Have any of you guys worked at a theme park?

[EpcotLova]

Have any of you worked at Cedar Point or the Disney parks in the summer?

 

I am thinking about working there during the summer. Now, I know Cedar Point has apartments, but do the Disney parks?

 

And how was the work experience, the people you met, etc.

 

I am thinking about this pretty seriously so any input would be helpful.

[MonkeyPants]

Yes, I worked at Cedar Point for two summers ('91 & '92). Looking back, I remember it as a total blast! The work was a bit dull (I worked in traffic control - guess what... You don't get to pick where you work! (unless you have a specific talent like singing or carving names into leather)).

 

It was like going to college except no homework! I met lots of really fun people, and on your time off, guess what you get to do?! Go ride Soak City's lazy river! They do some cool stuff like employee ride nights and Big Bash (a big BBQ cook out with picnic-style games and a couple rides would be open).

 

I didn't make hardly any money, but the experience was priceless!

[RCTfan]

I've worked at Walt Disney World and currently at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

 

Disney World has housing, but its only for the college program. You have to interview through your college and to get a spot and its for a semester of school. You can't just do it for the summer. After you complete one program, you can then just go down for a summer, but not until you complete the first program.

 

As for Busch Gardens, I think they only provide housing for their international cast members.

 

Working at Disney is different from Cedar Point or Six Flags for example. At those parks, you just check restraints and maybe get a spiel. At Disney, you'll always have some sort of spiel and plus you have time to play with kids! They are very organized about one's day at work. You'll get scheduled breaks and assignments. At Busch Gardens, I'm working for Howl-O-Scream, so I'm entertainment, so I've never done tradition park work.

[MrsPhishy]

I worked at Cedar Point one summer, and enjoyed it. I was a ride op on Ripcord (skycoaster). The people I met there were great, especially some guy named Wally. Most of the people there are in their late teens to early 20's, most of them live in the CP dorm/apartments. The apartments aren't much, they're very similar to dorms. It really is a lot like college, except there's less thinking and even more drinking.

 

I say go for it! You'll have fun!

[switch_79]

i worked valleyfair back in the summer of '97. i was in high school... wanted to make *some* money so i opted to do food service. eep, big mistake. i might've made more than the ride operators, but it was pure torture. i hardly went a week without a bout of heatstroke. heck, i did better standing in the sun at the renaissance festival than cooped up next to some fryers in a barely-ventilated corn dog shack. yes, the buddy passes are nice. yes, the ride-any-time-you-want opportunity is nice. but in reality, you could get a job with equivalent pay in someplace like a video store or a movie theater, buy yourself a season pass, and actually get through a summer with both lungs intact.

 

just providing a counterpoint here: i could've lived without the experience.

 

-h

[Nemmy]

I used to work on the Dania Beach Hurricane...no fun at all when you might get ten different riders every hour. At least I'm paid to stand around.

 

I might consider working on Mission: SPACE at some point, though, as long as I'm not the janitor.

[Scaparri]

I worked at Cedar Point this past summer on Millennium Force. Overall, it was an excellent experience and I made a lot of great friends, but I'll never do it again. The hours were extreme, the pay was awful, and management was a joke. I was pretty amazed at how the park had reached the point they had. There were just a lot of really lousy and poor decisions and rules made by the park that turned the job into a hostile work environment. But like I said, it was an amazing experience and I do miss it, but at the same time, I won't allow myself to go through it again.

[Jose Eber]

I used to turn tricks at the front gate at MK (WDW). But then I met my wife!

 

My best client ever, now a fabulous lover!

 

Working at parks is the best!

 

Jose

[robbalvey]

I spent about 4 years working at Disneyland. Great fun! I highly reccomend it!

 

--Robb