He left his job as a pastor in a Church to become a driver at Disneyland: "It’s not a prestigious job, but I’m finally happy"
Michael Bowen moved to Florida at the age of 44 to drive the park buses
M ichael Bowen devoted most of his adult life to the church. He studied at university and at a Bible school to be ordained as a pastor, but he acknowledges that he chose that path thinking about making others happy, without asking himself what would make him happy. Today, at 51, he drives buses at Walt Disney World and says he has finally found the stability he was looking for.
His pastoral work was never entirely satisfying to him, nor did it offer him financial security. At one of the small churches where he worked, they could not afford to pay him a full-time salary, so he earned some extra money as a school bus driver. That experience would end up being key.
From New Jersey to the most magical place on earth
Bowen visited Disney World for the first time in 2013 and, during a vacation in 2017, he noticed the buses that transport visitors around the resort. He and his then-wife, both big Disney fans, decided to take the leap. In January of 2020 , at the age of 44, they moved from New Jersey to Florida . After getting his state driver's license and going through a waiting list, he started working in February.
For the first time, he had a truly stable job , with paid vacation, a pension plan, and health insurance, something he had not had for a long time. He was convinced that he would retire there.
However, in May 2022 he left the position after a difficult separation and divorce. Meanwhile, he kept his YouTube channel, Incognito Mouse , which had shifted from religious content to Disney topics. Through it, he met his second wife, who was also a fan of the brand, and in 2025 they moved together to Florida.
He had to wait almost a year for an opening to become available and, in the meantime, drove buses for a Universal Studios contractor. This year, at 50, he got back behind the wheel at Disney. According to Bowen, he can now enjoy all the magic of the park and visit it whenever he wants: the best of both worlds.
