Is Disney really this bad of a place to work?

[Jgetterman]

Read the article... I'm curious to to read everyone's feedback.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/b...These-Mickey-Ears-and-Shove-it-105856143.html

Being in the military is better than working at Disney World?

 

[kirrrby]

Honestly, I would love to work at Disney. But most of the people who were probably in the poll or study they did were in the college program or unqualified for a job that they desired. Now when you're selected for the College Program, you have choices of the jobs you want. But that doesn't always ensure that you get those choices. I believe that Disney would be a wonderful place to work. I've seen things that the Resort CM's go through (my career pathway is Hospitality Management) and I applaud them for being able to handle all the customers who complain constantly and make Disney a miserable employee experience for some. I've got friends in the College Program and they love it some have even tried for another semester. And coming from the Military side.. My fiance (who is in the Marine Corps) complains about the things that go on day to day. Routine, day to day things, long hours, long days..etc. The only reason I can see why Military would be better is because the Military has better benefits. Not-So-Free Healthcare (still comes out of the paychecks, but you don't really see that money in the first place) Housing Allowance (when you're single and not living out in town that amount is another thing that you never see in your paycheck). But it's easier to deal with. Just my opinion

 

[nytimez]

It's a nonsensical comparison, in many ways. It's like saying race car drivers are happier than goat herders, and walking-stick repairmen rank only 41st on job satisfaction. It's meaningless.

Having said that, the Mouse is a notoriously tough employer.

 

[Dolce27]

I worked the College Program back in 1999. As part of the CP we had to take classes about the business and history of the Disney company. One thing is: when you work for the Mouse you see the business side of the company. It's glaring. Disney is a business. WDW is a business. It has to be a business and operate as a business in order to keep its gates open. It's part of the CM's job to have the guests see the magic instead the business of the company. (And there's enough vent posts on this message board to prove that when a CM doesn't produce the magic, the guest sees the business aspect of the company and are unhappy about it.)

Back to the point about the classes I had to take: One class covered being able to overcome experiencing the business of the company in order to produce the magic for the guests. There are many CP's that drop out early in the program simply b/c they came to Disney b/c it would be a "fun place to work" not realizing that they had to be the ones to produce that magic and it may not be so magical for them at WDW as an employee vs as a guest. If you are able to overcome this, you'd be fine. I enjoyed my time on the CP and wished that my school schedule had allowed another semester on the CP. But it didn't.

One other note: Wages at Disney are low and hours are long. My roommate on the CP was an outdoor foods vendor over at the Studios. She usually worked around 60 hours/week. We also have threads on this board about how rude guests are at the parks and it wears on you - really, it does. When I worked there I often thought that the guests got on the plane to FL while their brain got on the plane to Alaska. They wouldn't listen to a word you said, they wouldn't read any signs posted, and then when something went wrong - and something always went wrong - it was your fault, not theirs. Being in any type of customer service job (not just at WDW) can suck with how our society is.

 

[nancyjane]

I had a student who worked at Disney one year. He said it was the most expensive job he ever had. The costs were high and the pay was low. But he was glad that he had the experience, and it was an interesting thing to have on his resume. (For a northerner anyway.)

 

[resol37]

Well...
1. Unless I'm missing a continuation of the article, it seems pretty short and doesn't provide a lot of detail - especially what kinds of questions were asked, how many people were polled and the positions of those people.
2. I've never been in the military, but I did do the college program in the spring of 2004.
3. Working in Walt Disney World is tough. I worked about 50-55 hours a week on my feet and outdoors for $6 an hour. I worked at the Disney-MGM Studios (at the time) Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Playground and eventually (and thankfully) the Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour. I much preferred working at the Backlot Tour. I was provided housing and my rent was automatically deducted from my pay on a weekly basis. I shared a bedroom (all CPs do), but apartment was furnished. I did not bring a car, so I depended on the bus (to and from the parks and Wal-Mart) and the friends that I made while I was there. I purchased my own temporary health insurance while I was there. As a CP, I was often unable to get time off when family came to visit.
4. On the plus side - I got to visit the main four parks for free whenever I liked (Pleasure Island, DisneyQuest and the water parks were free on certain dates). We received discounts on merchandise and table service meals (if I remember correctly, 30% and 20% respectively - there was no discount on counter service meals). I got to give away magic and ride the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster with the lights on. At the Backlot Tour I put on a show for 100s of people everyday.

