Everything you've ever wanted to ask about Disneyland... - but didn't ask.

[Lackadaisy]

Any wacky foreign tourist stories?

 

[Kari Kamiya]

Just a random question because this has been bothering me for years, but did the Indiana Jones ride get some kind of upgrade in the snake room after 2002? I swear to this day there were two snakes on each side of the car that lunged for whoever was sitting right in front of them when the car slowed. I had my glasses off so everything was a blur, but I know the cobra lunged for me and someone else shrieked in the very back.

 

[LogicBeetch]

After the inevitable California apocalypse, which attraction do you choose to take over and defend? The rustic detachment of Country Bears? The walled in yet centralized Space mountain? im sure you have a better answer..

Oh. That's a good one. I would actually go with the Year of a Million Dreams Suite over Pirates. Not only do you have the high ground with balconies and very well hidden access points; but you also have an unlimited supply of booze from Club 33 and some access to very cool security equipment.

Any wacky foreign tourist stories?

Many. I was blessed not to have been put on any of the janitorial crews; but, I've heard that Asians aren't toilet cultured so they tend to stand on the seat to take a dumper- or - I've actually watched a small Chinese boy just drop trou in Critter Country, sort of in a corner, and take a deuce. I always thought they should put stickers on the back of every stall door showing proper usage of a toilet. We had one Dutch group that came in HIGH AF. It was slow season and all they wanted to do was ride Alice in Wonderland OVER and OVER. We had to cut them off at one point because they were running a triangle between Alice, Matterhorn, and Tea cups while it was clear they were tripping balls or stoned. I got yelled at by a Ugandan lady who couldn't put her seatbelt on on Soarin'. She was literally spilling over the seat next to hear and there was no way she was getting that buckle to click. We had some concerns about her safety and she couldn't understand why because she was somehow unaware that that ride lifts you up in the air so you feel like you're flying. She thought the ride stayed on the ground. She refused to leave so we had to call security.

Just a random question because this has been bothering me for years, but did the Indiana Jones ride get some kind of upgrade in the snake room after 2002? I swear to this day there were two snakes on each side of the car that lunged for whoever was sitting right in front of them when the car slowed. I had my glasses off so everything was a blur, but I know the cobra lunged for me and someone else shrieked in the very back.

In Disneyland, there's only ever been one BIG cobra head (to my knowledge). That ride still goes through fine tuning once in a while because, when it opened, it was violently rough and fast. The Cobra strikes TWICE in quick succession. Also, the vehicle cuts a really quick left turn there and sometimes the people in back get pushed pretty close to the cobra. Side note: My favorite part of that ride is the dart room.

 

[Mason Verger]

supply of booze from Club 33 and some access to very cool security equipment.

Ah now that you mention club 33, who is the most surprising member?

 

[Big Nasty]

I've heard that Asians aren't toilet cultured so they tend to stand on the seat to take a dumper

We had that problem at one of the places used to work at too. There were some weird foreigners who worked the night shift, don't know from what country because I never worked nights. In the mornings you would sometimes find shoe tracks on the toilet seats or a misaimed shit blast.

 

[LogicBeetch]

Ah now that you mention club 33, who is the most surprising member?

haha! Well, since I haven't been employed there in a while and since those people pay a SHIT TON of money in membership dues and it's sort of unofficially guaranteed privacy...I'm going to keep my fucking mouth shut on the very little I do know because I want to keep my home. Disney legal, yikes! And, in reality, the funny thing is that it's not crammed full of celebs. Most of the people who are members are just incredibly wealthy and got on the list YEARS ago. I believe the last stat I heard was that nearly 25% of the membership is still comprised of original members. The turnover rate is glacial. It's a pretty cool place though.

We had that problem at one of the places used to work at too. There were some weird foreigners who worked the night shift, don't know from what country because I never worked nights. In the mornings you would sometimes find shoe tracks on the toilet seats or a misaimed shit blast.

