Running around....

Yeah for days off!!! I decided that today I was going to spend the day wandering around Animal Kingdom. Now I know what you are thinking, “Why in heaven’s name would I want to go to the very park I work at on my day off?” Well, the answer is simple, because even though I work there, I only see one building 5 days a week for 6 – 8 hours, and there is so much more that needs to be explored!

My day started on the 8:44am bus to Animal Kingdom where it would first drop me off at wardrobe so I could switch my dirty costumes from last week with nice new ones for this week .When I got back home I was met by a surprise birthday package from my best friend, Kira, who is currently living in Germany! I was so excited! She sent me German chocolate and a wonderful letter! It’s been so long since I’ve heard from her!


Then it was back out to the bus stop to catch a bus back to Animal Kingdom. It was so strange walking through the main entrance. When I go for work, I peel off to the right before the main entrance and make my way backstage where it takes me 2 minutes to get to work. Today, however, I had to walk through the whole park (okay, just a part of it) to get back to where my restaurant is located. It took about 10 minutes! I couldn’t believe it! On the way there, I stopped long enough to get a picture of Flame Tree, my “home away from home” if you will. Once at Resto, I decided to stop in for lunch and visit my friends while they were working! I ordered our Shrimp Po-Boy, which was DELICIOUS! After I was done eating, I took pictures of Resto. I love all the decorations! Just thinking about the amount of imagination that went into to creating that one location boggles my mind!

Then it was time to wander! But I didn’t manage to get very far because I got distracted by the “Finding Nemo The Musical” which was starting soon (just my luck!). And because I love that show so much and because I really didn’t have a plan for the day, I decided why not see it again?! (That makes 3 times since I’ve been here! And I will keep seeing it over and over!) It truly is an amazing show! Today, I saw the best actor playing the turtle, Crush. His vocal range was amazing! And the song “Go With the Flow” is quickly becoming my favorite! I already have it memorized! Check out this amazing youtube video (I don’t know if it’s the same guy that I saw or not) of the song!

When the show ended and we were all getting ready to leave the theater, Mother Nature decided THAT would be the PERFECT time to let a massive rain fall! It was pouring! You couldn’t see five feet in front of you! The cast members working at the theater were all very nice, they said that we could stay until it slowed down, but at the same time they were trying to get ready for the next group of guests coming in to see the finial production of the show that night. I stuck around the theater for 20 minutes or so hoping the rain would slow. It didn’t, of course, but lucky for me, I remembered my Disney raincoat (no hood, boo!) and had that to keep some of the water off me. I got tired of waiting and made a break for the bus stop. I was freezing by the time we got back to Chattam, I was soaked to the bone! So I made a snap decision to get on the Wal-Mart bus to buy a hoodie and sweat pants. (I really didn’t think I’d need those in Florida, I guess I was wrong.)
While waiting for the bus at Wal-Mart, I received a text message from one of my roommates begging me to come save her in Downtown Disney. She was there with a guy she met down here and she said the whole situation was just awkward. He wasn’t really talking to her. He didn’t really say anything to me when I got there either. Bright side of the evening, we at Earl of Sandwich, and my meal was so good! I will go back there to order something again! Anyways, we finally convinced this guy that we needed to be going for the night and he offered to drive us home, instead of us having to ride the bus back, so that was nice of him.

Back at home, I was still so cold that I put on my new warm outfit and climbed under all the covers on my bed and took a nice nap. And now that I’m up again…. Who knows what I’ll do now!

Deployed

I’ve been deployed! I don’t know why, but for some reason or another, for this week I’m being sent to work at another restaurant in Animal Kingdom. I will be at the newly reopened Flame Tree, which means that I had to go get a NEW COSTUME! I like wearing this one because it feels like I’m wearing my PJs to work, but at the same time, I feel more comfortable in my Resto costume.

I had no idea where to go this morning or any idea about Flame Tree at all, so I was very grateful when I met a woman named Susan who showed me where the backstage entrance was and introduced me to everyone at Flame Tree so I would feel included.

It was weird being somewhere else. First of all, I had to walk through the park to get to the location, which is on Discovery Island, right around the corner from Dino Land USA, where I usually work. Also, everything but the kitchen is outside in the open. And there was no music playing! But, when Flame Tree opens at 11am, it is the most fun! We get to bang on pots and pans and yell and make a big deal so that all the guests know that we are open and ready for them to come! I suggest hanging around Flame Tree at opening to see this for yourself, it’s a lot of fun!

Because I’m not trained at this location, the only thing I could really do was filler on the counter, which was fine because you get to interact with the guests, but it’s done so differently than what I’m use to. There are four people who bring the trays of food to the guests, and four other people who fill the drinks orders and take only those to the guests. In theory, this method should work, however, it doesn’t because we aren’t suppose to take the food to the guest UNLESS they have their drinks and 9 times out of 10 the food will be sitting on the counter because the drinks people are so far behind in filling the order because the printers haven’t been working properly. Then you get that random guest who ordered only food and no drink, so we will be holding their tray on the counter not knowing they had no drink (they are the ones who get mad, which is totally understandable).

Anyways, that is what I will be doing all week long because I’m not trained to work in the kitchen. But I guess I could help prep for the next day, or help cast members clean. Who knows…. All I know is that I am going to be so glad to go back to Resto! It’s been one day and I miss it already.


Oh, one other thing about Flame Tree that I love! You can watch the parade if you are working on counter because it goes right by! Also, Flame Tree cast members are assigned PAC (Parade Audience Control) duty, which is something I wish we got to do at Resto. I think it would be a lot of fun to help out along the parade route, friends I’ve told this to who do PAC think I’m crazy, but I wonder if it has more to do with they get to do it all the time and I’ve never had the chance.

