Today Show: Undercover at Disney, Deplorable Scheme to Skip Lines

[PixieDustD]

We have all heard about this in the newspapers...here is the Today Show's investigation.

http://www.today.com/news/undercover-disney-deplorable-scheme-skip-lines-6C10131266

 

[Malcon10t]

Saw the show, and quite honestly, while I am angry that people abuse their GAC and use it to make money, I think the Today show did a HORRIBLE job. They acted like the lines were huge, made filming angles that looked big. But going to Disneyland a LOT, adn having seen the GAC since they flashed it, I know the people were using the HA entrance pass only.

Let's start with Tea Cups. That line is only 1 cycle long. It was shot from inside the ride, so those people would be on the next round of cups.

Next Autopia. That was shot in the AM (according to shadows.) The line is accessible. That ride is walk on on a morning in April or May. They had no wait, because there was no line.

Star Tours. Their card makes them wait in the same line outside the building. They then make a right turn, which makes me HIGHLY suspicious of the guy, since he took the stairs. Usually, you take the elevator. Again, short lines that day.

POTC. If you know what you are looking for, you see the HA line that is inside the building. Looks about 15 mins long. The short clip of the line outside they showed, showed maybe a 5 min line (on the ramp up to the entrance...)

Splash. They didn't show any lines nor the standby line time. They only show entering the exit. They did not show the line inside the exit.

Overall, other than someone selling his GAC services, which is HIS morale issue, this really was much ado about nothing, and actually PROMOTES the myth the lines are shorter in the HA queues. Very sad.

 

[sherilaine]

The Today show is not news by the way - Matt Lauer is the bubble headed bleach blond that comes on at 5!

 

[Susie63]

There is an easy way to fix this. Disney should hire out the people who are offering their GAC as a "skip the line pass". They could assemble a mock family and meet them in the park. The first time that GAC is used fraudulently....seize the card, seize their AP or entrance ticket and bar them for life.Think of buddy on youtube who thought it would be cool to film behind the scenes in restricted spaces....now all Disney properties are restricted to him. After a few people are barred....this scheme should go away.

 

[sh00tfire]

How long are GAC cards good for? I would think Disney could slow this down by only allowing a GAC to be valid for a few days. Forcing these people to renew more often would probably slow this practice down.

 

[DarthMole]

Saw the show, and quite honestly, while I am angry that people abuse their GAC and use it to make money, I think the Today show did a HORRIBLE job.

Drive-by media at it's finest. It's a short 5 minute segment. They could have done a lot more with this if they had more time. One thing that would have been interesting to see is to have a separate group using the regular lines to provide a proper A-B comparison. If the regular lines were indeed as long as they claim, it would have shown.

 

[Sherry E]

I moved this thread to the DL Community Board and out of the main forum, as it's not really about planning trips to DLR.

 

[nikkislaght]

The Today show is not news by the way - Matt Lauer is the bubble headed bleach blond that comes on at 5!

High 5 on this quote....

 

[Nonsuch]

Saw the show, and quite honestly, while I am angry that people abuse their GAC and use it to make money, I think the Today show did a HORRIBLE job. They acted like the lines were huge, made filming angles that looked big. But going to Disneyland a LOT, adn having seen the GAC since they flashed it, I know the people were using the HA entrance pass only...

...Overall, other than someone selling his GAC services, which is HIS morale issue, this really was much ado about nothing, and actually PROMOTES the myth the lines are shorter in the HA queues. Very sad.

Drive-by media at it's finest.

This report misrepresents the time savings and benefits of GAC, but does actually show free-lance "guides" misusing GAC

How long are GAC cards good for? I would think Disney could slow this down by only allowing a GAC to be valid for a few days. Forcing these people to renew more often would probably slow this practice down.

"These people" may or may not have an actual need for GAC, but they certainly know how to work the system. Requiring more frequent renewal of GAC will only penalize guests that require assistance.

 

[Escape2Disney]

The Today show is not news by the way - Matt Lauer is the bubble headed bleach blond that comes on at 5!

I am in total agreement here! I don't watch the Today Show because I just don't see him as a reliable 'newscaster'.

There is an easy way to fix this. Disney should hire out the people who are offering their GAC as a "skip the line pass". They could assemble a mock family and meet them in the park. The first time that GAC is used fraudulently....seize the card, seize their AP or entrance ticket and bar them for life.Think of buddy on youtube who thought it would be cool to film behind the scenes in restricted spaces....now all Disney properties are restricted to him. After a few people are barred....this scheme should go away.

