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Thread: "Rich Moms Hire Disabled Tour Guides For Their Kids To Jump The Line At Disney"

  1. #1
    Full 24 Hour All-Nighter Survivor ManaByte's Avatar
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    "Rich Moms Hire Disabled Tour Guides For Their Kids To Jump The Line At Disney"

    http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/billha...08JS4s.twitter

    They are 1 percenters who are 100 percent despicable.

    Some wealthy Manhattan moms have figured out a way to cut the long lines at Disney World by hiring disabled people to pose as family members so they and their kids can jump to the front, The Post has learned. The black-market Disney guides run $130 an hour, or $1,040 for an eight-hour day.

    My daughter waited one minute to get on Its a Small World the other kids had to wait 2 1/2 hours, crowed one mom, who hired a disabled guide through Dream Tours Florida. You cant go to Disney without a tour concierge, she sniffed. This is how the 1 percent does Disney.

    The woman said she hired a Dream Tours guide to escort her, her husband and their 1-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter through the park in a motorized scooter with a handicapped sign on it. The group was sent straight to an auxiliary entrance at the front of each attraction.

    Disney allows each guest who needs a wheelchair or motorized scooter to bring up to six guests to a more convenient entrance.
    Coupled with the GAC abuse, this is getting out of hand. Disney really needs to find a way to crack down on people faking injuries or hiring disabled people just to get past the lines.

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    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
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    This should probably have been in the Disney World forum.


  4. #3

    Does WDW not have the VIP tours that DL has? I would rather pay a bit more and get legitimate front of the line access, along with a knowledgeable host, restaurant concierge, and other VIP amenities.

    ETA: Just read the whole article, apparently they do have legitimate VIP guides - they just cost more. So why spend outrageous sums to do it legitimately when you can spend less to scam the system?

    This is probably no different in many people's minds that "renting" days on a multi-day ticket. Disney's official version is too expensive, I deserve it, therefore it's okay to participate in a scam on the system.


  5. #4
    Full 24 Hour All-Nighter Survivor ManaByte's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by candles71 View Post
    This should probably have been in the Disney World forum.
    It's pretty obvious people do the same thing at Disneyland.

    Quote Originally Posted by currence View Post
    Does WDW not have the VIP tours that DL has? I would rather pay a bit more and get legitimate front of the line access, along with a knowledgeable host, restaurant concierge, and other VIP amenities.
    I think all Disney parks have that for the celebs who want the Plaid escort.

  6. #5
    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by currence View Post
    Does WDW not have the VIP tours that DL has? I would rather pay a bit more and get legitimate front of the line access, along with a knowledgeable host, restaurant concierge, and other VIP amenities.
    right in the middle of the article it says this woman charges $140 an hour and Disney charges $340 an hour.

  7. #6
    Happiness is that smile MammaSilva's Avatar
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    I'm not going to state that it does NOT happen at Disneyland but so far if it is, they seem to be keeping it better 'hidden' than the WDW group. I pray that if there is someone making money off the program that they get caught and that Disney punishes them to the fullest extent possible.

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    Full 24 Hour All-Nighter Survivor ManaByte's Avatar
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    A well known Disney critic/blogger/writer was once thrown out of the park for running paid tours in Disneyland. Why won't Disney do the same to these people?


  9. #8

    Who waits 2 and a half hours to ride Small World, especially the Disney World version. Just saying...


  10. #9
    Wilderness Explorer with Premium AP JunJunM3's Avatar
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    Repulsive in every sense of the word. I'm positive some form of this happens at DL and perhaps every theme park. I've been told by friends of people they know who faked disabilities/injuries at Disneyland just to get special access. They would bring wheelchairs, wear walking boots, bring crutches, and the like and use it even though they are perfectly healthy.


  11. #10
    Full 24 Hour All-Nighter Survivor ManaByte's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JunJunM3 View Post
    Repulsive in every sense of the word. I'm positive some form of this happens at DL and perhaps every theme park. I've been told by friends of people they know who faked disabilities/injuries at Disneyland just to get special access. They would bring wheelchairs, wear walking boots, bring crutches, and the like and use it even though they are perfectly healthy.
    I know someone who did that during the 50th. We reported him and security threw him out.

  12. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by bumblebeeonarose View Post
    Who waits 2 and a half hours to ride Small World, especially the Disney World version. Just saying...
    Exactly!

