On Saturday, Reddit user u/memezdankton asked the question, "Former Disney theme park employees, what are some dirty secrets or stories you can tell us about your time there?" It led to people sharing some super-juicy, dark, and shocking secrets about working at a Disney park.
Here's what people said:
1. "Disneyland's first interview papers included a blank outline of a person to indicate where you have tattoos. If you want to change positions internally, it's referenced to indicate how said tattoos could be revealed, based on what your new uniform would be."
2. "Not a cast member, but I’m married to someone who was. The guest-inaccessible parts of the Haunted Mansion are gross. Think asbestos, dust, grease, cobwebs, and all kinds of other crap that has accumulated over decades. Every time wifey had to work there, she came home and bolted for the shower.”
3. "I was on the [Transportation and Ticket Center] resort platform working the night of the monorail crash. It will be 12 years this July, and I still wake up screaming from time to time. There is no amount of therapy that will or can erase that memory from my mind."
4. "You have to be in specific height ranges to play the different characters. Because Mickey's height range is so short, he's usually played by a woman. Likewise for Donald, although the most successful and best-known Donald that I knew while I worked there was a little person."
5. "People sexually harass the characters super frequently. I was working with Ariel, and cast members would always count down before they took a photo so people had time to get into position. I counted down, and this teen boy decided to try to rip off one of Ariel's shells."
6. "I think the worst part about character harassment is that Disney does not prosecute the guests, at least when I was there. When I was working in the 2000s, there was someone whose wrist was broken by a drunk guest who grabbed and twisted it really badly. They refused to prosecute, and I think she may have ended up with permanent nerve damage in her wrist, which really sucked because she was also a gymnast."
7. "I worked in reservations. They give you a name that is not your own, and you better use it. My name is not Robyn Leigh, but in Disney reservations, it was."
8. "Former cast member from the early '90s here. There was a central ‘bank’ near the Magic Kingdom tunnel entrance where all the park gift shops, restaurants, etc., would deposit the day’s cash. Each day an armored truck would drive into the tunnel to haul away the loot. I can only imagine how much cash they took outta there!"
9. "At Disneyland, on the Peter Pan ride, I was always in awe of the floating stars that you zoom by in the ride. Turns out, they are just LEDs on the end of wire hangers (attached to the walls, mostly) that are wrapped in electrical tape."
10. "I used to work at one of the outdoor carts in front of the castle at Disneyland. There’s water in various areas of the park, so we got lots of ducks, and in the springtime, the babies would hatch and walk around with their mothers. People didn't always pay attention to where they were going and would sometimes step on one of them, usually killing them. If I was able, I would step away from my cart to escort a family of ducks to safety."
11. "My mom was working in the nurses' station and got a call for a costume character who had heat exhaustion (the costumes get extremely warm, especially in summer). He was advised to remove the costume and walk to the nurse building to recover, but wasn’t allowed to. They were so busy trying to make sure that nobody saw him out of costume that they literally risked his health."
12. "Former Disneyland employee here. We see everything in the rides. There are cameras everywhere, and we have night vision. Yes, I saw you cop a feel on your girl when you thought no one was watching.”
13. "I was only a lifeguard at a pool, but I had to maintain the 'Disney look.' Before I started a shift, I was given a razor and asked to shave because of stubble/5 o’clock shadow."
14. "I was friends with a woman who played Snow White. She said she wanted to quit on her very first day because she had so many screaming, vomiting, angry, hungry, drooling children handed to her for photos. She said it was the absolute worst. I'm not sure how long she stuck it out for, but I know it wasn't long."
15. "I continued to use the backstage passages and the tunnels long after I quit. Nobody ever challenged me. As long as you met the grooming standards and looked like you knew where you were going, it was easy. I don't recommend trying this unless you are looking for a lifetime ban."
16. "You are being watched everywhere."
Do YOU have any secrets about your previous job? Let me know in the comments below!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.