It's a shock when you see it the first time. People from central America seem to have a thing with toilet paper. We've watched them come out of a stall and they carry it to the sink trash (if we're lucky) or cram it in the sanitary napkin bin. Worse, they'll chuck it in a corner. I don't know why that is? Maybe they believe it'll clog the plumbing? I just know it's gross.

 

[Some JERK]

It's a shock when you see it the first time. People from central America seem to have a thing with toilet paper. We've watched them come out of a stall and they carry it to the sink trash (if we're lucky) or cram it in the sanitary napkin bin. Worse, they'll chuck it in a corner. I don't know why that is? Maybe they believe it'll clog the plumbing? I just know it's gross.

That's pretty much correct. In parts of Mexico, Central and South America the plumbing is so shoddy and narrow that toilet paper will cause massive clogging if you flush it down the toilet. In a lot of bathrooms in very Southern California you'll find used toilet paper sitting in the trash because people from those places are used to doing it that way.

 

[Hummingbird]

Is it true that if any of the lost kids they find don't have their parents claim them by the end of the day, they get grinded up and served as burgers?

 

[Lackadaisy]

Is it true that if any of the lost kids they find don't have their parents claim them by the end of the day, they get grinded up and served as burgers?

Depends. Does Disneyland have a McDonald's?

Also, how could you afford to live in Southern California on a Disneyland park worker's salary? I'm impressed.

 

[MysticMisty]

Spoiler: Off topic

When my mom worked in the county hospital one time they had a patient that had slipped into the country from the poorest part of central or South America. First day my mom walked in at one point to do whatever, noticed a stink coming from the bathroom and checked it out in case there was a plumbing problem she needed to report. Turned out he took a shit in the shower near the drain. Mom talked to her boss, they found a nurse fluent in Spanish, dragged his ass into the bathroom and explained what the toilet is for and how you use it. To a grown-ass man. The next day mom discovered he took a shit in the shower again, but they just didn't know what to do at that point. They had already explained the toilet to him in a language he understood and he clearly didn't grasp any of it. Needless to say it was a reoccurring problem until the day he checked out.

 

[LogicBeetch]

Depends. Does Disneyland have a McDonald's?

Also, how could you afford to live in Southern California on a Disneyland park worker's salary? I'm impressed.

The truth is that, until you reach fixed, permanent status in an admin, traning, or management role, you won't make much and you really can't afford to live in that area. Most Disney CastMembers that you see in the park are either teens, retired folk, or college students. OR, they live with roommates. I don't think that has changed with the minimum wage increase in SoCal because the cost of living is insnae. There are more families than you might believe that have made Disneyland their employer. Usually, people meet someone on the job (even though that's frowned upon) and occasionally one Cast Member will encourage their family members to take jobs there. I, personally, know of a five member family that are all employed by the Mouse. When I worked there in high school, it was just money I was tucking away for school. Later, I worked to fill in income gaps during times of need. You can't get by on JUST one Disney paycheck.

 

[Ntwadumela]

What were the most popular Meet and Greet characters?

Have you managed to spot any celebrities during your time working there, Disney-related or not?

 

[vertexwindi]

What's with all the costume characters getting groped?

No seriously, why is that a thing that happens?

 

[Kari Kamiya]

So apparently the Haunted Mansion gets a different makeover every year for Nightmare Before Christmas, right (at least for one of the rooms)? Do they get different people to come up with different ideas, or do they cycle things every few years?

 

[Jan_D3]

Is it true Disney was once a racist company (there are videos of it)?
Is it true Disney is part of the Illuminati?
Does Disney even realize that "You've Got a Friend In Me" sounds wrong on a lot of levels (listen closely to the lyrics)?

^^^listen closely to the lyrics^^^

 

[MysticMisty]

What were the most popular Meet and Greet characters?

Since the answer probably varies depending on what movie was hot at the time I want to take this question a step further and ask who was/is consistently popular?

 

[omori]

@LogicBeetch now that it's running what do you think of the tower?

