Guests will once again be able to travel around Walt Disney World in style with Minnie Vans Connected by Lyft beginning June 29, available on demand right from their smartphone. With special drop-off locations that can only be accessed by Minnie Vans, Guests using this service can reach select Walt Disney World destinations quickly and with a bit of extra pixie dust that only our Disney Cast Members can provide.
Our specially trained Disney Cast Member drivers, many of whom are returning experts from the service’s previous run, are revving up to welcome Guests back onboard this private transportation with a personalized approach that makes traveling around Walt Disney World even more magical. Whether sharing tips for planning their day, installing car seats for little ones (two available per vehicle) or playing fan-favorite music throughout their journey, our Cast Members are ready to provide an exceptional experience tailored to your client’s family of up to six passengers.
When it comes to creating that magical Disney experience, there are few keys more important than Cast Members. Cast Members do everything from keeping the Parks clean and safe to helping Guests who may not be very experienced in Disney vacations, running your favorite attractions and rides, and more. Without the thousands of hard-working Cast Members, Walt Disney World would not be the top vacation destination it is.
While becoming a Disney Cast Member may be a dream job for many, it is still a job. There are still clock-ins and clock-outs, breaks, vacation time, and all of the other things that come with a regular job. Each Company has its own attendance policy that employees have to follow, and The Walt Disney Company is no different. However, according to a local union, Disney is trying to drastically alter its attendance policy for Walt Disney World Cast Members, and the Cast Members are anything but pleased.
We’ve met with Disney and reviewed the proposed attendance policy. While we wait for clarification to questions that were raised we wanted to provide members with the main takeaways. Understand, this is just the beginning of the conversation with Disney and we will negotiate with Disney over the impact and request changes be made. Meaning, this may not be the final policy.
-No more points system. Instead attendance infractions will be tracked as total amount of unexcused time of missed work.
Tardies tracked separately by number of occurrences
– Different amounts of unexcused time/tardies for Full Time, Casual Regular, and Casual Temporary will trigger discipline.
16 hours to trigger for FT, 12 hours for CR, 6 hours for CT
3 tardies to trigger for FT, 2 tardies for CR, 2 tardies for CT.
– Supplementing sick time to not receive an infraction will require equal amount of time be supplemented. For example a 6 hour shift requires 6 hours be supplement.
– FMLA and other applicable leave time will continue to excuse absences.
– No more continued absences only counting as one infraction.
We will post updates as they become available. Message us with any questions or call the office (714 502 0220).
In Solidarity,
Chris Duarte
Local 50 Vice President
Now, only those who work at Walt Disney World and the union are incredibly familiar with the attendance policy and how it works for the type of company Disney is. And, according to numerous Cast Members, the new proposed attendance policy is just insulting.
Twitter user Jess (@jesscantlead) said that Disney was messing up with the new attendance policy, especially because being a Cast Member is both physically and mentally exhausting.
Disney MESSED UP for thinking this is a good idea. Working in theme parks is a mentally and physically exhausting job.
Facebook user Amber T. posted that the hour-for-hour proposed system doesn’t make sense. If an employee calls out, and they were scheduled to work a double shift, that could really hurt their sick time.
So if I need to call out on a double then I’ve just used almost all of my 12 hours for the whole year…this is insane.
Caroline M. pointed out on Facebook that Disney encourages Cast Members to call out and not come into work if they are feeling sick, which is especially important during the pandemic. Every day, sick Guests visit the Parks knowing that they are sick and knowing that they could get others sick. With this new strict attendance policy, those signs may be ignored.
I hope when you guys sit down with Disney you will bring up the signs posted in all areas indicating that if we are sick we should not come to work and indicate to them that if they truly believe in this statement they need to reconsider everything they have put on the plate especially not being able to extend a call out. Disney might not believe it but we still are in the middle of a PANDEMIC with Covid cases on the rise, as I’m sure HR is currently witnessing. This is not a proper solution to the call out issue, and will only require them to hire more people when Covid once again comes around in winter because everyone will be fired. Truthfully if Disney cannot negotiate in good faith as they generally cannot do, Local 50 you should contact media. I’m sure Disney would love to have more bad publicity on their hands.
