Originally Posted By imadisneygal There would be absolutely no way in the world that the exact Two Billionth Guest could have been figured out. The attendance for each day isn't even 100% correct, for crying out loud. It's just reality.
Originally Posted By seanyoda leemac wrote << I'm sure somewhere someone at WDW, HKDLR, TDR or DLRP knows who the real 2bn guest was. >> I'd be completely astounded if ANYONE knew who the exact 2 billionth guest was. I'd even be surprised if anyone could necessarily even determine which park the 2 billionth guest entered. Unless the 2 billionth guest entered at a time when only one Disney park in the world had its gates open, how would one determine if that guest entered Epcot, MGM, MK, AK, DL, DCA, TDL, TDS, HKDL, WDSP, or DLP?
Originally Posted By imadisneygal ^^^You're right, SeanYoda. Even if there was only one turnstile at one Park out of all of them open it would still not count the ACTUAL 2 Billionth Guest because the attendance counts at each Park are close, but not perfect, each day. It's a guess at best.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Hey folks, Disney has been picking kids for this honor since day ONE! On Monday, July 18, 1955 crowds started to gather in line as early as 2 a.m., and the first person to buy a ticket and enter the park was David MacPherson (A young Adult in College). Walt Disney decided to have a photo taken with two children, Michael Schwartner and Christine Vess instead, and the photo of the three always carries a caption along the lines of "Walt Disney with the first two guests of Disneyland." MacPherson, Schwartner and Vess all received lifetime passes to every single Disney-owned park in the world.
Originally Posted By imadisneygal Children certainly provide an excellent photo op but there have been adults selected as well. The 500 millionth Guest to Disneyland was a man from Australia and the 400 millionth was a woman from Stockton, CA. I do think, though, that kids make the ideal recipient of this kind of thing...
Originally Posted By DlandDug As far as selecting based on location, I was there when the 500 millionth was selected. Press and Publicity was dumbfounded when the winner spoke, revealing an Australian accent. Incidently, the many news stories that have been generated this year have been quite effective. The National Thanksgiving Turkey received more news items than any other single promotion in the history of Disneyland.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Well I think this is wonderful. they could have done nothing. I am really pleased they chose a youngling, not from California, with a big family. They will appreciate it so much more than someone from the OC or LA IMHO.
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 This doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth. I'm glad they chose a girl and her family. I have no problem with Disneyland doing it this way and preselecting people. Sure, I would love a chance to win something like that, but I'm sure I would not be excluded if they did choose me. I agree that this will take a big burden off of this family to take trips to the Disney parks. Admission for 10 people would be a big cost...and something they don't have to worry about anymore!
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 I just wonder what happens when they get to a park, like Tokyo Disneyland, and try to get in only to be hassled because of the unique admission media? I hope they never have any issues with getting in for the rest of their lives.
Originally Posted By Rivkah86 If they had another kid in the future, he/she will be out of a lifetime pass. What a bummer that would be... To have your whole family with lifetime passes, and you without one!
Originally Posted By imadisneygal If they're anything like the other lifetime pass winners they'll be issued a Silver Passport each year. It is possible that since they're receiving passports to worldwide resorts that it might include different versions of the Silver Pass, although I am sure they'll be able to figure it out pretty easily. The passports are renewed each year so it won't be one passport that will be good forever, but rather a passport that gets sent to them each year. Again, this is just what has happened in the past. I am not positive how they will do it this time.
Originally Posted By englishboy This does leave a bad taste in my mouth because it is presented under the terms of a random contest (well ANYONE could be the 2 gazillionth person) but it's handled as a marketing op. I'd be much happier if Disney estimate the number and said will it should be May 2, and it looks like it should be the 5,552th person in the park today. And whoever turned out to be the 5,552th person was the winner. That seems fair. The marketing people wandering around DTD looking for a family that will look good in photos as advertising kinda sucks. Oh, Dark Beer, two quick things: that original story from July 18, I believe, originally said Disney greets the first children to enter Disneyland. Only over time has the PR department changed it into the first guests. And those, at least as of last year, those little red tickets they receive only allow them entrance into the U.S. parks. That could've changed. I was surprised to see that the 2 billionth guest and family get a ticket into France, HK, and Tokyo.
Originally Posted By BrerOtter [If they had another kid in the future, he/she will be out of a lifetime pass. What a bummer that would be... To have your whole family with lifetime passes, and you without one!] They've got seven kids with one on the way (the one on the way IS included in the deal). I think admission for a future kid is the last thing they need to worry about.
