I used to be a custodian at Walt Disney World. AMA

Was the fact that you worked at the "Magic Kingdom" an efficient pickup line?

Surprisingly, yes.

Did you have a favorite work related pickup line?

Honestly just saying that I worked for Disney or at Disneyworld was enough haha. I would sometimes lie about what my exact role was though, I'd usually say I worked the parades. Which was partly true, as I always picked up shifts doing crowd control and what not for the parades. I loved that costume as well, even though it was hot as balls.

To be more specific, telling someone that I could get them into Disneyworld for free usually got their attention.

Were you ever sexually harassed by co-workers or customers?

edit: such as Goofy?

I was never sexually harassed in a physical way, especially not by the characters (although backstage the characters would often make inappropriate gestures, which were always funny). Other co-workers, and even guests, would sometimes be flirtatious towards me and what not, but nothing that ever made me too uncomfortable.

That said, I did hear stories and even witness a couple incidents. It is almost always a manager or supervisor making unwanted advances and continuing to do so after being asked to stop.

Is it true that MOST males who work there are NOT heterosexual?

Yes, most males that work in the parks are gay.

what? why?

Not sure, maybe just coincidence? Or maybe the idea of working at Disneyworld just attracts more gay than straight guys.

It's common at other amusement parks too. I worked at Cedar Point and a pretty large percentage (although not the majority) of males were gay.

Yeah, I've always just assumed it's more appealing to gay guys.

ah, makes sense. I had the impression that they specifically hired gay people lol

That would make for an interesting company hahaha.

You're just bullshitting out of your ass. Certainly there are a large amount of gays at Disney, but they are not the majority.

I don't really have any way of knowing, I'm just telling you what it seemed like to me. Most guys that I met during my time there were gay. I can't exactly give you hard evidence that the majority are any more than you can show me that the majority aren't. Why does it even matter?

Because a lot of this AMA is just fluff. Pretty shitty IMHO.

Source: I did two CP's, lived in Vista Way, Chatham Square, Patterson Court, and I did a Professional Internship as well.

I'm sorry. I'm answering everything to the best of my ability and am just sharing my experience of my limited time there. I'll admit I don't know all the facts surrounding the parks and the company but I never claimed to nor should anyone expect someone who just worked custodial for a few months to know EVERYTHING.

True or false? Someone was decapitated on space mountain.

False, although I worry for all the tall people that ride that thing. Two people HAVE died on the ride though, although both were from natural causes, not the ride itself.

I'm always terrified to put my hands up, so I never do.

Good call. I never do either.

I'm 6'2" and I always raise my hands. I'm fine. Most coasters (including, it seems, space mountain) have more vertical space than they seem.

Although one time I did lose a 3D camera rig on space mountain

Sounds expensive.

Do they actually let cats out to control the mouse/rat population?

I know that they used to, not sure if they still do.

Vista Waaaaaaaaaaaaay?

Patterson, actually. One of the new ones. Most expensive haha. I was only ever there to sleep though, I was always either working at the park or partying at Vista Way.

Ever watch any of Swoozie06 Disney rant videos when he worked there?

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_WaxuN4o78 Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib9w1fi4wdc

Sooo worth watching.

Oh, I HAVE watched these! They're hilarious.

Friend invited me to Vista Way and he had to basically sneak me in because of security.

Yeah, that's how it is.

Company Secrets please.

Tinkerbell is on a wire during the fireworks.

Is Dolan really as crazy as we're led to believe?

Yes, he really is.

Is the "no one dies at Disney" saying true? Are people who have had say a heart attack escorted off the premises before getting medical attention?

It is true, however they do receive medical attention, but are NEVER declared dead on the property. They are taken off property before being declared dead.

Most awkward thing you stumbled accross another employee doing? A park guest?