Was it tough? Absolutely. I was 21 and had never lived away from home before (I went to community college). I was incredibly homesick and almost went home early at one point.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.

 

[Feralpeg]

I worked for Disney for a year. Was it perfect...not be a long shot, but it wasn't any worse than some other places I've worked. The pay is bad. Promotions are difficult to come by. Disney is VERY strict with its CMs. You can get points very easily. You are expected to greet every day and every guest with magic and a smile. Sometimes, that is difficult. After many hours, it wears on you. Unless you are full time, which most CMs are not, you don't get benefits such as health care. There are perks, such as entry to the parks, but it is hard to fit in the time when you are being scheduled so many hours.

All that being said, there are many, many great people working for Disney. The majority really try to deliver the magic each and every day. There is something really cool about working on WDW property. It always made me smile when I would walk into the hall, from the room where I worked, to find Mickey standing there. I loved seeing the effort that went into making the floral arrangements as special as possible for each guest. But, most of all, I enjoyed the enthusiasm of many guests I would speak to on the phone. They would be so excited about their upcoming trip. I couldn't help but get caught up in their moment.

In the long run, I felt working for Disney took away too much of the magic for me personally. I didn't want to know everything about the problems on the inside. It detracted from my visits to the parks, but I will never forget my experience there and I do not regret the time I spent as a CM.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Another way to put it would be that Disney is in the top 50 most blissful companies to work for.

Not saying it's not tough work, any big corporation is going to have a lot of tough jobs, and the parks are probably some of the most grueling, however, Disney employs tens-of-thousands if not hundreds-of-thousands of people all over the world, and not all of them work in the parks or on the cruise lines. People can make statistics say anything they want, and a headline that reads Marines are more content than Mickey is much more likely to get clicked than others, which leads you to the advertisers on their site, bread and butter!

 

[kirrrby]

Another way to put it would be that Disney is in the top 50 most blissful companies to work for.

Not saying it's not tough work, any big corporation is going to have a lot of tough jobs, and the parks are probably some of the most grueling, however, Disney employs tens-of-thousands if not hundreds-of-thousands of people all over the world, and not all of them work in the parks or on the cruise lines. People can make statistics say anything they want, and a headline that reads Marines are more content than Mickey is much more likely to get clicked than others, which leads you to the advertisers on their site, bread and butter!

that's simply what it is, a fluff piece. just because it seems like it would be from a reputable source, doesn't mean jack. Because my fiance would probably choose Disney over Marines. Actually..anything over Marines. He loves being one, but it gets old very fast.

Btw, we'll be there the same time you are!

 

[misscj215]

Well...
1. Unless I'm missing a continuation of the article, it seems pretty short and doesn't provide a lot of detail - especially what kinds of questions were asked, how many people were polled and the positions of those people.
2. I've never been in the military, but I did do the college program in the spring of 2004.
3. Working in Walt Disney World is tough. I worked about 50-55 hours a week on my feet and outdoors for $6 an hour. I worked at the Disney-MGM Studios (at the time) Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Playground and eventually (and thankfully) the Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour. I much preferred working at the Backlot Tour. I was provided housing and my rent was automatically deducted from my pay on a weekly basis. I shared a bedroom (all CPs do), but apartment was furnished. I did not bring a car, so I depended on the bus (to and from the parks and Wal-Mart) and the friends that I made while I was there. I purchased my own temporary health insurance while I was there. As a CP, I was often unable to get time off when family came to visit.
4. On the plus side - I got to visit the main four parks for free whenever I liked (Pleasure Island, DisneyQuest and the water parks were free on certain dates). We received discounts on merchandise and table service meals (if I remember correctly, 30% and 20% respectively - there was no discount on counter service meals). I got to give away magic and ride the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster with the lights on. At the Backlot Tour I put on a show for 100s of people everyday.

Was it tough? Absolutely. I was 21 and had never lived away from home before (I went to community college). I was incredibly homesick and almost went home early at one point.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.

I was down there on the college program during Spring 2004 too!

 

[MickeyMaz]

The article left out one small detail. People could be shooting at you at one point or another. Can't say that about Disney.

 

[Pjimmeyer]

The article left out one small detail. People could be shooting at you at one point or another. Can't say that about Disney.

