- Joined
- Jan 3, 2001
- Messages
- 9,296
From the Oralndo Sentinel:
Disney's VIP passes for bigwigs raise ethical questions
Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
April 10, 2008
Walt Disney World is offering politicians and other VIPs special passes that let them cut in line at popular rides such as Soarin' in Epcot and Expedition Everest in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
The unrestricted, all-day "FastPasses" are for elected officials or other "high-profile guests" who don't want to worry about logistical or security problems they might face while waiting in long lines, but who don't want a tour guide.
Spokeswoman Kim Prunty acknowledged that the passes were created for officials who are high-ranking enough in state, federal or even international affairs to travel with entourages -- officials for whom a long line could be more than an inconvenience. She said the passes are available to such officials and those traveling with them, but on a very limited basis determined case-by-case by Disney's government-affairs office. That is the same department that runs Disney World's lobbying efforts.
Disney maintains that the passes have no monetary value and so are not restricted by government ethics laws and do not have to be reported either as gifts to public officials or as a lobbying expense.
Prunty would not identify any of the people who have gotten the passes, nor would she talk about specific officials who might want them.
The practice of handing out the special passes is raising eyebrows among government-ethics watchdogs, who expressed concern that it might provide Disney -- which routinely lobbies state and federal government officials -- a way to offer a feel-good service just for politicians.
"It clearly is a perk," said Ben Wilcox, executive director of Common Cause of Florida.
Disney's government-affairs office first started providing the passes last fall. A couple of weeks ago, to alleviate any possible confusion, Disney World circulated a memo advising employees to recognize and honor the passes.
The memo, made available in part to the Orlando Sentinel, calls the passes "unique" and states that no more than 25 are in circulation on any given day.
Shannon McAleavey, Disney World's senior vice president of public affairs, which oversees government affairs, deferred all comments to the company's public relations staff.
Prunty compared the passes with the assistance airlines provide high-profile travelers to speed them through busy airports.
"We find that our very high-profile guests travel with a large group -- many times with a security detail -- that have the potential to disrupt the experience of our other guests; these passes help alleviate that," she explained. "We also have heard from security teams traveling with these high-profile guests that they would prefer they not be in the midst of large crowds or in any one place for an extended period of time."
Disney World's regular FastPass system, introduced in 1999, offers all visitors a chance to avoid some of the longest lines in its theme parks. A visitor who arrives at a FastPass-eligible attraction early enough in the day can obtain a FastPass ticket from a designated kiosk; the ticket is stamped with a time when the visitor may return and enter a special FastPass queue instead of the main, public queue.
At some attractions -- such as Soarin', Expedition Everest, Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom and Tower of Terror in Disney's Hollywood Studios -- wait times routinely exceed an hour and can top two hours.
The FastPasses distributed by Disney's government-affairs office are better than a regular FastPass because they are good at all FastPass rides, all day long. Ordinary FastPasses are printed in limited numbers, and supplies can run out before midday.
Gift- and lobbyist-reporting laws for public officials vary among local, state and federal governments and their branches. The Florida Legislature, for example, specifically allows its members to receive "priority for obtaining services where there is an established queue."
But several ethics experts told the Sentinel that, on other governmental levels and in other branches, rulings from specific ethics committees would probably be needed if anyone wanted to determine for sure whether line-jumping passes such as Disney's have any reportable value.
"It's a novel issue," said Kerrie Stillman, a spokeswoman for the Florida Ethics Commission.
Disney World did not formally seek any ethics rulings but did seek opinions from a variety of legal experts in the field, said Jacquee Polak, another Disney spokeswoman.
Wilcox suggested that, even without any legal problems, the idea of unlimited line-cutting in plain view of the public might prompt many officials to think twice before using such passes.
"If you're standing in line and you see your senator moving up to the head of the line, I don't know if that's going to look very good," he said.
SeaWorld and other Busch Entertainment Corp. theme parks in Orlando do not offer any such passes, and they do not offer line-jumping privileges to anyone, spokeswoman Becca Bides said.
Universal Orlando once had its own FastPass system, which it called an "Express Pass," but in 2006 the company stopped offering it for free. Now, visitors to Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure can buy "Universal Express" passes to get into shorter, express lines throughout the parks -- at prices ranging from $19.99 to $50.99.
Because those passes are available for sale, "We do not offer them to elected officials," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder stated in an e-mail.
Scott Powers can be reached at 407-420-5441 or spowers@orlandosentinel.com.
I've been watching John Adams and what amazed me is how John Adam's wife actually wanted to toil in her garden! I wish our politicians and their spouses were more grounded. I can't stand snobs
I wish everyone actually paid attention.
