A former Disney cast member recently spoke out about the incident that caused Disneyland Resort to terminate his employment. During his time as a Carnation Café busboy at Disneyland Park, the man’s attempt to leave work early endangered guests.
Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort cast members agree to follow strict “on-stage” behavior rules, “Disney Look” dress code guidelines, and other magic-protecting policies. The Walt Disney Company has fired employees for posting online about “being” Snow White, taking photos in backstage areas, and even for wanting to sit down frequently throughout their shifts.
Still, this terminated Disney cast member might just take the cake. TikTok user @historyhighlighter shared this clip of the former Carnation Café busboy talking about resorting to desperate measures to get out of Disneyland Park after midnight:
@historyhighlighter CRAZY STORY😂😂 #theory #disneyland #funny #fyp
“In the summertime in the 90s, during the Main Street Electrical Parade, 80,000 people at Disneyland were on Main Street,” the former Disney cast member explained. “…As a busboy, at the end of the night, it’s your job to clean the place up, clean the kitchen…make it presentable for the morning crew when they come in.”
For what would end up being one of his last Disney Park shifts, the former cast member had a closing shift directly before an opening shift the next day. He said he couldn’t rely on his coworkers to ensure he left Disneyland Resort at a reasonable hour.
“If you don’t have the right closing crew with you as a busboy, you’re not getting out of there until 3:30-4:00 in the morning,” the man said. “But if you’re with some good dudes when the park closes at midnight, you could be out of there by 1:00. I knew these guys [were] so slow, we were never going to wash all these dishes, pots and pans, ladles. It’s an industrial kitchen.”
The Disney cast member devised a solution involving a roughly 30-foot walk from the backstage kitchens at Carnation Café to the Jungle Cruise boat storage area.
“That night, I’m taking giant bus tubs of pots and pans and ladles, and I’m dumping it into the Jungle Cruise river… I’m an asshole,” he said as his co-host laughed. “The boats had already parked because the park was shut.”
But the employee’s actions weren’t without consequences.
“In the morning, apparently, when they open up the gates to bring the first set of boats out, they both derail because there’s a ladle sitting right across the track,” he recalled.
Unsurprisingly, the man’s employment at Disneyland Resort ended shortly thereafter. Disney Parks fans were shocked at his behavior.
“If I was Disney, not only would I have fired you, but I would’ve docked pay, not at cost, but full retail for the items ruined,” @jarredramnath commented. “What an absolute moron.”
“I guess we celebrate poor performance and a lack of integrity,” said @bluerope12.
Other former cast members shared their firing stories in the comments.
“I got fired from Disneyland by training to sneak my GF in the back Lot,” @matt..carpenter wrote. “Lol. Circa 1998.”
Disney cast members work hard to make magic for guests at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. In the comments, tell us your story about a Disney cast member who went above and beyond for your family.
This post originally appeared on Inside the Magic.
