Santa is not welcome…??

[Renfairwedding]

Disney staff asked a man on a recent family vacation to leave the park, all because of his striking resemblance to Santa Claus. Imagine if he wanted to play a round of mini golf at Winter Summer Land.
:nono::humph: :santa2: :mickey:

[MaterializedHaunt]

Well, I have heard of people dressing up as different characters (tinkerbell...) and it not being some cheesy costume but they go all out and Disney tells them they have to leave to make it less real. So having said that, was this 'Santa' dressed up or did they kick him out because of his belly full of jelly and a beard!? That would be terrible!

[Aurora]

Here's the statement from Disney, according to WKMG Channel 6:

"The guest was asked to change his attire because it was disruptive to our operations and confusing to our other guests, particularly children who asked to take photos with him...

"He was not asked to leave, instead, we tried to work with him so that he could continue his visit."

They didn't specify what he was wearing; the man said he wasn't wearing a red suit, fur boots or a hat, but Disney asked him to change into something less "Santa-ish" after he was signing autographs for children.

The same thing happened to another man who was a lookalike Santa during the holidays in 2006. Disney asked him to change his attire (in this case, he was dressed more like Santa), and he reportedly complied.

[faline]

According to what I read, he was relishing his "role". Cast members intervened when they discovered he was surrounded by kids and was signing autographs and posing for pictures with them. Disney asked him to dress in a way that would look less santa-ish and, if approached by children, to tell them he was not who they thought he was and was on vacation. The man's solution was that he should be escorted as if he were a celebrity so he would not be seen by other guests.

[Mickey'sIrishPAl]

That's a little suspect and odd to me. In this day in age, you have to be very careful about what you say or do and how others may portray your actions or verbalizations. You can never be too careful nowadays. A man resembling Santa Claus surrounded by children and posing for pictures and signing autographs and refusing to stop "playing the role" is fishy to me.
I'm proud of Disney for taking a stand on this. People should be safe while at Disney and those in attendence should remember that you are there to experience the attractions...not be an attraction. Im also proud that Disney acted quick to protect the guests, especially children. The man may be completely harmless, but we have learned many hard lessons over the past several years through media outlets (unfortunatley affecting so many innocent children, women and men for the rest of their lives) that we as parents or guests need to remain vigilent and always on guard to protect those we love, especially on vacation and surrounded by "strangers".

[VWL Mom]

Where were the parents of these kids that were clamoring around him? Disney did step in so kudos to them.

[CajunDisneyDad]

I wish they would put as much effort into policing some of these large groups that tend to roam in packs, push thier way to front of lines, or nearly run over people as they do to worrying about people dressed like Disney Characters or Santa Clause. I know you can never be too safe, and I do agree with them drawing the line once this guy started signing autographs and taking pictures. I just wish they would be as vigilant with these huge tour groups as they are with Santa or some high school girl dressing as tinkerbell for her BF...

[MstngDrvnDsnyLvr]

My Father looked like Santa - and even wore his Red Velvet Santa hat (my mother had a matching green velvet one) to winter graduation ceremonies at the college where he taught/was an administrator.

But he NEVER wore it to Disney, if he was approached by children (he frequently was) he would tell him that he wasn't Santa, but he was a helper and ask if they were being good because Santa's helpers were every where.

He never signed autographs and only posed for photos with his students at graduation. That was it.

The gentleman in this story was not appropriate in his behavior at Disney and he knew it. He knew he should not have been signing autographs and knew he should not have been stopping for photo ops.

[Wolf]

This makes me sad for this man, he probably is a mall santa or some variation, beards take quite awhile for some people to grow and he can't really do much about being a larger man, I get the autograph thing being not cool but to tell kids to leave him alone is not nice at all..I am kinda shocked they would tell him to say that, that could really damage a kid..I think kids have such a rough future ahead of them they should be allowed to talk to a Santa like man if they want to and the parents are cool with it. I might just be naive but if the man was nice I would let my child approach him if it didn't look like he would be offended.