Dr. Feel-Good Account Update

So I promised to share some of the things that I deposited into my “Dr. Feel-Good” account this week, so here they are.


On Tuesday, September 21, 2010, one of my managers came up to me while I was working on the counter and asked if I would mind doing some “Magical Moments” with a couple of toy Mr. Potato Heads. Basically, I got paid to play with little kids in the dinning rooms while they were waiting on their food to come. It was amazing to see how excited and animated they would become, and as they were putting together Mr. Potato Head, many of them told me all about their day and were thrilled when I asked more questions. But it wasn’t just the kids who were happy that I came over, it was their parents, too. Many of them would be sitting at the table with the kids while another person from their party was waiting in line, and I could tell that some of them had no idea what to do to keep their kids entertained during the wait. I was glad to give them a rest as well. And many of them asked me questions about working at Disney and my experience with the Company. A few families I met were visiting from my hometown area, so that was really neat for me because they would recognize the name of my school on my name tag!


Also while I was walking around the dinning rooms, I saw two of my roommates who had come to my restaurant to eat on their day off. It was fun talking to them for a couple minutes as they were finishing their meal.


Later that night, all of us who were home watched “Glee” together in the living room, kind of like one big family! It’s so wonderful to be surrounded by roommates who make me feel included and important. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls to live with!


On Thursday, September 23, 2010, I was very glad to see that someone had taken the time to write God = : ) in the sky. It really made my day to see that while walking into work. It also helped that I was already in a REALLY GOOD MOOD!


Today, I got the chance to do another Magical Moment. This time, I was on counter again when a manager came over to me and asked if I knew how to draw the hopscotch game. When I told him I did, he told me to get the chalk and draw the game on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, them to encourage the guests (off all ages) to play a game of hopscotch as they were coming into or leaving our area. I had a BLAST out there! When some of the younger children didn’t know how to play, I got to show them. (Believe me, it was interesting playing hopscotch in my Resto costume! But it was so much fun to make them smile and laugh!)

These are just a couple of the things that I have added to my Dr. Feel-Good account this week. It’s amazing how many opportunities we have to add to our accounts if we only just open our eyes and look at what’s happening in the world around us. And it’s simple, everyday things to us that could mean the world to someone else. For example, it is my role in the show to smile and be positive and upbeat and happy. The guests expect that from me, and when they are tired, hot, and hungry, possibly even a little angry, I can help to brighten their day back up and add to their feel-good accounts just by being the happy and upbeat person that I am. It’s so magical to see the way people change their attitudes when you smile at them and take an interest in how their day has been going. Sometimes, all they need is a chance to talk and I am happy that I have the opportunity to listen to the stories they have to share.

Tonight I enjoyed some quiet time while I watched a (somewhat depressing) thunderstorm from my balcony. It was nice to have that time to myself to think and reflect on the day and my life. Sometimes we just go and go and forget that a little down time is what we really need in our lives. It’s during this time that we can refresh and recharge our batteries for the next day. And to add to my evening, I spent some time with Scott. He showed me a preview of some of the vlogs he’s working on. It turned out to be a wonderful evening.

Disney Classes

Today was my last day off in my 4 day weekend, but in my mind I went back to work because I spent 8 hours in class today. While I am down here working, I am also taking 2 classes through Disney that will transfer back to my university as credit in the spring. The courses I’m taking are: Marketing You and Corporate Communications. And the best part about my classes, the location. Both classes are at Patterson Courtm the apartment complet where I am living. So I literally walk down a flight of stairs and over to the pool area whre the classrooms are. Oh, and for class, I have to wear business professional attire and my Disney name tag (VERY IMPORTANT - NEVER GO TO CLASS WITHOUT THAT THING ON!) And after today's introductory classes, I really think that I'm going to enjoy them.

“Marketing You” is going to be my favorite class, I’m sure of this. My instructor is so funny. Her name is Miss Penny Hightower. She is so enthusiastic about her role in the show as our instructor. She is bubbly and just has an air about her that makes you want to smile! She makes the time go by so quickly. One of my favorite things that she talked to us about was our “Dr. Feel-Good” accounts. She showed us this basket filled with stuffed animals and notes from former students and told us that was part of her personal “Dr. Feel-Good” account. Miss Penny said that on days that are hard, when she just can’t remember why she needs to get up and put on her “show shoes”, she reaches turns to Dr. Feel-Good to remember. She shared with us stories and notes from past students and some of the ways they have made deposits into her “Dr. Feel-Good” account. She told us there were three ways to make deposits:


1. Do something nice for someone else
2. Acknowledge when someone does something nice for you

Miss Penny’s personal favorite:

3. Do something nice for yourself.

She challenged us to each make deposits into our “Dr. Feel-Good” accounts during the week and that we would start each class by sharing some of the deposits we have made. This idea makes a lot of since, and I don’t know why I haven’t thought about it before now. By remembering all the nice things you have done, or others have done for you, or even those times when you just have to take care of yourself, you forget about all those things that make life difficult, all those situations that make going to work depressing, or make dealing with certain individuals a lot easier. So, I’m extending Miss Penny’s challenge to you, find little ways this week to increase your own “Dr. Feel-Good” account. I’ll do my best to share some of my deposits with you in the coming weeks, but if I forget, feel free to remind me!


I don’t really have a lot to say about my Corporate Communications class. It is very similar to the Intro to Public Relations class I took as a freshman in college. So, in a way, that’s a good thing, because a lot of the information I will already have some knowledge of the subject. My instructor for this class is Brenda Vander Pol and she, too, makes learning a lot of fun. And I know for a fact that while I got really annoyed with this type of class back at school because of the professor, I know that this class is going to be a completely different (and hopefully wonderful) experience.

