New Security Entrance

[Pluto468]

Sorry, that is before my time. Did he post a lot of pictures?

I'm a visual learner. When I look at Yelp, I immediately go to images and then, if I am interested, I read the reviews. I saw that people were confused with the new Pixar Place entrance, so I took pictures a few months ago. I think I posted them in the Pixar Place thread at the time. Same thing with the new DLH security entrance or Fantasmic. People seem stressed about those things so, when I am at the parks, I try to take pictures to help others visualize what it looks like.

I love your pictures. I'm a visual learner, too

 

[BriannaRuth]

Sorry, that is before my time. Did he post a lot of pictures?

I'm a visual learner. When I look at Yelp, I immediately go to images and then, if I am interested, I read the reviews. I saw that people were confused with the new Pixar Place entrance, so I took pictures a few months ago. I think I posted them in the Pixar Place thread at the time. Same thing with the new DLH security entrance or Fantasmic. People seem stressed about those things so, when I am at the parks, I try to take pictures to help others visualize what it looks like.

I misread your start date, I thought it was 2013!

He was just a super knowledgeable DL frequent flyer type who posted very frequently, lots of diagrams, maps, pictures. Seems like he always had a few pinned posts up at the top of the forum.

But yes, your photos are very helpful!

 

[BriannaRuth]

He and several others left for a group on a different social media format a while back, years now maybe, when there was a great purging of moderators and members. I read it sometimes, but I'm not a huge fan of the format for the new group. It reminds me too much of old message boards where it was difficult to find specific info or follow threads about a specific topic. The channels are way too broad.

Does he post as HydroGuy wherever he is now? The post I saw where he said he was leaving seemed to indicate he was done with Disney in general. I'm with you on the format of the other boards. I tried a few others recently but none of them are organized as well as this one and most didn't seem as active. I thought I was missing some other regulars as well, but he really stood out because he was quite prolific! I must have missed the drama if a bunch of people left at once.

 

[DizMe]

Does he post as HydroGuy wherever he is now? The post I saw where he said he was leaving seemed to indicate he was done with Disney in general. I'm with you on the format of the other boards. I tried a few others recently but none of them are organized as well as this one and most didn't seem as active. I thought I was missing some other regulars as well, but he really stood out because he was quite prolific! I must have missed the drama if a bunch of people left at once.

Same. There are several "old names" that I wonder about. A lot of knowledgeable posters have come and gone, sadly. It's also a little shocking to realize how long I've been active here, ha ha! I had little girls who were 2 or 3 when I joined and now they are 21.

 

[BriannaRuth]

Just thought I'd share my experiences last week with the new security entrance into DTD from the DLH.

We consistently arrived at the security entrance between 6:15 and 6:20 am and were pretty consistently about 10th-15th in line. This translated into being the second or third group in line once we got to the screeners once they opened at 7 (there were usually 4 lines open). By 6:30, however, the security line was very long.

There is only one main security line at that time of the morning, and it goes from the security area parallel to the Adventure Tower of the DLH, with the end of the line being towards the old security area (where the big sorcerer's hat is). On two mornings, groups coming in from the other direction attempted to form a second line going the other way back towards the parking lot. They were told they had to go to the end of the other line once the staff showed up.

There were always other people already in DTD by the time we got further in. Not sure where they were coming from, but it didn't make a huge difference by the time we arrived at the gates. The closest we were to the front at the gates was the second group, and I think the furthest was maybe 5th.

Going back to the parks later in the day, the lines really varied a lot. One day I went back in around 5 and there was hardly any line, but by the time my husband went back in 20 minutes later, there was a very long line. I think it's just luck.

Several times we decided to walk around to the GCH/Pixar entrances when the lines were long midday, and either entered through the GCH DTD entrance or their DCA entrances. That seemed to save some time most of the time, but there was one time when it definitely did not.

 

[TinkAgainU]

We spent three days at the Villas at the Disneyland Hotel last week and rope dropped three consecutive mornings. I found the exit entrance between Adventure and Frontier Towers to be the most direct route to the new Downtown Disney Security entrance.
View attachment 872786
You walk out the gate, across the road and there is the entrance. Very convenient.

Do you need a room key to get OUT that gate towards the new security area? We're having dinner with family at Palm Breeze, then walking back to the Park (we won't have room keys). Fewer steps will be appreciated by then lol

 

[LKing]

Do you need a room key to get OUT that gate towards the new security area? We're having dinner with family at Palm Breeze, then walking back to the Park (we won't have room keys). Fewer steps will be appreciated by then lol

You don't need keys to get in or out of the public areas of the hotel. As non hotel guests, we shop in the stores, eat at the restaurants, etc. without keys.

 

[TinkAgainU]

You don't need keys to get in or out of the public areas of the hotel. As non hotel guests, we shop in the stores, eat at the restaurants, etc. without keys.

I wondered if you need a key to exit the gate between Adventure and Frontier Towers towards Downtown Disney security. I know you need a room card to enter thru that gate.

 

[LKing]

I wondered if you need a key to exit the gate between Adventure and Frontier Towers towards Downtown Disney security. I know you need a room card to enter thru that gate.

I don't think fire code would allow them to lock people in. Exits should always be open without a key.

 

[TinkAgainU]

I don't think fire code would allow them to lock people in. Exits should always be open without a key.

Makes sense! I know the Grand Californian pedestrian gate to the street needs a key card to get in, but not to exit. Sorry to bother with such a simple question but I knew if we walked to that gate and it was locked (after doing a zillion steps already that day) I would get Very judgmental faces LMAO. Thanks!

