Cast Members Reveal Secrets about Walt Disney World
Sometimes, former cast members get together and reveal information about their favorite job.
As children, we dream of working for Mickey Mouse, and that goal never goes away for some.
So, once they achieve their dream job, they savor the memories forever, even if it’s a temporary college gig.
Disney’s worker handbook includes strict guidelines for employee behavior. However, once the job ends, all bets are off.
Here are seven cast member secrets about Walt Disney World that may surprise, impress, and/or disgust you.
Ashes to Ashes
The Ghost Host specifically asks for volunteers at Haunted Mansion. Even the signage around the building requests new tenants in the building.
Don’t let the theming fool you, though. Disney does NOT want you to drop off the ashes of your dead relatives on the ride.
People do this more than you’d like to know. In fact, sometimes, the entire ride comes to a stop due to a particularly egregious violation of this policy.
This idea should sound crazy to you because those ashes are someone you love. Meanwhile, Haunted Mansion is just a theme park ride, albeit a great one.
Still, even those of you who dream of spending forever here shouldn’t ask it of your loved ones. Disney bans people from the parks for life for this offense!
Disney Customer Service Is Awesome
Have you ever experienced something unfortunate at the parks? Those who have lived through it know that Disney’s customer service is the gold standard.
The parks empower cast members with a broad range of powers to fix crisis situations and provide immediate make-goods for customers.
As we’ll discuss, Disney can see everything happening in the parks and is quick to act.
For example, when cast members notice an autistic person is struggling with a ride evacuation, they’ll throw out standard rules in place.
They’ll immediately prioritize this individual’s safe removal from the ride, even if it means that the park guest must walk through otherwise off-limits areas.
When an incident occurs, Disney is quick to offer free vouchers for merchandise, food, and FastPasses. This little dose of magic makes everything better.
Don’t Drink the Water
I had a college friend who wouldn’t get on any wet rides because she cared too much about personal hygiene. At the time, we teased her mercilessly.
Knowing what I know now, I owe that woman an apology. She was right about everything.
Let’s think about the situation from this perspective. Do you know anyone who grows nauseous on theme park attractions?
Have you watched them hold back vomit as their face turns a strange color of green?
Well, kids aren’t as advanced in their attempts to keep the vomit inside. For that matter, neither are adults who have had too much to drink.
That water you notice on various wet rides has mixed with human fluids more than you would like to know.
For this reason, Disney employs bromine and other chemicals to keep the water bacteria-free.
So, that’s two reasons why cast members know that you should never drink the water.
The Eye in the Sky Sees All
Have you ever tried to cheat in Vegas? If so, I’m sorry about the broken thumbs that you got in a hidden security room.
Okay, you probably haven’t done that because you know better. Everyone hears the stories about what casinos do to cheaters.
What you may not know is that Disney employs similar security techniques at its parks.
For safety reasons, Disney posts cameras in hidden locales. Cast members maintain the proverbial eye in the sky everywhere.
In fact, Disney workers count as the only people who know the rare spots where cameras cannot see (and record) illicit activities.
So, cast members monitor these spots via good, old-fashioned security checks.
In other words, no matter where you are in the park, someone is watching you. Now, you’re not under the microscope or anything.
As long as you’re doing nothing wrong, you’re fine. In fact, as we just discussed, you’re better than fine. Cast members can be proactive in helping.
However, if you ever want to join the monorail version of the Mile High Club or anything, you should know that you WILL get caught.
One Eye, One Arm
Okay, this one’s gross and circles back to the vomit discussion.
Have you ever worn a costume in 100-degree weather? If so, you know that you’ll start to feel overwhelmed after a few minutes.
Disney maintains rules to protect costumed cast members from the heat. They rotate out after 20-minute shifts, sometimes even less.
Unfortunately, everyone gets sick occasionally. For costumed cast members, that’s a problem.
For obvious reasons, Disney doesn’t want somebody in a mouse costume to rip off Mickey’s head suddenly and start throwing up.
The mental image you should have is a human head in a Mickey Mouse suit vomiting as kids scream in horror.
To prevent that from happening, cast members receive training to signal their nausea.
If you ever notice a costumed cast member raising one arm and covering one eye, it’s an Old Faithful situation. So stand back just in case!
Only Certain Cast Members Can Free Roam
Have you ever needed directions at the park and hoped that a cast member would lead you there?
Most of the time, the answer was no, wasn’t it? Despite everything I’ve said, Disney workers must follow specific rules about workstations.
Only a handful of employees may leave designated areas and crisscross various themed lands.
Disney created this rule for a variety of reasons, not the least of them being immersion.
You know that cast members wear costumes that identify their locale.
Someone in a Casey’s Corner baseball outfit would seem out of place in Tomorrowland, right?
Do you know whose outfits are nondescript? The janitorial staff! Yes, form meets function at Disney theme parks.
The clean-up crew must cross quickly from one themed land to another.
Otherwise, that cast member with one arm raised and one eye covered won’t get their mess cleaned up.
So, when you need some guidance, your best bet is always a Disney janitor. They can take you where you’re going if they’re not too busy!
See? It’s connected!
Security Guards Follow Rules
A few years ago, an infamous incident transpired at Disneyland. A family feuded, with the situation coming to blows.
Countless onlookers observed the proceedings as critics assailed Disney for its lack of security.
What few people understood was that Disney security quickly arrived on the scene. They were just in plain clothes, a technique the company employs.
Some cast members dress like ordinary tourists and wander the parks. The philosophy stems from the belief that people act differently around cops.
So, someone in plain clothes can work parts of the job more effectively. Should they see something wrong, they call for backup.
At this point, officially uniformed security guards will arrive on the scene and restore order.
However, Disney still holds its security guards to strict rules. They cannot do anything that could lead to a lawsuit against the company.
These restrictions sometimes prevent quick resolutions in plain sight. So instead, Disney escorts guests to its holding area. Yes, there’s a Disney Jail!
This place is where security guard cast members may dispense Disney’s unique brand of justice, which usually means banning someone from the park.
That’s a fate worse than death, isn’t it?
Feature Image: www.orlandotouristinformationbureau.com