Like Every Other Park
The most magical place in the world. A place where dreams come true. Of course, we’re talking about Disney. If you’ve ever visited a Disney park, you know quite well that it’s like stepping inside a dream world, complete with all your favorite characters, and top-tier help from highly trained employees.
Disney has become synonymous with fun and imagination, and many people feel that no lifetime is complete without at least one trip to the magic kingdom. The parks are filled with bright colors, lovable characters, stunning architecture, super fun rides, and scrumptious food- it’s all pretty unforgettable. But is it all magic, dreams, and pixie dust? Here are stories from real employees who reveal the parks’ best-kept secrets…
Exclusive Cinderella Castle Room
Almost all the rides at Disney are made by a roller coaster company called Vekoma. And the sad part of it is that Vekoma is really great now, but back then, they made the worst rides in the world. Do you have an amusement park near your house that has a ride called Mind Eraser or Boomerang?
All of those are made by Vekoma. That’s totally fine, but when you think about Disney, you think of something truly unique. But nope, it’s not that special. The same company that makes every rinky-dink ride makes Disney’s rides too. Reddit User: Graciemo1
Cast Member Perks
There is a hotel room in Cinderella Castle. Families can stay there for one night as a prize for winning a competition. You cannot buy a stay in this room. This room was originally built for Walt and the Disney family to stay in when they came to visit but was not finished in time before Walt’s death.
One celebrity that actually stayed there was Kevin Jonas from the Jonas brothers and his wife. It was for their first year anniversary. This room included a mirror that actually turns into a television with the simple touch of a button. Reddit User: –Doom–
I Don’t Like The Wet Stuff
All employees are called cast members because everyone is part of the show. There is a waiting list to work rides like Haunted Mansion and Hollywood Tower of Terror. There is a cast member-only store at both parks where damaged merchandise, larger size items that used to be in parks and resorts, and retired merchandise go.
Cast members and their family and friends are able to buy these items for up to 75% off the price. One of my favorite household purchases actually is an end table that came from one of these locations, known as Property Control. Reddit User: michaeldelgato
Mickey Heads
A woman came up to me and told me that she didn’t like the wet stuff coming from the sky and that I should tell my boss to turn it off. “Don’t they know that this stuff ruins people’s vacations?” she said. “We have no way of controlling the rain, ma’am,” I said.
“What about the bubble?” she said. I was thoroughly confused by what she meant by bubble, so I had to confirm that she was saying “bubble.” Apparently, she thought that all of Disney was under a big bubble and we controlled the weather. Reddit User: unicornCornUnique
What Happens If Kids Go Missing
Former employee here, but not of the parks themselves. We were given a tour backstage at Disneyland, and I have an image burned into my mind that has never escaped me. It was of a clothing rack, one on wheels, placed back behind the Tower of Terror.
On it, placed on hooks, were about 10 Mickey Mouse heads that must have been either drying after a wash or moving to a new location. The blood orange sunset, combined with the tower and what appeared to be decapitated Mickey heads hanging from hooks is a fond creepy memory. Reddit User: Darweezy
Lack of Safety
When I was working there, there were two little girls who had gotten separated from their parents. We were in front of an ice cream stand. The girl that was serving ice cream immediately got them double scoops of ice cream and told them to stay right there.
A man in a suit magically appeared and started talking to them, asking where they last saw their parents. He had an earpiece and was talking with someone through a radio I guess. We left, but it was so nice to see these little girls being cared for. Reddit User: michihunt1
Optical Illusions
Former cast member here, and 99% of the people who work there are pretty toxic. Disney doesn’t encourage a very happy, friendly environment because they’re focused on numbers and appearances. I quit because of the rudeness, the bullying, and the lack of concern for safety on so many of the rides.
A lot of my fellow cast members often failed to uphold safety standards while doing ride operation, and it got to the point after one incident in particular where I watched a toddler almost fly out of the teacup ride, that I quit. Reddit User: [redacted]
Second Floor
Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland is the Haunted Mansion of HKDL. The magical dust that comes out of the box at the beginning of the ride and goes back in at the end is actually projected by dots/lasers that are pointed at an invisible mesh. The mesh comes down when the lights turn off.
