Cast Member Choice: Disney+ bundle or free admission for family and friends

in Disney, Movies & TV, Walt Disney World

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Credit: Disney

The job of a Disney Parks and Resorts Cast Member comes with multiple perks as part of the total compensation package offered by the Walt Disney Company, such as free admission when they visit the parks off the clock, free parking and other benefits. As if getting to work in a place where you’re surrounded by all things Disney and magic, Disney Parks and Resorts Cast Members also receive a perk called the Main Entrance Pass.

The Main Entrance Pass allows Cast Members to bring a friend or family member as their guest to the Happiest Place on Earth or the Most Magical Place on Earth (or another Disney theme park), and the cost of the friends’ theme park admission is $0. There’s no need for the guest of a Cast Member to purchase a ticket to experience the magic of places like Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Disney California Adventure at Disneyland California or Disneyland Paris, among other parks.

But beginning next year, Cast Members will get to decide which benefit they’d rather receive–a Main Entrance Pass or a free subscription to the Disney+ streaming bundle, which includes Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu.

Beginning November 12, Disney’s new streaming service will offer subscribers the very best in Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel and National Geographic entertainment. The new streaming platform will include some of the most anticipated brand-new Star Wars and Disney content on the planet, such as the 8-episode first season of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and the premiere of Disney’s live-action remake of the 1955 classic Lady and the Tramp.

While some Cast Members and Disney fans can understand Disney’s decision to allow them to choose between the pass and the bundle—especially in the case of Cast Members who don’t have family nearby and those who don’t live close to a Disney theme park—others who took to Twitter to share their thoughts seemed a bit offended by the choice, some suggesting that Cast Members should receive both perks, instead of having to choose between the two.

twitter cast members

One Twitter user compared the options to a choice between a Prius and a Tesla.

twitter cast member response

It’s important to note that even if a Cast Member chooses the Disney+ bundle over the Main Entrance Pass, his decision will have no effect on the perk of free theme park admission for the Cast Member himself. That perk will remain one of the standard benefits every Cast Member can expect to receive.

Which one would you choose—the ability to bring your friends and family to the parks for free or the all-you-care-to-enjoy Disney+ buffet? Let us know down below in the comments section.

in Disney, Movies & TV, Walt Disney World

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