Andy H. writes in to say:
“So what’s the deal with the Walt Disney Family Museum? I
read somewhere on the Web that tickets are supposed to go on sale August 1st
and that the museum itself is supposed to open on October 1st. But beyond that, there isn’t a whole lot of
info out there.“Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved
Which is true. In spite of that round of interviews and
museum walk-thrus that Diane Disney Miller, Walter E. Disney Miller &
executive director Richard Benefield gave the press last month of this
$110-million facility – there really isn’t a whole lot of concrete information
out there in regards to hours, admission prices, etc.
Which is why it’s nice that JHM alumni Roger Colton &
Leo Holzer have decided to set up a Friends of the Walt Disney Museum page over
on Facebook. Which – if you’re looking to plan a trip to this state-of-the-art
facility – is the only place on the Web (right now, anyway) where you can find detailed information about the Museum’s hours of operation, admission
prices et al.
And based on what Roger and Leo have been able to pull
together so far, the Walt Disney Family Museum will be taking a theme-park-like
approach to the way it handles its visitors. To explain: Only 240 entries will
be allowed each hour, with 60 new visitors being pulsed into the place every 15
minutes.
Copyright Rockwell / Disney. All Rights Reserved
As for the facility’s hours of operation, The Walt Disney
Family Museum will be open daily, except on Tuesdays and major holidays, from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. With the last admission of the day being sold at 4:45 p.m.
And when it comes to ticket prices … Well, that’s where The
Walt Disney Family Museum gets kind of interesting. Adults will be charged $20
per person, students with ID and seniors 65 and old will pay $15, while
children 6 – 17 will be charged $12.50 per ticket.
Now if you’re planning on making multiple trips to this new
Presidio facility, Colton & Holzer suggest that you may want to look into a
membership at The Walt Disney Family Museum. Which cost $75 for an individual
membership, $125 for a dual membership, $175 for a family membership (with a
family being defined as a group of four) as well as $55 for a student and/or
senior membership.
Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved
As for the perks that come with a membership to The Walt
Disney Family Museum, you can expect to get a 10% discount on all merchandise purchased
at the museum store, a quarterly newsletter, a membership card as well as
additional discounts on any public & educational programs that the Disney
Family Museum presents.
Mind you, if you’re in the mood to splurge, you may want to
consider purchasing a Founding Membership in The Walt Disney Family Museum.
Which – in addition to getting you an extra 5% off on all purchases at the
museum store – will also get you a total of 20 free admissions to the facility
for your Guests. Not to mention a numbered certificate that will be signed by Diane
Disney Miller and Richard Benefield, an autographed copy of a
soon-to-be-published Disney-related book, as well as a collectible membership
card & pin. And did I mention that – as a Founding Member – you’ll also
receive invitations to select events, concerts and openings at this facility?
Of course, you’re going to have to pay for that level of
perks. A Founding membership at The Walt Disney Family Museum costs $500 per
person. But the upside is that $425 of that contribution is tax deductible.
Diane Disney Miller stands outside of this new Presidio showplace. Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved
You see? This is the sort of info that Roger & Leo have
been able to ferret out so far. Stuff that The Walt Disney Family Museum hasn’t
yet made readily available to the public. Which is why – if you really want to
stay on top of what’s going on with this state-of-the-art facility – you should
probably make a point of signing up for their Friends of The Walt Disney Family
Museum page over on Facebook.
Don’t worry, though. I’m sure that the folks who are charge of The
Walt Disney Family Museum – once they finishing courting old-school media outlets with the hopes of
generating a few more promo pieces for their new facility – will then turn
their attention to the Web. Which is kind of ironic. Given that – in order to
restrict the number of Guests who’ll be able to visit this facility
each day – the Disney Family Museum plans on selling most of its tickets through
the Internet. With visitors then booking specific times when they’ll be allowed to come tour this state-of-the-art museum.
But – again – I’m sure, as we get closer to August 1st
(i.e. the day that tickets to The Walt Disney Family Museum first go on sale)
and October 1st (i.e. when this Presidio showplace officially opens to the public),
this sort of information will start filtering out through more official
sources. Be it The Walt Disney Family Museum itself and/or D23 (Which is still
planning on holding an exclusive preview event at this facility for its members
sometime in September).
The Walt Disney Family Museum is located at 104 Montgomery Street
But until that happens, if you really want to stay on top of
what’s going on with The Walt Disney Family Museum, I’d suggest that you sign
up for that Friends of The Walt Disney Family Museum page over on Facebook.
Your thoughts?