Bag check at the entrances. As you enter the theme parks, you will be directed to the bag check area. Security personnel will visually inspect inside every bag and backpack that enters the park. They perform their tasks efficiently, and with a smile. I was recently even given a trivia quiz while my bag was being checked. I passed. To streamline the process, have your bag or backpack ready off your shoulder/back, all zippers unzipped. Guests without bags are able to bypass this step.
Metal Detectors: The Disney security staff is very efficient, keeping any slowdown to a minimum.
Undercover security cast members: You will never see them, but they are everywhere. I have read accounts of the speed at which security arrived when there was an argument between guests that went a bit too far.
Police dogs: Specially trained dogs have recently been added to the security team to patrol key areas.
Mounted Police: If you Visit Disney Springs, you will most likely see mounted police on patrol, added in late 2015.
Surveillance: Hidden cameras and cast members are monitoring attractions throughout the parks. Most injuries that have occurred on Disney property are the result of guests making bad decisions. Keep your hands inside the vehicle, stay seated, keep children in the seats, and don’t even entertain jumping off a ride in order to gain “backstage access” to the attraction. If a guest engages in inappropriate or unsafe behavior, the cast members will swiftly shut down the attraction.
There is a Police and Fire Station on Disney Park property.
Adults over the age of 14 will no longer be permitted to wear costumes in the parks, including during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. This is a newly implemented rule that makes me a little sad, but I understand the big picture.
Disney resorts have been built to Florida weather, including hurricane-force winds. WDW has rarely needed to shut down the parks due to inclement weather, but there are steps in place to make sure that guests are taken care of in the unfortunate event of having to hunker down in their resort room.
The bottom line is this: Disney is aware that safety is of the utmost importance, and they take extensive steps to keep guests safe. The above security measures are only the pieces that are public knowledge. With millions of Walt Disney World visitors each year, I can only imagine the layers of security in place, many we will never see.
