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View Full Version : Why weren't they honest about May 4?



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VickiC
05-05-2005, 08:17 AM
When they started letting people know that the park would be closed they could have said "Disneyland Park will be closed May 4, 2005 for a special event celebrating the 50th anniversary. Stay tuned for details of how you can win tickets to this event." Instead they said it would be closed to put the finishing touches on the park. How much work actually got done yesterday during normal operating hours? Seems to me most of it was done overnight, which could have been done without closing the park.

DisneyBrudy
05-05-2005, 08:34 AM
Who cares?!!!! They are open every other day of the year! Why do you freak out over these things??!! Maybe the CM's need a day from the crowds, to get prepared, don't just think about yourself.

kbanmen
05-05-2005, 08:35 AM
I agree with you, I am a CM at DCA, i was heading towards DCA on may 4th in the morning, so I could meet a friend to see the parade, when I heard a few guests very very upset. They were from out of town and HAD NO CLUE the park was closed on the 4th at all. I felt sooooooo badly for them

I think it shold have been televised or something, to say it was closed due to a special event. Nothing was said. I knew because I work there. I wonder how many other guests were upset by this

sorry for your dissappointment :crying:

DisneylandForever
05-05-2005, 08:52 AM
Who cares?!!!! They are open every other day of the year! Why do you freak out over these things??!! Maybe the CM's need a day from the crowds, to get prepared, don't just think about yourself.

LMAO!

Yeah Vicki! Why are you "freaking out?" :rolleyes:


I also thought that the 4th was gonna be for the finishing touches only. They announced it so long ago though. Maybe they just changed their minds? Or they realized they were gonna be finished in time without having to close completely down?

3894
05-05-2005, 09:06 AM
A general reminder to all: Debate the post but not the poster (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=7983)

Thank you.

VickiC
05-05-2005, 09:13 AM
I'm not freaking out nor am I thinking about myself. I wasn't going to be there either way. I'm on an AP break, we usually get one for a year then take a six month break so it doens't get old. I'm just curious. When it was announced I pictured this massive 36 hour effort to get the park ready for today, with construction workers scurrying everywhere, and it turned out to be a celebrity/media event. I have no problem with them doing that, just wondering why they didn't say that.

kbanmen
05-05-2005, 09:27 AM
to be honest, when I first heard that DL was to be closed on the 4th, I too thought it was to get ready for the 5th.. I found it this wasnt the case about a month ago, that it was a media event

brad73
05-05-2005, 09:41 AM
I have to agree that Disney was a bit misleading about the reason the park was closed. Also if you have a premium annual pass, it really is not good for admission to Disneyland for 365.

Hakuna Makarla
05-05-2005, 09:55 AM
Who cares?!!!! They are open every other day of the year! Why do you freak out over these things??!! Maybe the CM's need a day from the crowds, to get prepared, don't just think about yourself.


As far as I see she is not freaking out, also I do not think she was thinking of her self.

I had to edit this post,
as far as your post , it was way to cutting and harsh. But if no one has welcomed you aboard, welcome disneybrudy. :)

adriennek
05-05-2005, 09:59 AM
I'm thinking a few things:

They didn't want to pre-maturely release details in case they changed. That happens a lot- that ideas change before they get fleshed out. And if they started to hint that something was going to happen and people started to anticipate and making plans, based on speculation, then they have a lot of unhappy people to deal with when things do change.

Marketing. They wanted to give it a positive spin. Marketing is what makes the world go around.

And I'll close with an MP example: we are pretty sure we have the date set for Fall MA. But we're not releasing it just yet. There's enough uncertainty that if we announce soemthing and then the details change, it will be a bigger PR situation to un-do it than to proceed with a little more caution and have people upset that we didn't release it sooner.

Oh, ONE more thing: I think many people knew - or suspected-0 even from the get-go, that the park would not be truly closed, and that they probably had something planned for media, etc. It's the marketing game.

What I am surprised about is that people yesterday didn't know about it. I thought that most ticketing agencies - travel agencies, Disney agents, Disney stores, etc, knew about it. I would expect that the local hotels knew about it, too. Disney obviously can't reach EVERYONE, so some disappointment is to be expected.

