I worked at WDW, Universal, and SeaWorld. Ask away.

[gratefulfred]

Does Disney search its employees upon entering or exiting the property?

 

[kathy884]

Yes, all the parks have internships.

The most famous is the Disney College Program, which I don't recommend. See above. While it is technically an internship, I believe an internship should give students real life training in their field of study, while most students do standard entry level, no college needed jobs like working in attractions, restaurants, and sometimes even in housekeeping and custodial. Unless you are working in culinary or hospitality, it isn't worth it.

-- agree with the perspective above about the Disney College program.

And Planogirl, I thought I'd go ahead and comment about what my nephew who was recently in the college program at Disney told me about it too.

He had a blast being in the program, but said it's basically slave labor for Disney. They have lots of people apply, so can be picky and get really good people. The students get the worst shifts that the part timers and full time employees don't want (e.g. work till midnight sometimes, then it takes a while to get home and get some sleep, and it's not uncommon to have a shift the next day at 8 a.m.) They offer some classes while students are working, but it's hard to do those with the crazy shifts etc. Disney also from what I could see use the students to their best advantage vs. placing students in areas of interest for future careers. (e.g. My nephew is wanting to go into event planning. For summer jobs he has worked as a camp counselor at a YMCA camp and also during college worked in an after care program for special needs kids and led them in lots of art and drama programs. (He was stage manager for shows etc. at his high school and also had lots of experience designing sets and getting people involved and working together on things like that too). Disney had him then working at their kids program at the Polynesian for much of the internship plus had him working in the Polynesian gift shop.) On a positive note, he was in an apartment near the Sheraton Vistana with four other guys who were in the international equivalent of the "Disney College Program" and all four of his room mates worked in their respective countries at Epcot. It was fun for him to become really good friends with other guys his age from other parts of the world, and he told me he now has a place to couch surf if he ever does international travel in a few other countries. // I soo much agree, though, that the Disney College program is more like getting a summer job at Disney not in your field, but you do it for a semester instead of just the summer. Anyway now my nephew took even more time off to establish his Florida residency and is returning to college in Florida instead of Idaho as an in state resident in January.

 

[Cyrano]

Folks please remember that this board is for trip planning for Walt Disney World.

Discussions about Seaworld, Universal etc should be posted on the appropriate board. Thank you

 

[ChanaC]

OK, I'll ask something I have always wondered about. How did WDW acquire the animals that we see at AK? Did they come from breeding programs at other zoos? Did they bring them over directly from Africa and Asia?

DAK, Epcot, and SeaWorld are all part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums which monitors how animals are collected, traded, and cared for and have, from what I am told, pretty strict rules. I believe that most of them are from other zoos and where born in facilities. I'm not positive though.

 

[Cais]

See, I disagree about the college program. I found it was really useful in not only establishing myself in Florida but it led directly to my Professional Internship in a role I wouldn't even have been eligible to apply for had I not worked in the parks. That professional internship then helped me land my currently role on the Office and Technical side, which is hard to break through into. My CP time was definitely instrumental in getting me here.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[ChanaC]

a few questions, some of which you might not know the answer to but I thank you anyway.

Roughly what % of visitors to SeaWorld/Universal, where doing a Disney based holiday and doing the other parks on an off-day

When a cm is already a friend of a furry character, say mickey, how much extra training do they need to become friends with other furry characters such as Stitch, Pooh, etc?

When working at SeaWorld or Animal Kingdom did you ever have to deal with anti-zoo protesters or any kind of abuse?

Are all cast members in each company given comparable safety training? (first aid, personal attack, bomb threat, etc)

Good questions.

Not positive but from my experience people at WDW tend to stay there while people at Universal and Seaworld tend to be more adventurous and try other parks and attractions. I used to see people with various rooms key on landyards on there neck with Disney and Universal tickets in the pockets while at Universal. I also notice when it rains at all the parks various ponchos from the other attractions. It would be interesting now that Disney has the magic bands to see if people wear them to other parks. It was cool to see a family wearing magic bands to my other job, which was at a professional theater in Downtown Orlando. It means they drove out of their way to find some real arts and culture!

When a CM becomes a "friend" they are given two or three characters to practice and sometimes are scheduled in other characters in their height range even if f they never practiced as them before. I was talking to Rafiki's "friend" one day in our van over to Rafiki's planet watch who was really nervious because she did just get scheduled that character and never tried on the costume. They tend to do quite a few characters.

