| One last thing... |
[Sunday,
October 15th, 2006 at 11:21pm] |
It turns out I do a have a picture! My friend Carrie who was visiting WDW last weekend with her boyfriend took this picture of us when she visited me at work - she caught me in a middle of my "Pirate Trivia with Pirate Kelly" game!
|
[3 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Long time no see! |
[Sunday,
October 15th, 2006 at 10:42pm] |
Hey everyone!
Sorry for the lack of updatage - I don't know how my other friends do it! Between work and play and all those things that need to get done, I've been MIA from the internet. No pictures thi time, either, sorry! I closed last night and wasn't home 'til 2am and in bed about 45 minutes after that (and after Krissy and I spent some time going crazy together) and I was up at 8:30 for work this morning.
But tomorrow is my day off, it's Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (or at least the one I'm attending!) and I have a BRAND NEW DIGITAL CAMERA to play with! It's small and convenient :)
Anyways I wanted to hope and talk a little bit about guests. I know I did that recently, but I have to examples of the perfect and imperfect guests.
1. Hot Tamale Guy/Imperfect
Hot Tamale guy came into Candy Cauldron today while I was in the back slaving over a MASSIVE PILE OF DISHES. One of our new people (fresh off the three day training routine) came into the back to tell me that one of the candy containers was stuck. At the Candy Cauldron we have a pretty decent bulk candy selection (for the size of our store) operated by handles that release the candy into a bag (or the tray, or the floor, or your 5 year old's hand/mouth). Trainee told me that Hot Tamale guy needed some assistance, so I dropped what I was doing (despite the fact that I was in a hurry, because the kitchen desperately needed another pair of hands and 3 more trays of carmel apples) to assist him. Hot Tamale guy stands there as if the world owes him all the hot tamales in the damn container. I pick up a plastic knife and begin jamming it into a junk of stuck hot tamales - standard procedure for a stuck container. Finally, a few release. Thinking this is enough for the man (his bag was already at about $8 or $9 worth of Hot Tamales - an entire bag of bulk candy can cost $25-35) I put the knife away and start to return the lolly pop that was laying on the table. "I want more hot tamales" the man says. So I pull on the lever a few times and some more come out (though not, to be fair, at the rate at which the man apparently wanted his hot tamales). He then asks me to unstick it a little more, so I use the knife again. "Can't you just give me some from the top of the container?" I told the man it wasn't sanitary and I was sorry but I couldn't. He then asks me if I could just dump it out to get at the bunch that were stuck together. Um, excuse me? The entire container is about 3 gallons of candy, so I politely informed him that these containers were fixed and filled once a week by a participating vendor and that I could not tamper with the candy inside, except to try and unstick some more. The man shrugs, and takes the bag, and tells me he guesses this will do. As I'm walking away he shouts "You knwo what, I'm not longer in the mood for hot tamales," hands me the bags, and walks away. Thank you Hot Tamale man, for successfully wasting 10 minutes of my time. It's not like I had work to do. I'll just damage out $10 worth of candy for you.
2. Margurite/My Hero
Yesterday I had just logged in and was thankfully put into the kitchen. My first assignment was an order of 4 fudge apples with white chocolate drizzle, to be picked up when the customer returned from dinner at Raglan Road. I had what would become the ONLY 10 minutes of downtime after finishing the apples, and decided to prepare some chocolate Mickey ears. When everything had cooled down, I attached a pair to each appple, as a little suprise to the customer. Afterall, this place is all about making dreams big and small come true! I left for my first break before she returned to take them away, and when I returned one of my fellow cast members informed me there was a note for me at register 2. The note said "Kelly, the apples look great! You definitely are the reason whi Disney is a great company Thank you again, you are the best!! - Margurite"
Margurite may never know what she did for me, but that single moment made this entire program the experience of a lifetime, it really is what being a Cast Member is all about - making magic for someone else! I know that a lot of guests appreciate the work I do, but the few who really show it are the ones worth putting up with Hot Tamale guy for. I've seriously been riding on this one high for the past two days - its amazing how such a simple gesture can mean so much, and Margurite did more for me than my 4 candy apples ever imagined!!
So those are my stories to share - I hope everyone is having a good October so far, its halfway over!!
|
[2 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Sharing a Dream Come True |
[Wednesday,
October 4th, 2006 at 10:35pm] |
Today... very early today... I got to share a Dream Come True with the lucky Spangler family.
