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DCAWhites
10-27-2004, 12:30 AM
Werent they supposed to install permenent structures in the fall instead of the temporary tents if the test went well, which seems to be the case? I remember this being said by executives in newspaper articles about the bag checks. The current ones are tacky beyond belief. Hopefully we'll get them before may 5th.

SoCalSteven
10-27-2004, 04:51 AM
I heard the same thing, but I wish they would just get rid of them. The checks are pointless!

That will never happen though.

TikiGeek
10-27-2004, 06:49 AM
It's amazing to see how many people just walk right through the exit or go right past the screeners. I agree - the checkpoints (as they are currently configured) are worthless.

3894
10-27-2004, 10:00 AM
I ... well, I enjoyed it.

Still get a thrilling shiver when I think about the DL checkpoint.

TP2000
10-27-2004, 12:14 PM
Funny thing happened at Sea World yesterday....

They were only running two entry turnstiles to get in to the park, and their "bag check" consisted of a very grumpy woman in a wrinkled shirt who rifled through everyones bags. She found some sandwiches in the backpack of a French tourist family in front of us and began an argument with them about "no food in the park! If you want food, you can buy it inside!".

The Frenchies were furious, and the employee wouldn't budge on the no food rule, and they put on this fabulous little show for everyone stacked up in line behind them. It was quite hilarious, and the French woman eventually made a giant scene about throwing the food away in the nearby trashcan while saying some very unkind things about our country in French. (Three years of high school French here.)

I was amazed at how brusque and stern the Sea World tunstile staff was, and how completely willing they were to escalate the sandwich thing into an International Incident in front of a large crowd of people.

I've never had anything but smiles and thank you's from the Disneyland bag checkers, and I see people bringing food into Disneyland all the time. It was a bizarrely different policy down at Sea World.

HorizonsA
10-27-2004, 12:27 PM
It's funny how they check bags but they don't check you. If you don't have any bags they let you go, but they don't check your pockets or nothing. I mean, what if someone had something dangerous in their pockets and the "checkpoints" don't check them. If you go to Six Flags Magic Mountain, you HAVE to go through the metal detector and ANYTHING that is in your pockets the detector will find it. I had my plastic eyeglass case in my pocket and they caught it, I had to take that out of my pocket and go through the detector again so they could make sure I'm safe. Keyword: SAFE I thought that was the whole point of these checkpints, to make sure that everyone has a safe visit to Disneyland.

RemainSeatedPlease
10-27-2004, 03:26 PM
If they are going to have safety checks, then they should have metal dectors, but those take away from the atmostphere I think, and besides, I don't think they need safety checks...aren't you just as likely to get shot or stabbed by someone in the park as you are outside of it?

Mark Goldhaber
10-27-2004, 04:09 PM
Not to mention that the tremendous electrical field created by the passage of the monorail can throw the metal detectors off, anyway.

averagedork
10-27-2004, 05:18 PM
Not to sound mean but I found a way to get past the check points. I just hate the hassel of it (one is fine, but then when you leave to go to DTD and come back you get checked. Wish there was a stamp or something) : I carry pads at the top of my purse and find a male security checker. They don't bother me. Again sounds bad.

AlohaJulie
10-27-2004, 05:36 PM
Not only can people slip by without being checked, but lately things have been completely disorganized! It seems the CM's there are often chatting and discussing who's going to watch and who's going to actually check bags. And on most days lately, only one out of the 4 tents have been open, so everytime a tram lets off, there's a huge bottleneck of people.

Kitsune_SD
10-27-2004, 06:56 PM
I am so SICK of the bag checks... what made me really mad is that on one particular trip right after 9/11 I went with a male friend - I walk into Disneyland with my purse which they insist on checking, then we park hop over to DCA later and I have my friend carry the purse AND THEY DON'T CHECK IT! What sort of crazed sexism is that? I would think it would stand out as being out of the ordinary that a man is carrying a purse, wouldn't you?

