I'm constantly asked which of my three jobs at Disney was my favorite. Merchandise in EPCOT vs. Main Entrance in Magic Kingdom vs. Kilimanjaro Safaris in Animal Kingdom. Honestly, the answer to this question is not just a one word thing. I loved parts of each one, and I've dreaded other parts. And as much as I try, I can't weigh in and figure out which one, overall was my favorite. They were all just different.
I loved Merchandise because I was always able to make the unhappy guest happy again. I don't recall a single time I was unable to help out a guest in a positive way. It was a simple job, in air conditioning, that was fairly low stress and fun. My specific location was extra fun because it included the pictures that I got to take of guests. I loved getting them to pose just right in front of the green screen and then "magically" putting it onto the background of their choice. I loved the one-on-one guest interactions in this role. I also loved that I could pick up shifts anywhere on property and there were constantly shifts available for me to pick up extra hours.
There were also several reasons why I didn't like this role. I constantly felt terrible for making monetary mistakes or messing up counting or whatever. It also got extremely boring. The same old place selling the same old Merchandise every single day. And it was nothing special... it was basically just like the bookstore I used to work at. Same, easy, grunt work job that almost everyone in the world has had experience in doing at one point or the other. Nothing big or exciting or different. Plus it's sad that Figment is nearly gone, and no one hardly knows who he is anymore. And I didn't like that my hours here were entirely unpredictable. At least in my other jobs the parades are at the same times (or at least within an hours or so) and at my job now I'm off early each day... but in EPCOT I could literally have been scheduled anytime, morning, noon and night, and I had no say, whatsoever.
Now on to Magic Kingdom. I loved going between turnstiles and PAC. I absolutely loved getting the crowds energized. Hearing the music to the parades and being around such great excitement, and getting others excited was absolutely amazing, and participating in Flag Retreat was just something else. I got to watch the MK fireworks show (including the Holiday fireworks which normally cost extra, even for cast members) every single night to the point I practically had them memorized. I worked with a lot more people my own age, and overall had a magnificent time.
Unfortunately, the biggest negative to this role was the amount I got yelled at. For fairly good reason too. At the turnstiles, people freak out when their $500 paper ticket doesn't work the first time. And within the park during the parade, people are tired and exhausted at the end of the day with three screaming children and are at the end of their thread already when I have to go up to them and say, "I'm sorry, you may not watch the parade from here." Hence me being cussed out at least weekly. Almost daily. Very, very hard on me. But I learned a lot from it. Unfortunately, it changed my perspective on people, making me think more the worst of people instead of the best. I'm recovering from that and becoming more realistic day by day.
Now on to my current job! Safaris! My favorite thing about this ride, ultimately, is the people I get to work with. Everyone is just so much fun. I love how we have so many "outside" of work parties. I love playing, and being silly, and goofing off. I don't think I've ever loved a group of people so much... at least since the rescue squad I worked on. I love talking about my job. The hours are completely amazing. I'm off before 6 basically every single day. It's also amazing to get to share stories of animals and guests... and sometimes the two combined. Best thing ever!
But, it gets very boring. I'll be honest. There are times that I cringe to do another Safari, sick of repeating the same things about the same animals again and again and again. It's hard on me physically, my back sometimes aches when I get home and my voice is just gone after working just a few days in a row. I get a sore throat, and I can no longer sing. Like, at all. Which is really sad, I love singing. And it's exhausting. I never get any exercise, but I'm still just exhausted at the end of the day, not wanting to do anything. But at the end of the day, I always have the biggest smile on my face that just won't go away because I'm so happy to be with so many great people.
I just wanted this documented at some point, since this is my last CP ever, hopefully. Maybe it will help others decide what role to have. Honestly, I've both loved, and been terribly annoyed, by every single role. It really has been a roller coaster, but I wouldn't change any of my jobs for anything. I'm so grateful for the experience of working all of them. Hopefully, I'll love my new job as much as I love these.
Showing posts with label Disney CP 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disney CP 3. Show all posts
Friday, November 25, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
VoluntEARing
As with all things Disney, everything is themed and everything is cheesy. Really, really cheesy. I"m just warning you a little about this upcoming post.
So my roommate and I decided to do the Coastal Cleanup activity today. We signed up a while ago, but today was that wonderful day! I guess I should explain a little about it before moving on.
Disney is really big into the whole "service" thing. There are tons of opportunities they give cast members to serve in their communities and such. I've never done any of them because you have to register beforehand and there's always a lot of people who want to go. And by the time I know my schedule, it's too late to register or something else comes up and I can't go. But I heard about this coastal cleanup thing and I just had to do it so I gave away my shift for today to a friend so I could go.
But moving on. We arrived at the meeting place in Celebration at 7am. They said they wouldn't be providing hardly anything, but just minutes after pulling into the parking lot we were stacked high with presents!
First, they gave us a small container of wet wipes. I guess to use after picking up trash. Then the tube that looks like big bite healer stuff is both bug bite stuff and sunscreen in one! Then they gave us water bottles that poofed out when filled with water. And, my favorite, I got my very own Disney VoluntEARs t-shirt! I was soooo excited! The presents alone made the whole thing worth it (and, of course, the satisfaction of knowing I served the world, gave back to the planet, helped out Mother Nature... you know... that stuff too of course!) They also fed us breakfast and lunch. We had fresh fruit and Kashi Granola bars for breakfast/snack.
Then we headed out to Brevard County to clean up some ocean! Tons of people came and there were people with giant video cameras everywhere! As we got on the bus our "bus captain" explained the rules and what we were going to do. Get into small groups, we had to write down every piece of trash we picked up so they could keep track of what sort of trash is most common (seriously, Disney researches everything), etc. etc. At the end, our captain asked us, "So, are there any questions?" Dead silence. "Any questions at all?" Suddenly a little girl in front raised her hand. "I have a question! Umm... what... which Disney character's favorite color is purple?"
Best. Question. Ever. We were riding the purple bus, which I think it where the question came from. For the record, we ultimately decided on Daisy, but I think Rapunzel is up there, too.
So my roommate and I decided to do the Coastal Cleanup activity today. We signed up a while ago, but today was that wonderful day! I guess I should explain a little about it before moving on.
Disney is really big into the whole "service" thing. There are tons of opportunities they give cast members to serve in their communities and such. I've never done any of them because you have to register beforehand and there's always a lot of people who want to go. And by the time I know my schedule, it's too late to register or something else comes up and I can't go. But I heard about this coastal cleanup thing and I just had to do it so I gave away my shift for today to a friend so I could go.
But moving on. We arrived at the meeting place in Celebration at 7am. They said they wouldn't be providing hardly anything, but just minutes after pulling into the parking lot we were stacked high with presents!
Best. Question. Ever. We were riding the purple bus, which I think it where the question came from. For the record, we ultimately decided on Daisy, but I think Rapunzel is up there, too.
It was still pretty chilly, which is why we wore our jackets. Our group (just our bus) cleaned up 1.5 miles of the ocean's coast. Just standing back looking at it, there didn't seem to be much in the way of trash. But by the end, our trash bag was surprisingly heavy. As were the trash bags of all those around us. I was amazed at how much trash we found. Mostly, it was just little chunks of plastic (sometimes it was hard to tell the difference between the chunks of plastic and the seashells... but when you can clearly read on it "Made in China" I tend to be convinced that it is indeed plastic) and bottle caps. We also found candy wrappers, string, rope, a fishing line (it took forever to pull the kelp out of the fishing line), a hanger, and bazillions of cigarettes. Nasty! Cigarette butts actually had it's own section on the sheet we filled out.
Yeah. This is me filling out the sheet. I don't know why I'm giving the camera stinkeye. Actually. I do. The sun was shining right into my eyes... and I had no idea Pamilla was taking a picture. Anyway. Pamilla loves this picture of me and even put it up on Facebook, so I figured I'd better explain it.
The beach was beautiful. And surprisingly deserted. Especially for a Saturday. We found tons of trash and overall had a fantastic time, I'd say. I loved seeing all the Disney people with their families coming out to have fun. Kids as young as five were allowed.
Afterwards we went to the park and had a picnic. Sandwiches, chips and cookies. Then we came back home and finished watching the movie Aladdin that we had started on the way there.
Afterwards we went to the park and had a picnic. Sandwiches, chips and cookies. Then we came back home and finished watching the movie Aladdin that we had started on the way there.
It's been a great day! But I've been waking up at 5am almost every morning lately, and the latest I've slept in is about 6:30, so I'm going to bed. I know it's early. I know I'm lame. But I'm stinking tired!
Way to go Disney! Way to provide tons of opportunities to serve! I absolutely LOVED it, and totally plan on VoluntEARing again!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Twelve Hours
Today was pretty much the longest day ever. I woke up before the sun rose. I walked to the bus in the dark and made it to work around 6:30 so I could start at 7am. Park opened at 8am.
Basically my day was spent driving around in circles. For hours. And hours. During one of my breaks I interviewed one of my managers for my leadership class. And apart from that, I did one thousand safaris today. And that was my life.
Park closed at 6pm. I was extended until 7pm. My shift originally was going to be from 11:15a-6p. But no. I just had to choose to ask for extra hours today. I got on the bus and came home. The sun set while I was on the bus home. And I walked back to my apartment in the dark.
And they told me Animal Kingdom got normal hours... psh.
For the record, though, I'm not complaining. I wanted the extra hours, and the extra money. I'm just exhausted beyond reason and due to upcoming Halloween parties and other events, I'm not going to be sleeping for quite a while... it's okay though. Cuz I've been eating my vegetables. :)
Basically my day was spent driving around in circles. For hours. And hours. During one of my breaks I interviewed one of my managers for my leadership class. And apart from that, I did one thousand safaris today. And that was my life.
Park closed at 6pm. I was extended until 7pm. My shift originally was going to be from 11:15a-6p. But no. I just had to choose to ask for extra hours today. I got on the bus and came home. The sun set while I was on the bus home. And I walked back to my apartment in the dark.
And they told me Animal Kingdom got normal hours... psh.
