Disney World Cancels Christian Services, Flap Ensues

CNSNews.com ^ | December 18, 2002 | Michael L. Betsch

[FreedomCalls]

$1,000.00 a day....you're on dope.

Not everyone stays at the Motel 6 while they are there.

Here are the 2003 DAILY room rates for the "Grand Floridian" Hotel on Disney property at Walt DisneyWorld. This is the one where the monorail goes through the center. The cheapest room is $339 per day, the most expensive is $2345 per DAY. You can EASILY spend more than $1000 per day at DisneyWorld. You can imagine that if you are spending that kind of money and you were there on a Sunday morning it would not be asking too much to be able to find a church service on Disney property. Do you want someone paying $2345 per day to have to go an hour into Orlando to find a church?

2003 Room Rates 
 (tax not included) 
  
 Room Type                         Value   Regular Peak    Holiday 
 Garden View, King/2 Queens        $  339  $  384  $  444  $  514 
 Lagoon View, King/2 Queens        $  400  $  455  $  535  $  595 
 Lodge Tower, King/2 Queens        $  405  $  460  $  545  $  605 
 Lodge Concierge, King/2 Queens    $  449  $  520  $  600  $  660 
 Main Building Concierge           $  570  $  640  $  720  $  800 
 Concierge Deluxe                  $  595  $  670  $  755  $  840 
 Concierge Honeymoon               $  595  $  670  $  755  $  840 
 Sago Building - 1 Bedroom Suite   $  900  $  985  $ 1135  $ 1265 
 Marina - 1 Bedroom Suite          $  860  $  940  $ 1080  $ 1215 
 Floridian - 1 Bedroom Suite       $ 1295  $ 1425  $ 1580  $ 1745 
 Pool - 2 Bedroom Suite            $ 1345  $ 1465  $ 1620  $ 1790 
 Magic Kingdom - 2 Bedroom Suite   $ 1345  $ 1465  $ 1620  $ 1790 
 Cape Coral - 2 Bedroom Suite      $ 1590  $ 1765  $ 1950  $ 2155 
 Southern - 2 Bedroom Suite        $ 1725  $ 1900  $ 2105  $ 2345 
 Presidential - 2 Bedroom Suite    $ 1775  $ 1980  $ 2210  $ 2450 
 Main Building - 1 Bedroom Suite   $ 1080  $ 1180  $ 1325  $ 1475 
 Main Building - 2 Bedroom Suite   $ 1655  $ 1825  $ 2010  $ 2215 
 Concierge - 1 Bedroom Suite       $  985  $ 1075  $ 1215  $ 1370 
 Concierge - 2 Bedroom Suite       $ 1490  $ 1645  $ 1820  $ 2010 
 
 Value season for 2003 is 1/1 - 2/12, 7/4 - 10/1, 11/2 - 12/19 
 Regular season for 2003 is 4/27 - 7/3, 10/2 - 11/1 
 Peak season for 2003 is 2/13 - 4/26 
 Holiday season for 2003 is 12/20 - 12/31 
   
Prices are per room and do not include the 11% Resort 
tax for 2002 or 11.5% Resort tax for 2003. There is an 
additional adult charge of $25 per adult per night for 
more than two adults in a room. 
 

[FreedomCalls]

See my post 101.

[FreedomCalls]

Oops, the Presidential Suite is $2450 per day. I think that's the most expensive one.

[savedbygrace]

Wow! It might be cheaper to have Mickey come to the house and entertain the kids. ;-)

[JustTheTruth]

"They are of the same spirit that animated the Sanhedrin to kill Christ."
Wow - is this just maybe a wee bit of a reach?
I don't agree at all with the politics of some leaders at Disney (so???), but I'm not about to call them Christ-killers just because they make a business decision to not continue holding church meetings on their business premises . . . How many businesses do YOU already support that do not have churches on their business property? I don't think Walmart is holding services on their properties either . . . Stated alternatively, how many businesses DO have church/Sunday worship meetings on their premises, and why should any of them do so?

