Disneyland Resort Workers Celebrated For 50th, 55th Anniversaries

ANAHEIM, CA — What should have been a banner year for longtime Disneyland workers went by with a whisper in 2020. All that changed on Friday when Disneyland Resort honored seven workers for 50 and 55 years of service during the year of the pandemic, a resort spokesperson said.

All seven employees, referred to by the park as Cast Members, received acknowledgment for their 50+ year careers on Friday in a private event held in the courtyard of Sleeping Beauty Castle, just one week before the park's main gates reopen to the general public.

Disneyland Resort has been closed since March of 2020, and 13 months of closure gives way to the magic once again. Both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure reopen to the masses on April 30.

"Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock kicked off the event, followed by leaders of the honorees," a theme park spokesperson reported.

One honoree, Jan Fleener, has worked as a vacation planner for nearly her entire Disney career of 50 years. Fleener met her husband, a former Jungle Cruise skipper, in the 1980s while working at the park. Their daughter even spent five years working at the resort.

After the ceremony, the honorees and their guests were treated to a sneak peek of the reimagined Snow White’s Enchanted Wish attraction, which will debut on April 30, when the theme parks reopen.

Gone is the scary adventure and in its place a brighter and more engaging, according to riders.

Honorees boarded an Omnibus to ride down Main Street, U.S.A., as fellow cast members cheered and lined the street.

Finally, they waved goodbye to Disney characters before heading home with their awards and a celebratory cake.

Ken Potrock, Disneyland Resort President, spoke on the tradition of celebrating cast members and the chance to continue the park magic once the gates reopen next week.

“The Disney magic is truly about our cast members," Potrock said. "Legacy is something we talk a lot about here at the Disneyland Resort, but legacy comes from our cast members and our culture and the fact that we really do believe in what we’re trying to do, which is to make people happy. Thank you for creating magic in so many people’s lives.”