Anyone else hate the new finger thing for entrance?

[Laugh O. Grams]

A friend of mine has a rare skin condition and cannot open either hand completely, she has had to have all but two fingers on one hand amputated and one on the other. She does not have fingerprints because of it either. Also what about people who do not have fingers or hands anyway because of an accident or birth defect.

Which tickets will they have to do the scan for and should she get a doctors note explaining this before we go in June?

Uh...for anyone who knows Disney and their attention to special needs guests, this should be fairly self explanatory. Disney is not going to require some sort of special documentation from a guest who has obviously lost fingers or has a condition that makes said guest unable to scan their fingers. They'll get a normal pass and there are computer overrides for the turnstyles, and other entrances such as the gates that wheelchair bound guests use. Disney's not going to create a fuss or make life difficult for your friend, you're still there for a fun vacation, not a rundown on how and why she can't use their new access passes. Please don't tell her to get a doctor's note, that would be the ultimate in overkill, and a pain in the neck for your friend!

 

[pdarrah]

As AP holders, we have been doing this for years and it isn't a big deal or even a serious invasion of privacy. I have been told over and over that ALL they are measuring is the length of your 2 fingers and the angle between them.

The only purpose of the "biometrics" is that the chances of you giving/selling your ticket to someone with the exact same size hands/fingers is very, very low. I suppose if you have an identicle twin, you might get away with sharing a ticket - but otherwise not. The first time you use your new ticket the system takes the measurments and stores them. Whenever you use your ticket after that, it just checks that the measurements match.

To make it easier for you to work the scanners, try to remember how you hold your hand the first time you use it - I have found that if I am careful that first time to have my hand all the way in with the post right at the webbing between the fingers and just sort of "hold" the post with the fingers that I can duplicate that every time without any problem.

Disney has ALWAYS tracked you (at least since the first magnetic strip tickets). Each ticket has a unique ID and they have always known which parks they were used in and when. The new "biometrics" don't change the tracking significantly.

pdarrah

 

[Acklander]

Let's just hope a ticket holder doesn't have the sad misfortune of losing a hand - or a finger or two.. There goes the scan - and the money they paid for their non-expiration ticket too!

Many times I'm not able to close my fingers in properly because of nerve damage from an old car accident - even though I can move my fingers I can't feel if I have them squeezed together. I get it right about half the time, and just show them a picture ID the other half of the time. I usually have my ID ready to show, and there's always a cast member standing right there, so it only takes an extra 15 seconds to get into the parks.

 

[LuvN~Travel]

The problem here with our group in November was that it wouldn't read either of my kids' fingers properly on a regular basis. (THey're 15 and 10, and the 10 yr old is almost adult size, too). The CMs would do a bypass thing, but sometimes it caused problems with the kids' APs and they wouldn't work later at FastPass kiosks, at AK we had to go back to the entrance twice! Which is a real pain in the neck! They should at least have better bypass procedures. And, in my daughter's case, she is full grown for her age. Her hands are small and won't grow any longer! Sheesh!
Kim

 

[Leota]

I've had AP's on & off for the past 6 or so years. I've had problems with the biometric machine occasionally for no apparent reason. It just happens..... Throw in folks who haven't used it before & I'm sure there's bound to be some delays. But I don't hate it.
I thought they added more scanner/gates to accomodate this.

 

[lentesta]

On our trip earlier this month, we counted the number of people that can pass through the new turnstiles in a given hour. The average, at least for the MK, was less than one person per minute, IIRC. (That's probably why turstiles are popping up like weeds!) That's about half the number that Universal can put through, and less than half of Sea World.

Based on this, the UG will probably tell folks to start arriving at the parks a bit earlier than we currently do.

 

[*Fantasia*]

...To see if you're a criminal? Or just in case you become a criminal, they can easily match your finger prints and identify you? How come Universal is not doing it?

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

...To see if you're a criminal? Or just in case you become a criminal, they can easily match your finger prints and identify you? How come Universal is not doing it?

It's not a fingerprint scan, it measures the length of the bones in your fingers to insure the same person is using the same pass. This is also the reason that young kids don't have to scan. Young fingers grow pretty quick.

 

[Tron72]

I personally like the finger scan concept. I though am a Annual Pass holder and have been using since 1997, and yes some times I have had to show my ID only because I did not place my fingers exactly the same as the frist time. I do think it is Great for Disney as it will help reduce conterfit tickets as it will only allow the person who bought the tickets to use them and not pass it off to someone else. Disney has been flooded with e-mails in the past of guest crying to them for help since they bought old used tickets off e-bay and they hand no real way of knowing that those park hopping tickets hand any time left on them. Then the guest get to the park and expect Disney to do something. So, I say Disney did the right thing, and I have no problem with the fingers.