Weirdest thing I've seen an employee do: I worked with this girl who was OBSESSED with Peter Pan. And either she didn't know that Peter Pan isn't real and was just an actor, or she didn't care. She would stalk the poor boys who played Peter Pan. She would come to the park EVERY day either before work or on her day off and wait in line to see him. Every. Day. I once saw her chasing one of those poor guys through the tunnels. She said she wanted to marry Peter Pan. Crazy. It got so bad she was actually put on a list of people to watch out for by the entertainment department. No idea how she wasn't fired for that kind of behavior. Weirdest thing I've seen a guest do:One night I was walking by Pirates of the Caribbean when I got a call on the radio asking for assistance in the bathroom nearby. I went on over and one my co workers was there and just told me that I "had to see this". There was man, a full grown man, crawling under all the stalls. Just going back and forth. I have no idea what he was doing or trying to do. We just stared and watch him do this for a good few minutes, until he finally stopped at one. Then we stayed in that stall for a good half hour. I am not making this up. When he came out, he just strolled on out. We checked the toilet and it was completely clogged up. Super disgusting. Maybe he was deciding which toilet would best be suited to contain his two ton megashit, but that doesn't explain why he felt the need to crawl along the nasty floor to get from stal to stall. To this day I have no idea what it was all about.

Oh man that's crazy. What do you mean by tunnels though? Like, there are underground tunnels? I'm convinced this place has a ton of secrets lol

Yeah I answered this in another question, but there are underground tunnels underneath the Magic Kingdom, which is how workers get from place to place without being seen by the guests.

Also a lot quicker than going around the hard way. And you guys get bikes.

Yeah, some people do use bikes.

some of us feel that way about jeremy sumpter, although we're more discreet about it.

have you read down and out at the magic kingdom?

www.craphound.com/down

book i'm currently reading: the art of disney.

I have not read that book, maybe I should.

It's an economics textbook.

It's a murder mystery.

It's a thrilling science fiction novel.

It's by some guy wil wheaton told me about, many years ago.

and it's free online.

and it's set where you work.

Sounds crazy haha. I'll check it out.

I came here to ask if you drew stuff with a broom and water, but your picture answered that so...Have you ever met Adande Thorne?

I don't believe I have.

Are there still assholes who yell "Andy's coming!" and don't realize how fucking stupid they look?

From what my friends who still work there tell me, yes. People will still do that. They don't realize that most, if any, of the Toy Story characters will NOT do the drop to the floor thing. It can damage the costumes, among a number of other things. I'm pretty sure it is actually against the rules now for the characters to do that.

I think you meant to say "a master of the custodial arts."

That's what's on my resume now.

Do the employees get free rides after the park closes?

If you make friends with attractions people, then sometimes. ;)

Did you have any benefits besides healthcare, bonuses, etc?

Disney is actually GREAT with benefits once you're an employee there. We get unlimited access to ALL the parks on any day. This includes not just Disneyworld, but Disneyland in California as well. We have I think 6 days in the year where we can bring 3 guests in for free. If you are a higher up employee or have worked for the company longer then the amount of days you get to bring guests is much larger. We get discounts on merchandise and certain restaurants and food places, even ones that aren't in the park, such as Planet Hollywood. Some places around Orlando that are even off the property give discounts if you work for Disney. You get the chance to sign up for more hours if you want them, which I always took advantage of. You also get room discounts for Disney hotels, and even some others that are around the parks (same deal as the restaurants). That's all that I can list off the top of my head at the moment.

What was the very most disgusting thing that you've ever seen working at the park?

Bathrooms. Any time I had to set foot in those bathrooms. All it ever took was one person to ruin it. From shit being all over the toilet and walls of the stall, to vomit on the floor, everything. If I ever had to wash or scrub off shit from anything that wasn't the toilet, I wanted to puke. The smell was unbearable sometimes when I had to go in. I would occasionally also have to deal with overflowing toilets that were filled with shit, which was never fun.

Are there recycling bins next to trash bins now?

Usually, yes.

Would you rather fight 50 mouse-sized mickeys or 1 space-mountain size Goofy?

1 space-mountain size Goofy. Would be epic.

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I know that it was renovated, but what changes were made and why I have no idea.

Did you get to go into Club 33?

No, WAY too exclusive and way too expensive. You can look up all the crazy stuff you need to get into that.

I know... But you were an employee so I thought maybe you worked there. Even Club 33 needs a staff.

I had a follow up question and was going to ask how someone got to be part of the staff at Club 33... But as someone else pointed out, it wasn't even at your park.