Yes, I was one of 2,000 Cast Members up at 3am this morning, trekking through the Utilidoors (subjected to gross smells, hot air, jams and confusion - not to mention characters in all states of dress and undress) and rehearsing and waiting for 2.5 hours all for 1 minute of showtime.
One magical minute.
For those of you who don't know (or don't watch Good Morning America) the Spangler Family won the opportunity to visit the Magic Kingdom this mroning and have the park all to themselves for 2 hours. They were greated by a host of Disney officials (and Delilah, you know, the woman with the radio show) and walked down a red carpet on Main St. to a circle of waiting characters. They were told that they'd be completely alone, so a picture was taken of them and the characters on a completely empty Main St.
Cue the suprise, and my 3 extra hours!
2,000 Cast Members were waiting and hiding behind the doors and curtained windows of the Main. St. shops - including tons of characters! The family stood there after the picture to be spurised by trumpeteers from the roofs of Main St. playing "When You Wish Upon a Star" which was immediately followed by loud speakers blaring "Be Our Guest," confetti raining down from the sky and all cast members bursting through doors, waving with Mickey gloves on and shouting and clapping. It was phenomenal!
The whole experience was possibly the most amazing thin I've been a part of! It was so cool to arrive at MK at 5am, with the park so quiet and the castle all lit up - it was an awesome morning, but it has left me DRAINED.
Bedtime!
|
[16 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Sad Day |
[Monday,
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:29am] |
There was a mother cat and two kittens living in front of my buidling. The mother is Sixers (she has a mark like a Six on her side) and last night the two kittens were playing with each other, it was adorable.
This morning I found one of the kittens dead in the parking lot. Someone had run over it. I can't express to you how traumatizing and upsetting finding it there was. I cried, I felt sick... I'm not an animal activist or anything, but my cat was a stray kitten once, and something so small and so innocent doesn't deserve that.
I think some of my friends think I'm crazy for caring... but I can't help it. I just keep thinking of my cat at home, and how much I miss him. If any of you have a pet you really care about, you'll understand better.
It ruined my day because I just keep thinking about it.
|
[14 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| It's been a while! |
[Sunday,
October 1st, 2006 at 11:37am] |
Hi everyone, I'm back!
It's been a crazy couple of weeks at work. We have one manager who's really become a problem for me and the other CPs (and I imagine the full timers too, but they really don't like so I don't talk to them very often). And we've also started all of our new Magical Moments that will take place once every hour.
At Mickey's Groove we're doing a couple of things. We have trivia, Mickey's Groove DJing (where kids select three songs that we play in the store), Find Stitch (my personal favorite, we dress stitch up like a priate and then tell the kids he's stollen things that we need to get back!) and last night me and Pirate Steve (one of my coworkers and an all around good guy) did Pirate jokes with the kids.
I'm not sure what's going on at Quest since I'm NEVER scheduled over there, but I do know we're doing Sid's Create a Toy masterpieces on display.
And by far the weirdest and the worst is at Candy Cauldron. EVERY time someone orders a red candy apple from our store, we have to ring a bell. Everyone working then has to shout "One magical wishing apple!" and we sprinkle it with pixie dust and give them a certificate to ensure its magicalness. We then tell them to make a wish before they take the first bite.
Cute. Charming. Right?
I hear that Goddmaned bell in my sleep!
Now what you've been waiting for, some pictures! I'm just going to start with a few from the Yacht and Beach Club and Epcot. I'll post more later (or tomorrow :-P).
( We have some catching up to do! )
|
[9 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Cast Members are People Too! |
[Monday,
September 25th, 2006 at 11:49pm] |
|
I will write with a real entry soon, I promise, but after listening to my roommates relate horror stories of Guests Interactions, I wanted to remind my readers that CAST MEMBERS ARE PEOPLE TOO! Some of us work REALLY hard to make sure you guys have an awesome time in Disney, and that you'll want to return again. When you find someone who works that hard on your next trip to Disney, remember to thank them, you have no idea how much an appreciative Guest can make our day!
|
[4 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Tales of a Sick CP... plus photos! |
[Sunday,
September 17th, 2006 at 8:42pm] |
So the worst part about calling out sick is the feeling of guilt you have about letting your coworkers down (or rather, letting them pick up your slack) and the fear that you'll be branded weak and seen as a bad worker. I am neither of those things! But certain, ah, bodily functions really can't be brought into the workplace, nor is it safe for me to contoct my candy apple creations with such a flu. Especially knowing that eating food that had been touched or prepared by someone without such caution is most likely the cause of my 6-day downfall.
