A good deed is returned by Disney: free admission just for being nice
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Kids and Money, Travel, Fantastic Freebies
There has been some grousing recently about Disney World's decision to quietly adulterate its all-beef hot dogs with cheaper chicken meat, but the company is still capable of great feats of magnanimity.Disney will give a free day of admission in 2010 to 1 million people who complete a day of volunteer service. As with its free birthday promotion, which is in effect this year, people must register with the parks' Web site before embarking on their day of service, which must be handled and certified by the widely operating HandsOn Network.
HandsOn, which has 70,000 affiliates nationwide, hooks average people up with non-skilled positions at food banks, senior centers, Habitat for Humanity builds, and other one-day projects. After completion, it's a free ticket for you. And hopefully, you'll want to keep volunteering even when there isn't a carrot being dangled in front of you.
You can be one of the million who claim the freebie. The offer is for those aged 18 and older, but since you can't leave the kids home when you go to Disneyland, kids aged 6 to 17 can also get a free ticket for pitching in, too, as long as an adult is with them when they're volunteering. As long as you live in the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico, you can take advantage of the offer.
It's another smart move for the Mouse. Although 3.5 million people registered to visit Disney for free on their birthday this year, only about 30% of them actually claimed their tickets, giving the theme park giant a huge wave of publicity and not much of a financial downside. Even those people who attended usually brought with them family or friends who spent plenty of money in the parks. The same will be true of the volunteers.
Should you already have an annual pass for a Disney resort, you can receive a special Fastpass for up to six people instead, which will help you cut the lines on the most popular attractions. Or you can continue your kindness and donate your free pass to charity.
Good on ya, Disney. I know you've taken some grief for your $80 tickets, cheap-meat hot dogs, and interminable peak-season lines, but this one makes us feel all fuzzy inside, the way Disney's supposed to make us feel.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
9-30-2009 @ 6:10AM
Howard said...
Hmmmmm... let's think about this for a moment, ok? Disney, offering a free day of admission for someone who completes a day of community service. They are also offering a free day of admission on your birthday. When they just get finished raising their admission prices to, somewhere over the rainbow, $76.00+/per park, I think they can afford to offer a little more incentive to get people to come into their domain....maybe an annual pass for completing a day of community service or, how about a week?
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9-30-2009 @ 8:46AM
Jan said...
What a wonderful idea! Some may complain that they still have to do some volunteer work, but I don't see any other companies coming forward with such an offer. Once again, Disney comes through :) It is just the most amazing company.
9-30-2009 @ 10:16AM
mms said...
don't get greedy this an incentive to help out people who need it! in a time where people do not like to volunteer their time this a good offer, if you plan to visit disney next year and if you like to help people its a good idea
9-30-2009 @ 11:32AM
Artboy34 said...
Wow... the sense of entitlement is apalling. "Here's something free..." "I WANT MORE!"
Howrd, I suggest you find some other place that's more "magical" in your view, and leave Disney to the rest of us who appreciate it.
9-30-2009 @ 11:49AM
Koneer said...
Scandal with Michelle Obama! http://tr.im/typU
9-30-2009 @ 7:00AM
mama4480 said...
Free... whatever! How is it free if you have to do a day of service? I would love to take my children there, but like most people I live pay check to pay check and go to school plus my husband works. anyway we will never get to go and if we do it will be after my children have children before we could afford it! Nothing is ever free in this world!!!
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9-30-2009 @ 11:22AM
A person who cares said...
You say this isn't free, you're right you have to actually do something by helping out those in need, but you would be teaching your kids a really good lesson on how to help others possibly less fortunate. I am an AP so the ticket really wouldn't matter to me and I don't go when the lines are so long that you need FP's for them so I would have no problem giving my ticket to someone in need so they could go. Maybe if people started thinking more about other less fortunate people instead of themselves all the time then this country could be better off. Oh yeah, I am a single mother who has raised my child for the past 15 years on my own and also live paycheck-to-paycheck like the majority of this country does.
9-30-2009 @ 1:37PM
Rosita said...
I thought that to once, my husband and I were afforded the chance to go and we went. Where are you from?
9-30-2009 @ 7:04AM
anna said...
they were probably in the stimulis package, oh great!
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9-30-2009 @ 12:21PM
tony said...
I can tel your a rascist pig. shame on you. You didnt vote for obama right? Dude get it together! Your going to benefit off of the stimulis package one way or another. The same way you benefit off of the traffic light that was invented by a black man ok..Get a grip!
9-30-2009 @ 8:03AM
anne said...
I think it is strange that people are complaining about this! It seems like a great offer to me, and a real win-win situation for families to help someone and then to get to have sometime to play together!
I know that people are busy and working pay check to pay check, but really, can't most find a Saturday or Sunday to take their kids and do community service?
