Year of a Million Dreams and Rock It Mountain Confirmed

[DATman]

During 'Year of a Million Dreams' Celebration Disney Cast Members to Award a Million Magical Dreams

From an Overnight Stay Inside Cinderella Castle to a Golden FASTPASS, Dreams Big and Small to Come True During a First-of-Its-Kind Celebration That Also Features New Attractions and Entertainment at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts

BURBANK, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 06/08/2006 -- From an overnight stay inside Cinderella Castle to a Golden FASTPASS, dreams big and small will come true at Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts during Disney's "Year of a Million Dreams," a first-of-its-kind celebration of the individual dreams of Disney Parks guests.

 

The year-long celebration, beginning Oct. 1, 2006, at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, will feature the debut of an incredible lineup of new attractions and entertainment at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts, plus new technologies that allow guests to customize their Disney park experience.

 

And, for the first time, during the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration, Disney cast members will award a million dreams -- both large and small, including many "money-can't-buy" experiences -- to guests selected through a random process as part of a unique "Disney Dreams Giveaway" promotion.

 

"Throughout this incredible celebration, special dreams and unique experiences once thought impossible will be awarded by our cast every day," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "Disney parks are always the place where dreams come true -- but even more so during the 'Year of a Million Dreams.'"

 

The "impossible" includes the creation of over-the-top, overnight experiences for winning guests at both East and West Coast resorts: a royal bedchamber inside Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort and a Mickey Mouse Penthouse at Disneyland Resort, both expected to be complete by January 2007.

 

A day of royal treatment will end with a night of enchantment inside Cinderella Castle for a different lucky guest each night. Cinderella's royal bedchamber, now under construction at Magic Kingdom, will allow Disney guests to stay overnight inside the park and enjoy a view shared only by Tinker Bell. The lavishly decorated bedroom will be located in a space originally planned as an in-park apartment for the use of the Disney family.

 

And for a lucky Disneyland guest, each night, the all-new Mickey Mouse Penthouse at Disneyland Hotel will pour on the Mickey charm and include magical views overlooking both Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure parks. The extraordinary penthouse will be decorated in all things Mickey, with finishing touches by none other than Minnie Mouse herself.

 

 

In addition, during the year-long celebration, other Disney dreams both large and small will be awarded in the "Disney Dreams Giveaway" promotion, such as:

 

-- Traveling to each Disney resort around the world to serve as

grand marshal in a Disney parade.

-- A variety of unique Disney vacation experiences.

-- Admission to special parties and other extraordinary experiences

in the Disneyland and Walt Disney World parks.

-- Private meetings with favorite Disney characters.

-- Or, a Golden FASTPASS ticket with unique access entitlements to

some of Disney's most popular attractions.

 

New Attractions and Entertainment Planned for the "Year of a Million Dreams"

Throughout the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration, Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts will debut major new attractions:

 

Disneyland Resort in California

 

-- Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage -- Inspired by Disney -- Pixar's

"Finding Nemo," this all-new E-ticket adventure will take guests

on a real (and unbelievable) underwater excursion.(Summer 2007)

-- Rockin' Space Mountain -- Space Mountain is getting a new twist.

Thanks to new lighting and technology, Disney's classic

attraction will become a new experience in which rockets will

rock it through the greatest concert in the universe. An all-

new soundtrack will fit the exciting twists and turns of Disney's rocket

classic.

(Spring 2007)

 

Walt Disney World Resort in Florida

-- "The Seas with Nemo & Friends" at Epcot -- Nemo is lost -- again

-- and guests aboard "clam-mobiles" join his friends to search

one of the world's largest saltwater aquariums for the playful

clownfish in a stunning display of new entertainment technology

inspired by Disney-Pixar's "Finding Nemo." (Late 2006)

-- "Finding Nemo-The Musical" at Disney's Animal Kingdom -- Also

inspired by Disney-Pixar's "Finding Nemo," the Great Barrier

Reef comes to colorful life in an all-new musical filled with

spectacular scenery, elaborate puppetry and music by a Tony-

Award-winning composer. (Late 2006)

-- The Laugh Floor Comedy Club at Magic Kingdom -- Guests find the

power of laughter in an engaging and interactive new adventure

inspired by Disney-Pixar's "Monsters, Inc." as they match wits

with the one-eyed hero Mike Wazowski and his friends. (Early

2007)

 

Additionally, special entertainment and programs will be in place at the parks and resorts to accommodate the desires and wishes of would-be Disney Princesses, pirates, adventurers and space explorers. Guests will be able to customize their visit to a Disney park to pursue the "Dream Track" of their choice with on-line planning tools and in-park technology to help them become the hero or princess they've always dreamed of being.

For more information about the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration and the "Disney Dreams Giveaway" promotion, visit www.mydisneyparks.com. Look for future announcements with the details of the "Disney Dreams Giveaway" promotion. No purchase necessary and subject to promotion official rules which will be available on Oct. 1, 2006. Odds of winning any prize will depend on the number of eligible entries. Void where prohibited.