[A Big Kid]

This makes me sad for this man, he probably is a mall santa or some variation, beards take quite awhile for some people to grow and he can't really do much about being a larger man, I get the autograph thing being not cool but to tell kids to leave him alone is not nice at all..I am kinda shocked they would tell him to say that, that could really damage a kid..I think kids have such a rough future ahead of them they should be allowed to talk to a Santa like man if they want to and the parents are cool with it. I might just be naive but if the man was nice I would let my child approach him if it didn't look like he would be offended.

Would you be so accepting of someone trying to impersonate one of your parents, or, if you have kids, trying to impersonate you at YOUR home?

Its Disney's property. Comform to their rules or leave. Its that simple. (And I wont get into all the reasons why that is a sound rule.)

[Wolf]

Would you be so accepting of someone trying to impersonate one of your parents, or, if you have kids, trying to impersonate you at YOUR home?

Its Disney's property. Comform to their rules or leave. Its that simple. (And I wont get into all the reasons why that is a sound rule.)

No, I mean I get what you're saying and I def don't think I said anything aggressively, I'm just saying it makes me sad for the man himself.

[minnie04]

It just sounds Creepy to me. I guess that's just me...

[Mickey'sIrishPAl]

No, I mean I get what you're saying and I def don't think I said anything aggressively, I'm just saying it makes me sad for the man himself.

I agree and there is a strong chance that he is just a sweet man trying to do a nice thing and add to the children's excitement and awe. My problem is that although he may be sweet and have good intentions... he may also be someone who has issues. I guess it boils down to your trust in others. In this time of great uncertainty, all I can do is control my decisions as well as steer my children in the right direction and protect them from those I know nothing about. Better safe than sorry. My children will be fine not seeing Santa in June at WDW and I know that they are safe.

[DNS]

Sounds like Disney handled it exactly right. If there was something more sinister, they put an end to it, but he was just a very nice man, they were not mean to him.

[MaterializedHaunt]

I think the man's first mistake was signing autographs and taking pictures. As for Disney CM's, they did exactly how they are trained to do in this situation I am sure and it sounds like everything was carefully handled in the manor it should be handled in. I do however believe that if this man looked this convincing to be called 'Santa' and parents are actually letting their kids run up to him and get pictures and autographs then what he was wearing must have made him fit the part. Then that this should have been handled at the Main Gate turnstyles. Those CM's should be aware, and knowing Disney they are, that this sort of thing does happen and they should notify the person himself or have a manager have a talk with him prior to entering the park. Just my 2 pennies on this whole thing.

[RedHead]

According to what I read, he was relishing his "role". Cast members intervened when they discovered he was surrounded by kids and was signing autographs and posing for pictures with them. Disney asked him to dress in a way that would look less santa-ish and, if approached by children, to tell them he was not who they thought he was and was on vacation. The man's solution was that he should be escorted as if he were a celebrity so he would not be seen by other guests.

I completely disagree. The man is a professional Santa, on vacation, dressed in kahkis, high-tops and a Santa-print shirt. Children who obviously believe in magic approach him, and, based on his training and desire not to shatter the magic, he gives of himself and his own time. He didn't seek out the children, they sought him out. And Disney wants him to be rude to said hildren, and thinks they can dictate wardrobe to a non-cast member whose clothing would be acceptable on anyone else in the park.... Disney WAY overstepped its boundaries in this case, in my opinion......

[11290]

I would almost "guarantee" he knew exactly what he was doing and after getting "caught", alerted the press himself (Disney doesn't alert the press to these kind of things) so that he could have his moment in the spotlight. Professional Santa or not he knew what he was doing was not in compliance.

This kind of stuff happens a lot in the parks with people dressed as Disney characters for their moment of fame but doesn't get reported to the media unless that person tells them themself.

CM's did the right thing in "confronting" this person as we do with anyone doing this kind of thing in the parks, whether it be at turnstiles or within the parks themselves. Some guests bring in character costumes and change after entry just to avoid getting caught while coming into the park.

