After Decades of Neglect, Disney World Cast Members Are Finally Getting Their Due

Being a Walt Disney World cast member has been a tough few years. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, guests flocked to Disney World, but having been cooped up for so long, it appeared that many people forgot how to act.

Related: After Criminalizing Homeless Disney World Cast Members, Florida Wants to Make It Easier to Put Them in Mental Hospitals

Fights between guests and with cast members started to become more frequent, and some guests even posted their unfavorable interactions with cast members on social media.

Then, cast members had to picket outside the Walt Disney World Resort for a hard-earned raise. Just as the raise kicked in, inflation and rising housing costs made those raises moot for cast members.

With hundreds of thousands of people moving to Central Florida, finding affordable housing in the area became increasingly difficult for cast members. With the affordable housing crunch, more Walt Disney World cast members were forced onto the streets or living in cars.

Related: Banned From Sleeping in Their Cars, Homeless Disney World Cast Members Can Sleep in Other People’s Garage

While more cast members were headed out onto the streets, the state and local governments were starting to criminalize being homeless. The state passed a law that criminalized sleeping in public areas, while local cities criminalized sleeping in a car.

Despite all those struggles, there is some good news for Disney World cast members. A new affordable housing complex has opened in Kissimmee, adjacent to the Walt Disney World Resort.

Phase II of the new Cameron Preserve opened this week, with 84 affordable housing units. Phase I opened last year with 100 units. All of the units have been leased.

Related: Central Florida Cities Actively Working to Keep Disney World Cast Members Homeless

Osceola County Commissioner Viviana Janer told Click Orlando: 

It’s families living here and we’re taking them, sometimes, out of some precarious housing and into someplace that’s safe and stable for them. For us, it’s really important to make these investments and we, strategically, use some of the COVID dollars to invest in here because what’s more important than our families.

Osceola County has committed $43 million over the next four years for affordable housing projects throughout the community. The Walt Disney Company is also working on its affordable housing project for cast members.

Related: Supreme Court Sides With DeSantis in Punishing Disney World Cast Members

Disney’s affordable housing development will provide 1,000 units for rent at a low cost to Disney employees. However, the new Central Florida community won’t be open until late 2025 or early 2026.

So, there is relief in sight for those who make the magic of every Disney World vacation. After decades of falling behind, Disney World cast members may be starting to get a leg up.

What was your best interaction with a Disney World cast member?