It's summer, so I know a lot of people are headed to a Disney theme park. IDK about y'all, but I've always wondered about the dark side of working at the "happiest place on earth."
Recently, I wrote a post about the theme park employees sharing some dark behind-the-scenes truths about working there. Well, our BuzzFeed Community came through with comments of their own about their experiences working there.
Here's what they said:
1. Creepy traditions:
"It’s pretty common for guests to dump ashes of their loved ones on the Haunted Mansion ride. They do it because 'There are 999 ghosts, and there’s always room for 1,000!'"
2. Shaky infrastructure:
"Used to work at Splash Mountain and one time, the ceiling collapsed on the logs with guests in it. They just put a tarp over the hole and kept running the ride. I never rode it again after that."
3. The three D's:
"When I worked at Disneyland, I learned from my fellow cast members a very important unofficial rule. We called it the three Ds. Don't Do Disney. Or sometimes 'Don't Date Disney.' As in, don't sleep with your fellow cast members. It pretty much always ends badly. The drama backstage is both hilarious and exhausting.
It's also a well known fact that if your managers find out you're dating someone from your area, they will move one of you. I even remember someone having to move to a completely different department, so that they weren't working close to their significant other. And yet, Disney loves to tell stories about how cast members met at the parks and fell in love. Such hypocrites."
4. The Disney FU:
"If anybody says, 'Have a magical day,' they mean you were a gigantic asshole and hated dealing with you. We call it the 'Disney Fuck You'."
5. Creepy attendees:
"I remember when I worked at Disney World — an old man grabbed me and KISSED ME ON MY LIPS. You best believe no one cared, and I was scared, creeped out, and disgusted. I also was 20 and moved from Europe to Florida all by myself just to work for Disney."
6. Lack of support:
"A person close to me was sexually harassed continuously (in the Some submissions contain mentions of sexual harassmentlate 90s) at a Disney venue. The response was to put them in a closed room with the accused and told them to work it out or quit to avoid 'tarnishing their reputation.'"
7. Lack of security for staff:
"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."
8. Overly strict adherence to the "Disney look":
"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."
10. Unsanitary water:
"The water in the Pirates ride is not filtered, so we tell you to keep your hands out of the water for multiple reasons: so you can keep your limbs, and because you could get an infection."
11. Strict cashier rules:
"If you worked at the diners or food service places where someone was at a register that you walked past to order/charge your food, you didn’t get to drink anything or go to the bathroom for your full 8 or 10-hour shift. That’s when I lost all respect for them."
12. This, um...interesting strategy:
"Disneyland has resident cats that live on the property. At night they hunt rodents, helping control the rodent population. Who’s the main mascot of Disneyland? Mickey Mouse. They are literally sanctioning the hunting and killing of Mickey’s family."
13. And this, um...interesting pay strategy:
"I worked at Kilimanjaro Safaris in Animal Kingdom. A little secret: we got paid a dollar more than all other attractions because we not only spiel, but drive 35+ guests in a truck on an uncontrolled trail. If we wanted to, we could’ve driven right out into the river where the crocs are and told you all to 'run.' Hence the extra dollar an hour to keep us from doing something so crazy."
14. Scary accidents:
"People fall off of things. A lot. Roofs, rides, etc. There are varying outcomes."
15. And lastly, trauma:
"I was on the TTC Resort Platform working the night of the Monorail crash. It will be 13 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."