Originally Posted By NJ AP <<To me this is like seeing one of the parade floats gliding down Harbor Blvd. It would just look so wrong. >> I did catch the Electric Light Parade in NYC once. Seeing stars in the NYC sky made it seem even more magical. (The buildings along the parade route were encouraged to turn off their lights to make the floats seem more vivid, hence eliminating much of the white light that blocks the stars most nights.) Seriously, I agree with keeping costumes in Disney and not out of the parks.
Originally Posted By DJ7K >> Do people go to IHOP wearing that orange Disneyland Space Mountain jumpsuit?? It would cause quite a stir -- other patrons perhaps thinking a jailbreak or something << LoL true, they wouldn't want Darth Vader to know they escaped
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Dave -- I was referencing orange jumpsuits as prison garb. DJ7K thought I meant they look like Luke Skywalker's flightsuit from the first two movies. Which they do, but...
Originally Posted By DJ7K Not exactly, I was making reference to Tomorrowland in general thinking of something "prison" related and I thought of Darth Vader and the Dark Planet. But thanks for backing me up anyway!
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Yes. Perhaps you could get a flipchart and colorful felt-tip markets.
Originally Posted By cinderella143also >>>Everything inside of Disneyland was sacred including the costumes. To me this is like seeing one of the parade floats gliding down Harbor Blvd. It would just look so wrong. <<<<< This was such a great way to describe it! This is exactly how I feel about seeing CMs outside the park, around town in their work outfits!
Originally Posted By lesmisfan I am also one of those cast members that value show very much. I try very hard not to go out of the resort with my costume on. I always arrive early and get my costume and change. I really don't mind coming early better than being late. I also hate wearing costumes out of the park after work. I will admit there are times i will do it. But its only during those shifts that im off really late at night say one in the morning, most likely because of a specail event or on new years eve which really takes alot out of you and you are so tired you have no energy to change. but i go straight to my go and go home. not once have i gone out to a restuarant after work or grocery store in my costume. I think its a pitty that alot of Cast Members see this as a regular mcdonalds type of job. This resort has a rich history and is what most theme parks strive to be. I think being in costume outside of the resort destroys the magic a little bit. I wish more cast members would have more pride of the place they work at. this is not your normal job. This place is specail and should be treated as such. Now i do know cast members who live far way and have to take the train, for example yucaipa, and in that case i dont mind them bring costumes home. they can barely make it to the train on time as it is without changing. but for the rest of us, i dont think it should be done.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Good to hear it, lemisfan. Thanks for upholding the Disney magic. It is appreciated!
Originally Posted By 777pilot Hi guys-- I'm a longtime lurker and this thread piqued my interest so I'd like to delve in and share a few of my thoughts on this subject. First, I must disclose that I worked as an Attractions CM (or "RO" as we used to call it) for about five years in DL during the late 90s/early 2000s. I was an attractions lead by the time I left the company. Right around the time I hired in was when they were starting the "Fasttrack" program that allowed (and eventually *heavily* encouraged) CMs to take their costumes home with them. This was presumably to help combat the sometimes extremely long lines that we had to endure in order to check out our costumes at shift beginning and return them at shift's end. I didn't embrace the program at first, as I didn't want to have to worry about keeping track of a costume at home and at the time I wouldn't be caught dead off-property in a costume (not just for show purposes, but come on...would YOU really want to be seen wearing something like that outside of DL)? The Fasttrack system let you check out I think up to three costumes at once, so I would usually just get three and keep them in my locker so I could just change into them when I got to work and them change them out after three days. Enter problem #1. Way back then, the CMs actually had lockers that were assigned to them in which they could keep their costumes for the next day's shift. Shortly after the introduction of Fasttrack that ended. Starting around 2000, if I remember correctly, there were only non-assigned day lockers in which the CMs could store their things during their shift, but they can't leave things in them overnight. All of a sudden my system of keeping three in my locker was impossible, as I no longer had a locker and couldn't keep my costumes on-property. Alright, quite a pain, but