Working at Fort Wilderness: Seven Jobs on the Wild Side

Disney’s Fort Wilderness has long been known as one of the best places to work at the Disney World Resort. Even from the earliest days, cast members reported feeling that they had something mighty special that other cast members didn’t. Getting to work around nature and with guests who tend to be more relaxed surely has some extra magic. The biggest challenge may be getting the assignment itself. A shiny smile and a Disney attitude can realistically lead to getting an interview and a job offer. That’s especially true in the current job market. But getting assigned to the Fort may take a little more pixie dust.

It’s Not About the Money

As Walt Disney himself said, “You get to a point where you don’t work for the money.” While the pay is improving, most with careers at the Fort are there for the atmosphere and the perks. Non-professional jobs are often part-time, and the most obvious benefit is free admission to the parks and cast member discounts. Employees who want to park their RV in Fort Wilderness can enjoy up to to a 40 percent discount. Still, this puts “rent” at more than $2000 per month (but utilities are free). A caveat to staying at Fort Wilderness is that there are no official long-term rentals. In other words, you’ll be renting month by month, based on availability. Nevertheless, there seem to be quite a few who are there for 6 months or more at a time.

There are a lot of jobs at Fort Wilderness, but I’m focusing only on seven. I’ve left out so many – working retail in the trading posts, front-desk clerks, archery trainers, campfire performers, management, among others. Note that all part-time jobs require at three days of work each week, including various shifts which may fall in the evenings and on holidays.

Ranch Hand

This is where you can translate your love of animals into a paid hobby. Ranch hands are not only responsible for the care and maintenance of the more than 90 horses at Tri-Circle-D Ranch, but also lead trail rides, carriages, and hayrides. Of course, the old barn recently closed. The new barn, which is set to open next spring in Fort Wilderness, will likely provide a state-of-the-art environment for both the horses and their caretakers. Starts at $16 per hour.

Security Host/Hostess

Now you can get paid for looping. This main focus of this role is patrolling the campgrounds through motor vehicle or walking. You’ll monitor radio and call-in traffic, responding to concerns, conduct visual inspections, and typically have a relatively low-stress job. On the other hand, you are considered to be a first responder, so if there is an emergency, you will need to be able to react appropriately. For this reason, requirements for the job include CPR and AED certifications, as well as experience/education in security, military, emergency medicine, or similar.

Bus Driver

This is one job that avoids the weather extremes, but has the responsibility of transporting hundreds of guests through Fort Wilderness (and sometimes neighboring properties). Obvious tasks include safe driving and friendly greeting of guests being transporting. Just when things get dull, you’ll get your share of impolite souls challenged with various levels of alcohol abuse. You’ll also need to be adept at operating the disability lift, knowing schedules and routes, and answering a plethora of questions. Starts at $16 an hour and requires a Florida driver’s license.

watercraft pilot

So this isn’t precisely a Fort Wilderness job, but these are the guys (and ladies) that we often see the most. They are the ones who captain our boats across Bay Lake back and forth to the Contemporary and Wilderness Lodge. It looks like an easy job, but this isn’t the Jungle Cruise. There are no tracks, and they must navigate in sudden storms and be able to turn around on a dime. Most actually start out as deck hands and graduate up the ladder. Disney provides training that meets or exceeds that of the USCG. This is highly physical and starts at $14.20 per hour.

crockett’s tavern bartender

Located inside of Trail’s End is what is likely the smallest bar in all of Disney World. The rustic bar sits in the corner and has only about 10 barstools and an order window that leads to the outside. Bartenders make and serve non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, following Disney recipes. If you are outgoing, entertaining, and like to answer questions from tipsy guests, then this may be the job for you. You’ll need to be able to speak fluently about beverage offerings, and be able to start a good rumor. (This is where at least one Facebook group tends to get “inside” information, although you as a part-time cast member sadly aren’t privy to any high-level info .) Starts around $5.55 plus tips.

campsite maintenance

This is the much easier version of cabin housekeeping. You’ll spend your mornings driving around a cart and cleaning up the pads after guests leave Fort Wilderness. Most of them aren’t “trashy,” so the bulk of your work will be hooking up a waterhose to spray the leaves, debris, and tacky (in some cases) chalk off the site. You’ll check the electricity and other elements of the site to ensure that they are all in order. Starts at $13 per hour.

Culinary Chef Assistant – Trail’s End

This is likely one of the most hectic jobs at Fort Wilderness, and the one with the least guest contact. On the positive side, you will work alongside a top Disney chef to ensure quality and consistency of recipes. You’ll love the family environment of Trail’s End, but it won’t last forever. Once you’ve mastered your work there, it’s likely you’ll be transferred to another WDW restaurant to expand your talents. A pro is that if you are serious cook, you will have endless resources in terms of ingredients and equipment. Works with lead chef to ensure quality and consistency of recipes. Requires knife skills, understanding of cuisine 5 years of related experience or culinary certification with 3 years of experience. Starts at $18 per hour.

LIFEGUARD

Oh the glamour of lifeguarding and overseeing the safety of hundreds of little children every day. Like any Disney lifeguard, assignments can vary, and you could be moved from the Fort to another resort, marina, or water park. You might even be in charge of a slide – you know making sure only one goes down at a time and without standing up (fun-spoiling!). You’ll be trained, but must be able to pass hearing, eye, lifting and swim tests. Shallow water lifeguards start at $13.25 per hour, with the responsibility of deep end meriting an additional dollar per hour.

After reading Bob Iger’s book, The Ride of a Lifetime, I am hopeful that his optimistic leadership behaviors and empathetic values are generally aligned throughout the organization. In other words, it seems that even these lower-level positions, with their long hours and unique benefits, could bring a measure of bucket-list satisfaction that is unlike working anywhere else in the world.