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Hi! I'm Anita!
 Got
a question about Walt Disney World? I probably have the answer! Deb's
Unofficial Walt Disney World Information Guide is the most comprehensive
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the Search
Function, or the Anita Answer Archives, drop
me a line and I'll do my best to find the answer for you. Since
there are only 24 hours in a day, I can't answer every email I receive
- however, I do read every one and try to answer as many as possible.
Check back weekly and see if your answer is waiting, and be sure to check
out my blog, Anita Talk. Meanwhile,
I'm All Ears!
Judith
writes:
We recently
returned from Walt Disney World and I have a question about "soft
openings." I found out before I went that Splash Mountain would
be closed for refurbishment during the two week period we were there
in February, and was due to reopen later in the month. The Magic Kingdom
maps also stated that it was closed; however, when we visited the Magic
Kingdom on our last night, Splash Mountain was open. There was no queue
and we rode it twice.
The Cast
Member at the entrance to the ride said that it was a "soft opening"
and that we were lucky to ride it. I was delighted that we had the opportunity
to ride, but would like to know what a "soft opening" is.
How does
it benefit Disney to open a ride but not advertise the fact? The queue
for Big Thunder Mountain was 70 minutes at the time. Did the ride open
on that Friday completely or was it closed again on Saturday? Please
explain the rationale for the Splash Mountain opening in your usual
fulsome way. Thanks!
Hi Judith!
By "fulsome,"
I'm hoping you mean the definition of the word as "copious,"
and not one of the other definitions -- "overdone," "cloying,"
or "effusive." (Kidding!)
A "soft
open" happens when Imagineering wants to test an attraction before
it officially opens, or reopens in the case of a ride that has been
undergoing a refurbishment. This benefits Disney in that Imagineers
can get guests' reactions to the ride, and use those reactions to further
tweak the ride, to fix things that don't work correctly, or in some
cases, to change show elements that just don't work well in the attraction's
storytelling. They don't announce soft openings, because they would
have guests lining up by the hundreds to try the ride. Since the ride
isn't officially open yet, Imagineering has to be able to take it down
at any given time to make corrections, so you can see why smaller test
groups would be preferred in this phase.
I saw this
in action last December, when I was lucky enough to catch a soft opening
of Spaceship Earth. It opened
without notice on a Saturday morning, and my friends and I just happened
to be in the right spot at the right time to ride it. As we arrived
at the ride unload area several minutes later, they were preparing to
close it down again as soon as the last guest had exited, in order to
make some adjustments. The ride was sometimes open and sometimes not
during the rest of my stay.
That said,
Disney does announce preview openings, however. These are usually open
to Annual Passholders and/or Disney Vacation Club members. I've been
able to attend a few preview openings in the last couple of years: Expedition:
Everest, Finding Nemo --The Musical,
and the reopening of the Haunted Mansion. In most cases, not everything
was working correctly yet, but Imagineering was still working the bugs
out, and preview guests were made aware of this. Imagineers often station
themselves near the exit during soft opens and previews to hear what
guests have to say about the ride or attraction. It always interests
me to see how a ride or show evolves from soft opening to grand opening.
I'm looking
forward to attending another ride preview this weekend, when, if all
goes well, Toy Story Midway Mania opens for Annual Passholders and Disney
Vacation Club Members to preview at the Studios
in the brand new "Pixar Studios" area.
A.A.
Kelly
writes:
We visited
WDW in April of this year. On our first day in the Magic Kingdom (April
7), we were treated to an air show. My son hasn't stopped talking about
it. Can you tell me what group we saw? We got a few awesome pictures
of them flying over Cinderella Castle.
Hi
Kelly!
I can't
tell you how jealous I am that you were lucky enough to witness the
United States Air Force Thunderbirds fly over Walt Disney World on April
7. Ever since my father took me to see them when I was in pre-school
(way back in the Jurassic period) I have been in absolute awe of the
Thunderbirds and their Navy peers, the Blue Angels. To see the Thunderbirds
fly over my favorite place would have been the icing on the cake! I'm
so glad you and your son were able to witness it in person. The Thunderbirds
are celebrating their 55th year of precision flight this year, and if
you search the web, you can find their performance schedule for 2008.
