Does Disney force high-profile guests/celebrities to use guides when they come to the parks?

[HonorableMention]

So I know that it's common for celebrities to travel the parks with those expensive, plaid-vested guides. I'm not sure how many celebrities frequent the parks, but in the Lightning McQueen Racing Academy thread, someone posted the interview where Dave Foley talked about how he's able to come to the parks for free whenever he wants. He mentioned that when he comes with his family, they always use a guide. I also recall Jeff Garlin saying he goes to Disneyland a lot on Podcast: The Ride, and he and one of the hosts used a guide when they went. Now I'm sure having a guide is always a cool experience, but what if a celebrity wants to come to the parks by themselves or just with their family? I've always wondered if Disney makes them use plaids for their own safety. They wouldn't want a famous person to get mobbed at the park, and I thought they usually needed to know in advance if someone really high-profile was coming.

 

[graphite1326]

I can tell you this. I have never used one.

 

[eliza61nyc]

I can't imagine one guide in a plaid shirt is going to really stop someone from getting mobbed. I remember seeing a news report when Princess Di brought William and Harry to the MK, I'm sure that was definitely arranged in advance.

lol, Lebron James shows up in the parks, he's going to get mobbed. he's got his own security.

 

[thomas998]

So I know that it's common for celebrities to travel the parks with those expensive, plaid-vested guides. I'm not sure how many celebrities frequent the parks, but in the Lightning McQueen Racing Academy thread, someone posted the interview where Dave Foley talked about how he's able to come to the parks for free whenever he wants. He mentioned that when he comes with his family, they always use a guide. I also recall Jeff Garlin saying he goes to Disneyland a lot on Podcast: The Ride, and he and one of the hosts used a guide when they went. Now I'm sure having a guide is always a cool experience, but what if a celebrity wants to come to the parks by themselves or just with their family? I've always wondered if Disney makes them use plaids for their own safety. They wouldn't want a famous person to get mobbed at the park, and I thought they usually needed to know in advance if someone really high-profile was coming.

A lot of famous people don't stand out unless they have the plaids with them or some entourage. Even people that you would swear you would recognize can blend right in if they don't try to foster the mob rush. I've seen quite a few when I've flown into LAX for DL and never seen a mob scurrying around any of them, maybe notice a few people pointing to their friend as if to verify that it is who they think it is, but I don't think you have the mob rush you get on TV shows unless the people are trying to create it.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I wouldnt think Disney could force them to use the service if they didnt want to. A lot of celebrities want to be ordinary people and dont want to stand out when they are doing family things. There have been many celebrities in the past who have visited the parks without VIP guides. But the benefit of skipping the lines and getting more immediate access to things makes it worth having.
Ive encountered celebs at times in my home area who are vacationing and they are usually left alone and respected by locals who understand they are on their own time. One business I have contact with told employees that if they asked for autographs or treated them as anything other than any other customer, they would be fired.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

A couple things here, from what I have read, if it were true, Michael Jackson would go to Disneyland in disguise. It was the only time he probably saw people act normal towards him. I don't know about WDW, but I know for sure when Princess Diana brought the boys to Niagara Falls it was well planned in advance. It was always a big deal to us Canadians. So I know for sure they'd have had security on them like white on rice. Diana and Chuck were famously going through a divorce then and there was always this tug of war on her wanting them to have a normal childhood as much as possible. But there is no way WDW wouldn't have rolled the red carpet out for them.

Also, would Dave Foley still need escorts and security around him? I liked him and thought he was funny but it's been 20 years since he was in anything. I would bet he could wear sunglasses and no one in the entire park would recognize him.

I agree with what someone else said. When you see a bunch of suits surrounding someone you automatically want to see who they are. Just like if there is a limo. No one pays attention to someone who is stepping out of a Honda Civic. In Hollywood right in front of the Chinese Theatre I saw Reba McIntire with about 4-5 guys in sunglasses walking with her. Other than that, I wouldn't have noticed and yet I still could have stuck my elbow out and clotheslined her if I wanted to...................I didn't.

 

[Surfin' Tuna]

They do not require they have guides when the come to the park, but they usually want them. They often get two guides for their group for various reasons. I know of at least one person who would separate from his family and use back stage areas to move around while allowing his wife and kids to go on the rides and be in the park with the other guide. Many of these people do bring their own security with them that moves through the park with the tour (another reason for two guides - larger group size).

 

[graphite1326]

I saw Ben Mankiewicz (TCM host) at the WWII museum in New Orleans last week. He was just standing there and didn't try and make himself stand out. No one paid attention to him.

 

[wendysue]

I saw Ben Mankiewicz (TCM host) at the WWII museum in New Orleans last week. He was just standing there and didn't try and make himself stand out. No one paid attention to him.

HaHa...probably because no one else knew who he was. I occasionally watch TCM, but right this moment, I cannot remember what Ben looks like.

 

[DISR]

Isn't there an in-between thing? I thought I saw something about an unlimited Fast Pass Disney provides to certain people. It would allow a high visibility individual to have the Disney experience, but limit their exposure to long lines and wandering around in between FP's.

 

[SirWillow]

It can greatly vary from person to person, and sometimes even the same person. If they are going to use backstage access at all- which many of the bigger names will to avoid a scene with crowds- then they have to have a guide and will have cleared it with the park ahead of time. But that doesn't mean that they have to do that. I ran into a couple of 'celebs' who were out enjoying the parks at WDW with friends/ family who were dressed "normal" and they blended right in. Had a couple of times I took photos of people without knowing who it was except for a fan who recognized them at that moment.

