Finger scan...

[stan1162]

On our recent trip to WDW (march 7-13) we purchased Park Hopper tickets. Since my last trip, the "finger scan" thingy was new. I had heard of it, but not personally had to use it.

Well, we had to scan our fingers the first day of use... Guess that's normal??

But, here is the question. Just for a test, since there were 5 of us, and DH was mainly the "holder of the tix" he would just pass them out in the am while we were entering the park. We ALL knew which ticket we used that first day, but he never intentionally handed back that particular ticket to that particular person. For example, if I used Mickey Mouse that first day, I could have used Donald or Pluto etc.. Never mattered.

So 1. What's the point of the finger scan.

2. THey say they are non-transferrable (grandparent to grandchild) BECAUSE of the finger scan. Is that just a "scare" tactic?

 

[vicki_c]

Reputable sources have said that when tickets are purchased together at one time, they are somehow tagged to be interchangeable to that level. In other words, anyone from that group can use the tickets and the finger scan won't be rejected. But if you gave your ticket to some random stranger behind you, it wouldn't work with their finger scan.

Excuse my non-technical explanation - I don't know exactly how it works, of course!

 

[Lynne M]

Reputable sources have said that when tickets are purchased together at one time, they are somehow tagged to be interchangeable to that level. In other words, anyone from that group can use the tickets and the finger scan won't be rejected. But if you gave your ticket to some random stranger behind you, it wouldn't work with their finger scan.

Excuse my non-technical explanation - I don't know exactly how it works, of course!

I've heard that same explanation as well. Your tickets may work interchangeably because they were all bought at the same time, but if you try to give one of your partially used tickets to a family or friend who wasn't with you on that trip, they wont' work.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Exactly, all 5 tickets are linked together and to all 5 finger scans. The computer will accept any of the 5 fingers with any of the 5 tickets. But it won't accept a random stranger's finger scan with one of your tickets or vice versa.

 

[Robo]

Also-
There are times when the CM's can turn OFF the scanner.
It appears that the unit is scanning, but it just
passes everyone thru who inserts a valid park ticket.

 

[thebells_Dallas]

i remember in 2007 that all of our tickets/cards had our names on them, even for my at the time 5 year old daughter. i guess that is only when you are staying on property, but i dont remember the original poster saying that they were or were not on property.

 

[Robo]

i remember in 2007 that all of our tickets/cards had our names on them, even for my at the time 5 year old daughter. i guess that is only when you are staying on property...

That's only because the tickets are also the resort room key-cards.

 

[stan1162]

Hmmm....

OP here. I am not sure I believe the answer.

When were entering the parks, we were not all grouped together. At MGM, I was making dinner reservations at guest services, and when I got thru, I met up with my party at RNR.

Another time DH ran back to the car for sunglasses....and then met us.

Someone else could have been using his or my ticket. No second scan ever.

 

[vicki_c]

The answer did NOT mean you all have to enter the park together, whether it was the 1st time or any later time. It's not about when you USED the tickets (together or not), but the fact that you purchased them in a group. That's when the "connecting" of the ticket group is done.

Now when you say - "no second scan" - if you mean they never made you scan your finger again, sometimes that happens, especially if it's crowded.

But you're free to believe whatever you want.

 

[TillyMarigold]

Well, of course, if you want to risk having your tickets confiscated altogether, you're welcome to switch with a random stranger and see what happens ...

But I don't see how it's relevant whether you were together or not. The computer knows which 5 tickets go together and is supposed to allow any of the 5 people who first activate those tickets to later get into the parks using any of the tickets. As long as each of you used a different ticket the first time each of you entered, I don't see how it's relevant whether you were together or not.

 

[Photoguy]

The reason for the finger scan became apparent to us on our last trip in May 2008. On our way back home, inside the Orlando Airport, a man approached us with a story. He said his niece or someone other relation was coming to stay with him for a few days and he asked if he could have our expiring tickets so he could extend them at the parks and get his niece and her friends in for almost free. Well we smelled scam all over it and told him no. But boy what a scam! Now you know where all the REALLY cheap park tickets come from and why they may not work once you get to the parks. I'm sure the finger scanning is to discourage people from buying bootleg tickets. I mean this guy wouldn't even have to work a regular job! Just hang out in the airport and take expiring tickets from departing tourists (it's not like we're hard to spot with all the Disney bags in our hands) and scalp them for anything less than the official asking price!

