Lifetime pass?

[DisneyCowgirl]

Seriously though I can't see that as being all that true either, there are some amazing photos out there Disney has acquired and I don't see them giving away something 'money can't buy' for right to a photo.

Why not? Giving out one lifetime pass really doesn't cost Disney that much, and probably does give them some stream of income given that that person is now going to go to WDW, bring people with him who don't have tickets, buy food and stuff, etc.

 

[kristinlynn]

I thought when OKW first opened as DVC, the initial buyers got passes for the duration of their ownership. Not really lifetime, but still a good deal.

My parents bought into DVC about a year after it opened and they were given park tickets for a fixed amount of time (maybe five years) ... but not the life of the ownership. It was still an awesome deal though. If my parents were to sell right now (not that they would ever dream of doing that) they could still get double what they paid ... and they got five years of park tickets and almost 20 years of vacations out of it.

 

[kaybird]

"You and your family..."

There's the catch. Years ago, they were probably thinking it would just be mom, dad and a couple of kids.

I don't know why, but I always sort of thought that the lifetime passes would look like an ordinary AP, mainly to maintain the privacy of the passholders. I can't imagine someone presenting a little handwritten card at the gate. But that's just total speculation on my part.

Back in the day, especially in the infancy of DL , there were no annual passes. A friend in California had a large coin from the opening of DL. The media has changed along the way, but it is far from an urban legend. Lots of media coverage, and as most say, usually the opening of a new park, or anniversary of same.

 

[nytimez]

I thought when OKW first opened as DVC, the initial buyers got passes for the duration of their ownership. Not really lifetime, but still a good deal.

When OKW first opened, early buyers were given passes -- but they were not for the lifetime of the contract. I believe it was five years, as a purchase incentive.

Why not? Giving out one lifetime pass really doesn't cost Disney that much, and probably does give them some stream of income given that that person is now going to go to WDW, bring people with him who don't have tickets, buy food and stuff, etc.

Because they simply don't do it. By that logic, they'd give away "lifetime passes" all the time, and they don't.

As CF wrote earlier, they were reserved for very very unique circumstances -- like being the very first guest in a new Disney park.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Why not? Giving out one lifetime pass really doesn't cost Disney that much, and probably does give them some stream of income given that that person is now going to go to WDW, bring people with him who don't have tickets, buy food and stuff, etc.

Every time that person comes and bring someone that doesn't have a ticket you can chalk that up as lost revenue for WDW for the actual card holder and the guest. It may not physically cost them a dime to issue that pass but companies consider the costs associated with those including lost revenue. And the rest of us that are paying $50+ a day to enter the parks are still spending that same money on food, souvineers, etc it's just Disney is getting the extra admission $ out of us too.

 

[WardFamily]

Found a story on the first guest to enter Disneyland. It says he was awarded a lifetime pass.

Ticket To Ride

 

[DisneyMim]

We were one of the first people to buy into DVC, Oct 1991, and we were given passes until 2000. They were only for the three parks that were open at the time MK, Epcot and (what now is) Studios. AK was not included. We've been buying APS ever since. Years ago I remember one of my son's friend's fathers telling us that they were offered lifetime passes, but felt they were too expensive at the time. They are now kicking themselves that they did not buy them. I wish they did offer them to us, the first members of DVC as this was something we would have very much considered.

Enjoy The Magic!!

 

[MrsDuck]

So many people claim to know someone who has one... yet I've never seen a photo of one.

I would think that if Jack Lindquist mentioned them they'd be real!

I was intrigued when I read about them in his book.

 

[nytimez]

I would think that if Jack Lindquist mentioned them they'd be real!

I was intrigued when I read about them in his book.

Did he mention "them" or did he mention "one?"

Like I said, I won't say they don't exist. I will say that just about everyone who says they know someone who knows someone who has one is probably wrong.

They have been given out only in the most limited of all limited circumstances -- the first person in Disneyland. The first person in the Magic Kingdom. The billionth guest or something like that.

I'd go as far as to guess that all the people who have one -- on the entire planet -- could probably fit on one Disney bus, with room leftover.

 

[tlenzendorf]

Did he mention "them" or did he mention "one?"

