I earned my ears yesterday which in non-Disney terms means I'm officially done with training. The day went on as any other training day would, lots more check-ins and check-outs and answering questions and things like that but at the end one of my managers (Alfredo) presented my with my Mickey Mouse ears and welcomed my officially to the Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Front Desk Family. =) I was very excited and now have my ears sitting on my nightstand right next to my bed. Now for a 3 day weekend!! Yay!! More later...
Love,
Jess
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Even More Training...
Hi everybody!! Hope this entry find you all doing well. Sorry I haven't updated in a while but its been quite busy around here and I'm still getting used to having such a crazy schedule. But I promise that I'll update you on everything now. I've spent the last few days in on the job training learning the ins and outs of working at the AKL front desk. So far its been going pretty well although it's a lot of information to take in and remember but I'm doing my best and my trainer says I'm doing really well so I'm going to take her word for it. I spend every day behind the desk practicing checking people in and out and answering guests questions. It's not such a hard process but it does have a lot of steps so the more you do it, the easier it gets. I'm finally starting to understand the details of the resort which is beautiful and BIG. There's lots of direction giving and I think I've just about got it so that's good.
Everyone I work with is really, really nice and will do what they can to help you in any situation from front desk cashiers all the way up to our front office managers. They embody the Disney happiness and so far have really made it a fun place to work. It's also a really cool thing working for Disney that I get to work with people from all over the world. I've worked with people from England, France, Pakistan, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands as well as many different states. It's something I'm convinced you can't really get working for any other company. I've also in such a short time noticed the "Disney Difference" that people talk about. You'd be amazed at how everything Disney does, no matter how simple and seemingly unimportant is done for a reason. It's really what I think makes the company so unique and different from any one on the planet. All of those small differences put together that make up on big difference.
Tomorrow is my last day of training where I will finally "Earn My Ears". They have a little celebration for me and I get to wear Mickey Mouse ears around all day so that should be fun. Hopefully I'll remember to update the blog tomorrow and tell you all about it. And then....I'm off on my own. Well sort of. I won't have my trainer to ask lots of questions to but with all the people there are around to help me I can't see it being to much different.
I think that's it for now. Until then, love you all.
Everyone I work with is really, really nice and will do what they can to help you in any situation from front desk cashiers all the way up to our front office managers. They embody the Disney happiness and so far have really made it a fun place to work. It's also a really cool thing working for Disney that I get to work with people from all over the world. I've worked with people from England, France, Pakistan, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Puerto Rico, the Netherlands as well as many different states. It's something I'm convinced you can't really get working for any other company. I've also in such a short time noticed the "Disney Difference" that people talk about. You'd be amazed at how everything Disney does, no matter how simple and seemingly unimportant is done for a reason. It's really what I think makes the company so unique and different from any one on the planet. All of those small differences put together that make up on big difference.
Tomorrow is my last day of training where I will finally "Earn My Ears". They have a little celebration for me and I get to wear Mickey Mouse ears around all day so that should be fun. Hopefully I'll remember to update the blog tomorrow and tell you all about it. And then....I'm off on my own. Well sort of. I won't have my trainer to ask lots of questions to but with all the people there are around to help me I can't see it being to much different.
I think that's it for now. Until then, love you all.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
On the Job Training
Yesterday (1.23.10) was my first day of on the job training at Animal Kingdom Lodge. My day began at 3AM when I woke up to get dressed in my costume for my shift. Because the buses don't run that early to AKL I had to take the special early morning van at 4:30. So I got dressed and had breakfast and walked down to the bus stop at 4:10. I had no idea what actually was coming to pick me up, be it a bus or van or whatever since I've never had to take the early morning shuttle. I happened to see my friend Kevin from First Impressions while I was there so I sat and talked to him until his bus came (some buses run 24/7). At 4:45 I was worried that I had missed the bus since it hadn't come yet so I called the bus company and they reassured me that it would be here in another 5 min. At 4:50 the A bus (Magic Kingdom Bus) rolled around and the bus driver got out saying it was the early morning bus and that he would take me to Vista where they would put us on the shuttle. So I got on the bus and went to Vista where we were directed to a van that would take us where we wanted to go. At 5, myself and 5 other cast members were driven to our respective resorts to start our shifts. Since I worked the farthest away, I was the last one dropped off at around 5:25. So at 5:30 I clocked in (we can clock in up to 15 min. early) and waited by the time clocks for my trainer. At 6, I was a little worried that I was in the wrong place because my trainer wasn't there yet so I went to the security office next door to ask if they could call the front desk to make sure that my trainer forgot about me. They told me to just wait and she would be there soon. So I waited another 15min. and convinced the my trainer forgot about me I called the training office hotline and they told me to go to the security office and they would bring me up to the front desk. So I went back and a very nice security officer brought me up to the front desk where 1 lady was standing behind the counter. I approached her and said, "Hi. My name is Jessica and it's my first day and I think my trainer forgot about me." She happened to be my trainer and after apologizing 100 times for forgetting about me she brought me in the back and I got to start my day.
My trainers name is Marie. She's from France and is super, super sweet. I really like her even if she laughs at me because I talk fast like a New Yorker. =P So she brought me in the back and explained everything for me and let me watch her deal with some guests. After about 2 hours or so she let me try and I spent the majority of my day checking in and out guests with her standing behind me filling in the holes when I forgot things and answering all my questions. It was a lot of fun but def. challenging at times with certain guests. Thankfully all the guests I got were really nice and since they knew I was in training, they understood when I made a mistake or took a little longer. Marie also took me on a quick tour of the concierge level of the hotel and all the back areas of the front office. Everyone I work with is really nice and they all seem like happy people who I'm going to like. So, so far so good. =)
I had today and have tomorrow off as well and then back to training on Tuesday. More updates then!
