Staff writer Mike Scopa responds to letters from guests, cast members and former CMs who wrote in response to his article “The Toughest Cast Member Jobs” (link).
Chris writes:
Thank you so much for your ‘Top Ten Toughest WDW Cast Member Jobs’.
In my years working for Disney, I have been a theater Attractions Host, a Space and Splash Mountain Host, and a Guest Relations Host.
You captured the challenges very accurately.
Many times the jobs felt stressful and neglected as I was performing those roles. Your public appreciation put a smile on my face. Even though I am no longer in any of those roles, I’m sure the Cast Members that a still performing those jobs appreciate your comments, as well.
I’m sure at times all that you did seemed unappreciated but whenever you helped a guest and got a smile or a “Thank you!” hopefully it made you feel good.
The appreciation surfaces when a need is met and the CMs are responsible for meeting the needs of all the guests and the guests should be appreciative of the CM efforts.
Maybe someday there’ll be a “CM for a day” program at WDW. That would be an education for a lot of people.
Phil writes:
Your article about tough Cast Member jobs reminded me of something that I witnessed at Star Wars Weekend in 2004. Our family was in line to see Darth Vader and his time at the meet and greet was over. One lady, obviously upset, went to the cast member and told him that her family had been waiting in line all day to see Darth Vader and they kept moving him around and she rudely told him that for the money that they had spent, Disney could afford to have more than one Darth Vader around so that the kids could get their picture with him. The Cast Member didn’t miss a beat and without hesitation, coolly said, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but there is only one Darth Vader.” The look that the mother gave the Cast Member was priceless. We still laugh at this Disney moment! Thanks Cast Members for putting up with us crazy tourists!
You bring up a great point. The CMs are so important when it comes to Disney Magic.
On my last trip I was in the Haunted Mansion and waited until everyone else left the stretching room so I could study the room before leaving myself. The CM came over to me and stared at me in her best Haunted Mansion countenance. I said to her, “I wanted to be dead last!”
She never cracked a smile and just pointed me in the direction of the doom buggies. CMs play a key role in establishing Disney magic! Thanks for sharing that story.
Jason Portilla writes:
I was a former college program Cast Member in 2003, where I was a lifeguard at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge . I was deployed many times to the water parks and to work at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian to help out.
One thing I would like to say is that the training that Disney gives lifeguards is very, very stressful. They have the guards thinking all the time that there may be a 6-year-old having trouble or that an infant has just run into the water without the parents seeing. I was very proud of the few times I had to make an assist while on duty. I was able to do that with the training that I received while I was there.
A lifeguard at Disney World has to go through more than 4 hours of training a month, which is a lot. They don’t do that in any other department at Disney. Also the heat in the summertime while you are just standing there or sitting, then the bugs add up too. I am from Texas, and I was used to it, but it will take a toll on you. I would like to thank you for giving the lifeguards you number one spot.
I’ll never forget the serious look on the Typhoon Lagoon lifeguard I spoke with a few years back.
I could tell right then and there just how stressful that job was and that it takes a special breed of person to be able to handle that job. It was pretty easy to list that job as the number one tough job at WDW.
Thanks for the note and a special thanks for making those water parks so much fun and so safe for the guests.
Tom writes:
I still don’t know how you came up with a tie between Height Restriction/Attractions and Character Associates (they haven’t been called handlers in 5 years)?
The biggest difference is that attraction hosts can always call for management backup if the situation gets too tense. They are always near a phone. Character associates are never near a phone, don’t get a radio and have to think quickly when it comes to responses. Also, most of the character areas are outdoors and are located in the hot Florida sun. Attraction are generally located in shade areas or in air conditioned buildings.
I have worked the two, there is not comparison.
And you left out the most thankless job at WDW. Security. Having to deal with drunks, fights, sick kids, lost kids, heart attacks, marital fights, guests who carry guns, and all sorts of medical emergencies these folks take the cake. When I was in Security there was not anything normal about any of my days. Being a part of a resort shutdown after a lost kid was seen with a stranger is the most gut wrenching experience anyone can go through. Luckily, because of this group’s professionalism they always find the kids. And in the resort shutdown situation they also get their guy!
