Last updated 28Dec10 – The fun continues in 2010 – 24 days so far.
24Apr10 - Disney has openings for seasonal employees. When I
just checked, the seasonal openings were in Seasonal Food & Beverage –
Quick Service, but when I first applied there were no seasonal openings in
Attractions, but I requested it anyway. So it is still worth filling out an
application – you never know what jobs will be available next week. Check out -
www.WaltDisneyWorld.jobs – and
read my comments at the end of this page.
If you want to see the
history of how this started, try this link to see what happened in 2008 when I
worked a total of 14 days - Dave in
Disney 2008.
I worked another 15 days in
2009 - Dave in Disney 2009 .
I work at Walt Disney World
(D) for the fun of it. It is really great fun helping people who are having
fun, have fun. I have received many 50% and 40% discounts on rooms, many
discounts of 50% on merchandise, many 20% discounts on meals; have received
special considerations at reservation time, provided friends and family free
admission to WDW, and a million fun times. I even received a 15% discount of a
2 hour Segway tour of
I am only trained to work in
Disney’s Animal Kingdom (DAK) in Dinoland at Theater In The Wild (TITW) which
features “Finding Nemo – the Musical” and at the Boneyard. “Finding Nemo – the
Musical” is a delightful stage show featuring actors and puppets portraying the
story of Nemo. I always enjoy the show.
The Boneyard features a playground
area with 10 slides for kids and a dig site where kids can dig for dinosaur
bones.
If you have the time, visit
YouTube and do a search on “Finding Nemo The Musical”. There must be hundreds
of video there. One video I enjoy is the sound track samples located at – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSH2zOTC3Hs
. I really enjoy track 4 where Dory talks to herself. Watch a couple of the
other videos and you will see why the show is so wonderful.
Week 1 – 27Dec09 – 1 work day
so far in 10 – Sat, Jan 02, 10
Since I was scheduled to work
both Sat and Sun this weekend, I decided to try leaving Saturday morning for D
instead of leaving home the night before. Giving myself 5 hours, I arrived with
time to visit the Cast Connections store and drop by
Observation: I had not expected to work this soon in 10, but I
found out that the college interns from last year had left and the new interns
had not arrived. In checking the unfilled work positions available at D, about
half of them are in the two areas in which I am trained.
Week 2 – 03Jan10 – 2 work
days so far in 10 – Sun, Jan 03, 10
There are 5 assigned work
areas in the Boneyard. When I arrived at 9:30 am I was the third Boneyard cast
member. The supervisors found another employee who had a staff job to work at
the dig site. The dig site is place for kids to dig for bones. It was so cold,
very few kids bothered to stay for long. The highest slide was closed and the
three trained Boneyard staff rotated between 3 work areas. Later in the day
more cast arrived until we had a full compliment for all work areas. However,
like yesterday, it was so cold few guests spent time in the Boneyard. My
supervisor came by and asked me to extend my shift by 2 hours since we were a
short handed. I said fine – I probably could not get much colder anyway.
Observation: On my way in from the parking lot, a guest started
talking to me about Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I was surprised she was able to
immediately identify me as an employee on my way in, but it turns out she has
been a D employee in Disney’s Hollywood Studies for 6 years. She lives in
Week 2 – 03Jan10 – 3 work
days so far in 10 – Sat, Jan 09, 10
Since I had a noon start
time, I decided to drive up to D early Saturday. I again arrived with time to
spare and signed in before my start time. It was another uneventful time in the
Boneyard. Like last week, guests did not stay very long because it was still
cold. The new operations manager for Dinoland was visiting today and we talked
for some time. Seems there is an inspection in two weeks by some national park
certification team and she wanted me to make sure I was up to date on answers
to potential questions the team may ask.
Observation: My availability for D is now Saturday and Sunday.
Prior to my leaving today, I submitted some requests to not be scheduled for
some weekends later this month and next month. Later I found out you must
submit a request 3 or more weeks early. Looks like I will be working more days
in Jan than I wanted.
