Amber Earns Her Ears: My Secret Walt Disney World Cast Member Diary by Amber Sewell

I worked, the more I realized how different EU was; while I was there, we didn’t use CDS (Cast Deployment System), the computer program that organizes who goes where, and when. It was easier not to use CDS at EU, because the leaders knew better than the computer who worked the different positions best. Someone who can’t keep up with the back of Nieco can hold up the progress of the kitchen drastically — not exactly something you want to chance in the middle of the lunch rush. But since I’ve left, rumor has it that even EU has yielded to CDS.
    Prices at the cast cafeterias (run by Aramark, not Disney) are what you would expect. Food at the grills and other stations range in price between $5.00-$9.00. Lots of snacks — bagels, muffins, candy bars, popsicles — are available, too. Aramark also brings in some chains, such as Subway.
    Despite the good food and decent prices, many Cast Members, especially those in the CareerStart and College Programs, opt to bring their own lunches. I was a fan of making a huge batch of pasta and then portioning it in Tupperware. I learned that vegetables like spinach weren’t great for reheating, and the ratatouille penne that I learned to make was definitely the most revolting leftover that I have ever eaten. But baked chicken with brown rice and some kind of vegetable like broccoli? The best! And really easy to cook the night before work and stick in the fridge, too.
    Where you kept your lunch depended upon where you worked. At one of the locations where I was deployed, there was very little space, and the lovely girl that I had met and asked advice from on the bus warned me that it wasn’t the safest place, either — despite the fact that it was right beside the managers’ offices! I used a small fridge to keep my pasta cold, but I had to carry my iPod and cell phone in my pockets. Apparently, a few people had had their stuff stolen, so it was best not to leave anything to chance.
    EU, however, had a much safer break room. You could store your bag in the manager’s office — which is where I kept my stuff on my first few days — or, if you brought your own lock, there were small lockers in the tunnels just outside. I never went through the effort of doing either; our break room had some shelves, and I would just toss my bag on one of them, store my food in a fridge, and head out.
    My co-workers at EU were really great people, and though they weren’t the only ones who used that break room, I never heard of anybody having a problem with theft. That’s not to say I’d leave my iPod or other valuable item lying in plain view, but I never felt wary about leaving my bag shoved behind someone else’s stuff for the day.
    If you’re cautious about leaving your possessions in the open, you’ll be assigned a locker in the Cast Services building when you get your first set of costumes, but the building can be a long walk from your work location.
    My advice is to store your belongings in the manager’s office on your first day, especially if you’ve brought stuff you’d like to use during break; however, if you’re only bringing small items and a lunch box, you may not even have to worry about storage. I used the manager’s office for the first week or so until I made friends with some people who assured me that it was more than safe to leave my bag in the break room.
    Bringing your own food will save you money, but it’s no big deal if you forget to make your lunch or dinner before you leave the apartment. Just make sure the nearest cast cafeteria will be open during your shift.
    Of course, circumstances really depend on your work location, but rest assured, none of it is complicated, and Cast Members are always more than happy to help you out.

Chapter 15
Amber Gets Deployed
    IT’S RARE THAT YOU’LL go through an entire program without being deployed temporarily (usually for a week) to another location. Sometimes it’ll be in the same park, but other