Thanks for pointing out though that pretty much all jobs are tough since guests can be rude. It is the happy families that always get the best treatment because they never demand anything.
Call me “old school” as I hold on to things like “character handlers” but I promise to work hard and update my terminology. At least I don’t call the Tomorrowland Transit Authority the Wedway People Mover.
Thanks for pointing out the difference between the character associates and the attraction hosts. As much as those of us on the outside try to imagine how it is to walk in those shoes, it does not compare to the actual experience of someone like yourself.
For what it’s worth, I think that the character associates should have a radio.
I did think of security as a candidate for my list and should be up for consideration as a top ten thankless job… as should medical personnel.
I think that the jobs some of us overlook are those which we never think of if we have never had a need for them.
Good point.
You also make a good point regarding happy families. My guess is that those are the type of guests the CMs love to interact with.
Brandon writes:
Thanks for recognizing the parking hosts! I’m a college program alumni and season cast member from 2003 – 2004 and I’ll always remember my days and nights in the Magic Kingdom/TTC parking lot!
You mentioned the guest with the baby. You got it right, we treat everyone the same. Depending on the situation, however, we did make exceptions. We reserve at least one space at the end of each row for special assistance. Usually this was for a disabled person who missed the turn for disability parking.
In all actuality it’s better for a guest to simply avoid disability parking altogether. WHY? If you park over in the disability/AAA area, you end up doing more walking than if you just parked at tram lane end of the row because the tram would be right there. Disability/AAA parking have no tram service.
I could go on and on about the idiosyncrasies of Magic Kingdom parking lot. Hell, maybe I should write my own little article! But again, thanks for recognizing what the parking hosts go through.
Thanks for sharing that point regarding why that parking space is saved at the beginning for the row as I often wondered why it was left open. Also, you make a good point regarding those who need special assistance.
Feel free to email me with any and all idiosyncrasies surrounding Magic Kingdom’s parking lot as I’m sure that some of what you can share may make us appreciate more as to what the parking lot CMs go through.
Alan writes:
I just read your article on the toughest Cast Member Roles, and you’ve missed one (actually two). In 2002, I worked at the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway in the Magic Kingdom, and that is an extremely tough job. We were put out in the blazing sun for hours without any protection from the sun, we had to inhale toxic fumes from those gas powered cars, and the sounds that those cars made were so loud that we were required to wear earplugs – and the noise was still too loud.
When guests came through the line, they felt sorry for us and they would offer to spray us with those fan-water bottles. I will never forget one day when we were out on the line and a huge cloud of bugs came through the Speedway. They were fierce, and they stuck to our bodies. We had to continue running the cars as if nothing happened, and we had to pick the bugs off one-by-one because we couldn’t shake them off.
Another huge task that we were faced with was removing cars from the tracks. Sometimes they wouldn’t move at all, and we had to get a quickjack and move the cars manually. That was very difficult. We’ve had cars that got caught on the tracks and we’ve had wheels actually come off the cars. Runaway cars are those that won’t turn off even when you manually kill the motor. I chased a car halfway around the track once that wouldn’t stop.
I also hurt my ankle working with those cars. I had my foot on the outside pedal when a man purposely came up from behind and bumped the car. My foot got caught in-between the pedal and the metal step. My foot still hurts to this day. A fellow Cast Member was hit by a car once (which makes me mad when people complain about the speed of those cars – at 7 miles per hour, they are VERY dangerous to us that are walking out on track with them). When she was hit by the car, it knocked her kneecap to the side of her leg (pushed it about 90 degrees) and her hand was paralyzed for months. She also had big purple bruises all over. I just wanted to give you a sense of how hard this job is.
Another one that I can’t imagine doing is working at the Safari attraction. Driving those huge vehicles, staying within the track, making sure that guests are seated at all times while watching out for animals, AND giving a spiel for the entire trek has got to be extremely difficult.
Thanks for pointing out those two jobs.
The Tomorrowland Indy Speedway continues to puzzle me and I am looking forward to the day when that attraction is retired. I bet it was a difficult attraction to work on, especially in the summer months.
I had a conversation the other day with someone else who also pointed out what you have mentioned regarding the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction.
Is there a more multi-tasked job than driving those vehicles through the savannah? Every trip is different as you never know what animals will pop up.
