Disney Security cracks down on Annual passes

[daisyforever]

I spoke to security at mgm yesterday. WDW right now say they are upset with annual passholders that return to the parks too often. The security person told me that they are trying to figure a way to limit the amount a person can use his or her annual pass. According to them, there are gueasts that come to the parks over 200 times a year and they feel there is no financial gain with that type of situation. Security right now is being asked to make notes of guests that are becoming familiar faces to them. That is how he got the information I am sharing with you.

 

[2Xited4Disney]

How is there a financial gain if they limit the times a person will go...

 

[DVCconvert]

they are upset with annual passholders that return to the parks too often. The security person told me that they are trying to figure a way to limit the amount a person can use his or her annual pass. According to them, there are gueasts that come to the parks over 200 times a year and they feel there is no financial gain with that type of situation. Security right now is being asked to make notes of guests that are becoming familiar faces to them. That is how he got the information I am sharing with you.

yeah......right.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I'm sorry but I do not believe this.

First of all, Security never gets to know a person's name unless they have reason to "officially interview" the guests.

Second, I am currently working as a Turnstile Greeter at the Studio, and we were not told anything about this being a problem.

Third, is that every park entry of every ticket is in the Automated Ticketing System (ATS) computer. As ATS is an extremely large relational database all it would take is a simple query written to review all current APs (or those that expired within the last 12 months) and list the top {insert number here} usage giving the demographic information on file and the number of days of park entries that the AP was used.

And, lastly, some of the Security Officers at the parks will make more imaginative comments than some Jungle Cruise Captains.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Security right now is being asked to make notes of guests that are becoming familiar faces to them. That is how he got the information I am sharing with you.

Based on the line that "Security right now is being asked to make notes of guests that are becoming familiar faces to them," this makes no sense to me.

Disney can track exactly how many times each annual pass is being used, and where it's being used, through their computer system. When an annual pass is inserted at a turnstile, its use is tracked.

What additional information of value could Security possibly provide about how often a particular passholder uses an annual pass? Consider that a passholder could go to the parks a hundred times, but might seldom be checked by the same Security cast member. And Security cast members don't take names or ask what kind of admission ticket a guest is using. And Security cast members are unlikely to remember the face of every guest they see over the course of a year.

I think that a Security cast member was pulling someone's leg.

 

[DVCconvert]

hummm.....4 posts in response to the orginal post.
The AVERAGE post count of those 4 members is nearly 4500.
Interesting.

When did bus drivers start working for security???

 

[EUROPACL]

I spoke to security at mgm yesterday. WDW right now say they are upset with annual passholders that return to the parks too often. The security person told me that they are trying to figure a way to limit the amount a person can use his or her annual pass. According to them, there are gueasts that come to the parks over 200 times a year and they feel there is no financial gain with that type of situation. Security right now is being asked to make notes of guests that are becoming familiar faces to them. That is how he got the information I am sharing with you.

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....DEEP BREATH.....BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

 

[SueM in MN]

same story, same troll

 

[patsal]

It's good for 365 days actually 366 days of use--why would they care if someone maxed it, besides security wouldn't be asked to monitor this. That's why they have the turnstiles tied in with a data base. Disney knows those AP holders spend on everything from food to lodging as well as lots of other little souvineers. I wouldn't put much stock in this.

 

[Another Voice]

The "overuse" of annual passes is a major problem for Disney (it's even bigger out at Disneyland where millions of people live within an hours drive) - Disney had counted on people showing up a few times a year and still spending lots of money per trip. But the more frequent the trips, the less each annual passholder spends per trip. Because of Disney's fixed costs, it's better to for them to have a guest spend $50 on one trip rather than $10 on each of five trips.

This is not to say that annual passholders don't drop a lot of money, but this is Disney - they want even more.

In California it's too the point where many APers don't spend any money at all. Disneyland has replaced the local mall as a gathering place for teenagers, families and other groups. The result has been a crowded park, longer lines at for the attractions and no increase in revenue. It's not uncommon for a SoCal family to pop in for a couple hours on a weekend, ride a favorite ride, watch a show...and then stop at McDonalds on the way home for something to eat.

That's not what Disney demands.

Disneyland has already increased the price of annual passes. Major changes have been rumored, but the company has also become hooked on the initial huge cash infusion they get from new sales and renewals. The trick, the one they haven't figured out yet, is how to keep people buying passes AND force them to spend more money everytime they enter the parks.

 

[EUROPACL]

I have no doubt that Disney is not happy with the people that see Disney as a shopping mall hang out or a place to drop off the kids and let Disney babysit.

