Security Bag Checks - what a waste

[subsonic]

I think they are trying to make sure no one brings in alcohol, glass bottles or bombs as someone said in a earlier response ... but I rather take the 5 or 10 minutes out of my day to do it then not. I guess it has just become commonplace since 9/11.

The reason it's a waste of time is if someone really wanted to bring something illegal in they could put it on their person via baggy pants or whatnot. I'd rather not spend 5 to 10 minutes for something that's useless.

I do agree, our complaining will lead nowhere. Just like a lot of us complain that Nemo doesn't belong in Epcot. But it sure is fun to get all riled up!

[Croaker]

I think they are trying to make sure no one brings in alcohol, glass bottles or bombs as someone said in a earlier response ... but I rather take the 5 or 10 minutes out of my day to do it then not. I guess it has just become commonplace since 9/11.

The reason it's a waste of time is if someone really wanted to bring something illegal in they could put it on their person via baggy pants or whatnot. I'd rather not spend 5 to 10 minutes for something that's useless.

I do agree, our complaining will lead nowhere. Just like a lot of us complain that Nemo doesn't belong in Epcot. But it sure is fun to get all riled up!

laugh good response, but i prefer the conspiracy theory myself

feel free to add to it or make a new one...but here is the real reason why they do bag checks.


Disney did analysis on financial consumer consumption in relation to time/wait span. This analysis has allowed for more than just bag checks to be added to the parks. Disney found that by slowing down the speed of the ferry, monorail, and busses just by 5.8mph or 5 knots, that the fuel consumption decreased by .8 gallons per 1000 feet and with the average distance of transportation equalling 4.5 miles, they were able to decrease the average round trip loops on the monorail from 36 to 28 round trip ferry runs from 44 to 32 and they were able to cut their buss fleet down by 54. so how does this affect me? well since the delay in times, they are able to funnel more people through the gates and space them out thus increasing spending and giving the illusion of less people. this was instituted back in 1997 and with the tragedy of 2001 disney was able to institute fear of booze and bombs to increase traffic once more.

now you can see that backpack checks are just a small part of such a large puzzle and we are just flesh colored peices that have yet to connect to the smoothed edges called Disney.

next week..Why Dole Whips are so addictive!

[spaulo]

next week..Why Dole Whips are so addictive!

Why, the crack cocaine, of course!

[jiminycricket]

O.K. I am gonna have to try a Dole Whip! I keep hearing about how good they are!

As far as the security, I really don't mind standing in line. Usually the checkers are so pleasant to talk with.

[sandicinderelli]

The effectiveness of the security check is totally dependent upon the work ethic of each security personnel - period. I have come to this conclusion by simply listening to what they complained about, and most of the time, they were concerned about alcohol and weapons. I've seen them catch plenty of bottles of alcohol and heard the stories of how a guest tried to smuggle it in.

[danimal3114u]

we should applaud Disney for trying to look out for our safety. It is a inconcvenience but one that is well worth it.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but this attitude really bothers me. How do we know it is "well worth it?" Is there any evidence that a Disney bag check has ever stopped anything bad from happening?

And please remember, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence...

This is a weird one, I'm still perplexed with to this day...
I used to work as a ticket taker in the summer of 2003, and in that position you do both tickets and bag checks. One day, someone tried to come into the park with one of the very old camcorders (had to be made around 86) with the VHS area. I noticed he didn't have a video in it, and let him know that we unfortunately didn't sell blank VHS in the parks. He proceeded to start arguing with me and the other ticket taker that it's totally crazy to not sell VHS tapes, and that "most people use them" (once again, 2003). Anyway he got very belligerent, and when he put the camcorder down in order to be able to use his hands to point things out to us, the tape loader flipped open and out popped a butterfly knife and a folding knife, both about the length of a VHS tape width. Needless to say, we asked him to leave and had security follow him out. Still one of the strangest things that has ever happened to me. No idea what he was thinking, but still pretty interesting.
I will say that the bag checks are just as much for alcohol, drugs and other items than it is for weapons, etc. I personally would check for alcohol and other drugs just as much as weapons, because I know that having a group of rowdy drunk teenagers can ruin an experience at the parks. For glass bottle or other containers, I feel it's a reasonable precaution for the glass breaking and having someone slip or cut themselves (not to mention if the person would want to sue Disney for it...). We had extra plastic containers available for anyone that brought things in a glass container, and I never encountered anyone having a problem with it.
Anyway, just a few of my experiences at the parks.

[Jacca5660]

If you are going to bring in alcohol, Do it out in the open in a squeeze bottle!!
You know with Disney's bio metrics, they can track your spending and adjust it to Disney standards. Have you ever noticed how much more you spend. Even when it's way over budget? Disney has a program in the Bio Metrics scanner that makes you spend more!! They are really good!!

[Joe90]

My turn for a rant. 8)

I have read through most of these posts with some interest. No one that has posted has ever been a security guard. Neither have I. I have however attended a training course for people who were going to do the same sort of task the Disney guards do. Despite the fact that they do not search your pockets try putting a hammer in a pocket and walking normally. Check the next time you go, the guard should make a quick assessment of how heavy your bag is. A gentle slide or lift, are the straps straining as you carry it? If it’s heavy he/she should look further if it isn't they wont always. For highly effective attacks guns, explosives and (home made) detonators are heavy/bulky. You might have a pocket knife, pull that in a park and you are likely to be clubbed to death by the folks around you nowadays same goes for a small pistol. Also try approaching the guards with some contraband and not look guilty. Ok it isn't perfect. It wouldn't stop a really determined attack. It is however a stronger deterrent than you imagine. And remember, we and our fellow guests should be part of the deterence.

