Eeyore daily
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2019
I don't think anyone with an allergy or dietary restriction expects special treats for these occasions. It would be nice but 100% a surprise if it happened
-
Controversial Topics
Several months ago, I added a private sub-forum to allow members to discuss these topics without fear of infractions or banning. It's opt-in, opt-out. Corey Click Here
10/1/21 (Planning thread for those w/ Magic Kingdom ressies on the BIG 50th)!
- Thread starter tofubeast
- Start date
Wouldn't the park reservation system give them complete control over the amount of people in the park. From what I witnessed, they chose to dedicate a good portion of staff to cater to the media/VIP. The staff was mismanaged in my opinion. If you want examples of what they could have done differently, go look up videos and info on Disneyland's 50th. For us, it wasn't about expecting more. If you're going to get on stage and tell the world how important the Cast Members and guest are, maybe not turn around less than 10 hours later and throw them under the bus.
Tonyz
How do ya do? Pretty good, sure as you're born!
- Joined
- May 17, 2014
There were surprise appearances around the hotels. Goofy and Donald were hanging out at Wilderness Lodge in the middle of the day.
And they did give out a pretty nice day of poster to everyone at MK..
brightlined
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2019
The morning would have been more chaotic than it already was.
The evening would have been more chaotic than it already was.
I think I could give to the idea of doing some kind of surprise fireworks tag, like at Epcot's 30th. But an entire show? Not a chance in hell. To hard to program and test for a one-off. And what they're doing now are really "shows", not fireworks - it was technically and logistically a lot easier to program a bonus fireworks tag when the shows were mostly fireworks.
A fireworks tag would have been feasible, yes, but it would have had to have been a surprise - and I don't know if that would have been enough to satisfy people.
Disaster?
That's not an easy thing. I know it sounds easy to create new tech like that, but it would not be trivial for the scope of what you're describing. Testing that feature alone would be a logistical nightmare, and not worth the expense if they're only giving away 50 prizes on one day. (And I always have a little bit of a chuckle when people suggest "Disney IT could..." like they have a track record of successful projects.)
Take note that the merch VQs were handled by a third party. That's something Disney does on a quasi-regular basis, and they still don't have their own version of it.
brightlined
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2019
The problem with MK is the extra effort it takes to get to the park. If DL closes its gates, you can just reroute those folks to DCA or DD. (Or back to the parking lot.)
They can't logistically block people from trying to get to MK, even if the gates are closed. It's the constant problem they've had every Christmas. People get on the monorail or boat, or hop a bus, get to MK and find out they can't get in. Now what? What do you do with those people? How do you get them out of there? What if they're coming in droves?
All they can do is announce that they've closed the park - which frequently isn't enough. If they stop people from getting on transportation, people can still walk there. There's no good deterrent.
The best move they have is to deter people from wanting to go there. Which is what they were trying to do all day, and in advance.
Eastern
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2006
ok I thought I remembered reading that would happen but I did not see any characters at CR. I have seen characters at YC in normal times. Regular times? non-50th times.
I respectfully disagree. They made no effort to dissuade people. They didn’t discontinue park hopping until after the fact. That could have been done before hand. They control all transportation to the MK. You can’t get to the gate unless they let you in. They knew exactly how many People to expect. They spent the day reacting, instead of spending the days before preparing. Saw it first hand
. . .
I had been reading these boards and trying to keep up with the news leading up to 10/01, but I missed where Disney said that they were not going to do anything special at MK on 10/1. Is there a link or someplace where this was stated? I also never felt like they were actively trying to dissuade people from coming on 10/1 - can you elaborate?
Mome Rath
3 Decade Disney Traveler
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2014
I was there, and was disappointed, not in the day, as that is what you make of it, and I made a lot of great memories, what I was disappointed in was
1) How they handled (or rather didn't handle) the mass of people they knew where coming. If you were there, it was just odd that the CM's didn't seem prepared for the influx of guests, and if there were too many guests and too few CM's, that's on Disney. They should have restricted the park reservations much more than they did, and announced no park hopping into MK ahead of time. The ratio of guests to (trained) CM's was just way way off.
2) How they handled the merch queue (both physical and virtual) and what the CM's communicating to the people did not share; for example, the queue would repeatedly show errors, and the CM's were literally saying that it was a glitch and to keep trying. It wasn't a glitch, the queue was completely full at the time. Again, an IT problem; Disney is known for them. It was a huge waste of time (and phone battery) trying to get in a non-existent queue, esp. for someone like me who just wanted one t-shirt for herself, not to resell on ebay. Then, for them to act sold out of merch, only to dump it all the next day at Creations in EPCOT was just kinda weird, though that didn't stop me from getting my shirt... The designs left a lot to be desired, as it would have been neat to have a selection that was "I was here" oriented.