In any case, I have MD notes that should cover my three sick days. I went back to the MD's today to get another note, and just ensure that I was feeling better - this particular doc wanted to keep me off work until Tuesday. However, I am in great need of a paycheck! I think I should be good enough to get through a morning/afternoon at Disney Quest (no food preparation or decoration involved!) and it's my first day shift since training.
I've also decided to include a comment I left in response to a question by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) spacerangerspin about how to call in sick as a College Program student (and I think its the same for regular cast members).
When your sick at Disney you use a call-in number that a manager or trainer provides you with during your first week. At some hours of the day its a recording and you have to leave the information they've asked for - the past two days someone has answered, so you let them know and they enter it into the computer. It's a little unpersonal, but I guess it sort of expedites the process of controlling so many cast members. Still... I wish I could speak to a manager because I feel so bad about calling in sick!
When you call in sick you're also issued "points" The first day you call in sick you're given 1 point, however that 1 point also covers two additional days you might need to call in sick. So, basically, each sick day out of 3 is 1/3 of a point. You can also get points for being late and for calling in for "personal days" (on sick days, you better not be seen anywhere in the parks, on personal days you get 1 full point for just that 1 day when you call in but you can visit parks other than yours).
The basic rule is "3 in 30." If you get 3 points in 30 days you get a reprimand - on the tenth call in you're terminated!
So, before I leave to take the trash out and watch the rest of V for Vendetta, I'll leave you with a few pics of Animal Kingdom BEFORE I started throwing up :-P
( Jambo! )
|
[21 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| More Sickness |
[Saturday,
September 16th, 2006 at 11:11pm] |
Went to the Doctors last night. I have gastroenteritis. It could last anywhere from 1 - 10 days. I'm on day 5 and its not looking good for tomorrow.
I may have to go back to the Doc's tomorrow morning to get another note.
What the heck.
|
[7 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Not Cool |
[Wednesday,
September 13th, 2006 at 9:04pm] |
So instead of doing all the fun things I wanted to do on my two days off (including but not limited to: Epcot, margaritas, Adventurer's Club, MK, Cast Preview of the Halloween parade)...
I've spent the past two days pent up inside THROWING UP and generally feeling miserable while all my friends are out having fun! GAH. I want to be enjoying my days off, but I guess it just wasn't in the cards :-/
Here's to hoping I feel better tomorrow - and if not, here's to hoping I can get into a walk-in clinic and get some answers.
|
[5 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Photo update! |
[Sunday,
September 10th, 2006 at 3:40pm] |
A photo update for you all!
This covers since the last time we talked... I may not get the dates/days correct since my life as a CP has completely blended and forfeited all sense of time and space.
|
[12 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| More Wonderfulness |
[Thursday,
September 7th, 2006 at 1:23am] |
Sorry, no great pictures again - but I have no plans tomorrow until work at 5:30, so hopefully I will not be lazy and share a TON from the past few days with you all tomorrow!
Once again, in the meantime, I some quick things to show you before I hit the hay.
Today I got to spend more time in the Kitchen at Candy Cauldron - superb! It was a slow day so I went into work with all these great ideas, inspired by a morning trip to MK that introduced me to Pirate's new features. Prior to Pirates Joey, Brittanie, Lauren, Chris and I went to Ohana's for breakfast with Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stich. We also hit up the Dole Whip stand, Space Mountain, Space Ranger Spin and I got to bust out some Disney DDR before I left to come home and shower and change.
But I digress.
I came into work enthusiastic and excited about some new designs. When some of them failed (Including a pirate ship apple with a jolly roger flag which fell and broke!) a fellow co-worker made a comment about the number of honey mooning/just married couples that were on property this week. I believe his comment was "We should make wedding cake toppers for the top of the apple."
