Hand Stamping Q

[Oh Kay!]

Sorry if this question has been answered before; the search function is down.

We've used UPH on our previous trips and never bothered with hand stamping. We are thinking of buying 5-day PHs for the upcoming trip. Do we have to get our hands stamped with PHs?

Thanks in advance.

Kay

 

[CarolA]

Yes,
Technically you should have gotten them for the UPH. I have seen at least one instance where the CM at the gate was really giving a guest a hard time since they did not have a hand stamp.

 

[Cookie55]

This is an interesting question as I have always wondered why hand stamping is necessary with an UPH. Can anyone explain why?

 

[PammyK]

Originally posted by Cookie55
This is an interesting question as I have always wondered why hand stamping is necessary with an UPH. Can anyone explain why?

Because a UPH could be given to someone other than the person who originally used it - UPH does not use the biometric scan like an AP/PAP so the only way of confirming that the person who is using the pass now is the same person who used it before is by checking the handstamp. Of course, you could mix up your passes among your family but the handstamp still shows that YOU have already used a pass to visit one of the parks that day. They may not look like they are checking but they have the lights set up so they can see the handstamp as you go through.

The intention is to prevent Mom, Dad, Susie and Scooter from entering the park and then Mom leaving the park and giving 3 of the passes to Uncle Moe, Cousin Skeeter and Cousin Karen. Theoretically, Mom will have a handstamp in addition to her pass so she will be able to re-enter the park. But since Uncle and Cousins do not have handstamps, they can (and hopefully will) be refused admittance with the already used passes.

 

[Safari Steve]

The stamps are a backup in case the turnstile computers go down. If that happens, the ticket will be checked as well as the hand-stamp. Annual passes use photo ID to verify if the system goes down.
There are two common misconceptions about hand stamps:
1) you don't need them if you have a resort ID/park hopper.
2) you don't need your ticket if you got your hand stamped.
These are both patently FALSE. If you think you heard a CM tell you that, you didn't hear them properly. If you think you read it on a sign, you didn't read the whole sentence.

 

[Keebles]

Trust me...go with the hand stamp...I was one of the ones who got royally "chewed" by a CM for not getting my hand stamped (we weren't told about hand-stamping at check-in so I didn't know). Just to make an example out of me, the CM was yelling loud enough so everyone in line could hear. The jerk had me in tears by the time he got done with me so we just left and went back to the room for the night. I was almost too scared to go back but luckily that guy wasn't working the next morning. I truly wish I would have gotten his name.

 

[dmonroe]

I was wondering about this on our last trip. It was the first time we've ever had PH's (usually have UPH). Anyway, I asked every time we left a park if we needed hand stamps. Answers varied from yes to no to only if you plan on re-entering THIS park today. Very confusing! We always got a stamp anyway, even though they were never checked.

 

[Dznefreek]

When I was leaving MGM yesterday afternoon the CM at the gate was spieling to get a handstamp if you were planning to visit another park no matter what ticket you posessed.