Wishes at Magic Kingdom

Tonight I went to see “Wishes” at Magic Kingdom with my roommates Kari. We made it to the park literally 5 minutes before the show started! “Wishes” is an AMAZING firework show, and I don’t know why, but I still get kind of emotional when I see it (and this makes the second time). I think it mostly has to do with the music and the lyrics:

“Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight. We’ll make a wish, and do as dreamers do (do as dreamers do), and all our wishes will come true…”  

When the show was over, we decided to hang around the park until we couldn’t do anything because of Extra Magic Hours. We started out on the Tomorrowland® Transit Authority PeopleMover. Basically this ride takes you all around Tomorrowland and tells you about all the attractions there. It was a nice little ride. Then we made our way to “Big Thunder Mountain” in Frontierland. That ride is so much fun in the dark! We finished up the night by getting Dole Whips. I got an Orange and Vanilla twist. It was really good, but it was melting so fast!

Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

Holy Cow! Where has the time gone? I can’t believe that I have lived in Florida and worked for Disney for a month already! I honestly can’t believe how fast it has gone! So much has been happening lately and I feel like there is so much that I haven't even told you yet! I feel like I am on a speeding roller coaster and the end is near. I just can’t get over how quick this month has flown! I knew it would once I got into my new routine and started exploring and meeting new people, but honestly, A MONTH ALREADY!? Come on Father Time, just this once could you pause, slow down or freeze?! I NEED more time!

Epcot

Today was AWESOME!!! Scott and I really didn’t have a game plan for the day, so we decided to get on the first cast member bus for the parks that came. Turns out it was the Epcot bus, so off we went! Once again, I was baffled by the cast only areas and how easy it is to get all turned around! We had to take another back stage bus, and I was surprised to find that we had somehow gotten to the front of the park when it felt like we were driving towards the back!

Our day at Epcot began on Spaceship Earth (inside the Epcot ball). This ride was awesome, you get to travel back to the beginning of time and see how the history of mankind has been shaped. You even get a chance to imagine your own version of the future by answering some questions while on the ride. I think we ended up living in the country, with a machine that told us what outfits to wear everyday, our house helped us schedule out the days activities and then we caught the flying train (so something like that) to work. LOL…. It was so much better to watch playing out than how I’m describing it.

Other rides for the day included but were not limited to:

• The Seas with Nemo and Friends - you get to ride in a “clamobile” under the ocean as you help characters from the movie find Nemo once again!

• Journey Into Imagination With Figment - this was so much fun, Figment is such a cute little dragon with a huge imagination! And trust me; he puts it to good use on this ride. You never know what he’ll throw at you next!

• Living With the Land – This is a nice boat ride located in The Land Pavilion that takes guests on travels through the rain forest, on an adventure to explore new plant growth technologies, while trying to preserve and protect the environment. You are introduced to many beautiful plants and creative ideas to better use our limited resources.

• Soarin’ – We ended up getting a Fast Pass for this ride because we decided the wait was too long. This could quickly become one of my favorite rides! It simulates hang-gliding over beautiful California. There are a couple surprises thrown into the ride to give you the full flight experience. A word of caution, if you have a fear of heights, or are prone to motion sickness, this is not the ride for you.

• Test Track – By far my most favorite ride at Disney World! The best way to describe this ride is ask a question: When you see the commercials for car dealers that use the crash test dummies, have you ever wondered what that would feel like? Well wonder no more because this ride gives you a first-hand look at the life and job of those brave dummies! This is a ride that you must first ride during the day, but if you are a thrill seeker, you will go back at night and do it again!

We tried sodas from all around the world at Club Cool… best part, it was FOR FREE! There were a few that were really good, others need to be avoided (but that is my personal opinion, feel free to try any and all). And speaking of around the world, we went on a quick world tour around Epcot’s World Showcase. This is where you can enjoy the variety of many cultures all in one location! The countries represented at include:

1. Canada

2. United Kingdom (where Scott tells me they have really good Fish & Chips)

3. France (My favorite country in all of Epcot, here we saw some crazy performing waiters that were balancing on top of chairs that were     balancing on top of wine bottles. But it’s not as exciting to hear about as it was to see, so check out Scott’s vlog to see what we saw!)

4. Morocco

5. Japan (Here we found a hidden Mickey on a drain. We also explored the stores a little, cool things to be bought in Japan!)

6. United States

7. Italy

8. Germany

9. China

10. Norway

11. Mexico

I knew today was going to be amazing, and I wasn’t disappointed. The weather was perfect, the park wasn’t overly crowed and I had an amazing time spending the day with Scott. And believe it or not, there was still a lot to see and do! But that will have to be another day! Another adventure!

Extra Magic Hours

Ahhhhh! Yesterday I worked my first “Extra Magic Hours”! Usually, Animal Kingdom stays open until 5:00pm, but on certain days during the week, we stay open until 8:00pm for Guests staying at the Disney Resorts. This means that my work location was also opened until 8:00pm instead of our usual 5:00pm.


I didn’t have to be at work until 1:00pm, so I spent my morning sleeping in, playing on facebook, doing laundry, and watching the Today Show! Thinking about it now, it’s a really good thing I didn’t have to be in until the afternoon because I needed the sleep after the late night I had yesterday! (But trust me, I’m not complaining about it at all! Last night was about as perfect as a night can get!)

