Logistics of photos attached to tickets

[alvernon90]

The issue wasn't so much people showing up and finding out there were no days left on their tickets (although that happens, too, of course) as much as brokers selling off leftover/unused days. The photos CAN help prevent that.

Right, this is my point. The purpose is not to protect the public, it is to protect the bottom line.

I'm not sure what "deals that actually worked" you are referring to, but these brokers certainly didn't create a situation in which "everyone was happy" I'm fact the opposite is true for most of us. They drove up the.cost of tickets for those of us buying legitimately, while cheating the system.

I didn't mean the whole world was happy, I meant the parties to the ticket transaction. If somebody sells discounted tickets and isn't scamming the buyer, you have a happy buyer and seller with nobody complaining -- except Disney, of course.

And if it is true that those transactions were driving up ticket costs for everybody, I'm sure we can expect price cuts now that the photo system has eliminated or at least reduced the problem. Well, at least no increases for a while. Ahem.

It is illegal to allow anyone but the original guest to use the ticket.

When you say "illegal" I'm not sure if you mean breach of contract or an actual crime. I know it's a crime in Florida but not sure about California. If you mean the latter, it seems a law enforcement crackdown would do more than the photo system, which is very poorly implemented to say the least.

If you mean the former, well, I see a ton of violations of the adhesion contract every time I go to the parks. You're also not allowed to jump in line, but Disney does barely anything at all about that because it only affects customers, not the Mouse. Only those policy violations impacting the bottom line get any attention.

Disney can do what they want, of course, but I'm free to complain about it or stop giving them my money. (Guess which option I chose.) But I just can't imagine that resellers were such a hit on the bottom line that these measures are justified. I am starting to suspect this is an effort to eliminate park hopping by making it so difficult to get through the gates that nobody will leave the park until they are leaving for good. If that is the plan, it's working.

 

[larina]

......you have a happy buyer and seller with nobody complaining -- except Disney, of course.

And if it is true that those transactions were driving up ticket costs for everybody, I'm sure we can expect price cuts now that the photo system has eliminated or at least reduced the problem. Well, at least no increases for a while. Ahem.....

Again, that just isn't true. There WERE people complaining! Those of us who got our tickets through legitimate sources for full price have always complained about the brokers and the cheaters. I, like most folks would, got excited when I first about these 'cheap' DL tickets, until I found out the deal with them. Once I heard they were cheating the system, I looked for no further information.

.... When you say "illegal" I'm not sure if you mean breach of contract or an actual crime. I know it's a crime in Florida but not sure about California. If you mean the latter, it seems a law enforcement crackdown would do more than the photo system, which is very poorly implemented to say the least.

If you mean the former, well, I see a ton of violations of the adhesion contract every time I go to the parks. You're also not allowed to jump in line, but Disney does barely anything at all about that because it only affects customers, not the Mouse. Only those policy violations impacting the bottom line get any attention....

Illegal was a bad choice of words. I wish California had the same laws as Florida in regard to this, but I know they don't. I should have said it is breach of contract, I do know that. Thank you for clarification. As for, what about Disney taking care of me and enforcing their rules, I wish they would, but my good behavior does NOT depend on anyone but me. I don't justify breaking rules (or lying or cheating, or stealing, or any other bad behavior) because of others, I follow the standards I set for myself, and others, without concern about what everyone else is doing. My integrity is worth more than a discount!

As for price coming back down, or even staying the same, that won't happen. Instead, stricter policies will go into place and, eventually, we'll get finger scanners in Ca like they have Fl and Disney will use that as justification for high/er prices.

....Disney can do what they want, of course, but I'm free to complain about it or stop giving them my money. (Guess which option I chose.).....

Only one of those options does any good though. Complaining about prices on a chat board does NOT affect Disney in any way! They don't even have to hear or read the complaint, so essentially, you are doing nothing. I'm a letter writer. If I had a complaint, I'd write a letter to someone involved in some way (so someone at Disney), I would not just complain in general. More than that, as you mentioned, I'd stop giving them money. I would not keep going and complain about it, that would just make me look silly (I have an issue with folks that stay in situations but complain about them all the time, just do something about it already!) and like I'm careless with my money. Don't give your money to a company you think isn't using the resources well.

See, I look at this no differently than those abusing GACs. We all know people are doing it, we all know we could do it, too, but most of us have enough integrity, and common decency, not to do it. No matter what Disney does, for me, that's the bottom line.

 

[alvernon90]

See, I look at this no differently than those abusing GACs. We all know people are doing it, we all know we could do it, too, but most of us have enough integrity, and common decency, not to do it. No matter what Disney does, for me, that's the bottom line.

