Tips for working remotely ‘from home’ at theme parks

Can You Work Remotely at a Theme Park?

Working “from home” seems to be a standard part of our culture now, and some remote workers designate their office of choice as an unlikely location: their favorite theme park.

Following the culture-changing events of 2020, far more people now work remotely instead of in a traditional office setting — whether fully remote or on a hybrid work style, spending only a few days in the office each week.

Some predictions for the rest of 2024 expect only 20% of employees to work entirely in an office. According to Forbes, “While 2024 might see little change in work-from-home levels, it will kickstart a revolution — one where working from home is five times more common than five years ago in 2019.”

Here are some tips for working remotely from theme parks (and why, in some cases, you might want to avoid doing so). These tips stem from consulting with colleagues and theme park resort employees, and from personal experience working “from home” at theme parks an average of four days a week.

Consider the Demands of Your Job

Especially at certain theme parks in the Orlando area, I often see people working or taking classes online while inside the theme park. Personally, I have moved from being in an office-based industry to being fully remote, and often work in the parks. (In fairness, unlike mine, your employment situation might not involve theme park writing and editing as your primary profession.)

My employment responsibilities can all be done with my phone, internet access, and a laptop computer. What does your job demand? I have several friends who work “from home,” living near theme parks. However, they utilize multiple monitors to track excessive data for their careers. For them, a day at Magic Kingdom Park with only one laptop screen would drastically slow them down in productivity.

Another question to ask before working “from home” at a theme park: How much time do you spend using audio or video technology to communicate with customers or colleagues? Theme parks are not known for their quiet spots. Sure, quiet spots exist. However, if you need to spend a significant amount of time talking to people over the internet, a theme park setting might not work for you.

Evaluate the Distraction Factor

What type of work personality do you have? Are you easily distracted? What about loud noises? Do you need complete focus? Do you get distracted easily and need positive incentives to complete tasks? Would characters popping up next to you be a significant distraction from working remotely?

For example, maybe your work style looks like mine. You can function in a noisy theme park food court, typing away without a problem. The noise fails to create an issue. However, your mind gets distracted easily. If that connects to you, you can trick your personality into a theme park reward if you complete a task.

What does this look like? Well, maybe you have a work assignment you do not want to do because it is tedious, like cross-checking every single item on 50 March menus against the same 50 April menus. However, work must be done for your employer and your desired compensation. For this example, if you decide to work at Epcot that day, several rewards can motivate you to finish the task.

Epcot offers many beautiful places to work. For this scenario, you tackle the significant work assignment during this hypothetical working “from home” day at the theme park. However, before that, you secure a virtual queue spot to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. You decide to motivate yourself by riding that attraction only AFTER you finish the work task. This may feel silly, but it might work for you based on your work personality.

Still, if you are easily distracted by noise, music, or movement, the theme park may not be the best setting for you to work remotely. Though it sounds pleasant, the energy of a theme park might lead to a lack of productivity working remotely.

Be Prepared for the Security Screening

All theme parks require security screening before entry, but the requirements vary. For example, security at Universal Orlando Resort requires guests to place all items in a bin, like airport security. This system should not slow you down unless you have excessive electronic equipment needed for your work.

Of course, Walt Disney World Resort uses different technology. A common item that sets off Disney security scanners is a laptop computer. If this happens, you will enter a different bag screening queue. This queue can be long, slowing down your workday. For example, on the day this article is being typed (from nearby Magic Kingdom), the separate bag queue for those that set off the security scan reached a 25-minute extra wait. Though this example counts as unusual, the security factor needs to be considered if it is worth the hassle to enjoy a theme park setting for your workday.

Think Through How You’ll Experience Attractions

Are you planning to enjoy an attraction or two at your favorite theme park during your non-work time? Doing so during your lunch break or before and after your working “from home” shift can add some enjoyment to an otherwise standard workday.

Nonetheless, this comes with a few issues. Will you want to work a complete shift while at the theme park, adding more time to your day there?

What will you do with your work equipment while experiencing attractions? Will you need a ride locker for your bag full of electronics? Will you need a paid locker for your work supplies? Even at Walt Disney World’s four theme parks — which rarely require guests to place their personal items in lockers — a considerable amount of equipment can be troublesome. Taking my oversized bag that holds my supplies and laptop on some theme park attractions lessens the experience. At some regional theme parks, this task becomes almost impossible without paying for lockers.

Know Where the Power Outlets Are

Those planning to work an eight-hour shift remotely at a theme park face the question of how to power their electronics. Though most theme parks do a great job with available Wi-Fi internet access, the number of power outlets does not measure up.

Epcot recently added plenty of power outlets in the new World Celebration Gardens area near CommuniCore Hall, Connections Café, and Connections Eatery. In contrast, power outlets at theme parks like Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios Florida can be more challenging to find.

You can always purchase an ample power supply for your laptop and other electronics. Still, that’s one more thing to carry around and get through security. That bag of supplies to work remotely gets heavy as the day goes on. In my experience, it becomes impractical to do it this way day after day, if working remotely from the theme parks is your long-term plan.

