July Ramble: Favorite stories from working at Disneyland

I think Youtube have done something funny with the ad frequency on this one, it seems up higher than usual.

While staying on property during a 1999 WDW vacation my family and I qualified for an E-Night. It was during a very slow week (the week before Thanksgiving Week), so the MK was literally deserted in some lands (mosts guests were at Splash Mt, Space Mt, or Buzz Lightyear). We are huge Haunted Mansion fans, so that’s where we spent most of the evening. I will always remember the Seance Room and being surrounded by empty Doom Buggies and realizing that we were very likely the only guests in the goddamned HM. At ride’s end, the CM let us stay on seven times in a row without disembarking; allowing us to see the brief transition around a backstage corner of an old school landline wallphone and clipboard lit by a single dim light.

I know what you mean about having a weird, deadpan sense of humor. But remember, you got a friend in Randy Newman.

Loved this video! And the end part as well. Now I want that Make Some Friends poster!

This kinda made me want to work at a theme park... there are not that many in my country though and i don't think any of them are close to where i live D: Either way, loved the vid!! I'd love to hear more stories like this :) Also side note, it's fascinating to hear that you enjoyed working in guest relations! So far i've only heard bad things about jobs like that but i'm glad to hear it can be enjoyable!

Great video! Loved hearing about the backstage of Haunted Mansion. It's wonderful to hear that it's atmospheric and a bit spooky, like the ride itself.

When I was maybe 7, I had a conversation with a guy who worked at the Haunted Mansion at Disneyworld. (He did set-dressing or maintenance of some sort — I think he said it was his job to make sure there was lots of dust and cobwebs). I remember thinking, that’s probably the coolest guy I’ve ever met, and he definitely has the most exciting job I’ve ever heard of. For months after, I would fantasize about moving to California or Florida and working at one of the parks when I grew up. I feel like you actually lived my 7-year-old self’s dream employment, and it’s funny how I still am so captivated by all the behind-the-scenes stuff you relate here. This was one of the more personally edifying videos on here for me, so thank you!

I found this video so incredibly interesting! I’d love to hear more of your Disney experiences in future videos!

Loved the BB-8 backstory... thank you for sharing! :)

since i just became a patron i'm going back through all her old content, and ik this is over a year old now and i am posting this in a comment section that will not have been active for over a year but 1. the last part of this video really hit home for me because coming home from college i only have two friends in my hometown and we all have way different work schedules and it's #lonely 2. it's just really nice to see that jenny has good friends now because of that, and also because it's just really nice to see lol. anyway parasocial relationships and all but her videos really are a super nice thing to come back to and i'm happy to have access to all these rambles now and the stories in this were top notch

The story about transferring departments really highlighted for me just how HUGE a place Disneyland is to work. I have never worked a job where it would be emotional to transfer to a different department at the same location, because I'd still see all the people from my old department all the time. Disneyland is like this giant town though with tens of thousands of employees. It's pretty crazy to think about.

Hey Jenny, who was your favourite goat at Disneyland?

Disney is making a Grad Nite movie for their new streaming service. Jenny should audition.

Unlawfully Detained! LMFAO!

super excited abou the creepy pasta thing!

I am really excited for the ritualpasta videos, those were the first creepypastas I ever read. I even tried a few because I was such a "brave" kid. Can't wait to see you rip them apart

I really enjoyed this video. I'd love to hear more stories about your time at Disneyland. So excited for all the future videos!

Loved hearing about your time in Guest Relations! My little sister always gets a disability access pass at Disney World because her ADHD and sensory difficulties make waiting in line so hard. It was so nice to hear that you genuinely wanted to make it easier for families!

Just now noticing that from "Editing Jenny" it's the first time we see her room from the other angle. Or maybe. It's mirrored?

If any farm animal has a propensity to go rouge it’s the goats. They lull you into a false sense of security with their fancy facial hair.

i really hope favorite childhood movies wins or at least gets more traction this month, if it is re suggested

Thanks for sharing this!

Did you ever get to do the running of the goats while you worked at the ranch? Any weird stories about a goat going rogue and trying to escape or anything like that?

Really glad I voted for this topic. Fascinating stuff, Jenny!

Yay! Always look forward to your content :D

likening BB-8's voice to an oboe was unexpected but spot on

A lot of this was really heartwarming. I was like tearing up over the Make A Wish part. That's sweet that Disney does that

this was hella interesting and entertaining! looking forward to the next ramble of record-breaking length

I wouldn’t have noticed her eyelashes. I just keep watching the Porg, waiting for him to move.

Anyone know what time of the year Disneyland is least crowded? I haven't been since I was a little kid, but this video and the dark rides ramble have me wanting to visit the park again.

