Rich Manhattan moms hire handicapped tour guides so kids can cut lines at Disney World

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bgraham34

bgraham34

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Master Yoda said:
No Doubt. It does not surprise me in the least that someone would pimp out their GAC card, but the details are highly dubious.
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I can tell you for a fact that you can at least get the service mentioned. A few weeks ago I was talking about Disney with someone and they mentioned that I could do this. The person I was talking to happened to be someone from NY with some money to blow.
 
Black Pearl

Black Pearl

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When we go to Disney we hire body builders to carry our bags around, and then lift us up on their shoulders for the parades and fireworks.... The added bonus of parting the crowds in front of us makes the cost of $206 (and tax) an hour worth it.

The referral service is stricter than the dial-a-handy service mentioned here though. You need to call, leave a message, get a call back, meet someone named "frank" in an empty lot, pay half up front in singles, call day before with a doctor's note, meet their momma, take them out for dinner, then maybe you'll get the green light.
 
itsbetsyh

itsbetsyh

Active Member
Master Yoda said:
Am I the only one thinking BS on the details this article? I spend more time in WDW than most people and do not see people in scooters getting such drastically different treatment. At best a GAC card acts like a golden fastpass. I do not doubt that someone would pay to do this, but I do not see it being as drastic of a benefit as the article implies.
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I don't think they get to bypass the lines completely. We go all the time too and I don't see the benefit at all.
 
harryk

harryk

Well-Known Member
KC82271 said:
Saw this on the local news this morning. People have nerve!!!
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/disney_world_srich_kid_outrage_zTBA0xrvZRkIVc1zItXGDP
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I find this a little off the wall - may be true - may be false.
Had to use a wheelchair for my spouse on a visit a few years ago. Did not find this to be that great of an advantage. Yes, we bypassed many cues, got back rows for many shows. Front row for Lion King show at AK - not a great advantage ----- toooooo close to the action. There are benefits - but using a handicapped access means is a real slap in the face for those who are really handicapped.
Disney does not question those with wheelchairs or those renting them within the park as to the real need for them. So, if you want to 'cut the line' - it is no big problem. - just your own self-respect, if you have any.
 
wdwmagic

wdwmagic

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Premium Member
Master Yoda said:
Am I the only one thinking BS on the details this article? I spend more time in WDW than most people and do not see people in scooters getting such drastically different treatment. At best a GAC card acts like a golden fastpass. I do not doubt that someone would pay to do this, but I do not see it being as drastic of a benefit as the article implies.
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Yep, seems like fiction.
 
Violet

Violet

Well-Known Member
Master Yoda said:
Am I the only one thinking BS on the details this article? I spend more time in WDW than most people and do not see people in scooters getting such drastically different treatment. At best a GAC card acts like a golden fastpass. I do not doubt that someone would pay to do this, but I do not see it being as drastic of a benefit as the article implies.
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Yeah, I don't get the scooter part either.

But who wouldn't want a golden fastpass?
 
PhotoDave219

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
This is a really interesting article that I found in the New York Post today. (Yeah, consider the source) However it does publicize the Guest Assistance Card abuse.

The New York Post said:
Rich Manhattan moms hire handicapped tour guides so kids can cut lines at Disney World

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 ‘It’s 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 can’t 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.”
The Florida entertainment mecca warns that there “may be a waiting period before boarding.” But the consensus among upper-crust moms who have used the illicit handicap tactic is that the trick is well worth the cost.
Not only is their “black-market tour guide” more efficient than Disney World’s VIP Tours, it’s cheaper, too.
Disney Tours offers a VIP guide and fast passes for $310 to $380 per hour.
Passing around the rogue guide service’s phone number recently became a shameless ritual among Manhattan’s private-school set during spring break. The service asks who referred you before they even take your call.
“It’s insider knowledge that very few have and share carefully,” said social anthropologist Dr. Wednesday Martin, who caught wind of the underground network while doing research for her upcoming book “Primates of Park Avenue.”
“Who wants a speed pass when you can use your black-market handicapped guide to circumvent the lines all together?” she said.
“So when you’re doing it, you’re affirming that you are one of the privileged insiders who has and shares this information.”
Ryan Clement runs Dream Tours Florida with girlfriend Jacie Christiano, whom the rich Manhattan mom indicated was her family’s guide.
A working phone number for Christiano couldn’t be found, and Clement refused to put The Post through to her. A message left on Facebook was not immediately returned by Christiano.
Clement denied that his gal pal uses her disability to bypass lines. He said she has an auto-immune disorder and acknowledged that she uses a scooter on the job.
Disney did not return repeated requests for comment.
tpalmeri@nypost.com
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disney4life2008

disney4life2008

Well-Known Member
This is sick! On my last vacation to Disneyworld my nephew hurt his foot and had to be in whelchair for 2 days so we got the GAC card. It was nice to be able to skip the lines in August heat but once his foot was better we immediately went back for the regular experience. On a side note - it really bothers me when people abuse the scooters (young more so) to jump the line!
 
scpergj

scpergj

Well-Known Member
Master Yoda said:
Am I the only one thinking BS on the details this article? I spend more time in WDW than most people and do not see people in scooters getting such drastically different treatment. At best a GAC card acts like a golden fastpass. I do not doubt that someone would pay to do this, but I do not see it being as drastic of a benefit as the article implies.
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I'm with you on this one - just don't see it being that much of a benefit. Wonder if it is some Manhattanite wannabe rich woman that they interviewed just so she could brag to her friends about how her family scammed the system. Wouldn't be surprised...
 
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