Dear Christopher,
Thank you for your continued letters to Roy Disney, Michael Eisner and Cynthia Harriss regarding Disneyland. We appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts and observations about the park. Your letters are a refreshing reminder of the tremendous support that we have from our Guests.
Walt Disney's philosophy involved keeping Disneyland fresh, exciting and this, of course, has always involved change. Walt said, "Disneyland will never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world." In keeping with his philosophy, we are always evaluating our attractions and entertainment, closing some and creating new ones, or changing existing ones to reflect progress and to maintain the interest of our Guests.
When we introduce "change," we are always conscious of that important balance between preserving the uniqueness that is truly Disneyland and launching the exciting and innovative attractions and entertainment that have made Disneyland the happiest place to visit since 1955. Please be assured that we are committed to Walt Disney's legacy of quality family entertainment, and that we are dedicated to preserving the "magic" that Guests such as yourself expect to experience when they visit the Park.
We are sorry to learn that you are disappointed with Walt Disney World Resort's decision to change the show in the Enchanted Tiki Room, and we appreciate your sharing the observations of Guests who have recently experienced that attractions. You may be pleased to know that here at Disneyland, we have no plans at this time to change the format of the attraction. The Enchanted Tiki Room will continue as you know it, with the exception of normal maintenance upgrades that will occur during the attraction's refurbishing (date to be determined.)
In addition, you may be interested in knowing that your packets of signatures which are sent to Walt Disney Company executives are all forward to us here in Guest Communications for documenting and handling. Therefore, it may be helpful to know that it is not necessary for you to send duplicate letters and packets of signatures. To assist you with future correspondence, we recommend that you write Disneyland Guest Communications directly, and we will ensure that your comments are immediately forwarded to the appropriate management.
Once again, Christopher, thank you for writing, and thank you for your interest in Disneyland. It is always a joy when Guests share what Disneyland means to them, and we thank you for the opportunity to address your concerns. We do hope that you will have the opportunity to visit Disneyland soon and that our attractions and entertainment delight you in every way.
Sincerely,
Kris Bromberger
Guest Communications
Well, it was nice to finally get a letter written personally for me. It seems like our concerns are being heard. At least that is the impression I got from this letter. Also, it is nice to know that I no longer have to send multiple packets of Petitions etc. to the same address because they all end up in the same place. That will really cut down my cost on copying and postage! More to come later, as always...
For my thoughts about the refurbishment itself, please see the entry on this page for June 25th. I think this means a few things. I believe this shows that Disneyland management doesn't see it fit to spend money to fix up the Tiki Room. I'm sure we are all agreed that the Tiki Room needs some fixing. I want to make it clear that I am not against them closing the Tiki Room for refurbishment and cleaning. It needs it badly. And when they open it, the Tiki Room will be fully restored to its original glory! Yes, I'm a hopeless optimist. You can bet I have written Disneyland on this topic, and I am awaiting a response.
This was one of the most exciting things I had heard in a while. You must understand that I send this petition to Management in the Disney Company and Disneyland specifically. For this Cast Member to know about this site, he either 1. heard it from someone in management/another Cast Member 2. found it on the internet him/herself Either way, the word is out and circulating in the park about this petition. Very exciting. We're starting to see results, folks!
Dear Mr. Wingert,
Thank you for your letters to Paul Pressler and Roy Disney which were forwarded to me for a reply. I assume that the rumors you have heard find their roots back at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World where we have recently enhanced the Enchanted Tiki Room to include the characters of Zazu and Iago. The new show entitled, The Enchanted Tiki "Under New Management" is delightful and receiving positive reaction from our Guests.
As for Disneyland, we are constantly looking for opportunities to improve, enhance and in some cases change the attractions we offer our Guests. This is an important lesson learned from Walt Disney's vision and creation of the Park. Along with our colleagues at Walt Disney Imagineering, we entertain creative ideas to enhance the Park and build on Walt's dream. Sometimes these ideas become public well in advance of any decision to make a change. Regarding your specific inquiry, although I'm not one to say "never", there are no plans to remove or change the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland.
Thanks again for your concern.
Sincerely,
Dave Omel
General manager/Director
Guest Services
So, what do you think? The general idea of this is to tell me not to worry. Everything is fine. But from what I hear from very reliable sources *in the Disney company, working in Disneyland* there are plans already to put the "New Management" show into Disneyland for next summer (1999) if not sooner!!! I have written Guest Relations (Guest Services) to ask them why this contridiction and ask for some clarification.
Dear Chris,
Thank you for your continued correspondence.
The specific details surrounding the refurbishment of the Enchanted
Tiki Room have yet to be determined. We are therefore unable to
provide you with the information you have requested. We apologize for
any disappointment this may cause you.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to write.
Sincerely,
Michelle Lynne
Guest Communications
What the heck? The details are "yet to be determined"? Now, I don't know a tremendous amount about running a huge company, but I figure, than when you close an attraction, you have that all budgeted for already. I don't see how they announce a refurbishment date without any plans on what they are going to refurbish! Just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. This has me worried. . .
Dear Chris,
Thank you for your recent letter to Disneyland.
As always, we appreciate your continued correspondence and the time
you took to share your comments with us. Please be assured that we
have shared your concerns regarding the future of the Enchanted Tiki
Room attraction with the appropriate personnel. We look forward to
hearing from you again.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to write.
Sincerely,
Michelle Lynne
Guest Communications
Not a surprise to me. This is a standard issue, run-of-the-mill letter they send out to everyone. They simply plug in differnet names of things. Where my letter says "Enchanted Tiki Room" someone else's letter would say "Matterhorn." (Don't be alarmed, that was just an example; the Matterhorn isn't going anywhere.) I totally expected this response. Since this letter, I have written more and more letters to Guest Relations expressing my concern. They all have been met my such responses. But I notice, that each time, Ms. Michelle Lynne writes me back, it is getting a bit more personal. Very good step. In the last response I received, it seemed like it was common knowledge amongst Guest Relations that this campaign exsisted and everyone seemed to know of my and your concern. We're making progress. . .