Anyone else hate the new finger thing for entrance?

[TheRustyScupper]

. . .Just because it says so in a "contract" does not automatically make it legal or binding . . .

1) Actually, it does make it legal.
2) There is a local law just for non-transferable tickets.
3) The law makes transferring them illegal.
4) It also voids the ticket.

5) So, it is legal and binding.

 

[Disneyrsh]

Is there hand sanitizer to use afterwards? This seems like a germ spreading machine to me!

Disney World is the superhighway, super germ vector of the world. Every snotty nosed kid from every country in the world is there when you are. Either make peace with it or pull a Howard Hughes!

 

[goingbackagain]

I don't have a problem with thte Finger Scan, except for the fact that it does slow the line down a lot. maybe becasue there are a lot of new people using it and they aren't sure how to place the fingers,etc. We had it last year with annual passes, so I was already familiar with it. I just noticed in Feb, with everyone using it (except old tickets) the lines were moving slowly!

 

[Pedler]

I agree that the new policy is definitely consumer friendly for those that do not want to abuse the system. For our family the incremental cost to add additional days to our passes is $4 per day for the 4 of us. That makes it a lot easier to decide to attend the parks on the day we arrive and the day we leave as opposed to the old pricing where you had to decide if it was worth it to use a whole days addmission for just a few hours. When its only a few dollars for the extra day it is definitely worth it. Disney is basically rewarding guests that stay for longer periods of time. If they did not enforce the non transfer policy I could see people buying the extra days for a few dollars and turning them around and selling them to people staying for less time at a profit. It appears that the whole goal of the new pricing is to reduce the cost per day for people that spend more days in the park and provide an incentive to spend more time at the Diney parks and less time elsewhere. The non transfer policy allows Disney to do that without risking losing revenue on people buying tickets for shorter periods of time. I have a real world example of this.

If the transfer option were not enforced when we go down I could purchase one extra day for $4. Then I could give this to a friend going down to Orlando for a convention that wants to go to MK for one day. If I could transfer my ticket that person would be able to go for one day for just a few dollars as opposed to having to pay aproximately $63 at the gate. That is a big loss of revenue. The only reason Disney is letting me buy the additional day at the reduced rate is because they want me to use it on the idea I will extend my stay or maybe not go visit other Orlando attractions.

We can all debate the merits of this type of pricing plan but I would think Disney will be carefully reviewing ticket sales / attendance to see if it is accomplishing thier marketing objectives. Either way they can set this policy and if people do not like it they are free to decide not to attend the parks.

As a FYI the Disney marketing plan did work in our case. We had origionally planned on only 4 days at the park and staying off site. Now we are set to be on site at WL for 7 nights with the dinning plan and using the ME we won't have a car to go anywhere else. The incremental cost per day along with the free transportation just made it the most attractive option for our needs. It is almost like taking a cruise only being on land. The only thing not covered for us will be breakfast. We will be totally captive at Disney and loving it!

 

[DLKT]

I can see the value saved by the ticket holder based on the various ticket selling schemes.
But why am I penalized/losing time/accused/physically intruded upon by a finger scan because of it?
Change the ticket scheme.
Lower the prices and make it a "pay per day" type of thing.
Then spend time and money ensuring that the presented ticket isn't a counterfeit.
It's an amusement park not a Bank, as someone else compared the process to.
The reason for the security at a bank is a *little* different don't you think?
Is someone losing thier life savings the same as riding Space Mountain for free?

 

[mark&sue]

I could never understand why Disney could not have APs like Universal.

I have real trouble with these finger print things. I caused a massive delay for the plane full of people behind me when we flew in from London to Orlandon in October as the finger print detector could not detect my finger prints. We had a plane load of children crying and screaming at me as we had just had a nine hour fight after a four hour delay and they thought that I was holding them up. For some reason my finger prints could not be displayed. I was really stressed out by the time we reached our hotel!!!

I then had trouble for the full 14 days of my stay with my AP at WDW. There must be something wrong with my fingers!!

Fingers crossed it will work when we come back in May!!!

Can't wait to go to USA again.


Susan

 

[kandmwedding]

It's an amusement park not a Bank, as someone else compared the process to.
The reason for the security at a bank is a *little* different don't you think?
Is someone losing thier life savings the same as riding Space Mountain for free?

Obviously it's not exactly same, but it does all boil down to the customer losing money. And let's be real, money is what its all about!! And believe me, I understand that the WDW Co is a huge business, and that the loss of money they'll get from people selling unused days won't really hurt, but does the fact that they're huge mean it's ok to steal from them?? If that's the case why not open up a bag of mini Reese's peanut butter cups and resell them to all your friends?? After all, Reese's is a big company, it's not that big a deal!!?!?!