Once at work, I spent most of the day bussing tables, sweeping the floor and taking out the trash. Not glamorous work, but someone has to do the dirty work in order for the whole restaurant to run smoothly. And besides, part of the magic is coming to a place that is clean and organized! And my managers must have thought I was doing a good job because they decided that I would also be closing bussing at the end of the night, but holy cow, thank goodness that is a two person job! There is so much to do and we only have an hour and a half or so to do it! I’m not kidding, I felt like I was running from one task to the next trying to get out on time. I think I clocked out at 9:50 and the bus didn’t come pick the cast members up until 10 something. Then it was an hour home (thanks to sitting at Vista Way for 20 minutes), so by the time I walked back to my apartment, changed and ate something for dinner it was well after midnight and lucky me, I had to be back at work at 11:00am! But, that was fine with me because I knew that once I clocked out at the end of the night, I was going into a 4 day weekend!!

And now I just can’t wait until tomorrow! I will be spending the day running around one of the parks with Scott. He promised to show me all of the cool things that I haven’t seen yet, which is a lot still!! So I can’t wait, wherever we end up, it’s going to be a lot of fun! Well that’s all for now, off to watch a movie with a friend! So until I post again, good night readers!

BIRTHDAY - DISNEY STLYE!

Yeah!!! Today was my birthday and celebrated Disney Style! Sadly, I had to work, but thank goodness it wasn’t too terrible. I did a lot of prep work, I was cutting tomatoes, getting the desserts ready, prepping trays of bacon for tomorrow among other odds and ends. It was great at work because the new College Program students that trained with me knew it was my birthday thanks to Facebook and they kept wishing me happy birthday whenever they saw me! (For the past week they have been trying to convince me to wear my birthday button to work! Haha, I didn’t because I knew I’d have to take it off.) Also, there is this one full time cast member that I have gotten close to named Violeta, I believe I’ve mentioned her before. She also knew it was my birthday and told the managers before she left for the day. I didn’t know that until we had our post closing meeting and they brought out a cheesecake with a lit candle in it for me! And then all the cast members sang “Happy Birthday!” Then I made a wish (can’t tell you what it was, but I’m thinking it’ll come true!) and blew out the candle. Then it was off to catch the bus home so I could get ready to go out with my roommates! But the surprises weren’t over yet. Scott was waiting for me at the bus stop! And he also remembered it was my birthday! It was a strange ride home, it went by really slow because I wanted to go out and celebrate, but it also went by really fast!


Once back at my apartment, I was met by a lovely birthday display waiting on our dining room table. My roommate Amanda even made red velvet cupcakes! After I quickly changed and got all cute for my birthday, we decided to go eat at Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney. What was awesome about that was that as cast members, all we had to do was show our IDs and we were treated as VIPs, meaning we got the VERY next table that was available. I think we waited all of 5 minutes. The inside of the restaurant was crazy! There were all kinds of memorabilia from movies and shows, TVs everywhere playing music videos and a DJ taking requests. My roommates told our waitress that we were there for my birthday and she had the DJ announce it to everyone! He even played a Mariah Carey song dedicated to me! We all had a blast at dinner, the food was good. When we were getting ready to leave, our waitress brought me out an ice cream sundae with two lit candles. My friends sang me happy birthday and once again I made a wish (okay, I wished for the same thing as before, so hopefully that increases the chances of it coming true!) and blew out the candles. The 5 of us ate that little sundae, even though we were going to be heading over to Beaches & Cream to get a “Kitchen Sink”, the ultimate ice cream sundae!



Left - Back to front: Mary, Me, Hannah
Right - Back to front: Kari, Ashley, Tiffany

We met up with another roommate at Beaches & Cream, and it was a good thing too, because we needed all the help we could get if we were going to finish that thing! I don’t even know where to start in describing this thing! Try to imagine this: Eight Scoops of Ice Cream served with all the Toppings in the house (including, but not limited to: fudge, strawberries, caramel, pineapple, almonds, Oreos, Snickers, and more) and a whole can of Whipped Cream on top! Oh and the best part about this thing, it’s served in a bowl that looks like a Kitchen Sink, faucet and all! When our waiter brought it out to us, the whole room was alerted with loud noises and flashing lights! Our waiter even paraded it around for everyone to see! He also brought me a birthday balloon, too!

And then it was time to dig in! But where was the ICE CREAM! It took us forever to find it hidden under all that whipped cream! It was a surprise every time you put your spoon in the bowl! You just never knew what flavor or hidden treat you would pull out next! Between the 6 of us, we finished most of it and we had the stomach aches to prove it! We would have finished the bowl, but the ice cream was melting too fast and all the flavors were mixing together, just didn’t look appetizing after that! 

Back at the apartment, I opened my gifts from my family, my grandparents and my roommates! My awesome roommate, Hannah, even took pictures for me so I could send them home to my family! But my night didn’t end there; Scott invited me over to watch “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” with him! Not going to lie, that movie was super cute! What a birthday it was! I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate! Or better friends, either! Thanks everyone for making my day super special! It’s a birthday for the record books!!!

Illuminations

Today was a somewhat stressful day at work. It was my first time flying solo on the fryers, and I’ll be honest, I was scared! I was in charge of left fryers and my only job was to keep the regular fries fresh and hot on the expo line because I was the ONLY ONE cooking them! I was doing well until the lunch rush hit. But I am proud to say that I only got behind once! I was so proud of myself. When the lunch rush was over, they closed down left fryers and I was sent on break. While eating my lunch, I discovered that I had new burns on my arms from hitting the hot metal on the expo line when I was putting the fries on the line and blisters forming on my palms from lifting and carrying the heavy fryer pans. It also didn’t help that my gloves were holding in moisture and keeping my hands moist, causing the gloves to slide. But, in all, it could have been worse!

After my break, I found out that I was going to be closing fryers, which is a job that I don’t mind at all. I actually kind of enjoy it, because I know what I am doing now and I can go faster. I know where to find all the equipment I need. I like feeling like I know what I’m doing now! And boy, were those fryers nice and clean by the time I was done with them!


