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5. Understand the Unique Language of Kids

If you’ve spent much time around small children, you’ve probably recognized that there are many things only parents seem to understand. What’s gibberish to an outsider often makes perfect sense to Mom or Dad…or to a seasoned Cast Member. The more popular words like characters’ names and certain attractions are easiest to pick out. The best Cast Members also know how to communicate with tots right on their level as well.

4. Count the Number of People in a Group in Seconds

Sure, you always ask “how many,” but you also go into the grouper position knowing that a lot of people will get the answer wrong. Guests also like to answer with math problems, like “two here, and three behind me, and then a kid.” Needless to say, it’s handy to have a good eye for figuring out which groups are together and determining how many are really with the guest in question.

3. Guess What a Guest Will Ask Before he Gets the Question Out

In certain positions, a Cast Member’s whole job is to answer questions. Cast Members in guest relations, the greeter position of an attraction, front desk areas in the hotels, or stocking shelves in a gift shop tend to get lots and lots of questions. After a while you pick up on what the guest is asking long before the question makes its way out. This is especially useful in cases where the guest himself doesn’t actually know what he’s asking. The literal answer to “Where’s Disney World?” is “Right here…all around you…you’re IN IT.” But most guests are actually referring to the Magic Kingdom when they ask this, which changes things drastically.

2. Speak in Acronyms

Cast Members love acronyms, particularly those with three letters. Many popular acronyms assume the word “ride” is tacked on to the end of an attraction to get the right number of letters. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is “DAK” (pronounced like it rhymes with “pack”). Kilimanjaro Safaris is KSR, Dinosaur is DTR (adding “The” as well as “Ride”), and The Great Movie Ride is GMR. Since these don’t make pronounceable words, you just say the letters. If you work in the rotation that includes Aladdin, the Enchanted Tiki Room, and the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, you’re at ATT. String enough of these together and it’s almost incomprehensible to someone who’s not in the know.

1. Scoop Trash up Without Missing a Step

Picking up stray pieces of trash on the ground is an essential Cast Member skill that goes all the way back to Walt. The man behind the mouse was known to pick up litter in the streets of Disneyland to keep up the flawless appearance of his park. Naturally, Cast Members are expected to follow suit. This skill is really handy anywhere, but it does get you some strange looks from your friends when you keep falling behind at the mall because you’re reflexively picking up every crumpled napkin you see.

Useful or not, the skills and habits you pick up as a Cast Member are many. If you’ve been looking for an immersive way to pick up a few new talents it may be as simple as working for a mouse.

 
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Comments

Kelsie,
I'm glad that you said that you planned to leave job. Or if i'm mistaken you for someone else the maybe you should really consider leaving the job. CM's like yourself are NOT needed and are a waste of money to the Walt Disney Company. Such negativity coming out of anyone is not acceptable, not just for Disney CM's. As people, we need avoid negativity as much as possible and sadly, that's what you're all about. Do everyone a favor and go because I personally have had bad experiences with not so pleasant CM's and I am ALWAYS very nice and pleasant. I treat others the way i'd like to be treated.

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

You probably dealt with a CP, a College Program kid. I like them as people, but as people who I have to work with? Not so much. I'm a CM and when I go to the parks, if I;m going to get anything done, I talk someone who isn't a CP. You can tell because the CPs have their college name under name, not their hometown.

You know, did you ever think the reason CPs don't like working with you is your attitude? I completed my CP and I have to tell you that in my location the CPs worked harder than most of the normal CMs. Just because a minority of CPs don't care about their job doesn't mean we all don't, I tried to help every guest to the best of my ability and we closed almost every night at MK. If I ever worked a morning shift I was ignored and looked down upon by the older CMs, they would leave me to work the register while they went and socialized, and if we ever asked them for help they would act like we were asking them to do so much work. My friend changed her nametag to her hometown so she would be treated with more respect, so how is that fair? Not all CPs are good, not all are bad; but not all CMs are good, nor are all of them bad. Before you generalize an entire group why don't you stop assuming the worst?

PS: Most of the CMs complained that we took their shifts, but when we tried to give them away they wouldn't take them because they didn't like the hours. Without CPs Disney would not be able to function at the ability that it does. When our pay increased at the same time the CMs did they did nothing but complain and say it wasn't fair, that we didn't deserve it. Please don't make assumptions

I am able to juggle, keep military time, know walkie talkie codes, do addition in my head, and count money very quickly thanks to my time at WDW.

I worked in the Magic Kingdom in the late 80's and totally agree with everything on the list. To this day I'm pretty good at guessing where someone is from. I would just add that characters can always tell when a kid is going to burst into tears because they think the giant dog or mouse or duck is going to eat them. And I would add that I learned to never rephrase myself. I answered the question in the most succinct way possible. Rephrasing will only confuse them more. Repeat and they'll get it.

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