9/11-Was anyone in Disney?

[leopardspot]

Just wondering what happened on 9/11 in WDW? Did they close the parks? How were the CM's at the resorts?

 

[MissinDis]

My family and I were there. The parks and DTD were closed at about 11 am EST. The park closing was done in a very quiet, organized manner. There was not an announcement, rather CMs quietly explained to small groups that the park was closing. I think most people had heard of the trade center incident, so were more than cooperative. Disney had all their resort busses come back to pick up guests. It was all done quite quickly. Since everything was closed, guests spent the afternoon at their hotels. Disney scheduled character visits to the hotel lobby where we were staying and made sure that all guests knew about it in time to be there when the characters arrived. Some hotels comped rooms. Ours didn't, but they did let us pay at our discounted rate. And Disney gave everyone who had been there on 9/11 passes for another day. That was really nice since we were unable to fly home. It was such a tragic day and, as always, tragedy breeds cameraderie. Everyone, CMs and guests were most respectful and cooperative. As horrible as it was, I remember the Disney part of the experience as very positive.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

We were there also. We were at the MK and they did announce the closing over the loud speaker. We were in the C. O. P. , they stopped it half way through and asked us to please vacate the ride. My DS was 3 at the time and he was crying, because we had to leave the ride. My DH went up to a CM and asked what was going on. He told him there had been some trouble in NYC and Washington DC and they were closing the parks. We started to leave but as we were walking down Main Street the music stopped, followed by a few loud beeps, with the announcement. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are closing the MK please vacate as soon as possible. Most people at the MK didn't have a clue what was going on, since 9/11 happened right before 9am and I guess most of us were already on our way to the parks by then. Everything was very organized. The buses, monorails and boats were lined up and ready to transport. They even had the Cruise line buses there to help. I do commend Disney for their calmness and organization. Most of us didn't have a clue what was going on. Some people did hear about it, and we got some accounts of the situation while standing in line and while on the bus. But really didn't know the extent until we got to our hotel room. Everything including DD was closed. Very eerie, like a ghost town. And yes, We did get free tickets to return. We were supposed to leave the next day, but of course couldn't. We flew down but ended up renting a car and driving back. The airlines didn't know when we could get a flight and DH had to get back to work. It was a very very sad time.

 

[ravengirl]

We flew into orlando 9/10, staying at POFQ for 2 weeks, We spent the first day of our holiday in the magic kingdom, as we were walking through adventureland when I heard some CM's talking about a plane going down in PA, I thought there was some air disaster and mentioned this to DH, by the time we reached the front of the castle it was out of our minds, then we heard the announcement just like roliepolieoliefan described.
We asked security what was going on as we had no clue and they told us there was a terrorist threat on the country, we did not understand the implications of what he meant until we were back at POFQ.
The hotel seemed to have people in shock, crying and rushing around everywhere, There was a lot of people unable to take it all in and duly headed for the pool bar we followed them and joined in, ther we sat for the next 4 hours with heartbreak all around us and parents trying to put on a brave front for thier children.
We too, were given free passes to return, but will never use them as they are part of history.

 

[momtotwinglesx4]

We were in MK too. I was waiting outside of BTMRR w/the baby while dh took the older kids on the ride. I noticed the CM at the entrance to the ride stopping guests from entering so I asked what was going on since my family was on it; I thought there was a problem w/ the ride. She said the parks were closing "due to circumstances beyond our control". When I asked her to elaborate, she just said, "go to your hotel and turn on the national news". Uh, ok, now I'm freaked. So I had to wait til the family got off BTMRR and then we slowing headed for the exit, but people all around were still laughing, smiling, and walking the other direction, so many did not know what was going on yet. By the time we were almost through Adventureland, the announcement described above came over the loudspeakers, and then by the time we got to Main St. it was just a sea of people exiting the park, albeit in an orderly manner. We were given 1 day passes at the exit. No one around us seemed to know what happened though. It wasn't until we were going down the ramp from the monorail at the TTC that a man walking by us got off his cell phone and told us about the attacks. So we listened to the radio on our rental car on the way back to Disney Institute, and then watched tv all afternoon. It was my 40th birthday, so we did go out to eat that evening at Juan & Onlys at the Dolphin--it was deserted, as were the parks for the rest of our stay--we left on 9/22.

