Since so many Passholders love to visit during Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, going on now through May 19, Walt Disney World is offering a convenient way to exchange your current paper annual Pass for a new card.

Why should you switch?

The new entrances will eliminate the need for turnstiles. Running that paper card through the machine will be a thing of the past. Just touch your new plastic card to the Mickey head, scan your finger, wait for the green light – and you’re in!

Got a stroller or a wheelchair? You will no longer have to wait for someone to open the gate! The folks that choose to have these cards will have a much faster wait time to enter the parks.

During your next visit, you can bring your paper Pass and valid ID to the Odyssey Center, located between Test Track and the Mexico pavilion, to get your new card. Obviously, cards must be used by the same person who originally used the paper pass. You will see a sign outside the Odyssey Center that looks like this:

At this time, the Odyssey Center is the only location where Passholders can receive the new cards. The Odyssey Center is open during regular park hours, and the best time to visit is Monday through Friday after 12:00 noon. Main Entrance ticket windows are unable to exchange Passes for the new cards.

In the coming months, we’ll provide more information here on other ways you’ll be able to exchange your Pass for a new card, (no worries if you can’t get here before May 12th!) as well as more information on MyMagic+ and when MagicBands will be available to Passholders. Disney has not released info on the timing of these yet.

Our Disneyways Man-on-the-Scene reporter Ramon Rodriguez, was the very first one in line- on the very first day – to get his new RFID card!!

Perhaps the first EVER guest at Walt Disney World to pick up his new (tap to enter) annual pass. Ramon Rodriguez of ThemeParkConcierges.com

Ramon was able to get these terrific photos from Day One – to give us an idea of how the process works. We will have answers to your questions and more photos for you tomorrow! Send your questions to Disneyways@Disneyways.com or leave them in the comments below and we will answer them in the next blog on this subject.

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