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There are many jobs at Walt Disney World that we each find especially exciting. It is pretty hard to pare it down to eight and my list may not match yours, but that is what makes Walt Disney World SO special- it reaches out to so many people in different ways. When I started this list I seriously considered adding Landscapers because I love gardening, and appreciate all the hard work that these people do and am excited for them when they nail a beautiful “story” in flowers or topiaries. It just goes to show that “Exciting” is relative to each of our experiences, likes, and dislikes. One person’s most exciting job may be one we never thought of because we don’t know their history and how hard it was for them to get here, apply, and get that job they had dreamed of as a child visiting Walt Disney World. You will also notice I did not add CEO because that is too rare for most of us to attain to. That would be a totally awesome job though and if you want it you should go for it! After all, Walt Disney World is “Where Dreams Come True!”
8. Party DJs
These guys make it so much fun for guests with the high energy they bring, great Disney music they use, and the Disney Characters that come out with them to make a memorable dancing experience at Walt Disney World. The parties during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom are possibly the best DJs! My family gets so caught up in the fun at the Dance Party that is was seriously over an hour before they would move on to get photos with more characters and even candy. Make sure you check the times schedule for any dance parties in the parks you are visiting each day, your legs aren’t so tired you can’t shake them up a bit dancing!
7. Security
Cast Members who serve as Security at Walt Disney World need to have former experience as police officers, military, or other security jobs. You will find men and women who have come here from detective positions they retired from, or Military service that have had some of the toughest jobs who now serve to protect the Guests and Cast Members of WDW. For those who think it is not that hard a job, then that shows what a great job they are doing! You may think all they do is check your bags? That is part of their job. But they are trained to look for specific things while searching the bags knowing that if they fail to do their jobs well at the front of the parks something deadly could occur inside, or even cause themselves harm while inspecting the bags. They observe the crowds looking for something suspicious. Many bombings in recent days have made use of backpacks. When someone puts down their back pack and walks away from it leaving it unattended for a specific period of time the bag is reported by observant Cast Members. Security then comes in to inspect the bag and determine if it is a threat or just a careless guest who got tired of carrying their bag and ignored the park rule that their personal items remain with them at all times. Security has to determine how to handle this bag that has been abandoned as it now becomes a “threat” to everyone else. When guests drink beyond reason security may be called in if there is not a designated driver with them, they are a danger to themselves or a danger to others. There have been more than a few serious attacks on Cast Members and Guest on Guest violence that Security has handled. There are cameras everywhere in WDW so that should tell you there are many Security personnel watching those screens 24-7. While it is true that they may not be dealing with drug dealers or violent offenders on a daily basis, they still have to be ever vigilant in their duties. That long list of “rules” that you agree to follow when you purchase a Park ticket or book a WDW resort room are there because someone else did something stupid and dangerous. Unfortunately situations can arise in a resort as big as Walt Disney World that require the attention of Security and EMT’s to come in and secure it and render aid. But as guests, we can be grateful that they are trained to do all of these things professionally.
6. Animal Services
Given the number of animals on the property of Walt Disney World, this is a very big job! How exciting to work with animals that inspired you to enter this field of study. Whether it is nursing a sick giraffe, taking baby watch for the newest giraffe, or making sure the oldest goat on property, Wilma, gets her hay up on the bridge where she likes to stand above the other goats, it makes for an exciting day at work. I have had the privilege of speaking with the woman who takes care of the horses for the Main Street Trolley Show and she is just as excited about her job in the stables with them as being on-stage during the Show. All of the horses at Triple D Ranch are well cared for. The extensive list of animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the living creatures at The Living Seas.
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5. Characters & Performers
Tinker Bell, the one who flies down at the beginning of Happily Ever After each night, weather permitting, comes to mind first. Who would not want to climb up through a tiny window in Cinderella Castle every night and fly down magically (on a really long zip line)? It seems every little girl wants to be a Princess and at Disney they get the opportunity to audition for that job. There are many Disney Princess’ and many “friends of” Disney Princess’ that have the excitement of meeting hundreds of guests, spreading Disney magic in a royal way. And sometimes those Disney Princess’ are joined by their Disney Princes’ allowing young men the opportunity of their dream job to come true! There are characters featured in the Walt Disney World shows, parades and dinners across the resort everyday leading to exciting guest experiences that are full of fun for the characters too. Perhaps Goofy was your favorite Disney character growing up? If you have the height and personality, you may find yourself inside that Goofy costume to share in antics every day with guests. Each guest experience is really different so you have to be ready for anything. You could be gently hugged, or sometimes not treated so well but fortunately you have a Character Handler Cast Member nearby to bring an end to aggressive behavior by a guest. Some Character Cast Members also perform in shows or parades. The performances at WDW are full of extremely talented and hard-working Cast Members. Just watch the faces of children watching the parade when their favorite character waves and smiles at them. It is priceless. The dancers are incredible, the puppeteers in Nemo, the singers, are inspiring. If you don’t think this is an exciting job make sure you visit The Festival of the Lion King! Talk about energy and talent! These Cast Members also appear in Dinner Shows like Hoop Dee Doo Review and Spirit of Aloha at the Polynesian Village Resort will entertain you while you enjoy a delicious meal. Don’t forget the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast Live shows in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
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4. Fireworks Team
There are pyrotechnic specialty teams for each of the Disney Parks. Hollywood Studios has more than one team as they provide fireworks shows in both Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular and in Fantasmic! Show nightly. Epcot has the Epcot Forever teams that have to sign additional wavers due to the higher likelihood of harm that comes from operating that show. Those boat drivers you see bringing in the barges with loaded fireworks on them are highly skilled, for good reason. The other fireworks shows are shot off from stationary positions on the ground, such as Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom. When Magic Kingdom does their specialty 360-degree fireworks some of them are launched from areas that guests or Cast Members may be driving past so the roads surrounding the park are closed until it is deemed safe for people to drive past them. I know some of you are saying “What about Animal Kingdom, there are no fireworks there?” True, no fireworks at Animal Kingdom. BUT – Animal Kingdom does have the Tree of Life Awakenings and Rivers of Light which boast incredible projections and music. Most people will not forget a Disney fireworks show because they are the very best. It must be exciting to be a part of that unique magic nightly.