Week 3 – 10Jan10 – 4 work
days so far in 10 – Sun, Jan 10, 10
Today I worked in the TITW
instead of the Boneyard where I worked yesterday. I felt very fortunate since
it was still unbelievably cold for
Observation: D had a lot of guests from
Week 4 – 17Jan10 – 5 work
days so far in 10 - Sat, Jan 23, 10
I worked several positions in
the TITW. The best position in the theater is “theater left” where you greet the
incoming guests. One of the parts of the show I enjoy most is when Dory the
actress talks to Dory the puppet explaining her short term memory loss says
“I’m not even sure what I just said.” The day warmed up and the air
conditioning had to be turned on in the theater. It was a big difference from
two weeks ago.
Observation: I met a fellow seasonal employee who was being
retrained. Seems D had changed their policy and you have to work every 6 months
rather than once a year to stay trained. She was not aware of the tax benefits
of a temporary job away from home. She lives in
Week 5 – 24Jan10 – 6 work
days so far in 10 - Sun, Jan 24, 10
I was in the TITW again
today. Greeter 2 was my assignment for the fullest show of the day. I had to
turn guests away when the theater filled up. There were a lot of Brazilians in
the park today. I heard that the park certification team had passed DAK with
the highest rating ever.
Observation: Donna went to D with me this weekend. She spent
Saturday relaxing and Sunday shopping at Downtown Disney and we had to go pick
up, and pay for, her purchases after my shift. Even after my 50% employee
discount, she spent more shopping for gifts than I made this weekend. As I’ve
mentioned, my working for D is not a money making proposition.
Week 7 – 07Feb10 – 7 work
days so far in 10 - Sat, Feb 13, 10
My assignment was in TITW –
“Finding Nemo – the Musical”. DAK was full today and we had to turn guests away
for several shows when the theater filled up. A lot of groups from
Observation: When I recognize a veteran, I always try to thank
them for their service to our country. It is really interesting to hear which
service they were in and where they served.
Week 8 – 14Feb10 – 8 work
days so far in 10 - Sun, Feb 14, 10
My assignment was in the
theater. One of the tasks I was given was to go see a coordinator. Turns out
they were looking for someone to extend – work a few more hours at the end of
the day. I told them anytime I was there I would extend. We again had to turn
guests away since the theater filled up for several of the shows.
Observation: One of the reasons I work at D is the free admission
I can give to friends. Before my shift started today, I met some friends at
Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With my employee identification card, I was able to
get them park hopper tickets for the day.
Week 13 – 21Mar10 – 9 work
days so far in 10 - Sun, Mar 21, 10
It seems if I do not request
the time off, I get scheduled for work. I forgot and left 21Mar open to work
and I was scheduled. I spend the day working in the theater. The shows were
full and the rains came. Trying to get guests out of the theater so we can
clean it before the next show is a little harder to do when it is raining.
While picking up trash after one of the shows, I was asked by a “guest” how she
would be able to get me to do that at home. Somehow my wife snuck in while
everyone was exiting.
Observation: Earlier this month a couple of recent high school
graduates my daughter had taught in
Week 17 – 18Apr10 – 10 work
days so far in 10 - Sun, Apr 18, 10
I went up to D early this
weekend and spent some time on Saturday exploring DAK and then over to EPCOT
for the garden and flower show. My major work positions at TITW today were
Photo Cell, Greeter 1, and Greeter 2. Photo Cell manages the input line and
tries to assure an orderly flow into the theater based on the Head Usher’s
guidance. Greeter 1 manages the wheel chair count outside the theater and informs
the staff inside when and guest counts of wheel chair parties. Greeter 2 works
the start of the line and limits entry of guests based on remaining theater
capacity. I had forgotten my notes, so I was glad I did not get Head Usher and
have to call the queues for the other TITW support cast when the show was going
to use the walk ways. It slowly started to rain during the first show and got
worse as the day progressed. For the
first 3 shows we had to turn guest away when the theater completely filled.
Observation: The DAK schedule tells guests to arrive at last 30
minutes early for the show. It still amazes me that guests arrive even after
the show starts and still expect to enter. I ended up in a detailed discussion
in the rain with a couple of wheel chair guests arriving 2 minutes before show
time who demanded entrance after the theater was full with no room for wheel
chairs or even to sit. They took my name to turn me in for not letting them in.
I offered them VIP seating for the next show, but they would have none of it.
