Change in resort guard-shack practice

[agnes!]

Quick heads-up...
we just got back from a wonderful stay at Port Orleans/Riverside. I'll try to write up a summary-style trip report & post it on the TR Board later this week. *Anyway*, I noticed what seemd to be a new policy at every WDW resort that we went to. Almost every single guard (Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary, PO/R, PO/FQ) asked for a driver's license, even when we were displaying our PO/R parking slip. (We noticed that they were asking every driver we saw for their licenses as well.)

agnes!

 

[safetymom]

They have been asking for a drivers license for quite a while now.

 

[webray]

They have been asking for a drivers license for quite a while now.

Yes, they have been asking for licenses for quite a while now...but NOT when you are already displaying a disney resort parking slip/pass. This asking would be new for sure. They weren't doing it when we were up last month, and we visited many resorts.

 

[ElizabethB]

When we were there last fall they did not ask for a driver's license as we had our BWV parking pass. The last time we visited and stayed offsite, they did ask for a driver's license (that was about a year after 9/11).

If they are asking for drivers' licenses from on-site guests with parking passes, I agree that is different than it's been for a while. I can think of only three possibilities:

1. There was increased security and scrutiny going on for some reason, which reason was not disclosed to resort attendees or the public. (Rather worrisome, actually).

2. There are a bunch of new recruits in the shacks who haven't gotten the word yet that they don't have to ask for drivers' licenses from on-site guests.

3. It is a change in policy.

 

[CarolA]

And can someone PLEASE tell me what this accomplishes??? It proves I am a legal driver... that's nice to know but what else??? They don't seem to care who the passengers are, they don't write your name down, they don't seem to have a master terrorist list they check? WHAT ARE THEY DOING THIS FOR??

OKW is driving me INSANE since they don't have a seperate gate for key cards. It took FOREVER to get in last time I stayed there because of this "improvement" in security! I was told that this was a change in the security policies and that was a few months ago.

 

[Allison]

They didn't ask us in December.

 

[safetymom]

I don't get it either because they ask but most times don't do anything with the license. I am not a resort guest either.

 

[MareQ]

We had a problem with this during our Feb trip. Nobody else asked for my license except for the guard at the Poly. When I showed mine to her she told me it was unacceptable as it was not a picture license and then proceeded to tell me that all 50 states require picture licenses so mine was invalid. Sorry dear @@ Up until this past year or so NJ did NOT require picture licenses - in fact we were able to renew our licenses through the mail - they changed that recently however my license doesn't expire until 2007 so I am still good. I pointed this out to the guard who then told me that she didn't have to let me in for not showing proper ID - sorry lady I DID show proper ID @@ UG!

 

[princesspwrhr]

We were asked a couple of times in Dec at FW (with our FW parking slip in the window) but not at WL, CR or AKL. FW has also taken out the key card gate inside the parking lot near the Outpost Depot. The gaurd shack still has a key card option but we never saw the gaurd shack unoccupied.

The asking for ID really seemed sporatic (kind of like the depth of checks at the park security). Sometimes we were waved in, sometimes they didn't even glance at us and sometimes they asked to see ID. And the ID was of anyone in the car apperantly. LOL The only time they checked it against anything was when we were checking in.

 

[The_Admiral]

They have been asking for a drivers license for quite a while now.

Not sure what quite a while is but I was there in Dec and Feb and was only asked for DL when we first arrived to check in.

 

[TammiMcMan]

WHAT ARE THEY DOING THIS FOR??

Are they checking your license against a resort guest list? Maybe they are having problems with parking spots not being available for registered guests. If they're using the same paper parking tickets that I remember, it doesn't take a computer genius to scan one in, modify the dates and print it. I would imagine that this might be a bigger problem at one of the monorail or Epcot resorts though.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

We had a problem with this during our Feb trip. Nobody else asked for my license except for the guard at the Poly. When I showed mine to her she told me it was unacceptable as it was not a picture license and then proceeded to tell me that all 50 states require picture licenses so mine was invalid. Sorry dear @@ Up until this past year or so NJ did NOT require picture licenses - in fact we were able to renew our licenses through the mail - they changed that recently however my license doesn't expire until 2007 so I am still good. I pointed this out to the guard who then told me that she didn't have to let me in for not showing proper ID - sorry lady I DID show proper ID @@ UG!