Sorry I couldn't be more help!

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I had a lot of fun! I really did love it and would actually like to work for them again some day.

What's the weirdest "behind-the-scenes" thing that you've seen whilst working at Disney world?

I have witnessed Tigger humping numerous people while in costume backstage. Besides that, I can't think of anything at the moment. If I remember anything, I'll add it here.

How does working as a janitor further a higher educational goal?

Can't really say, to be honest with you. I think it was a good experience though and that it's important to know how to work to lower jobs, so to speak.

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I would always paint characters using water to entertain guests. I would balance my broom or make it stand up on its own, and sometimes me and my co workers would get together and dance and stuff. When I worked the parades I liked to entertain guests while they waited with hoola hoops or corn hole or parachutes and stuff like that.

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I would love it when I could get big crowds while painting! I usually did it along the parade route to entertain guests while they waited.

What were the work conditions like when you worked there?

I have heard many stories that the actors in costume, more notably the ones who wear the big suits, like Mickey Mouse, et al, have you heard, seen anything to contribute to some of these theories that their conditions are terrible?

Anything that you wished you could have done during your time there that you never got a chance to do?

I knew a few people that were characters; I'm still friends with a girl who was Tigger and a girl who played Snow White. They seemed to enjoy it. I do character appearances myself now (I now work at the Great Wolf Lodge and dress up as their characters) and sometimes the heat does get tough. I have the luck of being indoors in the costume, so I can only imagine what it's like during the summer in the Florida heat. Characters will almost always be out in the park for a half hour set and then will go back and switch with someone else. They'll take a break and then go back for another half hour and so on and so forth. They seem to be treated well as long as their attendants know what they're doing. Now the only thing is that once you are hired in entertainment and being the characters, more notably face characters such as the princes and princesses, you HAVE to stay the same weight and not change your look or risk losing your job. This is for obvious reasons but I can see how that can put a lot of pressure on people. A couple things I wished I could have done while I was there: Seen the Cinderella Castle suite, stayed a night or two at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and gone to the other amusement parks around Orlando like Universal Studios and Sea World. I did get to go to Islands of Adventure though, which was awesome.

I realize I missed the first questions, which was what MY work conditions were like. I overall enjoyed my role, after getting used to it. The custodians get a lot of freedom to roam around and talk to guests, unlike other workers at the park who have to stay in one location. Some managers could be really hard asses and not let you do anything but constantly clean, so the way the day went depended on who was the boss that day. Was always a great feeling to help a guest out with directions or suggestions or just information, and an especially great feelings making kids smile (I would always be giving out stickers or painting character faces with water, which you can see in the photo link).

just saw the drawing your did with water

very impressive.

do you draw?

Sometimes when I'm bored enough, but not usually. I don't consider myself an artist or anything like that.

So, I've been told that Disney corp has pretty much complete control over its land in florida. meaning the Reddy creek development district has its own utilities, court system and police force. True?

Yep, this is true! Pretty neat in my opinion.

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Favorite: Hollywood Studios, used to be MGM Studios. Least favorite: Magic Kingdom actually, even though it is special to me and the fireworks were always spectacular every night. Never got tired of watching them. The park itself does seen a bit more alluring now that New Fantasyland had opened, though.

What's your favorite food?

The hotdog place on Main Street that's baseball themed. Delicious. Also, the California Grill on top of the Contemporary Resort.

You need an internship to be a janitor now?

Haha no, I applied for just a general internship and they place you wherever they want. I just ended up in custodial.

I'm on attractions starting on May 20! I'm really excited. I just wanted to say that I'm glad you did this AMA because I was wondering things.

Oh how exciting! You'll have a blast. If you have any specific questions, just let me know.

Has anyone ever intentionally littered right in front of you? Has anyone ever trolled you as bad as Roseanne and Jackie did?

Yes and yes. There are some rude people in the world.

Is it true that there are major tunnels underneath the Disneys?

Any good stories or facts about them?

Yes it is true. There are tunnels underneath the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. They have cafeterias and breaks rooms and offices and stuff like that. They are VERY extensive and usually don't smell too good haha. They also store merchandise and food. There are showers and locker rooms for employees. Coworkers and I often wondered how scary it would be if the power went out down there. I guess an interested story would be this: President Obama came to the park one day when I was working and secret service took over the tunnels. Very extensive security that day and a lot of paths down there were blocked off by them.

