Stupid Guest Tricks

I've been coming to WDW since 1972 when I was about 3 years old (obviously not by myself) and I recently ran into a lady whom my wife knows who has also been coming to WDW since the beginning. We got to talking about changes, ticket books and prices and she asked me "do you remember those 'Lifetime' Passes?" According to her, back in the early days (probably 1970's) you could buy a pass for $130 or so and have "lifetime access to WDW". By that, I mean "free entry to the park". Given that in those days, you had to buy tickets to ride the attractions, it doesn't sound so far-fetched. Did such a pass actually exist? Has anybody ever seen one? Are they still honored?

The closest thing I ever heard of resembling a "lifetime pass" was a red VIP pass that resembled our CM main gate passes. The only person I ever saw who had one told me he was born in the old DL parking lot in the early 80s.

They also used to give gold main gate passes to retirees which they could use for the rest of their life. Not sure if they still do.

Also, isn't there some kind of pass that WDW hands out to politicos? Or is that just another Celebration rumor? (It was sited in an article in the Celebration Independent, which is not always the most reliable source).

On July 4, 1979, a woman gave birth to a baby, Teresa Salcedo, in DL Park. It was rumored that she was given a lifetime pass, but I don't think it was true. Imagine setting that precedent! Mickey visited her in the hospital a day or two later and presented her with a Disneyland Birth Certificate.

Yeah, I remember seeing that in the paper. She was progressing so fast, they just managed to get her to First Aid, jerryrig a delivery set-up, and delivered the baby there while waiting for the ambulance. She just couldn't wait.

Great, now I can picture some SG woman demanding to have her baby in WDW so she can get the same benefits as the '79 one.

I'm sure that's why she didn't get anything more than a souvenir birth certificate and a visit from Mickey. Some sources say Donald. If they gave the baby a lifetime pass, hundreds of pregnant SG's in their ninth month would be visiting the parks.

After doing some Googling, I did find this story showing two lucky little recipients who each got a red "lifetime pass" to Disney parks worldwide. The special honor went to the first boy and girl born in Hong Kong on the New Year - aka, Year of the Mouse.

http://news.hkdlsource.com/story/279

if a CM retires from Disney, they get a "lifetime" pass. The golden Main Gate pass get them and family in year round for life (excluding blackout dates).

PapaMouse wrote:if a CM retires from Disney, they get a "lifetime" pass. The golden Main Gate pass get them and family in year round for life (excluding blackout dates).

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.