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View Full Version : Sydney dad Disneyland guest 500m - AAP, 1/9/04



Darkbeer
01-08-2004, 04:38 PM
Sydney dad Disneyland guest 500m (http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8356668%255E1702,00.html) - AAP, 1/9/04

QuikQuote: A SYDNEY family visiting Disneyland thought they were the subject of a random security check when buzzers sounded and cameras flashed as they walked through the gates yesterday.
That was until Mickey Mouse appeared and handed Bill Trow from Wentworthville, in Sydney's west, a key for being guest number 500 million at the fantasy US theme park in Los Angeles.

Andrew
01-08-2004, 04:51 PM
Originally posted by Darkbeer
Sydney dad Disneyland guest 500m (http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8356668%255E1702,00.html) - AAP, 1/9/04

QuikQuote: A SYDNEY family visiting Disneyland thought they were the subject of a random security check when buzzers sounded and cameras flashed as they walked through the gates yesterday.
That was until Mickey Mouse appeared and handed Bill Trow from Wentworthville, in Sydney's west, a key for being guest number 500 million at the fantasy US theme park in Los Angeles.

Clever, to give the lifetime pass to a family from Australia... who might be back once in five or ten years, if they're lucky.

disneydude
01-08-2004, 05:06 PM
But even if they gave it to someone who goes frequently, I don't think it would affect them at all, economically.

MonorailMan
01-08-2004, 05:17 PM
Oh. I thought 500mil was the amount of APers. :) :~D

mystycalchyk
01-09-2004, 12:07 PM
Originally posted by Andrew
Clever, to give the lifetime pass to a family from Australia... who might be back once in five or ten years, if they're lucky.


Sad, I was actually thinking the same thing. I figured they'd never pick and APer and they'd pick someone who lived far far away (how much further can one get than Aussie???)

*kicks self for being so negative..........and right*

Maus
01-09-2004, 02:45 PM
Ha! Not 10 minutes before her CM boyfriend called to tell her about this I had told my daughter an AP would *never* be the person selected for it--we had a good laugh when we heard who was designated!

cstephens
01-09-2004, 03:18 PM
But how would they have been able to decide this ahead of time? How would they have known this particular family was from Australia? I'm not sure how they go about determining who was going to be that guest, but I don't imagine they went around asking people where they were from.

I'm cynical sometimes, but I'm practical too.

BTW, LaughingPlace has coverage of the ceremony for this family here (http://www.laughingplace.com/News-ID507840.asp). I love the last picture on the last page.

RStar
01-09-2004, 04:51 PM
According to the OC Register article they new it would be a certain day, and only opened one turnstile, and counted the turnstile clicks to get this guy. So it could have been an APer or other local.

They even opened up DCA late so as not to mess up the count, But how could it? Don't they keep the numbers seperate? Are a part of the half billion number including the count from DCA?

Klutch
01-09-2004, 05:46 PM
One could chalk this up to Eisner's contract-in-blood with the Devil, but otherwise, it was just happenstance.

DrIndianaJones
01-10-2004, 07:42 AM
I just missed it! I went to the park on my way to airport to fly back home, and I missed it!
Oh well, at least a family got it.:)

efoxx
01-12-2004, 08:26 AM
I may be a bit cynical too, but I am highly doubtful they were random. Disney SELDOM does anything random. the official visitors representing a given number are ALWAYS a family, and ALWAYS from out of town. as I recall the 250 millionth was a faimly from Iowa.
the usual proceedure is to have a few CM's out front casually talking to guests. the first person to find a group that meets their criteria gets the official nod. they never know that they were selected, but they were. the criteria, if we go by past winners, seems to be; a family with at least one but no more then two kids under 10, mother and father, and from out of the immediate area, ie southern Calif. think about it, with the park being 70% or more locals, and 50% APers the chances of ALWAYS getting someone who meets this criteria by random is pretty slim.
but then I just cynical.:rolleyes:

Maus
01-12-2004, 09:01 AM
Originally posted by efoxx
the usual proceedure is to have a few CM's out front casually talking to guests. the first person to find a group that meets their criteria gets the official nod.

I'm with you. I guess we'll never really know--it's one of those Disney secrets that no CM will ever tell!

Pirate33
01-12-2004, 02:20 PM
Originally posted by Maus
it's one of those Disney secrets that no CM will ever tell!

