I'm a World Traveler at Disneyland!
This post is a bit of a long read, so buckle up, friends.
One day, during my college program, I was sitting at the dining room table while on my laptop. I had gotten off of work early and was enjoying a nice evening to myself. I received a phone call from my work schedulers, which is not uncommon for them to call you later in the day. They called to tell me I had been moved to work inside the Disney parks. Specifically, I was asked to move my shift to Bing Bong’s Confectionery at Pixar Pier in Disney’s California Adventure Park.
Let’s all Head to the Pier
I was so excited, ecstatic even. I made sure to thank the scheduler on the phone, and she seemed surprised that I was happy to being moved. A lot of people, I would later come to find out, don’t like being moved from their home location. It makes sense, they want to stay where they are comfortable, know the ins and outs, etc. I, on the other hand, love the opportunity to get to explore new work locations, meet new Cast Members, and interact with Guests in a different setting.
The next day, I left for work hours beforehand. I knew I had to get a new costume (Disney language for uniform), find out where to clock in, and actually set aside time to walk over to my work location. Luckily for me, since I have worked in Disney’s California Adventure before (shout-out to the Wharf), I knew a little bit about the backstage area and how to get around.
At costuming, I found the right costume for Bing Bong’s. I love walking around and finding the right costume; a rite of passage for all in-parks Cast Members. The only issue was they only had a couple of hats left, and the navy blue bowling hat was required for the costume. I had no choice but to get a size XL. Since luck is on my side, the hat still looked good on me and completed my entire look. No matter the size, I look great in every hat I wear.
After arriving at the backstage destination, I was able to find a locker for my stuff and situate myself in the break room. I still had about 25 minutes before clocking in. I was so excited to be working retail at DCA; my first shift as a retail sales clerk inside the parks! History in the making!
I clocked in, told the leadership team I was visiting for the day, and they showed me the ropes. I walked on-stage and felt such joy and excitement. Physically being inside a store and seeing everything as a Cast Member is such a unique and different experience that cannot be explained unless you are a CM. Working inside a new store only added to this feeling.
I immediately became friends with an older CM, who showed me around and taught me how things work at Bing Bong’s (although all retail locations function the same, there are small differences such as where hangers go, how to contact the stock room, etc.). She could sense I was from World of Disney because of how fast I worked and anxious I seemed. I couldn’t stand still! I am so used to doing something and being productive because World of Disney is always busy.
This shift, although was so much fun and interesting, went by so slow. There was one point where I stood alone at an outdoor podium. This was the worst part of the shift because I didn’t talk to anybody, and hardly any Guests walked by to strike up a conversation with. I even grabbed a Bing Bong plush at one point and made him wave to Guests, but only a few noticed and acknowledged me.
While I was outside, a few friends did manage to come and visit me. They were nice enough to take a few photos of me:
The last three photos were taken and edited by my friend Cassandra. Take a look at her amazing Instagram!
As the night went on, I met more closing CMs And let me tell you, these are some of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with! There were some Guests who wanted to take pictures with the Bing Bong caramel apple prop behind the register, and the CMs there said, “of course!” and even offered to take the pictures for them.
All good things must come to an end, however. My shift ended and I returned back to my apartment.
A New Journey
That same night, I called scheduling and asked if they had another shift in the parks available. They offered me the option to work at Knick’s Knacks in Pixar Pier or Star Trader in Tomorrowland. I have never worked a single shift inside Disneyland park. The choice here was easy.
The trouble I faced afterwards was, I don’t know backstage Disneyland very well. I worked at DCA for 8 months and knew the layout very well, but Disneyland was (and still is— how do you get to the west side??!!) a mystery to me. I asked some friends who called Tomorrowland home where to clock in and report for work, but was still a bit confused. I ended up asking someone who was getting ready for their shift how and where to clock in. Someone else also walked with me to clock in at the same time.
I started out working at Store Command, the store you exit Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters from. The other CM I clocked in with was also working here, and sighed when she found out she got placed there. I asked why, and she said sometimes Guests could be a bit rude. I wasn’t sure what she meant since it was a very small pin trading store, but oh would I later come to find out.
The CMs were so so nice and helpful here. Some had even worked at World of Disney before and asked if I knew of their friends working there. The guests on the other hand… really love their trading pins. I won’t say anything they said or did specifically, but I will say I just brushed any rude comments aside. It’s tough working with aggressive or mean folks sometimes, but learning to not let these little comments get to you is a part of the job, and a part of life. Often times, I just rant to my friends and family about a bad interaction, and then am fine for the rest of the day.
The rest of the shift consisted of me rotating between Store Command and Star Trader, the largest store in Tomorrowland that had the most Star Wars merchandise. As much as I love Star Wars and love all the cool stuff they had there, I am very much not the most qualified CM to work there. There was so much technical, specific things that I had no knowledge of. Examples include where the portraits we sold were located, what the prices of the lightsabers were, and how to put together a customizable lightsaber (!!!).