James writes:
Thank you for the great article on the toughest jobs CMs face. My son has been in Housekeeping at Yacht & Beach and custodial at EPCOT – Future World. Boy does he have some horror stories to tell about cleaning up after guests! His favorite “protein spill” story was when he had to ride Ellen’s Universe of Energy cleaning as light would permit! Thanks again for all the great information you have given out over the years!
I think we tend to think that protein spills are limited to such attractions as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Star Tours and we tend to forget that a protein spill can occur on almost any attraction when a guest is sick. I’ll bet that task at Ellen’s Universe of Energy was quite a challenge for him.
Chris Bradley writes:
Great article on the most difficult CM jobs. Opened my eyes. If I knew how to do it, I would start a campaign for Disney guests to wear buttons saying “I love CM’s” maybe with a heart instead of the word love. Anyway, great article!
You know it opened my eyes too.
Sometimes when a topic like this pops up as an idea and I begin to explore and do research on it, I discover things I never knew. I always saw myself as someone who appreciated the cast members for what they do and the effort they put forth to make my vacation as perfect as can be. However, after thinking about all these jobs, as well as the ones I missed, I realize that I still underappreciated them and those jobs I never considered.
I won’t let that happen again. Whenever possible I say “Thank you!” and “Nice job!” to every CM I come in contact with every day I’m in WDW. I would like everyone out there to do the same thing. Put me down for one of those buttons.
Mouse Tales author and MousePlanet staff writer David Koenig responds to reader mail regarding his memories of Card Walker (link):
Ken Goldenberg writes:
I met Card once when I was a Disneyland employee in the late 1970’s. Those were the days when studio execs would staff the annual Disneyland cast Christmas night. Card was operating the fire engine down main street which I was on, and after it stopped I took a picture with him. I remember he was very nice and friendly to the employees and seemed to be very much enjoying himself. (Those cast Christmas events were great—hot dogs and popcorn was $0.10!)
A very years earlier, when I was in my last year of high school, I was then interested in working at WED. I wrote Card a letter (I looked up his home address in Glendale) and told him of my interest. He had Orlando Ferrante, a VP at WED, write me back and invite me down. A few months later my friend and I traveled down from the Bay Area for a few days at Disneyland. I stopped in at WED, unannounced, with letter in hand. I was actually given a personal tour of WED that lasted several hours, meeting Marc Davis and others along the way.
I never did become an Imagineer, but I’ll always remember the tour and how Card set it up for me!
Thanks, Ken! Card’s heart was definitely in the right place.
Nicholas Steinhoff writes:
David, thanks for your story about Card. A few years ago, a web site appeared, allegedly by Card, called “Divulging Disney’s Secrets.” Apparently, Walker was disappointed with the direction the company had gone, had fallen out with the leadership, and was going to use this web site to expose some of the “dirt” on the company.
No idea if the content on this site really was from Walker or not. It never seemed to go very far, and disappeared after a year or two.
Have you ever heard of this site, and any idea if it really was from Card Walker?
No, I’ve never heard about the site, but I strongly doubt Card Walker had anything to do with it. That was definitely not Card’s style.
Finally, Patty asks David about an Anaheim landmark:
I have been going crazy trying to remember where the Saga Motel in Anaheim was located. Is that the one that had the small theater in it and it was the same guy who took your tickets, made the popcorn and was the usher? You had to go in the motel down a hallway to get to it. I remember seeing “Duck Soup” there for the first time. Is it still there? I am dying to know!
The Saga Motel was directly across Harbor Boulevard from Disneyland. It’s now Ramada Inn Maingate (adjacent to Tony Romas), but in tribute named its pizza shop Saga Pizza. You didn’t have to actually walk down a motel hallway to get there; you drove into the motel complex, and the theater was in a separate building way in the back with a concrete ramp in front. (It used to be the motel’s banquet facility, and later became its storage facility. It’s now additional motel rooms.) The place was usually run by two people–owner Doug Wright or his manager out front selling tickets and a college kid running the projector. Popcorn and candy were sold from self-serve machines in the lobby/”Motion Picture Hall of Fame” museum. And, yes, they played “Duck Soup” frequently.
