But Will It Work????

[HauntedGabe]

This IS the research and testing phase. There is no guarantee that this design will be adopted in general.

There is no guarantee in anything Disney does.

They haven't changed anything about the biometrics with this as far as I've been told, although it looks like the scanners are a different (cheaper?) design.

They don't ALWAYS turn them off. They were definitely working most of our stay in December (I think there was one day they were off out of the several rope drops we were at). I actually had some troubles with the scanner that I think may have been due to the cold more than anything.

There is some small subset of the population who have fingers such that the scanners have trouble reading them. Perhaps yours is one.

The thing here is JC has actually experienced the topic vs. conjecture.
As many months JC spends at WDW each year, I appreciate his comments especially since he has attempted to use them and has used the previous ones as well. He is qualified to review and compare.

My family has alway had issues with the finger scanners and they always back up the lines.

[HauntedGabe]

Disney is probably working towards this "upgrade" one day.

Haha! Love your posts. I showed this to every member of my family and we all got a big chuckle.

[doconeill]

The thing here is JC has actually experienced the topic vs. conjecture.
As many months JC spends at WDW each year, I appreciate his comments especially since he has attempted to use them and has used the previous ones as well. He is qualified to review and compare.

My family has alway had issues with the finger scanners and they always back up the lines.

I'm not trying to discount anything he said...I am however very familiar with how their finger scanners and similar systems work. Yes, some people have more problems than others with the scanners. But they work well enough, quickly enough, and often enough for Disney's purpose. There are many, many people who claim they don't do anything at all - that it's all for show. Clearly those people never had a problem.

I do know someone who spoke with one of the managers about the test...they did say very specifically it was an idea someone had and they wanted to give it a try to see how it would work and if it would be worth it.

[MartianCrab]

Haha! Love your posts. I showed this to every member of my family and we all got a big chuckle.

Thank you.

[HauntedGabe]

I'm not trying to discount anything he said...I am however very familiar with how their finger scanners and similar systems work. Yes, some people have more problems than others with the scanners. But they work well enough, quickly enough, and often enough for Disney's purpose.

Yes, for their purposes. They've just waived us in when they don't and multiple times didn't have us bother to use them at park opening times.

There are many, many people who claim they don't do anything at all - that it's all for show. Clearly those people never had a problem.

It is kinda for show when they don't always have you do it.

I do know someone who spoke with one of the managers about the test...they did say very specifically it was an idea someone had and they wanted to give it a try to see how it would work and if it would be worth it.

HaHa, that was very funny. We all know someone who has talked to someone...and the bus driver confirmed. Cute.

I've known JC a long time. More reliable than a member knows someone who talked to somebody and he told me that....kinda like the party line telephone game.
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Thank you.

That is even better. And when it doesn't scan properly for Disney she can just keep banging her head into the scanner! All the while the line behind her just keeps moving to the next available kiosk. lol

[doconeill]

Seriously?? I didn't contradict him at all. I just said that this was confirmed to be an experiment. A very rough one. And the person was not a bus driver but a very knowledgable person who spoke with the manager present.

My great apologies for passing on information.

[Jiminy Cricket]

The thing here is JC has actually experienced the topic vs. conjecture.
As many months JC spends at WDW each year, I appreciate his comments especially since he has attempted to use them and has used the previous ones as well. He is qualified to review and compare.

My family has alway had issues with the finger scanners and they always back up the lines.

Yes, what an experience it was indeed: Review of "Experimental" Biometric Ticket Scanners at EPCOT With apologies to Alka-Seltzer back in the day (1971), I tried it and I didn't like it.

As many times I have looked at my present AP I didn't really notice the bar code at the bottom. A bar code has to be better than the magnetic strip that is currently used. As far as the biometrics are concerned, the DW and I have accidentally used each other's ticket many times thru the years and we had no problem getting in. I think the current system just looks at the shape of your finger. No fingerprints are copied to my knowledge. My biggest gripe has always been the turnstiles. With Americans getting bigger (myself included), it saddens me when a CM has to let a guest in thru the wheelchair/stroller gate. The elimination of the turnstiles and gate would eliminate possible embarrassment. The "experimental" system must be in current use somewhere (Mars?) as the cost would be prohibitive if this was a "one off", but then again Disney is not shy about wasting money (Anyone remember Flamingo Crossings?) at times. My suggestion would be that they go to a handheld scanner system like they use at sports venues and forget about the biometrics once and for all.

