Report: Disneyland workers reveal their biggest fears for reopening: ‘We have lives too’

Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Park has a new look with bricks lining the street for the new horse-drawn streetcar track. Guests can enjoy the beautiful enhancements while strolling down the iconic thoroughfare or riding aboard Main Street, U.S.A. vehicles. This is the first time the horse-drawn streetcar track has been replaced in its entirety. | Joshua Sudock, Disneyland Resort

Disneyland workers worry about reopening too soon

Disneyland employees recently shared their fears and worries about returning to the theme park so soon, even as the California resort delayed its reopening.

What’s gong on:

• Disneyland announced in June that it was going to delay its reopening indefinitely. Disney said the decision came after California said it would not issue guidelines for the theme park to return.
• Disneyland said: “Given the time required for us to bring thousands of cast members back to work and restart our business, we have no choice but to delay the reopening of our theme parks and resort hotels until we receive approval from government officials. Once we have a clearer understanding of when guidelines will be released, we expect to be able to communicate a reopening date.”
• The decision came after Disneyland workers reportedly signed a petition to delay the reopening as long as possible out of fear for safety.

Cast members talk about worries

Multiple cast members — who were not identified due to their fears of losing their jobs — talked to iO9 about why they feel worried about reopening so soon.

• Nestor said: “We have lives too. We have families and friends that we live with too. While you are there to enjoy your day and have fun, this is our job. I think there’s a great divide between the excitement of the park reopening between guests and cast members because guests can’t really see our point of view.”
• Paige sad: “I will defend the company when I feel like they deserve it, and will try to be a voice of reason to people who very much are, you know, more against the company’s decisions. But at this point now, I can’t think of really any good reasons, aside from money, that they would want to reopen this quickly. It saddens me more than anything else because I just kind of feel like a hostage to the company at this point.”
• Julie said: “Disney is a magical place where they can escape the realities of the world, but the reality of the situation is that the pandemic is everywhere, even at Disneyland. The pandemic doesn’t magically go away just because you’re at a theme park.”
• Jason said: “It’s not that we don’t want to work. It’s not that we’re not interested in bringing the magic back to this place. It’s that we are frightened. We don’t know how bad the risk to ourselves is going to be, but we know that there will be a risk. And it is a risk that none of us signed up for.”

Read more from these interviews at i09 Gizmodo.

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