Reader-Submitted Stories: Magic and Movies

Wednesday, May 21, 2003
Shoshana Lewin, Cast Place editor

"The Story" never ends, particularly when our readers speak out

We like stories, and not just our own. We encourage you all ÷ Cast Members and simple visitors alike ÷ to submit to us any stories which involve CMs and the CM-experience. Shorter stories may be used in the regular mailbag updates, while longer stories may rate their own exposure in this column.

Today, Dana Mosley Sieben talks about her experience in the late 1980s with the Walt Disney World College Program.

After reading your experience at Disneyland, I felt like sharing my experience on the college program at Walt Disney World (WDW).

It started very innocently. A friend of mine, Scott, called me at my dorm at the University of Alabama and told me of a flyer he had seen advertising interviews for the Walt Disney World College Program (WDWCP). I had no idea that Disney hired college students and I had always loved WDW, so the two of us went to the Student Union to check out the action.

Photo by Brian Bennett

I don't remember the details on getting an interview or what questions were asked, but weeks later, I received my letter accepting me to the program. So, one semester into my sophomore year, I packed up my car and headed for Orlando with Scott, who had also made the program. All I knew was that I would be in Attractions somewhere. Back then, there was only the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We drove all night so we could get there right at check in. Stupid move; we were so exhausted from the drive we almost fell asleep at a couple of points.

So we get to Snow White Village in Kissimmee, Florida. Yep, we had to live in trailers. The kids nowadays have it easy in their nice apartment complexes — we made do with trailers infested with ants. We didn't care at the time — we were too interested in who our roommates would be and how many cute members of the opposite sex would cross our path. We checked into our homes for the next semester and went to our welcome meeting that night at the pool house.

We were required to take classes at Disney University at the Magic Kingdom. They didn't have a wide variety of classes to choose from and they were long and boring, if I remember correctly. At orientation, we split up into what areas we would work in. I got Magic Kingdom West attractions! I ended up at the Haunted Mansion of all places — my favorite ride at the Magic Kingdom. I was so excited when I tried on my costume the first time. The group of College Program people going with me were so fun and I was going to have a blast. Scott ended up at Epcot in Food Service, so we didn't see each other much.

I could go on and on about my experiences at the Mansion, but I won't. What I will say is that that semester changed my life. I learned a little about the world, I learned about broken hearts and how much they hurt and I learned that I wasn't satisfied with only one semester. I stayed on for the summer, too, and there were a lot of us who opted to do that. That summer, they opened Vista Way, but they housed all of us in Snow White Village again. Regardless, we had a blast! I still keep in touch with a couple of people from that summer.

Well, I went back to the University of Alabama a very changed person. I remember that people were so impressed that I had worked at Disney. Nowadays, of course, working there is more common, so I don't have the prestige I did then.

Anyway, during the fall semester of 1988, Scott, asked me if I would like to interview for the program again. But this time, it was going to be different. According to the flyer, it would be for a special group of CPs to open Disney-MGM Studios, starting February through July 1989. I had recently torn some ligaments in my left ankle during marching band practice, so I had to go to my interview in sweats. I was mortified, but the interviewer was very sympathetic. He knew my supervisor from the Mansion, so it was a very friendly interview. I assured him that I would love to work at the Great Movie Ride and he said he would see what he could do.

I received my letter, as before, and I prepared to spend another six months in Florida. Unfortunately, Scott didn't make the program this time around. We never did figure out why. It didn't matter though. He has worked for the company since about 1991 and is now working in resorts. We still see each other occasionally when my husband takes us all to Disney on vacation.

Well, again I didn't get the chance to live at Vista Way. They were housing us "special CPs" (their words, not mine) in the apartment complex next door, Vista Village. I think it is a time-share now. Anyway, we were the only ones opening the studio; the kids over at Vista Way were still only at Magic Kingdom and Epcot, so we didn't have a chance to mix. Snow White Village was closed for good now; I felt proud to have been one of its last residents. A way of life had closed and a new one about to start.

The Studio was still under construction, so we had to wear maintenance clothes to work. Brown pants and white shirts. Yuck.

We had had an orientation meeting where they divided us up into groups. There was a group for the Great Movie Ride, a group for the Backlot Studio Tour, a group for Superstar Television, and I can't remember what else. I made it to the Great Movie Ride, which pleased me to no end! It looked so exciting in the drawings they had shown us.

When we finally got to tour the ride, it was still under construction, too — being painted, Audio-Animatronics being installed, plaster all over everything. Again, we were divided into groups. My group called themselves the Anubis, (pronounced Anewbees) after the great god, Anubis in the Indiana Jones section. There were the Mugsies, and I can't remember the other groups names, but we were to all be competitive in the months ahead. We rotated work schedules.

Photo by Brian Bennett

Not only did we practice script after script after script, but we helped maintenance test the vehicles, timing test and such, and all the stuff we would need to know to run the building. We studied and worked for three months until May, when it opened to the public.

