Disney's Rhetorical Question - What will you Celebrate?

[Sheribo]

Why would Disney call it's new promotion 'What will you celebrate?' but then tell us that it has to be a birthday? I'm starting to wonder if this is their way of cutting back since only a small percentage of people will actually be able to take advantage of the offer. It's really a matter of coincidence and convenience if a birthday falls into your window of travel.

We may be able to arrange something around one of our birthdays but it certainly isn't incentive enough to plan our travel during the heat of July.

 

[Goof-abulous]

I so totally agree. It is rather sad that the imagineers couldn't come up with something more clever....

 

[inkkognito]

Yep, I think it's a great promotion to put more money into Disney's pocket (i.e. marketing and selling a variety of celebratory packages and experiences). The only freebies are the birthday options, and only on your b-day. This is going to make them a lot more money than it's going to cost. I'm lucky that I'm a local so I can run to the parks to demand my gift card or birthday FP!

I wasn't all that fond of YoaMD to begin with, but it kinda grew on me over the years. I'll miss it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of things to celebrate (Spring; a great deal on a Coach bag; graduation; a troop returning from overseas; an engagement; Evacuation Day - heck, putting together the three calendars I've got, I bet I can find a holiday to celebrate EVERY day; the birth of a grandchild.... ). Many, many, many, MANY different potential celebrations.

But the only FAIR one for which to offer the bonus Disney is offering is, well, the birthday. Every human being has one - and only one - in any given calendar year (people born February 29th will be able to choose to celebrate either the 28th or March 1st - just as they do in real life).

You can go to Disney at any time that works for your schedule and celebrate anything you want - including, heck, the trip itself. But the promotion? Yes, the only FAIR way to administer it is to use criteria that applies to everyone - and that is the birthday.

 

[cdrn1]

Doesn't matter to me what they promote...as long as I get good discounts when I want to go. The 4/3 is getting me a visit to the Poly when I had planned on POFQ originally. That works for me. I went 4 or 5 times during the current promo and never saw the dream squad once!

 

[khertz]

Well, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of things to celebrate (Spring; a great deal on a Coach bag; graduation; a troop returning from overseas; an engagement; Evacuation Day - heck, putting together the three calendars I've got, I bet I can find a holiday to celebrate EVERY day; the birth of a grandchild.... ). Many, many, many, MANY different potential celebrations.

But the only FAIR one for which to offer the bonus Disney is offering is, well, the birthday. Every human being has one - and only one - in any given calendar year (people born February 29th will be able to choose to celebrate either the 28th or March 1st - just as they do in real life).

You can go to Disney at any time that works for your schedule and celebrate anything you want - including, heck, the trip itself. But the promotion? Yes, the only FAIR way to administer it is to use criteria that applies to everyone - and that is the birthday.

I totally agree. Birthdays are the only thing everyone in the world has in common with each other. Saying "birthdays and anniversaries" would eliminate many people from having TWO free celebrations, and so on with all of the other celebrations that exist. I don't think they are trying to rip anyone off, but simply to be as fair as they can to everyone who will visit their parks next year.

 

[tiggertabi]

yes this whole thing has annoyed me, because none of us have birthdays that are times of the year that we could come. (well technically mine would be okay - because it's in August - but you can't pay me enough to visit Florida in August.)

People who have birthday in off-peak seasons are best off!

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

yes this whole thing has annoyed me, because none of us have birthdays that are times of the year that we could come. (well technically mine would be okay - because it's in August - but you can't pay me enough to visit Florida in August.)

It's unfortunate that you have decided not to come to the parks on your birthday -- but that's your choice.

 

[Matt71]

It's simply a bad promotion IMO. Of course they can't give discounts to people for "anything" they happen to be celebrating, but clearly the catch phrase of the promotion is far broader than the actual promotion itself and thus misleading.

It's like they're saying only birthdays are important.

Not to mention that it isn't much of a deal unless you go by yourself or for a very short trip. What's 1 free day at Disney cost anyway? $65?

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

It's simply a bad promotion IMO.

Now, see... this baffles me.

I'm stunned that Disney can offer Free Admission for one day to every man, woman, and child in the world... and folks will wring their hands, gnash their teeth, and froth at the mouth about what a horrible, worthless thing Disney is doing.

I suppose there really is no pleasing some folks.

 

[Hook's Girl]

Now, see... this baffles me.

I'm stunned that Disney can offer Free Admission for one day to every man, woman, and child in the world... and folks will wring their hands, gnash their teeth, and froth at the mouth about what a horrible, worthless thing Disney is doing.

I suppose there really is no pleasing some folks.

Amen, thank you for saying that.

 

[kaytieeldr]

It's simply a bad promotion IMO. Of course they can't give discounts to people for "anything" they happen to be celebrating, but clearly the catch phrase of the promotion is far broader than the actual promotion itself and thus misleading.

No. It's not.

"What Will YOU Celebrate (in 2009)?"