Love,
Jess
My trainers name is Marie. She's from France and is super, super sweet. I really like her even if she laughs at me because I talk fast like a New Yorker. =P So she brought me in the back and explained everything for me and let me watch her deal with some guests. After about 2 hours or so she let me try and I spent the majority of my day checking in and out guests with her standing behind me filling in the holes when I forgot things and answering all my questions. It was a lot of fun but def. challenging at times with certain guests. Thankfully all the guests I got were really nice and since they knew I was in training, they understood when I made a mistake or took a little longer. Marie also took me on a quick tour of the concierge level of the hotel and all the back areas of the front office. Everyone I work with is really nice and they all seem like happy people who I'm going to like. So, so far so good. =)
I had today and have tomorrow off as well and then back to training on Tuesday. More updates then!
Love,
Jess
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Welcome Home to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
Tuesday (1.19.10) I FINALLY got to see my true new home for the semester, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. And it is beautiful! If you haven't already I highly recommend just stopping in there to look at the beautiful lobby and the animals that surround it and if you can splurge the extra money (it is quite expensive) stay the night. I would say it's definitely worth it (although I may be a bit biased) lol. So yesterday I had my property orientation which is pretty much a "Welcome to where you're going to be working" day. We got a tour of both Jambo House and Kidani Village which opened in September and is brand new. We got to see the whole hotel including all the restaurants and the savannahs that surround the hotel. They are so cool. Guests walk outside their balcony and come virtually face to face with giraffes and okapi and flamingos and a whole host of other animals. We also had to take a safety in motion class which was soooo boring. It's all about how to move so you don't hurt yourself and was taught by a crazy woman who thankfully kept us laughing. After we took the class and got our schedules for the week our trainer for the day drove us over to costuming to pick up our costumes. If you’ve ever actually taken time to look at the costumes in Disney, you’ll soon discover that they’re actually quite ridiculous. Thankfully, mine isn’t all that bad. It’s a gray skirt, cream colored blouse with a gray safari type jacket over it and an African like printed tie that goes around my neck. It isn’t really terrible; it’s just really heavy so thankfully I’ll be inside for 99% of my day. Once that was over I was allowed to go home so I boarded the J bus back to Chatham. When I got home Jen and Lo were back so we went out because they needed some stuff from the store and I needed to buy my shoes for my costume. The rest of the night we all just spent hanging around and then I went to bed on the earlier side because I was very sleepy.
Yesterday (1.20.10) I was back at Disney University learning more stuff to help field guest questions at the front desk. Today was all about the Disney Vacation Club. Although I did learn a whole lot I didn’t know about DVC, I wished I would have been back at the lodge actually at the front desk. They’ve been feeding me so much information and taking it all in is tough. And I can’t imagine how much information I would have to remember if I didn’t know so much about Disney. Then I’d seriously be overloaded with information. But it’s all good, I’ll be at the lodge soon enough. =) After a full day learning about DVC, I can back home and hung out until Jen got home from work at around 6. When she got home, she got dressed and we drove over to Illuminations to meet the other girls and watch Illuminations! We walked over to Test Track to meet Laura, Ren and Meg and then got to ride it (because it was finally not closed for refurbishment). It was soooo funny riding it with people who had never been on it (everyone but Meg) because they didn’t know what to expect. With lots of screams of “I don’t want to die” from Jen we exited test track laughing hysterically. Then we made our way over to World Showcase where we had dinner in the China Pavilion after watching the amazing Chinese acrobats. Once we had finished dinner, we walked around the world to France so everyone could get some French pastries for dessert. I was so full from dinner that I didn’t get anything but the crepes and croissants and pastries were incredibly tempting. We sat around in EPCOT and waited for Illuminations to start. I love Illuminations. It’s such an amazing show. I could watch it every day and never get bored. When it was over we walked back towards the entrance where we surprised Lo outside her merchandise shop saying good-bye to everyone as they left the park. We stopped and talked to her and then left the park to come back home. That’s about all the fun stuff I have to say about the last 2 days. I have today and tomorrow off and then my first official day of work bright and early Saturday morning. Until Then…
Love,
Jess
P.S. For those of you that will understand this, I saw our friend the Disney Duck today and he is alive and well living happily in the World Showcase Lagoon. =)
Yesterday (1.20.10) I was back at Disney University learning more stuff to help field guest questions at the front desk. Today was all about the Disney Vacation Club. Although I did learn a whole lot I didn’t know about DVC, I wished I would have been back at the lodge actually at the front desk. They’ve been feeding me so much information and taking it all in is tough. And I can’t imagine how much information I would have to remember if I didn’t know so much about Disney. Then I’d seriously be overloaded with information. But it’s all good, I’ll be at the lodge soon enough. =) After a full day learning about DVC, I can back home and hung out until Jen got home from work at around 6. When she got home, she got dressed and we drove over to Illuminations to meet the other girls and watch Illuminations! We walked over to Test Track to meet Laura, Ren and Meg and then got to ride it (because it was finally not closed for refurbishment). It was soooo funny riding it with people who had never been on it (everyone but Meg) because they didn’t know what to expect. With lots of screams of “I don’t want to die” from Jen we exited test track laughing hysterically. Then we made our way over to World Showcase where we had dinner in the China Pavilion after watching the amazing Chinese acrobats. Once we had finished dinner, we walked around the world to France so everyone could get some French pastries for dessert. I was so full from dinner that I didn’t get anything but the crepes and croissants and pastries were incredibly tempting. We sat around in EPCOT and waited for Illuminations to start. I love Illuminations. It’s such an amazing show. I could watch it every day and never get bored. When it was over we walked back towards the entrance where we surprised Lo outside her merchandise shop saying good-bye to everyone as they left the park. We stopped and talked to her and then left the park to come back home. That’s about all the fun stuff I have to say about the last 2 days. I have today and tomorrow off and then my first official day of work bright and early Saturday morning. Until Then…
