Boo Again, Naturally
After the half-marathon, Disneyland Cast Members get less than three weeks of
well-deserved rest before the crowds return for the debut of the popular
HalloweenTime festivities and Haunted Mansion Holiday on September 24th. More
custom Halloween decorations have been created for both Disneyland and DCA this
year, and it really has turned a previously quiet time to visit the parks into
another frenzy of activity and long lines.
Tickets for Mickey's Halloween Treat parties in DCA are going quickly, and
will likely sell out entirely by the time the event begins in late September.
The Halloween version of the fireworks that Steve Davison had once proposed was
shelved for this year as Steve pours his energy into the Wonderful World of
Color show, and TDA just spent the money on more decorations for the parks
instead.
That Halloween fireworks show will arrive eventually however, as Disneyland
management is still interested and Steve wants to do it. The parks will be busy
from late September all the way through the monumental Christmas season this
year, and the sharp pencil boys in TDA and Burbank will laugh all the way to the
bank.
Dress for Success
There are some people in TDA who won't be laughing this fall however, and
those are the folks who have been flouting the office dress code for the last
few years. Called the "Disney Look" in all of their theme parks, Disney has
clearly defined dress codes for everyone from churro salesmen to senior vice
presidents. For the managers and salaried types that don't wear "costumes" the
dress code is very specific and very detailed, going right down to the color of
eyeshade and the number of rings on a ladies hand or the style of shirt and
color of belts allowed for men.
Back in 1996 when Paul Pressler had just taken over as President of the
Resort, he ditched the old dress code and went with a "Business Casual" option
for nearly everyone. Of course there were many companies in the 1990's who were
doing the same thing with their office dress code, and for a few years things
were just fine in Anaheim. It was just one of many ways that Paul Pressler was
making a break with the past at Disneyland, and at the time many people thought
it was a reasonable thing to do.
But about five years ago a few TDA departments really started to go their own
way and the clearly defined Business Casual standards began to be ignored. Women
in TDA began wearing denim fabric, flimsy sleeveless blouses and open sandals,
while men began to wear casual polo shirts and khaki pants that obviously had
never met an iron. Neckties disappeared almost completely inside TDA. Some of
the more fashionable TDA departments like Marketing and Entertainment even have
folks with punky hairdo's and wild jewelry that would never be seen on a manager
in the park. An hourly hostess would likely get sent home from her shift at Star
Tours for having two-tone hair, but the same wild hairdo could be the hit of the
Tuesday morning meeting in TDA.
Photo: David
Lane
And that's primarily what is driving the decision to ditch the old 1990's
business casual standards, such as they were, and return to a more traditional
"Business Professional" dress code for managers and office staff. The fact that
managers out in the park were trying to hold the hourly Cast Members to the
stated standards while Cast Members in TDA routinely flouted those standards is
what finally got the senior management in the parks fed up. It's a shame they
can't just go in and sit the TDA violators down and hold them accountable to the
rules that are already on the books. The managers in the parks will be required
to ditch the business casual look as well, but (with a few exceptions) it won't
be as big a change for them as many either still dressed up for work routinely
or actually followed the Disney Look dress code in the first place.
Photo: David "Darkbeer" Michael
The most noticeable violators in the parks are the artsy folks in
Entertainment, or the young park supervisors who barely make enough money to pay
their OC rent, let alone buy suits and ties. And the managers over at the hotels
never lowered their dress code standards to begin with, so it won't mean much of
anything to them. There are quite a few folks in TDA however that will need to
rethink their hairdo, tone down their makeup and jewelry, and buy new more
conservative work clothes this fall.
Gay Days
Speaking of special events (will the park ever again have a slow season?) the
folks behind Gay Days at Disneyland are always kind enough each year to send me
a press release for the event, which I like to run so readers can plan their
upcoming visits accordingly:
10th annual Unofficial Gay Days at Disneyland announces their line-up for
this year's event, October 5–7 at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif.
Ugly Betty's Ana Ortiz to host, Djs Ray Rhodes and Kimberly S. to spin, Sean
Van Der Wilt and Billie Myers to perform, appearances by Alec Mapa, Jenny
Shimizu, Reichen Lehmkuhl and much more announced for the annual happening.
Following last year's successful event, which attracted nearly 30,000 gays
and lesbians from California and all over the country, the Gay Days at
Disneyland this year will be held Friday, October 5—Sunday, October 7. Modeled
after the gay days at Walt Disney World in Orlando, the Disneyland event is
a "mix-in" with straight park-goers. Gays and lesbians are encouraged to
wear red shirts to identify one another and show strong numbers. Official
T-shirts are available at the official Gay Day at Disneyland Web site linked
below.
Both days in the park will have gathering times for specific groups including
gay youth (sponsored by The Trevor Project), families, women, singles, and, of
course, bears. There will be scavenger hunts and a group photo inside the park.
A complete schedule is available at the Web site.
The weekend opens Friday, October 5 with Wonderland, a dance party
with DJ Ray Rhodes (Tiger Heat, KBIG 104.), hosted by Los Angeles drag
diva Momma. Alec Mapa (Desperate Housewives) and Michele
Fleury (Logo's Curl Girls) will host the VIP room. The event, which
benefits The Trevor Project, runs from 9:30pm–1am at Ralph Brennan's Jazz
Kitchen located in Downtown Disney at the Disneyland Resort. Tickets are $15 at
the door.
Saturday, October 6 will be Gay Day at Disneyland which culminates
with Kingdom, the weekend's signature dance party with music from renown DJ Kimberly S. There will be special performances by Billie
Myers (“Kiss the Rain”) and Sean van der Wilt as well. The
party will be hosted by Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty). The event will be
held at the House of Blues Anaheim in Downtown Disney from 9pm–1:30am. Tickets
are $30 in advance, $40 at the door. Sunday, October 7 will be Gay Day at Disney's California Adventure.
Other events at the weekend include free screenings at the Gay Days
Entertainment Center presented by here! (located inside the Wonder Tower of
the Disneyland Hotel), where Disney/Pixar will present a special screening of
their upcoming DVD Pixar Shorts, and members of the cast of here!’s Dante’s
Cove including Reichen Lehmkuhl and Jenny Shimizu will attend
a screening of the sow’s second season premiere on Sunday. There will also be
a Gay Days Pin Trading event on Sunday at the Gay Days Info Center
presented by Voce (also located inside the Wonder Tower of the Disneyland
Hotel.)
One-day, single park passes are $63 for adults and $53 for children and
are available at Disneyland’s entrance or from www.disneyland.com. Discounted hotel rooms and park tickets are currently offered at
the link below.
Like the gay days at Walt Disney World, this is NOT a Disney-sponsored event
so Disney will not have any information regarding the "unofficial" happening. Complete details about Gay Days at Disneyland are available at
www.GayDaysAnaheim.com.
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