Arts & Entertainment

Disney Scraps Policy Allowing Disabled, Guests to Cut the Line

It may be a small world, after all, but the program is being revamped after reports of abuse by some families who hire disabled "tour guides" to game the system.

Written by Corey Fyke

The days of people with a “Guest Assistance Card” cutting to the front of the line at the Walt Disney Co.’s U.S. theme parks appear to be over.

Disney will end the Guest Assistance Card program, where disabled guests could go directly to the front of the line at any attraction — with up to six guests — at Disney’s theme parks in California and Florida, on Oct. 9, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel Monday.

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The company will replace the cards with a system that issues return times for disabled guests based on the current wait times for attractions. A Disney spokeswoman admitted the change was at least in part due to abuses.

The New York Post reported earlier this year that some wealthy Manhattanites were hiring disabled tour guides to pose as family members to skip to the front of the line. 

Find out what's happening in Norwalkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Given the increasing volume of requests we receive for special access to our attractions, we are changing our process to create a more consistent experience for all our guests while providing accommodations for guests with disabilities," Disney spokeswoman Kathleen Prihoda said.


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