I sound like a video commentary.

Rant over

[danimal3114u]

My turn for a rant. 8)

I have read through most of these posts with some interest. No one that has posted has ever been a security guard. Neither have I. I have however attended a training course for people who were going to do the same sort of task the Disney guards do. Despite the fact that they do not search your pockets try putting a hammer in a pocket and walking normally. Check the next time you go, the guard should make a quick assessment of how heavy your bag is. A gentle slide or lift, are the straps straining as you carry it? If it’s heavy he/she should look further if it isn't they wont always. For highly effective attacks guns, explosives and (home made) detonators are heavy/bulky. You might have a pocket knife, pull that in a park and you are likely to be clubbed to death by the folks around you nowadays same goes for a small pistol. Also try approaching the guards with some contraband and not look guilty. Ok it isn't perfect. It wouldn't stop a really determined attack. It is however a stronger deterrent than you imagine. And remember, we and our fellow guests should be part of the deterence.

I sound like a video commentary.

Rant over

As I mentioned in my post, Security guards do not do the checking (at DL at least), it is actually just ticket takers that rotate through (it is one of the positions you hold as a ticket taker). The security guards are a whole other entity, and might check bags or people if they have hammers sticking out of their pockets, as you suggest in your post. I think this may be part of the problem people have with the system, meaning that the people who are doing the bag checks were actually hired for a different position aside from security. I think personally that some of the people doing the bag checks view it as a complete nuisance as well, and don't put any effort into it. I think that if they had trained people, they might be better able to effectively search bags, etc. and be invested in that job themselves. I think this would also help on efficiency, which would make everyone happy

[Joe90]

Security guards do not do the checking (at DL at least), it is actually just ticket takers

I don't know if Disney security staff receive training or not, I hope they do. It is the security staff that do all of the checking at WDW and I have watched them do the weight check thing. Bag with just a sweat top, cursory check. Heavier bag with a large bottle of water, every pocket opened and searched. There are other techniques, which I'm not going to go into, which could explain the purse checks and the buggy checks they do at WDW. If it is just untrained ticket takers checking bags at DL then everyone is correct, this would be almost completely useless unless they empty every bag and buggy.

If the training is good the checks are worth it. If the training is bad they aren’t. That said no checks are perfect. They are mainly a deterrence. The level of security should depend on the level of threat and what you are trying to prevent. I'm sounding like a video again

[Hypermommy]

I heard somewhere -- I think it was a podcast... hope it wasn't this thread or I'll be repetitive -- that the security checks are not so much to see what's in your bag but to give the security guards a moment to look you over. They're supposedly trained to see if you're acting nervous or anything. I also heard that after 9/11, the nation went to Disney to find out how they provided security for so many people all the time and things seem to end up fine.

I believe it was on one of the DIS Unplugged podcasts but I don't remember the date. It was a very interesting roundtable discussion, though. I highly recommend listening to it if you can find it. It was very good.

[casrin]

This is a weird one, I'm still perplexed with to this day...
I used to work as a ticket taker in the summer of 2003, and in that position you do both tickets and bag checks. One day, someone tried to come into the park with one of the very old camcorders (had to be made around 86) with the VHS area. I noticed he didn't have a video in it, and let him know that we unfortunately didn't sell blank VHS in the parks. He proceeded to start arguing with me and the other ticket taker that it's totally crazy to not sell VHS tapes, and that "most people use them" (once again, 2003). Anyway he got very belligerent, and when he put the camcorder down in order to be able to use his hands to point things out to us, the tape loader flipped open and out popped a butterfly knife and a folding knife, both about the length of a VHS tape width. Needless to say, we asked him to leave and had security follow him out. Still one of the strangest things that has ever happened to me. No idea what he was thinking, but still pretty interesting.
I will say that the bag checks are just as much for alcohol, drugs and other items than it is for weapons, etc. I personally would check for alcohol and other drugs just as much as weapons, because I know that having a group of rowdy drunk teenagers can ruin an experience at the parks. For glass bottle or other containers, I feel it's a reasonable precaution for the glass breaking and having someone slip or cut themselves (not to mention if the person would want to sue Disney for it...). We had extra plastic containers available for anyone that brought things in a glass container, and I never encountered anyone having a problem with it.
Anyway, just a few of my experiences at the parks.

Wow, what an experience! I wouldn't have wanted to have been in your shoes in that moment; it was probably thanks to you that an incident was avoided in the park since you were a thoughtful CM to point out the lack of blank VHS tapes for sale...

[danimal3114u]

Wow, what an experience! I wouldn't have wanted to have been in your shoes in that moment; it was probably thanks to you that an incident was avoided in the park since you were a thoughtful CM to point out the lack of blank VHS tapes for sale...

Thanks Casrin, It did turn out pretty well, although I can't imagine what he was planning (if anything).

[rmorton50]

I hate the security bag check, too, but it's not Disney's fault; it's the world we live in. How can Disney even think of eliminating the bag check now? If some determined individual got a gun into the park, it would be a tragedy! How much more a tragedy then, when Disney is sued afterward because they failed even to provide a "simple bag check?" darn if they do and darn if they don't. I can't complain about Disney taking the most basic of steps to protect me. Let's all do what we can to make the world a nicer place.

[Dr. Ravenscroft]

Honestly looking at it now the bag checks do serve a good purpose, from a certain point of view. It prevents people from bringing in outside food and beverages. If people were allowed to bring in whatever food and drink they wanted Disney would lose a ton of money on the stuff that they sell for 3x it's normal price.