The 9/11 Aftermath & The Closing of the Disney Parks-#NeverForget

Disneyland has only experienced three unexpected closures in it’s history since park opening, they include: the national day of mourning after JFK was killed, the Northridge Earthquake in 1994, and after the terrorist attacks had happened on the United States on 9/11.

On September 11th, 2001 Disney Parks announced it would be closing the parks for the first time since 1994. Due to the time difference, guests had already started filling the parks at Walt Disney World but on the West Coast Disneyland simply did not open that day. After the horrific terrorist attack that shook our nation, the Walt Disney Company announced the park closures immediately.

Interviews with cast members and guests at Walt Disney World tell a grim tale of what happened that day.

One of the cast members describes that day and the instructions they received for closing Walt Disney World to well-known entertainment writer, Jim Hill, at the Huffington Post:

We were told not to tell the guests what had happened unless they asked us. I remember one guest asking me and — after I told them — they just stood there blank faced and didn’t move for a bit.
By the way, the announcement that was made (over the public address system in the theme parks that morning did NOT mention anything about what had happened or why the parks were closing. It simply stated that “ … Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Magic Kingdom is now closed. Please follow the direction of the nearest Cast Member.”

Not everyone in the Disney World Parks knew the reason for the closure, as you can see from the cast members retelling of the events that happened that day. News didn’t travel as quick as it does now, we have social media from Facebook to twitter to instagram and more, but back then we didn’t have it. Where were you when you heard the news?  I was heading into West Yellowstone listening to the radio in our truck, at first it seemed unreal until we had seen the post office flag was at half staff, then we knew something was wrong. Every radio channel was swarming with news at it unfolded.

The same cast member further described how the cast members used a “human wall procedure” to gently usher the guests out of the parks:

Once the guests were forced to the streets of the park because all the rides were closed, all the cast members were instructed to hold hands and basically form a human wall and gently (without touching anyone) walk towards the hub of the park and eventually towards Main Street. That way we could basically force the guests out of the park. Disney Security obviously followed each human wall and made sure no one got past it.

This procedure was followed at all four WDW parks and guests received complimentary tickets on their way out past the turnstiles.

Some guests described the shuttle buses back to their hotels as being ‘so quiet you could hear a pin drop.’ Other guests described the sound of panicked chaos in the hotel lobbies as families desperately tried to reach their loved ones. The usual air of Disney magic had been popped in the wake of such a shocking tragedy on American soil.

At Disneyland Resort, the gates were never opened that day. Cast members were preparing the parks for opening when the news broke. The unlocked gates were quickly locked as cast members were then instructed to head to emergency areas. The cast members were notified that Disneyland would remained closed that day.

On September 12, 2001 the parks were reopened to the public. But for many, the happiness that normally flows from the parks like magic was dimmed.

Everyone felt the impact of 9/11 in the days after and the cast members were put in a difficult position to keep a smile on their faces. To help keep the Disney magic alive for guests that needed it so desperately after such a horrible tragedy. But the cast members, like the rest of America, were shaken and devastated in the aftermath of 9/11.

In Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, the skippers for the Jungle Cruise attraction found themselves having to alter their famous one-liners:

The next morning I returned to work at this Adventureland attraction, I discovered that we had a major problem. Our fun-loving, wise-cracking spiel usually included the downed airplane just before the hippos. The usual line goes: “It’s plane to see how I landed this job. I took a crash course!”

Obviously, any airplane crash jokes were now completely inappropriate. Some skippers tried to distract their crews in this area of the attraction with other jokes. Others — such as myself — had a brief moment of silence. Suffice to say, none of us will ever view that show scene the same way again.

The parks also observed a moment of silence to commemorate the deceleration of September 15th, 2001 being named a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance. Cast members advised guests that all the shops and attractions would be silenced at noon for this moment of silence. The moment of silence at Disneyland took place with a ceremony in Town Square ending with the singing of “God Bless America.”

One guest’s experience of how Disney tried their best to make the best of a terrible situation for their WDW hotel guests reminds us all of how wonderful Disney can be:

Now let me tell you how amazing Disney was to us and others we met on our trip. I went down to the front desk to pay for the phone charges the next morning. I didn’t want my sister in law’s credit card being charged. The woman I spoke to said “No one is going to be charged for any phone calls yesterday or for the next week or so. We all need to talk to our loved ones, and we wouldn’t feel right charging anyone at a time like this.” Wow!

The people in the room next to us were supposed to fly out on the 12th, but obviously couldn’t. Disney comped them 3 more nights in the hotel, 3 days of park passes, and food vouchers.

When we inquired at the desk about them taking the paper vouchers and just electronically adding another day onto our card (remember this was back before park tickets expired) the gentleman that I spoke to added 3 days with hoppers onto our cards. That’s not what we wanted, but he said “I can’t do anything about what’s going on, but I can make your day a little better.”

I don’t know about you, but this story reminds us of why we need places like Disney Parks in this world. This family need that little extra magic in the wake of this tragic event that shook our nation. We can always use Disney magic, this is what makes Disney Parks so truly magical and special in so many hearts. We need the light and magic to escape the harsh, dark and sometimes often cruel world. I hope as you go through out today especially, that you try to do something extra kind to someone, for example compliment someone today, hold the door for a stranger, help someone, etc.