Week 23 – 30May10
I have not worked since
April; I guess D has enough employees in my area. However, I wanted to mention
that I went to D (05Jun10) and saw the New Mainstreet Electrical Light Parade
in its first performance since Friday, 9/13/1991. We went up to see that last
parade in 1991 and it was so crowded that not only were the parking lots were
full, there were cars parked all along the roadway from the entrance to the MK
all the way to the service station on the way out.
Week 27 – 27Jun10 – 11 work
days so far in 10 - Fri, Jul 02, 10
I changed my availability
from Sat and Sun to Fri, Sat, and Sun for the summer. So, the first Friday I
was available they scheduled me for work in TITW. I had been looking for a
shift to pick up, and unable to find any, because if you do not work for 6
months you have to be retrained and retested – not something I want. I stayed
at Motel 6 Kissimmee (Main Gate) which is about one mile from the DAK
employee’s parking lot. It is hard for me to believe the price – it was $24.40
(after my 10% D employee’s discount). It is hard to believe a room in
Observation: Different actors and actresses play the various
parts during the 5 shows. The actress who played Dory for the 4:45 show was
fantastic. She really lived the part. I was working mid-left for that show and
really enjoyed it.
Week 29 – 11Jul10 – 12 work
days so far in 10 - Sun, Jul 11, 10
I was concerned about the D
requirement to work at least one time every 6 months or go through retraining
(and testing). In checking last week, I found several positions available in
the Boneyard, and since I had not worked in the Boneyard since January, I
immediately signed up for a work day. The list of available positions for the
last two months has been slim and sometimes none in all of DAK. I arrived at
8:15am and found little to do except for the opening checklists. It was not
until 10am (normal opening time) when the Boneyard was completely staffed that
we could open. Long about 2pm the summer showers and thunder came and we had to
close the slide portion of the Boneyard, leaving only the dig site open. An
hour later the rains stopped and wet and hot we opened everything again.
Observation: One of the guests I met today was from VA. Her
husband was retired military, and she indicated they have tried to stay at some
military base visitor housing but most on the east coast fill up quickly. I
suggested she try the Naval Air Station Key West Trumbo Annex townhouses where
we stayed for 3 nights last month.
Week 30 – 18Jul10 – 13 work
days so far in 10 - Fri, Jul 23, 10
It looks like listing my
Fridays as available will cause me to work more. I spent the day working
various positions in the TITW. The head usher is required to open and close
doors, issue notifications to the other positions about actors and actress
using the aisle, and generally manage the audience. In the past there was a
remote control which worked most of the time used to open and close doors. The
remote has been changed to use a touch screen which will NOT respond to my
touch. When I was head usher, I tried it 25 times and had to get help. My
fingers are too big, or I touch too hard, or whatever. In trying to work the
touch screen, I missed one of my queues. However, the rest of the house cast
knew and prepared for them anyway.
Observation: After my shift, we went to IHOP for dinner. As we
read one of the D cast magazines, the hostess noticed and said she also worked
at D. She works as one of the characters and said since she was less that 5’ 3”
she was not tall enough to be a dancer for D. She is going to school, working
one full time and two part time jobs. She is a very busy lady.
Week 31 – 25Jul10 – 14 work
days so far in 10 - Fri, Jul 30, 10
Again I worked various
positions in the TITW. The positions I enjoy most are those where you can greet
the guests. I was head usher for the 3:15pm show and the theater was packed
with standing room only. Again the touch screen door control would not work for
me. There are others with the same problem. During the rain, everyone put on
their plastic rain coats and then continued to sweat. It was hot.
Observation: Every night at the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds there
is a sing-a-long, campfire, meet and greet Chip and Dale, and a movie. I went
over to the campgrounds after my shift and after spending 5 minutes talking
with the guard about the amazing decorations campers bring to put up at
Christmas time, I went in to watch the movie. Tonight it was “Finding Nemo”–
the movie. Although I have spent many a day working watching “Finding Nemo –
the Musical” I have never seen the movie. It is a cute kid’s movie and “Finding
Nemo – The Musical” does a good job in presenting the same story.
