How strickt is the adult no costumes policy on Halloween?

[seals]

In August I saw a number of people dressed in "Florida tourist" costumes when I'm guessing they regularly dress "business casual." Like myself, for instance. Plus there were all those people in their "trying to dress like I have the body of a teenager when I'm really over 40" costumes. And the teenagers with their "pretend I have naturally pink hair" costumes. And also a number whose costumes consisted of elaborately painted tatoos on a good portion of their bodies.

 

[scuba]

I think most of us here at least try to be law and rule abiding, however this IS a classic example of policies that apparently are loosely enforced if at all. I was dressed as Prince charming 2-3 hours before our MNSSHP event September 15th...it just worked out for me to get dressed early.......no one said a thing. I certainly walked around and traded pins with my DD3 So it wasn't like I was blending in anywhere. I'm certainly not a bad Prince charming and I suppose I could have been mistaken for a real CM.

it is interesting that a few on this board feel that CMs are the consummate professionals and authorities on Disney policies. It has been my experience that the rules tend to change from CM to CM. I have witnessed day old fast passes being honored, especially when the folks trying to use them are cute men or women with a younger CM manning the Q, I have seen folks shoot off hundreds of flash photos while getting in a car on a dark ride without any redirection....... alot of these folks could care less and are more worried about what they are doing later that weekend The policy may indeed somewhere speak about no adult costumes on certain days in the parks, however I would believe that you should simply start out wearing what you want, bring a change of clothes if you must.......but really, Disney has more to worry about with the folks that wear what I would call "gitups" on regular days more inappropriapriate than any holloween costume

 

[WDSearcher]

Don't they let guests dress up for Star Wars Weekends? I seem to remember seeing a lot of Jedi in the parks during that event.

SWW is kind of a "special dispensation" thing. Star Wars (and other sci-fi / comic fans) are very big on wearing costumes to conventions and special events, and the Lucasfilms folks didn't want to lose this while at Disney. I think they felt that telling people they could not wear their Jedi or Padawan costumes would significantly limit the number of people who would attend, and so Lucas & Co. made the wearing of costumes a part of the "deal." You want our Star Wars fans to fill up your resorts and theme parks? Let them wear costumes on SWW. But outside of that weekend, folks can't show up in Princess Leia costumes and get into the park. And even on Star Wars Weekends, the only place you can wear the costumes is DHS. They'll ask you to change if you try to enter MK or Epcot as a Stormtrooper or Darth Vader.

I think most of us here at least try to be law and rule abiding, however this IS a classic example of policies that apparently are loosely enforced if at all. I was dressed as Prince charming 2-3 hours before our MNSSHP event September 15th...it just worked out for me to get dressed early.......no one said a thing. I certainly walked around and traded pins with my DD3 So it wasn't like I was blending in anywhere. I'm certainly not a bad Prince charming and I suppose I could have been mistaken for a real CM.

Then again ... the parks "open" to party-goers at 4pm, which is about three hours prior to the party. At 4pm, you can get in with only your party ticket. So if you're in costume, and it's around 4pm on party day, and you enter the park with your party ticket, it's quite obvious that you're going to the party and are in costume for that reason. If you had shown up at rope drop in your Prince Charming costume, my bet is that you'd have been asked to change.

it is interesting that a few on this board feel that CMs are the consummate professionals and authorities on Disney policies. It has been my experience that the rules tend to change from CM to CM. I have witnessed day old fast passes being honored, especially when the folks trying to use them are cute men or women with a younger CM manning the Q, I have seen folks shoot off hundreds of flash photos while getting in a car on a dark ride without any redirection....... alot of these folks could care less and are more worried about what they are doing later that weekend The policy may indeed somewhere speak about no adult costumes on certain days in the parks, however I would believe that you should simply start out wearing what you want, bring a change of clothes if you must.......but really, Disney has more to worry about with the folks that wear what I would call "gitups" on regular days more inappropriapriate than any holloween costume

The only thing that is really HUGE from a Disney standpoint is character integrity.

• If you show up at the gate in the middle of, say, February in a very realistic Snow White costume -- to the point that a normal guest (particularly a child) would have a hard time telling you apart from the "real" Snow White -- you will not be able to come into the park in that costume.
• If you show up at the gate in a basic yellow skirt and blue bodice, with a red bow in your blonde hair, you may get a second look from the gate CMs, but you'll have no problem getting in because it would be quite easy for even a child to realize that you are not Snow White.
• If you happen to be in a polka-dotted dress with Minnie Mouse shoes and a pair of Minnie Mouse ears, you'll be let in. Why? Because of COURSE you're not Minnie! You are clearly a person, not a mouse.
• If you happen to be wearing a Fred Flintstone costume or a Marilyn Monroe costume and it's not Halloween, you also will not be allowed to enter without changing, simply because you are in an obvious costume.

Disney does not want anyone misrepresenting a character -- theirs or anyone else's -- to its youngest guests. They have a hard enough time maintaining the magic that the characters are "real". It's much harder to do when there are a dozen of them wandering around, in various quality levels of costuming.

 

[scuba]

WDSEARCHER, using that rational, I would hope that they would be fine.....I would think. I certainly wouldn't want to walk around a whole park the whole day dressed as Prince Charming but I was thinking that the OP was simply wanting to hit HS early and then jump the bus to MK for the party. The fact that there is indeed a MMNSSHP on that day, I would hope that a CM seeing a costume not Character indegrity damaging would allow it in? And certainly if a CM questioned them couldn't the OP simply say we are going to the NSSHP?