Not a bad idea. Get to the root of the problem and nip it quick.

Drive-by media at it's finest. It's a short 5 minute segment. They could have done a lot more with this if they had more time. One thing that would have been interesting to see is to have a separate group using the regular lines to provide a proper A-B comparison. If the regular lines were indeed as long as they claim, it would have shown.

THAT would have been more helpful. Getting into Pirates faster?? Really?? We've tested this by DD going in the normal line while I'm in the HA line. Almost every season she rides 2-3 times before I can board.

Saw the show, and quite honestly, while I am angry that people abuse their GAC and use it to make money, I think the Today show did a HORRIBLE job. They acted like the lines were huge, made filming angles that looked big. But going to Disneyland a LOT, adn having seen the GAC since they flashed it, I know the people were using the HA entrance pass only.

Let's start with Tea Cups. That line is only 1 cycle long. It was shot from inside the ride, so those people would be on the next round of cups.

Next Autopia. That was shot in the AM (according to shadows.) The line is accessible. That ride is walk on on a morning in April or May. They had no wait, because there was no line.

Star Tours. Their card makes them wait in the same line outside the building. They then make a right turn, which makes me HIGHLY suspicious of the guy, since he took the stairs. Usually, you take the elevator. Again, short lines that day.

POTC. If you know what you are looking for, you see the HA line that is inside the building. Looks about 15 mins long. The short clip of the line outside they showed, showed maybe a 5 min line (on the ramp up to the entrance...)

Splash. They didn't show any lines nor the standby line time. They only show entering the exit. They did not show the line inside the exit.

Overall, other than someone selling his GAC services, which is HIS morale issue, this really was much ado about nothing, and actually PROMOTES the myth the lines are shorter in the HA queues. Very sad.

Agreed. BAD reporting job, though I still think these 'black market GACs' should be shut down.

"These people" may or may not have an actual need for GAC, but they certainly know how to work the system. Requiring more frequent renewal of GAC will only penalize guests that require assistance.

This is what I worry about. What new hoops will we have to jump through because of these opportunistic fools?

<sigh> I hope Karma kicks them squarely in the rear. They may have a little remorse if they had to spend a day handicapped in a crowded theme park.

 

[BirdsSingWords]

Requiring more frequent renewal of GAC will only penalize guests that require assistance.

Exactly.

Laws for required disabled access are deliberately written so as not to infringe on someone's right to privacy. I'm not sure how Disneyland can "crack down" on GAC abusers without violating the rights of legitimately disabled individuals who aren't profiting from the use of their GAC, to be honest.

How would Guest Relations determine who "needs" a GAC and who doesn't? What type of information would people have to provide? Medical records? Doctor's notes? Psychiatric reports? X-rays? It would all be considered an invasion of privacy.

Besides, how would the people in Guest Relations be qualified to synthesize all that info, even if they were allowed to request it, and then make that determination in the first place? They're not doctors.

I think this is going to be an issue where the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) must be followed, to protect the rights of the majority (non-scheming, legitimate portion) of the population.

What Disney can do, however, is follow through on banning folks like the ones in this segment who are profiting from their GAC. Making money this way is not protected by law, and Disney has every right to stop that from happening and impose whatever consequences they see fit.

 

[Stinasmom]

Yep, ban these abusers...
Just like casinos can ban patrons who "card count" even though it is not technically illegal.

That way, their disability is not the issue, just that they are practicing business or violating a "policy" that Disney finds unacceptable on their property.

No more AP, no more admittance.

 

[bcla]

Yep, ban these abusers...
Just like casinos can ban patrons who "card count" even though it is not technically illegal.

That way, their disability is not the issue, just that they are practicing business or violating a "policy" that Disney finds unacceptable on their property.

No more AP, no more admittance.

It's likely a violation of their policy to profit from using their access passes. I'm guessing that they might also have annual passes where the terms state that any use for commercial purposes is a violation of the terms for which they were issued.

Besides that, I'm wondering why NBC is taking so much credit for supposedly bringing this to the attention of Disney. CNN did a big piece on this weeks ago, and even then Disney said that they were in the process of taking steps to counter it.

 

[CaptainEIEIO]

Wow, why get down on poor Matt, he didn't even do the report, he just introduced it, Rossen did the report.

 

[Gisele]

Wow, why get down on poor Matt, he didn't even do the report, he just introduced it, Rossen did the report.

Maybe because he is a pretty boy yuppie.