what happened on 9/11 at disneyworld

[Coach81]

Great thread...

What a horrible day that was...

 

[kirrrby]

Wow. My heart sank reading that article.

 

[supersuperwendy]

I started to read the thread Dan Murphy posted. I had to stop...I started crying. OMG that was a horrible day and I will NEVER forget it.

 

[SweetMissy]

I do remember I heard that Disneyworld had closed that day. I got goosebumps while reading this thread.

 

[TrvlLin]

My husband and I were on the Disney Magic on 9-11; it was the last day of the cruise and we were on Castaway Cay. After the shock of passing a television set on the way to the dock and actually seeing live coverage of the second tower falling, we wondered how this situation would possibly be handled. By late afternoon, Disney Cruise Line had individual letters in our staterooms, detailing their procedures for disembarkation the following day. Those who had driven to Port Canaveral would disembark and return home as scheduled, but everyone on the ship who had flown to Florida was to be taken by coach to WDW, and accommodated at a Disney hotel. We hadn't even purchased our airfare through the cruise line, but they took care of everyone regardless. We were given all contact information for the hotels so that we could contact our families to let them know of our revised plans. My husband and I were assigned to the newly opened Animal Kingdom resort and given complimentary accommodation and park passes for however long it would take us to book return flights. In our case, it was 3 days. *(As it turned out, we should have accepted one more day's stay, but then-still-operating TWA told me that they had secured the connecting flights we needed to get to our midwest destination, and we were indeed flown as far as St. Louis where we learned that our onward flight had been canceled and we were stuck overnight in St. Louis. Our flight did operate the following day, and we finally arrived home, 4 days late. The contrast between the way that Disney handled the situation and the airlines' handling of the same situation was mind boggling. Granted, the airlines were working with government groundings, but they seemed to be so concerned with their own issues that they gave little thought to their passengers. We found TWA to be a goldmine of MISinformation. They apparently waited until the no-fly ban was lifted to begin organizing, as 3 days later they seemed still not to have any idea where their aircraft and crews were.)

On 9-12 (and thereafter,) the Disney parks operated on a regular schedule, but the experience was surreal in many respects. The mood in the Magic Kingdom that day was quiet and subdued, with very low attendance. The marching band (a wonderful Disney tradition which has since been phased out) played armed forces anthems, and many people would stop to salute the flag. It was eerie to look up and see absolutely no planes, no jet contrails in the sky. Just before noon on 9-12, an announcement was made that there would be an informal gathering on Main Street at 12:00. Almost everyone in the Magic Kingdom came together on Main Street for a moment of silence and reflection. Many, many people were in tears, and one picture I will always see in my mind is that of a young couple, with 2 small children in strollers, who knelt down on either side of their children, joined hands, bowed their heads and prayed quietly together. It was a moving moment.

I am a travel agent, so I was extra anxious to return home to assist my clients who were in awkward situations around the globe. I learned later how few tour companies or cruise lines put any plans in place at all for their customers, and that Disney was the shining exception for which we'll always be grateful.

Lin

 

[pixie08]

It's still painful to think about, nearly 10 years later, but one thing I was sure of that day. The only place I wanted to be was at the Magic Kingdom, sitting on a bench, as far away as I could be from the event itself.

Yes, I think this is a bit of a sore topic for us NYers. I understand people want to know what happened everywhere else, but it is a bit hard to even think of that when you are from NY. Especially Disney. I know it is silly but i want to believe nothing happened there...everything stayed magical *sigh*

It seems it is has been so long but yet so close. Maybe he can get a statement from on of the disboarders who were there to add in? I think that could be very interesting, that is if anyone would be willing to let him use there quote.

 

[kkayluvsdis]

Wow, it's difficult for me to read about these experiences and especially the thread from the actual 9-11-01. What a horrible day that undoubtedly will be etched in our minds forever. I would think it would be pretty hard to have your, "where were you on September 11?" memory be, "at Disney World". Does it take away some of the magic for those of you that were there? I just know what a palpable feeling I get when I think of that day and I would hate for it to be related to a place that I look to for an escape from reality.
-Kelly

 

[GiGi30]

I remember hearing on the news that Disney was closing all theme parks on 9/11. With the unexpected and tragic events of that day, anything "big" seemed like a target. If I had been in Disney, I would have gotten out even if it wasn't mandatory.

That day really changed our country forever on so many levels. I still can't fathom that many people dying in an instant. I can't imagine losing someone I love in that manner. I know how sad I felt (and still feel) for complete strangers. We were in NY right after 9/11 and the WTC was still smoldering. I'll never forget the smell of jet fuel that still lingered in the air. I have some amazing pictures of Ground Zero from inside the gates. They're eerie to look at because you can see doors and offices still standing below twisted steel. I pray everyday that something like that never happens again ... here or anywhere else in the world. Wasn't it amazing how, even if for a few weeks, our country came together as ONE? I had never before felt American pride the way I felt in the time following 9/11.

 

[LaurinG]

I was a cast member (lifeguard at the Wilderness Lodge). I was actually guarding the pool over at Fort Wilderness that morning, and I was getting information from my manager through the phone on the lifeguard stand about the towers, pentagon and the PA flight, then about the threat levels and fears about Disney being a target and closing the parks. I remember that atleast among the cast members, the thought that Disney was a target was a real fear, and our managers were very nervous about how to handle conversations with guests at the resort.

Some one asked what the guest did when they left the parks...well, many of them came to the pools. Actually Fort Wilderness wasn't so much affected because most guests just got in their campers and left, or they were long-term guests and weren't interested in the pool anyways.

I was called back to WL and they called in many of the guards that had the day off. The pool was PACKED, the most crowded I ever saw it during my 8 months there. And we kept the pool guarded late in to the night, which is unusual.

I also remember the chaos in the days following because the airports were closed and guests couldn't get out of Orlando. And then I remember how quiet the parks were in the months following. Everything was walk-on no matter when I went to the parks.

 

[MOmousefan]

I was at WDW last Sept and on 9/11 I happen to be in DHS and talking to a CM who mentioned that his FIRST DAY as a CM was 9/11/01. He was working with another CM when they were told to help empty the park. He did'nt find out the reason until they closed the park and checked out to go home.