Review of "Experimental" Biometric Ticket Scanners at EPCOT

[Jiminy Cricket]

DW and I were directed to use the new scanners by a WDW security officer this afternoon. I guess we looked cool and calm enough in the 80+ degree scorching sun, but in introspect we were chosen to see if we would be raving maniacs after the experience. Well, to make a long story longer, pity the fool (A relative of a Disney exec who sold this type of scanner to Sea World perhaps?) who came up with the idea. The only good thing seems to be the shade provided by the umbrellas for the CMs. Other than that it was a fiasco. You have to hold your ticket in your left hand and line up the red laser line with the bar code on the bottom of the ticket; no easy task. Then you have to simultaneously put your finger in a new big, computer mouse-like, but round biometric finger scanner about a foot from the bar code scanner; an even harder task. We had a Haitian CM who tried to help us using his best English with a heavy Haitian Creole accent. Neither of us could understand him. After a minute or two one of the 2 Disney ticket agent (acting very official, but clueless) CMs behind the Star Trek-like control panel waved us thru. Unless Disney comes up with with a bigger bar code on the tickets and a slide-in holder for the ticket this will never work in the real world. Granted, it looks like it will ease the bottlenecks with the strollers and wheelchairs, but for the "First Time" guests it will be a nightmare and not a pleasant experience, to say the least. I just hope it this is the future for WDW they will have the kinks worked out by the time we are back next January, but I am not betting on it.

[doconeill]

It is VERY experimental right now. It is an idea they are trying, like the central FP distribution at AK. If it doesn't help, it won't get used, or they will adjust those things that prove to be difficult and try again.

Scanning the barcode shouldn't be too difficult - the CMs are able to do it pretty quickly, but they probably should make the barcode larger (or switch to a 2D code system and scanner).

As far as I know the biometric system is technically the same, but with a new scanner design.

[NC_WDW_Daddy]

Nice to know, thanks for passing on.

[HauntedGabe]

Thanks JC. It sounds worse than I had anticipated. The more Disney fixes things the worse they seem to get.

For those of you who don't know what we are talking about....

But Will It Work????

[Disney05]

From what I've read around different forums, although in the experimental stage, this system doesn't seem to be very favorable among users.

[Jiminy Cricket]

Agreed.