Disney World Scans Your Fingerprints — Here’s Why

If you’ve ever tapped into a Walt Disney World park and noticed the fingerprint scanner, you might have wondered why Disney uses it in the first place.

Finger Scan

Every guest who enters a Disney World park will come to a touch point at the entrance and will need to scan their ticket and place their finger on the scanner. It can feel a little unexpected during a vacation, but the process is far less invasive than it may seem. Here’s the real reason behind it, and what to do if you’d rather not participate.

Disney refers to this process as Ticket Tag, and it’s all about security. The scan helps ensure that tickets and park passes stay linked to the rightful Guest, preventing them from being transferred or shared. It’s quick, efficient, and adds an extra layer of protection, ensuring your ticket remains yours alone.

Scanning in to the parks

One of the biggest myths is that Disney actually keeps your fingerprint on file, but that’s not the case. According to planDisney, when you scan your finger for the first time, Disney’s system takes a temporary image, translates it into a unique numerical code, and then deletes the original image. That code becomes your identifier for the rest of your trip. No fingerprint images or biometric data are stored, so your privacy is safeguarded.

Time to go to the parks!

For anyone uncomfortable with the finger scan, there’s an alternative. Guests can visit Guest Relations before entering the park and request to opt out. In that case, you’ll need to show a photo ID that matches the name on your ticket. For children without an ID, the accompanying adult on the same account can verify for them.

Magic Kingdom

Ultimately, Ticket Tag is designed to make park entry smoother and more secure, whether you’re using a MagicBand, MagicBand+, Disney MagicMobile pass, Apple Watch, or a physical ticket. So next time you scan your finger at the gate, you can rest easy knowing it’s just Disney’s way of keeping the magic and your ticket safe.