The problem most people have with this story is the part where Disney is telling security to remember faces....as if Secuirty has contact with every guest through the gates or would even begin to remember faces from 20k plus people a day. Its more laughable when you know that Disney can track and does track everytime a pass is used to enter the gates by computer.

 

[Another Voice]

As strange as it sounds, I don't think it's all that farfetched that Security was asked to keep an eye out. I doubt it's for tracking people coming in "too many times" as it is for just general observations. Even at Disney, it doesn't take too long for people to become "familiar strangers" - people that you see everyday on the communter train or in the office building - that you don't intereact with, are there consistantly. A database is wonderful, swiping your AP at the turnstile isn't going to tell Disney what the person is actually doing once their inside. And that can run all the way from just being normal guests, to trying to set-up businesses (Disneyland was awash in pin traders, and let's not forget Jim Hill's infamous "tour guide" encounter) to people doing survailance on the place.

As with a lot of rumors, there's probably a small grain of truth here that's been twisted through too many retellings. Security may have been told to watch out for something specific, or just to "keep an eye out" and that has become entangled with problems with the annual pass program.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

Annual Passes have been a target for the Disney beancounters for years....teeny little quick example.....remember FREE dde for the passholder and spouse?

Turning the beancounter eye to the AP program is just like the airlines reducing benefits for their frequent fliers. When the parks and resorts are full, our loyalty isn't all that important to them.

Let's not kid ourselves......Disney - aka: Anaheim...has become very good at finding ways to separate guests from their money. We forget this while we are visiting.....big resorts, mickey topiaries, fireworks, fabulous castmembers.

Yes, yes, I know I will be flamed for this ---

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Let's see if I have this right.

2) IF I AM SECURITY
. . . I look for frequent visitors among the 45-million (2006) visitors per year
. . . I try to figure of they are on vacation or an AP holder
. . . If they are on vacation, I don't do anything
. . . If they are AP, then I stop them and get their name
. . . I turn their name into HQ
. . . All this, while the computer system already has them logged in & out
3) Something is wrong with this picture.

4) Sure, I Can agree with the thought of reducing AP visits for more profits
5) But, I don't see it ever happening.
6) They will just keeping raising the AP prices.
7) After all, they know you will pay for them.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Why would security be asked to look for annual pass holders when the computers that work the turnstiles can do it for free? Those computers can tell you when every single guest came into each and every park!

Trust me, security has much bigger fish to fry!

 

[jimh13432]

not only that, you don't have to to produce a ticket of any sort to get beyond the security check point.

How would they even know you're an Annual Pass Holder

 

[Another Voice]

Trust me, security has much bigger fish to fry!

That actually ties in with watching annual passholders. Keeping an extra eye on them isn't because they're costing the company money - but they are a different security risk than the average guest. As can be seen with Disneyland, the more "familar" people get with a place, the more inclinded they are to "get away with" things (this is a huge problem between Disneyland and the after-high-school crowd that shows up in the afternoon - for a lot of famlies an annual pass is a lot cheaper than day care).

Also, a lot of activity can be going under the guise of annual passholders. Orlando has a booming crime rate. For a couple hundred bucks a year a pickpocket or petty theif gets access to millions and millions of careful (and unwatchful) tourists loaded down with cash, credit cards, cameras, and other kinds of goodies. If Disney can't catch people stealing props from the 'Pirates' ride - who good of a job do they do with the quick stroller smash 'n grab? (especially when you have boards like these that will blame the victim for not watching their stuff!)

 

[larry_poppins]

It seems to me if Disneyland was really interested in controlling their AP numbers, they could begin with removing the cheapest level of So. Cal AP.
These people are already blocked out every weekend, summer and holiday season. They can only use the park during the week. They probably are the after school crowd that Disneyland does not want. If the APs are such a problem just stop selling this level of AP.

Larry

 

[fan of the TTA]

yeah okay...but if they have an anual pass, i don't see the reason why they shouldn't return as often as they choose

 

[Another Voice]

In a company the size of Disney and with a loose (and even lacking) management - conflicting interests come to rule the decision making. For as much operational problems as APers cause, and as much as they hurt the bottom line - there are a lot of people who are only interested in just ticket sales and in just the cash generated. Restricting AP sales hurts those groups and they will fight back. No one at Disney has an answer to all the questions right now, so the company is stuck doing nothing rather than attempting to fix the problem.

Things won't change until either someone figures out how to get more cash from annual passholders to more than offset fewer passes being sold - or a problem of such size that it shifts the balance of power among the groups.

don't see the reason why they shouldn't return as often as they choose.

What you have a "right" to do and how much money Disney wants to make from you are two different - and conflicting - issues right now. You don't pay more if you ride 'Space Mountain' one time a year, or a hundred times a year. But Disney incurs all the costs of keeping that ride up and going.