For the physical queue problems they were having to slap down tape as I stood there and watched in amazement as none of this was thought out before hand. It was a really bad look.
3) They should have had the rededication ceremony at MK on the 1st, not EPCOT the night before.
4) They should have had a speech prior to the fireworks (I was there for them, BTW). It was an incredible missed opportunity, as they had a ton of people just waiting to cheer, sing, clap, cry, etc... it would have been an easy and awesome thing for someone, anyone at the top (or Mickey) to even pre-record a spiel, or play Roy talking. And that would cost them zero bucks. Yes, a tag at the end would have been nice, but it wasn't about that, it was about harnessing the vibe of the crowd that night the celebrate something fun as a mass of humanity in the midst of a hard time for a lot of people. Total missed opportunity.
Anyway, just some thoughts. Disney could have done things differently that would have enhanced the experience without going overboard, and they could have handled the crowds so much better.
1) How they handled (or rather didn't handle) the mass of people they knew where coming. If you were there, it was just odd that the CM's didn't seem prepared for the influx of guests, and if there were too many guests and too few CM's, that's on Disney. They should have restricted the park reservations much more than they did, and announced no park hopping into MK ahead of time. The ratio of guests to (trained) CM's was just way way off.
2) How they handled the merch queue (both physical and virtual) and what the CM's communicating to the people did not share; for example, the queue would repeatedly show errors, and the CM's were literally saying that it was a glitch and to keep trying. It wasn't a glitch, the queue was completely full at the time. Again, an IT problem; Disney is known for them. It was a huge waste of time (and phone battery) trying to get in a non-existent queue, esp. for someone like me who just wanted one t-shirt for herself, not to resell on ebay. Then, for them to act sold out of merch, only to dump it all the next day at Creations in EPCOT was just kinda weird, though that didn't stop me from getting my shirt... The designs left a lot to be desired, as it would have been neat to have a selection that was "I was here" oriented.
For the physical queue problems they were having to slap down tape as I stood there and watched in amazement as none of this was thought out before hand. It was a really bad look.
3) They should have had the rededication ceremony at MK on the 1st, not EPCOT the night before.
4) They should have had a speech prior to the fireworks (I was there for them, BTW). It was an incredible missed opportunity, as they had a ton of people just waiting to cheer, sing, clap, cry, etc... it would have been an easy and awesome thing for someone, anyone at the top (or Mickey) to even pre-record a spiel, or play Roy talking. And that would cost them zero bucks. Yes, a tag at the end would have been nice, but it wasn't about that, it was about harnessing the vibe of the crowd that night the celebrate something fun as a mass of humanity in the midst of a hard time for a lot of people. Total missed opportunity.
Anyway, just some thoughts. Disney could have done things differently that would have enhanced the experience without going overboard, and they could have handled the crowds so much better.
Last edited:
disneydent
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2021
Having a few rare characters out in the train station or during the welcome show would have more than satisfied a lot of people. I can live without the giveaways but the park dedication should have been the day of. I'm not a firework person but a lot of people did travel and makes plans to go to be one of the first to witness the new shows to only find out that they were starting the new show days early in Epcot's case or not even having that chance at MK. The least they could have done was have a few characters out or said a few words on stage.
Instead, it seemed like they couldn't care less. They were completely unprepared for the day and they left they really screwed over their CM's after praising them the night before. The emporium was a disaster the "day of" merch was a disaster and mobile ordering was a disaster. I saw multiple CM in tears including the poor girl in the emporium sobbing at the register. Like I said I got the day of merch but only because I stayed at the GF and was able to walk over at 4am. If you weren't at an MR resort there was a high chance that you were never even given a chance at the merch. But merch aside it would have been nice to Disney to have added a little magic to the day of the anniversary. Sunday at MK was no different from Friday outside of the lines
brightlined
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2019
I'm having trouble finding it now amidst the wave of post-coverage - but there was a statement back in June when they announced the 50th festivities - somebody asked if there were any plans for special events for MK on 10/1, and the answer from Disney was that they saw it as the first day of the 50th Anniversary that would span the next 18 months. Everything they announced was about the entire resort's 50th anniversary.
