DAPs Magic Disney News – by Mr. DAPs
Disney’s “One More Disney Day” was arguably a surprise success for at least Disneyland. For this leap year/day event, both “magic kingdoms” in the United States were open for 24 hours. While Walt Disney World’s celebration went off without hitch, Disneyland seemed to have been caught off guard by the surge of guests coming into the park late in the evening of February 29, 2012. The park became so busy that guest compared it to New Years Eve experiences and at times the gates to “the happiest place on Earth” were actually closed. One local reporter flying above Disneyland said that traffic around the Disneyland Resort was the worst he had ever seen in all his years covering traffic. To say that Disneyland was busy is an understatement.
Yet, in the midst of all the mayhem there was magic happening. People were having fun celebrating the leap year on February 29th. Erin and her colleagues from the Disney Parks Blog were tweeting on the Disneyland twitter. People were having a blast. One guest that was at Disneyland for this event was named Pam. Here is here take on the day:
1. When did you arrive at Disneyland for One More Day? How long did you stay?We arrived on Disney property at approximately 9:30 am on Wednesday Feruary 29,2012 we stayed on the Disney property until 1:00pm on Thursday March 1,2012 but actually physically left Disneyland Park at 6:40 am on March 1,2012
2. What did you think of One More Day at Disneyland?
I think One More Disney Day in theory was a great idea but definitely needed more planning in the actual execution.
3. Did you have any problems with crowds or getting into the park?
We got into the park early enough not to have any issues with that but the crowds inside the park made doing anything difficult and at times impossible.
4. What was your favorite thing about One More Day at Disneyland?
The magic of pulling an all nighter in the Happiest place on Earth.
5. Is there any one specific experience you had during One More Day at Disneyland that stands out to you?The crowds and behavior of some of the guests made the entire experience very negative for many but if you were able to accept it for what it was, not be set on accomplishing tasks that would have proved difficult at best and brought to the experience a little pixie dust of your own you were able to walk away with your head held high knowing that you had lived a dream while not negatively impacting anyone elses expectations of the night, made history and took away some memories that are priceless. Our group had MANY experiences that stood out but those experiences could have happened on any normal Disney day. I think the one that was the most magical would be standing in Town Square at sunrise watching the American flag being raised up that historical flag pole. We’ve all seen the flag lowered on many occasions but until now how many of us that aren’t Cast Memebrs can say that we have witnessed the raising of the flag over the Disneyland Resort.
This interview concludes our series on Disney’s “One More Disney Day.” The general consensus on the Twitter and the Facebook is that this event was a smashing success. Many people are hoping that it is repeated in four years; with adjustments made from lessons learned this time around. Some think that this should be a special event for Annual Passholders. Others have mentioned making it a D23 event. This shows that beyond being a success for the day of the event, it generated conversation and anticipation around the event. This is a huge success for the Disney Parks Blog and the social media department at Disney. As this article is being written, a quick search showed that there are still tweets going out with the #Disney24 hashtag. “One More Disney Day” but it won’t be forgotten for quite some time. The question remains, will there be another?
