Cast Members make the Disney parks magical.
Imagine walking down Main Street, U.S.A. without seeing the smiling faces of Cast Members greeting you in shops and restaurants, or riding the Tower of Terror without having your pants scared off by a spooky bellhop — it just wouldn’t be the same. And now, Disney has changed what perks Cast Members will receive.
Beginning in early 2023, eligible Disney Cast Members (US Cast, crew, Imagineers, and employees) will receive both a Main Entrance Pass that allows access to the Disney parks, and complimentary access to the Disney+ Basic Bundle with ads plan as well.
This means that in addition to getting into the Disney parks for free, Cast Members will also be able to stream Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN content for free too. This marks a difference from previously when Cast Members were given the option to choose only one of the two.
Disney didn’t share any more specifics on when exactly these perks would become available, just that it would be sometime in “early 2023.” We’ll continue to check the Cast Member Hub where we originally found this information for more details — so stay tuned.
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Now Chapek can claim a huge increase in Disney+ memberships on the next quarterly call. The fact that revenues don’t go up will be a moot point, the service has yet to make a profit yet. Doesn’t really cost Disney anything to allow their employees to look at what is already there, short of the few employees who may have been actually purchasing the service. Also know that the next round of employee raises will be postponed due to this not so generous perk.
Disney never gives things for free unless it benefits them. We’re still worried to see whether we maintain the same amount of park entrance passes. The Disney plus service being offered is the one with ads, so each time a cast member or someone in their household watches one, Disney gets a kickback. Of the cast member wants to upgrade, disney gets a kickback. Disney is giving itself its own perks.
My exact thought, too. This will inflate Disney’s subscriber account at no additional cost to the company and that info can be used to show the number of potential households potential advertisers can impact. If it was really meant to be a perk, Disney would offer the ad-free version.
That is great news. The cast members work hard and work all holidays including Christmas Day so they do deserve these special promotions.