 

[Note to Editors/ Not for Publication: For news media inquiries and photos regarding the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration, please visit Disney's media-only news sites -- www.wdwnews.com or www.disneylandnews.com -- or call Disneyland Public Relations at 714/781-4500 or Walt Disney World Public Relations at 407/566-6397.]

 

For an audio file about this story go to http://progressive.playstream.com/nbn/progressive/06_08_34933.zip or http://easylink.playstream.com/nbn/06_08_34933.wma.

 

For a video file of this story go to http://easylink.playstream.com/nbn/6_8_wdw_million.wmv

 

For a High-resolution images for this story go to http://www.disneyparkspress.com/dreams

 

From : http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=134359

 

This sounds like an awesome step on Disney's part. Plus, with the 50th ending a bit early for a Halloween event, this will be a great way to cap it off...

[USRoadTripper]

-- The Laugh Floor Comedy Club at Magic Kingdom -- Guests find the

power of laughter in an engaging and interactive new adventure

inspired by Disney-Pixar's "Monsters, Inc." as they match wits

with the one-eyed hero Mike Wazowski and his friends. (Early

2007)

 

I am so out of the loop! What is this and where is it going?? Is this replacing the Woody's Roundup thing in the Diamond Horseshoe? Or is this a ride? Can't believe I didn't hear about this!

 

-Julie

[DATman]

It's replacing Carousel of Progress (I think). I know it's going into Tomorrowland.

 

 

2007 is officially the year of the Nemo. There are 3 Nemo rides (Paris, Dl, WDW), and one musical....

[RCTfan]

The Laughing Floor is replacing the Timekeeper.

 

This sounds all quite interesting. I can't wait for it to begin and hear more details!

[Slacking]

I sure hope its explained why Monsters Inc. characters are situated inside of Tomorrowland. Makes no sense to me.

 

Oh Well, at least they're doing something to the Timekeeper space which went wasted throughout most of the year.

[pvcoasterguy]

Ooh... golden fastpass. Sounds nice.

 

What a great idea on Disney's part. They'll get great publicity from this, and it's a really nice thing to do for the guests.

[Spookbaby]

"Ummmm... hello *waves* Yeah, hi.... A FREAKIN' SUITE IN CINDERELLA'S CASTLE!?!?" Clearly, clearly... there is a god. That and it's about damn time they did something with that castle!

[arrowfanman]

^ The suite has always been there. It was initially designed for Walt Disney. I guess since he never stayed there, then its ok to put guests there, because if they dared to put guests in the Firehouse Apartment at Disneyland, your going to have Disney-fan-suicide bombers in protest.

 

 

Anyway, I really hope that they clean up Rockit Mountain if they're going to officially use it. Strickly from an operations standpoint, I'm now against the idea as it will take 30 minutes to do the switchover!

 

Think about it...they will have to end the FastPasses early, shut off the standby line early, cycle the line out, close the ride, take 30 minutes to switch over from Space to Rockit, and then reopen it for a mere few hours.

 

-Jahan

[nitral]

urgh...i don't wanna wait until October!

[Eunuch Provocateur]

"Ummmm... hello *waves* Yeah, hi.... A FREAKIN' SUITE IN CINDERELLA'S CASTLE!?!?" Clearly, clearly... there is a god. That and it's about damn time they did something with that castle!

 

Hi. I was thinking the whole, "Grand Marshall around the world" thing beat the hell out of that. That is, of course, if it means going for free to every disney park. Holy. Poop. That's ultimate.

[UberBeavis]

I want a private meeting with those hot Disney princesses

[USCoaster]

Anyway, I really hope that they clean up Rockit Mountain if they're going to officially use it. Strickly from an operations standpoint, I'm now against the idea as it will take 30 minutes to do the switchover!

 

Think about it...they will have to end the FastPasses early, shut off the standby line early, cycle the line out, close the ride, take 30 minutes to switch over from Space to Rockit, and then reopen it for a mere few hours.

 

I think they need to rethink the whole switching over process. I assume the new computer system was designed to run both without causing problems and the shut down is more a way of keeping the effects from switching while people are riding. If they can just switch the light/music programs with the touch of a button, they should start doing "pre-concert hype" type announcements for the hour before the switch. Have each one state the amount of time before left so guests aren't too shocked when it does happen. The could even take it outside the mountain and make it a Tomorrowland countdown with lighting effects and maybe some random pyrotechnics around the mountain.

 

As for the riders inside the mountain, I assume the soundtrack is started when the train leave the station. (Does it sync with sensors on the ride, or just play through under the assumption that unless the ride stops, it should always take the same amount of time? Anyone know for sure?) If thats the case, let the riders in the mountain at program switch continue with the original soundtrack but start turning on some of the Rock-it effects.

