Theme Park Bag Searches

[stkf]

Hi,
is it just me or are the bag searches going into the theme park a complete hassle and dare I say pointless? I know you don't have to wait long but when travelling with children it is an inconvenience you could do without. I remember the good old days when you dodn't have to bother with this nonsense.

 

[martinrmn]

I found them hit and miss. Some guards would ask to see everything whilst others just a glance. We have just returned from Port Aventura in Spain where they have no searches. This used to be owned by Universal.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Done properly I think they are a good idea but I agree that there is a lot of inconsistency. Some guards perform a thorough search others hardly a quick glance.

 

[Twilight Terror]

Hi,
is it just me or are the bag searches going into the theme park a complete hassle and dare I say pointless? I know you don't have to wait long but when travelling with children it is an inconvenience you could do without. I remember the good old days when you dodn't have to bother with this nonsense.

I have to do bag searches every night (well six out of seven nights a week)! I work in a theatre, and we are responsible for the 1660 people (plus staff) that walk in during our shows. Disney are responsible for a whole lot more than that who cross their doors and into the parks.

Bag checks are nothing more than a deterrent really, and if it works, then great. I would rather have my bag checked and know that while it's not necessarily going to stop anyone doing something bad, it will at least make them think twice/start acting suspiciously, and raise the attention of the security guards.

We have a wheelchair and normally at least four bags between the three of us, if not more, and bag checking can be a bit of a hassle, but what's a few minutes? Unfortunately, that's life these days. Even on the tube people frequently get stopped and searched, or even sent through the mobile metal detectors that the police have.

If waiting around for the bag checks is that much of an issue/problem for you, and you have a spare member of your party, perhaps you could do what we do sometimes - give all the bags to one person to go through bag check, while everyone else goes through the 'no bags' entrance.

You could arrange to meet your other party member just inside the main gates, where there will be plenty of things to distract the kids until the bag person catches up with you? Just a suggestion, but perhaps worth considering for future visits?

 

[tinks_1989]

when I thought this last year I searched it googlebrought

Woman accused of bringing LOADED gun to WDW

Disney World security personnel reportedly discovered a silver handgun on Mary Ann Richardson as she entered the park with other family members, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The .32-caliber Beretta handgun had been loaded with seven live rounds in the magazine, but the chamber was empty,

Richardson claimed she regularly traveled with the gun and forgot she had been carrying it around in her purse. Also found in Richardson’s purse was a pair of scissors and a locked blade knife, authorities said. She was charged with possession of a concealed weapon

So no I dont think so if some one can forget they are carrying a gun how lucky that they didnt just glance in her bag

 

[ErikaM]

I know it's better safe than sorry, but I wonder what the searchers are supposed to be looking for. I've been sat behind a woman at a show who pulled out a folded knife which opened up to a substantial blade. She proceeded to slice an apple! Now I'm sure she was in no way a danger, but if they missed that knife, what else do they miss?

 

[Nitram64]

I don't mind waiting a little longer in line knowing everyones checked.

 

[howlongtillsummer?]

I agree. Whether the bag check is thorough or not I am still happier to have it done. The simple fact that there is a bag check may well act as a deterrent towards potential wrong-doers. Also, it shows that Disney is making an effort to improve security. And it really doesn't take very long.

 

[waltfan1957]

I know it's better safe than sorry, but I wonder what the searchers are supposed to be looking for. I've been sat behind a woman at a show who pulled out a folded knife which opened up to a substantial blade. She proceeded to slice an apple! Now I'm sure she was in no way a danger, but if they missed that knife, what else do they miss?

If she had the knife in her pocket no matter how much they searched her bags would they have found it, thats why personally i think they are pointless.

 

[Danauk]

I agree that the checks can be hit and miss. Some days they would just glance in my bag, others they made me take my spare camera lens out of the lens bag to make sure that was the only item in there. At Six Flags Magic Mountain in California they have bag check and then you have to walk through a metal detector before you walk into the park.

 

[Old Swan]

Last July we asked what they were looking for during one search. "Mousetraps" was the response

 

[stkf]

I think I am just a bit peeved by some of the jobsworth rent a cops who insisted on opening every pouch in my kid's rucksack. To be honest I don't really think they are a proper deterrant unless you go down the six flags route of having a metal detector (which would be a nightmare).

 

[brer_rabbit]

I don't mind bag searches but there was one occasion at Magic Kingdom where the guard wanted to look through every pocket, including a teeny tiny decorative pocket on the front of my bag which took me ages to open