Mouse Extra

By Dave

I must admit that I was less than excited about Disney’s new “Year of a Million Dreams” promotion when I first heard that it would be the replacement to last years 50th Anniversary celebration. I am a WDW fan, and this is the 25th anniversary of Epcot. Instead of using that as a focus to improving this great park with new attractions, maybe a fancy new World Showcase Promenade parade, a new country, heck I would even settle for a new version of Illumination, Disney decided to ignore it and hold a giant sweepstakes. Oh great, another contest I won’t win! I wasn’t thrilled, to say the least.

Truth be told, I am still not thrilled. But let’s give credit where credit is due. This could be a lot worse, and a lot less genuine. When the rumors started circulating the various Disney websites, I assumed this would be about 12 really marketable prizes and 999,988 t-shirts. However, Disney did a much better job at putting these prizes together than many of us fans expected.

Yes, there over 700,000 silly prizes that include Mickey ears, photos, and pins and can hardly be considered “dreams come true”. But the rest of the prizes, totaling well over 500,000 items, are all terrific and even rather creative. The grand prize, to be awarded to 3 people, is a 220 point DVC membership that includes all fees and taxes. At the risk of overstating this prize, this is essentially like winning a lifetime of vacations to The Mouse, or at least a lifetime of rooms on the house. If you know nothing about how DVC points translate into the real world, basically you can get anywhere from a week to ten days at a Deluxe Resort like the Boardwalk in the most crowded times like Christmas or the summer to just short of three weeks at Old Key West during the slow times…every year until 2054..free of charge!

Ok, I know what you are saying, “that’s only 3 people” and you’re right. Let’s not get hung up on that. Here’s a list of a few others in that 500,000+…

18 various trips aboard the Disney Cruise Line
15 trips to Disneyland
3 fifteen day trips to every Disney Park in the world
307 one-night stays in Cinderella Castle
130 shopping sprees
30 VIP tours of Walt Disney’s apartment in Disneyland
28,600 special one-hour after-hours opening of various theme parks and water parks
24 Star Wars Meet and Greet prizes
130 Dinners at a winner selected restaurant
And roughly 500,000 Dream Fastpasses

This is just scratching the surface. They have put together and impressive list that really excites you as you read further and further. The variety is amazing and the prizes are a lot more creative than I thought they would be.

But in the end, it is what it is; a contest. The overwhelming majority of those who read this list, and get as excited as I just did about the possibilities, will come out with nothing but disappointment. Is that what we really want out of a Disney promotion? Personally, the 50th Anniversary was better because the money spent delivered things like Soarin, Lights Motors Action, and Expedition Everest. These are things that everyone visiting The Mouse can enjoy. With a sweepstakes, only the lucky few get to enjoy something new and exciting. The rest get nothing…literally.