Disney Blocks Access to Premier Military Resort
Yes, in recent years Disney has gone woke. But until now, at least Disney hadn’t gone after military families and veterans.
By Jeffrey H. Anderson
May 3, 2023
Shortly after announcing it is suing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Disney blocked pedestrian access to and from the U.S. Armed Forces’ flagship resort in the continental United States. The decision to do so further demonstrates that the Disney of 2023 is not the Disney of 1971 (when Walt Disney World opened) or the Disney of 1955 (when Disneyland did so). Unlike modern Disney’s previous questionable actions, however, this one comes directly at the expense of U.S. military families and veterans—and needlessly and senselessly so. Moreover, the action is tied to the Reedy Creek Improvement District, over which DeSantis, the Florida legislature, and Disney have been battling.
The resort in question, the Shades of Green Resort at Walt Disney World, is owned and operated by the U.S. military for the benefit of current and retired military personnel and their families. It is one of just four Armed Forces Recreation Center resorts worldwide and the only one on the U.S. mainland. Located about a half-mile from Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Shades of Green enjoys a prime location that affords easy access, on foot, to Disney’s monorail system.
Or, at least it did until Monday, when Disney abruptly cut off access.
Originally opened as the Golf Resort in 1973, it became Shades of Green in 1994 after the Department of Defense leased it from Disney. Steve Bell of the website Military Disney Tips writes, “At the time all branches of the military wore some form of green utility/battle dress uniform. It was decided to call the resort Shades of Green to refer to [these] different shades of green.” According to Bell, the Defense Department bought the resort outright in 1996 for $43 million and has subsequently put another $120 million into improvements and expansions, although Disney still owns the land on which it sits.
It’s the land right next to the resort, however, that’s in question. Guests have been able to walk the roughly half-mile from Shades of Green to the Polynesian Resort and its monorail station for decades—indeed, they have apparently done so for the past half-century, dating back to 1973 and the Golf Resort days. But to do so, they’ve had to cross Floridian Way, a two-lane road (one lane each direction) that has long had a crosswalk.
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https://amgreatness.com/2023/05/03/disney-blocks-access-to-premier-military-resort/