Another is when Disney hides its show buildings used for their dark rides. They would usually use a special type of special paint called “no see green.” It blends in with the greenery, so you don’t actually notice the buildings. Reddit User: Graciemo1
Attention to Detail
Disney World is actually on a “second floor.” When you enter the park, you have to walk up. This is because on the ground level or “first floor” is where they put their “underground tunnels.” This is to transport workers secretly throughout the park.
They couldn’t actually build underground tunnels since Disney World is on swampland. The reason for this is because Walt himself said that seeing the characters walk around messed up the magic, and he demanded there to be a way for them to “magically” transport from place to place. Reddit User: ShibaInusForever
Indiana Jones Ride Disorientation
Not much of a secret, but here’s a testament to their attention to detail at the park. My parents once ran into a “confrontation” in the bathroom. Two janitors were being chewed out by a guy in a suit. Said suit man takes a glove and wipes the sink to show the very minimal amount of grime.
He is chastising them pretty seriously, and then takes a towel to clean too. Two weeks later, I see a magazine cover, and it’s the exec that ran Disneyland. A guy making millions paying attention to the jobs of the guys making so much less. Reddit User: Mend1cant
False Wall
On the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, the trucks cannot go backward. At one point during the ride, the truck going in reverse is simulated by all of your surroundings being moved away from you. A friend of mine (a Disney cast member) told me he walked the ride.
He said that before the trucks were installed, everybody, without fail, would fall over during that part on foot. They’d fall over because it’s disorienting. Their eyeballs said, “We’re going backward,” but their feet were getting different signals. Reddit User: [redacted]
Tinker Bell’s Upper-Body Strength
When I was in high school, the marching band I was a part of was part of a parade. They had us come around the back and drive through this very dense forest area with a road. This led to a massive area with buildings for changing and a few restrooms.
When we looked back, it was a false wall for the area. When we came back the next day to have fun and relax, I decided to go and look at the wall. There is no way you could tell it was a large door from that side. It was all very craft, to be honest. Reddit User: Zoahking
Names That Reference Disney History
Tinker Bell flying over the Magic Kingdom is one of the most iconic parts of the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular and my personal favorite, but it doesn’t happen with magic alone. Tinker Bell is actually given a hefty push from the window of Cinderella’s Castle.
But if she’s not shoved hard enough, she won’t have enough momentum and will need to hand-over-hand her way towards the end, which sounds exhausting. Cast members who audition for this part are said to need major upper body strength—turns out, they really do have to fly! Reddit User: hawaijahazz
Help Remove Invasive Species
The names, companies, and dates on the windows off of the main street are actually all references to Disney’s history. One example is when Walt Disney started buying land in Florida to build Disneyworld. He ended up doing something that pretty brilliant.
He knew that if everyone knew he was buying land, he would be charged way more money than was reasonable, so he bought most of the land using lots of smaller fake companies to save money. Some of these company names are on the windows on the main street. For example, M. T. Lott real estate. Reddit User: –Doom–
No Doors on Bathrooms
All of the woven art, signs, ceilings, etc. in Pandora: The World of Avatar are actually made from an invasive species of vine that was polluting waterways in tropical parts of the world. Keeping with Animal Kingdom’s theme of conservation, the vines were removed.
They were dyed for the decorations, in the process cleaning the waterways and helping remove the invasive species. I don’t know if this is an actual secret or just a cool fact, but they definitely don’t announce it all the time. I think it’s awesome. Reddit User: clegh20
Tips From an Employee
Have you ever really looked at the bathrooms at the parks? Why do the restrooms at Animal Kingdom have doors on them when the other parks don’t, you may be wondering. If you go to any of the bathrooms in the parks, none will have doors on the main entrance.
The only exception is the bathrooms in the Animal Kingdom. Well, I asked why when I was hired. This is because if an animal escapes, guests will be instructed to go to the nearest restroom and close and lock the door once full. Reddit User: Axelmutt100
Explosives
The most amazing night to be at Disney World has to be July 4th. Step outside the Magic Kingdom and find a good spot by the lake. When you hear the first fireworks go off, look up, and you will have a near-360 firework display. The California Grill at the Contemporary Resort also has an amazing view.
Also, the characters dressed up as princesses and princes are totally and completely into their character. They’re committed to the role. Watch videos of the actors playing Gaston. I’ve also heard Princess Jasmine will call you “My Prince.” Reddit User: brightkoin
Tinker Bell Details
Backstage, no one is allowed to walk around barefoot ever. There is random debris, especially from the fireworks, and Disney does not want to get sued if someone ends up hurting themselves stepping on something. Every once in a while, one of the fireworks would not explode.