No, although I was working at SeaWorld the summer Blackfish came out. In the parks some people asked questions, especially the camp kids, so we just answered what we could truthfully. No one would come to to either park if they were so against it. One day at our end of the day announcements at SW our manager told us that we could call security if we ever felt uncomfortae walking to our cars. The staff parking lot is open from the street so anyone could drive in and they were afraid that protesters would approach us as we came in and left work, which never happened to me. The worst was from my Facebook friends who would post a link to the trailer and say something like, "OMG this is so sad never go to SeaWorld!"

We were given basic info like how to call security, where AEDs were, and fire exists but not to in depth. At SW I got more training since I was with the kids all the time.

 

[ChanaC]

Does Disney search its employees upon entering or exiting the property?

No but Universal and Seaworld did.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Did you say you are working seasonal now ?

 

[ChanaC]

Folks please remember that this board is for trip planning for Walt Disney World.

Discussions about Seaworld, Universal etc should be posted on the appropriate board. Thank you

I thought since the forum is "Theme Park Attractions and Strategies" it would be appropriate. I didn't want to do three threads in three places.

 

[ChanaC]

Not totally true but that's something you can ask Security about ChanaC

From my experience I've only been checked at Disney once. I think Magic Kingdom does but I never worked there.

 

[Luvchefmic]

From my experience I've only been checked at Disney once. I think Magic Kingdom does but I never worked there.

we were posting at same time..I deleted what I said

 

[Dano13]

Hello .... This is very interesting thread, thank you for your candor. We are leaving in a few days and for the first time, we are going to SeaWorld for a day. We have the all day dining pass, so we were planning to get there for rope drop and go straight to breakfast. From here I was told to go straight to the penguins. Do you agree? What do you think would be a good plan of action will be? We will probably stay until about 3-4 PM before heading back to the MK for a couple of FP+ rides and then the Tomorrowland Terrace dessert buffet.

 

[ChanaC]

See, I disagree about the college program. I found it was really useful in not only establishing myself in Florida but it led directly to my Professional Internship in a role I wouldn't even have been eligible to apply for had I not worked in the parks. That professional internship then helped me land my currently role on the Office and Technical side, which is hard to break through into. My CP time was definitely instrumental in getting me here.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Good for you! Unfortunately most CPs I know don't move on like you. I also know some CPs who did say they wanted to get in-state residency for college but end up slacking off and never make it happen. While it can be a good expereince for some people, I would say a majority never reach their full potential.

 

[ChanaC]

Hello .... This is very interesting thread, thank you for your candor. We are leaving in a few days and for the first time, we are going to SeaWorld for a day. We have the all day dining pass, so we were planning to get there for rope drop and go straight to breakfast. From here I was told to go straight to the penguins. Do you agree? What do you think would be a good plan of action will be? We will probably stay until about 3-4 PM before heading back to the MK for a couple of FP+ rides and then the Tomorrowland Terrace dessert buffet.

Yes, Antartica is new and always has a huge line which never seems to go down. Breakfast can take up a lot of time so maybe get something to go or eat before. Two big tips I have is to go on Turtle Trek during the dolphin show and Wild Arctic and/or Shamu's Happy Harbor during Shamu. As both shows end people tend to go on those rides next since they are the closest. Go during the shows and they will be less crowded and you will beat the crowd.

Also, bring a ball or water bottle to the Dolphin Underwater Viewing. Roll it on the floor back and forth between two people or throw it in the air and catch. The dolphins get really curious and will watch it move like a dog with a tennis ball!

 

[think-like-tink]

How early do the friends of face characters have to be there to get ready? Silly, I know. But, when IU am getting ready for my 5 AM job I like to think so is Cinderella!!

And how long are the shifts.

 

[ChanaC]

How early do the friends of face characters have to be there to get ready? Silly, I know. But, when IU am getting ready for my 5 AM job I like to think so is Cinderella!!

And how long are the shifts.

Not sure. I don't think too early. I guess it depends on when the park opens.

 

[maarowak]

Oh, you worked with PP, I have a question!

Me and my sister are going to WDW for the first time. I have a nikon d3100 that I could bring, but it's so heavy (in my opinion)... So I was wondering if the Memory Maker would be worth it.

We are going to character breakfast buffets, and would like to take pictures in other restaurants we are going, etc... Would Memory Maker help in this situation? Or is just character meetings on parks, ride photos, and around parks? I could also take my iPad to the parks (was planning to leave it on the resort at first and only use it on our terribly long flights), but I'm afraid the photo quality will be... subpar.