3. Creative
This would include animators, costume designers, artists etc. that have any creative outlet to from their imagination. And so, they are identified as Imagineers. Geeks and creative-types get together and make the most exciting experiences for guests. They create the famous Disney animated films we have come to love. Imagine having a job that pays you to live in another country for several months sketching things you see that may become part of the “story” a new attraction will tell, purchasing artifacts, tasting different foods, creating costumes for Cast Members to wear, really looking at what the roads and pathways look like, collecting photos of architectural details, just immersing yourself in a far off place? What about laying the groundwork for future Disney trips establishing relationships that Disney Guides will need when bringing guests to this country in the future. Maybe bringing the newest Disney Animation star into costume form to do meet and greets with guests? Helping engineering Imagineers to develop the story for a brand new ride system that will bring the story to life? Wherever the creative minds are needed, it is very, very exciting to come to work.
2. Chef
Imagine having the chance to go to work every day and be on the cutting edge of culinary arts. Their skills are constantly being sharpened. They learn from each other, many of whom are celebrated chefs from all over the world. From there, they can also create new dishes that are a fusion of any combination of those cuisines. And of course, there is the obvious perk from a job like this: they get to enjoy eating and drinking all of their culinary creations! We all benefit from the diverse personalities and ethnicity that make up the group of chefs at Walt Disney World. The International Food & Wine Festival is a unique celebration of food and beverages including wine but also now craft beers, and signature cocktails. Chefs get the chance to see how the public enjoys their creations immediately by being on site. Some of them are so good that guests clamor for those dishes to come back in the future. I love the way they present foods and drinks for the International Flower and Garden Festival, especially that Violet Lemonade! Walt Disney World would not be as great a vacation destination without great chefs.
1. Park Operations
These are the front-line Cast Members who bring us the magic! They have a wealth of knowledge on “their” Park and you can ask them almost anything and they can answer you. Even if they do not know the answer you won’t hear them answer that way, they will find out the answer for you by calling on another CM or getting on the phone. Being in front line positions the Park Operations Cast Members can reflect back to management how a situation has developed or what they are hearing from guests regarding a new system they are testing. They are also the people that help reunite lost children with their parents which is very rewarding. They call security if they see an abandoned bag after spotting it. They are ready to take a photo of your family for you. True, there is also the thankless job of putting the strollers where they need to be. But because Cast Members know if the EMT’s need to be called in to help someone that pathway is critical and they need to keep it open so they know moving that stroller is critical and can put up with guests who rail on them for moving their stroller. Safety is really key to understanding what Park Operations Cast Members do. It is on their minds during their entire shift. The multi-tasking required to be a Cast Member is impressive though most guests do not recognize it. When a guest jumps out of a moving attraction the Cast Members’ day gets very exciting as the safety of everyone on the attraction has now been compromised as well as the jumper. The attraction comes to an immediate stop and the CM’s are immediately dispersed, as they have been carefully trained to, while managers approach the jumper and remove them to ascertain the emergency that caused them to do this. The other riders are carefully removed from the attraction by Cast Members who come to where they are to get them out of the ride vehicle and take them out, usually through back stage areas. This happens all too often and although the Cast Members greatly prefer everyone gets loaded safely and quickly onto the attraction, this evacuation is exciting for guests and Cast Members. Some of these attractions are forced to do this often and that means the CM’s have to run up and down small staircases multiple times a day to rescue stranded riders. Some have to put on waders and get into the water rides to move some boats. That is not only exciting, but challenging! They work long hours with low pay because they want to be a part of this magical place. They love it when given an opportunity to bring some Disney magic into your vacation! Many celebrities visit Walt Disney World and even if their hearts are exploding with excitement, the Cast Members are trained to treat these celebrity guests like everyone else. They learn a lot about the celebrities, some who demand no public eyes are to be on them or near them. Others simply walk through the FastPass+ line with their families calling very little attention to themselves at all, and some have even gone unrecognized this way. There was one very loved celebrity that came through FP+ last year and actually picked up a piece of trash left by another guest and handed it to a CM who was checking the line for trash! The CM had not recognized the celebrity right away, not until they made eye contact when handing off the debris. That was a magical moment for that Cast Member! So see, even an entry level position with the Walt Disney World family can be very exciting!
