Security at Disneyland Paris

[wdwmagic]

I have just returned from a trip to Disneyland Paris, and I am totally perplexed by their security arrangements. Here is what I observed over a 7 days.

1. There is no bag checks whatsoever at either of the 2 parks.

HOWEVER...

1. During the daytime all males entering the Disney Village are subjected to a total body metal scan, and asked to empty their pockets. I even observed a day where men were lined up to be checked, and the females were simplky waived through and directed to wait for the male members of their party to be checked.

2. Any females entering the Disney village are waived through unchecked.

3. At nighttime, when the Disney Village is most busy, there are absolutely no security checks at all.


Can anyone explain what they are trying to achieve with this, as its a total mystery to me. At the moment my conclusion is that Disneyland Paris think:

1. only men are criminals
2. that criminals only visit the Disney Village and not either of the 2 main parks where the vast concentration of guests visit.

 

[Figment1986]

Perhaps they think that people would want to hurt but not pay??? (I dont get why they dont check girls.... something must be strange here....)

 

[lebernadin]

Yeah that's ridiculous and it almost gets to that grey area where the measures themselves become their own demise. What i mean is that perhaps some terrorist factions did not contemplate hitting DLP and the village, but the more people that talk about the utter lack of security, the more chance its going to be challenged in a negative way, than enhanced in a positive way.

But, wow, you were there for 7 days? :lol:

 

[grandmath]

They check the bags at the parks entrance depending on the level of terrorist threat.

The Disney Village checking is mostly due to the fact that it is a free entry zone and therefore attracts young trouble-makers from the neighborhoods much more.

 

[wdwmagic]

They check the bags at the parks entrance depending on the level of terrorist threat.

The Disney Village checking is mostly due to the fact that it is a free entry zone and therefore attracts young trouble-makers from the neighborhoods much more.

I think in the world today, any major tourist location is at risk, and regardless of any specific intelligence, they should be checking bags every day and night at those parks.

With the village, I understand what you are saying, but I dont see why they abandon all checks after about 7pm, and why they only check males.

 

[Sweet Laker]

Geez, let me think, why dont they check all the people who are entering Disney Village after the park closes..???

Maybe because it simply is, impossible, to check 30/40.000+ people who all come out at once, just after parc closing. I think it is just not possible to check EVERYBODY who comes out the parc. That would take hours and hours to complete.

And i have women seen checked by the securitygaurds. And that happened in the following period: 12/16th July 2004. So maybe it was a coincedence, they picked a women to check or they still believe, women are the peacemakers and men are warmakers :drevil:

 

[Erika]

Geez, let me think, why dont they check all the people who are entering Disney Village after the park closes..???

Maybe because it simply is, impossible, to check 30/40.000+ people who all come out at once, just after parc closing. I think it is just not possible to check EVERYBODY who comes out the parc. That would take hours and hours to complete.

I've never been to DLP, but from what you are saying, "EVERYBODY" goes from the parks to the Village upon closing?

I understand the Village getting more crowded at night, but WDW is crowded every day and they still manage to do bag checks at all the parks.

 

[wdwmagic]

Geez, let me think, why dont they check all the people who are entering Disney Village after the park closes..???

Maybe because it simply is, impossible, to check 30/40.000+ people who all come out at once, just after parc closing. I think it is just not possible to check EVERYBODY who comes out the parc. That would take hours and hours to complete.

WDW manage to security check 100,000 people per day.

It seems that if DLP were to bag check guests on the way into the main parks, it would eliminate the need for them to be rechecked on the way into the Village, which would drastically improve the guest experience when entering the Village.

 

[wdwmagic]

I've never been to DLP, but from what you are saying, "EVERYBODY" goes from the parks to the Village upon closing?

There is an option when exiting the parks to go to the village, the resorts via the village, the resorts via bus, the train, or the parking lot. So it wouldnt be accurate to say everybody goes to the Village upon closing.

 

[Sweet Laker]

Well, like stated before, not EVERYbody is going to the Disney Village after parc closure. But still, i think, at least half of all the people are going through the Disney Village. So that is approx. 20.000 people, in less than an hour. And all the time, i have never seen more as 8 security guards to check bags etcetera. So it still think it is not possible to check everybody, without creating huge queues and a lot of unhappy customers.

And 100.000 a day, does not make 20.000 in one hour. So i still think it is not possible to check all the people entering the Village. At least not with the security tools they are working with now.

But thats just my 2 cents.

