Underwhelmed by Year of a Million Dreams

[stampinshauna]

I LOVE Disneyland. I just returned home from a trip with DH and his family last night. We had a wonderful time and loved seeing the parks decked out for Christmas.

I was suprised that I didn't see or hear more about the Year of a Million Dreams. I know that marketing is trying to make a big deal about it and I've read about it on the DISboards, but is seemed almost non-existant once in the parks. During my 5-day visit, I saw maybe a dozen people total with Dream Fastpasses and only 2 families with Dream Ears. I never saw anyone win and I never heard anything about it. Is this what the rest of you who have been recently experienced. Sure, I would like to have won something, but I really would have liked to see someone get a "Dream".

I wish I was still there and will be writing a trip report soon, but this Year of a Million Dreams seemed like nothing special.

 

[boristhedog]

We saw a family with Year of a Million Dreams pins and lanyards, some with fast passes, and a few sets of ears. We won nothing. We'll try again, though!

 

[Iggipolka]

I was there last week and was similarly underwhelmed by the whole Dreams thing. I saw a couple people with dream fastpassesand a few people with dream ears, but that was it. I didn't win a thing, not that I expected to. There just doesn't seem to be much going on beyond hype for the event.

 

[wishonstars]

We went right after Thanksgiving, and I have to admit that I was a little disappointed to not see more of it around. I honestly thought they weren't handing out Dream Fast Passes due to low crowds, and I finally saw two of them towards the end of our trip. (I guess two groups of people with them - like families). I think some Ears got passed out in an area we were close by on the first morning, because I saw a lot of people around with them that morning (like 20ish) and then hardly any after that. Just a small small handful through the rest of the trip.

I wasn't expecting to win anything, but I had hoped to see more winners and things around. It just wasn't a big deal around the resort at all... Had I not read about them on the boards here, I wouldn't have probably even realized that it was going on like that, and I doubt that many people at the parks even know about the ears and fastpasses and stuff...

 

[XTinabell]

Had I not read about them on the boards here, I wouldn't have probably even realized that it was going on like that, and I doubt that many people at the parks even know about the ears and fastpasses and stuff...

I agree. We saw one little boy with ears with clouds on them that said Where dreams come true or something and we looked everywhere for mickey ears with clouds on them and never found them. It occured to us later that maybe they were the ears that the dream team passes out. I don't think I saw anyone with fast passes when I was there. At one point I thought I saw someone with a pass because they were holding a ticket thing that looked funny but someone behind us in the line said it was a single rider pass. So like the rest of you we didn't see much and had I not read about this stuff on the boards I wouldn't have even noticed.

 

[denyd]

It probably should have been called the year of 999,000 free pins, free ears & free churros and oh by the way about 1000 neat things that will go mostly to the WDW guests.

At least we're getting the subs back and a new ride in DCA.

 

[Shakthi]

I was thinking the same thing. We were mid October and I think I saw maybe one family with the ears...and the place was packed. I really don't think it has been doing as good in DL as it seems to be in WDW.

 

[LOVEDISNEYLAND]

We went the first week of December and H and I saw a LOT of people with the ears and dream fast passes. It sucked because I was totally jealous because we didn't win a darn thing but I was still happy for the people who did actually win something.

 

[Echo queen]

We just returned home yesterday and we were one the few people that got the dream fast passes. I felt so lucky , we got them on our first visit first day ever at DL so I was really excited. Other guests at the park did ask where we got them. We saw very few on the remainder of our stay.

 

[LOVEDISNEYLAND]

We just returned home yesterday and we were one the few people that got the dream fast passes. I felt so lucky , we got them on our first visit first day ever at DL so I was really excited. Other guests at the park did ask where we got them. We saw very few on the remainder of our stay.

Did the dream fast pass work for the entire time you were there or was it only good for one day?

 

[pppiglet]

I've been going every week and have yet to see one of those dream squad people. I saw a few people with the fast passes around their necks and that was it. Last saturday I saw nothing. Maybe they don't come out in the rain!

 

[Echo queen]

Did the dream fast pass work for the entire time you were there or was it only good for one day?

It is only good for the day you recieve it. There is one for DL and one for CA.

 

[Thumpersmom]

We were one of the lucky winners and got to be the Grand Marshall Family on 11-20-06!!!!!

While we were talking to the dream team they said it was kinda low key right now during the Christmas celebrations but we are supposed to see a ton of advertising for it after the first of the year.

I did notice that if you get picked to be the Grand Marshall Family after the first of the year you get to stay in the Mickey Suite in the Disneyland Hotel....kinda a bummer that we were picked before this but it does not take away from the moment one bit.....we have a memory for a lifetime!!!!

