Countdown to Disneyland's 50th: Be our Guest

Published July 14, 2005

By C. W. Oberleitner

o-meon.com editor C. W. Oberleitner is in Anaheim, California, waiting and watching as the most famous theme park in the world prepares to mark a half century of entertaining and delighting generations of Americans and citizens of the world. In the days leading up to its actual 50^th Anniversary, Oberleitner reports that it's beginning to look as if Disneyland is moving from the state of California to a state of confusion.

In case you've experienced a complete media blackout while visiting the dark side of the moon for the better part of the past two years, this coming Sunday Walt Disney's original Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, will hit the big 5-0.

At exactly 4:45 PDT, it will have been fifty years to the minute since Walt Disney stepped up to a microphone in Disneyland's Town Square and formally dedicated the first, and only, theme park he would ever walk or play in.

With just three days to go to the big day, the level of excitement and anticipation in and around the Disneyland Resort is becoming palpable. Local area hotels are at or near capacity. The level of vehicle and foot traffic on the streets and sidewalks just outside the gates of the Disneyland Resort is increasing notably by the day.

From the turnstiles at Disneyland's entrance gates to the nearly 300 people attending this year's National Fantasy Fan Club (NFFC) National Convention—celebrating all things Disney—to the Internet, the number one topic of discussion this week has been 'what time Sunday to show up at Disneyland to assure entry into the park'.

And the Magic Number is…?

Why all the fuss? Because Disneyland has over 600,000 annual passholders, the overwhelming majority of whom live within driving distance of the park. It is true that of the four types of annual passports sold, only the most expensive "Premium Annual Passport" is not blacked out on Sunday, July 17. During the past few years, however, as Disneyland's 50^th Anniversary has drawn closer, the percentage of premium passport holders has ratcheted up to record levels.

Theme park industry experts estimate that, while highly unlikely, if fewer than half the total number of premium passport holders showed up at Disneyland's gates all at once, the park would be forced to stop selling one-day admissions.

While no one knows exactly how many people are expected to show at Disneyland this coming Sunday, it's a fairly safe bet that there will be tens of thousands more hoping to be part of this milestone event than the estimated 37,000 who packed the park and strained its untested resources on that first July Sunday 50 years ago.

So many things ran out, went wrong, or just plan broke down that day that Disney himself dubbed it "Black Sunday."

Semicentennial celebrations can be very popular events, especially when they're celebrating a popular cultural icon. In 1987, the San Francisco Bay Area's Golden Gate Bridge District estimated that as many as 100,000 people might show up between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning to commemorate the reenactment of the bridge's opening day "Pedestrian Day 37" ceremonial walk across the bridge.

What they got were more than 300,000 people, thousands of whom arrived hours before vehicle traffic was halted, for "Bridgewalk 87," so many people, in fact, that the bridge audibly groaned under the strain as its famous arched roadway was flattened for the first time in its history.

Disneyland will not be subjected to quite that much strain this coming Sunday. At some point in time, the park's Operations department will determine that the park has reached a reasonable and safe operating crowd capacity and stop admitting guests. While Disneyland Resort management does acknowledge that, in all likelihood, they will have to stop selling tickets and close the gates to the Magic Kingdom, they will not say how many people will be admitted to the park before this action becomes necessary.

Earlier published reports have indicated that Anaheim fire officials have informed Disneyland Resort managers that when the park reaches 75,000 guests, they will order the gates closed, if Disneyland has not already done so.

"That's ridiculous," a member of Disneyland Security told me this week. "The park can't accommodate that many people at one time. Operations would close the gates long before that."

When reminded that Disneyland has set one-day attendance records of nearly 85,000, my source went on to say, "Yes, that was total attendance for the day, with people leaving the park and new guests being admitted, not all (85,000) of them at once. All I know is that somewhere around 65,000 people is all that Disneyland can hold at one time."

Even this 30-plus year Disneyland veteran wasn't sure how long it would take to admit that many people to the park. Nor was this member of park security able to tell me how or when guests wanting to be sure of admission on July 17 should queue up. "They (Disneyland Resort management) haven't told us anything yet." And "they" aren't telling anyone else either.

And the Magic Moment is…?

On Monday of this week, the very popular Park Update: Disneyland Resort section of MousePlanet.com told its readers,

So what time should you show up to be sure you get in? Even if the park quickly fills up, there will not be 70,000 people in line when the park opens on July 17. It should be fine (though there are never any guarantees) to show up around 8 a.m. and be fine getting in. It will likely be several hours before the park fills, and it is possible it won't fill until late afternoon when people start arriving for the afternoon parade and evening fireworks…

They went on to say that Disneyland's sister park, Disney's California Adventure (DCA), would open its gates between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. for the sole purpose of accommodating guests waiting to get into Disneyland. Guests arriving after six would be queued beyond the security checkpoints at either end of the Esplanade, the open plaza between Disneyland and DCA.

