#dicp asks

Hello! I actually worked in Merchandise and Entertainment, but one of my roomies worked in FSFB so I know a smidge about it.

Due to the structured and time sensitive nature of the role, there’s not as many opportunities for spontaneous magic moments. But you can organise some magic moments by trying to seat families at their preferred tables/ones with better views, or, on really special occasions, if something has gone wrong for them (eg. a ride had broken down) you can check with your manager and give them a no-strings to make up for it. 

A lot of magic moments come from just chatting to the guests and getting them talking about their favourite experiences :) 

I’m not really sure how likely it is to get placed in a park vs a resort, sorry!

Oh man that’s awesome!! Recreation, is that like lifeguarding and activities at the resorts? Trust me, you’ll probably still spend plenty of time at the parks on your days off (make the most of the free entry)!

Most enjoyable was the people. You work with people from all over the world, you learn about different cultures, you make great friends. The girls I lived with are some of my favourite people in the entire world and even though we all got home 9 months ago we still talk every single day.

Also tied for best thing was being able to go to the parks whenever you wanted!! There’s just always something fun to do, and you learn all these little tips and tricks for getting around and saving time. Characters love meeting CMs so your interactions with them are always the funniest, and if you make friends with Attractions people you can get re-adds so you don’t have to wait in line. If you keep an ear out you can go on rides with the lights on (I did Space Mountain and Rock ‘n Rollercoaster, but I missed out on Haunted Mansion) and you can preview parades before the public (I saw the Frozen Summer Fun parade rehearsal at 3am one night after work). You’re not as stressed about dining reservations and spots for shows because you know you can always come back, so it’s great. The parks are just always incredibly fun.

The atmosphere never loses its magic and it is genuinely lovely being able to make guests happy when you’re at work. I had guests ask to take photos with me and sign their autograph books (because they’d never met an Australian before) and one even went to guest relations and had them make an official certificate thanking me for helping them pick out, wrap and post fifteen coffee cups.

That said, the guests were also probably the worst thing. Some people are just… I don’t understand how they function in day to day life. A grown ass adult man made me cry on stage once because he wouldn’t stop getting in my face and screaming at me after I told him his daughter couldn’t meet Donald Duck (who had been doing meet and greets for the last 7 hours and now had to go). Guests like to ignore everything you say and then yell at you when you repeat yourself.

The hours got crazy. Over the busy times you can work between 50-60 hours a week. One time I did a 16 hour shift and at the end of it I sat on the floor and tried not to cry from exhaustion.

Hey there anon!From late-June to late-September/early October the weather is pretty gross. It gets really, really hot (high 30s to mid 40s, usually, with that occasional 45+ day that you will inevitably be scheduled outside for) and then it pours rain in massive thunderstorms every single afternoon, usually between 2 to 4pm, roughly. That doesn’t cool you down, though; all it does is increase the already stifling humidity. Yay!

The park is super busy in August too, as it’s America’s and the UK’s Summer Holidays (maybe it’s holidays for all of the northern hemisphere? Maybe that would be easier to say? I’m not sure though, I’m an uncultured swine too lazy to google it. anyway….) so all the parks are crowded and lines are huge and people get grumpy because it’s hot and wet and they paid so much money to come and all they’ve done is stand in lines and because of the rain some of the rides and characters go 101 (go down, stop working, etc.) and it’s just generally not a good time to go to the parks I don’t recommend.

After that the weather gets a lot milder. When I was there it didn’t get cold during the day until January, but nights in December got pretty chilly, sometimes. Fall was really nice, weather wise.

The thing with Disney, however, is that no matter how boiling hot or mild it is outside, they have air conditioned everything they can. Buses, rides, shows, restaurants, everything will be a nice chilly approximately 16 degrees. Always take a jacket with you (I always carried a cardigan in my bag or around my waist [you can tie jackets around your waist there and no one judges]) or you will inevitably freeze inside (if you haven’t already melted outside).

The apartments do have a heating/cooling system that you can set and change the temperature of, but make sure you set ground rules with your flatmates about whether it’s left on overnight (which can exacerbate hayfever symptoms, which one or more people in your flat will almost certainly experience over there), whether it’s left on when nobody’s home, etc.

I only ever experienced the hot water running out a few times for the year that I lived in my apartment, which is surprising because I like long, hot showers (I know that’s bad for the environment and my hair I’m sorry). All occasions were when all six of us were going out somewhere early together and hence woke up around the same time and needed to shower one after the other, which meant that three showers were running simultaneously. 

Here's part two of my questions :P 3) What sort of things were you asked in your interview? Oh & what role did you have? 4) Money-wise, Disney doesn’t cover anything do they? You have to fend for yourself? Do they give you free entry into the parks? 5) Is it hard to be away from family & friends? I currently have a boyfriend & am super close with my family so I was just wondering what was the most challenging part about all of that & how you coped

Hey there!Hahaha please don’t worry about spamming my inbox, I actually love answering questions about Disney. 1) So, hints and tips for becoming a performer. First of all, I have to warn you that I haven’t heard of any Australians or New Zealanders being accepted as face characters (There was one British girl who was friends with Elsa, and maybe there were a few other face characters from the UK, but there definitely weren’t any Aussies or Kiwis in face roles for the year I was there.) That said, ask about it at your interview to make sure. And if they say you can’t be a face character don’t panic, because being a fur character is awesome!