Like I said, I won't say they don't exist. I will say that just about everyone who says they know someone who knows someone who has one is probably wrong.

They have been given out only in the most limited of all limited circumstances -- the first person in Disneyland. The first person in the Magic Kingdom. The billionth guest or something like that.

I'd go as far as to guess that all the people who have one -- on the entire planet -- could probably fit on one Disney bus, with room leftover.

I text Brent and he is going to text her and ask her to take a picture of it. As soon as I have the picture I will post it here.

 

[kangaroodle]

I thought when OKW first opened as DVC, the initial buyers got passes for the duration of their ownership. Not really lifetime, but still a good deal.

We bought into DVC in 1994. We were given admission to the 3 parks like a PP said (MK, Epcot and MGM...it wasn't honored at AK after it opened). They were good until the year 2000. We DID make great use of them! You got them when you checked into your room, it wasn't just a pass to go whenever you wanted. (But still a great perk!) The amount you received was based on room size. Studio and 1 BR= 2 passes, 2 Bedroom= 4 passes, etc. Ahhh....those were the good old days. It made a WDW vacation really cheap!

 

[Wadecool]

Found a story on the first guest to enter Disneyland. It says he was awarded a lifetime pass.

Ticket To Ride

Very cool story.

 

[Eljay]

I text Brent and he is going to text her and ask her to take a picture of it. As soon as I have the picture I will post it here.

I wonder if she will share more info, like, whether she has to produce the little handwritten card at Guest Services when she wants to be admitted, or if she's already in the computer as a lifetime passholder, (probably, right?) or how it works.
This is fascinating stuff to me!

 

[sissy_ib]

I know someone who used to work for Disney and he told me he gets a free annual pass every year. He supposedly gets to chose from Disneyland, WDW or Disneyland Paris. He started as a dancer in the parades and worked up to being Prince Charming and he says he worked for cooperate. I guess he was the #1 Price Charming in the company. He told me he went to all the Disney parks that were open at the time and even preformed on the Big Red Boat. I only ever believed about 50% of what he was telling me so who knows.

 

[loganpaulsmom]

Those are some great stories.. if I ever got lifetime passes.. that would be it.. I would sell my house in MA and move my family to FL..

 

[TBDave]

Here's a couple news articles about lifetime passes that have been awarded to various families:

At 10:32 am on Monday, October 22, 1979, 8-year-old Kurt Miller of Baltimore walked through the turnstiles and became Walt Disney World's 100 millionth guest. He receives a lifetime pass from Mickey and WDW Vice President Bob Allen. Photo taken from Walt Disney Productions 1979 Annual Report.

http://travel.usatoday.com/alliance...-Decades-of-Walt-Disney-World-Part-I/414692/1

Disney's Animal Kingdom Greets First Guests Wednesday at Walt Disney World Resort

Company Press Release SOURCE: Walt Disney World Media Relations

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., April 22, 1998 /PRNewswire/ -- Visitors from around the world flocked to Walt Disney World Resort Wednesday for the grand opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom, where the park's first guests were greeted with rose petal confetti, African bands and a keepsake grand-opening lithograph.

--------------

The first guests through the gate were Brenda Herr of St. Petersburg, Fla., her husband, Damon Chepren and their son, Devon, who slept in their car the night before in their quest to become the first guest family. The family received a lifetime pass to Walt Disney theme parks worldwide.

http://allears.net/tp/ak/ak_opn.htm

Disneyland celebrates 2 billionth visitor

Published: May 2, 2006 3:00 a.m.

ANAHEIM — Emmalee Mason, 12, of Colorado Springs, Colo., wasn’t just any tourist to Disneyland today; she was the 2 billionth.

At 9:02 a.m., Mason was named the honorary 2 billionth visitor of all Disney parks worldwide. All 10 family members - Emmalee, her parents, five sisters, one brother and a baby on the way - received lifetime passes to all 11 parks.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/billionth-40535-emmalee-disney.html

Texas resident earns title of '450th Millionth Guest'

Posted: Friday, March 16, 2001 12:00 am

ANAHEIM (AP) -- A Texas man got more than a pair of Mickey Mouse ears at Disneyland on Thursday. Mark Rameriz, 39, of Lytle, Texas, was declared the park's 450th million visitor, park officials said.