 

In the end, if it makes visitors mad, it will only affect the 5 or 6 cars on the ride at the time instead of the masses of people waiting through "scheduled techincal difficulties."

[Jew]

"Space Mountain will become RockIt Mountain at (insert time here)."

 

Problem solved...at least that problem. The poor CM's who close at Space probably won't be going home till 2AM on a nighly basis!

 

I'm willing to bet that when RockIt Mountain does open, guest surveys will show a small % of guests that didn't know/care they were riding a different ride, an even smaller % of guests upset they didn't get to experience the normal space mountain (and the park won't have a problem giving those guests a few free exit passes to keep them happy), but the majority of the guests will know exactly what they just rode because the marketing department will make sure they know exactly what RockIt Mountain is.

 

Oh, and just so everyone is clear: the RockIt Mountain being used at Grad Nite is NOT the final product, nor was it ever intended to be the final product. They basically got caught with their pants down having advertised RockIt Mountain being ready for grad nite before they decided to delay its opening. So WDI just threw something together to Grad Nite because they had to.

 

-Joey "I made a serious post and Elissa isn't even here to see it" Mandel

[DATman]

^It's ok, she's here in spirit.

 

 

What could be done is they could shut the lights off for like 10 sec, and when they come back up, the Rock effects would be up, they could announce that there were some difficulties, but everythings back, there's just a tiny glitch....The cars in the Mountain could finish with their soundtrack (this would clash a little bit, but not too much. also, the effects could start small, and by the time the last Space car finishes, be fully up), and the tracks could switch for the next train out of the station.

[USCoaster]

After my previous post, I started thinking about the wording in the press release...

 

-- Rockin' Space Mountain -- Space Mountain is getting a new twist.

Thanks to new lighting and technology, Disney's classic

attraction will become a new experience in which rockets will

rock it through the greatest concert in the universe. An all-

new soundtrack will fit the exciting twists and turns of Disney's rocket

classic.

 

From the way it is worded, it sounds more like a full time ride instead of a new experience at night like Rock-it Mountain was always rumored to be. (Was Rock-it Mountain ever confirmed in any of the pre-50th press releases?)

[socalMAN123]

Ah this is dissapointing. Well, with the review that Jahan gave it, I'm kinda glad that they're not opening it to the public until next year. Sure, I'm dissapointed, but whatever makes the ride better.

---Brent

[obeygiant]

I'm just pissed off that Disneyland is getting all the good stuff and we're left with a like 2 new Finding Nemo things that aren't even interesting....But the Golden Fastpasses and spending the night in the Cinderella Castle sounds cool.

[Wes]

^ Oh please. WDW constantly gets all the good stuff (Everest, Soarin, Mission Space). Disneyland is the red headed step child in comparison.

[ahecht]

I don't understand why there is such concern about chainging over to the new effects while riders are in the mountain. It takes 2 minutes and 49 seconds to cycle all the cars through the mountain, so stop the line for the three minutes it takes to seemlessly change over the music and the effects. That's a far cry from the 30 minutes they were talking about.

[Jew]

^I think the issue is what to do with the line and fastpasses. Does Disney want to cycle the ride out/stop fastpasses for regular Space Mountain every night, or will they just post signs saying "Space Mountain will become RockIt Mountain at..."?

 

It could also take a 1/2 hour depending on how they set it up. I would hope they would make it easier, but since we don't know for sure, theoretically the effects could have to be turned on manually (which of course would make it take a lot longer).

[UberBeavis]

From the wording of the press release, and a few other things I've heard, this isn't going to be a nighttime only experience...

[eyeless]

So im confused on the whole Rock it Mountain thing... does that mean there will be no more space mount 2.0? Or are they going to change it in and out, i have heard several different versions I don't want them to get rid of Space mountain!!!

[Hattuchili]

Disney Parks - Where Dreams Come True

The Year Of The Million Dreams

 

Hey guys,

I am not sure if someone posted it so far, but in a few days Disney is starting the new campaign "Where dreams come true" and Walt Disney World is also starting "The year of a million dreams"!

What do you think about it?

 

Here is the new Disney site: My Disney Parks

 

--Sören

[Schmoofy]

I think it's just a gimic to get people to come to the parks, but so was the 50th anniversary of DLR. It's dragging me in though, because last time we went to Disney, some CM told us that CMs around the parks are going to make dreams come true, pretty much any dream or something. I'm going to say my dream is to ride Space Mountain with the lights on

[pvcoasterguy]

I think it's a pretty silly idea, and it will never be able to work out as planned. Due to disputes with lawyers that say the CM's will be discriminatory in giving out prizes, the whole "gift-giving" idea has been abolished, and it will be a very mechanical process, in which the computer tells the CM's exactly when and where a prize is to be given out.

 

It was a good concept, but a concept that wasn't possible to execute realistically.