Every guest entering at IG went through metal detector

[flvy]

Nothing is ever going to go smoothly when you first roll it out. There will be bumps and issues and that's why you test things out at smaller gates. Disney is a lot of hurry up and wait, people can deal with it at the front gate if they can deal with it in the parks. I don't really have a ton of sympathy for people complaining about being kept safe.

Metal detectors do work. They make regular people think twice about what they're doing. A trained terrorist isn't going to walk in through the front gate bomb MK and be stopped by a metal detector. This isn't about the terror issues. Sadly terrorist are a lot smarter than that. This is about mentally ill people that decide to show up and open fire. This will make them think twice about Disney being a target. We have a lot more threats from domestic citizens than terrorists. Those people pick easy targets.

Disney has never been this upfront about their level of security before. I've always felt safe, and known they're doing a lot more than they show. This is just a more outward showing, and pretty soon they'll figure it out and people will move onto complaining about other things.

 

[TwoMisfits]

We were there on 9/11 and while they did close, it was because no-one had any idea what was happening and whether there would be more attacks that day. 9/12 everything was open and security wasn't much different, and honestly it wasn't until we left for home that we realized how much the country had been affected - Disney was an unaffected bubble.

As people have said here, this extra security does nothing but inconvenience people and create a major choke point that is anything but "secure".

Amen, looking at the pics, the common terrorist attacks of a suicide bomber or single shooter are being made even easier and likely more deadly with rope drop in all that chaos before the gates...at least in the parks, outside of parades and fireworks (and even then, people are more spread out than at the gate with more places to run), there is never such a large group of people who are stuck in one spot...MK has exactly one entry point (which is the same exit point) - and Disney is now making that point even less safe...

 

[Aurora0427]

I don't understand why they are separating children from their parents. At the airport, if you have a small child, they have the child walk through the metal detector first, not the body scan machine, and then the parent walks through immediately after. There's no need to separate and have your child go stand to the side with a security guard, and quite frankly, my kids aren't leaving my side.

 

[Aurora0427]

Why are they using these kind of metal detectors?

At NFL stadiums, they use the wands. And the lines go relatively quickly.

Exactly. And your kids can stand right next to you. Separating kids from parents just baffles me.

 

[Gina Starr]

We arrived at MK last night around 7 pm. It was just my husband and me and we didn't have bags. Not many people going through the no bag line at this time and hubby got pulled over to walk through the metal detector. He is early 30s, tall, and muscular (if anyone is keeping track of the type of people being asked) He said he could tell he was going to be asked because the CM was kind of looking him up and down as we were walking through. It was fast and easy, took maybe 20 seconds.

 

[Aurora0427]

We arrived at MK last night around 7 pm. It was just my husband and me and we didn't have bags. Not many people going through the no bag line at this time and hubby got pulled over to walk through the metal detector. He is early 30s, tall, and muscular (if anyone is keeping track of the type of people being asked) He said he could tell he was going to be asked because the CM was kind of looking him up and down as we were walking through. It was fast and easy, took maybe 20 seconds.

So now we have untrained CMs profiling people to determine who gets pulled through the metal detector. Gimme a break. How completely ineffective.

 

[AngiTN]

I don't understand why they are separating children from their parents. At the airport, if you have a small child, they have the child walk through the metal detector first, not the body scan machine, and then the parent walks through immediately after. There's no need to separate and have your child go stand to the side with a security guard, and quite frankly, my kids aren't leaving my side.

Right. We fly with DGD often. In those cases she and I go through the walk through detector not the body scanner
Disney was not sending the kids in at all, just their parents. The method used at ZiG yesterday would not work at any other gate.

We arrived at MK last night around 7 pm. It was just my husband and me and we didn't have bags. Not many people going through the no bag line at this time and hubby got pulled over to walk through the metal detector. He is early 30s, tall, and muscular (if anyone is keeping track of the type of people being asked) He said he could tell he was going to be asked because the CM was kind of looking him up and down as we were walking through. It was fast and easy, took maybe 20 seconds.

We went through slightly before that, about 6:00. Instead of picking random guests they sent all guests from a few bag check lanes in the detector. It wasn't everybody but it was way more than our trip on new years eve to AK or our trip to all four parks 12/18-22.

 

[Jetta8300]

Quite honestly, how does it make anyone safer? I don't say this in a snarky manner, I truly am attempting to understand. Another poster in another thread posted these pictures of the area *before* the bag check and metal detectors yesterday:



And while, yes, NYE is obviously an anomaly in the course of the year at WDW, it is not uncommon to see long lines outside MK before going through any kind of security (not this bad, but still crowded). I know I've been stuck quite aways back waiting for bag check, and then held in the area between bag check and the tapstiles because the welcome show had started and they weren't letting people through the tapstiles during the show. There were tons of people in that area, not able to clear it until the welcome show and RD happened. And that was in November, *after* the marathon weekend people had left and the park was not as crowded.