Love,
Jess
P.S. For those of you that will understand this, I saw our friend the Disney Duck today and he is alive and well living happily in the World Showcase Lagoon. =)
Monday, January 18, 2010
Time for Training
Sorry I haven't updated in the last few days. It's been pretty crazy because I've been in training. Ever wonder how a Disney Cast Member always seems to know the correct answers and what their doing?? I'll tell you our secret....lots and lots of training. The past four days I've had classroom training at Disney University learning how to use the Disney PMS (Property Management System) System and how to deal with all sorts of guest scenarios. I had two amazing trainers Jamie (pronounced Hi-May) and Evan. They both work at the front desk and were really cool teaching us everything we needed to know. I also had a really great class and we all became really good friends. Karen, Jen and Yolanda are all working at the Port Orleans Resort, Kevin's working at the Coronado Springs resort and Mike is working at the All-Stars. One of the coolest things about First Impressions (the name of our classroom training) is the real, fake front desk lab we get to work in. It gives us practice on checking eachother in and out and is really neat. ok...I promise to talk more about stuff later but I'm exhausted because we went to Magic Kingdom last night and then I worked a full day today. Until then.
Love,
Jess
Love,
Jess
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Time to Play
One of the best perks about working for the Disney World is the ability to go to the parks whenever we choose.
Last night, I met Ren and Meghan at Magic Kingdom after their traditions class for an hour or so of MK fun! I even got to ride the monorail for the first time on my trip. We walked over to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin for our first ride of the trip! After me failing epically at playing Buzz Lightyear we made our way over to Space Mountain so Ren and Meg could ride it but it was closed for the night already so we opted to take Ren on her first ever ride on it's a small world. We got off it's a small world and walked around the park to the Jungle Cruise. We rode the Jungle Cruise and while we were, we heard the fireworks start to go off. We left Jungle Cruise and walked towards the sea of people watching Wishes and dodged through them as fast as we could to get to the monorail first because we knew that Jen, Laura and Lo (Amanda) were waiting for us to go to Downtown Disney for dinner. So we rode the monorail to the TTC with some boys who were from Iowa and on a road trip. At the TTC we caught the bus back to Chatham where we quick changed and met the girls in Downtown Disney for dinner at House of Blues. It was very delicious (especially since I was really hungry) and a lot of fun. It was especially fun because it was our first family dinner as an apartment. After dinner we walked around Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island doing some "window shopping" and got some ice cream and the ghiradelli shop. Soooooo yummy! After we were stuffed to the brim, we came back to our apartment and went to sleep ready for another day of fun!
So today, 3 of us were lucky enough to have a day off before beginning training so we spent it in EPCOT! We boarded the bus to EPCOT at around 11:40 which took us to the backstage parking lot. After orientating ourselves, we made it through the cast entrance to the front of EPCOT. We were really hungry at this point so we made our way to The Land pavilion for some lunch. I grabbed us all fastpasses for Soarin' and then we had a really delicious lunch at the Land, Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Walnuts and a Sherry Vinaigrette. When we had finished lunch we decided to ride Living with the Land since we still had lots of time before our fastpass was ready. After Living with the Land (and seeing some very cool plants), we walked over the The Seas with Nemo and Friends! We took a bunch of pictures of the Seagulls outside because they're fun and cute and then went on the ride. Once the ride is over it leads you out to lots of aquariums and stuff which we spent lots of time looking at including the Dolphins who are so adorable. At 2:15 there was a demonstration with the dolphins that we stayed to watch which was really, really cool. They were doing research with the dolphins about how good their memory is and it truly is incredible how smart they are. When that was over, it was time for our fastpasses so we walked back over to Soarin' which I love! Such a fun ride. After Soarin' we decided to make our way around the world....World Showcase that is. We started in Canada and spent lots of time taking pictures and just walking around. I also stopped at a pin stand and bought my first pin of the trip! A 2010 pin, fittingly enough. When we got towards the end of our walk, something really cool happened, the bridge opened up near China and out came THE ILLUMINATIONS GLOBE!! I've never seen it that close before and it's even bigger than you think. That was such an awesome thing to see and I didn't even have to be backstage to see it! On our way back towards the front of the park, we stopped at Mouse Gear so I could buy some postcards and I also bought the Illuminations CD since I've been wanting it for so long and they had it. Hurray for Cast Member Discounts! We then walked more towards the entrance to the park and road Spaceship Earth before we left and got back on the bus to come home. When we got home, Jen picked us up and we ran to target to get some things and have just been chilling out since then. Ren also made us a delicious pasta dinner. :)
First day of training tomorrow! Can't wait to see what I'm really going to be doing. Until then,
Jess <3
Last night, I met Ren and Meghan at Magic Kingdom after their traditions class for an hour or so of MK fun! I even got to ride the monorail for the first time on my trip. We walked over to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin for our first ride of the trip! After me failing epically at playing Buzz Lightyear we made our way over to Space Mountain so Ren and Meg could ride it but it was closed for the night already so we opted to take Ren on her first ever ride on it's a small world. We got off it's a small world and walked around the park to the Jungle Cruise. We rode the Jungle Cruise and while we were, we heard the fireworks start to go off. We left Jungle Cruise and walked towards the sea of people watching Wishes and dodged through them as fast as we could to get to the monorail first because we knew that Jen, Laura and Lo (Amanda) were waiting for us to go to Downtown Disney for dinner. So we rode the monorail to the TTC with some boys who were from Iowa and on a road trip. At the TTC we caught the bus back to Chatham where we quick changed and met the girls in Downtown Disney for dinner at House of Blues. It was very delicious (especially since I was really hungry) and a lot of fun. It was especially fun because it was our first family dinner as an apartment. After dinner we walked around Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island doing some "window shopping" and got some ice cream and the ghiradelli shop. Soooooo yummy! After we were stuffed to the brim, we came back to our apartment and went to sleep ready for another day of fun!