 

[Linda Talbot]

My hubby and I were there on 9/11 and were in MGM when we heard what had happened. The ironic part of the whole thing was that we were on New York street. We were stopped by Cast members and told that the park would be closing and to please go to the exit and the buses would be there to take us back to our resort. We questioned what was going on and one of the ladies told us there had been an attack on the World Trade Center, but we did not even grasp the severity of it until we got back to our room. The exit from the park was very orderly, a few people were complaining about their day being ruined, but for the most part, everybody co-operated. Disney was wonderful about the whole thing. They gave day passes for a return, sent cast members from the different parks to work in the resorts to bus tables, serve food, etc. We were walking thru the lobby area at the All Star Music, looking very befuddled, and were approached by a man in a suit who was very compassionate and asked us if there was anything that Disney could do for us. We told him NO that we had been in contact with our daughter in CT and that she and son-in-law were okay and that like others there we were just devistated by the attack. He was so wonderful to us, kept asking if we needed anything, could he do anything for us, etc.
We were able to finish our vacation, as the parks did open the next day, but like the rest of America, it just was not the same. Fortunately we had driven there so we were able to get home without any problem. We did notice lots of autos with Florida license plates driving north when we left, and after wondering why so many, decided that people were renting anything they could find in order to get home.
We were in Disney last year on 9/11 and it was an eerie feeling to be back. We gave it much thought and decided that we cannot let a terrorist group dictate our life. We will go again and most likely it will be during the week of 9/11 again. We have not forgotten those who lost their lives, we will not forget, and we will continue to live our lives enjoying the freedoms that are afforded to us by living in America.

 

[kramer_clan]

My girlfriend and I were in the Animal Kingdom. However, we left before the actual park closing. We had really just gone to ride a couple of things and we were headed to another park. But, we were on a bus to ourselves and the bus driver told us what had happened. My girlfriend has a step brother and step sister that worked in the Towers and she was very upset, naturally.

We made it back to our room at BWV and we got there just in time to see the second plane hit. Needless to say, we were just like everyone else. Trying to take it all in. Halfway in shock.

I really wanted to go home at that point, but I was taking a cruise with two of my sisters who were coming down later in the week. My sisters flights were cancelled, so they drove to Orlando. I ended up cancelling my flight home and riding home with them.

I think that Disney handled the overall situation very well. There were a lot of upset people and they did all they could to accommodate people. They even comped some rooms to people coming off cruises that could not fly back home because of air restrictions.

Vicki

 

[crazywig]

dh and i were in wdw sept 8-15th of '01.

on 9/11 we had breakfast at cindy's, then went over to epcot. we were just sitting down for the preshow movie at the living seas (to get out of the heat. it was very hot that day) when a cm announced over the speaker the park is closing, please proceed to the exits.

we had NO idea what was going on, we didn't find out until we got to the monorail and a friendly cm told us what happened. it was the quietest ride back to the GF. we stayed in all afternoon, went to the pool briefly, went to our scheduled dinner at citricos, and then over to the CR to look around. i do remember them setting up play areas for the kids at the GF, and bussing characters to all the resorts (i specifically remember seeing the beast at the CR, and cindy!).

the parks were deserted for the rest of week. it looked like most people left. i was pg and we decided not to try and drive home. our southwest flight took off on schedule on the 15th. we were lucky.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

We were at AK when they closed the park. The security that came out of nowhere was amazing. I was very impressed how Disney handled the situation.

 

[brandip22]

Wow, your stories are amazing me. We seem to complain about little Disney things all the time and this thread really made me stop and think for a minute. Everyone was so lucky at how Disney reacted to this terrible tragedy. Allof the parks could have easily turned into a madhouse, but they didn't. Americans, and people in general, never cease to amaze me with their compassion. I just have to say again, Wow.

 

[alexcturner]

We were there also. We had been celebrating my Mom's and DS birthdays before 911. We had other family members with us who had flown home to Dallas on Monday. My husband was still at BWV and the rest of us(me, DS, grandma, & grandpa) were at Epcot. A lady came up to my mom and told her we were being bombed. We, of course thought she was crazy. Then my husband called and asked where we were and said to stay right there he was coming to get us. I told him about the lady talking to mother and he informed me about the planes being used as bombs. I took my son to SAB (BW pool was closed) and the rest went to watch TV to see what was happening. Later, we went to the Premium Outlet Mall to get out. It was barricaded with security guards at the barricades. We asked one of them why and they said they thought Disney was a target and the mall was in the immediate area. We thought we had done a good job of sheilding my son from what was going on. We had a 2 bed villa and kept him in one the bedrooms watching Disney shows etc. We found out he knew alot more than what we thought when he asked "are we going to die tonight?". The next day we got a call from a friend who said that her son in law was missing. We did not remember that his office was at the Pentagon. It was confirmed several days later that he was dead. We stayed at Disney until the next week. DVC comped us two nights which was unexpected and very nice. My parents were anxious to get home and the CM's at the BWV assisted in getting one of the first flights out. We went to a church service at the CR. Disney let us know of several that were offered around and outside of Disney. We were comforted by that service. There were many people there(held in a ballroom) with many openly crying. It was an unbelievable experience. Everyone was very helpful and nice. On Saturday morning my DS and I went to Magic Kingdom(we had moved to GF after my parents left) It was deserted! We talked to many of the CM's who said they had never seen the MK like that on a Sat morning. We rode some of the rides over and over without getting off. It was a nice diversion for our son.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I am misty eyed reading these. A sad day. I was not there, my trip was a week later. But I did recall that DIS'er Preshi was there, on her first trip to WDW, and a solo one at that. I felt it necessary to track her down (I did, at her resort) and just give her a voice to talk to. I know TvT (Tony), living in Orlando area, made a trip there to WDW, to visit with Preshi, as well as SSB.

