They would not let my daughter into Disneyland!

[redcon1]

I would have waited a few minutes away from the main gate then went over to one of the other gates and gotten in with a different cast member. I'd also remember the CM name and pay a trip over to city hall.

I remember once I was actually questioned if the AP pass was mine. I had my sunglasses on instead of my regular glasses. The old bitty CM wanted to see my driver's license and then wanted me to go get a new picture taken. Funny how the only difference was the glasses.

Your name's not Clark Kent, is it?

[Disneynut]

I'm sorry that your daughter was turned away and that she went away disappointed, but I can't fault the CMs at all. You were telling the truth that your daughter, while big for her age, wasn't 3 yet. And you say that the CMs should trust honest people. But how are they supposed to know that you're being honest? You know it. But how are they supposed to know the difference between you and what are apparently enough people (based on just the people who've posted on the boards I'm on) who don't think twice about lying about their kid's age when they're beyond 3? Now that you know there could be some question about her age because of her height, the easy way around it is to bring a copy of her birth certificate whenever you visit. That way, if there's a question, you've got proof.

And I disagree with someone else's opinion that you should get some sort of compensation for what happened. The CMs were doing their job.

I am sure that this comes as a big surprise that I disagree with you again. He has every right to be upset and indeed deserves some form of compensation. First, this is Disneyland. I agree that some people lie in an attempt to gain some form of benefit. However, the fact that the child is larger than a normal 3 year old is not a valid reason to deny entry. Disney in the interest of customer service simply should have taken him at his word. Alternatively they could have asked him to purchase a ticket conditionally and would refund the money once proof was submitted regarding his child's age.

The fact remains that Disneyland has a clearly established policy of allowing children under 3 years of age into the park for free. They do not have a written or posted policy demanding proof of age nor do they require such for the discounted price for children between 3-10 years of age.
He followed their policy and was truthful about his child's age and should have been afforded what they advertised or fair compensation for their failure to follow their own policy.

[Disneynut]

4. Do you have any idea how many guests attempt to get their 3-year olds (and sometimes 4-year olds) in for free, or try to get their 10- and 11-year old children in on a child's price? Do you know who first gets to decide all these matters? A CM, who has experience in spotting a claim that doesn't reconcile with expectations.
[/QUOTE]

If so, Disneyland needs to change their written and public policy to require proof. If so many people attempt this and are turned away, why would Disney refuse to ammend their policy?

[Alan]

Disneyland has the right to deny entrance to anyone for any reason. If the parents knew the child was abnormal in size, it is their responsivility to provide proof otherwise.

[DifrntDrmr]

Alternatively they could have asked him to purchase a ticket conditionally and would refund the money once proof was submitted regarding his child's age.

That sounds like it might have worked!

[Disneynut]

Disneyland has the right to deny entrance to anyone for any reason. If the parents knew the child was abnormal in size, it is their responsivility to provide proof otherwise.

I disagree. Disneyland posts many rules and regulations available to the general public. They do so because guests should not be required to "assume" anything. Same here... If this is a policy, I am not saying it is a bad one, it should be posted both on the website and the park for all to see.

[PanTheMan]

I'm sorry that your daughter was turned away and that she went away disappointed, but I can't fault the CMs at all. You were telling the truth that your daughter, while big for her age, wasn't 3 yet. And you say that the CMs should trust honest people. But how are they supposed to know that you're being honest? You know it. But how are they supposed to know the difference between you and what are apparently enough people (based on just the people who've posted on the boards I'm on) who don't think twice about lying about their kid's age when they're beyond 3? Now that you know there could be some question about her age because of her height, the easy way around it is to bring a copy of her birth certificate whenever you visit. That way, if there's a question, you've got proof.

And I disagree with someone else's opinion that you should get some sort of compensation for what happened. The CMs were doing their job.

God Knows they need the money! Poor Disneyland!

Truthfully. How often does it happen? even if it happened 100 times a day i doubt Disney would suffer. The benifit of the Doubt should always go with the family. I am sure lots of Small 3 & 4 year olds get in every day for free.
Why punish a kid for being tall?

