So
you're going to Dapper Day! Before you set out and hit the parks will all
motors roaring, take a read and take some advice from a seasoned Dapper. This
is your handy-dandy go to survival guide to make sure you make the most of your
trip. Here I will give some tips and hints for you and your group of Dappers,
what you wear, how to go about the many gatherings through out the day and some
other smaller details
Who are you going with?
First
off, lets take a look on who you are planning on going with. When it comes to
Disneyland guests, they normally fall into 1 of 3 categories. There are the
first-timers to the resort. They often have specific things they want to do
that they have been looking forward to doing their entire life. They don't
always bode well with skipping around from land to land and want to get on as
many attractions as possible and catch the major shows at the end of the
evening. From experiences, First-timers do best in smaller groups.
The
second group is the Annual Pass Holders/Cast Members. This group can also be
divided into sub-sections. There are the extreme pass holders, they have all
the show times memorized, and they are there once a week. When they walk in the
park they know exactly what they want to do and will do nothing else until they
get to do just that. First-timers will have a hard time keeping up with this
group. The second sub-section of the AP/CM group is those who go simply to
enjoy the park they are in no rush to do anything in particular. This group and
first-timers often work really well together in the park for the AP's help with
planning the trip around the park and don't mind the speed in which things are
taken.
Finally
you have the Casuals. These people go to Disneyland maybe 3 to 5 times a year.
They are the happy medium of the first-timers and the AP's. They like to make
sure they get on their favorite rides but won't feel as if the world will end
if not every single ride is hit for the day. Casuals are the neutral parties
and mix well with all the categories.
Your Costume
So
it's time to put together your costume. To be a true Dapper you are going to be
looking at the fashion of the 1920's and 1930's. For men there are the suits,
ties, bow ties, fedoras and other hats. , The true and classic gentlemen. For
women, dresses and high waist skirts at or below your knee, stylish up-dos and
hats. These are hard to explain via words so here are some examples of what you
should aim for.
Possibly
THE biggest mistake one can make when putting together a costume for Dapper
Day, is their choice of footwear. This is a mistake made more often by women,
but I have seen it happen to men as well. Though you want to look cute and be
true to the time, you ARE going to be spending HOURS walking around a large theme
park with stairs, ramps, cobble stone, brick of different sizes, narrow queue
lines and small children and trash EVERYWHERE! Girls! If you feel the need to
wear heels I HIGHLY suggest you bring flats cause unless you walk around in
heels 24/7 outside of Dapper Day as well, it is extremely difficult to walk
around Disneyland in heels for an extended period of time and the possibility
of tripping due to small children and cracks in the floor is ridiculously high.
And even when picking out your flats (and men if you are going to wear
dress shoes), make sure you know they will not give you some killer blisters by
the end of the day. Even better is finding a pair of converse that match your
costume color scheme, cause your feet will get tired.
Also,
you want to think about the functionality of your costume as a whole. Make sure
you wear your costume around your house for a few hours while you do house work
or wear it to the store. Make sure that things fit you well enough that you
won't be pulling up your pants, or pulling down your shirt, adjusting your
socks. Make sure that you can be active in your costume without too much (if
any effort) at all.
Finally
something that started at the most recent Dapper Day was the addition of the
DisneyBound Dapper group that has sprouted from the popular Tumblr blog. For
those who don't know, DisneyBound is a blog that finds clothing from the vast
internet world, and puts together modern day outfits that are inspired by the
color scheme and iconic pieces of Disney Characters and their costumes. It's a
fun addition to the bi-annual event and I am super excited to see how things
take off from here. The art of 'DisneyBound'ing (Amazing how a Tumblr blog name
becomes a verb) is something that takes some work to perfect, however, my first
attempt at went fairly well (except for the fact that apparently Carl
Fredrickson and Indiana Jones wear similar clothing). Thanks to the amazingness
that is Salvation Army, I was able to throw together my costume for right
around $15. For a better idea of DisneyBounding here is a link to the
blog
Gatherings
The
unique part of Dapper Day aside from going to the happiest place on earth while
dressed to the nines is meeting everyone else who is doing the exact same
thing. There are some set gatherings through out the day in which the Dapper
Brethren can meet up and talk and show off their costumes and take pictures. I
will work our way through the day and cover each of the different
gatherings.
