Living & Working in WDW ruin the magic?

[Tinkerbell 8]

Not sure if this is the correct spot for this post but oh well. My boyfriend knows how much I love Disney and how I've always wanted to move to Florida and work for WDW, and the other day he made me the offer to move from Philadelphia to Florida so I could finally do what I wanted to do. I've been thinking about this offer for the past couple of days and of course there are more pro's than con's on my list, and I was just wondering for those of you who either live in Florida and get to go to WDW often, or those of you who are CM, do either of these things ruin the magic? We are going to WDW in october, this will be my 13th visit, it will be his first, and I'm afraid that if we move to Florida or I get a job at WDW, it will no longer be, as he calls it, my happy place. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Kramerica]

I've always said that if I got the chance. More like, if I were to lose my job and had nothing else lined up. I'd do it in an instant. I know a lot of people who have done the college program and they all say that it's the best thing they've ever done. Honestly. I'm kind of sad that I have such a solid job, seeing as I've wanted to do this so badly for so long. Maybe one day though. My advice. If you have a good opportunity to do it that won't mess anything else up. DO IT DO IT DO IT. think of the amazing adventure. And I've never met anyone who regretted doing it.

 

[TylerFG]

I've actually thought to myself about doing the college program and I think it's a wonderful idea! (I'm turning 16 in Septermber...WHILE I'M IN WDW! )

 

[bethymouse]

No matter what, DISNEY WORLD will always be my happy place! I say move to FL and work at WDW.

 

[YoungNY]

For me, visiting often wouldn't ruin it, but working there might. Knowing how it all works would take away the magic of it all for me. But if I lived in Orlando, I'd be there every week.

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

As a former cast member, I look back and say no, it won't ruin your happy place. It will be what you make of it. Please pardon my nosiness, but have you looked into what you want to do?

 

[TubaGeek]

I'm working there now, and don't wanna do anything else.
Sure, there are some aspects that are less magical, but it opens up some whole new aspects that you never had the opportunity to appreciate before.

 

[joanna71985]

I've worked at WDW since 2005, and lived in Orlando since Aug 2009. I don't think it ruins the magic (in fact, for me, it's gotten stronger). I can't see myself living anywhere else

 

[Poofiesdream]

It was my daughter in laws dream to work at Disney. With everyones blessing including my son's she applied and got hired. She moved there with there two boys and he would follow when he found a job there. It took almost two years for him to find a good job in the area. Everday off he would drive there and spend the day with them for those two years. We live 3 hours away. They now live in Lakeland FL. Was it worth it? She hates her job! It is a job not a good time. You have to put up with a lot of angry and rude people in all kinds of weather. Yes there are a few good times, but more bad. Disney does not pay well and the benefits are not the greatest. She worked at Magic Kingdom in food service. The really fun good jobs are hard to get and you have to have many years in with the company to get them which is only fair. Just know before you decide it is a job, and you will work hard. My daughter in law has given her notice.

 

[Chezman1399]

I worked in the Disney college program in 2006 and stayed on as a seasonal cast member until July 1 of this year. I loved it and the Magic Kingdom feels like home. There are something's that don't have the same feel, but that's not because of behind the scenes stuff, just because I watched things so many times. The magic is still there.

 

[joanna71985]

What do you mean by the really fun jobs being hard to get? I enjoy my location, and it was not hard to get at all.

 

[luv]

I know a lot of peeps who work for Disney. Most of them don't love their jobs. There is a reason why vacationers have to pay Disney to be there and employees can demand that Disney pay them to be there. Work isn't like vacation.

It's a job. It's work. There are all the same interpersonal things going on that any other place has, plus the fact that many of the people working there are kids in their late teens/early 20s. There are great people to work for and crappy ones, too. There are stupid people, racists, etc.

I really like theme parks - Disney, Uni, Sea World, all of them. And I want to keep thinking of them as places to go for entertainment, without the drudgery of work. So, I won't ever take a part-time job at any of them.

I once worked for a place that was the area's #1 employer. The company logo was all over that city...TV commercials, billboards, ads on the things in the outfield at baseball games, etc. I couldn't so much as attend a play without seeing the company logo in the playbill. I loved my job, but there were things about the company I didn't like. In my personal life, I just didn't want to think about work...but there it was, all the time.

It was a lot like Disney...if you didn't work there, you knew someone who did. Also, when people found out you worked there, they always told you about their experience with the company, good or bad. And then you were sucked into having to be a representative for the company when you were just going about your life. Sometimes, when I knew I could get away with it, I'd claim I was unemployed, just to not have a conversation about work.

I learned to live with it, but I'd rather not have that in Florida.

But if that is your dream, then you must pursue it. Good luck!

