At Florida’s Walt Disney World, all of the cast members could create a new city. There are more than 70,000 cast members at Disney World alone and most live in Disney-owned accommodations.
It surely does take a village to run the Happiest Place on Earth.
Homeless Disney Characters Protest
In 2018, a Disneyland custodian was found dead after living in her car. Following this awful event, the company's low wages finally came under public display. One local protester in Anaheim, Jeanine Robbins, held signs reading “Disney, we feel, is a contributor to the homeless problem here in Anaheim.
There are Disney employees who live on the street.” Disneyland is the largest employer in Orange County, which is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country.
The Job Comes With Plenty Of Perks
Although workers often complain of low wages, lofty expectations, and harsh conditions that Disney cast members have to endure, their jobs come with plenty of perks. Besides getting discounts on merchandise, food, and Disney-owned locations, cast members also get free entry to parks whenever they want, and at times, free entry for friends and family.
They also get to attend special events and cast member exclusive soft openings for new attractions!
First Name Basis
Disney cast members go the extra mile and make an added effort to call you by your first name. Did a cast member refer you by your first name when you were checking out and you found it out?
Well, they look for clues of your name on pins or hats, or by a quick glance down at your credit card.
Change Your Name if It's Taken
In the 1950's, it wasn't so common to address people you didn't know by their first name. But, Walt Disney didn't like being called "Mr. Disney." He insisted that people call him by his first name, Walt. So, cast members all have their first names on their name tags. Apparently, no two cast members can have the same name, so if yours is taken, you'll need to decide upon a variation of your name or middle name.
Cast members must wear a name tag at all times. If you lose your name tag or forget it at home, you can choose from a whole pile of gender neutral names like Sam and Alex. One cast member shared that when he lost his first name, he became Chris from New York for two weeks while waiting for his new name-tag to arrive.