Disney Just Bought $3 Million Ticket Scanners — But Do They Actually Make Your Life Better?

Disney recently made a big investment, but is it worth the cost?

Disneyland Entrance

Things are constantly changing in the Disney parks. From new attractions to updated policies and procedures, we keep an eye on all the latest updates from around the parks so we can keep you in the know for your next visit. One recent change we noticed came with a big price tag for Disney — but was it worth it?

On a recent trip to Disney California Adventure, we noticed that the park had started testing its new turnstiles at the entrance. The new turnstiles are automated to open after a Cast Member scans and validates a theme park ticket. The update has also expanded the amount of available turnstiles and gates, plus it will make them both stroller and ADA-compliant.

New turnstiles!

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The new turnstiles feature a screen with a barcode scanner below and a MagicBand+ tap point. Disney also removed the physical turnstiles from between the ticket scanners. But we did run into a few kinks in our first times using the new turnstiles. The first time our reporter went, he experienced some trouble with the mechanism that is supposed to take the guest’s photo and then let them in. A Cast Member nearby ended up scanning his ticket again without the machine.

New turnstiles

While our reporter didn’t have any issues with that process the next time he visited, he also noted that the turnstiles were not compatible with MagicBand+ on either visit. In general, our reporter preferred the old system for entering the park because it seems to be more efficient. However, this could change as testing progresses and Disney works out the bugs.

New turnstile

In all, the process for scanning in at the new turnstiles didn’t seem to be any quicker than with the previous turnstiles. However, we are glad to see that the new design does make the entrance more accessible, even if the technology itself doesn’t seem to be super impactful!

We’ll continue to test out the new turnstiles to see if things change as they get more usage, so stay tuned to DFB for more updates!

Now THIS Controversial Disney Hotel Change Is One We LOVE!

Have you used the new scanners? Share your experience in the comments!

The post Disney Just Bought Million Ticket Scanners — But Do They Actually Make Your Life Better? first appeared on the disney food blog.