That suggestion, plus my incredible engenuity and skill as a chocolate craftswoman (which I never knew existed until yesterday!) spawned this creation:
(again, sorry for the horrible crappy cell phone pics, but its all I had available! It was also very bright in the kitchen when I took these, which affected the quality and clarity)
As you might be able to see, I made wedding Minnie and Mickey, complete with their own Wedding Trellis and milk chocolate and M&M wedding bells.
Minnie is a caramel apple with white chocolat eand coconut. She has white chocolate ears and a white chocolate veil (the veil was really hard, but came out beautiful and delicate!) Mickey sports a milk chocolate tuxedo dusted with oreo cooking crumbs over a white chocolate base, with brown M&M buttons. He has a matching dusted oreo milk chocolate hat, and milk chocolate ears.
My manager was incredibly impressed - and the DTD (Downtown Disney Manger) even came by to see it! They took pictures of me holding the tray and talked to me a lot. Lori (my manager) told me about a contest coming up in October for Halloween where Candy people from all over the parks compete in a contest. I'm definitely going to enter, and I have a lot of ideas already!
SO, that was the best part of today - pics to follow... eventually :-P
|
[8 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Today at the Cauldron... |
[Wednesday,
September 6th, 2006 at 1:12am] |
I know I know, I keep promising pictures and not delivering!
So, I have one (sorry, just one :-P) to share before I hit the hay...
I found out today that they want me trained in the kitchen, so I spent all day fiddeling around and experimenting with the materials and the food to see what I could come up with. I also love the interesting way we interact with the guests in the kitchen, since you can't talk (or rather, since they can't hear you) you have to pantomime and gesture for them to understand you, and they get a kick out of it!
Anyways, this is what I came up with today:
It's a Sorcerer Mickey fudge apple! (Caramel, covered in chocolate) The apple itself is easy, then I dip stickes in chocolate and basically "draw" the ears and the hat - which I then covered in blue mini M&Ms to give it the starred hat effect. Once they've cooled and dried in the fridge, I use a knife to make little slits to put the ears and hat in, then I use chocolate to seal it up! My managers were impressed, and also impressed that I was willing to stay 45 minutes late :-P
I also got to give two great little girls a Magical Moment today!
I saw a big family standing outside watching me, and the girls just looked so excited that I tapped on the window and had them come in. When they came in, I asked if they wanted to be chefs and of course they said yes! So I brought them back and we washed our hands, and put on new gloves and hairnets (love the hair nets) and they got special hats. There was a third sister who was too young to come in - so I told her she had a very special job of watching her sisters to make sure they were good chefs, and that we'd make her a special candy too!
After they were ready I brought them into the kitchen, and they had a choice of making a chocolate covered marshmallow stick, or a chocolate covered Mickey krispy treat. They chose the marshmallows, and I showed them how to dip it in the chocolate, and then we picked some toppings and they mixed and matched whatever they wanted.
When they were done, Sandie, one of the women I work with, had prepared the "Certifiably Magical" certificates and new hats that said their name and "Candy Maker" on it and they got boxes with Mickey paper to put their candy in. We even made a hat and certificate for the little sister, who loved it just as much as if she made it herself!
I hope I have more great days like this :)
|
[12 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Long Week! |
[Sunday,
September 3rd, 2006 at 11:59pm] |
Well, I'm not quite ready for bed, so how about an update?
When you last left me I believe I had not yet started training. Tuesday will officially be a week since I started, and here's how it all went down...
LAST Tuesday I started at Mickey's Groove, which is the Mickey themed shop in West Side. Basically, it's a tiny version of the World of Disney, where you can find an assortment of Mickey/Disney merchandise. Working at Mickey's Groove also includes spending part of your day at the pin cart (whoopee!) and it sure sucks to be outside in the afternoon! As luck would have it, (or not, since I ABSOULTELY DESTEST THE HOURS OF MY SCHEDULE) I won't be working mid afternoon... at all. So should I get put there again it really isn't a problem. All in all, it was pretty good, I like the location and most guests are amazing and great fun to interact with!
Wednesday I trained at Disney Quest which has turned out, hands down, to be my favorite place to work. There are two merchandise locations in Disney Quest: downstairs in the Emporium (accessable to everyone) and upstairs at the Gallery (accessable only to DQ guests). The Emporium sells some pretty basic stuff, with an exceptional Pirate display. The Gallery is used for guests to purchase what I call "memories" from a few of the attractions at Disney Quest such as a CD of a song they've created, or a DVD of their ride on Cyber Space Mountain. The most amazing thing there, for me, is how pleasant all the guests are, and how neat it is to be able to provide them with something they can't get anywhere else!
