Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will soon begin installing a new automated entry gate system as part of a $4.8 million project overhauling the arrival experience for 26 million annual visitors at the Anaheim theme park resort.
Work is set to begin around Monday, Oct. 7 on the first bank of turnstiles on the west side of the Disneyland main entrance, according to Disneyland officials.
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Work will be done in phases on the Disneyland and Disney California Adventure turnstiles to minimize disruption, according to Disneyland officials.
Disneyland will remove the existing entrance turnstiles and install 38 new automatic entry gates, according to Anaheim building reports. Disney California Adventure will install 24 automatic entry gates after removing existing entrance turnstiles, according to the building reports. City documents estimate the cost of the project at $4.8 million.
The project will add more gates that will be stroller and handicap accessible.
Disneyland tested a facial recognition entry system in March at Disney California Adventure, according to WDW News Today.
The test entry gate at DCA was similar to the system installed at Disneyland Paris in 2019 that takes photos of arriving visitors and opens a set of clear doors once a theme park ticket, annual pass or MagicBand is successfully scanned.
During the tests, DCA employees were waiting inside the gates to ensure tickets were valid and to help handle any issues.
Disneyland has not yet announced whether the facial recognition technology tested in March will be used at the Anaheim parks.
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The entry gate project will improve the overall guest experience and allow the Disneyland Resort to explore additional opportunities for technological innovation in the future, according to Disneyland officials.
Work will wrap up on the turnstile updates in 2025, according to Disneyland officials.
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