For the record, though, I'm not complaining. I wanted the extra hours, and the extra money. I'm just exhausted beyond reason and due to upcoming Halloween parties and other events, I'm not going to be sleeping for quite a while... it's okay though. Cuz I've been eating my vegetables. :)
Friday, October 7, 2011
On The Truck... Day 43-ish
I often look in the mirror at my guests as I drive my truck. Obviously, that's a good thing to do, I make sure the guests are staying seated and sometimes when I tell them there's an animal in a certain direction I like to see how many are listening (or how many actually understand English). It's also nice to watch in my rearview mirror for the direction people are watching in case they spot an animal I don't. When I see several of them looking and pointing in one direction I try to look too to see what they see. It's very rare that they actually see something I don't, and sometimes it's an animal that's so ridiculously difficult to see I don't even bother mentioning it. I refuse to mention some animals that are near impossible to see because when the majority of my truck can't see it, it's just a let down for everyone. But I digress...
So my story for today. I was showing everyone the Thompson's Gazelle's to the right. And the Patterson's Eland, also to the right. As I talked about them I glanced up in my mirror to notice a woman on the front row. She had a really nice, big camera, and while everyone was looking to the right at the animals, she was quite obviously taking pictures left. I looked left again, to make sure I hadn't missed an animal. I had already scanned that area, but hadn't noticed anything.
Finally, just as I noticed a single animal over there, I heard the woman's voice confirm the animal she saw. "Brandon, look over here! A squirrel!"
She was taking pictures of a lonely squirrel hanging out on the grass as I pointed out the very obvious (and numerous) animals to the right. I had to turn off my mic from fear of them hearing me laugh. Totally awesome.
A random manager got on my truck halfway through the day. I literally had no idea who this woman was. I had never seen her before, she didn't say a word to me, and she left before I could talk to her. I'm hoping it was a good thing she did my safari. Unfortunately, while she was on my truck, we had an animal stop. Just as I approached lions an ostrich walked right in front of my truck. I stopped my 10 feet away, but then it walked right up to the truck so it was literally inches from the front of my truck. And then it just stood there. Staring at me.
Fortunately, with every animal stop I've ever had, my guests have been great sports. Everyone was laughing and making jokes. We were stopped long enough to make the ride go down. Animal programs actually had to come out an move the ostrich. I was totally honest with the guests as the truck pulled up, "So, I have no idea what's going to happen here, but I can tell you we should be on the move shortly." I told them all the information I knew about ostriches and all I knew about lions, since both lions were up there. It was one of the most fun animal stops, but I was really nervous with the manager person on board. (I don't really know that she was a manager, she was just dressed like that... she could have been way more important, or not very important... I really have no clue)
Anyway, today's been a fun day. I ended up going to work an hour early because they called me this morning asking if I could and I would never turn down extra hours. Then I realized that despite the fact that I came in an hour early, I only got paid for fifteen extra minutes of work because the hour early turned my 6 hour shift into a 7 hour shift meaning I needed to have an unpaid 45 minute break in there. Also, because I had to hurry in to start my shift early, I drove the car. So basically, I made 2 extra dollars but spent 3 for driving. Fail.
Other than that it was fun, though! I love my job! And the people I work with!
So my story for today. I was showing everyone the Thompson's Gazelle's to the right. And the Patterson's Eland, also to the right. As I talked about them I glanced up in my mirror to notice a woman on the front row. She had a really nice, big camera, and while everyone was looking to the right at the animals, she was quite obviously taking pictures left. I looked left again, to make sure I hadn't missed an animal. I had already scanned that area, but hadn't noticed anything.
Finally, just as I noticed a single animal over there, I heard the woman's voice confirm the animal she saw. "Brandon, look over here! A squirrel!"
She was taking pictures of a lonely squirrel hanging out on the grass as I pointed out the very obvious (and numerous) animals to the right. I had to turn off my mic from fear of them hearing me laugh. Totally awesome.
A random manager got on my truck halfway through the day. I literally had no idea who this woman was. I had never seen her before, she didn't say a word to me, and she left before I could talk to her. I'm hoping it was a good thing she did my safari. Unfortunately, while she was on my truck, we had an animal stop. Just as I approached lions an ostrich walked right in front of my truck. I stopped my 10 feet away, but then it walked right up to the truck so it was literally inches from the front of my truck. And then it just stood there. Staring at me.
Fortunately, with every animal stop I've ever had, my guests have been great sports. Everyone was laughing and making jokes. We were stopped long enough to make the ride go down. Animal programs actually had to come out an move the ostrich. I was totally honest with the guests as the truck pulled up, "So, I have no idea what's going to happen here, but I can tell you we should be on the move shortly." I told them all the information I knew about ostriches and all I knew about lions, since both lions were up there. It was one of the most fun animal stops, but I was really nervous with the manager person on board. (I don't really know that she was a manager, she was just dressed like that... she could have been way more important, or not very important... I really have no clue)
Anyway, today's been a fun day. I ended up going to work an hour early because they called me this morning asking if I could and I would never turn down extra hours. Then I realized that despite the fact that I came in an hour early, I only got paid for fifteen extra minutes of work because the hour early turned my 6 hour shift into a 7 hour shift meaning I needed to have an unpaid 45 minute break in there. Also, because I had to hurry in to start my shift early, I drove the car. So basically, I made 2 extra dollars but spent 3 for driving. Fail.
Other than that it was fun, though! I love my job! And the people I work with!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Picking Up Shifts
I picked up a PAC shift today! It was awesome! I was a little nervous this morning when I first picked it up. I've been checking the Extra Hours line every day, numerous times a day because I've only been getting 30-32 hours each week. And there haven't been any shifts I could pick up. The very, very few there have been have been during the time I'm already working. And no restaurants in the area want to hire me because they need more availability than I can offer.
But today was the day! I was not only able to pick up six hours tonight, but I picked up eight extra hours for next week so I'll have almost 40 hours both weeks. Ugh. Pathetic. Hopefully things will pick up for the Holidays.
But anyway, I worked the Halloween party tonight so I wore the old purple bat hat costume. I saw a lot of friends from last year, which was great too. Plus, it was an awesome night. However, I have learned that there is an attitude among MK workers that is not present in any other location I've ever worked. They really are more arrogant about themselves and their jobs. I wish they'd be more helpful to "new" people than the way they are just judgmental and not helpful. For me, I already knew exactly what I was doing and actually remembered well enough to the point that I was able to help a lot of the new people. Some of the EHH-ers didn't even know I wasn't statused in that location.
Some of the cast members just knew I was "new" though and talked down to me a lot and it was really annoying. However, overall it was a really fun night. My only problem was that I kept wanting to greet everyone with the word "Jambo!" which is an African Safari word. Not really useful in the Magic Kingdom...
I spent the day in Magic Kingdom and even got my hair cut under the castle! I've been wanting to get my hair cut for ages, but it hasn't really been a high priority. Finally today I had time and a ten dollar bill. I was in and out of Kingdom Kutters in less than ten minutes and she had cut my hair exactly like I wanted it with layers and bangs and everything! I was very impressed (and when I told her, her response was, "I should hope so, I've been doing this for thirty years!")
Great day overall! We also got free rice krispies because apparently tonight we did a phenomenal job at everything! A few days ago at work we got a free pancake breakfast too and calendars! They were pushing some sort of donation thing. Yes, I donated. Fifty cents. Of my paycheck. Each week. For however long I choose to continue. They try to get all cast members to participate and they have a looooong list of organizations you can choose to donate to. And you can even choose the percent of what you donate, but they encourage all Disney employees to donate to charity organizations.
I was skeptical this morning but I'm definitely glad I picked up this shift. I could have had today off, but I had a lot more fun at the parks than I would have sitting on my butt watching TV and messing around on the computer all day. Plus, my teacher said to do one thing that scares you each day, and picking up that shift honestly did scare me a bit...
But today was the day! I was not only able to pick up six hours tonight, but I picked up eight extra hours for next week so I'll have almost 40 hours both weeks. Ugh. Pathetic. Hopefully things will pick up for the Holidays.
But anyway, I worked the Halloween party tonight so I wore the old purple bat hat costume. I saw a lot of friends from last year, which was great too. Plus, it was an awesome night. However, I have learned that there is an attitude among MK workers that is not present in any other location I've ever worked. They really are more arrogant about themselves and their jobs. I wish they'd be more helpful to "new" people than the way they are just judgmental and not helpful. For me, I already knew exactly what I was doing and actually remembered well enough to the point that I was able to help a lot of the new people. Some of the EHH-ers didn't even know I wasn't statused in that location.
Some of the cast members just knew I was "new" though and talked down to me a lot and it was really annoying. However, overall it was a really fun night. My only problem was that I kept wanting to greet everyone with the word "Jambo!" which is an African Safari word. Not really useful in the Magic Kingdom...
I spent the day in Magic Kingdom and even got my hair cut under the castle! I've been wanting to get my hair cut for ages, but it hasn't really been a high priority. Finally today I had time and a ten dollar bill. I was in and out of Kingdom Kutters in less than ten minutes and she had cut my hair exactly like I wanted it with layers and bangs and everything! I was very impressed (and when I told her, her response was, "I should hope so, I've been doing this for thirty years!")
Great day overall! We also got free rice krispies because apparently tonight we did a phenomenal job at everything! A few days ago at work we got a free pancake breakfast too and calendars! They were pushing some sort of donation thing. Yes, I donated. Fifty cents. Of my paycheck. Each week. For however long I choose to continue. They try to get all cast members to participate and they have a looooong list of organizations you can choose to donate to. And you can even choose the percent of what you donate, but they encourage all Disney employees to donate to charity organizations.
I was skeptical this morning but I'm definitely glad I picked up this shift. I could have had today off, but I had a lot more fun at the parks than I would have sitting on my butt watching TV and messing around on the computer all day. Plus, my teacher said to do one thing that scares you each day, and picking up that shift honestly did scare me a bit...
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
On The Safari: Randoms
On Strollers: Stroller parking is one of my many jobs. It's actually called "Pram Parking." Because "Prams" are strollers. Anyway, it's a fun job because it's the only job where you actually get to interact and talk with other cast members as well as guests. It's also not such a great job because parking strollers and keeping everything looking good and organized is really, really hard. But we encounter funny things too, every once in a while.
I can officially say that I have now had a parent attempt to leave their child in the stroller while they went on the ride. Many parents do so jokingly. They'll jokingly ask about babysitting and such. But then there was that one dad. Who pushed his stroller, with four year old in it, into our area (which is what we like them to do... just we prefer them to take the child out first), and continued down the walkway leaving his four year old happily munching on his Pringles and watching the birds fly around.
