What Was Disney Like on 9/11?
9/11.
The date has lived in infamy.
A terrorist decided to attack the United States in cowardly fashion, somehow persuading suicide bombers to skyjack planes.
Then, the hijackers flew the planes into the Twin Towers and targeted other highly trafficked areas.
You may have heard that Disney was one of these potential targets and wonder about the story.
Here’s what Disney was like during that hectic day of September 11th, 2001.
Facing the Unimaginable
By now, you know the details. A terrorist group coordinated a series of attacks on American soil.
Sadly, several of them succeeded, as the World Trade Center fell victim to the attacks.
Nearly 3,000 innocent Americans lost their lives that morning, while 25,000 suffered injuries.
American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 struck the Twin Towers, which ultimately collapsed due to massive structural damage.
American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, causing a partial collapse of part of the complex.
Later, passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 distracted hijackers enough to prevent another suicide bombing in Washington, D.C.
If you’ve never watched the movie, United 93, you should watch it to understand what that morning was like for air traffic controllers.
Dangers at Disney
For government officials, 9/11 unfolded in nightmarish fashion. The unprecedented nature of the attacks caused confusion everywhere.
Analysts quickly compiled lists of potential terrorist targets. Walt Disney World and Disneyland qualified as highly concentrated public areas.
Debates vary on the topic, but some cast members have reported that the government has ranked Disney theme parks in the country’s top three as terrorist targets.
Even worse, a so-called Terrorist Tape displayed a man threatening the Happiest Place on Earth.
The subject in the video possessed weaponry, including a shoe bomb, gas canisters, and a gun.The individual claimed he was one of five people planning a detailed assault at Disneyland. Thankfully, the man lied.
Federal authorities overwhelmed his home, took him into custody, and interviewed him.
Over time, the authorities realized that the whole thing was a hoax. He’d recorded the footage at a local hotel.
The prank played perfectly into the societal paranoia at the time, though.
With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that the terrorists never seriously considered Disney, as they targeted government employees/landmarks.
9/11 from a Disney Guest’s Perspective
Discussing the impact of 9/11 on Disney vacationers that day misses the point. With so many casualties across the country, many families suffered.
Park guests were only temporarily inconvenienced. Please keep that in mind as we talk about the morning for Disney guests.
These people were perfectly safe and blissfully unaware, for the most part. Remember that smartphones weren’t prevalent in 2001.
In fact, I had a Blackberry 850 back then, a precursor to a smartphone. I’d frequently get questions from others about what it was.
So, the dissemination of information at Disney parks wasn’t even possible.
The security team and cast members at the park were told not to inform guests unless they absolutely demanded to know.
For this reason, the morning unfolded oddly for vacationers. The parks opened on schedule and without incident.
You may wonder about the timing here.
The first suicide bomber crashed into the North Tower at 8:46 a.m. The second incident wouldn’t occur until 9:02 a.m., after the official park opening.
As Disney fans know, cast members sometimes admit guests a few minutes before the official opening, too.
Also, the lack of communication I mentioned for guests applied to cast members, as well.
News spreads faster today than it did in 2001. Many Disney workers learned about 9/11 while they were on the job.
In other words, Disney had no reason to prevent guests from entering the parks that morning.
These people started their day excited about Disney, only for something horrible to end their visit prematurely.
The Unforgettable Disney Image from 9/11
When word spread about the Twin Towers, Disney executives quickly agreed that the parks must close.
However, with rides still in operation, management faced tough decisions. How should they address the problem?
Someone decided to rip the band-aid off quickly, as Magic Kingdom stopped its train in mid-route. Guests evacuated at the next station.
Similarly, all stores and restaurants closed immediately, as employees informed visitors that they must leave.
Confusion reigned on rides, as people standing in line suddenly realized they wouldn’t get to board.
For many guests, they were awaiting the first attraction of the day, the most exciting time.
Suffice to say that people expressed anger. Cast members have indicated that they received terrible treatment that day.
