Last updated 27Dec08
Many years ago I heard you
could work at Walt Disney World (D) just a couple of days a month and get
discounts, etc. so I figured it would save me a lot of money if I worked at D
since I spend a lot of time there.
Several years ago we went on
a tour of various D resorts. We ended up at the Wedding Chapel where our aunt
spent some time talking with a custodian. He said he worked only the first Thu
and Fri of the each month and then spend Sat and Sun taking his kids to D – his
kids lived with his ex in
Aug 2006: I called and was told to be a seasonal employee you
had to work full time for 3 months and then two days a year. So I gave up, full
time employment was not my goal.
Aug 2007: From a college graduate going to
Nov 2007: I went into D casting and applied for a seasonal job
and was told to be a seasonal employee I had to work at least two days a week
for 3 months and then two days a year and I was offered a custodial job
immediately. I left my application and told them I would be back after tax
season to get a job.
Mar 2008: I called and was told to be a seasonal employee you
had to work 3-4 days a week for 6-8 weeks and then 40 hours a year and D was
hiring.
May 7, 08: I went to D casting. Seems D casting was having a
job fair and it was a zoo. However having an application available from last
November’s visit, I got out in reasonably record time - two hours. A casting
agent, who had less than NO personality, gave me a different story yet again (I
think he was paid based on the number of applicants he talked to). Seems D is
hiring seasonal employees who have "full availability" (40+ hours)
for 12 to 13 week at this time. I told him I was interested in a 3-4 consecutive
days per week seasonal job for 6-8 weeks.
The D handout documented seasonal jobs like this. He said I could get on
a waiting list, but I had to choose the days; there was not a way to say “3
consecutive days”. I told him MTW. Then he asked where I wanted to work. I told
him I did not care; I was there for the bennies. He told me I had to choose, so
I chose Attractions - figured there must be high turnover (and it was better
than custodial). Then he went into extreme detail about what a job at an
attraction required - even though I told him I had been going to D for 30+
years and had an annual pass. So he said he would put me on the waiting list.
Now I am on a waiting list for 30 days and with the option to renew for another
30 days after which I had to re apply. I gave up asking this guy about the
bennies, but I've been told free park admission for 4 at any time, discounts on
merchandise, and on accommodations.
Jun 7, 08: I called to renew my name on the waiting list.
Jul 7, 08: I called and renewed my name on the waiting list
again even though I was told I could only renew one time.
Jul 16, 08: D called and left me a message about a job opening.
I had 24 hours to accept the position.
Jul 17, 08: I called D accepted the job asked to work Wed, Thu,
and Fri, and I was told I would be working in Dinoland
in Animal Kingdom.
Jul 21, 08: I went to D to sign papers and walk through Dinoland. At $7.25 per hour, this is not a money making
proposition. However, every expense for a job away from home is a tax deduction
and I hope deductions, discounts, and free passes to come out ahead. As an
employee, I get in any park for free.
Observation: The ladies at casting seemed real happy to work at D
and really liked Dinoland.
Jul 26, 08: My first day as a D cast member. A full day at
Observation: Every D employee I met at
Week #1
Jul 29, 08: I was anticipating my first days at Dinoland in the Animal Kingdom and had confirmed
reservations for a motel. Then the call came. The class I was scheduled to
attend on Jul 30 was cancelled for lack of students. I was told the next class
was to be held on Aug 03 and I signed up for it.
Week #1 for real – 3 days.
Aug 03, 08: DAKlamation is the Disney
Animal Kingdom (DAK) acclamation training class. It consists of an overview of DAK
and details of what was expected of employees. They also provided us with a
tour of DAK. Then we went back to costuming to pick up our costume. Never
thought I would be wearing a red, blue, and yellow shirt with yellow pants
containing dinosaur bones figures. I went back to the support center to get
some help on the Hub. There was no training to be had, but after I got logged
on, Hub familiarization went well. I then went over to the DAK main gate
employee break room where I was to meet my trainer on Thursday.
Eat your heart out – not everyone can look this good.
Observation: The DAK instructors and other cast members I met
were really helpful and happy to be working at D. This is where I got the
second dose of pixie dust. It is just nice to be in a place where everyone is
really so helpful.
