CMs - Why Do You Do What You Do?

[Jane1]

here, don't laugh lol i thot because i already had one, i'll give one to him, then my parents forgot to hand it over to him, so decided cus his friend's fiance had just given birth to a baby girl when i was away for the year, i'd give it to the baby. so it's proudly placed in their house oh i also have my disney graduation ears, i actually have quite a lot of disney cast member stuff lol

 

[CaptainMichael]

The money of course...it's definitely the money!

In all seriousness, it's everything Captain Hank said. It's worth the crazy hours and nutjob guests when you get the privilege to make magic for so many others. Also, it's pretty amazing getting to drive a huge boat on Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. The best job I've ever had and probably ever will.

 

[sarabi]

I did a CP. I went for a few reasons:
-I wanted Disney on my resume (and what I glorious gem it is on there, everyone comments on it and uses it).
-I am in love with Disney and wanted to see how it works from the working side.
-I know I do good work, and I wanted to keep the magic alive.

I would've gone back when I ended my CP but I wanted to finish school first. Then I met this guy. Then we got married, and now we have a family, so I never did go back, but some of the reasons I might have are:

-I know now that I can keep the magic alive.
-Guest reactions are immediate and energizing.
-FREE PASSES!!!!

But most of all, and I cite this to any employer who wants to make their employees stay, I feel like Disney has a way of "empowering" their cast members when it comes to customer service. Here, at my current job (and I suppose at several jobs) if someone doesn't like a policy or is upset somehow, you kinda have to go through hoops to make it better. Often, you can't even make it better yourself... you have to get someone higher up involved and they interrogate the customer and ugh... it just becomes ugly. But at Disney, you could do whatever you needed to (within reason, but usually customer expectations are within reason) to make it better. Managment empowered me in my position (and I was outdoor foods, so we're not talking an extremely powerful position here) to do what I needed to make someone who was unhappy happy. I could give a few free ice cream bars if I really needed (within reason again, don't go asking any CM for free ice cream because it won't happen like that). I could arrange a character meeting for someone for who was leaving the parks having not seen their favorite character the entire vacation. I could get someone on the ride without a wait if they had to catch the last bus out on their last day of vacation.
You don't get that many places in the corporate world, and I loved it.

 

[joanna71985]

Go into the Picture of the Day and the Character Picture of the Day threads, and look at the pictures of little kids meeting the characters. Those faces right there are the motivation, and the exact reason why I work there. On top of that, I go to work everyday and just play. I get paid to play. How many people can say that???

Definitely. I love getting to see people meeting their favorite character(s) everyday (I especially love watching the little kids).

 

[q105birdman]

It's a little different for me because I'm seasonal. I usually go to Disney World to work when I take vacation from my regular job. I just love DIsney and making people smile!

What are the requirements for working as a seasonal employee? I live in Tampa but I would be interested in working at Disney. Thanks in advance for the info!!!

 

[Captain Hank]

What are the requirements for working as a seasonal employee? I live in Tampa but I would be interested in working at Disney. Thanks in advance for the info!!!

4-6 weeks of initial full availability. After that, hour requirements vary by department. The standard is 40 hours/year, though you may have to work somewhat more frequently to maintain active training status.

 

[CaptainMichael]

What are the requirements for working as a seasonal employee? I live in Tampa but I would be interested in working at Disney. Thanks in advance for the info!!!

You definitely live in the best place to be a seasonal employee. As far as I understand, there really are no "official" requirements. I know that in some roles you have to work every so often to stay certified (like Watercraft). I've heard everything from 40 hours to 8 hours, so it's really hard to know when no one will give you a straight answer.

 

[wesTcoastY]

So my advice to anyone here who found a cast member going above and beyond is to write and actual letter to WDW mentioning their name and the situation. A thank you is nice, a business card "thanks" is really nice, a Great Service Fanatic card does go on your record, but no one knows you got it. A letter goes to top management. That management makes a copy of the letter and sends it to the area manager along with a special pin. The area manager gives it to a manager and they make a big deal at a department meeting so that everyone, cast members, managers and area managers know that you received recognition.

I recently sent an email to WDW highlighting our positive interaction with a cast member. I received a standard form email response thanking me for my comment and letting me know the cast member and her superiors would be made aware of my comment. However, I also received a phone call from someone at Disney-they left a message saying basically the same thing that the email said and if i had any further comments or questions i could call back. So, what sort of recognition do you think this cast member will actually get? I was absolutely shocked to receive a phone call regarding my postive feedback involving a cast member.

 

[Gorjus]

Hopefully and email holds the same weight as a letter. It should since it is easier to do for the guest. If it does, a copy of the letter along with a special pin will be given to the cast member. The cast members direct superiors will know about it. They will make a big deal of it.

 

[Captain Hank]

Hopefully and email holds the same weight as a letter. It should since it is easier to do for the guest. If it does, a copy of the letter along with a special pin will be given to the cast member. The cast members direct superiors will know about it. They will make a big deal of it.

I'll second that. Getting a letter/e-mail from a Guest is a big deal. Copies of all letters received are put in that CM's employment record. They definitely come up in cases of promotions/raises.

I've been on the receiving end of both e-mails and standard letters, and they seem to carry equal weight.

 

[Jane1]

what kind of pin? all we got if we were recognised was guest service fanatic card or an applause-o-gram lol

 

[Gorjus]

what kind of pin? all we got if we were recognised was guest service fanatic card or an applause-o-gram lol

Then you didn't get a letter. A GSF card usually comes from a fellow cast member or maybe a guest who told another cast member. I don't know where the applause-o-grams come from. Maybe if someone took the time to stop at Guest Relations.