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    Quote Originally Posted by bumblebeeonarose View Post
    Who waits 2 and a half hours to ride Small World, especially the Disney World version. Just saying...
    Quote Originally Posted by 3Princesses1Prince View Post
    Exactly!
    Last November (Thursday or Friday before the Wine & Dine half, I believe - so not during Thanksgiving) I took pictures of the wait time for Small World and Peter Pan: They were within 10 minutes of each other!
    Cathy

  14. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by candles71 View Post
    right in the middle of the article it says this woman charges $140 an hour and Disney charges $340 an hour.
    This proves to me that we're not talking about the so-called 1%, then. The 1% can afford the $340 per hour, would enjoy having all of the other concierge services of a VIP tour, and would in reality probably PREFER to be seen whisked about the park by a plaid skirt. The people scamming the system are the wanna-be 1%, who will never BE the 1% because getting there either takes absurdly rich relatives or lots and lots of hard work.
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  15. #14

    How not to tour

    I just saw this article and was wondering what others thought. Is this legitimate or are people abusing the system?

    http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/m...ZRkIVc1zItXGDP

    I don't know and I don't care if It's a Small World. It's a nice day when you wake up in Disneyland.


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    OK, I seem to be reading this differently than everyone else, so maybe I'm missing something. The article is really short and doesn't tell you much, but from what I read, I don't see anything wrong with what they did, other than that I think it's stupid. No one is faking an injury or faking needing a wheelchair. The "tour guide" they've hired appears to be someone who legitimately needs a wheelchair, so they aren't getting access under false pretenses.

    The article says that said "tour guide" (yes, I keep putting that term in quotes for a reason) pretends to be a member of the family so that the people paying for the service can use the alternate, faster entrance along with the person in the wheelchair. There is no restriction that it has to only be family members. It's anyone in your party - being a relative has no bearing on the matter. If someone wants to hire a random stranger who happens to need a wheelchair to accompany them so they can use the faster entrances, I see no rules being broken.


    And I agree with others about the 2 1/2 hour wait for it's a small world at WDW. There would be no room to queue that many people, given how tiny and crowded that area is. I'd also question the sanity of anyone who'd be willing to wait that long for their version of the ride.

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  17. #16
    Full 24 Hour All-Nighter Survivor ManaByte's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cstephens View Post
    OK, I seem to be reading this differently than everyone else, so maybe I'm missing something. The article is really short and doesn't tell you much, but from what I read, I don't see anything wrong with what they did, other than that I think it's stupid. No one is faking an injury or faking needing a wheelchair. The "tour guide" they've hired appears to be someone who legitimately needs a wheelchair, so they aren't getting access under false pretenses.

    The article says that said "tour guide" (yes, I keep putting that term in quotes for a reason) pretends to be a member of the family so that the people paying for the service can use the alternate, faster entrance along with the person in the wheelchair. There is no restriction that it has to only be family members. It's anyone in your party - being a relative has no bearing on the matter. If someone wants to hire a random stranger who happens to need a wheelchair to accompany them so they can use the faster entrances, I see no rules being broken.


    And I agree with others about the 2 1/2 hour wait for it's a small world at WDW. There would be no room to queue that many people, given how tiny and crowded that area is. I'd also question the sanity of anyone who'd be willing to wait that long for their version of the ride.
    Completely ignoring the fact that it's against the rules to sell private tours at Disney parks (they will actually arrest people for doing that), they're being completely dishonest to exploit Disney's rules.

    Again, GAC cards are being exploited into being nothing more than fast passes for anyone who pretends to have panic attacks, and now the wheelchair line is being abused.

    Disney should allow one person to attend someone in a chair or ECV, not six. Then this sort of thing wouldn't happen.

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    It makes me sad. Really sad. And, I know of people who have SAPs who have proudly admitted they don't really need them, but will "work the system" so they don't have to wait. I personally know of a couple people who do it at Disneyland, and they use a note from a family/friend doctor to obtain them.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ManaByte View Post

    Disney should allow one person to attend someone in a chair or ECV, not six. Then this sort of thing wouldn't happen.
    This doesn't seem like a good solution, as it highlights my issue with this story of "policy abuse" overall. It's the old saying of "one bad apple ruins the bunch." True, if these "tour guides" are actually handicapped, then, yes, they are techincally allowed to have others with them, family or not. However, it is the fact that they are profitting from this by taking strangers around with them. If everyone did this, then those that are in wheelchairs visiting the parks with family or friends legitimately are the ones that stand to be "hurt" the msot by this. If, in order to combat these idiots' practices, Disney changed their policy to limit the group to 2, then those legitimately using the wheelchair line would have a lesser experience (i.e. not get to ride with their whole party).

