It’s no April fool: Officials from Walt Disney World Resort recently announced that they’re changing security procedures beginning Monday, April 3.
The main security checkpoint at Disney’s Magic Kingdom will be moved from the park’s front gate to the Transportation and Ticket Center. There, guests will have go to go through metal detectors before boarding the monorail or the ferry. Guests staying at hotels on the Disney property will have to go through separate security checkpoints before boarding, and the park will add an extra checkpoint to check the bags of visitors arriving at the park by bus or by boat.
“As part of an ongoing effort to enhance the arrival experience for guests at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom park, we have relocated some of our bag checks and metal detectors to the transportation and ticket center, and the monorail stations at Disney’s Contemporary resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and Disney’s Polynesian Village resort,” a Disney World spokes person said in a statement.
This should be especially welcome news to people who are staying at the three resorts, because they will go through much less crowded security lines.
The security changes at the Florida park mirror those that have already taken place at Disney World’s sister park, Disneyland Resort in California. At Disneyland, the checkpoint was moved from the front gate to the main parking lot.
There, guests at the three on-site resorts were also directed to other, less crowded checkpoints. This also allowed guests to go to the Downtown Disney shopping and dining district without having to go back through security.
Ultimately, Disney World’s goal is the same as Disneyland’s: to move people through security checkpoints as quickly as possible so that they can get busy enjoying their park experience.
Another bonus to moving the checkpoints closer to the parking lot: If you’ve got selfie sticks, costumes, or other prohibited items, you can put them back in your car without having to take extra tram, monorail, or ferry rides, and you won’t have to go through the security line again.
Although the security experience will make visiting the Magic Kingdom a bit less magical—at least at the beginning—we suspect that the magic will still be alive and well within the park.
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