Aug 07, 08: I arrived at 10:24 prior to my 10:30 start time and
sat around waiting for my trainer. At 10:50, I called my training coordinator
to ask for some assistance. He told me I should call him back in 20 minutes if
I did not get picked up by my trainer. I called back at 11:10 and he said he
had been to the DAK main gate employee break room and I must be some place else
because I was not there. I disagreed and told him exactly my surroundings and
he told me he would come and get me. He came and immediately told me the
problem was I was in the wrong costume. I showed him the picture I had and he
said he had been on vacation and somehow I was given the wrong costume picture
(others have told me he never makes a mistake), but I could continue my
training anyway. I met my trainer who was training two of us. About an hour
later, another trainer from a different area pointed out he was really my
trainer and took me to a manager to get it straightened out. The manager
decided the first trainer was correct and I was returned to my first trainer. I
had a short day of training at the The Boneyard Dig Site and in Theater in the Wild. The Boneyard Dig Site is a multi level play area of slides for
kids. The goal in the bone yard is to keep it a safe place to play. There are
seven cast member roles in The Boneyard Dig site –
Entrance/Exit, Mammoth Dig Site, Top 3,4,5, Tower Roamer 1, Tower Roamer 2,
Ground Roamer, and Cementosaurus One and Two. The Theater In The Wild (TITW) is an indoor
theater holding 1700 guests featuring a play (using a live cast and puppets)
called “Finding Nemo, the Musical.” There are nine
cast member roles in TITW – DINOLAND U.S.A Greeter, Greeter One, Greeter Two,
Photocell, Main Usher, Upper House Left, Lower House Left, Upper House Right,
and Lower House Right. I was asked to get the correct costume for the next day.
Observation: My trainer
was great and did an excellent job.
Aug 08, 08: I arrived at the Dinoland
employee break room and clocked in on time in the wrong costume. It seems
costuming opens at 7AM and my shift started at 7:30am so I did not have time to
get a new costume. Training continued and I found out I was lucky to be training
in the Boneyard and TITW because the other area in Dinoland (for which I had the correct costume) was to be
closed for rehabilitation in October. At the end of my shift, I went to
costume, turned in my costume, and got the correct costume.
Observation: A couple of the ladies entering the theater
commented on how they would like pants like the costume I was wearing. My
yellow pants with red outlines of bones sort of stuck out in the crowd.
Week #2 – 2
days.
Aug 14, 08: I arrived on time and spent the day training in the
bone yard and theater. I then was told there is a performance test followed by
two exams the next day to see if I was trained. It would have been nice to have
been told this earlier. I spend the evening reviewing my notes.
Observation: A guest asked me which way northeast was. I tried to
find out where he wanted to go, but all he wanted to know was the direction.
Using the sun and time of day, I told him. Wondering why, I finally noticed
that he was obviously an Arab and probably Moslem.
Aug 15, 08: Prior to my shift I went to the Cast Connections
store to see what they had. Seems they have a large supply of items at half
price and some property they were finished with. I purchased a clock radio for
$3 which they had used in one of their hotels. Seems my Motel 6, at which I can
stay for ~$30 per night does not have a clock radio.
I arrived on time and was ready for my day
long appraisal – maybe. I spent the day being evaluated in various positions in
the bone yard and the theater and all went well except for one theater exit
door I opened which was unplanned. The remote control for opening and closing
doors seems to work about the fourth or fifth time you punch in the numbers. I
took and passed the written tests – my trainer had done a very good job - and
went home satisfied I was now a trained employee. It also seems the written
test on TITW did not ask a single question about the current show. The only
questions on the show, about 5 out of 65 were on the previous show – some sort
of Tarzan show.
Observation: Ran into a guest named Flynn, it was on the kid’s
stroller. Had a brief discussion, he was from
Week #3 – 3
days.
Aug 20, 08: I arrived on time in the middle of tropical storm
Fay. My assignments all day long consisted of parking strollers in the rain for
guests going to the theater. Seems my training documents were missing and there
was no record of my training appraisal. I got soaked. Some of the guests
pointed out that even in the rain, the show “Finding Nemo
– The Musical” was worth the price of park admission.
