It’s True! Disabled Guides Used to Skip Disney Lines

For some unscrupulous Disney visitors, time really is money.

First, the New York Post came out with a story claiming that rich (and anonymous) Manhattan moms were hiring disabled people at $130 per hour to pose as family members to get them to the front of the notoriously long lines at Disney World.

“Disney allows each guest who needs a wheelchair or motorized scooter to bring up to six guests to a ‘more convenient entrance,’” the Post explained.

Now, Today says the same scheme is being used at Disneyland, although the guides their undercover producer encountered charged $50 an hour or a flat fee of $200. Disney’s response:

We find it deplorable that people would hire the disabled to abuse accommodations that were designed to permit our guests with disabilities to enjoy their time in our parks. We have initiated a review of this abuse and will take appropriate steps to deter this type of unacceptable activity.

Ads for such services appear on classified sites like Craigslist, and the Post story said disabled guides were available through a small business called Dream Tours Florida. Disney is now sending warning letters to anyone advertising the service, and any guides they catch in the act will have their disabled passes revoked and will be banned from the theme park, Today says.

“We live in a capitalist country, and I don’t feel like it’s morally wrong,” said Mara, one of the guides Today talked to. The other, Ryan, said he “couldn’t care less” about the people waiting in line.