Best Safari Day EVER!

For starters, I always like my 8/8:30am shifts because the time goes by quicker and I finish early.  For example today, I was done by 2:30.  But today's shift was even better because I got to do the Magical Moment on the first safari of the day.

Basically, my job this morning was to create magic.  I went up to the front of the park to pick the lucky family.  I walked around, looking specifically for a family with several kids, because those are always my favorite families on the safaris.  There weren't a whole lot, and I didn't have tons of time, so I went right up to a family with two little boys.  I talked to them for a minute, they were waiting in line to enter the park.  I brought them right up to the front of the line and got them in fifteen minutes before park open so we could walk back to the safari together.

Not only did I get to take them on the first safari of the day, but that one little family got their own truck, and I got to spiel for them.  So we separated it out where the driver was only driving, and I was only spieling.  Because it was so different, we turned off the "normal" safari radio and I just spieled on my own, letting them know little random facts we don't always reveal to guests.  I let them know little extras like why people can't see the zebras and where hidden Mickeys are.  It was so much fun and the little boys just LOVED it!

The awesome thing about that magical moment is that I can tell that family will remember that experience forever.  The whole family loved it, and it was so classic.  Mom holding the little one on her lap and helping the kids feel comfortable, Dad taking pictures everywhere, older brother showing stuff to the little brother, and everyone absolutely amazed that they, of all people, got picked!

And at the end they got a special certificate.  To add to it, at the end this family let me know they'd never been to Animal Kingdom before.  They'd visited every park except for this one, so it was awesome that I got to be their first impression!  Absolutely loved it!

After I did that, I worked the Cheers 2 dock for a while (the person who opens Cheers 2 gets to do the First Safari family of the day), and then went on my first break.  Then I got another land and got to work Fastpass for a while.  I hadn't worked Fastpass since training and it's ridiculously rare that we get two lands in a day, so that was extra awesome!

I decided I love working Fastpass.  I love being able to fix people's problems and that's basically all I do there.  I answer questions, fix machines, and get people the Fastpasses they want.  I was really proud of my ability to fix the machines because there were several different problems I was dealing with.  Machines eating cards, the paper getting jammed, random beeping noises (a simple reset fixed that... I still don't get it).

At first I actually almost just covered the machine up and called it good since we had like eight more, but then I figured I should at least try to fix it.  I was able to keep everything going well, until near the end one of them broke.  Someone tried to jam their VISA card into it (no, the machines don't take VISA) and it freaked out the system.  I tried for the last like fifteen minutes of my shift, in which time I had another cast member come try and help me too.  He told me to just cover it up, but I was entirely convinced that I'd fix it.  But then I got bumped from that position so I told the next girl to just cover it up, and I'm fairly certain she did.

After my second break I worked the truck.  I only did two rounds before it was time to go, but they were very fun rounds.  The guests were perfect and happy.  Everyone was excited, and the whole day just went well.

As I was walking to the break room, I heard a little kid yell out my name.  I figured I didn't know any little kids in the park, so it couldn't have been me he was calling for.  But then I heard my name being yelled again and out of curiosity I turned my head.  There was little Zack, one of the two little boys in that family I had taken on the safari this morning.  Absolutely one of the cutest things ever and I was amazed that he remembered my name!  Then again, it was the same day.  I'm so glad I picked that family!  And I'm especially glad they had a good time.

My friend even gave me a ride to and from work today, just to make things better.  There's a group of us who all have pretty much the same schedule so we've all been going together.  I love my job.  So. Stinking. Much!