Some commented that the new attendance policy is similar to attendance policies in regular businesses. However, many people who claimed to be Cast Members said that regular attendance policies may work for “normal” jobs, but being a Cast Member is anything but a normal job. One of those people was Jess, the original poster, who pointed out that yes, the proposed attendance policy is normal, but doesn’t work for the demands of a Disney job.
but also since leaving Disney I haven’t needed to call out a bunch because I’m not worked to exhaustion, not burnt out, not getting sick from guests, I have PTO, I have 80 hours worth of PSL, I have a set schedule, time off requests are honored, etc.
At this time, the Local Union is still working with Disney to negotiate a new attendance policy. So, the current points system that Cast Members seem to really like is still in place. Hopefully, Disney and the Union are able to come to an agreement that everyone can be happy with.
This summer, Walt Disney World will debut its highly anticipated new MagicBand, called MagicBand+. These new MagicBands will be able to do things above and beyond the traditional MagicBand. Regular MagicBands — which have been at Walt Disney World for years — are able to hold Guests’ theme park tickets, Park reservations, Lightning Lane Reservations, open your hotel room door, and more. MagicBand+ will be able to do all that and more, a lot of which will be in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary.
As part of its 50th Anniversary celebration, Walt Disney World Imagineers created 50 beautiful gold statues of classic and newer Disney characters. These statues are called the Fab 50. The new MagicBand+ will be able to interact with these statues, creating a truly one-of-a-kind experience for Guests. Some Walt Disney World Resort Cast Members were given the chance to use MagicBand+ and had a great time.
We recently “banded” together with some Cast Members at Magic Kingdom for a special sneak peek of the new MagicBand+ Disney Fab 50 Quest! We had a blast bringing some of our favorite Disney characters to life and can’t wait to interact with the rest of the Disney Fab 50 Character Collection when MagicBand+ launches this summer. Which sculpt are you most excited to interact with? #DisneyCastLife #DisneyWorld50
In addition to using the MagicBand+ to interact with the Fab 50 statues, Guests will also see their Bands light up as they watch Disney Enchantment at magic Kingdom and Harmonious at EPCOT. Much like the Mickey ear hats that debuted at Disney years ago, MagicBand+ will light up in time to the music and change colors as the show progresses.
Guests who purchase MagicBand+ will also be able to become Bounty Hunters as they spend time in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The MagicBand+ will light up and vibrate as you get close to the hidden virtual bounties you are searching for. Then, in conjunction with the Play Disney Parks app, a thermal imager on your phone will reveal the hidden bounty. If Guests complete their missions, local guide masters will reward them with galactic credits.
Now, the Fab 50 statues, as well as Disney Enchantment and Harmonious, were created specifically for the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary. The 50th is scheduled to run through March 2023, and it is unknown if the statues and shows will remain after that. Disney has not revealed what things the MagicBand+ will be able to interact with once the 50th is over.
The fan-favorite California Grill restaurant will soon have a newly updated menu featuring a lot of plant-based menu items.
From a Disney Cast Member;
For this edition of What’s Cooking, I’ve got some exciting, and delicious, news to share about California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This rooftop location sits atop the 15th floor of the resort and offers stunning views overlooking Magic Kingdom Park and Seven Seas Lagoon. From witnessing an unrivaled firework viewing or simply taking in the sights from above while enjoying an exquisite meal, it’s clear that California Grill is much more than your average restaurant.
And starting May 26, it will be offering an expansion of diverse plant-based dishes for you to enjoy! Whether you live a plant-based lifestyle or simply want to try something new, all of these new items are sure to satisfy you and your tastebuds.
Chef de Cuisine Daniel Sicilia, Chef Matthew Birch, and their culinary team have brought the flavor to these vegetable-centric courses. With inspirations from their backgrounds with fresh ingredients and farm-to-table menus, these chefs have embraced and encouraged creativity, innovation, and the rich history of this restaurant to create a true culinary experience that can’t be missed.