Another cool fact about the tunnels: The trash is transported through pipes in the tunnels at 60 mph.

How much cash did you find daily?

The most I have found in a single day was $25. Sometimes I would get tipped when I helped people, and while officially we aren't allowed to accept tips, I would anyway. They didn't pay me enough to not take them haha.

Don't blame you one bit!!! What was the weirdest thing you ever saw or found?

Shit on the ceiling. Like something out of a movie. Have also found used condoms, heroin needles and the like. Weirdest thing I've ever seen there was a guest, the story is in an earlier question.

come say hi @ /r/Disney :)

Neato, I definitely will. I am a huge Disney fan myself, part of the reason why I chose to do the internship.

Have you ever walked in on Minnie and Mickey doing it?

No, thank goodness. That would be too traumatizing.

Have to ask: Does Disney have a mouse problem?

There are a good number of mice throughout the park, not sure if it's enough to be considered a problem though.

What was your funniest moment of being on the job?

One night Mickey was absolutely insane during the nighttime parade. Either it was this person's first day on the job, they were drunk / high, or someone had to fill in last minute and it was their time to shine, but Mickey was crazy that night. I mean he was shaking and dancing his ass off and pointed at everybody and headbanging and jumping around and going nuts, and it was one of the funniest things I'd ever seen. Couldn't handle it while it was happening haha. Another funny moment was he had a guy from Kenya who was working with us, and he saw some of us doing the water art with our brooms. So he drew a circle and some dots for eyes and a line for a mouth, made a mane that was just another circle around the original one, and wrote "Simba" above it. Then he showed it to every guest that walked by, and they didn't know how to react. Probably more hilarious if you were there, but I remember that night distinctly. There's never a boring day at work though, there are usually always ways of finding or doing funny things in the park.

I think I'm moving to Orlando. Thanks for the reply. :)

No problem. Orlando always has something to do, I really enjoyed my time living there. Wouldn't mind moving back.

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Fantasyland stays surprisingly clean in my opinion, however this was before the new expansion opened up. And the queue line for Splash Mountain never gave me any trouble.

Which Disney Princess would you sleep with and why?

Rapunzel because she's the hottest. If you have ever seen her in the parks....hoo boy. Beautiful girls, all of them.

Confirmed: OP delivers

Belle and Cinderella are usually easy on the eyes as well. And most female attractions cast members are attractive. Loved my Splash Mountain girls. :)

Another park employee ama answered that Brazilians were the worst park guests. Can you confirm and elaborate?

The Brazilian tour groups are the worst, but not Brazilian people by themselves haha. The tour groups are all very loud and very rude, and often chant and shout during the middle of rides, which I can imagine is very distracting to other guests and takes away from the experience of the ride or attraction. They also leave huge messes for us custodians.

Is it really as difficult to become a face character (Disney princess) as everyone says it is?

It's really just a lot of luck and timing. You have to be EXACTLY what they are looking for at the time of your audition.

A master of the custodial arts, or janitor if you want to be a dick about it.

lol

What do cast members think of us big Disney nerds like my gf and I? Ya know, the adults with no kids that wear Mickey ears and disney clothes and backpacks etc. everyday to the parks.

Are you all like "hey cool they're big Disney fans." Or are you all like "man what a bunch of fuckin weirdos" and then talk about how stupid we look behind our backs?

Just curious. I always wonder what the CMs think.

Usually we will be all for you guys and think it's cool that you're such big fans. There are of course complete weirdos that ruin it for you guys though, but we can usually tell the difference. There are also some people that tend to be smart asses and think they know more about the parks and Disney than us, and don't miss an opportunity to tell us. Those people are very annoying. But as long as you're genuinely nice and cool people who are just fans of the park and Disney itself, we think you're awesome.

Is Cinderella a big whore?

Not that I know of haha. Maybe! All the Cinderellas I saw and knew were very attractive.

Is it true that the best customer service people are made custodians because they have the most interaction with guests?

