After decades in aerospace and finance, brothers Jerry and Peter Wong have swapped corporate life for part-time jobs at Disneyland Resort in California.
Jerry, 66, works as a photographer at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, while Peter, 63, is an attractions host who helps operate rides and keep visitors safe.
The brothers first began visiting Disney’s parks with their family in 1967. Nearly six decades later, the pair are back there regularly — this time in uniform and at work.
Retirement at Disneyland
Jerry spent more than 40 years at aerospace and defence company Northrop Grumman, where he worked on ground communications for government contracts. He began as a summer intern in 1979 and retired as an engineer in 2022.
Retirement soon left him searching for a new routine. After four months with little in his diary, he began looking for part-time work and found a role that brought together his interest in photography and his long-standing affection for Disneyland.
He had taken up photography as a student at the University of California, Los Angeles, inspired by his father. At the resort, he now photographs visitors at both parks, working about 14 hours over two or three days a week during quieter periods and up to 32 hours across five days during the holidays.
For Jerry, the work is less about earning money than meeting people and helping them preserve a special moment.
“I don’t know if I would call it a second career…the term career is something that you’re there because it’s something you need to do to support yourself, or to create a long-term lifestyle,” he said. “Working post-retirement, it’s a different perspective. From a personal point of view, there’s no stress. I’m enjoying myself…I’m here because I choose to be here.”
His decision was influenced by Peter, who had already made the move from office work to Disneyland.
Peter spent around 30 years in aerospace finance, beginning at Hughes Electronics in 1987. He later worked for Raytheon, overseeing financial planning, rates and budgets across seven facilities in the United States.
A buyout package for employees from the former Hughes business prompted him to leave in 2017. But retirement lasted only about a year before he began working at Disney California Adventure.
Peter chose attractions work because it offered direct contact with visitors and the chance to understand how the rides operated behind the scenes. He was trained at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and also works on Soarin’ Across America.
The role was a change from spending his career at a desk. Peter had to adjust to being on his feet for much of the day, working two or three days a week for about 14 hours in total, with longer shifts during busy periods.
“I’m finished with being married to my laptop and phone all day and night,” he said. “I want to do something to make magic for people.”
The brothers’ schedules mean they do not often see one another during shifts, although they sometimes cross paths by chance. More often, they visit Disneyland together as annual pass holders.
For both men, the jobs have provided a way to return to a place that has been part of their lives since childhood. Jerry said photographs taken by their parents during a 1967 visit still brought back vivid memories, including their first ride on Pirates of the Caribbean.
Now, as a Disneyland photographer, he has the chance to create similar memories for a new generation of visitors.
