Normally I'm not one for celebrating holidays. Mostly holidays that are not recognized as such and people have to work. But let's face it Halloween is a fun one. Sugar, dress up and oh, sugar. I decided this year to be Princess Tiana from Disney's Princess and the Frog. I started researching a little late but was able to work with a woman who allowed me to basically pull apart her Princess Tiana costume pattern and help her redesign it. I cut it close to the wire. There was a lot of back and forth and some design flaws in the crown that I would have never seen in pictures. Overall, everything came together. The wife of my IT guy at work made me jewelry that looks just like the jewelry worn by the face character in Disneyland Resort. It was really amazing and she does really good work. It was missing a large pendant and was silver instead of gold but I really liked it.
It was a Friday, I was set to meet my cousins who were driving from the Bay Area to LA. I had most everything prepped for the day makeup, did a trial with my hair and a grotesque amount of bobby pins and costume packed in a rolling suitcase and duffel bag. it's a big dress and can't be contained easily in just a duffel bag. So here I am. Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It's off to the park I go! I parked in the parking structure and had the brilliant idea to carry all of costume supplies on me, check it into a locker, spend some jeans and tee shirt time in the park, go to my cousins hotel, change and then come back to the Mickey Halloween Party event. Brilliant you say. I know.
I'm stoked. I've got my rolley suitcase, duffel bag and I'm ready for fun times with the family. I get to the security entrance before the entrances into the two parks. Here is where the fun begins. I get stopped.
So I pull over to the side of the line and start attempting to cram everything I have into my large but not large enough duffel. This is a task. Let me add here that it is easily over 85F in Anaheim. So I am sweating like a mule at a horse race. I finally squeeze most of the costume and makeup into my duffel. Granted it doesn't close and I have to hand carry my hoopskirt but now my suitcase is empty. After proving that my suitcase is in fact empty, one of the security guards escorts me over to the stroller check in area. We have a nice little chat. We talked about my costume and the volume of people at the park, small talk. It was nice.
At the stroller are, much like a valet I receive a ticket for my belongings to exchange for it's safe return later. Thankfully this is a free service. After all of this and my duffel now overflowing with yellow and green, I head into the park to meet my cousins.I called to see if their hotel room was ready, it wasn't. Time to get a locker so I wouldn't be dragging this stuff around all day.
I haven't had to use a Disneyland locker in many many years. I actually forgot where they were and how ridiculous the process is. Well, I finally found the lockers and had to buy 3 to fit all of my stuff. Again sweating like crazy, I stuff all of my belongings into very small inefficient lockers and head out to the park. On my way out of the lockers I buy myself a water and a pineapple spear and call my cousins so we can meet. They didn't pick up the first time so i decided to stay put and eat my pineapple. I get a call back. This is where it might get hilarious. Turns out, they were on the line with the hotel who told them their room was ready. And they were on their way out of the park to check in. Are you serious!? I just put my stuff. Grrrr. It's OK. Not the end of the world. So I hand them each a locker receipt with with my locker numbers on them and give them the passcodes. We gather my stuff and head OUT of the park. Eff. On the way out of the park, I pick up my empty suitcase refill it do distribute the weight of my costume again and roll on over to the hotel.
Super sweaty. I didn't want to take a shower so I thought it best to just deal with it. We get to the hotel and of course, their room is on the 5th floor, thankfully there is an elevator. At this point I'm thinking ahead to how I will maneuver with this epic costume. We get ready. I put makeup on, more deodorant and got all "gussied up" and into character. My cousin went as Tinkerbell, her boyfriend as Jack Skellington, my other cousins was a rabbit in a hat, her husband was a caped banana and their daughter was Princess Sofia the First. Super Cute. I should note here that little Sofia the First rarely hugs me. I mean there is the obligatory 'you're my family hug' but nothing too clingy. Which is fine. It's all love but I don't get to see any of my family as often as I like. But mah gosh. Being dressed like a princess and appealing to a little girls nature is a game changer. She wanted to hug on me like i was the real thing. Hilarious. All I know is that i won't be wearing ballgowns to get the affections of my family. All good.
After we all changed and freshened up, we headed over to the park. here is where my first obstacle came. The walkway outside the hotel door to the elevator. Much tinier when you have a 6 bone hoop skirt takin up walking room. Second obstacle. You guessed it. The elevator. We all managed to squish in but it was definitely a tight fit. As we were walking down the street I had to hold my little cousins hand because she really wanted to and avoid other people walking on what is a normal size sidewalk, but with me and my skirt was now a balancing act of staying off the street. How women in the 15th and 16th century wore these farthingales (aka hoopskirts) and functioned is beyond my realm of understanding. I could hear people say things like "Look, there's princess Tiana" and I could feel the stares. Some people complimented me and congratulated me. I'm not one to toot my horn terribly loud. but this Tiana thing, between the dress and the jewelry and the hair and makeup . . . NAILED IT! If I could sing and had a cute button nose I would audition for the part. Damn Disney standards.
