Backstage Pass – Winter 2008
Yesterday, I got the Winter edition of the Backstage Pass Annual Passholder newsletter, & I took the time to scan the newsletter in for you guys today. For bigger versions of the images bellow, just click on them:
Disney Settles Suit With Woman Who Fell From Tram
According to the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:
A Northern California woman who suffered serious head injuries when she fell out of a moving Disneyland tram two years ago has reached a settlement in a lawsuit against the entertainment giant, Walt Disney Co. officials confirmed Wednesday.
Details of the settlement, including the amount of money paid to Zhao, were not released. The agreement came just as a jury trial was finishing in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Qi Zhao, 48, was riding in the Disney tram outside the park with two sisters and a niece in February 2007.
Zhao and her family had spent about 10 hours inside the park and were headed on the tram to their car in a parking lot about 10 p.m., Disney officials said.
Zhao said that as the tram entered a turnaround, one of her sisters – who was apparently sleeping – fell from the tram, prompting Zhao and another sister to react suddenly and also fall out of the tram.
One sister suffered minor injuries. Zhao hit her head on the pavement and suffered serious head trauma, including a fractured skull. It left her in a coma for three weeks and in need of around-the-clock medical supervision, according to the complaint.
She filed her lawsuit later that year, alleging that the tram was moving too fast.
Zhao and her husband were born in China, but were living in Northern California when they visited Disneyland. Zhao is now being cared for in Beijing.
Attorneys for Disney said the tram was moving at a safe speed and that a device attached to the trams limits the top speed to 11 mph. As it entered the turnaround, it was traveling the customary 5 to 7 mph, they said.
Of the 200 guests on the tram, only Zhao and her sisters fell out of the tram.
“This lawsuit stems from a highly unusual and tragic incident,” said Sara Jones, a Disney spokeswoman.
“This incident was caused by the plaintiff and her sisters’ multiple failures to comply with Disneyland’s numerous and repeated safety warnings,” she added.
Attorneys for Zhao could not be reached for comment.
The settlement came just as attorneys had begun their closing arguments in the jury trial. The judge informed jurors of the resolution and dismissed them. Zhao’s two sisters had earlier settled their claims against Disney.
Perfect Photo Opportunity!
According to D23:
Disney’s PhotoPass cards for Summer Nightastic! are available now. Check out the back of the cards to find out how guests can receive a $10 discount on a Disney’s PhotoCD online or free shipping on the PhotoCD.
“Here Come The Muppets” to Your Community
We told you our previous post that The Muppets would be featured in the national marketing campaign for the 2010 “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” promotion, so here are two of the commercials featuring Kermit and the gang you’ll be seeing on your television real soon:
Disney’s Free Birthday Tickets Draw Millions
According to the OC Register’s Around Disney blog:
More than 3 million people have signed up for Disney’s free-on-your-birthday deal, but only about 30 percent of the registrants actually have gone to a theme park to celebrate so far.
This year, Disney is allowing guests to get free admission to a park on their birthdays. Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, discussed the popularity of the free birthday tickets as part of a conference call Tuesday about next year’s theme-park promotion: Volunteer for a day and get into a theme park for free.
Guests have taken advantage of the birthday program more heavily at the Disneyland Resort, compared to Walt Disney World in Florida, because the Anaheim parks have a larger, local clientele, Rasulo said.
The birthday promotion has helped drive up attendance at the two Anaheim parks — Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure.
Disneyland Resort attendance jumped 10 percent in the most recent quarter ending in June compared to the same period the previous year, despite the lagging economy, according to Disney’s financial statements.
“Certainly, I think that a program that inspires people and is relevant always impacts our attendance,” Rasulo said.
The free birthday tickets are part of the “Celebrate!” theme underway at Disneyland, including decorations and a parade.
Rasulo said he was unsure how many more people are projected to take advantage of the birthday perk the rest of this year.
In this tough economy, Rasulo said that Disney has offered more promotions to help keep up volume. Walt Disney World has even more deals, such as extended free dining packages. He said he was unsure how the company would balance the promotions from here on out.
“Clearly this past year, with the state of the economy, we know where families are. We know the situation they are facing. And clearly, we responded with promotional programs,” Rasulo said.
Going to the Disney Parks? There’s an App for That
The Disney Parks Blog has unveiled the first official information on the long awaited phone applications that Verizon customers will soon be able to purchase, making it easy to conquer lines for attractions, meet and greets, and much more:
Earlier this year, we announced our first official Disney Parks mobile application – Mobile Magic. Now, we’re sharing details and screen shots.
You’ll recall that Mobile Magic is bringing attraction wait times, FASTPASS return times, extensive information on character locations and more for Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks to your Verizon Wireless phone. Development work has been ongoing but the team recently offered a walkthrough of the app and it’s looking great.
Attraction wait times on your Verizon Wireless device will be unique. There’s been an investment in the backend infrastructure to support Mobile Magic and offer actual wait times based directly on Disney Parks information.
