Conference koolit::disney

    I'd love to be Minnie in the Magic Kingdom parade...for the attention,
    the glamour and the glitz...
    
    But I wouldn't like to be one of those assistants leading people on and
    off the big rides that don't stop in EPCOT...that would make me dizzier 
    than I already am!
    
    Karen
    (sat_dreaming_in_the_grey_silence_of_her_cube_in_Reading_England_which_
    seems_like_a_million_miles_away_from_the_fun_of_Disney)

    Sorry Karen, as far as I know, generally female characters are played
    by males and vise-versa.
    
    I guess you'll have to be the head honcho, Mickey.
    

    
    	re .2
    
    	Is this REALLY true?????
    
    
    	... if so, then I owe a B*I*G apology to some guy in a Minnie
	outfit who I encountered on my last trip!
    
    	One other question that our real Disney buffs might be able to 
    	answer:
    
    	I was at one of these Tom Peters-style seminars earlier this
    	week.  The guy who was running it was talking about excellence
    	in general and quite rightly used Disney as an example of truly
    	excellent cleanliness and customer assistance.
    
    	He claimed that the reasons the parks were so clean was because
    	of the fact that excellent training is given to all cast-members
    	which I don't doubt, but then he said that the other reason was
    	that the custodial employees were paid MORE than any others.
    
    	Is this true, or was he using 'poetic licence' here? 
    
    
    	Perhaps Custodial Services is the best job to go for after 
    	all.
    
    
    	Andy.

    
    The worst job...?
    
    Ever notice that they don't sell gum inside the parks?  Get to the
    Magic Kingdom early and you can see the guys scraping gum off of the
    walkways with putty knives.  That I think is the worst job.
    
    Best job...?
    
    Monorail Driver.
    
    Later...
    Steve
    

    They have a very difficult time getting gum off the concrete. They
    actually steam it off at night when cleaning all the parks.
    
    I don't know what the toughest job would be but any job in which you
    have to deal with the public is a toughie.
    
    Driving the little beetles in the ELP is tough...ya gotta be careful
    you don't hit someone.
    
    Mike

    Re: .2
    
    sob...sob...my dreams are in tatters...
    
    Karen
    
    PS  I'm a bit worried too, Andy...the space-suited Mickey in EPCOT
        gave me a real big cuddle when I had my photo taken with "him"  :-)

	TThe best job in the park would be any job where you would get to go
all around the park, I would guess that working on a vendor cart would allow 
that.  The other choice would be a ride attendant in either the Haunted Mansion
or Pirates of the Carribean!!  The worst would deffinately be any job where you
have to scrub unsightly little bits of anything off of a sidewalk (YUK!!)!!


Tom

    
    	RE : - 1
    
    		Oh, I don't know about that. A few years back, I was lucky
    enough to get an after-hours tour of Disneyland. I watched the team of 
    cleaners who steam all the dirt, gum, etc. off the sidewalks of the 
    park. They work with a high pressure pin-point hose and -- slowly, 
    methodically -- make their way along the streets of the Magic Kingdom.
    		Not a very glamorous job. And the hours -- 11 p.m. to 7
    a.m. -- leave a lot to be desired ( Believe me, I know ). But -- in a
    weird sort of way -- I envied these guys. Why ? Because -- every night
    -- they have Disneyland all to themselves. No crowds, no noise. They
    get to see the place when it's at its most peaceful. All the lights
    are still on, the place still looks beautiful -- but it's quiet.
    		Those people that I got to talk to took a real pride in 
    their work. They felt that they played a very important part in Disney-
    land's appeal to the public -- making sure the park looked good each 
    and every time the gates opened. Plus they did admit to getting a weird
    sort of kick out of having the Magic Kingdom all to themselves at night,
    of being to move freely along usually busy streets.
    		I really enjoyed that night and meeting all those people.
    Somehow, it made the Magic Kingdom that much more special to me --
    learning about all the hard work that goes on after hours and behind
    the scenes that we take for granted when we visit the park.
    		So don't be so quick to look down on Disneyland's
    custodial staff. The folks I talked with seemed very pleased with
    the jobs they had ... Oh, and if you think being a ride operator at
    " Pirates of the Carribbean " or " The Haunted Mansion " would be a
    lot of fun, just think about how many times a day you'd have to smile
    and say " Please step into the DEAD center of the room " to yammering
    tourists. If I had that job -- and had to say the same thing over-and
    over-and-over every day -- I'd snap !
    
