Great Moments with Walt Disney DVC event

[LisaS]

Is anyone planning to attend one of these events? The first one is tomorrow in Anaheim. I would appreciate it if anyone who attends one of these would post about it and offer an opinion on whether it's worth attending.

I already signed up for the one in Massachusetts but now I have a conflict and will need to choose between this and another event I want to attend that day. DVC never does anything locally here so I'm inclined to go but if it turns out it's just a big sales pitch then I'll be annoyed about what I passed up to go to it.

I've posted the event description below. Here is the schedule. This is from the member's website under "Membership Magic", then "Member Experiences". Then click on "Enjoy 'Great Moments with Walt Disney'". The link to RSVP for the event is on that web page.

Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, CA
AMC Theatres in Downtown Disney District
March 22, 2014 10:30 AM to noon; 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM

Chicago Museum of Science and Industry
West Pavilion Auditorium
5700 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60637
April 12, 2014 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, FL
AMC Theatres at Downtown Disney West Side
April 13, 2014 2:00 to 3:30 PM

Newark Museum, Billy Johnson Auditorium
49 Washington St.
Newark, NJ 07102-3176
April 26, 2014 10:30 AM to noon; 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM

Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library
National Heritage Museum's Maxwell Auditorium
33 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA 02421
April 27, 2014 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM

From our neighborhood to yours comes "Great Moments with Walt Disney," a Disney Vacation Club live-theater experience created just for Members and their guests, making 5 U.S. tour stops this spring as part of "Membership Magic."

About the Show

Join a duo of renowned Disney experts for a fascinating glimpse at the man who started it all.

Hosted by Disney Files Magazine Editor Ryan March, as well as Disney historian and author Tim O'Day, this lighthearted, 90-minute show for Members and their Guests features an array of Walt's rarely seen—or heard—appearances. These entertaining clips include his television hosting duties in the 1950s and 1960s that transformed him into a recognized celebrity, in addition to some of the more spontaneous moments that intimately capture the colorful character of the man behind the legend.

As Tim explains, "Whether you grew up watching Walt introduce his various shows on television or have simply watched his Disneyland dedication speech enough times to be able to complete the sentence, 'To all who come to this happy place…' from memory, every Disney Vacation Club Member's life has included some great moments with Walt Disney. While we'll feature a few familiar moments in this show, we've dug even deeper into the vault to find rare images, video and audio that really showcase his fun and appealing personality."

He continues, "This is 'Uncle Walt' at his best, the way many people remember him, with more than a few sneak peeks behind the magic. The show will playfully illustrate that the person fans enjoyed on TV was pretty much the same Walt Disney you might encounter in person."

To reach as many Members as possible, Disney Vacation Club has scheduled March and April tour stops in 3 U.S. cities home to large numbers of Members—Newark, Boston and Chicago—as well as the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

Very disappointed that there isn't one anywhere near us. I also can't understand why the DLR and WDW offerings are only for a single date. It's a film... why can't they show it weekly in the SSR theater for the next year?

 

[kikiq]

We are going to the 1:30 pm show in Anaheim tomorrow. I'm guessing that there will be a sales pitch since each DVC reservation allows you to bring 6 guests. I'll be sure to check in tomorrow night when we get back.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Must have missed this.

We arrive on the 13th in Orlando at BLT. Usually it's about 2:30-3:00 in the afternoon. I may have to leave an hour earlier this time. This just might be worth getting up at 2:00 instead of 3:00am.

"That hour won't matter," you might say. Yes it does. We leave about 5:00am and I drive 9 hours on I-95 and I-4 straight thru while my girls sleep for the most part. Trust me. At about 11:00pm on arrival day at MK, that hour matters a LOT.

I wish I knew from someone that had been if it's really worth losing another hour of sleep over.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

We are going to the 1:30 pm show in Anaheim tomorrow. I'm guessing that there will be a sales pitch since each DVC reservation allows you to bring 6 guests. I'll be sure to check in tomorrow night when we get back.

You see my situation. Would you please report back and let me know what you think.

THANK YOU!

 

[hjgaus]

We're going to the first show (10:30am) @ Downtown Disney in Anaheim. Hopefully the sales pitching isn't too bad. I didn't even think of that when I signed up & invited a few friends but no big deal! It's gives us time to go out to lunch & do some catching up with our friends!