I dunno...on the other hand you don't have to dodge too many flying babies as a Marine.

 

[kirrrby]

I dunno...on the other hand you don't have to dodge too many flying babies as a Marine.

On the other other hand..you obviously haven't seen how many Marine Wives are pregnant right now.

 

[Pjimmeyer]

On the other other hand..you obviously haven't seen how many Marine Wives are pregnant right now.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Disney is what you make of it. It is by far the most political company I ever worked for and that was quite a shock. Being a CM isn't the same as being a Guest just like living in Orlando isn't the same as vacationing there.

I loved my time at Disney BUT there were several shortcomings that the company had. The hours were long, the pay was low and the guests could make or break your day - especially the Brazilian tour groups. I wouldn't trade my time with the Mouse for anything though and would jump at the chance to go back (although not back into the hourly jobs in the parks!).

Shout out to fellow former Studio Ops CM. I did my time at HISK and the then Backstage Studio Tour, although many years earlier. Ah, memories.

 

[justskip70003]

Disney is what you make of it. It is by far the most political company I ever worked for and that was quite a shock. Being a CM isn't the same as being a Guest just like living in Orlando isn't the same as vacationing there.

I loved my time at Disney BUT there were several shortcomings that the company had. The hours were long, the pay was low and the guests could make or break your day - especially the Brazilian tour groups. I wouldn't trade my time with the Mouse for anything though and would jump at the chance to go back (although not back into the hourly jobs in the parks!).

Shout out to fellow former Studio Ops CM. I did my time at HISK and the then Backstage Studio Tour, although many years earlier. Ah, memories.

so heres my take on the artical and the previous posts. i agree 10000% about living in orlando vs. visiting orlando. it was my dream to live in orlando so i could go to WDW everyday i was off and at night after i got off work. i have never lived in such a nasty slimey bum ridden town in my life... and i am from new orleans originally which was just voted the most voilent city in america. orlando made new orleans seem beautiful and clean the traffic is HORRIBLE and the crime surrounding WDW is completely out of control. i made it 3 months and moved to tampa lol

as far as working for Disney. i dont think i would want to take the chance of ruining the facade of the magic that Disney creates for us. Disney is in the business of creating magic for us and they do an amazing job. i understand it is a grueling job. so with that said i have come to the conclusion that the business of creating magic, pixie dust and working at the place where dreams come true isnt for me. i would much rather go and spend my hard earned money living the fantasy all the amazing cast members past, present and future create for me. and with this i say thank each and every one of you who have worked there since i started going in 1978

 

[enyaj40]

The team lead for the Starbucks in our store said she loved working for Disney and missed working for them.

I work guest service at Target and our goal is Fast, Fun, and Friendly. It's a challenge when someone is throwing a DVD at me but I still love it.

 

[Rahel]

so heres my take on the artical and the previous posts. i agree 10000% about living in orlando vs. visiting orlando. it was my dream to live in orlando so i could go to WDW everyday i was off and at night after i got off work. i have never lived in such a nasty slimey bum ridden town in my life... and i am from new orleans originally which was just voted the most voilent city in america. orlando made new orleans seem beautiful and clean the traffic is HORRIBLE and the crime surrounding WDW is completely out of control. i made it 3 months and moved to tampa lol

as far as working for Disney. i dont think i would want to take the chance of ruining the facade of the magic that Disney creates for us. Disney is in the business of creating magic for us and they do an amazing job. i understand it is a grueling job. so with that said i have come to the conclusion that the business of creating magic, pixie dust and working at the place where dreams come true isnt for me. i would much rather go and spend my hard earned money living the fantasy all the amazing cast members past, present and future create for me. and with this i say thank each and every one of you who have worked there since i started going in 1978

Wow, I want to know where in the devil you lived in Orlando. I've lived here for all of my life that I can remember (family moved here when I was 2, I'm 21 now) and while there are some not so nice areas, I don't feel it's THAT bad of a city. Not saying you didn't have a bad experience here, I just haven't ever seen it quite like you describe except in a few areas.

 

[Sabbie]

It's all what you make of it.

 

[Brazilmom]

Can be good for your CV! My friend moved to DLP to work in catering a number of years ago and it gave his international CV a huge boost - he's gone on to work at top hotels around the world. He met his wife there, too, so all in all a GREAT career move...