Adrienne

kbanmen
05-05-2005, 10:21 AM
How true that travel agencies, etc would know about this, but some guests probably dont go through an agency or anything. they plan their trip on their own and these people were the dissappointd ones I guess

Earkid
05-05-2005, 10:59 AM
Ya know, if I showed up at DL and it was closed I wouldn't be mad at DL. I would say to myself "oops, my bad, guess I should plan a little better next time".

Seems to me if guests were showing up at DL on the 4th unaware that it was to be closed, they did very little pre-planning for their trip, and that is the guest's fault not Disneyland's.

yeartolate
05-05-2005, 11:08 AM
I have to agree with earkid. The information was out there. A very small amount of preplanning would have avoided this. I am assuming the calander on the DLR website was an accurate reflection of the status of the park.

sediment
05-05-2005, 11:13 AM
A big celebrity party is the finishing touch.

hlbtimes2
05-05-2005, 11:23 AM
A couple thoughts on it- would you rather be told they were finishing getting ready or that only the special people could come that day. Personally, being told they were getting things ready gives me a little more of a warm fuzzy feeling then being told I"m not one of the special chosen ones.

Yesterday is a super sized soft opening. They got to have one final run through of parades and fireworks. I heard there was a slight problem with one parade yesterday so there was no stops. Better to get that out of the way yesterday then today with a packed park!

As for people that didnt know the park would be closed- the info was out there. A little planning and they would have known. And, DCA was still open, so its not like they had no where to go.

disney jones
05-05-2005, 11:30 AM
I have to agree that Disney was a bit misleading about the reason the park was closed.me too - i thought this whole thing came off amatuerishly.


- first it was closed to prepare, then we found out some media were going to be there, then celebrities, then some special AP winners, then it seemed like every radio & TV station in the West was giving away tickets.

and now it sounds like yesterday was pretty full so a lot of people were there.

from MP's reports, it sounded fun (very fun) and i wish i was there, but in the end to me, it just came off as a little private party Michel Eisner threw for himself.

Shortiemetoo
05-05-2005, 11:37 AM
I seem to remember some smart MPer that stated they thought it would become a media day. They were talking about it a couple of months ago. Seems that they were right, sorry I do not remember who that was. I think I expected it! Just wish I could have been there ;) !

DisneyBrudy
05-05-2005, 11:47 AM
Hi there everyone, I appologize if I came off rude, cutting, or out of line but Disneyland had advertised that it would be closed and thats the bottom line. They were not misleading in any way, shape, or form. They advertised being closed on the 4th so I guess there really is nothing to complain about. Once again my appologies.
Regards,
DisneyBrudy

K & S
05-05-2005, 12:01 PM
I was one of the "winners" of the Pass Holder tickets for yesterday. In hindsight, I wish the Park had been closed.

When we first heard about the drawing, it was suppose to be a very special event for 2500 Pass Holders, one guest each, and the media. Then radio stations started holding contests for tickets, some as far away as Kansas. Finally, the decision was made, at the last minute, to allow anyone staying at one of the hotels to come.

When we arrived yesterday morning we thought that we would receive something special for being one of the lucky few, but we didn’t. We also weren’t given anything telling us about any special events being held during the day. By the time the guests in the park heard about the Steve Martin, or Tim Allen appearances, they were over. As the day wore on, we slowly came to understand that we were invited to provide a crowd for the filming of the parade and that the “real” media event was being held after we were required to leave the park. Cast members played the part of guests for the real event.

By two o’clock, people in the ride lines and restaurants were talking about who felt they had misled, and I must admit we agreed. I especially felt sorry for a couple from Kansas who had paid to fly out for this “special event.” We went to City Hall to let management know our feelings and found several people doing the same thing.

I feel like a friend asked me to help her set up for a party, but told me to leave before it started. Aside from seeing the parade, it was just another day at Disneyland. :(

adriennek
05-05-2005, 12:08 PM
Well now, see, I would've loved to be able to ride on the Jungle Cruise with only 15,000 people in the park. Or go on the rides after their golden vehicles were revealed but, again, with only 15,000 people in the park. It sounds like some people were able to buy their CD sets yesterday while they were there, too. I think there were some great opportunities yesterday that people going today just didn't have.

