Reader Submitted Story
More Grad Nite Stories — Part One

Editor's Note: Thanks in advance to the authors of the stories that appear here today. I got a lot of them, and you'll see some more of them soon. Those of you thinking of writing in, it's not too late! -Kevin

Hi Kevin,

In response to your article on Grad Nites, my first Grad Nite working at the park was in 1977. I was working Submarines on the dock around 2 AM. As everyone knows, the Sub dock faces the Matterhorn, so we had a clear view of the northeast face. Suddenly everyone noticed that a grad in a black tuxedo had climbed halfway up the face of the Matterhorn and was stuck like a Garfield plush-toy stuck to a window, hanging on for dear-life. He couldn't go any further up, and he wasn't about to climb down. For the next hour it was major drama as we watched maintenance men lower ropes and rappel down the side to this Grad Nite mountain climber. To major applause, he was safely taken down the side of the mountain to the waiting hands of the Anaheim Police.

On another occasion in the early 80's I was working a Grad Nite shift on Space Mountain. In those days the girls wore dresses with halter tops and a shawl but not much else. So on this one occasion a young lady had just returned from her trip through space and was rolling back into the loading area. As you probably guessed, her halter top was askew and without her noticing, a few, (ahem) should I say, body parts were out and exposed for everyone to see. She was so excited by the ride, that she was still hooting and hollering and making a general spectacle of herself and hadn't noticed her exposure. It was only when the people started hooting and laughing that she caught on, covering herself as she ran red faced to the exit.

— -Ed

Hi Kevin,

I went to Grad-Nite the night before I graduated in 1999. I enjoyed Grad-Nite, except for the never-ending walk from the former Pinocchio parking lot to the main entrance and back. While arriving at the resort area, I could see all the buses on Disneyland Drive waiting to enter the parking lot. By the time a CM came for us to head on over to the crosswalk, it was about midnight. I heard a group say that they were from Australia. (They just don't come from the U.S., but all over the world!)

By the time I was inside, it was 1 am. It took almost 1 hour to enter Grad-Nite because of the strict security check. My group was one of the last ones in that night.

The most memorable moment for me was looking at the castle during sunrise. It was the most wonderful sight I had ever seen and it made me look back on what an enjoyable night I had. I know that I will never see anything like that again. (A side note: It had rained several hours prior to the start of Grad-Nite. I was hoping that it would clear, and it definitely did. Disneyland is never a let down for me.)

It was really great to be inside DL all night. Having now experienced Grad-Nite and Early Entries, I can now say that I have been inside DL every hour of the day and night.

Thanks,
Roger

Kevin,

Great experiences working Grad Nites in 1989. It was my graduating year, and unfortunately, I had turned 18 a few days before the first Grad Nite.

As a Custodial Busser, I had been lucky enough to get on the Parade crew, which kept the streets clean before and after the day parades (Blast To The Past, at that time) and evening parades (MSEP). For me to work my normal 1330-2200 shift, I had to have 8 hours off. The whole parade crew was put on an 2200-0530 shift for Grad Nites. We were allowed to roam, assisting the Sweepers (who, for Grad Nites, were primarily the Night Time Blue Shirts, with only a handful of actual sweepers).

We would roam from land to land, always keeping an ear to the radio for a "Code V" call from PeopleMover. PeopleMover? Code V? On Grad Nites, we used this as a code between Custodial and Attractions when there was some hot and heavy action going on in the attraction. On many a Grad Nite, some surprised couple would exit the PeopleMover to the clapping of 8 white shirts, and one or two Security guards giving a stern warning to the couple about public indecency (while trying not to laugh).

Although the turnaround was killer (commuting from Torrance to Anaheim), it is moments like these that made those long nights after a full day in high school, and the short turnaround memorable, and well worthwhile.

Of course, this is just one of many stories!!

Jim

Kevin,

Loved the article. It brought back many fond memories. I worked Grad Nights for 3 summers in a row. I would even shift change to work them because I'm a night person and I loved it. It was funny to see fellow cast members in my restaurant start to wind down around 2:30 and meanwhile, my second wind is just kicking in.

