Character attendant

[rockstargeisha]

Forgive me for butting in but I have a few questions;

Is a character attendant the same as an entertainment host? I currently live in the Disneyland area and their auditions page says they are always casting for these.

Secondly, my ultimate goal is to perform as a face character at one of the parks. I have been to five auditions and have yet to move forward. Never know what they're looking for, eh? Do you think getting my foot in the door as a character attendant or other position would be a good decision?

Thanks in advance for any answers.

 

[Joanna71985]

Mostly I've just done dining at the resorts...Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary, the backyard barbecue at Fort Wilderness, and whatever the place at the Grand Floridian is called!

Lucky duck. The only dining I've gotten to do is Norway a few times (I'm eating there this summer) and Crystal Pri...er, I mean Palace a couple of times (I'm eating there again as well). I never got scheduled resorts.

 

[luvthephunk]

Lucky duck. The only dining I've gotten to do is Norway a few times (I'm eating there this summer) and Crystal Pri...er, I mean Palace a couple of times (I'm eating there again as well). I never got scheduled resorts.

Crystal Palace...*Shudder*....anyways, moving on now. I've never worked at Akershus in Norway before, how is it?

 

[luvthephunk]

Forgive me for butting in but I have a few questions;

Is a character attendant the same as an entertainment host? I currently live in the Disneyland area and their auditions page says they are always casting for these.

Secondly, my ultimate goal is to perform as a face character at one of the parks. I have been to five auditions and have yet to move forward. Never know what they're looking for, eh? Do you think getting my foot in the door as a character attendant or other position would be a good decision?

Thanks in advance for any answers.

Well I have never been to DL before in my life, but based on the quick google search I did on the position, it looks like it's the same thing as a Character Attendant at WDW.

As for getting into a face character role, I don't know too much because I never auditioned for any character role. I would say that being a character attendant gives you a good foot in the door for costumed character roles for sure, but not to sure about face character roles. Face character roles depend on so much more...first of all, looks (facial structure, etc...), your speaking ability, mannerisms, and oh so much more I'm sure. So I really don't know what to tell you in this regard

 

[Joanna71985]

Crystal Palace...*Shudder*....anyways, moving on now. I've never worked at Akershus in Norway before, how is it?

Enough said about CP now, huh? But Norway is a lot of fun! It is so easy too. All you do is walk around each section and find out if they saw all the princesses. If they missed one, you just mark it down and mention it to the princess before she leaves. That's pretty much it.

 

[natty41]

Alright, I'll be the one to say it...the Crystal Prison (formally known as Crystal Palace) is sometimes enough to make you go AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

My first dining experience was there...what a way to start out, huh? Then I did not set foot in that place until my last day as a CP. Ironic.

 

[Joanna71985]

Alright, I'll be the one to say it...the Crystal Prison (formally known as Crystal Palace) is sometimes enough to make you go AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

My first dining experience was there...what a way to start out, huh? Then I did not set foot in that place until my last day as a CP. Ironic.

Nice. I only worked it one and 1/2 times. Once as a shift, then once when I was a breaker and was only there for an hour (so that doesn't really count ).

 

[luvthephunk]

Nice. I only worked it one and 1/2 times. Once as a shift, then once when I was a breaker and was only there for an hour (so that doesn't really count ).

I had a week straight about a month ago...it was not fun.

 

[DL50Magic]

I had a week straight about a month ago...it was not fun.

lol....is there something I should know?

 

[DL50Magic]

You all have me concerned now...lol

 

[luvthephunk]

lol....is there something I should know?

It's just not the most exciting place to work because you don't do much but stand around

 

[delly7]

Hi everyone! Yesterday I went to MK to do a little research and to watch some of the Character attendants in action. After watching for 5 minutes, I don't think it's the right job for me. What I saw was a CM sweating profusely in the hot sun answering people's questions and taking pictures. This role is nothing more than watching guard and answering people's questions. The guy looked bored. These people were also in the hot sun standing in a long line. It looked so miserable because of the heat. Maybe if we were all inside were there was air conditioning, I might lke it more. But the heat was brutal and I can only imagine how it is going to get in the summer! I had imagined it to be a little more entertaining and exciting than it really was. This was in the Pooh area and it was Tigger and Pooh in customes. Therefore I am going to look into merchandise. It was a welcome retreat to go into the stores after watching the character attendant outside in the heat. Can someone let me know if this is a pretty accurate description? I really thought it was going to be a little more entertaining. Thanks!

