New no-stop security scanners now at EPCOT main entrance

Oct 14, 2020 in "EPCOT"

Posted: Wednesday October 14, 2020 10:15am by WDWMAGIC Staff

The new no-stop security scanners are now in operation at EPCOT’s main entrance.

Originally piloted in June at Disney Springs, the new scanners greatly reduce the need for bag checks and provide a much improved guest experience.

With the main entrance at EPCOT, the scanners are now in use at International Gateway, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

According to the manufacturer, Evolv Express is the first no-stop weapons-screening system built to automatically screen groups of people as they walk through without slowing or stopping. Express screens visitors individually or together, while automatically differentiating weapons from personal items. It is the fastest weapons-screening system on the market, consistently screening 60 people every minute for firearms and other threats. That’s 3,600 people per hour, or 10X faster than a traditional checkpoint system.

Check out the video below for a look at how the system works and its benefits over traditional metal detectors.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

View all comments →

monothingie5 days ago

The extra credit cards I need to put in my wallet to deal with the high prices?

ToTBellHop5 days ago

Disneylover695 days ago

So then what causes the bulge? Lol

ToTBellHop5 days ago

Same but I don’t carry anything in my pockets on vacation because I’m with the (Magic) band.

monothingie5 days ago

They kept flagging me for the bulge in my pocket. Which turned out to be my sunglasses case.

ToTBellHop5 days ago

I don’t recall complaining about that part.

Disneylover695 days ago

But they don’t get the extra thorough pat down 🤣

Joel5 days ago

Unfortunately they flag 5s too.

ToTBellHop6 days ago

Last trip I kept getting flagged—even one evening without a bag! I assumed they just flag all men who are 10s but later learned Disney’s own “I’m celebrating” pins can set it off. I’m still a 10, though. 🔥

Fido Chuckwagon6 days ago

I suspect it comes from where they are retired from. Retired TSA agents? Yeah they’re going to be jerks. Retired local police department officer? I’m guessing not so much. Who knows though, there are some really bad ones. And these aren’t interactions I’ve had, just ones I’ve witnessed other people having. I know how to remove sunglasses cases from bags so the scanners don’t go off.

DisneyCane6 days ago

You've encapsulated exactly my issues with a select few security CMs. The one experience my wife had at Disney Springs put her on the brink of turning around and leaving and never wanting to go back to Disney ever again. I still have no idea what the scanner flagged. She was wearing tight fitting (not inappropriate) shorts and t-shirt and had no bag. All she had on her was her cell phone and the CM was incredibly rude and barked orders at her. It's so unnecessary to act that way especially when the screenings are useless. I'm not going to post ideas online but there are not very difficult methods that one could use if they wanted to both get through the security checkpoint and bring weapons into DS. They are performing CYA security theater so they should "perform" in a friendly manner like other CMs.

ToTBellHop6 days ago

I think I am most surprised by how nasty they can be. I might encounter an apathetic CM at the carousel but they don’t make my day worse. They just have no impact. A nasty CM at the park entrance can leave a pit in my stomach for awhile, and that sucks. I don’t want a feel like an a-hole inconveniencing someone else because I have Cheez-its.

Fido Chuckwagon6 days ago

I agree. I've been to WDW a total of 160 days over the past 5 years. the majority of the security guards were fine, or more than fine, friendly, engaging, really embodied the spirit of what it means to be a castmember. Some were complete jerks though.

ToTBellHop6 days ago

It’s a higher proportion, in my experience, than I get from any other type of CM. I’ve actually never encountered (I’m sure they exist) a rude CM at a quick-serve, for example. Maybe two rude attractions CMs across all my decades of visits. Meanwhile, I’ve had an encounter with a rude security CM at the park entrance during most of my vacations. I carry the backpack with all of my family‘s stuff so I get pulled more often than anyone else in my family. That’s stressful enough ahead of park open when I’ll need to then climb through a crowd to find my family. A rude CM only makes it worse. Last time, I got flagged, joined the line, came to the front of said line and got yelled at by security for walking up when the CM said “next guest.” He apparently wanted the lady behind me to come up because…reasons? Yelled at me that I shouldn’t be at that place in the line and needed to wait my turn (it was my turn?). Next CM rolled her eyes in his direction and checked my bag instead. Complimented my park snack selections. Most security CMs are perfectly pleasant. All it takes is one to give your park day a rough start, though.