Disneyland has made a few notable changes to its entry procedures this year, including the modification of its park hopping rules and new technology meant to reduce wait times at park entry. These have impacted rope drop also. Some of these changes have been controversial for some, with the new technology generating the attention of a lawsuit.
However, one rule very likely won’t be changed, despite the slight inconvenience it can cause guests at times. Keep reading for the details on this rule remaining in place and what it is. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including a new restaurant closure and the new Disneyland California license plates.
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Disneyland Park Scanning Time Limit
Disneyland just lifted all the restrictions on park hopping, effective June 9. Previously, guests were limited to when they were allowed to park hop and only allowed to switch parks at 11 AM. Now there are no time restrictions on park hopping, so guests are allowed to move freely between both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, which drastically improves guest flexibility during rope drop.
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One entry restriction tied to park hopping has remained despite the lifting of these other park hopping rules.
There is a 15-minute wait period between scanning into both theme parks. Meaning, if you enter Disney California Adventure and then less than 15 minutes later try to enter Disneyland, you will be initially held instead of allowed to entry. A cast member will call over a supervisor to override the alert. This rule hasn’t been changed despite the restriction on park hopping being lifted.
This often happens to guests who use the security entrance to Disney California Adventure from Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and then walk over to Disneyland. Which makes sense, it is a bit of a shorter walk to cut through that way. However, some reports online have also noted that they were flagged at the entrance for as long as two hours between park scans.
So why does Disneyland have this rule? It’s likely to prevent guests from sharing tickets. If one guest scans into a park and immediately exits, a second person could theoretically try to use the same ticket at the other park. So by putting in place a short waiting period, this helps flag suspicious activity.
We have credibly heard that even with all of the photo identification in place today and required authentication from cast members, that there are some locals that are siblings who share passes. Disney has tightened these policies around entry quite a bit over the years as they shifted from exit hand stamps to the photos attached to all tickets.
The ticketing software Disney operates likely monitors unusual entry patterns, so when guests enter the two parks within minutes of each other, this sets off an alert to potential ticket misuse. The system then generates an alert that requires a Cast Member override.
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While this policy can be inconvenient, the cast member it alerts will likely wave you through quickly once they get approval from a supervisor. It should only slow you down by a minute or two. And while Disney has never publicly explained the reason for the policy, it likely serves as a fraud prevention measure that won’t be going away anytime soon.
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