Trivia:
The Thunderbirds are featured in Soarin'.
A.A.
Daniel
writes:
First,
your column rocks. Mondays are great thanks to you!
On my last
trip to Epcot I think I discovered something and thought you might be
able to confirm it. My girlfriend and I love Soarin' and while watching
the video before the ride the "pilot" announced the flight
number 5505. We wondered if there was a meaning behind the number and
came to the conclusion that it might be the opening date of the ride.
Are we right or even close? Was the number chosen for this reason? You
are our only hope Anita, please help.
Hi Daniel!
Your theory
is correct. Epcot's Soarin' officially
opened on May 5, 2005 (5/5/05.) That date is significant because it's
the date that the Happiest Celebration
on Earth kicked off in the Disney parks worldwide.
The Happiest
Celebration on Earth, as you'll remember, was to celebrate Disneyland's
50th birthday, and WDW received rides and attractions from the other
parks all over the world except Hong Kong Disneyland, which didn't open
until September 2005. Soarin' was Disneyland Resort's contribution.
Lights, Motors, Action! is
from Disneyland Paris, and the now-gone-again stage show, Cinderellabration,
came from Tokyo.
By the
way, Patrick (played by Patrick Warburton) is actually the chief flight
attendant and not the pilot of Flight 5505.
A.A.
Melanie
writes:
I remember
a restaurant at the Studios that had an Aladdin theme and a giant lamp
you could go and rub. What was the name of the restaurant and when did
it close?
Hi
Melanie!
That was
the Soundstage. It opened with the Studios
park on May 1, 1989. At that time, it was a food court themed to the
1988 Touchstone movie Big Business, and featured props and sets from
that film. Later, it was re-themed to Beauty and the Beast, and then
Aladdin, becoming a character buffet in the process. During its last
years, it featured characters from several animated films, including
The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Pocahontas.
The Soundstage
closed in November 1998 to make way for the Bear
in the Big Blue House show, and the building is currently the
home of the Playhouse Disney Live!
show.
Trivia:
Do you remember the spitting camels outside of the Soundstage? They
originated in the Studios' Aladdin's Royal Caravan parade, and were
later moved to the entrance of the Soundstage. You can't keep a rude
camel down, so the camels have relocated and are still spitting on guests
over in the Magic Kingdom at the
Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride.
A.A.
Sarah
writes:
The "Not
So Scary Halloween" party tickets prices were placed up on your
site but I am a bit confused. I am a Florida resident and a passholder.
There are discounts for passholders but they aren't on all the dates.
I am planning on going September 19. Do I not get a discount on that
day? Thank you for your time.
And Nikki
writes:
I noticed
the tickets were on sale for the Halloween Party and I was wondering
what the difference is between the premium dates available and the Annual
Passholder dates with discounts? I've been to the MNSSHP the last five
years. I know there is a price difference but is there something "extra"
special that happens for the premium dates? Thanks a bunch!
And
Becky writes:
I just
love your column; I look forward to it every Monday morning. I have
a question regarding Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP). I
have purchased (well my travel agent purchased) tickets for the November
21 party for my mother and me. She said that it is a "Premium"
night. What is the difference between that night and any of the other
nights? Thanks for your help and keep up the good work.
And
finally, Jana writes:
I notice
that there are "Premium" dates for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween
party. What makes these dates "premium?" Please and thank
you!
Hi everyone!
I guess
this is the Question of the Week around here! The new pricing scheme
sounds much more complicated than it really is. There are now three
pricing tiers and here's what it boils down to:
Premium
nights are the nights that Disney expects to sell out or at least
have the highest attendance. These are the nights that you'll pay full
price with no discounts for Advance Purchase, Annual Passes or DVC Members.
Both September 19 and November 21, 2008, are Premium nights, so there
will be no discounts on those nights. Sorry!
