The Year of a Million Disappointments

[Hippie]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

Sad state of society when a kind gesture is no long considered to be good enough because it has no monetary value.

absolutely

[mycroft16]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

what ever happened to simply enjoying being at Disneyland?
Once you get past the turnstiles at the front gate, the rest is just icing on the cake. i think people are forgetting the simplicity of enjoying the parks and becoming too focused on getting more and more stuff from them.

Agreed! I get to go more than some... once every 18 months or so, but even that isn't as often as a lot of people. I get the sense that this promotion was created more for the once in a while guests than for the "in-the-park-once-a-week-ers". Really, my only complaint is the lack of planning and forethought that went into this. If they can pull it off though, more power to them. It just worries me when a major campaign is launched on a bare minimum of planning. Not usually a great idea. But they might just make it work. Seems like people are enjoying it.

Part of the problem may be that we know to much about the "backstage areas" of this campaign and that kind of lessens the magic of it.

Maybe that's what's being planned for the TSI remake!

:lol:Oh man... that was awesome!

[Shoppingbear]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

If you REALLY get down to it - For a lot of people the Dream Come True is just getting to walk into the park. Everything else is just the icing on the cake.

of course people who go to disneyland every week (sometimes multiple times in a week) are going to be disappointed. they are there all the time, and that much time spent there would have to eventually remove most of the joy and mystique you get when you don't get to visit the parks that often. its a sad side affect of having such an attraction in your (so to speak/type) backyard.

Well... I guess I agree and disagree. I'm a SoCal AP holder, and of course the dream is just going to the park! It's silly to suggest that going often must mean that it "removes the joy and mystique"; if anything, we get MORE enamored of Disneyland over time.

That being said, we do live/breathe/talk Disney more than most, and we've seen what the DLR can do, and that can lead to a "EVERYTHING has to be great!", no small-guestures allowed kind of feeling. I don't think that means people are necessarily not appreciating it, it's kind of like we've just seen DLR's potential, and we have high hopes for it for everything they touch now.

THAT being said, hey, I'd be thrilled with a small thing, AND hope for a big thing, but I don't think that was OP's point: I think it was simply that they've had these Magical Moments for awhile now, and now they're scripted, and for those CM's who did it all along, that's a shame, it takes the magic away for THEM. I can see that point of view, also. It'd be great to be a CM and make a "Magic Moment" for a Guest, but maybe it's not as fun for them for the big campaign to be going and for it to be "forced"? I don't know. That's not a complaint, just trying to understand the OP's point of view (I think!).

[Shoppingbear]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

I think many people in the general public may have misunderstood my meaning.

Disneyland has operated a program for several years now that is called Magical Moments. It's objective is to provide the hosts and hostesses with tools and other resources that enable the Disneylanders to create "magical moments", or, rather, personal interactions that will exceed the expectations of the guests.

The Year of a Million Dreams, however, is just Magical Moments on a bigger scale, but the problem is that Disney is now advertising these experiences and this treatment.
The phenomenon is equivalent to that when Disney started stating in its hotel advertising that cookies would be left in the rooms at night.

Before, Disney just left the cookies as a surprise, and many guests found it to be a thoughtful bit of generosity. But, when Disney started advertising the cookies, their purpose, from the company's point of view, to exceed the guest expectations, was lost.

The consumer calculated the few cents worth of dough into the cost of the hotel room, and the gesture no longer had a point. The Year of a Million Dreams promotional campaign has the potential to do the same to the Magical Moments program.

Quoting this because this is what I was just talking about, I think this was the point of the OP, not to complain, but to share the CM point of view about having what was a nice surprise, now be expected on the part of the guest, and forced on the part of the CM. Again, I can see his point.

[justjohn]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

All I want is a set of ears! They won't even fit my oversized melon of a head, but I still want them!

[TheManator]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

You know what they should do...let hotel guests get into the parks an hour early..

[Malcon10t]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

You know what they should do...let hotel guests get into the parks an hour early..

They do... Monday, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays! Your dream has come true!!!

[SuperDisneyDad]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

I think the name needs to be changed to from a year of a million dreams to a million happy surprises. Changing from dream to surprise would set a much better way to set expections.

[DisneyMickey]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

Plus they SHOVE "DREAMS" down your throat. Everything is dreams, dreams, DREAMS. Nearly every announcement in the park includes "Where Dreams Come True." It's too much.

[Disneykat]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

Plus they SHOVE "DREAMS" down your throat. Everything is dreams, dreams, DREAMS. Nearly every announcement in the park includes "Where Dreams Come True." It's too much.

yes because for some, it's not a dream trip you know. Comeon peeps!!!!! Give the promotion more time than you have!!! As was said, for some people these little things are dreams come true for them. maybe not for you, me or anyone else (though I'd be happy to be waited on hand at foot at a restaurant, especially in one of those craptastic lines at Pizza port), but for some it's an experience they won't forget.

