The World's Most Magical Celebration - Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary

[Gringrinngghost]

Waiting for Randy’s last show

 

[Touchdown]

Cosmic Rays 5pm mobile order (placed at 9:30 am) wait between I’m here to food: less then 5 min.

Finally getting on the Liberty Bell. Attractions left:
-Peter Pan
-Winnie the Pooh
-7DMT
-Carrousel
-Tea Party
-Mermaid
-Dumbo
-Barnstormer
-Speedway
-Space
-Astro Orbitors
-COP
-TTA

 

[vikescaper]

People are actively camped out in the hub waiting for Enchantment. At this point, I’ll see it where I see it. I will need to brave Main Street because I foolishly did a mobile order at Casey’s.

 

[Touchdown]

People are actively camped out in the hub waiting for Enchantment. At this point, I’ll see it where I see it. I will need to brave Main Street because I foolishly did a mobile order at Casey’s.

I’m showing up 1ish hours before. If that means Main Street so be it.

 

[John park hopper]

Has anyone noticed or have an explanation why the lines are so short today in all the parks? Mine train is only 35 minutes. Is this a glitch or is Disney in for a rude awakening?

we should be should be so lucky

 

[WDWBryan]

Stumbled upon this on YouTube, haven't seen it mentioned anywhere

There's a 50th segment in the Electric Water Pagaent

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Has anyone noticed or have an explanation why the lines are so short today in all the parks? Mine train is only 35 minutes. Is this a glitch or is Disney in for a rude awakening?

Everyone there today is a reseller buying merch to scalp or an Instagrammer looking for food to photograph.

 

[JohnD]

Has anyone noticed or have an explanation why the lines are so short today in all the parks? Mine train is only 35 minutes. Is this a glitch or is Disney in for a rude awakening?

Because everyone is in the merch lines. Forget about enjoying the park around you. Just spend $$$.

 

[Communicora]

It makes me think they should have also offered a separate merch event at the convention center or something. That way the merch-obsessed can get their goods and everyone else can celebrate the parks a bit more peacefully.

 

[brb1006]

Here's the Re-Dedication by Bob Iger and Bob Chapek for those that missed it last night.

 

[griffin ferrari]

By the way guys most of the October 1 stuff is at the creation shop at Epcot.

 

[JohnD]

In and out of Whispering Canyon in one hour. Heading back to MK.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

By the way guys most of the October 1 stuff is at the creation shop at Epcot.

And will be on sale through March 2023.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Imagine if today was about the Magic Kingdom turning 50 instead of 50th anniversary merchandise. Oh, to dream...

 

[HauntedPirate]

And will be on sale through March 2023.

"But I don't want it next month, I want it NOW!!!"

 

[jpinkc]

Here's the Re-Dedication by Bob Iger and Bob Chapek for those that missed it last night.

 

[Brer Panther]

Do you think the vintage attraction posters being put up was actually just a clever way for them to get rid of the Splash Mountain poster without drawing attention to it?

 

[freediverdude]

I'm sorry, but a quick drive by of the characters is not the same as the 3 o'clock parade. This is the 50th anniversary, that's just sad. I don't care if they're claiming social distancing or what, a 50th anniversary deserves a lot more. Anybody remember the "Remember the Magic" parade for the 25th anniversary? I can still sing part of that in my head. They should be pulling out all the stops on this, no excuse.

 

[Andrew C]

I'm sorry, but a quick drive by of the characters is not the same as the 3 o'clock parade. This is the 50th anniversary, that's just sad. I don't care if they're claiming social distancing or what, a 50th anniversary deserves a lot more. Anybody remember the "Remember the Magic" parade for the 25th anniversary? I can still sing part of that in my head. They should be pulling out all the stops on this, no excuse.

Really hoping they can get back to a parade going early next year.

 

[hopemax]

It makes me think they should have also offered a separate merch event at the convention center or something. That way the merch-obsessed can get their goods and everyone else can celebrate the parks a bit more peacefully.

Apparently, the entire Contemporary convention center was taken over by Media, so that would have been unavailable.

In the 21st Century, they could have just have built in MDE, a section where people with a Magic Kingdom Park Reservation could order merchandise at their leisure and a central pickup location where items would be pulled and bagged, or people could have paid to have their merchandise conveniently shipped home (or make more items like a pre-order, with an initial quantity available for the early birds but if you REALLY wanted something, you weren't stuck with secondary market). They could have put merchandise in the windows or central displays for people who wanted to see something before buying.

But every anniversary, they have to make things as chaotic as possible. For the 45th, they had the special merchandise in the center room in the Emporium, and a taped off queue. It avoided the cramming situation like what happened today, but there was an initial 5 minutes of chaos because they didn't have a way to funnel people smoothly from the turnstyle into the queue, everyone rushed the doors until a bunch of CMs showed up trying to get people in lines. After doing several of these, Animal Kingdom seems to be able to handle these rushes the best. The other parks, it's like no one in management can foresee what the entire guest population knows is going to happen because it's been happening for every anniversary since Disneyland's 50th in 2005. Which tells me either managers are bad at understanding and predicting guest behavior. Or it's intentional. As chaotic and hostile of a process it is for the guests that are there, it gets the right amount of social media attention (there is no such thing as bad PR) and things sell out.