disney info center closing

[signerdreams]

i,too, am deeply saddend by this news. Like several others, this was the sign that disney was close. For me it's between a 9-13 hour drive to the world so this was a sign that we were close, really close.

 

[ead79]

From a business standpoint, I think it was probably a good decision. I’ve noticed that attendance is always quite low when we stop there. I agree with the other posters that the Internet age has reduced the need for the Disney Information Center.

However, I’m a little bummed on a personal level. We always stop there on our drive down to the World, so I’m sad to see the tradition end. Plus, now I’ll have to find a new place with clean facilities, LOL! The Ocala Disney Information Center always was the place where my excitement went up another notch—that great “we’re soooo close” feeling.

 

[joel_maxwell]

i remember always scheduling a "rest stop" at this Informational center. we used to always get park maps and info to last us the rest of the drive down. oh well, i guess we will get there 30 minutes faster since no stop.

 

[speck76]

now you have the opportunity to create new traditions

 

[joel_maxwell]

now you have the opportunity to create new traditions

yeh, if we are staying off property, then we will go check in then head over to DTD and go to the ticket center there and get maps (since we wont be able to sleep that night, we will need reading material)....... and if we are on property, we will check in then kill time at the resort or ride the bus over to DTD and go to the disney store. yeh.

 

[Fantasmic!329]

I have never stopped there, as I have only flown to/from Disney. Seems nice from the link from Speck.

 

[hcswingfield]

Over the years, more and more businesses have opened at that exit, adding to the traffic jams and wait times to get out of the parking lots and back onto the freeway. Also, the parking lots and access roads are really badly designed. After a particularly annoying time trying to get out of there last December, we decided not to stop there any more. I'm sorry it's closing, it used to be a fun place to stop, but the location had gotten really bad.

 

[speck76]

a better location would have been one of the travel plazas on the Turnpike....at least then one would not have to fight the local traffic

 

[hcswingfield]

a better location would have been one of the travel plazas on the Turnpike....at least then one would not have to fight the local traffic

Agreed! I will especially miss seeing the big Mickey and Minnie from the freeway. Maybe they won't dismantly them right away. Maybe they'll sell them on ebay! That would be a trip.

 

[wired]

Yep, will be surely missed, it was always a marker for us when driving down, after 16 hours it brought new life to the drive. We always looked for the billboards, but as speck said it is time for something new. The next trip we will have in car DVD and well, I guess we will all be just watching the trip dvd at that point.....

But it is understandable given the information on the web these days. I know have disney put up a WiFi website so we can surf disney info on a laptop around that point!?!?

wired

 

[DisneySam]

Okay I can't believe I just read this! The Ocala ticket center was our big we're almost there ticket pick up stop! Does anyone know of any other official Ticket Pick up locations, other than the park gates?

 

[peter11435]

Okay I can't believe I just read this! The Ocala ticket center was our big we're almost there ticket pick up stop! Does anyone know of any other official Ticket Pick up locations, other than the park gates?

If you are staying on site I would suggest buying your tickets at the resort. If not then the service plazas along Florida's Turnpike; Okahumpka and Turkey Lake in your direction also sell Disney tickets.

 

[Ringo8n24]

I think it is sad, but the location was really awful. We almost got in wreck getting in and out of there. The turnpike would have been great. Instead of selling it,they should think of something unique to put there Disney related. A "World of Disney" store or something.

 

[Woody13]

Back in 1994, we were driving down to WDW. We had a reservation at The Hilton on Hotel Plaza Blvd. When we got to the interchange of I-10 and I-75, I tuned into "Disney Radio" and they were promoting a new resort called the All-Star Sports. As I recall, Goofy said that you might just get a really good deal if you stopped in at the Disney Welcome Center in Ocala, FL. So, we did.

We got two connecting rooms at the All-Star Sports for a very low price and we got a bunch of free WDW promotional items such as yo-yo's, mouse ears and other "stuff". The AAA / Disney CM was able to cancel our Hilton reservation and get us a full refund! Also, back then, American Express was the "preferred" credit card at WDW. If you used an American Express card you got "The White Glove Treatment" which entitled you to many extra special perquisites at WDW.

Also, let's not forget all the wonderful Disney billboards along I-75. They all urged you to tune your radio to 107.5 to get the latest information about WDW. You'd hear Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and a bunch of other Disney characters including my favorite Jiminy Cricket.

I'll miss the Disney Welcome Center.

 

[slappy magoo]

If you are staying on site I would suggest buying your tickets at the resort. If not then the service plazas along Florida's Turnpike; Okahumpka and Turkey Lake in your direction also sell Disney tickets.

And let's not forget that they are sold in the Disney's Stores in malls across America.

I've never been to the Ocala Info Center. I feel bad for those who worked there, and those who will miss it, but in response to the original poster, this doesn't just seem like Disney is merely bowing to the almighty dollar. If what they are saying is true, then the Center just wasn't getting the traffic it used to get. Airfares are more afforsable then they were when the center first opened, and a lot of people are coming/going from 95. And then there are always travel agents who are insuring all your needs are covered before you leave home. So aside from a bathroom break and a "We're almost there" cheer, the Ocala center was becoming an unnecessary redundancy. If enough people aren't using it, why keep it?

 

[ImagineAtl23]

Not Cool !

Aww man, i really loved that place, i mean we only stopped by their on the way down because we wanted to, it was just a fun thing to do, man, i wish it wasn't closing............

 

[KevinFSU]

Well, that stinks. My wife is from Ocala and her family still lives there. Her grandparents live like 5 minutes from the info center. When we were down there a few weeks ago, I ran down there to pick up the two-disc WDW CD.

 

[CSOM]

Okay I can't believe I just read this! The Ocala ticket center was our big we're almost there ticket pick up stop! Does anyone know of any other official Ticket Pick up locations, other than the park gates?

Their website.

 

[Poco909]

awww im gonna miss that place, we always go ther eevery time we go to WDW

 

[GarcoGold]

Just so you know.....

So you don't think that my spelling is an issue, in Canada we spell center: centre.
I forgot to spell it the American way when I posted. It's a weird Queen's English thing we do in Canada, just like we spell color:colour.



Thanks