Opening this week’s mailbag, MousePlanet CEO Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix answers reader questions about the Disneyland Resort.
Shellie writes:
We recently visited Disneyland. It was wonderful. I purchased a mug, on my receipt I noted a warning about cancer-causing chemicals. Is there any danger in using the mug?
This is something that really causes confusion and concern for people, but I think I can help clear it up for you. The warning on your receipt probably says something like, “WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.” The Disneyland Resort prints this warning on receipts to comply with California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, better known simply as Proposition 65.
The Disneyland Resort uses an asterisk ( * ) symbol on receipts to identify the items that fall under the Prop 65 warning. Check your receipt again, and see if the mug has that symbol next to it. If not, the warning does not apply to that item.
The Disneyland Resort changed their register system after fielding a rash of concerns when the warning first appeared on receipts, and the warning is now only supposed to print on receipts that contain a covered item. You may have purchased something that does trigger the warning (for example, any item with lead crystals, like an embellished t-shirt), or the warning may have appeared in error.
If your mug does have that asterisk symbol on the receipt, then I need to advise you to contact the Disneyland Resort for further information. Retailers and manufacturers are not required to register the reason for issuing warnings with the State of California, and there is no statewide database that tracks specific products.
Jamie writes:
I am a regular reader of the Disneyland Park Update and I thank you for all of the great information on the park and related news. I look forward to reading every week. My question is this—when “it’s a small world” reopens in late November this year, do you know if it will have the holiday overlay on it or will it open in “regular season” mode? I’m interested to see how they’re updating and changing the ride itself and I wonder if we’ll have to wait until the holiday overlay is removed to get the full picture of what has changed.
It took me a while to get the reply I was looking for, but here are the basics:
If the ride reopens on time, it will reopen with the Holiday overlay, and will remain in holiday-mode through January 2009. If they can’t get it open before Christmas, (and nobody can predict what will happen during the “test and adjust” phase once the flumes are refilled and the new boats brought online), they will open in January without the holiday overlay.
Tracy writes:
We will be in WDW at the time of the CHOC walk, but we want to contribute to the team. Please let me know what to do.
Even though Team MousePlanet is registered as a team for CHOC Walk, CHOC does not have a way for readers to donate directly to teams. Instead, pledges are made to the individual members of a team. This allows each member to qualify for prizes based on the amount they raise, and also counts toward the overall team rank.
If you can’t join us for the walk, there are two ways to contribute to Team MousePlanet:
1) Register yourself as a “Sleeping Bear”—someone who is raising or donating at least $50, but won’t be walking. If you register as a “Sleeping Bear” you can have other people sponsor you, too!
2) Pledge a donation to one of the members of Team MousePlanet who will be walking. So far four walkers have agreed to make their information public, so you can choose one of them and follow the link below to pledge a contribution to their fund:
However you contribute, thank you for supporting Team MousePlanet and Children’s Hospital Orange County!
The next group of letters is addressed to Mouse Tales author and MousePlanet columnist David Koenig in response to items in his most recent column, “Broken Bridges.”
Rob S. writes:
Your story left me curious. Why would Disney require cast members to transcribe guest complaints rather than have the guests themselves fill out a form? I asked a family member who is a lawyer. This is what they said:
“It could have something to do with avoiding evidence that demonstrates ‘actual knowledge’ of problems at the park for liability purposes. When a third party fills out the form (employee) then it is easier to be vague about descriptions. Another possibility is that guests tend to ramble on about irrelevant garbage, and the cast member can get right to the point of what information is needed by the management, thereby saving time and money.”
I just thought you might be interested.
Your answers make sense. I’d initially thought dictation would take cast members longer than just having them pass out a form. But then someone’s still got to decipher that form and take action on it. So dictation might actually save on cast member man-hours in the long run, even though I suspect it will slow the line even further at City Hall. The guests lose, once again.
Before the article was published, the USH “tour guide” David Koenig quoted had questioned another source’s claims that 95 percent of the backlot is less than five years old and that 75 percent of the facades on Denver Street were replaced in 1999. He writes:
I used to be a tour supervisor, not a tour guide. I actually walked around more of those sets than the guy from entertainment from Denver St. I can tell you that I would have to be the first person on scene for many accidents not only with trams, but also with cars getting stuck in the Red Sea or production accidents. In my position I was over the tour guides, drivers, and STA (Studio Tour Assistants), plus I would have to set up the backlot tour route each day.
Other than the bit of misinformation about my position and putting a little bit more weight in that other person’s word (unless he was backlot supervisor or manager he would be driven down and dropped off or take his cart down there each day and then go back), I enjoyed your piece.
A cast member writes:
Regarding your mention of turning New Orleans Square’s picturesque Court of Angels into a merchandise location:
For now, it is supposed to be just for the holiday season, but you know once it goes up, and they make a sale, it would be hard to justify to take it down. It seems TDA is trying to make money from as many locations as they can get. It is one of the few areas you don’t have to worry about someone trying to sell you something.
I have also heard that Photopass is interested in taking over the location if (or when) the location does not have the Christmas overlay. That’s all we need, some pushy Photopass cast member prowling around the courtyard. Make it stop!
Jeff P. writes:
My earliest memory of visiting the graveyard on Tom Sawyer Island was on December 25, 1966, when I was seven years old. Someone saw the open grave and asked, “Who is that for?” I remember replying, “Maybe it’s for Walt Disney,” which caused my mother to glare at me.
