Reading how the insanely wealthy families of Manhattan fret (and pay and pay and pay) to get little Ethan and Emma into an exclusive private kindergarten is almost de rigeur in the NY Times.

Not to be outdone, the NY Post chronicles how The Rich hire handicapped folk to escort their progeny around Disney parks so they don't hafta wait in line with the unwashed proletariat.

Perhaps they misunderstood the slogan "Hire the Handicapped"...

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Paul F.
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A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand. - Lucius Annaeus Seneca c. 5 BC - 65 AD
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Good is the enemy of Excellent. Talent is not necessary for Excellence.
Persistence is necessary for Excellence. And Persistence is a Decision.
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Eureka, CA

I remember there was a comedian who had a joke along the lines of: If he ever won the lottery, he was going to hire a handicapped driver so that they'd always get the good parking spaces.

Harumph. The last time we were at Disney my wife was in a wheelchair. We didn't get special treatment. In fact accessibility in some parts of the park was a problem. She had to walk steps to our hotel. Of course that was more than a decade ago.

if this is true (and it's from the NY Post so you have to wonder) what a terrible lesson to teach your children about human dignity

yuck

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the_poochies
Reading how the insanely wealthy families of Manhattan fret (and pay and pay and pay) to get little Ethan and Emma into an exclusive private kindergarten is almost de rigeur in the NY Times.

Not to be outdone, the NY Post chronicles how The Rich hire handicapped folk to escort their progeny around Disney parks so they don't hafta wait in line with the unwashed proletariat.

I was in DisneyWorld in March. Because my hip is so bad, we opted to use a wheelchair on this trip. Yes, the handicapped are accommodated. Sometimes the wait times and line were shorter, sometimes longer. However, the shear agony of getting in and out of the chair, and into and out of the rides made it a wash at best. And there were a lot of people who were using the rented scooters that were just too lazy to walk. You could tell just by watching them get on and off the scooters. That pissed me off.

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Disney Tours offers a VIP guide and fast passes for $310 to $380 per hour.

I find this much more outrageous than some people taking advantage of the handicapped accommodations. THERE'S your one percent Disney visitor.

Also, if this Dream Tours Florida company is the one who offers this service, then Disney probably knows it and is allowing it to go on anyhow. I think there's plenty of blame to go all around on this one.

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$tevie

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Disney Tours offers a VIP guide and fast passes for $310 to $380 per hour.

I find this much more outrageous than some people taking advantage of the handicapped accommodations. THERE'S your one percent Disney visitor.

Also, if this Dream Tours Florida company is the one who offers this service, then Disney probably knows it and is allowing it to go on anyhow. I think there's plenty of blame to go all around on this one.

I wonder if intentionally having my leg broken is worth earning a cool fee from the One Percenters who will pay me to escort their little tykes around EPCOT.

What's the reasoning behind letting a person in a wheelchair cut the line? I understand if this person is on crutches or really old...

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3d
What's the reasoning behind letting a person in a wheelchair cut the line? I understand if this person is on crutches or really old...

Good question. If anyone can endure a long wait, it would be someone who has a seat such as that.

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Many of the lines are difficult at best to navigate with a wheelchair. Lots of ups and down and sharp 180 switchbacks. If the people around you aren't the kind of people who will make room and be patient as you struggle, it's a brutal trip. Many rides have shortcuts that involve elevators. But when you get to the ride, you usually have to wait at least a bit. And once again, the ordeal of dealing with a walker or wheelchair is NOT mittigated by their accommodations.

Besides, Disney's policy is only 1 person can accompany the dissabled guest. I saw many families split up because grandma could only have one person with her. The accomodation is for the dissabled, NOT the whole family. That's the way it is supposed to be run.

I know more than most here about this, except for maybe rgG's daughter, because I have childhood friends who work at Disney World as designers, and we visited with them 2 months ago.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2013 07:13PM by Racer X.

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Racer X
Disney's policy is only 1 person can accompany the dissabled guest. I saw many families split up because grandma could only have one person with her. The accomodation is for the dissabled, NOT the whole family.

Hmmm.. the article contradicts this.

"Disney allows each guest who needs a wheelchair or motorized scooter to bring up to six guests to a “more convenient entrance.”"

I was at Disneyland 4-ish years ago. I didn't remember the lines as being difficult. Just back and forth like an airport or post office line.

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3d

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Racer X
Disney's policy is only 1 person can accompany the dissabled guest. I saw many families split up because grandma could only have one person with her. The accomodation is for the dissabled, NOT the whole family.

Hmmm.. the article contradicts this.

"Disney allows each guest who needs a wheelchair or motorized scooter to bring up to six guests to a “more convenient entrance.”"

I was at Disneyland 4-ish years ago. I didn't remember the lines as being difficult. Just back and forth like an airport or post office line.

Yeah, their policy is stated as
" Auxiliary Entrance Limitations

Some attractions at Walt Disney World Resort have auxiliary entrances for Guests with disabilities. These are intended to offer Guests in wheelchairs or with trained service animals a more convenient entrance to the attraction. Auxiliary entrances are not intended to bypass waiting lines. Guests with disabilities and up to five members of their party may enter through these entrances. The rest of the party should use the main entrance." [disneyworld.disney.go.com]

But numerous times, especially when the attraction was busy, they broke up family units.

People gaming the system should be kneecapped to make them honest again.