Former Theme Park Employees Share Their Secrets
What’s your idea of a perfect day? For a lot of us, it’s a trip to a theme park with family or friends. There’s something there for everyone. There are roller coasters for the adrenaline junkies, funnel cakes for the foodies, and characters in costume for the kids. We couldn’t dream up a more perfect place if we tried. No matter how amazing things may seem on the outside, everyone has their dirty little secrets. Keeping these things hidden is what helps keep the magic alive… until today! These theme park employees are spilling the crazy, funny, awkward, and alarming things they saw while working at the best amusement parks in the country.
Keep reading for shocking stories from famous theme parks!
This is Worse Than Being Slimed
Nick Universe is Nickelodeon’s very own theme park located in Minnesota, how cool is that? It’s exciting for kids and adults to see attractions made by one of their favorite channels. This employee wasn’t even working there for very long when they experienced these unfortunate situations. Sometimes when people get too excited they completely lose control of their bodies.
We hope neither of these rides went through a loop. Something tells us the other park guests also wouldn’t appreciate this little surprise. Let this remind you not to overeat junk food while at the park. Take all measures to avoid these things from happening to you. How long do you think this employee lasted?
How To Go Out In Style
Some companies have rules about what you can and cannot do while working for them. In recent years these policies have come to include social media posts. This employee works at Six Flags and seeing as they’re a big company it makes sense they would want to keep up a good public image.
Still, it must feel controlling for their employees who want to vent about their work on Instagram. If you’re not satisfied with your job you can easily quit, but where is the fun in that? It’s a lot more interesting to break a rule and get fired. We’re sure the social media freedom felt cathartic for this ex-employee.
Is That Even Legal?
Have you ever worked a job that hired “secret shoppers” to make sure you were doing what you were supposed to? If so, you and this Six Flags employee have a lot in common. We understand companies have certain rules they set and want to ensure they’re all followed. However this tactic can feel somewhat sneaky.
Not all of these rules and regulations feel totally necessary. Some employees want the ability to pick and choose what they feel is important to say. It might not feel the most natural to tell someone to “have a Six Flags day” instead of just a good day. This doesn’t make this person a bad employee, so hopefully, their boss was forgiving.
How to Earn a Bathroom Break
No job is perfect, but some things are truly unacceptable. Six Flags is a big company that makes a lot of money, so they have certain protocols in place to keep their profits safe. If you have to go to the bathroom this is the last thing you’re going to want to do.
What happens if there’s an emergency? There seems like an easier solution to all of this. Maybe they should just try hiring more people. Without good management, things can fall apart quickly. We hope they figure out their issues before something really bad happens. This seems like quite a complicated process.
Snitches Get Salary Raises
What’s the craziest thing you’ve heard of at a job? What about Six Flags paying their other employees to snitch on their coworkers? This has to be one of the most out-there things we’ve seen. $100 is a lot of money so many instead of using it to get people fired. Maybe they should invest it in employee education.
It’s going to be a lot more costly for them to fire someone and then spend tons of time training new employees. This person had a good reason to tell on their coworker, and we’re surprised nothing happened to him. It’s sleazy for Six Flags to not keep their word and even worse not to fire employees who steal from customers.
That’s How the Magic is Made?
Disney World works hard to maintain the title of the happiest place on earth. This means things like making sure every prince and princess looks their very best. This also means keeping any gross things out of the parks. The last thing Disney needs is for a child to find a used condom while eating their Mickey waffles.
This food service employee did what anyone would to preserve the upbeat atmosphere, no matter how uncomfortable it was. Disneyland is one of those places that always looks impeccably clean. We don’t know what other messes custodians were busy cleaning, but what could’ve been more pressing than this?!
How to Get Banned 101
Theme parks are a lot of fun except sometimes you get so wrapped up in them you forgot your belongings. This is why parks have lost and found bins filled to the brim with a variety of items. If you lose something like your sunglasses it’s not a big deal. However, losing something like your wallet on a roller coaster track is a whole different story.
