Cast member is how Disney employees are called. I was a Cast Member at the Walt Disney World theme parks and hotels and today I will share some things about the work as a Cast Member that most people don't know about. I hope you like it!
1. Benefits
Cast Members do not pay to enter the parks and have discount on all the merchandise in the stores. And it gets better: at the end of the year, they get several discount coupons and free items - the merchandise discount is up to 50%, they have discount coupons for table service restaurants, water park tickets, free popcorn and ice cream, among several other benefits.
2. Exclusive Stores
There are two Disney specialty stores just for Cast Members. The first one is called Cast Conection and has products in perfect condition that for some reason are no longer sold in the parks, or because the time has passed (Halloween products or end of year for example), or because the stock is too big ... The products in Cast Connection are much cheaper than in the parks. The good thing about Cast Conection is that cast members can take their family there to shop.
The other store is called Property Control, which only Cast Members can enter. In this store they have products with some type of damage, or with the packaging spoiled, and products that can no longer be sold in the parks. The advantage is that the discounts at Property Control are up to 75% off and although there is a lot of broken stuff, it is possible to find many good things there, in good conditions.
3. Utillidors at the Magic Kingdom
There are people who have heard of the tunnels, others think it's legend, but it's true, the tunnels underneath the Magic Kingdom do exist! They are used for the Cast Members to arrive at their work location and also have the cafeteria for the employees, a library, administrative offices, etc.
4. Cast Members can go on the new rides before everybody else
Whenever a new attraction opens, it opens first to Cast Members. I was there for the opening of Expedition Everest in 2006. It was open for one week for cast members only and during that time the attraction staff was being trained. The Christmas and Halloween parades also usually have a special showings just for Cast Members.
5. Some words can not be said in public
Some words are forbidden from being spoken by Cast Members while they are "on stage", ie working, and should be spoken in codes. If they need to call an ambulance for example, the cast member will call an Alpha Unit. Vomiting is protein spill. A broken attraction means it's 101, among several other codes.
6. Cast Members are required to walk through the tunnel
Cast Members can not walk through Magic Kingdom freely in their uniform. They can only stay in the area where they work, if they need to go elsewhere, they need to go through the tunnel. This is done to prevent a Tomorrowland Cast Member (who theoretically represents the future) from being seen in Frontierland (which represents the old American West).
7 – Disney Point
Cast Members can never point with only one finger when they are giving directions, as this gesture may be offensive in some cultures. Therefore, the CMs are required to aim with 2 fingers or with the whole hand. It is the famous Disney Point.
8 - Main Street Windows
Those windows on the 2nd floor of Main Street are famous for being named after people who have worked at Disney and who have been honored for some reason. But what few people know is that this second floor of Main Street is real and that's where the offices of the various Disney managers are.
9 – Disney Look
Disney Cast Members must be on Disney Look, which is a Disney set of rules regarding Cast Member's looks. For example, people with collored hair are not allowed (actually they are allowed, but the hair should look natural, so no highlights, pink hair, etc).
Visible tattoos and piercings are also not allowed, neither are too glitzy nails, so there are several rules to ensure everyone looks good. Disney is super strict about Disney Look and if a Cast Member arrives to work out of standards, he or she can get a warning.
10 - Secret Executive Lounges
This is one that very few people know, even many Cast Members do not know it exists. I myself only found out about these secret lounges on my 3rd time working at Disney and just because I was guide on a specific Epcot tour called Undiscovered Future World, where we took the group in one of the lounges.
At Epcot there are several secret lounges, where special events or employee meetings often take place. Most of the sponsored attractions also have an exclusive lounge for the corporate sponsoring company.
For example, inside The Seas pavilion, where the Nemo attraction is, there is a lounge with a nice view to the huge aquarium. This lounge belongs to Disney and is rented for parties or used for executive meetings.
At Mission Space, there is also a secret lounge for HP employees, (HP is a sponsor of Mission Space) where executives can enjoy and rest a bit. Spaceship Earth has a lounge that used to be for Siemens employees (Siemens no longer sponsor the ride, but the lounge is still there) and Test Track has a lounge for GM employees.