Observation: I mentioned to the Nemo
cast director how wonderful some guests found the show. She was thankful.
Aug 21, 08: I arrived on time in the middle of tropical storm Fay.
My assignments all day long consisted of parking strollers in the rain. My
training documents were found and I was to have an appraisal again on Friday.
It seems I had not completed my appraisal the previous week although I had not
been told. I got soaked.
Observation: A really strange couple came through today. She even
had studs through the skin on the back of her wrist.
Aug 22, 08: I arrived on time for my appraisal – having studied
the previous evening. My evaluator and I went over to the manager’s offices to
get the paper work. It was no where to be found. I indicated I really did not
have a lot of interest in redoing the written tests or redoing any of the other
items I had finished. After some time of looking and calling, I noticed some
papers in a manager’s in basket which looked like appraisal papers. Further
research indicated they were not mine, but my paper work was next in the pile.
So having the paper work, we went off to the appraisal again. I had the
opportunity to be evaluated at theater position greeter 2 (again), stage right,
main usher (again), and photocell (again) (the position where you count people
and let them enter). All went well, I even broke up the evaluator and other
cast members by doing an announcement using the wrong side of the microphone –
it was an accident since I was making announcements, communicating with the
head usher, greeter 2, and talking to custodians on the phone about a protein
spill. Part of the evaluation is to talk to a manager about administrative items.
My only question was why they could not give me some standard operating
procedures on the cast positions I could take home and study. Her reply was
that somehow asking an employee to do homework might violate some type of labor
law. Say what? I guess logging on to the Hub to do class work, check your
schedule, request time off is not violating some labor law. I also found out
you can clock in up to 15 minutes early, but not 1 minute late. Anyway I
finally passed everything and am now a trained employee and I was told I had
passed and was trained.
Observation: Talked to a guy with a U of I shirt on today. We
both thought the NCAA requirement to dump the Chief Illiniwick
was absurd.
Week #4 – 2
days.
Aug 27, 08: Prior to my shift I went to costuming and obtained a
better rain coat and a fanny pack in which to carry it.
I arrive on time for my 6
hour shift. When you work 6 hours you get two breaks, but no lunch time. I
spent the day directing guests and parking strollers for guests going to the
theater. I am a little surprised at the lack of guest communication by the
cast. When I see a group of guests, especially if they are looking at a map, I
ask where they want to go and how I can help. Sometime the guests tell me they
are not sure where they want to go and I assure them that they are going in the
right direction to get somewhere. I do
not see much of that in the rest of the cast. They do their job well, but do
not seem to seek out guest communication. Today, like last week, I had a guest
tell me I was having too good a time. I pointed out that it was really fun
helping people have a good time. I went in to talk to a manager today to ask
about my schedule, since I am not scheduled to work next week. He pointed out
that I was now trained and they did not need the help next week. D schedules
show you this week, next week, and last week.
Hard at work in the correct costume.
Observation: Offered a ride to another DAK employee waiting at
costuming. Seems he was from China and his name was Hung Fu. We laughed about
his D name of Leroy.
Aug 28, 08: Prior to my arrival for my 6 hour shift I went with
Donna to the Cast Connections store. That cost me more than I made this week.
Everything in Cast Connections is at least half price before the employee 10%
discount. I spend the day directing guests and parking strollers. D has a Cast
Deployment System (CDS) which tells you what you are going to do next. When you
clock in, it gives you a slip of paper with an assignment and you get to do
that task until the time on the slip of paper or someone bumps you. All I got
today was park strollers and check the crew. The notes on CDS say if you can’t
do the assigned task, you should do something equally important. Therefore I
spent most of the day directing guests and helping where I could. I did have
one of the managers ask me if I had been trained, to which I replied yes – I
should get a copy of the paperwork.
Observation: Not every D employee is happy to be there. Some are
really down on D and do not like to be treated as just a number. With 57k
employees, I do not know how you can be treated as anything but a number. Seems
they need some more pixie dust.
