Jim Hill of Jim Hill Media gets "escorted" out of DL

[Zazu]

Well... I guess I'm going to have to disagree. I know Jim Hill. I've taken his Disneyland tour, and I've helped him and Jim Korkis give a similar tour at the Magic Kingdom. Trust me folks, he's not there to trash the place.

Full disclosure: I also give unauthorized "misguided tours" of the theme parks at WDW. I don't charge for them, and I won't comp anyone in for such a tour, but I'll confess that sometimes the participants buy me lunch. I'm not there to trash the place either.

I think Jim's big mistake here was in not checking to see who was on his tour. Had he correctly identified the ringers when he began, he could have directed them back to the official tour and all would be well. I also have to question the wisdom of trying to run a tour for 20 guests -- my limit is 5.

Both Jim and I are storytellers. Most of our stories are true, or at least we haven't been able to disprove them. Jim was very cautious about who was in earshot when he "broke the magic", and there are many subjects that I simply won't discuss in the parks. True, some of our stories don't reflect the most positive light on the Company, but there's a difference between giving an honest review of history and bashing the Mouse.

In the long run, I think both Jim and his tour-takers will be better served by a CD version of his tours. It'll be less disruptive to the park, guests can take them at their own pace, Jim won't have to keep buying those shirts as loud as mine, and the Mouse Patrol won't be any the wiser. I'd ask you all to give him a break about posting the files -- the guy is trying to eat and buy tickets off the money he makes from Disney history.

I do agree that it's not a first amendment issue (and as a former ACLU director, that's a big statement). It is private property, but I think there are better ways of dealing with such challenges than threats of arrest, and I'm disappointed that my employer didn't find one here (and not *just* for selfish reasons).

I wonder if maybe what I'm most worried about here is the precedent this would set (if the Company actually kept good enough records to remember a precedent). Taken to an extreme, it would inhibit *anyone* from talking about a Disney park while they were inside one, and that's just silly.

Of course, I could tell you any number of stories about Disney management and silliness....

[AngelEyes]

Let me be the first to ask...when can I take your tour? There's a burger from Cosmic Ray's in it for you! :D:

[BirdMom]

Full disclosure: I also give unauthorized "misguided tours" of the theme parks at WDW. I don't charge for them, and I won't comp anyone in for such a tour, but I'll confess that sometimes the participants buy me lunch. I'm not there to trash the place either.

In the long run, I think both Jim and his tour-takers will be better served by a CD version of his tours. It'll be less disruptive to the park, guests can take them at their own pace, Jim won't have to keep buying those shirts as loud as mine, and the Mouse Patrol won't be any the wiser. I'd ask you all to give him a break about posting the files -- the guy is trying to eat and buy tickets off the money he makes from Disney history.

I am still going to have to respectfully disagree with you on this issue Zazu. You're getting on slippery territory doing private tours, but at least you're won't take money - I'll give you props for that alone...

You say he wants to make money from Disney history. O.K., the company has been guilty of selling that history for a premium price and I'm the first one to acknowledge that exploitation. However, Jim Hill has done nothing to contribute to that history, be it in physical labor or in intellectual/artistic gifts. I'm sorry, but with my art background, I have issues with intellectual property. It's one thing to share, it's another thing to appropriate and be a parasite.

arg - lightning storm - I need to log off...grrr... more later...

[Zazu]

Let me be the first to ask...when can I take your tour? There's a burger from Cosmic Ray's in it for you! :D:

You're far from the first, but the answer is the same: PM me and we'll find a mutually agreeable date.

Just not one this week or next. Spring break crowds are way too

[AngelEyes]

You're far from the first, but the answer is the same: PM me and we'll find a mutually agreeable date.

Just not one this week or next. Spring break crowds are way too

You couldn't pay me to be down there during Spring Break! :D: We always go in the fall, good weather, no crowds. Usually around the middle of September. Thanks for the offer! I'll take you up on it next time we're there.

[Thatguy]

If Disney plans on stopping all the un official tours going on they have their work cut out for them.

especially considering that if you sign someone in that's not related to you you're supposed to accompany them...

as for the real topic, I think the only thing that makes me disagree with jim is the fact that he was charging..... I can understand gratuities such as someone buying you lunch or whatnot, but saying $X for me to go around the park with you is a bit unethical in my opinion.

[leftcoaster]

JIm Hill is mot the one posting. It's an Excert (sp?) from the JIm HIll site.

Thank you, CujoSR. No I am NOT Jim Hill. I posted the story from the Jim Hill web site.

IMHO, he is wrong. Why? Because as much as there are other unofficial tours of DL and WDW, like foreign tour groups and MouseAdventure, they have permission from Disney to run their tours (ok, Zazu doesn't).

Second, I find that his web site and his "stories" are too far in the realm of tabloid news. He quotes his sources as "deep inside WDI" and when more times than not, when he is proven wrong, he sidesteps the issue. However, if one time he is correct, he claims, "See I told you!" Also add that on numerous times, he has 'written' multiple part stories that he never finishes, and then he rants on his site and begs for money to finish what he started (IE: the laptop incident).

I, for one, would have loved to have seen the look on his face if an Orange County police officer had asked him for his Orange County business license to conduct paid tours, and the letter from Disney granting him permission to conduct paid tours on Disney property.

[IndyandMarion]

Youll have to excuse me if some of my sentences to come out right (Try typing with a lap full of Carin Terrier).

He got what he deserved. Birdmom spelled everything, that most of us wanted to say but couldn't figure out how, out.

I'll admit, I'll tell guests stories about Tower and Coaster (With tower, how they built it, got part of it done, then had to tear it down and restart when they realized it would be higher than 200 ft., with Coaster, just various elements that had to be removed since they werent working, headlights not running right to name one). Then if I know any other information WITHOUT going into the situation too much, I'll let them know.

But I never go as far as to jump up and say "HEY! Want to know stuff Disney doesn't want you to know about!? Then follow me!" No.

[lady ulrike]

I have to say, I've taken Zazu's 'tour' but although he calls it a tour, to an outside observer it looks more like a group of friends/family hanging out at Disneyland and one guy just happens to know a lot of stuff that comes out in conversation. Honestly a lot of the stuff Zazu tells is positive, and most of the negative is things that any of us find out from working at the park and probably tell all our friends and family.

And for what Polar said about when he's in the park, I do the same thing, in fact my friends and family call me their tour guide all the time. Really all I'm doing is hanging out with them, I just have a lot of information about the park and I'll do things like run and get a fastpass while they head to the next attraction (only cause I can walk a lot faster and weave through crowds better) Again, I don't charge, but I do quite often get lunch/dinner bought for me.

[screnwriter]

Full disclosure: I also give unauthorized "misguided tours" of the theme parks at WDW. I don't charge for them, and I won't comp anyone in for such a tour, but I'll confess that sometimes the participants buy me lunch. I'm not there to trash the place either.

I've given many a 'tour' of the park myself - any cast member of some years experience and the gift of gab has - but someone taking money for giving unauthorized tours of the park - that's something else, and I think it goes too far. You've made your point very well, but I do think there is an absolute here that trancends opinion. And I feel that the absolute is that going into someone else's business and taking that business away from them while confusing their customers is wrong and should not be done.