I also wonder if it was 'less special' for APs than for guests who truly got "free tickets". I would think that for those people, any free day at Disneyland, let alone tickets for four would be special!

Adrienne

bradk
05-05-2005, 12:28 PM
wow.. damned if you do, damned if you don't.

for people who didn't get to go, what does it matter what you thought the reason you couldn't go was? you couldn't go anyway!

and for those who did who still feel like complaining, if it was that horrible for you, why didn't you just go home instead of eating that multi-tiered cake all day and still trying to bring it home with you? guests have responsibilities too.

it's a shame mr. lincoln is suspended animation. i believe he had a saying that might apply here.

disneyhound
05-05-2005, 12:33 PM
I agree with VickiC, the park's original statements about the 4th were lite on reality. But, if they had run ads on TV telling everyone that they were going to close the park on the 4th to keep the "great unwashed" away from the "special people", could you imagine the conversations we would have had here! :eek:

AliciasMom
05-05-2005, 12:47 PM
I also wonder if it was 'less special' for APs than for guests who truly got "free tickets". I would think that for those people, any free day at Disneyland, let alone tickets for four would be special!

I was one of the AP winners. I have an AP and my husband doesn't so my guest ticket was a "free" ticket for us. It was a really special trip for us and we had a magical day. We loved walking on the rides that usually have hour + waits. It was awesome having a jungle cruise boat practically to ourselves (there was only 5 other people on it.) We were thrilled to see a parade without having to camp out for a spot 1-2 hours before the start time. Overall we had a great time. :)

K & S
05-05-2005, 12:52 PM
Well now, see, I would've loved to be able to ride on the Jungle Cruise with only 15,000 people in the park. Or go on the rides after their golden vehicles were revealed but, again, with only 15,000 people in the park. It sounds like some people were able to buy their CD sets yesterday while they were there, too. I think there were some great opportunities yesterday that people going today just didn't have.

I also wonder if it was 'less special' for APs than for guests who truly got "free tickets". I would think that for those people, any free day at Disneyland, let alone tickets for four would be special!

Adrienne

I agree, it is a different experience for people who aren't Passholders. Any day at Disneyland is a good day, but yesterday wasn't as special as the hype led us to believe. We had planned to go today, but changed our plans when we won the tickets for yesterday.

Since we didn’t get to see the new fireworks show, and there was no cake or announced events, it sounds like today was the day to go.

KarenW2
05-05-2005, 01:21 PM
I think there was definitely more than enough notice DL would be closed yesterday. Signs in the Esplanade beforehand, a separate notice in the confirmation we received for our stay at Candy Cane Inn, closed info listing on the calendars in the in-room hotel publications, etc. The hotel even told us when we called and asked what time their exclusive shuttle left for the park, that DL was closed 5-4. Even tho we told them we won tix to it, they said they would start running just before DCA opened for the day. They said the same thing when we asked and explained again at check-in. My hubby had to drive us to the 15 min handicapped parking, we put our placard on the rear view mirror per law and we went on in from there.

The "highlight" of my day came at the end, when we were on our way to Storyteller's for dinner, since Catal upstairs was closed til 8 pm. We'd seen Michael Eisner in the park earlier, but since I was in a wheelchair and not very mobile, we waited til he was done signing autographs for others to try to get one signed, but he left abruply.

When we were going thru GCH's lobby on the way to the restaurant, I noticed him there with several people talking to him and he was again signing autographs, so I asked my hubby to wheel me over, in case I could get one this time. After signing several 50th logo bags that the guy said came from cookies, after ME asked, "What are these? THROW-UP bags?!" I quietly asked if I could get his autograph on my DL parkguide. He said sure, then complained that there wasn't much room to sign on it, tho there were several places he could've done it on. I thanked him and we wheeled on our way to dinner.

I am not a ME fan, but I figured since we were there at the same time and I had the opportunity, I'd try it!