http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090114/BIZ01/301140021

With gas prices high,more people will choose local vaction plans over them long trips to the beach.

I can see disney hurting a bit from this.

Remember to bring your friends and family this year and enjoy some of the best local entertainment

you can find at Kings Island.

I think people like to escape to places where they don't have to muse over life's problems, especially in economically tough times.

Obviously Disney is hurting now since you can get free admission on your birthday in 2009!

Not to mention their Buy 4 Get 3 Free promotion.

Yes that is the same promotion they ran after 9/11, if that gives any idea of how hard they have been hit.

Not to mention their Buy 4 Get 3 Free promotion.

I read somewhere a few weeks ago that the Buy 4 Get 3 Free promotion has cut Disney's projected drop in occupancy rates in half. Also, the get in free on your birthday promotion has been in the works for months--it's not a knee jerk reaction to any economic situation. It's part of the larger "What Will You Celebrate?" marketing campaign for 2009. Another thing that Disney's done (apparently with great success) at the Disneyland Resort is to offer payment plans spread out over 12 months for their annual passes.

I was in Disney World the week of Christmas and the place was just as crowded then as I've ever seen it in all the years I've been going.