[DVCJohn]

To be blunt, anyone that MANUFACTURERS their appearance to look like Santa Claus has serious issues. I do not know or would not accuse this individual with having bad intentions toward children. He made his appearance to get attention, period. He did not shy away from the attention even if he did not encourage it. To prove the point after he was ask to stop he went public. Maybe he should sue Disney. If he gets a judgement or settlement he can afford a good shrink...

[Butters]

I don't know where to start on how wrong this is...
1. Did anyone see the video of the guy dressed as Elmo in NYC? Kids were tryin to get autographs and that weirdo was screaming innapropriate comments. Does Disney want this in there parks? Or even risk it happening?

2. What parent would let there kid go up to a random guy a the park and get an autograph and take a picture? Maybe I'm over protective but when it comes to my DD I always am suspicious of strangers...

3. If he truly was on vacation with no altierior motives wouldn't it seem reasonable he would politely wave to the children and continue on with his family.

4. Let's alert the news and have my picture plastered all over Yahoo stating "professional Santa". "so real looking Disney had to stop him". Hmmm sounds like thousands of dollars of free advertising!

I could go on and on.... But to sum it up.. Good job Disney!

[dnickels]

I don't have any issue with what Disney did here. It's one thing if he took a picture with 1 family or something like that, and otherwise just brushed it off "Oh I look like him, but I'm just one of his helpers, hope you've been a good boy or girl this year." and then going on his way, but that's not what the stories say he was doing. It's no different from Disney having to 'police' people who dress up as Tinkerbell or any other character.

It's also hard to side with a person whose immediate response is to call the local television station to make a big deal about their situation.

[PirateLover]

I often take a cynical view on things, but, WOW. I'm kind of surprised at some of the comments here. It's one thing to make the argument that WDW is private property and they can regulate it however they want, but to go so far as to suggest that this man had nefarious motives or is somehow mentally disturbed is just too much for me. Maybe, just maybe, he likes bringing joy to the world? I know, I know, people like that don't exist any more these days.

As far as his actions, I don't think taking pictures is bad as long as he is congenial to it, but autographs take it a bit too far. Still, SANTA is NOT a Disney-owned property, and he was not really in a "costume." I don't think he should say he's Santa, but not totally deny it, either. Maybe come up with a clever line that neither confirms nor denies.

[Mickey'sIrishPAl]

I often take a cynical view on things, but, WOW. I'm kind of surprised at some of the comments here. ... but to go so far as to suggest that this man had nefarious motives or is somehow mentally disturbed is just too much for me. Maybe, just maybe, he likes bringing joy to the world? I know, I know, people like that don't exist any more these days.


And you are completely entitled to your opinion.

Trying to look at this as a rational person and being completely objective, I see no other conclusion to this other than the man (whether he be a do-gooder or not), craved the attention that he was getting or craves the attention he gets on a regular basis and went above and beyond to have his face and story plastered all over the internet and on TV. To me, it looks like he is doing it for his own personal gain but that's strictly my opinion.

As a parent, (don't mean to sound like a broken record) all I can do is control what my children do in certain circumstances. Would I let my child approach this man? Not a chance. Would I be appauled that other parents were allowing their children to go up to this man? Not my place to answer that as I am not responsible for those kids.

I cringe at the thought of what this man's real intentions are given the fact that i do not know him from a hole int he wall. Is he sick? I don't know. Does he have issues? I don't know. Is he a nice man? I don't know. Is he just trying to make kids happy? I don't know. I for one, am not willing to allow my children to approach him and find out if he is the nice Santa he portrays or a potential sick and harmful individual. That's just me.

I think regardless of his intentions, this gentelman crossed the line of a "magical experience". Magic and pixie dust take a backseat to protecting my children and all other children in instances such as this.