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Where do you sign up? I never saw anything and can't find it on the member pages.

 

[benji2012]

Just signed up for Chicago!

 

[kikiq]

Must have missed this.

We arrive on the 13th in Orlando at BLT. Usually it's about 2:30-3:00 in the afternoon. I may have to leave an hour earlier this time. This just might be worth getting up at 2:00 instead of 3:00am.

We arrive from the west coast at 5 pm on the 13th.

What is interesting is that the first time I saw the email, I was too late to sign up. Then a week later, I received another email with only 1:30 pm open. AND then a week later, I received one for WDW I'm thinking we were tagged from our reservation.

 

[LisaS]

We are going to the 1:30 pm show in Anaheim tomorrow. I'm guessing that there will be a sales pitch since each DVC reservation allows you to bring 6 guests. I'll be sure to check in tomorrow night when we get back.

Thanks!

Where do you sign up? I never saw anything and can't find it on the member pages.

Log in to the members' website. Under the "Membership Magic" menu, click on "Member Experiences". Then click on "Enjoy 'Great Moments with Walt Disney'". When that page loads, under "Event Details" click on "Read More". The list of venues will appear and there will be a link to RSVP under each one.

 

[AllyBri]

Looks like it has sold out.

for WDW Resort.

 

[debloco]

We're going to the first show (10:30am) @ Downtown Disney in Anaheim. Hopefully the sales pitching isn't too bad. I didn't even think of that when I signed up & invited a few friends but no big deal! It's gives us time to go out to lunch & do some catching up with our friends!

I'll be at the 10:30 am show in DTD at DL tomorrow too

I'm not sure what they mean by a "live-theatre" event and it will be hosted by Tim O'Day. Will report back after the event.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Looks like it has sold out.

for WDW Resort.

Yep. Showing full for me also.

Thanks for the link, Lisa!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I imagine it would be good. I felt bad because had the dates for WDW & Newark been reversed, I could have gone to either. I had seen the blurb early enough to sign up, but I was in the right places at the wrong times!

 

[hjgaus]

Just came back from the 1st showing in Anaheim and it was interesting!! It was with the 2 host giving us the back story of all the " never before seen" clips or audio playback shown of Mr. Walt Disney himself. There was absolutely NO DVC SALES pitching going on as some others previously speculated due to allowing more people to share with members!! In fact the theater seem a bit more empty than their usual movie previews.
It was PACKED last weekend for the muppet movie than this. So if you are a big history buff for all things "MR. DISNEY" then you should really love this!

 

[mdsd8700]

Going to the one in Chicago on April 12th. There were open spots for this as of the other day. I read about it early February on the DVC site and patiently waited until the Chicago one opened up for RSVP. Very excited about attending. I am totally a history buff for "Mr. Disney" and enjoyed the Walt in Walt's Footsteps Tour in DL for that reason.

Currently The Treasures of Walt Disney is at the Museum of Science and Industry here which is where the DVC event will be so it was a natural tie in.

 

[kikiq]

Yes, NO SALES PITCH!! It was very interesting. Tim O'Day provided a lot of back story. Young children under 8 probably would be bored. We had a 9 year old in our party, she was a little antsy but really picked up on the humor of some of the clips. We had a conversation with Tim O'Day and didn't know it. We sat in the front row next to the CMs that were taping the show and he was talking with them. He then started talking to us and the family behind us. I echo the PP saying if you are a Disney history buff , then this is for you.

 

[ems_mom]

Is it worth a 3 hour drive?

 

[LisaS]

Thank you hjgaus and kikiq for your reviews. I grew up watching Walt on TV every Sunday evening so it sounds like something I would really enjoy!

Another question: did they offer any refreshments? Just wondering if I should bring a bottle of water with me or if they provided something at the event.

 

[hjgaus]

Thank you hjgaus and kikiq for your reviews. I grew up watching Walt on TV every Sunday evening so it sounds like something I would really enjoy!

Another question: did they offer any refreshments? Just wondering if I should bring a bottle of water with me or if they provided something at the event.

Sorry .... no refreshments! It was kind of a low key event.
Although lots of people chose to buy from the theater snack bar.
Enjoy the show!