Having just visited Disney World in Orlando - I have to say that it is an amazing place to go for a family vacation. There are plenty of Churches nearby, so absolutely nobody is being denied the opportunity for convenient worship...

[irish_lad]

Although I no longer attend Sunday services, I always enjoyed the Mass at the Polynesian Hotel on Sunday mornings. Something special about it.

Disney has turned from its family oriented theme to one that accomodates faggots and other mutants of society.

[Libertina]

What you said, double. :(

[FreedomCalls]

There are plenty of Churches nearby, so absolutely nobody is being denied the opportunity for convenient worship...

Except for those who stay at a Disney resort hotel.

I fly to Orlando on Saturday. I take a Disney courtesy shuttle to Disney World. I stay at one of the Disney resort hotels on Disney property. I take the Disney shuttle bus and monorail combination to the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT and have a fun day. In the evening I come back to the Disney resort hotel using the bus/monorail and have a good sleep (still inside the main gate). I wake up on Sunday morning and I want to go to a church service.

Now, what convenient way do I have to go to church? Until this ban came into effect I could just attend a service right there at the resort. Now what do I do?

[Humidston]

Good for you... That's totally disgusting!

[Smittie]

What's wrong with going to their church for religious services? Or is their religion unable to compete with all those attractive rides?

Most people at Disney are on vacation away from home and might appreciate the convenience of not having to drive around looking to find a service. Notice they said there wasn't enough room to accomadate them.

Personally I have no desire to go there myself on any day.

[Darksheare]

Interesting.
They wouldn't think of canceling "Gay Day" ever.
(Oh, I must be a homophobe! I think it's wrong to show a political preference!)
Disney is out of it's mind. They DO promote a political agenda, and it isn't kid friendly. Regardless of what it's PR firm says, they promote the purple triangle crowd.

[applemac_g4]

Christians should not be financially supporting an organization which has become one of the leading corporate slanderers of the founder of their religion. And if they persist in doing so, they shouldn't surprise when they get a swift kick in the rear from the same.

[Itzlzha]

A spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Orlando, Fla., disagreed with Sheldon and Wright's criticism of Disney World's decision. According to spokesperson Carol Brinati, the idea to move church services off Disney premises was well received by Catholic officials.

Why do I have the feeling the Dioscese is worried that access to kids may be too great a "Temptation" to some of the Clergy?

In fact, Brinati said, the Orlando diocese was partly responsible for Disney's decision to eliminate the 28-year tradition of offering two Sunday services to Catholics staying at Disney World. She said church and Disney officials agreed that current Catholic crowds had outgrown the space allocated almost three decades ago when assemblies were much smaller.

Common business sense says to keep customers ON SITE as much as possible, to get the most $$$ from them. If people have to leave to get some service, chances are they might not return to spend $$$.

Since they admit they have more people availing themselves of said services, it would make sense to accomodate the parishioners in order to gain even MORE market share.

I suspect the church facilities will now become the "Rev. Paul Shanley Memorial BathHouse and Gay Bar"!

[Itzlzha]

Maybe they will build a bathhouse facility to accomodate Sunday Services for the Metropolitan Church.

You beat me to it. I guess I'll have to read more in the future before commenting...< G >!

[GovernmentShrinker]

I suspect that other religious groups, like Muslims, were pressuring Disney to provide space for their worship services too, since they saw Christian services being provided. Disney saw the slippery slope and bailed out of the religious services business before the picketing, boycotts, and other PR nightmares began.

And who the heck are these people who go to Disney World for their religious services? It's certainly not the norm for big commercial tourist destinations to provide religious services, and most people who are serious enough about their religion that they don't skip services while on vaction, are also likely to be very denomination-sensitive. I wonder if it was starting to be largely locals who went to church there regularly, and less of people who were coming to the area to go to Disney World.

The notion that this anything to do with gays is too silly for words. A lot of gays attend Christian religious services regularly, and no doubt many of them attended these Disney World services.