Walt Disney World is an expensive vacation to be sure. There's theme park tickets, food, and hotels and all that is necessary. And if you want a souvenir or two, the merchandise can also start to really add up. It's enough for people to try to look for shortcuts to find a deal someplace or find some other way of getting a favorite item without paying for it. One recent Magic Kingdom guest did apparently find a way, but it requires showing a little skin.
TikTok user @amandaaadimeo recently went viral with, what she called a "hack" to get a free shirt inside Magic Kingdom. When she walked in the gate, she was apparently showing a bit more "underboob" than the park was comfortable with, resulting in her being offered a free shirt in order to cover up.
@amandaaadimeo
While getting a free shirt from Walt Disney World likely seemed really cool at the time, many people took issue with the idea of this being presented as a "hack" on social media. The TikTok user was seen as promoting the idea of taking advantage of a situation when a cast member at the park offered her something for free. If people really did attempt this themselves, it would result in cast members dealing with numerous people a day intentionally dressing inappropriately at the parks. If that happens, then some suggested they should only get the worst t-shirts.
It seems like Walt Disney World is just having a rough time dealing with TikTok. First, there was the cast member who used the platform to show people parts of the park he was not supposed to, who lost his job and then got banned from the park in short order. Now this. It's a TikTok Disney World arms race.
And as mentioned above, the particular item of clothing that the woman in the video is showing off has also become a topic of discussion. Spirit jerseys are one of the most popular merchandise items in the parks these days. Different styles are released regularly to commemorate different things and limited edition jerseys tend to sell out quickly. The fact that spirit jerseys normally cost $75 set off alarm bells for those that know how this process works. Either the cast member that gave it to her really messed up, or it's possible what we see here isn't entirely on the level.
The "no strings" policy allows Walt Disney World cast members to deal with potential issues themselves without needing to go through higher management. If a guest is unhappy and a small expenditure can fix it, it can be done fairly quickly and easily. It just helps guests have a better experience. I've been there. When visiting Walt Disney World a couple years ago my then 2-year-old daughter spit up on herself, and while cleaning if off in the restroom at Disney Springs, a cast member took us to World of Disney and my kid got a clean coat.
It's a nice policy that can help a lot, but there's a feeling from many that this sort of thing, not simply getting the shirt, but promoting the idea to others, is an abuse of that policy. At the same time, some feel that, hey, Disney can afford it, so who cares?
At the end of the day, it seems unlikely a lot of people are going to show up at Magic Kingdom in their underwear to get free clothes. While a cast member could get you a shirt, they could just as easily tell you to go back to your hotel and change your clothes and not let you in. And who wants to risk missing half a day at Disney World?
