I worked at Walt Disney World as a ride operator AMA!

First, I just wanted to thank all of you who work at Disney. Sometimes, I feel like you don't get the credit you deserve. It was a ride operator who made my family's visit to the Magic Kingdom a few years back just a bit more magical.

My parents had gotten sick, so I took my little brother to the Magic Kingdom on our last day there. It was getting late, probably an hour-ish until the fireworks display time, and we decided to ride his favorite ride (Buzz Lightyear). We went through three times (no line at that time), and each time I took him and his wheelchair back through the line. After the third time, the operator noticed we kept coming back and said, "You guys want to go again?" Since there was no line, and just a few people coming in every now and then, they just let us stay on for another, I don't know, probably eight trips through until the fireworks started. They also gave us tips each time about where the best targets were to shoot. Absolutely made my little brother's night.

So thank you. I know you said you worked at Haunted Mansion and Pirates (my mom and I love that ride), but it's people like you who keep the magic going.

Question: What's the most common cause of a ride like Pirates stopping in the middle? Our best guess was that someone was transferring out of a wheelchair, and you guys didn't want the ride to get backed up at the loading/unloading zone with a bunch of boats.

It's honestly stories like yours that made me feel so lucky to have worked at Disney World! I'm so glad you got to experience the magic!

You're correct, usually for wheelchair, sometimes elderly people need more help getting on as well. I know a few times i have stopped the ride halfway to help a little kid on that was scared and just needed some reassurance! i wouldn't want them to miss out on a ride/experience just because they were a little scared :)

Where do they keep Walt Disney's frozen body?

In Elsa's castle.

Have any employees ever fallen into the water in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride?

...maybe

You do know the water is only a couple feet deep at the most. It'd suck to fall in but not like you'd be screwed completely.

But if someone was to hypothetically fall in they would have to go to wardrobe to get new pirate pants :(

How much do you hate the groups of Brazilians that come in the summer?

i can hear the loud chanting from here

Do people really dump ashes of loved ones in the rides? What's the weirdest thing you saw monitoring the passengers?

I've heard a few rumors of ashes being dumped on rides (in Disneyland in particular) but i've never seen it.

One time in particular there was a private group (celebs/vips) and they were trying to hook up on the ride.

What is something people do that is annoying at the parks? Is everyone completely different "underground?"

Let their children run around unsupervised. Yes it is disney, but it's not a daycare.

People are very different backstage. It's much more like normal job when you're down there socializing with co workers. Especially in the cafeteria and locker room areas.

Funny story: one time i saw alice in wonderland in full costume wearing what looked like a hot-topic studded style backpack, while having a conversation and cussing with a girl in half of a Dale costume! It's really comical to see those situations backstage.

Does the mind numbing repeating music ever make you wanna curb stomp a kid?

more like curb stomp a mouse

Are there any times/dates of the year when I can visit Disney World and not have to contend with crowds? Never been and want to remedy this.

Avoid times where schools would be on break (december 19-27) (June-Late August). Tuesday is generally the day with the least amount of guests!

What's your worst, grossest, scariest, or outright craziest experience?

Probably this teenager freaking out on acid during the Haunted Mansion ride.

What a waste of acid. Obviously you take a hit before you ride Space Mountain.

I mean it does last 12 hours......or so i've heard

Which ride?

Pirates of the Caribbean and later, Haunted Mansion!

Were you the one who threw the door open at the beginning and scared the bejeezus outta everybody?

We all switched between roles, so sometimes yes!

I always loved the use of mirrors/glass in the Haunted Mansion.

Yes it's awesome! The ending of the ride is very cool.

Where's the best place to eat at the park? Like your go-to

Be our guest is the best experience.

There's a seafood place by the Haunted Mansion that has great lobster mac and cheese, i forget what it's called!

Columbia Harbour House but it stopped serving it at the beginning of 2016. (I was a CP here and had to explain this to a lot of people)

First harambe now this

A coworker told me his wife (who used to work at the Orlando parks) had access to merchandise and park displays that were "unsellable" or unusable respectfully. Employees could buy merch for really cheap because it was damaged and even park stuff. He said he has a bench, a bed, and some other furniture from Disney. Is any of this true? If so, can you still or has that since been stopped (she worked there several years ago)?

Very true! It's called property control and there are some crazy good deals. Disney has a lot of incredible benefits like that!

Foolish mortal here.

I've always wondered why we go into the mansion via a lower door, rather than through the front?

I guess the obvious answer is, it was designed that way. But (from the looks of things - I've not been myself) but the Disneyland versions you do.

Is there a reason it was made this way?

