Disneyland Resort requiring ID with tickets to fight third-party rental of multi-day tickets

Is Disneyland without the biometric finger molesters used in Orlando?

Correct.

I don't have an issue with this. Especially when those biometric finger readers can be a real pain!

When we visited parks in Florida in Feb using Flex tickets Sea World was the worse. One day took about 20 min to get in the gate. We filled out comment form before leaving. We used the tickets at Busch, Aquatica, both Universal parks without any problems.

I would rather have an ID ready and get through the gate quicker.

Biometric Finger Molesters would be a good name for a punk band.

I've never had an issue with the things at WDW. They apparently measure less precise dimensions than your typical fingerprint. The ticket slots also take the ticket or card in any direction.

The turnstile fingerprint readers at Sea World Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa are terrible. I think they were actually installed just this year, but they seem to be a much cheaper system than Disney's. They use a bar code scanner that requires the ticket is placed correctly under them and is readable. Sometimes the attendants help guests place the ticket, but other times they only intervene after multiple failures. The scan can sometimes take quite a while to take, with some ticket re-positioning required.

After that, the fingerprint scan can take anywhere from 5-30 seconds (rough estimate). I'm not sure if the check is more thorough than Disney's or the computer is just slower. Either way, it can get a bit awkward after a while and the multiple delays quickly add up. A short line at Sea World's entrance can take me much longer to get through than a long line at Magic Kingdom.

Sounds like the system that Universal uses, which has always been terrible. It rarely just works.

I would hate to put my clean finger on the same reader that all the other scumbags put their finger on. Do you know how many times I watch some dirtball in the mirror bypass the sink and walk from the poop stall straight out the door when I am washing my hands in a public restroom. It's disgusting.

While I don't disagree with you, those same "scumbags" aren't washing their hands before touching the roller coaster restraints, ketchup dispensers, games, doors, hand rails, ride gates...

It's best to just try to forget about that stuff while in an amusement park and have fun, while of course washing hands after the restroom, before eating, and before exiting the park. Then, get home and shower the filth away thoroughly! :)

While saying that is easy, I admit many things bother me like hand stamps. I've always wondered if it'd be possible to get warts or some kind of fungus from the warm, moist stamp touching wrists day after day.

Fun Fact: At Hollywood Studios, there's a door covered with beads in the queue of Rock 'n' Rollercoaster. Lots of children, and plenty of adults, too, love to play with the beads and make a lot of noise. According to the cast member standing near it, that door has never been cleaned.

Jeff said:

Sounds like the system that Universal uses, which has always been terrible. It rarely just works.

I've had maybe two incidents of my finger not scanning since I've had an annual pass in 2010. I must be extremely lucky. Of course, I've never had an issue at Disney when I use the right finger as well, but I do see plenty of people struggle. Sometimes the surface or your finger just needs a quick wipe. SeaWorld's, however, have worked maybe 10% of the time I've used them on the first try, though I haven't gone nearly as much as Disney and Universal. Still, it is easily the worst of the three systems, and its been that way for at least 2 years now, as I was struggling with it back in 2010 when I had a pass there as well.

Jeph said:

While I don't disagree with you, those same "scumbags" aren't washing their hands before touching the roller coaster restraints, ketchup dispensers, games, doors, hand rails, ride gates...

Which is why I always carry around with me a trial size bottle of germ-X in my fanny pack or cargo pocket when I visit a park, and I never touch my face or food unless I use some. I also wash my hand frequently, but not like a crazy person. :D

And just for the record, I rarely get sick.

LostKause said:

...but not like a crazy person.

No.

Not. At. All.

(backs slowly out of the room)

It's interesting to consider the high tech measures Disney must resort to in order to keep people from illicitly entering its parks. I mean, you never hear about opera houses having to install biometric scanners in their lobbies...

Opera houses don't have multi-day tickets either.

It says a lot about Disney's pricing scheme.

You'd think that one a ticket is paid for, it wouldn't matter who uses it. It's good for one body to enter the park.

But you know how we always talk about how crazy-cheap it can really be to go to Disney? It only works if you buy in bulk. They need you to make the big upfront purchase.

If you buy a 7-day basic ticket it comes out to $41.14 per day. Disney gets $288. So why can't I use it 3 days for my vacation and hand it over to you for your 4-day stay?

Because my 3-day ticket is $80.67 per day ($242) and your 4-day ticket is $64.00 per day ($256). Disney gets $498.

They lose $210 if we share.

I'm stating the obvious, but it's interesting how Disney has approached pricing the gate. It's very effective.

Re: the Busch biometric readers. For some reason, my son can *never* get through those things without an override, but the rest of us have no trouble---and this has been true over multiple visits at both Williamsburg and Orlando. I can't for the life of me figure out what is different.

It sure seems like DLR will eventually just install the system that WDW uses.

I also wash my hand frequently

Hand? You only wash one??

You shouldn't make fun of One Arm Krause like that...