Are you heading or planning a trip to Disney World soon?
We have so many tips and tricks for snagging the best dining reservations, how to use the brand new Lightning Lane Multi and Single Pass system, and even a helpful page telling you where all the best bathrooms are around Disney World. And now we are going to let you in on a little secret to help you get into the parks a little bit quicker.
We want you to be able to get into the parks efficiently, and getting through security can be one of the last steps you take before immersing yourself in the magic. However, sometimes security can slow you down, so take it from us and do not make these mistakes when going through security at Disney World.
While Disney World has made strides in streamlining its security process by using metal detectors that you can carry your bag through, there are times when you can get stopped for a manual bag inspection. It can be frustrating when you get pulled aside for a secondary inspection and have your party waiting on you, but there is a way to avoid this!
If this happens to you often, it could be because the everyday park items you carry in your park bag set off the metal detector.
It gets hot in the parks, and a recent trend has been to wear portable neck fans. While we love these and think they are a great way to keep you cool during your park day, these fans sometimes have metal that sets off the detectors at security. Instead of leaving these fans in your bag, make sure to take them out and hold them out in front of you.Â
Certain sunglass cases can also set off the metal detector. We recommend switching out your hard-sided sunglasses for a soft-sided case, as these do not have the metal clasp that the hard-sided cases have.Â
During your park day, you will most likely be using your phone quite a bit to access the My Disney Experience app. This means that your phone battery might need a boost throughout the day, and one of the easiest ways to charge your phone is to use portable chargers.Â
Sometimes, these portable chargers can also set off the metal detector. In our experience, we have been able to leave FuelRods in our bags as they do not set off the detector, but we take larger charges out. It depends on which portable charger you bring with you. Regardless, it is still a good idea to pull your portable charger out of your bag to avoid being stopped at security.Â
We are all about staying hydrated during a park day, and you can actually bring your water bottle into the parks! There are refill stations throughout the parks. Stanley Cups and Hyrdroflasks are popular water bottle options. But you probably guessed it: since these are made of metal, they also set off the metal detectors. We have found that if you have a water bottle pocket on the outside of your bag and the bottle is visible, we will usually make it through security without pulling it out pocket, but it it’s inside your bag, we recommend pulling it out to hold out in front of you.
One final culprit that sets off the metal detector is umbrellas. Umbrellas are great for hiding you from the sun and having your own personal shade, as well as keeping you dry when it inevitably rains in the summertime, but these set off the metal detector. So once again, make sure any umbrellas are removed from your bag and held out in front of you.Â
If you are carrying all of these items in your park bag and you do not know how to hold all these items that set off the metal detector, you can make it a group effort. We like to give each person in our party something to hold. Someone can be in charge of keeping the umbrellas, and someone can be in charge of holding the portable chargers, and so forth. Once everyone is through security, you can place all of these items back in your bag.Â
While several things could set off the metal detector, the most common ones are sunglasses cases, neck fans, portable chargers, metal water bottles, and umbrellas. When you hold these items out in front of you, the metal detector will go off and the Cast Member who is watching the screen will wave you on since they can see the item that set off the detector. So, the next time you go through security, be prepared and pull these items out to avoid being stopped for another security screening.
Remember, if you do get pulled to the side, while it can be frustrating, Disney Security is there to ensure everyone’s safety and enjoyment of the parks. As always, stay tuned to AllEars.net for more Disney World tips and tricks!
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!
For me, it was a small metal tin holding ladies personal products. For someone else I know it was a small tin of mints. Once you know the offending product and hold it out in front of you each time you go through the metal detector there’s no issue.
It’s pins I have to hold out in front of me. I learned my lesson. If I have 4 or less, I’m okay, but more I take out the bag of them and hold in front of me and sail through the line.
This article is quite inaccurate on the baseline. Sunglass cases with metal hinges would not be enough.
These are not just old-school metal detectors, seeing how much metal is on you were in your bag. These are millimeter wave scanners, similar to what TSA uses at the airport. They don’t just check for the total amount of metal. They look at content, density, and shaping.
An umbrella definitely could set it off, so could a giant bag of trading pins. That’s what usually gets me flagged every time I go because I have a pocket full of pins. If I carry everything else that I normally do but don’t have pins with me I never get flagged.
Interesting since the security staff told me it was probably my eyeglass case… took it out of bag and bag no longer flagged! left it home a couple of days and was fine and then grabbed it one morning and … waa-laa- my bag flagged again. I said to the security person… forgot to leave my metal hinged case at home… he laughed and said… yep that is probably the problem. He also said that all of them don’t but it is common for them to be the culprit.
Wow.
I found the phone itself set it off sometimes. If I am holding my phone my purse and or fanny pack is fine. Some times they need to check and it was always if I had my phone in there.
Belt buckles. I had tobiy a belt with a plastic buckle because i was getting rechecked every time thru the gate.