WebmasterPete
Grand Administrator
- Joined
- Jun 1, 1997
- Messages
- 2,486
Hi everyone:
Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are having to make some major changes to DISCon II for this year. Before I go into the details, let me explain exactly what has happened.
Last year, we had nearly 200 people sign up for DISCon. We expected that we would have close to that number this year, and we were wrong (we had less than half that). As a result, I was going to have to put in $12K of my own money to cover the contract we had with the Swan & Dolphin. While I was willing to do that, I wasnt able to do it all at once. The Swan/Dolphin did try to work with us, but we were unable to reach an agreement that I could honor in the timeframe necessary. Believe me, If Id had the $12,000 lying around, this would be a non issue (last years event cost me much more than that, so I considered this a positive thing). The bottom line is this: the price was just out of the reach of many people on the site. These events are priced for major corporations that are throwing huge lavish parties, not for a website with lots of good fans. Everything possible was done to avoid making these changes. Cathy McConnell did an amazing job under some very trying circumstances in working to get this all figured out. In the end, it comes down to money.
The event everyone seems to be most excited about (and our most popular event from last year), the Illuminations Dessert party is still on.
Everyone will be getting a refund of what they paid, less the amount of the Illuminations party . Some money has already been laid out for the event, and the refunds on that money are going to come from my pocket. We had transferred money from the PayPal account to the checking account where the payments were going to come from. We now have to transfer that money back to PayPal, and that takes 4 to 7 business days to happen. Once that money is back in PayPal, we will start issuing refunds.
As far as details of how the amended itinerary will work:
Those who signed up for the weekend event will be met at the handicapped entrance to the private viewing area at Epcot for the dessert party on Friday Night(between France and England) and you will receive your pin, lanyard, etc at that time.
Those of you with reservations at the Swan/Dolphin for the event, your rate is safe with them. As a matter of fact, the Swan/Dolphin is opening up that rate to anyone who wants it ($129 per night Check in Nov 30th or later, check out by Dec 7th).
All of the prizes that were secured for the event are still being given out. Those prizes are:
- 3 Night Cruise from Dreams Unlimited Travel
- 3 Day / Night stays at the following hotels (1 each)
Grosvenor Resort at Downtown Disney
Courtyard by Marriott at Downtown Disney
Sheraton Safari Lake Buena Vista
Holiday Inn Maingate East
Howard Johnson Maingate East
Rodeway Inn
Best Western Plaza International
Best Western Movieland
- Snow Globe from Presentations: Gifts of a Lifetime
- Gift Basket from The Perfect Gift
We have set up times and locations for everyone to get their pins and lanyards, as well as a few other meets. They are as follows:
Wed Dec 4th Meet at Boardwalk (Courtyard) from 7pm 9pm. Pick up pins, lanyards, scavenger hunt info, and a list of all mini-meets taking place
Thu Dec 5th Various mini-meets around WDW property, including Jays Drink Around the World meet at Epcot
Friday, Dec 6th Illuminations Dessert party at 8pm
Saturday Dec 7th Mystery Dinner Theater at Grosvenor Resort at Downtown Disney (you can take a bus to DTD and walk across the street to get to this). Weve negotiated a rate of $25 per person for this, and it is optional. If you dont want to go, let me know via email (webmaster@wdwinfo.com). If I dont hear from you, Ill assume that you will attend, and the $25 will be deducted from the refund. Please note that this is an all you can eat Prime Rib buffet with unlimited beer and wine. The menu for this dinner is awesome, and it normally sells for more than $40 per person. Its a great deal, a great show, and a great dinner. We will be awarding the free Cruise prize the night of this event. The full menu for this event is located HERE
I realize that this is not quite what everyone had hoped for, and I dont blame anyone for being upset about it. Believe me, no one is more upset about it than Cathy or I right now. We tried everything we could to bridge the gap, but we also have to understand that Swan/Dolphin is running a business, and cant necessarily extend terms for an amount as high as $12,000. Things in Orlando are too tight right now for all of us, and this is just the reality. I would ask of all you to please try and understand. We wanted to throw an awesome party, but it just wasnt meant to be. Again, I am truly sorry, but I still think we can all have a great time.
Thanks for understanding.