First
is the Boat meet up. For the first 3 Dapper Days everyone met up at the
Rivers of America for a ride on the Mark Twain Riverboat. This year's Dapper
Day the Mark Twain was down and the Columbia was docked for the day due to
'high winds'. Regardless it is a fun event looking at all the dapper costumes
and taking advantage of the photo opportunities. It can be awkward for those
who aren't familiar with the Dapper Day community. But it is a great way to
dive in and realize what a great group of people you are a part of for that one
day.
Added
just this last Dapper Day is the DisneyBound meet up. Originally scheduled to
meet at the Partners statue on Main Street USA, due to such a high volume of
participants moved to the front of the castle. This was by far my favorite
gathering. It was amazing to see the creativity that people put in to these ‘character
inspired’ Dapper Costumes was amazing! There was a group picture taken of
everyone who could squeeze in while the poor PhotoPass Photographer was nearly
to the center of the Hub trying to fit us all in.
After
that comes the Dapper Derby. This is the most popular Dapper Day event. Around
7 o'clock at night where all the Dappers meet up in Fantasyland and ride King
Arthur's Carousel. The line quickly wraps around the attraction multiple times,
frantic Attractions Hosts and all other free Cast Members in the area try to
control the mass amounts of people. As the horses go round and round there is
an endless amount of whoops and hollers and 'Happy Dapper Days'. It's crazy and
more often or not the cast members are far from prepared and it can be quite
entertaining just sitting back and watching the chaos unfold
Finally
there is also a gathering at Trader Sam's Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel. Due
to the fact that I’m not old enough to drink yet and neither are most of my
fellow Dapper friends I don't have much input on this gathering as of
now.
One
common thing that you will see through out all of these gatherings is TAKING
PICTURES. SO! Here is some basic picture etiquette: Most Dapper's won't mind
you taking their pictures or taking pictures with them. HOWEVER! They are still
guests at the park, and not characters hired by the company. Be respectful of
them in that way. Also, don't touch them unless they put their arm around you
or what have you. They are normal people; they may not want you touching them.
Finally, the art of photo bombing! It is easy to tell if it is supposed to be
an artsy or formal type picture or if it looks like a casual type picture I
vote… DO IT!!! (But that is just a personal opinion)
Other Tips and
Hints
A
few final notes to wrap this up. Make sure everyone in the group has everyone'
s phone number. Too often people under estimate the size of the resort, the
amount of people in the park (even on a slow day) and the ease of getting
separated. It will be in everyone's best interest to be able to contact who
ever they need to in case of separation or emergency.
Along
with phones it is also wise to bring you cell phone CHARGER, especially if you
plan on pulling a full day at the parks. Batteries will drain abnormally
quickly while at the resort due to the high number of guests using cell phones,
it takes more power for cell towers to operate when they have apron 20-30
thousands cell phones all trying to use them in such a concentrated area at any
given time. You have a few options as far as charging them. There are of course
the charging lockers. They are $2 for an hour and they have adapters for those
of you who have iPhone (including the iPhone 5) or Androids. If you don't have
one of these they have lockers with outlets in them that you can plug your own
charger in to.
Not
up for spending the $2-4 to charge your phone? No problems. Most (at least
as far as the women are concerned) restrooms have outlets that are reachable.
You might get some funny looks for the extended stay in the throne room but
just think of the piece of mind you'll have knowing your phone is going to last
you the full day.
Another
helpful hint (and this may seem funny to some), Remember to eat! It is really
easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of the park, but make sure you take a
break to eat. There are some WONDERFUL snacks and restaurants to eat at through
out the resort. Nothing can ruin a trip more than a hungry grumpy person in the
group.
And
finally, ENJOY YOURSELF!! Don't stress over long lines or loud obnoxious
people. They are a part of the experience. Get into conversations with other
people in line. Share a smile with a cast member. Tell a little girl 'Happy
Birthday'. Disneyland is your land and everyone's land. They all want to have a
good time and make the most of their time at the resort just like you.
With
all of this in mind, I can't wait to see you all at the parks in September.
HAPPY DAPPER DAY!
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