Working at Disney- Ruin the Magic???

[Coach81]

I'm sure this has been asked before.. but I was just wondering while we were on our way home the other day....


Everthing seems to be so "perfect" and "magical" while you are staying at WDW..

I've often thought of retiring and getting a part-time or even full-time job there... but I wonder for those that actually work for Disney.. does it ruin the Magic???

Does Disney just become "just a job"?

Do Disney employee's get up in the morning like a lot of people and "hate going to work"?

If any current or former Disney employees would like to.. I'd love to hear your comments on this..

Thanks...

 

[WDW2010]

Well, my friend worked there for 3 months last year through the college program they offer. As he tells me, its a whole different story when you are working there rather than experiencing the magic yourself. You deal with the rude guest 10x's as much and such, in his situation he was a chef so he was more backstage anyhow. Either way he loves it just the same as he ever did. After his 3 month experience he is dying to go back it's his dream to be there.

I also want to work there when I'm old and retired it seems like it would be lots of fun.

 

[Coach81]

Well, my friend worked there for 3 months last year through the college program they offer. As he tells me, its a whole different story when you are working there rather than experiencing the magic yourself. You deal with the rude guest 10x's as much and such, in his situation he was a chef so he was more backstage anyhow. Either way he loves it just the same as he ever did. After his 3 month experience he is dying to go back it's his dream to be there.

I also want to work there when I'm old and retired it seems like it would be lots of fun.

That may be my plan... but looking for more feedback..

 

[Thrill Seeker]

It does change a few things. I loved going to WDW since I was a kid. Working there is pretty cool and allows you to see things you wouldn't normally see (like the tunnels if you work at MK), but it also ruins a few things for you as well...

 

[Scooter]

I have a friend who is a manager at Magic Kingdom. She has worked for WDW for at least 6 years now. She tells me that like every job you have good days and bad days. She says the good always outweigh the bad though. Not sure if it has affected her outlook on the parks but I can tell you this. On her days off she hangs out alot at...you guessed it...Walt Disney World. She is single and her and her frends enjoy hanging out at Disney's Boardwalk and at Epcot as well.
I don't know of too many places where people get off work and then hang out where they work. I'd say she still enjoys "The Magic" even though she works there.
Hope this helps.
Scooter

 

[raven]

You have to put your blinders on. Once you walk through a backstage gate everything comes back to reality. Smelly trash dumpsters, cast members smoking & swearing, loud mechanical noises, and everyone pretty much is on the move, not smiling, to get the heck out of there. I believe the real magic happens as soon as you step onstage though. Funny how it works. But I visit the parks and resorts often for a refresher on why I am there. :animwink:

 

[ajt5027]

I've thought about this for a long time myself. Did I really want to ruin the magic? And I came conclusion that If I'm going to do the 9-5 thing, why not do it at a place I love?

That being said, Does anyone know if there is a way to follow-up with Disney HR? I have been applying for jobs at corporate the past couple months and I really want to follow-up with someone but I dont know how. I know with Disney its a waiting game...but I've been flooding them with my resume. Any intel on the subject would be appreciated.

 

[Coach81]

It does change a few things. I loved going to WDW since I was a kid. Working there is pretty cool and allows you to see things you wouldn't normally see (like the tunnels if you work at MK), but it also ruins a few things for you as well...

If you don't mind.. such as???

 

[Coach81]

You have to put your blinders on. Once you walk through a backstage gate everything comes back to reality. Smelly trash dumpsters, cast members smoking & swearing, loud mechanical noises, and everyone pretty much is on the move, not smiling, to get the heck out of there. I believe the real magic happens as soon as you step onstage though. Funny how it works. But I visit the parks and resorts often for a refresher on why I am there. :animwink:

Yeah.. that would be tough.. but I guess such is life....

 

[Always_Disney]

My wife worked in entertainment there full time for 3 years, based mainly at Magic Kingdom (she is still seasonal). And as she always tells me, "the Pixie Dust eventually fades away!" She recalls to me many nights when her show would run 6 times a day and then she would have Christmas Parade that night, then rehearsal after the par closed. She would sleep in the tunnels until she had to go back to work. Rehearsals usually ended around 4:30 a.m. and she had to clock in at 7:30 a.m. to get to cosmetology. Sounds exciting for the first couple months, but eventually this would wear on you, and it did on her. But amazingly, she still LOVES Disney, but we break it up by doing Disney Cruises and Disney Adventures. But I have tons of stories about the crazy, but great entertainment folks at Disney Parks!

 

[Coach81]

My wife worked in entertainment there full time for 3 years, based mainly at Magic Kingdom (she is still seasonal). And as she always tells me, "the Pixie Dust eventually fades away!" She recalls to me many nights when her show would run 6 times a day and then she would have Christmas Parade that night, then rehearsal after the par closed. She would sleep in the tunnels until she had to go back to work. Rehearsals usually ended around 4:30 a.m. and she had to clock in at 7:30 a.m. to get to cosmetology. Sounds exciting for the first couple months, but eventually this would wear on you, and it did on her. But amazingly, she still LOVES Disney, but we break it up by doing Disney Cruises and Disney Adventures. But I have tons of stories about the crazy, but great entertainment folks at Disney Parks!

