Chasing a Dream
[Disney’s Year of a Million Dreams promotion offers visitors the chance to win everything from pin lanyards to Disney Cruises. Is there a way to improve your chances of winning? MousePlanet staff member Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix decided to find out.]
I was walking through Downtown Disney one morning earlier this summer when something caught my eye. Two Disneyland cast members, one of whom was wearing the white vest that marked him as a member of the Dream Squad, were lurking behind some trees near Tortilla Jos. They were paying particular attention to a specific planter-bench across the walkway from their vantage point.
Disney’s Year of a Million Dreams promotion started over 10 months ago, and by now I’d heard enough stories from and about winners to know that when the Dream Squad is watching a bench, it can’t hurt to go sit on that bench and see what happens.
Just as I turned and walked towards the planter, a family with several small children in tow crossed my path—and one of those children sat down to tie his shoe. I turned to look behind me and, sure enough, the Dream Squad was headed in my direction. They approached the child’s parents and started to ask the eligibility questions that indicate that a big prize is in the offing. Satisfied that the family was eligible for the still-undisclosed prize, the Dream Squad began to walk the family towards an off-stage location where they would officially tell them what they had won.
I was this close…
Is there a better way to win a dream? Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
To be fair, I’ve received several low-level prizes during the promotion, but many of my friends and acquaintances have yet to win. Readers frequently come to our MousePad discussion boards to ask for advice on where to find the Dream Squad, or how to improve their chances of winning. Readers compare notes on when and where they’ve won certain prizes, and offer advice to other hopefuls.
Year of a Million Dreams prizes are distributed randomly, and the process is strictly monitored and audited—but there seems to be a perception among visitors that there must be something you can do to improve your odds. So I decided to gather all of the advice, rumors, and urban myths I could find about how to win a prize during the Year of a Million Dreams, at put them to the test at the Disneyland Resort last week. My mission: to see if and what I could win if I tried really, really hard.
“Get there early”
Conventional wisdom holds that your chances of winning a prize are greater right after the parks open; some claim that the Mickey Mouse Penthouse (a special suite in the Disneyland Hotel converted floor-to-ceiling with a Mickey theme for the promotion) and similar high-level prizes are always awarded before noon. I arrived at the Mickey & Friends parking structure at 7:45 a.m., but was not selected as the “Guest Car of the Day.” After parking my car with the other non-winners, I decided to walk to Disneyland instead of taking the tram. I took the long route, which gave me the opportunity to scope out some common distribution locations (known as “drop points” among the Dream Squad cast members) in Downtown Disney.
If you are selected as the Guest Car of the Day, you ride to Disneyland in a carriage instead of a tram. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Empty handed, I reached the main gate of Disneyland at 8:05 and entered the park. I’ve been told that the left (or west) tunnel is a common place to win, but not that morning. I did notice two Dream Squad members standing individually in different places along Main Street, but I knew that they were acting as greeters—because while the Dream Squad may not always don the white vests when they distribute prizes, but they never do a distribution without a partner.
“Ride something in Tomorrowland”
Several MousePlanet readers have reported that they won after exiting a ride in Tomorrowland. Because most other guests were in line for Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, I was able to ride Space Mountain, Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin by 8:50. I achieved a Level 5 score on Buzz, but had not caught even a glimpse of the Dream Squad.
You need to get there early to win a Dream Fastpass. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
I decided to catch the first showing of Honey I Shrunk the Audience, having heard of prizes being distributed to people exiting that theater. I didn’t win anything there, but as I exited I noticed a family wearing the Dream Fastpass. This was the first prize I’d even seen all morning, so I asked the family where they had won. They told me that they had just come from the Autopia, so I popped over there to check it out. Sadly the Dream Squad was gone by the time I arrived, though there was still a crowd of winners in the area, trying to figure out what they had just received.
“Fantasyland Dark Rides are good”
I have twice heard that the overnight stay in Mickey’s Penthouse was awarded to someone who was selected on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, so I made that my next stop. I even asked to sit in the back row of my ride vehicle, as it’s been rumored that the prize is given to someone in the back seat. I rode Alice and the Mad Tea Party for good measure, but started to realize that my focus on finding the Dream Squad was actually detracting from my enjoyment of the park. I can’t even remember the last time I took a spin on the tea cups, but rather than savoring the ride, I was trying to monitor all of the attraction’s exits just in case the Dream Squad set up shop outside one.
