Costumes vs. Uniforms

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I was talking to some friends last night about the current state of 'wear' for 'cast members' in our parks, and i thought it would be a good topic for conversation here.

Now we all know that 'the show' has taken a back seat in our parks, in favour of the more 'cost effective' route, and - particularly in Village parks, where staff can be assigned to work in any of the three parks and wear the same uniform - its easy and convenient (especially now they all have a rake on their nametags).

So I wanted to put forward my ideas and suggestions, and ask for your thoughts on this. We all know park execs read the forums, so maybe this will give prompt some thoughts internally on what could be improved too.

I wanted to start this off by showing you the current 'default' uniform in our GC parks - but they are so uninspiring I couldn't locate a single photo from any of the big 4 as an example (by all means anyone visiting regularly, feel free to share your examples. In particular, the Village dark blue with lighter blue bands, dark pants, dark shoes are just simply awful.

What I did find in my searching were photos from a time past -

I believe even this level of colour variety on the shirts no longer exists.

The DC Rivals ride crew shirts look comfortable, and fit the theme of the ride.

Obviously the dull polos don't work here

Even though this is relatively boring - its brighter, which is just instantly more 'fun'.

 

 

So - costumes vs. uniforms. I think in today's practical world, I can be a realist and accept the fact that our parks aren't going to go to a level of 'costume' for any but the most appropriate attractions (eg: the roxy  -this is the best photo I could find of the Roxy host costume)

 

So, polo shirts are here to stay - they're practical, comfortable, and cheap. So - much as i'd like them to go back to proper costumes for each area, attraction and outlet, here's my ideas for revamping the current horrible state of uniform worn by in park cast:

 

• Ditch the drab, dark and uninspired blue polo.
• While you're at it, ditch the Village logo and return to park-specific shirts. Wardrobe should be able to handle alternative shirts if cast are reassigned to other park areas.
• Do ride specific polo shirts (dye sublimated shirts are cheap and easy to do in bulk) for all the major attractions, just as they have for Rivals.
• If the ride theme is appropriate, change the costume entirely to suit - ie: wild west falls jeans \ button down, and the formal wear for Roxy.
• For the 'lesser' rides (mainly kids attractions) have something suited to the area - so for WB Kids - just make it fun and colourful - it makes these 'strange adults' far more welcoming for young children than someone who looks like a security guard.
• Outside of ride cast, give each themed area, or each department their own style. You can tell custodial staff in Disneyland by the fact that they're all wearing white. You don't have to go that far, but you could easily have a 'generic' shirt design with variable colour bands, collars or sleeves to indicate various roles \ positions.

Now, I realise that staying in the same shirt all day is convenient and time effective - but as I understand it most of the major attractions have a 'change room' of sorts nearby - give an extra 5-10 minutes for cast who need to change shirts for ride \ position rotations, depending on whether they can carry all the shirts with them or if they have to go back to wardrobe. (give them an extra 15 minutes if they'll reapply deodorant while they're changing too and you'll have much happier guests! )

 

Ok, that's my ramble. I'm sure i'll have a lot more thoughts on this thread, but for now - i'm keen to hear thoughts (both for and against) on revamping the current state of cast 'uniform'.

 

[Levithian]

Err... arent there ride themed shirts / uniforms for most of rides? 

DC, green lantern, justice league, superman, roxy, wild west, doomsday and driving school? They had them for arkham too.

Scooby doo and road runner seem to be about the only ones left out. 

Wild west, superman, roxy and justice league have complete uniforms. The others look like they cheaped out a bit and went with themed shirts. But at least they arent just a printed tee or something. They are designed shirts kinda like football jerseys. 

Edited January 13, 2021 by Levithian

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

I've seen themed shirts on many of the rides you've listed, but i've also seen the same generic crappy blue shirt working those same rides, along with the 'non majors' including all of WB kids. Consistency is a major issue with theme and uniform\costumes aren't necessarily always 'on theme'.

My point was more than just rides - retail, food, custodial, - heck - shows and entertainment used to get around in 'crew' shirts as if they were film crew on a movie set, but don't any more that i've seen.

The current position of the more 'marquee' attractions having 'themed shirts' is no more than the nicely landscaped ride additions we get that have no cohesiveness to the rest of the park, and the point of my post was to draw wider considerations than just 'do the major rides have themed shirts' - all rides should have an appropriate costume\uniform suited to that ride, and anyone, including breaks crew, should fit that theme, but so should everyone from the guy emptying the bins, filling up a disposable cup to refill your reusable cup, selling popcorn and spruiking skill games.

(I also wasn't specifically and only referring to Movie World, although much of my comparison refers to that as its the closest to 'themed' we've got.

[Cactus_Matt]

Maybe they could have themed vests (think hi-vis vests but instead of horrible yellow or orange, themed to each and every attraction) that staff members could pick up from a common location and pop them on before going to the relevant attraction. That way the park could handle washing the vests, keeping them in good condition, while the staff keep their generic 'Village' polos to wear underneath.