While waiting for the bus in the cast parking lot, I was really excited to get a text from Scott, who I met down here asking if I’d like to go see the fireworks at Epcot with him when I got home from work. I decided that it sounded like a good way to make a not so great day at work better. So I called him when I got off the bus and we decided to meet up after I had a chance to change out of my costume. 20 minutes later or so, he was waiting for my outside my building, and off we went to meet the bus.

On our way to Epcot, we talked and got to know each other better. He told me he was into magic, and even showed me a few coin and card tricks during the evening. I will admit, I was VERY impressed. The whole time we were on the bus, we were laughing and talking and enjoying each other’s company. Once at Epcot, I felt like I was on my own personal tour of backstage, as Scott showed me all the things that were different in Epcot’s backstage, as compared to Animal Kingdom’s, where we both work. Once inside the park, we still had a while before the fireworks were scheduled to start, so we got in line for “Test Track” (about a 5 minute wait, it was so wonderful!), which was not only one of his favorite rides, but mine as well. Now, if you have never been on “Test Track”, you NEED to do this on your next visit to Epcot. But if you want to have even more fun on this ride, you will ride it once during the day and then again at night! Even though it is the same ride, the experience is totally different! I was in such a good mood after that, and we still hadn’t seen the fireworks yet! The evening could only go up from there!

Since Scott has been here since May, I asked where the best place to watch the fireworks show is. In his opinion, it was from Mexico, and so, we found a nice spot and waited until it was time for the show to start! Once again, he did more magic tricks for me! I loved it! It was a perfect night, I was at Epcot with a great guy and we were having a great time, he was making me laugh and doing magic and when the fireworks started, the evening went from 9 to 10!

Like I said, he has been here since May, but this is also his second program, so needless to say, he has seen “Illuminations” many times, and thus has learned the musical cues for when the fireworks go off. It was so fun to watch as he acted out the opening few minutes of “Illuminations” as if he were controlling the show! (Yes, it was that good!) The show itself was breathtaking! There were a few things I remembered from seeing it as a child, but the ending (and in my opinion, the best part) I had somehow forgotten! Watching the fireworks was a wonderful way to wind down my night. The combination of fireworks, water and other special effects was just what I needed. Believe it or not, during the whole show, I didn’t take ONE PICTURE! LOL…. Shocking, I know. My roommates couldn’t believe it either when they asked me how many I'd taken when I got home!


When the fireworks ended, we made our way back to the cast members’ bus so we could head back home. It was so crowed on the bus that we ended up sitting on the stairs by the back door. I can honestly say I’ve never sat there before, but it was nice because we were out of the way. All in all, the evening couldn’t have been much more fun! I truly love how going to the parks as a guest after a hard day at work reminds you why you are here. Seeing the joy on the faces of the guests (all ages, not just children) reminds you that you are a part of this magical and elite family that is responsible for making the magic and providing an escape from everyday life. It’s in those moments, that I know I am in the right place at the right time for me!

What are you Celebrating...?



Left to right: Minnie, Viola, Me, Tameesha, Merric and Mickey



Today happened to be one of my first days off since “Earning my Ears”. To celebrate, I spent the day running around Magic Kingdom and eventually Hollywood Studios with a group of girls that I work with. The first thing we did upon arriving at the park was locate the cart with all the Disney buttons! We each wore one that said “I am celebrating my day off!” and then I also had a “Happy Birthday” button! Then it was off to “The Hall of Presidents”. It was the best 22 minute history lesson ever! I couldn’t believe how life-like the Presidents were! I really can’t explain it; it’s just one of those attractions you will have to visit at the Magic Kingdom! From there it was off to “Splash Mountain”. I’m not going to lie, that ride had me a bit freaked out! I was in the very front car BY MYSELF! Hahaha, there were three of us in our group and my friends quickly jumped into the second car, saying “the birthday girl needs to ride in the front!” (Thanks guys! LOL) But it was a lot of fun and I ended up buying that picture! From there it was off to “Big Thunder Mountain”, “The Peter Pan” ride, and the “Mad Hatter Tea Party” (aka: the tea cups). We also walked around Minnie and Mickey’s houses, met three Disney Princesses (Cinderella, Belle and Aurora), met Mickey and Minnie at the Judge’s Tent in Toontown, had lunch at Cosmic Rays, went on “Space Mountain” and finished off the day at Magic Kingdom at the “Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor”! That was one awesome show! The monsters interact with the audience. I won’t tell you a lot because you have to experience it for yourself, but I was a part of the show! My picture showed up on the screen and a cast member came over to where I was sitting with a microphone. I got to help the “mind reading monster” with his act. He asked me to think of a number 1 – 99 and then to tell the audience after he CLOSED HIS EYES SO HE WOULDN’T HEAR. Then he had me put my hands on the side of my head, stick my pointer fingers up like antennas and say the magic words: Boom-shacka-laka Boom-shacka-laka, Boom. I was so embarrassed, but it was a lot of fun at the same time! Then the monster said the number he thought I was thinking of! LOL… wrong answer, but he got it right on the second try! He also pointed out my “Happy Birthday” button to the entire audience!