I just think that if someone feels so gungho about how incredibly wrong it is of Disney to want to do things their way, why do they even bother going to Disney at all?? I'm totally against Burlington's return policy and for that reason don't shop there. It would be wrong of me to shop there and then try to fanagle (how do you spell that?!?!) my way around the policy. Just seems silly to me...

 

[Pedler]

..Change the ticket scheme.
Lower the prices and make it a "pay per day" type of thing.
Then spend time and money ensuring that the presented ticket isn't a counterfeit.
It's an amusement park not a Bank, as someone else compared the process to.
The reason for the security at a bank is a *little* different don't you think?
Is someone losing thier life savings the same as riding Space Mountain for free?

The reason to not make it a pay per day type of thing with a lower average price per day is to provide an incentive to buy more days. Essentially it rewards the visitor that stays for over 5 days. People that buy just one or two days pay way more per day. I think Disney's goal was to get more people to stay for more days at WDW and not visit other area attractions. Only time will tell if that marketing decision is going to work.

While it is not like a bank I still can not fault Disney for trying to secure thier investment. Despite all of the talk about the magic and all that remember Disney is still first and foremost a corporation and maximizing profits is important to them. It may be a great company and a great resort destination but they still have armies of cost accounts working on maximizing profits.

 

[Lewisc]

But why am I penalized/losing time/accused/physically intruded upon by a finger scan because of it?
Change the ticket scheme.
Lower the prices and make it a "pay per day" type of thing.

Actually Disney would be raising the prices if they wanted to make a pay per day thing. We'd lose the (basically) free extra days that are part of MYW pricing. Disney would go back to pricing the tickets at around $50/day and probably wouldn't care if you transfer them.

Disney's had the same finger scan system for AP holders for 10 years. I don't recall ANYONE complaining about losing time or being physically intruded. Most of us feel that it's far more efficient than Disney checking photo ID against the name on the tickets or trying to match a photo on the pass with the guest presenting it.

The machine you put the pass through determines if the ticket is counterfeit. The purpose of the finger scan is to make sure that the ticket hasn't been illegally transferred.

You're right it's not the same as a bank. You don't see armed guards. Obviously Disney sees the need, with the new pricing, to enforce the transferability restrictions. The "honor" system isn't enough and Disney must feel the slight extra cost is worth it.

 

[DLKT]

Actually Disney would be raising the prices if they wanted to make a pay per day thing. We'd lose the (basically) free extra days that are part of MYW pricing.

It's not "free" or reduced. That's just how it's presented.
I understand the value and I understand the desire of Disney to get people into the Parks for more days.
But my understanding stops short when they inconvenience everyone to stop the sharing of tickets THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR!

Disney's had the same finger scan system for AP holders for 10 years. I don't recall ANYONE complaining about losing time or being physically intruded.

I've been an AP passholder everytime I've gone. (I go for odd stretches so it worked out best for us) And I didn't like the finger scan the first time and never changed my mind.
Unfortunately I didn't know about this site or I would have been complaining a lot earlier!
And I can't believe there wasn't an uproar about it initially!
Must be a lot of Disney sheep here then.

The machine you put the pass through determines if the ticket is counterfeit. The purpose of the finger scan is to make sure that the ticket hasn't been illegally transferred.

Then it sounds like Disney solved the counterfiet problem and incorporated the mother of all money grubbing schemes at the same time.

 

[tjevans]

Disney sells the entrance tickets.
That's all they should care about.
That and counterfeits.
It doesn't matter where I get my ticket and from who, so long as it's a Disney ticket and Disney got the initial money then Disney should be satisfied.
If my brother wants to use it one day instead of me, it shouldn't matter so long as I paid for that day.

Yes, it should matter. That ticket is a license. A license is permission for a particular person to use a particular portion of property (and can be further limited for a particular amount of time). It is not an easement. If it was, then, if I remember my first-year property course correctly, you could give it to your brother. That license is for one person (you), and not for anyone else.

Now, getting a little less legal-ese, so if you buy a 6 day ticket, only use it for one day, and then give it to one person who only uses it for one day, and so on, Disney should not care because six people are getting in for the price of 1? Get real. It's the same reason you can't take a family of four to an all-you-can-eat buffet and only one buy the buffet and let everyone else eat of his plate. Using your logic, what does the buffet place care? They got their money for one person?

