The Real Disney Princess Diaries: Q and A with Cast Member Taylor

Throughout my time with Disney so far, I have had the incredible opportunity to meet some truly amazing people...

almost every colleague and fellow cast member I have had the privilege to work with... I now can call my friends...

I sat down with one of my very good friends and CM Taylor, who has worked not only for Disney Cruise Line ( where we met, whilst both working as performers ) but also for Disney World resort in Florida within the entertainment department!

With so much entertainment experience behind her with the company, I wanted to find out more about her time working for the mouse!

Q and A with CM Taylor! 

Q1: Hey Taylor! How has Disney played a part in your life and what was your first memory? 

Hi Sam! Growing up in Southern California, Disney was always a huge part of my life. A lot of my family members worked for the company in one way or another and I grew up going to Disneyland all the time. I could not even tell you what my first memory of Disney was, it was just always there! I remember being pushed around in one of the Disneyland strollers and having to take turns with my younger sister, spending hours in the Oceaneer Club on the Disney Magic, and watching endless Disney movies with my aunt. 

Q2: When did you begin your professional career with Disney and how did you start?! 

Technically, I worked for Disney back when I was a toddler. I did several ads for the Disney Store catalog as well as two Disney commercials. A few years later I got really into modeling and did a few more shoots for the Disney Store - my personal favorites being one that I got to shoot in the park on top of one of the Christmas Parade floats, and being the in-store ad for the Hannah Montana Halloween costume one year. 

I continued to be involved with Disney through singing. I sang the National Anthem for several charity walks that took place in the park and even got to stand on the stage at the finish line with Mickey and Minnie cheering the runners on. When it was time for me to go to college, I found my dream school in Orlando, Florida and I set my sights on auditioning for a role in the parks as soon as I got out there. 

Q3: What was your Role at Walt Disney World?

Somehow, someway, I got to live my dream in the Entertainment Department at Walt Disney World. I spent time at Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I was on the opening team for the Royal Sommerhus, which is such a beautiful location by the way. I worked at Princess Fairytale Hall, caused chaos at the Grand Floridian, and explored Fantasyland during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. It was an unforgettable experience and I am so grateful for every moment. 

Q4: What were some challenges you had to overcome in your role and how did you overcome them? 

One of the areas that I struggled with was the size of the Entertainment Department. I was Part-Time, which meant that I only worked every couple of days. I was never guaranteed hours, so sometimes it would even be a week or two between shifts. There are so many people in Entertainment that I rarely worked with the same people. It was hard to make friends, and I was a bit shy back then, so I kept to myself a lot. However, once we were “on-stage” we were able to act like we’d known each other our whole lives. It was an odd dynamic, but ultimately you do what you have to in order to ensure the best guest experience! 

Q5: what was the best part about working in Walt Disney World? 

Hands down, it was the magic we are able to create for the guests. It’s a never-ending warm hug with a child that makes you forget everything else, or laughing with a newlywed couple and asking them for relationship advice. It’s those instant connections you are able to make and the genuine smiles that are captured in every interaction. I am so grateful for every moment I spent in that role, and for every ounce of happiness the guests and I created together. 

Q6: So you moved from Walt Disney World to another area of the company? What did you move to and why? 

It was such a tough decision to leave Walt Disney World, but I had another dream that I had to act on. Earlier I mentioned that I went on several Disney cruises throughout my childhood, and I always told my parents that I wanted to work on a Disney ship one day. After graduating with my degree in Hospitality Management (with an emphasis in Theme Park Management!) I was set on making this next dream a reality. The process turned out to be extremely difficult and I nearly gave up a few times. I auditioned for Entertainment roles on the ship and made it all the way to the end of the audition - they said that all we had to do was wait for their call! That was in February of 2018, and by May 2018 I had watched as every ship was cast. I felt defeated and confused and I was afraid that my Disney Cruise Line career had ended before it could even begin. I applied to a few other roles through the DCL jobs website and kept hearing rejections. 

Finally, in August, an application came out for Youth Activities Entertainment Host - a role I knew nothing about, but the job description sounded amazing. I was feeling so down on confidence that I filled out the application in 5 minutes and clicked submit, thinking it would just lead to another dead end. To my surprise, I received an email the next day saying I had made it through to the next round! After a phone interview, a full-day audition/final interview actually held onboard the ship, and a last-minute opening I flew out in October 2018 to start my career with Disney Cruise Line. 

