Dan@Disney

As a Walt Disney World Cast Member you get loads of great discounts, many straight from Disney themselves, but there are also ‘secret’ discounts – stores that offer extra discount for showing your Disney ID and not all of them advertise it. Unless you are in the know you might miss out.

I put a call out to ex-Disney Programs participants for any ‘secret’ discounts they had found. Below is the list I managed to compile, I am sure there are plenty more as well!

Free Lockers in the Parks

Disney don’t really advertise it but as a Cast Member you can get free locker rental in the parks (subject to a few blackout dates) – you pay the $5 key deposit only and as long as you return the key before the end of the day you get this refunded in full. Lockers are first come, first served and can all be taken at busy times of year. This is great if you go to a park before or after work and don’t want to drag a bag around with you, the only pain is having to wait in line to get the deposit refunded at the end of the day.

Thursdays at Chik-Fil-A

The Chik-Fil-A around the corner from Vista offers free stuff to Cast Members on a Thursday. Simply go to the store, buy something and show your ID and you will get extra stuff for free.

Nike Store @ Premium Outlets

10% off your purchase on top of the outlet price at the Nike Store in the Premium Outlets across from the Commons. Just show your ID at the register, they scan an extra barcode and you get your extra discount.

iRide Trolley

25c singles. Just show your ID, drop in a quarter and away you go. Big saving on the normal price of the iRide shuttle, great for a cheap visit to SeaWorld or Universal when you don’t feel like paying for a taxi.

Strollers & Wheelchairs

Free Stroller and Wheelchairs in the Disney Parks (subject to blackout dates), ECVs are excluded. Just show your ID and away you go.

Timberland Store @ Premium Outlets

20% off. Great for those who work in Frontierland, Animal Kingdom or the other areas of the parks where hiking boots are costume.

CiCi’s Pizza

All-you-care-to-eat Pizza Buffet across the road from Vista. Noone has reminded me of the exact discount for Cast Members but it is CHEAP. Great for those Wednesday nights just before payday when Ramen Noodles just don’t look quite appetising enough.

AMC Cinema @ Downtown Disney

$8 movies. You can only buy at the box office in person (not Online or at the machine), show your ID and away you go. Cost’s a bit extra for 3D and special screenings but again a big saving.

IHOP

For all your midnight pancake needs a short taxi ride from housing. I feel like this is a 20% discount with gratuity added automatically but I stand ready to be corrected. Do what I did on Pancake day and order 3 different pancake dishes… I won’t judge.

Blue Man Group @ Universal Studios

Big discounts on tickets at quiet times of year. Ask the question and see what you can get, often a lot better than the discount for Annual Passholders. Sometimes Disney housing have tickets to sell as well at discount rates.

Howl at the Moon

Duelling Piano Bar a taxi ride from housing up International Drive. Free entry for Cast Members.

Jellyrolls

Another Duelling Piano Bar (my favourite). Free entry (over 21s only, remember your passport, no driving licences). Come for the free entry, stay for the 32oz Red Solo Cup cocktails.

Senor Frogs

World famous cocktail bar from the Bahamas comes to Orlando on International Drive. Discount entry and drinks for Cast Members.

House of Blues @ Downtown Disney

Club at Downtown Disney. Hospitality Industry Night on Sunday – Free entry for over 21s with you Cast Member ID.

Car Rental – Hertz / Enterprise

Depending on the season many of the Car Rental companies give discounts for Cast Members. Sometimes Disney will distribute discount codes, otherwise give them a call or show your ID when you go to pick up to see what you can get.

Hotels

Bit like Car Rental, many local hotels give discount depending on the season. Always worth checking when you book. Holiday Inn gives discount across the USA, sometimes there is a code, sometimes you just have to mention it at booking.

Universal Studios

If you can prove you are a Florida resident you will get a discount on an Annual Pass. You need something to prove this, Housing will do you a letter normally if you ask nicely.

Crossroads (TGIs, Sweet Tomatoes)

Crossroads is a strip mall near housing with tonnes of chain restaurants. Being so close to WDW most do a Cast Member discount, ask the question… they can only say no!

Earl of Sandwich @ Downtown Disney

The best Hot Sandwich Shop in the world, no question… lightly toasted Caprese, no vinagrette, thank you very much! Show your ID for 20% off your bill.

Ghirrardelis

For all your ice cream needs. Late evenings sitting by the water, eating a brownie sundae with extra whipped cream are the best. Show your ID for 20% off for either dine-in or take-away.

Shell Garage

For all your Four Loko and tobacco needs. The Shell Garage next to Commons give Cast Member discount, show your ID and save on all your vices.

The moral of the story is… Ask for discount everywhere! You never know.

If you know of any other discounts leave a comment below or drop me a message, I will add it to the list.

