Disney Security Explains Hack to Not Get "Caught", Skip the Search

If you do not want to get slowed down waiting in the security line to visit Walt Disney World Resort, here are the multiple warnings that Disney’s security teams have given us to avoid having our bags checked.

One of the best things about visiting Walt Disney World Resort is that there is a strong feeling of safety that guests can enjoy while they are at the parks. Before you enter Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom (or even Disney Springs) guests must walk through a metal detector to ensure that they are not bringing anything that is not allowed or dangerous into the theme parks.

The security system has improved over the years, and now, guests can just walk right on through the metal detectors and, for the most part, be on their way. While things like cell phones or car keys will not set off the detector, there are certain metals and objects that do, and if you do end up beeping when you cross that line, you will be asked to get into a second line, where a security officer will check your bag, stroller, or mobile device.

While this may not seem like a big deal, the bag check lines can get long, and it does not move too quickly as those checks are much more thorough, with security searching your entire bag very well.

On my last visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I had my bag beep, but luckily it was towards the end of the night so the line was not long at all to get my bag searched. Since we had time, I asked the officer what it was that I had that caused the alarm to go off, and for a moment, the officer could not answer. The cast member said that they were not sure, as none of the objects in my bag were metal, but then, he noted that it might have been the actual zipper on my bag. Since all of the items in my bag were already out of the bag for the security check, the officer tested the theory, and the bag beeped!

Lucky for me, this was my first time using the bag in the parks, so I was now aware that I should swap to a new bag for my next visit to avoid the long waits that may come with bag check. I spoke with the security team a little longer, and they told me that umbrellas and sunglass cases were the two biggest culprits when it came to items that would set off the security alarms. That is why on busy, and especially rainy days, you will hear security repeatedly telling guests to hold their umbrellas out in front of their bodies.

The new metal detectors not only detect metal, but it can detect the general location of the metal, and if it beeps but the location was in your hands, which were extended in front of you, security will see it on their screen, and tell you to keep moving, and when you are trying to rope drop Rise of the Resistance, those extra minutes saved make a world a difference.

If you are ever coming in with a laptop or an external battery pack, those items may cause the security scanners to go off as well.

The cast member I was chatting with sent me off with a piece of advice for those on vacation at Walt Disney World Resort: If you are planning on visiting the parks multiple times during your stay, and you are bringing the same bag and items with you each day, pay attention to that first attempt of getting through security. If nothing happens, you’re golden! If you do beep, ask the security officer searching your bag what it was that set off the machine. Once you know what item it is, you can hold it in front of you, just like the umbrella trick, and you won’t have to dread walking through security every morning.

There have been instances in which the metal detectors and scanners have caught guests attempting to bring weapons, like a gun, into the theme parks. When this happens, every instance and way of handling it can differ depending on the external facts. If someone had a gun in their bag and just forgot to take it out, security will run the gun’s registration, and as long as it matches the guest, they will simply be asked to return it to their car. 

If there is any sign of a threat, or if the gun is not registered to the guest attempting to enter the park armed, police will quickly get involved.

At Disneyland Resort, guests looking to enter Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, or Downtown Disney must all go through the same security checkpoint (unless entering from resort-specific areas or the parking garage). Disneyland does not have contactless scanners, and while guests must walk through a metal detector, they must all first have their bag checked and then walk through the scanner without anything on their person.

Did you know about the Disney World security hack? Have you tried it at the parks?