park entrance security procedures

[CapeCod53]

Our last trip to wdw was in August 2001. I understand that there is now some type of search before you enter the parks. We have flown several times since 9/11 including to & within Europe, so I'm familiar with airport security. Is this search like airport security or just a simple glance through your bag? How long does it take to actually get into the park now? I also understand that there is some personal info on the park pass now as wellThis will be our 8th trip, but it feels like a totally new experience. Thanks

 

[Bob P]

It's a simple glance through your bag.

How much it holds up the line really depends on the size of the crowd when you get to the gate.

Bob

 

[Splash Mountain Fan]

Yes along with feeding your ticket at the gate, the machine will scan your index and middle fingers. This process is supposedly for ticket identification purposes only. This topic has been highly debated.

 

[grimley1968]

The finger scan is very problematic, and didn't work for us about half the time. It made no difference, though. They still let us in. The real security is the bag and coat check before the ticketing booths. I've found this to usually be very fast. There's also a separate booth you can go by if you have no bags and you just breeze to the ticketing lines.

Hint: if you can bring along clear, or mesh-y bags where you can see all the contents inside easily, that'll make your path that much faster.

Another hint: if you have stuff in the back of a stroller, they'll want to see all that. So try to have it all out and in the open so you can keep strolling.

 

[RVGal]

Our last trip was with a big group of people, including our 4 year old and 6 month old. Needless to say, we had a stroller, diaper bag, fanny packs... you name it. It never took us more than 5 - 10 minutes to get through the bag check area. Learn the routine and it goes much faster.

ALL bags have to be checked, it doesn't matter if they are shopping bags, fanny packs (waist pouches), whatever. They can't check through them if they are ON you or IN a stroller... so take off the fanny pack, unzip all the compartments and set it on the table... take the diaper bag out of the stroller, unzip all the compartments and set it on the table... take the shopping bag from the last park you visited and set it on the table... etc.

The longest part of the wait is always for the folks that haven't been listening to the shouted instructions and walk up to security with a backpack still on their shoulder or a fanny pack still on their waist... and you have to wait while they get the stuff off and open for them to glance inside. It isn't an invasive search, just a quick peek... so have the stuff ready and you should sail right through!

 

[wdwoldtimer]

It's just a simple poke around in your bags/purses and a look in the stroller pouches sometimes. But just to be on the safe side, you might want to be wearing clean underwear in case they decide to strip search you.

 

[CapeCod53]

thanks for the info. luckily our youngest will be 16, so no strollers. This will be a family trip around Thanksgiving. myself, my sister, my brother & wife in our 40's & 50's, my parents 76, & 7 "kids" 16 - 25, 6 of them boys. So if the guys just have a wallet in their pants pocket, they will avoid the bag check line?

 

[wdwoldtimer]

Yep, if a person has no bag, fanny pack or anything like that, they can skip the inspection tables and just walk past security to the turnstiles.

 

[snowbunny]

It's a joke as far as actual security goes. About as effective as picking the mom with two kids for an extra-thorough-super TSA search (yes I always get picked for the full deal).

Some nice retirees sort of glance through your stuff. That's it.

 

[grimley1968]

It's a joke as far as actual security goes. About as effective as picking the mom with two kids for an extra-thorough-super TSA search (yes I always get picked for the full deal).

Some nice retirees sort of glance through your stuff. That's it.

I tend to disagree with this. I find the searches to be pretty thorough, actually. Now if you're super-clever about sneaking something in, you could probably get away with it. But I think they'd find any traditional types of weapons anyone might be trying to haul in their bags.

And I also disagree that it's just "nice retirees" looking through your stuff. I find the people to certainly be nice, but they also seem to be professionals at what they do, and I've them found them to be of mostly a younger-than-typical-retiree age group. I'm not sure I've seen one person who was obviously retired from some other job doing this at WDW.

 

[mickeymousemom]

I actually found a see thru backpack that I take with me in the parks all the time. If you need to take a bag, this works well. I don't have to unzip anything and I've had numerous security guys tell me that they liked my bag. I have a 2yo so its hard to go into the parks with no bag, and this one works fine. I get thru pretty quickly with this.

 

[loafskier]

As previously mentioned, only people with bag (s) need to go through this check. One person can walk ahead to the bag check and the rest of the party can go straight to the turnstiles. This is especially helpful if there are small children in the party. One person can help get the kids through the turnstile while the other goes through the bag check.