Tron72

 

[C.Ann]

Wouldn't it be less time consuming to just ask for an ID that matches the signature on the back?

 

[39CINDERELLA]

what if you are a big germ freak and don't want to put your finger in the scanner? hey someone had to ask!

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

what if you are a big germ freak and don't want to put your finger in the scanner? hey someone had to ask!

One word..."Purell"!

 

[WolfpackFan]

Well, we're down at WDW right now and I hate the new method. It is delaying getting into the park a lot longer. Most folks just don't seem to know how to put there fingers in correctly. A CM has to be there constantly guiding folks how to do it. As far as folks getting used to it over time, that's fine, but what about all the first-timers. Whoever thought up this new thing, should be fired.

 

[caribear]

As passholders we are used to the system, but for those that are new to Disney or the new system it can really hold up a line. This is what I usually experience....1 CM is watching 2 turnstiles. A family of 5 with 2 strollers is trying to use the new system and get their strollers through the gates...in the meantime on the other turnstile is another family who really does not know what to do, but the CM is helping the other family. So both lines are moving very slowly. I think I always pick these lines!

On another note, we went to MK one night and the lines at the turnstiles were very long. When DH and I got up front we noticed that the CM was not waiting for the biometrics to be read by the machines. They were pressing a button to bypass the system.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Wouldn't it be less time consuming to just ask for an ID that matches the signature on the back?

I take it you've never seen folks fumbling in their purse / wallet / back-pack / diaper-bag for an ID when their AP scan didn't take .

IMHO, it is simply an education & experience issue. Once folks become accustomed to it, it will proceed almost as swiftly as it did before. Just like the U-Scans (which I ) at our grocery store: when they first came out, people would take minutes to stare at it, not have the barcode facing the scanner, and get all confused by any choice they were presented. Now, however, the vast majority zip right through.

And if the biometrics help reduce illegal ticket transfer, it's good by me!

 

[39CINDERELLA]

One word..."Purell"!

carry hand sanitizer every where I go, sometimes the little ones get their hand to their mouth/face before we get to sanitize them.YUK!

 

[valeriekc]

Yes we hate them...and several of the cast members at the gates agreed with us.
In fact one cast member said to me "this mandatory finger scan is killing us, I don't want to be here when it gets really busy"
So there you go

 

[KittyKitty]

I would suspect that ppl who are afraid of germs don't go to amusement parks!!.
Just think what we touch during the whole day. Especially TOT, I'm holding on for dear life

If I remember right, when I went to the parks early, they let us in to a holding area till the park opened. I'm sure that helped the busy turnstiles.

Disney will do everything they can to accommodate special needs. They've been doing for years.


See ya there!
Susan

 

[pdarrah]

Ok - I havent' been to WDW since November so I haven't seen the gates since the MYW tickets started - BUT I am sure I read/saw photos that there are huge signs posted showing how to do the scan. What is so hard about it? Hold up your fingers like bunny ears - stick 'em in the reader around the post. What's so confusing about this?

I can understand where if it has a problem reading there might be a holdup - but as AP holders for the last 10 years, that just isn't a frequent occurance. When it does happen, usually the CMs are right there to help. Yes, there could be an occasionally delay if they are helping someone with a stroller at the other turnstile, but most of the time - no big deal.

Is this just the usual - "I'm at DisneyWorld so it OK to turn off my brain and not read a single informational sign" type of thing?

Since I use an AP, I don't know what Disney hands out with the tickets - if they don't have it already, maybe they need an flyer on how to scan and what they are scanning. (Is some of this people arguing that they don't want their "fingerprint" scanned?) Oh wait - if they aren't reading the signs, they won't read a flyer either!

pdarrah

 

[26555]

I don't mind doing the scan as an APH but I hate that MYW ticketholders have to do it how. It does hold up the line b/c the process takes longer. It hurts the morale of the CMs working the turnstiles and puts a damper on the guest's morning to spend so much time in a line to get into the park. I don't think it is worth the tradeoffs of preventing transferability. I'm not sure it even happens very often but maybe the threat of random ID checks would keep Billy Bob's brother from using the remaining days on Billy Bobs MYW ticket. They should go back to having on APHs do the scan, in my opinion.