 

[barnebd5]

I'm a former CM, worked in Magic Kingdom at BTM in 2005. My grandparents were leasing an apartment in Kissimmee and I had just graduated high school and it was a great oppurtunity to see what it was like. I only worked there for about 6 months but I'll never forget the experience. It gave me a new appreciation for the parks and how much hard work and teamwork it takes to run these parks and attractions day in and day out. It feel really good to put all my knowledge of the parks and Disney history to some good use for guests.

Of course yes there were some negative things, like most already said the pay is low to start out. There were quite a few instances I could recall where guests who were just so rude and mean could ruin your day or night working. I am a very sensitive person by nature and when I had to deal with a unruly guest it did really get to me at times I must admit.

As for going to the parks everyday, I wouldn't have had it any other way lol. Being such a fan I could never get enough.

But that's just me, everybody responds differently. I say give it a shot, I guarantee you'll never forget the experience.

--DB

 

[Stupido]

I, like many people on this website, am lucky enough to say that I have worked at WDW as well. I did the College Program from January 2010 to June 2010, and worked at Pecos Bills in Magic Kingdom. Those six months were the happiest time of my entire life, and getting on that plane was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. The Magic only grew stronger while working there, every single day.

I could never foresee exactly how amazing my experience would be. One of the greatest aspects of the experiences were the people I met working there. Disney is very selective in who they higher, so you will find yourself working with some of the greatest people in the world. I met my best friends in Orlando, who I still talk to more than the people around me in NYC. But what shocked me the most were the strangers you'd meet once, who always showed such interest in your life. People are genuinely good down there, and they make the experience for you.

But, I must admit that the experience is completely different for every person. I went down to Florida knowing I was going there for a job, not a vacation. There were times where I would work 16 hour shifts, 6 days a week. It was hard work, long hours, at a decent pay. In Food Service, guests would often times be a bit more hostile than preferred, and often times made work harder than it needed to be. But for me, the good out weighed all of the bad, and WDW is still my favorite place in the world. I keep going back, twice a year, just so I can feel that magic again.

 

[Patricia Melton]

I've actually thought to myself about doing the college program and I think it's a wonderful idea! (I'm turning 16 in Septermber...WHILE I'M IN WDW! )

Tyler --

You should really do it. My daughter did it in the late-90s and loved it. She was a friend of Tinkerbelle. She had the time of her life and is still friends with a lot of the people she met there.

 

[TylerFG]

Tyler --

You should really do it. My daughter did it in the late-90s and loved it. She was a friend of Tinkerbelle. She had the time of her life and is still friends with a lot of the people she met there.

Yeah, my aunt told me about it and reading up on it, it sounds like a totally fun experience and something I'd do great with!

 

[joanna71985]

Yeah, my aunt told me about it and reading up on it, it sounds like a totally fun experience and something I'd do great with!

The CP is an amazing experience. Just make sure you know that you are going down to FL for a job (and not a long vacation). But the CP definitely changed my life

 

[TylerFG]

The CP is an amazing experience. Just make sure you know that you are going down to FL for a job (and not a long vacation). But the CP definitely changed my life

I understand, and I can't wait to see what it brings me in life...if I do it.

 

[Bob Saget]

Not to sound harsh, but everyone and their brother seems to have this dream to pack up, move to Florida, and all their dreams will come true (afterall, that's what it feels like when you're on vacation). While I love Disney with a passion, I always want to love the place as my home *away* from home. That's what makes Disney special to me...it is truely an escape from reality.

I would recommend doing a lot of research before just packing up and moving to Fla. The job market down there IS that bad right now.

You seem to have a plan, which is good...you know where you want to work, what area you want, etc. CP's also do it the smart way; they have a plan mapped out and a job lined up before the move. But so many other people visit Fla, fall in love with the state because it is pleasing to the senses, and assume they can just relocate there and life will forever be pixie dust & tropical magic. Far from the truth.

As for working for Disney personally, I could never do this. I love the place, I hate to leave the place, but it will always be my escape...which is why I love it. (Make sense? lol) Make sure you have a job lined up before taking the plunge. Make sure that is something you really want. Before moving to Fla, and I've said it before, do research! www.city-data.com is a good source to really get input from locals (besides here, of course).

Whatever you decide, best of luck!

 

[Tinkerbell 8]

Thanks for all the responses. I understand that working for WDW is completely different than going there on vacation, and I understand it could lose some of the "magic". I would take any job pretty much and work my way up, money really isn't an issue (thankfully for once in my life) and I've worked in customer service for 11 years so I understand rude customers and I know not to take it personally. My boyfriend and I plan on selling both of our houses up here and with him being a doctor he has enough money saved up for us to live on down there if we don't find jobs right away. I have looked at stats regarding housing prices and property taxes and they are both significantly less than what we are paying up here.