Ep. 678 - Bonus Show - 12 Years Working at Disney and DCL: A Cast Member's Story

At 12 years old, sitting on Main Street USA, Theresa looked down at a single brick and decided it was hers — then spent 24 years at the Walt Disney Company proving it. She managed hotels, sold Disney Vacation Club onboard the ships for a dozen years, and came out the other side of a spinal cord injury that four doctors first mistook for ALS. This conversation covers all of it, plus the book she wrote about finishing hard things.

In this episode:

• Why Theresa says the cast members are the most magical thing about Disney Cruise Line, and what she witnessed building that culture from the inside
• The reason she boarded a Disney cruise the day before emergency spinal surgery
• What onboard life as a vendor and DVC guide was really like: the perks, the boundaries, and the crew politics
• How 50-plus marathons and multiple Ironmans shaped her "race to complete, not to compete" outlook
• Her three straight-talk tips for first-time Disney Cruise Line families
• The origin of her book Built to Finish, and the turtle on the cover

"If you take care of your cast members, your cast members are going to take care of your guests, which is then going to take care of your business needs." — Theresa

Find Theresa's Book:Built to Finish (website): Built to FinishBuilt to Finish on Amazon: Built to Finish on AmazonInstagram: Built to Finish

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The views expressed in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the views of the Walt Disney Company, Disney Cruise Line or any other travel provider discussed or mentioned.