Bag check--extra thorough!!!

[maxiesmom]

Just back from a 5 day (was supposed to be 8) trip to WDW. I wanted to pass along that Disney is not messing around with bag checks. Be prepared!

I go thru bag check while my nephew goes thru the no bag line. In checking bags they will pull stuff out in order to be able to look thru the whole bag. And they will open every zipper they see. I have a teeny tiny pouch that zips for my travel medication bottles, and they opened that too. They open camera bags. They open coolers. If you have a stroller, they will open the hood and look. They will look under the stroller.

Oh, and when I watched my nephew go thru the no bag line, they were having guests open their cargo pockets if they had them. If the pockets looked full, they had them pull out what was in them and show them. So those of you who load down your pockets to avoid the bag check line, be prepared to be stopped too.

I did see one family that was super smart, and had all of their food for the day in a clear tote bag. That security just spun around and eyeballed.

If you don't want something handled by the bag check people, don't bring it with you. They will touch everything.

 

[mom2rtk]

I expect nothing less. I just hope they keep that area adequately staffed to avoid big backlogs.

 

[minijeanie]

You are so right op. I just got back too. There were officers with dogs at Epcot.that park seemed to have the most security. Wish they had two people checking on each line. It took forever to get thru the bag check and metal screener

 

[maxiesmom]

I expect nothing less. I just hope they keep that area adequately staffed to avoid big backlogs.

Oddly enough I found getting in to the park was more time consuming than the bag check. It looked like many of the tap posts were broken. And add to that having to scan the band and finger of every child, and those lines were long.

I want to add too that my nephew had to go thru the metal detector every time but one. So if you go bag free, be prepared to empty your pockets and walk thru the metal detector. I only had to go thru once.

 

[Disneylover99]

It's been extra thorough like this for a while now. It started after the Paris attacks late last year.

We put items in the clear plastic gift shop bags. It helps get us through bag check quicker.

 

[hildarumpole]

We went to EPCOT and MK last weekend. Security dog at EPCOT approached people as they walked toward security check points. Bag checks were thorough, but we got through the line pretty quickly. MK was super slow. Some people packed big backpacks like survivalists. I understand parents with young children having bigger bags with diapers, wipes, extra clothes, snacks, and those with medical conditions needing special supplies, food, etc. No problem. The worst offenders were adults with no children who appeared to pack nearly all of their belongings in bags with about a dozen compartments/pockets, each of which had to be opened and emptied. Closed shoes were carefully inspected with flashlights, every pouch and bag that wasn't transparent was opened, clothes were unfolded, opaque Tupperware-style containers were opened. A few bags looked like clown cars being emptied. The stuff just kept coming and coming. On the upside, I got to know some friendly and funny people while waiting.

I respect and appreciate Disney security. The guards were all professional and displayed good humor with guests who were clearly getting frustrated by the slow pace of bag checks. In uncertain times, guests need to have confidence that all is being done to keep everyone safe and free to enjoy their day. Guests can help out by thinking carefully about the kind of bags they bring to the parks, what is essential for the day, and how the bags are packed.

 

[minijeanie]

Love your survivalist comment. So true. Felt same way waiting in line at MK. I didn't mind waiting because once through you felt safer. I have metal hip and was scanned down In every park except MK. Security just said ok go through mAm

 

[linzjane88]

Oddly enough I found getting in to the park was more time consuming than the bag check. It looked like many of the tap posts were broken. And add to that having to scan the band and finger of every child, and those lines were long.

I want to add too that my nephew had to go thru the metal detector every time but one. So if you go bag free, be prepared to empty your pockets and walk thru the metal detector. I only had to go thru once.

This was our experience when we visited the beginning of September. They were hardcore! My husband almost always to go through the metal detector. Animal kingdom was far and away the worst. Lines were slow slow slow and they were touching everything in every pocket. I had the stroller with dd4 and dd8 while my husband was behind a few people with the backpack. They had me stop and do the metal detector but wouldn't let me park my stroller and go through.my kids are old enough and well behaved I could have easily told them to stay put while I walked ten steps over to the machine. Not to mention my husband was a few feet behind and visible about to get the backpack searched. NOPE! Had to wait for him to get the search of a lifetime and be standing at our kids side before they would let me through. I think it mostly rubbed me the wrong way because it was like 95 degrees and I was hungry. But still....AK bag check was so much worse.

Also, the fingerprint scans on kids are obnoxious! Getting toddler/small kid from a stroller and awkwardly trying to smash their little sticky fingers onto the reader to get a clean print that will read is impossible. Dd4 could never get hers to work the first or second try. It wasn't until midway through they told me I could use my print for her. Then we were stuck always having to come into a park together. We had a bigger group and, papa couldn't take the girls into the park for the evening unless I went to scan her in.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

I found that between the more thorough bag checks (which I am totally fine with) and the tap stiles not all working, getting into the parks was a bigger ordeal during our trip (Sept. 29th-Oct 3rd) than it has ever been. It's definitely something you need to think about when planning arrival time at the parks. For the first time ever we actually "needed" that 15 minute grace period on one of our FP+'s just because it took us so long to get into the parks.

It would help so much if people had their bags open, all compartments unzipped, etc before it was their turn.

 

[peteykirch]

I found that between the more thorough bag checks (which I am totally fine with) and the tap stiles not all working, getting into the parks was a bigger ordeal during our trip (Sept. 29th-Oct 3rd) than it has ever been. It's definitely something you need to think about when planning arrival time at the parks. For the first time ever we actually "needed" that 15 minute grace period on one of our FP+'s just because it took us so long to get into the parks.