[doconeill]

They started putting barcodes on tickets regularly sometime between October 2008 and April 2009 to use as a "backup" system for the magnetic readers. They retrofitted all the readers at the parks around then, but still no sign of doing anything similar at the FP kiosks, which also need to be able to read the tickets (haven't heard any rumblings of it coming either). Amazingly I've heard few reports of issues with people who were barcode-scanned due to issues reading their ticket, and having issues with the FP kiosks - it just seems like the turnstile system readers have more problems.

The finger scanners do look at the fingerprints, not the finger shape - but it isn't a full-formed image, nor is an image saved. It's a relatively fast scan that notes particular points in a person's fingerprint that are easy to spot, then does some calculations on those points to come up with a numerical value. Depending on the resolution they want, the length of the value varies - I've been told that Disney uses a relatively short 4 digit value. It makes the process relatively quick and less prone to error. It does mean there is a 1-in-10000 chance that a random person could also match. Of course, conspiracy theorists think they are taking pictures of your fingerprints and giving them to the government. Never mind the practicality of storing that information for millions of guests...

The finger scanners that are now common on business-model laptops are similar in how it works, except the optical scanner is replaced with a capacitance scanner, which you drag your finger across. The matching algorithms underneath are pretty much the same.

The old scanners, where you had to put two fingers in against a post, were geometry scanners - they look more at the bone shapes. I still have to use those at a facility that has a whole-hand version.

In the experimental entrance, you described them as "mouse like". Did they still have the optical window that you put your index finger on? If they are the design I think, it is still the same basic optical scanner but in a more ergonomic design that would better place the finger. If not, perhaps they were looking at a newer system - you're the only one that described the scanner so far.

As for ticket sharing - Disney does have a method of linking tickets to reduce troubles of mixed up tickets - it's pretty hit or miss though. It seems to be more common for Disney-purchased tickets bought in a single transaction. I've heard of stranger situations where ticket-sharing seems to have gone on that don't make any sense...

The biggest problem with the barcode scanning I can see is the size of the barcode. The general public seem to have trouble scanning UPC symbols using a multi-angle scanner at a supermarket. The ticket barcodes are pretty thin, making them a harder target to scan.

At the water parks, they do sometimes go out with handheld scanners, and will scan some guests in wheelchairs, etc. out of the lines, and forgo the biometrics.

[Jiminy Cricket]

Here are the pics I took the other day:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/17927582@N06/5548357920/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17927582@N06/5548332678/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17927582@N06/5547752239

[Dizisit]

I got a finger, or two, they can "scan"...
And, I really don't wanna' be "SKU'd" by TWDC, so..... hmmmmm.....?
Hey! I got a geeeeeeerate idea!!! Go to one booth to purchase your general admission, and another to purchase your "A" through "E" tickets for the attractions...!!!!!

[Dizisit]

OOOooooopsss.....!

[Dizisit]

This whole thread just cracks me up! Not for the reason it's been brought up, which is totally valid, but, for the reason it NEEDS to be brought up in the first place!!!
Who's trying to outsmart who anymore these days?!?!

[doconeill]

Thanks for the pics...those are the same old optical finger scanners, it just looks like they've put a slightly taller metal "guide" on it to better position the finger (not the design I was thinking of, which is more like an "egg" you place you hand on).

[Jiminy Cricket]

i got a finger, or two, they can "scan"...
And, i really don't wanna' be "sku'd" by twdc, so..... Hmmmmm.....?
hey! I got a geeeeeeerate idea!!! Go to one booth to purchase your general admission, and another to purchase your "a" through "e" tickets for the attractions...!!!!! :d

rotflmao

[Jiminy Cricket]

Thanks for the pics...those are the same old optical finger scanners, it just looks like they've put a slightly taller metal "guide" on it to better position the finger (not the design I was thinking of, which is more like an "egg" you place you hand on).

You're welcome. Did you notice the one lady was having her thumb scanned? While most guests use their index fingers I think the new taller design allows gripping the scanner now like a mouse to "left click" so to speak.