It may fall in the backstage area, and they have to hope it doesn’t hit anyone, because they are very heavy. (The person telling us about this pointed to a massive dent in a metal awning that was the result of one of the duds.) Reddit User: scarletnightingale
If You Know, You Know
The woman who plays Tinkerbell flying around the shows on a wire is usually chosen because of her size. Since she is only being seen at a distance by pretty much everyone, she can’t be overly petite. Also, there’s another small nugget of information.
There is a mattress in the top of the Matterhorn where her wiring ends so that she doesn’t hit the wall when she comes in for a landing. This was coming from a friend of mine who worked for Disneyland during college. Reddit User: scarletnightingale
100 Years of Magic Celebration
Most of the costumed characters are female. Vomit is called a protein spill. Cast members use two fingers to point. The Disney scoop is to pick up trash while walking. The pay sucks. If you hear cast members call for an alpha unit, it’s for an ambulance.
I signed enough paperwork when a new hire that I’m sure I can be sued right now for saying all this.All costumed characters are trained to sign most every other character’s signature. If you see someone being escorted by a cast member in a plaid costume, they are VIP. Reddit User: spaghettibeans
Senior Party Night
I worked at Disney in 2002. It was the “100 years of Magic Celebration,” so a big thing was giving the guests their own magical moment. Almost every single day, my team got to be out with Mickey, Minnie, and the other characters to “open” Animal Kingdom.
One of my favorite things was getting to go to the line, get a kid and his family, and get them to help us out. They got a little safari vest and a fake animal cage. It was the most mundane thing ever, but it was an experience of a lifetime for these kids. Reddit User: illni02
Do All The Rides
Disneyland has a graduate night every year right after all the local high schools celebrate graduation. They close the park late at night and reopen later just to graduating seniors who get to have the run of the place all night all the way until the sun rises.
Now, a lot of crafty teens decided a long time ago to sneak in booze during the day, hide it, and recover it that night. Disney caught on fast. Employees took home some respectable booze that was stolen from some high schooler’s parents’ liquor cabinet. Reddit User: thesesimplewords
Not Petite, But Hourglass Shaped
This isn’t really insider knowledge, but for only ten dollars, you can get the FastPass tickets on your phone, meaning you can essentially be “queueing” for the next big ride from when you’re about to get on the last one. You don’t have to queue or physically collect the FastPass tickets, but it saves so much time queuing.
I did this a couple of weeks ago and did everything in California Adventure and Disneyland all in one day. Usually, I would go to the park and I’d be overwhelmed by all the rides, and finding this out was a total game-changer. Reddit User: Tobalicious
Peeping Tom
According to a friend who worked at Disneyland, she is a female, but unlike the other Disney princesses, she can’t be petite. The reason being she is Tinkerbell. Because she might have to pull herself out over the wiring she needs to be seen at a distance.
She actually has to be a larger woman, but she still needs to have an hourglass shape. So the Tinkerbell you see flying around is pretty much never going to be a size 2 like all of the other character actresses because of the distance thing. Reddit User: Scarletnightingale
Fireworks
There are or were locker rooms in the famous Disney castle where the princes and princesses got dressed. A high up manager drilled holes in the women’s locker room and filmed the princesses getting dressed. The women noticed the holes and told management about it.
Some execs at Disney promised they would “handle it.” They told the guy to stop, no firing, no repercussions, just politely asked him to stop. A while later, the women noticed the holes again. They sued Disney and Disney either settled or lost; I forget which. Reddit User: mimiddle04
Art History Tells All
Last spring break I went to Disneyland with my school band. We were there for a week and had FastPasses for Thunder Mountain on the second day, right as the firework show was about to start. We had other days to see the show, so we hopped on the ride.
If you can time it right, you can actually ride Thunder Mountain while the fireworks are going off, and it’s amazing. It feels like they’re going off right next to you, and it’s an amazing view you can’t get anywhere else in the park. Reddit User: [redacted]
Spreading Ashes
Not really a secret, but just a tidbit; I learned this in art history class. Shopping malls owe quite a bit to Disney. The storefronts on Main Street are a fraction (I think its 5/8ths) of what a real store’s height is, in order to be more approachable to children.