Plan for Weather

When working “from home” at a theme park, the weather demands your attention. If enjoying a shaded outdoor area, rain and wind must be considered. It would be best if you had a backup plan to move indoors to work. A large food court area makes the most sense, but expect everyone else dodging raindrops to think the same.

In addition, working outdoors for a long period of time can become challenging for you and your electronics. The heat tolerance of your equipment and you should weigh heavily in your plans.

Moving your operation to the theme park resort hotels (see below) a viable solution during inclement weather or scorching sunny days.

Even if you find a shady spot to work, the shade moves as the day goes on, so you might still need an alternate plan to avoid the sun.

Be Nice to Theme Park Employees

Just like when working remotely at your local coffee shop, you must respect the people employed at the theme park while you work there. Staff at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort commonly see people working “from home” at the theme parks. Still, those doing remote work should show extra care and be courteous to the employees there.

Try not to annoy theme park employees who are doing their jobs or other guests who are enjoying their day. You may have an annual pass to your favorite theme park, but this does not entitle you to be king or queen of the castle. Also, try not to use seating badly needed for guests to enjoy their meal or a show.

Consider the Time of Year for Crowds and Events

Seasonal events or the time of year at theme parks may inhibit working remotely. As you might expect, theme parks, especially in Florida, become crowded during spring break and major holidays. Your favorite workspace may become unavailable due to the number of people in the theme parks during higher crowd-level days.

Also, seasonal events can close or make your preferred work zone inaccessible. Special “hot set” video production events at certain theme parks might fill your standard work area with people and video cameras. Always watch the event schedule at your preferred theme park, as that may impact your ability to work “from home” at a theme park.

Work Remotely at a Theme Park Resort Hotel

Personally, I find working from the hotels near the parks just as enjoyable and often more productive as working in the parks themselves.

Many resort hotels reside within easy walking distance of a theme park. For example, Disney’s Contemporary Resort provides plenty of workspace and power outlets. It is a reasonable walk from Magic Kingdom. I take this walk to work remotely there about once a week after spending some time at Magic Kingdom. Since it serves as a convention hotel, many visitors literally work there, thus creating the need for power outlets.

Similarly, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort functions as a central convention hotel. This place has power outlets everywhere for guest use, including the food court. This option can be reached via a short bus ride from the three other Walt Disney World theme parks (or a longer ride from Magic Kingdom).

If visiting Universal Orlando’s two current land-based theme parks, the walk to the Hard Rock Hotel or Loews Royal Pacific Hotel qualifies as sensible. You can also use the free water taxi transportation to those hotels. I recommend the Hard Rock Hotel lobby for a remote work environment with a true sense of being in a theme park.

Know Your Plan for Lunch

When working “from home” at your actual home, meals, snacks, and beverages should be easy to acquire. However, a theme park dining day involves different variables.

Will you bring food and drink with you? Does your chosen theme park allow outside food and beverages? For example, in Florida, Disney and Universal theme parks allow a reasonable amount of outside food and drink to enter their parks. In contrast, SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay do not.

Will you buy lunch at the theme park each day you work there? Do you have special dietary needs that may limit your options? How do theme park-priced meals fit into your daily budget? 

Of course, you could build a quick-service meal into your standard remote working day in the theme park. This would allow you to reside indoors (with air conditioning and maybe a power outlet) to work and eat simultaneously. This plan lets you enjoy an indoor work environment without taking up space from paying customers because you’re a paying customer yourself. This serves as my primary plan. Of course, I write often about the meals I eat. Your work style and budget should determine if this tip for working remotely fits you.

Find Comfortable Chairs

Theme parks often provide the most basic chairs. This can be tough on your body when typing for a full day. If you find a truly comfortable chair from which to work, be careful that it is not too comfortable. I often see people working remotely with their eyes closed. When it comes to a chair, you need to find one that is not too hard, not too soft, but just right!

Set Boundaries if Friends and Family Visit

As a remote worker, you may use a theme park as an office. Believe it or not, people come to theme parks for vacation.

When friends and family come to visit the theme parks that you so happen to work “from home” at, your attention will be divided.

Let me assure you of this one thing – friends and family rarely understand that you must do your job. They see your social media posts about being in a theme park. As a result, they think all you do is ride attractions all day. They forget you have work deadlines, just like most people.

Thus, you may need to set solid boundaries regarding this, or or otherwise compromise with solutions (like joining your friends for only part of their time, or sneaking away for a meeting while they ride a few attractions).

Final Thoughts on Working Remotely from Theme Parks

Working “from home” at a theme park offers many possibilities. Nonetheless, it presents several challenges. While it may not work for everyone, certain professions could be particularly suited to the environment.

The idea of being near your favorite theme park sounds excellent. However, we suggest working remotely from a theme park in small doses rather than as an everyday plan. You may discover it works great as a mid-week break from your home office, which may change your life. Then again, working “from home” at a theme park might be a wrong long-term decision.

Once you attempt to work “from home” at a theme park a few times, you should discover your style of working. Try remote work from a theme park, and let us know how it goes!