If they're a minor celeb then it's very likely they can get out into the parks without a lot of people bothering them and have a good time. for example I saw Richard Karn at Knott's Berry Farm one time with his family and most people left them alone. There were a few. But most people who live in SoCal also realize that if they see someone out in public they're just trying to live their lives and leave them alone. It's almost part of the culture because it can be so easy to run into someone (hint- they usually stay away from where tourists are. We'd see them in Thousand Oaks and the beaches from Malibu up to Ventura frequently)

I also ran into Miley Cyrus, Joan Rivers, and a couple of others in the utilidors at MK as they were moving through with a couple of others with them to avoid the big crowds. if it's someone that could possibly cause a scene, Disney is going to want to be involved rather than just relying on the celeb's security, which could cause an issue that Disney doesn't want in how they handle things.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Back in August 2017, I saw Richard Kind at the magic kingdom. He got off splash mountain after my family just got off. He had a ton of people with him. It seemed like nobody else recognized him.

 

[righttrack]

I've seen some celebrities with guides and others without. I think the OP is probably right in assuming that Disney wants to keep traffic flows moving by having a guide. They can always pop the celeb in an area others aren't allowed to go, something a celeb alone cannot do. To me, that seems to be the real benefit for the celebrity and the park sanity as well. I've also seen celebs with their own security detail, like Steven Tyler, who seem to manage to get around OK between the large gentleman next to him and his family close by. I've also seen the "Little Couple" and their two adorable children having trouble just trying to move a block up Hollywood Blvd with a guide. They clearly ducked into a no-go area until things died down. The main problem for these people was obviously that they couldn't really stop and enjoy the sights. They had to keep moving the whole time.

 

[HonorableMention]

Also, would Dave Foley still need escorts and security around him? I liked him and thought he was funny but it's been 20 years since he was in anything. I would bet he could wear sunglasses and no one in the entire park would recognize him.

He doesn't need them, but he said that he always gets one when he comes with his family. I guess he does it because he wants but I wasn't sure if it had anything to do with his deal with Disney. He offered to do recording for the theme parks for free on the condition that he could come to the parks whenever, and Disney originally declined until Lasseter forced them to do it when he heard the soundalike voice before opening.

 

[HonorableMention]

It can greatly vary from person to person, and sometimes even the same person. If they are going to use backstage access at all- which many of the bigger names will to avoid a scene with crowds- then they have to have a guide and will have cleared it with the park ahead of time. But that doesn't mean that they have to do that. I ran into a couple of 'celebs' who were out enjoying the parks at WDW with friends/ family who were dressed "normal" and they blended right in. Had a couple of times I took photos of people without knowing who it was except for a fan who recognized them at that moment.

If they're a minor celeb then it's very likely they can get out into the parks without a lot of people bothering them and have a good time. for example I saw Richard Karn at Knott's Berry Farm one time with his family and most people left them alone. There were a few. But most people who live in SoCal also realize that if they see someone out in public they're just trying to live their lives and leave them alone. It's almost part of the culture because it can be so easy to run into someone (hint- they usually stay away from where tourists are. We'd see them in Thousand Oaks and the beaches from Malibu up to Ventura frequently)

I also ran into Miley Cyrus, Joan Rivers, and a couple of others in the utilidors at MK as they were moving through with a couple of others with them to avoid the big crowds. if it's someone that could possibly cause a scene, Disney is going to want to be involved rather than just relying on the celeb's security, which could cause an issue that Disney doesn't want in how they handle things.

Wow thanks for that detailed response! Your videos are great by the way, I totally forgot about your episode about celebrity encounters in the parks!

 

[EvanAnderson]

There's a couple different ways. There's a high profile guest who will be taken through backstage entrances and board attractions via the exit, or a non normal way just to keep them out of the eyes of the public. They will then be taken backstage to a vehicle where they'll be driven off to the next attraction or park.

If there's a regular guest (not high profile) who just wants the VIP Tour guide, they will walk through the park as normal and utilize all the FP entrances. They also will get backstage transportation, but will walk through the park.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I can tell you this. I have never used one.

I don't either... I love the crowd adulation.

 

[larryz]

Lebron James shows up in the parks, he's going to get mobbed. he's got his own security.

Yeah -- he just moves to a new city...

 

[MrMcDuck]

The biggest names are going to have plaids and receive ride/backstage access that is a step above the private VIP tour that you can pay for because all it takes when trying to go incognito is for one person to recognize them and go, "OMG, it's ____!" and then there's a traffic flow issue. Even if the celeb dresses down and wears a cap and shades, the crazies may recognize the children or pick up on the fact that some in a group are walking like security detail, blah, blah, blah.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

The biggest names are going to have plaids and receive ride/backstage access that is a step above the private VIP tour that you can pay for because all it takes when trying to go incognito is for one person to recognize them and go, "OMG, it's ____!" and then there's a traffic flow issue. Even if the celeb dresses down and wears a cap and shades, the crazies may recognize the children or pick up on the fact that some in a group are walking like security detail, blah, blah, blah.

But I don't think Disney can FORCE that. If some random guy named Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. wanted to create a My Disney Experience account and book a package without telling Disney he was anyone special, I'm sure he could.