The storefronts at malls are like this as well. At Disney, you walk in the direction that Disney wants you to, just like at a mall. You can’t go in a straight line but you have to wind around pathways and floor decorations/directions. Reddit User: StinkypieTinklebum
I Brought My Plane
I once had a woman come up and ask for a ticket into Disneyland. She then placed a box on the counter while looking for her wallet. I see a picture on it, and then I see some dates. I realize that they were actually the ashes of assuming her little girl.
I had to keep her at my window while I waited for security to come. It broke my heart, but a lot of people like to dump ashes of loves ones on rides, and it literally just gets vacuumed up at the end of the night. It happens a lot. Reddit User: stephyduh
I Hate James Spader
We had several autographed pictures behind the counter; Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie were all about $10,000. I was working the register near the pictures when this older gentleman asked me how much the centerpiece was. I told him, “Ten thousand dollars sir!”
He looked at me and said, “That would look great in my theatre room, how many do you have in stock?” I said, “Two, including the one on display.” He said, “Perfect I’ll take both!” My favorite part is that as I offered to ship it home for him, he says, “No thanks! I brought my plane with me!” Reddit User: IncognitoWhale
Actors’ Biggest Fans
James Spader came in once and tried to get a table with his dog. I told him I would be happy to seat him if he left his dog at the kennel, right across the esplanade, but I could not seat his dog inside; what if a health inspector came in? He told my manager to fire me.
Luckily, the restaurant had a patio, and the manager sat Spader at a table on the patio closest to the exit so we wouldn’t get in trouble. This was 10 years ago; I still hate James Spader with a red hot passion. He acted so entitled. Reddit User: MeleMallory
Ghosts
I was a former photographer at Disney World. I worked very closely with the characters. There were definitely some creepy regulars. There was this couple who would pretty much come in every day and would decide to get super mushy with all the cast members.
Like they got on a first name basis kind of thing, and they would make sure to catch specific performers during their set. No one knows how they know this info; we think they just stalk them. I’ve only encountered them a couple of times, but they managed to find me on Facebook just based on my name tag info. Reddit User: [redacted]
The Cleat Sling Shotted Through the Crowd
I was a cast member from the years 2007-2014. It was said that there was a ghost of a little girl at Soarin on B. Some have claimed to hear footsteps coming up the metal stairs that lead below the screen during a flight. But the tower cast member is the only one there.
Since the room is closed off during a flight and an open door would stop it immediately. So imagine sitting there, basically tuning out the show you’ve heard SO many times, and you start hearing metallic footsteps. It’s dark, and you feel like you’re being watched. Reddit User: hunnyycakes
I Fell In
This isn’t a creepy story, but actually a horrifying one. I was working on the day of the Columbia accident. I would go into the history of that, but that’s a story for another day. In 1998 on Christmas Eve, a cleat ripped off of the ship as it was docking.
The cleat ended up sling-shotting through the crowd. It was terrifying not knowing what was happening or who was affected by it. I can only imagine how the cast members felt when the America Sings accident ended up happening. Reddit User: SortedN2Slytherin
Red Boxers
I fell into the Rivers of America while working on the canoes on my first day working in attractions. They said that nobody had fallen into the river in years. But sure enough on Minute 12 into my first day on the job, I dunked into that green abyss.
It took me days to get that smell of duck droppings out of my hair. I got my new costume and proceeded to slip in the canoe on my very next trip and slam my head against a seat. They sent me up to medical, and that was my last day on the canoes. Thank goodness for all involved. Reddit User: Dad_Ow
Pronounced Dead
When I worked at Wilderness Lodge, we had a guest that was visiting the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. Al he was wearing were these red boxer shorts outside one of the restaurant windows and then proceeded to run from security through the entire campgrounds.
Somehow he found a backpack leaf blower and put it on and continued to escape security. They finally found him passed out in a utility shed all curled up to that leaf blower wearing nothing but his boxers and covered in scratches from the woods. Reddit User: juricajourneys
My ‘adopted grandma’ (old lady neighbor I’ve grown up with) was a coroner who was tired of pronouncing the deaths at Disney World. A lot of things went by without others knowing. The thing is, they usually don’t pronounce dead at the park, as it’s bad on the image.
So, she wouldn’t pronounce them dead until they were off Disney property. With this said, this was decades ago, and Disney is much safer. Even now, if someone is pronounced dead, it’s after they have left Disney and are in the ambulance. Reddit User: banjohusky