I also worked at Disney Quest today and got to stretch my wings some more. I used a few tips from my friend Joe over at the World of Disney store, and used kids favorite characters and movies to jump start them into talking and having fun with me. My particular favorite (stolen from Joe) is the pirate immitation! I have the kids don a hat and a sword, then give me their best pirate act. They're rewarded with some great Mickey stickers and a lot of laughter! I also get to pin trade at this location which is a fun way to interact with guests. Not to mention I can make use of the Cheesecake express upstairs ;)
Thursday, Friday and Saturday I worked at the Candy Cauldron. Now, when one hears the word "Candy" associated with your place of employement... they often assum its amazing.
It's not.
Well, that's a lie. Part of my job there includes working in the kitchen which is great fun. For those of you not familiar with this location the kitchen has a large bay window facing the street where guests can come watch us make things like chocolate dipped strawberries, apples, pretzels and cotton candy! When you're in the kitchen it's a great place to have some fun and make the guests smile - I LOVE that part of my job, it makes me feel like a character performer :) They even take pictures sometimes!
However, the vast majority of working at the candy cauldron means slaving away at the register until the wee hours of the morning (1:45 am anyone?) and a LOT of guests who come through that line are WRETCHED. Its also tough work to fetch and ring up a myriad of different selections. It's tiring and repetitive and the lines after 10pm are OUT THE DOOR. Here's to hoping it slows down after labor day... until I have to deal with it again during Christmas!
So, that brings us back to today where I've already mentioned I worked at Disney Quest.
On a whole, its already been a very interesting experience. Work is tiring and sometimes a pain in the ass - like being scheduled 11 days in a row without a break. But coming home at night to my awesome roommates, and spending the small amounts of free time I have hanging out with them is something I wouldn't miss for the world! It's also a great pleasure to make a guest smile, especially the children, and I feel like I'm really making a difference in their day!
My spare time has mostly been consumed with vegging out, eating and THE ADVENTURER'S CLUB. I was there twice last week! The Adventurer's Club is hands down the best entertainment that Pleasure Island has to offer - it's a comedy club where the theme is Adventurer's from the early 1900's. The comedy comes directly from guest interaction and I am in love with Hathaway Brown! He's the club aviator and resident Lady's Man. If you check out my myspace you'll see a few pictures - different actors/comedians play Hathaway, but my particular favorite is the with the lighter hair, who happens to be Scottish. Brittanie, Lauren and I are planning on working on a Hathaway Brown tribute page :-P
Yesterday before work we made a trip to Rainforest Cafe for lunch, with a stop at The World of Diseny store to see Joey! He does a great job there and his managers love him :)
At the store I totally couldn't resist buying Jack Sparrow Mickey... score one for the 20% discount ;)
However things when a little south from there... and I ended up crying hysterically on the phone to my Mom and Matty during my second break and had to return to the store with embarassing red splotchy checks and melting make up. I cooled down a bit after though, and that's my last 10 hour shift in sight! The 8 hour or less shifts really aren't so bad, but I'd kill for Lauren's schedule - she works 6 hours every day and has Thursday off each week. So jealous.
As much as Disney has been exhausting me - its also been a great confidence booster. When I get compliments on my service, I know I'm down here doing the right thing on the college program. I've also been told quite a bit the past week that I should be a princess, and one little girl told me I looked like snow white! Lauren and I are considering auditioning in October, just for fun, but as many awesome compliments as I've been given, I'm not sure I would trade the amazing moments I have in merchandise to be stuffed inside a costume all day! I get to make my own kind of magic :)
Alrighty, that's all I can come up with for now, and I'm started to get tired. I'll try to post before work tomorrow with some more pictures from the last week :)
|
[4 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Just a note... |
[Saturday,
September 2nd, 2006 at 12:56am] |
WDW College Program is slave labor. More on that later...
In other news, I love Hathaway Browne.
And Matty... but Hathaway Browne is love.
I'm so tired, I promise a real update maybe tomorrow before work. It's not that bad, but they work you to the bone.
