Originally Posted By cerise667 I was talking to a friend today who's kids went a bit too late on a day the park was filled, came back earlier the next day... it inspired a lot of speculation of how admittance is handled on days the parks are filled to capacity.... if it isn't a trade secret... On volume attendance days, handstamp... how does that work? does it make it easier to get back into the park? I've never noticed a gate that says "hand stamp", I've wondered when we wandered from Disney to CA and back, could we find ourselves unable the meet the rest of the crowd for lunch because we can't get back in? No matter how we speculated we could not figure out how the people who were there and left and came back, the people who had pre-purchased tickets, people going from park to park to hotel to park... and those who arrived at 3:30 are all sorted out ....
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub I wonder also...the crowds after the Rose Bowl Parade filled both parks but not capacity full apparently. Everybody in every line I attempted seemed to be complaining about crowds. Only one monorail was running roundtrip and they did not require guests to de-board at the DD station. I finally decided the closed to capacity standard is determined by the rule: If it is not NYEve or 4th of July packed ;keep the gates open.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub I am guessing your friends visited during the Holidays. Keep in mind every Southern Californian person that received holiday cash is immediately going to purchase a pass and Disney knows it. I have never seen the ticket admissions area so crowded! I wish Disney would release the amount of "new" passholders captured every year! Scrooge McDuck must be pleased this year.
Originally Posted By cerise667 If they all attend as infrequently as we do, there will be little impact. We use the pass most often to go for a few rides and a meal weekdays, we would never pay full price for a few hours... we do get our value for the pass, times over but the pass enables you to not fight the crowd... when it get crowded we generally leave unless with full price friends who do not want to... most my friends who have passes work it this way. We go for a few hours on slow days... it was smart marketing
Originally Posted By tashajilek Aren't there many exit's in DL that say Exit/hand stamp? I have seen people told by a DL cast member who tried to re enter that next time they NEED a hand stamp to re enter. I have a premier pass and on NYE we asked a cast member even though we have passes can we leave and come back? We were told that once the park is full nobody is coming back in. I guess there is no special treatment and it seems even if you have a stamp on a capacity day you might not even be able to get back in. On another note we have never been to a Disney park where it was so busy you couldn't move until the Holiday's. My husband later told me he felt uncomfortable and really unsafe incase anything were to happen. I have heard people discuss this before and until i lived it i didn't understand how it would feel. I don't know how Disney legally gets away with it? there's no way the fire department, police or whatever could get to a situation if needed.
Originally Posted By bullamakanka There are varying "levels" of closure when the park hits capacity. For example, a Level 2 closure means all entry is stopped except for Premier (highest level) Annual Passes. Everyone else will likely get a "Fast Pass" for access later in the day, when attendance/volume changes. There were a few days around the first of the year when access to all but Premier took place, such as Jan. 2, when the Level 2 closure was applied at 10:30 am. Imagine... the park is almost at capacity at only 10:30! People were given passes to come back at 6 pm. There was another Level 2 at around 8 pm that same day. Handstamps... people gripe about these all the time. ALL THE TIME. One of the key reasons for the handstamp AND ticket is to prevent fraud. If you have a ticket, and a handstamp, there's a better chance it is your ticket, rather than someone else coming in with your ticket (if you lost it somewhere). Plus, fraudulent tickets are seen all the time. Why people gripe about it so much is really beyond me... just show your ticket, show your handstamp, and you're in. End of issue.
Originally Posted By ksargen I am very interested in the fact that there is actually admittance still allowed for the Premier passes, even if they're at "capacity." Hmmm.
Originally Posted By EmmaJayne ^ that's at level 2 capacity.. Which means they close the gates to everyone bar premiump ap's before they actually hit true capacity.. As in it's not quite 100% capacity but they want to ensure the remaining space is reserved for their premium ap's.. There is a further level of capacity where no AP etc can help, it's simply full..