I decided I would work around it and that my new course of action would just be to check out a single costume at the beginning of my shift, change into it, and then change out of it at the end of the day and return it. A bit more work than I used to have to do, but I figured it wouldn't be that big of an adjustment. Oops. My first day trying that new system, I got to work and when I saw the gigantic line for Costuming I realized that I'd forgotten to take something into account. Everyone else who'd now no longer had a locker was doing the same thing as me. Instead of hitting up costuming every three days to change out their costumes, now everyone had to hit it up twice every day--once before and once after their shift to get their costumes. I was in that line for 45 minutes and I quickly realized that my new plan wasn't going to work. I ended up just getting three costumes, putting one on, and storing the other two in the day locker I used for that shift to take home with me. I did end up washing my costumes myself simply because it took too much time to deal with Costuming. The lines were far too long, and there was another logistical problem I'll now try to explain: Back when I first hired in, all the CMs parked at the Katella lot (out at Clementine and Katella) and took the shuttle in. The main place to clock-in, Costuming, and the locker rooms were near the front of the park (kind of by Space Mountain) so everything was pretty centrally located. Not as much so when they opened the big parking structure. When that happened, they moved one of the CM parking lots to the base of the parking structure and moved some of the costuming and locker rooms back to there. Based on where one parked (whether they carpooled with someone, etc) this could conceivably force them to have to walk across the whole park to get their costume and then back across the park to get to the locker room to change into it. It was also a long walk from the Ball CM lot (at the base of the parking structure) and some people just didn't have the time after that to deal with costuming and changing. Either of the locker rooms could be very far from one's work location and after spending the time to walk in from Ball lot or ride the Shuttle from Katella lot time could be running short, especially for people like me who were coming straight from school or another job. After awhile it just became too much of a hassle and too time-consuming to change before and after shifts.
Originally Posted By EmmaJayne 'The evil adult in me wonders how many of the Pirate's partners are really glad the outfits can come home!!!' ..well I know I wouldn't be complaining if my boyfriend had one..
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Man, what a pain in the rear they turned it into, 777pilot. Thanks for sharing your insight!
Originally Posted By monorailblue I was going to post a bit of what 777 did, but here's a couple of extra thoughts: When CMs had lockers (as I did; I was a CM 1994 to 2000), each CM kept only one costume at a time and kept work shoes (black, polishable, oxford style, defined rubber sole, etc.) at the park. This meant that any CM only had one costume out at a time--you were wearing it, or it was in your locker. By the time the costuming revolution took place, every has "up to" 3 costumes out at a time--meaning the inventory needs grew enormously. Lockers were a huge problem with DCA coming online--the space required for permanent lockers for another 10,000 CMs was not planned or budgeted for. Also, the full-service costuming idea was considered a waste by the Pressler/Harris studies. Hmmm, what to do? And another problem--that pesky "walk-time" concept--can we, the Resort wondered, get rid of that in DCA? The solutions were centered in FasTrack, the system described above. (1) No assigned lockers needed. No one needed to store anything at the resort when you're not there--not costumes, not shoes, not shoe polish, extra black socks--nothing--because by taking costumes home, no one will be changing at the park. (2) Wardrobe services can be simplified: no need to have windows and greet people pleasantly--they just drop off their bag and come back later to pick up their costumes. (3) No need for walk time in DCA! If no one is required to change on property, no need to pay them to change clothes or costumes either before or after the shift! Hooray! So DCA and DCA's costumes were designed accordingly--no lockers, no walk time, costumes were generally very bland, boring and simple--so there wouldn't be so much concern about them leaving the park. But there remained a very pesky problem: Disneyland. Disneyland still had lockers (at first), still paid walk time, and many Disneyland costumes were totally in appropriate for FasTrack. Hmmmm--what to do? At first, FasTrack was allowed for Disneyland only on a costume-by-costume basis. Custodial was in as was parking lot and Main Gate. Generic Tomorrowland was in, but Autopia (still blue and yellow) and Monorail were out. Some East side costumes were OK, but