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Disneyland Apologizes After Denying Little Boy “Princess for a Day” Experience
The head honchos over at Disneyland Paris are apologizing after a three-year-old boy was banned from participating in their “Princess for a Day” experience. In a blog post titled, “Why Can’t My Son Be A Princess At Disneyland?,” Hayley McLean-Glass, a mom from Devon, England, details how she tried to book a makeover for her son Noah.
McLean-Glass reveals she emailed the Disneyland Hotel — which is located just outside the entrance to Disneyland Paris — about their special package, which is advertised as “Every child’s wish can come true with a total Princess makeover and hair-styling session; a fairytale transformation they’ll treasure forever.” Turns out, that isn’t the case.
The mom claims she received an email back saying, “At this time it is not possible to book Princess for a Day for a boy.” McLean-Glass tells ITV News she was “so angry, I literally couldn’t stop shaking for half an hour afterwards — I was just so shocked. I mean, I’m his mother and if I’m okay with him doing it, who are Disney to tell me that he can’t do that?”
On Aug. 31, the park issued a statement, calling the email “an isolated incident” and adding, “Diversity is near and dear to our hearts and we want to make sure that all our guests enjoy their experience at our resort. Of course, both boys and girls are welcome to enjoy the Princess for a Day experience in addition to all our other special activities. We are going to ensure this does not happen again.”
McLean-Glass has since been praised for speaking up on behalf of Noah. “We have spent a small fortune in Disney items for him, he wears his beloved Elsa dress all day every day…he even refuses to take it off at bedtime,” she writes in her open letter to the company.
“I notice that Disneyland Paris has a Pride day on October 20th which uses the tagline ‘Celebrating Diversity at Disneyland Paris’… so does that statement apply only on October 20th?” Here’s hoping Disney stands by their pledge to be better.
