Back when he was actually funny, Woody Allen used to do this great little throwaway bit in his stand-up act. If I’m remembering correctly, the gag went something like:
“My parents used to tell me that — if I was ever approached by a strange man in a fast car who was offering me candy — that I should go with him.”
Not the sort of advice that you’d expect, is it? Well, here’s another piece of advice that may seem a little strange:
The next time you’re at a Disney theme park and a cast member in a plaid vest – clutching a clipboard and/or a Palm Pilot – approaches you, don’t automatically brush them off and/or say that you’re far too busy to answer their questions right now.
Why would I say something like that? Personal experience, my friends. You see, I have learned more amazing things about the Walt Disney Company all because I said “Sure” when some cast member asked “Do you have a few moments to spare so that I could ask you a couple of questions?”
Case in point: It’s the summer of 1993. Jeff Lange, Michelle and I have just entered the Magic Kingdom. We’ve stopped in Town Square for just a second or two to form a battle plan for the day, when someone from WDW Guest Services suddenly appears at my elbow. Clipboard in hand, she asks how our day is going and then drops the bombshell: “I was wondering: Would any of you folks have a half hour or so to spare? The reason I ask that we’re looking to recruit a few guests so that we can get their reactions to our plans for a fourth Disney World theme park.”
Yep. You heard right, folks. We were being asked — way back in 1993 — if we’d like to preview Disney’s plans for a fourth WDW theme park. A full two years before the Walt Disney Company would officially unveil its plans for “Disney’s Wild Animal Kingdom.” We were — of course — struck dumb for a moment. But then Michelle (or was it Jeff?) said “Yes.” Which is how we ended up following this cast member in the post-show area of the “Walt Disney Story” theater.
This young lady pulls open one of the exit doors to the theater, then ushers the three of us inside. She offers us sodas and then hands out survey forms and pencils. After a brief introduction, (I recall her saying something along the lines of “This is but one of the many ideas that the Walt Disney Company currently has in development for its Central Florida Resort”), the young lady signals to someone in the projectionist booth. The house lights dim and then …
Well … how to describe it? Here was WDW’s 4th theme park just as the project’s lead designer Joe Rohde and his team of Imagineers had originally envisioned the place. “Disney’s Wild Animal Kingdom” at full build-out. Before Disney’s accountants had cut the park down to size, shrinking the epic scale of the place.
Here was Dinoland U.S.A. with its enormous “Excavator” roller coaster serving as a towering backdrop for this entire side of the park. And here was “Beastly Kingdom” in all its glory. With three, count ’em, three (“Dragon’s Tower,” “Quest for the Unicorn” and “Fantasia Gardens”) killer attractions already in place to entertain guests on opening day.
This video presentation walked Jeff, Michelle and I through the entire park. Touching on each ride, show and attraction that the Imagineers hoped to get built in the place. All of them represented by these colorful watercolor paintings and/or pastel drawings of each proposed addition to the park.
Finally, the house lights came up. And — almost immediately — our hostess was upon us, firing questions at us. EX: “If Disney actually were to build this theme park, how likely would you be to visit the place? Did Wild Animal Kingdom seem like a place where you’d spend a half a day exploring? A whole day exploring? How about two days out of your Disney World vacation?”
Me personally? I was more intrigued by the questions on the survey that I was supposed to respond to. As in: “If Disney’s Wild Animal Kingdom were open today, would that make you more or less likely to visit Universal Studios? Sea World Orlando? Busch Gardens Tampa Bay?” Clearly, even before the Mouse authorized construction of Animal Kingdom, the corporation was already very concerned about the possible impact this particular theme park’s opening might have on Disney’s Central Florida rivals.
Jeff, Michelle and I were even quizzed about whether or not we found “Disney’s Wild Animal Kingdom” to be a good name for WDW’s next theme park. If I remember correctly, our other choices included “Disney’s Terratorium” as well as the name that the park eventually ended up with: “Disney’s Animal Kingdom.”
All in all, it was one of the more memorable days that I had ever spent at a Disney theme park. To get a look at a brand new Disney theme park almost five years before the place would actually open to the public was just dazzling. And it all happened because the three of us didn’t automatically brush off some Disney cast member who was clutching a clipboard.
In the years that have followed, whenever I’m approached by someone at a Disney theme park with a clipboard and/or a Palm Pilot, I automatically say “Yes.” Sometimes I even say “Yes” even before they’ve managed to get their question out.
But — because I always making a point of saying “Yes” — I’ve gotten to see other cool things years ahead of the rest of the world. Truly fun stuff like “GM Test Track.” (That survey session was particularly profitable. For me, anyway. Not only was I given the skinny on this Future World attraction a full four years before this cutting edge thrill ride opened to the public, but I was also given $40 in Disney dollars to compensate for my time and trouble).
I’ve also gotten to learn about weird little projects that the Walt Disney Company never actually got off the ground (things like the special 25th anniversary annual passport that the Walt Disney World Resort was thinking about offering from October 1, 1996 through December 31, 1997. For a single one-time fee of only $2500, guests would have gotten an annual passport that would have been good for admission at all three of the WDW theme parks for the next 25 years. This pass would automatically also have been good for admission to any other theme parks that the Walt Disney Company might have built at its Central Florida Resort by 2021/2022. Plus the Mouse would have also tossed in a special WDW 25th anniversary commemorative watch. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, doesn’t it? It’s just too bad that Disney eventually decided not to go forward with this particular 25th anniversary item).
Of course, there are the Q & A sessions that I wish that I had been able to get into. EX: The ones that were held at Disneyland’s “Country Bear Playhouse” back in the early 1990s. Where guests were shown the concept reel for Westcot Center, then quizzed about whether or not they’d like to take part in the “Live the Dream” stay-inside-the-theme-park program. Or more recently, those marketing sessions that were held up in the Boston area. Where folks were recruited to try out the beta test version of the “Destination Disney” website. To find out what they thought about the site’s features, whether they thought “Destination Disney” was easy to use, which colors they preferred, etc.
This is why I always say: Don’t dodge a cast member at a Disney theme park just because they’re clutching a clipboard and/or packing a Palm Pilot. Sure, sometime the questions that you get asked may seem really dumb (“What’s your zip code? What type of admissions media did you use to get into the park today? Are you staying at one of our resorts?”). But every so often, you can still hit the jackpot.
And the key to winning that jackpot (to quote from a great old Kander & Ebb song from their charming but often overlooked musical comedy, “70, Girls, 70”) is to say “Yes.”
“Life keeps happening every day, But you’ll never win if you never play, Say yes …”
Good advice for whenever you’re wandering around a Disney theme park. Ever better advice for life in general. Keep that in mind as we all gracefully slide into 2003 …
Your thoughts?