how does onsite early entrance to IoA work?

[disneyholic family]

when you stay onsite, you are able to enter IoA an hour early, specifically to visit the WWoHP section of the park.

How does it work?

You come to the main entrance of IoA and then show your key?

Does each person have to carry their own key?
There will be 5 of us in the room - does each person have to carry their own key?

is there a separate line for onsite guests since i assume there are already general public people who are at the entrance at that time...

 

[tinydancer09]

Yes each person has to have either own key to get in. We had to stand in line at the turnstiles with our park ticket and hotel key. If you didn't have your key you got turned away. If the general public is already out there they just have to stand back a bit. We went during september so not that many people were there. There might be more crowd control on other days

 

[nytimez]

when you stay onsite, you are able to enter IoA an hour early, specifically to visit the WWoHP section of the park.

How does it work?

You come to the main entrance of IoA and then show your key?

Does each person have to carry their own key?
There will be 5 of us in the room - does each person have to carry their own key?

is there a separate line for onsite guests since i assume there are already general public people who are at the entrance at that time...

yes to all except the separate line -- there's a barrier and keycard check, so only on-site guests can get to the turnstiles where the lines form. At least, that's how it was a few months ago.

Ideally, get there 30-60 minutes before the early opening. .

 

[Disfamplan]

They checked your room keys at the turnstiles. Then they have employees at various places directing people through Suess Landing and Lost continent area back to WWoHP.
They are also using scanners to scan your room keys for the FOTL perk.

 

[Unca_Scrooge]

You'll all want to wear your room keys around your neck.

I just got back last week, and there was no line at all for Potter Land since it opens an hour early for resort guests. You can just walk on to the rides.

 

[Princess Sleepy]

We are staying at the Doubletree which also has extra hour privileges. Do those keys work the same way?

Also, I assume that is for the adults only. My 5 yo won't have her own key.

 

[tinydancer09]

We are staying at the Doubletree which also has extra hour privileges. Do those keys work the same way?

Also, I assume that is for the adults only. My 5 yo won't have her own key.

You should have your breakfast tickets or tickets for whatever package you booked.

 

[Princess Sleepy]

We booked through AAA so I assume we will get those tickets with the rest of our package. TY.

 

[disneyholic family]

We are staying at the Doubletree which also has extra hour privileges. Do those keys work the same way?

Also, I assume that is for the adults only. My 5 yo won't have her own key.

i didn't know there are offsite hotels with early entry privileges...
are there any other offsites besides the doubletree that offer early entry?

 

[Bluer101]

They are also using scanners to scan your room keys for the FOTL perk.

Is this something new? I have been so many times and they never swipe your room key for express. I know they scan for the purchased express pass to make sure it's only used once per attraction. I hope this is not true then we will have to keep removing our keys from our lanyard pouches, what a pain in the you know what.

 

[dfriia]

We are staying at the Doubletree which also has extra hour privileges. Do those keys work the same way?

Also, I assume that is for the adults only. My 5 yo won't have her own key.

We stayed at the 4 Points with the HP package. To enter the extra early hour, we had to show our park tickets that had some code printed on the back that allowed us early entry and showed we had purchased the special HP package.

 

[damo]

Is this something new? I have been so many times and they never swipe your room key for express. I know they scan for the purchased express pass to make sure it's only used once per attraction. I hope this is not true then we will have to keep removing our keys from our lanyard pouches, what a pain in the you know what.

We've had our room keys scanned tons of times.

 

[mesaboy2]

We've had our room keys scanned tons of times.

Same here. You could use lanyards with clear plastic pouches so they wouldn't have to be removed.

 

[Bluer101]

Same here. You could use lanyards with clear plastic pouches so they wouldn't have to be removed.

Thats what we use, so you now have to remove the key for the TM to scan the card? Normally they just look at the card to see if the dates are correct. I know they scan the purchased express passes.

 

[mesaboy2]

Thats what we use, so you now have to remove the key for the TM to scan the card? Normally they just look at the card to see if the dates are correct. I know they scan the purchased express passes.

They were able to scan mine right through the pouch, without removing the key.

 

[Bluer101]

They were able to scan mine right through the pouch, without removing the key.

So do the keys now have bar codes on them now? They used to have just the magnetic stripe on the back. When did this change? Have have not been since Dec. 09. We are talking about FOTL and not early entry, right? Sorry for all the questions. It seems real dumb now to use our plastic lanyards we bought at Universal years ago and the ones they still sell if every ride I'm going to remove the key.

 

[mesaboy2]

So do the keys now have bar codes on them now? They used to have just the magnetic stripe on the back. When did this change? Have have not been since Dec. 09. We are talking about FOTL and not early entry, right? Sorry for all the questions. It seems real dumb now to use our plastic lanyards we bought at Universal years ago and the ones they still sell if every ride I'm going to remove the key.

My room keys from July of last year have a magnetic stripe on the back, yes, but also on the front there is a bar code, along with name and dates of stay. I'm pretty sure they just scanned the bar code, but now you have me doubting. And I'm talking about Express not early entry.

 

[disneyholic family]

seems i need to buy lanyards for all of us...
probably a good thing to have at disney too - so that i have easy access to all the tickets to get our FPs...

hmmm....i wonder where i can buy some lanyards in advance and have them shipped to our hotel..

i live outside the US and have never seen anything like a lanyard where we are....so if i want it in advance, i'll have to see if i can buy online and ship to the hotel..

last year i bought a GPS device on amazon and had it delived to the pop century....it was waiting for me when i checked in...

 

[Bluer101]

My room keys from July of last year have a magnetic stripe on the back, yes, but also on the front there is a bar code, along with name and dates of stay. I'm pretty sure they just scanned the bar code, but now you have me doubting. And I'm talking about Express not early entry.

Every time we have been they scan nothing. You just hold up your key or lanyard, then they look at the key for the dates to make sure its valid. I would think having a TM scan every key would cause line backups. I have seen this happen with the bought express passes.

This would mean that the hotels system is now linked to the express pass hand held scanners. This will make it a real pain. I have all my room keys from past trips and non or them have barcodes on them. I hope your are wrong. Maybe someone else will chime in.

 

[Disfamplan]

It was like a gun scanner not a machine, so they could scan through the plastic. It really was still quite fast. And I was suprised by it at first because in the past we always just flashed our room keys as we ran by.

Oh and almost forgot, there is bar codes on my RPR room keys from my May 5-8 visit. I'm looking at the key right now. That is what the gun scanned.