some thoughts on One More Disney Day, by Kevin Quigley
When news about the upcoming “One More Disney Day” campaign started making headway on the internet, folks were pretty much torqued with excitement. The reaction resembled that of the D23 unveiling – no one quite knew what it meant, and the guesses were rampant. Would everyone who booked a Disney vacation get an extra day free? Was Disney encouraging us to do it at the normal cost, with some incentives thrown in if we did so? Did this have anything to do with the End Times, as prophesied by the Mayans at least dozens of years ago, right before Disneyland opened (I think that’s the timeline; history isn’t my strong suit)?
Then collectively we all looked at our non-Mayan, regular, now-times calendars and realized Oh wait, we’re in a leap year. Maybe, just maybe, Disney was going to do something to celebrate February 29th, the freak day tucked in right before March every four years just to make sure we’re all paying attention. The educated guesses poured in, and on New Year’s Eve, Disney confirmed it: on February 29th, Disneyland Park and the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World would open their gates at 6:00 AM … and stay open for 24 hours. That extra day added to a vacation package was also right, with Disney stating in its best waffling language that guests get a day “free when they buy a 3-night/3-day non-discounted Walt Disney Travel Co. room and ticket package at select Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort hotels. The package offer is good for arrivals most nights Feb. 26 – March 10, 2012 and must be booked by Jan. 31, 2012.” The amused emphases are mine.
The reaction was varied. What I found weird was that most long-time Disney fans seemed incredibly blasé about the whole deal. The general consensus was that Disney staying open for 24 hours wasn’t “special” enough a reason to around which to base a trip. “I’ve been there at night before” was a common opinion. “How many people are actually going to do this? Probably not many.” Contradictorily, I heard: “Locals will love this, but no one will travel to it” and “They’re going to get a lot of out-of-town people, but locals are going to stay away.” Once again, I point to the age-old (circa 1996) adage: the internet exists for complaining.
I’m not complaining. I rustled up my Disney travel buddy Joe and booked our tickets straightaway. The closer the date got, the more friends I knew were coming to the event. This is not an uncommon occurrence. Last year, for the WDW Today Reunion Event, almost every one of my friends said they couldn’t make it. By the time the thing actually rolled around, we were all there, huzzah! I’m sure my friends and I aren’t rare among Disney nuts. Word of mouth, anticipation, and a very subtle form of peer pressure (usually from my friend Kristen: “You’re going, right?” “I can’t really afford it.” “That wasn’t my question.” “…yes, I’m going.”) help build up events like this, perhaps bigger than they have any right to be. Case in point: is Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party the best event out there? Probably not. But I’ve been twice with my friends and it was a blast.
Back to One More Disney Day: all we know right now are the bare bones. Unfortunately, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom on the East Coast and California Adventure on the West Coast have been left out of the occasion. It makes logistical sense, but can’t you imagine Tower of Terror in the dead of night? Or California Screamin’? Ah, if only. In any event, Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom will open at six AM on February 29th and stay open until six AM on March 1st. Is there a schedule of events? We don’t know. Will the food options be like when it’s Extra Magic Hours, with only a few places open? We don’t know. Will we finally be able to legitimately ask when the three o’clock parade is (AM or PM)? We totally have no idea. Disney has been oddly scant about the details for a day that they, at least, are treating like a Somewhat Major Event. At least at current, the guests are going to have to make their own awesome. Which, truth be told, shouldn’t be too hard. Disney people are terrific at making awesome.
I’m sure there’s a handful of people who are planning to last the whole 24 hours. These are the same people who do marathons or Ultimate Touring Plans; they are not only insane, but they also draw on deep, sustainable wells of endurance. My strategy relies less on madness and more on Red Bull and Just Enough Sleep. Do I plan on being there for the Magic Kingdom opening at 6:00 AM? You bet your Astro Orbiters I do. Some estimates suggest that there will be a huge uptick in park attendance, some say it will be about average, and a few pundits believe that the early hour will actually keep people away in droves. I live for preparation (also: éclairs), so Joe and I will be there mondo early. Joe is psyched about this part of the plan. (Oh, by the way, Joe is not at all psyched about this part of the plan.) We plan on doing a regular park morning, perhaps doing a Touring Plan, having a nice lunch around noon … and then going back to the hotel to nap. This is crucial, because I know the way Joe and I tour, and I know we tend to bottom out around hour seven. We realized by our third trip together that a midday break was absolutely necessary for both our continued enjoyment of Disney parks and our friendship.
There’s a bit of a question about capacity issues. I don’t honestly think that Magic Kingdom will reach Christmas or New Year’s levels of attendance, but there’s still an amorphous terror that Disney will turn us away when we return around nine or ten that night. If that doesn’t happen (and I can almost guarantee that it won’t), Joe and I will return in time for Magic, the Memories, and You and the Main Street Electrical Parade … and then stay overnight in the Magic Kingdom.
The big question is why? I could get all philosophical and say that it sounds like something I would have done as a giddy high-schooler, and as with everything else Disney, it’s a way to reclaim my misspent youth. But let’s be more prosaic: I want to ride Space Mountain at four AM.
“I thought you said you wanted to ride Space Mountain at three AM,” Joe said when I mentioned this.
“What about one sentence negates the other?”
“Point taken.”
Part of why I want to ride Space Mountain at four AM (and three AM) is because it’s nuts. This whole thing is a little nuts, and that’s almost entirely why it’s a great idea. The other big part of my whole Space Mountain in the wee, wee hours is that my friend Tom is coming in from England. Space Mountain terrifies Tom, and when he rides, he tends to let out these horrified screams that aren’t screams so much as yips. Tom’s from England and I’m assuming that’s how they scream over there. When last we rode together, it was during Extra Magic Hours, we’d just met a late-night Donald Duck wandering around Fantasyland, I was punchy, and I thought Tom’s yipping was hilarious. I am confident that we can create that singular moment again and again.
And though Big Thunder – arguably the most improved ride from day to night – is down right now, there’s always Splash Mountain, the Astro Orbiter, the WEDway Peoplemover, and plenty of other awesome night rides we can now experience way, way past our bedtimes. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a Big Time Special Event, but it works for me.
Oh, and Tom also came up with another reason why this event is going to be beyond awesome. “You know what I can’t wait for?” he said. “Seeing the sun rise up over Cinderella Castle.”
I can’t wait, either.
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 10:43PM