    As far as my reaction to this story overall, I've also seen it shared on my Facebook feed and there are many comments about "well, good for them-- Disney makes too much money as it is" or "what an enterprising idea" or "so what if someone found a way to get VIP services at a discount." To reactions like this, I say, 1) these are all still people choosing to visit the Disney Parks, if they really had a problem with the cost of the Parks, they should choose to not visit instead of scamming the system; 2) an enterprising idea is not one that breaks rules (whether the law or simply rules put in place by a private property) and 3) this is not a VIP service, it's abuse of a service for those that are disabled-- and furthermore, if these people are rich enough to pay these "tour guides," they are probably rich enough to pay for the legitimate VIP tour guides.

  20. #19
    Sweet Spot - we miss you! shna's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ManaByte View Post
    Completely ignoring the fact that it's against the rules to sell private tours at Disney parks (they will actually arrest people for doing that), they're being completely dishonest to exploit Disney's rules.

    Again, GAC cards are being exploited into being nothing more than fast passes for anyone who pretends to have panic attacks, and now the wheelchair line is being abused.

    Disney should allow one person to attend someone in a chair or ECV, not six. Then this sort of thing wouldn't happen.
    1. I don't really see that as a "tour" as much as renting a differently-abled person for the day.
    2. This doesn't seem to have anything to do with a GAC card -- but if a differently-abled person is allowed to bring party members through the alternate entrance, then bringing party members through the alternate entrance is legit.
    3. You want to tell families/small groups who are doing the parks with a differently-abled person that they can't ride together just to keep people from gaming the system? Isn't that like using a sledgehammer to kill the mosquito on the window?

    If someone has an extra $140 an hour to spend to skip some lines, I'm not going to get that bent out of shape about it. There can't be THAT many people who can afford that or would be willing to pay it. Besides -- it sounds like a pretty cool way for someone who IS differently-abled to make some money. I'm sure the company that hires the people out is taking a lot off the top, but they are clearly willing to hire differently-abled workers. They've found a niche, and it's apparently working for them.

    I tend to think that people who fake disabilities for some sort of gain will be bitten in the backside by karma some day. It may take time - but I think it will happen. I'd rather not get myself worked up over other people being obnoxious when the result is something as piddly as a few extra minutes spent in line.
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    Contributing Writer RunningFool's Avatar
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    Really, it's come to this to get to the front of the line...

    Recent article on how a few folks have found an expensive but effective way to get to the front of the line in WDW.
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    Quote Originally Posted by ManaByte View Post
    Completely ignoring the fact that it's against the rules to sell private tours at Disney parks (they will actually arrest people for doing that), they're being completely dishonest to exploit Disney's rules.
    OK, I suppose they're lying about the hired person being a family member, but even if they didn't do that, they'd still get the benefit, so what are they being dishonest about? Again, it's not like other cases where someone pretends to need a wheelchair or an accommodation. It sounds like in these cases, the person in the wheelchair legitimately needs that, so no one is pretending to need the alternate access.

    I hadn't heard about private tours being illegal. I'd wonder under what law the arrests could possibly be made by the police.


    Quote Originally Posted by ManaByte View Post
    Disney should allow one person to attend someone in a chair or ECV, not six. Then this sort of thing wouldn't happen.
    And if you have a family of three or four where one member needs the use of a wheelchair, tough luck for them that their family can't ever ride together?
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  23. #22
    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
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    We started talking about this in the amusement thread. Now, there is a discussion going in the DL News forum. I am amused at the sheer audactity of some people. Since both of them are named in the article, I think they should both be banned.


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    Quote Originally Posted by candles71 View Post
    Now, there is a discussion going in the DL News forum.
    And there's a thread in the WDW forum as well.
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  25. #24
    At home in the hills candles71's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cstephens View Post
    And there's a thread in the WDW forum as well.
    I just saw that as well.
    It is also on several of the Disney travel sites on my Facebook feed.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ManaByte View Post
    Completely ignoring the fact that it's against the rules to sell private tours at Disney parks (they will actually arrest people for doing that), they're being completely dishonest to exploit Disney's rules.
    Than what about all those tour groups following the people with the flags? I haven't noticed them as much at DL as at WDW, but when I do notice them, we try to 'go the other way' because they can swell a line in 2 seconds flat!
    ----
    I'm not a fan of this 'service' and wonder how well it REALLY works, since most of the queues ARE accessible.

    If the providers don't think there's an issue with 'the rules', why do you have to have a referal to be able to discuss booking them.

    Disney will tell people who have issues with lines to rent a wheelchair or ECV, so I don't see why the 'tour guide' using an ECV every time she visits the park makes this any less ethically marginal.
    Cathy

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