“To all who come to this happy place: welcome. Disneyland is your land... Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts, which have created America... with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world."
-Walt Disney's Opening Day Speech, July 17, 1955
This is the dream upon which Disneyland was built and this is the dream that still stands true as Disneyland celebrates 60 years of bringing joy and inspiration to the world. However, since October, many people have questioned whether or not people will still buy Disneyland Annual Passes or even go to Disneyland after Disney raised the prices.
The short answer: It's fun and it's a good stress reliever.
That's pretty much it. Disneyland has stayed a place of joy and inspiration for many people all over the world. I know for a fact that this holds true with myself. Even though the park may be filled to capacity, I can still find joy through the many faces I see walk past me and the many strollers that bump into my ankles. Every time I walk through those gates and look up in awe at Cinderella's castle, joy, excitement and wonder begin to take over my mind. Those emotions don't leave as I go through Disneyland's various themed lands. In fact, they become magnified.
I've been a Disneyland Annual Passholder since about two weeks before the dreaded increase in price. I often get asked why I would buy a $700 (at the time) Annual Pass, if I'm a college student? Honestly it is where I can experience the emotions I discussed earlier and share that experience with others. What I got for buying a pass versus how much I paid per month evened out rather quickly. In fact, I had already paid it off after about 7 trips
The same logic applies to the new passes. Disneyland has not changed, or rather, the spirit of Disneyland has not changed, and I don't see that happening anytime in the near future. In fact, physically the park has and will continue to be changing with the closing down of rides and attractions for the opening on the Star Wars themed land. Even through the many changes, Disneyland will still be a place that has become a rite of passage for many around the world. It will still be "The Happiest Place On Earth." People will still be crowding the park to get on Space Mountain -- er, rather, Hyperspace Mountain. Regardless of the price, people will still pay a large amount of money in order to be able to go to Disneyland whenever they wish.
The fact of the matter is we long for escape. We want a place where we can leave the boring or difficult realities that we can find ourselves in. This is the exact desire that was behind much of the creation of Disneyland. In a 1975 Disney company handbook, one of the original Imagineers, John Hench stated, “We (Disney Imagineers) create a world they can escape to to enjoy for a few brief moments a world that is the way they would like to think it would be.” Escaping was in the minds of the Imagineers, even if that escape was for a few brief moments in time. On top of that, they are continuing to evolve Walt Disney's dream with no intention of stopping. In end, Disneyland is still a source of joy and inspiration to many people all over the world and I don't see that ending anytime soon.
As for me, I'll likely stick with the downgraded Deluxe Pass if I choose to renew my pass in the fall. Regardless, I do plan on fully experiencing the new Star Wars expansion along with the rest of Disney's beautifully created park.