A big thank you to everyone who helped submit these: Michelle Park, Ashleigh Sweeney, Joanna Maisey, Clare Trayner, Kelsey Stack, Jessie Lowe, Benjamin Stokes, Kathryn Todhunter, Lee Redman, Chloe Bradley, Catherine Bass, Charli Bevan

Scroll Down for another archive post after the break

A year is a very long time at Walt Disney World – something is happening every week and the crowds change with the season from crazy busy to totally dead as I discussed in an old post.

So what is happening in 2014 at Walt Disney World at how does it affect the UK pavilion?

January

Every January there is the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend which includes the half-marathon as well as the 5k and some other races. This is a busy weekend as the Marathon goes right through the pavilion and ends at the Epcot parking lot bringing a busy weekend of tired people in need of food, drink and a sit down. Other than that January is a pretty quiet month.

February

February is a very quiet month with not much Walt Disney World activity although this year might bring the soft opening of the Seven Dwarfs mine train in New Fantasyland if things go totally to plan or even well ahead of schedule.

The end of February is the Princess half-marathon weekend which again brings the crowds to Epcot but only for a few days.

March

Things begin to pick up again in March with the arrival of the Flower and Garden festival. 2013 saw the introduction of Food to the festival making it a bit of a mini Food and Wine which if repeated again and enlarged may bring even bigger crowds in 2014. Flower and Garden also brings the Flower Power concert series at the weekends which this year includes:

March 7 – 9: The Guess Who
March 14 – 16: Gary Lewis & The Playboys
March 21 – 23: The Orchestra starring former members of ELO
March 28 – 30: The Lovin’ Spoonful
April 18 – 20: The Grass Roots
April 25 – 27: Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone
May 2 – 4: Starship starring Mickey Thomas
May 9 – 11: Chubby Check and the Wildcats

April

In April Flower & Garden continues and we reach the period around Easter known as ‘Peak week’, the clue here is in the name… It is busy, very busy. Park attendance peaks at this time of year and all locations are working flat out. As soon as Easter weekend has passed the park begins to quieten down again in to the summer months.

April also includes the Cheerleading and Dance World championships which take place at Walt Disney World and bring literally thousands of cheerleaders and dancers and their families to the parks making for one VERY busy weekend especially if some of the competition is taking place in World Showplace within Epcot which it has done for several years.

May

May brings one of my favourite events of the year – Star Wars weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It so much fun, it actually probably reduces the crowd at weekends in Epcot since people head to DHS instead. The ‘Hyperspace Hoopla’ is a must-see for everyone!

Backstage, May also brings Goofy’s Mystery Tour which is a cast-member only Scavenger Hunt which you can sign up to which combines skill, Disney knowledge and lunacy to create a night of ridiculous fun running around one of the parks trying to win prizes.

June

June includes the unofficial ‘Disney Gay Days‘ – sporting their Red T-shirts this weekend brings thousands of extra guests to the parks and the Orlando area.

July/August

Most people from the UK assume these will be busy months, they are not in the Rose & Crown. As an outdoor restaurant it is just too hot during the day for guests to sit and enjoy a meal and the frequent storms and high humidity keep anyone with sense away from the parks. Very few Americans visit at this time of year as they know how hot and sticky it is.

4th July week is probably the only exception with many Americans making the trip to WDW to spend time with their families and see the spectacular fireworks. It is really just a busy weekend in an otherwise quiet time.

September

September is where the fun really begins. The first few weeks are quiet and it is still very hot but by week 2 and 3 things are really starting to get busy.

At the Magic Kingdom September sees the start of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party on select nights. Cast Members usually get discount of September nights and it is great fun to dress up and see unique characters, fireworks and a special parade.

In Epcot busy season really starts with the arrival of the Food and Wine festival. At the Rose & Crown this is an exceptionally busy period in the Pub with many guests taking special liking to the ‘Wine’ part of the festival. The entire pavilion is much busier though with park attendance rising sharply, especially at weekends. The cooler temperatures mean that Chippy tends to get busier since fried food is more of a cold weather delicacy. Merch have a busy time too with Tea flying out of the door to the visiting foodies.

October

In October Food and Wine continues and if anything gets busier as the temperatures continue to cool.

November

Food and Wine reaches its peak in November with Wine and Dine Half Marathon weekend where Epcot stays open into the early hours of the morning hosting the marathon after party. This is usually closely followed by a busy week of Thanksgiving where many Americans choose to vacation in Florida as it is much warmer than the northern states and spend time in large family groups.

During November, ABC usually also film the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade using Cast Members as the crowd. You usually apply for tickets and go to the park early in the morning to watch TV presenters and musicians perform in front of the cameras.

December

This is peak season in the UK pavilion with the arrival of the Candlelight processional packages in the restaurant to coincide with Holidays around the World in Epcot. There are lots of rumours about changes this year but basically this is peak holiday season with extremely high attendance from Early December reaching a peak in the period between Christmas and New Year.

During the Christmas season Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party runs at Magic Kingdom and again Cast Members tend to get discount on early December dates.

The year of course ends with New Years Eve, the single busiest day of the year with upwards of 250k guests across all the parks and usually at least 80k in Epcot alone.