So today, 3 of us were lucky enough to have a day off before beginning training so we spent it in EPCOT! We boarded the bus to EPCOT at around 11:40 which took us to the backstage parking lot. After orientating ourselves, we made it through the cast entrance to the front of EPCOT. We were really hungry at this point so we made our way to The Land pavilion for some lunch. I grabbed us all fastpasses for Soarin' and then we had a really delicious lunch at the Land, Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Candied Walnuts and a Sherry Vinaigrette. When we had finished lunch we decided to ride Living with the Land since we still had lots of time before our fastpass was ready. After Living with the Land (and seeing some very cool plants), we walked over the The Seas with Nemo and Friends! We took a bunch of pictures of the Seagulls outside because they're fun and cute and then went on the ride. Once the ride is over it leads you out to lots of aquariums and stuff which we spent lots of time looking at including the Dolphins who are so adorable. At 2:15 there was a demonstration with the dolphins that we stayed to watch which was really, really cool. They were doing research with the dolphins about how good their memory is and it truly is incredible how smart they are. When that was over, it was time for our fastpasses so we walked back over to Soarin' which I love! Such a fun ride. After Soarin' we decided to make our way around the world....World Showcase that is. We started in Canada and spent lots of time taking pictures and just walking around. I also stopped at a pin stand and bought my first pin of the trip! A 2010 pin, fittingly enough. When we got towards the end of our walk, something really cool happened, the bridge opened up near China and out came THE ILLUMINATIONS GLOBE!! I've never seen it that close before and it's even bigger than you think. That was such an awesome thing to see and I didn't even have to be backstage to see it! On our way back towards the front of the park, we stopped at Mouse Gear so I could buy some postcards and I also bought the Illuminations CD since I've been wanting it for so long and they had it. Hurray for Cast Member Discounts! We then walked more towards the entrance to the park and road Spaceship Earth before we left and got back on the bus to come home. When we got home, Jen picked us up and we ran to target to get some things and have just been chilling out since then. Ren also made us a delicious pasta dinner. :)
First day of training tomorrow! Can't wait to see what I'm really going to be doing. Until then,
Jess <3
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Walt Disney World: Where Dreams Come True
That statement has never been truer than it was today. I just got home after my traditions class and I don't know if I should laugh, or cry, or smile, or jump up and down. I'm just so overcome with emotion because my dream HAS come true.
As most of you read this post, you're going to probably laugh a little (mom, you'll cry) and probably think I'm cute but the truth is, this is my dream. I've dreamt about working for the Walt Disney World Company since I can ever remember. I think it's the only place I've ever truly wanted to work and now that I'm here, I can't believe it. But it really is real. I'm here. I work for the mouse. I'm part of making the legacy and instilling the love of Disney into some little child (and maybe some adult) just like hundreds of cast members did for me throughout my lifetime. This truly is a magical place where dreams come true.
It all started this morning with a buzz on my alarm clock at 5:30AM. I gladly rolled out of bed and got dressed in that Disney look I keep talking about. Bubbling with excitement (yet still quite sleepy) I went down to the bus at 6:30. There we boarded buses that took us to Traditions Class held at Disney University. Yes...It exists. Disney University, a place that most only dream about where everyone is happy and pictures of Splash Mountain, Cinderella Castle and Spaceship Earth adorn the wall. Where a smile cures everything and Mickey comes to visit just because. It sits right outside the Magic Kingdom in a place that most people are never allowed to see. And as the bus drove into the "undiscovered" Disney World, my eyes lit up. Although nothing more than some extra props and lots of buildings are back there, I knew there was more to come and that this was just the beginning. Boy was I right...