 

[wdwmagic]

Well, like stated before, not EVERYbody is going to the Disney Village after parc closure. But still, i think, at least half of all the people are going through the Disney Village. So that is approx. 20.000 people, in less than an hour. And all the time, i have never seen more as 8 security guards to check bags etcetera. So it still think it is not possible to check everybody, without creating huge queues and a lot of unhappy customers.
.

How about screening everyone going into the 2 parks, then they would not need to be hassled at the entry to the very crowded Village. Security could just then concentrate on screening people arriving ot the Vilalge from non-park locations. This has 2 benefits...

1. Everyone in the main parks is screened.
2. People entering the Village from the parks or leaving via the Village to the resorts will not be hassled with the poor entry system that they currently have.

 

[lebernadin]

How about screening everyone going into the 2 parks, then they would not need to be hassled at the entry to the very crowded Village. Security could just then concentrate on screening people arriving ot the Vilalge from non-park locations. This has 2 benefits...

1. Everyone in the main parks is screened.
2. People entering the Village from the parks or leaving via the Village to the resorts will not be hassled with the poor entry system that they currently have.

Exactly. They should just put security points over near Le Dome and the Cinema etc, at the exterior entry points to the Disney Village.

 

[Sweet Laker]

How about screening everyone going into the 2 parks, then they would not need to be hassled at the entry to the very crowded Village. Security could just then concentrate on screening people arriving ot the Vilalge from non-park locations. This has 2 benefits...

1. Everyone in the main parks is screened.
2. People entering the Village from the parks or leaving via the Village to the resorts will not be hassled with the poor entry system that they currently have.

That would be a good idea, except: Disney Village is open to everyone, like locals, who did not visit the parcs, are able to enter the DisneyVillage. So checking everybody who is going into one of the parcs (which should be possible, because there are queus anyway to enter the parc), doesnt automatically mean, you have checked everybody who is entering DisneyVillage, because it is free to enter.

I think, that if you want to secure DLRP, you should change the currunt securitytools/possibillities, drastically. It is just not possible to secure DLRP tightly at the moment, with the way they secure the parc now.

And even if they change everything, and they ARE able to check everybody who enters the proporty of Disney. There are still possibillities for suspected terrorists to advance on DLRP. If it isn's possible from the outside, it is possible to do it from the inside.

Look at Alcatraz. That supposed to be a prison, where no criminal was supposed/thought to escape from. But they did. From the inside. Just simple mathematics. And i think DLRP would look like a prison then also, since they allready have soldiers walking the perimeter at the moment. And i dont think it would be nice to visit a prisonlike themepark.

 

[grandmath]

You can't really tell "this one went to the parks" and "this one not" because unlike Downtown Disney, you just have 2 public entrances to Disney Village. There is no special corridor leading from a park to the Village as in Disneyland Resort.

After 7Pm, it's rush hour at the entrance of the DV and trust me, it would take HOURS to check everyone. They don't check specificaly the men more than women either, must have been a trend when you went...

But I agree something should be done to raise security. Although they tell us there IS much security but we don't see it and know about it.

 

[wdwmagic]

You can't really tell "this one went to the parks" and "this one not" because unlike Downtown Disney, you just have 2 public entrances to Disney Village. There is no special corridor leading from a park to the Village as in Disneyland Resort.

After 7Pm, it's rush hour at the entrance of the DV and trust me, it would take HOURS to check everyone. They don't check specificaly the men more than women either, must have been a trend when you went...

They need to rework that hub area, and create dedicated routes from the parks and public entrances to the Village. I think that would help with security, and general guest flow in that area. A route to the resorts without going through the Village would also be of great help in guest flow. I think the Village as a whole is very badly managed and operated, they really need to re-examine how they operate that area of the resort for it to become really successful.

 

[jrriddle]

Off the topic just for a second.
How did DLP look?
I understand alot of rehabs and repainting has been going on of late.
Just curious if it's looking any better?

 

[Al]

Hey Steve, did you have a good trip?

When I was there in Feb, the only security I could see was at the entry to Disney village. Everyone had to enter through a certain fenced route, and there were security there, but they just seemed to check people randomly, with no consistence. They did however search all bags. I noted at the time and on my site how strange it was that they searched here but not in the parks.

In this pic you can see the fence leading to the entrance, and it looks like you can just see someone being searched too. This was taken from my trip...

 

[7L-WDW]

lol .. Still got the temporary barriers .. Its even better in the rain !! with the space created by the entrance to studios there should be a permanent covered security area .. But with the Train link and the weekend , the Village dose get busy .. Its the only night life in the area,Remember they are French .. It wasn't till 9/11 that there was security .. And really the security on the site gate to Studio's was only stepped up when it was signed over ..