"Do you actually get college credit for this class?  My daughter is at The Art Institute of Chicago...the same art school Walt Disney attended. They have a class...but it is an accredited class.  Just curious. Someone on another joked about sending in one of us to the class by ponying up the money...At the Art Institute, you just can't go to the class, as in an open enrollment school.  You have to be an accepted art student to attend.  I was just curious if your class was an actual college class...or more of a "adult education" or rec. department type class.
Thanks...I look forward to your reply."

"I think people who wouldn't do buisness with Disney just because they can't get a credit card is pretty stupid. It's just a credit card, like you really need it! "

"...I was recently denied the new Disney Visa Card because of past bad credit decisions that I have been trying to clean up for several years now. I have always paid in the past for my membership in the Disney Club and was quite happy to do so because my family has gone to Disney World for the last 9 years and  we also do a lot of shopping in the Disney Stores, so we felt that we got our money's worth of perks being a member. Now all of that will change and we are left out of any discounts associated with Disney. It seems like there should be a better way to reward loyal Disney customers. Last year our WDW vacation cost us approximately $8,000.00, not counting airfare, because all 7 of my family went for the first time together and we stayed 9 days at a moderate resort(2 rooms). Without any kind of discounts on room and park passes in the future we will probably look elsewhere for our family vacation. I think it is really sad that Disney has chosen to go this way knowing that a lot of families are not in a position to qualify for this new card and will not be a part of the Disney Magic in the future. I hope that Disney will come up with another way to reward these loyal Disney customers in the future that will not involve a credit card. I also am afraid that they will do away with the Disney Credit card that I hold now and use to help make our Disney vacations doable...

I found out after I emailed you that Disney is doing away with their current Disney Credit Card that I have and use in the Disney store and at Disney World as of 3/2005. We always use this card to book(put down a deposit) and pay for part of our vacation each October(9 years straight now) and then pay it off during the year in time to go again. As of March 2005 we will no longer be able to do this on top of losing all discounts that we received with the Disney Club card. This will most likely impact any future Disney vacations for my family, of which their are 15 of us going this October(4 rooms at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside). We spend a lot of money on the resort, park passes, meals and souvenirs while there, so this will be Disney's loss it they don't come up with an alternative to the Disney/Visa card. I don't feel that they are sensitive to the needs of families who cannot or do not wish to own a Visa Card. We were very happy to pay the fee for the Disney Club card and would have even renewed it if they had raised the price, considering the benefits that we received from it. My husband and I have been loyal to Disney for many years, and even own Disney stock,  so I am very unhappy with the way Disney is going with this and hope that they come up with an alternative for people in my position. I feel that they need to remember that we are all entitled to the "Disney Magic" no matter if we can qualify for credit cards or not. Thank you. "

"In addition to your comments regarding the new VISA - only United States residents can apply.  That leaves us Canadians who, considering our dollar value, really benefit from any costs savings at Disneyland and Disneyworld.  At least with American Express or the previous Disney Club, it was offered to everyone!  I did write Disney stating I was dissatisfied - which is all I can do.  Hopefully others will also voice their displeasure.''

Just so you are aware, I did get a letter back from Disney Customer Service who explained why anyone outside of the states need not apply for the card (which I already knew) because of the banking laws in each country.   They indicated that they were looking at negotiations within Canada and Britain with the appropriate institutions, but it may take awhile.  So I believe anyone outside of the States are out of luck (and out of credit card discounts)!"

"Hi Fab...Saw your post on alt.disney.disneyworld regarding an article you are writing. I can give you the perspective of someone who lives outside the USA (I'm Canadian and a small-time Disney stockholder) and who is impacted by the shift in loyalty program strategies by Disney. Thanks to my employer here in Canada, I started carrying the Magic Kingdom Club card back around 1988 and used it extensively. The deals were great and this certainly influenced my spending. In fact, the low Canadian exchange rate would likely have curtailed any plans to visit DisneyWorld if it had not been for the MKC card!

Fast-forward a number of years and the MKC was replaced with the DisneyClub. While hestitant at first, I spent the few dollars, got a card, and have renewed every year (up to the end of 2003). The deals are pretty poor compared to MKC, but I still use the card and feel like I'm still saving some dollars here and there. Has my spending pattern changed because of DisneyClub? It's hard to say. If I had to be honest I would say that I would take my family to DisneyWorld with or without DisneyClub; however, I would not spend on the upgrades (mostly accomodations and length of stay) if I didn't have the card. This is mostly a factor of the  CDN/USD exchange rate, I think.

So... after Dec 31 2003, the DisneyClub will be no more and will be replaced by the VISA offering. On one hand, maybe this is a better direction (similar to the AirMiles program we have with AmericanExpress), although I have not studied the details. However, there is a big drawback, and that is in the fact that non-US citizens cannot participate! As a Canadian who has spent many thousands of dollars and precious vacation time at their resorts, bought their videos, attended their movies, seen their skating shows, ridden their cruise, etc. - I am being 'unrewarded' by the good folks at Disney. I feel like I've been shafted. Will this change my spending pattern with Disney? Undoubtedly, yes. It's not so much the economic issue, although that is a big factor. It's the optics of the thing. Years of patronage to Disney's loyalty programs have been thrown away. It's just so incongruous with the fact that Disney's Customer service is legendary and (for my family) has always been top-notch. Seeing
MKC, then DisneyClub wink out of existence is tough enough. Seeing international Disney Customers excluded from any loyalty program is even tougher.

If Disney is planning to offer a program to non-US Customers, I wish they  would say something. I'm not looking for something for nothing, but I do expect - after all these years - to have my Disney business valued a bit more than it is today."

"Since I was 3 years old and to this day in my opinion.......  …..King Arthur Carrousel at Disneyland is the most beautiful merry go round I have ever seen. And I’ve seen many merry go rounds in my life! I have been following the restoration of the Dentzel carousel and have communicated with some who were involved in the restoration. I can’t wait to go see it the next time I get to Disneyland. Seeing it not there this past summer took the heart of Fantasyland away. I am a carousel historian, and I operate a merry go round at a kiddie park here in Fresno California, but it’s nothing compared to that grand Dentzel machine...“E Ticket # 35�? is where I learned much of what I know. For years I asked cast members/managers at DL where the ride came from. They told me it was made for the park’s opening back in 1955. I knew from books that it was a Grand Dentzel made in Philadelphia Pennsylvania between 1910 and 1928."