As for FASTPASS, you’ll be able to check if it’s still available for specific attractions. And if FASTPASS is available, the app will deliver information about the next return time. So, if you can still get a FASTPASS, the application will show, for example: FP: 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Also, mobile maps are GPS-enabled. While wandering the parks, your location will be indicated by a white circle. Then it’s simple to scroll through content and find it on the map via a “getting there” option. The map zooms out and allows you to see your location and exactly where the character greeting or restaurant can be located.
It’s important to note that actual wait times, FASTPASS return times and detailed character appearances are only available in the park you are in. When you’re out of the park or on the soon-to-be-launched mobile Web site, you’ll see scaled-down wait time descriptions (now – moderate – high demand) FASTPASS availability (yes – limited availability – not available) and the list of character appearances will be limited.
If you are not a Verizon Wireless subscriber, you can still use your mobile phone to access select information via text and on the Disney Parks Mobile Web site. It’s just better from our friends at Verizon Wireless.
There’s more to this offering but we wanted to share these screen grabs and let you know that the app is coming soon. So, how’s it looking?
Of course, there are some official details you should know about: The downloadable Mobile Magic application for Verizon Wireless subscribers is available for purchase. Message and data rates also may apply. Coverage not available everywhere. Availability subject to handset limitations. If you’re under 18, get your parent’s permission first.
New Living Character “Meet and Greets” Being Tested
Living Character technology is always growing by leaps and bounds, the latest advancement is already being tested at Disneyland. Meet and Greets may never be the same:
WDWNT Network’s “As The Globe Turns” 8/29-9/4/10
Over the last few years, we have tried to develop and maintain some sort of a weekly recap for everything going on around the WDWNT Network. We’re hoping that this new weekly feature called “As The Globe Turns” fills that gap. Every week, we will review all the topics of interest and new programming provided by the entire WDWNT Network, just in case you missed something. Without any further ado, here is the premiere edition of “As The Globe Turns” for August 29-September 4, 2010:
News from Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida (Provided by WDW News Today)
–Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom debuts on-ride audio
–New Original Character Leaked for “Star Tours: The Adventures Continue”
News from Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California (Provided by Disneyland News Today)
–Dragon in Fantasmic! Out of Commission Once Again
–DLNT Reporter Michael Wada Brings Us Updates on the Red Car Trolly and More
–TRON inspired attraction coming to California Adventure This Fall
News on Disney Trading (Provided by The Disney Pincast and The Vinylmation Station)
–2011 Trading Events at the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort
–Vinylmation International Flag Series Announced
–Vinylmation Celebration Series Announced
–Previews from Multiple Upcoming Vinylmation Series
WDWNT Network Podcasts
-The WDW News Today Podcast Episode 159 (8/29/10) – Tom, Scott, Jason, Justin, Brandon, and Jose dive into table service dining at the Magic Kingdom for the return of the Dining Discussion Series. Available for download on-site or through iTunes in either enhanced or standard edition.
-The Disneyland News Today Podcast Episode 33 (8/31/10) – The DLNT Podcast crew digs up the remains of the Skyway in the Disneyland Graveyard and discovers the roots of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Also features the Disneyland Resort Events Calendar. Available for download on-site or through iTunes.
-The Disney Pincast Episode 126 (9/3/10) – John Rick covers all of the usual news from the world of Disney Pins, as well as presents audio from Disney’s Pin Celebration 2010 – Trade City U.S.A. Available for download on-site or through iTunes.
-The first new episode of The Vinylmation Station podcast since early July will be recorded and released sometime in September 2010.
New Videos from WDWNTube
The following videos from the Disney Parks around the world were released on the WDWNTube (www.WDWNTube.com) in the past week:
–The grand opening of the Best Friends Pet Care Luxury Resort at the Walt Disney World Resort
–Star Wars Hyperspace Hoopla from “Last Tour to Endor” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Audio Programming from WDWNTunes
The WDWNT Network’s online radio station plays Disney Parks music 24 hours a day, but also features special music blocks and plenty of original programming you won’t find anywhere else. Here’s a look at some current and upcoming special programming for WDWNTunes (www.WDWNTunes.com):
-“WDWNT Network presents (for some reason) The Transformerscast: The Epic, Epic of Epic Proportions – A Play in Five Acts” will debut at 10:00PM ET on September 22nd. Scott Smith attempted to launch a podcast about his favorite toys twice (unsuccessfully) on “See Ya’ Real Late” with Tom Corless. Tom has give Scott one last chance to make the show a success, and Scott won’t let anyone stop him, including the rest of the WDWNT Network staff. Will Scott finally be able to make The Transformerscast a hit? Tune in to find out.
-Season 2 of the “Super Obscure Show” (or S.O.S.) debuts October 2nd at 11:00PM ET. Episodes will replay for a full week at both 10:00AM and 11:00PM until a new episode debuts every Saturday.
-Your last chance to catch Season 1 episodes of the revolutionary “See Ya’ Real Late” with Tom Corless is during replays nightly at 11:00PM ET through October 1, 2010. First season episodes will no longer be airing on WDWNTunes beyond this date. “See Ya’ Real Late” with Tom Corless Season 2 is tentatively scheduled to debut January 2011.
-Our 2 hour Halloween audio block will begin airing on September 13th and will run through October 31st. Times for the daily music block are still to be determined.
Everything Else