Q7: What was it like working on a cruise ship?! 

Because I am an over-analyzer by nature, I did a ton of research prior to coming onboard. I had also cruised as a guest several times, so I knew quite a lot about the ships already. I came in knowing what to expect about the long hours, small living quarters, limited food options, etc. What I didn’t prepare myself for were the instant connections I was able to make with my fellow Crew Members. Because we were spending all-day, every-day together, I was able to make so many close friendships. This was the piece I was missing at Walt Disney World. I also got to know the Leadership team extremely well and it was so nice to have a family atmosphere at work. I met people that have changed my life, and they just so happen to live all over the world. 

Q8: What was your role on the ship?! And where there any similarities between the parks and the ship? 

I was a Youth Activities Entertainment Host (and got to work with some super-cool people like the one, the only, Sam WD). This meant that I was on the team that was in charge of entertaining all the babies, kids, tweens, and teens onboard. We put on various shows, some fully scripted, and some that had endless improv sections. It was a role that challenged my creativity, organization, and flexibility. The days were long and hectic, and sometimes I could barely catch my breath as I was running from show to show, sometimes on opposite sides of the ship. In my third contract, I also had the crazy opportunity to be chosen as for the Hybrid team, which meant that I occasionally helped out in the Entertainment Cast to enhance the guest experience. It was a fun, unexpected role that brought everything full circle. 

Q9: What was the day to day life onboard? 

Oh goodness. It’s hard to summarize day-to-day because things changed so often onboard. So much of our role was controlled by the kids - if you had a good group, the program would be hilarious and amazing, but then somedays you would have kids screaming, or wetting their pants, or just being generally awful and you would be wishing for the show to be over. 

If I had to say what a “typical” day would be onboard, I would set it up like this: 

I would either be working an early or late shift, but either way it was, on average, 10 hours a day. I would wake up, throw on my lovely yellow and blue costume/uniform, and walk from my cabin to work - the great thing about the ship is your commute was never more than 5 minutes. I would have 3 - 5 programs (or shows) a day, some being 30 minutes long, others taking up to 3 hours from start to finish. We were responsible for the setup and clean up of our programs as well, so it was a lot of cleaning and sanitizing. I would also spend a couple of hours a day filling various stations in the Club & Lab, like guarding the bathrooms, making sure they were playing safely, or helping them make crafts. As I mentioned above, I also was occasionally scheduled in my Hybrid role, so sometimes I would literally have to run from Youth Activities to my Hybrid shift. Those would typically be about an hour and a half, and then I would immediately have to run back to the kids, despite being sweaty. Other things that would fill up my day would be various meetings, which I always loved, and training sessions or project time. There was always something extra that needed to be worked on - a holiday program to write, a drawer to organize, an item to pick up from another part of the ship. Oh, and of course, I would be scheduled a lunch or dinner break. I can’t forget about that, although sometimes we used those for naps instead - even if it was just a 15-minute power nap in a closet. After work, there was always someone to hang out with, or a crew event to attend. I tried to be as involved as possible, although sometimes I just needed to sleep - especially if it was one of those rough days where everything seemed to go wrong. 

Q10: Thanks Taylor, what’s next for you?!

That is the big question, isn’t it? While I loved my time with Disney Cruise Line, I realized that life at sea didn’t necessarily line up well with plans I had for the future. The goal that I am currently chasing is moving back onto land and getting an office job within the company. Obviously, the current world situation has put quite a hold on hiring, but I am still hopeful. I would love to get a role within events, marketing, or recruiting - anything that would allow me to mainly work backstage, but might occasionally have guest interaction. I have loved my time in performing roles, but I think there is a lot of magic to be made behind the scenes. I can’t wait to wear a Disney nametag again, and I know that it is just a matter of time.

Wrap Up: 

So there you have it, some great insider knowledge and experiences. 

Taylors career with Disney has been super interesting so far and I have no doubt in my mind it will continue to be awesome! 

If you want to catch up with Taylor, or maybe you have a question or two, you can find her on her insta: @taylongbrake

leave a comment below or Get involved on our insta @coastersamblog 

until next time, 

see ya! 

Sam x