It might be a place where dreams come true for many, but for this man, Disney World was not very magical.
A man who had a job at the coveted theme for eight years has laid bare what he said were the grim realities of working at the Happiest Place on Earth… including low salaries, rude guests, and at times, ‘horrendous’ management.
The former Disney staffer, who will be referred to as the pseudonym Michael in the story as he asked to keep his name hidden for privacy reasons, was employed by the theme park from 2017 until this year.
He worked a ‘few different roles, mainly in attractions,’ before eventually becoming a ‘coordinator,’ which he described as the ‘role just below management.’
And while some may think that working at the beloved amusement park would be fun and dazzling, he confessed during an exclusive chat with the Daily Mail that while there were certainly some perks there were also a slew of drawbacks.
He explained that employees had to follow strict rules, like not being able to take any photos backstage or wear smart watches, or you’d be fired.
‘Safety critical roles, such as [working the] attractions had some strict guidelines,’ Michael shared.
‘Disney is overly safe and very efficient at sending the most amount of guests through a ride possible.
A man who had a job at Disney World for eight years has laid bare what he said are the grim realities of working at the Happiest Place on Earth (stock image)
‘An example of a strict rule, was no smart watches. Any device could be a distraction from vehicle motion and could get you fired if you’re caught wearing one.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Disney for comment.
Michael said he often dealt with guests who were ‘entitled’ and was put in some pretty ‘rough situations,’ but added, ‘You encounter tens of thousands of guests daily, maybe a handful of them are bad. The longer you work for the company, is what it is.’
Michael complained that he was on his feet ‘almost all day’ and made ‘less than $45,000 a year.’
The worst part, however, was the ‘lack of empathy’ from his ‘managers,’ Michael said.
He alleged, ‘There are some managers who don’t care about cast [members]. Some really only care about the Safety and Efficiency scores, and overlook cast [members’] well being in certain situations.’
‘I once worked on a team when an intern accidentally bumped their head in a playground tunnel looking for something for a child,’ he recalled.
‘They actually got a concussion, but when they went to talk to a manager, instead of offering medical attention, they yelled at them for not paying attention.
‘I also once unfortunately had an older cast member have a severe medical emergency while at a console that really shook everyone up.
The former Disney staffer detailed low salaries, rude guests, and at times, ‘horrendous’ management
‘Instead of [closing] the ride like the park duty manager said to, people in our management still tried to keep our ride running while our cast were dealing with the emergency.
‘[Later] when I told them the perception was they don’t care about the cast, they [said they] were sorry they felt that way but they disagreed.
‘That cast member has since recovered and returned to work, a major manager was force transferred.’
As someone who moved roles many times over the years, he noted that he did have ‘plenty of solid, great managers,’ as well as some ‘horrendous’ ones.
As for the pros to working at Disney, he listed ‘free park entry, dining and merch discounts, solid health insurance, occasional cast exclusive events like backstage tours, and cast previews for new attractions, which means experiencing them before they open to the public.’
In the end, he concluded: ‘There is a lot of great aspects of working at Disney World, but the pay with the cost of living in Central Florida is rough, and the heat on top of a physically and emotionally demanding job can be a bit much.
‘Overall, it’s really not that bad, it can be really fun at times and it has provided me some amazing and unique experiences, but the job itself can be challenging, demanding, and cast members will never get paid nearly enough for what they do.
‘When you’re at the parks, just listen to them when they tell you what to do even if it sounds silly, they don’t get paid enough to make the rules, just be nice.’
