Disneyland Offers Returning Troops 2 Free Tickets Each
They just won a stunning victory over the world’s fourth-largest army. So what are the soldiers returning from the Gulf War going to do now?
Go to Disneyland, perhaps.
Disney officials said Friday that the company will give away two free admission passes to Disneyland or Walt Disney World to all U.S. service personnel returning from the Persian Gulf. The ticket giveaway is the centerpiece of a summer-long Disney promotion heavy on patriotic themes.
Disney joins a number of companies that are showering freebies and discounts on returning soldiers. Several major airlines, for instance, have said they will give service personnel discounts of up to 70% so they can visit their families.
Greg Albrecht, a Disney spokesman, said parts of the “Great American Celebration” were planned before the war broke out. By Friday, red, white and blue bunting was already lining Disneyland’s Main Street.
The promotion will include a daily parade featuring as grand marshals various American “heroes,” such as astronauts and mayors, Disney said. The program will kick off during the weekend of June 21, when Disneyland will host U.S. Olympic athletes. Special events including a baseball card trading show and gourmet food and wine show are also planned.
Visitors to Disneyland have long been treated to displays of unabashed patriotism. “If you had to identify one company most closely associated with the American flag, it would have to be Disney,” said Paul C. Marsh, an entertainment analyst for Bateman Eichler, Hill Richards, a Los Angeles brokerage.
The promotion plans come at an important time for the Anaheim theme park as it heads into its second summer without a major new ride. Like many other tourist attractions nationwide, attendance at Disney’s theme parks has dropped off during the current recession.
An Indiana Jones stage show that was scheduled to open this summer was canceled in anticipation that the movie character’s exploits will become part of a ride that will open in several years. And the planned debut of Muppet characters at the Magic Kingdom fell through when the heirs of the late Jim Henson were unable to reach a final agreement with Disney.
When those ideas fizzled, Disney planners began hunting for new ways to boost attendance.
Besides engendering goodwill, Disney hopes its American patriotism theme will draw more visitors from the Southland. The special events--car shows, collectors’ shows and the like--are designed to attract Southern Californians with special interests who want to see something new at Disneyland, said Disney spokesman John McClintock.
Disneyland will open a summer-long children’s stage show and character village based on the “Disney Afternoon” cartoons next to the It’s a Small World ride in Fantasyland.
The free ticket promotion could result in the biggest invasion of soldiers since Operation Desert Storm.
Disneyland officials said the ticket distribution will be limited only to the actual service members who participated in Operation Desert Storm. The officials added that “support personnel,” which they loosely define as those who were not part of the operation, would be ineligible. The free tickets would be valid for visits to Disneyland or Walt Disney World from April 1 to Veterans Day, Nov. 11, McClintock said.
But since the tickets will be distributed to U.S. military bases, “we’re going to rely to a great extent on the military to make decisions for us” on who will get them, he said.
McClintock emphasized that all the details of the ticket giveaway have not yet been completed. For now, he said, Disney officials just want the U.S. troops to know their efforts are appreciated.
“It’s our way of honoring these guys who have done such good and challenging work out there,” he said.
In December, Disneyland hosted thousands of military families on two successive nights. Disney managers operated many of the rides, and Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner worked as a soda jerk at a Coca-Cola fountain on Main Street.
Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park opened its gates to service veterans and military families last Nov. 12. The response was so overwhelming that the park had to close its entrance gates early and extended the offer for several days.
A Knott’s spokesman said the park is also planning to honor returning troops, but is not ready to announce details. One possibility is a parade along Beach Boulevard.