From Magic Kingdom it was onto the ferry boat, which would take us to the parking lot, where we would catch the Disney bus to Hollywood Studios! Here, we decided to see the 10pm “Fantasmic” Firework show. So, we had some time to kill before we needed to stand in line, and it was spent on the “Rockin’ Roller Coaster”! That ride is INSANE, but I can’t wait to do it again. I kid you not; it goes from 0 – 60MPH in seconds! Another must ride when you visit the parks! By the time we made it through the ride and the store that you exit into, it was time to stand in line (it was around 9:00pm) in order to guarantee a seat for the show. They started letting us into the stadium around 9:40pm and I was thrilled with the seats we found! Almost perfectly center! The best way to describe the show was a mixture of music, characters, fireworks, water effects, fire and video clips! It was amazing! One of the girls I work with described it perfectly from the standpoint of a College Program participant: “ Seeing Fantasmic makes our role in the Disney show so worth it. It makes getting up and going to work easier on those early mornings.” And after seeing the show, I would have to agree with her 100%! You will never look at fireworks or characters or water effects the same after you have had the chance to view Fantasmic!

Greeter!

Yesterday was the most fun I've had at work yet! When I got to work at 11:30am, I found my name on the board (spelled correctly today! Hahaha!), and it said I was going to be a greeter! I was so excited to see this because I would finally get to interact with the guests and when we were training that area I really enjoyed it. So off I went to find Violeta, the full time cast member I was going to be working with. She told me to just relax and have fun with it, that it was okay to be silly as that's what guests expect when they come to Disney. She showed me the best place to stand and how to direct the guests to the cashier line that is moving the quickest. She told me that when we are "slow" we have more time to interact with the guests. We get to ask how their day has been going, where they are from, how they are enjoying Disney, what they've done so far/plans for the rest of the day, that kind of thing.

So, for the first 15 - 20 minutes, I was kind of shy and didn't really get into it. And those of you who know me, know this is normal when I'm trying things that are new to me. But once I get the hang of it and feel comfortable, I just let go and have fun with it. I decided that I work for Disney, the happiest place on Earth, I wear a cheesy costume, and I can act silly and be paid for it, so why not go full out enthusiasm? And so I did, and LOVED every minute of it!

I've decided that this position was made just for me! Once I started really letting go of my fear, it all came so natural. I was able to start talking to anyone, children, adults, didn't matter. All I had to do was start the conversation and the guests would take it from that point on. i heard all about seeing different animals while on the safari ride, riding Mt. Everest in Asia, and seeing the different shows playing around the park.

But my favorite part about being greeter.... PIN TRADING! I am not kidding, it is so much fun! And it's not just the kids who get excited when they see the cast members wearing the different pins, it's the adults, too! i was wearing the popular lanyard yesterday, it seemed like every 10 minutes or so I was trading with a different guest. Now, let me explain this to you a little. There are tons of different kinds of pins the guests can buy in the park. Then, if they see one a cast member is wearing and if it is one they like and want or part of a set they are trying to collect they can trade with us. However, a guest can ONLY trade two pins per cast member per day... and the cast member HAS TO TRADE (even if the guest wants the cast members favorite pin that they are wearing that day). Also, the pins the guests with the cast members have to be in good condition and official Disney pins. So, like I said, I had the popular pins, and as a result of that, I had a completely different set of pins at the end of the day than what i had when we opened in the morning. i got just as excited as the guests when they found a pin that they were looking for. Honestly, before yesterday, I had no idea how popular pin trading actually was. I mean, I knew people liked to trade pins, I just didn't know HOW MANY PEOPLE really got into it! My location also has a pin board that we keep in the managers office with 30 or so more pins on it that we can bring out to show the guests if we know that they are looking for a specific one. I had the chance to make a few guests days when we were a little slower by showing them that board. it's such a wonderful feeling just watching their eyes light up and the smile they get when you hand them their new pin! Nothing at my job will ever top that feeling.

So, because most of my day at work was super wonderful, my managers decided I needed to "really work" yesterday, too. So for closing, they had me cleaning the friers. (Yuck!) I will be honest, I kind of panicked! I blanked on how to clean them! I just couldn't remember! Lucky for me, one of my trainers, Damaris, told me exactly what steps to do and repeatedly came over to make sure I wasn't to overwhelmed and that I was able to handle closing by myself. in all, I think I did a good job. I got all 6 friers cleaned and i only got burned by the hot oil a few times. By the end of the night, they were clean and I was dirty, so I guess that means I did something right! And the whole time I was cleaning them I only had one minor problem. When I was ready to pump the oil back into the last fryer, the machine wouldn't turn back on and I couldn't' figure out what has happened! I mean it was working not 10 minutes before! So I went to ask the manages, and they jokingly, asked what I had done this time! When I explained what the problem was, they told me that at closing, they turn off the hoods above the broiler, friers and salad bar, and when they do that, it turns the power off to select electrical outlets and chances were I'd just have to replug it in somewhere else. And what do you know, that was exactly the problem! So once I changer outlets, the rest was a snap and I was good to clock out.

However, it was POURING when I was walking to the bus, and I somehow managed to get soaked even though I was using my umbrella. (Darn sideways rain!) Also, I missed my bus at 6:25pm by 5 minuter because I was stopped and asked questions by none other than 6 different guests on my way out of the park. So because of that (while I was happy to help, all I wanted to do was go home and change), I had to wait at the bus stop until the next bus came at 6:55pm. Thank goodness I had my book with me! And that, was my day.... the rest as they say is history! :)

Flying Solo and other stories

To start off my Friday, I went to the main office to pick up a package from home! When I opened it up, I was super excited to find my family had sent me "County Fair in a Box!" They sent me cotton candy and popcorn from my home fair, which I was really bummed about missing as it is usually the highlight of my summer! I was just so excited that they found a way to send the fair to me! : D


On Friday at work, it was my first day post "Earning My Ears"! I was kind of freaked out to be on my own, but over all it was a really good day! I had to be there at 11:00am and I could clock in at 10:45am, so I took the 9:51am bus. Why did I leave so early for work you ask? Well, it's because of the buses, I HATE waiting on them! (I miss my car so much!) So because I am at the mercy of the buses, I have a 35 minute drive to work, and it could be longer if the bus is late or waits around at the apartments or wardrobe building. Then when the bus finally drops me off in the cast parking lot, I have a 5 - 10 minute walk to work. And I made it to work with 20 minutes of down time before I had to clock in! Because you know, if you are early you are on time, if you are on time you are late.

