StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
That is larger than an airport carry on. Basically, you just can't be dragging around a giant suitcase through the parks.
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Can We Limit The Size of a Backpack
- Thread starter DW Aficionado
- Start date
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I'm not really judging people using scooters. You don't know what invisible illnesses people are dealing with that may mean they're not able to do a ton of walking, and WDW is a LOT of walking. I've tracked my walking and I average fewer steps at my local theme park, Busch Gardens Williamsburg (which is bigger than three of the four WDW parks mind you) and DL than WDW. And those scooters, especially the rental ones, are hard to drive. I had to use them for a while after a knee injury, and the amount of times people ran in front of me...those rental ones stop a good two seconds after you let go of the power. If they got hit, that was their fault.
The only ones I am judging are the entire parties who all have scooters. Like, what are y'all doing? But if there's one or two people in a group using scooters, I don't need to know why.
TrainsOfDisney
Well-Known Member
What’s going on? I haven’t been out there in since Halloween
photomatt
Well-Known Member
I don't want to derail the thread, but I feel compelled to answer.
First, the process has been slowed down by the addition of plexiglass barriers between the security CM and the guest. The new procedure is to hand your bag to the security CM as soon as you get to the table where they do the search. The plexiglass is to prevent you from adding anything to your bag after you hand it to the CM. The security CM will slide it past the metal detector for you, and you can get it once you get through the metal detector. Previously, you would take your bag and slide it past the metal detector yourself. You would then walk through the metal detector and pick up your bag or whatever items you had.
The process is slowed down because the security CM needs to take anywhere from 5 to 15 seconds to walk the bag past the metal detector and then return to the end of the table to search the new bag. Additionally, they have changed their screening procedure, and they are checking even more thoroughly than before. I don't disagree with any of this, but they have not made adjustments to the number of open security lanes during the busiest times.
If you add 5 to 15 seconds to the process to screen every guest, you can see how quickly lines will back up when adjustments are not made to the number of lanes that are open.
To be fair, there are often times when there is no wait to get through security, but if you go at a busy time, your wait will be substantially longer than what it was a few weeks ago prior to the addition of the plexiglass barriers.
Second, because of the high turnover and lack of adequate training, security CMs will often identify harmless items and tell you that they are not allowed. I can give you an example from today. I have a very small, extendible back scratcher. It's keychain-sized. I have had it in my backpack for months, and I go to the park often. Not one security CM has ever had an issue with the back scratcher. It's small, it's made of plastic, and it's very light. There's no way to mistake that it could be used as a weapon, but the CM today tried to tell me that it was not allowed. I had to get a lead to tell the CM that the item was allowed. This happens too often, and I'm sick of it.
Yesterday, I also had an issue. I went through security at the Toy Story lot. There were no lines, which was very surprising. I handed my nearly empty backpack to the security CM. All the zippers were unzipped and the pockets were open. The backpack contained sunglasses, reading glasses, a hat, two water bottles, the back scratcher, and a wallet. That's it. The security CM proceeded to search the bag thoroughly one time. Although it seemed like he took longer than he should have, there's nothing I can do about that. There's no rule that a CM needs to search a bag in a certain amount of time. I'm fine with that. I have no complaints with how long it takes a security CM to do a thorough search of a bag.
The problem was that after he searched the bag completely one time, he looked behind me and he could see there was no one there. He then proceeded to start searching the backpack again. This time he started taking things out of the backpack. Please remember that the bag was nearly empty. There was nothing that would prevent anyone from looking in any of the pockets and not seeing everything that was in each pocket. Nothing needed to be removed, or if it did, it could have been removed during the first search.
At this point I asked the security CM to stop the search and I took my bag and found a security lead. I explained that I had never had a security CM try to search my bag twice. I showed the security lead my nearly empty bag and politely asked him to search it and explain why there would be a need to search it twice. He could not see any issues, and he apologized for what had happened. He then took my bag and walked me through security, after apologizing again for what had happened.
This is just what has happened in the past two days. It would take hours to list all the problems that I have had with security over the years, especially when it comes to my tripod, which is completely within Disney's guidelines.
I have talked to CMs who have similar complaints about security. I have had CMs in City Hall tell me that they get frequent complaints about security. Today, I had a security CM inside the park share his own frustration with security. The problem is not limited to me. The problem is that Disney refuses to adequately train security CMs. That's not an opinion. It's a fact. You can't argue that a security CM has been trained properly when they tell a guest that tripods are not permitted because they extend. I can't tell you how many times this has happened.
The situation has deteriorated so much that I have to keep a screenshot of the prohibited and allowed items on my phone because the security CMs just don't know the rules. I had one issue a few years ago where a guest control CM complained about my tripod. She said she would not get security, but that's exactly what she did. The security CM who first arrived was a very famous CM who no longer works at DL. After greeting him and explaining that I knew who he was because he was "famous", as CMs go, I politely asked him if he knew the rules about tripods. He admitted he didn't, even though he had worked in the park for 26 years. He then found his supervisor who told him that there was no issue with my tripod. Of course, I knew this, but the crowd control CM and a security CM with decades of experience didn't know the rules.
