Below are some frequently-asked questions about WDWCelebrations and our events. If you have a question about us or our events that isn't answered here, please contact us!
General WDWCelebrations Questions
Q. What is WDWCelebrations? +Show answer A. WDWCelebrations, L. L. C. is a Florida-based organization, created by Disney fans, dedicated to "celebrating the magic of the past, present, and future, together." Our Disney fan events provide unique experiences, including group rides, group photos, group meals, and other special events designed to bring Disney fans together to celebrate and to enjoy each other's company. Through our events, WDWCelebrations is dedicated to bringing “unity to the community” in ways not yet explored.
Q. Who are the people behind WDWCelebrations? +Show answer A. WDWCelebrations was founded by Adam Roth and Jason Diffendal, two of the people behind Celebration 25, the unofficial fan gathering to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Epcot®. Please see our About Us page for short bios of Adam and Jason as well as the rest of our team.
Q. What events has WDWCelebrations held? +Show answer A. We consider Celebration 25, the unofficial fan gathering to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Epcot® on October 1, 2007, to be our first event, although we didn't call ourselves WDWCelebrations at the time. Since then, A Wild Decade celebrated the 10th anniversary of Disney's Animal Kingdom® Park on April 22, 2008, Studio 20 celebrated the 20th anniversary of Disney's Hollywood Studios™ on May 1-2, 2009, and Fifty-Five honored the 55th anniversary of Disneyland®. Our first Signature Event, World Wide Weekend, took place on September 26-28, 2008.
Q. What is the difference between a Commemorative Event and a Signature Event? +Show answer A. WDWCelebrations Commemorative Events are designed to celebrate milestones in Disney park history. Our Signature Events span multiple days with a focus on unique experiences, including group rides, group photos, group meals, and other special events designed to bring Disney fans together to celebrate and to enjoy each other's company.
Q. What is the WDWCelebrations Charity Initiative? +Show answer A. Since our inception, we have been committed to giving back to the community by donating proceeds from our various events and merchandise sales to charity. A portion of the registration fee for our events is earmarked for donation. We have donated to the Dream Team Project which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of America, and the Children's Hospital of Orange County. To date, our donations have totaled over $1500. If you'd like to suggest a worthy charity for a future donation, please contact us.
Event-Related Questions
Q. When are the next WDWCelebrations events? +Show answer
Q. Are WDWCelebrations events family-friendly? +Show answer A. All WDWCelebrations events are suitable for any age group. While certain activities in our schedule may not be accessible to all guests, due to height, age, or other restrictions, we have attempted to plan the overall event with all ages in mind. We also realize that our Commemorative Events, because they are tied to important dates in park history, may not take place at convenient times of the year for families with school-age children, but we do have plans in the works for a Signature Event that will take place during the summer.
Q. Is there a charge to attend WDWCelebrations events? +Show answer A. We charge a small registration fee to event attendees to help cover our costs for producing the events. This registration fee includes a donation as part of our Charity Initiative, and it also allows us to mail registration credentials in advance to all registered event attendees. Park admission is required and not included in the registration fee. Additionally, for certain events, we have organized a number of optional add-on activities that require payment. These add-on activities vary by event, but may include group meals, dessert parties, customized backstage tours, hard-ticketed parties such as Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Mickey's Pirate and Princess Party, and more.
Q. Must I participate in all of the activities on the schedule, or can I choose to participate in only certain ones? +Show answer A. There are no "requirements" for attending any of the scheduled activities. Please feel free to participate in as many or as few of the scheduled activities as you like. However, all attendees are reminded that to participate in any of our activities, you will need a lanyard and nametag in order to be identified as part of our group. This is a requirement of Disney in order for our guests to congregate in the parks.