Without further ado, let’s get to the new plant-based menu at California Grill, shall we?
Now onto the entrées. First, we have the House-made Bucatini Cacio e Pepe, a fresh take on spring flavors with sunflower, allium, crispy sunchokes, charred green onions, toasted onions, and a sunflower seed-ramp pistou along with delicious house-made bucatini topped with a luxurious cashew cream sauce – wow!
The other new plant-based entrée is the Peas and Carrots Risotto with heirloom carrots, English peas, green garlic, confit onion, and sweet carrot foam. This elevated take on a classic dish enhances fresh flavors and ingredients in different and creative ways by the chefs, particularly Chef Matthew Birch who crafted the dish to look like everything is sprouting up from the ground. What a way to grow the menu.
Last but certainly not least, we have desserts! For a sweet finish, the Peanut and Banana Torte is a twist on the classic PB&J. It combines shortbread, peanut ganache, miso-caramel, nut crumbles, and caramelized bananas. I don’t know about you, but this dish sounds, and looks, incredible.
A spin on the “Banana Fritters” that were featured at the restaurant back in 2013, the Lavender Sugar Donuts is a special 50th Anniversary item that is now home on the plant-based menu, featuring some updated fresh ingredients in season. It has a coconut frozen dessert, blueberry gin jam, and pistachio crumble. And not to mention the presentation is beautiful!
Don’t forget, the anniversary celebrations and treats will continue through March of 2023, so you’ve still got time to enjoy them. Be sure to use #DisneyWorld50 to share your favorites, like the Lavender Sugar Donuts!
Not only does California Grill have this exciting plant-based menu, it also has new seasonal dishes, two of which include the Florida Rock Shrimp Salad and the EARidescent Crème Brûlée. The Florida Rock Shrimp Salad has a history with California Grill, paying homage to former Chef de Cuisine Brian Piasecki’s signature salad for the restaurant. This updated version has similar flavors while lightening it up and adding texture with hearts of palm, petite lettuce, yuzu, avocado, jicama, and crisp rice crackers topped with a ginger vinaigrette.
The EARidescent Crème Brûlée serves up a pineapple-mango compote, hibiscus meringue, hibiscus crystals, and coconut and has become quite the fan-favorite with its glimmer and shimmer celebrating the 50th Anniversary. Pastry Sous Chef Amber Vega took inspiration from California with the hibiscus and tropical flavors that lighten up the taste for spring and summer! Who doesn’t love a little sparkle with some fresh flavors?
There you have it, the new plant-based menu and exciting updates coming soon. If you’re a foodie, California Grill is ready for you with all these enhancements to the ever-evolving menu! And if you’re a wine lover, don’t forget to take advantage of pairing suggestions from the experts for these new dishes. Enjoy!
Looking for the best and easiest way to get to and from Central Florida? With theme park giants like Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort, traffic is always a pain… but how about taking a train?
I-4 not only recently opened new express lanes for a toll fee, but Walt Disney World has even announced it is expanding outside of its property bubble with a new Disney Store and digital display for all to enjoy while traveling I-4.
Now, we’re shifting our focus to Orlando International Airport (MCO) where construction is under work to expand with a new Terminal C opening later this summer to keep up with MCO’s massive volume of travelers. MCO had a new visitor however as Brightline has set a new milestone in the Orlando area.
With planes and automobiles covered… Orlando is shifting its focus to TRAINS! On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, the very first Brightline train arrived at the Orlando International Airport. The high-speed rail service has been the center of much buzz lately as it works to connect Orlando to Miami.
What makes this even sweeter for Disney travelers? Well, Walt Disney World Resort (and Universal Orlando Resort) are currently in talks with Brightline and Orlando’s local commuter rail, SunRail, to provide train service to the theme parks. The initial proposal is to open a Disney train station in the Disney Springs area.
There is still much discussion and planning in the works for the Disney Springs station, but we are eager to experience a high-speed train as the perfect transportation to take Guests from the airport to Disney’s property easily. Of course, we’re still missing Disney’s Magical Express, but are happy to have other transportation possibilities in the works.
