14 things I miss about being a Disney Cast Member
As they say, once a cast member, always a cast member. If you‘ve ever wondered what it’s like to be part of the Disney magic or you need a little sparkle in your life, this blog is for you. Recently I’ve been missing my life as a cast member and I couldn’t figure out why, so I wrote it down and here’s what I came up with....
Disney Lingo
In true Disney fashion, all of the areas that you could be seen by the general public was known as ‘onstage’ and all the hidden cast-members-
only areas were ‘backstage’. Getting back into the real world and using this terminology in your everyday life can confuse people - trust me! Also, nobody was ever going to the toilet, they were always visiting ‘the wishing well’. And Ariel never had a lunch break, instead she was going to find Scuttle. Every sentence was quite an extravagant adventure.
The Disney Point and Disney Scoop
One of the first things you’ll learn at Disney University is “The Disney Point”. Instead of the standard one-finger-point that you’re all used to, Disney introduces the two-finger-point which is a more polite point. Also, the cleanliness of every Disney theme park is far from accidental. Not only are the cleaning team absolute ninjas at spotting any trash, but every Disney Cast Member is expected to do the Disney Scoop whenever they spot something out of place. This consists of lunging down to the ground in a casual scoop as you pick up the item, and then continuing to walk as though nothing happened.
Everyday was Dress-Up Day
I mean what else needs to be said on the matter. The unfortunate reality is that us ‘real-worlders’ now have to wait until Halloween, our wedding day or our work Christmas party to be able to wear something spectacular that we wouldn’t wear everyday. In my Disney days, I sometimes had up to 6 costume changes in one day!
Character interactions never get old
You’d think that you would get used to seeing Minnie Mouse waving at you or Sully from Monsters Inc giving you a big bear-hug. But I’m telling you my heart still skips a beat when I see Disney characters wandering around the parks and I will wave and animate like a crazy person to get their attention. One of my favourite moments on the ship was when I casually walked onto the viewing deck and saw Maleficent silently staring out at the glowing sunset in the distance with her head held high and her enchanted staff in hand. I thought it was an extremely surreal and equally terrifying experience as I crept back to the safety of indoors, leaving her to it.
My Disney knowledge was ON POINT
Between Disney’s induction training, the characters that I was constantly surrounded by and the fact that I hosted so many Disney events and game shows, there was a period of time that I had the most random knowledge of all things Disney. From knowing the exact dates that the films were released and each Disney park opened, to knowing every name of every single character, no matter how small the part, I definitely think my brain cells were laced with pixie dust.
Every season was a big deal
You’ve never seen a seasonal transformation anything like you have at Disney. Overnight the park can transform into an autumnal pumpkin-filled misty maze of orange leaves and villain embellishments or a glittering candy-cane sprinkled winter wonderland. You knew FOR SURE when the next season began!