One more thing, Lets say I bring My Daughter to Disneyland the DAY before she turns 3 and for her 3rd birthday. Both days she rides the same rides. We pay for one day, but not the other. Does it really hurt Disney? Are people really going to be that pissed off that they had to wait behind an almost 3 year old? It's no big deal.

[Morrigoon]

Problem is, I'd be willing to bet it happens MORE than 100x/day. Think about it. Average summer day at DL: 45K-50K people in attendance, 1/4 of them children. That's approximately 12000 children, if my guesstimate is correct. Average American family has 2.5 children, so that's 4800 sets of parents. Knowing what you do about the Average American's willingness to tell a "little white lie" to save $30....

[PanTheMan]

Problem is, I'd be willing to bet it happens MORE than 100x/day. Think about it. Average summer day at DL: 45K-50K people in attendance, 1/4 of them children. That's approximately 12000 children, if my guesstimate is correct. Average American family has 2.5 children, so that's 4800 sets of parents. Knowing what you do about the Average American's willingness to tell a "little white lie" to save $30....

Than maybe proof of age should be required when bordering the free or childs price.

I still dont think Disney is suffering. When the kids are in there they will spend 2-3 times that ammount on food and merchandise. Im sure people lie there every day about this.

[DifrntDrmr]

Just because a lot of people do it, it doesn't make it right. As I've said before, in the interests of entertainment, Disney should assume the parents are telling the truth.

[cstephens]

I am sure that this comes as a big surprise that I disagree with you again.

Don't really get the sarcasm. Just because we disagree on one or more issues doesn't automatically mean we're going to disagree on all issues. Disagree with me (and others with the same opinion) all you like. Doesn't matter to me.

He has every right to be upset and indeed deserves some form of compensation.

I agree that he and his wife and their daughter have every right to be upset because they were expecting to spend the day at the park but weren't able to. But the responsibility lies with both parties - the parents for not having proof and the company for enforcing its policy. I don't see why the company needs to compensate someone because their child is big for her age and therefore, it's not unreasonable to think that it might be questioned, even if it's not been before. I'm not big on the "entitled to compensation" kick that so much of our society seems to be into nowadays, especially when it's not even totally the company's fault. How about just "I'm sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you"? But no, oftentimes, it's "what can I get out of this?" And I'm not saying Steak is asking for that because he hasn't, but I find it interesting how in so many situations, so many people's response is automatically to suggest demanding compensation, for even the smallest things.

First, this is Disneyland. I agree that some people lie in an attempt to gain some form of benefit. However, the fact that the child is larger than a normal 3 year old is not a valid reason to deny entry.

Completely valid reason to me. Disneyland or not has nothing to do with it. If someone is at a movie theatre and tries to enter on a child's ticket, asking for proof is perfectly acceptable.

I've been married for almost 6 years now (and no, he didn't leave me years ago and I've got no empty nest syndrome, in case you were still wondering), but I've still not gotten around to having all of my stuff changed to my married name. To this day, I still carry around a "chain of title", per se, with a picture of my old driver's license and social security card and a copy of our marriage license, so that I can prove who I am, whether under my maiden name or my married name. I've never been questioned, but since I know it could come up, it's just easier to have it in case I need it.

Disney in the interest of customer service simply should have taken him at his word.

And every single other person who makes the same claim, even the ones who are purposely lying. That would seem to be a lot of free admissions.

Alternatively they could have asked him to purchase a ticket conditionally and would refund the money once proof was submitted regarding his child's age.

That wouldn't have worked as the person already said they only had $50 in cash on them and if they'd bought the ticket, there would have been no money left for anything else. Presumably, they'd have to bring the proof (birth certificate) on another day, so they wouldn't get their refund until then.



I also disagree with the whole name-calling of CMs who might take a second look at the picture on an AP. If they're doing it rudely, then I could see that. But just to check - that's their job. Lots of CMs that I see barely even look at the AP, and I've known people who tested it by switching their AP with that of a person of the opposite gender, and the CM let them through no problem. CMs need to really be more diligent in checking in every situation.


