What’s Up With The DJ on Main Street?
It’s no secret that Disney has made some moves lately that have raised some eyebrows. (Disney Genie, we’re lookin’ at you.) But one of the most surprising decisions of late is the addition of a late night DJ to the Main Street Train Station.
The DJ appeared unexpectedly last week during Happily Ever After, with no announcement, no Cast Member costume, and no fanfare, leaving guests wondering exactly what was going on.
Hey, Mr. DJ
It soon became apparent that the DJ was there to help direct guests to their desired park exit points. Our friend Nick at MagicalNewsLive happened to be there last week for one of the DJ’s first appearances and caught the instructional announcement, which you can see in his stream below at the 3:55 mark.
The announcement reads,
Please travel safely and come see us again. If you’re headed to the monorail, please exit on your right hand side. If you’re going to the Magic Kingdom parking lot on the ferryboat, please exit on your left hand side. Bus transportation to your Disney resort will also be on your left hand side. Strollers, wheelchairs and scooter returns will be directly under the train station. For the monorails, look for the red light wands, for the ferryboat look for the blue light wands and our cast members will be glad(sic) to assist you in any way.”
After giving directions, the DJ continued playing music and started bit of a dance party in front of the Train Station.
Last Night’s Show
On Sunday, August 22, the DJ set up during Happily Ever After, as he had the previous few nights, but Disney cut off his efforts before he even began his set. There was no explanation for the abrupt change, but given the lack of acknowledgement of the DJs presence at all, it isn’t surprising that the show seemed to end as unceremoniously as it began.
The DJ halt may have been due to some backlash, as Disney fans had a lot of negatives to point out about the DJ over the last few days. So much so that the DJ himself had to privatize all of his social media accounts, the poor guy.
What Went Wrong?
We can’t speak for everyone, but let’s talk about where this all went wrong….
First, the glaring lack of transparency. While Disney doesn’t “owe” Guests an explanation of anything, this feels like the kind of thing that is usually prompted with an enthusiastic Disney Parks Blog post. Maybe a “Coming soon from the Main Street Train Station, DJ Rob joins us for a dance party to end your magical day at the Magic Kingdom!” Or maybe even an actual Cast Member hosting something akin to the dance parties held at various locations throughout the parks, just with the crowd-directing announcement thrown in (since that seems to be the DJ’s purpose).
Second, Disney prides itself on enchanted storytelling and theming. No detail too small, no story left untold. It’s kind of the brand hallmark. The oldest and most classic example: Main Street USA. This “land” is, of course, themed after small town America in the early 20th Century. Gas lamps and Town squares and a Barber Shop. There’s horse-drawn carts and barbershop quartets and candy apples. And a DJ? Playing radio music? In non-Disney attire and obviously not a nametagged Cast Member? This isn’t the quintessential nostalgia Disney fans expect on Main Street. It all felt out of place.
Third, the awkward timing. The DJ’s announcements directing guests to exits and transportation began after Happily Ever After’s aftershow music ended. This means that the majority of the crowd, though certainly not all, had already passed the Main Street Train Station en route to park exits and various transportation methods, making the announcement feel a little too late to serve its purpose. Not to mention the jarring switch from the enchanted Happily Ever After soundtrack, a magical, fantastical note to end your day on, to an upbeat pop dance party on your way home at 10pm.
A fourth reason fans weren’t thrilled with this DJ addition? To many, this felt like a subpar replacement for The Kiss Goodnight. If you aren’t familiar, The Kiss Goodnight was Disney’s way of saying “you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here”. It used to take place every 30 minutes after park closing time. Cinderella Castle would softly swirl back to life and a magical voice would gently announce that of course your day was magical, but it’s time to head out and get some rest. It has long been a Disney fan milestone to stick around for The Kiss Goodnight, but the sweet farewell hasn’t returned since Walt Disney World reopened in July 2020. While last week’s lively DJ doesn’t really seem like an intentional replacement, it certainly highlighted the depth of experiences that are still missing for the Disney diehards.
Lastly, simple logistics. The DJ’s presence meant that the Main Street Train Station was roped off from Guests before and during Happily Ever After. Since this is a fan-favorite location to watch the nighttime spectacular (one that offered a quick exit strategy), this is a glaring problem for Guests who planned their evening around this location.
The Casualty
Let’s keep in mind the poor DJ in this odd scenario. This man likely went from the gig-of-a-lifetime to being harassed on social media in a matter of days, through no fault of his own. He fell victim to some out-of-character Disney decisions and the power of Disney fandom. Of course, we don’t even know if his gig is abruptly up or if something other than social media backlash caused last night’s show stoppage. Here’s hoping, for this gentleman’s sake, Disney takes care of him appropriately. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on the Main Street Train Station tonight!
Overall
In general, this seems like an unnecessary experiment that missed the mark. If Disney desires additional crowd direction, why not just add a prerecorded announcement? Or additional signage and some crowd-directing Cast Members at the end of the evening? Disney likely has a reason, but we may never know it.
We here at MickeyBlog always have faith in Disney’s intentions. Years of research into the Guest experience isn’t all for naught, afterall. We’re sure this little snafu will be course-corrected quickly enough, if it isn’t over already.
Afterall, it didn’t take long for those ‘Ohana noodles to come back, did it?!
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