These Cast Members Work Behind the Scenes To Keep Disney World Running

Every Disney fan knows that the cast members make the magic happen. On any given trip to the Walt Disney World Resort, a guest could encounter hundreds of cast members, from ride operators to hotel staff to the cast members who wave at you on Main Street, U.S.A., with the giant Mickey hands.

However, thousands of cast members work behind the scenes, and you’ll never get to see or interact with them. They are the ones who create the flower arrangements, paint your favorite ride, or bake your favorite sweet treat.

There are also those cast members that guests don’t necessarily think about that often, but without them, the rides and attractions wouldn’t run. Fox Business got a behind-the-scenes look at Walt Disney World’s Central Shops, where more than 400 cast members work to maintain the rides and attractions at Disney World.

Each ride vehicle is given a specific number of times it can be used. Once it hits that number, it is taken out of service and brought to the Central Shops for a complete overhaul, which usually takes 12-18 weeks.

Fredrick Cox Jr., the director of manufacturing, told Fox Business:

We have a meter-based program. Every coaster that we have does X number of laps around the track. We do a tear-down. We tear it apart, and we inspect everything, everything on the ride. Bolts, bearings, bushings, panels, you name it.

After the ride car is rebuilt and sent to the paint department for a fresh coat, it is tested for two weeks before being returned to service.

On average, the Central Shops complete 2,500 different work orders every day and refurbish approximately 280 different attraction vehicles every year.

Before the pandemic, guests were allowed to tour the Central Shops, but Cox said that guests would spend so much time with and ask the workers so many questions that they struggled to complete their work. As a result, the Central Shops were removed from the backstage tours.

So, the next time you get on a ride, think of the workers in the Central Shops who keep those vehicles running smoothly.