It’s 11pm, my lights are off, and I made the mistake of reading about the Elevator Game and watching the video of Elisa Lam and now I can’t sleep 🙁

Aaaa, I can't wait for Jeff Part 2

A video like the one about "Opposite Worlds" would be awesome! The editing on that video was perfect, I cried laughing many times and showed it to lots of friends!

Is the animal on your Patreon homepage from Disneyland? Is that a horse, cow, or chupacabra?

Jenny are you a Virgo

I’m so excited for the Jeff the killer 2 video

Miss Jenny I am PRAYING that content trip is a collab with Lindsay

Loneliness looks like it would need filler. Glad it got tacked on as a bonus in this one instead. Creepypasta : to find out more. Good hour ramble!

I'm into that creepypasta rituals topic because I first heard of Hide and Seek Alone years ago and I remember it kind of genuinely creeping me out at first.

How often does Guest Relations get positive feedback from guests?

Love those behind-the-scenes Disney stories. I’ve heard two theme park podcasts featuring Jenny recently and not a single repeated story. Always glad to hear new content. Thanks!

Having never been to any of the Disney theme parks myself, and not really anticipating having an opportunity to unless I have a wife and kids someday, I really loved hearing it described through the voice of someone clearly so passionate about it! I’m worried that by the time I get to visit it’ll be years down the road, and I won’t have that enthusiasm and sense of wonder I’ve heard so many associate with it, so I really loved getting a glimpse into the experience here! It made me happy, especially from someone who clearly knows what they’re talking about and cares so much. In terms of what video I’m most excited for, I’m only a recent patron to this channel, but after watching the last few rambles and since Jeff the Killer video was one of my absolute favorites, I have been rapt with anticipation for it. I get the need for variety, but I still hope it’s in the near future! Thank you for the hour long ramble gift!

The "origin of Jenny's BB-8 love" story was heartwarming and incredibly wholesome! Just an idea, but maybe you could clip that into its own video on your YouTube channel as a teaser of the kind of content Patrons receive from your rambles? Unless the details in the story are too personal for public visibility. But it was a lovely anecdote! Also, I think you already covered loneliness here eloquently! Making friends in a new work environment/location is really tough when people don't have time or drive to get to know the real you. Anyway, like everyone else, I'm super excited about Jeff the Killer sequel! Keep up the great work.

It's really heartwarming to hear you talk about Disneyland, like, that you were into it and didn't lose your enthusiasm by working there? I don't know it just brings some happiness back into my world

Being fired with the phrase "you were clearly untruthful about your level of horse knowledge" XD

The Make A Wish lounge sounds so amazing. Thanks for sharing your experiences behind the scenes at Disney, it was facinating!

You know, The Meg is just asking for a Jenny Nicholson review.

Also shout out to the MVP Editing Jenny for pushing this video over the 1 hour mark!

The Disney Parks YouTube needs to give you a show yesterday.

I loved hearing about all of this, thanks Jenny.

I'm really excited for The Kissing Booth. As soon as I watched it I really hoped you'd do something on it cause holy there is a lot to talk about.

Great ramble Jenny and oh my god please do the slender man review I was torn on seeing it before but I mean if your gonna rip it to shreds I kinda have too.

oh I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the cars universe

The bb-8 story was so sweet, thank you for sharing that. This is one of my fav rambles, it was just really nice to hear you talk about a job that was more than a job for you. I had an old boss that worked 20+ years at Disneyland and she still talks extremely fondly about it and you can really still see that courtesy instilled in her when I would see her with guests at our hotel. As for coming-soon topics, I myself have been very excited for the Slenderman movie but it never occurred to me that of course you would consider a video for it. I know you touched on Marble Hornets in your Jeff the Killer video but i was wondering if you've seen any of it or would you be talking about it in the Slenderman video? It can be slow and boring at times but I have a fondness for it and I wonder how much, if at all, it will influence the movie. Anyway, thanks for the new video, Jenny!

It makes me so happy to know that people like Jenny work at places like Disney. This video makes it clear that both the Corporation and the Cast Members really are trying to help people to have their best experience. I’ve had enough bad (or worse, apathetic) guest experiences at other places to really appreciate the effort that goes into sincerely trying to help people who are having a bad time. I suspect Guest Services staff are not thanked nearly enough for the incredible work they do, so at least from me, thank you, thank you, thank you!

I have so many thoughts on this video especially how eerily similar some of the things you mentioned are from when I worked at the park (I'm guessing) 20+ years before. I was at the park from '87 - '92 and even though I'm watching this video in 2018 it is still so relatable as though how cast members think, feel, and react to things in the park are completely frozen in time. Makes me wonder if people who worked at the park in the 50s or 60s would also relate in the same way like time has not progressed forward. Anyway, this video is wonderful and thank you for posting!

I'm so glad we got Jenny: A Star Wars Story where we learned the origin of her love for BB-8

The video about another reality TV show is probably my top interest. I love the Opposite Worlds one.