And I'm homesick :(
|
[5 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Good Morning Sunshine! |
[Monday,
August 28th, 2006 at 8:37am] |
I use AOL Explorer to do all my Disney Kelly business, and Firefox to do my regular livejournal business. So when I open the page to update here, the AIM welcome screen pops up - including the weather conditions at home. "57 degrees and foggy." It's bright and sunny (said brightness just woke me up!) and will probably rich about 95 AGAIN. You know me and heat - I kind of like 57 and foggy! But anyways, I've been told we're going to be here during some of Floridas best weather, so in another month or so I should be enjoying it.
The past couple of days we've really been taking advantage of "The Disney Difference," which is all the benefits of working here.
Of course, we had to go through Traditions first.
Traditions is a clast that ALL entering Cast Members take to acclimate themselves to the company, the company history and some information about your new role in the company. Some of it was great, some of it was boring. All in all it was an informative 5 hour session! The best part, however, is that little barcoded card you recieve upon entering, along with your very own name tag!
The card is my Cast Member ID, and its the key to enjoying life as a Cast Member. It gets you into the parks, into Property Control and Cast Connection, and it gets you all your amazing discounts!
Here's how I've been making use of my awesome CM ID card...
Friday night after traditions Lauren, one of my awesome roommates, our friends (Meredith, Joey, Chris) and myself went to Epcot for a good time! It was Chris's first time to be at Epcot, so we took him on Test Track where we had a VERY Disney-Magic experience. As we burst through the doors to accellerate around the track, Illuminations was happening! You haven't seen fireworks until you've seen them going 60mph in a convertable ;)
We spent most of the night after that enjoying extra magic hours by walking around The World Showcase and visiting some of the countries. As Cast Members we're free to enjoy the time, but we can't go on any attractions.
Saturday I spent most of my day in "Merchantainment Class" where I learned how to use the cash register system, among other "Merchaintainment" techniques. I really can't wait to put everything I've learned to use!
Saturday was also Lauren's birthday, so we headed to West Side for some dinner at the House of Blues with a bunch of people. It was excellent, as usual, and I got to take a sneak peek at my costumes for work! I'm digging the Candy Cauldron outfit - it's a purple puffy sleeve shirt! My other two locations are just funky designed t-shirts :-P
Yesterday, I had some problems with scheduling. To make a long story short - my scheduler mixed up some information on my sheet with another Kelly I'll be working with, so I arrived to wardrobe yesterday morning to find out that I wasn't actually supposed to be there... and another bus wouldn't be arriving to take me back for another hour. Grrr, says the angry cast member. So I went to Earl of Sandwhich for a breakfast treat and the Walmart Bus somehow ended up at the bus stop early and I went back to Chatham!
That afternoon we paid another visit to Property Control and the Cast Connection. Property Control is where all the damaged and lost and found goods go. Perviously I had gotten a Sorcerer Micky wit a small tear in the seam on his boot for $6. Yesterday I bought two cute PoTC t-shirts for $7 each. Krissy was lucky enough to find a pair of Ferragamo sunglasses in the lost and found... which she purchases for $1.
Cast Connection is where a lot of retired or overstocked merch go to be purchased by Cast Members, friends and families for a great price. Can't wait to make use of it during Christmas ;)
Yesterday evening we ended up at Animal Kingdom during the last few hours before it closed. We got lunch at the Flame Tree BBQ which I think we all agreed was some of the best food in Disney! And we got it for 20% off ;) After that, we rode Everest 3 times in a row! It was a blast! And Krissy and Joe's new nicknames are "Norbue and Bob."
Brittanie had been training that day at Kilaminjaro Safari - she took the truck out on the trail, I'm so proud of her! She was a little hestitant about her job at first but no doubt she's enjoying it now - who wouldn't!?
After a quick trip to Publix I came home and pretty much crashed. I've been exhausted all week between the necessary and chosen activities, so I stayed in while some others went back out - gotta save my energy for training! Today I'll probably be staying in and doing more relaxing, with the exception of a trip to Company D to FINALLY buy my official lanyard!
And last, but not least, we're going to do a little (completely legal!) celebrating for Brittanie's 21st birthday today!
And now, what you've all been waiting for...