Aug 29, 08: at home - I
spent a lot of time exploring the Disney team web site to figure out my various
discounts. Looks like I get 20% on food, 40% on accommodations, can get in any
park free, and can bring in 3 guests with me 6 times a year. D also sends you
additional tickets two times a year. They sent me a happy birthday card earlier
this month with a free movie ticket in it. I then called scheduling to see how
I tell them I am busy and can’t be scheduled for a time period. Basically I
send them an email and tell them which week I cannot work – since I only have
Wed, Thu, and Fri as my work days, any week I cannot do Wed, Thu, or Fri, I
have to let them know about a month early.
Week #5 – 0
days. – Aug
31, 08
I spend some email time
trying to get Donna a main gate pass, so she could go into the Dstore (even cheaper than the Cast Connections store) which
required a main gate pass. They do not give spouses of seasonal employees main
gate passes. Next time I work, I’ll have to talk to HR about how she can get
into the Dstore. I requested and received permission
not to work the week of Oct 12, 08 – the last week of tax returns for the
procrastinators.
Week #6 – 0 days. – Sep 07, 08
Spent some time exploring the
accommodation discounts at D. Seems I can get 60% of on some rooms but only 10%
off on their cruises.
Week #7 – 0 days – Sep 14, 08 – 12 total work days so far in 2008
We have spent Thanksgiving
camping at Fort Wilderness for +/-30 years. I tried to get a reservation for
next year but cast prices are not available yet. However, I was able to get
reservations for a character breakfast and a Rose and Crown dinner on the cast
reservation line when the regular reservation line said there were no
reservations available. Nothing like cast member perks.
Week #8 – 0 days – Sep 21, 08 – 12 total work days so far in 2008
I went online (the Hub) to
make some reservations for the end of October. I have to go up before 03Nov08
to get a permanent cast ID card. Seems I can get a 50% discount on rooms and
40% discount on rooms for guests. However, while I can get my discount as many
times as I want, I can only get 5 guest discount reservations a year.
Week #9 – 0 days – Sep 28, 08
Week #10 – 0 days – Oct 05, 08 – 12 total work days so far in 2008
I requested and received
permission not to work the weeks of Nov 16, 08 and Nov 23, 08 – I plan to be
camping at WDW Fort Wilderness for part of that time..
Week #11 - 0 days – Oct 12, 08 – 12 total work days so far in 2008 – I
had asked for this week off.
I received a goody package.
Another pass for 4 to D parks and a whole bunch of coupons for dining and
attraction discounts. It seems they send something like this out every 6
months. As I seasonal employee I get 1 extra ticket for 4 twice a year. Then
with my gate pass can get 4 in six times a year. With my employee pass, I can
get in anytime.
Week #12 - 0 days – Oct 19, 08 – 12 total work days so far in 2008
Week #13 - 0 days – Oct 26, 08 – 12 total work days so far in 2008
I went up to D this weekend
to get my picture ID. Seems you have 90 days probation and then 10 days to get
your employee picture ID. Took the family and stayed at the Coronado Springs
Resort at 50% off. Spent a lot of money using my employee ID to save 50% in the
stores in EPCOT and MK. Since I had to go up there as a requirement for work,
my transportation, room, and meals are tax deductible as a business expense.
Ran into a couple of other seasonal employees as sale clerks in the stores –
they all complained about how hard it was to get a shift to work since the
crowds seem to be lighter now. I just smiled and agreed with them.
Week #14 - 0 days – Nov 02, 08 – 12 total work days so far in 2008
Week #15 - 0 days – Nov 09, 08 – 12 total work days so far in 2008
I got my benefit package last
week. Seems I can get medical, dental, stock purchase, retirement, etc. as long
as I put in 30+ hours per week. I don’t think I will ever qualify for those
benefits.
Week #16 - 0 days – Nov 16, 08 – 12 total work days so far in 2008
I requested this week off to
prepare for my family’s annual camping vacation at Fort Wilderness.
Week #17 - 0 days – Nov 23, 08 – 12 total work days so far in 2008
This week I spend camping at
Fort Wilderness as a guest at WDW. A large part of my time was shopping with
family and friends so they could enjoy my employee 50% discount on D
merchandise. Saving 20% on restaurant meals was also nice. There was no
discount available on the Fort Wilderness camp site. But I was able to get some
friends into the MK free. I also went to security access to get a 2009 sticker
for my ID badge and was told they would be mailed.
