In this troubled economy companies are forced to be more creative than ever to attract new business and keep previous customers coming back. In the past I thought Disney would never be affected by a lagging economy, but yes, even the mouse has had to actually work for his cheese this [...]]]>

Free Disney Birthday Ticket

In this troubled economy companies are forced to be more creative than ever to attract new business and keep previous customers coming back. In the past I thought Disney would never be affected by a lagging economy, but yes, even the mouse has had to actually work for his cheese this year. One effort to boost Disney ticket sales this year has been the birthday campaign. They gave free admission to anyone who registered their birthday on Disney’s website, then provided proof of their birth date when arriving at the park.

At first, people thought it was too good to be true, but think about it. No one goes to Disney World alone. No, you’re going to bring at least one person with you, especially on your birthday. Plus, you’re going to buy souvenirs or food while you’re there, so they aren’t losing money on the deal. But it is a nice break if you’re planning to go to a Disney park this year. At least one person would get in free and that saves a good chunk of money. All year I have been thinking, “If only my husband and I shared the same birthday. How cool (and rare) would that be, to both get in free at the same time!” Oh well. I bet it has happened, but not often.

Anyway, next year, 2010, Disney’s campaign is going to be that to get a free ticket, you have to volunteer at a selected charity for a day. Like with the birthday ticket, you’ll need to sign up to volunteer at one of the charity options on Disney’s site. Once you complete your volunteer work, you will receive a voucher to take to a Disney park, which you will redeem for your one-day park ticket.

Well, if this campaign is as successful as the birthday campaign, a lot of charities will have a lot more help next year. Disney has given out almost a million free birthday tickets so far this year. Yes, they are trying to get and keep business, but at least they have paired it with helping others. It’s a win-win for everyone.

This week, Walt Disney World announced plans to expand Fantasyland in Orlando’s Magic Kingdom. The Fantasyland part of the park will nearly double. One major focus of the expansion are the Disney Princesses. Instead of just passing moments that children get to spend with their favorite princesses, like Cinderella, Belle, and Ariel, [...]]]>

Disney Fantasyland Princesses

This week, Walt Disney World announced plans to expand Fantasyland in Orlando’s Magic Kingdom. The Fantasyland part of the park will nearly double. One major focus of the expansion are the Disney Princesses. Instead of just passing moments that children get to spend with their favorite princesses, like Cinderella, Belle, and Ariel, they will get to interact with them much more than ever before at any Disney park. New castles, chateaus, and cottages will be constructed, which visitors can walk through. There is also a new ride planned in the theme of Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid.

One of the great things about visiting Disney parks is “living” the stories that we all loved as children. The adoration of the Disney princesses has grown immensely in the past twenty years, but there was little to allow us to experience the stories first-hand. This new expansion will change that. And it is not only going to appeal to girls. Some of the most infamous villains will also be involved, which expands the appeal to boys, too.

I think this is a good move on Disney’s part. With Universal opening its Harry Potter World next year, this Disney expansion will be one more reason for people to travel to the Orlando area, which is good for tourism, which is good for the economy. We’ll have to be patient, though. The improvements are scheduled to be complete in 2012 through 2013. In two to three years, it will be like a whole new Disney World, so even those who have visited recently will want to visit again. No wonder we want to keep going back. The Orlando theme parks just keep expanding and updating, drawing us back year after year.