I have no idea if that's true haha. Custodians can have the most guest interaction if they choose, since they're free to walk around and start up conversations with anyone. I talked to guests whenever I had the chance.

This sounds like it would a really fun place to work! Great AMA! :)

Thank you!

Did you ever pull the creepy janitor bit?

Like talk about the magic wand in your pocket that makes dreams come true?

Or creep around the corner and surprise people?

Not usually no, haha.

You lie. You weren't a custodian. You were a Cast Member. Get it together!

Haha you're right, I just thought I should specify what my role was!

Did you get to wear a pin lanyard for trading? If so, how did you feel about not having the same pins the next day? Was it difficult to give up super-cool ones?

I did wear a pin lanyard and I loved trading. I kept all super cool ones for myself. ;) The second I got one I really loved I would pocket it. You can just go down to the pin station in the tunnels and say you lost one or gave away to a guest, whatever. They'll give you as many new ones as you'd like. I only collected Disney villain pins, but I also have some random ones that I just thought were a really cool.

What is the weirdest thing you have seen while on your internship.

Man crawling back and forth under the stalls before shitting in one and clogging it. One of the seven dwarves humping his pickaxe during a parade. A kid asking Stitch if he could choke him and touch his "wee wee". The list goes on.

WHAT. You don't just casually drop the Stitch thing without a follow up. Did he just play it off and move on?

They have to haha. Stitch made like a gasping motion and the attendant just kinda laughed it off and said no to both questions before the parent pulled the kid away.

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Do you know what your role is yet? I assume you're doing the college program. So my advice would be if you like parties and don't mind a small living place, live at Vista Way. If you prefer having a nicer place to live, go with either Chatham Square or Patterson Court. They are more expensive than Vista Way though, with Patterson being the most expensive. I lived in Patterson and liked it there. It's quiet though. All the parties are at Vista. Enjoy your role wherever they place you and whatever it is you're doing. Hell, you can imagine my disappointment when I saw I was going to be doing custodial work, but I ended up really actually enjoying it and loved my time there. Don't be afraid to strike up conversations with guests, they all have interesting stories and will help make your day more fun. Park food is extremely expensive. The cafeteria does serve very decent food, ESPECIALLY at breakfast. Be sure to enjoy other places in Orlando, like Universal. Their rides are fucking fun. Don't be a dumbass and do dumb things at work or at the apartments, you will be kicked out for even something minor. "Around the World-ing" is getting a drink from every country at Epcot, and it is awesome. Explore the restaurants that are within a half hour of the parks, they will usually give you a discount for being a Disney cast member. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL THE DISCOUNTS ON FOOD, MERCHANDISE, HOTELS, AND TICKETS. Other than that, be cool and have tons of fun. Remember, you're at Disney, you work at Disney, you're in Florida, and that's pretty fucking sweet.

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Why thank you! And I had no idea you were coming all the way from New Zealand, how exciting. I guess you'll be staying in the apartment complex that all the international students get placed at then (can't remember the name). I've never been inside those but I'm sure they're nice. A couple of other things: Never be late for the bus that will take you to work, make sure to get to the bus stop a couple minutes early. Publix is the only grocery store within walking distance, however it is expensive. If you have the time, there is a bus that will take you to Walmart for cheap groceries. Take full advantage of being able to visit the parks for free whenever you want, especially since you're going in January, which is when I arrived. The first two months, there will be no lines for anything. That's also a good time to blow your first couple paychecks on spending a day at Universal! I have a friend that still does food and beverage and they enjoy it, so I hope you do too. Again, remember that above all where you're at and what you're doing is fun and I'm sure guests will be interested in talking to you if you start talking to them. Excellent ways to pass the time and learn things. Thanks for your question!

Is there really an underground to Disney?

Indeed there is. We call it the Utilidoors. It helps cast members get from place to place easily and without being seen by guests. It's also where we can rest and grab some food and store our belongings and all that. All the offices are down there as well.

Used to be?

Yes, my internship ended in May last year.

Are you in the running to obtain a full-time job there?

Eventually I would love to do just that. I'm no longer employed with Disney but am working towards getting a professional internship (different from the previous internship I did) there once I graduate college.