 

[Alyssa88]

I actually had a question. I know alot about being a character and attendant from another job at another theme park. The description of being an attendent sounded very similar to how it was for us (except we might be a charcter on day and then a "scout" the next"). It was the easiest job ever, lol, but it was also a whole lot of fun.

I was just wondering how it worked at WDW, it is probably alot harder than my old job as we would work for maybe 15 minutes every hour- giving us 45 minutes every hour of doing absolutely nothing, and getting paid for it (and this included scouts as well- except if we were short an employee). I doubt this is how it is for the attendants, but is it a similar set up for the characters?

I have been considering applying for the CP, but I wasn't sure what role I wanted to do. I just want to know if this is similar to what I used to do. If I would get a character role, how long are the breaks between being in the costume. I would assume they would have it harder since Florida is ALOT hotter than Pennsylvania.

 

[delly7]

Good point Alyssa88! I guess the role would not be so bad if you only had to stay out there 15 mins per hour! But somehow I doubt that the job would be that easy for a character attendant. Am I right? I am also interested in what the daily schedule would look like? Are you constantly outside in the heat with different characters that rotate? How much of a break do you get? Thanks!

 

[Joanna71985]

I had a week straight about a month ago...it was not fun.

Ewwww!

lol....is there something I should know?

You all have me concerned now...lol

It's not too bad. It just can get really boring at times.

Hi everyone! Yesterday I went to MK to do a little research and to watch some of the Character attendants in action. After watching for 5 minutes, I don't think it's the right job for me. What I saw was a CM sweating profusely in the hot sun answering people's questions and taking pictures. This role is nothing more than watching guard and answering people's questions. The guy looked bored. These people were also in the hot sun standing in a long line. It looked so miserable because of the heat. Maybe if we were all inside were there was air conditioning, I might lke it more. But the heat was brutal and I can only imagine how it is going to get in the summer! I had imagined it to be a little more entertaining and exciting than it really was. This was in the Pooh area and it was Tigger and Pooh in customes. Therefore I am going to look into merchandise. It was a welcome retreat to go into the stores after watching the character attendant outside in the heat. Can someone let me know if this is a pretty accurate description? I really thought it was going to be a little more entertaining. Thanks!

It's not really a "guard", per se. You get to help make magic with the characters. And you are not always outside, just like most merchandise areas are not always inside.

I actually had a question. I know alot about being a character and attendant from another job at another theme park. The description of being an attendent sounded very similar to how it was for us (except we might be a charcter on day and then a "scout" the next"). It was the easiest job ever, lol, but it was also a whole lot of fun.

I was just wondering how it worked at WDW, it is probably alot harder than my old job as we would work for maybe 15 minutes every hour- giving us 45 minutes every hour of doing absolutely nothing, and getting paid for it (and this included scouts as well- except if we were short an employee). I doubt this is how it is for the attendants, but is it a similar set up for the characters?

I have been considering applying for the CP, but I wasn't sure what role I wanted to do. I just want to know if this is similar to what I used to do. If I would get a character role, how long are the breaks between being in the costume. I would assume they would have it harder since Florida is ALOT hotter than Pennsylvania.

As a performer, it depends on the time of the year. Summer/warmer times it is 20 on, 40 off (but it really is less then that). Cooler times of the year, it is 30 on, 30 off. Also, indoor locations is longer on.

 

[Joanna71985]

Good point Alyssa88! I guess the role would not be so bad if you only had to stay out there 15 mins per hour! But somehow I doubt that the job would be that easy for a character attendant. Am I right? I am also interested in what the daily schedule would look like? Are you constantly outside in the heat with different characters that rotate? How much of a break do you get? Thanks!

It depends on your location and the characters you have. For example:
1) An outdoor location. You usually are with one-two characters (except the Hat at MGM). The character is also the same in the location (again, except at the Hat). You get breaks, but the amount varies depending on how many hours you are working. Usually it's 2-3 15 minute breaks, with a lunch.

2) Outdoor with a character like Peter Pan. Here it is different. For one thing, the length is longer. But then you don't come right back out.

3) indoor- the length is also longer indoors.

 

[luvthephunk]

Good point Alyssa88! I guess the role would not be so bad if you only had to stay out there 15 mins per hour! But somehow I doubt that the job would be that easy for a character attendant. Am I right? I am also interested in what the daily schedule would look like? Are you constantly outside in the heat with different characters that rotate? How much of a break do you get? Thanks!