This employee was nice enough to let this guy know when he’d be able to get his wallet back. We understand his frustration, but there was no reason to jump onto the track. We don’t foresee him returning to the park, especially since he still doesn’t have his wallet.
Does This Look Like the Bathroom to You?
Sometimes these experiences are overwhelming for kids and not all of them can handle roller coaster rides. The Ferris wheel always seems like a safe choice, but you have to take into account that many kids are afraid of heights. We can only assume these kids deciding to pee all over the place was a result of fear, or at least we hope it wasn’t intentional.
It’s on parents to know what their kids can and can’t handle. Not everything is meant to be a learning opportunity for kids, especially when it comes to public potty training. This mom should have known better and stuck to smaller, shorter rides until her kids felt comfortable.
Worlds of Great Pain and Frustration
If you thought being a theme park employee was easy, think again. You’re not just there to operate rides, serve food and clean up vomit. You’re also there to break up fights and be an untrained therapist for unruly guests. You’d think people would be nothing but smiles and laughs at Worlds of Fun, but it’s a lot more aggressive than we originally thought.
Halloween is arguably one of the best times to go to a theme park, so maybe these two guests were fighting over their spot in line. Punching a theme park employee is a very quick way to ensure you’ll never make it on that ride… or any in the future. We hope they didn’t leave this poor employee bruised.
Clean Up On the Pool Deck
There are theme parks for all sorts of interests and ages. Sesame Place is meant for toddlers and young children, so the problems they have to deal with are a bit different. Little kids are still learning how to use the bathroom, and accidents will inevitably happen. Kids love to swim, but they get so wrapped up in learning to freestyle they let some other things go.
We wish parents would take the initiative to clean these things up. After all, it is in part their fault. We don’t know about you guys, but we’re going to stay out of theme park pools until further notice. Would you be able to stomach dealing with this?
Keep Your Stomach Contents to Yourself
How do you feel about drop towers? Most people don’t have the stomach for it. We’ve never understood the fascination behind these sorts of things. If your friend doesn’t enjoy something, just let them be, otherwise, they’ll end up like this kid. The poor kid sprayed vomit down the tower. Talk about an added surprise.
Of course, we feel awful for him, but we also feel bad for the workers who have to clean up the situation. We can’t even imagine the process they had to go through. They probably needed to shut down the ride and have it professionally disinfected after this. We bet that kid hasn’t gone anywhere near a drop tower since.
Welcome to the Pit of Disease
We’ve always had our suspicions about ball pits, but now that we know what goes we’ll never look at them the same. Parents typically have rules for their kids to keep them safe and healthy, but often loosen restrictions at theme parks. Most kids are hopped up on candy and soda and running around at lightning speed.
It makes sense that they’re not going to be very clean, or behaving their best at this time. This doesn’t mean the rest of us should suffer by joining them in a pool of germs. Can someone please start a petition to make these theme parks use sanitizing solutions?
Can We Back to Before This Happened?
Your first job is something you never forget, and operating the Back to the Future ride at Universal Studios is an unforgettable experience. It’s unfortunate, but bad things will often be more memorable than the good. Universal Studios is an accommodating place because it’s a priority for them that their guests enjoy themselves. They definitely would’ve helped this boy.
It’s a shame this kid and his parents thought the only solution was to poop in public. It’s bad enough to do this in the first place. What’s even worse is pretending as if nothing happened and waiting for all the employees and guests to smell your little surprise. Would you go this far to save your place in line?
When Candy Making Gets Deadly
Amusement parks are great as is, but they reach a whole new level when they’re on the beach. Some guests get so wrapped up in the excitement they forget their manners. No customers should be yelling at employees, especially not for things out of their control. This is one way to ensure you’ll never be welcome back.
Complaining to cotton candy makers about a ride won’t benefit you. Who knew making such a fun fluffy dessert could be dangerous? This whole experience sounds painful, we hope their hair was able to survive the summer. This amusement park should invest in shields when operating the machine. Do you think this person returned the following summer?
Why Are We Having This Conversation?