Yay I got the notification for this while I was at work, around 10pm my time, and couldn’t wait to get home and start watching it! I’d hoped that most of the creepy stuff would have been filtered out by the patreon paywall, so it’s a shame to hear that this month’s ramble was tainted by that. Loneliness is an interesting topic, but if it were a whole ramble video I’d feel like I was paying someone to recount sad and painful memories for my entertainment.

I honestly love so much hearing these cool behind the scenes stuff! I’m also a huge theme park nerd, and I have a cousin that lives and works at Disneyworld, and when I ask her anything she’s like it’s always like eh it’s boring. I’m like noooo this is the kind of stuff I wanna know. Also, I appreciate the little talk about loneliness at the very end. People are creepy and that sucks, but it’s nice to hear someone talk a little bit about it. Ps. I’m very excited for The Kissing Booth video and the reality show one.

I had no idea about the "perks" granted to the Make-A-Wish kids. That's so lovely!! Also, I became a patreon yesterday and I am SO happy with all these rambles :) Enjoying the content a lot!

Really looking forward to all of it! - but perhaps especially the Smooching Booth stuff? I can’t recall the last time I had such a strong negative reaction to a piece of media, and having seen only the very start, I’m absolutely entranced to hear it finds ways to descend from there 🍿 🍿 🍿 But, it’s all good, really. Honestly, the level of consistent quality on the channel and the humour & nuance & insight brought to bear are quite astounding, so I’ve often found, here, that [topic I don’t think I’m interested in] turned out to be [topic that is utterly fascinating]. So, as I clearly can’t predict my own preferences that makes me a useless datapoint for planning purposes! 😁 Anyway, safe travels, and I hope y’all have a good trip. 🤞

Speaking of voyeuristic desires to bear vulnerabilities for our consumption: boats and water, eh? But seriously this was a fantastic ramble, an hour of pure quality. Great anecdotes, sufficient consolation tangent on the loneliness near the end there, incredibly exciting preview of topics to come. I'm already hyped for the travel content and that's still two months away (plus editing)!

Don't test Jenny by getting heated in the comments. Legends say her Banhammer was forged in the heart of a dying star, by a 20 foot tall Peter Dinklage dwarf. And she always aims for the head.

I worked at the Disneyland Hotel for about a month and a half... only stories I have involve wondering under what circumstances different messes were made. Once I had to clean up a mess in a bathroom that, to spare the disgusting details, after I cleaned it up, they let me go home. That's also the night I updated my resume. Maybe this comes from growing up with a working class family, but if I was in a minimum $350 a night hotel, I'd be hesitant to even use the bathroom, let alone destroy it.

I feel like its an odd point to touch on but I think your humor is really great and gives your media reviews an interesting reference points for critique.

I really liked hearing the neat job stuff of working Disney because it seems like such a varied place to work. But yeah, I was pleasantly surprised by the brief stuff you brought up about disability and accommodation at the park as my girlfriend is autistic and uses a wheelchair to move around due to a heart condition, so it was great to hear that they'd be likely to work with us so that we can both have a fun time whenever we do get a chance to go. So yeah, thanks for sharing your experiences, they were both interesting and potentially helpful.

You kind of blew my mind with the Haunted Mansion break area description. The one I remember for it was just a small, narrow alleyway that you get to through a metal gate that is just off to the side where the queue meets the doorway to the mansion. Maybe because you were in a different department you had access to this other place? I feel like I missed out on that now. But I did really enjoy working in that area as well because I would get to see a good chunk of the Fantasmic show most nights and it was good spot to see the fireworks.

This was a very interesting ramble. I'm not usually the kind of guy who likes to peek behind the curtain but I was glued to my PC for the entire hour. I've learned the hard way that "dream jobs" are not so dreamy most times. I worked as a tabletop game designer for a few years. On my last job, I got to work with the folks at Lucasfilm because I was assigned to the Star Wars RPG at West End Games. I even won an award for one of my adventures, "Droids Defiant." No kidding, Google it. Anyway, I thought, this is great, Star Wars! I'm going to get to meet a lot of cool, creative people that I can finally relate to! No such luck. They were the most mundane and grumpy folks I ever worked with. The lady next door, who worked at Dunkin Donuts, was more interesting. I think, sometimes, with stuff like Disney and Star Wars, it's better not to look too close. At least if you want to maintain the magic in your own perspective.

So many great insights and the BB-8 story was amazing!

Thanks for the video, Jenny!

I may not be as big of a fan of Disneyland as you are, but your enthusiasm shines through when you explain your memories there, so I can appreciate your stories and in turn makes your anecdotes interesting to hear. Speak of what you love, and you can make any topic interesting to listen to.

Will you ever make the Loneliness ramble? I really wanted to hear what you had to say about it

Looking forward to this topic. Have been contemplating applying to Disneyland myself to work at galaxy’s edge