It took us a second to track him down since he just continued walking and didn't speak English. We told him he needed to take his child with him, and he got mad at us! He actually got mad at us because he said that we told him he wasn't allowed to take the kid with him because his kid had Pringles. Okay, the Pringles can't go on the ride, but the kid can. Crazy!
We ask the guests to unload their child from the stroller quickly, and/or in line to make the process as smooth as possible. It's always annoying when a parent takes five minutes to unload their stroller because they have child, other child, certain buckles, rain shades, food, candy, cameras, purses, etc. etc. to deal with. This is very understandable. They are tourists and there is a lot to keep up with. I just really appreciate it, though, when we have very simple people who have nothing but a backpack and a small foldable stroller with a kid in it. It's always a relief.
Sometimes guests don't like us to park their strollers. This is really annoying, but again, understandable for those with trust issues. But it's hard on us because there's a fairly specific system that we use in order to keep everything looking good and organized (and keeping it easy for guests to later find their strollers - for example: park strollers in one places, "limos" in another, foldables are together, and big clunky singles in another, etc. etc.). But then others come in and mess it up. But, overall, it really is a nice job. Plus we get fans.
On Fastpasses: I am thoroughly amazed at the amount of guests who don't understand the Fastpass system. The more I learn about it, the more I can see where people could get confused, but still. It's always been a very simple concept for me. You go to the ride for which you want a Fastpass, you put your park ticket in, it spits out a Fastpass that says "Return between 'A time' and 'B time'" and you return between those times to skip to the head of the line. You can't get another Fastpass until your current one expires OR two hours from the time you got it, whichever comes first.
I had a very angry man today who showed me his Key To The World card (the card that Disney Resort guests get that is basically their room key, but they can also charge money to it in the parks... kind of like a credit card, and it is their park ticket to get in as well) and insisted that he had paid "good money" for it to have Fastpasses on it and why wouldn't I let him skip the line when he paid "good money" to skip to the front of each line for the duration of his vacation.
It doesn't work like that. I tried to explain how it worked to him, but he was so mad he couldn't even listen. He just walked away grumbling about how everyone changes their stories and Disney gipped him out of his "good money." I literally couldn't even get five words out. The funny thing is, the way Disney works, if he had just talked to me we were slow enough that I could have just given him some Fastpasses to "make up" for his anger and such. But he wouldn't even listen to anything I had to say. He just wanted to yell. Lame.
It's the worst when I get people who don't speak English asking about it. It's hard to explain in a foreign language. But people think you have to pay extra, some think you have to have a Fastpass in order to ride the ride at all, some also get Fastpasses and then still enter through the normal line. At the very end, right before they get on the truck, they'll pull it out... this always confuses me because I'm wondering what in the world they're thinking it's for. Weird. And then of course, they get mad that they paid extra and didn't get anything.
Don't worry though, I get really, really happy guests too!
On BoCo: Booking Coordinator is another really fun position, but it can get extremely boring when it's slow. You basically stand at the front of the line scanning for food and drinks, making sure everyone is "appropriate" to ride (everyone, even children and babies has to have clothes on, including shoes, which we have to enforce sometimes because parents will strip down their kids when it's hot sometimes), and counting the guests and helping the wheelchairs and such. I had two little kids the other day who came through and were your classic Disney kids who were unbelievably excited about everything. "We went on Everest! It was so much fun!" "No, my favorite part was Dinosaur, but it was really scary." "Yeah, she was scared, but I didn't even close my eyes even once!" "Yes you did! Remember, with the big dinosaur!?" "No I didn't, it was so much fun." "Oh oh, and we got to see Tigger! We saw Tigger!" "Mom, where's the autograph book, I want to show her his autograph because we really met him!"
Cutest thing EVER!
On Cute Things: Baby elephants drinking the water together. Rhinos rolling around in the mud. Lions playing, pacing, and climbing. Giraffes running (actually that looks a little more awkward than cute because their bodies are so long and gangly... it looks like it's got to be hard). Thompson's Gazelles wagging their tails like puppies. Baby mandrills the size of my foot running around playing with each other (okay, so my foot is an awkward thing to compare them to, but I couldn't think of anything else that's their size). Warthogs leaning down on their elbows to eat. Hippos freaking out at the birds that land on their backs.
I get to see this stuff. All. The. Time. :)
On Free Stuff: Definitely one of the best parts of any poor college students life (or anyone's life, for that matter) is free food. I love that Disney randomly has these picnic things where the managers cook for all their employees and we all pig out on the food that is served to us by our managers. It's just great on so many different levels. But anyway, yesterday they made hamburgers and hot dogs with Disney potato chips and every kind of dessert imaginable. Seriously, there were so freaking many desserts. I'm pretty sure every manger must have brought one, and some more than one.
Anyway, along with all that free food (which in and of itself was awesome) we had a raffle with prizes. And nearly everyone who entered won something. I won another copy of the Toy Story 3 Commemorative Edition on BluRay and DVD. Goody!
On Playing: I've been out playing a few times lately. I'll try and put up pictures soon. LOTS of pictures. Yesterday we went to Hollywood Studios and then Beaches and Cream and then visited some resorts. So much fun! :)
I can officially say that I have now had a parent attempt to leave their child in the stroller while they went on the ride. Many parents do so jokingly. They'll jokingly ask about babysitting and such. But then there was that one dad. Who pushed his stroller, with four year old in it, into our area (which is what we like them to do... just we prefer them to take the child out first), and continued down the walkway leaving his four year old happily munching on his Pringles and watching the birds fly around.
It took us a second to track him down since he just continued walking and didn't speak English. We told him he needed to take his child with him, and he got mad at us! He actually got mad at us because he said that we told him he wasn't allowed to take the kid with him because his kid had Pringles. Okay, the Pringles can't go on the ride, but the kid can. Crazy!
We ask the guests to unload their child from the stroller quickly, and/or in line to make the process as smooth as possible. It's always annoying when a parent takes five minutes to unload their stroller because they have child, other child, certain buckles, rain shades, food, candy, cameras, purses, etc. etc. to deal with. This is very understandable. They are tourists and there is a lot to keep up with. I just really appreciate it, though, when we have very simple people who have nothing but a backpack and a small foldable stroller with a kid in it. It's always a relief.
Sometimes guests don't like us to park their strollers. This is really annoying, but again, understandable for those with trust issues. But it's hard on us because there's a fairly specific system that we use in order to keep everything looking good and organized (and keeping it easy for guests to later find their strollers - for example: park strollers in one places, "limos" in another, foldables are together, and big clunky singles in another, etc. etc.). But then others come in and mess it up. But, overall, it really is a nice job. Plus we get fans.
On Fastpasses: I am thoroughly amazed at the amount of guests who don't understand the Fastpass system. The more I learn about it, the more I can see where people could get confused, but still. It's always been a very simple concept for me. You go to the ride for which you want a Fastpass, you put your park ticket in, it spits out a Fastpass that says "Return between 'A time' and 'B time'" and you return between those times to skip to the head of the line. You can't get another Fastpass until your current one expires OR two hours from the time you got it, whichever comes first.
I had a very angry man today who showed me his Key To The World card (the card that Disney Resort guests get that is basically their room key, but they can also charge money to it in the parks... kind of like a credit card, and it is their park ticket to get in as well) and insisted that he had paid "good money" for it to have Fastpasses on it and why wouldn't I let him skip the line when he paid "good money" to skip to the front of each line for the duration of his vacation.
It doesn't work like that. I tried to explain how it worked to him, but he was so mad he couldn't even listen. He just walked away grumbling about how everyone changes their stories and Disney gipped him out of his "good money." I literally couldn't even get five words out. The funny thing is, the way Disney works, if he had just talked to me we were slow enough that I could have just given him some Fastpasses to "make up" for his anger and such. But he wouldn't even listen to anything I had to say. He just wanted to yell. Lame.
It's the worst when I get people who don't speak English asking about it. It's hard to explain in a foreign language. But people think you have to pay extra, some think you have to have a Fastpass in order to ride the ride at all, some also get Fastpasses and then still enter through the normal line. At the very end, right before they get on the truck, they'll pull it out... this always confuses me because I'm wondering what in the world they're thinking it's for. Weird. And then of course, they get mad that they paid extra and didn't get anything.
Don't worry though, I get really, really happy guests too!
On BoCo: Booking Coordinator is another really fun position, but it can get extremely boring when it's slow. You basically stand at the front of the line scanning for food and drinks, making sure everyone is "appropriate" to ride (everyone, even children and babies has to have clothes on, including shoes, which we have to enforce sometimes because parents will strip down their kids when it's hot sometimes), and counting the guests and helping the wheelchairs and such. I had two little kids the other day who came through and were your classic Disney kids who were unbelievably excited about everything. "We went on Everest! It was so much fun!" "No, my favorite part was Dinosaur, but it was really scary." "Yeah, she was scared, but I didn't even close my eyes even once!" "Yes you did! Remember, with the big dinosaur!?" "No I didn't, it was so much fun." "Oh oh, and we got to see Tigger! We saw Tigger!" "Mom, where's the autograph book, I want to show her his autograph because we really met him!"
Cutest thing EVER!
On Cute Things: Baby elephants drinking the water together. Rhinos rolling around in the mud. Lions playing, pacing, and climbing. Giraffes running (actually that looks a little more awkward than cute because their bodies are so long and gangly... it looks like it's got to be hard). Thompson's Gazelles wagging their tails like puppies. Baby mandrills the size of my foot running around playing with each other (okay, so my foot is an awkward thing to compare them to, but I couldn't think of anything else that's their size). Warthogs leaning down on their elbows to eat. Hippos freaking out at the birds that land on their backs.
I get to see this stuff. All. The. Time. :)
On Free Stuff: Definitely one of the best parts of any poor college students life (or anyone's life, for that matter) is free food. I love that Disney randomly has these picnic things where the managers cook for all their employees and we all pig out on the food that is served to us by our managers. It's just great on so many different levels. But anyway, yesterday they made hamburgers and hot dogs with Disney potato chips and every kind of dessert imaginable. Seriously, there were so freaking many desserts. I'm pretty sure every manger must have brought one, and some more than one.
