As a past Disney Cast member I can 100% say we ARe allowed to say I don't know. The only thing Disney doesn't want is to do is curse in front of guests and even then we break that rule. As far as trash, we are encouraged to pick it up but not required. If your PhotoPass with 15Lbs of equipment that she worth 5,000$+ you're not going to go out of your way to pick up a gum wrapper.

I have been going to WDW since 1985 and only missed one year. I my not go to a park but I do go to some place on the Disney grounds. I love to experience everything Disney has to offer. I am 65 and hope to go until I am 105. I want to see all the changes possible and all the things that are still there that I love!

I have been going to WDW since 1985 and only missed one year. I my not go to a park but I do go to some place on the Disney grounds. I love to experience everything Disney has to offer. I am 65 and hope to go until I am 105. I want to see all the changes possible and all the things that are still there that I love!

Too bad we can't enforce this on the general public outside of Disneyland. And a few more rules while we're at it.

It was that way but with h the new leadership from the very top (Iger) all the way down are only worried about making money for corporate and keeping there jobs ! Most of the cast who worked there because it f tradition have left the company.
The park are not clean anymore the attraction are falling apart or some show scene aren't fixed Disney is not what it was anymore and it will s sad

I'm a cast member at the Magic Kingdom and these rules are strictly enforced! At night or in the morning when the park isn't open you will see costumes in lands they don't belong in but that's because there are no guests in the park. These are pretty accurate. We can't eat in front of guests and we are also never allowed to use Guest Bathrooms! We have to use ones that are backstage.

I'm a cast member at the Magic Kingdom and these rules are strictly enforced! At night or in the morning when the park isn't open you will see costumes in lands they don't belong in but that's because there are no guests in the park. These are pretty accurate. We can't eat in front of guests and we are also never allowed to use Guest Bathrooms! We have to use ones that are backstage.

In reply to by Devin (not verified)

So explain to me then why there was a CM from Buzz Lightyear crossing through the Haunted Mansion at WDW in front of guests in the foyer (after the elevator)? It made my Disney experience that much worse to see CM cross-contamination. It was my first...and last...trip to the "Magic Kingdom". Disneyland for life.

Eating onstage is also majorly prohibited. A Cast Member cannot eat in front of guests.

In reply to by David R (not verified)

Actually the eating on stage rule does have some exceptions.

1. Water bottles are permitted
2. Cough drops discreetly
3. Hard candy discreetly for diabetics
4. VIP Guest Relations Tour guides can often be seen eating with their family. Though they aren't permitted to eat turkey legs!

It is not unusual to see a covered up CM purchase food from a guest area on break. Look for the sweat shirt in the middle of the summer! On a limited break time, getting to and from the cast cafeterias is not always feasible. And lets face the truth, the food is generally better on stage vs off! And the service faster though more expensive...

I am most thankful and appreciative of The Disney Look. When anyone applies for a position this is the first thing they are informed of. They must sign an acknowledgment agreement. There are positions "backstage" that allow cast members who have any issues to work out of sight of guests. It truly is about the magic and the seamless experience. And I am glad!

I appreciate Disney keeping the parks clean.......people are pigs, I can't believe the trash some people leave....my God, there are trash bins like every 30 feet...that is my main pet peeve

Try asking them where the dog walk areas are in the parks. I can not tell you how many of the cast members told me they did not know. OY

It takes a while to learn all of the answers. We have lots of new CMs all the time. The dog walk areas are clearly marked on the park maps.

I love Disney..Like many of you I would live there if I could.Love how clean it is, and how friendly most of the workers are.. Yeah I said it... I have had times when there were not rude, but most differently up to Disney standards. Lets be real people.. the workers have gotten sloppy and unkempt in appearance. I do not mind the large people as some of you put it.. as I am large,I don't mind the facial hair. i would not mind tattoos either(got them).. these things do not determine if you are a good or bad person...

The costume thing isn't as stringent anymore. Some cast members can wear them home at night. It's not uncommon to see a pirate area and a western area CM waiting for the bus outside the park at night.

In reply to by Jason (not verified)

Waiting for the bus off-stage, not onstage. The idea is to not disturb the ambience we work so hard to create for our guests by having something out of place.

These aren't absolutes.....but General guidelines. There are instances where a few aren't always true. Fyi...from an actual cast member.

These articles are becoming so predictable now. We get it, employees can't point with one finger and have to pick up trash. Stop recycling a handful of facts into new articles, they are all becoming repetitive.

You cannot grow a mustache or beard while working Onstage - you either have it already when you start and it meets the standards, or grow it in while on vacation and it meets standards when you return.

You cannot grow a mustache or beard while working Onstage - you either have it already when you start and it meets the standards, or grow it in while on vacation and it meets standards when you return.