It would help so much if people had their bags open, all compartments unzipped, etc before it was their turn.

It would also help so much more if the bag check guards all followed the same procedures. One guard at MK just peeked into my camera bag with my opening the flaps. Another at EPCOT made me remove everything including removing my lenses from their individual pouches and place them on the table.

 

[bookgirl]

I just got back from Europe. Bag Check takes on a whole new meaning in London and France....(museums, palaces, Disneyland Paris, Heathrow airport and the Eurostar Train). EVERYONE gets the enhanced screening, everywhere. It is a time eater for sure. I tried to keep most of my things in clear pouches or ziplocks.

I was glad of it as the current terror threat is higher over there and I felt very safe.

I have never complained about being checked at WDW and I now know that while thorough, Disney is much more efficient than a lot of places in the world.

Guess I need to up the clear baggies for Disney now as well.

 

[eyeblaura]

We just returned from a mid September trip and found it extremely variable. Some guards looked at everything others just peeked in and felt around. Overall it never took us long to get through maybe 3 people in front of us at most and I tried to avoid lines with big or multiple bags.

I only had to walk through the metal detector once but my husband had to every time.

 

[Jaime4004]

I just left Tuesday and my bag check didn't seem any more thorough than any other time. We didn't arrive til late morning or afternoon everyday, not sure if that made a difference. I carry a back pack and open the two main zippers, that's it. Nothing was taken out. I believe once a third small zipper was opened by security but no other time, and none of the other small zippers were either. They did usually feel the bag on the outside at the bottom. Lines were short and quick. Guess it's hit or miss for more thorough searching... Either way is fine with me, I don't feel less or more safe. But I did enjoy the short lines for bag check and turnstiles compared to RD.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

It would also help so much more if the bag check guards all followed the same procedures. One guard at MK just peeked into my camera bag with my opening the flaps. Another at EPCOT made me remove everything including removing my lenses from their individual pouches and place them on the table.

Agreed. Consistency would be great. At MK one afternoon, my husband got in a different line than the rest of our group, and we were 10 minutes behind him bc our checker was much more thorough.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

There was a thread about this about a month ago. Yes, every zipper on every bag, every item in a bag, and every item in your pockets (potentially including wallets) will be unzipped and inspected. The uptick happened after MK security stopped a man with a gun in a bag from entering the park over the summer.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I was glad to see them being very thorough. I don't carry much in my backpack but did put medicines/personal items in ziplock bags to make it easy to take them out and a light sweater. Then it was just my small container of sunscreen, phone and small camera in the bag. Easy for them to check.

I was asked to go through the metal detectors every time and all I had to do was put my bag on the table and walk through since I had nothing in my pockets yet.

 

[tsme]

We were there in September. I didn't find baggage check bad. We all (DH, me, DD) had to go thru the metal detectors everywhere except HS. At AK, they were more thorough than the other parks. I say this because, this was the only park that found my DH's safety tool. He has a phobia of getting stuck on a ride with a seat belt, because he had a panic attack years ago when they started with the seat belts that lock after clicking. So he bought a safety tool that cuts a seat belt. It doesn't have an outside blade or anything & you can't cut anyone with it. But when the CM found it in AK, she didn't know what it was, so she called over someone, who didn't know what it is was or what to do, who called over someone else, next thing we know, DH is surround with around 6 security CMs, the whole time mumbling, "It's just a safety tool". LOL. Finally someone decided to walk him to the naughty (my name for them) lockers to place it in until we leave. I thought is was hilarious & laughed like a hyena at DH. And of course being a good wife, I took a picture of him surrounded & sent it to our family at home.

 

[NZDisneyFanGirl14]

We just got back aswell (left Thursday morning) and they all opened the Zips in my wallet every time. I thought that was a bit much and invasive but understand the need for it in America (although lucky we ere at the end of our trip so had less cash than we were carrying the rest of the trip). The bag lines were always pretty long and the day we went to MK before park open the long bag lines were held up even more because they made everyone go through the metal detector Si had 10 bag lines trying to go through 2 metal detectors (same one both sides of the park) so the bag lines were held up because the people waiting to go through the metal detectors had no space so things were not moving very fast. Not sure why they didn't move to random metal detector tests at this stage (was 20 mins before an 8am park opening)

 

[Atilley]

We just got back also (left Wednesday). I had our park bag packed with everything in several clear gallon sized ziploc bags. It made getting through bag check super easy. Much easier than the metal detectors as it seemed who ever had the baby (10 months) in the carrier got picked for screening. Several times me or Dh wound up having to make the choice of sitting the baby in the stroller to the side or carting him through the scanner with us. We finally got it straight and quit splitting up so someone would be available to hold the baby.

 

[poohfriend77]

We just got back also (left Wednesday). I had our park bag packed with everything in several clear gallon sized ziploc bags. It made getting through bag check super easy. Much easier than the metal detectors as it seemed who ever had the baby (10 months) in the carrier got picked for screening. Several times me or Dh wound up having to make the choice of sitting the baby in the stroller to the side or carting him through the scanner with us. We finally got it straight and quit splitting up so someone would be available to hold the baby.

I'm going to borrow this idea for our trip (in 10 days!) I always try to be "ready," with my cinch bag open, and I hold my camera in my hand so they can see inside the empty camera bag. The ziploc bags will keep things organized and make it even easier if they want to pull anything out at bag check!