Anyway, along with all that free food (which in and of itself was awesome) we had a raffle with prizes. And nearly everyone who entered won something. I won another copy of the Toy Story 3 Commemorative Edition on BluRay and DVD. Goody!
On Playing: I've been out playing a few times lately. I'll try and put up pictures soon. LOTS of pictures. Yesterday we went to Hollywood Studios and then Beaches and Cream and then visited some resorts. So much fun! :)
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Kilimanjaro Safari Driver!
You are officially reading the blog of the latest and greatest Kilimanjaro Safari Game Driver! (minus the other CPs that assessed and passed today as well, of course!)
Yep. I passed! Thank freaking goodness! I did the driving and spieling this morning, and the rest of the day was lands. I worked every single possible position today, the driving literally only took up about an hour and a half of the 8 hour day. I had so much fun!
The paper test was the worst part, mainly because so many of the questions are poorly worded or trick questions. Or the answer is just plain wrong (it's a sort of universal test for numerous attractions, and our attraction is different than others on some things). But I had a nice assessor and we went over everything and I was able to prove that I knew it.
Surprisingly, the hardest part wasn't learning the facts, even though I was mostly afraid of that. And to be honest, I've got driving down pretty well now too. I'm thinking, now after I've worked every position, the one that's going to get me the most is Departures. That's the one where we ask how many in the party and assign them to a row. I get so flustered and stressed there. So many people don't listen, don't understand which truck they go on, make up their own rules, don't speak English, refuse to obey, walk around in circles, or whatever other variation they have. It's frustrating for me. Fortunately, it's something that always tends to work itself out with minimal annoyance from guests, so it's not too bad. So even that goes well for the most part.
I'm so stinking excited to officially work here! I love my life!!
Yep. I passed! Thank freaking goodness! I did the driving and spieling this morning, and the rest of the day was lands. I worked every single possible position today, the driving literally only took up about an hour and a half of the 8 hour day. I had so much fun!
The paper test was the worst part, mainly because so many of the questions are poorly worded or trick questions. Or the answer is just plain wrong (it's a sort of universal test for numerous attractions, and our attraction is different than others on some things). But I had a nice assessor and we went over everything and I was able to prove that I knew it.
Surprisingly, the hardest part wasn't learning the facts, even though I was mostly afraid of that. And to be honest, I've got driving down pretty well now too. I'm thinking, now after I've worked every position, the one that's going to get me the most is Departures. That's the one where we ask how many in the party and assign them to a row. I get so flustered and stressed there. So many people don't listen, don't understand which truck they go on, make up their own rules, don't speak English, refuse to obey, walk around in circles, or whatever other variation they have. It's frustrating for me. Fortunately, it's something that always tends to work itself out with minimal annoyance from guests, so it's not too bad. So even that goes well for the most part.
I'm so stinking excited to officially work here! I love my life!!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Last Day of Training... Hopefully
I was a little nervous for work this morning after my two day weekend of not going over the script at all. That is, during my conscious hours. It turned out fine, though. The very first thing we did this morning was take a truck out. There was a celebrity in the park today who I didn't drive around, but I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have recognized her even had I driven.
As I drove, I suddenly felt something on my arm. I continued talking as I reached over and flicked it off, realizing it was a giant stingy sort of bug. It scared the crap out of me, and I was really proud of myself that I continued my spiel as I silently swiped it off. But then Jeff had to get involved. He started teasing me about tourrettes as I spieled. Then I was working to not giggle as I spoke about the wildebeest. And that's when I accidentally said that "1.5 wildebeest make up the largest migration in the world" instead of "1.5 million wildebeest." Then I was teased for that. Even harder to not laugh. Thankfully, the guests didn't notice and as I listened to them speak amongst themselves, I didn't hear a word of confusion. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if none of them spoke English.
I also worked grouping today. You know, the person who stands at the front of the line and asks "how many?" Easy. Or so it seems. Except that people don't like to listen. Or they don't speak English. Or, worst, when they pretend to speak English and don't and then try to put themselves on the truck or go places they're not supposed to go. My favorite is when the following occurs:
"How many?"
*blank stare*
"How many people do you have?"
"blank stare* "....yes!"
"How many in your group?" *I hold up my fingers to show counting*
"Yes, group! We have group!"
*facepalm*
Today I also saw the big tour group coming down the line. The one where there's about 30 matching bright blue shirts with tons of noisy kids with the chaperone flags. And then the guests I'm loading start to say things like "Looks like we got here at a good time!"
My trainer wished me good luck and then disappeared. The average age in the group was about 10 years old, but the worst part was that when the first kid got to me, and I asked him how many, he responded "Twenty-four." And then I learned that "Twenty-four" was the only word in English this kid, or any member of the group for that matter, knew.
After telling me the number, the kids flooded the loading dock. Entirely out of my control. I finally decided that they'd get their own truck, and explained to one of the chaperones how I wanted the kids loaded. The chaperone, thankfully, spoke English and translated to the group. All I got across to him was "Put four people per row. Four per row!" Then we had an extra couple of rows on the truck I could load so the line kept moving smoothly. Thank goodness!
That job, and the disability area, were the final areas for me to train. We covered both today.
And so alas, I find myself finished with training. Hopefully. I say hopefully because tomorrow is my assessment day. And if I fail assessment then I have to do more training. But hopefully I'll pass. I've never met the guy who's going to assess me, so I'm just hoping he's nice. But I'm also pretty confident that I know everything I need to know as well.
So tomorrow is the big assessment. Hope I pass!
As I drove, I suddenly felt something on my arm. I continued talking as I reached over and flicked it off, realizing it was a giant stingy sort of bug. It scared the crap out of me, and I was really proud of myself that I continued my spiel as I silently swiped it off. But then Jeff had to get involved. He started teasing me about tourrettes as I spieled. Then I was working to not giggle as I spoke about the wildebeest. And that's when I accidentally said that "1.5 wildebeest make up the largest migration in the world" instead of "1.5 million wildebeest." Then I was teased for that. Even harder to not laugh. Thankfully, the guests didn't notice and as I listened to them speak amongst themselves, I didn't hear a word of confusion. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if none of them spoke English.
I also worked grouping today. You know, the person who stands at the front of the line and asks "how many?" Easy. Or so it seems. Except that people don't like to listen. Or they don't speak English. Or, worst, when they pretend to speak English and don't and then try to put themselves on the truck or go places they're not supposed to go. My favorite is when the following occurs:
"How many?"
*blank stare*
"How many people do you have?"
"blank stare* "....yes!"
"How many in your group?" *I hold up my fingers to show counting*
"Yes, group! We have group!"
*facepalm*
Today I also saw the big tour group coming down the line. The one where there's about 30 matching bright blue shirts with tons of noisy kids with the chaperone flags. And then the guests I'm loading start to say things like "Looks like we got here at a good time!"
My trainer wished me good luck and then disappeared. The average age in the group was about 10 years old, but the worst part was that when the first kid got to me, and I asked him how many, he responded "Twenty-four." And then I learned that "Twenty-four" was the only word in English this kid, or any member of the group for that matter, knew.
After telling me the number, the kids flooded the loading dock. Entirely out of my control. I finally decided that they'd get their own truck, and explained to one of the chaperones how I wanted the kids loaded. The chaperone, thankfully, spoke English and translated to the group. All I got across to him was "Put four people per row. Four per row!" Then we had an extra couple of rows on the truck I could load so the line kept moving smoothly. Thank goodness!
That job, and the disability area, were the final areas for me to train. We covered both today.
And so alas, I find myself finished with training. Hopefully. I say hopefully because tomorrow is my assessment day. And if I fail assessment then I have to do more training. But hopefully I'll pass. I've never met the guy who's going to assess me, so I'm just hoping he's nice. But I'm also pretty confident that I know everything I need to know as well.
So tomorrow is the big assessment. Hope I pass!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sleeptalking and Blizzard Beach
Apparently I've been studying for work waaaay too much. Apparently, last night I was sleep talking to my roommate. I was going on and on about some nonsense. And then I "forgot" the word I was looking for.
"I'm awake. Because I can't go to sleep because the first one can't go until the second one has the sleep."
"Dianna, are you asleep?"
"No! I just can't think of the word... it's like.... something you have to say before the next one can't go to sleep.... but... like when I say 'move all the way to the left, place your bags in the net bag by your feet, and please stay seated for the whole ride.'"
"You mean your safety spiel?"
"Yeah! You can't sleep before the second one does the spiel... thing... sleep."
So, I don't really know exactly what I said, but according to my roommate Erica, that's kind of how it went. I was so stinking tired.
Anyway, today I slept in as late as I wanted. 7:45am.
Then we went to Blizzard Beach and spent the day hanging out in the water, and I didn't even get a sunburn! We had to leave a little earlier than we would have liked because there were thunder and lightening warnings and they made us get out of the water "until further notice." But we had already done everything we really wanted to do. Then Erica and I went to Celebration and had lunch and walked around the town a bit. After that we were entirely exhausted.
I've actually been exhausted ever since, but I don't want to sleep just yet because then I'll never fall asleep tonight. Then again, maybe I'll be just awake enough to sleep talk some more.
I swear, this job is going to make it into every single aspect of my life. For the rest of my life.
"I'm awake. Because I can't go to sleep because the first one can't go until the second one has the sleep."
"Dianna, are you asleep?"
"No! I just can't think of the word... it's like.... something you have to say before the next one can't go to sleep.... but... like when I say 'move all the way to the left, place your bags in the net bag by your feet, and please stay seated for the whole ride.'"
"You mean your safety spiel?"
"Yeah! You can't sleep before the second one does the spiel... thing... sleep."
So, I don't really know exactly what I said, but according to my roommate Erica, that's kind of how it went. I was so stinking tired.
Anyway, today I slept in as late as I wanted. 7:45am.
Then we went to Blizzard Beach and spent the day hanging out in the water, and I didn't even get a sunburn! We had to leave a little earlier than we would have liked because there were thunder and lightening warnings and they made us get out of the water "until further notice." But we had already done everything we really wanted to do. Then Erica and I went to Celebration and had lunch and walked around the town a bit. After that we were entirely exhausted.
I've actually been exhausted ever since, but I don't want to sleep just yet because then I'll never fall asleep tonight. Then again, maybe I'll be just awake enough to sleep talk some more.
