The new standard for unemployed young people: Visiting Disneyland three times a week.

“It feels like coming home.”

Disney seems to have a certain magic. As soon as you step through the gates of Disneyland, it's as if you've crossed an enchantment barrier, isolating the cold, real world outside.

Anxiety is left behind, and happiness fills the surroundings. No wonder many young people have become top players at Disney. Whenever they have free time, they head to Disney to experience the attractions, watch the shows, and meet and interact with Chip and Dale, as well as the park's top - stars, the “Seven Treasures of Disney”.

In this season of spring blossoms, unemployed young people are flocking to Disney in droves.

Searching for “unemployed” + “Disney” on social media yields nearly 2,000 posts. Apart from a few about those who lost their jobs at Disney, many are from people who went to Disney after losing their jobs. Under this keyword, young people from various industries share their daily experiences at Disney after becoming unemployed: lawyers, big - company operators, HR personnel, advertising practitioners... Some even sigh that Disney has become one of their “Three Treasures for the Unemployed” (the other two being Longhua Temple and Shanghai Zoo).

Last autumn, Zhai Shiwu quit her job at an internet company without having another one lined up. After quitting, as a long - time Disney fan, she bought a “budget - friendly” annual pass for Disney. The so - called “budget - friendly” pass is the cheapest Iridescent Pearl Card in Disney's series of annual passes, costing 1,399 yuan. It allows entry on weekdays throughout the year by reservation.

Every week, Zhai Shiwu goes to Disney 2 - 3 times. Sometimes she just enjoys the attractions, and sometimes she finds a spot in the park, takes out her laptop, and starts editing the short videos she posts on social media after leaving her job. After all, it's only about a dozen kilometers from her home to Disney, and it takes only 20 minutes by car. It's not much different from going to a nearby park.

She also goes at her own whim. If she goes in the morning, she'll stay for half a day. If she goes in the afternoon, she'll first write scripts there. When the study area gets crowded, she'll go to the theater to watch a play or find another place to soak up the sun.

Each visit doesn't cost much. She parks her car at the Bicester Parking Lot near Disney, buys a parking ticket on Xianyu for 2 yuan, and can park for 5 hours. She has lunch at home and brings her own water into the park, spending at most 15 yuan a day. Compared to spending time at downtown cafes, where parking fees can easily reach 15 yuan per hour, Disney is incredibly cost - effective. Moreover, she feels that Disney isn't overly commercial. Every time she studies here, the laughter or background music in her ears is more like white noise. It's not too noisy, and “with my headphones on, I can't hear what others are saying.”

Renee has the same thoughts. At the end of last year, she left the public - welfare foundation where she had worked for two years. After leaving, she also went to cafes and libraries to pass the time, but always felt that there was still a “work - like” atmosphere. Why should she experience the feeling of pretending to be at work even after leaving her job? Besides, a cup of coffee costs 40 yuan.

Since Disney launched the semi - annual pass promotion in 2018, Renee has been a Disney member and renews her Diamond Annual Pass every year. However, due to her busy work and frequent overtime, she could only visit Disney once a month. And it was always on holidays, when she'd go with friends to watch the parade floats, meet Disney characters, and immerse herself in the crowded but lively atmosphere of Disney.

But what does Disney look like on weekdays? Renee didn't know and had never seen it. The day after leaving her job, Renee took a one - hour subway ride on Line 11 to Disney.

With its natural location advantage and annual pass benefits, no one can resist going to Disney. Since leaving her job, Renee has been going to Disney at least twice a week. If she's in a good mood, she'll go three times a week.

The Disney Castle and flowers taken by Renee

Renee rarely plays the attractions. She can only tolerate a 20 - minute wait in line for an attraction, and will give up if it exceeds that time. Most of the time, she enjoys the flowers, watches the shows, and meets Disney characters. During the Spring Festival, Renee found a weight - loss partner who was also unemployed online. The two of them walked briskly around Disney for an hour every day. In less than a month, Renee lost 10 pounds.

Ju Tutu, who quit his job at a new - energy vehicle company in February this year, is the same. He's a big Disney fan and often met friends at Disney while he was working. At that time, he clearly felt that Disney and the company were two completely different worlds - the office was always dull, but Disney was always full of vitality.

After leaving his job, Ju Tutu goes to Disney three times a week and stays there for 5 - 7 hours each time. However, he doesn't participate in many entertainment activities. Instead, he explores new ways to enjoy Disney, such as rowing a canoe for fitness on the Adventurer's Canoe, cycling on the lakeside greenway, and camping in the Disney Town...

Ju Tutu cycling on the lakeside greenway

In his opinion, since he's not working and lives close to Disney, driving there for 2 - 3 times a week for half an hour each time “feels like coming home.”

Unlock new ways to play

You can go whenever you want and stay as long as you like. Going to Disney after losing your job is a whole new experience.

For some young people, going to Disney while having a job is like an intense weekend workout. They carefully plan their outfits before going out, rush through the attractions like a special - forces soldier after entering the park, and walk 20,000 steps in a day... It is fun, but more like a busy escape from the busy work. One possible side - effect is that because the weekend at Disney is so wonderful, it's hard to face the painful Monday.