Week #18 - 0 days – Nov 30, 08 – 12 total work days so far in 2008
Week #19 - 0 days – Dec 07, 08 – 12 total work days so far in 2008
Week #20 - 1 day – Dec 17, 08 – 13 total work days so far in 2008
I had a reservation at Motel
6, just outside the back gate to DAK. When I arrived, I found out they were now
charging out of season rates. So instead of $30 per night, it is now costing me
$20 per night.
Prior to my shift I went by
costuming to get a coat – while it was warm today, there were some cold days
when I was camping at Fort Wilderness over Thanksgiving.
I arrived at the Dinoland employee break room early and tried to clock in.
Since I could not clock in, I waited and tried again – figuring I must be too
early. After failing a couple more times, I went to find a manager to get this
fixed. I located one and she greeted me as if she knew me and I had been there
yesterday. She did her computer magic explaining that I had been inactive on
the cast deployment system (CDS) for a long time and was deleted. I was able to
clock in on time and get my assignment. I spent most of the day at 4 positions
in the Boneyard – top level, middle level, ground
level and over at the dig site. The goal is to keep the kids safe as they use
the slides and dig for bones. I spent the last hour at a position called cementosaurus. The cementosaurus
is a ~25 foot cement dinosaur at the entry to the Dinoland
ride and game area for kids. The job is to greet guests and help line control
for TITW. Interaction with the guests is the most interesting assignment I have
had. After the end of my shift, I went to the manager’s office with some
questions. I wanted to arrange a refresher review of the positions I work. I’ve
forgotten many details since I was trained in August. I found a manager who was
working even thought he was on vacation and he answered my questions. He
indicated he would set it up for next week when I was working.
Observation: Spending 6 hours working standing is much harder
than sitting at a desk. I continue to be amazed at the dedication,
friendliness, and knowledge of the D managers I have met.
Week #21 - 1 day– Dec 26, 08 – 14 total work days so far in 2008
When I checked my work
schedule on the Hub last week, I found I was scheduled to work both 24 and 26
December this week. Since I am not interested in two trips to WDW in one week,
I decided to see if I could change my availability to eliminate non consecutive
work days. When I talked to a manager last week he assured me having an
availability of 1 day a week would be satisfactory to maintain my seasonal
employee status. I submitted a request and it was approved to change my
availability from 3 days a week (Wed, Thu, Fri) to 2 days a week (Thu, Fri)
starting 04Jan09.
I also had left a “Please
Take My Shift” notice on the board in the cast break room at Dinoland to get rid of my 24Dec shift. I got a call from
another cast member asking for the shift. I put in a “Shift Give Away” request
in the Hub and it was approved.
I clocked in on time and got
my assignment. I spent most of the day at 5 positions in the Boneyard – top level, middle level, ground level, dig site
and cementosaurus. This was just like my duties last
week. During my shift, my training coordinator told me for the last hour of the
day, another employee would answer any questions I had. I pointed out I had no
questions, only wanted to review the instructions for the positions I worked.
Well I was given assignments until the last half hour of the day and showed up
at the manager’s office as instructed. There I found out I was to be in the
cast break room. In the cast break room, I talked to another employee and told
her I had no questions, I was only interested in rereading the position
instructions for the assignments I had. She took me over to the training room
in the Dinasour ride and I read the Operational
Guides (og) for about half an hour. Then went back to
the cast break room, clocked out, returned to the training room and continued
reading for another half hour. Then I over to security access to get my 2009
sticker since it had not arrived in the mail – they were closed for the day.
When I returned home, I called and left a message for my training coordinator,
thanking him, telling him what I had done, and since I had now found the
training room, I would be returning there to review the OG the next time I
worked.
Observation: D does not make the og
available off site or provide copies - probably a fear of giving out company
secrets.
Week #22 - 0 days – Dec 28, 08 – 14 total work days so far in 2008 – I
asked for the week off to support my volunteer work with The New Gardens Band
and their New Years Eve concert.
It seems at D there are 3
types of employees, full time, part time, and seasonal employee.
Seasonal employees get the
fewest benefits and only work when needed.
If you want a job, call
1-407-828-1000 to see what MAY be available.
If you are thinking of
applying, let me give you a card, I’m sure there is some sort of employee
referral reward.