[Malcon10t]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

yes because for some, it's not a dream trip you know. Comeon peeps!!!!! Give the promotion more time than you have!!! As was said, for some people these little things are dreams come true for them. maybe not for you, me or anyone else (though I'd be happy to be waited on hand at foot at a restaurant, especially in one of those craptastic lines at Pizza port), but for some it's an experience they won't forget.

Some really want those fastpasses and that would be a small dream. To me, with the service dog, they would be useless. I would like the table service, but my kids, who just want to keep moving wouldn't. Does this mean its not a great idea? Heck no. My brother and SIL would love it. With a set of infant twins and a 3yo, heck yeah it would be a dream to be able to not have to stand in line with 3 trays balancing toddlers. Ears - Most kids (and adults) would love to get even a set of ears.

I hope most of these do go to people who don't frequent the park. It will make their time more magical while there. They will appreciate it.

[aerinpegadrak]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

I agree that mandating all the Magical Moments stuff sucks a bit of the fun out of it, but I don't think that they're advertising those. What's being advertised are mainly the prizes and the general experience of Disneyland. It's only on MiceChat (and probably other similar boards) that we're dissecting every aspect of this week-old campaign, leading us to believe that there are ads out there advertising the chance to win sit-down service at Pizza Port. For most people, these are still going to be surprises.

I would think that most people who don't understand their Dream Fastpasses are the people who don't really understand Fastpass in general (and they are legion). Is there a limit on how many people can enter on a Dream Fastpass?

[BoygunaSurf]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

Turns out that this is the best year disney has had in a very long time...stocks are up and that's not thanks to pixar!
Horray!

[lazyboy97O]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

Turns out that this is the best year disney has had in a very long time...stocks are up and that's not thanks to pixar!
Horray!

Are you claiming this was because of the Year of a Million Dreams?

[Darkbeer]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

I would think that most people who don't understand their Dream Fastpasses are the people who don't really understand Fastpass in general (and they are legion). Is there a limit on how many people can enter on a Dream Fastpass?

Yes, the Dream FASTPASS is good only for the one person, and is why they are handed out in "batches", such as the first 50 people exiting Indiana Jones starting at 11:34 AM. Hopefully everyone in the group will win one, but there is no guarantee.

Then each FASTPASS has a tab on it for each ride (and you get a paper HMH FP) that restricts the use of the Dream FP to only one use per attraction.

[TheSwami]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

Disneyland is running a new promotion?! Quick, to the internet! I have to complain about this as soon as I can!

So they're giving away cool stuff at random to people who come to the park. I didn't think people would find a way to complain about that, but hey - proven wrong once again.

It is of no detriment to you or anyone else visiting the park if they happen to get an extra fastpass or sit-down table service at a cafeteria restaurant. It doesn't hurt anything, stain the image of the park, or "make it like a casino" (probably the most ridiculous claim I've seen in this thread, give me a break, seriously). Nothing bad comes out of giving people free stuff to make their day a little brighter.

Way to sap all the fun out of something. I wonder how some of you even got interested in Disneyland in the first place; for being the "happiest place on Earth" it seems to attract a whole bunch of grumpy, whiny cynics who hate everything.

[Janie]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

Disneyland is running a new promotion?! Quick, to the internet! I have to complain about this as soon as I can!

Jeff Albertson, aka Comic Book Guy: This year's "Year of A Million Dreams" is, without ay doubt, thee worst promotion ivver. Rest assured that when I learned of it, I was on thee Internet within minutes, registering my disgust throughout thee world.

[PragmaticIdealist]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

I look at Disneyland from a multitude of angles. I'm a consumer in that, yes, I do own an annual passport, but I visit relatively infrequently (once every one or two months). I'm a former employee. I'm a shareholder. And, I'm a student of both the art and business of Disney.

MiceChat was founded to discuss Disneyland, and some of that discussion is going to bring to light concerns, criticism, and debate.

[PragmaticIdealist]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

Perhaps, I approach Disneyland too analytically, sometimes. But, that outlook is just part of my nature and my training. This thread to me is more like a case study in a business school than a fanboy posting.

[The International]

Re: The Year of a Million Disappointments

It is of no detriment to you or anyone else visiting the park if they happen to get an extra fastpass or sit-down table service at a cafeteria restaurant. It doesn't hurt anything, stain the image of the park, or "make it like a casino" (probably the most ridiculous claim I've seen in this thread, give me a break, seriously). Nothing bad comes out of giving people free stuff to make their day a little brighter.

I completely agree. This promotion is one of the biggest non-issues I've seen in my history on Disney message boards. Either you're chosen for a 'dream' and have a slightly better day, or you're not and you go to the park as you have been for the last 15 years.

Personally, I think the promotion is kind of silly, but not negatively so. I can understand being #51 in a line of 50 people getting fastpasses, but the same thing happens when you're the one who gets cut off before the stretching room or the train. I really don't see anything to complain about here.