And as for the woman with the pads, we have discussed putting even more interesting (but not illegal) things in my purse for the CMs to find...

kohl
10-27-2004, 07:18 PM
Befor they had the tents and they checked you at the gate, one night I had on a baggy jacket to go into Disneyland and they didn't ask me to unzip it or anything. The next morning we went into California Adventure and I was wearing a tight sweat suit and the lady asked me to unzip my sweatshirt. I thought it was kinda weird because you could see if I was trying to hide anything. My husband was a little unset with that because he is a cop and has worked with the Terrorist Task Force and said that lady doesn't know what she was doing. When we talked to someonw with security about it, they didn't really give us a good answer on why she would ask someone dressed with tight clothes on to unzip her sweatshirt and NOT ask someone to unzip their jackets that are baggy and they could easily hide something.

SoCalSteven
10-27-2004, 08:10 PM
I know for a fact that anything can be snuck through those checkpoints. Why bother!?

It is so the majority of the public can have a false sense of security, that is why.

cstephens
10-28-2004, 11:06 AM
And as for the woman with the pads, we have discussed putting even more interesting (but not illegal) things in my purse for the CMs to find...

The CMs at the checkpoints are doing their job. I guess I don't understand the need or point of trying to embarrass them.

Tinker Bell
10-28-2004, 12:30 PM
When I went to DL last nite for my tour. I was wearing my long black jacket the guy made me open it and turn around with it spread out to see behind me.Fussed bout my cell phone pouch on my waist went though my bag.Took me a good ten min... it could have been all my black that made him suspect me or maybe he was checking me out.LOL

mystycalchyk
10-28-2004, 12:46 PM
I dont mind for one second going through the check in process. I am quite happy to oblige in any way and will eagerly open all the pocket in my backpack and help them in anyway I can.
If they asked me to go through a metal detector I would (although I had never thought about the whole magnetic field/monorail thing.)

Same thing goes for at airports. I dont mind a bit.

I dont understand why it's such a big deal to people. :confused:

Merm8fan
10-28-2004, 04:00 PM
Perfect. Let's spend DLR improvement or refurb money on permanent bag check areas that are pointless, in addition to the money already being spent to staff the process.

I'd be interested to see what you all think the bag checks are for:

1) To keep weapons and firearms out of the parks for guest safety.

2) To keep explosive devices out of the parks for attraction/structure safety.

3) To keep contraband food out of the parks.

4) To humor the post 9/11 public and provide a false sense of security for those guests who actually believe the DLR checks measure up to your typical airport security checks.

Survey says... ?

SoCalDude
10-28-2004, 04:29 PM
3) To keep contraband food out of the parks.

lol - the ONLY thing they have ever asked me is if I had anything... it was food. We have our young ones with us (ages 4 and 3) so ya, we have some snacks for them - why would we not? But it has never been "Do you have any guns?" it has always been "Do you have any food in there?"

Seriously - if somebody wants to sneak a bomb in the place they are going to find a different way other than the front gates!!

Merm8fan
10-28-2004, 05:16 PM
Seriously - if somebody wants to sneak a bomb in the place they are going to find a different way other than the front gates!!

Seriously, as you can tell by other posts, you don't even need to resort to avoiding the front gates. Just wear a bulky jacket, or tuck some plastique into a diaper... the checks are pointless.

The checks are also unnecessary. I still maintain that DLR is not and will not be a target. Doesn't fit the "profile" for what terrorists want.

I sure feel safer there's no potentially-dangerous-in-80-degree-weather-tunafish-sandwiches getting into the park.

TP2000
10-28-2004, 08:07 PM
Reading all of these comments, some of which were quite disrespectful of the CM's doing their job to keep Disneyland safe and sane, I came to this conclusion...

I have a very strong hunch that all of these types of protests and annoyed comments about Disneyland bag checks will come to a very quick end the day after a terrorist group succesfully explodes a small nuclear dirty bomb or biological weapon in an average American shopping mall or large public venue that does not have cursory bag checks at the entrance points.

