KEY WEST BED & BREAKFAST, Key West Lodging and Accommodation Guide: Florida Traveling Guides: Mouse Trap: Memoir of a Disneyland Cast Member

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Read one Cast Member's stories of backstage areas, fights, fires, private parties, orientation, cast events, cast romance, pranks, stupid guest tricks, mishaps, accidents, helping to create the Haunted Mansion Holiday, and working on September 11, 2001. But this is no mere listing of things that go wrong at Disneyland. For the first time, readers can experience what it's like to really work at Disneyland, from the mundane to the extravagant. The book is aimed primarily at current and former Cast Members, who will recognize so much of their experience captured in these pages. Readers who have worked at the park will be entranced all over again by the magic of working in Walt Disney's park. It's not an experience one soon forgets, and readers will find themselves inevitably drawn in as well.

Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...

1 out of 5 stars

Day to day boring stuff with boring vague stories October 11, 2008
The book was very boring. It is a almost day by day story of this persons job at Disneyland. After he describes every thing in WAY TOO much detail, the actual story about the place he described is boring.I would not recommend this book for anyone that wants a interesting read. Also the writing was terrible.

3 out of 5 stars

Subpar Disney book September 20, 2008
I have a couple of the other books Kevin Yee has published and they are not much better than this one. I enjoyed several aspects of Mouse Trap in terms of some of the behind the scenes bits and pieces of Disneyland, like the pranks the cast members played and Disney setting out to break the world record for hula hooping. The trivia aspects of it were quite interesting.

However, I found the on stage/backstage "tour" part to be horribly tedious and very difficult to follow. I was an annual passholder for five years and am fairly familiar with the layout of Disneyland. That being said, I had a terrible time following what he was saying in terms of trying to provide a written "guided" tour of these areas and found myself skipping over some parts because they were so poorly written.

I think that Yee had a very good premise going but the Disney University part of the book also got a bit boring in terms of the management tactics he was taught. This chapter basically focuses on what makes good customer service, which most people will be familiar with if they have ever worked in a customer service job.

My other complaint is the cost of this book. I thought for $18 the book would be hard cover. I guess I missed that in the product description. Overall, I think if you are a die hard Disney fan this book is worth reading but you should try to obtain it for less money. Yee is a good writer when he is writing about something he is clearly passionate about but when he is focusing on more technical aspects his prose seems to fail. I did not feel like I wasted my time when I finished the book, I was just a bit disappointed since I was expecting something a bit more like David Koenig's Mouse Tales, which is far more interesting.

5 out of 5 stars

This is really how it is folks! September 16, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

The reviewers who trashed this book because it tells the story of being a Disneyland cast member in a non-magical way are missing the point. This IS what working at Disneyland is like. I know, I was also a long-time cast member and believe me it is not all fun and fantasy. I held the same position as the author although in a much more frantic location and I can vouch for the accuracy of his account of how it works. If you think you can walk in and get a job as Mickey Mouse, wake up. You're far more likely to end up in food service or shops than one of the glamour jobs. So, if you really want to know what goes on behind the scenes, this is it. The book is probably more suited to former cast members than the general public, but I enjoyed it. If you think Mr. Yee's account of the park is too harsh, you should hear what the rest of us have to say!

4 out of 5 stars

A true adventure in its own right. September 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I heard of this book on MiceAge, a website I read religiously.

I live in Wyoming so insiders news of Disneyland is a little more difficult to come by, even with the internet.

I absolutely love Disneyland and have taken my family there every year for the last 18 years. I mention this since it sets the stage for why I like this book so much; in my opinion the book is best read by someone who is a fan of Disneyland, who enjoys information about the place, well beyond that needed to visit.

This is one of those books that I simply could not put down once I started reading. Yee gave so many fun and interesting insights to his experience as a cast member, that the book satisfied the curiosity I have had about "backstage" Disneyland and for many years.

The pinnacle of the reading for me was the well-thought-out description of all the backstage areas. Yee did an excellent job taking you visually from one area to the next, and even includes well detailed maps with a legend. I must be quite the Disneyland nerd because I was genuinely fascinated by all of this. Of course, Yee's energy is hard to resist. The next time I go to Disneyland, I will see things with a different eye.

There were only a couple of things I did not care for as much about the book. First of all, the work needed some attention from a professional editor. The grammar and wording worked, but did not have the level of eloquence that the uniqueness of the content deserves. Also, I did not care for the "hormones" section at the end of the book which reminded me of the kind of book which describes the "wildlife" of college aged people. While I am sure the information is accurate, it was not necessary and served only to detract from this work.

Finally, if you are a dedicated Disneyland fan, I highly recommend this book. I absolutely loved it and will keep it for reference from this point on.

A thanks and nice job to the author and please, keep writing books as I have purchased and enjoyed all of them you have written.

5 out of 5 stars

Interesting first hand account on being a cast member! August 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I am suprised on the bad reviews. I absolutely did not find this book boring, but engaging and a quick read.

If you have read Mouse Tales and More Mouse Tales, you will enjoy this book. Whereas Koenig writes heresay stories, Kevin Yee has written a first hand account on a slice of Disneyland life.

I will admit that the first few pages the naration seems to jump around, but Yee's style is not chronological, but brings one into the life of being a cast member. Starting with his interview, "casting" in Disney-speak, Yee introduces what many current and ex-cast members remember as orientation, indoctrination, or even brain washing. Moving on to Disney University, this is a rare glimpse into how Disney maintains the high standards we all expect.

Further along, we learn why Yee, obviously a very intelligent man who could earn significant more money outside of Disney, remained at Disneyland for so long. He writes about the tight knit community, the "family" of his coworkers, and how Disney was not just a job, but can become a way of life.

After many mini-stories about working at Disneyland, including a very poignant story about working the vacant resort on September 11, 2001 (Kevin, if you read this review, thank you for your thoughts and experiences that day), Yee talks about escaping the mouse trap, may be for his last time.

If you ever want to experience a slice of life of a cast member, get this book.