Questions about biometrics

[DISFANSHAN]

I have seen this mentioned in a few threads, but am not really understanding it. Is this only for the Magic Your Way tickets? When does it go into effect?
I currently have a partially used 7-day hopper, will they make me give my fingerprint the next time I go to the parks?

Thanks for any info!

 

[BCV23]

It has been used for annual passes for some years. The first time you use your pass, the system somehow reads your fingers and should only admit you for any future use of the pass. We've had very few problems with ours. A couple of times they've become demagnetized and we've been issued new ones.

The rumors are that the new MYW passes will use the same technology.

 

[MelanieC]

We have used them for several years with annual passes. I thought a few years ago they had us scan our fingers when we got the passes, but this year we scanned our fingers for the first time the first time we went into a park.

This will cut down on people being able to sell unused park hoppers or sharing them with family members. I feel sorry for the poor unknowing people that buy them off EBAY and find out they can't use them once they are at WDW.

 

[DizBelle]

Please note that they do not take a fingerprint. They take a biometric scan of your fingers which takes physical measurements of your fingers and feeds them into a formula and determines a number which is attached to your pass - not necessarily unique but unique enough for this purpose.

I suppose if you got your AP, used it, went home, broke your fingers, let them heal, then went back, it may not work.

However, we have APs and just for kicks (under the watchful eye of a CM), DH scanned his fingers after I put my AP in and it worked. Our hands are nothing alike.

 

[SandrainNC]

We were there last week and they took our finger scan at Animal Kingdom with our 5 day hopper ticket. My brother-in-law asked what they were doing and they said they were testing out the new way to keep people from using each other's passes. So they are definitely working on it. Sandra

 

[meandtheguys2]

All right, so with biometric scanning, it will allow WDW to track their guest much more closely, also gathering more person information on them...right? Kind of creepy, if you ask me!

 

[BCV23]

I don't see how it will track you anymore than if you used a hopper in the past? The computer has some measurements of two of your fingers but that doesn't seem like very useful info other than for their id purposes.

The one thing I don't like about it is all the germs that can be passed along. But I wash my hands often at WDW and try to avoid touching any more surfaces than necessary. I also try not to think about it!

 

[meandtheguys2]

It seems, though, that when we got our AP's alot more info was taken, including our names and addresses. The new tracking system will at the least have to take our names. Not necessary with the park hoppers. They were much more anonymous. Of course, I could be wrong about all of this...I am new to conspiracy theories!

Oooooh! I forgot about that! We went through a ton of purell last January with our AP's.

 

[jgmklmhem]

Unless they start putting names on the Park Hoppers I don't see how it can't be cheated. The machines don't always work right. When we had our AP's last year I would say for me personally it would the biometric sensor would fail to recognize me 1 out of every 5 times. Maybe my fingers are weird...but after showing and ID corresponding to the name on my AP they would just rescan my fingers. So unless they put names on the Park Hoppers how do they know it isn't their machine that is screwing up?

 

[DizBelle]

I remember in 1995 we got park hoppers and they put our photo on them.

 

[lllovell]

Unless they start putting names on the Park Hoppers I don't see how it can't be cheated. The machines don't always work right. When we had our AP's last year I would say for me personally it would the biometric sensor would fail to recognize me 1 out of every 5 times. Maybe my fingers are weird...but after showing and ID corresponding to the name on my AP they would just rescan my fingers. So unless they put names on the Park Hoppers how do they know it isn't their machine that is screwing up?

Honestly, I have only had my AP work maybe 2 times out of my last 15 trips to WDW. They never even check my id, they just punch some buttons and motion me on through (typically I am with a child that does not require a scan). I have even replaced it twice trying to get it fixed, but nothing works. I wear a rind on my right hand on my middle finger that is between my first and 2nd knuckles and I think it messes with my scan. Not sure.

Either way, its not a big deal as I see it. The rules have always said that even traditional hoppers are not supposed to be transferrable.

 

[BCV23]

[QUOTEIt seems, though, that when we got our AP's alot more info was taken, including our names and addresses. The new tracking system will at the least have to take our names. Not necessary with the park hoppers. They were much more anonymous. Of course, I could be wrong about all of this...I am new to conspiracy theories![/QUOTE]



That is true though. Name, address, maybe even birthday??? for APs.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Mine never worked either. Or my moms!

Switching/sharing tickets isn't my issue. They will now be able to track that I , Jane Doe, go to the park every year and spend five days...etc. It seems to me that it becomes a huge marketing ploy if they also take adresses etc when "activating." It just bugs me when businesses do that. Kind of like Disney wanting the birtdate of my children when we stayed on-site last time. It is NOTB IMO!

 

[SnackyStacky]

Mine never worked either. Or my moms!

Switching/sharing tickets isn't my issue. They will now be able to track that I , Jane Doe, go to the park every year and spend five days...etc. It seems to me that it becomes a huge marketing ploy if they also take adresses etc when "activating." It just bugs me when businesses do that. Kind of like Disney wanting the birtdate of my children when we stayed on-site last time. It is NOTB IMO!

If you've stayed in a Disney resort, or bought tickets from Disney, they already have that information.

Really - the biometrics are not a tracking device for marketing purposes. They are used to tie you to your ticket, and nothing more.

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Edit: Information contained in my original post may have been inaccurate. As a CM, I don't want to spread misinformation, so the text has been removed.

 

[DawnM]

I don't understand why they don't just give you a laminated photo AP like Disneyland does. It seems to work better (IMHO). DH and I have switched APs several times. He is 12 in. taller than I am and his hands are completely different and the scanner worked for either of us on the same ticket.

We just moved from CA this past year.

Dawn