After I clocked in, I tried to find my name on the board, but IT WASN'T THERE! I asked a manager and he looked, too. Then he saw my name (spelled totally funky which is why I missed it)! My position for the day was "Filler", basically after the guest has placed their order, they bring their receipts to the counter and we match their meal to the tickets on the trays that come from the kitchen. I would also get the guests drinks and desserts.

I loved this job, I had a BLAST! When we were less busy or waiting for the food from the kitchen we were able to interact with the guests! We got to ask them about their vacation, were they enjoying Animal Kingdom, was this their first time visiting Disney, have they gone on the Mt. Everest ride or been on the safari yet, have they seen the other parks yet or the firework shows at Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Then, my favorite part, the Disney buttons! There are buttons for EVERYTHING...birthdays, just engaged, just married, first visit, family reunion, volunteering, and then an "I'm celebrating ___________" and the guests fill in the blank. (My trainer told me about a woman who was wearing an "I'm celebrating my divorce" button! HAHAHA. I don't know what I'd say if I saw one of those while I was working!) I loved seeing guests wearing the buttons because I was able to make their day a little more special by making a big deal about it! I met this little boy who was wearing an "It's my Birthday" button and when I commented on it you could see the joy spread across his face, HE was important. Someone was talking to HIM like a grown-up and LISTENING! I met a couple that just got married and a group of people at Disney for their family reunion! And what I love the most is that it's not only the kids who get excited when we mention their Disney buttons, it's the adults, too! I don't know what it was, but once they started talking, they wanted to tell us EVERYTHING about their trip and their experiences in the parks! I loved it; I had such an easy time striking up conversations with complete strangers.

And before you get the impression that all I did at work was talk to the guests, let me settle your fears, I really did work. There were only 4 of us filling orders, so when the lunch rush finally came, we were really booking it to get those trays out fast while at the same time making each guest feel special and noticed (harder than it sounds)! Also during the lunch rush, I learned to pour a good cut of beer from the tap! Hahaha, a skill I never would have imagined I would need to learn! But, by the end of my program, I will be a master! ;) I just thought I'd throw that out there, that I can now pour beer! (Funny picture if you really know me!)

When we closed at 5:00pm, I was on prep duty for the next day. My job was to tram bacon. In other words, I had to put bacon on a tray and fill the storage cooler. So, let me break this down for you: there were 10 pieces of bacon on a sheet of wax paper, there were 4 pieces of wax paper per tray and there were about 40 trays of bacon in the cooler when it was filled. So in an hour, I prepared 1600 pieces of bacon! If I never come in contact with bacon again it will be too soon! Hahaha. The sad thing is, as soon as I go back to work on Sunday, bacon and I will meet again. On the bright side, at least I wasn't preparing the turkey legs! (That looked like a really gross job!)
In other news, most of the people I work with, their native language is Spanish. Therefore, when I am at work I will answer to Mariah OR Maria. I can't tell you how many times they have looked at my name tag and had to remind themselves to pronounce it in English! But I love hearing them all talk in Spanish, most of the time it's too fast for me to follow, but every now and then I will understand something and it makes my day!

When I got home from work, I was so tired. I had no idea how exhausted I was until I had a minute to sit down. So my roommate, Kari, and I decided to call it an lazy night, and we watched Disney Channel's Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. It was super cheesy, but some of the songs were really awesome! I love Disney Channel, don't hate me! It's why I work at Disney! And then all night, my parents sent me text messages letting me know the score of my hometown's high school football game where my little sisters are on the dance line. At the end of the game, we won!! I can't believe that the season I'm not home to watch, they are off to a 2 - 0 start!!! Go team!!! So that was my Friday!

I had today off (much needed!). I started off my day with a 4.3 mile bike ride in the gym, a quick walk around the complex and 70 + sit-ups. It was the best way to start off my day, I had so much energy and I was so awake! I've made it my goal to workout as much as possible while I am here. And so, I'm going to wake up early tomorrow (even though I don't have to be at work until 12:15pm) so I can get another workout in! Then my roommate, Mary, and I went shopping at the Florida mall. I bought 3 new shirts and new pair of shorts because all the new clothes I bought to wear down here are too big! I love that feeling, it's such a rush! I feel like I'm becoming a totally different person here, not only personally wise (I feel so comfortable just striking up conversations with people now), but physically, too. Hopefully, I can keep this feeling going throughout my whole program; I know that with this mind set it's going to be the best time of my life!

So, here's hoping that this is the beginning of a really good week! Filled with more learning opportunities and chances to make Magical Moments for the guests! I really do work at the "HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH" and I couldn't be more thrilled! Good night everyone, and until my next post, I hope that you find some magic in your own lives, too!! Just remember, "Dreams really do come true!"

Where in the world has Mariah been?

Hey everyone, sorry I've gone missing for a few days. It got crazy around here quickly and it just came out of the blue! But I'm back and I have a weeks worth of information to tell you!