When I worked as a ticket seller at Disneyland, I remember one day having a group of teenagers, obviously older than the child age limit, coming to my booth, with each asking to purchase a child's ticket. I sold each of them a child's ticket. As they were walking away, I could hear them chattering away about how they'd gotten away with it. Little did they know that it was at the turnstiles where they're checked. I have no idea who someone might be buying a ticket for. I'll sell anyone whatever ticket they want. About 10 minutes later, each one of them came back to my booth to return their child's ticket and buy an adult ticket. I did that for them, without saying a word about the return, but you could see how embarrassed each of them was.


And apparently, because it's a big company like Disneyland, who can afford to not earn lots of money, it's ok to take advantage of them. That's a great lesson to teach kids. Hmmm, I can't afford to buy this Disneyland toy for my kid but it would make him really happy, and it's not like Disneyland really needs the $10 it costs, so it's ok for me to just take it. No, it's not about the money - it's about the principle.


Again, it's unfortunate that the downside was that a little girl was disappointed. But hopefully, in the future, the parents (and any others reading this board who might be in the same situation) will be better prepared.

[Morrigoon]

As far as the AP thing, cs, the problem was in their explanation. They could merely have said that the picture didn't quite look like me. It would have accomplished the same purpose without making me feel "old".

"You look so much younger in the picture" = You look old now.

[twinmom]

They are locked away safely at the bank (the certificates, not the kids).

Who would have thought this would be such a debated issue?!?!?

[Disneyphile]

Well, I'm going to throw in another persceptive to this debate, having been a kid who always looked older.

Frankly, it sucked. Totally. When I was 8, I would be reprimanded by some adults that I was "too old" to go in the play areas of places which were designated for those 12 and under (I was slim and tall). And, when I was 12, my mom took me to get my present from my dad's union's annual children's XMAS party, which guaranteed a present for all children 12 and under. The woman distributing the gifts scowled at me, and then told my mother, "Isn't your daughter a little too old to be asking for a toy? Can't she work?" Then, to put the knife in deeper, turned to me and said, "You can go buy your own bear. This is for the children. Now go away and grow up." (Yes, I was already well-"bloomed" at 12.)

It was never a pleasant experience. Most of the time, I wondered what was wrong with me. Being told things like, "This is for children. You're a big girl. Go away." at only 8 years old makes for a bad experience all-around.

In this case, I DO support the "think of the child" mentality. Both sides could have made this better on the poor kid - parents should carry an ID (I wish mine did!), and CMs could have been a bit more understanding. The kid never asked to be so tall, and have to go through the trouble of being turned away. I hope everyone thinks about this in the future for her.

[dramaqueen]

I agree with everyone who says what happened sucked- it did.

What I don't agree with is equating Disneyland to a charity organization. It is a business. They have a right to deny entry and they have a right to protect their interests. They provide a service that people pay for and trying to sneak your kid in or get them in for a discount is stealing, pure and simple. It doesn't matter if you personally think it won't hurt them, it is still theft of services.

I run into this problem all the time in the medical field- people think that because I run a medical facility that it is also a charity, and that I should just understand if they can't afford to pay or if they are really sick and have lots of other bills, or got into a car accident, ir whatever. They expect doctors to just fix them because they are broken, that it is there job. But, and this may come as a shock, medicine is a business also- how can you expect a medical facility to remain open if no one pays for the services they offer? How can doctors treat their patients if every single one has a sob story about how they cannot pay? You can't pick and choose who to be charitable to when you are running a business, or your business won't be open for very long.

You wouldn't walk into a restauraunt, eat a big dinner, and then tell your waiter that you didn't bring any money to pay for the meal. Stealing is stealing, no matter who it is from.

Now don't misunderstand that I think the OP was trying to do anything dishonest, but Disneyland has a right to do what they did because so many others ARE dishonest. You have an AP, you say you go all the time- next time, bring the birth certificate and there won't be an issue. If you had travelled thousands of miles and this is the only chance your child would ever have to go to the park, then I can see raising a stink.