So, suck it up, take my camera, pay for the ride pictures and ask to the CMs to take our pics with the characters/around the parks or get MM? ):

Sorry, this is a bit of a personalized question orz

Also!!! I do admit that watching Blackfish made me not want to set foot on Seaworld/any place with mammals that live on the water really (which broke my heart a bit because I visited the Vancouver aquarium twice before watching the movie and the beluga tank looked so small but I ever thought about it -I didn't see the dolphins-), but I also really don't enjoy zoos that much. I am excited to go to AK, but are the animals there really comfortable? Do they get enough mental/physical stimulation? Have you ever noticed uncommon behaviour from them? (aka constantly walking in circles, interacting with the bars -do they even have bars around the facilities?-, self-mutilation, head-bobbing, etc)

Thank you and sorry for the long super questions!

 

[sdd1841]

Love all of your info....I have. 2 quick questions.

1. We are headed to AK on Tuesday, Sept 16. Any tips or advise for us? I have not been to AK since before Everest opened.

2. How are the crowds at Sea World in Sept? We will not have a full day at the park but my boys want to hit the main rides...would you recommend quick que? Any tips for 10 year old boys?

Thanks so much!

Sandy

 

[ChanaC]

Oh, you worked with PP, I have a question!

Me and my sister are going to WDW for the first time. I have a nikon d3100 that I could bring, but it's so heavy (in my opinion)... So I was wondering if the Memory Maker would be worth it.

We are going to character breakfast buffets, and would like to take pictures in other restaurants we are going, etc... Would Memory Maker help in this situation? Or is just character meetings on parks, ride photos, and around parks? I could also take my iPad to the parks (was planning to leave it on the resort at first and only use it on our terribly long flights), but I'm afraid the photo quality will be... subpar.

So, suck it up, take my camera, pay for the ride pictures and ask to the CMs to take our pics with the characters/around the parks or get MM? ):

Sorry, this is a bit of a personalized question orz

Also!!! I do admit that watching Blackfish made me not want to set foot on Seaworld/any place with mammals that live on the water really (which broke my heart a bit because I visited the Vancouver aquarium twice before watching the movie and the beluga tank looked so small but I ever thought about it -I didn't see the dolphins-), but I also really don't enjoy zoos that much. I am excited to go to AK, but are the animals there really comfortable? Do they get enough mental/physical stimulation? Have you ever noticed uncommon behaviour from them? (aka constantly walking in circles, interacting with the bars -do they even have bars around the facilities?-, self-mutilation, head-bobbing, etc)

Thank you and sorry for the long super questions!

Memory Maker might be for you. It's good for people who are doing a lot of character dining (you will get a digital copy of the photo but it's not usually with a character) like meeting characters in the park, and do a lot of rides. I would still bring a small camera for in between moments.

About Blackfish - the problem with it is it's goal is to entertain and to make you feel, not to inform. There is a document SW made of 17ish pages that breaks down the movie minute by minute and explains every flaw in it. I can post it later. If it makes you feel better, I entered SW neutral on the subnect and never found anything to complain about.

The areas around AK have "natural" barriers like water and hills that keep the animals sperate. There are walls and things though. I can think of one conversation about animal well being with a CM at the tiger exhibit. She was mentioning that the tiger was moving to another facility because it was older and the new place can better take care of the tiger as it ages. She mentioned that the tigers can sense when the park is busy and when a lot of people are looking at it. When it does feel stresses it just moves to the backnof the exhibit so it can be alone. Also, most zoos have back areas and usually give the animals a choice of where it wants to stay for the day. For example, there are four belugas at SW but there are two pools, one on display and one in the back. There is a tunnel between the two and most days they can freely go where they want so you may not see all the animals all the time.

 

[maarowak]

Memory Maker might be for you. It's good for people who are doing a lot of character dining (you will get a digital copy of the photo but it's not usually with a character) like meeting characters in the park, and do a lot of rides. I would still bring a small camera for in between moments.

About Blackfish - the problem with it is it's goal is to entertain and to make you feel, not to inform. There is a document SW made of 17ish pages that breaks down the movie minute by minute and explains every flaw in it. I can post it later. If it makes you feel better, I entered SW neutral on the subnect and never found anything to complain about.

The areas around AK have "natural" barriers like water and hills that keep the animals sperate. There are walls and things though. I can think of one conversation about animal well being with a CM at the tiger exhibit. She was mentioning that the tiger was moving to another facility because it was older and the new place can better take care of the tiger as it ages. She mentioned that the tigers can sense when the park is busy and when a lot of people are looking at it. When it does feel stresses it just moves to the backnof the exhibit so it can be alone. Also, most zoos have back areas and usually give the animals a choice of where it wants to stay for the day. For example, there are four belugas at SW but there are two pools, one on display and one in the back. There is a tunnel between the two and most days they can freely go where they want so you may not see all the animals all the time.

Thank you very much for your answers! :