Same here!!! I encountered a similar problem with NJ licences, which all don't have photos yet. I have an older licence (expired in 2003) with a photo, and a current one without a photo. Usually I show both together as "proof" of ID. But back in December on a Disney trip, I was taking the Amtrak AutoTrain, and I had to show ID when checking in at the desk. Unfortunately for me, I only had my old photo ID, as I left my current non-photo one in my car (which was already loaded on the AutoTrain). The gal at the desk gave me smug looks and constant grief, saying it was an invalid ID (since it expired) and I needed a current one with a photo. I explained my current one doesn't have a photo, and I left it in my car and I don't have it right now. She went ON and ON, and I finally raised my voice at her and said I DON'T HAVE a current licence with a photo, I can't produce one out of thin air!!!

I even told them to get my car off the train and refund me since I simply don't have the ID they want (and I am the meekest person around, so for me to say this means I was ANGRY!!). She finally let me check in, with dirty looks and repriminding me like I was a criminal. I was so fed up I wanted to forget the train and drive home!! I did skip the train on my next trip for that reason, as I still don't have a "valid" photo ID.

I hear NJ is backed up on getting digital photo IDs so it could be awhile longer until everyone gets one. In NJ, I never have a problem showing my old photo ID. Guess I won't be going through too many Disney security booths on my next trip!!

 

[Ali]

We stayed at POR and POP 2 weeks ago. POR asked to see the license every time we went in and out of the guard shack line and when I questioned it I was told the policy started in NOvember. But if you use the room key entrance there were no issues. They told me later that someone had taken to photocopying the parking passes and changing the dates so they could kep parking there.

At POP they never asked us for ID at all through the guard shack line.

Guess you get more security at the more expensive places?

Alicia

 

[MareQ]

We stayed at POR and POP 2 weeks ago. POR asked to see the license every time we went in and out of the guard shack line and when I questioned it I was told the policy started in NOvember. But if you use the room key entrance there were no issues. They told me later that someone had taken to photocopying the parking passes and changing the dates so they could kep parking there.

At POP they never asked us for ID at all through the guard shack line.

Guess you get more security at the more expensive places?

Alicia

Never got it at the Boardwalk or AKL - only at the Poly. We were staying at the BWV - didn't even have our parking pass in the window when we went to AKL as I forgot to bring it with me and ALK didn't give me the hard time the lady did at the Poly... FYI - At the Poly we had ressies at 'Ohana and a Wishes cruise booked to leave form there and at AKL just ressies at Boma - so we were there for legit reasons that they could track.

 

[DebºoºS]

We stayed at BCV in March and the GF in Nov. Not only did we not get a parking pass at either but they didn't ask for a drivers license. We showed them room keys and DVC cards. Glad they didn't ask me for my license. It's NJ w/o a photo.
I'm going to bring my passport this trip.

Thanks for the heads-up

 

[maelstrom]

We've never been asked for a driver's license (our most recent trip was just this Christmas). I'd be very annoyed if asked for one, for a variety of reasons. I'm not going to just throw out my ID to anyone who asks for it.

I guess I really have issues with ID's. I get pretty irritated at the airport check-in counter when they say, "I need to see ID's now... from the adults". I tend to just toss my license onto the counter and loudly say, "I'm 20 years old, does that count?" I don't care if I'm rude, because I'm pretty fed up with everyone assuming that I'm 12 just because I look very youthful.

 

[The_Admiral]

What is up in NJ? Photos on licenses is not exactly new technology.

 

[Simba's Mom]

They asked us every time we enterred a resort when we were there in November-even the resort we stayed at, often with the guard who recognized us. And even when it was dark! DH commented on what a joke it was because often, the guard didn't even come out of the guard shack to look at it. We did lots of resort visiting, and this was always how it was and almost always with the same procedure. They ask for it, DH gets it out, the guard doesn't even look at it, then in we go. Only oncedid the guard even look close enough and actually read DH's name. After seeing so many joke security checks, DH actually appreciated that he found a guard who took his job seriously.

 

[sue1013]

Admiral it's not that NJ doesn't have picture licenses. It's just that if you had your license before picture licenses were available you have not been forced to change to one. It's much easier to renew via mail as long as you can rather then visit the DMV.

 

[MareQ]

What is up in NJ? Photos on licenses is not exactly new technology.

Nothing is up - we've always had the option to go to DMV and get a picture license if we wanted one - it was never mandatory until recently. Until recently, if you wished, all you had to do was renew through the mail without stepping foot in DMV and your new non-picture license would be mailed to you. VERY convenient!

I haven't been inside a DMV office since I got my very first license way back in 1987. It's been great - sad to see this convenience go but I fully understand the reasons why.