I swear, this job is going to make it into every single aspect of my life. For the rest of my life.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Driving With Guests! Finally!
I got to drive the truck today with guests on it! First time ever! And it was so much easier than I thought it would be. I was seriously so nervous before today as to whether or not I was actually going to be able to pull this attraction off. I felt so behind, and like such a pathetic actor. After driving the first day, I realized that the driving part wasn't so bad. And memorizing the animals wasn't even that hard. But pulling everything together was a beast!
But I did it! I actually did it! I drove the truck, with guests, and didn't even mess up! Except for that one time... when I temporarily forgot what the bontebok was called. But I remembered... eventually! My trainer kept telling me that I was going to call it a bedonkedonk.
I thought it would be harder with guests, but it was actually easier. For one thing, having the back full of people makes the truck way easier to drive around. It's less bumpy too, which is nice. Also, the guests were all so happy and excited to be there it helped me get excited about the animals. I loved telling them random facts and having them be impressed at my random figures. "Yes, the white rhino can weigh up to 5,000 pounds!" "Ohhhh, ahhh!"
I even pulled up to each dock correctly, and my trainer didn't even say a single word to help me. Everyone agrees that docking is the hardest part. Which I think is why my trainer made me dock at Cheers 2 every time we came through. It's the hardest one to dock at, and it's not uncommon to have to back trucks out of there for pulling in wrong. Backing the trucks is a pain. My trainer is really hard on me, but as frustrating as it is, it's probably a good thing.
He did have to regulate my speed and stopping during the safari, though. I kept going too fast, or forgetting the stopping points. There are very specific points during the safari that you're allowed to stop, and you can only stop at them in specific conditions, so it's hard to keep track of that while watching the guests, listening to the radio, watching for animals, talking about the animals, keeping on the ride path, and keeping up with the script.
But I did it! And I feel so stinkin' accomplished! I think I'm gonna go buy myself a sundae. Just because! Ahh, what a good day. :)
But I did it! I actually did it! I drove the truck, with guests, and didn't even mess up! Except for that one time... when I temporarily forgot what the bontebok was called. But I remembered... eventually! My trainer kept telling me that I was going to call it a bedonkedonk.
I thought it would be harder with guests, but it was actually easier. For one thing, having the back full of people makes the truck way easier to drive around. It's less bumpy too, which is nice. Also, the guests were all so happy and excited to be there it helped me get excited about the animals. I loved telling them random facts and having them be impressed at my random figures. "Yes, the white rhino can weigh up to 5,000 pounds!" "Ohhhh, ahhh!"
I even pulled up to each dock correctly, and my trainer didn't even say a single word to help me. Everyone agrees that docking is the hardest part. Which I think is why my trainer made me dock at Cheers 2 every time we came through. It's the hardest one to dock at, and it's not uncommon to have to back trucks out of there for pulling in wrong. Backing the trucks is a pain. My trainer is really hard on me, but as frustrating as it is, it's probably a good thing.
He did have to regulate my speed and stopping during the safari, though. I kept going too fast, or forgetting the stopping points. There are very specific points during the safari that you're allowed to stop, and you can only stop at them in specific conditions, so it's hard to keep track of that while watching the guests, listening to the radio, watching for animals, talking about the animals, keeping on the ride path, and keeping up with the script.
But I did it! And I feel so stinkin' accomplished! I think I'm gonna go buy myself a sundae. Just because! Ahh, what a good day. :)
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Days Two and Three of Training
The past two days I've been training with my "real" trainer, Jeff. Yesterday was kind of boring. We didn't even get to go on the trucks at all except a tiny bit in the morning because we were opening them. Most of yesterday was spent inside with me memorizing random facts. Jeff would give me a stack of flashcards and have me memorize them. Then, when I did that, he'd give me another stack to memorize. This went on for a loooong time. I also had to read about 60 pages worth of "protocol" stuff from the training book. It's required that all new trainees read that stuff. I was falling asleep during it. Not really out of boredom, but out of sheer exhaustion. Working for Disney is tiring!
Anyway, I also went over the spiel several times yesterday and generally did a lot of memorization and such. Today was much more fun! This morning we went out and I actually got to do a lot of the land jobs. The "Land" jobs are the ones like standing at the front of the line answering questions, working the Fastpass machine, working the Fastpass line, working the disability area, seating, etc. etc. I learned all about the Fastpass machines, which was my favorite part of the Land. Plus, today was extremely slow and the guests were all very happy.
I nearly busted out laughing at the guests though at one point. When I was working the Fastpass line I literally had like five guests in a row come and ask me where the bathroom was. And by "in a row" I mean the first one wasn't even out of hearing range before the next one was asking. I seriously wondered if they were doing it on purpose to mess with me. Because I've done that with a group of my friends to certain cast members before. So funny!
After doing lands in the morning and memorizing a few more animal flash cards (there are seriously, so many of them!) I had a P&P meeting with the manager. They basically sat us down and said, "Okay newbies, if you do this, this or this, you'll get fired. Be happy. Have fun."
Then we had lunch and the rest of the day was driving! I spent three hours in the driver's seat today, but it literally felt like fifteen minutes. The first time I drove around the forest I nearly had a heart attack. I don't think I noticed a single animal the first time around. I was way too busy watching my turns and making sure to make "wide turns." They really beat the "wide turns" idea into our heads.
The second time I felt a little better and by the third time I was mostly comfortable. But I was scared to get too comfortable because that's when problems happen. However, by the third time I actually was able to look around for animals. By the fourth and fifth, and all other times (I lost count of how many times I went around, but it was probably about six or seven) I was trying to drive and look for animals. And, let me tell you, it is way harder than it sounds. Not only do you have to memorize the "speed limits" of the different zones (which they are ridiculously specific about... you can't go too slow or too fast, keep a solid 4mph in some places. it's really hard to maintain an exact and steady speed) but you have to watch for animals, do the spiel, make sure nothing's in front of you, keep the turns perfect, and watch for certain safety lights that may flash at you. And I didn't even have guests to worry about today!
I didn't "almost hit" anything because we were going so slow it simply wasn't possible. However, I drove insanely close to several animals including a giraffe, two ostriches, and a white rhino. The rhino scared the snot out of me because there's a place on the reserve where the white rhinos are basically always hanging out. At least, I've always seen them in the same place. When we went to that place, and the addax was there instead, I just figured the white rhinos had gone in or something. Then, later, at a place where I didn't even know the white rhino could get to, I went around a corner and there was a white rhino literally two feet from my truck, walking around. His nose probably came within inches.
Now, I know from training that white rhinos have very poor vision. I was watching him in my rear mirror and could have sworn he was about to walk right into my truck. Fortunately he didn't, and I was left with only a minor panic attack. Actually, I'm pretty sure my whole day was a minor panic attack.
Anyway, I love my job. A lot. In case you can't tell. I'm really, really enjoying where I work. I love all the people, I love the work, I love the animals, and I love Disney! I'm so stinking happy that I get this opportunity. This location may even, possibly beat EPCOT. Unless I get termed for getting into an accident in the truck. But I'm working really hard to make sure that doesn't happen. :) Ahhh, I'm so happy!
Anyway, I also went over the spiel several times yesterday and generally did a lot of memorization and such. Today was much more fun! This morning we went out and I actually got to do a lot of the land jobs. The "Land" jobs are the ones like standing at the front of the line answering questions, working the Fastpass machine, working the Fastpass line, working the disability area, seating, etc. etc. I learned all about the Fastpass machines, which was my favorite part of the Land. Plus, today was extremely slow and the guests were all very happy.
I nearly busted out laughing at the guests though at one point. When I was working the Fastpass line I literally had like five guests in a row come and ask me where the bathroom was. And by "in a row" I mean the first one wasn't even out of hearing range before the next one was asking. I seriously wondered if they were doing it on purpose to mess with me. Because I've done that with a group of my friends to certain cast members before. So funny!
After doing lands in the morning and memorizing a few more animal flash cards (there are seriously, so many of them!) I had a P&P meeting with the manager. They basically sat us down and said, "Okay newbies, if you do this, this or this, you'll get fired. Be happy. Have fun."
Then we had lunch and the rest of the day was driving! I spent three hours in the driver's seat today, but it literally felt like fifteen minutes. The first time I drove around the forest I nearly had a heart attack. I don't think I noticed a single animal the first time around. I was way too busy watching my turns and making sure to make "wide turns." They really beat the "wide turns" idea into our heads.
The second time I felt a little better and by the third time I was mostly comfortable. But I was scared to get too comfortable because that's when problems happen. However, by the third time I actually was able to look around for animals. By the fourth and fifth, and all other times (I lost count of how many times I went around, but it was probably about six or seven) I was trying to drive and look for animals. And, let me tell you, it is way harder than it sounds. Not only do you have to memorize the "speed limits" of the different zones (which they are ridiculously specific about... you can't go too slow or too fast, keep a solid 4mph in some places. it's really hard to maintain an exact and steady speed) but you have to watch for animals, do the spiel, make sure nothing's in front of you, keep the turns perfect, and watch for certain safety lights that may flash at you. And I didn't even have guests to worry about today!
I didn't "almost hit" anything because we were going so slow it simply wasn't possible. However, I drove insanely close to several animals including a giraffe, two ostriches, and a white rhino. The rhino scared the snot out of me because there's a place on the reserve where the white rhinos are basically always hanging out. At least, I've always seen them in the same place. When we went to that place, and the addax was there instead, I just figured the white rhinos had gone in or something. Then, later, at a place where I didn't even know the white rhino could get to, I went around a corner and there was a white rhino literally two feet from my truck, walking around. His nose probably came within inches.
Now, I know from training that white rhinos have very poor vision. I was watching him in my rear mirror and could have sworn he was about to walk right into my truck. Fortunately he didn't, and I was left with only a minor panic attack. Actually, I'm pretty sure my whole day was a minor panic attack.
Anyway, I love my job. A lot. In case you can't tell. I'm really, really enjoying where I work. I love all the people, I love the work, I love the animals, and I love Disney! I'm so stinking happy that I get this opportunity. This location may even, possibly beat EPCOT. Unless I get termed for getting into an accident in the truck. But I'm working really hard to make sure that doesn't happen. :) Ahhh, I'm so happy!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
First Day of OJT
OJT. On the Job Training.