I honestly hate that I even think it, but making this more of a choke point for crowds than it already is actually makes me feel *less* safe.

There was a man who tried to get in with a gun a few weeks ago and almost succeeded. He had it in his pants. The security person noticed he was acting strange and called over more security, but who knows if all of the bag checkers would have been that vigilant. A metal detector would have stopped this.

I also feel that in general it acts as a deterrent. When people wanting to commit a terrorist attack would see security has been stepped up in general and they are really taking this seriously they may think twice. It can't hurt and can only help, therefore I'm all for it.

 

[AngiTN]

Our stadium uses both. It's so crowded that there are wanders standing in between each metal detector so that they can get double the people through. Not sure why everyone is supposed they are running everyone through them at Disney now. The day it was announced they said they would and then would pull some out after passing the detector for a more thorough and scan.

I asked the question because they were checking every guest. That was a change based on my other times entering the parks since they added the detectors. I want sure if it was a change of if it was unique

 

[mom2rtk]

There was a man who tried to get in with a gun a few weeks ago and almost succeeded. He had it in his pants. The security person noticed he was acting strange and called over more security, but who knows if all of the bag checkers would have been that vigilant. A metal detector would have stopped this.

I also feel that in general it acts as a deterrent. When people wanting to commit a terrorist attack would see security has been stepped up in general and they are really taking this seriously they may think twice. It can't hurt and can only help, therefore I'm all for it.

Or if he was really intent upon doing harm, he could have just opened fire on all the people so patiently waiting in that contained area. Nothing they are doing will prevent someone from bringing a weapon to that same point again. Only now there will be more people bottled up there instead of less. The catastrophe would be no less because it was just outside the gates instead of inside the park.

So maybe they need security to enter the security area?

I just hope they're doing something behind the scenes to screen every CM and delivery truck entering through the back door. Or none of what they're doing out front matters.

 

[Angel Ariel]

There was a man who tried to get in with a gun a few weeks ago and almost succeeded. He had it in his pants. The security person noticed he was acting strange and called over more security, but who knows if all of the bag checkers would have been that vigilant. A metal detector would have stopped this.

The existing disney security at the time *did* stop it. Pete has said for a long time on the podcast that bag check is not the "main" for of security, and i tend to agree. Bag check is what we see, but it is really more meant to slow us all down a bit so the unseen security can do their job...which is precisely what happened.

I also feel that in general it acts as a deterrent. When people wanting to commit a terrorist attack would see security has been stepped up in general and they are really taking this seriously they may think twice.

If anyone wanted to do something like that at Disney world, they wouldn't need to go through the metal detectors to do so, especially at choke points like on the photo posted. If they don't need to get past the metal detectors in the first place, then they aren't much of a deterrent...

It can't hurt and can only help, therefore I'm all for it.

On this I will just agree to disagree and leave it at that.

 

[mom2rtk]

The existing disney security at the time *did* stop it.

They have done nothing to prevent an identical scenario from happening again. Not sure they can.

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

I don't understand why they are separating children from their parents. At the airport, if you have a small child, they have the child walk through the metal detector first, not the body scan machine, and then the parent walks through immediately after. There's no need to separate and have your child go stand to the side with a security guard, and quite frankly, my kids aren't leaving my side.

When I went through with DD4 at HS she went through before me and stood right on the other side they did not separate us the security guard was right there too waving people through. She was no more than a foot away. Just like at the airport.

 

[mom2rtk]

It almost seems to me like Disney will be doing "what they can" in terms of screening. So maybe at smaller entrances, or on slower days, they'll put everyone though metal detectors. But on really busy days, they won't be able to and will loosen things up.

That just tells me anyone wanting to do harm will want to do so on a really busy day. And it does not in any way make me feel "safe".

 

[Angel Ariel]

question.....what do the parents do when flying with their children? Screening at airports is about the same..imo.

I wear my daughter in a beco gemini through the airport. She is 3, but not yet able to walk through security on her own or stand independently consistently. She's almost there, as she took her firat steps recently (!!!) but not quite. So I wear her on my back. I have not ever been asked or required to take her off of me. They send me and her together through the metal detector (not body scanner), then they swipe my hands to test for explosive residue. We have not yet at any point been required to be separated to go through security.

 

[Chimaera]

We're heading to the World in 15 days and it'll be one of the slowest weeks of the year - I'll be interested to see if they do more testing of these procedures during this time.

 

[Jetta8300]

The existing disney security at the time *did* stop it. Pete has said for a long time on the podcast that bag check is not the "main" for of security, and i tend to agree. Bag check is what we see, but it is really more meant to slow us all down a bit so the unseen security can do their job...which is precisely what happened.