99% of what was talked about here - all of the wishing and assumptions - was just speculation.
For example, there was never an announcement that there would even be a ceremony at MK that day. No announcement in advance of any special day-of events or activities. Everyone just believed it was going to happen. (Honestly, I'm a little surprised they did a ceremony at all.)
Then, on Thursday, Disney starts moving the park opening earlier and earlier - simply because hordes of people are indicating that they're going to show up early for something that was never announced.
By comparison:
Epcot 35th
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...ve-merchandise-special-fireworks-finale-more/
Animal Kingdom 20th
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...y-with-a-party-for-the-planet-april-22-may-5/
DHS 30th
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...d-studios-30th-anniversary-celebration-may-1/
Last edited:
I guess in my mind, acknowledging that 10/1 is the beginning of a 18 month celebration is not the same as saying that there will not be anything special done on the actual anniversary day of 10/1. And clearly, they were planning some special things just for 10/1 - Special day of park guide, day of merchandise, the day of poster give away - it was just not enough. Additionally, they thought enough of the importance of the day to have Good Morning America live, Chapek giving a live interview from inside the park, and for the Disney executives to spend the day in the Magic Kingdom celebrating with guests and taking selfies with guests.
brightlined
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2019
That's not true at all. Unless something changed recently - security doesn't have the capacity to check for park passes on entry. You can otherwise take a bus or walk to the gate from anywhere in the area - including if someone drops you off at the intersection in front of the Contemporary. (Bus drivers don't have the ability to check for park passes, either.) Unless you're driving and parking, the first place to determine if you have a valid park reservation is the front gate.
brightlined
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2019
I hear you. But all of those plans were unannounced. (I can only imagine if they had done nothing.)
"It was just not enough" is based on guest expectation, not on Disney. That's my main argument - it's a weird borderline-entitlement that people expected Disney to do more on 10/1 at MK than they did. They never said they were going to do anything. People just really, really believed that they would (and should).
I'll reiterate - I think a lot of things could have been handled better. But that's also why I arrived at 9am and left before 2pm - I figured the crowds would be nuts, and that anything could and would go wrong. (I would never in a million years have expected what happened in the Emporium - especially for items that I assume will be available for months.)
But I also had an amazing time that day. I loved the free stuff I got. I loved that I got to ride a bunch of rides with no wait. (My one bit of petulance was sneaking around the CMs into Big Top and buying a few pins.)
I spent part of that day with a couple friends who I'd helped get park passes (during one of those brief moments that they became available again), and they raved about their experience that day. (One of them was hoping for a popcorn bucket, and she assumed it wasn't going to happen, but we accidentally walked into the line right as one of the booths got a few extra boxes, and she scored one.)
I'll nudge this - if you watch that coverage again, it was all about WDW's 50th. They highlighted the entire resort. It wasn't about MK's 50th. And the MK is the icon of the resort - it would make total sense for it to be there for any reason, not necessarily because it was specifically the MK's 50th.
luv2cheer92
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2012
Yep. There were tooooons of cars (assuming mostly Ubers/Lyfts) lined up to get into the Contemporary when we passed it around 5:45. Several cops were blocking some, but many were hopping out of their cars down the road and walking along the side of the road. There were lots of Ubers/Lyfts pulling into Pop while we were waiting for the bus. At least 20 groups left the bus line to get a ride. I would guess there were at least a good number going to GF or Poly as well.
CosmicGirl
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2009
I beg to differ.
There were free cupcakes for all on DL's 50th with a much higher guest count in the park, I'm sure. They weren't very good, but everyone loved the gesture and posed for pics with their golden ears and cupcakes. And many people picked one up on the way to wherever they were going to stake out to watch the first ceremony. Compared to the cost of admission and resulting guest satisfaction of such a gesture the actual cost to them was peanuts. And if people wanted to leave and come back for more, then let them. They were still handing out golden ears in the afternoon at DL. When they're gone, they're gone.
As for DLP: were you actually there on the 25th? There was nothing dead about it, in fact the park was the busiest I've ever known it to be in the 23 years before then. They didn't need to do anything special because the crowds were already coming. And this was without announcing anything special because they only hinted at the 100 characters a few days before the anniversary. With the exception of that DLP has not ever announced anything special happening on an anniversary to the general public. Not once. So any day-of anniversary events have never been used as a tool to draw in a crowd, not even on the 25th because the announcement came too late to have much of an effect. People just planned to be there with the expectation of something happening, but not knowing what. And everyone there was blown away by the events. For the 20th, again, not a single announcement. And yet the French air force flew over the park perfectly timed with a speech and drew a giant 20 behind the castle. CMs did a flash mob on Main Street, and then Tony Baxter was there to do a presentation for anyone who wanted to see it. And each land got its own little show to celebrate its anniversary. None of this was very high-tech or extremely expensive, but it made for a special day for the fans. Btw, DL also didn't announce anything special for July 17, 2005 beforehand, yet they had a schedule of events with a separate ceremony and a rededication, even though the big press event for the 50th had already happened in May.