Correct. Just did policy training. That is the case.

Correct. Just did policy training. That is the case.

In reply to by judi (not verified)

Back in the 80's, I personally knew ride operators who would operate space mountain tripping on acid. Not to mention a Snow White that loved cocaine. Happiest place on earth, no shit.

Worked for Disney for 4 years and loved every minute of it! The rules are very easy and I still point with 2 fingers.

Same here. I had a rare job where I wasn't expected/required to smile (only a couple). Loved every second. And still kneel when talking to people sitting/kids. Still point with whole hand. Still say let me find out for you instead of I don't know". These are things that make me who I am...Disney was just a great fit.

I was refused employment in the late 1970's because their top female size limit was 12 and I wore a size 14. Such a shame, I would have been the best employee they ever had. Now they don't care what size you are. Their loss!

Funny about the finger pointing rule as the hand on the jacket deal has a picture of a hand pointing with one finger.....

In reply to by Ron (not verified)

Mickey has special privileges...after all, it is HIS park!

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

So long as you have three or fewer fingers on your hand (counting your thumb) that are not pointing, you're good. Same rule goes for Mickey.

In reply to by Ron (not verified)

The lady in the jacket is pointing with two fingers though.

I have worked at 2 amusement parks in Pennsylvania and these are their rules as well. However, in both of those parks, although the trash rule is in effect, no one ever did it and it was never enforced by upper management. Disney, of course, is far more superior than either of the parks I worked for. I think their cast members actually care about making the Disney experience for their guests unlike the employees of the parks where I worked.

This place is amazing.. I have been an annual passholder for the past 5 years and keep it going because I their way of treating guest.. Yes it's a bit more money than other places but if you've been to any Disney park then you know that they strive to meet their set standards and more...

In reply to by Alvaro (not verified)

Love**

I love disneyworld!! If I could live there, I would. I like the rules. Thats what I love about Disney, its not like entering a regular amusement park with garbage everywhere. Entering Disney world is like entering "a whole new world" ill never look at regular amusement parks the same way again. Lol I love Disney more than any amusement park in da world!!!! :D

I like these rules. That's how Disney should roll.

The origins of the two finger point go back to Walt being a smoker. He regularly had a cigarette in his hand and held it between those two fingers, even when he pointed.

Also, the appearance standards (mustaches) are now allowed because of changing styles and demographics. They have learned (as one poster had said) that a person isn't a bad person or employee just because they have facial hair.

That's not true at all. Not pointing with only one finger is common practice in the hospitality industry. Furthermore, Walt Disney rarely, if ever, smoked in public.

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

It wasn't necessarily when he was in public, but even when the parks were being built. I've heard this from many sources, and it was confirmed in an interview with Tom Hanks, who heard it from those who worked with Walt.

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

Neither of you are actually correct. They use two fingers because in some cultures, it is disrespectful to point with one.

Not entirely true. Yes Walt Smoked but rarely in public and never in public in his parks. He realized that the park was becoming more than a place for central Californians would go and later just america.

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

Walt did smoke a lot and all the pictures you see of him have his cigarette edited out.

I heard they won't even hire large people to work theredue to image.

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

That's not true. There are people of all sizes at Disney. They also hire cast members that are in wheel chairs, etc. I work with a couple on Main Street in Magic Kingdom that have motorized chairs. As long as you look clean cut,have an outgoing personality, and a clean record, they will hire you.

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

The size thing is a change they have made over the years. Back in the early 90s, if you didn't fit the costumes, you had your role changed into something more suiting for your size. They have had to change this, however, due to the fact that many people in the US are bigger now. Also, with the economy being what it is, Disney is trying to hire more people to help provide a better experience for our guests and most adults with a family will take what they can get.

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

That is not true at all. Disneyland has a lot of people over the size our dum society favors.

As a CM I assure you that is NOT true.

I rode Minetrain the other day and large guests will be upset because they will just not fit.

In reply to by Greg (not verified)

Not true. My pooh sized husband has ridden the new mine train several times with no problem other than it being a small car.It's the other parks he often has problems at!

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

We are going to Disney World this fall. I am a good sized woman and that is one thing I have been worrying about. We have been to Disney before and never ran into the problem of being too big for the ride, but I have gained weight since then. Was there any rides that your husband couldn't ride?

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

We are going to Disney World this fall. I am a good sized woman and that is one thing I have been worrying about. We have been to Disney before and never ran into the problem of being too big for the ride, but I have gained weight since then. Was there any rides that your husband couldn't ride?

That is definitely not true. I am not a small person by any means and I have been a CM for 6 years.