Though a week later, I did go on my trip, saying the terrorists would not win by my not going, and I have to say it was so strange, surrealistic, being there then, so empty, so quiet. Tough days.

 

[GCM13]

My husband was at a conference at the Contemporary. We were only scheduled to be there for 2 nights flying home the night of 9/11. My 2 year old and I went to the Magic Kingdom that morning and were able to get in to Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast. We were probably done around 9:15 then went to ride the Carousel. I remember thinking what a beautiful day it was. The sun was shining, temperatures were perfect, and we were at Disney World. This was probably around the time that everything was happening. We were on the monorail heading back to pack up and check out when I heard people saying they were closing the parks because of terrorists. I thought that someone must have targeted Disney World. When I got back to the room, my husband was there and they had been informed at the conference. Right away, he went and reserved another night for us. We weren't able to fly home until Friday the 14th. My husband's company was paying for the room so we weren't too concerned about the extra cost, but it turned out that Disney didn't charge us for the extra nights.

As for what we did when the parks closed, they had transporation working, so we took the boat and ate at Whispering Canyon Cafe, then later took the monorail to the GF to look around. When the parks opened back up, they were pretty dead. We walked right on to every ride.

 

[C.Ann]

We were there..in AK - but I'm not in the mood to relive that day right now..

We stayed in Florida until Sept. 22nd and it was a very sad trip.. I've been trying to get back there ever since - to do it "right".. Arrive "happy" and leave "happy".. Hopefully this December....

 

[kdibattista]

We were... Caribbean Beach. We slept in a little and were getting ready to go to MGM. We saw it live on the Today show. We stayed in our room for most of the day and watched the coverage. When we ventured out for dinner, we met a couple who were married that day in the wedding pavillion... the bride was extremely upset.

 

[Vivianne]

My DH and I were not in DW but we were in a hotel room in Kissimee. I remember turning the tv on getting ready for the day. The first tower had been hit. At first I thought it was a movie but then I realized it was a news channel.

I was just mesmerized and then in shock. I'm a native New Yorker and had visited the towers twice before. At first, I thought it was an accident because there had been a near miss with an Argentinian plane years ago because of language problems between the traffic controller and the pilot. As I sat there and saw the second plane, I was certain that it was no accident. I was numb witnessing the collapse of both the buildings. The magnitude of the consequence would be enormous.

We just roamed the area and watched tv when in the hotel room.

We were to fly home the following Saturday. People were cancelling flights and getting rental cars to drive back home. There were incredible lines at the airport. Still it was quiet and orderly. We were in line behind a couple that are both police officers and were going to volunteer their services in NY.

Needless to say, we were glad to get back home.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I was on the other end of the spectrum- I was a CM at Rock n Roller Coaster that day. I had picked up the Coaster shift as I just had completed drive training for Monorails and needed the break-

I was getting put into the computer system when the first plane hit and while I was working everything else happened- about 45 min later we got the direction to not talk about it onstage- Most people realized that something wasnt right though- By the time my first break hit rumors were pretty that we were closing-

The tv said that Universal and Sea World closed and that we were going to shortly- Well I never went back from break- We got the direction to do a hard close and when the guests were out we got a security walk (with dogs) and then a complete lockdown-
We did the sweep with coaster joining tower then joining with the foods/merch people to hollywood till the park was clear.

We went to the breakroom for a meeting- it was then that it really hit- I will never forget what my managers said that day They asked for volunteers for the resorts and told people they could stay or go home but be careful as they dumped all parks at once-

A few of us volunteered to go to the resorts and got sent to Yacht club where we got to wear skirts and jackets and pass out cookies and tell people their options.

