Watch the new segment below and review the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District website (formerly known as Reedy Creek). The takeover of Reedy Creek by the state of Florida was, lets say, contentious. You may wish to ask full time residents their opinion of the take over, I suspect you will learn a lot about local politics.
Assume you are part of a team to develop the benefits package for employees of the newly named district. What would you include in the benefits package? When determining benefits package consider the following:
- What benefits does the WDC offers its own employees?
- What benefits do other theme parks in the area offer?
- Consider who you are serving.
As a Disney cast member, we are provided with Chips and Dale tickets for our family members and friends to enter the parks for free. However, this offer is subject to certain conditions, such as completing a certain number of work hours and ensuring that our guests behave appropriately in the parks. We also receive discounts on merchandise and food, although these discounts may be blocked out on certain days. In addition, we are given a general pass that allows us to park hop. Many other theme parks offer discounts, free passes, meals, sick days, and vacations. However, each park offers different perks and some may deduct benefits. I understand that we serve guests from all over the world who spend a lot of money to enter Disney and enjoy its magic. While giving out free passes may seem like a luxury, I believe that it would be a kind gesture to the fire department who constantly check and maintain the safety protocols in the park. They work tirelessly day and night to fix any issues that may arise. Therefore, it would be nice to offer them free admission so that they can enjoy the park with their families. Ultimately, everyone who visits Disney just wants to experience its magic, regardless of who they are.
The benefits and we get is discounts free food, depending of the leaders, approve it. Parts whenever we want to if it’s a go to go day. Free drinks whenever you want, like on break or10 10,
They get tickets discounts and also a discount for food.time off if requested and I lots more benefits. They get a ADO, sick days many more these are just a few things. If overtime they get paid 45 an hour I think I was told by a cast member.
As a College Program Cast Member I am offered the following: Chip and Dale Tickets which are park tickets that are for a one day admit to any park and with a Park Hopper benefit which allows you to visit any of the other four parks in the same day. The drawback of these tickets are: You as the cast member must acompany the visitor for their entire visit and can only earn these tickets after a milestone of hours worked 3 for each milestone I.E 100 hours worked = 3 tickets 300 hours = 3 more ETC. Another benefit is the 20% discount at WDW, QSR restaurants and Merchandising stores the drawbacks are that: not all places will accept the discount and you are not allow to buy things for others using this discount.
One of my coordinators told me that they receive something similar to those who work at Disney Park Tickets, discounts but they are much more lenient when it comes to the terms of these benefits.
I would be serving the employees that are always working hard and striving to commit to the amount of work that goes into creating great experiences for our customers so it only seems logically to allow them to also have these experiences regardless of what it means for the companies stocks and or profit in order for your business to be successful you must treat those who work for the business right and allow them to have benefits.
As a College Program Participant, we are given a self-admission pass to get into the parks and water parks for free. Another benefit are Chip and Dales which are One Day Park Hopper Guest Tickets for our family and friends to enjoy the parks with us. This is acquired after a certain amount of work hours. The first 3 tickets are assigned at 150 hours of work, the second 3 at 300 hours and the last 3 at 600 hours and that’s the maximum for the year. We also receive merchandise and food discounts at the parks and resorts. There’s a 50% off selected merch sale going on right now May 15th through June 27th. At my resort we get 50% off lunch at the quick service location before 7pm and 20% after 7 but you have to be working for the day to receive this benefit. There’s also benefits to see an attraction before it opens up to the general public, for example Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The registration opened up this morning to attend and cast members and up to two guests are allowed. Lastly, we get resort discounts that is divided in two. There’s a price for you staying in the room and booking for a family or friend, the discount is higher when we’re staying in the room with your guest.
At Orlando Universal team members are given:
-Financial Planning Support
-401(k) Retirement Plan
-Onsite Banking
-Discounted Child Care
-Nursing Mothers at Work Program
-Vacation Time
-10 Paid Company Holidays
-Parental Leave
-Tuition Reimbursement Program
My potential benefits package for the healthcare workers and of the newly developed district would be similar to the Disney and Universal benefits above. I would offer:
Health Insurance: including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
Retirement Plans: 401(k) or similar retirement savings plan with employer matching contributions to help employees save for their future.
Paid Time Off (PTO): offer generous vacation, sick leave, and holiday pay to allow employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP): provide access to counseling services, financial planning assistance, and other resources to support employees’ well-being.
Discounts and Perks: offer discounts on theme park admission, merchandise, and dining for employees and their families to enjoy the amenities of the district.
Education Assistance: provide tuition reimbursement or assistance for employees pursuing further education or professional development opportunities related to their role.
Wellness Programs: fitness classes, wellness challenges, or health screenings to promote employees’ physical and mental well-being.
Family-Friendly Benefits: offer parental leave, childcare assistance, or flexible scheduling options for employees with families.
What benefits does the WDC offers its own employees?
The WDWCP allows us to be a fully pledged Cast Member with most of its benefits such as the Self Admission Tickets for us. And as long as we are able to hit the mark of certain hours worked, we are given a 1 Day Park hopper tickets for our friends and family. We can also get discounts around the parks whenever we purchase dining and merchandise. We are also allowed to get some approved day offs although it is limited compared to a part/full time CM.
What benefits do other theme parks in the area offer?
The other theme parks like Universal and Sea World, also offer the same thing that Disney does which is a free admission ticket for their respective parks as well as many more.
Consider who you are serving.
The benefit packages that I am including for the employees of the newly named district is to make sure that they can have wonderful perks for working in the district, such as health and medical insurance, decent pay, and etc. There can also be a reward for the employees who works the hardest such as being the employee of the month. When it comes to giving rewards, there must be certain boundaries. An example of which is like as a Cast Member who has to work certain hours to obtain tickets for their family to access the parks.
WD offers us discounts and Chip and Dale tickets which can be used to park hop. When we first joined everyone received the same discount, however, it was changed soon after. Cast members who have been there longer received a higher discount and the rest received a slightly lower percentage. There are dining discounts as well for certain locations. A new policy that was implemented was cast dining. If you are working at a location that has cast dining, you are eligible for a higher discount percentage on select items. My resort was one of the few that had that feature. We gave our advice on how we liked the app since it was still in its testing phase.
Other theme parks receive similar benefits like free admission tickets and discounts on food. They can also test-ride attractions before they are released. Keeping Cast discounts should be part of the package as well as giving cast members Chip and Dale passes if they work on a major holiday. There can be cast member coupons distributed throughout the year during events or holidays.