Pete
Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are having to make some major changes to DISCon II for this year. Before I go into the details, let me explain exactly what has happened.
Last year, we had nearly 200 people sign up for DISCon. We expected that we would have close to that number this year, and we were wrong (we had less than half that). As a result, I was going to have to put in $12K of my own money to cover the contract we had with the Swan & Dolphin. While I was willing to do that, I wasnt able to do it all at once. The Swan/Dolphin did try to work with us, but we were unable to reach an agreement that I could honor in the timeframe necessary. Believe me, If Id had the $12,000 lying around, this would be a non issue (last years event cost me much more than that, so I considered this a positive thing). The bottom line is this: the price was just out of the reach of many people on the site. These events are priced for major corporations that are throwing huge lavish parties, not for a website with lots of good fans. Everything possible was done to avoid making these changes. Cathy McConnell did an amazing job under some very trying circumstances in working to get this all figured out. In the end, it comes down to money.
The event everyone seems to be most excited about (and our most popular event from last year), the Illuminations Dessert party is still on.
Everyone will be getting a refund of what they paid, less the amount of the Illuminations party . Some money has already been laid out for the event, and the refunds on that money are going to come from my pocket. We had transferred money from the PayPal account to the checking account where the payments were going to come from. We now have to transfer that money back to PayPal, and that takes 4 to 7 business days to happen. Once that money is back in PayPal, we will start issuing refunds.
As far as details of how the amended itinerary will work:
Those who signed up for the weekend event will be met at the handicapped entrance to the private viewing area at Epcot for the dessert party on Friday Night(between France and England) and you will receive your pin, lanyard, etc at that time.
Those of you with reservations at the Swan/Dolphin for the event, your rate is safe with them. As a matter of fact, the Swan/Dolphin is opening up that rate to anyone who wants it ($129 per night Check in Nov 30th or later, check out by Dec 7th).
All of the prizes that were secured for the event are still being given out. Those prizes are:
- 3 Night Cruise from Dreams Unlimited Travel
- 3 Day / Night stays at the following hotels (1 each)
Grosvenor Resort at Downtown Disney
Courtyard by Marriott at Downtown Disney
Sheraton Safari Lake Buena Vista
Holiday Inn Maingate East
Howard Johnson Maingate East
Rodeway Inn
Best Western Plaza International
Best Western Movieland
- Snow Globe from Presentations: Gifts of a Lifetime
- Gift Basket from The Perfect Gift
We have set up times and locations for everyone to get their pins and lanyards, as well as a few other meets. They are as follows:
Wed Dec 4th Meet at Boardwalk (Courtyard) from 7pm 9pm. Pick up pins, lanyards, scavenger hunt info, and a list of all mini-meets taking place
Thu Dec 5th Various mini-meets around WDW property, including Jays Drink Around the World meet at Epcot
Friday, Dec 6th Illuminations Dessert party at 8pm
Saturday Dec 7th Mystery Dinner Theater at Grosvenor Resort at Downtown Disney (you can take a bus to DTD and walk across the street to get to this). Weve negotiated a rate of $25 per person for this, and it is optional. If you dont want to go, let me know via email (webmaster@wdwinfo.com). If I dont hear from you, Ill assume that you will attend, and the $25 will be deducted from the refund. Please note that this is an all you can eat Prime Rib buffet with unlimited beer and wine. The menu for this dinner is awesome, and it normally sells for more than $40 per person. Its a great deal, a great show, and a great dinner. We will be awarding the free Cruise prize the night of this event. The full menu for this event is located HERE
I realize that this is not quite what everyone had hoped for, and I dont blame anyone for being upset about it. Believe me, no one is more upset about it than Cathy or I right now. We tried everything we could to bridge the gap, but we also have to understand that Swan/Dolphin is running a business, and cant necessarily extend terms for an amount as high as $12,000. Things in Orlando are too tight right now for all of us, and this is just the reality. I would ask of all you to please try and understand. We wanted to throw an awesome party, but it just wasnt meant to be. Again, I am truly sorry, but I still think we can all have a great time.
Thanks for understanding.
Pete
And please add Marsha to the list of the "really sad and upset". She poured her heart and soul into this for 2 years.