The entire morning must have seemed surreal for employees, as many learned about the explosions via walkie-talkie.
Imagine receiving such earth-shattering news while you’re providing Pixie Dust for others.
These same people had to wrap their heads around the tragedy and worry about family members and friends while simultaneously directing guests.
9/11 activated a rare Disney protocol as well. Cast members received instructions to hold hands and form a human wall.
They used this kind of Red Rover-type line to push guests toward the front entrance of the parks. The cast members never touched guests, but the actions forced the visitors toward each park’s hub.
Yes, all four parks had opened by this point, meaning that Disney had to monitor evacuations across the entirety of Walt Disney World.
A Pair of Shocking Disney Announcements
For arguably the first time ever, Disney stopped playing its regular music everywhere and instead announced the following:
“Ladies and gentlemen, Walt Disney World is now closed. Please go to the nearest exit.” You can imagine how strange this announcement seemed to guests who had just arrived.
Some hadn’t even finished parking their strollers, only to learn that they’d paid for rentals they wouldn’t need.
Many griped that they’d spent money on a Disney vacation, only for the parks to close almost immediately after opening.
Disney did offer free admission tickets to guests as they left and later made good with disgruntled guests. So, there’s that.
However, the closure of Walt Disney World still had one phase left. Disney had to transport guests back to their resorts.
By this point, word had spread about the nature of the incident. Some talking heads went so far as to claim that America was at war.
As you might imagine, this created a tense scene for guests standing in line for transportation. Everyone wanted to get out of harm’s way quickly.
To Disney’s credit, the company not only kept the resorts open but also aided any guests who had flights canceled in the aftermath of the attack.
After 9/11, many airports canceled/reduced flights for several days. All attempts at travel proved chaotic in September of 2001.
People with flights scheduled out of Orlando that week found themselves stuck. To its credit, Disney stepped up and assisted these customers.
The Disneyland Side
As for Disneyland, well, that story’s shorter. The incidents occurred early enough that the West Coast theme park never opened.
Again, Disney officials stepped up, though.
The company opened its food and beverage stations for all guests staying at official resorts. And everything was free!
The Downtown Disney movie theater even screened classics that day. Guests could watch their favorite Disney movies free of charge.
The situation was far from ideal, but it was more tolerable than it should have been.
The Lingering Impact on Disney
Obviously, the 9/11 tragedy matters the most in this discussion.
The fallout from the event impacted Disney dramatically, though. The economy collapsed, as airport security measures increased dramatically.
With fewer people traveling, tourism suffered mightily. Even Disney wasn’t safe from this problem.
Photo: D23.comDisney California Adventure (DCA) had opened only a few months earlier, and it was already struggling.
With the economy in shambles, DCA wouldn’t recover for several years after. Overall, Disney experienced better fortune than most, although there were some hard times.
Here’s an informative 2001 quote from the Orlando Sentinel:
“After the attacks, Disney reduced the schedules of about 40,000 hourly workers, cut park hours, closed some restaurants and canceled some performances of shows. Disney also has been consolidating hotel operations and closing entire floors or buildings in some resorts.”
Perhaps that’s a useful metric for what to expect as Disney recovers from the pandemic.
By December of 2003, Walt Disney World was breaking holiday attendance records again. So, the downtimes usually don’t last for long.
Disney even received a couple of unprecedented benefits to improve its security.
In May of 2003, Walt Disney World and Disneyland became official no-fly zones.
Until then, the other places with that distinction were nuclear bases and stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.
The following year, Disney added anti-terrorist barricades capable of stopping a multi-ton truck bomb going 70 miles per hour.
The company received suggestions on how to improve its security and took the matter seriously, just as Disney is known to do.
Overall, 9/11 impacted Disney the same way that it did the rest of society. However, the company overcame the tragedy and moved forward.
That’s a positive message to remember right now. Disney always overcomes and improves.
Feature Image: DisneyDining.com