Disneyland is taking greater steps to prevent ticket renting by requiring a photo of every visitor who uses a multi-day ticket. According to the LA Times, the new process began this week and has delayed visitors getting into the theme parks by about 45 minutes.
For several months, Disneyland has required guests using multi-day tickets to show a photo ID when entering the parks. When my family visited in December, the process was quick and did not delay our trip. It is unclear how Disney’s new policy of requiring their own photograph will be any more effective than showing a government issued photo ID. The requirement to have a photo taken of every visitor seems unnecessary and intrusive.
Ticket renting is not illegal, but the practice is against Disney’s rules (i.e. tickets are non-transferable). Several ticket renting shops have appeared in Anaheim, each with a legitimate business license. The shops have been popular with bargain hunting tourists, while the Disney company continues to do everything possible to close them down.
Here’s how ticket renting works. One of the ticket brokers will buy a 5-day park hopper ticket. A family will rent the tickets for one day and pay the broker a fee plus a deposit. At the end of your visit, you return the tickets to the agency and get your deposit back. The broker then “rents” the tickets to another family for one day. The cycle continues until all admission days on the ticket have been used.
Disneyland currently takes and stores a photograph of anyone who purchases an Annual Passport, but has never required a photograph for any other ticket type. At Walt Disney World, a biometric finger scan is required for all tickets and the data is stored for up to 30 days. Walt Disney World does not require a finger scan for any children under age 10.
Disneyland has not disclosed how long they will retain the photographs they take of visitors or if the data will be stored independently of of any other system (which is the process at Walt Disney World).
Delaying entry to Disney California Adventure by 45 minutes could easily take away your chance of grabbing a Radiator Springs Racers Fastpass in the morning. Losing 45 minutes of your Early Entry would remove the benefit of the program. Disney certainly has a right to protect their business, but it should not come at the cost of the general visitor.
Photo via OC Register
