I try to take advantage of every single opportunity as a Cast Member for The Walt Disney Company. There’s so much to do and so many different opportunities for Cast Members, that I’m always looking for something new and fun to do. A few months ago, I signed up to learn a little more about our overnight Cast and how they make magic at the resort.

I signed up to tour with our Disneyland Ambassadors, Justin Rapp and Rafa Barron. Ambassadors for Disney parks are representatives for the parks that advocate for Cast, community, and the parks in general. They help out with media interviews, public events, community outreach, and other news and events that involve Disney parks. For this particular event, my friend Leah and I signed up to learn about Cast in overnight maintenance, Circle D, and horticulture. We got up bright and early, meeting at 5 am to visit some Cast Members who we don’t always see or hear about. Here’s some of the things we learned from talking with these Cast Members:

Indiana Jones Maintenance Bay

We spoke to Tim, who has been working at Disney for over 20 years. His job is to perform overnight maintenance for the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction at the resort. From his description of the ride history, his role and duties, and fun facts about the ride, you could just tell how passionate he was about his work. It truly seemed like he is exactly where he is supposed to be. My favorite fun fact was learning why the initial effect in the Chamber of Destiny room has changed. If I’m remembering correctly, the effect broke and the ride is unable to fix the effect without taking apart walls and infrastructure. Talking to Tim and seeing the maintenance bay was the best because Indiana Jones Adventure is my absolute favorite ride in the entire resort. I even touched the back end of a vehicle, which is something I cannot do while on the attraction (for obvious safety reasons). It was such an incredible experience, and I’m glad to got to know more about Tim’s role in making magic.

Circle D: Main Street Horses

Our next stop was only a few feet away, at some lovely horse stables. Our tour group was greeted by some gentle horses, feeding on the crunchiest hay. We were introduced to Cast Members Erin and Ashley. They began talking about how the feeding horses are Main Street horses that pull trolleys and vehicles all along Main Street, U.S.A. Such a coveted role, Circle D Cast Members take great pride in carefully select the best fitting horses from ranches all across the country. They also discussed how they take the best care of these horses. No joke: these horses are pampered to the max and well taken care of. They’re given plenty of training, lots of meals and treats, constant grooming, and are put into retirement well before reaching an “old” age. This is done so they can enjoy life outside of work while they still have energy and vigor. The Cast Members are especially passionate about taking care of these horses too, and are even given priority over adoption once the horses have retired from Disneyland. This is amazing to hear, especially since many of the Cast Members have bonded with the horses they’ve worked with for years. You could tell Erin and Ashley love working with these horses and only want what is best for them. I’m glad they have found their passion and are able to do that at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Horticulture at Disneyland West

Our final stop was visiting Adventureland and speaking with Carlos from Horticulture. Carlos has been with the company for over five years, and is in charge of maintaining and decorating the real (not artificial, that’s another department!) plants all around Adventureland and New Orleans Square. Comprised of a small but mighty team, Carlos and other horticulture Cast get to work right after the last guests leave the park. They add new plants to grow in an area, ensure plants are growing at a healthy rate, the plants make sense to the themes of the lands, and so much more. Carlos even went on to describe an incident where he and his crew were working on the plants on Jungle Cruise and almost got attacked by raccoons! There doesn’t seem to be a dull moment when working at the Disneyland Resort.

Wrap-Up

At the end of our excursion, the Disneyland Ambassadors invited us to enjoy some coffee, pastries, and treats at a nearby conference room. Who can pass up a coffee date with an Ambassador? We took the time to give feedback on this fun adventure, and thank the Ambassadors for setting it all up. Without organizing an event such as this, we would not have known about all these different roles and ways to make magic at Disney. We hear all about working in attractions, custodial, in parades, etc., but rarely do we hear from the folks who work to ensure the attractions are running smoothly or that the plants are growing at a healthy rate. It really was such a great experience to hear from these Cast Members and seeing them talk about their passions. Thank you, Justin and Rafa for setting this all up! Follow them on Instagram for more updates from the Ambassadors!