I was told by a cast member once that I had the bone structure they look for in the Disney Princesses. Unfortunately tall girls can't be characters. They hire people of size to be cast members but full on characters is a different story. I wasn't even big bag then, just 5'10" which is 3 inches too tall. :-/

I was told by a cast member once that I had the bone structure they look for in the Disney Princesses. Unfortunately tall girls can't be characters. They hire people of size to be cast members but full on characters is a different story. I wasn't even big bag then, just 5'10" which is 3 inches too tall. :-/

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

The costume characters have to be particular heights because the costumes themselves are rarely remade (aka new ones aren't made often) Every once in awhile they make an exception, but it's rare, most of the time it's a just a few minor tweaks to already made costumes (to which it can be tough to do much to).

Well if these rules are "old fashioned" then I hope I'm never 'hip". God bless 'old fashioned." This is what we USED to call attention to detail and customer service. You don't find it to much anymore. NEVER CHANGE THOSE RULES DISNEY!

In reply to by Kristi (not verified)

I think it's stupid, Disney has all these rules about how the cast should look. How about how the guests should look? I remember when I was little and went on vacation with my parents, it was one of the few times my dad would "dress" up. That and holidays, he always wore dress pants and a dress shirt, with dress shoes. There were NO flip flops, no sweat pants,my mother wore nice shirts, pants, or shorts, with nice sandals. I am disgusted everyday, when I look at the sloppiness of the human race. It doesn't take that much effort to look nice when you go somewhere. Yet as I was working this Christmas day, I look up to see a dad with flip flops, and jogging shorts, and a ragged out old t-shirt, a mom in leggings flip flops and a tshirt, and the kids were no better. I'm not saying they had to be dressed in the finest clothes. But it wouldn't hurt to take a little time to look nice. This has become the norm. I think people should take more pride in their appearance. But god forbid if a cast member wants to dye their brown hair blonde, they will be fired for it. We get paid so little , for so much crap we have to put up with. It's not right.

I have been to many different amusement parks over the years, and none of them have ever compared to the cleanliness of the Disney Parks! Sure Disney cost more money,but it is worth every penny, as you will not find a nicer, and more magical place on earth! I will always be a Disney fan!

In reply to by Suzanne (not verified)

I used to find that Disney was the cleanest, but I found standards have really slipped over the last 15 years or so. Meanwhile, De Efteling in the Netherlands, Europa Park in Germany and Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen (that inspired Walt to build Disneyland) are more clean. And sadly Disneyland Paris is not of the same standard (and the MK in WDW in 2007 was in an awful state)

I remember many years ago, I applied for a jog at Disneyland. I was told unless I shaved my mustache off, I would not be hired! The only one back in those days to have a mustache was Walt Disney! I found employment else where. I didn't think my mustache would have made me a worse employee.

In reply to by Don C. (not verified)

The moustache rule has been changed. You can have one now. I guess it was because Walt had one

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

I would think a mustache would be good in Frontierland. I understand the "clean cut", fresh look that Disney was going for. i have also seen mustaches so long that they interfered with seeing the smile. Maybe for sure in Frontierland and if neat in others???

In reply to by Visitor (not verified)

I would think a mustache would be good in Frontierland. I understand the "clean cut", fresh look that Disney was going for. i have also seen mustaches so long that they interfered with seeing the smile. Maybe for sure in Frontierland and if neat in others???

In reply to by Don C. (not verified)

No one said it would make you a bad employee.

The attitude would though. As a long time cast member I liked my mustache but I understood it was your onstage look and the required look was what the audience liked at the time. Cast Members from the beginning to now realize that.

Don, we agree having a mustache isn't a sign that you are or would be a bad employee, it is just that the appearance of the Cast members has always been very clean cut and giving no reason for someone to complain. It doesn't make any difference to us, but some it might. It would be the same if they said a woman had to have long hair and couldn't wear makeup or jewelry. Which we have seen very few ladies with short hair working there and no one wearing jewelry... guess that would leave me out since I have both. Hopefully you found a job that you liked.

My husband wears/wore a mustache and he was hired --- maybe you thought that was why they didn't hire you.

In reply to by Don C. (not verified)

What was the "JOG" you applied for? You were probably denied the position for your spelling and grammar inadequacies, not the mustache.

In reply to by Don C. (not verified)

What was the "JOG" you applied for? You were probably denied the position for your spelling and grammar inadequacies, not the mustache.

It is truly a Magical Place! My family appreciates the high expectations WDW requires from their employees. It is one reason we return over and over! Keep it up!

Love our many visits to Disney World and especially love to see how very, very clean the parks are and all the guests are treated soooo nicely by all the characters. One of the reasons we return every other year. it is truly a "magical place"

I thouroughly appreciate the rules and dress- code it adds to the Magic. I want to feel immersed in the Fantasy when I visit the parks.

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