Disney knows everybody may or will or can celebrate a variety of things (more: ALL the Boston teams win their respective championships in this one calendar year; my right leg miraculously grows to be the same length as my left leg; Governors Paterson and Blogojevich select qualified persons to fill the vacant Senate seats in their respective seats; I learn how to spell Governor Rod's last name while he's stilll in office; this pesky worst-cold-in-the-history-of-the-universe runs its course; Target puts the microwave oven I want on sale for less than $75; I find the asbolute perfect purse for my brother's GF...)

As PART of this promotion, to be as fair as possible to all human beings, Disney has chosen to offer a bonus to Guests who preregister and who visit one of the U.S. theme parks ON their respective birthdays.

They're offering a number of other celebratory options - the difference is, Guests who choose to take advantage of those are required to pay for them.

 

[kaytieeldr]

It's like they're saying only birthdays are important.

Not to mention that it isn't much of a deal unless you go by yourself or for a very short trip. What's 1 free day at Disney cost anyway? $65?

No. It's not "like" they're saying anything. It's THAT they're saying they've made an executive decision that since having a birthday (the anniversary of the date of one's birth) is the only celebration absolutely shared by every human being in the world, using the birthday as the criteria for the free gift is absolutely the only FAIR and REASONABLE method.

And, at the moment a park admission day is worth $75 for an adult (10+) and $65 for a child (3-9) - so probably the naysayers will be back in August after the standard annual ticket price increase, complaining that people born between then and the end of the year are getting greater value.

 

[kaytieeldr]

.

 

[aceys_h0ney]

I will admit I was a little bummed that we cannot travel on anyone's bday but that isn't Disney's fault. I think it is very generous to offer a free day to everyone in the world. Disney doesn't owe me anything for coming to their parks, so I don't expect them to pay for any part of my visit. The 4/3 promotion was awesome but we were going to travel next year there anyway regardless of discount.

 

[bouncycat]

Well, if they let people in for free for ANY celebrations, they wouldn't have ANYONE paying!! Cause you know people will make up crap to say, oh, I'm celebrating this, or that when they have no PROOF!!! Birthdays and anniversaries are the only real promotions that have PROOF, and Disney has decided on birthdays. We should be grateful that they're doing anything at all!! Before a theme was a poorly decorated castle, or a special parade...Disney is a business, and they're using this marketing to get people in the parks that normally wouldn't go. I'm going on my birthday in 19 days, and I usually don't go around then because it's MKL weekend, but I'm also lucky enough to be local, and can go at the drop of a hat. But that's not really the point, the point is if you say you're "celebrating" something, you'll PROBABLY get a button, but you'll be there anyways to celebrate graduation, or the first tooth, or whatever you'll be celebrating, and have fun. I'm sure the cast memebers will see the button, and say "happy...." or congratulations. So it's not all bad, just those who aren't, or can't use it think so. I hope next year they go back to the no freebies, since people with yoamd have had this sense of entitlement...the same thing with the birthdays, they have that sense of entitlement. Guess what, I went problably a hundred times during yoamd, and didn't get squat!! BUT, I didn't let it ruin my time, and that's what people will remember. But, if you still think it sucks, don't go, more room in the parks and less lines. Just MHO

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, if they let people in for free for ANY celebrations, they wouldn't have ANYONE paying!! Cause you know people will make up crap to say, oh, I'm celebrating this, or that when they have no PROOF!!!

Absolutely! I was serious above - I have one calendar (from Oriental Trading) and two websites, each with "unique" holidays. Now, I haven't compared them yet - but I bet if I put the three together, then threw in local holidays (such as Suffolk County in Massachusetts celebrating Evacuation Day)... and then of course in 2009 there's Inauguration Day in case there's no other celebration 1/20/09; and we could 'celebrate' the various Inauguration Balls on their respective occurence days; and the SAG Awards, and the Golden Globes, and Mickey's birthday, and Walt's, and Max's.... we really COULD come up with something to celebrate every day.

 

[CanadianGuy]

I've been very fortunate to be able to celebrate my last three birthdays at WDW and 2009 will be the fourth.

Of course my thinking is more evil - I simply get out of town for my birthday and then people tend to forget that :

a) specific date of my birthday
b) I had one at all ...



As a side note to the points above, I work in promotions and marketing for radio stations. We get a calendar for each month with all the various things for each day that month... "Recycle Your Trash" day, "Blondes Have More Fun Day" ... all officially recognized in some fashion or another. Some of them are quite funny, like "National SPAM for LUNCH Day"...

Knox

 

[bouncycat]

Canadianguy, we have a newsletter that comes out each month with stuff like that on it...it's funny, stuff like National be a grouch day comes out and stuff like that, just crazy! But, that's the reason why Disney put the free day on the birthday, everyone has one!! Not everyone is married, so even tho you celebrate anniversaries, and have PROOF it's your anniversary, Disney wanted to create an EQUAL way of giving everyone the same opportunity. It's whether or not you can take advantage, and the ones who are not liking the promo are the ones who can't take advantage. Anyways, find SOMETHING to celebrate, even if it's NOT your birthday, and be grateful you can GO to disney, most people can't!!!

 

[sandym718]

We'll be leaving Disney just 6 days before DS's birthday -trip planned well before the promotion was released. Can't change it, so it's a bit of a bummer, but what can you do? Maybe it would be nice if they offered it within the week of your birthday or something, but that would cost them more, so I understand it.