How much of a break you get really depends on which area you are working in, which characters you are working with, and what other attendants you are working with. Generally speaking, characters will have 30 minutes on and off (subject to change to 25/35 or 20/40 depending on the weather. Attendants though often do not have the same schedules as characters.

At the least you will get three 15 minute breaks during the day, and a hour lunch on top of that. Often times, I've ended up getting three 30 minute breaks along with my 1 hour lunch. And sometimes you just get lucky and you'll have the 30/30 same schedule as your character. It depends on all those factors that I mentioned above.

Oh and just another note, all those set times that I listed above, as Joanna did, you need to realize that those are NOT applicable to face characters. If you would like, I could post a few current daily schedules so you can get an idea of the average day. Let me know.

 

[luvthephunk]

Hi everyone! Yesterday I went to MK to do a little research and to watch some of the Character attendants in action. After watching for 5 minutes, I don't think it's the right job for me. What I saw was a CM sweating profusely in the hot sun answering people's questions and taking pictures. This role is nothing more than watching guard and answering people's questions. The guy looked bored. These people were also in the hot sun standing in a long line. It looked so miserable because of the heat. Maybe if we were all inside were there was air conditioning, I might lke it more. But the heat was brutal and I can only imagine how it is going to get in the summer! I had imagined it to be a little more entertaining and exciting than it really was. This was in the Pooh area and it was Tigger and Pooh in customes. Therefore I am going to look into merchandise. It was a welcome retreat to go into the stores after watching the character attendant outside in the heat. Can someone let me know if this is a pretty accurate description? I really thought it was going to be a little more entertaining. Thanks!

Okay, well I'll be straight with you. Being outside in the sun can be brutal, but there is usually alot of shade in character locations. In merchandise you are just as likely to be working outside as you are inside because you rotate in and out. The thing about the heat is though is, you get used to it. You really do.

I mean no offense or anything of course, but you really can't get a solid picture of what a character attendant is/does in just a five minute observation. You're right, we do answer alot of questions and we do take alot of pictures. But what you maybe didn't see is that we have free reign to talk to guests about anything while they are standing in line, and we also get the pleasure of playing around with the characters. Every day you work is what you make of it.

If you decide that you are going to just stand there and "guard" your character (as it seems that particular character attendant did), then chances are you aren't going to enjoy yourself. It's when you open up and decide to start to have some fun, you start to enjoy yourself a whole lot. Believe me, if you are working with a character that has alot of energy, it rubs off on you. The same works vise versa also...if you have alot of energy, it rubs off onto your character and you have alot of fun as a result.

Personally, I love talking to the guests that come in my line whether its hot or not. I'm hot, their hot...it's something we have in common, we talk about it ever so briefly and you move on and forget all about it. It's a fact of life whatever you do. You can't let the heat get to you is what I am essentially saying. If you're hot, imagine how hot your character is. Yet, a lot of characters have fun during their sets no matter how hot or cold it is.

 

[TinkerMunk]

Okay, well I'll be straight with you. Being outside in the sun can be brutal, but there is usually alot of shade in character locations. In merchandise you are just as likely to be working outside as you are inside because you rotate in and out. The thing about the heat is though is, you get used to it. You really do.

I mean no offense or anything of course, but you really can't get a solid picture of what a character attendant is/does in just a five minute observation. You're right, we do answer alot of questions and we do take alot of pictures. But what you maybe didn't see is that we have free reign to talk to guests about anything while they are standing in line, and we also get the pleasure of playing around with the characters. Every day you work is what you make of it.

If you decide that you are going to just stand there and "guard" your character (as it seems that particular character attendant did), then chances are you aren't going to enjoy yourself. It's when you open up and decide to start to have some fun, you start to enjoy yourself a whole lot. Believe me, if you are working with a character that has alot of energy, it rubs off on you. The same works vise versa also...if you have alot of energy, it rubs off onto your character and you have alot of fun as a result.

Personally, I love talking to the guests that come in my line whether its hot or not. I'm hot, their hot...it's something we have in common, we talk about it ever so briefly and you move on and forget all about it. It's a fact of life whatever you do. You can't let the heat get to you is what I am essentially saying. If you're hot, imagine how hot your character is. Yet, a lot of characters have fun during their sets no matter how hot or cold it is.

I cannot agree with you more! I was a character Attendant for over 7 years and it really is what YOU make of it. YOU have to be the one to make it FUN and EXCITING!!! I love this role and would not change for anything!

 

[DL50Magic]

It's just not the most exciting place to work because you don't do much but stand around

Ok! Thanks for your help....that doesnt seem too bad....I thought it was going to be something really scary...lol