I started at 8:15 this morning. This meant I would have caught the 7am bus. Except that when I woke up at 6am and got dressed, I realized that not only was my belt waaay too big, but they gave me the wrong belt buckle. Unfortunately, DAK is built in a terrible way (which is ironic because you'd think the later the park was built, the smarter they'd build it) because the costuming building isn't within walking distance of the park. I didn't have enough time to take the bus there, and then ride back to DAK before my shift started. So I had to drive.
Once at work, I found my trainer. He spent about five minutes training me, and then we realized that there were issues with the training schedules. Twenty minutes, a bunch of phone calls, and a lot of confusion later, we set it up so I was training with someone else. Which kind of stunk because I was then stuck with another trainee instead of getting individual attention. However, it was still a lot of fun, and I liked the girl I was training with.
We saw down at a table and my trainer started pulling out papers. "Here's the list of codes." "Here's another list of different codes." "Here's a map of the park." "Here's a map of Africa." "Memorize this." "Here's the trail map." "Here's the spiel." "Memorize that." Here's a list of safety rules." "Here's another list of codes." "Here's a bag of goodies. Yep, there's sun block and chap stick in there." "Memorize this." "This paper goes over The Basics again." "Have another list of codes." "make sure you memorize this."
After about three minutes I had a stack of papers in front of me. Just a little overwhelming. Then he pulled out another binder of papers. "Here. Read and learn pages 51-73." We ended up going through page 91. Yikes!
There were a lot of fun things we did too, though. We checked out the trucks, walked around Africa, learned about the trail, and rode the trail several times. I felt bad for some of the guests because there's a lot of trainees right now and we have to drive through the loading zone. So we drive up to the loading zone as if we're going to load, and then just leave. Empty trucked.
And then, at the end of the day, we actually got to drive the trucks! Those things are ENORMOUS! When I told people I was nervous they kept telling me "Don't worry. It's easy. They train you well." I think they talked it down so much that it freaked me out even more.
I pulled out of the spot. There's a yellow Mickey head on the ground you have to drive over to make sure the audio works. You have to drive over it just right, though, or nothing happens. I got it on my second try! It was so exciting when I heard the music start! So funny. We drove in circles backstage for a while, and then went on the track. Because of time, I didn't get to drive on much of the track. But it's kind of a good thing because I have yet to have been on the safari when there was an animal in the rode, but in the (ridiculously short) amount of trail I drove there were THREE animals blocking me. My trainer was joking that I must attract them or something. Fortunately none of them stayed long enough for me to report it, but still. Crazy!
The other good thing is I didn't go up on the curb once! However, I'm fairly certain I'm going to go up on the curb at some point because I've even hit the curb before in my car so it's bound to happen on the truck.
What amazed me most about the trucks, though, is their level of safety. I can't go into detail, but our safety standards are SIGNIFICANTLY higher than those set at the Rescue Squad I used to work at. That's a big deal. It literally did blow my mind as to the amount of safety measures we take. Unbelievable. And even more unbelievable that things still go wrong. But fortunately, there's also huge safety measures taken for things if they do go wrong, so there's like no chance of anyone with half a brain to get hurt on this ride. And those trucks are in tip top maintenance shape.
With that said, however, the ride actually did go down today! While we were at lunch we saw the trucks heading back into the parking lot. I probably shouldn't post why, but it wasn't a huge deal, and we were back up and running shortly after. The trainers we were with said the ride very rarely goes down like that. Like, maybe five times a year. If that much. But we saw it today! Maybe that means it'll be a long time before there's another problem. Then again, what are the chances that would happen my first day!?
Anyway, this got extremely long, but it was such a totally amazing day! I nearly cried out of happiness for my job and my life in general. So stinking much fun! I can't believe I'm going to be doing this daily!!! I can't even wait!
I started at 8:15 this morning. This meant I would have caught the 7am bus. Except that when I woke up at 6am and got dressed, I realized that not only was my belt waaay too big, but they gave me the wrong belt buckle. Unfortunately, DAK is built in a terrible way (which is ironic because you'd think the later the park was built, the smarter they'd build it) because the costuming building isn't within walking distance of the park. I didn't have enough time to take the bus there, and then ride back to DAK before my shift started. So I had to drive.
Once at work, I found my trainer. He spent about five minutes training me, and then we realized that there were issues with the training schedules. Twenty minutes, a bunch of phone calls, and a lot of confusion later, we set it up so I was training with someone else. Which kind of stunk because I was then stuck with another trainee instead of getting individual attention. However, it was still a lot of fun, and I liked the girl I was training with.
We saw down at a table and my trainer started pulling out papers. "Here's the list of codes." "Here's another list of different codes." "Here's a map of the park." "Here's a map of Africa." "Memorize this." "Here's the trail map." "Here's the spiel." "Memorize that." Here's a list of safety rules." "Here's another list of codes." "Here's a bag of goodies. Yep, there's sun block and chap stick in there." "Memorize this." "This paper goes over The Basics again." "Have another list of codes." "make sure you memorize this."
After about three minutes I had a stack of papers in front of me. Just a little overwhelming. Then he pulled out another binder of papers. "Here. Read and learn pages 51-73." We ended up going through page 91. Yikes!
There were a lot of fun things we did too, though. We checked out the trucks, walked around Africa, learned about the trail, and rode the trail several times. I felt bad for some of the guests because there's a lot of trainees right now and we have to drive through the loading zone. So we drive up to the loading zone as if we're going to load, and then just leave. Empty trucked.
And then, at the end of the day, we actually got to drive the trucks! Those things are ENORMOUS! When I told people I was nervous they kept telling me "Don't worry. It's easy. They train you well." I think they talked it down so much that it freaked me out even more.
I pulled out of the spot. There's a yellow Mickey head on the ground you have to drive over to make sure the audio works. You have to drive over it just right, though, or nothing happens. I got it on my second try! It was so exciting when I heard the music start! So funny. We drove in circles backstage for a while, and then went on the track. Because of time, I didn't get to drive on much of the track. But it's kind of a good thing because I have yet to have been on the safari when there was an animal in the rode, but in the (ridiculously short) amount of trail I drove there were THREE animals blocking me. My trainer was joking that I must attract them or something. Fortunately none of them stayed long enough for me to report it, but still. Crazy!
The other good thing is I didn't go up on the curb once! However, I'm fairly certain I'm going to go up on the curb at some point because I've even hit the curb before in my car so it's bound to happen on the truck.
What amazed me most about the trucks, though, is their level of safety. I can't go into detail, but our safety standards are SIGNIFICANTLY higher than those set at the Rescue Squad I used to work at. That's a big deal. It literally did blow my mind as to the amount of safety measures we take. Unbelievable. And even more unbelievable that things still go wrong. But fortunately, there's also huge safety measures taken for things if they do go wrong, so there's like no chance of anyone with half a brain to get hurt on this ride. And those trucks are in tip top maintenance shape.
With that said, however, the ride actually did go down today! While we were at lunch we saw the trucks heading back into the parking lot. I probably shouldn't post why, but it wasn't a huge deal, and we were back up and running shortly after. The trainers we were with said the ride very rarely goes down like that. Like, maybe five times a year. If that much. But we saw it today! Maybe that means it'll be a long time before there's another problem. Then again, what are the chances that would happen my first day!?
Anyway, this got extremely long, but it was such a totally amazing day! I nearly cried out of happiness for my job and my life in general. So stinking much fun! I can't believe I'm going to be doing this daily!!! I can't even wait!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
First Day - DAKlimation
First of all, DAK stands for Disney's Animal Kingdom in Disney speak. Just for all those who may not know.
Anyway, today I took the beginning class for DAK called DAKlimation. Now I've officially taken the intro class for each park except Hollywood. That'll have to come later. :)
So I woke up at 6 so I could catch the bus at 7 to get there by 8 to start training at 8:30. The bus dropped us off and I followed the crowd to the cast entrance gate. Normally, the cast entrance gates are manned by security guards and we go through security each morning. At DAK, it was like one of those giant turnstile thingy's that are more like a revolving door. I scanned my card like those in front of me, pushed on the door and.... nothing. It wouldn't budge. So I swiped my card again. Pushed. Nothing. Again. Shook the door. Nothing. Laaame. At this point the people behind me asked if they could go ahead of me. The next thing I knew, everyone I was following had gone ahead and I was stuck at the gate.
I wasn't really freaking out. I had plenty of time, and I knew very, very well that my ID was good and I was fine. But I did need to figure out how to get past the gate. Finally, I found the phone and called security. I explained what was happening. The guy on the other side looked my name up in the system, asked me some random questions, and then told me to walk back over to the machine, and simply tap my card on it. "Just tap my card?" I clarified. "Yep. It'll work." Then he hung up.
I didn't believe him. I wiped my card again. Nothing. Finally, out of desperation, and feeling foolish, I started tapping my card around the machine. Suddenly, the light turned green, I heard a noise, and pushed, and it worked!
Should have known that Disney would have more than one way of reading our ID. My card apparently has a microchip in it as well as the bar code as well as the magnetic strip. It's great!
Anyway, one of the girls in the group that went ahead of me stopped and waited for me to catch up. She noticed that we both went to the same school. I made tons of other friends too, who all work in DAK. We also got to ride the Safari, and now I'm even MORE excited, if that's even possible. Now I finally get to unpack, sit back, and relax until Tuesday when I start my first real day of training! Can't wait!
Anyway, today I took the beginning class for DAK called DAKlimation. Now I've officially taken the intro class for each park except Hollywood. That'll have to come later. :)
So I woke up at 6 so I could catch the bus at 7 to get there by 8 to start training at 8:30. The bus dropped us off and I followed the crowd to the cast entrance gate. Normally, the cast entrance gates are manned by security guards and we go through security each morning. At DAK, it was like one of those giant turnstile thingy's that are more like a revolving door. I scanned my card like those in front of me, pushed on the door and.... nothing. It wouldn't budge. So I swiped my card again. Pushed. Nothing. Again. Shook the door. Nothing. Laaame. At this point the people behind me asked if they could go ahead of me. The next thing I knew, everyone I was following had gone ahead and I was stuck at the gate.