You can start by measuring your height and then checking out which characters you’re tall/short enough to be friends with. Generally, the shorter you are the more luck you’ll have in being cast as a performer because there are more roles at the shorter heights that need to be filled. You can check out some lists compiled from a range of different sources here (skip to the general questions at the end), here and here, to help you get started.

The most important thing for being a fur character is your acting ability. Though as an Australian or New Zealander you won’t have to undergo a thorough audition like the Americans, it’ll definitely help your case if you can mention any previous experience you have with acting or performing. Even if it’s something little, make sure you mention it. The interviewer might ask you a situational question, like, “A small child was excited to see you in line but now that they’re up with you, they’re crying. What do you do?” In this case, you would step back. If the child was standing you would drop down to their level (if they were in their parent’s arms you’d remain standing). If you were a face character, you’d talk soothingly, but if you were a fur character, you’d hold out one hand, palm down, and stroke it with the other hand, encouraging the kid to feel how soft you were without invading their personal space. Your attendant would be narrating all of this, helping you along and giving the parent instructions, too. Basically, you want to showcase that you’re good with kids, and a considerate person - and that you’ve researched the role.

I would also rehearse some answers to the question, “Why do you want to be a performer?” Keep in mind that while it’s one of the most rewarding roles at Disney and entertainment is an amazing field to be in, the job can be uncomfortable in Summer when you’re stuck outside in 40+ heat, direct sun and layers upon layers of costume. You should show that you’re prepared for that.

You can read some other asks I’ve answered about character performing here and here.

2) If you can’t be a performer, I highly recommend you go for being a character attendant. It’s the closest role there is, you get the perks of working in entertainment, and you don’t have to wear the stifling costumes. There is a lot of pressure on you to deliver awesome experiences for both performers and guests, but it is an awesome role.

3) You can read a run down of my interview here.  My roles were Merchandise and then Character Attendant. I wrote a list of pros and cons for both here.

4) Hahaha, no, Disney covers no costs. I mean, rent is taken straight out of your weekly pay so you don’t have to worry about that, but you pay for everything else on your own. You can find more info about the cost of the program here.You do get free entry to the parks, which pretty much makes the entire program worth it on its own.

5) It is hard being away from family and friends. There’s culture shock and homesickness to deal with, and on top of that you’re thrown into a new job, so it can be really scary. Some nights I got so homesick I cried myself to sleep. Birthdays and holidays suck without your family and friends from home.But you make new friends. As I wrote about here, the program is one of the easiest places in the world to make friends. Everyone is in the same boat as you, and everyone has at least some of the same interests as you, and everyone is eager to make friends. You’ll make friends from everywhere at work, and you’ll have people who understand what you miss about home in your flat.

Hello Dear Anon,This post here sums up the pros and cons of the entire college program experience pretty damn well.I went over with one of my best friends from high school and uni, and I’m glad I did because he was like a little piece of home in a strange land. 

Hey, congrats on getting an interview!

My interview was a lot nicer than I thought it would be. I was super nervous but my interviewer was so genuinely lovely and went out of his way to make me feel comfortable.

He began by asking if I had all my paperwork.- Which I did. Good start.

He asked for a bit of info about me - what I was studying, how I enjoyed uni, how I was going with my classes, what my hobbies were. - I made a point of mentioning my love of writing/story-telling.

He asked why I wanted to do the program. I was honest about my love for Disney, spoke about how I’d grown up with the movies, why they were inspiring, etc. - I told him about my desire to travel and experience different cultures.

He asked what my two top role choices were.- I said merchandise and character attendant.

He asked why I wanted to work in those roles and what previous experience I had that made me suited for those roles. - I mentioned my job history (McDonalds, a Jewellers and a Graphic Design Company) and spoke about how they all provided me with customer experience, point of sale and cash handling skills, conflict resolution skills and sales skills. To tie it directly back to my desired roles I spoke about how McDonald’s had taught me how to cope in a fast paced environment, how working at a jewellers meant I was used to handling valuable items and understood the importance of following strict security procedures, how working in graphic design had helped my creative problem solving skills. - I said that I wanted to work merchandise because I enjoyed my previous retail work, and that I wanted to be a character attendant because the characters had always been my favourite parts of the parks and that role meant that I could be a part of the magic and help bring guests into their stories.

At this point I could tell the interview was going pretty well, and then he asked me this: “You’re attending Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. It’s the end of the set, and you have to get the characters off stage. They’ll be gone for an hour. You’ve closed the line, and a little boy comes up to you with his mum and dad, desperate to see Pooh and Tigger. How do you explain that they have to leave without upsetting the boy?”- I said that I would get down on the little boys level and explain to him that Pooh and Tigger had to head back to the Hundred Acre Woods because Pooh’s tummy was grumbly for some hunny, and that Pooh Bear got a bit silly when he didn’t get his tummy. I’d explain that it would be so much more fun to come back and meet them once Pooh had his hunny and Tigger had done some bouncing, and that this way the little boy had time to ride the ride (or eat, or whatever) before they got back. I would make sure that was okay with him, give him a sticker, and then stand up to tell the parents what time to come back. 

I was pretty proud of that answer, especially when he followed it up with, “One more question.” But then he asked, “What are you most proud of? What’s your proudest moment?” Which is a pretty damn hard question and the only one I didn’t have an answer prepared for.- I spoke about my friendship with my little sister, how we didn’t used to get a long but now she’s my best friend, and how proud I was that we’d been able to become so close. Cheesy, corny, but it mustn’t have been too bad.