If you’re a regular visitor to Disneyland or Walt Disney World to any regular degree, or like reading about the parks and they’re history, then you’ve almost certainly heard stories about people who attempt to scatter human remains throughout the park. Some people want to leave a piece of themselves in their favorite place. It happens so often that Disney Parks have multiple names for it, some more official than others.
A recent thread on the Today I Learned subreddit comes from one person who recently learned of the “white powder alert,” a code phrase reportedly used at Disney Parks to denote when somebody has dropped ashes on a ride. While that name might be used in some places, many current and former Disney Cast Members have chimed in on the thread to remark that they used a different phrase. As one put it…
Ex Disney Cast Member here. My area called it a code grandma and to request our supervisors to call the Ghostbusters.
For the record, the "Ghostbusters" here is a reference to the fact that when ashes are dropped, it requires a massive clean-up effort, including large HEPA filter vacuums, in order to be able to clean up all the particulates.
Multiple sources confirm that “Code Grandma” has been used at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, though it is reportedly not an official designation and one that Disney Parks’ management frowns on being used. Of course, that doesn’t stop it from being used.
It’s a pretty dark nickname, but then, it’s a somewhat dark situation that results in people dropping human remains in a theme park. The iconic Haunted Mansion is, for obvious reasons, a favorite location. That's because it's already full of ghosts, but it’s been done likely everywhere in the parks. Ashes were even dropped on Rise of the Resistance at one point.
There are numerous problems with this, the biggest one being that when it happens, it forces a complete shutdown of the ride so that it can be cleaned. As a former Disney World custodian pointed out in the thread, “Grandma” doesn’t ultimately get to make Disney World her last resting place…
So ashes are spread, first the ride shuts down. It’s a bio hazard so the ride must be evacuated. Then custodial comes down in hazmat suits with a little vacuum. We would vacuum up the ashes and disinfect the area. Then we’d take the ashes, dump them in the trash, and apologize to “grandma” for ending up in a trash can.
Needless to say that Disney World frowns on this entire practice. You run the risk of being banned from Disney World for doing stuff like this. Even if you were successful in leaving a piece of your loved one, you might never be able to go back.
In the end, I can’t think of a better reason to convince people not to dump ashes on Disney World rides than the fact that it ultimately isn’t successful, as it will be cleaned up. I can understand somebody wanting to be forever part of their favorite place, but if it isn’t actually going to work, then it’s just not worth it. Now will somebody please tell Ariana Grande’s mom this?