 

[HY 140]

What was the worst attraction to work at?

 

[LogicBeetch]

I'm sorry I fell behind in addressing these. Life got crazy.

What were the most popular Meet and Greet characters?
Have you managed to spot any celebrities during your time working there, Disney-related or not?

It really depended on who was "hot" at the moment. When I was there, it was Tink' and Mickey. But, the princesses are the most consistent popular meet-and-greets. Celebrities are frequent guests. I'd say, when I was there, we'd get 2-3 a week. Usually, they arrange to have a Plaid (Guest Services/Tour Guides) who sort of escort them to Front of Line and help them avoid being noticed. Also, any time a Disney movie is ready to drop, there are usually actors from that movie who are in the park as part of any publicity engagements.

What's with all the costume characters getting groped?

No seriously, why is that a thing that happens?

It doesn't happen often. But, when it does, the motive is almost always (I'd say 95% of the time) about getting that selfie and less about perverted harassment. Anytime a character is out, they have a handle to helps them avoid unwanted touches.

So apparently the Haunted Mansion gets a different makeover every year for Nightmare Before Christmas, right (at least for one of the rooms)? Do they get different people to come up with different ideas, or do they cycle things every few years?

I can only speak for Disneyland (not Disney World). The Night Before Christmas HM decorations go up in October. Really, due to the space (which is actually quite small and limited, there are only so many gags you can pull or change. It's the same year to year. But, as technology gets better, you might notice a few new things now and then.

Is it true Disney was once a racist company (there are videos of it)?
Is it true Disney is part of the Illuminati?[/question]
Not illuminati confirmed.
I don't see overt racism now. Disney is addressing it's lack of movie and character diversity to keep up with the times. People forget that society was different in the fifties. Yes. There are some racism issues from times past on a corporate level. I can't elaborate because I just don't have all the information.

Since the answer probably varies depending on what movie was hot at the time I want to take this question a step further and ask who was/is consistently popular?

The princesses and Mickey. Winnie the Pooh and Tink are consistent too.

@LogicBeetch now that it's running what do you think of the tower?

Haven't had the chance to ride it yet. I'm furious that they changed it.

What was the worst attraction to work at?

That's a tough question because every attraction has it's own highs and lows for the operators. Personally, I hated being called in to work overtime as a parade handler (yellow coats). People can be a$$holes.

 

[Daughter of Cernunnos]

There are some websites where you can read the actual reports from OSHA and Ride Safety on that incident and they're comprehensive and factual. Obviously, if there was a cover up, no one knows but I'm pretty certain that the blame was put on the right people. The park was struggling with mechanics at the time. There just weren't enough and the tag system was easily at fault. As for the ride operators, I don't think they could've known that was about to happen except for the claim that one of them had noted an odd noise and you could argue that they should've pulled the train off until they knew what the alleged noise was. The failure was, in some ways, a freakish accident. Had the rod not hit the track on an uphill section, it wouldn't have vaulted the locomotive into the roof, crushing the next car. Any other section and you might've had some minor injuries. It also happened out of site of the public which, I think, made it more prone to speculation. The reality is that every ride has millions of moving pieces and then you add human error and guest error and I'd say we should be surprised there aren't MORE issues. The Disney company is pretty on the ball with repairs and shutting down rides if there's even the suggestion of a problem. Other parks aren't as careful.


It's pretty prevalent but it's just that- a rumor. Walt's body is not on the property. Sadly, there ARE people who try to bring cremains in for a stealth dump and it's pretty nasty.

No. It has a different track layout/float layout. The stories are similar but WDW's is a touch larger and has two drops (?) as opposed to the one in DL. Personally, I love the fact that you can see Blue Bayou Restaurant on the original Pirates.

It's pretty prevalent but it's just that- a rumor. Walt's body is not on the property. Sadly, there ARE people who try to bring cremains in for a stealth dump and it's pretty nasty.

Why was it nasty? Did they include bone fragments?