Is there such a thing as a "lifetime pass"?

[Big Wallaby]

(excluding blackout dates).

And I see those blackout dates as a wonderful guide... if it's a blackout date, then I don't think you want to be in the parks anyway.

[SRT_GB]

Good deal for someone who gives their full lifetime service. Is this after a certain number of years of service? I mean, a person who worked 15 years with the company and retires is far different from someone who gives - say, 40 years and retires.

The Employee Manual (or whatever it's called these days) has guidelines for how many years a person has to continuously work for the company before they can officially "retire" with the company and get the Gold Pass and all the other benefits - I think it's something like 25 years and the employee/CM has to be above a certain age.

BTW I think DLR retirees used to be entitled to a CM ID that looks like the regular yellow ID but says "Retiree" above their name so they can still get backstage for retiree events, etc.

[thomaskr]

I gotta do some research on this... it was right around the late 1970's... inflation and massively high interest rates. Roads to Florida from the north were sketchy at best and WDW had some seriously slow days (I remember numerous times when we used to run from ride to ride and not wait any longer than a couple of minutes). I suppose my friend was possibly referring to a yearlong or season's pass, but for some strange reason what she said sounded familiar. $300 or whatever it was was some serious coin in those days. If such a thing existed, I'll bet it's non-transferrable but priceless.

[hobie16]

And I see those blackout dates as a wonderful guide... if it's a blackout date, then I don't think you want to be in the parks anyway.

Exactly!!

[thomaskr]

Exactly!!

um, for those of us uninitiated... what exactly is a "blackout date"?

[hobie16]

um, for those of us uninitiated... what exactly is a "blackout date"?

High usage days where the park is so packed some passes and APs won't get you in.

[lady ulrike]

The closest thing I ever heard of resembling a "lifetime pass" was a red VIP pass that resembled our CM main gate passes.

I saw one of these passes once and he was a jerk. He came into the exit of Storybook expecting to get backdoor privileges. I thought it was a fake and thought about confiscating it. I didn't, thankfully, but I talked to a manager of mine who used to work Guest Relations about it and she said very few of those are given out. She said the only one she had seen before was given to an ex Mousketeer.

[SRT_GB]

I saw one of these passes once and he was a jerk. He came into the exit of Storybook expecting to get backdoor privileges. I thought it was a fake and thought about confiscating it. I didn't, thankfully, but I talked to a manager of mine who used to work Guest Relations about it and she said very few of those are given out. She said the only one she had seen before was given to an ex Mousketeer.

Fortunately for me I was hired at a time when they taught us everything we needed to know in LOB training and OJT, even some obscure stuff. Part of that included giving us a badly photocopied handbook with pictures of all IDs/passes we were allowed to give discounts with, including CM/employee/retiree IDs from all over the company, all Main Gate passes including Blue, Silver, Gold, and VIP (red), and some other programs that have since been discontinued. That's how I easily recognized the one time I ever saw the VIP pass. The guy happened to be with two former college dormmates of mine, so I struck up a conversation and that's how I found out he was born in the old parking lot - "where the roller coaster is now", as he put it.

Anywho, the VIP pass only gets the same privileges a Blue, Silver, or Gold Pass gets - admission and merchandise/food discounts. It does not give backstage access the way a CM/employee/retiree ID does, and it certainly doesn't give backdoor privilege, though I can see how a person could try to pull one on you since it does say "VIP" on it.

If this person who tried to pull the backdoor privilege on you was indeed a former Mouseketeer or someone of that stature, I'm sure they could have easily gotten backdoor privileges had they called ahead for GR or even so much as gone to City Hall instead of having to pull an SGT on you.

[PapaMouse]

Good deal for someone who gives their full lifetime service. Is this after a certain number of years of service? I mean, a person who worked 15 years with the company and retires is far different from someone who gives - say, 40 years and retires.

I think it's 20 years or more. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think you have to stay with a company for 20 years or more to be able to "retire" from that company.

And I see those blackout dates as a wonderful guide... if it's a blackout date, then I don't think you want to be in the parks anyway.

exactly :) Man I have been in the parks on a few major holidays and you can't move.

The Employee Manual (or whatever it's called these days) has guidelines for how many years a person has to continuously work for the company before they can officially "retire" with the company and get the Gold Pass and all the other benefits - I think it's something like 25 years and the employee/CM has to be above a certain age.

BTW I think DLR retirees used to be entitled to a CM ID that looks like the regular yellow ID but says "Retiree" above their name so they can still get backstage for retiree events, etc.

Not sure about today, but back in 1997 it was 20 years because my father retired at 20 years. well actually 19 years, but he had enough vacation time built up they counted it as an extra year so he got the 20.

[Big Wallaby]

BTW I think DLR retirees used to be entitled to a CM ID that looks like the regular yellow ID but says "Retiree" above their name so they can still get backstage for retiree events, etc.

I've actually seen a WDW "Retired" ID. Looks the same as a regular ID, but it says "RETIRED" where we usually put a date sticker for the year.

If I was backstage and saw one, I wouldn't be the type to say anything. If they have that, then I think they deserve the right to be backstage.