Also (cheeky second question) does the ride go in the facade? And if not, what's in it?

Thanks!

I'm not sure as to why the entrance is set up like that, my only theory would be so when guests were looking at the mansion, their "magic" wasn't ruined by seeing a line of people going through the front door.

And no it does not! The actual ride is in a warehouse style structure directly behind the facade (you can see some of the building behind the cemetery). The only time a guest is in the actual mansion is when they are in the stretch rooms.

Do people actually get lifetime bans?

Yes.

how much sex occurs there, between employees and amongst visitors?

Amongst visitors, i've heard of 6 times people were caught in different areas of the park.

Between employees, i didn't get invited. :(

Is there anything that guests do that make your day as a cast member?

Haha no but seriously if a cast member does something above and beyond for a guest that truly had an effect on them, they sometimes send disney a letter about the cast member. This letter is put in your portfolio and looks really good for you!

Just don't be a dick, maaaaan.

I noticed from your proof that your badge doesn't have your favourite Disney character on it. Has that been phased out/is it just behind the censorship? And who do/would you have on your badge?

(Source - Ex Disney Store Cast Member)

Also! I would have stitch on mine :)

it must have been phased out! all that's on my badge is my name and where i'm from

Any special qualifications needed to land the job? What was the interviewing/hiring process like?

Disney was my first job! I applied for part-time work while enrolled in college. I received an email to schedule an interview and went in about a week later. The interview was extremely easy. At the end of the interview i was offered a job and told what park i would work at. You don't find out what ride you're working at until your first day of orientation.

Have you ever been asked to be one of the mascots? My 12th grade English teacher used to be Minnie.

I wish! The process to become a character is very lengthy. Lots of auditioning. It is funny because they choose certain people depending on their height for the character. A lot of the time; guys will play minnie, girls will play buzz lightyear, etc.

I knew the cutest little old lady who was mickey mouse!! errrr... i mean "friends" with mickey ;)

have you ever seen a celebrity or "VIP" ride on your ride you were operating?

Yes, i've had to stop a ride before due to a VIP group trying to hook up on the ride

Josh?

Drake?

In your time, what was the strangest story you had happen to you and/or had heard happen to someone?

Thanks!

One of my coworkers was being stalked by an older gentleman that would come to our ride for AT LEAST 4 hours a day. By that i mean that he would get in line, ride the ride, repeat for 4 hours. This happened for about 2 months.

Follow up: Did he stop showing up or was legal action taken?

He stopped showing up after a manager talked to him. I'm guessing he was threatened with a park ban.

Was he making lewd or crude comments to your co-worker? Like, what was it about him that made it seem like one specific co-worker was being targeted?

he met her outside of disneyworld. he would harass her on social media and show up at her job daily

Did they make you ride any of the rides as part of the hiring process?

Not the hiring process but during traditions (your orientation) everyone in the class rode haunted mansion. The second day of in park training we were allowed to choose 2 rides we wanted to ride. We also rode whatever ride we were going to be working at.

How integrated or segregated are all the cast members? Backstage, do you all mix together ride operators, store employees, character actors, face actors, custodial team, etc., or is everyone in separate breakrooms/areas? Are you all cliquey?

I just stuck with myself. All of the pirate cast members hung out together which was cool! we'd even eat lunch inside of the control room instead of going to the cafeteria.

i met cinderella on my first day of training in MK. she was incredibly nice to me and showed me that magic still exists even backstage :')

Ever accidentally killed a rider?

Not accidentally!

What's the weirdest shit you've seen? I mean doesn't even have to relate to job. Weirdest shit you've seen your entire life?

I saw trump become president

Ever get puked upon?

Nope i would cry

What is your favourite ride ?

Rockin roller coaster!

When people ask for more time or more speed, do you accept it (when there's not a lot of people I mean) ?

We can't :( Unfortunately the only time we allow for one more time is a vip. We never allow more speed.

Hello! I have the upmost respect for cast members and go to Disneyland 1-2 times a month and always make sure to leave a positive comment if a cast member made my day extra special.

One question I do have though: does it annoy cast members when guests ask for the front row on rides? I do this often on the rollercoasters and indie, and always mention I have no problem waiting a little extra if I have to. Usually they don't seem to have a problem but every now and then one will sigh and appear frustrated.

It doesn't annoy most of us. It can be a little difficult when you're counting people off into different rows. But i love riding front row too so i could care less when people ask!

Not OP, but I can answer your question.

