"Security" Checks at the Gates Still Ongoing?

[TreeOfLife]

Barely twenty days to go and I wonder if they still have CMs looking into people's bags at the gates holding the lines? How long, on average, does it take to go through in the mornings and evenings?

Personally I've always considered them a fiasco, but I just want to know if they are still ongoing...

 

[cleo]

Yes, they are still ongoing. I would expect they will be there for quite some time, and would speculate there will be security checks of some sort from now on.

They really don't take that long, considering the number of people that pass through the gates. If you do not carry a bag of any sort, you can bypass them altogether.

 

[KathyFP]

I agree, most people approach the check with their bags open and security is quick.

 

[tebright]

I know they will check backpacks but do they check waist bags also? I just want to make sure we get in the right line.

 

[CarnotaurDad]

The corporate stance is that they check all bags.....

However, we found that it was definitely at the discretion of the individual security person.

For example, we have a camera bag with a digital camera that I wear on my shoulder. Some security people would want me to unzip it and some didn't care.

To be on the safe side, if you have anything with a zipper, go to the security line. It is surprisingly quick to get through the security checks.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by tebright
I know they will check backpacks but do they check waist bags also? I just want to make sure we get in the right line.

The lines are quite simple. If you have nothing to check, you walk through the line that states that. If you have anything that you carry anything in, it has to be checked, that includes waist bags, pocket books, camera bags, diaper bags, etc.

 

[smjj]

On about or third day we went to EPCOT. The security line was almost backed up to the exit from the Momorail!! It took us almost 30 minutes to go thru. The reason, they had just three people checking bags at one station at this time. Why I don't know. People were getting real upset and I mean MAD. Why they just had the one check point I do not know. It is true if you do not have a bag you can just go thru but come on how many people don't have a camera or a bag of some sort, bad people can hide a lot on there bodies. It was after that that I realized these so called check point were an insurance liability issue and no more...smjj

 

[CarolA]

I think these checks work the same way I think airport checks work.

Random security actually discourages people from doing things. If you do NOTHING then why not try something stupid. If you do checks it will make your casual idiot think at least twice about trying things.

The other thing is I have spoken to some of the guys and gals at the checkpoints about their backgrounds. I believe a lot of them are former Police officers who kind of develop a sixth sense. I have seen them tear thru some peoples stuff like they were really serachring and just give the next person a casual glance, but if you were up to something you just never know.

Whining about it will do nothing. Now I agree the day where only three stations were open was bad and I would complain about that.

 

[rangebob]

EPCOT seems to be the exception to the fast rule. I go over there often and they are always backed up. It isn't the security's fault it is the tifcket takers or the machines there. The turnstiles might be having a problem reading the tickets half the time and I know sometimes they have to bypass my annual pass to let me in.

 

[TreeOfLife]

I think these checks work the same way I think airport checks work.

OOOh, no At least security staff at the airports have been trained to recognize suspicious objects, and screen the monitors. And still...

I don't think having been a cop prepared any CM to find a bomb in a sneaker, risin in an umbrella or anthrax in an envelope.

It was after that that I realized these so called check point were an insurance liability issue and no more...smjj

Figures... But I wonder how effective their defense would be if Joe Schmoe misses a polluting bug hidden in a Tampax

Whining about it will do nothing.

Hum... : Whining got us ee mornings back!

 

[jeankeri]

What time do they start checking bags? Is it so many minutes before opening, or right on the dot?

 

[Ronda93]

Yes, the feel-good fiasco continues. If it's cool and you have a suitable jacket with lots of pockets, use it in place of a bag. Cargo shorts are good for smuggling all manner of contraband. You'll trot right through.

Epcot stinks because the bag check is right in front of the turnstiles. All the other locations the bag check has moved far in front of the turnstiles. You can get your stuff back together before digging out your park passes.

If you put your stuff up on the table with the zipper open they look, some more thorough than others. If you act inconvenienced and 'forget' about your waist pack they will look through every zipper. The stuff crammed in the bottom of the stroller - pull it out, too.

We've been five times since 9/11. At first they couldn't touch your stuff, litterally, they'd used sticks or flashlights to move stuff around while looking. This last trip they handled the bags a lot more. Don't know what the change was.

I think the security checks are either a liability limiter or a soothing balm. They are not enhancing security IMO.

 

[disrailfan]

I would expect that with the way things are in the world that the security checks are going to be a permanent thing. After all they have now pu in permanent security check points (awnings). I think it will be something that we all will just have to get used to and live with. Guess it is just one of those things that we have to live with to make our society a safer place.

 

[JJS2K3]

Just the fact that checks are there, however incomplete or spotty, are a deterrent. I carry my keys on a swiss army knife and now have to remember to leave it in the car. The thing about preventitive security is that you don't know when it works

There is just no way to prevent everything. But that doesn't make the things that are done a fiasco or simply feel-good measures.

Could it be done better, more efficiently? I'm sure that's so and security measures will probably evolve as time goes on.

 

[doombuggy]

I agree with the previous poster. The security checks are here to stay. I know it's a hassle, but it's a fact of life now. I share season tickets for the Phils. Flyers (NHL), and not only to the check your bags, but you get wanded now as well.

Grin and bear it! If you have bags that need to be checked, get there a little early!

 

[Ronda93]

Has anyone been turned back by security? What did you/they have? I don't think I've ever seen a list of banned things, just a warning that they will check the bags.

I did have one of the guards point at my nail file in September 2001 and tell me to leave it at home next time.

The flow around the checks has improved tremendously since late 2001. They're getting much better at it.

 

[Talking Hands]

Want to hear a laugh. They check my backpack and purse but never seem to check the bag that hangs on the side of my wheelchair armrest or the pocket on the back of my wheelchair. And frequently they just wave me through. Women seem more thorough than the men.

 

[TreeOfLife]

I think they should be advertised as part of the fansasy. It is when some guests feel a sense of security from those searches that the process becomes hillarious

So that is how I'll handle it in our next trip : "I't all make believe..."

 

[DebbieB]

One time someone in front of me had a swiss army knife. The security person said it was a little large and to leave it in the room next time! I do agree that it's really a fantasy. Anyone without bags walks right through. If someone was really going to do something they could tape it under their clothes or jacket or shove it in their pocket. At my local amusement park (Kennywood) they have a metal detector right after you pass through the turnstile. If it doesn't go off, you might not even notice it there. If it does go off, they pull you over to the side for a check.

 

[jaysue]

I find the biometrics for our AP's and others take longer then the security check part