 Last Monday was my first day off since starting my training at DAK and I took full advantage of my time off! My roommate Amanda and I spent the morning and early afternoon at Disney's Blizzard Beach, a water park with a winter theme. Sadly, there are no pictures from this adventure because I didn't want to risk the chance of something happening to my camera. But Amanda and I both decided that the next time we go to a water park we should get a water proof camera from Walmart and then have all our pictures put on a CD! So, hopefully we remember for next time. Anyways, the decorations we just darling, little snowman families and heavy piles of "snow" on the buildings and slides.  I also loved the fact that there was Christmas music piped through the park... it really set the mood of the park! We went on the lazy river, up the ski lift to a family tubing ride down a twisty slide, on a tobogganing slide on purple rafts and a racing water tube ride down a steep slide. It was a lot of fun! On our way out, we stopped at a gift shop and saw the cutest beach towel. It was mint green and it had the seagulls from "Finding Nemo" on it, along with "MINE, MINE!!" I think I'm going to have to buy it before I go home, I just loved it!!! Still on my to do list is Typhoon Lagoon, where you can swim with sharks! Awesome, right?! I can't wait to do this, I love Sharks! I think they are so fascinating! But more about them in another post!

After the water park it was home to our second roommate dinner! Amanda (who loves to cook and bake) made chicken and potato's, Christine made a wonderful salad and I finished off the meal by making fruit smoothies like my dad does at home! It was such a fun evening, everyone was home and we just laughed and talked and relaxed. It was great to catch up with everyone, since we all work different schedules, it can be hard to keep up to date with everything we are all doing at work and on our days off!

On Tuesday, I had my second day off for the week and my roommate Hannah and I used it to do laundry and run around Epcot! We got our picture taken in front of the Epcot Ball, went on Mission Space, tried pop from around the world for free at the Cool Cafe, bought a Mexican Donald and French Minnie in the gift shop (our first purchases of Disney merchandise as Cast Members), walked around the world, stopping to ride the boat rides in Norway and Mexico. Also while in Mexico, we got a picture with Mexican Donald! We also had to look at the little gift shops in all the countries, deciding that we would be back to buy at least one thing from every country while we were here! In Morocco, we watched a man hand-carve these beautiful wood animals. he put so much detail into his work! In China we saw an amazing show put on by young Chinese acrobats. They were so talented! Once we made it all around the world, we finished off the day by off by riding "Test Track", "Finding Nemo" and "Soarin'". We packed so much into the day, but there was still so much that we missed seeing!! Since we both had to work the next morning, we decided not to stay for the fireworks, but we made plans to get back there soon to see them! They are set off over the waters and from what I remember as a kid from the last time I was at Disney, they were breath-taking! I can't wait to see them again! And just so you know, in the 5 hours we were at the park, I took over 400 pictures!

On Wednesday, I went back to work. i was trained on the expo line. We are responsible for getting the order when it prints and putting all the right orders on the tray as quickly as possible. During our training, I managed to burn myself twice, once on each arm. The one on my right arm was caused when I was reaching to get a veggie sub and i touched the hot metal (I was wearing my burn resistant sleeve on my left arm) and the one on my left arm happened while we were cleaning out the expo cart at the end of the night. I didn't realise it was still hot and I bumped the metal again while scrubbing out the inside. (Thank goodness I only have a thin scar on my right arm above my elbow that I hope will fade over time.)

Thursday was my last day of training! It was kind of nerve-racking because we were on cashier for the first time. But we got to start of the morning as greeters, so that was nice! basically all we had to do was welcome everyone who came in, make them feel special and noticed. If we saw Celebration buttons (i.e. birthday, just married, 1st time visitor) we got to make a big deal and be all excited! (I loved this part). We also got to talk to the guests and direct them to which line they should go to place their order. After an hour or so of this it was our turn to tackle the cash handling. I didn't do too terrible. I was able to place the order quickly and make the right change quickly. However, my downfall was counting the change back to the guest the Disney way. The reason I found this challenging was simple, I kept looking at the wrong line on the receipt for what their total was so I could count up from that to the dollar amount they gave me. I kept looking at the amount of change I was to hand back and tried to count their change back to them starting with that amount! It sounds confusing, I know!  But I got it all figured out and i think it will go smoother for me next time. We also got a chance to close the topping bar on the Plaster side of the restaurant (when you walk in the door as a guest, it would be to your left). This wasn't hard, it included cleaning the drinks station, restocking everything and spoiling the toppings that were not used by the guests and then recording the amounts. The last 15 minutes my shift was my assessment. basically, manager Eric asked us questions about Food & Beverage basics that we learned in class and during our e-learning courses, about different things in the restaurant, where to find things a guest might be looking for (i.e. restrooms, smoking sections, ATM) and other basic questions. It was terrible, I had worked myself up during the day for nothing! I knew I had passed when he told me to remove the "Earning My Ears' ribbon from my name tag. So when I left work, I was scared out of my mine because I knew when I went into work on Friday it would be my first time "flying solo". But I was also so excited to have completed my training and also because it means I'm no longer the newest new person there as I noticed the next group of CPs have started training this week!

Then Thursday night there was another welcome pool party at Patterson Court (where I live). The theme was Monster's Inc. It was crazy, I didn't know you could cram that many people into our pool area! But I guess that's what happens when you tell poor college students they can get free food and drinks, take pictures with the characters and dance. I am not kidding, I even saw people in the pool dancing to the Cha Cha slide! it was the funniest thing I have ever seen! So, Hannah, Amanda and I all went over to get free food, pizza and a bag or chips, (which is the best tasting thing in the world) and then Amanda and I had our picture taken with Mike Wazowski. Then we decided to go to Target and JoAnn's so she could get supplies to decorate her cork board for her room. It turned out super cute, too! And to round the evening off, we watched Jersey Shore with Hannah.

So I think that covers just about everything from this week! I'm going to post about Friday in it's own post because I think it deserves it, lets just say that I couldn't have asked for a better first day on my own than what I had. But more about that later! Good night!