[ransam]

"I wish they would put as much effort into policing some of these large groups that tend to roam in packs, push thier way to front of lines, or nearly run over people as they do to worrying about people dressed like Disney Characters or Santa Clause. I know you can never be too safe, and I do agree with them drawing the line once this guy started signing autographs and taking pictures. I just wish they would be as vigilant with these huge tour groups as they are with Santa or some high school girl dressing as tinkerbell for her BF... "



Please understand, i'm not trying to be rude or anything, not at all, but I'm just curious how do you regulate a large group? even if they are being pushy or nearly running over people? do you tell them they can't sing? they can't laugh? they cant move in a group? they can't eat at a resturant because there's too many of them? What kind of regulation can you do? Do you not allow big groups? there are situations every trip where someone in just a group of 2 will run me over or cut in line. They aren't being rude, usually just not paying attention, it just that when you have thousands of people in small area, there will be contact and rude people.
not sure how you can regulate a big group. Unless there is actual physical violence, i always just assume when i go on vacation, there will be rude guests, there will be people who cut in front of me, and there will be people who bump into me. No harm, no foul, i just go w/ it. i would never let anything like that ruin my vacation.

One problem i see w/ older kids from age from 16-99, and yes we are kids at heart, dressing as a character is the image it may put out. If you're dressed as tinkerbell as an older kid, there are so many things you may do that would ruin the "magic" for younger kids, without even meaning to ruin the magic, and not even doing anything wrong at all. can you picture an adult dressed as santa or Tinkerbell in the smoking section? or saying a cuss word? having an argument w/ her bf? kissing her bf in public? or a kid coming up and asking something and having that person be rude?
these are all things DIsney has absolutely no control over. the guests aren't even doing anything wrong. Disney spends millions of dollars on it's image. The only thing you can do is just not allow it. I know it's harsh and i understand how that girl dressed as Tinkerbell felt, i do. and i'm sorry. But part of why i pay so much for my Disney trip is the magic it gives. If i was there w/ my kids and a teenager is dressed as tinkerbell and doing nothing worse than holding hands w/ her bf, i would still feel a little uncomfortable for my kids.

does that make sense at all?

[BIGDOG]

Santa! Oh my god! Santa's coming! I know him! I know him!

[cer]

Santa! Oh my god! Santa's coming! I know him! I know him!

:funny:

[GusNJacque]

The original poster said he was asked to leave. In the Disney statement they clearly state that he was not asked to leave but to comply. Just noting.

I have a brother in law that looks alot like Santa and plays him at the holidays. I can't imagine how upset he would be if they asked him to leave. He, I don't think would dress up and go to the park though. But no fear of him being down there. I think in this instance Disney did the right thing. They don't know him and it does appear he was seeking attention. I understand where they are coming from. Just MHO. :mickey:

[texas211]

What about the parents, who just let their kids go up to the guy? Maybe the guy is a lil strange, but the parents are the problem. Done their job, no one would have had to intervene.

[DisneyDawgette]

It's also hard to side with a person whose immediate response is to call the local television station to make a big deal about their situation.

This was the big STAND OUT point to me... Disney is very clear on their policy about guests not dressing as any type of character, not just to keep with the distinct atmosphere that Disney strives for, but also for the safety of the children. This man had to know he had a striking resemblance to Santa, as this was probably not the first time that he has gotten this response if so many children were flocking to him in Disney. This man was dressed in a way that did not discourage the misunderstanding. This man was signing autographs and taking pictures with children... He obviously sounds like he is not shy to attention, and it may even have been premeditated! And then to immediately turn around and run to the media when Disney turns you away, and not accept the possible safety issue that could prompt Disney to do so, it seems like this is nothing but a desperate attempt at attention! And maybe some money from a nice little discrimination law suit... Watch out for hot coffee at McDonald's and those mean Disney people who won't let strangers dress up like their characters and take pictures with your kids! :ack:

[PirateLover]

Don't get me wrong, I think that clearly on the face of it he is a Santa impersonator who enjoys the attention one gets from being a Santa impersonator, and yes, by going to the news he's bringing more attention on himself. But unless it comes out that he has some criminal record, I think the demonizing of him should stop there.
It's not like he set up a chair on Main Street and was beckoning children over to him.