The Last Lightsaber
About 10 minutes before I was supposed to clock out, I was stationed at the build-you-own lightaber station. Instructions were clearly written on the table, but as you can imagine, many Guests had difficulty making their own and required some help from CMs. One little kid was struggling and wasn’t sure what to do. He wanted to make the deluxe two-sided lightsaber (Star Wars fans— please don’t attack me for not knowing the proper name! That’s not the point of this story!), but was on the verge of giving up. His dad signaled for me to jump in and help out. I’m always eager to help out, but I knew nothing about building these things.
I stared at the boy and at the lightsaber, and he looked back at me for a few seconds. We both shared a moment of solidarity in the fact that none of us knew what to do. Finally, I said, “okay, let’s look at the instructions,” and started looking for the right components the instructions listed. We were luckily able to find the right pieces to begin connecting the two sides of the lightsaber. From there, the kid got excited and started building the rest without instruction. I happily stood behind him, ready to jump in, in case he needed any other help.
Saturday Blues
Then, it was time for me to clock out, and someone took over my spot. I quickly told the boy and his father that another CM would be standing there, ready to help. They thanked me and I walked away. As I was clocking out, there was a stack of containers full of blue-frosted cupcakes in the back room. Even though I was visiting the area and already on my way out, the leadership team said I could grab one. What a great way to end my shift in Tomorrowland! I saw myself in a mirror backstage and my lips and teeth had turned blue. Physical proof that I had visited and survived working at a store far, far away…
Here are some photos of me in the Tomorrowland retail costume. So slimming. It must be the vertical orange lines.
I was also visited by my family, and hung out with them at the parks afterwards, which is always a treat.
Since my Tomorrowland shift, it was a bit of challenge picking up shifts elsewhere. I think it’s because it was the holiday season and World of Disney needed all hands on deck. I did manage to pick up a few more shifts in the parks, though. My travels later sent me to the 1920s in Los Angeles.
A Suitcase and a Dream
Finally, I got moved to Buena Vista Street. Specifically, to Elias & Co. I had been trying to trade a shift to work here forever. Working on BVS was my original first choice when it came to location, so I was very excited to get a shift here.
My dream was to be able to wear the strawberry costume. This is a costume many people made fun of or looked down upon, but I love the history behind it. Nicknamed a “strawberry” for its red with white polka dot patterned top and dark green skirt, it was inspired by the outfit Lillian Disney wore on her first date with Walt Disney. I was going to finally be a strawberry!
This shift was easy and straightforward. I even helped a newer CM with a return. All of the CMs there were so nice. The only difficult thing about this shift was not being able to help Guests more, simply because I was unfamiliar with the store layout. Luckily, I just asked other CMs and they were able to help.
I don’t remember many details or stories about this shift, but here are some pictures my roommate took of me:
Only awkward hand-hip poses are welcome on this blog.
I’ve worked at Elias & Co one other time since then, and the CMs there are still so nice. Keep up the good work, Buena Vista Street friends!
Having a Fun Ragtime
On my last week on the DCP, my travels took me back in time, to the turn of the century in Marceline, Missouri. I was scheduled not one, but two shifts on Main Street, U.S.A.! On one of the shifts, I was even scheduled to work with my roommate! I worked at Clothiers, across the street from the Emporium.
Let me tell you, the costume for this location is cute. The costume consists of a flattering pleated red skirt with a complimentary-colored striped top, and a matching red tie. Since it was freezing cold during these late-night shifts, I got a coat from costuming. The coat itself was such a good-quality, long, warm button-up coat. Together, these pieces matched the time and place perfectly, contributing to the amazing storytelling that Disney is known for. I only wish my home location costume was as stylish as Main Street’s while staying true to it’s context.
These shifts were fine, but they were a bit stressful because I was unfamiliar with Disneyland park from a CM perspective. Where are the nearest restrooms? What time do fireworks start? Is there a nighttime parade? Do we have the item a Guest is looking for here at Clothiers, or should I send them to the Emporium? Wait, how do I call the back and ask for a size?
I did enjoy looking out from China Closet, the portion of the store that sold mugs and other breakables, and hearing Disney’s “kiss goodnight” as Guests shuffled slowly out of the park. The lights would dim to purple, the background music seemed to ascend, its volume raising, and Guests looked all around as the snoap (snow & soap) fell from the night sky. This “kiss goodnight” was Disneyland’s way of saying thank you and goodbye to all its Guests for the night. It cycled through every 20 minutes or so, slowly but surely ensuring that Guests exited the park.
My shifts here were important because they taught me that no matter how cool and fun it is working at other locations, World of Disney is my home. It’s where I was trained, where I feel the most comfortable, and where all my friends work. It’s my place; where I make magic at the Disneyland Resort.
I managed to grab these amazing shots of Sleeping Beauty Castle and I. Love these guys!
Name a better duo, I’ll wait.
A moment of silence is needed to remember this Apple Pie Caramel Apple that I purchased earlier that day and enjoyed 1/3 of in the break room, before forgetting my lunch box there. It, along with my green lunch box, have probably been thrown away by now.
In the arms of an angel, fly away from here…
To wrap up, I love working inside the parks. It would be amazing to get a shift on the west side of Disneyland (Adventureland Bazaar, I’m speaking directly to you), and explore other parts of the Resort. At the end of the day, though, World of Disney is my home, and I love working with all my friends there.
Where will my travels take me next?
