Any California Disney Store CM's get their I.D.'s yet?

[mickeymark34]

I am a Disney Store Cast Member in Northern California whose store has yet to recieve I.D.'s. Are there any other stores in this area that have recieved your I.D.'s? I am just hoping I get mine before November 3rd, as I am taking a trip down to Disneyland. I have heard of other stores around the country getting thiers, including some in California, but not around here. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Maybe a lesson in patience would help too.

[Code90]

From what I understand, unless you work at Disneyland, any other Walt Disney Company ID does not grant admission into the parks. Even those who work at the Studios cannot gain access to the parks on just an ID alone. It must be accompanied by a Silver Pass. Is this not the case with Disney Store cast members?

[mrfantasmic]

Blue or silver... It's my understanding that certain levels of Disney Store employees receive blue passes, but I'm not positive.

[Disney Magic]

Have the perks and benefits been finalized yet since WDC took ownership back of the stores?

Not sure if this will continue to be the case but before being sold all (even casual CMs with temporary IDs) Disney store CM had free admission to both resorts simply by showing an ID, since 2004 however it was restricted so that only certain managers got free admission.

[mickeymark34]

I know I cant use my I.D. to get into the park. I want my I.D. to be able to use it for the discounts in the park, and to get into Company D.

[Karnever]

From what I understand, unless you work at Disneyland, any other Walt Disney Company ID does not grant admission into the parks. Even those who work at the Studios cannot gain access to the parks on just an ID alone. It must be accompanied by a Silver Pass. Is this not the case with Disney Store cast members?

When I worked at WDIG I had my blue ID and a silver pass I could go to the park whenever... I believe only Disney store CMs cant get in thats how it use to be the first time the company had the stores.

[Burnt Toast]

From what I understand, unless you work at Disneyland, any other Walt Disney Company ID does not grant admission into the parks. Even those who work at the Studios cannot gain access to the parks on just an ID alone.

That is correct across the board and is supposed to apply to all Disney Cast Members. IDs alone no longer grant access into ANY theme park (unless it's your "home" resort), it's your Main Gate Pass that does. Even if you are by yourself at a resort other then your "home" resort, you have to show your Main Gate Pass and your ID for admission.

So for instance if I was going to Walt Disney World by myself, as a Disneyland Cast Member, I'd still have to show them my ID and Main Gate Pass for admission... my ID by itself will not cut it anymore. However, like it was mentioned in another thread, sign-ins (by myself or with Guests) DO NOT count against my yearly allottment since I am not at my "home" resort. The 16 total sign-ins per year allottment only counts towards your "home" resort.

If it goes back to the way it used to be pre-Children's Place takeover, then Disney Store Cast Members need to contact their district managers or Human Resources to have their admission tickets waiting for them at Will Call before they visit because Disney Store Cast Members do not receive Main Gate Passes (only higher ups did).

For discounts inside the Parks or for access to Disneyland's Company D/TEAM Centers for Disney Store Cast Members, those are given upon presentation of ID... just free admission into the Parks is not. I think this also includes Walt Disney World's Company D or Property Control, I don't know if DLR Cast Members even have access to them by themselves because I've always gone to them with my friend who is a WDW Cast Member.

The only exception to this is at the Walt Disney World Resort, their management chooses to restrict discounts to things like the water parks, Cirque du Soleil, and other supplementary attractions to "Florida-Site" Cast Members only ("Florida-Site" meaning only WDW Cast Members and Imagineers statused to Florida). The Disneyland Resort has no supplementary attractions to restrict and use to treat other Cast Members like second-class citizens with (i.e. we don't use the term "California-Site" or use a term that means something similiar for anything).

[Disney Magic]

If it goes back to the way it used to be pre-Children's Place takeover, then Disney Store Cast Members need to contact their district managers or Human Resources to have their admission tickets waiting for them at Will Call before they visit because Disney Store Cast Members do not receive Main Gate Passes (only higher ups did).

I can't speak with complete certainty about rest of your post and don't mean to disagree with you. However that is simple not true. I was a Disney Store CM up untill 2003 (the year before being sold) and all that was required for park admission was my yellow Disney ID. Never did any of our CMs have to make arrangements to have passes waiting for us. Though we could purchase certain amount, possibly 20, of discounted park hoppers for friends and family per year, that did have to done at your home store prior to the trip. During 2003 I did visit WDW twice and DLR once. At WDW, Disney Store CMs also were elidgible for discounted rooms at hotels usually 50% sometimes more depending on time of year and were allowed to book up to three rooms at a time for guests. At that time I was also elidgible for discounts to Cirque duSolei, dinner shows, horseback riding, golf, shopping, and dining (all except ODV cart) and I believe water recreational vehicles though I never got to take advantage of that. Water parks did also have restictions as to what day discounts applied but I seem to remember free admission there too.