If anyone wanted to do something like that at Disney world, they wouldn't need to go through the metal detectors to do so, especially at choke points like on the photo posted. If they don't need to get past the metal detectors in the first place, then they aren't much of a deterrent...


On this I will just agree to disagree and leave it at that.

Yes I definitely understand your point that if someone want to do harm they will. But there have been plans disrupted. Maybe the guy had a plan to do something inside the park with the gun. Who knows. I just disagree though overall that it's pointless. Your position then is like stating security is worthless and there's no point. Well maybe they should just stop the metal detectors everywhere then. Airports, schools, stadiums etc. security DOES act as a deterrent and while it's not always successful, sometimes it is. So I personally think it's worth it. These people intending on doing harm aren't sane anyways so who knows what they're thinking. The guy who tried to bring a gun in was not sane by how it sounded. It's not for sure going to help but I'm all for something that could POSSIBLY help when it comes to protecting my child. Especially a place where that many people gather.

 

[DLM1980]

I certainly don't mind added security, but they need to be able to handle a high capacity and be considerably more organized about the process.

I'm just imaging what the entry process is like at Six Flags and hoping it isn't similar to that! The lines to get into Six Flags take forever.

In 2013 Six Flags Great America removed the old ticket booths and built a new building in its place to house metal detectors that it currently had right after the turnstile.

The blue line/debris represents where the ticket booths used to be installed. The line to get into the park was roughly that long. This change was made for 2 reasons, one it was thought that by moving the metal detectors before the turnstile that people would be able to enter the park quicker as that was where the bottleneck was. 2, the old ticket booths had lived passed their useful life.

This is an almost finished version of the main gate. Notice the flagpoles on the left hand side, that is now where its typical to see guests lining up waiting to get scanned and get into the park every park opening. All this did was move the line back further into the parking lot. The area inside the black gated area still can be a long line especially during park open especially with the new biometric scanning they do.

If Disney is going to mandate metal detectors they are going to need to do it either at bag check and create a further backup or have metal detectors in multiple places.....

1. The walkway from the MK to Contemporary to catch the walkers
2. The pathway from the busses to catch the bus folks.
3. In the TTC to catch people hoping on the monorails/boats
4. Right after the boat launches (there isn't much space there so the easiest thing would be and to make it a tad less costly manpower wise, all resort launches drop off near the unfinished walk around the world and pickup in their normal spots)
5. at the resorts before getting on the resort loop
6. Over at epcot, is going to be a bit of reconfiguring, those leaving epcot already were scanned gaining entry, but those going from parking lot to the monorail weren't so everyone parking their car at epcot will need to be scanned before being allowed to pass to bag check or go on to the monorail. (this way you don't get double scanned, once at epcot and once at MK)


Over at the IG they have enough space without creating too big of lines, just going to need more than 3 detectors....perhaps a stroller/ECV/bag free line too

at HS there is plenty of room
at AK there is room there too

 

[Jetta8300]

The existing disney security at the time *did* stop it. Pete has said for a long time on the podcast that bag check is not the "main" for of security, and i tend to agree. Bag check is what we see, but it is really more meant to slow us all down a bit so the unseen security can do their job...which is precisely what happened.


If anyone wanted to do something like that at Disney world, they wouldn't need to go through the metal detectors to do so, especially at choke points like on the photo posted. If they don't need to get past the metal detectors in the first place, then they aren't much of a deterrent...


On this I will just agree to disagree and leave it at that.

I can also tell you that when my husband has his gun on him, you cannot see it "sticking out" like this guys gun in his pants. They would not have stopped someone carrying correctly without a metal detector. And I do not think this guy would have been caught every time. Some checkers may not have been as vigilant.

 

[Alice Sr.]

There was a man who tried to get in with a gun a few weeks ago and almost succeeded. He had it in his pants. The security person noticed he was acting strange and called over more security, but who knows if all of the bag checkers would have been that vigilant. A metal detector would have stopped this.

I also feel that in general it acts as a deterrent. When people wanting to commit a terrorist attack would see security has been stepped up in general and they are really taking this seriously they may think twice. It can't hurt and can only help, therefore I'm all for it.

But as currently implemented there is no reason for a "terrorist" or "mentally ill person" to get in the park, there won't be a higher concentration of people inside the park than waiting to get in from the looks of the pics. I'm sure/hope they will get this turned around, like a previous poster mentioned new procedures often are not seamless. It just seems like the last few significant things Disney has rolled out (MB, FP+) have been pretty tough on the attendees (and CM's) early on. Obviously this has a higher significance to the the well being of the attendees than MB, or FP+ so I am disappointed that the consequences of these new procedures weren't anticipated and addressed better before hand. My DD and granddaughter are gong next week and those pics give me anxiety.