The public relations nightmare pass

Image: Disney

The worst self-inflicted wound park planners have caused through VIP offers involves politicians and other power players in society. Starting soon after the opening of Disneyland, Uncle Walt and his staff tried to leverage the power of his park. The Disney crew did this by providing special passes to elected officials from California and the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.

Congressmen, legislators, and even a few future/past Presidents of the United States took advantage of the offer Disney made. And it led to unpleasantness. Starting in 1965, Disney offered an official political perk called a Silver Pass. They did this without request from local and federal representatives. Instead, it was a goodwill measure from Disney to grease the wheels of bureaucracy. To wit, local city councilmen from the greater Los Angeles area received them, which was cause enough for some residents to run for local office.

In 1990, Disney suddenly announced that they’d no longer offer the Silver Pass. Their stated explanation was that government officials operated under strict laws with regards to benefits. A pass to get treated like a VIP at Disney theme parks was undeniably a gift. Government officials claimed that they had no idea how to grade the value of the gift, though. Disney’s proclamation was that they wanted to reduce the risk of unlawful behavior by public officials.

The truth was a bit different. An Orlando Sentinel article earlier that year embarrassed park officials and politicians alike. It highlighted the shady relationship between the gifts Disney offered and the kind deeds that the recipients had performed for the company in Congress.

Image: Disney

Politicians faced allegations of legislative malfeasance, as casual observers presumed they’d done favors for Disney in exchange for feeling like a big shot at the Happiest Place on Earth. The fact that many of these politicians, unaware of the policy change, had their offices call Disney to ask for discontinued tickets didn’t help with the optics.

The “fix” that Disney offered didn’t impress anyone familiar with the shenanigans, either. Orange County Commissioner Bill Donegan stated, "Disney is trying to sweep this under the rug and make it look good when it's not." Donegan was one of the few elected officials who turned down Disney’s offer of free tickets. The remaining politicians accused of legislative misdeeds in exchange for free Silver Passes didn’t even bother to return the reporter’s call. They realized that they had no defense against allegations of impropriety because let’s be real for a second. Of course they were catering to Disney in exchange for preferential treatment at the parks. Who wouldn’t?

Disney defiant

Image: Disney

Humorously, the Silver Pass died only a brief death. First, they never officially stopped giving away free tickets. They simply altered the methodology, requiring politicians to request them through official channels. Disney quietly reinstated them a brief time later after the media frenzy had died down. This news cycle repeats itself more often than the characters in Groundhog Day, too.  In 2008, a different writer for the Orlando Sentinel wrote the following:

"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."

Yes, the front of the line services that VIPs have to pay $400 an hour to receive also have “no monetary value” according to Disney officials. How’s that for a kick in the teeth?

Image: Disney

I would add that the second reporter, Scott Powers, deserves kudos for getting a Disney spokesperson to reply on the record about an uncomfortable, arguably illegal subject. To a larger point, Disney decided to take a much more aggressive stance in the 18 years that passed between the elimination of the Silver Pass and the next time its existence garnered negative PR.

In 1990, their position was basically, “You’re right. Our bad. We shouldn’t do that and will stop immediately.” By 2008, they were puffing out their chests going, “Oh, yeah. We give these things out. You’re right to be jealous that you don’t get one. And we ain’t gonna stop. If you don’t like it, run for office and maybe we’ll give you a Silver Pass after your election.”

Image: Disney

And again, this was all a part of Walt Disney’s original strategy. He believed that cozying up to elected officials was the best way to get sweetheart deals for his company. Not coincidentally, Disney enjoys unprecedented governmental control in both Anaheim and Orlando. The Walt Disney World campus includes an entire city comprised of Disney-chosen voters/legislators.

Meanwhile, the Mouse House’s relationship with southern California government officials is so tight that they once had a nickname of the Anaheim Ichthyo-logical, Sour Mash & 5-Card Draw Society. It was based on an annual San Diego fishing trip hosted by Disney by California legislators. So, if you can’t afford the VIP treatment on your own, run for office in either of those two states, and Disney will just give it to you.

Getting past the velvet rope

Image: Disney

Since you’re not a celebrity (I presume) and you’re too decent to run for public office, your only choice to live like a bigwig is to purchase a VIP Tour. I know what you’re thinking. You don’t want to spend $2,800 for a day at Disney. That’s like a week’s worth of dinners at Victoria & Albert’s!

Well, there is a way for you to sample the merchandise without going all-in. If you don’t mind a few strangers sharing the day, you could split the fare, so to speak. Disney has no idea whether a group of ten people has any personal connection or not. They also couldn’t care less. $2,800 is $2,800. It’s a tautology. If you want to join nine other internet strangers in purchasing a super-expensive day at the park, Disney cast members certainly won’t stop you. To the contrary, they’ll welcome you with open arms and a luxury SUV ride to the park.

Just keep in mind that a few hiccups are possible. For starters, you should all choose the same meeting place. Otherwise, you’ll waste a lot of time rounding up the various participants. Also, be careful with the payment process. All joking about strangers aside, you should try to persuade eight or nine friends, co-workers, or other acquaintances to participate. The tour is better that way, as you’ll have a group experience you can recollect in future years.  

Image: Disney

Next, you’ll want to come up with a group itinerary ahead of time. This isn’t as hard as you might expect. A group of 10 Disney fans will settle on the same attractions for the most part. The only question is the order. Some might sit out a ride or two, but that’s about the extent of the attraction-based disagreements.

For a seven-hour day, your primary consideration should be the timing, and the Tour Guide will alert you if you’re overly ambitious about anything. Make certain that everyone is on the same page about how many parks they want to visit so that you cut down on travel time. Finally, the hardest decision is probably lunch. You should come up with a consensus choice prior to the moment of truth. Otherwise, the situation could become contentious. Hangry people aren’t great at compromise.

By splitting a VIP Tour with nine other friends/strangers, you bring the cost down to $40 per hour, and a guaranteed $280 overall. That’s still a lot of money, but Disney’s tours like the Ultimate Day of Thrills cost $299. You don’t even get to pick the attractions with them. A VIP Tour makes you fill like a rock star, and Disney even throws in lunch. Nothing makes you feel powerful like a comped meal and your own Tour Guide taking you past all the little people who have to wait in line like the peasants they are. VIP Tours are the best way to see how the other half lives, if only for a day.