We used to hit on the girls that would come into our restaurant even though they had their guys right next to them. I remember one night, a friend and I were making some serious passes at this one cute girl and her man was getting agitated. Finally I looked him right in the eye and said, "look, I've got 4 feet of counter top and a foot and a half of glass between us. You ain't gonna win. (then I had to slam it home by following up with....) besides, didn't I see you applying for a job here last week?" Well, that just made all his friends laugh at him and even his girl knew that he had just been shut down hard!

By far though, my fondest memory is wrapping up my shift and walking back across the park to costumes and lockers and when I passed Main St., I would see two or three trucks or vehicles parked on Main St. in front of various shops replenishing toys, food, etc.....It made it look like a real street. Like something out of an old movie or postcard. I made it a habit to just stop and admire the peace and tranquility of Main St. and the park as a whole in those wee hours of the morning. The only sounds you hear is the piped in music. Maybe I'd see one or two more cast members milling about. Those moments, those memories, I certainly will never forget. Thanks for letting me share.

AP

Kevin,

You wanted overnight in Disneyland stories? Ok, I'm going to date myself. I went to Disneyland for Grad Nite in 1969!

Yep that's right, 1969, it was a very good year. I went with a group of friends rather than a date, rode all the rides I could, and had an absolute blast. I even made a special dress for the occasion since it needed to be just above the knee (they were checking!) and white so it wouldn't show under my graduation gown which was both white and so thin it was practically transparent. And I didn't have time to get home to change, we went right from Canoga Park High School to the busses.

And yes they looked in my purse and patted down the guys.

A couple of years later, I went again, this time as a chaperone with my Mom for my sister's Grad Nite. In true family tradition she had brought another of my sisters as her date. Now that was even better, even though Mom and I did have to spend a couple of hours in the chaperone tent just in case there were problems, which there weren't. We even met my sisters for a late dinner at the Blue Bayou at about 2:00 in the morning. Never did a Monte Cristo sandwich taste so good.

A couple of years ago we went to Disneyland on 3 day passes and went into the park on Thursday night in June for a couple of hours of fun on our first day. They had started setting up for Grad Nite about 9:00 so we were able to see some of what was being prepared. We left at 10:00 and were walking past the parking lot on the way to the hotel. And there were all sorts of busses lined up, glowering ominously, dark and forbidding...

I told my kids that they were full of just-graduated seniors about to wreak havoc on Disneyland. The tension on those busses must have been something. It made a big impression, both really wanted to join in the fun!

Long live Grad Nite!!!

Janet

Kevin,

I have spent the night at Disneyland. It was back on July 16-17, 1980 when Disneyland was celebrating its 25th birthday that I spent 28 consecutive hours at the park. My friend dropped me off at the park at 3 PM July 16th. At midnight I went to the hub area in front Sleeping Beauty Castle and watched the Happy 25th Birthday ceremony. 

I went on almost all of the rides and spent most of it riding the PeopleMover. When I got real tired around 2 AM, I went to Bear Country and sat in the restroom for a while (about two hours). These restrooms no longer exist as they became Splash Mountain a few years later. When the sun was about to come up, I went back on the people mover so that I could see it rise from above the park. I must have ridden this ride twenty times that day. 

At about 2:15 PM I was at the Main Street train station where I watched the rededication of Disneyland performance with the voice of Walt Disney booming over the loud speakers. Later I watched the Main Street Electrical parade with a special 25th birthday float complete with fireworks. 

I also saw the "Disneyland is your land" show and taped the whole thing. I still have the soundtrack. Part of the lyrics were: "Twenty-five is not so long, with Mickey Mouse you can't go wrong, so come along and sing our song — — -Disneyland is your land!" I could still hear it in my mind.

At about 7 PM I met my friend at the old Carnation Ice Cream Parlour, ate a meal, and went home to sleep. The next day I wrote a letter to Disneyland telling them that I had spent 28 hours consecutively there and wondered if it was a record? I did not get a response.

Regards,
Allen