Walt Disney World is supposed to be the happiest place on earth for everyone, no matter their wealth. Despite that, a recent report has exposed a dark plot that rich Manhattan mothers use to try to have get more happiness than everyone else.
A report in today’s New York Post exposed “black-market Disney guides,” disabled people that rich 1 percenters take advantage of to get to the front of lines at the theme parks in Orlando.
These guides run $130 an hour or $1,040 for an eight-hour day, which is cheaper than Disney’s VIP tour guides, who run $310-$380 per hour.
“My daughter waited one minute to get on ‘It’s a Small World’ — the other kids had to wait 2 1/2 hours,” one mother who hired a disabled guide through Dream Tours Florida. “You can’t go to Disney without a tour concierge. This is how the 1 percent does Disney.”
The guide this mother hired used a motorized scooter with a handicapped sign. This allowed her, her husband and two young children access to a “more convenient entrance.” Disney policy allows up to six people to accompany a guest in a wheelchair to shorter lines.
The ‘black market’ touring service only recently became known among Manhattan elites during the recent private-school spring breaks. The Post notes that when you call up, they ask who referred you to the service.
“It’s insider knowledge that very few have and share carefully,” social anthropologist Dr. Wednesday Martin told the Post. She found out about the scheme while researching for her 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 added, “So when you’re doing it, you’re affirming that you are one of the privileged insiders who has and shares this information.”
The Post tried to contact Dream Tours Florida and did get a hold of Ryan Clement, who runs it with his girlfriend. He denied claims that they use her disability to take advantage of Disney, although he did say she uses a scooter. Disney also didn’t return its request for a comment.