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Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2000
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- 118
Once Inside, Disney Park-Goers Say They're at Ease
By Vicky Koren
ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - While some tourists on the squeaky clean streets of Walt Disney World said they were apprehensive about flying to Orlando, the theme park capital of the world, many seemed to have no worries once inside.
Mona and David Smith and their three daughters, aged 7, 8 and 12, were on the ``vacation of a lifetime'' from Michigan and were caught up in the fantasy. The girls carried gift bags and were anxious to move on to other rides.
Mona Smith said they had ``no problem'' coming to the park. But, she added, ``We were a little nervous at first to fly.''
While business at Disney halted on Sept. 11 after the devastating air attacks in New York and Washington, park officials now were ``cautiously optimistic,'' spokeswoman Marilyn Waters said.
The Walt Disney Co. did not give attendance figures. But industry analysts said business at big theme parks such as those owned by Anheuser-Busch fell sharply after the attacks.
Visitors steadily streamed through Disney's front gate on the last Wednesday in September, a seasonally slow time, and found short lines at roller coasters and water rides.
But for the Bohm family the lines weren't short enough.
``We thought the crowds would be less,'' said Michelle Bohm, 31. As for any worries about being at a theme park, she said, ''I don't think I'm any more worried than any other place.''
The Bohms, who have a 7-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son, were worried about flying. They drove 18 hours from St. Louis instead of using the plane tickets they had reserved three months earlier.
At the Disney gates, Michelle Bohm said she was a ``little shocked they were checking every bag, but I was happy.''
Waters said there was ``heightened security'' at Disney World. Other theme parks also have reported increases in security, including routine inspections of customers' purses and day sacks.
International visitors to Disney included two British flight attendants, Richard Randall, 30, and Chris Hamill, 22, who were laid over in Orlando.
``We are slightly worried, but not major. It makes you more aware of situations. You are on guard,'' Randall said. ``In England we have the IRA. We are always on alert.''
Hamill said, ``Everyone's been apprehensive, but you can't stop your life.''
One guest reported low attendance at the Morocco exhibit in Disney's Epcot park, which contains country-themed exhibits from Japan, Canada and many other nations.
``They won't come into the restaurant,'' said Pam Huckabone, 41, visiting from Indiana with her family. She suspected that visitors associated the Arabic markings and styling on the exhibit ``with what happened.''
For Pierce and Patricia McLennan, retirees from Clearwater, Florida, Disney was an escape from reality. Their son was a block from the World Trade Center in New York when the attacks occurred. Up to 7,000 people were killed or remain missing after the attacks.
Congested telephone lines kept them from reaching their son for five hours. Patricia McLennan, 64, said the first thing her son said when he called, was, ``I'm alive.''
``We want to just get away,'' she added.
Retired 82nd Airborne paratrooper Pierce McLennan, 75, added, ``It's fun to just be a kid again and have fun.''
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010927/re/attack_disney_dc_1.html
By Vicky Koren
ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - While some tourists on the squeaky clean streets of Walt Disney World said they were apprehensive about flying to Orlando, the theme park capital of the world, many seemed to have no worries once inside.
Mona and David Smith and their three daughters, aged 7, 8 and 12, were on the ``vacation of a lifetime'' from Michigan and were caught up in the fantasy. The girls carried gift bags and were anxious to move on to other rides.
Mona Smith said they had ``no problem'' coming to the park. But, she added, ``We were a little nervous at first to fly.''
While business at Disney halted on Sept. 11 after the devastating air attacks in New York and Washington, park officials now were ``cautiously optimistic,'' spokeswoman Marilyn Waters said.
The Walt Disney Co. did not give attendance figures. But industry analysts said business at big theme parks such as those owned by Anheuser-Busch fell sharply after the attacks.
Visitors steadily streamed through Disney's front gate on the last Wednesday in September, a seasonally slow time, and found short lines at roller coasters and water rides.
But for the Bohm family the lines weren't short enough.
``We thought the crowds would be less,'' said Michelle Bohm, 31. As for any worries about being at a theme park, she said, ''I don't think I'm any more worried than any other place.''
The Bohms, who have a 7-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son, were worried about flying. They drove 18 hours from St. Louis instead of using the plane tickets they had reserved three months earlier.
At the Disney gates, Michelle Bohm said she was a ``little shocked they were checking every bag, but I was happy.''
Waters said there was ``heightened security'' at Disney World. Other theme parks also have reported increases in security, including routine inspections of customers' purses and day sacks.
International visitors to Disney included two British flight attendants, Richard Randall, 30, and Chris Hamill, 22, who were laid over in Orlando.
``We are slightly worried, but not major. It makes you more aware of situations. You are on guard,'' Randall said. ``In England we have the IRA. We are always on alert.''
Hamill said, ``Everyone's been apprehensive, but you can't stop your life.''
One guest reported low attendance at the Morocco exhibit in Disney's Epcot park, which contains country-themed exhibits from Japan, Canada and many other nations.
``They won't come into the restaurant,'' said Pam Huckabone, 41, visiting from Indiana with her family. She suspected that visitors associated the Arabic markings and styling on the exhibit ``with what happened.''
For Pierce and Patricia McLennan, retirees from Clearwater, Florida, Disney was an escape from reality. Their son was a block from the World Trade Center in New York when the attacks occurred. Up to 7,000 people were killed or remain missing after the attacks.
Congested telephone lines kept them from reaching their son for five hours. Patricia McLennan, 64, said the first thing her son said when he called, was, ``I'm alive.''
``We want to just get away,'' she added.
Retired 82nd Airborne paratrooper Pierce McLennan, 75, added, ``It's fun to just be a kid again and have fun.''
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010927/re/attack_disney_dc_1.html