We entered Disney University and were checked for our Disney look before receiving our IDs. These are the fun ones. The keys to the Kingdom that get us into the parks, give us the discounts and pretty much let us do what we please. We were then put into a classroom where we got a lecture about keeping stuff confidential and the culture of integrity and all that fun stuff. Unfortunately for you all, this means I can't tell you everything that goes on. But I wouldn't do that anyway. I want you to have the magic right like you're supposed to. This was the boring part of the presentation. I honestly almost fell asleep. But then, we met our 2 traditions leaders Maggi and Alicia who ensured us that it was ok to yell and scream and cheer and be happy because that's what Disney is about. It's about FUN! And if we have fun, the guests will have fun too. So we had a character naming competition (my group came in 2nd...missing by 3 characters), learned about Disney and Safety and all sorts of other fun stuff when about an hour into the class, Maggi said that we were going to take a field trip to see the Utilidors! I honestly couldn't contain my excitement. Really? Right now? We're going there? I get to see them? The number one thing on my bucket list is going to be crossed off less than 48hrs after I get here?! I was so excited. So we gathered our things (we had a little project we had to do while we were there) and boarded a bus to get to the entrance to the Utilidors. It was amazing!! No details here other than they're huge and amazing and have pretty much everything you could need. Cafeteria, costuming (we got a peek...very neat), medical services. If you need it, it's under there. So we walked through those and were brought up some stairs which led right to Main Street USA! We walked down Main Street starring at the castle in amazement. It's never any less exciting no matter how long you've been there or how many times you've seen it. It's just magical. We proceeded to Mad Hatter's Tea Party (for all of you that know your way around the Kingdom) and stopped where we were let go in our groups to find examples of some "Disney important" things. It is there that I ran into another "must see" item from my Disney bucket list. PUSH! Ok...for all of you that have no idea who PUSH is, he is a talking garbage can that can easily be found around Cosmic Ray's Cafe in Tomorrowland. He is a working garbage can but he can move around and talk to you. Hey, this is Disney. So naturally, I knew what it was and when we spotted it, me and my 3 teammates stopped to look at it. It was then that he rolled on over and started talking to us. After poking fun at us (we were wearing earpieces and probably looked like FBI agents) we attracted quite a crowd both of fellow group CPs and of guests. One little boy was quite taken a back from him but it was really cute and all in good fun. After about 10min. of searching around Mad Hatter's Tea Party, we were led through a secret entrance in Fantasyland back to the Utilidors where we walked back to the backstage entrance and got on the bus to go back to class. The whole experience was awesome! On the bus ride back, I also got to see where the new Fantasyland expansion is going to happen. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, google it. Very exciting stuff.) :)
Back in class, we did more learning about all sorts of Disney stuff when there was a knock at the door. Maggi opens the door and who else but MICKEY walks through it!! And he was holding a present. Seriously, where else on earth does Mickey come to class and bring you presents?! And these weren't just any presents. This was the best present of all...Our Nametags!!! So with some hi's, hugs and hi-fives, Mickey was off to see the other classes and we continued on with class. It was so much fun and we even got to hear about some new stuff Disney is getting ready to do. At the end of class we finally got our nametags where we were instructed to put them on as we left the building because we all were now, officially Disney Cast Members. We boarded the buses back to Chatham and when we got off I found the rest of my apartment (they all got the afternoon class) and without giving away any hints of what was to come I just said, "It's amazing. Have Fun. I'll see you later" and went back to my apartment. I wanted them to discover all the magic for themselves because it was amazing. Actually, it was more than amazing. It was my dream come true.
So that was this morning. I'm not sure if a day could be better than today but I guess I'm just going to have to find out. I'll probably post again later. Magic Kingdom tonight with my apartment!! Can't wait to finally get to play!!
Love Forever and Always,
Jess
As most of you read this post, you're going to probably laugh a little (mom, you'll cry) and probably think I'm cute but the truth is, this is my dream. I've dreamt about working for the Walt Disney World Company since I can ever remember. I think it's the only place I've ever truly wanted to work and now that I'm here, I can't believe it. But it really is real. I'm here. I work for the mouse. I'm part of making the legacy and instilling the love of Disney into some little child (and maybe some adult) just like hundreds of cast members did for me throughout my lifetime. This truly is a magical place where dreams come true.
It all started this morning with a buzz on my alarm clock at 5:30AM. I gladly rolled out of bed and got dressed in that Disney look I keep talking about. Bubbling with excitement (yet still quite sleepy) I went down to the bus at 6:30. There we boarded buses that took us to Traditions Class held at Disney University. Yes...It exists. Disney University, a place that most only dream about where everyone is happy and pictures of Splash Mountain, Cinderella Castle and Spaceship Earth adorn the wall. Where a smile cures everything and Mickey comes to visit just because. It sits right outside the Magic Kingdom in a place that most people are never allowed to see. And as the bus drove into the "undiscovered" Disney World, my eyes lit up. Although nothing more than some extra props and lots of buildings are back there, I knew there was more to come and that this was just the beginning. Boy was I right...