The big deal is when someone writes a letter and sends it to the company. Then Erin Wallace's department sees it, makes a copy, adds a special pin to it, and sends it down the line till it makes it to the cast members management who then gives it to the cast member.

They all go on your record card, but the letter seems to carry more weight. See, unfortunately, some cast members are soliciting GSF cards. Someone says you were great and you hand them a GSF card and ask them to fill it out. Managers realize this and sometimes question the sincerity of them.

 

[raven]

Everyone in between (which basically means anyone outside the age range of college or retired)
-Brainwashed by Disney
-Basically got stuck because the pay and benefits aren't going to be much better if you leave for an entry level job somewhere else after spending a few years at Disney

Uh, not so much. :lol: Even though I work behind the scenes without seeing a single guest I love my job. The pay? Eh, not worth even mentioning but I think most people know that when they go to the Casting office already. I've always loved the company and want to make people happy in my own way.

*Just got my 1-year pin even though I worked for the company for 3 years before. They just couldn't bridge the time together. But happy anyway! :wave:

 

[captainkidd]

I'm not a CM, but I hope to be one day. Due to some custodial issues, we can't move to Florida for another 10 years or so.

Anyways, I wouldn't work at Disney for the money (obviously). I'd work there because I love the place and to me, what could be better than working someplace you love to be? Of course, it'd be different being there everyday, but given that I've never gotten tired of any parts of WDW with all the times I've gone, I think I would do fine.

I'd love to be a captain who drives the boats from the resorts to the parks. That would be awesome!

 

[Hoop Raeb]

I will drive a monorail before I die. I swear it!

 

[Jane1]

yeh the pay is crap, £3.50 an hour / $7 lol then if you were an assignor in the restaurant or official disney trainer - which i was both, u got an extra dollar an hour lol woohoo - NOT ! lol

i loved some guests though, very funny at times, very thick at other times - my friend and i were working in the fish hut one day at the start of our programme, and my friend was serving a woman, and the woman goes, oh ur from ireland, you're part of the IRA! omg, we near died of shock, we explained to her, no the IRA is a terrorist organisation and we do not believe in terrorism, yes we're irish but not all irish are the IRA! that was unbelievable.

Then this happened all the time from american guests in particular, if i was on podium working with say an english, scottish and welsh cast member, the americans would go, how are you not fighting!

actually i began to hate that! wake up and realise, that was 30years ago and more! things do change and will continue to change. I like these people i'm working with, they're very good people! and i don't care where someone is from i get along with them fine!

sorry had to vent there :S

 

[CaptainAshley]

I wish i were still a cm. I truly think i had one of the coolest roles on property and still want to drive a boat at least a few times a month even if i get offered a better position backstage when i go back soon with my degree. you really gotta love the place to do it i think. i mean, it was hottttttt, the pay is terrible-- i pulled double-back shifts just to make ends meet (working like, 12 hours in 2 consecutive days with less than 6 hours between shifts or something crazy like that), and some guests can be downright as**o*es, but then you wake up the next day, get to drive under the WDW signs, grab a morning coffee, and step foot into an empty beautiful world showcase. and one of my roles was rope duty in Norway for the Princess B'fast... nothing starts a day better than seeing little kids who are dressed up like their fave princess getting to meet them with teary eyed parents looking on, even if it is 8AM.

 

[Wbnemo1]

Hi there,
First of all, Great thread. I've been full time Jungle Skipper since the mid 90's. Why do I do it..well, I love to make people laugh and have a great time. I love to see the fun the kids as well as adults have, they are like little kids again..fun stuff. I know our jokes are old at the Jungle, but we all love having fun around the dock, I'm sure most of you have seen this. It's true we meet alot of amazing guests and very few upset ones. I, myself do my best to assist those guests too, help their day be a little more magical. While the money isn't that great we have something very special at the jungle... WE are one gigantic, fun loving, bad joke telling,family and pretty close to each other in that respect. As far as this pin mentioned , it does exsist, I've seen it, but it's a more recent addition to the kudos we get from recieving a letter from a happy guest we treated above and beyond. I seriously don't consider this a job, never have..I'll say it as I always have. I am a traditionalist, I'm a Disney purist, I love the ole' Disney and everything associated with it, though I truly miss 20k... The day I treat this is a job will be the day I leave Disney. I don't see that happening anytime in the near future.
Thank you to all who have joined us for brief stay or even a day or less. Without you this would be a job.
Cheers,
Babs..aka Whinging Wilderness William

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

I love CMs! I sometimes say I'm going to move to Disney and be a CM, but I don't think I could do it. CMs are great! They make magic even for the least magical of people.

 

[Jane1]

i loved making magic, i mean at the time, you don't realise what you're doing, but after when the little kid waves goodbye or goes to hug u, well that is amazing. we're not alowed to touch kids or pick them up, but i think u can when they come to you looking for a hug. and some of them are so interested in how we work, i remember a little boy coming round to our side of the podium looking at everything you know and i was just gobsmacked. or those little conversations you have with kids, just priceless.

adults too, since i worked in world showcase, we got our fair share of drunkards lol which was fun lol or you got guests from home which was incredible cus it was so weird hearing your own accent after a long time - i actually got really american lol i still have a bit of an accent but i hope it goes away lol my mum killed me when she heard it! lol

but yeh, wherever you work in disney, its not really team as such, it's family! i loved that, and if you were missing home or something, everyone else is in the same boat and can help you out