I certainly can agree with this. I only mean to say that sometimes the cure is worse than the disease, but that doesn't matter to Disney when it hits their bottom line. GAC abuse is a great example - they *could* clamp down, but it would offend a very small segment of their guests, so they let the problem continue at the expense and inconvenience of the vast majority of guests. The ticket problem is the reverse. A small number of people might have been upset that it was possible to get used tickets at a discount, but (I'm guessing) the vast majority either didn't know about it or didn't really care, but they are inconveniencing the vast majority of their guests to fix the "problem" because the problem hurts Disney, not guests.

 

[larina]

....GAC abuse is a great example - they *could* clamp down, but it would offend a very small segment of their guests, so they let the problem continue at the expense and inconvenience of the vast majority of guests.....

I think we just look at things very differently. I'm not sure what "expense and inconvenience of the vast majority of guests" you are addressing in relation to the GAC, but how would you suggest they "clamp down" while still being in compliance with the ADA rule that you can NOT ask for documentation of a disability?
See, all the things you're complaining about are things I've never stopped to worry about in the parks, or even at home. I just enjoy my trip. When I don't anymore, I'll stop going.

 

[nana50]

I hate the new policy of taking pictures. It slows the lines way down. I really don't think it should matter to them if I use the two day ticket for myself one day and someone else the second day. It is ALL money money money to them. I paid my money I should be able to use that ticket as I see fit. I know it is in the rules, I understand that, I just think it shouldn't be a rule. Most people are just giving it to a relative/friend/co-worker. Yes, some people sell them, but I think Disneyland exhorts enough money out of us already.

 

[snvanvl]

We were there just last week and the lines to get in were very minimal in the middle of the day. The picture thing was no big deal and we had no issues for our party of 12.

One thing I did not get was the hand stamp my kids would go swimming in the afternoon and the hand stamp was gone. We would be questioned for no hand stamp even though they could clearly see by the picture it was the same person re-entering the park.

I also witnessed them letting a guy in with no ticket but he had a hand stamp. The guy claimed his wife had his ticket.

 

[SMD]

I hate the new policy of taking pictures. It slows the lines way down. I really don't think it should matter to them if I use the two day ticket for myself one day and someone else the second day. It is ALL money money money to them. I paid my money I should be able to use that ticket as I see fit. I know it is in the rules, I understand that, I just think it shouldn't be a rule. Most people are just giving it to a relative/friend/co-worker. Yes, some people sell them, but I think Disneyland exhorts enough money out of us already.

If you want to go 1 day and your friend, relative or co-worker want to go another day then you should both buy your own 1 day tickets. If someone doesn't agree with the conditions Disney places on their ticket, they are not obligated to go to Disneyland at all.

I don't think it slows down the line that much. Whenever there has been a problem, it's been handled in at most a minute. The other day I was park hopping to DCA, the line was 20+ people long across the esplanade because they temporarily stopped letting people into DCA. It took about 3 1/2 minutes for me to make it in the park once they reopened the gates, but of course it felt like for-ev-er watching so many people in front of me have to flash their tickets of APs and about 1/3 of them had to be scanned because they were multi-day. I think this is a matter of perception more than reality.

 

[alvernon90]

I think this is a matter of perception more than reality.

This is the very point of Disneyland, it's all about perception trumping reality. And the perception is, the lines are slowing down because Disney is mad that some not insignificant portion of their customers are getting a discount on the tickets, so every customer must be treated as criminals and have their mug shots taken.

My personal perception is that this inconvenience is a fair one to impose on annual passholders -- the potential for abuse of a 365-day unlimited ticket justifies getting a photograph on the card to ensure only you may use the pass. APs are sent to other lines for this, not the turnstiles at the gates.

But for a ticket that can be used at most as three extra one-day tickets, and which lasts only two weeks in any event, the mass photography at the gates (which is both tedious and arbitrarily applied) is going too far. Walmart watches all their customers with cameras and use various merchandise sensors, but they let a certain amount of shoplifters go free rather than pat down customers as they leave the store. Sometimes an otherwise fair idea just goes too far; a business must accept some cheating to maintain good relations with their customers, the vast majority of whom play by the rules.

 

[sherilaine]

We visited last March and this May and there was ZERO difference in how long it took to move people through the gates. We had APs and it was scan, look at picture, scan, look at picture, I mean maybe 30 seconds for the 4 of us to move through. I also saw CMs checking pass or ticket to catch those needing photos further down the line from the actual gate.

I think the wrinkles are gone folks from what had been reporting earlier this year.

We are rule followers, they make life fair, so we have no issues!

 

[larina]

If you want to go 1 day and your friend, relative or co-worker want to go another day then you should both buy your own 1 day tickets. If someone doesn't agree with the conditions Disney places on their ticket, they are not obligated to go to Disneyland at all.

Yes! This sums it up well