This really needs to change, and the solution is easy. The people who work in the parks need to know the rules. If a guest can take the time to know the rules and follow them, why can't the people who work in the park know them as well?
ETA: And since is the WDW forum, let's talk specifically about WDW security as well. Here's a word of advice. When a security CM asks you where you're from, politely decline to answer. They are NOT being friendly. They aren't. They are fishing. If you are from a state where the laws are more liberal regarding certain substances, they will take much more time searching your belongings. I doubt they are directed to do this. I think they do it because they are bored or because they hope to find something that is illegal in FL.
On a recent visit to the MK, I had a security CM ask me where I was from. I could tell exactly why he asked. I'm not paranoid. I just know boredom when I see it. I'm not going to let them play their games with me. I refuse, and you should too.
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If it isn't a genuine Apple hat then I think there is a connectivity issue .
Dead2009
Horror Movie Guru
Boooooooooooooo
TrainsOfDisney
Well-Known Member
thanks for the answer - definitely strange about the searching a second time - I’m glad the supervisor was kind and apologized.
I know exactly who the “well known” CM is. Haha.
Jon81uk
Well-Known Member
Haven't backpacks for casual use (not just hiking) been around for over 30-40 years? My parents certainly used them for theme park trips back in 1994.
Ok, then I change the question to "Why doesn't Disney ENFORCE the maximum size of allowable backpacks"?
mysto
Well-Known Member
There are so many complicated rules made up by the upper management, and it all falls on the poor CMs to know it and enforce it. They don't even get tazers or truncheons. Look at the whole DAS thing, the entire mess has been dropped squarely on the shoulders of the poor CMs. And they're already carrying those giant backpacks on those shoulders! Genie, dumped on CMs. Replacing lightbulbs, etc etc.
So anyway, go ahead and create a backpack rule, they'll file it under "overwhelmed" with the last 1000 rules.
I thought the OPs stroller comment was funny though.
So anyway, go ahead and create a backpack rule, they'll file it under "overwhelmed" with the last 1000 rules.
I thought the OPs stroller comment was funny though.
StarWarsGirl
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Because the maximum size is about the size of a medium suitcase...
NickMaio
Well-Known Member
T
There are first fights in the parks.......security should also be inside.
They don't enforce much.
There are first fights in the parks.......security should also be inside.
Well I think everyone knew there would be some fights once they started selling alcohol throughout the park. Intense heat, overcrowding, and long lines will give some guests 'beer muscles'
esskay
Well-Known Member
I'd love to know what people are putting in these big backpacks. I mean, I know some people like to overprepare for every eventuality but what do you need in there?
Water bottle, poncho, any meds, hat, money, etc I get - thats basically what I carry in a tiny little drawstring bag.
I'm just imagining people rocking up to the parks with their breakfast, lunch and dinner all packed into boxes, several drinks bottles, a full length overcoat incase it suddenly becomes winter, a set of wooly mittens, a massive camera, 50 spare batteries, thermos full of noodle soup, and 4 spare sets of sunglasses and of course 3 popcorn buckets and a stuffed figment toy.
Water bottle, poncho, any meds, hat, money, etc I get - thats basically what I carry in a tiny little drawstring bag.
I'm just imagining people rocking up to the parks with their breakfast, lunch and dinner all packed into boxes, several drinks bottles, a full length overcoat incase it suddenly becomes winter, a set of wooly mittens, a massive camera, 50 spare batteries, thermos full of noodle soup, and 4 spare sets of sunglasses and of course 3 popcorn buckets and a stuffed figment toy.
NickMaio
Well-Known Member
Well you need to be prepared for anything.
easyrowrdw
Well-Known Member
I once saw someone holding what looked like a small moving box on Space Mountain. I think it was actually one of those cooler backpacks, but it was so big it couldn't fit at their feet. I was really surprised they were allowed to ride with it on their lap.
MickeyLuv'r
Well-Known Member
Many years ago, BTMRR had a very short wait on a hot day, so I was re-riding it multiple times, as were several others.
A group of young teen boys was also re-riding over and over. They appeared to have just discovered their own body odor, and they thought it was a total hoot. The more they rode, the more they intentionally thought it was hilarious to try to stink out the people riding behind them. They were cheering and high fiving if they got a reaction from whoever was unfortunate to be seated behind them, and got louder and more obvious the more they rode.
We knew to keep our distance, but no matter. They were quite pungent, even at a good distance.
Suffice it to say, No Deodorant Day has been done before!
Why this is another opportunity for Iger to make more money... If your bag doesn't fit within a specified bag size hole you have to pay extra for the over sized bag of say 50 dollars per visit. Yeah... just imagine, Bob's eyes are probably tearing up for joy at the possibility of squeezing yet more money from the dwindling visitors.
You can get whacked even if you don't stand to close. Some of the doofuses that have those survival bags on their back will back into you because they seem to forget that they are lugging the equivalent of a chimp on their backs. I've also seen a few idiots knock off big gobs of merch in shops because they back up or turn too close to shelves of crap.