Costume Capers

[CujoSR]

I did go hit the strip club after work in costume once. Got me quite a bit of attenntion.

[GMC]

Zazu if your conductor's costumes are the same polyester mess that ours are, they're machine washable, heads up though, i've found that when i wash them at home they kinda get this odd funk to them.

[Zazu]

Zazu if your conductor's costumes are the same polyester mess that ours are, they're machine washable, heads up though, i've found that when i wash them at home they kinda get this odd funk to them.

Two important points:

1. Costuming cast went out of their way on Monday to make sure I understood that the vest and jacket of my costume are both dry-clean only. Your experience suggests that they're right about this.

2. You appear to have confused me with someone who is willing to do Disney's laundry for them at my own expense and on my own time. This is so not going to happen!

[Stduck]

Hence why the only thing that I ever was of Disney issue is the white gloves with my white socks. Sorry half those costume pieces have little tags that say dry-clean only. So I have disney do my costume laundry.

I hope you get you Special Wash back Zazu

[Sweetums]

BTW those hookers are FUGLY! You'd have to pay ME.

What did you expect? They all live on OBT!
(Orange Blossom Trail, also known as 'The Hood' of Orlando.)

[Zazu]

MK Cast Zooming, Day 3:

Still no sign of last week's Special Wash. I also notice that the rack of Special Wash returns is dwindling. Looks like it's become a black hole of some sort.

Got a costume that was almost my size, and jumped on the bus. In the locker room, I discoverd that the shirt marked 17x35 was actually about a 15x31 ... not a discrepancy I could get away with. Too early to clock in, so I just called labor base to let them know I had a "Costuming Challenge" (as they like to call it) and got back on the bus.

By the time I got another shirt and rode the bus back, it was now too late to clock in! Fortunately, when I gave the duty manager the choice of fixing my clock-in time or losing some select and valuable part of his anatomy, he made the right decision.

Oh, and the Costuming Dept's official reply to my continuing situation? "If things are still messed up in six months, come back and complain again." Yeah, that's right, six months. You caught that too?

I've decided to give them to the end of the month. If it's still screwed up then, I'll ask to be put on administrative furlough until they find me costume.

Six months my rosy butt!

[goose]

The Magic Kingdom has now gone to Cast Zooming, where everybody gets to wear their costume home (and the market, gas station, liquor store, bar, whorehouse, where ever). We've also had our costuming moved to a new building in the parking lot. Therein lies some major league stupid.

Today, those of us on Special Wash (custom fit or shortages - I've some of each) discovered that each and every piece that had been put into the Special Wash basket last night had gone missing, as had the CM who collected them and was supposed to have done something useful with them.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked my manager.

"Well, I guess if they don't have the costume pieces, you'll just have to go without," he replied.

"Okay, let me double check what you just told me: You just authorized me to go on stage naked today, is that right?"

"Urr....."

So I missed my first two trains while Costuming rummaged around and finally located pants that fit (except for the pocket sewn shut) and a vest only two sizes too large.

But hey, the way this new system works, I can check out five full costumes and take them home, saving me the trouble of changing at work! But if they *had* five costumes my size, I wouldn't have been on Special Wash for the past two years in the first place.

And I'm sure I'll be taking my Conductor's hat off property. Those suckers are going for about $350 on eBay, no way I'm risking that liability. What's that? Oh, CR and CT will loose their lockers and have only day lockers. Cute!

And finally, because the new Costuming building closes at 6pm (very convenient for us with closing shifts who *never* get off that early), we all get our five costumes, then ride the bus in and stuff four of them into our locker for the shift. Can you say "wrinkle city"?

Oh, and the "priviledge" of being "allowed" to wash our own costumes? They have to be dry cleaned. I'm still checking to see what part of the OG includes mention that Conductors have to launder 250 pieces of dry cleaning per year.

Oh yeah, I'm one happy little clothes horse today.

You have to love the *geniuses* who take existing, WORKING systems like costume issue - where a small group of dedicated, trained people - manages the hundreds of thousands of costume pieces for the entire park or resort, and manages to keep them all cleaned, pressed, presentable, handy, and issues them with speed and efficiency - and switches it for making every one of tens of thousands of employees responsible for searching the clothing racks and hangers for costume pieces, many of which they've never known the names of, and also giving them the responsibility of wearing them home, taking care of them, washing them properly ("Who says I can't wash a Fantasyland white shirt with embroidery in with my brand new, freshly-dyed t-shirts?"). Not to mention, as stated above - where are these cast members going after work? I'm still waiting to see a DLR CM 'caught on tape' holding up a convenience store or making a drug or prostitution deal. Sure to happen.

Oh, my God! Your last line just made me laugh out loud! A few months ago I went to a convenience store near my house. I often go in my costume and a lot of the employees think it's really cool that I work at Disneyland. Whatever. Anyway, I was pumping my gas and I look across the street and notice that someone is getting arrested. He was pulled off to the side of the road. There were a bunch of cops there. He was in handcuffs. I'm guessing it was a DUI. I looked closely at the guy and noticed that he was in a Tomorrowland costume. I couldn't help but laugh. I wish the guy luck, wherever he is....

[Stduck]

Zazu we feel your pain....

Yeah DL costuming gets madder then hell at us for not turning costume pieces back in and holding on to random costume pieces (like the Fantasmic! Jacket I've had since oh... March and we're not running Fantasmic right now...). Well if they had ENOUGH pieces in my size I would not have to horde costumes.

[Zazu]

MK Cast Zooming, Day 4:

Miracle of miracles, they found the Special Wash from last week! Only took them 8 days. Of course, they also lost my vest in the process, but still....

But thanks to finding a brand new vest in my size yesterday, I was able to go to work today missing only a shirt, and I was able to wear the one found by Special Wash.

I only got pants and a dirty vest for my next shift, but at least we seem to be making progress. At least I didn't miss a train or delay opening today.

Tonight was also my first time to wear my full costume home (less the hat -- latest eBay price is up to $400!). Gotta admit I felt more than a little stupid (and got more than a couple of stupid looks) sitting at the Chinese Restaurant waiting for my Scallops Hunan takeaway.

So next week we try again for more pieces, and see if Special Wash loses anything else. If not, I may even have a shirt to wear!


Still think it's likely to be more than six months to get five full freakin' costumes.

[GMC]

I turn in most of my things, except for my conductor's hat and pin, i held onto Fantasmic! the entire time that it was running, and i've just recently re-checked it, my adventureland hat doesn't get turned in, ever, unless i find a god one to trade. for a while i was hording the belts, b/c of the no special issue deal, figured if i didn't turn it in, i'd never get a new one.