Why can't the bar codes of our tickets be scanned when entering the parks?

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Last month when I went to Epcot for the 1st time for whatever reason my Annual Pass didn't work when I put in the ticket machine, so the Cast Member working at the entrance gate scanned the bar code of it on the back and I was able to enter. Now that got me wondering why can't the Cast Members scan our tickets like that all the time when entering the parks? Is it because of the finger scan or another reason? I would think it's a much faster process for getting guests into the parks, especially when we are there for the openings and major holidays.

 

[Ash&Wes07]

It's really not all that much faster. That is how Busch Gardens VA does tickets...scan and then finger scan. It takes just as long. You get the people with crumpled up passes or print-at-home tickets or a barcode that is faded and the turnstile worker has to plug the numbers in.

The more I think about it, I think it actually takes longer at BGVA to get through the gates than it does at WDW. I'll have to do a better comparison. We'll be at BGVA on Saturday and then in WDW at the end of the month.

 

[kirrrby]

I sometimes wonder the same thing. It would solve the problem of people entering it in the thing the wrong way and having to do it multiple times. Also it would solve the demagnetization problem, if you accidentally keep your card by your cellphone. I know a few cards don't have the barcode though, like the Military salute tickets just have the magnet strip.

 

[kirrrby]

It's really not all that much faster. That is how Busch Gardens VA does tickets...scan and then finger scan. It takes just as long. You get the people with crumpled up passes or print-at-home tickets or a barcode that is faded and the turnstile worker has to plug the numbers in.

The more I think about it, I think it actually takes longer at BGVA to get through the gates than it does at WDW. I'll have to do a better comparison. We'll be at BGVA on Saturday and then in WDW at the end of the month.

Busch Gardens has a horrible ticketing system. I worked there for 5 months and ended up moving. I would encounter people who had everything from fading to bite marks in their tickets (who chews on a paper ticket!). But the difference with WDW is the kttw cards are plastic (it would be different for the people who have single day tickets which are paper) but even so Disney could use the barcoding system, and print the single day tickets on recycled plastic thus saving money than using paper. If they were printed on plastic it would reduce the fading problem.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

At the current time it is faster to put the ticket in the slot. There are four magnetic readers, so it does not matter which way you put in the ticket. There are still a lot of tickets in use which do not have bar codes on them, including the Armed Forces Salute tickets sold at other than a Disney Ticket Window.

I know when I am working a turnstile, I will grab the ticket on the greeter side and use the bar code scanner.

At some time in the future they will have to convert FastPass machines to read bar codes. And after that project is complete they will probably replace the turnstile heads with ones that have bar code readers on the Guest side. But this is probably sill a few years away.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

At the current time it is faster to put the ticket in the slot. There are four magnetic readers, so it does not matter which way you put in the ticket. There are still a lot of tickets in use which do not have bar codes on them, including the Armed Forces Salute tickets sold at other than a Disney Ticket Window.

I know when I am working a turnstile, I will grab the ticket on the greeter side and use the bar code scanner.

At some time in the future they will have to convert FastPass machines to read bar codes. And after that project is complete they will probably replace the turnstile heads with ones that have bar code readers on the Guest side. But this is probably sill a few years away.

Thank you for your reply.

 

[RandFamily]

At Disneyland, they have hand held scanners that they point at the tickets instead of putting them through the slot. We were just there for a week in August, and went in and out of the parks many times. Without any doubt, this process was MUCH faster than the lines at WDW - especially because such a high percentage of the tickets at WDW are not read properly the first time. I really wish WDW would convert to the hand held scanners!

 

[chartle]

It would also require one CM per turnstyle instead of the one CM per I think two now doubling labor costs at the entrance.

 

[kirrrby]

They wouldnt have to put a CM on every turnstile just install barcode scanners on each existing turnstile. Although it's easier to counterfeit a barcode than a Magnetstrip could be the problem.

 

[Robo]

It would solve the problem of people entering it in the thing the wrong way and having to do it multiple times.

There is no "wrong way."

There are reader-heads that work for the card put in in any direction.

