Most things have returned to normal in the Disney World parks after the pandemic closures in 2020.

However, when the parks first reopened, a LOT of things were done quite differently — social distancing was required everywhere, many rides had plexiglass barriers in between rows, and masks were required. And those were just a few of the changes we saw in attempt to ensure a safer experience. All of those are gone now, but one change does remain. Honestly though, we hope it NEVER goes away!

The security lines in Disney World could be pretty MISERABLE before the pandemic-related closures. Prior to the 2020 closures, every guest with a bag had to go through a manual bag check.

This meant that during peak times of day lines took what seemed like FOREVER to get into each park or onto the Monorail. While ensuring no one was bringing anything dangerous into the parks was immensely important, it meant you had to budget for even more time when arriving.

However, when the parks were slowly reopening after the COVID-19 closures, Disney knew that having their security touching everything inside hundreds of guests’ bags was not the best way to go about things anymore. So they introduced touchless security systems!

Now, guests just need to walk through the scanner with their bags in their hands (unless they’re in a mobility vehicle or have a stroller, then they go through a separate line). If nothing pings on the system, they’re good to go! If something in the bag sets off an alert, the guest is asked to walk over a few steps to get their bag checked.

While this part can take a moment, it overall takes MUCH less time than it did before, and we love this change. If you’re hoping to avoid your bag going off, we recommend taking out any large metal pieces ahead of time and holding them straight out in front of you as you walk through the scanner. This could be a water bottle, an umbrella, a portable phone charger, or even a glasses case (yes, we’ve been there!).

It doesn’t look like Disney will go back to the old way of security anytime soon (hopefully not at all), since their employees are trained to read the touchless scanners, and it would likely require more staff to search through everyone’s bags once again.

Here’s how Disney World has TOTALLY changed over the past 5 years!

As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney news so you’re prepared for your next trip!

Do you think the touchless scanners are an improvement? Tell us in the comments!

The post There’s One Thing That’s Still Totally Different in Disney World After COVID – And We Love It first appeared on the disney food blog.