The security checkpoints will reopen once the DCA crowd is inside Disneyland; bag checks will resume and people will be allowed to go right into Disneyland. It is estimated that it may take as long as an hour to get all of the DCA crowd into Disneyland, so the 8:00 a.m. announced opening time might be accurate for those who do not camp inside DCA.

[Links to this and other referenced stories can be found at the end of this column.—Editor]

The following day, buried on page five of a five-page report on the Disneyland Resort, former MousePlanet.com contributor, and now webmaster of MiceAge.com, Al Lutz gave a similar account of what he understood the Disneyland Resort's plans to be:

The question on everyone's mind seems to be "will I get in to Disneyland that day (July 17)". While Disneyland's Guest Relations department is officially telling anyone who asks that camping out overnight will not be allowed, the reality of the plan they've recently come up with is a bit different.

Lutz's report differed from the previous day's MousePlanet.com report by an hour. He stated that it would be 3:00 a.m. before the "turnstiles will be opened at DCA…"

While all of this was going on, some 300 members of the NFFC—the Club for Disneyana Enthusiasts—were holding their National Convention at the Crown Plaza Resort a few blocks south of Disneyland.

The NFFC is a nationwide organization with thousands of members who truly appreciate "the Disney product" and who are, in turn, truly appreciated for their support by the Disney Company.

There are Disney Company cast members (CMs) among the membership of the NFFC, some of whom also coordinate Disney Company participation in NFFC convention events, such as this year's dinner in Disneyland and Space Mountain preview hosted by Walt Disney Theme Parks and Resorts President Jay Rasulo.

Wednesday evening at the convention's closing night banquet, the NFFC/Disney CM who had coordinated the Rasulo Disneyland dinner attempted to answer the question most on the mind of the NFFC's members: 'When should we get in line for Disneyland on July 17?'

All he was able to tell his audience of fellow Disney enthusiasts was that, "There will be NO overnight camping permitted. For people wanting to arrive ahead of time, the Pumba parking lot will be open early."

Several people in the audience called out, "WHEN?"

"Early," the young CM responded.

"WHAT TIME?" several NFFC members shouted out.

"I don't have a time," the exasperated young man said.

Following the dinner, I asked this fellow, who clearly had direct access to Disneyland management, if he'd heard the reports that DCA would be open sometime around two in the morning to accommodate people who wanted to be among the first to enter Disneyland on July 17.

"I can't comment on that one way or the other," he told me in a flat, matter-of-fact tone of voice.

I pointed out to him that we were only three days away from this milestone event in Disney history and that, clearly, many people wanted information. I asked him if he really thought not being able to advise park guests on the best time and way to plan a special visit like this was really a good idea.

"You can rest assured that we (Disneyland) will do what we feel is in the best interest of our guests," he said, the words rolling out of his mouth like a prerecorded message.

And at the End of the Line…?

Prior to my arrival, and during the past four days here in Anaheim, Disneyland media relations has not responded to numerous emails and phone calls requesting information about events surrounding this Sunday's anniversary. Colleagues at LaughingPlace.com, JimHillMedia.com, and the media relations chair for the NFFC also reported having received no response to requests for information.

Unlike last May's Happiest Homecoming on Earth kickoff of the 18-month celebration of Disneyland's 50^th Anniversary, which played host to hundreds of reporters from all forms of media from around the world, Disneyland has said they will be limiting press access to Sunday's events in order to "keep the focus on our guests."

According to the one piece of information I did receive prior to leaving for Anaheim from a Disneyland spokesperson, who asked not to be named, there will be no magazines, very few Network TV stations, and only the LA-based TV affiliates, the LA Times, and the Orange County Register will have credentials that day, together with four previously approved websites.

While Disneyland would not name the four previously approved websites, it was learned this past week that they are LaughingPlace.com, MousePlanet.com, MouseInfo.com, and VisionFantastic.com.

"I don't care about the press credentials," said an Internet correspondent who had traveled across country to cover Disneyland's big birthday. "I just hope come Monday I'm not writing about another Black Sunday."

It shouldn't matter, even if things go badly on Sunday. The press slammed Disney and his folly of a park after that first disastrous Sunday 50 years ago, and just look at how things turned out for Disneyland!

Referenced Sites:

MousePlanet.com, Park Update: Disneyland

MiceAge.com, 7/12 Al Lutz: DCA ZOOM, ZOOM

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