Advance
Purchase discounted nights are the nights that Disney expects lower
attendance, and therefore wants to bump it up with a lower-priced ticket,
but you have to buy those tickets in advance to get the discount.
A handful
of nights give DVC members and AP holders even deeper discounts
and overlap some of the same nights that are Advance Purchase discount
nights. These are the dates that Disney expects the lowest attendance
of all.
Pricing
and attendance levels are the only differences between the three tiers.
Those so-called "Premium" nights do not feature anything special
or different from the discounted nights, and in fact, you are paying
a higher price to be at a more crowded party, just because those nights
are expected to be more popular.
Before
you all write to me and ask, "Why is Disney doing this?" I'll
give you the answer: Because they can. Since the Happiest Celebration
on Earth (Disneyland's 50th) in 2005, the Florida parks and resorts
have seen a steady increase in attendance levels. Attendance was very
high again in 2006, and again in 2007, when WDW saw attendance records
broken. 2008 is on track to break the 2007 records. So as long as attendance
remains at those record high levels, there is no reason to give any
discounts during popular times. Does it all make more sense now?
For Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party dates and pricing, click here:
allearsnet.com/tp/mk/mnssh.htm
For Mickey's
Very Merry Christmas Party dates and pricing, click here: allearsnet.com/tp/hol_mk.htm
A.A.
Jill writes:
My husband
and I make a trip to Walt Disney World every year and have a blast every
time we go, but I do have a question about the "Year of a Million
Dreams."
I have
noticed that since this has been going on the only people I see being
awarded these dream prizes are usually people with children. I have
never seen just your average couple who may be honeymooning, or an older
adult couple without children ever receiving these prizes. Does Walt
Disney World just give them out to people who are in the parks with
children? I know you have to stay on the Disney World property for the
chance to get these, but like I said, I have never received one.
I asked
one of the park Cast Members about this last year and he stumbled all
over his words like he did not know what to say except that basically
what I thought was true. I love Disney World as much as a child and
I really don't think it is fair if you are a single or married couple
that you pretty much don't stand a chance of ever receiving these dreams.
I don't think that is the way Walt Disney would have wanted it. It really
has left a bad taste in my mouth about the whole situation. I really
will be glad when they do something different rather than this because
it only benefits people with kids. Once again just a question that I
have pondered and never really got a straight answer. I will still go
and still enjoy every moment but just think that whoever came up with
this idea needs to broaden their horizons on how they hand them out.
Hi
Jill!
You'll
be happy to hear that The Year of a Million Dreams prizes are actually
awarded randomly. Dream Squad cast members don't know where the prize
will be awarded or to whom the prize will be awarded until minutes before
it happens, when they receive instructions on how to proceed. For example,
the instructions might say that the next 20 people exiting the Haunted
Mansion will win Dream Fastpasses, or the person sitting on
the left side of the bench located by the Tree
of Life will receive mouse ears. The cast member awarding the
prize does not pick the winner. The fact that you and I might see more
families being awarded prizes probably lies in the fact that thousands
and thousands of guests are there with children -- it is a family vacation
spot, after all.
It might
help you to know that I go to the parks several times a year with and
without kids and I have never even seen a prize awarded, let alone be
awarded one! That said, I also know of several singles and couples who
have received prizes over the last two years. In fact, a single AllEars
reader recently won a stay in the Cinderella Suite. You can read about
her experiences here.
I'd also
like to clear up a couple of things: Guests do not have to be
staying on Disney property to
win prizes. There is no way that Dream Squad cast can know where a guest
is staying until a prize winner tells them. You can also enter from
home via postcard to win prizes, so you don't even have to be in Florida
to win. I have several friends who have been winning ears and pin lanyards
this way.
As for
the cast member you asked about how prizes are awarded, I can only surmise
that this cast member did not know how the process works, because you
were given incorrect information. Bottom line: Everyone has the same
chance to win a prize. It's literally up to the luck of the draw. I'm
still waiting for my turn, too! Maybe someday...
A.A.
That's
it for this edition!
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