Employees in the dark on Disneyland reopening

Some Disneyland employees are frustrated with the lack of communication from management as to the eventual reopening of the park. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state officials are working on reopening theme parks, with announcements coming soon. SAM ANDRUS, Photo Editor.

The smell of cinnamon churros wafting through the air, the sound of the monorail whizzing by and the sight of Mickey Mouse skipping down Main Street are all things Disneyland fans have likely yearned for in the past several months – during which the park has been closed due to COVID-19 safety precautions. But the question remains: When will it truly be safe to reopen?

Since the park’s closure March 14, this current stretch of empty rides will represent the fourth and longest overall closure in the park’s history – the other three coming after the former President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the 1994 earthquake in Northridge, California, and the events of September 11, 2001. Orange County mayors and park officials have been urging California Gov. Gavin Newsom for a reopening before the end of the year. Newsom announced that state officials are working on health protocols for reopening theme parks and that there would be “announcements soon,” according to the Los Angeles Times. 

While annual pass holders and Disney fanatics eagerly await a return to “the happiest place on earth,” there are also 31,000 regular employees, many of whom are in a state of limbo. In total, the resort is responsible for about 3.6% of all jobs in Orange County, according to a study by the California State University, Fullerton. Yet once the shutdown was official, employees were put on furlough; they still held a position at Disneyland, but were no longer getting paid. 

One regular cast member at the park, Paige Parker, graduated from Chapman in May and said she hasn’t received any check-ins from management or updates as to when they will return to work. Parker, who worked at the Galactic Grill, noted this experience may affect the relationships between employees and The Walt Disney Company.

“Putting us in the dark kind of drives the cast members away. I don’t even know if our managers are in the dark, but it’s definitely going to open up the eyes of the cast members and their relationships with managers and those higher up,” Parker said. “They gave us a number to call in case we had any questions about the pandemic and work, but it was very vague.”

Chapman alumna Deedee Droege, who works in the entertainment department at Disneyland, also perceived the lack of communication. Although Droege is about to celebrate her three year anniversary at the park, she described the frustrating yet understandable decrease in updates from management. On July 17, there was a failed attempt to reopen the park, and Droege asserted that nothing was even mentioned to staff members on the details of this possible reopening.

“The problem with being a Disneyland cast member is that you hear updates about the park through the news before you do as an employee,” Droege said. “It’s like the size of a small town, so it’s really hard to communicate with everybody. It’s been radio silence since they announced the official furlough a couple months into quarantine.”

According to Parker and Droege, many of the Disneyland employees have had to file for unemployment in order to remain financially afloat. When the park eventually reopens, there will be a large slate of safety precautions put in place, similar to what Disney World has established since its reopening in July. However, Droege is concerned a return to the park could have complications given the pandemic.

“Disneyland feels like such a safe space for so many people that it’s going to find a way to feel normal again pretty fast, no matter what happens,” Droege said. “Whether or not that’s a good thing is a personal opinion, but I do think once the park opens up again it’s just going to feel like normal Disneyland.”

Both Droege and Parker said the most likely outcome will be a slow reopening in early 2021. Droege told The Panther that although her heart is drawn toward the park, she understands the caution when thinking about the safety of guests and staff members.  

“I personally don’t want it to open for health reasons,” Droege said. “No matter what classes I was taking or what was going on in my life, I always went to a Disneyland shift once or twice a week – I personally miss it, but for good, public reasons I don’t think it should be opening soon.”

Update Sept. 30, 11:13 a.m. PT: Disneyland and Walt Disney World announced Sept. 29 that they will lay off an estimated 28,000 employees due to the park closures.