After leaving the job, Disney has become a place for a balanced life of work and rest.

The tent lounge in Disney, a rest area commonly known as “a life - saver in winter and summer”, is the place where Zhai Shiwu goes most often after leaving her job. Every time she comes to Disney, Zhai Shiwu first comes here to write scripts and edit videos. In this tent, each table and chair seems to form a different work area. Some people are reading English aloud, some are reading books and taking notes, and there are also some makeup artists who take orders in Disney, doing makeup for customers on the chairs...

Zhai Shiwu going to Disney to study. Her Disney - princess - themed outfit, source: Xiaohongshu @Zhai Shiwu

No more rushing through the itinerary and attractions like a special - forces soldier, and no more sudden work tasks. Previously, when she was at work, every time Renee queued up at Disney, she would worry about sudden work hand - overs or unexpected arrangements. Once, Renee had planned to spend the whole day at Disney, but suddenly her colleague said they needed a document in the evening, so she had to cut short her trip and leave early.

Finally, she doesn't have to worry about being interrupted by work. She can study and submit job applications in the tent lounge, or play the attractions. “When there aren't many people, for example, when I'm tired of studying, I can go to watch entertainment shows or play the attractions. In this atmosphere, you won't over - think and will feel very happy.” She feels that this place is no longer just a “Disneyland” but a park full of birdsong and flowers. Even just sitting inside, soaking up the sun and reading a book, it's very comfortable.

Previously, she would only get up at 8 o'clock at the earliest when she was working, but now she even gets up early voluntarily to go to Disney. As a Diamond Annual Pass holder, Disney gives 12 Early Entry Passes every year, allowing entry at 7:30. In less than 3 months, Renee has used 5 Early Entry Passes. She gets up at 6:00 every time, has breakfast, and then enters the park.

There is an attraction in Disney called “Good Morning”. Every morning at 9:30, Disney characters come out and do morning exercises together. Renee has known about this show for a long time, but she has never watched it because it's too early. Now, not only can Renee watch the show, but she can also get a good viewing spot because she enters the park early. “I finally understand what they mean by 'the early bird catches the worm.'” Renee said. “I didn't have time to enjoy these things when I was busy with work. Now it has become a motivation for me to go to bed early and get up early.”

The “Good Morning” show taken by Renee

Only after leaving the job does one have the mind to explore different ways to play at Disney.

Unemployed Ju Tutu prefers to do something different here. Instead of the popular attractions, he starts to play some lesser - known ones. For example, the Festival of the Lion King boat ride and the Rope Adventure that takes 2 hours to complete. The place he goes to most often in Disney has become the shops. Although he doesn't necessarily buy anything, just looking at the new “pretty but useless things” in the shops makes him feel good.

He has also become an observer of Disney's hidden corners and discovered many details he never noticed before.

For example, many middle - aged aunts in their 40s and 50s come to Disney on weekdays to queue up for collecting stickers and exchange experiences with each other. For example, there are no indoor smoking areas in Shanghai Disney, so people smoke on the roads. Ju Tutu often sees girls in princess costumes smoking on the road. “It's so out of place and funny.” For example, many things that seem out of place in this environment happen at Disney every day. In the past few months, he has seen people picking wild vegetables near the Disney Resort and a foreigner lying in a yellow bikini sunbathing in Disney. “I think it should be called 'gaze - bathing' because what she attracts is people's gazes, not the sunlight.”

The designated camping area discovered by Ju Tutu in Disney, source: @Ju Tutu

As one of them, Ju Tutu thinks that young people who go to Disney on weekdays have a sense of relaxation that office workers don't have. The most obvious example is, “Can you be more relaxed than spending a long time queuing up for Lingna Beier?”

Disney's new track

As we all know, every unemployed young person experiences self - doubt and worry about not being able to find a job.

After leaving her job, Renee also experiences intermittent anxiety. Her original plan was to return to the workplace after the Spring Festival this year. After all, the intervals between her previous jobs had never exceeded a month. In Renee's expectation, she should receive interview invitations within a month after leaving her job.

However, things didn't go as she hoped. After the Spring Festival, Renee found that many companies had started laying off employees. The positions she saw on BOSS Zhipin still hadn't recruited new people. They'd rather have one person do the work of three. Renee has also been trying to submit job applications. Even when queuing up to meet Lingna Beier at Disney, she would open BOSS Zhipin. But the results were just so - so - the companies that actively contacted her were the ones she wasn't interested in, and the ones she liked ignored her.

But Renee found that as soon as she comes to Disney, she can leave her anxiety behind.

Every time she meets Disney characters, even if she has to queue for 6 hours, as long as she can hug them and talk to them for a minute, Renee will feel very happy. During the parade, being able to cheer and shout with other Disney fans also makes Renee feel the release of stress.

Renee hugging Lingna Beier

In her opinion, Disney is her safe haven. “If you stay at home all the time, your family will ask why you're not working. Going to cafes or museums makes you feel like you're still at work, which is tiring. But at Disney, you don't have to pretend. You can study if you want, be noisy if you want. You can do whatever you like, and no one will think you're strange.”

Disney, with no taboos, equally comforts every unemployed person.

After leaving her job, Zhai Shiwu made some new attempts. She started selling women