Originally Posted by BIGDOG View Post
Santa! Oh my god! Santa's coming! I know him! I know him!
You smell like beef and cheese, you don't smell like santa!

[DVCJohn]

[QUOTE=PirateLover;2286219]Don't get me wrong, I think that clearly on the face of it he is a Santa impersonator who enjoys the attention one gets from being a Santa impersonator, and yes, by going to the news he's bringing more attention on himself. But unless it comes out that he has some criminal record, I think the demonizing of him should stop there.
It's not like he set up a chair on Main Street and was beckoning children over to him.


I think the point that you are missing is that this individual did not try to stop the kids. He allowed people to take photos and he was signing autographs. As I stated in an earlier post, I do not know his intentions or would accuse him of any ill intent towards the kids. I think that this guy was seeking attention period. Again to prove the point; HE went to the media with the story not Disney. He again was trying to get attention. I can see it now "Big Bad Disney picking on Santa Claus"; film at 11. This guy needs help.

[faline]

What about the parents, who just let their kids go up to the guy? Maybe the guy is a lil strange, but the parents are the problem. Done their job, no one would have had to intervene.

Maybe not. Think about how many people in any given day have entered Disney World for the very first time without any idea of what to expect. They might know that characters are available and they can have pictures with the characters but, perhaps, they are not familiar with which characters there are and how the whole visiting with characters work. I would imagine it's not a far leap for some folks to think that Disney might feature "Santa on vacation" walking around the parks in mid-summer and parents could, potentially, have thought the man was in this role.

[A Big Kid]

Don't get me wrong, I think that clearly on the face of it he is a Santa impersonator who enjoys the attention one gets from being a Santa impersonator, and yes, by going to the news he's bringing more attention on himself. But unless it comes out that he has some criminal record, I think the demonizing of him should stop there.
It's not like he set up a chair on Main Street and was beckoning children over to him.


You smell like beef and cheese, you don't smell like santa!

Demonizing? Really, is that what comes to mind when you read this thread?

[PirateLover]

Demonizing? Really, is that what comes to mind when you read this thread?

Not looking to get into some back and forth, but yeah, I do think a few people crossed the line into "demonizing." If you don't agree that's your prerogative. Overall I think most people in this thread are giving level headed responses.

[Tigerinvestigator]

Maybe not. Think about how many people in any given day have entered Disney World for the very first time without any idea of what to expect. They might know that characters are available and they can have pictures with the characters but, perhaps, they are not familiar with which characters there are and how the whole visiting with characters work. I would imagine it's not a far leap for some folks to think that Disney might feature "Santa on vacation" walking around the parks in mid-summer and parents could, potentially, have thought the man was in this role.

Hey I have seen that Santa at the Swan/Dolphin during the Christmas Holidays. They have him in shorts and a hawaiin shirt taking photos near the boat dock and signing autographs. :secret:

[Altair]

Shocking photo of the man detained by Disney security:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7814732170_55ac932035_c.jpg

[Daisy'sMom]

Disney has every right to step in and ask this man to refrain from inpersonating Santa. Can you imagine the lawsuits if this man harmed a child while on their property? I think this man knew better and was behaving in a bad manner.:mickey:

[Mousemates]

I have no idea about the mans motives...but regardless of the motives if I'm Disney I'm shutting him down because of the potential for him to do harm to someone or simply someone's vacation. I mean even if the worst thing he does is tell a whiny kid to "buzz off or he won't getting anything but coal this year in his stocking" that would be enough to put a bad taste in someone's mouth and make WDW seem to be a much less magical place to spend their vacation money.

[Renfairwedding]

Shocking photo of the man detained by Disney security:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7814732170_55ac932035_c.jpg


:haha::santa2: Busted