finger scans About This Page:

[luvgoofy]

I just read the information for the finger scans on Deb Will's site. This sounds like a mess to me. How long does it take the first time to get the scans? Is it hard to get your fingers in there right? Does this make getting into the parks take a lot longer?

[MickeyMAC]

The answer to your questions:
No it is not hard to do the fingerscan....AP holders have used this for years.
Yes it does take a little longer due to some people not being able to get it correct the first time.

[mestitch]

I actually have to have my finger scanned when I got to my tanning salon. They do it to make sure you aren't sharing your package with someone else.

[Pris]

I've been doing it with my AP for several years and I can never get it right the first time. I was better on my last trip, though. I guess I'm just a slow learner. It doesn't take long at all for one individual person to do it, but it does slow the line a fair amount. The worst for me in Jan. was at Epcot where the bag check backs right up to the turnstile. It seemed to slow everything down.

[Jennifer2003]

I was there last week and the turnstiles were LONGER than I have ever seen in my Disney trips. I'm used to it because of the AP.

Jennifer

[Stephanie P.]

Does everybody have to do a finger scan now? When we were there in November, I don't remember doing that.

[graygables]

Everyone 10 and up has to do the finger scan. It's not complicated, but some people (esp non-native speakers of English) don't get it, so it takes awhile. It's not a bad idea to have your photo ID handy with your pass in case there is a problem, it will speed things up. Yes, the lines are much slower during busy times. We were there in Feb and the lines were HORRIBLE getting through the turnstiles...it was the longest wait we had ANYWHERE in the parks (including Space Mountain!!!) I am very unhappy and very vocal about my unhappiness to anyone at WDW who will listen and take note.

[from ny to wdw]

It was a pain in the rear end for me last week. I could never get it to work right and I wasn't the only one apparently because the lines were backed up.

[DopeyGirl]

It is really easy once you get used to it. You do have to use the same hand every time, though . . . if you scan your right hand, you have to use your right hand everytime!!!

They have lights and signs on the turnstiles now, so that you do the steps in the right order . . .

*** First, you put your ticket in the slot (a red light with a #1 on it will be blinking at you until your ticket is in . . . then a yellow light with a #2 on it will start to blink . . . )

*** Second, you put your index and middle fingers in the scanner, keeping your fingers in a small "V". You push them in until the peg on the bottom touches the web between your fingers. You keep them there for about 5 seconds (give or take) and the yellow light will stop blinking.

*** Third, a green light with a #3 on it will start blinking and your ticket will be spit out on top of the machine . . . and you go on through the turnstiles!!!

Everyone 10 and older has to do this . . . and a lot of people just don't seem to understand how to do it (even after a few times), so it does slow the lines to get into the park a bit. (For example . . . we had friends who waited in line for 20 minutes to get through the turnstiles at AK!!! A couple of days later, we were in a similar length line to get through Epcot's!)

Hope this helps!!!

[lauren-roxy]

[ QUOTE ]
I actually have to have my finger scanned when I got to my tanning salon. They do it to make sure you aren't sharing your package with someone else.

[/ QUOTE ]
That's so interesting! I have never heard of having to do that!

[WillCAD]

Let me clarify what others have said: everyone ten and up has to do this if you have Magic Your Way tickets or APs. If you have old park-hopper passes from prior to January 2005 then the finger scan is not required. Of course, it won't be long before all those old hoppers are used up and everybody has MYW tickets.

I've had an AP before and I'm currently on my second AP. The only park I really had trouble with was Epcot; I always seemed to take a long time for the darn machine to read my fingers there, but so far I haven't been asked for ID. I guess it's pretty obvious to the CMs from my familiarity with the scanner that I really am an AP holder.

The lines used to back up a little just because of people who didn't know that the gate will read your ticket no matter which side is up or which side goes in first (after all, ATM cards and credit cards all have to go into machines a certain way, so this is understandable), but the finger scan just added a who nother world of confusion for first-timers.

[Stephanie P.]

That explains why we didn't have to do the finger scans in November - we had the regular park hoppers.

[LisaJ]

Maybe WDW should consider doing random-finger-scans instead of everyone-finger-scans. This might speed things up. I mean, is theft of tickets really a huge problem? I'm serious, I'm not sure of the answer.

[disneymom9092]

[ QUOTE ]
The answer to your questions:
No it is not hard to do the fingerscan....AP holders have used this for years.
Yes it does take a little longer due to some people not being able to get it correct the first time.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was going to say the same.

[WillCAD]

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe WDW should consider doing random-finger-scans instead of everyone-finger-scans. This might speed things up. I mean, is theft of tickets really a huge problem? I'm serious, I'm not sure of the answer.

[/ QUOTE ]

Disney did not add the finger scan to avoid theft of tickets. They did it to stop resales and gifting of old, partially-used tickets.

You see, if you buy a 4-day ticket and only use three days, you have still given Disney the money for the unused day. If you give or sell the unused day to someone, Disney doesn't make any more money - but if you can't give or ssell your unused day to Uncle Bob, then Uncle Bob is forced to give Disney even more money to buy a new ticket of his own. It's all about making more money.

Likewise with the new MYW tickets and the No Expire option. If you buy a 7-day MYW and only use 6 days, but didn't pay the extra for the No Expiry option, then you have basically paid Disney for a day of ticket that you will never use. If you do want the unused day to never expire, you have to pay Disney a lot more money up front. So they get your money either way.