Multiple Disney World employees told BI they were disappointed in the company's response to Milton. With weather forecasts becoming increasingly grim, cash-strapped employees were feeling pressured to work until the afternoon. A Disney spokesperson said in part, “Safety is always our top priority and the most important factor when making decisions.”
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Early Wednesday morning, rain began to fall in Orlando as Hurricane Milton hurtled towards the Sunshine State. Forecasts expected strong winds, flash flooding and tornadoes to reach the area by late afternoon.
Walt Disney World Resort was still open.
“Everyone was in a hurry to get out of there and it was scary not knowing what the weather was going to be like on the way home,” a park official told Business Insider.
BI spoke to four employees who work at various Disney World parks. They complained about everything from refusing to cancel work due to worsening weather conditions to frequent communications that sources say employees were offended in the hours leading up to Hurricane Milton. They expressed disappointment with the way the company managed scheduling, logistics and safety measures. I was flying blind.
The employees, known as “cast members,” asked that their names and roles be kept anonymous due to potential retaliation from Disney. Their identities are known to BI.
Closures are costly: Before the storm, Goldman Sachs estimated that the hurricane could cost Disney's lucrative parks division up to $200 million. The company also had to balance the well-being of its employees with serving loyal guests who would pay thousands of dollars for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Workers remained until the afternoon to bring the situation under control.
Disney closed four parks early Wednesday morning due to the storm. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom closed to guests at 1 p.m., while Magic Kingdom and Epcot closed at 2 p.m.
But even before it closed, the park began to feel like a rain-soaked ghost town, cast members told BI. Attendance at Magic Kingdom, best known for its fairytale castle, has fallen by about 10%, according to initial employee estimates.
“I wish the park hadn't opened at all that day,” the employee added.
Still, employees told BI that employees are expected to be on hand during and after closing to help close the hatches, making some feel anxious and unsafe. That's what he feels.
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By 2:45 p.m., when one of the employees said they had left, a state of emergency had already been declared and a tornado warning had been issued for Orange County, where Disney World is located. Officials said drivers could face danger from flooding, and forecasts warned of tropical storm force winds reaching 45 to 65 mph.
In addition to those who spoke with BI, people who identified themselves as Disney park employees also posted on social media, posting to TikTok and They shared what it was like to work at an amusement park. .
A Walt Disney World spokesperson said in a statement that the company is prioritizing the health of people at its parks.
“Safety is always the first and most important factor when making decisions that affect our cast members and guests,” the statement said, adding, “Throughout the storm, we will continue to work hard to ensure that cast members are able to return home several hours early. “We updated the changes frequently and in a timely manner.” The worst of the weather has reached central Florida. ”
Workers faced a dilemma
Disney is running a special “Ride Out” program to take care of stranded guests. Under the program, staff members volunteer to work at hotels during storms and receive slightly more pay than usual. A Disney spokesperson said about 5,000 cast members in Florida volunteered for the ride-out shift.
But park officials who spoke to BI said ride-out shifts occur when workers step up to complete them, and park officials have rooms where employees can sleep during storms. he pointed out. That's a different shift than the cast members were working.
Some cash-strapped employees felt they didn't have the luxury of forking out part of their paychecks, the people said.
At Disney World, the minimum wage for workers starts at $18 an hour. On Wednesday, some employees faced a dilemma. They either work until their boss tells them to complete their shift, even in the face of a bleak weather forecast, or they leave early and receive only a fraction of the time they work.
“They were like, 'We need money, we want money,'” the first park official recalled. He completed a full shift, but only learned of the pay cut after reading a policy description someone had scrawled on a board. Behind the scenes.
Those who worked full shifts said they wished they had more time to buy gas and groceries before the storm made landfall. A Disney spokesperson said there is a cast-only gas station operating on-site, but three park employees who spoke to BI said they had never heard of such a service. said.
“None of my acquaintances knew anything about it,” another employee said, adding: “I tried to fill up with gas on the premises on Tuesday but couldn't because the pump was empty.” .
Disney also closed several hotels at 11 a.m. Wednesday, including Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, Copper Creek Cabins at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, and Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.
Employees at one of the facilities said some managers told employees to stay an additional four hours until 3 p.m. to complete a full shift even though by noon it had started raining heavily and there was little to do at work.
back to work
Disney's parks remain closed Thursday, but BI has seen screenshots of internal communications showing the company expects some employees to participate in Thursday's cleanup efforts.
“Cast assistance may be needed for recovery efforts after the storm,” a message posted on Cast Life, an app Disney uses to share mass updates with its staff, said. It was written. “Cast members scheduled to work on October 10th, even in areas that will not be open to guests, should continue to call their local Cast Hotline and check the Disney Cast Life web/app for information regarding their schedules.”
A second Disney employee said, “The fact that not only do they expect me to call, but I could potentially go out to the park to clean is crazy,” adding, “It's disgusting.” he added.
Ultimately, this person chose not to go Thursday, regardless of whether he faced consequences.
“It will not be safe to drive at 7 a.m. tomorrow when the situation has calmed down,” they said Wednesday night. “Orlando is unique because, yes, we're landlocked, but we have horrible rain and horrible winds. And because we don't get washed away and we deal with storm surge and structural damage. That doesn't mean it's not scary.”
When asked if they could call a Disney coordinator and request an excuse to work, officials said it's not that easy. They pointed out that employees who were absent without leave had traditionally been subject to “points,” or deductions, on their records. A sudden increase in points can lead to disciplinary action and ultimately dismissal.
A second Disney employee said, recalling past hurricanes when cast members were stressed about how to get to work: “Your house might be flooded, and you'd be like, 'Come on, yell.' “Let's get to the point.”
With 80,000 staff, Disney World Resort is one of the largest single-location employers in the United States. It's the crown jewel of the Disney empire, generating $5.8 billion in revenue across domestic parks and cruises in the three months ending June 29.
Are you a Disney employee and have a story to share? Contact this reporter. Reed Alexander can be reached via email at ralexander@businessinsider.com or via SMS/encryption app Signal at (561) 247-5758.
