walt disney company refused to allow employees into its theme parks And resorts near Orlando, Florida to go home early in the morning Leading up to Hurricane Milton’s arrivalAccording to the employees.
Four people who work at different parks at Disney World Told Business Insider Despite bad weather conditions on Wednesday, their owners refused to cancel work.
According to Business Insider, workers told the publication that they were expected to be on hand to help during and after the park was closed — a move that left employees feeling unsafe.
Employees also said they felt as if they were going blind due to poor communication from higher-ups, Business Insider reported.
Disney “cast members” complained that they were put to work on Wednesday morning while it was raining and the parks were empty, the news site reports.
Disney closed four parks in Central Florida early Wednesday due to the approaching storm.
Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom closed to guests at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, while the Magic Kingdom and Epcot closed at 2 p.m. Reopened on Friday.
An employee who spoke to Business Insider speculated that the Magic Kingdom Before Disney decided to close the park, it was at 10% capacity.
The employee said, “I wish the park wasn’t open at all that day.”
An employee told Business Insider that by the time they left at 2:45 p.m. Eastern time, the weather in Orange County, where the parks are located, had become so bad that a tornado warning was issued at 3:22 p.m. Was.
A handful of tourists who came to Disney World on Wednesday managed to enjoy a few hours while the staff welcoming them were worried about what effect the storm would have on their homes.
“This is going to be interesting,” Dr. Craig Chavis, a chiropractor from Maryland, posted on Instagram along with rain-soaked photos of his family enjoying the Magic Kingdom.
“But today the park was almost empty.”
Nearby restaurants, shops and gas stations also remained open – sometimes over the objections of their employees.
“They got their precious few hours of fun,” said Amy Chivers, who was waiting tables at a family restaurant near the theme park.
“Safety is always our first and most important factor when making decisions that impact our artists and guests and throughout the storm, we provided frequent and timely updates on our changes to ensure that the worst of the weather They returned home a few hours before the situation. Florida,” Disney said in a statement to The Post.
A family staying at a Disney resort hotel during the storm praised the company for keeping them informed of developments while ensuring their safety.
Internal communications seen by Business Insider revealed that Disney expected some employees to report to the park on Thursday for cleaning.
“After the storm, we may need Cast to help with post-storm recovery efforts,” Disney managers told employees through the Cast Life app, the internal messaging service used to communicate with employees. Is.
“Cast scheduled to work on October 10 – even in areas that will not open to guests – should continue to call local area Cast hotlines and visit the Disney Cast Life web page for information about their schedules. / Should check your schedule on the app.”
A Disney employee told Business Insider that it’s “insane” that managers “expect me to not only make calls but potentially go to the parks to clean.”
“It’s sickening.”
The employee said he decided not to come to work on Thursday regardless of the outcome.
“I will not feel safe driving tomorrow at 7 a.m. when this is all done,” the employee told Business Insider on Wednesday evening.
“Orlando is unique because, yes, we’re inland, but we get terrible rain and terrible winds. And just because we’re not swept away and dealing with storm surge and structural damage doesn’t mean it’s not scary.
Earlier this week, Goldman Sachs estimated that the storm could cause Disney a $150 million to $200 million loss due to impacts on the theme parks.
Additional reporting by Steven Helling
