I've been seeing this concept of an OPEN LETTER for some time.
I've even seen some to Bob Iger.
So,
Dear Bob Iger.
I love Disneyland. I've loved Disneyland all my life. My favorite rides are Splash Mountain, and Pirates of the Carribbean. I once took my son to Disneyland and we rode almost every ride together. It is one of my happiest memories.
I had three boys before I had a daughter.
Her name is Daisy.
I wanted to dress her up like a princess and bring her to Disneyland. I wanted to show her all the princesses and take her through Sleeping Beauty's castle. I wanted her to love Disneyland like I do. I wanted to bring my boys every month for the rest of their childhood.
AND NOW I CAN'T.
I can't bring them to see the new Cars Land. I can't bring them to watch the parades or eat the wonderful corn dogs or escape the summer heat by dipping into the cool awesomeness of the line to Star Tours or Space Mountain. My kids won't become jedi. They won't drive autopia cars, they won't hear the jazz band or smell the vanilla wafting out of the candy shop. The joys of the Mad Hatter shop will be unseen by them. Pictures of our family in front of the flower mickey will be non existent. The strains of the fiddles in the Billy Hill and the Hillbillies show have faded to nothing. That won't be heard by this family anymore. No fireworks. No haunted mansion or hidden mickeys. No more pirate swords or Pooh on Crack rides, or character huggings, or endless ridings of the Go Coaster.
We don't get to have this anymore because you, and your company, have finally made it so expensive to go that we can no longer even dream about it.
Do you hear that?
WE CANNOT AFFORD TO GO. EVER.
Unless I don't want college for my kids. Unless I want to hand over the keys to my car. Unless I want to move on outta this here house. Unless I want to lose the baby weight...the hard way. (Starve.) I do not believe that you HAVE to charge a family of six over 500 dollars to go for one day.
Or 1600 dollars to go for a year.
When I have to pay gas. And food. When I have to fight crowds and heat. 500 dollars? 1600 dollars?
Are you disgusted by the middle class?
Do you hate the lower 90 percent of the country (income wise) so much that you don't want us there at all?
Because it seems like you don't want us there at all.
Ever.
I don't see a FREE DAY AT DISNEYLAND promotion this year.
I only see a 70 dollar ticket price per annual passport hike. That's 420 extra dollars for this family. On top of the 1200 dollars it was before. When I can't be promised I'll even get on that many rides. Or avoid insane heat. Or get to buy a food item for less than 6 bucks.
I don't mind the crowds.
I don't mind the crowds.
I can stand the heat.
I can bring my own food.
But I can't stomach all of those things after paying that much money for one day or one year.
It's not worth it.
I was going to write a letter to you, asking for help to go with my family this year.
But then I thought about EVERYONE ELSE. That is, ALMOST EVERYONE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY.
And it's not fair anymore.
You can't expect Americans to sit down and take a company in stride that is clearly segregating their park from the people who can't afford it.
Only the rich get to go!
Or the people who hold their breath, pay the money, and wait for the consequences later.
Which will come.
Because you squeezed the money out of people who couldn't really afford it.
But you don't care really, do you?
You know who would have?
WALT DISNEY.
He said, "To ALL who come to this happy place, welcome!"
NOT
"To all RICH PEOPLE who come to this happy place, welcome."
Lower your prices!!!
Remember your founder's dream and make it possible for all of us DREAM ABOUT GOING TO DISNEYLAND again!!!!
I'm going to find a million people who will agree with me.
Sincerely,
Melanie Segalla
