So, What was the worst bit of working for the Mouse?
by Mr Mouse Admini... on Fri, 02/06/2009 - 17:33
We talk a lot about all the best bits of being a Cast Member but what were the bits you didn't like? - no points for saying "the pay check"
For me, standing out side on wet, dark winter nights in three-quater length tyrolian costume as greeter outside a deserted Snow White attraction - usually in a howling gale - was a challange...
Well there are a good few things!!!
-fishing poo out from the pool in Newport
-Catching the first bus out of La Bois to start work at 6 a.m- In November brrrrrrrrrrrr
-Having to wear pop socks/tights in Orlando even in 100%humidity
-Being so hungry on the potatoe cart at Epcot that you happily ate chips out of the bin!!
-Only having beer in your fridge!
Generally though no real worst bits, just fun memories!
Disneyland Paris had a love of heavy wool overcoats that were great to wear while it was cold but if the ever got wet... all i am saying is wet dog smell had nothing on these things
I'm not quite sure where the finger gets pointed on this one, I highly doubt it was the local management team, but there was about two weeks where the Jungle Cruise skippers had no or very little water. It got to the point that we actually lost a few skippers due to heat exhaustion. Some where in the chain of command there was too little water ordered. When you're constantly talking in a humid jungle it really starts to get to you.
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
Take attractions managers ordering through procurment, paid for by finance and delivered by heavan knows who... your supprised things take a while?
We had the issues when our bottled water was all recalled due to a contamination issue... though not before a few of our guys did a very odd run to the rest rooms.
The day that CDS was introduced. It started when I worked in Tomorrowland. We went an entire day without a rotational bump when it was first deployed -- pun intended. Then leaving MK to leave that dreaded CDS only to realize it is at The Great Movie Ride. Another location it should have never been placed because the coordinator has to babysit the CDS computer.
3 words...
Exploding Churro Wagons.
There you were, enjoying a lovely shift making churros for the masses. The smell of baking churros, the scent of cinnamon and sugar....and....and....FIRE!!!!
Good times...good times.
There were three occasions I can remember thinking "okay, everyone else is getting through this so can you!"
The first was one New Years Eve event at EPCOT: we had outside performers at each stage and an additional stage at "World Showcase" as well as the "Odyssey" and all of the Entertainment techs were wearing tuxedos. After midnight at the end of the "WWIII" barge (special NYE fireworks) the sky opened up and we got pummeled for hours by the coldest, and hardest raindrops I think I've ever experienced. We were soaked to our underwear but all we could think about was getting the electronics covered and getting the huge audio mixing consoles back to the "highbay" area so we could begin the process of drying and saving this expensive equipment. Oh, did I mention we used Reedy Creek to crane these consoles in and like 30 soggy people to haul each one out? We finally finished just before park opening the next day and I was scheduled for first shift daily ops, so I changed and did eight more hours lugging water bottles, etc..
The second was when I was working with Projection Effects (a high-tech division of maintenence). I was near the end of my third shift duties having shut down projection in Horizons, Imagination, and Living Seas when I got back to "the Lab" and saw everyone listening to the supervisor telling us how some pollitical wrangling had caused the EPA to make upper management order us to "throw out everything not currently in use in an attraction." They called everyone in from all shifts and we were not to leave untill everything was done (there were some huge daily fines being charged to the mouse). I remember us uncrating and throwing out the spare projection screen for the "American Adventure Pavillion" and no one in management cared that (at the time) it was the largest and most expensive seamless projection screen in the entire world - there were no extras, ya couldn't just run down to the projector store and pick one up - it was a one-of-a kind created as a spare for the screen that was installed when the pavillion was built. That was a crazy night!
The third was when the first space shuttle disaster occured - and even though all the guests could see that "Y" shaped con-trail and most had eventually heard about what happened, the cast members had to be cordial but not acknowledge the disaster to the guests. It was a very surreal day, the weather was crisp and clear, just perfect for a day in one of the parks. Backstage we all had the TVs and radios on; everyone was numb and curious about what had happened; had the astronauts survived? But onstage we couldn't discuss it or share anything with the guests who were asking the same questions. It was a day I wish for all hadn't happened.
The Florida heat, humidity and rain were the aspects I could have done without. The hardest part of my job was cleaning up gas and oil spills on the roads. Cleaning out the hoppers in our sweeper trucks wasn't a walk in the park either; very dirty!
Yes, I'm going "there". So many people from other countries have different hygene practices unfortunately!
I was almost knocked over more than once by a stinky foreigner...but...there money is what helped keep us employed.
I have no bad memories at all.
Steam cleaning the grease mats in the Plaza Pavilion. Roll them up, grease dripping off them and onto me, loading them into a handcart, pushing them to the loading dock, unrolling them, starting up the steam cleaner. Dropping them off the dock, laughing with the other guys, being dead tired but going to Denny's anyway......Hummm maybe it was not that bad after all.