 

[LKing]

Makes sense! I know the Grand Californian pedestrian gate to the street needs a key card to get in, but not to exit. Sorry to bother with such a simple question but I knew if we walked to that gate and it was locked (after doing a zillion steps already that day) I would get Very judgmental faces LMAO. Thanks!

It is a good question. When we ate at Palm Breeze, we exited by the sorcerer's hat. There is no gate there. When will you be at the DLH? I can check that exact gate the next time I am at the parks.

Most (all?) hotel gates look like this one from the Pixar Place DCA entrance.

 

[scjo68]

I just got back from DLH (first time in DLR) and the gate to get from between Frontier and Adventure towers to security looked just like the one above, that LKing posted. You definitely don't need a card to get out and security is right there on the other side. You do technically need a card to get back in, but honestly we didn't always need to use our key card because people always seemed to be going in and out and would hold the door open for others.

 

[BriannaRuth]

Can confirm this as well, no card needed to get out that gate, but you do need one to get in.

One comment I have about that gate is that it is NOT ECV/wheelchair friendly if you're by yourself, either from the inside or from the outside. You pretty much have to have someone with you or hope someone will come along and open it for you. It's too heavy to push open from an ECV and there's not a button or anything you can push. (There's room for a wheelchair/ECV, the gate is just too heavy to open.) However, it's fairly easy to go down to the hat, where there's not a gate. Same is true for the gate into the GCH and to the Pixar entrance to DCA from outside the GCH (although there, at least, there is a button you can push to call the guard at the gatehouse to come help).

 

[Curiousporpoise]

We just got back from a week at the Disneyland hotel and the security lines were crazy at all hours. We always stay a the DLH and have never had any issues with security in the past.

As previous posters mentioned, the lines are long and move slowly while you’re waiting in the hot sun. I’m not sure how they schedule things as sometimes there will be 2 lines open and sometimes 8 lines open. Security officers were very nice and apologetic about the wait. It’s like Disney is trying to time guest entrances and failing. I think we’re going to take a break from Disneyland as the lines everywhere are ridiculous. I get that it’s summer, but they are packing the parks to capacity and for the first time it felt really uncomfortable.

 

[LKing]

We just got back from a week at the Disneyland hotel and the security lines were crazy at all hours. We always stay a the DLH and have never had any issues with security in the past.

As previous posters mentioned, the lines are long and move slowly while you’re waiting in the hot sun. I’m not sure how they schedule things as sometimes there will be 2 lines open and sometimes 8 lines open. Security officers were very nice and apologetic about the wait. It’s like Disney is trying to time guest entrances and failing. I think we’re going to take a break from Disneyland as the lines everywhere are ridiculous. I get that it’s summer, but they are packing the parks to capacity and for the first time it felt really uncomfortable.

That's super interesting. What days of the week were you there?

People in the July thread seem to think that is is glorious this time of year. I'm a MK holder and I feel that it is a lot less crowded now than it is once the holiday season starts at the end of August, or during Lunar New Year in February.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

That's super interesting. What days of the week were you there?

People in the July thread seem to think that is is glorious this time of year. I'm a MK holder and I feel that it is a lot less crowded now than it is once the holiday season starts at the end of August, or during Lunar New Year in February.

I think they were talking about the lines to get into DTD from the hotel

Also while its been good on weekends....some weekdays have been packed the last two weeks

 

[Wesley815]

I’m not sure how they schedule things as sometimes there will be 2 lines open and sometimes 8 lines open.

This seems to be the biggest issue with Security setup. It literally has nothing to do with how busy actual parks are, yet massive lines at check point if low staffing.

I'm sure Disney is well aware and maybe doesn't care or is doing it on purpose. To me it seems risky to have large groups of [unscreened] guests like that if they're truly trying to prevent issues although I guess same could be said for TSA at airports.

 

[LKing]

I think they were talking about the lines to get into DTD from the hotel

Also while its been good on weekends....some weekdays have been packed the last two weeks

I was referring to their statement, "I get that it’s summer, but they are packing the parks to capacity and for the first time it felt really uncomfortable." I don't feel like the parks are anywhere close to capacity. That's why I asked which days they were in the parks.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

I was referring to their statement, "I get that it’s summer, but they are packing the parks to capacity and for the first time it felt really uncomfortable." I don't feel like the parks are anywhere close to capacity. That's why I asked which days they were in the parks.

Like i said if it was a weekday int he past two weeks, then that would be my guess.

Disneyland is really kinda different day to day now, Freshbaked films on Fridays and thinks every day is that "slow" but Mondays are pretty much the busiest days of the week

So it can be hit or miss and also depend on what time it is even, DCA gets packed in the afternoon but most morning many rides are walk ons until people can park hop

 

[LKing]

Like i said if it was a weekday int he past two weeks, then that would be my guess.

Disneyland is really kinda different day to day now, Freshbaked films on Fridays and thinks every day is that "slow" but Mondays are pretty much the busiest days of the week

So it can be hit or miss and also depend on what time it is even, DCA gets packed in the afternoon but most morning many rides are walk ons until people can park hop

Yes, I understand that crowds are variable which is why I asked which days they are referring to. FreshBaked is there several days a week. I see him often. He was most certainly in the park at rope drop on Monday this week as he was covering the opening of HMH. He was also in the parks the weekend before, hoping for a HMH soft opening.

@Curiousporpoise said, "We just got back from a week at the Disneyland hotel and the security lines were crazy at all hours." I'm not doubting their experience, I'm just surprised because that isn't what I have experienced or what I have heard from others. Certainly there are times when the lines are longer or slower, but being bad at all hours for a full week seems unusual.