The bag check is quick but this probably saved us a few minutes each day.

 

[DebbieB]

I tend to disagree with this. I find the searches to be pretty thorough, actually. Now if you're super-clever about sneaking something in, you could probably get away with it. But I think they'd find any traditional types of weapons anyone might be trying to haul in their bags.

And I also disagree that it's just "nice retirees" looking through your stuff. I find the people to certainly be nice, but they also seem to be professionals at what they do, and I've them found them to be of mostly a younger-than-typical-retiree age group. I'm not sure I've seen one person who was obviously retired from some other job doing this at WDW.

You don't need to be super clever. If you don't have a bag, you could be wearing a jacket with anything underneath and walk right past the bag check. Even if you do have a bag, they don't check what is on your person. I don't think I have ever had what I would call a "thorough check".

 

[grimley1968]

You don't need to be super clever. If you don't have a bag, you could be wearing a jacket with anything underneath and walk right past the bag check. Even if you do have a bag, they don't check what is on your person. I don't think I have ever had what I would call a "thorough check".

When we've worn jackets on a couple of cooler nights last October, they made us either remove them for security or hold them open for them.

 

[MOmousefan]

I also learned never to get behind a mom who has three kids with one in a stroller. She apparently didn't hear the instructions regarding having your bags ready, so we waited while she opened three separate bags for inspection. All the while her two oldest were ready to see Mickey and let everyone know it. I was ready to add my voice the that of the kids, but my daughters wouldn't allow it.

 

[mickeymousemom]

I think it depends on the "checkers" as to how thorough of a check you get. We've never had a very thorough check. Sometimes they look under my stroller, other times they completely ignore it. They do however, make sure ALL the compartments are unfastened on any bag you bring thru. They always seem pretty thorough in this regard, but after it seems they don't look too closely inside the bag. I love the clear backpack I have because they pick it up, turn it arund once and I'm through. Easy. Though most of the time they don't check as well as one might think, I do feel safer knowing they do it. It may be an inconvenience, but its only a minor one and only takes a couple extra minutes.

 

[SammieG]

sorry, but the security checks are a joke! they glance in, and then send you on your way.
Most times they dont check the bottom of the stroller. There have been times I wanted to ask them to check, just so I knew they were doing it properly.

A good friend of ours takes in a knife with him to the parks.. a utility type knife. SURELY that is the kind of thing that needs to be picked up in the security check? Not suggesting that he is taking it in for any purpose other than a useful one. In fact we have found it to be very useful in the past when opening packing on toys etc!!
Still, I remember thinking.. and THIS got through security!!?

 

[profdsny]

It's a joke as far as actual security goes. About as effective as picking the mom with two kids for an extra-thorough-super TSA search (yes I always get picked for the full deal).

Some nice retirees sort of glance through your stuff. That's it.

So true. And absolutly useless. Serves no purpose other than for them to say if anything happens that it wasn't there fault, they did the best they could. Therefore, they can't be sued.

 

[aterriq]

Can you imagine the comments if Disney took 20 minutes to ensure they did a through check of each person.

 

[grimley1968]

sorry, but the security checks are a joke! they glance in, and then send you on your way.
Most times they dont check the bottom of the stroller. There have been times I wanted to ask them to check, just so I knew they were doing it properly.

A good friend of ours takes in a knife with him to the parks.. a utility type knife. SURELY that is the kind of thing that needs to be picked up in the security check? Not suggesting that he is taking it in for any purpose other than a useful one. In fact we have found it to be very useful in the past when opening packing on toys etc!!
Still, I remember thinking.. and THIS got through security!!?

The airlines are beginning to allow things like scissors, etc. on their planes again, so I'm not sure why a knife inside WDW is that big a concern. I think they're checking more for the kinds of things that would be a danger to multiple people, and a utility knife just doesn't fit that bill.

If they're going to be checking every single guest for knives, suspicious chemicals in vials, etc., can you imagine how long it would take to get in those parks?

We've never been by the counter when they did not check the bottom of our stroller, but that's just my experience.

For one, I actually do feel safer that they do these checks, albeit rudimentary. The alternatives are either no checks at all, or a very thorough check that would be crippling to park attendance. Metal detectors would be great, but you know they'd raise the ticket prices once those are installed.