 

[rosiep]

DD and I won Dream Ears. I think if you troll the boards your expectations are heightened somewhat. You're right that most park goers probably had no idea there was a promotion going on....that's the drawback of being so in tune....

 

[zandjmom]

I, too, just got back last night from a 5 day trip and was somewhat disappointed. I did see several dream fastpasses and ears though. Yesterday morning about 8:15 we were getting off the Pinocchio ride and the Dream Team were waiting just inside the exit!! I thought we are going to get something for sure. My 73 year old mom had her birthday button on and had 4 grandkids with her. My 3 year old nephew had his button on and then, of course me. Nothin...just a happy birthday. I was a little disappointed.

Later on Tower of Terror there were 2 20something guys with dream fastpasses and my sons and I just looked at each other. I don't know what the criteria is but they probably wouldn't be my first pick to give them to.

I don't mean to sound too negative, we had a wonderful time. The whole year of a million dreams just was a little perplexing.

BTW, it was COLD!!!

 

[Pooh's Purple Pal]

We just arrived at DL today and we went to DCA for a few hours. I was amazed at how many people had Dreams items. We didn't see any items awarded, but saw at least 5 different sets of people with lanyards, 4 groups with ears, and too many dream fastpasses to count. The Prize patrol must still be getting around.

 

[PattiPB]

Just returned from WDW, and have been to DL recently, too. I have been very underwhelmed with the YoMD promotion. We saw VERY few people with FPs or ears at all last week. Actually, I saw more people at DL with ears and FPs.

 

[Pooh's Purple Pal]

Sorry, double post.

 

[Pooh's Purple Pal]

We just got back from 8 days at the parks and saw a TON of people with YOAMD items! They seemed to be everywhere. One family in the concierge lounge had won ears AND lanyards during their trip! Another group seemed totally confused about the whole thing saying "We don't know who they were, they just stopped us and gave us lanyards and pins..."

The Prize Patrol people were always around and very nice. Most wore lanyards and were happy to trade and chat or answer questions. (We never asked about winning anything, so I don't have any more info about how people are chosen.) On three separate occasions we were one group away from winning: once going into Haunted Mansion, once getting off the Monorail, and once exiting Autopia. We won the Dreams ears that DD14 was wishing for as were entering the Golden Dreams show in DCA - they gave them to everyone entering, maybe 30 or 40 people and then they disappeared. It was awesome!

We never experienced any of the other little things like free ice cream or free churros, but all in all, the CMs did seem to be in a very friendly and chatty mood.

 

[TPCShauna]

I, too, just got back last night from a 5 day trip and was somewhat disappointed. I did see several dream fastpasses and ears though. Yesterday morning about 8:15 we were getting off the Pinocchio ride and the Dream Team were waiting just inside the exit!! I thought we are going to get something for sure. My 73 year old mom had her birthday button on and had 4 grandkids with her. My 3 year old nephew had his button on and then, of course me. Nothin...just a happy birthday. I was a little disappointed.

Later on Tower of Terror there were 2 20something guys with dream fastpasses and my sons and I just looked at each other. I don't know what the criteria is but they probably wouldn't be my first pick to give them to.

I don't mean to sound too negative, we had a wonderful time. The whole year of a million dreams just was a little perplexing.

BTW, it was COLD!!!

This information is straight from a management mucky-muck at DL that is the uncle of a close friend. He explained after I called him the third day of the promotion and was practicaly in tears because three "Dream Teams" walked by DH and me while we were wearing our Happy Anniversary buttons.

The only way that Disney legally could do the YoMD thing is if they made it 100% random as to who receives ALL of the prizes. Disney's lawyers were concerned that the company would be sued by someone saying that it was their right to be chosen, blah, blah, blah so they had to design an element in the program that made it a completely random choice. What this means is that the grand prizewinners could end up being a family of satan worshippers with a million tattoos and pierced everything - a very anti-Disney image - and there is nothing the company can do about it due to the legalities of the contest.

What Unk explained is that each "Dream Team" has a timer that goes off randomly. They can only grant wishes when the timer goes off. He wouldn't tell me exactly how they select who receives them but he did mention that the recipients have to "be close by".

Having said all that, I will admit that I was downright pissy about the whole YoMD thing. DH and I were at DL at the end of Sept/beg. of Oct. so we saw the whole transition to YoMD. I saw TONS of people walking around with those darn ears and FPs and I WANTED ONE! I just couldn't believe that the people who got the FPs were actually using them. I would so preserve that in a heartbeat! Can you imagine how valuable they will be down the line? Not to mention the sheer cache of having one. Like I said, at the end of our last day (our anniversary), I was practically in tears from having three teams walk by me and not give me anything.

Unk's explanation made sense but it didn't make me feel better. I think the whole promotion is stupid. And yes, that WAS sour grapes. Thank you for asking.