This week the New York Post published an article that alleges that a group of wealthy Manhattan moms have been hiring handi-capped tour guides in wheel chairs to pose as their family members so they can cut to the front of lines at Walt Disney World.
The women hired their guides through a secret company called Dream Tours Florida. Since Dream Tours would not be openly tolerated by Disney, they only take referrals from previous customers.
Disney Parks allow guests in wheel chairs and those with special needs to skip ahead of the lines, along with a few people in their group. Its a nice gesture that takes some of the pressure off of those who want to enjoy Disney but are unable to handle the stress of long lines.
On our last trip to the Food and Wine Festival, my friend Rebecca had a broken ankle and we got her a wheelchair from Guest Services. The small group of us then got to skip ahead of the lines. It was great. We felt like VIPs the entire time. That said, would I fake an injury or hire someone to get the privilege again? Not a chance.
This kind of behavior taints the Parks and injures us all.
First of all, while I hesitate to suggest this is an insult to people who are handi-capped, it is at least unconscionably crass. Dream Tours Florida hires handi-capped people. They get paid, so they’re not being taken advantage of. But the idea of using a handi-capped persons as a prop in a con… Is this how low people have gotten? And for what? So they can ride Space Mountain two more times? I can’t imagine what kind of empty life these people must lead, if their moral barometer is that faulty.
The rich have always gotten more out Walt Disney World. That doesn’t bother me. If you can afford to pay for higher services, you should get more. I would love to hire a VIP Tour Guide or stay in Bay Lake Tower, if I had the money. But it wasn’t about the money with these people. Dream Tours Florida actually costs less than the Disney VIP Guides.
This was about them cheating the system.
The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World
Not to get off on a rant, but this is the problem with the Entitlement society we’re creating in this nation. Whether you’re rich or poor, everyone seems to think that they’re owed whatever it is that they want. Have you ever been on a highway, waiting in a line of traffic to make a right turn? There is always one person who stays on the highway and then cuts off someone at the very front of the line. In that person’s mind, they shouldn’t have to wait in line because they’re more important than you.
That’s what this is. That is the problem. These women believed they and their families were better than everyone else in Walt Disney World. They shouldn’t have to be waiting in line with us.
That attitude is the antithesis of everything Disney represents. Walt Disney World is a place of innocence, joy, and…. yes, Magic. It doesn’t matter if a little girl is the mentally handi-capped daughter of a garbage man, Selena Gomez or the Grand-daughter of the Queen of England, for the duration of their time in Walt Disney World, they are both Princesses. We’re all equal in the eyes of Walt Disney.
That is what bothers me most.
If you’re focused on cheating others and beating the system, Walt Disney World isn’t the place for you. You’re missing the point. And I’d wager you lack the depth or the kindness to ever appreciate it.
Sadly, there isn’t much Disney can do to stop a company like Dream Tours Florida. They can’t exactly question every handi-capped person who walks through the door. Perhaps the new My Magic system will allow them to keep track of who handi-capped guests come in with as family.
It saddens me to think that people are getting away with this.
