by Donald Wood
Last updated: 1:30 PM ET, Thu December 17, 2015
Photo by Barry Kaufman
Travelers making their way to Orlando will have to go through metal detectors before getting into their favorite amusement parks starting Thursday.
According to Sandra Pedicini of the Orlando Sentinel, the three largest theme parks in the area-Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Orlando-all now require guests to go through metal detectors before entering the facilities.
It's unclear how long the metal detectors would be in place at Walt Disney World, as the company would not reveal the information to Pedicini, but SeaWorld said it was adding them as extra security during the holiday season. Universal Orlando told the Orlando Sentinel the park installed the detectors as part of a testing phase.
When asked about the reasons for the addition of the extra security, Universal spokesman Tom Schroder told the Orlando Sentinel, "We want our guests to feel safe when they come here. We've long used metal detection for special events, such as Halloween Horror Nights. This test is a natural progression for us as we study best practices for security in today's world."
Disney World is stepping up its other security as well, with more deputies and security guards patrolling the grounds and specially trained dogs on hand if needed.
It's not just the major amusement parks in Orlando beefing up security with metal detectors, though, as Disneyland and Universal Studios in California have also started installing the extra layer of protection.
This is also not the first time amusement parks have added the devices. In addition to the Six Flags amusement park chain having metal detectors, Universal Orlando installed them at three of its most popular roller coasters earlier this year.
Topics From This Article to Explore