Q. When will the schedule for the next event be released? +Show answer A. We will release a tentative schedule for the next event as soon as we are comfortable that no significant changes will be required. Since our inception and our first event, Celebration 25, we have made it one of our founding guidelines that a complete list of all of our scheduled activities must be forwarded through appropriate Disney management. Any schedule labeled "tentative" has not yet been forwarded through appropriate Disney management, and therefore is subject to change. Once a schedule is finalized, it will be listed as such on our website and sent via email to the registered guests for the event.
Q. Are there any requirements for event guests with regard to dress code and behavior? +Show answer A. WDWCelebrations expects that all attendees adhere to the rules and requirements set by the Walt Disney Company for its own parks and attractions. Violation of any park rules or regulations is cause for automatic dismissal from our events (and in the case of add-on activities, without a refund) with a likely ban from attendance at future WDWCelebrations events. As guests of the Walt Disney World® Resort or Disneyland® Resort, we have a special relationship with our hosts and expect that all attendees of our events respect that relationship. Any and all dismissals from events are made at the discretion of the WDWCelebrations team or Disney management.
Q. I heard about some great surprises that have occured at past events. What were they, and will there be similar surprises at upcoming events? +Show answer A. Celebration 25 started the tradition of offering surprises which included special tickets for Marty Sklar's talks, and a meet and greet with the Vice President of Epcot®, Jim MacPhee. In addition, our Dessert Party attendees had the opportunity to stay in the park long after closing to watch the inferno barge burn-off after IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. A Wild Decade gave guests the opportunity to meet Val Bunting, the Vice President of Disney's Animal Kingdom® Park, and to remain in the Theater in the Wild after Joe Rohde's presentation to secure prime seats for Finding Nemo: The Musical. Studio 20 afforded our attendees priority front-row seating for the special session with Walt Disney Imagineering discussing the history of Disney's Hollywood Studios™. Attendees of World Wide Weekend got a chance to visit the control room ("tower") of Expedition Everest. Additionally, for attendees of our Custom Backstage Tour, we arranged special Q&A sessions with Imagineer Alex Wright as well as the Manager of the Whispering Canyon Café. While the WDWCelebrations team is dedicated to offering memorable moments at all of our events, we cannot make any specific promises.
Q. Will you have History Walks at future events? +Show answer A. As long as the the Walt Disney Company continues to grant us permission to offer our History Walks, we will continue to feature them in our events.
Q. How do you communicate schedule changes or updates to attendees during the events? +Show answer A. We utilize our text-message alerting system in order to notify event attendees of any changes to our published schedule or to disseminate other important information in a timely manner during the event itself. This Text Alert Update Service delivers a text message with important information to your cell phone. We do not charge for this system, but your carrier's standard text messaging rates do apply. To subscribe, text WDWCELEBRATIONS to 41411. To unsubscribe, text UNSUB WDWCELEBRATIONS to 41411. In addition, all updates are also posted to our Twitter feed. Follow @WDWCelebrations to receive these updates. We will utilize both of these systems at all future events to ensure that event guests can access up-to-date information on potential schedule changes and other important event news during the event itself.
Q. Do you ever plan to have a show and sale type activity at one of your future events? +Show answer A. We are not currently planning any such activity at our events; however, guests at our Commemorative Events that celebrate park anniversaries typically are able to purchase a variety of special collectible Disney merchandise created specifically for the park anniversary.
Q. Have you considered incorporating existing staples such as "Hidden Mickeys" and Pin Trading into your events? +Show answer A. While our events may not offer specifically scheduled activities such as these, it is rather common for these traditions to happen during our events. In particular, attendees of our History Walks are often given information regarding pins and "Hidden Mickeys," and Scavenger Hunt participants are often required to seek hidden and/or secret features of the park, of which "Hidden Mickeys" are one example. We may investigate additional activities incorporating these and other Disney-related staples for future events.
Q. Would you consider hosting a meet outside of "The World"? +Show answer A. We have hosted past events at the Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland® Resort. At this time we do not have any plans to host a non-Disney-park-based meet under the WDWCelebrations banner. More information on future events will be released at a later date.
If you have a question that isn't answered here, please contact us!
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