I would certainly agree with you that Disneys primary concern would indeed be character integrity.....I should believe the OP wouldn't have a problem....just saying

 

[dolphingirl47]

I did MNSSHP on Sunday and had a 3 pm reservation at Crystal Palace. I entered the park at about 2pm in my costume and had no problem (other than the security person asking if I had a crystal ball in my bag as she thought I was dressed up as a fortune teller when I was aiming for pirate wench )

Corinna

 

[WDSearcher]

Don't they let guests dress up for Star Wars Weekends? I seem to remember seeing a lot of Jedi in the parks during that event.

WDSEARCHER, using that rational, I would hope that they would be fine.....I would think. I certainly wouldn't want to walk around a whole park the whole day dressed as Prince Charming but I was thinking that the OP was simply wanting to hit HS early and then jump the bus to MK for the party. The fact that there is indeed a MMNSSHP on that day, I would hope that a CM seeing a costume not Character indegrity damaging would allow it in? And certainly if a CM questioned them couldn't the OP simply say we are going to the NSSHP?

I would certainly agree with you that Disneys primary concern would indeed be character integrity.....I should believe the OP wouldn't have a problem....just saying

The OP, though, is in that grey area. Yes, they're going to MNSSHP later, but MNSSHP is not at the Studios. So if they try to get into the Studios in costume early in the day, they may well be turned away. Just as someone dressed as a Wookie during SWW would be allowed into the Studios but not MK.

It's like you deciding that you're going to wear your pajamas to work because you're going to be going to bed later and don't want to go to the trouble of having to change. Most workplaces will understand that you're trying to save time and trouble, but respectfully request that you go home and change into something more appropriate for the moment.

 

[catne]

we went to MNSSHP on September 11 -- there were a LOT of people in full costume at 3:00...we arrived right in time to watch the parade & I'd have to say about 1 group out of 10 had full Halloween party costume on while watching the parade on Main Street. I didn't see anyone turned away at bag check or at the ticket turnstyles. And during the party, there were sooo many adults in Disney character full costumes it was amazing...some people had to have spent a fortune to get the costumes they had. Saw I don't know how many Captain Jacks- with full wig & face make-up--some of them looked every bit as good as the Official Capt. Jack on the parade float. Lots of women in full princess gear too. It was great fun. I asked a CM about it after a group walked by that had 5-6 Haunted Mansion dancers & graveyard types...mentioned that I thought you couldn't wear any same-as-park-character outfits and the CM told me that for the Halloween parties they don't care as long as you don't "act" like a character --no posing for pictures with guests, no autographs. But the costumes are fine at the parties.

Now what really cracked us up were the number of hairy-chested men in women's costumes: Dorothy in the blue checked dress, Red Riding Hood, and even sexy witch costumes...including the wigs & shoes. One guy in a sexy witch costume, complete with spider-web tights, was walking along pushing a stroller with another guy who was in a Dorothy costume. The wives were dressed as pirates...guy pirates.

 

[brenda1966]

In August I saw a number of people dressed in "Florida tourist" costumes when I'm guessing they regularly dress "business casual." Like myself, for instance. Plus there were all those people in their "trying to dress like I have the body of a teenager when I'm really over 40" costumes. And the teenagers with their "pretend I have naturally pink hair" costumes. And also a number whose costumes consisted of elaborately painted tatoos on a good portion of their bodies.

LOL Seals!

I hope they don't stop me at the gate in my "geeky out-of-town tourist" costume.

 

[nascarcheshirecat]

if by out of town costume they mean those nasty white see thru half tshirts and bikinis, then the costume rules are NOT encorced enough.

 

[scuba]

The OP, though, is in that grey area. Yes, they're going to MNSSHP later, but MNSSHP is not at the Studios. So if they try to get into the Studios in costume early in the day, they may well be turned away. Just as someone dressed as a Wookie during SWW would be allowed into the Studios but not MK.

It's like you deciding that you're going to wear your pajamas to work because you're going to be going to bed later and don't want to go to the trouble of having to change. Most workplaces will understand that you're trying to save time and trouble, but respectfully request that you go home and change into something more appropriate for the moment.

That's funny, my wife actually believe I do indeed go to work wearing PJs, I work at a local ER and wear scrubs...however most of you wouldn't want me to hop into bed once home

 

[DrD]

So probably Wonder woman and a hillbilly is OK?

 

[yitbos96bb]

not true... they allow even the amazing costumes at the parties. at the pirate and princess party we went to last year a lady was wearing the gold Belle dress and it was AMAZING! I honestly did a double take and the only reason I know she wasn't a CM is b/c she was pushing a stroller. The costume looked even better than the ones Disney uses. People were just stopping to look at her.

Saw her a few times that night so no one must have said anything to her. I wish I had gotten a photo of her. It was a stunning costume!

They do tell people that look like the "real" face characters that they can't do things like Sign autographs, etc. We heard them tell this to a fantastic look Malificient ahead of us in line at MNSSHP.

 

[yitbos96bb]

I did MNSSHP on Sunday and had a 3 pm reservation at Crystal Palace. I entered the park at about 2pm in my costume and had no problem (other than the security person asking if I had a crystal ball in my bag as she thought I was dressed up as a fortune teller when I was aiming for pirate wench )

Corinna

My guess is pirates aren't going to have any issues regardless. Remember, there are Adult Costumes and Makeovers at the Pirate Dressup place...

 

[WDSearcher]

That's funny, my wife actually believe I do indeed go to work wearing PJs, I work at a local ER and wear scrubs...however most of you wouldn't want me to hop into bed once home