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3. You can turn a terrible day into a great one

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Image © Disney

Things can go wrong at Walt Disney World. With millions of guests visiting the resort every year, mishaps are inevitable - those caused by Disney itself, and those that are just unavoidable.

Mary Deacon worked as a concierge at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, and shared this typical example: "I checked in a family with a child who had got really sick on the journey down and unfortunately couldn’t go to the parks, he was sad he couldn’t go out as he was really looking forward to parks. I upgraded the family to a room with a great room with a view of the animals, so he wasn’t missing out fully; I also went to the gift shop and bought the child a number of items."

"I then went to the room and told the child Mickey Mouse had stopped by and even though he didn’t have enough time to come by and say hi he’d heard he was ill and wanted to drop off a few surprises to make him feel better. The child was over the moon. Later the parent came down to the from desk and hugged me for making the effort, I love how little things like that can make a difference between a not great holiday due to a sick child to a magical one."

2. You might just create something new

Disney Kitchen

Image © Disney

Creativity isn't always encouraged by Disney. It wants its Cast Members to provide a consistent experience, and that means sticking to the rules. Many a Jungle Cruise Skipper has been chided for breaking away from the attraction's scripted spiel.

But that doesn't mean that new ideas won't find a home, even if you work in a role that isn't customer-facing. Rian Lancto, a former Cook, discovered this during his time at the Artist Point restaurant: "The salmon dish changed each season based on what was in season. I created a dish for the fall season. It was a hash consisting of rainbow swiss chard, turnips, potatoes, pork belly and leeks. This was pan roasted and placed over a pear ginger glaze with beet puree accents for color. The cedar plank roasted salmon was then placed on top. Even though it was a seasonal item it stayed on the menu for almost a whole year and received compliments from many guests. So that meant a lot to me. I remember being a boy and visiting WDW and wanting to be a part of it, and now I can say that I had one of my creations on a menu at Disney World!"

1. Even lying guests can be taken care of easily

Seagull
The culprit.

Dealing with awkward or unreasonable guests was frequently cited as one of the main downsides of working at Walt Disney World. Fortunately, Cast Members have a lot of leeway when dealing with these people - and often, they are able to make problems simply disappear.

Former Cast Member Paul recalls: "Food was easily replaceable if a guest had a problem of any kind. I remember once a guest claiming that a seagull came down and stole their foot long hotdog. We replaced it without even asking a question."

If you'd like to learn more about Cast Members' roles and experiences at Walt Disney World, sign up now to be notified when our new book Creating the Magic: Life as a Disney Cast Member is released.

 
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Comments

I witnessed a huge bird devour a lady's cheeseburger she left unattended at Pecos Bill's to get some ketchup. The bird had it gone in one gulp!

I had actually seen a seagull take one of the Casey's hot dogs right off the bun-ketchup and all back in 90's when I can down to Disney. It was hilarious. The guy was just ready to bite down on the hot dog, and had to set it down for a minute to take care of his son. When the guy turned back around the hot dog was gone, and all that was left was the bun and a ketchup trail the bird left when it took off with the hot dog.

I was a cast member, 20 years ago. I know a lot have changed over the years, but my experience as a cast member is one of my most cherished memories. The time I spent entertaining children, helping those that were lost and just putting a smile on someone's face was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. And if it's at all possible, when I retire from my current employment, I would love to return as a cast member and maybe bring a little joy into some unsuspecting person's day.

I worked at WDW in the 80's and I miss it everyday. It was so wonderful to be nice to the guests. Whenever I go to the parks now I still offer to take photos of the entire family. Once a cast member always a cast member.

In reply to by Marina (not verified)

I was there in the '90s. Once a cast member, always a cast member is so true. It's a brother/sisterhood. We were all in the trenches together kind of comaraderie.

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