We entered Disney University and were checked for our Disney look before receiving our IDs. These are the fun ones. The keys to the Kingdom that get us into the parks, give us the discounts and pretty much let us do what we please. We were then put into a classroom where we got a lecture about keeping stuff confidential and the culture of integrity and all that fun stuff. Unfortunately for you all, this means I can't tell you everything that goes on. But I wouldn't do that anyway. I want you to have the magic right like you're supposed to. This was the boring part of the presentation. I honestly almost fell asleep. But then, we met our 2 traditions leaders Maggi and Alicia who ensured us that it was ok to yell and scream and cheer and be happy because that's what Disney is about. It's about FUN! And if we have fun, the guests will have fun too. So we had a character naming competition (my group came in 2nd...missing by 3 characters), learned about Disney and Safety and all sorts of other fun stuff when about an hour into the class, Maggi said that we were going to take a field trip to see the Utilidors! I honestly couldn't contain my excitement. Really? Right now? We're going there? I get to see them? The number one thing on my bucket list is going to be crossed off less than 48hrs after I get here?! I was so excited. So we gathered our things (we had a little project we had to do while we were there) and boarded a bus to get to the entrance to the Utilidors. It was amazing!! No details here other than they're huge and amazing and have pretty much everything you could need. Cafeteria, costuming (we got a peek...very neat), medical services. If you need it, it's under there. So we walked through those and were brought up some stairs which led right to Main Street USA! We walked down Main Street starring at the castle in amazement. It's never any less exciting no matter how long you've been there or how many times you've seen it. It's just magical. We proceeded to Mad Hatter's Tea Party (for all of you that know your way around the Kingdom) and stopped where we were let go in our groups to find examples of some "Disney important" things. It is there that I ran into another "must see" item from my Disney bucket list. PUSH! Ok...for all of you that have no idea who PUSH is, he is a talking garbage can that can easily be found around Cosmic Ray's Cafe in Tomorrowland. He is a working garbage can but he can move around and talk to you. Hey, this is Disney. So naturally, I knew what it was and when we spotted it, me and my 3 teammates stopped to look at it. It was then that he rolled on over and started talking to us. After poking fun at us (we were wearing earpieces and probably looked like FBI agents) we attracted quite a crowd both of fellow group CPs and of guests. One little boy was quite taken a back from him but it was really cute and all in good fun. After about 10min. of searching around Mad Hatter's Tea Party, we were led through a secret entrance in Fantasyland back to the Utilidors where we walked back to the backstage entrance and got on the bus to go back to class. The whole experience was awesome! On the bus ride back, I also got to see where the new Fantasyland expansion is going to happen. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, google it. Very exciting stuff.) :)
Back in class, we did more learning about all sorts of Disney stuff when there was a knock at the door. Maggi opens the door and who else but MICKEY walks through it!! And he was holding a present. Seriously, where else on earth does Mickey come to class and bring you presents?! And these weren't just any presents. This was the best present of all...Our Nametags!!! So with some hi's, hugs and hi-fives, Mickey was off to see the other classes and we continued on with class. It was so much fun and we even got to hear about some new stuff Disney is getting ready to do. At the end of class we finally got our nametags where we were instructed to put them on as we left the building because we all were now, officially Disney Cast Members. We boarded the buses back to Chatham and when we got off I found the rest of my apartment (they all got the afternoon class) and without giving away any hints of what was to come I just said, "It's amazing. Have Fun. I'll see you later" and went back to my apartment. I wanted them to discover all the magic for themselves because it was amazing. Actually, it was more than amazing. It was my dream come true.
So that was this morning. I'm not sure if a day could be better than today but I guess I'm just going to have to find out. I'll probably post again later. Magic Kingdom tonight with my apartment!! Can't wait to finally get to play!!
Love Forever and Always,
Jess
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Welcome to Disney!!
So I'm going to apologize in advance for the length of this entry but it was a very busy, very fun day that has lots and lots to tell. Today was my first official day at Disney!!! So far it has been incredible although I'm still adjusting which is taking a little time. Just a lot of information to digest and think about but it's all amazing! (I'm going to try and remember everything...there's a lot)
So that day began at 7AM when Mom woke me up at the hotel to get dressed for check-in. We went down to the first floor of the hotel for breakfast and when we finished breakfast we went up and got my stuff and it was off to Vista Way to begin check-in!! Once we got there we were directed to the first of many tents and tables for the week. I then called my roommate Meghan (who I had met on facebook) and we met up to go through the whole process together since you have to if you want to room together. I met up with her and we got our "program guides" (pretty much our DCP bible for the next few days) and nametags. Then we waited on a line to go to a table where we filled in some paperwork. Then we went inside a picked where we were going to live. Meghan and I got a 3 bedroom (6 roommates) in Chatham Square which is where we wanted to live so that was really cool. Then we went to a table where they gave us our keys and explained the bus schedule to us. Next was a table where we got our pictures taken for our housing IDs (not the fun ones that get us into the parks just yet). Once we left that building we made our way outside to another line where we met with a guy who told us where we would have to be for the rest of the day. It's also where we ran into 2 of our other roommates Jen and Amanda (more on them later). We all parted ways and I met up with Mom and Dad who were at a parents holding area of sorts to go to Chatham to quick claim my room and bed and stuff before we had to take the 10:40 bus to Chatham.
So we drove over to Chatham and to my apartment 19303 and since I was the first one there I claimed our room and bed and stuff. At around 10:20, we walked over to the bus stop to take to Casting. After asking many bus drivers if that was our bus and being denied, we finally found our bus which did in fact take us to the casting center. We were then greeted by doorknobs that were in the shape of Alice and Wonderland Handles and we knew we were in Disney. We were then led to a line which would tell us where we were going to work. I got ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE working front desk!!! I was soooooo excited. I really wanted to work at one of the upper class hotels here so that was really exciting. I also got a window decal for my car which I’m very excited to be able to put on when I go home. I then moved to another table where they talked to us about the Disney Look and we got the inspection to make sure we didn’t have to change anything before we go to Traditions class because you’re not allowed to enter traditions unless you’re in the Disney Look. Disney Look is huge list of rules about your appearance that you must be in every time you’re “on stage”. It’s pretty intense but luckily I passed. :) Next we moved to a room where they took all of our work verification forms and gave us our pay cards. Next was a room where we got our training schedules and times for traditions class. The next room was on to be fingerprinted and then with a quick explanation of photopass and a first day picture, I was on my way out of casting. I met up with Mom and Dad and we went to lunch at Fridays. After lunch, they helped me unpack more of my stuff until 2:30 when they drove me over to the commons for the housing meeting. There Meg and I met up with Amanda and Jen and met one of our new roommates Laura. We went into the housing meeting which was 2 hours long. Now I know that that may sound like the most boring thing on the planet. Think first day of moving into a dorm meetings at college. But this is Disney, so it was actually really, really funny. The first girl was super boring but the guy who was there from Disney kept us entertained the whole time. When the meeting was over I walked back to my room and started unpacking my stuff. I (naturally) brought wayyyy to much stuff with me. But somehow I managed to get it all to fit. We spent most of the rest of the night getting our rooms in order and getting to know everyone in the apartment. So far everyone seems really cool and it looks like we’re going to get along. I’m still trying to get everyone straight but I’ll see if I can give you a quick rundown of everyone.