My next stop was Snow White’s Scary Adventure. As I approached the entrance, I noticed that people walking away from the attraction were all clutching Dream Fastpasses. I left the line and walked around towards the exit—just in time to watch the Dream Squad leave. I overheard a group debate whether they should follow the Dream Squad to see if they could win a prize somewhere else.
Having had no luck so far at Disneyland, I decided to see if my chances were any better in Disney’s California Adventure park. As I walked down Main Street, I passed a family that was being escorted by a single Dream Squad cast member. Each member of the family was wearing a Dream Fastpass, and both parents were talking excitedly on cell phones. The kids were just beaming. Later that day I described the scene to a Dream Squad cast member, and they confirmed my suspicion that I probably had spotted the family who had won the Mickey Mouse Penthouse for the day.
“It’s easier to win at DCA”
Maybe I could strike gold inside Disney’s California Adventure park. Once inside DCA, I headed straight for Soarin’ Over California. When the Dream Squad failed to meet me at the exit, I walked over to Tower of Terror, then continued my fruitless tour of the Hollywood Backlot with visits to Muppet*Vision 3-D and Monster’s, Inc. I thought my luck had finally changed when I saw two members of the Dream Squad lurking outside the exit from Playhouse Disney. The show was just about to begin, so I slipped inside, hoping they would be there to hand out prizes after the show. No such luck, and now I had the “Bear Cha Cha Cha” song stuck in my head.
“Look inside the Animation Lobby”
I decided to hit the one DCA attraction that some consider a “sure thing”—the lobby of the Animation Building. My hopes were high when I entered the building to discover a sea of people wearing the blue and silver Dream Ears. I asked one winner where she had gotten the hat, and she pointed to the entrance of Turtle Talk with Crush. Sure enough, the Dream Squad had been there—and had just run out.
“Eat on the hour”
Do you dream of a reserved table? If so, your wish may come true. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
In addition to the Year of a Million Dream prizes detailed in the official rules, departments within the Disneyland Resort were encouraged to devise their own special Dreams, like the “Guest Car of the Day” selected in the parking lots. Several counter service restaurants have a “reserved” table, set with linens and real cutlery, and restaurant managers pick customers at random to receive this special treatment. Cast members have told me that this selection is made “every hour on the hour,” so I placed my lunch order at Taste Pilot’s Grill right at noon. Not only was I not selected, but the “reserved” table sat empty the entire time I was there.
“Take the road less traveled”
My next stop was Paradise Pier, but I took the opportunity to check out the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and all of the little paths around and behind Grizzly River Run to give myself a little extra time between eating lunch and riding a looping roller coaster. Although I’d heard that visitors have spotted the Dream Squad along these shaded paths, there were none in sight that afternoon. I reached Paradise Pier to find that California Screamin’ had just broken down, so I took a spin on the Sun Wheel instead. I did not so much as see a glimpse of the Dream Squad, even from the high vantage point, and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at Disneyland.
Once back inside Disneyland, I abandoned any pretense of strategy in favor of the “hunt and peck” method. I walked each of the secluded paths around Sleeping Beauty Castle and the passage between Carnation Plaza and Rancho del Zocalo, scouted Big Thunder Trail, and searched the nooks and crannies of New Orleans Square.
By 2 p.m. I’d been on more rides in one day than I had since I was a child and walked over seven miles, but had not been able to win a single prize. Still, I couldn’t leave without making one last effort, so I took the Monorail from Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney, just in case the Dream Squad was in another common drop point at the Monorail exit. As the Monorail made the final turn into the station, and there was no sign of the Dream Squad at the gates, I knew it was time to admit defeat.
The Sorcerer Mickey hat near the Disneyland Hotel is often used as a distribution location. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
If you ask the Dream Squad how to win a prize during the Year of a Million Dreams, most will tell you that “you have to be in the right place at the right time.” Spending your day searching for the Dream Squad is likely to earn you nothing more than a lot of frustration. Having compiled and tested all the hints and tips I could gather from cast members and readers, I offer my own advice to those who want to win a dream prize: forgo the chase and just enjoy your trip. You may or may not come home with a pair of Dream Ears, but you’ll have a heck of a lot more fun.
