What Not to Wear – No Adult Costumes in Disney Parks

Note to couples: don’t bother doing Disney (going to any Disney Park) dolled up as Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora! (Image by author)

As long as I have frequently been to Walt Disney World as a toddler, I see a couple of little girls dressed up as their favorite Disney Princesses, ranging from classics like Snow White to Tiana. Just seeing them makes me proud inside as a Disneyphile, and to show what it means to be one, I wear my fanny pack with the Disney character Darkwing Duck to prove it (even on non-Disney Parks). If those cute little girls in regal gowns astonish adults, can they dress up as them too?

Disney denies it.

So why are adults not allowed to dress up like Cinderella as the little ones do? According to the theme park frequently asked questions, Guests are not to wear “adult costumes or clothing that can be viewed as representative of an actual Disney character.” The only exception is wearing a hairstyle similar to the character providing he or she does not wear something that resembles some face character in the park.

Disneyland Resort (in Anaheim, California) has a somewhat similar policy – with the exception of some events like Mickey’s Halloween Party, only Guests 9 and under can wear a costume. For all parks at Disneyland Paris Resort, the dress code just clearly dictates appropriate clothing shoes and shirts – that’s all.

Speaking of the latter, the simple statement has little detail on what to wear and what not to wear for the average Guest. Take one incident, for example. A British woman celebrated her birthday by taking a vacation there with her daughter by dressing up as generic princesses (not the Disney Princesses, but non-branded princesses). The mother wore a secondhand store wedding gown with puffy sleeves and her girl wore a bridesmaid dress from her home closet to the original Disneyland Paris.

Security guards confronted her, with one saying that it’s too pretty. In other words, she is wearing something that resembles a face character – more like Giselle from Enchanted (although not really part of the Disney Princess franchise), and that can confuse fellow, dowdily-dressed Guests. “I didn’t even have any make-up on and didn’t look anything like the characters in the park,” she complained, “it wasn’t like I was wearing a big Mickey Mouse outfit, it was just a dress.” To paraphrase this, she claimed that she did not dress as if she wore something that allows many a Cast Member to sign autographs and do photo opportunities with Guests.

The park let the regally-dressed daughter in, providing that she was under 10 at the time, and the mother had to wear her jeans and shirt to rejoin her. Many people like me feel bad for the pair because that experience ruined their vacations, but they understand now that all the Disney Parks have similar dress codes, Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios included.

Do incidents like one British woman’s bad experience involving her costume lead to a ban on shorts with writings on their bottoms or camisole tops? Not really – even though they are on the immodest side, they are allowable. As for the Disney character costumes for adults at any given Disney Park – dress up in a top, long-sleeved or spaghetti-strapped, with an image of one or more characters instead. Complement it with bottoms (with or without Disney images), character hat, and shoes. You’re shouting out your Disney fandom in what you wear while being compliant to the quasi-universal Disney dress code.

Articles on What to Wear at WDW (or other Theme or Amusement Park)
Amusement Park and Theme Park Attire – What to (and What Not to) Wear
Flexible Disney: What Not to Wear at Walt Disney World’s Theme Parks!