Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:09 am Post subject: Dream on at Disney through next year
From The Orlando Sentinel Year of a Million Dreams and its prizes will get an encore, the park says.
Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
August 8, 2007
Dream on, Walt Disney World visitors, for yet another year.
Disney is extending its popular Year of a Million Dreams giveaway promotion another full year, through the end of 2008. Since "Dreams" debuted in October 2006, the campaign has been credited with helping drive a strong and steady surge in customers at Disney World's four theme parks.
The program is highlighted by daily, numerous giveaways of prizes, which can be as simple as FastPass tickets or seats on parade floats, or as grand as around-the-world vacation packages and overnight stays in Cinderella Castle. All are awarded to visitors who are selected at random.
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has decided to extend the Year of a Million Dreams in Central Florida and at Disneyland in Southern California through the end of 2008, spokesman Rick Sylvain announced.
"This has been a huge success with our guests and our cast members -- to date more than 846,000 dreams have been awarded to our guests at Walt Disney World and at Disneyland," Sylvain said. "We expect to hit a magical 1 million dreams late next month."
The campaign has renewed the luster of a customer-service image that Disney Parks and Resorts officials say they always have fostered -- that visitors can expect unexpected pleasures at any moment.
It also has garnered Disney widespread, localized publicity from hometown media whenever someone has been selected for one of the big prizes -- such as when Ohio family members won the right to have the Magic Kingdom theme park all to themselves for one morning.
"Because it has so resonated with guests, Year of a Million Dreams has helped drive a strong year for Disney Parks and Resorts," Sylvain said.
The continuation may also give Disney time to decide what's next.
Just in this decade, Walt Disney World has moved from its millennial 2000 Celebration to Walt Disney's 100 Years of Magic birthday celebration to sharing Disneyland's Happiest Celebration on Earth 50th anniversary to Year of a Million Dreams, giving the Central Florida resort almost constant promotional fodder for most of the past eight years.
That's becoming the way of theme parks nowadays, said Jerry Aldrich, president of Amusement Industry Consulting in Orlando. If a campaign "has legs," he said, why not stick with it a while longer?
And clearly, he said, Year of a Million Dreams has legs. He noted that, just last week, the Walt Disney Co. announced a $1.1 billion third-quarter profit, the theme-park division reported a 13 percent increase in profit, and Disney World was credited as leading the way with increased attendance, per-visitor spending and hotel occupancy.
Two days later, Disney World announced a ticket-price increase.
The continuation of the campaign also postpones the need for an announcement about one of the more intriguing mysteries emerging from the campaign. Last year, Disney built a luxury "royal suite" into the Magic Kingdom's centerpiece attraction, Cinderella Castle, and has been picking families daily to spend the night there. What will be done with the suite once the campaign is over? Disney officials have not said. For at least another year now, it apparently will serve as a daily door prize.
When he worked for Disney in the 1970s, Aldrich spent time in the hollowed-out room that became the castle suite.
He called it a special place, noted the suite has been "a real crowd pleaser," and said its future use will be an important decision for Disney.
There may be new wrinkles coming in the giveaways next year. Sylvain said he couldn't yet provide details of the extended Year of a Million Dreams, but said Disney has "plans for exciting new awards in 2008."
Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441. _________________ When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.
--Walt Disney
Joined: May 27, 2007 Posts: 300 Location: Connecticut, USA
Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2007 8:02 am Post subject:
Interesting choice of promotions...I would NEVER have heard of it if I did not read MousePlanet. If the vast majority have never heard of it, and as I read, are reluctant to accept the prizes, How are they judging it as successful enough to repeat?
"Year of A Million Dreams 2 - The chance to get rid of the prizes we could not get rid of the first time around..."
Donna and I stayed a few more days after the jamboree. We went to MK on the day we were leaving since we had a late flight. Our plan was to ride the train all the way around the park as soon as we got in the gate. Chicken Little was signing in front of Tony's, and he is one of Donna's favorites. After pictures, we rode the train as we had planned. When we got off the train, a cast member spoke to us and told us that just around the corner as we headed down the stairs, another cast member had a surprise for us.
Sure enough, the girl in front of us, Donna, and I were given Fast Pass lanyards. We were thrilled. We used as many of the passes as we could, but had to leave the park about 1:00 to get to the airport.
And no, we didn't give the rest of the passes away. _________________ [
WOW! That's so cool...what a shame you only had a short time to use it. I guess you probably rode more rides in that brief time, than you would have....so the "Cool" still applies...
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Utilidors Audio Broadcasting / Utilidors.com / uabmagic.com are in no way affiliated with, endorsed or promoted by the Walt Disney Company or any of its subsidiaries.
All Music and requestable media Copyright the Walt Disney Company or their respective artists / Composers.