We arrive at the gates. A flurry of compliments along the way. Even the security people before the gates were astonished and loved it. Super. We get to the gates a little bit earlier than the official start time of the party and you could already see other people ready to go. Belle, wedding dress Ariels, lots of minions from Despicable me. A lot pf cute and inventive costumes. AS we get to the gates with our special tickets in hand I start thinking about how to get through the turnstiles. I'm soooo big. I won't fit. Everyone gets through and the party is about to start. Everyone is excited theeeeeen BOOM! A Disney cast member comes up to me and stops me as I'm coming through the turnstile. "I'm sorry ma'am you can not be in the park tonight with your costume". Um, what? I don't remember the whole conversation ver batim. She was trying to nicely tell me that hoopskirt wasn't allowed by using the word 'majestic'. WTF? Seriously? In the middle of our conversation a male officer came up behind her. I was actually being asked to leave. I stood my ground for a few minutes arguing that there was nothing in the rule book about what she was claiming was illegal. She said that it was a hazard on rides. Well, guess what! I wasn't planning on going on rides. Didn't matter. I couldn't be there. She said I could leave and take my skirt off, put it in a locker and then come back in. I couldn't even put it in a locker INSIDE the park. Again, I stood my ground for a bit and resisted. Finally I gave in. My cousin came with me and helped me twist my hoopskirt into a sunshade and place it in the lockers outside of the park. Now I have at least 3 lbs of fabric draped over my arm, no structure holding it up, just laying over my arm giving me a sweaty elbow.
While standing in line to re enter I asked the pirates in front of me for their ticket so i could read what it said. HAH! Look at that. No mention of hoopskirts anywhere in the fine print! Whatever. We went into the park and proceeded to eat. Since most of the sit down restaurants would be shut down for the event. As I sat there I realized. NO! This is my night, I paid, I get to wear my damn hoopskirt. I saw loads of other girls wearing them. So I left my cousins and went back out to the locker area to get my skirt. I ended up asking a random family to help me tuck this thing between my legs (I was wearing shorts) all the while explaining the situation. The woman and her daughter were very nice and loved what I was doing, I hope they like the principle of the thing and not this really strange situation.
After having tucked this thing between my legs I proceeded to waddle my way back into the park. Trying my best to not stand out I signaled to my cousin that we should go to the restroom. So here we were, in the handicap stall, which was still small for this dress and the two of us. Shimmying this thing on from the ground up was much more difficult than I wanted it to be. But it got done and basically the rest of the evening was enjoyed.
There is more to the story, but that was the dramatic part.
It was a Friday, I was set to meet my cousins who were driving from the Bay Area to LA. I had most everything prepped for the day makeup, did a trial with my hair and a grotesque amount of bobby pins and costume packed in a rolling suitcase and duffel bag. it's a big dress and can't be contained easily in just a duffel bag. So here I am. Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It's off to the park I go! I parked in the parking structure and had the brilliant idea to carry all of costume supplies on me, check it into a locker, spend some jeans and tee shirt time in the park, go to my cousins hotel, change and then come back to the Mickey Halloween Party event. Brilliant you say. I know.
I'm stoked. I've got my rolley suitcase, duffel bag and I'm ready for fun times with the family. I get to the security entrance before the entrances into the two parks. Here is where the fun begins. I get stopped.
Security: "I'm sorry ma'am suitcases aren't allowed in the park unless you are walking through to the other side"
Me: "Um. OK, well I was just going to check it into a locker"
S: "Sorry, you can't do that either. You will have to leave your suitcase at your hotel or vehicle"
Me: "Seriou . . [frustrated breath] . . OK. Well, It's my cotume for the party tonight and I had planned to leave it at a locker and change in my cousins hotel room later, but they haven't checked in yet."
Up to this point I've been very compliant and calm. So I think that helped the next few minutes out.
S: "What I can have you do is put everything into your duffel bag and leave your emptied suitcase at the stroller check in area."
Me: "Empty! I don't know that all of my costume will . . . Fine."
At the stroller are, much like a valet I receive a ticket for my belongings to exchange for it's safe return later. Thankfully this is a free service. After all of this and my duffel now overflowing with yellow and green, I head into the park to meet my cousins.I called to see if their hotel room was ready, it wasn't. Time to get a locker so I wouldn't be dragging this stuff around all day.