The people who work in Human Resources are critical, and their work is often overlooked. There are some things we think don’t need to be disclosed when you’re hired for a new job. For example, we were under the impression that not stealing from your workplace was common knowledge. It takes a very brave person to have these types of conversations with employees and take them seriously.
This person used to work for a big theme park, and, unfortunately, they had to have this conversation many times. We’re shocked these thieves had a hard time understanding why they weren’t welcome back at work. Where do these kinds of people get the audacity, and how’d they get this job in the first place?
Fun to Play With, Not to Break
When you bring your child to an amusement park you need to teach them how to behave respectfully around others. Mascots help add fun and bring your favorite characters to life. Most kids go up to the mascots, take a picture, get a hug and go on their merry little way.
We have no idea why this kid thought it was okay to try out their karate skills on this poor employee. They must have been aggressive for her to have needed surgery. We hope whatever park this is compensated the employee for whatever surgery was needed as well as sick leave. Talk about a traumatic experience.
Smells Like a Lawsuits Brewing
As an employee of any company, you are entitled to breaks and lunches. We’re all human, and we can’t run around like robots all day at full speed. Knotts Berry Farm is a place many of us grew up going to, so it’s crazy to find out what was going on behind the scenes. No one wants to hear how employees secretly hated their lives there.
As a big company, it’s on them to make sure they’re hiring people who are following all the rules and creating a positive working environment. It might not be the company’s fault directly, but hopefully, this encouraged them to hire better shift leads. Big companies need to pay attention to what’s happening on a day-to-day basis.
The Customer Isn’t Always Right
Disneyland is one of the more popular theme parks. They have amazing rides, food, and service, but sometimes people take all of that for granted. There are some rides that are more popular than others. This person operated the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which is boatloads of fun (pun intended).
They do all they can to keep everything running smoothly for all customers. A big part of this is making sure they don’t wait in line too long. If people don’t like the four-people-per-row policy then they don’t need to get on the ride. Remember folks, it’s never okay to verbally or physically assault someone because you need more space.
Not the Time Nor the Place
Most people have fond memories of Disney as a child. Often these memories include meeting princes and princesses, eating Mickey-themed food and of course bonding with family. If you’ve ever been cheated on you know just how painful it can be. This doesn’t mean you should traumatize the diners of Cinderella’s castle and your whole family as vengeance.
Typically, Disney has a response for almost every situation, but something tells us this is a first. What do you think the dad and his kids did after? It’s not like they can go off and enjoy the rest of their day now. Disney has definitely lost some fans now. This is one experience the kids will never forget.
Not Tall Enough for This Ride
Disney is one of the most special theme parks for a lot of reasons. One of their most unique programs is the one they offer for students. They allow young adults from university to act as cast members while working on their college degree, isn’t that amazing? It’s a learning experience in more ways than one, and this student got a lot more than he bargained for.
Space Mountain is an out-of-this-world attraction. We get it, this couple really wanted to go on it, but couldn’t they have hired a babysitter? Did they really think a newborn wouldn’t make any noise the whole ride? We have so many questions and so few answers.
Drink Your Way Around the World
Drinking isn’t permitted on Disney grounds unless you’re at Epcot. Guests here get to experience a taste of many countries, and sometimes they drink more than they should. Ideally, if you end up drinking too much you’ll just grab some junk food and then take a nap. This guy went in a whole new direction we wish he hadn’t.
Epcot is supposed to be a fun time for everyone. We don’t know what made this man think it was okay or necessary to punch not just one but two people. He could’ve stopped there, but no, he had to rack up some more assault charges and start stealing while he was at it.
It’s Life or Death Here
Universal Studios is home to some of the coolest attractions. You get a sneak peek into how movies are made, and if you’re lucky you might even get to meet a celebrity. Theme parks are a lot to take in at once, and it can be overwhelming for the mind and body. Accidents are bound to happen and people can easily get hurt.
A heart attack is an extreme medical emergency that requires immediate attention. You’d think Universal would be more sympathetic to what this man is going through and would have offered more support. What would you do if you saw management reacting this way?