 

[goofy4tink]

Then again...if you put in scanners, what is to prevent pass transfer?? If I use my AP, but then allow my dd to use it on a subsequent trip (that I am not on), what is to prevent that??? Or, are you saying that the biometric would still be in place as well as the scanner??
I have found it's the biometrics that hold up the line more so than the actual passes.

 

[Cest_la_vie]

The mag reader is just as fast as a bar code reader. The problem is the finger print scanner. If that malfunctions then they have to repeat the process.

The biggest thing slowing down turnstiles is people who can't find their tickets, don't understand the directions, can't get the scanner to read their fingerprint. On the busiest days when the finger print scanners are turned off everything runs pretty fast.

 

[scrapquitler]

Some of us just have fingers that don't cooperate with the biometric scanners. I had a tremendous amount of trouble getting the scan to read my finger on our last trip. Then, I got a job where we have a biometric finger scan when we punch in on the time clock...and I have the same trouble with the finger scan at work. So if you are behind me in line at WDW and my finger scan isn't working, don't get mad at me, it's not my fault, those machines just don't like my fingers!

 

[Robo]

Then again...if you put in scanners, what is to prevent pass transfer??

As has been mentioned above, the barcode reader is used in combination with the finger-scan.
The barcode just replaces the use the of the mag-stripe.
(The barcode can't get demagnetized.)

HOWEVER...

(See my next post.)

 

[Robo]

A barcode can easily be photographically copied and reproduced.

With the prevalence of tiny cameras everywhere, it would take little to snap a few high-rez images of other's tickets (especially since so many guests like to hang their tix around their necks) and the wholesale
printing of ersatz tickets can begin.

 

[mesaboy2]

A barcode can easily be photographically copied and reproduced.

With the prevalence of tiny cameras everywhere, it would take little to snap a few high-rez images of other's tickets (especially since so many guests like to hang their tix around their necks) and the wholesale
printing of ersatz tickets can begin.

I think this pretty much answers the OP's original question.

 

[snykymom]

Busch Gardens has a horrible ticketing system. I worked there for 5 months and ended up moving. I would encounter people who had everything from fading to bite marks in their tickets (who chews on a paper ticket!). But the difference with WDW is the kttw cards are plastic (it would be different for the people who have single day tickets which are paper) but even so Disney could use the barcoding system, and print the single day tickets on recycled plastic thus saving money than using paper. If they were printed on plastic it would reduce the fading problem.

Disney's tickets are not printed on paper. They are printed on a highly durable, flexible type of plastic called Tyvek. These are fade resistant, water resistant, tear resistant. APs are printed on them as well as daily tickets. They last longer than the KTTW cards, which are breakable.

So all Disney tickets are printed on plastic.

 

[disnut8]

Ever seen the lines going into a major sporting event where they have to scan every single bar code? Not any better at all.

The fact of all this is the guests have to know what the heck they are doing. When I go to a sporting event, the tickets are out with the bar codes facing up so it's easy. How many people do that? How many people in a grocery line actually have the bar codes facing the scanner?

Yeah, we can spend things up quite a bit if WE were more willing to do our part.

 

[kirrrby]

Disney's tickets are not printed on paper. They are printed on a highly durable, flexible type of plastic called Tyvek. These are fade resistant, water resistant, tear resistant. APs are printed on them as well as daily tickets. They last longer than the KTTW cards, which are breakable.

So all Disney tickets are printed on plastic.

I have never personally used the single day tickets you purchase at the window. But everytime i've seen them used at the turnstiles they look paper. Very flimsy.

 

[chartle]

I have never personally used the single day tickets you purchase at the window. But everytime i've seen them used at the turnstiles they look paper. Very flimsy.

I'm not sure why you are still calling them single day tickets because they are used from everything to a MNSSHP to a 10 day park hopper to a 365 day Annual Pass.

They are just as thick as a KTTW card and while not at all flimsy they are a tad flexible which means they can hold up to more abuse than a KTTW card which could split in two if you put it in your back pocket and sat on it wrong.