Disney's theme parks can be a magical place to work. Sometimes, though, the roles available can be a little unusual...
Over the years, Cast Members at Disneyland, Walt Disney World and the company's overseas resorts have been handed some pretty unusual tasks. Over time, some of these have been eliminated, but often only to be replaced by even stranger new roles.
Let's take a quick look at 5 of the strangest Cast Member jobs of all time.
5. "Flash Mountain" censor
Splash Mountain at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom is designed to be a family-friendly water ride past characters from Song of the South. The attraction's finale is a spectacular drop that leaves many riders soaked to the bone. Naturally, Disney installed a camera to capture the moment that guests plummet down this drop, enabling it to sell them on-ride photos from a kiosk at the ride's exit.
Unfortunately for Disney, some mischievous guests relish the opportunity to turn Splash Mountain into "Flash Mountain" by exposing breasts and other body parts as they plunge downwards. Disney, of course, can't have its younger visitors seeing these photos on display in the kiosk. For a while, there was a dedicated role at Disneyland to remove these images before they were posted. Nowadays, Cast Members can still cover the screen when a ride photo is deemed inappropriate.
4. Submarine Voyage mermaid
The original Submarine Voyage attraction at Disneyland opened in June 1959, taking guests on a simulated voyage under the seas. Originally, it was to include real fish, but this was deemed impractical. Instead, animatronic creatures were used. There were, though, some real-life characters on show. From 1965-67, female Cast Members donned mermaid costumes and could be seen sunbathing around the lagoon. They even performed sychronized swims and underwater stunts.
The mermaids were paid $1.65 per hour, but this wasn't enough to stop some complaining about the diesel exhaust fumes from the submarines and the highly-chlorinated water. The mermaids were dropped, eventually being replaced by audio-animatronic versions.
3. Matterhorn climber
The Matterhorn Bobsleds opened at Disneyland in the same year as the Submarine Voyage, as part of a major expansion. The first tubular steel continuous track roller coaster ever constructed races around a recreation of the Matterhorn mountain in the Swiss Alps.
The real Matterhorn is a magnet for climbers. And so too is the Disneyland version, where from the early days of the attraction Cast Members would don mountain gear and scale the peak. They could even play a game of basketball in a special court hidden inside the upper floors of the structure. While they have at times disappeared from its slopes, the climbers were brought back during a major refurbishment of the ride in 2012.
Comments
I have worked for Disney for 6 months my first role as a Cast Member at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resort but I now work Custodial at Epcot.
When I worked at Walt Disney World I was in Outdoor Foods working the popcorn and ice cream wagons. My job wasn't really unusual, but two jobs you won't find most other places would be the people who paddle canoes in Frontierland and the crew that sets up the fireworks every night from Spring to Autumn.
One day my PAC shift at magic kingdom in Frontierland was to walk up and down the road for my 8 hour shift telling people "It is illegal to feed wild alligators in the state of Florida. Please do not try to feed the alligators your turkey legs."
My friend had an awesome job there! At the Alien encounter she would walk in the rafters and shine a flashlight down at the audience. Then she would come back and sit on a couch and wait for the next sound booms to do the same at the other theater. That was it! Jealous. My job was Parade audience control :just set up the parade ropes and talk to guests.
Am i right in thinking the water in fantasmic is only a few inches deep? scuba divers seem a bit extreme.