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! :)