If you’ve ever been to Walt Disney World, then the question you probably kept asking yourself was, “How did they do that?” From incredible attractions to the amazing design of the parks, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes and thousands of wonderful Disney World Cast Members who make the magic happen every single day. Many have wondered just what it’s like to be a Disney World Cast Member, and a recent viral TikTok purports to reveal some of those secrets, but I have some serious issues with this.
The TikTok video in question comes from a user who says he was previously part of the Disney College Program. Thousands of young people join the ranks of the Disney Parks through the College Program, so it’s certainly possible that this guy did, but there’s actually little in his video that truly confirms that, as many of his secrets are common knowledge, and others are just plain wrong.
@tcruznc ♬ original sound - Tom Cruz
A couple of the items here really stand out. The idea that every trash can at Magic Kingdom is connected to a vacuum chute system that sucks up the garbage is an urban legend that is almost entirely untrue. While there is an underground vacuum system for disposing of trash at Disney World, access to the system can only be found in a limited number of places, and trash cans still need to be emptied. Also, the Utilidoor system isn’t just for trash, it’s the system for moving everything, including Cast Members, around the park.
The idea that “nobody dies on Disney World property” is also an often repeated urban legend, that is, quite simply, untrue. The facts are that we know of people who have died while on Disney property, and there is no evidence that extraordinary measures are taken to simply keep people alive so they can die elsewhere.
I also have a real question about the bit where he “reveals” what Epcot stands for. We know where the name Epcot comes from. I would write it off as a joke, as it sounds like the sort of thing Epcot Cast Members might joke about, but none of his other secrets appear to be meant as jokes, so this one stands out as strange. Maybe the whole thing is meant to be a comedy?
Other parts of the video are true; the Cast Member “hiss” is a real thing that they do, which isn’t as well known. The Cast Members' grooming description is largely true based on the time the guy claims to have been in the College Program, though the Disney Look has been updated to be more inclusive in recent years.
The Magical Moments that Cast Members can do, where they have a certain amount of autonomy to help out guests without needing approval, is also true. And while I’m sure that plenty of Cast Members abuse the privilege for a pretty girl, as the father of a baby who got a new jacket after spitting up, I promise you that it is done for kids, and their parents, too.
I also have questions about the parents who apparently leave their kids unattended in strollers for hours at a time. While I'm sure that's happened, if parents were being banned from Disney World once a month for this I feel like it would have been a bigger story.
I don’t know if this guy was part of the Disney College Program or not. He probably was, it seems like a strange thing to make up. Although I don’t know anybody else who’s been through it who had to sign an NDA. Even if he was, it seems there were more than a few things he wasn't quite up to speed on.
