Disney prepares to change its security check at the Magic Kingdom

March 28, 2017, 11:08 PM · The Walt Disney World Resort will move its main Magic Kingdom bag check from the park's front gate to the Transportation and Ticket Center, starting Monday.

The change will mean that visitors to the world's largest theme park will have their bag examined by Disney security and go through metal detectors before boarding the monorail or ferry across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom. Since that effectively puts the monorail circuit inside the Magic Kingdom's secure zone, guests at the three monorail resorts — the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian — will go through separate bag checks before boarding the monorail at their resort. Another bag check will screen visitors arriving at the Magic Kingdom by bus.

That should take a significant number of people out of the mix for the security check at the TTC when compared with the current checkpoint, which screens all Magic Kingdom guests. Spreading the load should help reduce wait times to clear security, especially for guests staying at one of the three high-priced monorail resorts.

The change recalls the recent move of the security checkpoints at the Disneyland Resort in California. There, Disney also moved the main checkpoint away from the front gate toward the main parking facility for the resort. That had the effect of putting the Downtown Disney shopping and dining district within the secure zone. So guests of the three on-site Disneyland Resort hotels also now are directed to other, less crowded checkpoints. And with people not having to back through security when they visit Downtown Disney, the overall load on the checkpoint is reduced.

Also, in both resorts, moving the checkpoints closer to the parking allows guests who are found with selfie sticks, costumes, or other stuff that they're not allowed to bring into the Disney parks to return them to their vehicles without having to take a couple extra tram, monorail or ferry rides in addition to going through the security line again.

Replies (15)

March 29, 2017 at 2:13 AM · Thats a great idea, especially for days when there are queues for the monorail. Might as well queue whilst queueing
March 29, 2017 at 5:11 AM · How does this work if people walk from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom as they are currently encouraged to do?
March 29, 2017 at 5:18 AM · I'm sure they will get checked where the guests arriving by bus will be screened.
March 29, 2017 at 7:48 AM · @David Brown: I'd presume they may eliminate the option entirely- or just use some existing security?
March 29, 2017 at 11:43 AM · Read an article that there will still be a scaled down check point at the front of the park for guests who are coming from bus and boat transportation from the hotels. I assume pedestrians will use the same check point.

- Now that I've done a little Google Map investigation, I'm not sure how well that is going to work. There seems to be no way to get resort boat folks to the turnstiles without them mixing in with Monorail and or Ferry passengers. This will be fun to watch play out.

March 29, 2017 at 8:36 AM · Wow, Disney doing something logical for a change. The front of Magic Kingdom has been a cluster for the past few years.
March 29, 2017 at 9:18 AM · Contemporary has already had a security point for the walking trail.
March 29, 2017 at 10:18 AM · I am glad to see this happen, the last time I went to MK a couple of weeks ago, the bag check lines were crazy with everyone crammed into one small area which would not have been good had someone decided to try something.
March 29, 2017 at 12:17 PM · Guests arriving via resort boats will be screened at the end of the dock. I read this in an article on another Disney-centric website. (Apologies. I searched my browser history, but couldn't locate it to provide the source.)

As for the walkway from Disney's Contemporary Resort, there's no chance that will be eliminated. They will either set up a mini checkpoint or loop people around the curve and process them at the new checkpoint for guests arriving on buses.

March 29, 2017 at 3:38 PM · What about the Monorail to Epcot? Will guests going to Epcot from the Ticket and Transportation center not have a bag check? If they do, how do they avoid duplicate bags checks later at Epcot? I think they should do bag checks at Ticket and Transportation and have Monorail guests arriving at Epcot have a path to bypass by going up the center of the Epcot entrance. There were bag checks on both sides of the monorail building at Epcot during the week in March we went and parked in the lot since we were leaving that day.
March 30, 2017 at 9:46 AM · thats all fine and dandy but what about people that use canes or walkers or crutches to walk with, you know the HANDICAPPED, VETERANS etc??
April 1, 2017 at 4:33 AM · Do we know what's happening with the resort launch boats?
April 1, 2017 at 7:59 AM · We all know that it's still security theater.
April 1, 2017 at 9:02 AM · What is about Guest that have NOT a Car and not know the Policys against Costums andd Selfish Sticks?

Regarding CA Downtown Disney Area could it be that the Word "go" is missing before the Word "back"? Then I would understand...

Rregrads Struffel

April 3, 2017 at 7:17 AM · Anyone know if there will still be a "no bag" entry point ?

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