I haven't had to use a Disneyland locker in many many years. I actually forgot where they were and how ridiculous the process is. Well, I finally found the lockers and had to buy 3 to fit all of my stuff. Again sweating like crazy, I stuff all of my belongings into very small inefficient lockers and head out to the park. On my way out of the lockers I buy myself a water and a pineapple spear and call my cousins so we can meet. They didn't pick up the first time so i decided to stay put and eat my pineapple. I get a call back. This is where it might get hilarious. Turns out, they were on the line with the hotel who told them their room was ready. And they were on their way out of the park to check in. Are you serious!? I just put my stuff. Grrrr. It's OK. Not the end of the world. So I hand them each a locker receipt with with my locker numbers on them and give them the passcodes. We gather my stuff and head OUT of the park. Eff. On the way out of the park, I pick up my empty suitcase refill it do distribute the weight of my costume again and roll on over to the hotel.
Super sweaty. I didn't want to take a shower so I thought it best to just deal with it. We get to the hotel and of course, their room is on the 5th floor, thankfully there is an elevator. At this point I'm thinking ahead to how I will maneuver with this epic costume. We get ready. I put makeup on, more deodorant and got all "gussied up" and into character. My cousin went as Tinkerbell, her boyfriend as Jack Skellington, my other cousins was a rabbit in a hat, her husband was a caped banana and their daughter was Princess Sofia the First. Super Cute. I should note here that little Sofia the First rarely hugs me. I mean there is the obligatory 'you're my family hug' but nothing too clingy. Which is fine. It's all love but I don't get to see any of my family as often as I like. But mah gosh. Being dressed like a princess and appealing to a little girls nature is a game changer. She wanted to hug on me like i was the real thing. Hilarious. All I know is that i won't be wearing ballgowns to get the affections of my family. All good.
After we all changed and freshened up, we headed over to the park. here is where my first obstacle came. The walkway outside the hotel door to the elevator. Much tinier when you have a 6 bone hoop skirt takin up walking room. Second obstacle. You guessed it. The elevator. We all managed to squish in but it was definitely a tight fit. As we were walking down the street I had to hold my little cousins hand because she really wanted to and avoid other people walking on what is a normal size sidewalk, but with me and my skirt was now a balancing act of staying off the street. How women in the 15th and 16th century wore these farthingales (aka hoopskirts) and functioned is beyond my realm of understanding. I could hear people say things like "Look, there's princess Tiana" and I could feel the stares. Some people complimented me and congratulated me. I'm not one to toot my horn terribly loud. but this Tiana thing, between the dress and the jewelry and the hair and makeup . . . NAILED IT! If I could sing and had a cute button nose I would audition for the part. Damn Disney standards.
We arrive at the gates. A flurry of compliments along the way. Even the security people before the gates were astonished and loved it. Super. We get to the gates a little bit earlier than the official start time of the party and you could already see other people ready to go. Belle, wedding dress Ariels, lots of minions from Despicable me. A lot pf cute and inventive costumes. AS we get to the gates with our special tickets in hand I start thinking about how to get through the turnstiles. I'm soooo big. I won't fit. Everyone gets through and the party is about to start. Everyone is excited theeeeeen BOOM! A Disney cast member comes up to me and stops me as I'm coming through the turnstile. "I'm sorry ma'am you can not be in the park tonight with your costume". Um, what? I don't remember the whole conversation ver batim. She was trying to nicely tell me that hoopskirt wasn't allowed by using the word 'majestic'. WTF? Seriously? In the middle of our conversation a male officer came up behind her. I was actually being asked to leave. I stood my ground for a few minutes arguing that there was nothing in the rule book about what she was claiming was illegal. She said that it was a hazard on rides. Well, guess what! I wasn't planning on going on rides. Didn't matter. I couldn't be there. She said I could leave and take my skirt off, put it in a locker and then come back in. I couldn't even put it in a locker INSIDE the park. Again, I stood my ground for a bit and resisted. Finally I gave in. My cousin came with me and helped me twist my hoopskirt into a sunshade and place it in the lockers outside of the park. Now I have at least 3 lbs of fabric draped over my arm, no structure holding it up, just laying over my arm giving me a sweaty elbow.
While standing in line to re enter I asked the pirates in front of me for their ticket so i could read what it said. HAH! Look at that. No mention of hoopskirts anywhere in the fine print! Whatever. We went into the park and proceeded to eat. Since most of the sit down restaurants would be shut down for the event. As I sat there I realized. NO! This is my night, I paid, I get to wear my damn hoopskirt. I saw loads of other girls wearing them. So I left my cousins and went back out to the locker area to get my skirt. I ended up asking a random family to help me tuck this thing between my legs (I was wearing shorts) all the while explaining the situation. The woman and her daughter were very nice and loved what I was doing, I hope they like the principle of the thing and not this really strange situation.
After having tucked this thing between my legs I proceeded to waddle my way back into the park. Trying my best to not stand out I signaled to my cousin that we should go to the restroom. So here we were, in the handicap stall, which was still small for this dress and the two of us. Shimmying this thing on from the ground up was much more difficult than I wanted it to be. But it got done and basically the rest of the evening was enjoyed.
There is more to the story, but that was the dramatic part.
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