Photo Update 10/19: Disney Ambassadors, Can't Find The Tree, Indian Summer, and more

[Mac Daddy]

So I set off this morning with high hopes of finding the Christmas Tree as it was around this time last year when it showed up. (I went looking in response to this thread: http://www.micechat.com/forums/showt...day-80869.html BTW - Holiday decorations are already going up in DTD...I'll have some shots of that later in the thread.) Hoping for a good vantage point, I set off for the top of the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure:




It's really quite a view from up there:




As impressive as the view was, I could see no sign of the Christmas Tree. Nothing over here...




or over here:



Bummer. Maybe it will show up next week.


It's amazing how completely hidden Disneyland is, not just from the berm, but from the 50 year old trees surrounding the park. Notice how when you get to DCA you can pretty much see right into the park...



On my way back down, I passed one of the Halloween themed parking signs. I wonder if they'll do these again for Christmas:




So off I went to Disneyland via the tram. If you haven't seen them yet, the decorations on either side of the tram are very cool:






Upon entering Disneyland, I noticed a sharp looking group of young people enter from backstage next to the firestation. My curiosity was piqued, so of course I followed them:



When I got to the hub, I noticed that chairs had been arranged and that some sort of event was taking place:




I overheard the folks next to me talking about how the new Disneyland Ambassadors for 2007 were going to be announced today. That would pretty much explain the young people in suits. Sure enough, after a few minutes, the magic Disney voice announced that the new ambassadors were about to be revealed in an annual ceremony. Not long after that, here came Ed Grier, along with the two ambassadors from last year, the band, and, of course, Mickey Mouse:






Ed made some opening remarks...(See! He really does get out into the park!)




And then I thought the next part was done very well. They had posters of the ambassadors going back to...the 1960's I think, and then, if the person could make it, they would walk out in person. I was looking for Julie...the gal from the Disneyland 10th anniversary DVD, but I didn't see her. Maybe I missed her. In any case, here are a few of the earlier ambassadors:



















Mickey gets the big thumbs up from Ed, and it was time to announce the winners:



(More to come...)

[kickcows]

how fun!!!

i look forward to the rest.

[DisneyRoyalty]

at the risk of sounding dumb.. what is a Disneyland Ambassador?

[Alice's Wonderland]

That's really neat!

[Hakuna Makarla]

Awsome report so far!! keep it coming please )))))

[Micoofy Duck]

ohh thanks for the great tr/tree search post

[Pisces]

Last year's "hiding Tree" pictures were taken on the 21, or the 22nd....I think. (I didn't take those pictures). So it might pop up Sunday, or Monday, I would think, unless they found a new secret hiding place.

Keep in mind, that with the dry conditions, heavy winds, and temps reaching the upper 80s....(It was 90 today !) ....I wouldn't be surprised if that tree spends a few days in refrigeration. Although, you have to wonder where they'd get a refrigerator big enough to store it ????

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by DisneyRoyalty

at the risk of sounding dumb.. what is a Disneyland Ambassador?

They're the ones who come out on the ledge of the Sleeping Beauty Castle just right before midnight New Year's Eve...

http://pisces.smugmug.com/gallery/23...120769409-A-LB

.....when you've been waiting in front of that Castle (7-hours) to see Characters.

But, I'm not bitter, though...I swear !

[CPTNMatt]

Christmas Tree when it is not even close to 10/31....... Wow. Why would they put up the CHRISTMAS Tree when it is not even HALLOWEEN.... Try next month..

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by CPTNMatt

Christmas Tree when it is not even close to 10/31....... Wow. Why would they put up the CHRISTMAS Tree when it is not even HALLOWEEN.... Try next month..

The tree has to be prepped, inspected, and fireproofed. Fireproofing a 60 ft tree. I imagine that takes a week. They've got to inspect the branches to make sure it's not diseased or dead. If they find something, or specifications weren't met....I imagine they need some wiggle room, and a bit of time to send the tree back (which I hope doesn't happen) if need be.

They have to measure the area and exact width of the tree and then coordinate the moving of it into place. The Schedules of everyone, maintenance, decorators etc... Halloween is less than two weeks away. I don't even know how they are gonna get the above done in that time.

They can't do it next month. There's too much going on, the new Castle projects, parades etc....plus Candlelight preparations. There's only a certain amount of employees available for Holiday set-up. It makes sense to get the tree done and finished first, and then they can move on to the Castle, parade rehearsals, wreaths etc... immediately after.

[glendalais89]

Originally Posted by DisneyRoyalty

at the risk of sounding dumb.. what is a Disneyland Ambassador?

(This is basically a paraphrase of what's on the CM portal, so if it sounds a tad preachy, that's why)

They're 2 Cast Members, chosen annually, who serve as the face of the Disneyland Resort to the public.

The tradition dates back to 1964, the 10th anniversary of Disneyland, when Walt Disney picked Julie Rheim to serve as the Ambassador for the anniversary celebrations. At the time, she basically did a lot of the same stuff that Walt did, but was too busy with everything to do like making public appearances and escorting VIP's who came to the park. It was so popular they decided to continue the programme even after the anniversary ended.

Every year, interviews are held for the following year's ambassadors. The field is narrowed through successive interviews with increasingly higher levels of management, as well as tests to see if the candidates are able to represent properly the ~20,000 Disneyland Resort Cast Members to the community. The President of the Resort makes the final decision as to who will be the ambassadors for the upcoming year. They are announced in October and undergo 3 months of training before starting their 1-year terms in January.

They have three basic roles. They serve as the Cast Member representative, and are present at a lot of the CM service awards. They serve as the Resort Representative and spend a lot of time on television and other media, and they also participate in a bunch of the CM Volunteer Activities throughout the years

[pratt55]

Great pictures. We were there too and watched with one of the winner's church group. It was a lot of fun to be near a group and semi join them celebrate the announcement. About an hour later we saw the 2007 ambassadors and got to talk to them for a few minutes and the lady that over sees the whole Disneyland Ambassador program.

[Mac Daddy]

Originally Posted by CPTNMatt

Christmas Tree when it is not even close to 10/31....... Wow. Why would they put up the CHRISTMAS Tree when it is not even HALLOWEEN.... Try next month..

Well.....since you asked, Mr. Doubting Moustafa.....

Here's Darkbeer's photos from last year, dated October 23. So I was off by four days.

http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/gallery/2041967

And speaking of putting up holiday decorations when it's only October, here's what we have in Downtown Disney already. (If these are up year round, I'm going to feel real stupid, but I'm pretty sure these just went up recently...)










So...I'm thinking Disney says it's never too early with the amount of decorating they have to do. Mid October seems to be the time to start.

Still working on Part II...

[aashee]

Thanks LDF. It's always nice seeing something you've never seen before.

Chad

[Mac Daddy]

(Part II)

Soon it was time to introduce the nominees:







The crowd certainly had their favorites:




"May I have the envelopes please?"




And the winners are...




Liz Hetzel...






...and David Gill




Congratulations to the 2008 Disneyland Ambassadors.

(More to come...)