    		Comments ?
    					jrh 

    
    
    I think I'd have to agree with the last reply. Working all day with the
    "general" public would get real old, fast. Imagine doing the spiel
    every day on the Jungle Cruise Oh Joy. Just a little digression last 
    trip down our boat on the JC was filled almost entirely with
    non-English speaking guests but the driver didn't know it. He couldn't
    why no one was getting any of his puns ect.
    
    No back to the discussion at hand. For my dream job I think it would be
    photographer. The subject matter is just boundless but the challenge
    would still be there. How to make a shot of the castle look fresh and
    new. Now that's the kind of challenge I could go for, rather how to
    light this DEC manual look fresh and new :-/ oh well. Then again maybe
    if it were a real dream how about Imagineer there could be a few
    challenges in that job ;-)
    
    happy dreaming
    
    steve

    RE: .9
    
    >Imagine doing the spiel
    >every day on the Jungle Cruise
    
    Actually once when I was on it they worked that in.  The closing line
    the attendent gave (after the standard "return to civilation") was:
    
    	"Did you enjoy yourselves?  Well, I did.  In fact .. I'll go around
    	 again...and around and around...Why?  Because its not just an
    	 adventure...its a job."
    
    During this same time which was very late at night and uncrowded when
    we got to the falls named for "Albert Falls" (:-)), and the comment
    went out about the last crewing being lost here, we turned the corner
    to see another Jungle Cruise boat with two attendents on it spawled out
    "dead". 
    
    George
    

      Ever want to jump off a ride, like the Pirates of the Carribean and
    wander around when you were a kid. Being the engineer or security that
    lurks in these rides might be fun, then again it might not be if it
    keeps breaking down.
    
      I wouldn't want to work in the ticket booth. Seems like you would
    have to be real patient and know several languages.
    
    Dave
    

    Personally I would like to design the rides.
    The down side is 'where do you go for vacation'.
    
    mike

	After reading .9 I want to change my vote.  I too would have to say 
that Photographer would be the best since I enjoy Photography and it fits
my, being able to wander around the parks, requirement.  I still think that,
depending on how strict they are on the scripts, I would enjoy being an
attendant on one of the best rides.

Tom

       When I was 17 I was approached in the park (Anahiem) by the
    "suits" of Disneyland.  They offered me a position as being one
    of their Alice in Wonderlands that wander the park with the other
    costumed characters.  I lived in San Jose so couldn't take the
    job, but I sure would have like to!
    
    
    
                                L.J.

    At the end of the character parade, we saw a guy with a harness
    strapped to his chest, cranking away on a big handle to wind up the
    cable that lines the parade route. It was 92 (degrees F and humidity
    too) and he did not look like he was having fun.

    
    .... after reflecting on .8 from jrh, I'm going to change votes as
    well, it must be great to have the park to yourself at night (although
    I guess you obviously can't do any of the rides) ... peace and quiet,
    and no burning sun ...... and no kids!!!
    
    .. I also echo .11 from Dave about wanting to get out of a ride while
    it's going through (apart from SM and BTMR of course).  I nearly
    succumbed to the temptation the last time I rode the Pirates, I get the
    feeling the Pirates themselves would probably act as security guards!
    
    ... got a feeling that another naff job would be a car parking
    attendant, especially with the amount of Brits who are not used to
    driving on the 'wrong' side of the road!
    
    
    
    Andy

  So far it's a toss up between photographer and parade director.

  I love taking pictures and the thought of taking pictures from anywhere in
  the park at any time is tempting.  I hadn't thought of it until I read it 
  here.