Those were good times, though. I remember the time my vehicle caught on fire and I forgot every training I had ever learned and ran screaming "Fire!" all through the ride trying to find a maintenance person. My console was melted. I have never forgotten the smell of an electrical fire since then.

My group's trainer left for Entertainment, so they made me temp trainer for the Anubis. I, a CP, was training people in the Gangster and Western sections, as well as the part of tour guide. This went on until my tour of duty was over in July. But I never was paid trainer pay. Such is life.

What kills me is that, at the time, they had plans for a female gangster named Roxy, but upper management decided that she was too unrealistic, so girls were never allowed to do gangster. I trained the guys to do it, but I couldn't do it myself. Humph! I know they are allowed to now, which is great! I was lucky enough last year to have a female gangster — to actually witness that it could be done. She got a guest compliment at Guest Relations that day for her file.

My most infamous moment came when Michael Eisner came through the ride before opening day, and I was chosen to be tour guide. Back then, we all had fake blood patches under our shirt pocket which we ripped aside while pretending to be shot in gangster. I did my part (we had a great time with the dying scene) and pulled the patch and disappeared behind stage.

Photo by Brian Bennett

After the ride was over and a little bit later, we were all informed that Mr. Eisner had decided that girls couldn't use the fake blood patch anymore as it made us look as if our chest had been blown off. He had looked at my chest! He had noticed my chest! Another thing that girls weren't allowed to do. I was mortified! Needless to say, I never lived it down.

I remember when the Fantasia scene was a tornado for the Wizard of Oz scene. I remember they used the big fans. I remember that they decided that it wouldn't work, and putting in Fantasia instead. I remember how awesome the Wicked Witch of the West was, how Busby Berkeley actually rotated and water squirted out of jets. I remember getting away with murder in those early days — jokes played on each other that today would get you fired. But we had a great time.

During my time as trainer, I had the opportunity to train CMs from other parts of the park who had transferred to the Great Movie Ride. One of those people became a dear friend of mine. He died last year from cancer. I will never forget the fun we had that year, sunbathing at Little Lake Bryan, going into the parks on our days off and playing with the guests, getting caught in the hot tub at the Grand Floridian, and so on.

When we, the group, had our grad ball at the end of the session, we invited a bunch of the non-CPs from the Great Movie Ride to join us in our party as our dates. Since we had been separate from the Vista Way gang, we had our own grad ball instead of going to theirs. Ours was smaller, but I believe it was more fun. That night, we got to witness a lunar eclipse and it just made the night perfect. I wish I had more pictures from that time at Disney.

If anyone reading this was a part of that first opening crew and remembers me — I just have to say, you guys were great! It was the time of my life.

If I had never gone to Disney, I never would have met my roommate who never would have introduced me to my future husband.

TALK STORY!

Are you a CM or a former CM? I would love to hear and share your stories! E-mail me! Stories and comments you submit become property of and may be published on this site; we normally don't publish last names of current CMs, but if you wish to remain anonymous altogether or do not want me to share your stories, please let me know when you e-mail me. — Shoshana

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in reader-contributed stories do not reflect those of Cast Place or MousePlanet.

CM – Cast member; company lingo for “employee.” 

Empowerment Evolution – The 1995 attempt by newer park management to introduce modern accountability and market forces into the stodgy Disneyland methodology and power hierarchies. The name was meant to “empower” rank and file employees by removing layers of their management, though now there are more managers than ever.

TPO – Theme Park Operations; the division of the Disneyland hierarchy that actually works in the theme park itself.

TDA – Team Disney Anaheim; the name of the on-site administration building.

Area manager – used to be responsible for an entire land, with all business divisions in the area reporting to him.

Area supervisor – the immediate boss for location supervisors who divide up a department of intelligently grouped locations. The area supervisors in turn reported to the area manager. Nowadays all supervisors and area supervisors have been replaced by managers and assistant managers — the same idea, but smaller “business units" than a department; usually just one location in fact.

RFT – “A” status; a full-time hourly employee.

RPT – “B” status; an hourly employee five days a week but just not quite 40 hours usually.

CR – “C” status; an hourly employee who works weekends year-round and five days a week during all school holiday periods (including summer and Christmas break).

CT – a part-time hourly employee who works five days a week during all school holiday periods (including summer and Christmas break). No seniority, so shifts worked are usually quite short.

Locate the employment center to fill out an application, and they will call you for an interview (dress nicely, just shy of an actual suit). Once there, follow these rules, in this order of importance:

1. Smile and be very friendly. They want outgoing people.
2. Do not let the group interview throw you off balance. They want outgoing people who can “perform” a little bit.
3. Do not worry about job (in)experience. They don't care. They want friendly people, not experienced and/or hardened people.
4. Do your best to convince them you already have a Disney attitude: you want to work with people, you're a team player, and you would consider this a dream job (however, don't overdo it on the crazy-Disney-fan side either). Strike a nice balance.
5. Did I mention the importance of a smile?

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