Week 32 – 01Aug10 – 15 work
days so far in 10 - Fri, Aug 6, 10
Six hours working in the
TITW. Some of the stage cast members
“Finding Nemo – the Musical” really get into the show. Most do a great job, but
some are better in their characters. The 3:15pm show had an actress playing
Dory who was really into her part. During a later performance, the theater had
a power blip and the show stopped for about 2 minutes as the computers which
ran the lights and background music rebooted.
Observation: Today was just a fun day. My fellow cast was fun,
the guests were fun, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom was just a great place to be.
It was really an enjoyable day.
Week 33 – 08Aug10 – 16 work
days so far in 10 - Fri, Aug 13, 10
This is the time of year the
D college program has a large turnover as the summer participants leave the
fall participants arrive. Today was another six hours working in the TITW. I
had the opportunity to be head usher again and the control panel for the doors
still does not work for me. Touching it softly, lightly, on the edge of the
number, whatever, it just does not work for me. Another cast member helped me
with it so I could open the doors.
Observation: The rain was a monsoon today. One of the guests
asked me if his stroller was going to get wet if he left it outside (it was
raining at the time). I said yes. No strollers are allowed in the theater.
Another guest thanked me for making him park his stroller in the rain and thus
getting soaked. I do not think he was serious.
Week 33 – 08Aug10 – 17 work
days so far in 10 - Sat, Aug 14, 10
I wondered why I had to
report for work 2.5 hours prior to the normal opening of the Boneyard today.
After clocking in, I remembered – we had to open the Boneyard and wipe down
every bench, railing, and trash can in Dinoland. It had rained so much
yesterday, there was water everywhere. It took three cases of dry towels to get
the job done. Turns out it was EMH (Extra Magic Hours) when those staying in D
hotels get in an hour early, so the Boneyard opened at 9AM.
Observation: A fun, relatively uneventful day. I talked with many
guests, and most seemed to be from the
Week 34 – 15Aug10 – 18 work
days so far in 10 - Fri, Aug 20, 10
I worked today for 7 hours in
TITW which features “Finding Nemo – The Musical”. Not too much different
happened, but the positions where I could greet the guests I enjoyed the most.
Observation: Based on the crowd, half of the young ladies from
Week 34 – 15Aug10 – 19 work
days so far in 10 - Sat, Aug 21, 10
I went to work today
expecting to be in TITW again, but my assignment ended working in the Boneyard.
It was sort of a normal
Observation: Some kids know how to act and play around slides and
some do not. After asking a couple of kids, several times, not to run up the
slides, one got hit by a kid coming down. I did not say “I told you so” but did
catch his eye.
Week 35 – 22Aug10 – I did not
work this week.
I had changed my availability
in June to make sure I worked enough to not require retraining (once within the
last 6 months in each location) and ended up with more work than I wanted. I
was scheduled to work on Aug 27th in the Boneyard, but I posted a note in the
break room and one on line in shifts available and received a call from another
cast member asking for the shift. Earlier this month I cut my September
availability to just Friday. Any change to availability has to be done at least
3 weeks before the requested start to be approved.
Therefore when September
starts, I will put in the Fridays I need off due to conflicts other activities
on my schedule.
Week 40 – 26Sep10 – I did not
work this week.
I called another cast member
and requested my name and phone number be posted as looking for a shift on
02Oct10 since I was going to be in town. I also review every open shift either
WDW or cast posted. No calls, no shifts.
Week 41 - 03Oct01 – I did not
work this week.
Every Sunday I log on to “The
Hub” to see my schedule for the next two week. My availability is only Fridays
and some of the Fridays (01Oct, 08Oct, 22Oct) I have asked not to work due to
other commitments.
Today the my next two week
schedule was:
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Date |
Start - End |
Dur |
TCode |
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Job |
Prem |
Additional Info |
Schedule Info |
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Looks like I am working a
week from Friday.
Week 42 – 10Oct10 – 20 work
days so far in 10 - Fri, Oct 15, 10
On my way to work, I stopped
by costuming for DAK to get a replacement for part of my costume. It is really
an amazing place visit. Double stacked row after row after row of costumes. I
spend the day working in the Boneyard. The first two hours or so was spent on
various tasks like stroller parking, lost and found collection, cleaning up the
area, etc. before the rotation started. Rotation is the process of replacing
the task being done by a cast member, who then replaces the task of the next on
the list, etc.
