Opening this week’s mailbag, staff writer Lani Teshima answers reader questions on a wide range of topics from in-park attire to race volunteering and travel accessories.
Angela writes:
I was just wondering if guests are allowed to wear yukata (summer kimono) at the Disneyland Resort in California. In Tokyo, it is very common during the summer. I was not sure if a yukata constituted as a costume or not. Thanks!
Although you won’t see as many women wearing yukata—the summer kimono—in the California parks, it is not considered a costume and you should have no trouble visiting the parks wearing one. The main thing to remember regarding costumes in the parks is that you cannot wear a mask that conceals your face, or wear a costume that is so similar to the Disney characters so as to be mistaken for an “onstage” cast member (a person who portrays a Disney character in public in the parks).
Have a wonderful visit to the parks!
Julio writes:
I want to volunteer for the Disneyland half marathon but I can’t register anymore. What can I do to volunteer? I have five other people that want to volunteer with me.
Just to confirm, I did check the Disneyland Half-Marathon Web site’s volunteer information page.
I called their volunteer hotline number, and they are no longer accepting volunteer requests through their number. The recorded message did mention that there were still a few volunteer positions left for Sunday, August 31 (for the day of the event), and asked to call the Disneyland Wide World of Sports phone number at 714-520-7056. I did call that number for you, but the queue for that line is quite long (I was on hold at least 10 minutes).
My suggestion is that you call that number to the Wide World of Sports. Be aware it is not a toll-free number and you will need to be prepared to stay on hold for a long time. In the end, they might not be able to accommodate you anyway.
You would think that volunteering one’s services for free means one could just show up and sign up/help on the spot, but with large events such as the Disneyland Half-Marathon, where they have a paid volunteer coordinator and hundreds of volunteers, it is almost an impossible task to deal with last-minute sign-ups.
If you would like to volunteer for next year’s half-marathon, my suggestion is that you let them know as soon as possible, after this event is over. The Walt Disney World marathon event, for example, opens registration for the following year’s event one day after the current marathon is over, and I believe they start taking names for volunteers soon after. It’s kind of mind-boggling to think that people sign up to volunteer several months in advance, but the coordinators really do need that much time due to the sheer number of people they have to manage.
If you are unsuccessful in signing up over the phone for this weekend, you do have one last possibility, which is to show up at the fitness expo starting tomorrow. When you go, there should be signs directing people to the volunteer check-in desk. If you go during a time when it is not too crowded (Fridays are usually better than Saturdays), you might be able to find a volunteer coordinator in person, and you might be able to plead your case to sign up for a volunteer slot. More than likely, if they have any slots open at all, they will be the least desirable tasks where it’s very early in the morning, you don’t get to be on the race course at all, or you and your friends will wind up getting split up (not only for location but for time slots). There is always the possibility that the coordinator has some last-minute no-shows and needs some people to help pinch-hit.
If it turns out that you cannot be an officially approved volunteer, I have two really good suggestions for you:
First, you and your group should consider being cheerleaders. There are a lot of places along the course that are in public streets. And although there will be a lot of officially recognized groups (such as high school bands and Mexican mariachi bands and dancers) along the course, there are many swaths where there is nobody to cheer them on. Consider putting together a theme as a group, and help cheer them on. Maybe you can craft from large signs that help motivate the participants, maybe you can wear funny costumes and dance around. I remember when I ran the Walt Disney World Half-Marathon, there was a couple who got dressed up in funky clown-type outfits, played their boombox with exciting dance music really loud, and they would dance and cheer the runners on from the sidelines. I saw them across multiple years (and I recognized them as being the same people from the previous year), but what made them great was that as the general masses moved through the course, they would get in their cars and drive up the course and stop at key places so they could continue entertaining us along the entire route.
Second, if you are interested in helping volunteer for an event in and around Disneyland, there is another event coming up that is actively taking volunteers. The event is the annual CHOC Walk, to help raise funds for the Children’s Hospital – Orange County. It is one of the biggest fundraising efforts Disneyland does for a local charity, and every year the fun walk happens inside Disneyland. The course is much shorter than the half-marathon, but the walk has a very special spirit, with lots of families, children, and large groups of friends and co-workers.
Should you decide to help volunteer for the CHOC Walk, you might be pleased to know that MousePlanet is actively involved as a team participant this year. Team MousePlanet is currently taking donations, and we are currently fourth in the amount raised of all of the teams signed up for this year’s event. Visit src=”https://www.mouseplanet.com/choc for more information on how you can help.
Betty S. writes:
Can you order these ID holders online? My granddaughter and I visited Disney this year and she wanted one of these as she is a “new nurse” in neonatal and thought they would be cute. Please tell me where I can order them. If I have stumbled over the order info please forgive me.
If you are looking for one of those waterproof ID holders on a lanyard, I believe you can purchase them from MouseShoppe. They are very affordable and come in a rainbow of colors, in both translucent and opaque versions. The clear transparent one is particularly good if you want to hold a hotel key card or other items that you can quickly flash, while the opaque ones are best if you want to maintain your privacy and don’t want anyone to see what you have in them.
These ID holders will easily hold your hotel key card, driver’s license, annual pass, an ATM card, and a credit card (and a few more). You can also include a few folded bills in there as well. Putting change in them starts to get a little tight, though.
Best of all, they hold your Fastpass (and Photopass), and you don’t ever have to worry about anything getting wet. You can use them not only in the theme parks, but in the water parks as well.
Finally, MousePlanet CEO Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix answers a reader question on how the possibility of a Disneyland cast member labor strike might affect her vacation.
Lynnette writes:
With an upcoming stay at the Grand California in September I have concerns regarding the contract dispute with Local 681. I would like your opinion on if you feel service will be negatively affected. The excellent service has always been the main reason for our stay there. Should we consider staying elsewhere?
I’d love to tell you that the ongoing contract dispute won’t have any impact on your vacation, but unless there is a new contract in place before your stay it is always possible that you may encounter a protest or strike. Unite HERE Local 681 has staged several protests in recent weeks, including an early-morning protest the morning of July 17th that reportedly included a live mariachi band. A few MousePlanet readers who were staying at the Grand Californian Hotel and the Paradise Pier Hotel reported that they could hear the noise in their rooms.
Disney has a contingency plan in place in the event of a strike, though I wouldn’t be too concerned about that happening while you are there. The union membership has not even taken a strike vote, and I have heard no serious talk about such action. I also wouldn’t be concerned about poor service during your trip—we have had no reports that the dispute is in any way impacting service from on-duty cast members at the hotels. Enjoy your trip!