What We Like To Call Instant Karma
People travel far and wide to see Disneyland in all its glory. For safety reasons Disney has all guests go through a security screening before entering. This employee had some unfortunate run-ins with some interesting guests, to say the least. There’s no shortage of unique people who head to the parks every day.
Disney World has an abundance of clean bathrooms to use. This lady didn’t need to lug around a pee jar with her, was she worried the park would use it for some creepy ritual? She should have just left it in the car, but she had to make a big old mess instead. We hope she enjoyed Disney world while covered in her kid’s urine.
The Golden Girls Take Disneyworld
You’re never too old to enjoy some Disneyland magic. There’s a ride, event, or show for just about everyone. When you get older and you retire you suddenly have a lot more free time. Part of the beauty is that you can then choose exactly how you want to spend your days.
If these old ladies wanted to come to Disney every day and enjoy it, we think that’s beautiful! We think it also might be a little traumatizing for everyone else since they brought their taxidermied dead dog with them. We just hope no kids went up and tried to pet the dog. Would this freak you out?
We’re Going to Have to Ask You to Leave
When we see a celebrity in person we get completely starstruck. We don’t know if we should go up to them, and even if we did we have no idea what we’d do or say. Children feel the same way about the characters they see in movies. Kids are still learning right from wrong, everything they do is a learning experience…for better or worse.
It must be a rush of emotions for them to see these characters in person! However, that doesn’t give them the right to hump their legs. Parks should give tutorials on what to do when you see your favorite character. How often do you think this happens?
Do You Have a Death Wish?
Disney roller coasters are artfully crafted and no matter how old you get, they’ll be just as mesmerizing as the first time you rode them. In general, they have some of the most amazing attractions. When you enter them it feels like you’re stepping into a whole new world, and nothing else matters.
Ride operators want you to have the best experience possible, but not at the cost of your safety. We bet this employee was shocked to see a woman try to get off a moving roller coaster. Have you ever heard of something so crazy? Instead of a no-fly list, these parks need a no-ride list, and we think she should be on it.
The Perk of a Lifetime
There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes in a theme park. We bet you wouldn’t have expected them to have a head of education, but they do! We’re sure this former employee of Geauga Lake has seen a lot of crazy things, and also learned lots of incredible things! We all have our reasons for taking certain jobs, mainly because we need the money.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt if the job has some sweet perks to it. Theme park tickets are expensive but lucky for this former employee they got free entry whenever they weren’t working. We think that’s reason enough to take the job no matter what you’d have to put up with.
A Talent Like No Other
What’s your biggest issue when it comes to roller coasters? Most people are afraid of heights or worried about upchucking their lunch. This fear can be so paralyzing it keeps people from ever trying them out. This ex-ride supervisor and food stand manager has the perfect solution for you.
If you work this job you’ll never get sick on the rollercoaster. Someone had to test out the coaster each morning, and it just so happened to be them. They were able to eat whatever they wanted and ride all day long without any accidents. Looks like the secret here is consistency.
Does This Meet Safety Regulations?
We’d like to think all maintenance issues are taken seriously. We’d especially like to think it’s held to a high priority when we’re talking about roller coasters. They’re a lot of fun, but things can go wrong very quickly. A former ride operator working for a major amusement park shared some information we really didn’t want to hear.
If you’re fixing something shouldn’t you keep track of what’s coming and going to ensure everyone’s safety? You’d think major parks would be extra cautious of this seeing as they get a lot of attention. Now we get why so many people don’t like amusement parks. How scared would you be if you saw bolts and screws flying off a ride?
How to Have a Good Time
It can be difficult to find something everyone in your friend group will enjoy. That’s why a theme park is such a good idea, everyone loves them! Picking which park is only half the battle, organizing the trip, and getting everyone there is a whole different story. You also want to make sure you’re going at a good time where you won’t spend forever in line.
After all, you want to get your money’s worth! That’s why it’s always nice to get insight from a park employee on the best days to go. Turns out you shouldn’t be waiting until the weekend to have some theme park fun. Use this information to help you plan your next fun trip to your local theme park!