Are you curious about dirty secrets? Do you want to know the dark side of huge companies? If you do, you can’t skip this post!
As you’ve already known, Disney World has been built on the idea of a happy family with fantastic vacations. Disney World was once a simple family-based tourist destination, but today it is one of the biggest theme parks in the world. With a history spanning more than 100 years, Disney World has now become one of the most visited destinations in the world. While the parks are packed with fun and excitement, the dark side of Disney World is not a thing that you can probably imagine.
Now, thanks to the Ask Reddit question, some employees are willing to reveal some information that was not what we expected! Don’t worry, there are still beautiful things waiting for you.
As you’ve already known, Disney World has been built on the idea of a happy family with fantastic vacations. Disney World was once a simple family-based tourist destination, but today it is one of the biggest theme parks in the world. With a history spanning more than 100 years, Disney World has now become one of the most visited destinations in the world. While the parks are packed with fun and excitement, the dark side of Disney World is not a thing that you can probably imagine.
Now, thanks to the Ask Reddit question, some employees are willing to reveal some information that was not what we expected! Don’t worry, there are still beautiful things waiting for you.
#1 We're human, please treat us better
Source: Pinterest
- WE’RE PEOPLE TOO! I can’t tell you how many names I’ve been called, how many fingers have been pointed in my face, how many times I have felt seriously threaten by a guest because my ride ran out of fast-passes.Most of the time, we don’t know why the ride is down and won’t find out until the end of the night when the park closes. If we do know, it’s typically too complicated to explain unless you understand the functionings of the ride.
- Another fun one: we are REQUIRED to shut down the ride if anyone steps in the track. Once, an autistic child got really exited and just booked it onto the track and ran INTO the actual ride and of course, the parents went in after him. For safety purposes the CM at the controls have to hit the emergency stop button.At this point, everything is shut down and the only way we can restart it is after everyone has been evacuated and the ride gets a hard reset. Outside, we’re informing guests that the ride is down. Out of courtesy for the family with the autistic child we did the whole “not sure why it’s down but be back in 30 minutes.” Meanwhile, there’s a man screaming that we’re all liars and that we shut down because a child ran on the track. Wanted to punch that man in the throat.
#2 Here. To. HELP.
Source: gfycat
- WE WANT TO HELP YOU!I can’t speak for every cast member, but most of us want to work there because we want to be a part of the magic. And we are encouraged to be helpful and make things more magical.
- When you are talking to cast members, be nice, kind, fun. Tell us fun things about your day when we ask you about it. Tell your kids to be adorable. You will probably GET FREE STUFF because we want to and can do nice stuff for nice or adorable people.
- If you have a problem, getting angry and rude will result in us doing the bare minimum to fix it and make things right. Being nice about it and simply letting us know something is wrong, we will give you something better than what you ordered to fix it!
#3 Spread MAGIC
Source: giphy
- I haven’t worked there in years, but when I did, we were trained to look out for people that we could make “magical” moments for. Those people usually ended up being the really nice, personable families.
- If there was a really sweet kid at our desk (I worked at hotel) that loved Tigger, we’d do our best to get a Tigger stuffed animal sent up to his/her room. Offer me a bit of your Rice krispie Mickey because it’s so good? We send up half a dozen with a note to the kid. Obviously didn’t happen all the time, but it could be beneficial to be kind to the people working.
#4 The character AND the cast-member
Source: giphy
- When I was little, my mother had a rabbit fur coat. (Yeah, I know. But this was in the 70’s!) . The cast member playing the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland came up to my mother, started petting her coat, and said (muffled through the mask, but still intelligible) “Mommy! Mommy! is that you?”That CM would totally be fired nowadays, but my parents were the types to appreciate the humor and snark.
- As an adult, many of my friends were cast members. And they would talk about having to bite their tongues SOOOO often.
- I guess what they want the public to know is that they are humans under those costumes. They are both the character and the castmember.
#5 Be nice to people at work
Source: giphy
- Talk to managers or Guest Relations or your server or someone who can get near a phone (NOT SOMEONE SENDING BOATS OUT AT PIRATES OR SOMEONE WHO IS RUNNING A CASH REGISTER OR IS ALONE AT A FOOD CART) if you have an issue. They can help you. They want to help you. They are there to help you. Waiting until after you leave the Parks and writing in or calling in does NOT get you anything special.We all work at the same company, we all provide the same compensation. If you don’t want to spend the rest of your vacation in a funk get your sh*t together and taken care of before you leave and write in about how your food was too salty or how you got stuck on a ride.
- Also, be nice to the people on the phones – whether it’s reservations, ticket sales, or guest service. They will be happy to assist you with real concerns much more easily than if you are saying they suck at their jobs.
#6 Safety, Safety, Safety!
Source: we heart it
- At attractions, most things we do are for safety. When I worked at Tower Of Terror we started doing the thing where we have all the guests put their hands up before we send the ride off. One time on my last vehicle of the night I only had one family, so we were being kind of casual and having a conversation.
