How do Disney Cast Members stay happy? A smile is the greatest form of contagion
Before I became a Disney College Program participant, I wondered how Disney cast members stay happy. They get paid minimum wage, they have to deal with people who feel entitled to crazy things, and they have to deal with people who are sometimes less than polite. They do it every day, day in and day out. It is amazing that any cast member could remain happy and pleasant beyond a week.
Some people may attribute this to the Traditions training. However, Traditions is only a half day long. It teaches about the history of the company, and the facilitators talk about how for some guests, the Disney trip is a once in a lifetime vacation that the family has saved up for and anticipated. These are good reasons to be happy and polite, but they aren’t good enough that a cast member will remember them beyond a month or two.
Generally speaking, Disney guests are some of the happiest on Earth. They have saved for this trip, they are spending time with their families, and they are taking time out of their daily lives to experience something extraordinary. There are times where kids cry, parents get mad, and teens pout, but those times are few and far between when it comes to the sheer number of people that go through the gates every day.
Because the guests are happy, they are smiling. It is the guests that smile that keep Disney cast members happy and polite. Seeing a little girl dressed as Anna or Snow White or Aurora is priceless. Seeing her as she meets the character who she has dressed like goes far beyond cool. A child leading his parents to the promised Land of Tomorrow or through Adventureland, a family meeting Mickey Mouse, even those who are waiting for a parade are having fun. There are those who make the experience less than pleasant, but for the most part people are enjoying themselves.
It is this enjoyment and spirit that the cast members catch. The laughter of a family, the amazement of seeing the castle for the first or hundred and first time, the sheer joy that comes with knowing that as a cast member you are going to meet new people and be empowered to help them is hard to beat in a job, and it makes for a happy work force.
Some people may attribute this to the Traditions training. However, Traditions is only a half day long. It teaches about the history of the company, and the facilitators talk about how for some guests, the Disney trip is a once in a lifetime vacation that the family has saved up for and anticipated. These are good reasons to be happy and polite, but they aren’t good enough that a cast member will remember them beyond a month or two.
Generally speaking, Disney guests are some of the happiest on Earth. They have saved for this trip, they are spending time with their families, and they are taking time out of their daily lives to experience something extraordinary. There are times where kids cry, parents get mad, and teens pout, but those times are few and far between when it comes to the sheer number of people that go through the gates every day.
Because the guests are happy, they are smiling. It is the guests that smile that keep Disney cast members happy and polite. Seeing a little girl dressed as Anna or Snow White or Aurora is priceless. Seeing her as she meets the character who she has dressed like goes far beyond cool. A child leading his parents to the promised Land of Tomorrow or through Adventureland, a family meeting Mickey Mouse, even those who are waiting for a parade are having fun. There are those who make the experience less than pleasant, but for the most part people are enjoying themselves.
It is this enjoyment and spirit that the cast members catch. The laughter of a family, the amazement of seeing the castle for the first or hundred and first time, the sheer joy that comes with knowing that as a cast member you are going to meet new people and be empowered to help them is hard to beat in a job, and it makes for a happy work force.