I wasn't really freaking out. I had plenty of time, and I knew very, very well that my ID was good and I was fine. But I did need to figure out how to get past the gate. Finally, I found the phone and called security. I explained what was happening. The guy on the other side looked my name up in the system, asked me some random questions, and then told me to walk back over to the machine, and simply tap my card on it. "Just tap my card?" I clarified. "Yep. It'll work." Then he hung up.
I didn't believe him. I wiped my card again. Nothing. Finally, out of desperation, and feeling foolish, I started tapping my card around the machine. Suddenly, the light turned green, I heard a noise, and pushed, and it worked!
Should have known that Disney would have more than one way of reading our ID. My card apparently has a microchip in it as well as the bar code as well as the magnetic strip. It's great!
Anyway, one of the girls in the group that went ahead of me stopped and waited for me to catch up. She noticed that we both went to the same school. I made tons of other friends too, who all work in DAK. We also got to ride the Safari, and now I'm even MORE excited, if that's even possible. Now I finally get to unpack, sit back, and relax until Tuesday when I start my first real day of training! Can't wait!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Quick Little Update!
Sooooo excited to start my job. I'm having some issues because apparently my background check hasn't gone through yet, and I'm not allowed to work until it does. Also, my bank account that I set up said that with new account, checks are no good for 9 days. So basically I have no money for the next nine days. Except the chunk of cash in my wallet. But it's okay, because I have a full cupboard!
I'm super excited to take the classes I signed up for. I went to the education office today and got my login info for the classes. It's gonna be SO MUCH FUN!!! Especially the Disney Heritage class.
I went on the Safari ride today as a kind of precursor to where I'm going to work. And I found my old coordinator standing outside the ride! So awesome! I sat and talked to him for a bit, and he's excited for me. He was explaining some details about training and the ride and basically making me even MORE excited to work there. But still, I'm pretty intimidated by all the stuff I have to learn. He basically said that the majority of my days will be driving the trucks. Also, the trucks? Hold up to 40 people. Not 20. Daaang.
I'm meeting Heather again tonight and we're going to play in Hollywood Studios. After that I'll have been to all four parks in the past two days.
This next paragraph was supposed to be about how I was worried about the background check thing, but then they just called me and said it went through and I can indeed go to work tomorrow. Why they freak me out like that, I don't know. But I'm glad it's all good. :)
And that is all for now! I'm still running around like crazy until further notice!
I'm super excited to take the classes I signed up for. I went to the education office today and got my login info for the classes. It's gonna be SO MUCH FUN!!! Especially the Disney Heritage class.
I went on the Safari ride today as a kind of precursor to where I'm going to work. And I found my old coordinator standing outside the ride! So awesome! I sat and talked to him for a bit, and he's excited for me. He was explaining some details about training and the ride and basically making me even MORE excited to work there. But still, I'm pretty intimidated by all the stuff I have to learn. He basically said that the majority of my days will be driving the trucks. Also, the trucks? Hold up to 40 people. Not 20. Daaang.
I'm meeting Heather again tonight and we're going to play in Hollywood Studios. After that I'll have been to all four parks in the past two days.
This next paragraph was supposed to be about how I was worried about the background check thing, but then they just called me and said it went through and I can indeed go to work tomorrow. Why they freak me out like that, I don't know. But I'm glad it's all good. :)
And that is all for now! I'm still running around like crazy until further notice!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
How I Came To Find Out....
It occurred to me I never really wrote the story of how I was told I was working at DAK a few weeks ago. Lack of internet really ruins this whole blogging business. Anyway, here's a personal story to keep you entertained and my records of my life up to date. :)
It happened on July 23. Saturday. The day after I graduated from college. I was in the car making the three hour drive to our cabin in Dubois with my mom. As we went over a mountain, in and out of cell phone coverage, my phone rang. It was from an "Unavailable" number which in my past experience has always been calls from Disney. However, I didn't see why they would be calling me. I answered, and a cheerful, perky, Disney voice answered me back.
"Hello! This is 'Anne' from Disney University calling about your location of work beginning in August. Is this Dianna?"
"Um... yes..."
"Great! Yes, well I'm just calling on behalf of Disney's Animal Kingdom to inform you of your job beginning August 14th at the Animal Kingdom Kilimanjaro Safari ride........... *click*"
"Animal Kingdom! Awesome!!! But... my contract doesn't start until the 17th! I shouldn't be working there until later! Do I have to come early now? What if I get fired!? But the Safari was my #1 choice in Attractions of where I'd want to work! That's with LIVE ANIMALS! But... why are you calling and telling me? I thought I wasn't supposed to know until later!? I'm so confused!"
".........................."
"Crap..."
The next ten minutes involved me freaking out about all the ridiculous possibilities my brain could come up with in such a short period... I have a talent for worrying. What if they fire me for hanging up on them? What if I'm starting the 14th? Will I have to show up early? How will that mess up my friends I'm supposed to drive? Will I have time to make it to the east coast? What if she's lying? What if she's just looking for info? I'm so confused!!!
We got to the cabin where we still didn't get cell reception, but we got a landline. Since I have a genius of a mom, she figured out how to use the landline to call and listen to any voicemail I had on my phone. Fortunately "Anne" (I'm not using her real name here) had left a message just after I lost reception giving me a number to call her back.
I called back immediately. When I did, before I could even finish apologizing or explaining, and even before I could tell her that my contract did not start until the 17th, she started talking about the job again. "It's fine. I'm just letting you know that your job begins the 14th... I mean... oh I see. No. You start work the week beginning the 14th. Your real first day of work will be that Saturday, the 20th."
Ahhhh, much, much better! I finished up a very pleasant conversation with "Anne" and we hung up. And then the excitement really set in! I'm working on a Safari!!!
It happened on July 23. Saturday. The day after I graduated from college. I was in the car making the three hour drive to our cabin in Dubois with my mom. As we went over a mountain, in and out of cell phone coverage, my phone rang. It was from an "Unavailable" number which in my past experience has always been calls from Disney. However, I didn't see why they would be calling me. I answered, and a cheerful, perky, Disney voice answered me back.
"Hello! This is 'Anne' from Disney University calling about your location of work beginning in August. Is this Dianna?"
"Um... yes..."
"Great! Yes, well I'm just calling on behalf of Disney's Animal Kingdom to inform you of your job beginning August 14th at the Animal Kingdom Kilimanjaro Safari ride........... *click*"
"Animal Kingdom! Awesome!!! But... my contract doesn't start until the 17th! I shouldn't be working there until later! Do I have to come early now? What if I get fired!? But the Safari was my #1 choice in Attractions of where I'd want to work! That's with LIVE ANIMALS! But... why are you calling and telling me? I thought I wasn't supposed to know until later!? I'm so confused!"
".........................."
"Crap..."
The next ten minutes involved me freaking out about all the ridiculous possibilities my brain could come up with in such a short period... I have a talent for worrying. What if they fire me for hanging up on them? What if I'm starting the 14th? Will I have to show up early? How will that mess up my friends I'm supposed to drive? Will I have time to make it to the east coast? What if she's lying? What if she's just looking for info? I'm so confused!!!
We got to the cabin where we still didn't get cell reception, but we got a landline. Since I have a genius of a mom, she figured out how to use the landline to call and listen to any voicemail I had on my phone. Fortunately "Anne" (I'm not using her real name here) had left a message just after I lost reception giving me a number to call her back.
I called back immediately. When I did, before I could even finish apologizing or explaining, and even before I could tell her that my contract did not start until the 17th, she started talking about the job again. "It's fine. I'm just letting you know that your job begins the 14th... I mean... oh I see. No. You start work the week beginning the 14th. Your real first day of work will be that Saturday, the 20th."
Ahhhh, much, much better! I finished up a very pleasant conversation with "Anne" and we hung up. And then the excitement really set in! I'm working on a Safari!!!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Back In Virginia!
It's been a loooong time since I updated. In case you hadn't noticed. :)
In the past two weeks (and two days) I have felt very accomplished while not really accomplishing much at all.
First, I graduated. Graduating doesn't really take much of anything... it's really the work leading up to graduating that is accomplished.
Then I spent about a week with my brothers, sister-in-law (almost), and parents in Dubois, WY. There, we rode horses and ATVs, went to a rodeo, visited Yellowstone, and played games.
Then we spent another few days in Boulder, CO with my oldest brother setting up his apartments and going to the Denver zoo, which, by the way, is incredible!
Then my mom and I drove home from Boulder over Wednesday and Thursday. 22 hours in a car, 1500 miles, in 2 days! Yikes!
I've been at home the past few days figuring out my life and sorting through everything I own trying to figure out what I want to keep, and when I'll want to be keeping it. At the same time, I've been working out being my mom's slave to her extra house she rents out, sorting through stuff, figuring out computers (well, my own so far) and such. Really, it's not all that much, I just like to act like I'm working hard for her. :)
But now I'm in Virginia and I had totally forgotten how totally beautiful it is here! I love the variety of trees, the wildflowers, the wildlife, the people, the sunsets, the green, etc. etc. etc. We saw more wildlife within an hour of entering VA than we saw in Dubois/Yellowstone in an entire week! Plus, our mountains may be smaller, but they are so totally prettier. I love it here!
However, while I freely admit the Valley is prettier than Florida, I still prefer Florida and will hopefully end up there. I start my program on the 17th, and will start work on the 20th. And I can't even wait!
Also, I don't know why but I got a phone call over our trip telling me my location of work this next semester. I don't know why they did that since A) they've never done it before, B) they haven't done it yet for any of my friends who are doing the program this semester, and C) I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to do it because they can change your location up to the day you arrive.
We'll see what happens. And in case anyone's curious as to where I'm working, it's going to be in the jungles of Africa in the Animal Kingdom working the African Safaris ride! I am so stinkin' excited!!! (assuming this really does happen).
In the past two weeks (and two days) I have felt very accomplished while not really accomplishing much at all.
First, I graduated. Graduating doesn't really take much of anything... it's really the work leading up to graduating that is accomplished.
Then I spent about a week with my brothers, sister-in-law (almost), and parents in Dubois, WY. There, we rode horses and ATVs, went to a rodeo, visited Yellowstone, and played games.
Then we spent another few days in Boulder, CO with my oldest brother setting up his apartments and going to the Denver zoo, which, by the way, is incredible!
