The Worst
1. Working most (or probably all) holidays
The Disney parks are open 365 days a year. Holidays are some of the busiest times, so most Cast Members end up working on most or all of the major holidays. It’s extremely rare to have a weekend off, as well. Although truth be told, it’s much better to have your weekend fall in the middle of the week when stores are less crowded and the tourist traffic thins moderately. If you cherish having holidays at home with the family, though, this schedule can really get to you after a while.
2. Taking the blame for occurrences completely out of your control
Child too short? You measured her wrong. Attraction experiencing technical difficulties? You have single-handedly ruined the day. Ropes up for the parade? Cookies overpriced? Weather swelteringly hot? Rain imminent? Somehow, Cast Members get blamed for it all.
3. A behind-the-scenes look at the magic
Yes, one of the best things about being a Cast Member is also one of the worst. Those backstage tours you shell out so much cash for show you the nicest, shiniest parts of the backstage areas. The trash and dirty laundry have to go somewhere, though, and in parks and resorts this big you can bet there’s a lot of it. There’s also something unsettling about seeing certain parts of the Disney magic in their unfinished stages.
4. Wearing ridiculous costumes
If you’ve never noticed how ridiculous some Cast Members’ costumes are, take a closer look the next time you’re in the park. Before its redesign, the original Star Tours costume had elastic around the ankles. The housekeeping staff at the Grand Floridian don frilly, impractical aprons. Most costumes don’t have the option of shorts, despite the heat and humidity, making them uncomfortable at best and unbearable at worst during the summer.
5. Endless monotony
Hourly Disney Cast Members deal with endless monotony in most positions. Even in the most magical gift shop in the world, you’re still ringing up purchases all day. Attractions is arguably one of the more interesting positions, but when things are running smoothly you’ll just push the same buttons again and again. Spieling Cast Members can tell you that going through a show becomes so routine they’ll often go on auto pilot and realize at the end of the show that they remember almost nothing about the last time around.
Like any job, being a Disney Cast Member has its pros and cons. If you have a love of the company and a special place in your heart for the mouse, the benefits will usually outweigh the drawbacks in the end.
Comments
I worked at WDW from 1992 to 2006. The first couple of years the pay was only a buck or two above minimum wage, but after that pay increases came quickly. How much you make also depends on where you work. I started in attractions, but later transferred to Security then into Watercraft Transportation. Overtime was easy to pick-up. By 2002, I was making 25,000 annually, as did my wife. We had no problem buying a brand new 4 bedroom house near Kissimmee, and purchasing nice, pre-owned cars every few years. Disney also offered excellent retirement and pensions, health care, and life and vehicle insurance.
All things considered, it was the best organization I'd ever worked for.
Well keep in mind these jobs are for kids or disabled. Any man post his 30s doing this kind of work is more than likely there for the wrong reasons or living at home with his Mother. This is viewed more so like a summer job - or a water park on steroids. Kids work there just to post it on their Instagram or sneak friends in or tell everyone: "Yeah, I'll hook you up this weekend bruh." It's just fun poor paying kid work.
I agree that a lot of positions are best suited for the student or retired crowd, there are so many other jobs to be had at Disney. Chefs, managers, engineers and the like can make a good living and or career with the company. Everyone is considered a cast member whether you're a custodian or a CEO.
My son works at Disney now, You work your butt off, you deal with people from all over the world. They have 56,000 employees to cover all the different operations that go on. By no means is this just a job for kids.. and no they dont get paid well, the cost of living down there makes it almost impossible to get a place to live without getting room mates. But as many will tell you. you can move up if you are willing to keep doing the overworked crap pay jobs to get to a higher position.And possible become like another friend and is getting ready to retire from there, who started at hamburger flipping to being a boss. traveled the world.Met celebrities but those are the pluses.. there is much more rude people,to many hours or not enough goes from one extreme to the other. They have very strict guidelines of appearance,clothing mannerisms.. There is less fun for a cast member then you would imagine. but they have the opportunity to have a career in a company that is all over the world
I worked for Disney but in NYC it was the best job I had, even though I was not at the parks I learned so much about customer service. I even had the pleasure of attending classes & the staging area at Disney World. Since I was in NYC I was not able to take advantage of my free pass into the parks all the time but I was able to give my guest passes to friends& family. After I got married we moved to Orlando & I am thinking of applying for a job at the park add soon as my babies get a little older. I will always love Disney & love bringing my 2 year old.