  I've also taped a show from the Disney Channel about the electric parade.
  I think it would be exciting to run the parade behind the scenes.  It would
  be really great to watch the crowds reaction every night and to know that
  I had a role in creating the magic.  Running any of the live performances
  from behind the scenes would probably appeal to me.  But then my best
  memories of high school are of the plays I worked on.  I was on the stage
  crew not an actress.

    I don't think I could stand a full-time job taking world passes and
    stamping them with today's date all day long.  Yuk.
    
    On the other hand - I'd enjoy being one of the beautiful polynesian women 
    dancers with a roomful of guys mezmerized...
    
    'course they don't take thunder thighs...

    
    There are some personnel who give private guided tours to dignitaries
    and crippled kids. I'd like that job. If they paid me what DEC does...
    
    
    JL
    

    I'd say that the worst jobs would have to be (1) running around in a
    furry chipmunk suit on a 110 degree day in July, (2) driving
    around/trying to help folks who have lost their RENTAL cars in that
    vast parking lot (what color was it again, Marge?) and (3) trying to
    console those screaming children terrified of the 7' chipmunk.
    
    I would say that the best job would be actually working in the
    underground "world" below Disney ... and what fun you could have
    re-programming some of the animated characters when your boss was out
    of town.

    I too would like to work behind the scenes making all of the magic come
    true.  Imagion putting together the Raiders of the Lost Arc adventure.  
    Or being part of putting together Epcot center.  
    
    Yea, behind the scenes is for me.  
    
    

    Personally, all I seem to talk about lately is that I want to be the
    maintainer of the Country Bear Jambory.  The whole thing!  I'ld love it!

    Other than the heavy costumes, I would think that if you liked to sing,
    being a singer at the American display at Epcot would be the best job. 
    These people have fantastic voices and sing old Americana songs that
    really get you into the mood for the history of America program (I
    still get tears in my eyes after the presentation!) ... another great
    job HAS to be as a waiter/waitress in any of their on-site restaurants. 
    The food isn't cheap, so the tips must be fantastic!
    
    And, personally speaking, I would love to be a groundskeeper, planting
    flowers and shrubs, etc.
    
    Now, where's my resume??....!
    

    Best Job!!
    
    How about being the Lifeguard at Typhoon Lagoon???
    
    Worst job!!
    
    Being the guy who walks behind the horses in the parade with the shovel
    and the bucket picking up you know what!! Nice Job!!!!.......
    
    
    Bob

>Being the guy who walks behind the horses in the parade with the shovel
>    and the bucket picking up you know what!! Nice Job!!!!.......
    

Do they really do that? I thought the horses had diapers (not in the
triangular shaped white cloth sense, but I know I've seen horses in places
wearing sacks designed to catch the waste).

   Gary

    NO DIAPERS!!!!  We have seen the pooper-scooper man many times! It's
    true!  Is this a Disney punishment I wonder?
    
    Bob

    Best:
    1)working in the underground area
    2)being an imagineer
    3)testing the rides!
    4)Jungle Cruise(thoose guys crack me up!)
    5)working in woders of life
    
    Worst:
    1)horse guy
    2)costume person(inside it on a 110 degree day?)
    3)merry-go-round(and around,and around...)
    
    
    
    

    I worked at WDW in the summer of 1975 and over Christmas break 1976 at
    the BEST job at DISNEY - 'crowd control' in Frontier Land.  We did
    everything from:
    
    o setup/takedown the rope lines for the daily 2PM/9PM  parades 
    o yell at people to 'get out of the way' of the floats
    o drive the Tom Sawyer Rafts across the lagoon 
    o steer the Davy Crockett Canoes around the lagoon and scare our guests 
      with close encounters with the steam boat's paddle wheel
    o explain to desparate people that the nearest bar was in a park hotel
    
    All this to pay for college.  Actually it got old answering the most
    frequently asked question: 'where is the NEAREST bathroom ?'
    
    For a teenager, this job was fun but minimum wage work.