Meghan: My roommate. Meg and I live in room 1 of the apartment. She’s originally from Towson, Maryland and is a sophomore at Virginia Tech as Hospitality and Marketing Major. She’s working as a lifeguard in both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.
Amanda: Amanda lives in room 2 and is from somewhere in the middle of nowhere Illinois. She’s also an interior design major and a junior. She’s working in Merchandise in EPCOT.
Laura: Laura lives in room 2 with Amanda. She’s a freshman from Texas majoring in Psychology, Biology and minoring in Anthropology. She’s working in I believe Quick Service Food and Beverage and the Animal Kingdom.
Lauren (aka Ren): Ren lives in room 3. She’s a cinema major originally from England although she’s lived in Reading, PA since she was 8. She goes to school in Tennessee (I think) and is working Merchandise at Hollywood Studios.
Jen: Jen is Ren’s roommate and like Amanda is from Illinois although more of the city part of the state. She’s working Full Service Food and Beverage at the Liberty Tree in the Magic Kingdom and is super excited about having to wear a bonnet (not!). =P
So that’s our room…We manage to cover every single theme park and the water parks plus a hotel so we’ve really got the entire property covered. I’m excited to get our costumes (Disney’s word for uniforms) and see how different they are. We’ve already vowed to take an apartment picture in full uniform no matter how awful they may be.
That’s pretty much day 1. It was a ton of information to take in (I told you the post would be long) but I don’t want to forget it. Today (day 2) we have off and then we start full force tomorrow with Traditions Class! With all the excitement is coming so nerves but I just can’t wait to really get started. More later…
Have a Magical Day.
Jess
P.S. I decided that at the end of each post I’m going to post a Disney fact. Hopefully it’ll make you all a little more Disney knowledgeable the next time you talk to me. Disney Fact #1: The Magic Kingdom Tunnels under the park are called Utilidors which is short for Utility Corridors.
So that day began at 7AM when Mom woke me up at the hotel to get dressed for check-in. We went down to the first floor of the hotel for breakfast and when we finished breakfast we went up and got my stuff and it was off to Vista Way to begin check-in!! Once we got there we were directed to the first of many tents and tables for the week. I then called my roommate Meghan (who I had met on facebook) and we met up to go through the whole process together since you have to if you want to room together. I met up with her and we got our "program guides" (pretty much our DCP bible for the next few days) and nametags. Then we waited on a line to go to a table where we filled in some paperwork. Then we went inside a picked where we were going to live. Meghan and I got a 3 bedroom (6 roommates) in Chatham Square which is where we wanted to live so that was really cool. Then we went to a table where they gave us our keys and explained the bus schedule to us. Next was a table where we got our pictures taken for our housing IDs (not the fun ones that get us into the parks just yet). Once we left that building we made our way outside to another line where we met with a guy who told us where we would have to be for the rest of the day. It's also where we ran into 2 of our other roommates Jen and Amanda (more on them later). We all parted ways and I met up with Mom and Dad who were at a parents holding area of sorts to go to Chatham to quick claim my room and bed and stuff before we had to take the 10:40 bus to Chatham.
So we drove over to Chatham and to my apartment 19303 and since I was the first one there I claimed our room and bed and stuff. At around 10:20, we walked over to the bus stop to take to Casting. After asking many bus drivers if that was our bus and being denied, we finally found our bus which did in fact take us to the casting center. We were then greeted by doorknobs that were in the shape of Alice and Wonderland Handles and we knew we were in Disney. We were then led to a line which would tell us where we were going to work. I got ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE working front desk!!! I was soooooo excited. I really wanted to work at one of the upper class hotels here so that was really exciting. I also got a window decal for my car which I’m very excited to be able to put on when I go home. I then moved to another table where they talked to us about the Disney Look and we got the inspection to make sure we didn’t have to change anything before we go to Traditions class because you’re not allowed to enter traditions unless you’re in the Disney Look. Disney Look is huge list of rules about your appearance that you must be in every time you’re “on stage”. It’s pretty intense but luckily I passed. :) Next we moved to a room where they took all of our work verification forms and gave us our pay cards. Next was a room where we got our training schedules and times for traditions class. The next room was on to be fingerprinted and then with a quick explanation of photopass and a first day picture, I was on my way out of casting. I met up with Mom and Dad and we went to lunch at Fridays. After lunch, they helped me unpack more of my stuff until 2:30 when they drove me over to the commons for the housing meeting. There Meg and I met up with Amanda and Jen and met one of our new roommates Laura. We went into the housing meeting which was 2 hours long. Now I know that that may sound like the most boring thing on the planet. Think first day of moving into a dorm meetings at college. But this is Disney, so it was actually really, really funny. The first girl was super boring but the guy who was there from Disney kept us entertained the whole time. When the meeting was over I walked back to my room and started unpacking my stuff. I (naturally) brought wayyyy to much stuff with me. But somehow I managed to get it all to fit. We spent most of the rest of the night getting our rooms in order and getting to know everyone in the apartment. So far everyone seems really cool and it looks like we’re going to get along. I’m still trying to get everyone straight but I’ll see if I can give you a quick rundown of everyone.