Pirates, Mansion, Canoes, Twain, Columbia, Thunder were out. Etc. Then, lockers were eliminated. The new costuming building was a nightmare from day one--too small for the increased costuming need, and poorly organized. Area windows had given way to all purpose windows, etc. And now you had people with no walk time and FasTrack, people with walk time and FasTrack, and people with walk time and no FasTrack option. It was a nightmare. The solution? Thanks to a combination of the California Labor Code, the Unions, and Disney's then in-vogue self-reinvention, only one solution could be worked out: FasTrack for everyone, no matter what the costume. I believe walk-time was also granted to all CMs in both parks (please correct me if I'm wrong here--I left before any change to walk time). (Also, I believe walk time is now 20 minutes, rather than 15--is it not so?) All this, coupled with GEMS, CDS and other "improvements" has made the tried and true, Value the Magic way of doing things that created the pinnacle of employee loyalty and dedication for more than 4 decades is a distant memory that most CMs have never heard of. (Of course, there were additional factors at work.) Tidbit: one of the most dramatic costume simplifications occurred while I was at Disneyland. The Fantasyland Hostess Costume (excluding cold-weather and rain add-ons) went from 14 pieces (including skirt, underskirt, apron, waist, waist tie blouse, vest, socks, belt and more--all issued and maintained by wardrobe) to 3 pieces--skirt, blouse and vest. 14 to 3. Pretty dramatic. (Though, to be fair, I think most Fantasyland costumes were improved--the green pants/shorts and new shirts with caps and jackets is a bit classier look.) Can you tell I haven't posted in several days? I have too much LP pent up energy!
Originally Posted By -PLP- Hi Jim in Merced CA, I did not read this entire thread b4 i answered but as for the guys on MS in the white shirts & red vests they are for guest controls b4 and after parades and fireworks. New Costume for this. As for our being allowed to take our costumes home, we are supposed to remove our name tags and only make simple stops directly to and from work. such as a quik bank or supermarket stop. We were asked to not wear our costumes out to dinner or other such activities. I am in the Fasttrack program where i get to bring my costumes home. It is so much easier that way instead of coing to costuming b4 every shift and getting your costume and going upstairs to change and then find an open locker for that shift. We are not allowed to use the locker for more than one shift as they will cut the lock off (cost to us:$5). I find that it is much easier for me to take them home.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA wow -- some terrific posts here, thank you. monorailblue -- wonderfully detailed explanation of the change in costume policy. I have to wonder if it really saves as much money as they think.
Originally Posted By lesmisfan and to answer monorailblues question we all get a 20 min walk time now. Its very nice. I get plenty of time to change and aget to my car in the simba lot.
Originally Posted By Collgdsnygrl Ok... so I actually work at Disneyland right now and here's how it works.. You can check out up to 3 full costumes( shirt pants/skirt apron) at a time... you can either return them and have disney wash them or you can wash them yourself... the red vest is crowd control for mainstreet, if they need crowd control in a different land they have attractions cast members from that specific land do it. the blue stripped costume isn't from disneyland i have no idea where it's from, the only blue stripped costume we have is for small world but you don't where a baseball hat, the only people who wear stra hats with red ribbon are the ODV cast members for main street, we don't get paid to change iinto our costume but we do get paid to change out of our costume... it has nothing to do with not enough space because they moved toontown adn fantsyland costuming together down behind toontown, then everything else is at main costuming which is HUGE!!!! It's about the size of pirates of the caribbean to the train station (if it were one giant building) and i believe that there is a costuming over in dca.... Now as for WDW it is exactly the samewe don't get any paid walk time at all, we can check out five costumes. The reason they let us take home our costukes is just to make it easier for us... Especially since most cast members have huge commutes to work... seriuosly if I had to drive an hour to work everyday, that would mean i would have to leave an hour and a half almost 2 hours befoer my shift just to give myself enough time to change... If you guys are upset just because of costumes it's kind of weird that you're not discussing why pricing is so high or why sometimes the trash cans get so full they overflow byt he time custodial can get over to them... or why when we try to do something nice for guests like dream squad giving dream passes out, people hunt them down jsut to get one then get mad when they don't.