I hope you enjoyed the pics and the entry - they'll be more to come!
|
[4 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Update, update, who wants an update? |
[Thursday,
August 24th, 2006 at 4:48pm] |
Alrighty, so the story of the past few days....
Matt and I had a lot of fun at the parks, we managed to do three in one day! First I took him to MGM to ride ToT and RR, we also did Star Tours. Then we decided to head to AK and do Everest. From AK we hit up MK and got some lunch at Pecos Bill's. MK had the longest lines, so we just did Thunder Mountain and Space Ranger Spin (twice, and I won both times :-P).
We ended the day early, being EXHAUSTED, and got a little bit of dinner and relaxed. I showered and went to bed early.
We were at the airport to pick up Krissy about 7:30, and after all was said and done (including the very frustrating task of finding Vista Way!) we met up with Lauren, Brittany, Joe and Lindsay to fill out paper work and get in line.
Miracle upon miracles, Lauren, Brittany, Krissy and I got the two bedroom in Chatham we wanted! It's amazing, its HUGE and we have a great little sun room (fondly known as "the nook") that is now the proud owner of a portable hammock. More on that later.
Anyways, after getting our housing assignment we had to complete a whole host of check in duties which involved following a blue dotted line all over Vista Way creation. I was waylaid at the parking decal station but everything ran smoothly. I'm now the proud owner of an exobirtant amount of Disney College Program Paperwork.
We had a 2.5 hour housing meeting that was boring, but made some good points.
After that, I finished moving my things into my apartment with Matty and my parents, then they left and I took Matty to the airport... :( We hung out there for a bit, but I hate long goodbyes and when he finally got in line to go through the metal detectors I cried all the way to the car, and all the way back to Chatham.
Last night brought us to Chik-Fil-A and Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is death. Target is love, as we found out when we continued to shop for the apartment today. Krissy and I also had a delightful experience at Publix this afternoon while grocery shopping!
But on to the most important part...
This morning we had another meeting at Vista. We signed our I-9 forms, then got our work locations! Krissy is working in Mainstreet at the various stores. Lauren got her favorite - she's doing QSFB (quick service food and beverage) at the Liberty Inn at the American Adventure pavillion in Epcot. Brittanie is working at the safari and really hoping she doesn't have to drive the truck! As for me... my official title is "West Side Floater" but that sounds like something a gangster leaves in the toilet.
My job will consist of "merchantainment" at (at least) three West Side stores - The Candy Cauldron (self explanatory), Micky's Groove (a store devoted to Mickey) and the Disney Quest shop (which is currently dolled up Pirates style).
Reasons I'm thirlled
- I have three locations, it won't get boring
- I have three costumes
- The stores are small (cleaning up at night will be easy!)
- I won't get sick of being in a park
- The stores themselves have fun merchandise to sell
Reasons I'm bummed
- Its not a hotel
- It's not one of my favorite rides
- It's not what I wanted at all
- I won't have that many fellow employees, since its a small store
- I'll be working at least until 11 or 12 when I work nights, most likely later and I HATE working nights
So, that's all the big news so far. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to update with later!
|
[10 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Internet BLAHH |
[Tuesday,
August 22nd, 2006 at 8:10am] |
Greetings everyone from Disney World! We finally arrived last night at about 6:30pm at the Swan - let me tell you it was a LONG two days of driving. We didn't leave until about 10am on Sunday, and didn't get into North Carolina until 9:30, we drove for another hour and finally stopped somewhere in the middle for the night.
For those of you who've never driven from the East Coast before, you pretty much take 95 south until you're about an hour/hour and a half outside Disney and then you hop on I-4. The first half involved driving through New York, New Jersey, into Delaware and Blatimore, MD. WORST TRAFFICE EVER. Thankfully it was never stand still, but it definitely added 2-3 hours onto our day.
The only thing that kept me sane was Matt and I listening to Dane Cook, Stephen Lynch and Mitch Hedberg.
For the record, sharing a room with dad is horrible. There's no other way to describe it. He snores like a lawn mower. As such, I haven't had nearly as much sleep as I wanted/needed in the past two nights.
Anyways the second half of the drive flew by and here we are. We got in pretty late last night so we just went to Downtown Disney, had dinner and came home to crash. At least that's what I did until MY DAD STARTED SNORING. Matt, thankfully, has his own room, so he'll be nice and refreshed when we hit a couple of parks today.
