Police officers of late have been issuing trespassing notices at Disney World to the most unsuspecting people — independent tour guides who have long worked the facility.
These are the businesses and people who help clients book dining and lodging reservations at Disney World, assist them in mapping out their activities and navigating the parks.
The publication Insider said it spoke with nine third-party business owners and tour guides affected by a crackdown on their services. Several said they had been operating for years and had never had an issue until now.
What is going on?
It seems neither Disney nor law enforcement agencies that work the park were very open about the why.
“Unauthorized commercial activities are not permitted at Disney World as clearly stated in our property rules,” a Disney spokesperson told Insider in a statement. An Orange County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said that its deputies are assigned to work at the park daily.
Several third-party business owners also told Insider that they provide services at a lower rate than Disney, which charges $450-$900 per hour for private tours. One third-party operator said their prices range from $180 to $250 per hour, while another said their rate can go up to $300 per hour.
Some business owners and tour guides say they’re facing financial troubles because of the Disney crackdown. They say they want to be part of a discussion with Disney about solving the problem.
“None of us are attempting to portray Disney in a negative light but are just desperate for answers,” Alayna Crutchfield, a third-party guide and owner of Elevate Amusement, told Insider.
A spokesperson for Disney said the company is serving trespass notices to these businesses because they are conducting unauthorized activity — even if clients are paying outside park property — because the service delivery is occurring on park property.
Mike wrote on the Disney Fanatic.com website: “Many of these third-party guides provide an invaluable service for Disney guests, in a manner no different than the countless theme park guides and web sites. While some abuse this opportunity, most maintain utmost respect for not only the guest experience, but Walt Disney’s legacy, as well. There is no need for Disney to ‘attack’ these fellow citizens and neighbors, but instead they should work with them just as they do with ‘Good Neighbor Hotels.’”
Melinda Hanks has run her business, Create a Dream, since 2008. She told Insider it’s her family’s only source of income.
“This was my livelihood, and it’s completely stopped,” Hanks said.
After working as an editor on the foreign desk of the Washington Post (2001-2006), Richard Pretorius went out to explore the bigger world he had felt privileged to edit stories about. The first stop was Abu Dhabi and the launching of the National newspaper (2008-2013), then Hong Kong and the South China Morning Post (2013-2015) during a remarkable time of pro-democracy protests and 40,000 or so restaurants to choose from.
In 2015, he became a remote worker, editing stories for the London/Tunis based Arab Weekly (2015-2020). He was in Spain when COVID-19 clobbered Madrid in March/April 2020, and the newspaper shut down. He felt emotionally saved during those dark days of around-the-clock wailing ambulances and social distancing by the infectious spirit of the Spanish people and we-are-all-in-this-together nightly balcony shows.
He edited a book on the history of human rights groups in Iran, did a blog for an Aussie website focusing on the Biden-Trump 2020 presidential race, and said “yes” to just about any other freelance work.
In July 2021, he returned to the United States, working as an editor for Zenger News Service and then the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He joined Wealth of Geeks as a writer/editor in October 2023. Prior to catching the “international bug,” he had been the editorial page editor of three newspapers and a news editor/columnist in the Washington bureau of Scripps Howard.