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Remember, the CM at the gate used to simply rubber stamp the old Park Hopper passes before the computer ticket reader? I've seen many people before the finger scans have problems with their passes. They would put them in and they wouldn't come out, or wouldn't register. That slowed down the lines as well. Where was the frustration/hatred about that way? New technologies take time to fine tune. Disney will have it seamless in no time, you can bet on that! Or, I guess we could go back to paying one price at the gate and buying ticket books at booths throughout the parks for A-E ticket rides.

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

It's not "free" or reduced. That's just how it's presented.
I understand the value and I understand the desire of Disney to get people into the Parks for more days.
But my understanding stops short when they inconvenience everyone to stop the sharing of tickets THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR!
.................Must be a lot of Disney sheep here then. ...........Then it sounds like Disney solved the counterfiet problem and incorporated the mother of all money grubbing schemes at the same time.

Additional days are reduced....

Similarly, right now Disney is running another promotion, "Buy 4 Photo Pass Photos, Get the 5th one Free" (or something like that). Now clearly, that's a fixed item - a photo that costs a set price. The reduced (free) price on the 5th is an incentive/reward for purchasing 4.

Now, by your reasoning, as long as Disney gets their money for (any) 4 photos, why should they care who gets the free 5th print? They shoudl be happy with their "inital money" for the 4 prints, right?

So with this promotion, why don't they just set it up within their computer system to randomly make every 5th picture purchased free. Why not? As long as they get their "intital money" for the first 4 pictures each time (from whomever), then the 5th one should be free - for whomever! In fact, perhaps we are all being "punished" by this buy 4, get one free promotion.

I am not a Disney sheep. I just have a respect and understanding for capitalism. It does not make me angry that a company in America seeks to make a profit. I am not angry, and do not feel penalized or punished. You keep saying that some are missing your point. One part I really do not understand at all is what you mean by calling Disney "money grubbers." That makes no sense at all to me.

 

[DLKT]

Yes, it should matter. That ticket is a license. A license is permission for a particular person to use a particular portion of property (and can be further limited for a particular amount of time). It is not an easement. If it was, then, if I remember my first-year property course correctly, you could give it to your brother. That license is for one person (you), and not for anyone else.

Arghh!
Legal speak makes my head ache!
I'm not talking law.
(But maybe "Natural law"?)
I don't want to go there.
I'm not looking for a legal way out or a way to cheat.

Now, getting a little less legal-ese, so if you buy a 6 day ticket, only use it for one day, and then give it to one person who only uses it for one day, and so on, Disney should not care because six people are getting in for the price of 1? Get real. It's the same reason you can't take a family of four to an all-you-can-eat buffet and only one buy the buffet and let everyone else eat of his plate. Using your logic, what does the buffet place care? They got their money for one person?

Your buffet analogy is WAY off.
In your Park case I'm paying for 6 *days*.
The "people" don't matter.
6 people are not getting in for the price of one.
1 person is getting in per day over 6 days.
A six day ticket was purchased.
That ticket, to me, is a block of time.
Disney was not getting cheated until they invented the customer-unfriendly-policy of "nontransferable" to make more money.

Which is fine.
Disney can do what they want and I can complain about what I don't like.

 

[Ilovestitch]

I read somewhere that with the old hopper passes 9 out of 10 passes had unused days on them. You would think- why would Disney care if you used them or not, you already bought them and can do what you want w/them.

But- Disney doesn't want those ticket w/unused days sitting at your house- they want you IN the parks, spending your MONEY!

By making them expire and non transferrable that forces people to buy tickets and USE them up. And if people come back 5 years later, they are forced to buy MORE expensive tickets, not old cheaper hopper passes from years ago.

I think the new tickets are a good thing overall and I can understand why Disney changed them.

 

[DLKT]

Additional days are reduced....

"Buy one get one free" is just 50% off.
It's all taken into account before hand based on reasonable expectations to insure that the proper amount of money is taken in while still allowing you to feel like you saved some cash.
It just depends on how you look at it.


[snipped analogy] Your analogy made no sense.
The buy4 get 1 free is an incentive for you to purchase that 4th picture.
I don't know the behind the scenes profit margins but I would assume Disney makes slightly more with that package than if you just bought 3.
Did you think Disney was offering it to be nice?
As soon as you purchased your picture package you bought 5 pictures.
What if Disney went on to say that the conditions under which you bought them requires that only *YOU* can be in the picture, not any other member in your family.?