Again this info was true about the past (2003) and is not all pertinant today. Many changes were made in 2004 with TCP taking ownership and then only managers were able to continue getting the main gate pass. Regular CMs lost their discounts to the resorts.... even though resort CMs continued getting discounts at TDS... go figure.

Are there any current TDS CMs who know what changes have been made to discounts?

[mickeymark34]

As far as I know the discounts are the same as they were before TCP took over. 20% off of merchandise, and food. Unless food is a little more of a discount. I could be wrong. Can someone correct me on this?

[Burnt Toast]

I can't speak with complete certainty about rest of your post and don't mean to disagree with you.

Yup, the changes to being able to just get in yourself with your IDs and the like that I mentioned (the part about discounts being limited to "Florida-Site") was in February '04, after your trips to WDW. I remember (and just looked up the pictures I had taken that trip) because I went in January '04 and all the Cast Members were talking about it that it was going into effect in February. One CM at Pleasure Island's gate even repeatedly taunted us ("Next month! Next month! Ha ha!"... yah, I was like wtf) because we wouldn't be able to get into PI for free anymore next month, even on CM night. That trip I also did not need to use my WDW CM friend for anything since I was eligible for all the supplementary attractions through my own ID, now that is not the case.

Non-"Florida-Site" CMs are second class citizens at WDW and has been since February '04... I was able to confirm this on both my trips afterward in January '06 and September '07.

Just for clarification, the official group cast in the second class citizen pool is "Cast Members and Employees with Company ID Cards from Disneyland® Resort, Disneyland Resort® Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland®, ABC, ESPN, B.A.S.S./ESPN Outdoors, Great Outdoor Games/ESPN Outdoors, Disney Store, Walt Disney Studios and Corportate are considered "Non-Florida Site Cast Members"."

Back in 2003, were you also able to get in Guests with just your ID? If so, then I was mistaken... however, my post was mostly about the present, post-February '04 policy. Also, the Children's Place buyout of the Disney Stores was announced in October '04, so technically I wasn't incorrect since between February '04 through whenever the buyout was official (well after October '04), Disney Store Cast Members as well as all other non-"Florida-Site" CMs were now considered second class citizens and can no longer just get in through their IDs.

I keep forgetting to mention this to John Lasseter when I see him in the Parks... heh heh.

[Burnt Toast]

As far as I know the discounts are the same as they were before TCP took over. 20% off of merchandise, and food. Unless food is a little more of a discount. I could be wrong. Can someone correct me on this?

Should still be the same as before; 20% on merchandise (don't know if TDS does "A" and "B" discount levels like the Theme Parks and Resorts division does) and 20% on food purchases.

[Morrigoon]

Not to derail too much, but do I understand Burnt Toast correctly... if a CM from Anaheim goes to Florida for, say, a week, and signs themself plus guests into the FL parks for a week, those days don't count against their sign-in allotment?

[Burnt Toast]

Not to derail too much, but do I understand Burnt Toast correctly... if a CM from Anaheim goes to Florida for, say, a week, and signs themself plus guests into the FL parks for a week, those days don't count against their sign-in allotment?

Yah, the yearly allotment is only supposed to count at your "home" resort, not when you visit other resorts.

Still surprises me that they didn't change it to count towards your yearly back in February '04 when they established current policy of CM segregation. Yah, I'm bitter.

[Morrigoon]

Theoretical question.

[kcw]

The Disneyland Resort has no supplementary attractions to restrict and use to treat other Cast Members like second-class citizens with (i.e. we don't use the term "California-Site" or use a term that means something similiar for anything).

...Non-"Florida-Site" CMs are second class citizens at WDW

...the official group cast in the second class citizen pool is

...non-"Florida-Site" CMs were now considered second class citizens

Yah, I'm bitter.

really? I couldn't tell.... In all honesty, shouldn't you just be thankful that you get any discounts at the other parks? Heck, TDL's CMs don't even get into their own parks for free, so there's certainly no room to be complaining here

Yah, the yearly allotment is only supposed to count at your "home" resort, not when you visit other resorts.

I heard that they just changed this, and all uses at any parks will be counting against us... I haven't had a chance to see for myself if its true though