Btw, the 300 CMs were sent from the US to Paris to help with the entertainment for the day. It had nothing to do with a special event for CMs. IIRC they were sent out 3 weeks before the anniversary to prepare for everything and at least some of them had family members visiting to see them perform in DLP. And another note: the food situation was also disastrous on DLP's 25th because many of the restaurants closed a few hours before park closing time as they often do, except the crowds weren't leaving that day so we were left with 2 QS places with a 45- to 60-minute wait before you could even order. So that was a major fail, too, but the rest of the day made up for it.
Nothing would've been more chaotic than it already was because the crowds showed up and staked out just because they were expecting something special to happen. If they had known nothing would be different from any other day for the next 18 months then I'm sure many of them would've waited for another day. They could've done a tag, or a little show, or a cavalcade with rare characters, or a speech, or simply have the ambassadors come out to sing happy birthday with everyone. None of these things would've been prohibitively expensive but they would've been appreciated by the guests. Yet they chose not to bother. It would've been one thing to use Covid as an excuse to avoid closely packed crowds but as was evident from the hub Friday morning, and Main Street and the hub at night closely packed crowds were not the deciding factor.
If crowding was a concern to begin with, whether it be over Covid or over staff shortages, then they created their own problem by continuing to open up park reservations for the 1st over the past few months and allowing park hoppers for at least part of the day. They were in full control.
I don't remember if it was here or somewhere else, but I read a post on Friday that said people hopping to MK from AK were checked for park reservations before being allowed to board the MK bus.
How do you figure. You cannot get to the front of MK until you pass some security point. First, you don’t send busses full of guests in from the resorts 2 hours before official open. You don’t let people into TTC, you don’t let guest past the security on the walk ways from MK resorts. Again, preparation. It would have been easier to announce to resort guests that they would be turned away before a particular time and to direct traffic at MK resorts. I guess I had higher trust that they would manage it better. They have much greater control of their property, Disneyland does not own Harbor Blvd and could not prevent people from gathering, but they sure did seem to have a plan in place for the crowds
luv2cheer92
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2012
The bus line at Pop was snaking all through the front of the resort before 5am and was worse at 5:30 when the first bus came. If they had waited another hour to start running buses, the line would've gone through the whole resort and they wouldn't have been able to get more than the first 2 or 3 buses to the park in time for opening. I don't think that would be very fair either. The CM at the bus stop said ASMo, ASMu, and AoA were just as bad, if not worse. Those resorts have a whole lot of people to move and allowing more time to do that makes it easier.
Then I will rephrase. They should have done more and it should have been announced. Communication from Disney as to what to expect was sorely lacking on many fronts.
This makes no sense to me, although I wasn't around in 1971. But then again, neither was EPCOT, DHS, or Animal Kingdom. Only Magic Kingdom was. And the celebration specifically started on the anniversary of the day MK opened. So it is not unreasonable to expect something special for that park on that date.
OhhBother
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2000
My husband and I were thrilled with our experience on Oct. 1 at Magic Kingdom. It wasn’t about what we could get for free. Nor was it about potential “bragging rights” if we got to see a special show. For the two of us, the magic was in simply being there - physically there - 50 years to the day since this place we love so much first opened. For us, Oct. 1 was a day to say thank you to Disney World for being such an important part of our lives. And, judging from the wonderful conversations we had with other guests during the day, I think it was equally special for a whole lot of people.
I feel blessed, humbled and forever grateful that we were able to be part of something so meaningful.
I feel blessed, humbled and forever grateful that we were able to be part of something so meaningful.
Share this page
-
All New 'Springs in Motion' Entertainment in Disney Springs
-
May The 4th Be With You and The Newest RSVLTS Collection
-
New Flavored Croissants Coming to Walt Disney World in May
-
Disney Cruise Line Shares New Details on Entertainment at Lookout Cay
-
Disneyland Releases New Room-Only and Park Ticket Discounts
GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
