Eighteen years and 11 days ago today, Doctor Disney had moved to Orlando, Florida, for the third time in his life. Two Walt Disney World College Programs were in the books from the previous two years, and I was giving Orlando another shot. Little did I know that it would be the longest and most memorable day in the history of my life.
My cell phone rang next to my bed and it was my mother crying hysterically into the phone. I couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, but then realized she told me to turn on the TV. Flipping it on, I watched as the second plane crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City.
I told my mother I’d call her back.
For the next 13 hours, I sat dumbfounded in front of the TV before finally venturing out to get a newspaper and some gas around 10:00 p.m. that night. I remember looking up at the gas sign and seeing that it was 97 cents a gallon on that evening.
9/11 changed the lives of millions around the world, and it has forever changed the way that everyday life is lived…and that includes Walt Disney World.
Ever since that day, the bags of guests are checked before you enter the parks. They are checked at security stations that were erected in front of each park, but that is not what I remember most. What I remember most was the week following 9/11 at the Walt Disney World Resort.
I visited the Magic Kingdom on Sept. 13, 2001, to get my mind in a different direction, and it was quite scary, honestly. There was virtually not a soul in the park, and no-one really know what to do.
It was quiet.
It was empty.
It was honestly quite…surreal.
Over the years, I’ve tried finding out what the actual attendance was in some of the Disney Parks on the days following Sept. 11, 2001, but have never been able to get concrete proof. Have heard from numerous former and current Cast Members that each day was less than 5,000 guests entering the Magic Kingdom and even less at the other parks.
One source told me that on Sept. 12, 2001, only 947 people had entered the Magic Kingdom. How true that is, I’m not sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me.
There was one time, about three months after 9/11, that I was going into the Magic Kingdom with some friends and had a lanyard hanging out of my pocket that was attached to my keys. I went in through the “No Bags” line and a Disney security guard literally placed her hand on her weapon, pointed at me, and loudly screamed, “SIR!! What is in your pocket!?!?! Is that a weapon!!!!????!!!”
That is a moment I’ll always remember, not because I was embarrassed or anything, but because it showed just how life had changed in a few short months.
Now, things run more smoothly at the Walt Disney World Resort and a lot has happened since the never-to-be-forgotten day 12 years ago.
But September 11, those that were lost, and all those that risked their lives to help are all part of what Doctor Disney Remembers.
Never forget…
We were there days after 9/11 because my father was in New York on that unforgettable day. He was in the middle of a business trip and got the last train out of New York to Jacksonville where he rented a car and drove the rest if the way. We wanted to see him and count his toes and fingers before he continued to the next place in his trip. It was very eerie. We actually got into the princess breakfast because of the cancellations. It was quiet and for some reason I remember a hurricane was looming nearby in the gulf or Atlantic but I could be remembering wrong. I remember eatting lunch at Epcot and there wasn’t a soul to be seen and it was very cloudy and depressing. My dad,thankfully, was fine but witnessed some horrible things and almost lost his life himself. That is one Disney trip we won’t forget but it was nice to know it was a refuge for us.
Liz, thank you for sharing this story and letting us all hear about it. It certainly was incredibly eerie and spooky at times. I’m glad your father was alright and that Disney World – as it has for so many before – was able to be a place of safety and refuge from the rest of the world.
I was at the park with my sister when it happened. It was our first trip that took us further than Oregon (we’re from Washington). We were shopping the candy store on Main street when all people were ordered on speakers to exit the park and stay at our hotels. Nobody knew why. A castmember told us there was a rumor of a plane dropping bombs. Upon exit, each guest was handed a one day park ticket. At the hotel, we do the horror unfolding in our tv. People at the hotel were calling loved ones on their cells. I remember someone specifically trying to call family in New York and not being able to get through.
We were set to leave for home the 12th. While at the airport, we learned all flights were canceled, then endured being detained because of a bomb threat. Flights, train tickets, rental cars, etc were impossible for several days after. There was a hurricane threat, but it just amounted to a heavy rainstorm. To kill time, we took a taxi back to MK and used the tickets we were given. So empty. So gloomy. My sister took a pic I keep on my bookcase today of the castle, with only one person in the whole picture. The castmembers did do the best they could. I return to WDW for the first time since then in 3 weeks. Not gonna lie–my last experience is in the back of my head. (Sorry for being long winded).