Originally Posted By ksargen OK, so if I buy a Premium or Premier (the multipark pass), I'm good for everything but a Level 1 (total) closure. Could make life complicated if I'm trying to take a trip with family that doesn't have a premium or premier pass. I'll be buying a premium for the first time this year, since I know I'll be there on a date that would otherwise be blocked, and likely make enough trips this year to make it worth it. The parking and discounts don't hurt, either.
Originally Posted By tashajilek So, i had a premier pass and i guess WDW was at a level 1? because i was told i would not be able to get back in the park. It's tough to not leave either because it's insanity during the holidays. I have never thought about ticket fraud, thats a very good point.
Originally Posted By EmmaJayne It just stops a family of four walking in, an hour later Dad walks out carrying all four tickets and picks up 3 cousins having them enter on th same tickets, so Disney think there's only 4 people in the park but there's really 7.. You can imagine how many teens especially would try this.. The handstamp is their way of knowing you've already been in the park.. And it's very clearly marked where you need to go to get one on the way out.. I've been at DL twice when it's been crazy crowded.. Both days I contemplated leaving cut stuck it out from fear I wouldn't get back in I think the best thing to do on busy days is try and ride anything you HAVE to early in the day, then just try and take it easy for the rest of it- attractions like the Tiki Room and Mr Lincoln were still fine without obscene waits.. Though spending 3 hours waiting for 4th of July fireworks, only to have them cancelled a few minutes in was a bit devastating! But basically, if you think there's a chance you won't get back in, just tough it out and don't leave unless you truly have to..
Originally Posted By tashajilek I don't know why they just don't have the same system as WDW? they scan your finger print so people cant use the same ticket. It would make things more simple for everyone.
Originally Posted By Bob Paris 1 The amount of(simple)operating differences between the two US resorts amazes me. Just a small part of the reason why the generic "Disney Parks" crap grates on me.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< I have never thought about ticket fraud, thats a very good point. >>> If not to prevent ticket fraud, what did you think the hand stamp was for?
Originally Posted By ksargen And people used to try to fake the hand stamps, too. Heck, they probably still do.
Originally Posted By bullamakanka Ticket fraud is rampant. There are companies out there that specifically make fake tickets, and they are pretty good at it. I know ticket takers at D'L who have caught a few, as recent as last week. A big problem is castmembers who sell their complimentary tickets, which is not allowed and immediate grounds for dismissal. I'm told it happens all the time.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Ticket fraud is rampant. There are companies out there that specifically make fake tickets, and they are pretty good at it. I know ticket takers at D'L who have caught a few, as recent as last week. >>> This would seem to be quite difficult to do. At DL, although the ticket is a bearer instrument and presumably belongs to whomever presents it, it's still just a pointer to an entry in the ticket database. Even a perfect counterfeit of the physical media (perhaps made by someone at the company that makes the genuine tickets) isn't going to work unless there's a corresponding entry in the database. At least, not without a lot of sweet talking and a lenient manager.
Originally Posted By tashajilek I thought a hand stamp was required because of capacity issues. I guess i just have never thought about people going through all the trouble of giving tickets away to other people. I have never needed a hand stamp because i have always had passes for the last couple of years.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub I know of one trick that this has probably hampered. If you decide to convert your ticket on the final day of elegiblity,those funds would be used towards a yearly pass. So some people were selling it at a reduced rate to strangers or friends or relatives. It sounds confusing but I know of 2 different times this was done by my family living in Southern california...Not by me,tho. Now everything is documented and names and i.d.s are required for purchasers, I guess.
Originally Posted By SuperDry ^^^ I'm not sure I follow you. While the AP purchase is documented, the original ticket purchase isn't. There's no name associated with the transaction (unless perhaps it was by credit card and they save the name on the credit card). I have seen that they have some preventative measures in place to prevent what you describe (that is, someone selling/giving a multi-day ticket toward the end of its validity to someone else to trade in for an AP): I saw them ask questions about the ticket when the conversion to an AP was done, such as "What was the first day you used this ticket, and which park did you enter first?" The legitimate user of the ticket would have no problem answering the question, but an unrelated third party might stammer and/or not have the correct answer.
