Cast Member Confidential -a Disney Employee Memoir
If you’re a Disney park fan, then one thing that you’re probably interested in is some of the behind-the-scenes stories about what it’s REALLY like to work at the Most Magical Place on Earth.
Sure, you could read KEVIN YEE’s book MOUSETRAP: MEMOIR OF A DISNEYLAND CAST MEMBER, or maybe even Inside the Mouse: Work and Play at Disney World, The Project on Disney, based on interviews with former Disney employees. Both are excellent books for what they cover, and Web Watch recommends them highly.
But sometimes works like those can offer some views of life at Walt Disney World or Disneyland that are a bit more whitewashed than how things actually were. Looking at working at the Mouse with rose-colored glasses, if you will.
Sometimes we want to see a truth that’s a bit more unadulterated and unfiltered.
Sometimes we want to really pull back the curtain and see what life really is like to work as a cast member at one of the World’s Busiest Theme Parks.And that’s where CAST MEMBER CONFIDENTIAL comes in. Anonymous behind-the-scenes stories that expose the frivolity seen in the Cast Member dorms and the insider stories from Main Street USA that show that life at Disney – while fun and rewarding – is not all rainbows and unicorns and puppy dog tails. The cast members are, it turns out, real people.
CAST MEMBER CONFIDENTIAL will tell you stories about people who purposefully get around ride safety restraints. You’ll read about naked cast member parties resulting in MAKE OUT AROUND THE WORLD, where the goal is to kiss one cast member from each of the World Showcase pavilions at Epcot. And what happens when you drink too many Pooh-psicles (made from rum, 7-Up, mint leave, and “Pooh berries”).
And of course, numerous responses to YOU KNOW YOU’RE A DISNEY CAST MEMBER WHEN…
- You never point with one finger. (Disney rules state to always point with two fingers, as pointing with one finger can be considered rude in some cultures)
- You know what a protein spill is
- You never wait for more than 10 minutes for any attraction.
- Anything heartwarming that happens is now a “Magical Moment.”
- You can spot a hidden Mickey anywhere.
- You regret not having a FastPass every time you have to wait in a line.
- You can recite preshows and even entire attraction spiels without even thinking about it.
- You know how to perfectly plan your day so that you can see both Illuminations and Wishes.
- You know the colors of all the Monorails.
- You can spend a day at WDW without going on any rides and you still have the time of your life.
- You can speak Spanish…or at the least the Spanish part of the monorail. “Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas.”
- You know how to answer the question “Do you know what time the 3 o’clock parade is?” (This is reportedly the most commonly asked question asked by guests at the Magic Kingdom)
CAST MEMBER CONFIDENTIAL definitely is not going to leave you with a bunch of warm fuzzy feelings and leave you wanting to work for Disney, but it does tell the other side of the story of what happens after hours when you leave the parks and find yourself with other cast members with nothing to do but drink, smoke, and have all sorts of non-Disney sanctioned fun.