I got home about 9:30 that night to a lockdown at the CP complexes which became the norm- I called home again and then tried to sleep.

The next morning I called to see if we would open and then got ready for my first day driving the monorail solo. There were a decent amount of people there the 12th- the 13th it rained and we emptied the MK in 20 minutes-

-em

 

[preshi]

My solo trip report from that day... I was staying at CSR

Day 2 9-11
Wake up at 6:15 surprisingly adjusted to the 3 hour time difference but still a bit tired so I snoozed for another hour. Get ready to go. Wait 15 minutes for AK bus (one of only 3 long waits). Arrived at AK and got goose bumps. Checked out the Oasis and headed to TTBAB. I couldn’t believe how wonderful the Tree of Life was. While walking over to Asia heard someone say, “Come on we are going to miss everything!” Sheesh it was only 8:30 am. Got to Asia went straight to Kali River Rapids…. no wait. Went on it twice in a row and could have gone three times. I didn’t want to press my luck I didn’t get that went and was planning on keeping it that way. Went through Maharajah Jungle Trek and headed over to Africa. I can see why some people don’t find the hidden passage! There are two smoking areas on your way from Asia to Africa it happened to be in the one closest to Africa…I found it walked in and walked out…kind of neat but some people were looking at me kind of funny! LOL Went through Panjani Forest Trail and went back to Asia to see Flights Of Wonder. That’s when I started to cry. ( I intend on working with large birds as a career) Head back towards Dinoland and eat at Flame Tree BBQ. I had a Chicken sandwich and it was fantastic! Went on to Tarzan Rocks and sat down in a prime seat. A lady with a yellow shirt came on stage and said “Due to event’s that are happening around the world today we are closing all Disney Parks for your safety.” Everyone looked a bit confused but complied and exited the park. It was very calm, no pushing or shoving. I didn’t know what was happening until I started to hear other people talking. By the time I got back to the hotel I was sort of in a panic since I had only heard bit’s and pieces of what had occurred. I turned on my TV and saw I had messages. I had 5 messages. 2 from Tony, 2 from my Mom and 1 from Dan. I flipped out when I called my husband…. he had no clue what had happened either. All I wanted to do was go home. I called Tony back and he met me in the lobby. Went over to the S/D and met Side Show Bob. I am so glad that there were wonderful people thinking of me. It was nice to have contact with people I “knew”.
Went back to my hotel bought some magazines, donuts and water, laid down on my bed and watched TV the rest of the night.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

I wasn't there, I was preparing for my wedding on the 15th in Washington D.C. DOn't really want to relive THAT though.

We arrived for our Disneymoon a week early on September 16. (our honeymon to Italy was obviously cancelled so we turned our honeymoon into two weeks at the World rather than one week in Italy and one week in the World). It was pretty empty....like a ghost town. I remember feeling so guilty that I was on these rides while there were people helping out in NYC, which was our home at the time. Anyway, I have to say the atmosphere was kind of nice because we met so many people and would spend hours just chatting in the hot tub. Everyone was so sympathetic when they found out we were from New York.

Sometimes they would interview us on our way into the parks (for their surveys, etc.). When we would say where we lived, the CMs would solemnly say, "We're pulling for you, man." I smiled and replied that they should pull for those who were cleaning up the carnage, not us...we were just on vacation.

We returned home to NYC to find a pile of dust in our apartment (we lived on 31st and Lexington). I cleaned it up as fast as I could. What a terrible time.

 

[solotraveler]

I actually flew down to WDW on 9/11 out of IAD. the captain of the flight we were on told us what had happened as soon as we had landed..... I've never seen a scene at an airport like that before. No televisions were on, not a whole lot of people around. Very eerie. I had 18 messages on my cell phone when I checked them--- flying out of Dulles that morning for vacation, lots of people worried because they couldn't remember where I went.

Got to the All Stars and the CMs confirmed that everything was closed down for the day. I told the front desk I'd take whatever I could. I needed a phone and a needed to "see" it on TV. Rest of the day was spent between the room and the food court. They had CMs from all over the World in to help with the crowds. Characters and magicians brought in to entertain the kids, although most people didn't seem to be taking advantage of it-- no one much it the mood I suppose.

I definately never really got back into the swing of things that vacation--- being a lifelong Washingtonian and having interned for a company in the WTC for a summer, it was very hard. The services that WDW had at the resorts and Downtown Disney were done very well and I certainly appreciated the fact that they had them. The All Stars were also willing to comp any additional nights I needed, in case I wasn't able to get home.

In what was a VERY difficult period, Disney handled it extraordinarily.

Solotraveler