Originally Posted By leemac <<I was surprised to see that the 2 billionth guest and family get a ticket into France, HK, and Tokyo.>> Why englishboy? Disney do effectively control both HKDLR and DLRP. FYI there is a Silver Pass equivalent that works at every single Disney park that would have been presented in this case. There is also a lovely Fastpass card that spews out unlimited FPs for five minutes after you put it into the machine. It is a very handy card to have.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer >>Oh, Dark Beer, two quick things: that original story from July 18, I believe, originally said Disney greets the first children to enter Disneyland. Only over time has the PR department changed it into the first guests. << Actual, David got the shaft on the morning of July 18th, only after the story made the news, did Disney decide to alos give him a lifetime pass.... <a href="http://www.disneymike.com/blog/archives/2005/05/first_disneylan.html" target="_blank">http://www.disneymike.com/blog /archives/2005/05/first_disneylan.html</a> >>And it's true that when Disneyland opened for the public on that hot, humid Monday (the 18th), Walt Disney posed with Michael Schwartner and Christine Vess, the first two children in line. But I had determined to make some history myself. Since I wasn't Walt's relative, or a special guest or party crasher on the 17th, or a youngster on the 18th (I was then a 22-year-old college student), I had only one option. Employing the hard work and initiative that Walt had admired in persons like Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln, I focused on being first in line on the 18th and putt-putted on my Simplex motorbike from my Long Beach home to Disneyland during the wee hours of that unforgettable Monday. Some time later I was notified that I had won a lifetime pass (good for any three persons and myself) - an annual card that I have received each year since 1955 which, in recent years, has also been good for other Disney parks including the ones in Florida and France.<< <a href="http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:LNLUE80WUNIJ:www.jimhillmedia.com/article_printer.php" target="_blank">http://72.14.207.104/search?q= cache:LNLUE80WUNIJ:www.jimhillmedia.com/article_printer.php</a>%3Fid%3D1448+David+MacPherson+disneyland&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=4 >>And if you're seriously into your Disneyland history, then you've obviously seen this photo before. Which was taken on July 18, 1955. The day that Disneyland first officially opened to the public. Here, Walt is seen welcoming Michael Schwartner & his cousin Christine Vess. Who -- the Disney history books will tell you -- were the very first guests to enter Disney's theme park. Well, truth be told, Michael & Christine weren't actually the first people waiting in line to enter Disneyland on that hot July morning. Prior to the start of the Anaheim theme park's ribbon cutting ceremony, members of the Disney Studio publicity staff began scouring the crowd, looking for two cute kids to appear in a photo op with Walt. Young Mr. Schwartner and Ms. Vess were eventually selected ... And that's how Michael & Christine wound up in this historic picture with Walt....... Ah, but MacPherson's perserverance did eventually pay off. Because Dave was in fact Disneyland's first really-for-real paying customer, company officials eventually decided to award him a lifetime pass to that theme park.<<
Originally Posted By englishboy Darkbeer, I did not know the ticket also worked for France. I stand corrected. It might also be that I saw an old version of that type of ticket, which listed only the US parks as valid. I believe--though am not positive--that the version I saw said that the pass was not good in France and Tokyo. The one posted says that the ticket is not good in Japan and Hong Kong. Either way, minor points. Let me pull some of the old LA times clippings. They have Walt posing with the first children to enter his park. I'm not disputing that this was definitely a media-oriented photo op, orchastrated by the PR people. Just that I don't think the deception was as full as it later became in the "official" history books. Actually I think all of these articles listed here prove the point I was trying to make: <a href="http://www.disneymike.com/blog/archives/2005/05/first_disneylan.html" target="_blank">http://www.disneymike.com/blog /archives/2005/05/first_disneylan.html</a> Specifically that the PR people at DL did not hide dave's ticket purchase. It showed up in a number of papers and was later aknolwedged by his VIP pass. It was only in later years that Disney rewrote the event entirely to make Michael & Christine the first "guests."
Originally Posted By imadisneygal So here's the deal on Emily Mason's Lifetime Passport for the one or two people who might be interested... It was issued today through Disneyland Ticket Services. She receives the same exact Silver Pass that is normally issued as this pass is valid in Paris, Hong Kong, and all U.S. Parks. There have been special arrangements made for her to contact the Resort should she wish to visit Tokyo. There is not a separate passport issued to her for Tokyo. Her pass is issued to her only and is valid for her entire family for a total of 10. Her family can use the Silver Passport for entry only if she is there as it is issued only to her. So there ya go...
Originally Posted By kolkemo We were in line when they were presented with the key, obviously a photo op situation, they may have been family number 1 in at the gate opening, because we went through the gate at 9:01 and the presentation was just starting with all the characters and such, especially since the monorail also had early morning riding for early entry to Fantasy land, any of those people could have been the 2 billionth. Anyway it was fun to see the hooplah while we were there. 2 1/2 more days in the park before we go home so I have to get out and start playing again.
Originally Posted By spaceace It is a real cheap thing for Disney to do by getting a family that is from out of town. How many trips will a family from CO. make?
Originally Posted By imadisneygal The Silver Pass costs the company nothing at all even when it's used the alloted 24 times per year. It has nothing to do with cheap. And now that they can come for free, they might make more trips.