Rameriz, who was visiting the park with his wife and three children, was honored during a ceremony at the park where he was given the honor of changing the park's official attendance sign from 400 million to 450 million.

As part of the honor, Ramirez was given a lifetime pass to Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure and a suite at the new Grand Californian Hotel during his stay.

http://www.nctimes.com/uncategorized/article_5daf3146-fb72-5e58-b661-92c0c3761710.html

Real 1st Guests Took Home Only Memories

October 02, 1991|By Michael Blumfield Of The Sentinel Staff

Three college classmates standing first in line when Walt Disney World opened its gates in 1971 were passed by for a wholesome-looking family of four that went home with lifetime passes.

As Disney celebrated its 20th anniversary Tuesday, the buddies wanted someone to acknowledge that they really were first.

William J. Windsor Jr. - father of what Disney dubbed the First Family - admits that some college boys had beaten his family to the spot. Keith Padgett of Leesburg says he and his friends, Jack Sherrod and Gary Walker, were those boys.

''I just always felt, and I always knew, that they were not the first,'' said Sherrod, 43, who had sprinted to the front of the line when Disney opened its doors. ''All these years it's bugged me that it was not right, because they (Disney) made the deal and they reneged on it.''

Disney spokesman Charles Ridgway said Disney had made no promises of lifetime passes. ''I don't think we can do this based on 20-year-old recollections,'' he said.

The University of Florida students camped out by Disney before the opening, but were shooed off both by Disney officials and police officers. Once the gates opened, they executed their plan: Sherrod, a former high school football star who had a 9.7-second time in the 100-yard dash, would run to the gate. Walker, also a high school football star, would run for the tickets. Padgett would park the car.

It worked, but they didn't get the passes. Both the former students and the Windsors say Disney was looking for a family, not individuals, to honor with the lifetime passes. The men were, however, the first paying customers through the gates, which Walker now treasures as ''a very fine memory of mine.''

All three of them have visited Disney repeatedly with their own families. Walker is now a trial attorney in Marietta, Ga. Padgett is head of sales at a transportation company. And Sherrod runs a van conversion business in Jacksonville.

They've done well enough that they aren't looking for any handouts from Disney now. But Padgett, who has three children, says, ''I sure could have used the free passes with three kids.''

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...229_1_walt-disney-padgett-disney-world-opened

 

[andyman8]

I have never heard of a lifetime Disney annual pass. If there was/is one that would be very neat. My guess would be that they are only available for people like Robert Iger. I have to say, if I had a lifetime Disney annual pass, WDW might get a bit boring. When the kids were younger, we used to go every six weeks (we are FL residents and were attempting to pass the break-even point). We live about 2 and a half hours away from WDW by car and did this for two years. By the end, we were tired and bored by Disney. From that point forward, we only went once a year and did away with APs. I understand that many will disagree with me, but this is my opinion and please respect it.

On another note, Legoland Florida does offer lifetime passes for $2,500.

 

[mesaboy2]

On another note, Legoland Florida does offer lifetime passes for $2,500.

Your lifetime or Legoland's?

 

[nytimez]

Here's a couple news articles about lifetime passes that have been awarded to various families:

Yes -- pretty much what we've said in this thread, first guests in a park, 1 billionth guest, etc. The company has simply not issued very many lifetime passes.

By the way, if you look up the Windsors -- the "first" family in MK that got the lifetime passes -- apparently they turned into pains-in-the-butt for the company, demanding not just passes by special treatment every time they came.

From Jack Lundquist, quoted on AllEars.net:

"We gave them lifetime passes -- but these are the mistakes we soon learned -- as they took unfair advantage of their perks. Appreciating an advantage is fine, but taking advantage in an uncalled for manner is not okay. After opening day, the Windsors often called and said, 'We'll be there in about two hours and we want someone to meet us to do this and this and this. We're bringing 12 people. We want to have dinner and stay overnight.' It sort of put a damper on the All-American family concept. The Windsor family is probably still visiting the park today for free."

 

[Wadecool]

Here's a couple news articles about lifetime passes that have been awarded to various families:

I don't get why Disney screwed the college students out of the lifetime passes if they were really the first ones through the gates.