Come now! Cast members, spill the beans. Seriously, if Disney is really this dishonest then I will be quite disenchanted.

efoxx
01-12-2004, 03:02 PM
Originally posted by Pirate33
Come now! Cast members, spill the beans. Seriously, if Disney is really this dishonest then I will be quite disenchanted.
I havn't seen anything that says that the family was choosen at random, or that it was an actual gate count that was used. Disney's announcment basically named the father as the "50 millionth" guest. and who has been counting that can verify the count? there isn't even any kind of system that I am aware of that would let them keep that kind of running count.
and since it wasn't any kind of contest then Disney is under no obligation to be random, or use a particular count. heck they could have pre planned the whole thing and it would have been legal.

Pirate33
01-12-2004, 03:16 PM
Originally posted by efoxx
heck they could have pre planned the whole thing and it would have been legal.

Well, the whole process implies that DL has identified the correct guest by turnstile count. So it is misleading and false if they in fact stage the whole thing. Is it legal? Perhaps, in that DL didn't conduct a contest and thus no one can claim to have relied on the false representation. But DL's action could still be considered a form of false advertising and subject to action under 17200 of the Business and Professions Code.

Did I mention I'm a lawyer? :)

Note: I'm not implying DL did anything wrong. I'm stating my view assuming that the above poster is correct in contending that DL stages these events.

Maus
01-12-2004, 09:05 PM
I never meant to imply that I thought Disney was doing anything illegal or even unethical in the selection of this gentleman from Australia. I suggested that Disney was doing what it felt was the best PR for Disney. This wasn’t a sweepstakes with strict rules, simply a way for them to recognize that 500 million people had walked through the turnstiles.

efoxx
01-13-2004, 04:08 AM
Originally posted by Maus
I never meant to imply that I thought Disney was doing anything illegal or even unethical in the selection of this gentleman from Australia. I suggested that Disney was doing what it felt was the best PR for Disney. This wasn’t a sweepstakes with strict rules, simply a way for them to recognize that 500 million people had walked through the turnstiles.
ditto

although I do feel it is a bit disingenious

sediment
01-13-2004, 07:59 AM
As long as they weren't CMs in disguise, I'm OK with it.

There's only one significant digit in 500,000,000. That's lots of potential rounding.

There was no advertising of the "contest." How can it be false advertising when there wasn't any? Sure, there was a news story about it afterward. And I'm sure the actual press release is worded just right so that lawyers can't cut it apart.

danyoung
01-13-2004, 09:33 AM
Here's the timeline, as posted in the OC Register:

A turnstile clicks each time a ticketed guest enters a Disney park. Disney officials record that figure daily, keeping it as secret as the identity of Mickey Mouse. They watched the all-time number creep close to half a billion Wednesday and knew exactly how many would have to enter Thursday to reach 500,000,000. Here’s how it went:
• 9 a.m.: One gate opens at Disneyland, allowing guests through Turnstile No. 16 (of 32) and allowing Disney to count the exact number of entrants.
• 9:30 a.m.: Visitors in line wonder why only one gate is open; whispering begins about the 500,000,000th award.
• 10 a.m.: California Adventure gates do not open; that could complicate the counting.
• 10:10 a.m.: The Disney band marches to the front gate, and Mickey Mouse hovers near the turnstile.
• 10:16 a.m.: Bill Trow of Wentworth, Australia, follows his wife and daughter through the turnstile. An official in a nearby booth sees the magic number appear and pushes a button to sound a siren at the gate.
• 10:17 a.m.: The band plays, confetti shoots in the air and Mickey congratulates the bewildered family. “I thought it was someone behind me,” Trow said.



What bothers me about the above is that Disney would keep the masses out of the park, only opening ONE turnstile just to to a PR event like this. I'd feel better if they just did a somewhat arbitrary pick of happy family number 97, than to dramatically slow down entry for an hour & a half. Seems like another example of corporate making decisions based on value to the company at the expense of the guest.

SacTown Chronic
01-14-2004, 02:22 PM
Originally posted by cstephens
But how would they have been able to decide this ahead of time? How would they have known this particular family was from Australia?



The father was spotted trying to smuggle in a six pack of Foster's Lager and that's how DL knew they had their winner.:eek: