Club 33 Woes

[Mouse Trap]

Haven't see this covered yet, but I've been told Club 33 IS currently open --- as a glorified photo op in the Courtyard of Angels and gift shop

I didn't ask if billing has resumed, but if it has we can now say a $10,000 photo op now exists at DL.

 

[CaptinEO]

This whole drama with the tattoos is kind of like the Splash and Jungle changes, where I had no idea there was any kind of meaningful controversy but now that Disney's announced the change everyone is coming out and saying how much they support it and how ridiculous it was and stuff.

I'm all for people expressing themselves, but when they're at work they're supposed to be representing a brand. And at Disneyland, since they use buzz words like "cast member" to describe their employees, they're supposed to be putting on a show and the standard is raised beyond most workplaces.

No other theme park in the world could get away with charging the Club 33 rates Disney charged. They could because Disneyland's place in Americana was unique and special- and the experience of attending was far beyond your typical theme park. So I'm not surprised that the people who have the kind of money to have a personal membership also aren't thrilled that Disney's lowering the standards for the Disney Look like they have been.

I agree entirely.

I just want to say that it bugs me when a company makes a corporate decision disguised as a political decision.

Everyone assumes the Disney dress code change is because the company is inclusive, when really they are having staffing troubles.

As Disney themselves said, the Tiana Mountain concept was made a year prior to their announcement. The same year they were selling Splash 30th merchandise.

It's clear it is all business decisions.

Disney probably wished they could've attached Tower of Terror's removal to some societal issue to garner more support.

 

[Tamandua]

Since the changes in appearances, especially tattoos, I have talked to many at work that are happy. Mainly that they don't have to wear extra pieces to cover up anymore especially on hot days. I was surprised by a few that mentioned that they'll still cover up that even they have tattoos and love them, they just do not think they're professional.

It was often pretty obvious before when they were covering up tattoos. That kind of professionalism doesn't go unnoticed. I noticed a few people the other day who looked like they were still covering their tattoos with those white sleeves. Those cast members stand out and will probably get promoted faster over the ones who bend/break even the newer, more lenient rules.

 

[WDWTrojan]

I agree entirely.

I just want to say that it bugs me when a company makes a corporate decision disguised as a political decision.

Everyone assumes the Disney dress code change is because the company is inclusive, when really they are having staffing troubles.

As Disney themselves said, the Tiana Mountain concept was made a year prior to their announcement. The same year they were selling Splash 30th merchandise.

It's clear it is all business decisions.

Disney probably wished they could've attached Tower of Terror's removal to some societal issue to garner more support.

I also really hate that they've lumped in the tattoo thing with the gender inclusivity. If you're transitioning or feel more comfortable in a male costume, by all means. I don't understand what this has to do with showing up to work with your Metallica tattoo exposed. It's not the same but Disney is trying to make it seem like it is.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Anyone else not have any tattoos whatsoever?

 

[Tamandua]

Anyone else not have any tattoos whatsoever?

I haven't gotten any but only because I hoped to work at DLR one day. I guess I held back for nothing.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I refused to let my hair grow hoping I could maintain the Disney Look and one day welcome guests to Superstar Limo

 

[Tamandua]

I refused to let my hair grow hoping I could maintain the Disney Look and one day welcome guests to Superstar Limo

If you didn't fit the Disney look, you could have worn one of these outfits. Drew Carrey didn't fit the Disney look and they covered him up.

 

[TP2000]

I also really hate that they've lumped in the tattoo thing with the gender inclusivity. If you're transitioning or feel more comfortable in a male costume, by all means. I don't understand what this has to do with showing up to work with your Metallica tattoo exposed. It's not the same but Disney is trying to make it seem like it is.

I agree, and I don't understand it either.

This is where I think too many CM's think they "won" something, but all they've done is lower their chances at a growing pay scale in the years to come.

Helping a trans person transition from Host to Hostess, or vice versa, is something Disney should have defined and helpful policies around to allow that employee to transition as easily as possible in the workplace. A workplace, we must remember, that has clear "costumes" for employees that are (were?) allegedly "playing a role" in a "show". Transgender wasn't a thing in 1961 when the Disney Look was gelling into place, but it's a thing now and Disney needs to define it as helpfully and graciously as possible for its trans employees.

But letting a CM just flash all their awesome Homer Simpson tats while they work on Main Street USA? That is entirely different than a transgender person changing costumes, or a Sikh employee wearing their turban at work, etc.

The tattoos are nothing but widening the labor pool and lowering future wage growth. I'm still fascinated by how few young people understand that basic Capitalist concept and realize what they've just "won". They won lower wages for the next decade. Congrats, kids!

 

[TP2000]

Anyone else not have any tattoos whatsoever?

I almost got one in the service decades ago. But then I didn't. I can't remember why I backed out exactly. I may have just wanted to see a movie or something instead. I have a high pain threshold and needles never scared me. But I'm inkless, yet full of personality!

 

[TP2000]

I refused to let my hair grow hoping I could maintain the Disney Look and one day welcome guests to Superstar Limo

You know, one of the few charms of Superstar Limo were those CM uniforms.

They were supposed to look like fancy old-time limo drivers, except their jackets were bright purple with black shoulder pads and shiny buttons all down the front, and they had black driving caps with shiny chrome brims on them. They looked like the valet parking staff at a very high end gay bar.

It was one of the few highlights of a day at DCA in the summer of '01.

 

[Tamandua]

A guy I know once told me that he sat in on a hiring session at Disney world (this probably would have been a few decades ago). He said the first thing they did was show a slide that showed a picture of tattoos, odd hair styles, piercings, etc, and told the applicants that if they visibly had any of the things shown, they couldn't work there. He said Disney was very diplomatic about it and offered free passes to the park for anyone they disqualified over the Disney look, but it was the first thing they did to weed out applicants. It was literally the most important factor at one point.

Now... Anything goes.

 

[el_super]

So I'm not surprised that the people who have the kind of money to have a personal membership also aren't thrilled that Disney's lowering the standards for the Disney Look like they have been.

Disney didn't lower their standards. What you think should be a standard just isn't anymore. Their standards for diversity and inclusion are the best in the business.

 

[denyuntilcaught]

I'm all for people expressing themselves, but when they're at work they're supposed to be representing a brand. And at Disneyland, since they use buzz words like "cast member" to describe their employees, they're supposed to be putting on a show and the standard is raised beyond most workplaces.

Then pay them as actors. Not some measly "just above minimum wage" fare. Disney's getting what they pay for, period.

 

[TP2000]

Haven't see this covered yet, but I've been told Club 33 IS currently open --- as a glorified photo op in the Courtyard of Angels and gift shop

I didn't ask if billing has resumed, but if it has we can now say a $10,000 photo op now exists at DL.

Really? I don't think you are joking there. Are you joking? The two members I spoke with didn't mention that. They either don't know about it, or it's so trivial and meaningless that they don't care.

Their sizable investment into Club 33 for the past decade wasn't for a photo op. Everything they've been paying for is off limits to them currently (the dining room, Salon Nouveau, 1901) , and/or unknown if it will ever return in the future and be worth the same value (Fastpasses, VIP Tours, valet parking, etc).

With the exception of perhaps a trust fund baby or two or those drunkards from Arizona who got kicked out a couple years ago for being losers, Club 33 members are not stupid people. They are largely business owners and successful professionals who know the value of hard work and have brains to back it up. Club 33 just isn't penciling out for many of them now, and the lack of forthright communication from Disney over the last year was insulting and aggravating for them. So they are saying... buh-bye.

 

[Sailor310]

I come from a time when only sailors, inmates, and gang members had tatoos.

 

[smooch]

Anyone else not have any tattoos whatsoever?

I have one small sad face : ( on my, uh, rear end. I don't have any problem covering that one up for work.

I refused to let my hair grow hoping I could maintain the Disney Look and one day welcome guests to Superstar Limo

When I had my application put in last year for the DCP my hair was a bit longer than Disney allowed for men at the time, knowing full well I was gonna cut it a few weeks out from my program starting if I got accepted. Honestly, I have some bias considering my hair is down to my shoulders / a little past my shoulders, I don't think there's any problem with the hairstyles no longer being male specific or female specific, I work at a very nice financial advisory (in the Fortune Top 50 Best Company to Work For list) and have long hair and as long as I actually put an effort into my appearance like brushing my hair out so it isn't unkempt or putting my hair in a bun / ponytail there is no issue. And I work with an older clientele and have actually had quite a few people I would expect to be conservative in regards to men with long hair that actually complimented me on my hair.

As long as Disney makes sure people put some effort into their appearance as they have before then I don't see a problem, they are loosening some things like tattoos which people will have different opinions on, but I really don't see this change as a decline in quality. Everything I've heard from CMs is they are much happier not having to do things like cover a wrist tattoo with a long sleeve in sweltering heat, or men being able to wear nail polish or earrings. I guess as time goes on and this current younger generation gets older then there won't be the older generations with an older sense of professionalism. I'm not saying every young person has the same views on professionalism, but it feels like a larger portion of younger people agree tattoos that are appropriate shouldn't be seen as unprofessional, for example. Things change over time, sure Disney did this to have a larger pool of people to hire, but this would have happened eventually considering companies change as social norms change. I really don't understand how anyone thinks it's the end of the world seeing someone with purple / pink hair at Star Tours, which I don't even believe because the guidelines still stated hair color must be natural.

 

[Tamandua]

I really don't understand how anyone thinks it's the end of the world seeing someone with purple / pink hair at Star Tours, which I don't even believe because the guidelines still stated hair color must be natural.

Is it really so hard to believe that they'd bend the hair color rule at star tours? They have a character at Galaxy's Edge with blue hair:

Technically the new rule on tattoos is "Tattoos must be no larger than the Cast Member’s hand when fully extended with the fingers held together." But I saw a lot of tattoos larger than that. Clearly they were only loosely enforcing these guidelines.

 

[Macro]

I come from a time when only sailors, inmates, and gang members had tatoos.

You forgot cherubs.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Anyone else not have any tattoos whatsoever?

I have zero tatoos