For many young children – and even some adults – going to one of Disney’s five resorts is the ultimate holiday.
The parks are described as “the most magical place on Earth”, and anyone who’s been to one of the locations will tell you the experience is unlike any other.
But are the parks really as magical as they seem?
Two former employees of a Disney resort have uncovered the mysteries behind the world’s biggest theme parks, as reported by The Sun, and here's what they shared.
There are secret underground tunnels
Danny Hayes-Lissack worked on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Florida's Magic Kingdom in 2009 and said there’s actually a whole system of tunnels underneath the park that guests never get to see.
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The 31-year-old, from Cardiff, said: “Magic Kingdom has tunnels underneath the park – known as ‘utilidors’. It's like an underground city, with vehicles driving around, plenty of people walking to and from their shifts – there’s even a Subway under there in the cafeteria."
Danny explained the tunnels are there to keep the park “authentic”, so that cast members who aren’t currently working don’t get spotted outside of their zone.
There’s a special school for all employees
Disney University is a real thing, and all cast and crew must attend before they can be allowed to work at any of the company’s resorts.
Danny said employees spend their first few days at the school before they get told which zone of the park they’ll be working in.
The first course is called “Disney Traditions”, and it’s designed to help new workers learn all about the company.
Looks are everything
If you’re hired to play the role of a Disney character, it goes without saying that you need to look the part.
But did you know Disney have strict rules on appearances – including no tanning and mandatory smiling?
Sally Hall, who worked as a Disney Performer at MGM Studios in Orlando and Paris, said: "There were lots of rules if you worked as a performer. Only approved makeup, nail polish colours, no tanning, and always uphold the magic - which I kind of love ... smiling was mandatory."
The 45-year-old woman, from Stratford upon Avon, said the company even paid for her to have coloured contact lenses so she could alter the colour of her eyes.
And Danny doubled down on Sally’s comments, stating that while rules have “relaxed in recent years”, there were strict “Disney Look” standards to follow when he was an employee in 2009.
Danny claimed tattoos were not allowed, and all men had to be “clean-shaven” – except for a moustache, which was given the green light because Walt Disney sported one himself.
Everything is planned
Spontaneity is not something that Disney employees get to experience very often, as every single moment of the day is “scheduled and checked”.
Sally said that in her experience, people use golf carts to travel around the park and even the speed of the cart has been planned so that there’s “no chance” of people or characters arriving late to their destination.
Cleanliness is paramount
Have you ever been to a Disney park and marvelled at how clean it is?
That’s because there’s an intricate system of “underground vacuum tubes” that whisk away all the rubbish that guests accumulate throughout each day.
Danny said: "Obviously, they’re really critical about keeping the parks looking immaculate. Janitors take rubbish to one of a number of collection points backstage.
"There’s a system of underground vacuum tubes that then suck it to a compactor where it can be compressed and taken away. While walking through the utilidors, you’d often hear the rubbish whizzing above your head."
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