Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
New signage has appeared at Disneyland Resort alerting guests to something that has been quietly happening at the park’s entry points for some time. For the first time, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park visitors are being explicitly told they can opt out of facial recognition technology.
New Signs in the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure
Credit: Disney
On April 21, WDWNT reported that signs addressing facial recognition technology had been installed in the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure at Disneyland Resort. Positioned after the security checkpoint and before guests board the tram, the signs notify visitors that the park uses facial recognition to process theme park entry and direct anyone who wants to bypass it to a separate lane. The full text reads:
“Facial Recognition at Park Entry
Disneyland Resort park entries use facial recognition technology. Use of these lanes is optional.
If you do not wish to participate, please enter the line lane with the following overhead signage:”
Additional signage is expected to follow at the Pixar Pals Parking Structure and other entry points across the Southern California Disney Resort.
How the System Works
Credit: Disney
The facial recognition process at Disneyland Resort begins on a guest’s first visit, when a Disney cast member photographs them to establish their identity in the system. On every subsequent visit, that photo is matched at entry using facial recognition — functioning similarly to the fingerprint scanners Walt Disney World Resort uses to prevent ticket theft and sharing. Unlike fingerprint data, however, which Disney converts into a numerical code rather than storing directly, Disneyland Resort’s system captures and retains an actual image of each guest.
Guests who prefer not to have their photo processed through facial recognition can request a manual image verification by a Disney cast member each time they enter Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park. The same opt-out option exists at Walt Disney World Resort for guests who don’t want to use the fingerprint scanners.
What do you think about the use of facial recognition technology at the Southern California Disney parks? Share your opinion with Disney Tips in the comments!