Meghan: My roommate. Meg and I live in room 1 of the apartment. She’s originally from Towson, Maryland and is a sophomore at Virginia Tech as Hospitality and Marketing Major. She’s working as a lifeguard in both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.
Amanda: Amanda lives in room 2 and is from somewhere in the middle of nowhere Illinois. She’s also an interior design major and a junior. She’s working in Merchandise in EPCOT.
Laura: Laura lives in room 2 with Amanda. She’s a freshman from Texas majoring in Psychology, Biology and minoring in Anthropology. She’s working in I believe Quick Service Food and Beverage and the Animal Kingdom.
Lauren (aka Ren): Ren lives in room 3. She’s a cinema major originally from England although she’s lived in Reading, PA since she was 8. She goes to school in Tennessee (I think) and is working Merchandise at Hollywood Studios.
Jen: Jen is Ren’s roommate and like Amanda is from Illinois although more of the city part of the state. She’s working Full Service Food and Beverage at the Liberty Tree in the Magic Kingdom and is super excited about having to wear a bonnet (not!). =P
So that’s our room…We manage to cover every single theme park and the water parks plus a hotel so we’ve really got the entire property covered. I’m excited to get our costumes (Disney’s word for uniforms) and see how different they are. We’ve already vowed to take an apartment picture in full uniform no matter how awful they may be.
That’s pretty much day 1. It was a ton of information to take in (I told you the post would be long) but I don’t want to forget it. Today (day 2) we have off and then we start full force tomorrow with Traditions Class! With all the excitement is coming so nerves but I just can’t wait to really get started. More later…
Have a Magical Day.
Jess
P.S. I decided that at the end of each post I’m going to post a Disney fact. Hopefully it’ll make you all a little more Disney knowledgeable the next time you talk to me. Disney Fact #1: The Magic Kingdom Tunnels under the park are called Utilidors which is short for Utility Corridors.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Less than 12 hours...
Another short entry because I'm tired...
The day started with a visit by Amiee and Devan at the apartment who I was very excited to see since I haven't in over a year. Then at about 2, we drove to Orlando and are currently staying at the Marriott until I check into my Disney apartment early tomorrow morning. We also had dinner with Uncle Keith and other than that, the day wasn't all that intersting to write about. lol. It still doesn't feel like I'm actually checking in tomorrow. The nerves are setting in a little as is the excitement. I promise tomorrow will bring an entry full of lots of fun stuff. I can't wait to find out.
Until Tomorrow,
Jess
The day started with a visit by Amiee and Devan at the apartment who I was very excited to see since I haven't in over a year. Then at about 2, we drove to Orlando and are currently staying at the Marriott until I check into my Disney apartment early tomorrow morning. We also had dinner with Uncle Keith and other than that, the day wasn't all that intersting to write about. lol. It still doesn't feel like I'm actually checking in tomorrow. The nerves are setting in a little as is the excitement. I promise tomorrow will bring an entry full of lots of fun stuff. I can't wait to find out.
Until Tomorrow,
Jess
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Off and Running...
So here it goes, day 1 of this amazing adventure I'm about to embark on this semester. Technically I guess yesterday should have been day 1 because that's when we flew into Ft. Lauderdale but today was my first full day in Florida so I'm starting now.
First off, it's FREEZING in Florida! I wanted to go swimming today but that couldn't happen because it as like 40 degrees and raining. It even snowed in some parts of Orlando and Tampa today!! Florida is supposed to be warm. This is not ok. lol. It better start getting warmer pretty soon. I am in desperate need of a tan.
It was probably better off that it was not a pool day because we spent most of the day shopping getting me all the extra stuff I need for Disney. The day ended with a delicious dinner with the Boilens and the Teitelbaums at the Boca West Steakhouse. Soooo yummy! (Thanks for dinner Howie!) Now it's just about bedtime. Tomorrow we leave for Orlanda and then check-in on Monday! It still doesn't feel real. I can't believe it's all really happening. More to come soon...
Love Always,
Jess
First off, it's FREEZING in Florida! I wanted to go swimming today but that couldn't happen because it as like 40 degrees and raining. It even snowed in some parts of Orlando and Tampa today!! Florida is supposed to be warm. This is not ok. lol. It better start getting warmer pretty soon. I am in desperate need of a tan.
It was probably better off that it was not a pool day because we spent most of the day shopping getting me all the extra stuff I need for Disney. The day ended with a delicious dinner with the Boilens and the Teitelbaums at the Boca West Steakhouse. Soooo yummy! (Thanks for dinner Howie!) Now it's just about bedtime. Tomorrow we leave for Orlanda and then check-in on Monday! It still doesn't feel real. I can't believe it's all really happening. More to come soon...
Love Always,
Jess
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