The Perks of Being a Disney Cast Member

So I apologize in advance for going a little off the theme of my blog, but I was searching around in my Disney Memories scrapbook from my College Program days and came across several things that sent me right down Memory Main St. USA. I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the things I found!

As you can probably imagine, Cast Members receive lots of great benefits for working at the most Magical Place on Earth. Of course all Cast Members are able to get into the Disney theme parks for free whenever they like, but did you know they are also able to bring up to four people in with them for free as well?? While the Cast Members can come and go into the theme parks as often as they like with no limit on how many entries, they are given a set amount of complimentary entries per year for their friends and family.

For Cast Members just starting out with the company, they receive a Blue Main Gate pass which provides twelve entries. For managers and Cast Members with more seniority with the company, they receive a Silver Main Gate pass with more entries. The pass is good for one calendar year and can be used at all the Walt Disney World theme parks, Disneyland theme parks in California, the Disney parks in France and Hong Kong Disneyland. While looking through my things, I found several of my old main gate passes along with their sleeves.

As you may notice in the picture, one of the main gate passes has Donald on it. That pass was a main gate for Cast Members at Hong Kong Disneyland! This particular one was never coded as it was a blank card given to me when I visited the facility in Celebration, Florida that creates ALL the main gate passes for all the Disney parks around the world. :)

Another great benefit that Cast Members receive is during the holiday season. Cast Members are sent a Family Holiday Celebration coupon booklet and passes that are able to be redeemed November through January. The passes include complimentary entrances to the water parks and Disney Quest as well as another complimentary entrance for friends and family that might be visiting you during the holidays. The coupon booklet had coupons that ranged from free popcorn and sodas to 50% off table service dining and 65% off Disney Resort reservations!

On top of all of that, the company also gives out special Cast Member only merchandise items as a special holiday gift and thank you for all the hard work the team provides throughout the year. One of my most cherished items is my 2003 holiday gift I received during my College Program. A picture of it is at the beginning of this blog.

Disney is truly a special place for both guests and employees.