The game plan for the next few days...
Start off today with MGM, leave MGM after we've done ToT, RR and maybe a select few others (Star Tours?). I'd like to get to MK before 3, because there is a LOT I want to show him there. We will probably stay until the end, but I don't know if we'll stick around for Wishes.
Becauuuse....
I have to go pick up Krissy bright and early the next morning!! :-D
Her flight arrives at 7:15, so that means I'll be up and out by 6:30, parked and waving at the gate when her flight arrives! After that I'll be heading right to Vista Way to meet up with Lauren and Brittany!
And then the ACTUAL College Program begins!
But that'll happen later, time to go get ready for some fun with Matty first!
|
[6 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| FoReCaST FoR ToNiGHT |
[Saturday,
August 19th, 2006 at 11:19pm] |
Wow.
I can't believe it's all happening... in 8 hours!
So, this is the last entry you'll read from me before I arrive in Disney and begin the college program!
I'm excited/nervous/sad/happy all at once. Excited and happy is the obvious part, but I'm sad about leaving my family and Matt. Meme and Papa came over for dinner tonight. I'm VERY close with my grandparents, and its going to be tough not to see them for the major holidays (and every weekend for dinner and multiple times a week when the mood strikes me!). However the fact that they're moving back into our in-law apartment makes me feel better.
Matt and I went to the Sox game last night (GOOD GOD LONGEST 9 INNING GAME IN MLB HISTORY) and he came back with me today. Since he's flying home on Wednesday into Boston we didn't want him to have a car waiting here. So we've gotten to spend a great weekend together, and we're going to have a fun roadtrip down and a nice day at Disney!
Then I check in, holy crap.
All my bags are packed I'm ready to go... when last you hear from me it will be all about check in and (hopefuly/maybe) a few pics so far!
WISH ME LUCK :-D
|
[4 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| Education on the CP |
[Friday,
August 4th, 2006 at 1:19pm] |
Cool!
I just got an e-mail from the College Program talking about their new educational program offered during the CP. I was originally planning on taking a hospitality management course since that's my grad school track, however since I won't receive credit for it their new program seems like a much better idea!
-----
We are writing to you today to announce the Disney Exploration Series, an exciting new pilot program we've added to Learning component of the Disney Theme Parks & Resorts College Program.
The Disney Exploration Series represents a brand-new learning experience that utilizes the entire Walt Disney World® Resort as a learning laboratory and gives you the opportunity to meet a variety of leaders and enjoy unique backstage experiences.
In addition to the seven Disney College Program classes that the American Council on Education (ACE) has recommended for credit and the major-specific Professional Development Studies, you are welcome to take advantage of any of these offerings.
DISNEY EXPLORATION SERIES TOPICS
The Disney Exploration Series is made up of learning tracks that cover the following topics:
Leadership:
Discover how our leaders balance the needs of Cast, Guest and Business to create the most magical place on earth.
Marketing:
Gain a deeper understanding of how we maintain customer loyalty by staying true to our brand and marketing our new Guest experiences.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Immerse yourself in Disney's Culture of Inclusion, a class that explores how we manage a widely diverse Cast base and create a welcoming environment for all.
Communication Processes:
Examine how we incorporate our Quality Standards of Safety, Courtesy, Show and Efficiency in providing a vast communication network that can respond rapidly to anything, from weather emergencies to disgruntled Guests.
Guest Service:
Learn how we make Hospitality the hallmark of the Walt Disney World Resort. Through our theme parks and resorts, we strive to satisfy and delight our Guests in the word's most hospitable vacation destination.
People Management:
Recognize the huge role Human Resources plays in developing the more than 57,000 employees and Cast Members of the Walt Disney World Resort.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Each series is comprised of eight two-hour sessions that meet once a week for eight weeks. These sessions are interactive and experientially based, as opposed to formal classroom instruction. Students are asked to choose one learning track.
The Disney Exploration Series is ideal for students:
* Who are not receiving academic credit for their internship and are interested in educational opportunities
* Who have graduated from college
* Who want to gain a fuller understanding of the specifics about the operation of the Walt Disney World Resort
-----
WOW I hope I'm able to do this - it would look excellent on a resume and it sounds like a lot of fun!
|
[2 Wishes | Dream a Dream]
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
|
|
|
|