- They all sat wherever they wanted throughout the vehicle and as I did my safety checks, the dad asked me why we have everyone raise their hands. Just he is asking this, his son raises his hands and we all hear the sound of a seatbelt zipping into a tightened position. The kid was holding his seatbelt loose so that he would dangerously fly off the seat during the ride. All I said was, “because of that” and sent em off.
#7 Our abilities are not infinite
Source: giphy
- When we tell you to put away your loose belongings on a ride, it’s not a suggestion. Our main concern is safety, and the last thing anyone needs is a broken nose because a phone from row one flew back and hit a guy a couple rows back. But aside from harming others, you’re also inconveniencing yourself.
- We can’t stop operations to go get your hat, cell phone or Mickey ears. So unless you want to wait until park close to possibly collect your items, please just listen to the cast members when they say that you should store your items away. It’s easier for you, and it’s easier for us.
#8 It might be YOUR fault.
Source: tenor
- I worked in restaurants making reservations 15 years ago. If eating at this place was the most important part of your vacation and you decided to wait until the day of to try and book any time between 5pm-9pm dinner then you are an idiot. There is a multi hour line for every f*cking thing in the park but you think you can just walk in anytime and be seated? I’m not sorry that I personally RUINED YOUR WHOLE VACATION!
#9 Do you wanna know the true magic of Disney? Let us tell you
Source: giphy- These girls were too far gone for that. I left them at the bridge to go change, walked backstage and bawled my eyes out. I just had never seen something so horrible. I was truly affected and it was a terrible feeling of powerlessness not being able to fix the situation. When I came back I brought them to get ice-cream, take them on rides and stuff but they never smiled, not once. The nurses were loving it and were trying to get them into it but it just wasn’t working. We went back to the bridge to watch the parade. It was there that I honestly saw true magic. Real magic, not bullsh*t. I had called the parade department to let them know what was going on and set up a private meet and greet after the parade. As the parade was coming around Liberty Square I told the girls that I had called Mickey and told him all about them. I told them that Mickey asked to meet them after the parade.
- The little girl in the wheelchair smiled.
- “Really?” she asked. My heart skipped. “Yes, really! He told me to tell you to look out for him in the parade and to follow the float back to City Hall.”
#10 There are cameras literally everywhere
Source: giphy
- No, putting ice cream bars in your kids’ shoes will not count as them being tall enough to ride Thunder Mountain.We do not need your help to group yourselves into seats on rides, we can seat your “party of 52” much quicker than you can.
- It means the WORLD to a cast member when you treat them like humans. I almost burst into tears on Christmas when someone said “thank you for being here, I know you’re giving up time with your family to help make mine have a great vacation.”
- Don’t be an *sshole. I understand there are very high expectations for a perfect Disney vacation, but the rides are old, CMs are tired, it’s hot, there’s so much you may not see. I will never forget bringing a Make-A-Wish family through our separate entrance, essentially the front of the line, to have a nearby mom say “maybe I should pretend my kid has cancer too”.
#11 Uhhh,embarrassing
Source: giphy
- I worked on Buena Vista street in DCA. People think that just because they’re at Disneyland, we can do anything and everything for them. No, I can’t magically pull a sold-out limited edition item out of my *ss just because you’re upset they sold out.
- And no, I cannot sell you a limited edition pin that is only meant for annual passholders to purchase. I can’t give you a free shirt or sweater either just cause yours got wet on Grizzly River Run. We’re people too. It’s embarrassing how many adults have lost their sh*t in front of other guests.
#12 It's all about the benjamins.
Source: skinner
- We have lost our minds in pursuit of quarterly growth to impress Wall Street. Nothing we do is for the guest, it’s to grow revenue or cut costs. Example: Annual passport pricing was recently increased to dissuade lower-value guests from coming. We don’t need you. We will have enough people coming for Star Wars and paying full price. And if you do come for Star Wars, most of you won’t get into the land, let alone the rides. We currently have no plans to deal with this.
- Other prices increase every year just because we can. We call it “taking our annual increase”. We know you can’t afford it, and we read all the Facebook comments about it being too expensive. But we will keep raising prices until the parks stop being full. And even when they are full, we will find ways to get more out of you by increasing food costs and reducing portion sizes. We have over a hundred people whose job it is to maximize revenue on things like food & beverage.
#13 This one isn't actually all that surprising
Source: gfycat
- SO MUCH TRASH. Work at EPCOT. I work behind the scenes and its a daily battle lol
- And…. if you don’t remember where you parked, go to a parking cast member. If you tell them what time you parked, they can tell you exactly what row you’re on!
#14 Best. Day. Ever
Source: giphy
- My brother worked at DisneyWorld for a long time. My son and I visited him, and he took us into the park on one of his passes. But the pass let him take in four guests, so he found a young couple waiting in line to buy tickets and invited them in for free. They were unsure at first (is this a scam?), but when we got inside my brother just smiled and said “have the best day ever” and we walked away. They both squeeeeeeeeed with joy. It was a beautiful thing.