Is Disney really this bad of a place to work?

[ClarabelleCowFan]

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

This is exactly why I would never work in the Magic Kingdom. That to me was somewhere that I never wanted tainted by the daily grind of work. I did teach seminars for awhile that took groups through the backstage areas of the Kingdom but that was completely different than donning a costume and working Dumbo.

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.

Maybe Crime Hills? (Pine Hills)?

I lived in Orlando almost 7 years - UCF area, off Kirkman Rd (even had my car stolen from here - it's not too far from Pine Hills), Kissimmee and Lake Buena Vista. I never felt unsafe living in any of those places nor were there many areas of Orlando that I felt unsafe going to.

 

[goofy4tink]

I know a lot of CMs at WDW. And for the most part, they are very happy there. Is it perfect? Of course it isn't. The 'magic' isn't supposed to be for the employees, but for the guest. I can only imagine how hard it is to keep that smile glued on your face after dealing with some of the guests I've seen.
I've kiddingly said 'OH man, Sheriff Goofy would be coming for me right now if I had had to deal with that guest...good job 'xyz'.' to a CM after a particularly nasty guest encounter. They see some nasty stuff....so a great big 'atta boy' to the CMs out there.

Would I work at WDW?? I would love to. But not until dd is out of college and on her own. Then, it may be time to head to Florida. No place is 100% crime free...and any town/city that has such a high tourist population is going to have a lot more crime.

 

[Feralpeg]

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

I don't know where you lived in the Orlando area, but I certainly don't see this happening. Yes, there is crime, but it is pretty much confined to certain areas of the city. I stay away from those areas. Not any different than when I lived in Kansas City. There were good and bad areas.

For the most part, Orlando is a safe and beautiful place to live, IMHO.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

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.

You have stated that very well.. I am a former CM from TDS before they were sold and then taken back I was there when we had to learn M.A.G.I.C. I loved everyone I worked with, I loved the majority of the guests.. but the company was not one that I loved. They gave us perks but wouldn't give you the time off to use the perks.. catch 22.. here, you have free access to the parks & great discounts on the rooms.. but we cannot give you off to go... that seemed to be a large problem where I was.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

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

I don't live in Orlando but do have friends that live there. While you say you made it three months.. then moved to Tampa, you didn't give Orlando enough time. I agree, traffic is horrible in the touristy areas.. not all over. Tampa is no walk in the park either when it comes to traffic. It all depends on where you live in a City. You will have crime in every large city in any state... you will also have nice areas in that same city. You must have been in the high crime area.. if you looked around and maybe spent a little more on rent or the price to purchase a home, you may have found some nicer areas... It does seem to hold true, the higher the crime, the cheaper the rent.. bottom line is you get what you paid for...

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

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!

That's awesome, maybe we'll see you there, going to hit the MVMCP for the first time on the 12th and hook up with a high school friend who works at Ohana on the 13th too. We're also meeting some friends we made on DCL on the Med cruise for a surprise for their DD so it's going to be an eventful trip, have a great time!

 

[kmk1180]

The article is worth as much as a political poll.

A statistic someone can quote to sound important in a news report that a few days later is meaningless.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

The article is worth as much as a political poll.

A statistic someone can quote to sound important in a news report that a few days later is meaningless.

 

[Oglet]

"So it just goes to show that Disney World may be "The Happiest Place on Earth" for its guests, but its employees may beg to differ."

If your going to quote something at least put the right tagline with the right park.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

...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

You have to tell me where in Orlando you lived so I can move there. I need some practice for the upcoming zombie wars.

 

[Sorahana]

"So it just goes to show that Disney World may be "The Happiest Place on Earth" for its guests, but its employees may beg to differ."

If your going to quote something at least put the right tagline with the right park.

I agree.

I want to know who they polled for that poll.

I did two CPs and am now a seasonal CM. My first CP I was very stressed out and not happy, partially due to the fact my boyfriend was in bootcamp while I was down there, I was away from home for the first time, the hours were long, etc.

I went back a second time over a summer and enjoyed it much more then the first time. I loved my job, I was happier, it was great.
I went seasonal and still enjoy my job, but the people I work with keep changing (they switch locations, etc) so it's different every time I go back.

As for taking away the magic, yes some of it has been taken away but I still imagine it's there/make myself think it's there. Disney still gives me some magic, and I still love the place despite the negatives.
When I go with friends or family who haven't been before and I know things they don't know (yet), I make sure to preserve the magic for them so they can still experience it to the fullest because that's what Walt created Disneyland and Disneyworld for, a place for people to escape the "real world" for a while.

 

[pwdebbie]

I know that on our two trips we met a lot of retired people that were working pt at Disney and loved it. Some of them even retired to the area just to get a job there. We also met some others who had worked there for 30 years. Can you imagine waiting tables at the Crystal Palace for 30 years? I'd go nuts but this lady loved her job. Attitude does have a whole lot to do with it.

 

[Jgetterman]

Wow everyone, I didn't think I would get so many replies. It's very interesting to read everyone's responses.

I for one grew up in a military family, and then worked for DoD after college, and I know that determination and strength one needs to survive...

I would love to work for Walt Disney World. I think it would be fun to work year round in the Christmas warehouse preparing for Christmas.

Thanks for the responses!

 

[resol37]

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

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.

High fives to my peeps!

 

[LAH LAH]

My ex-husband moved our young family down to Orlando in 1996 just so he could get a performing job at WDW.

He ended up getting the only job available to him; counting money, by hand, 12 hours a day, in the back of the Garden Grill. He was miserable.

He ended up getting a waiting job after counting money (4 days on, 3 days off) for 6 months. He hated seeing the inside of Disney (he called it the dirty side).

Turns out he was miserable about many things (hence the ex part ) but I can't imagine hand counting all of that money day after day while being paid minimum wage.

(we had great benefits, though)

 

[Merryweather27]

I can guarantee you my employer would rank a lot lower than 41st on a scale like that. It's all relative.

 

[TandLMommy28]

I went to a super duper strict college. I'm talking rules about EVERYTHING from what time of day to empty your trashcan to what color shoes were allowed at dinner. In comparison, I don't think anything Disney could throw at me would be tough. My dream is to work there someday... probably after hubby retires... so not any time soon, we're only in our 20s

 

[bytheblood]

It reads like SPAM mail. I would not put too much stock in it.

 

[Magicbus]

while being paid minimum wage.

Not true, but some people believe it.

 

[NYDisneyKid]

dont know if its true but heard that universal pays more