Then my mom and I drove home from Boulder over Wednesday and Thursday. 22 hours in a car, 1500 miles, in 2 days! Yikes!
I've been at home the past few days figuring out my life and sorting through everything I own trying to figure out what I want to keep, and when I'll want to be keeping it. At the same time, I've been working out being my mom's slave to her extra house she rents out, sorting through stuff, figuring out computers (well, my own so far) and such. Really, it's not all that much, I just like to act like I'm working hard for her. :)
But now I'm in Virginia and I had totally forgotten how totally beautiful it is here! I love the variety of trees, the wildflowers, the wildlife, the people, the sunsets, the green, etc. etc. etc. We saw more wildlife within an hour of entering VA than we saw in Dubois/Yellowstone in an entire week! Plus, our mountains may be smaller, but they are so totally prettier. I love it here!
However, while I freely admit the Valley is prettier than Florida, I still prefer Florida and will hopefully end up there. I start my program on the 17th, and will start work on the 20th. And I can't even wait!
Also, I don't know why but I got a phone call over our trip telling me my location of work this next semester. I don't know why they did that since A) they've never done it before, B) they haven't done it yet for any of my friends who are doing the program this semester, and C) I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to do it because they can change your location up to the day you arrive.
We'll see what happens. And in case anyone's curious as to where I'm working, it's going to be in the jungles of Africa in the Animal Kingdom working the African Safaris ride! I am so stinkin' excited!!! (assuming this really does happen).
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Trips, Trips, and Trips
I call them trips because they're not vacation. Vacations are relaxing cruises with no worries or drama. Vacations are going to Disney World and not having to deal with problems. Vacations involve being free of life. Which is nice sometimes, as long as it doesn't involve pills or a razor blade, because that's not at all what I'm talking about.
But trips can be fun and amazing too! So let's see... In 23 days I graduate. In 24 days, I'll be on vacation in Dubois with my family. Then, in exactly 31 days, my mom and I will take off on a trip across the country! We will drive through Rapid City, SD to see Mt. Rushmore. Then we'll stop by Nauvoo and Kirtland and get home to Virginia in 36/37 days depending on traffic and whatever else gets in our way.
I'm not excited at all. :)
Then my next trip will be just a few short weeks later on my way to DISNEY WORLD!!! I'll get to see my grandma, and then check in at the Happiest Place on Earth on my dad's birthday.
Still. Not excited.
Just thought I'd update you guys on my totally awesome life!
But trips can be fun and amazing too! So let's see... In 23 days I graduate. In 24 days, I'll be on vacation in Dubois with my family. Then, in exactly 31 days, my mom and I will take off on a trip across the country! We will drive through Rapid City, SD to see Mt. Rushmore. Then we'll stop by Nauvoo and Kirtland and get home to Virginia in 36/37 days depending on traffic and whatever else gets in our way.
I'm not excited at all. :)
Then my next trip will be just a few short weeks later on my way to DISNEY WORLD!!! I'll get to see my grandma, and then check in at the Happiest Place on Earth on my dad's birthday.
Still. Not excited.
Just thought I'd update you guys on my totally awesome life!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Classes
I signed up for two classes yesterday. This was either a very good decision, or a very bad decision.
Yes, I'm still set to graduate in July, for all you worriers (even though I'm probably the only one who reads this who's truly freaking out about something coming up making it so I can't).
Disney sent me an email reminding me about the classes they offer during the College Program. I took one my first year, "People Management." I didn't learn a whole heck of a lot. I was given a lot of networking opportunities, though, that I didn't take because I'm so stinking shy and I didn't see the point because I didn't actually plan on staying with Disney this long.
So I didn't take any classes last year because I wanted more time for play and relaxation.
But now I'm on this "You are more than you have become" kick (see The Lion King... the part where Simba sees his dad in the clouds... I love it!). And I'm trying to be more productive with my life (which is why I totally slept in until 11am this morning... we'll just skim over that fact. In my defense I've been up by 8am each day this week).
So, anyway. I signed up for "Disney Heritage." It's a super fun, and free, class where we go around the parks and learn about all the inside fun facts and stuff. There's so many rumors about "fun facts and trivia" in Disney World that I don't even know what to believe anymore. If I don't see it with my own eyes, I don't believe it. But taking a class registered through Disney is probably the best way for me to get my fun random knowledge through a reliable source. I'm excited! Four out of the five classes were actually already filled up when I went online to register. And that was the first day of registration!
The second class is actually a real class. Meaning it's accredited through ACE and most colleges will give you 3 credits for it (except my school cuz my school's dumb, but I had a LOT of friends last year who took these classes and got all kinds of credit from their schools) I think it was called "Organizational Leadership" or Management or something kind of class. I don't actually remember. But this class will have homework and projects and group work and stuff. It cost $30, but to have an intense class like that on a resume through Disney for only $30 (and that includes the textbook and "materials", which we all know are always super expensive)... I'd say that's a pretty good deal. It used to cost over $150 for any of the collegiate classes. That's why I didn't take any my first year. This class includes field trips to the parks as well. I think. (I know the Heritage class does). And, at the end of my program, if I pass, I'll get my Ducktorate!
I already have my Mouster's from my first year in the program... cheesy, I know. But that's Disney for ya!
So yeah. I'm teetering on the edge of how stressed out I want to be next program, and if I want to actually have fun, but I think I can do it. Both classes are on the same day each week... I think it's Tuesday? Maybe Wednesday? And I go from 8:30-12:30am and then 4pm to 6pm. And, I'm allowed to change my mind all the way up til the end of the first week of classes (September 23) and still get a full refund, so that's extremely convenient.
Gotta love Disney! I can't wait!
Yes, I'm still set to graduate in July, for all you worriers (even though I'm probably the only one who reads this who's truly freaking out about something coming up making it so I can't).
Disney sent me an email reminding me about the classes they offer during the College Program. I took one my first year, "People Management." I didn't learn a whole heck of a lot. I was given a lot of networking opportunities, though, that I didn't take because I'm so stinking shy and I didn't see the point because I didn't actually plan on staying with Disney this long.
So I didn't take any classes last year because I wanted more time for play and relaxation.
But now I'm on this "You are more than you have become" kick (see The Lion King... the part where Simba sees his dad in the clouds... I love it!). And I'm trying to be more productive with my life (which is why I totally slept in until 11am this morning... we'll just skim over that fact. In my defense I've been up by 8am each day this week).
So, anyway. I signed up for "Disney Heritage." It's a super fun, and free, class where we go around the parks and learn about all the inside fun facts and stuff. There's so many rumors about "fun facts and trivia" in Disney World that I don't even know what to believe anymore. If I don't see it with my own eyes, I don't believe it. But taking a class registered through Disney is probably the best way for me to get my fun random knowledge through a reliable source. I'm excited! Four out of the five classes were actually already filled up when I went online to register. And that was the first day of registration!
The second class is actually a real class. Meaning it's accredited through ACE and most colleges will give you 3 credits for it (except my school cuz my school's dumb, but I had a LOT of friends last year who took these classes and got all kinds of credit from their schools) I think it was called "Organizational Leadership" or Management or something kind of class. I don't actually remember. But this class will have homework and projects and group work and stuff. It cost $30, but to have an intense class like that on a resume through Disney for only $30 (and that includes the textbook and "materials", which we all know are always super expensive)... I'd say that's a pretty good deal. It used to cost over $150 for any of the collegiate classes. That's why I didn't take any my first year. This class includes field trips to the parks as well. I think. (I know the Heritage class does). And, at the end of my program, if I pass, I'll get my Ducktorate!
I already have my Mouster's from my first year in the program... cheesy, I know. But that's Disney for ya!
So yeah. I'm teetering on the edge of how stressed out I want to be next program, and if I want to actually have fun, but I think I can do it. Both classes are on the same day each week... I think it's Tuesday? Maybe Wednesday? And I go from 8:30-12:30am and then 4pm to 6pm. And, I'm allowed to change my mind all the way up til the end of the first week of classes (September 23) and still get a full refund, so that's extremely convenient.
Gotta love Disney! I can't wait!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Good News, Semi-Bad News, and More Semi-Bad News
I got accepted to the Disney College Program!!!! Again. Yay! It's still exciting, the third time!
The semi-bad news is that my first choice was Costuming and I got my second choice which was Attractions. That's a long story, but overall it's probably better this way.
The other semi-bad news is that the fee for the program is three times what it was in previous years. It used to be $100. Now it's $300 because they added in a $200 "Housing and Administration Fee" which I think means that instead of having two weeks of rent pulled out of our pay check the second week, we pay up front. That way all those kids who cheat out the program by staying for one week, pretending they're going to work, and then leaving before they even finish training because all they wanted was to take advantage of the free tickets will not get quite as good a deal as they think. At least, I think that's what it is.
Anyway, I'm still stuck on the good news that I get to go back! I hope I get a fun attraction, though, like the Jungle Safari in Animal Kingdom or the Great Movie Ride in Hollywood. Actually, I'm mostly hoping for DAK or HS since those are the two parks I haven't officially "worked" in. Although, I was deployed to HS for a few weeks my first year, so DAK would be slightly preferable, which is ironic because my first year DAK was the only park I did NOT want to work in.
It'll be fun, though. I'm so excited!
The semi-bad news is that my first choice was Costuming and I got my second choice which was Attractions. That's a long story, but overall it's probably better this way.
The other semi-bad news is that the fee for the program is three times what it was in previous years. It used to be $100. Now it's $300 because they added in a $200 "Housing and Administration Fee" which I think means that instead of having two weeks of rent pulled out of our pay check the second week, we pay up front. That way all those kids who cheat out the program by staying for one week, pretending they're going to work, and then leaving before they even finish training because all they wanted was to take advantage of the free tickets will not get quite as good a deal as they think. At least, I think that's what it is.
Anyway, I'm still stuck on the good news that I get to go back! I hope I get a fun attraction, though, like the Jungle Safari in Animal Kingdom or the Great Movie Ride in Hollywood. Actually, I'm mostly hoping for DAK or HS since those are the two parks I haven't officially "worked" in. Although, I was deployed to HS for a few weeks my first year, so DAK would be slightly preferable, which is ironic because my first year DAK was the only park I did NOT want to work in.
It'll be fun, though. I'm so excited!
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