Do Disney World Employees Get Free Tickets?
Disney World has the reputation of being the most magical place on earth, making it seem like a dream job for Disney lovers.
Employees of the park enjoy quite a few benefits that normal guests never will, including behind-the-scenes looks at attractions, discounts inside the parks, and of course free tickets.
Disney World employees receive free admission tickets to theme parks and are given guest passes to bring friends or family in with them. The number of admissions per year can vary depending on how long the cast member has worked for Disney and the number of hours they work.
Benefits of Working At Disney World
A lot of employees at Disney World find the job difficult. There are strict rules in place that must be followed at all times and they can never break character while in view of guests.
To help compensate for the strenuous work, cast members get special perks at Disney World.
Free Tickets and Ticket Discounts
Each Disney employee gets a certain number of days each year that they receive free admission to the parks.
The number of days they receive depends on how many hours they work and how long they’ve been employed at Disney World.
Though full-time employees have more free admission passes than part-timers, both full and part-time employees can get free admission to the parks after they’ve worked at Disney World for over two weeks.
The available days for employees to use their free admission passes are also subject to blackout dates when the park has special events or is expected to be extra busy.
In addition to free entry, park employees are given guest passes that allow them to bring up to three people into the parks with them when they use their free admission passes.
Employees also get discounted pricing on tickets to special events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
Normal day tickets are also discounted for cast members, typically between 10%-15%.
Disney World employees get additional perks at other parks that aren’t within Disney World. They can get reduced tickets to both Busch Gardens and Sea World as well.
Additional Perks and Discounts in the Parks
Outside of ticket discounts, Disney employees get to use an employee discount inside the parks.
Discounts on merchandise vary but go up to 20%.
Throughout all of the Disney resorts, Disney employees receive discounts at all dining establishments. This discount doesn’t extend to standalone carts in the park though, so churros and popcorn are at full prices.
Hotel stays have large discounts attached to them. Resort hotels for cast members are around 50% off for them and 40% for their family or friends.
Backstage tours and other recreational activities are 50% off for Disney World employees.
Employees also get special pricing on bigger events as well. This includes Disney Cruises, Adventures, and special occasion events like their fairytale weddings or Disney honeymoons.
Work Benefits for Disney Employees
Disney employees enjoy the same benefits that any full-time jobs give in addition to their bonus perks.
Health insurance, retirement savings, career advancement, and tuition assistance are all great programs offered at Disney World.
The Mouse also offers onsite fitness and wellness classes, volunteer opportunities, and child care support.
Disney World Employee Rules
Disney World employees have a strict and very lengthy set of rules they must follow within the parks at all times.
These are put in place to help the park keep its magical illusion going at all times. The biggest and possibly most important of these rules is to always stay in character.
Employees are never allowed to break character when they aren’t behind the scenes and all of their mannerisms, vocabulary, and personality have to match the character they’re portraying.
If an employee is a character, they can only reference things their character would know about or acknowledge other Disney characters.
Character actors aren’t even allowed to tell people which character they play in the parks, even while off the clock.
Employees are also never allowed to say they don’t know the answer to a guest’s question. They must stay with a guest and go out of their way to solve any issue, even if it isn’t in their department.
No matter which role employees have, they aren’t allowed to point with one finger. Instead, all employees must use two fingers when pointing guests in any direction.
In addition to the above rules, all employee roles have their own handbooks with rules and guidelines for how they must act while on the clock.
Is it hard to get hired at Disney?
Getting hired at Disney World is no harder than getting hired for any other job.
The required experience depends entirely on the job you’re looking to get into, but otherwise, Orlando locals just need to apply.
Character jobs are much more difficult to get than manual jobs. Applicants have to be height, body shape, and even skin tone matches to the character they want to play.
The competition for these roles is also much higher, with Disney holding auditions across the country and weeding through thousands of applicants for the more desirable roles.
Can you work for Disney if you have tattoos?
Disney employees are not allowed to have any visible tattoos.
Tattoos that aren’t completely covered by your work uniform are not going to be acceptable and can keep you from getting a job with the parks.
Cast members have to be able to fit into the visuals Disney wants to portray. Anything that goes outside of this or shows individuality isn’t going to be allowed.
This doesn’t just include tattoos; employees can’t have certain piercings, dyed hair, or wear anything outside of their uniform.
Conclusion
Employees at Disney World can expect to receive free admission to the theme parks and an allowance of guest passes to bring their friends in with them.
Working for the parks can be a great way to see behind the magical veil of Disney, though they won’t let you talk about it much.