Sounds like a grueling schedule :lookaroun

Obviously your wife is very talented.. feel free to share any entertainer stories you'd like

 

[Always_Disney]

Here's a tid bit, insider for you---If you have the lucky chance to see the LAST Christmas Parade of the season, watch carefully!! You may accidentally see the cast members handing something to one another----it starts at the front of the parade and eventually ends in the hands of the last person of the parade! As far as I know, it's still a tradition amongst the parade group!

 

[Tinkrbell]

I've worked in entertainment costuming at Hollywood Studios as both college program & seasonal for the past 3 years. There were times when it felt like just another job, but there were also times where I realized that by showing up to work, I just helped make a family's vacation memories. When I worked Fantasmic, I'd be helping Sorcerer Mickey at the top of the mountain, I'd always get chills when everyone cheered when the steamboat came around & when Sorcerer appeared. I'd alwas hear the performers talking about the people they met while doing meet & greets in the park. It was a job that I'd only be able to do at disney. If i worked merchandise or food service, I think it might have been different cuz I could do that anywhere.

 

[HS0411]

Did I like telling people I can't give them their room requests and getting yelled and cursed at for it? Did I like getting blamed for guests not having the DME luggage? Did I like telling hundreds of guests every time we set sail the same thing over and over again? No. Those are the days I definatly didn't like Disney and just wanted out of the "mouse trap."

I don't think the magic gets ruined though. You get to see how the magic is made, but you also get to MAKE magic of your own. Only at Disney can I tell a 5 year old that monsters really do live in his hotel closet and it makes it all better for him.

Overall, you have to separte your work from you personal love for Disney. It took my not so "magicial" expericence with DCL to realize that. Just like any other job, you can't let the bad stuff bother you and make you bitter about your personal life. Even with everything I'd experienced, I'd do it all again in a second.

 

[DisneyPan]

Did it ruin the magic? Yes and No. It ruined the magic because you find out that things are not that spectacular. It's those last minute moments before a parade that you are duck taped into your shoes, because they're broken. Or, you find out that your costume wasn't set, so you piece one together. It is super organized (like a well oiled machine), but a lot of times it's a fancy carnival. [Please don't yell at me. I'm looking at this very objectively. I'm a Disney pyscho freak]. I appreciate the fact that it can pull off such amazing feats while "fooling" so many guests a day. In a way, that's magic in it's self. So you kinda are replacing one kind of magic for another.

Now, when I step into the parks as a guest, park in guest parking, do everything just like a guest - that's when you start to feel the magic, because you see and hear things you don't normally hear everyday as a cast member. You walk with guests that are talking about their favorite part of their vacation, and then you see Cinderella Castle in the distance as Dream Along with Mickey is showing and you just can't help feel the magic.

 

[WDW2010]

You have to put your blinders on. Once you walk through a backstage gate everything comes back to reality. Smelly trash dumpsters, cast members smoking & swearing, loud mechanical noises, and everyone pretty much is on the move, not smiling, to get the heck out of there. I believe the real magic happens as soon as you step onstage though. Funny how it works. But I visit the parks and resorts often for a refresher on why I am there. :animwink:

Thats actually sort of funny, the first thing my CM friend said was "I will never forget walking into the MK tunnel and there is Cinderella and other princesses smoking..."

Guess what people have said is the way it works, once you stay at the park as a guest and a CM the magic comes alive. Or, it could just be the type of person you are. Personally with me it probably wouldn't wreck it or if it did not as much and all it would take was a little trip to WDW as a guest and not a CM.

 

[Rozzie]

i can just tell you that, i work at mk for 5 days straight, it kinda ruins the magic at mk anyway and the last thing i want to do is go there on my days off (unless family is in town). But if i got to the other parks, it definately a magic feeling being there because different change of pace, not seeing the same thing everyday, and also i dont know anybody (custodians) so i definately feel like a guest

 

[ght]

i can just tell you that, i work at mk for 5 days straight, it kinda ruins the magic at mk anyway and the last thing i want to do is go there on my days off (unless family is in town). But if i got to the other parks, it definately a magic feeling being there because different change of pace, not seeing the same thing everyday, and also i dont know anybody (custodians) so i definately feel like a guest

That make sense. If I were to work as WDW I would probably want to work at DHS since that is the least 'magical' park for me so it wouldn't really ruin much. I definitely wouldn't want to work at the MK, growing up it WAS Disney World to me and I would hate for anything to take away from that experience.

 

[loveofamouse]

I would LOVE to work at Disney. I'm still trying to convince hubby to retire there. I have a couple of friends who work there. They ALL go back on their days off. One friend is a character bodyguard. Even off the clock, she still "keeps" the magic. I was showing her vacation photos and told her the Alice that took my kids on the tea cup rides was a cinderella on our last trip. It was just me and her on the phone. Yet she still kept at it that they were real. :| lol

Like others have said, I think it may take a bit away but let's be for real. It's not like WE seriously thought the princesses were real and garbage didn't exist lol. Not to mention, you would mainly become over familiar with your area. The rest would still be the same. You also get to MAKE magic for others. Being a parent, that can be 10x more rewarding the seeing the magic yourself. I love making "magic" for my kids

 

[joanna71985]

I've worked at Disney for over 6 years (and will be fulltime 1 year in May). I love working at Disney. I always knew that this was where I wanted to work (and I love my location). Working at Disney hasn't ruined the magic for me