 

[Diznotyzed]

On two different occasions my husband and I had each others tickets - once with APs and once with MYW tickets. Both times we were denied entry until we quickly (still at orig turnstile) realized the mix-up and switched back. This happened once at Epcot and once at AK.

 

[stan1162]

How does Disney know if I've purchased them in a "group", if I didnt get them directly through Disney?

It's not that I dont "believe" it or not. It just doesnt make sense. How does Disney know in what groups (group of 5 or 4 plus one) I bought them in, if I bought them from undercovertourist?

 

[doconeill]

How does Disney know if I've purchased them in a "group", if I didnt get them directly through Disney?

It's not that I dont "believe" it or not. It just doesnt make sense. How does Disney know in what groups (group of 5 or 4 plus one) I bought them in, if I bought them from undercovertourist?

Because UT (like any other proper Disney ticket outlet) notifies Disney that the tickets were sold and what the ticket IDs are. Disney even knows exactly how much UT sold them for.

 

[stan1162]

Well that explains it. Thank you.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The finger scans are used to tie a person to a particular ticket. This will work to prevent people switching or selling tickets. It also eliminates the need for hand stamps for reentry to a park or hopping between parks.

First of all, Child (Age 3-9) and certain other tickets, such as the YES Program, do not take scans and will unlock the turnstile if they are valid for the park.

The first time a ticket is used it will read the fingerprint and select an area about 1/4 inch by 1/8 inch and analyze that area.

It will then apply a mathematical algorithm to that reading, convert it to a numeric string, and store that string of numbers tied to the serial number of the ticket in the Automated Ticketing System (ATS) computer.

On subsequent entries ATS will look for that particular string on the ticket. If it finds it, the turnstile will unlock and a green light will come on.

If ATS cannot find that string, a message will show up of "identification fails". At that point the greeter will have several options; one of these is to tell ATS to replace the numeric string tied to the ticket with a new once based on the most recent scan.

If MYW tickets were purchased at WDW directly from ATS in one transaction they may be linked together, in which case the people can switch the tickets, but don’t count on this working.

And there are times when the lines are very long and management may decide to turn off the scanners for a while, in which case as long as the ticket is valid for that park it will be accepted without a scan.

If a person does not want to have their finger scanned, as an alternative they may present a photo ID where the name matches the name printed on the ticket. If it is a Florida Resident Ticket or an Annual Pass the name will automatically be printed on the ticket. If the name is not preprinted on the ticket, the ticket owner should print their name (in ink) legibly in the space provided on the ticket.

Note that this is not a full fingerprint record, and the partial print still has about a one in a thousand chance of being duplicated.

 

[disney4us2002]

So after that very long explanation, I'm still unsure whether the tickets are tied to one person. I, as the parent, PAID for 4 multi-day tickets. Are you saying that if those tickets have days left, the only person who can use them is the original user? I cannot bring those tickets with remaining days that I purchased and use them myself? That seems so wrong to me.

 

[Robo]

So after that very long explanation, I'm still unsure whether the tickets are tied to one person.

By Florida state law and by Disney rules, each used ticket is, in fact, tied to one person.

What you choose to do is up to you.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

All Disney tickets, other than those on the KTTW, have the following in red on them:

Nontransferable Revocable Void if Altered

That should be some sort of hint.

 

[goofyernmost]

Just in case you think that they never pay attention...I was in line waiting to get into Epcot last March. There was a couple with a kid about 10 or so years old. They hadn't bothered with keeping the tickets with the person that first used them. The tickets were rejected. Since the people didn't know which one was used by whom, they had to use the process of elimination to make it work. Once they sorted it out and everyone's ticket matched their finger scan, the CM gave them a marker and they wrote each name on the ticket, then they got in.

They may not always watch closely, but rest assured they sometimes do. It really isn't worth trying to "outsmart" the system. One might get away with it, but I can vouch for the fact that it does indeed work. Pretty impressive.