The day after that type of terrorist event happens I highly doubt that jokes about embarrasing hard working CM's by placing feminine hygiene products in purses, or the annoyed comments of people who were inconvenienced by two bag check lines in one day will be very funny.

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head. And I always make a point of saying "Thank you", with a quick smile, to the CM staffing the bag check positions.

uvsc_wolverine
10-28-2004, 09:39 PM
I would just like to see them be consistent with their bag checks. Today was the second day of my three-day trip (Trip Report forthcoming!), and yesterday I walked through the bag checks three or four times without getting checked. I had a small camera bag with me (I have a small digital camera, and the bag was just a little bigger than the camera), and I was just waved through yesterday. Today I was asked to open it. I'm not complaining or anything, I just think that maybe the employees staffing those positions need to be trained better or something. Maybe they don't all know the proper guidelines for bag checks or something. Or maybe the guy that wanted to check my little camera bag took it too far? I would just like them to actually know what bags they need to check.

Merm8fan
10-28-2004, 10:08 PM
Reading all of these comments, some of which were quite disrespectful of the CM's doing their job to keep Disneyland safe and sane, I came to this conclusion...

I have a very strong hunch that all of these types of protests and annoyed comments about Disneyland bag checks will come to a very quick end the day after a terrorist group succesfully explodes a small nuclear dirty bomb or biological weapon in an average American shopping mall or large public venue that does not have cursory bag checks at the entrance points.

The day after that type of terrorist event happens I highly doubt that jokes about embarrasing hard working CM's by placing feminine hygiene products in purses, or the annoyed comments of people who were inconvenienced by two bag check lines in one day will be very funny.

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head. And I always make a point of saying "Thank you", with a quick smile, to the CM staffing the bag check positions.


None of the postings I read were vitriolic in regards to the CM's doing the checks. It is clear they are just doing the job they were (IMHO, poorly) trained for. And, if they were properly trained, feminine products wouldn't deter them, nor would one solitary bag get through without scrutiny. I also politely thank the CM's who "search" my bags, while mentally tallying how much that staffing must cost the resort.

To speak for myself, and myself only, it is the idea of having the bag check at all that is ludicrous. I'm sure even Walt would have been familiar with the age-old saying: "If you can't do something right, why do it at all?" Not only are the checks inefficient and inconsistent, they are an unnecessary financial burden on the parks, as they in no way serve the purpose they were created for - other than my option 4.

If - and let me capitalize that "IF" - for some baffling reason terrorists would want to attack DLR, those pitiful bag checks wouldn't even be listed as a speedbump on their planning diagrams.

God help us if the day ever comes when you can't enter a mall or a public venue without going through a bag check. Not only will our retail economy take a dive; many workers will be out of jobs (unless you work security, apparently) and we will no longer be the nation known for it's freedoms.

SoCalSteven
10-28-2004, 11:30 PM
4) To humor the post 9/11 public and provide a false sense of security for those guests who actually believe the DLR checks measure up to your typical airport security checks.
Ding ding ding!!! We have a winner!!!

It doesn't keep anything out, it just makes people think they are secure.

SoCalSteven
10-28-2004, 11:32 PM
I have a very strong hunch that all of these types of protests and annoyed comments about Disneyland bag checks will come to a very quick end the day after a terrorist group succesfully explodes a small nuclear dirty bomb or biological weapon in an average American shopping mall or large public venue that does not have cursory bag checks at the entrance points.
That thought is relevant, except for the fact that the checks at Disneyland don't keep things like that out.

I have a friend who carries a pistol on him all the time. He was inside Disneyland before he realized he forgot to take it off. At that point, his wife checked here purse and realized she had her pistol too. Doesn't that make you feel like the checks are keeping you safe?

DCAWhites
10-29-2004, 01:52 AM
Anyone have any actual idea why the permenant structures were delayed? Seems like they forgot about them completely...even though it was announced in many articles they'd be installed in the fall. As pointless or as important as the bag checks are, we can all agree that the current bag check tents really detract from the area, and permanent themed structures would be a big improvement. Hopefully with a no bags line.