Observation: I had the opportunity to meet and talk with a lot of
guests today. One family from Montana was really into pin collecting, a group
from St Louis were big on baseball and pin collecting, a family from Macon were
down for their annual trip to WDW, another outgoing family ran convenience
stores in Wildwood, NJ, and then there was the Brit who owns Guinness, or works
at Guinness, or drinks Guinness (one of those). One of the items I found and
turned in to lost and found was an iphone.
Week 45 – 31Oct10 – 21 work
days so far in 10 - Fri, Nov 05, 10
I spent the day working 3 of
the 6 regular positions in the Boneyard. Somehow the rotation and breaks were
scheduled so I did not end up working at the dig site. I did spend some time
parking strollers.
Observation: The positions I worked allowed for interaction with
the guests, the part of the job I enjoy the most. While working at the Boneyard
entrance, a guest from
Week 46 – 07Nov10 – I did not
work this week.
My current availability is
limited to Friday. I submitted the requests not to be scheduled a couple
Fridays in December. To be considered for a day off, you must ask at least 3
weeks ahead of time. My request not to be off the schedule on 24Dec10 was
denied and it was suggested I call if I had questions. I called and asked why
and how should I make these requests in the future. Scheduling told me they had
miscoded my request and I did not have to work 24Dec10.
Week 48 – 21Nov10 – 22 work
days so far in 10 - Fri, Nov 26, 10
I worked today for 7 hours in
TITW which features “Finding Nemo – The Musical”. There is a touch panel to
control the doors. For whatever reason my touch was always incorrect and I
could never enter the access code correctly. I must have not been the only one
with the problem – the access code is no longer required.
Observation: Cleaning up the theater after each show resulted in
finding a camera, a camera case with 4 day WDW ticket, and a passport from
Week 48 – 21Nov10 – 23 work
days so far in 10 - Sat, Nov 27, 10
I spent the day working all 6
of the regular positions in the Boneyard. About 3pm I joined a team working the
parade which DAK has daily. It was interesting and fun answering the various
questions the guests had and interacting with them.
Observation: About a month ago, I requested I be scheduled to
work today. I wanted to make sure I was working at least one day while I was
camped at
Week 50 – 05Dec10 – I did not
work this week.
I was scheduled to work on
10Dec10 but posted the shift in the break room and online. I got a call and was
able to give the workday to another cast member. I also submitted some
questions about having a monthly availability schedule (such as only the 3rd
Saturday every month) instead of a weekly availbility and the answer was “just
submit the days you are available and we will use them.” I also was told that
if I have no availability and just pick up posted and other open shifts that
would be fine. Later in the week I changed my 2011 availability to Saturdays
and requested half of the Saturdays in Jan11 off because of work conflicts.
Week 51 – 12Dec – 24 work
days so far in 10 - Fri, Dec 17, 10
I spent the day working
various positions in the Boneyard. During the afternoon, I attended a safety
class which D says has resulted in a 70% decrease in work accidents.
Observation: The end of the day in the Boneyard, consists of
covering up the mammoth skeleton in the dig site which the kids dug up today so
more kids can dig it up tomorrow. That is the closest to physical work I’ve
come in a long time.
It seems at D there are 3
types of employees, full time, part time, and seasonal (also called casual)
employees.
Seasonal employees get no
benefits, only discounts and only work when needed based on their stated
availability or when they sign up for an unfilled available position.
One thing to remember, when
you are out of town working, all your expenses are tax deductible and you can
take the per diem rate of $56/day for food in Orlando.
If you decide something like
this would be fun for you, go to www.WaltDisneyWorld.jobs
and apply for a seasonal position. As you go through the application, please
remember that Dave Flynn DAK 448044 is the cast member who recruited you. Also,
as you can read in my 2008 story, things change; seasonal does not mean a
season, 6 to 8 weeks is not always 6 to 8 weeks, full availability does not
mean 5 days, the hiring procedure this week is not the same as last week, the
jobs available this week are not the same as last week, my hiring experience
will not be the same as yours, etc. My job category is Attractions and it took
me months from the time I first went to casting until a position opened up. I
accepted the position before I knew what it was; again read about my
application process in my 2008 story. Also remember, Dave Flynn DAK 448044
recruited you.