It all depends on how nice you ask, how often you're getting asked, and when you ask. If I just asked you how many are in your party, give you a row, and THEN you say you want the front: go fuck yourself. If you say "We're x amount and we'd like the front row" then fine, I'll figure it out. If say, you're at Test Track and I say "row 3" and then you say "oh we wanted the front" and then argue with me when I tell you row 3 is the front but you don't believe me: Get ready for me to get real condescending. If we're at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey where every ride vehicle is a front row seat and you ask for the front row, PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN AND TAKE TWO SECONDS TO LOOK AROUND.

If it's not obvious, I left attractions because it made me angry.

Bruh your frozen butter beer is lit

How often is it discovered that people are using hallucinogens like lsd or mushrooms in the park?

Fairly often. I've personally stopped the ride because some guy was having a bad trip on acid and thought he was in the pirates movie.

Okay, as a former Disneyland CM who just visited WDW for the first time last year, I gotta ask....what in the world is cast parking like over there? Does each park have its own lot? How hard is it to get over there with all resort traffic?

Also, hello fellow West Sider! (If you guys even are considered West Side Attractions over there....idk how your attraction groups are split up. Over here you'd do Mansion, Pirates, Splash and Pooh. Maybe canoes and big boats. Orrrr Jungle, Thunder, Steam trains. And, as always, Guest Control) Over there, idk!

The paring situation is not great. Each park does have its own parking lot. You have to get to the parking lot (completely separate from the parks) an hour before your shift. You then take a bus to the tunnels. Thankfully, the area where the busses go are not interfered with by resort traffic.

What's your favorite ride? Do you enjoy what you do?

Rockin roller coaster! And yeah it was a very rewarding job. Making families have the best experience possible was truly magical. The free park passes weren't so bad either ;)

Why did you stop working there? Any particular event that lead up you leaving?

I had to move back home to help take care of my grandmother with alzheimer's.

Do you know anything about the super secret exclusive club 33?

yes!

have you heard about any accidents at your park?

Yeah, it's disney! There's a lot of children there. ;)

What are those receipts that cast members swap around all the time. Seems like some shift change thing or something. Can you elaborate?

They're love letters!

Jk. they're assignment slips. Tells you where to go and when. Simple enough way to have the crew rotating through spots and sent on required breaks.

What's the dumbest question staff get asked all the time?

"What time is the 3 o'clock parade?"

standing in front of a bathroom Where's the bathroom?

THIS.

Did u get free tickets to bring u and ur fam over there for vacay?

Yes. We get 1 Main entrance pass and 3 guests pass. We also get some paper tickets a few times throughout the year.

Favorite place to eat out of all the spots in Disney World?

Be our guest!!!!

Hi! Long time Disney and theme park enthusiast here!

Couple questions:

What's the average pay rate, and would you say it's worth it?

What do you feel is the most underrated (and overrated) attraction in the park?

During what time period did you work there for?

How do you feel the park has progressed during the years, anything you would have done differently?

What do you think of DCA, and do you think it deserved the hate it got?

Do you get to visit the park for free, as the myth goes?

Thanks for the answers!

Hi!

Starting pay: 10$ If it's worth it or not is all dependent on how much you appreciate the perks of the job

Most underrated attraction:rockin roller coaster and i think small world is overrated

I worked there from 2012-2016

I feel the park has progressed so much with the help of the imagineers as far as the theming of the park goes. They really create magic.

I've never been!

And yes i could go in whatever park, however many parks a day with my entrance pass!

Fellow Las Vegan here! My mom worked as a ride operator ~30 years ago. Has there been any new rules or policies enforced over that time from an incident? Thanks!

When i first read this i was like "damn, i'm not vegan"... haha! I'm not sure what rules would have been different then besides technology driven stuff such as the no selfie stick rule. However, disney is very cautious about terrorism attacks.

All 5 of us native Vegans (Las Vegan's that is) should meet up. Growing up in LV, Disneyland was the goto if not Magic Mountain. Love the consistency and quality of Disney, keep up the good work for all the kids out there!

I'm a henderson kid, but you know how it is!

"Where do you live?" "Henderson" "Where's that?" "Vegas" "Oh. COOL!!"

I never knew there was a Disney World in Vegas. I'll be heading to Vegas and several cities in California next year. If I had to pick one, would you recommend Disney world Vegas or Anaheim?

Theres only 2 disneys in the US. Disney land in california and disney world in florida. my name tag just says where i'm from.

I think he's just from Las Vegas. I'm in Las Vegas and I'm 99% sure there's not a Disney here.

Aaaaaand that 1% is the Adventuredome! ;)

Any tips for first timers?

First timer for what?

So is your name: Las Vegas or is that where you are from?

That's where i'm from.

Crushed or cubed?

circle ice like from chick fil a or sonic. if not, crushed.