I am not a Disney sheep. I just have a respect and understanding for capitalism. It does not make me angry that a company in America seeks to make a profit. I am not angry, and do not feel penalized or punished. You keep saying that some are missing your point. One part I really do not understand at all is what you mean by calling Disney "money grubbers." That makes no sense at all to me.

A "sheep" is someone who does whatever they are told and questions nothing.
If you're going to take every comment on this board personally......
A lot of people here are saying "That's just the way it is"
I'm not angry about the profit. My issue is with the original question that was posed regarding the finger scan holdups because Disney treats everyone as criminals.
The "money grubbers" refers to the "nontransferable" part of the ticket.
I'm one of those "I bought it so it's mine to do with as I will" kinda guys. Even
if we're only talking about a block of time.
Disney is restricting/circumventing that for more money, hence: "money grubbers".

 

[Lewisc]

BUT YOU'RE WRONG. Disney invented the CUSTOMER FRIENDLY policy of providing extra days AT VIRTUALLY NO COST to the customer. The only thing they ask in return, and enforce with the finger scan, is that you abide by the rules and law AND NOT TRANSFER YOUR TICKET.

The day a restaurant gives you free seconds they have the right to eliminate "doggie bags". The day Disney provided deep discounts, free extra days, they had the moral as well as legal right to stop transfers.

It isn't enough that Disney is giving you extra days, you want to be allowed to sell or give them away.

Arghh!
A six day ticket was purchased.
That ticket, to me, is a block of time.
Disney was not getting cheated until they invented the customer-unfriendly-policy of "nontransferable" to make more money.

Which is fine.
Disney can do what they want and I can complain about what I don't like.

 

[DebbieB]

Say for example you are going to WDW for 5 days this month and your neighbor is going for 5 days next month. By allowing the tickets to be transferrable, you can buy 10 day tickets and split the cost with your neighbor. 5 day base tickets are $205, 10 day tickets are $221. If you bought separately, it would be $410 total vs $221. Why is Disney being unreasonable in trying to prevent this? They are giving you 5 more days for $16 but in return require that only you use them. If all the days were the same price it would be different.

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

"Buy one get one free" is just 50% off.
It's all taken into account before hand based on reasonable expectations to insure that the proper amount of money is taken in while still allowing you to feel like you saved some cash.
It just depends on how you look at it.


[snipped analogy] Your analogy made no sense.
The buy4 get 1 free is an incentive for you to purchase that 4th picture.
I don't know the behind the scenes profit margins but I would assume Disney makes slightly more with that package than if you just bought 3.
Did you think Disney was offering it to be nice?
As soon as you purchased your picture package you bought 5 pictures.
What if Disney went on to say that the conditions under which you bought them requires that only *YOU* can be in the picture, not any other member in your family.?

Your analysis of my analogy doesn't make sense....Like the pass promotion, the photo promotion is a buy X, get Y free/at a discounted rate.. and of course, Disney will still make a profit. And, of course I don't think Disney is making this offer to be nice!

Remember, I have been in favor of capitalism here, all along.... And this is exactly what they are doing with the increased number of days costing less per day....It is a buy X for this price, get Y for this price minus z. And of course Disney is still going to make a profit with this -- But their bigger profit is on days 1 - 5, rather than days 6 - 10, which is exactly why they don't want people sharing them or selling them -- and I'm perfectly ok with that.

The analogy that doesn't make sense is where you propose that Disney would say the pictures could only be *of me* -- The realistic and actual restricition is that they can only *my* pictures (pictures of me and people in my party) in order to qualify for the discount. They would lessen their profit by only allowing me to buy pictures of me rather than of my entire party so that is why *your* analogy doesn't make sense. We know they have created a situation to increase their profits, not lessen them, so an analogy about lessening profits does not make any sense here.

Point is, I understand that Disney wants to maximize their profit, and their system makes perfectly good capitalist sense. This is clearly upsetting to some. I'm not sure why this bothers some people so much.

 

[tjevans]

6 people are not getting in for the price of one.
1 person is getting in per day over 6 days.
A six day ticket was purchased.
That ticket, to me, is a block of time.

Ok, to you, it's a block of time. Legally, it's a license---a license that Disney sold for one person (the person for whom the ticket was purchased) to use their property for the length of time of the license (ticket).

I can understand why you feel, as you stated in another post, that you bought it and you should be able to do whatever you want with it. However, you bought it pursuant to certain terms, and one of those terms is non-transferability (is that a word?). [And, if you're thinking it-- you're right you didn't get to see the terms first or negotiate any of them. It's what's known as an adhesion contract (sorry, sometimes I just can't stop being a lawyer)]