I am really excited about it --we could not really afford tickets otherwise--and now someone else will benefit as well!
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9-30-2009 @ 10:15AM
Vicky said...
It is simply amazing to me to hear how cynical some of you are!!!!! If you have ever been to Disney then you would know they put on a GREAT show. They pay so much attention to detail ... how do you think they pay for it all??? How do you think they pay their employees??? With the income they make from park entrances. I think $70-80 is an extremely fair price to pay for the fun and friendliness of Disney and I make $30,000.00 a year which is in no way rich. The local fair here in Miami costs about $20 for the entrance not to mention you have to buy tickets for all the attractions which are moved by unreliable carnies god knows how many times per year. At Disney you pay one price and every ride is included and it's not like Universal where you have to pay extra to skip the lines. In Disney you pick up your ticket for the fast lane and come back at a later time. I really can't believe how selfish and horrible people are. “It costs more to take a day off work”??? Come on people! I work 40 hours a week, I go to school full time and I can use one Sunday or Saturday to go volunteer!! This is why this country is in such a mess politically. We expect our politicians to improve everything yet people won't even sacrifice a Sunday to go to Disney for free!!!! We need to bring back community involvement and initiative! I think this is such a wonderful thing Disney is doing! Why on earth are people bashing it?!?!? Disney wants you to give back to the community and they in turn will give back to you. If you don't have the money then you can give 4 hrs of your day and show your children something about giving back before you go indulge them! Please go find your moral compass for those of you who are so pissed off about this. Look in the mirror and be pissed off at yourself for being so lazy and greedy!! You are no worse than Wall Street!
9-30-2009 @ 8:34AM
glyn said...
The price of a ticket is very much overstated. Yes if you go one day it is rather pricey but if you buy multiple day tickets the price falls precipitously every day you add till they eventually become $5 for an additional day. If you have not gone to Disney World do yourself a favor and go. If you do not have fun you are probably just a miserable person.
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9-30-2009 @ 9:22AM
Andy said...
Really how can you complain that Disney is trying to help the community. If you live pay check to pay check you weren't going to go anyway.
This is another example of a big company that didn't need the stimulis finding a small way to make people happy. That is what they have always been about. Sure it costs a lot but have you ever heard anyone leave a Disney park and say "man that was a waste of money"?
Come on sign up help someone out and finish the job by saying " I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!"
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9-30-2009 @ 8:50AM
Paula said...
I think it's amazing how people are never satisfied. What other company is giving anything away free. People need to remember to help other people even if they aren't getting anything in return. Disney at least is promoting helping others and if you can use the tickets bonus. My family volunteers all the time for FREE! The feeling you get from helping should be more than enough reason to volunteer. We probably won't ever get to go to Disney like most people because of the cost, but good for Disney trying!
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9-30-2009 @ 9:21AM
Paula said...
Couldn't agree more !!!!
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9-30-2009 @ 8:52AM
sunshind yesterday said...
one day WOW, you cant do much at disney in one day, it obv. that they want you to buy more days or just spend a day up there and spend your money on theyre overly priced everything.
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9-30-2009 @ 8:57AM
chris said...
This is the stupidist thing i've ever heard them do.You take a day off work to go do community service for them,just to get into the park for free.the money you lose from work is worth way more than that.Disneyland has no compassion for the people of California.People are jobless,losing homes,going hungry and they are raising park admission prices.The last time I took my kids there was 10 years ago.I would love to take them again but It would caost me about 300 to 400 just to park and get in.Let the tourists be there main source of income.pretty soon even the tourists wont be able to afford to go.Then what happens to lil ol disneyland.They will lose everything just like everyone else.They can keep their free pass and shove it where the sun dont shine,ill take my kids to Knotts Berry Farm.
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9-30-2009 @ 10:24AM
Susie said...
Chris, unless you're working 24/7, and crying "poor pityful me" when you're not, you should welcome the opportunity to do community service. With the wild fires in California this past year, and almost every year, not to mention the unemployment rate, there hare hundreds, if not thousands of ways you can help your fellow Californians. Rather than berating Disney for providing volunteers you should be thanking them for easing a burden so many people have found themselves under.
What have you done to help the needy in your neighborhood, city, state, country or even the world? Give credit where credit is do. Disney didn't have to provide people with an incentive to volunteer, but that have.
Have you ever heard the expression, "The more you give the more you get."? Well, perhaps if you stop feeling sorry for yourself and help people who are worse off than you, good things will come to you. Try it, you may like it.
9-30-2009 @ 10:06AM
kim said...
I'm assuming you work seven days a week every week of the year so that you can't do a day of community service, even on a weekend? and if you do that, you wouldn't have a day off to go to Disney anyway so it wouldn't matter...........