Bus entrance closed

tmoo

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 27, 2015
For years I have used the bus entrance to return to the fort after checking in. This year I pull up and the gate won’t open. Somebody came over the intercom and brusquely told me it was a bus entrance only. I asked when that happened and he said 3 months ago. By this time someone pulled up behind me and tried their Magic’s band and it wouldn’t work either. They claimed they had used the gate just the day before and I believe them. Any news on this rather inconvenient change?
 
When we where there in Oct. I was able to use the back gate the first two days of our trip. The third day it would not work, drove around to the guard shack and used the return guest lane, kept having problems withmy magic band whenever we returned, guard had to open the gate. Went in the Outpost one morning to make sure my band was still programmed and was informed that the back gate is for busses only now, and the reason I had a problem at the guard shack is because they were updating the system and that is why it wasn’t working.
 
The band reader at the main entrance hasnt worked properly since the roll out of magic bands.
 


Thats funny. We havent been able to use the main entrance reader over the past few trips (3yrs or so) Last February was the worst. We have gotten new bands every trip and they seem to work fine elsewhere but that reader at the returning guest entrance just doesnt ever workfor us. Most of the time it will eventually work after you try it 5 or 6 times (actually close enough to touch the globe) but a couple of times it never did work and the guard had to open it with his switch. Maybe its us ? We dont spend much money at the parks, perhaps the mouse is trying to tell me something ?
 
I'm not sure, bdd.

My experience has been that the "returning guest" gate has worked for me all but maybe once since MB began. And yes the our old MB's require a "near touch" proximity to work but I expect and deliver that.

However, long time ago when I bought those old MB's (not free ones from a reservation) we keep using that specific set and have always declined new MB's on our subsequent reservations. I do one day in the parks per visit (altho we did 3 recently when DD was a CM on the College Program and got us in for free).

But spend for the Mouse? (other than a Fort campsite?)

Not on your Nellie (as little as possible).

Bama Ed

PS - and yes I know the MB's have 2 RFID chips and one declines in strength over time (used for ride photos, etc.) but the "touch" one is passive and doesn't decline (it is what it always was). Personally I think it's just Disney's crappy IT know-how working "as expected" (under low expectations - because it's what they've delivered).
 
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Ok , for me in late October, early November the bus entrance worked once, the next time would not open. I did have some problems with the magic band at the main entrance also. It worked but took a few tries. Last part of my stay there was a cm with a portable reader. I asked if the reader was broken, he said there trying to cut down on people sneaking in behind other cars and campers. And they sometimes shut down the reader to distance the cars so they cant drive in after the gates open. So the reader may or may not work and this could be a workaround for people sneaking in? Idk. Seamed weird to me. But they were hand scanning the mb at least 3 times when i was returning.
 
The band reader at the main entrance hasnt worked properly since the roll out of magic bands.
We haven't experienced this but it could be an education opportunity for guests about magic bands that Disney is not emphasizing. There are two types of band readers in the park, "short and long range readers". There are those where you need to touch the globe others you can just be in the proximity. We have always " touched" the globe at the Fort entrance and have not experienced any issues. But we also don't replace or purchase new bands every time we visit-we are only on complimentary band number 2 since they were introduced. We only got a new one when they were upgraded from the originals to keep our IT current (the batteries in them last far longer than the advertised 2 years). Of course there are always IT glitches but it would be nice if they told guests at checkin what type of reader is at the main entrance. Here's a link to a page about magic band functionality:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/bands-cards/how-to-use-magic-band/
 
We haven't experienced this but it could be an education opportunity for guests about magic bands that Disney is not emphasizing. There are two types of band readers in the park, "short and long range readers". There are those where you need to touch the globe others you can just be in the proximity. We have always " touched" the globe at the Fort entrance and have not experienced any issues. But we also don't replace or purchase new bands every time we visit-we are only on complimentary band number 2 since they were introduced. We only got a new one when they were upgraded from the originals to keep our IT current (the batteries in them last far longer than the advertised 2 years). Of course there are always IT glitches but it would be nice if they told guests at checkin what type of reader is at the main entrance. Here's a link to a page about magic band functionality:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/faq/bands-cards/how-to-use-magic-band/


The long rage readers, 'far field technology," is used on the rides for pictures and in the case of IASW to show your name at the end of the ride. I'm sure they are also using it to track users throughout the park to find different habits. It's passive in such as the user does not have to do anything to make it work, think EZ Pass toll transponders. Because of the long range that's the part that really needs the battery. The short range is "near field technology" and as you said requires you to tap or be "active" like using your phone or equipped credit/debit card to tap to make a purchase at a store.

The entrance gates have 2 different readers. One for guest usage and the other for bus usage. For guest usage the readers at the entrance gate at the resorts use near field as they do not want somebody who happens to be walking with their MB say 50ft from a reader to set it off, the gates could be going up and down all day when no car needs to use it. I would say the buses have a transponder that uses far field tech and a different frequency as MB's as all they do is pull up close and the gates go up.

Basically if you see a Mickey you have to touch it with your band for it to work.
 
The bus transponder is on the front, a gray. black, rectangular box (or at least thats where it was the last time we were there, so much changes so fast that you never know)
 
The back gate hasn't worked as an entrance since at least July. They told us of the change then. You can only use it as an exit now.

As for the front returning gate, it's hit or miss for us. It didn't work very well for us last week. The CM acknowledged that it didn't work very well, most of the time. I think the gate guard opened it for us most of the time for the past few trips.

If FW is trying to become more secure then they need to fix the issue with the reader.
 
July they notified us of that in a little info letter when we checked in. The main gate reader is still hit or miss after many years. Even when they still had key cards it was hit or miss every time.
 
we were told that the reason our magic bands don't work at the front gate return guests gate is that they are set up to open a room first. since campsites don't have door locks the bands won't open the gate. we were told to try and go late evening and open a comfort station door and then try the return guest gate. we haven't done that yet so don't know if it works. we check out the 6th and check back in so will try it and report back.
 
I chatted with the guard at the gate. He said the bus entrance was turned off in March. He said they didn't even tell the guards it was being done it just happened one day, so not sure if it was even intentional, but he thought it was silly. As far as the proximity reader at the return gate, my new magic band worked really well all week except the one time and the gate opened for me just as he reached the truck. I told him it had been working and he said "oh you must have one of the good ones". I guess it is hit or miss depending on your band. In any case I never had to reach out and touch the globe with my band.
 
....so let's not raise that bp over a little compoot'r glitch. :duck:
Compoot'r glitch??? My money's on the Russians. Or is it the Ukrainians these days?

Personally, I vote they go back to employing people to man (not being gender specific here) the gate.
 

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