did not buy a pass for this year, for obvious reasons. The tickets will not go unused.

 

Anyway, it sounds like from everyone's posts that some PParks are doing it, and some aren't. And I don't know anything about the biometrics or whatever was said, because we didn't have to do that last week at all. I just thought it was interesting, especially since there was no advance info to passholders about it.

 

Shari