When you’re on the clock at Disney, you need to be on your A game, 100% of the time. This means no looking tired, sad, and being alert at all times. Unless a cast member needs to bend down to sign a young visitor’s autograph book or snap a photo with a cast, they are expected to maintain good posture at all times. This doesn’t sound so bad for perhaps characters like Ariel, but for soldiers who are carrying all that extra weight in a holiday parade, it must get very hot and heavy under all that weight.
While it’s probably challenging to keep a smile on your face all of the time, especially if you’re in pain, cast members handle it like the champs that they are, or because they have to.
And Be Sure to Do So Nicely
Cast members are expected to pick up trash whenever they see it. But, they can't pick up trash in the typical way that you and I pick it up. They're expected to swoop it up gracefully. They aren't allowed to squat. Perhaps they twirl and pick it up?
Or maybe there's some tag team happening between the characters where one person scoops the trash, passes it to another, and then they dunk it in the trash.
Disney Characters Never Frown
Disney takes protecting its image very seriously. So, what's at the forefront of that challenge? Their workers. Making a guest's visit magical means involves meeting cast members who are in a good mood, smiling, and on their best behavior. For that reason, cast members have a set of behaviors that they are strictly prohibited from engaging in while they are on the clock. One of those includes frowning. When you're at work, Disney basically controls the emotions that you display.
We definitely don't blame them for this one. Unless you're playing a character like Grumpy the dwarf and your character is meant to portray grumpiness, then no child wants to visit Disney World to see a berserk Prince Charming. While this makes sense, Disney, like everything else, takes their enforcement to an extreme.
No Eating in Public
This next one is pretty obvious: eating while being on stage is strictly forbidden. A cast member’s job requires being active all of the time. Whether it’s smiling at guests, posing for pictures, or helping guests, they are on their feet the whole day long. You can imagine the kind of hunger they experience from this level of intensity. But, cast members are forbidden from eating in front of guests. Can you imagine how much willpower you must have to not eat with all those smellitizers hanging around?
When the cast members do go for lunch, they have special cafeterias they can visit backstage and down in the tunnels. At the Magic Kingdom at Disney World in Orlando, for example, there are five different employee restaurants. These cafeterias feature different menus, snacks, beverages, and special prices for employees. Cast Members are also eligible to receive 20-40% discounts at visitor restaurants on their days off, with their valid ID.
Chewing Gum is Forbidden
Just like the food rule, cast members aren't allowed to chew gum while on the job, which also makes sense. I don't think that Ariel was able to get her hands on gum under the sea nor was Aladdin popping gum bubbles while flying on his magic carpet. It's crucial that cast members stay in their fictional character the entire time even if they feel a wave of bad breath come over them and feel the need to pop a breath mint. The no slouching, no eating, and no chewing gum rule may seem very strict, but hey, the job is not for everyone.
Actually, there isn't even gum sold in any of the Disney parks. It is such a mess to clean, that they've done away with it entirely. Guests who can't live without gum for a day should come prepared with gum from home. And let's be real, if Disney did sell chew gum it would be majorly overpriced.