Welcome to planDisney, Meredith! I'm so glad to hear that you're planning on joining the
Annual Passholder family. I got my first Annual Pass in the fall and it's so exciting to know that there's a whole year of magic in front of me. The
special deals and discounts don't hurt either!
When you purchase your Annual Pass in the
My Disney Experience app, you'll get instructions on how to activate it. When I purchased mine, a barcode was populated in the "My Tickets & Passes" section of the app, with instructions to have it scanned at a ticket window or
Guest Relations before entering a park for the first time. I did this at the International Gateway entrance of EPCOT and it took less than 5 minutes! Since you're a
Florida Resident, you may also need to talk to a Cast Member at Guest Relations to provide some
proof of residency documents if you're unable to do so online, but I was recently with a friend who went through this process and, again, it took less than 5 minutes. After that's complete and your pass is active, you'll be able to go through the gates and scan your fingerprint to enter.
I hope this answers your question, Meredith, and please let us know if there's anything else we can do to help you make the most out of your Annual Pass!
Jessica