Oops. I thought I had updated between now and the last time I actually did update. So I guess I have a lot to tell you. Since my last entry, I had hit an all time low. I felt like I wasn't moving anywhere and I had all but decided to go to casting and put in to transfer so I could change things up a bit. But I told myself that before I did that I would talk to some of the managers and see what they had to say, and if they had any advice. Literally the next day, I spoke to some of my managers and everything changed.
::spoiler alert::
I have now been "promoted" to relief coordinator in the Animation Courtyard. I honestly thought that I would get relief in Spectacle of Dancing Lights, which is where they send people to kind of see how they would fare as a coordinator. Instead, I skipped that step and was put right into one of our complexes. While Spectacle of Dancing Lights is fun, it's a temporary gig. The Animation Courtyard is a permanent gig. Since my last entry, I've trained at three more attractions: The Magic of Disney Animation, The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow, and One Man's Dream.
The Magic of Disney Animation is a whole building revolving around animation. We have a drawing class where guests can learn to draw some of their favorite Disney character. There are character meet and greets. And there is a short show about how animated characters come to be. This show is a dialogue between the cast member (aka me) and Mushu the dragon from the Disney movie Mulan.
The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow is a short special effects projection show. Guests are invited in and enlist to be part of Captain Jack's crew! After going through a few tests to see if they are ready to be pirates, they find themselves thrown into the middle of a battle.
One Man's Dream is a museum of Walt Disney's life. It has artifacts and such from his life. As well as models of some of Walt's creations. There is also a short film detailing some of Walt's life.
Now that I'm trained at all the attractions in the Courtyard (The Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Disney, Jr. Live on Stage are also part of the Courtyard), I am now shadowing coordinators. I'm learning what I'll be doing when I am coordinating. I'm learning a lot and having a blast! I've had two shadows so far. I have three left. Then there are a couple other things (including one or two classes) that I need to complete. But then, I'll be able to coordinate in the Courtyard. Hopefully down the road, I'll be able to also learn how to coordinate at Toy Story. And it would be fun to coordinate Spectacle of Dancing Lights. But for now, I'm happy with this.
So now, here's the total:
I can work at six different attractions. I can train at Toy Story and at Disney Jr/Voyage of the Little Mermaid. And I can coordinate all of the Courtyard. That's a lot to be able to do! And it's a nice mix!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
Two years later
Today's the day! Two years ago today, I was checking in to my college program. I was moving over 1000 miles away from home, with no idea if it would be permanently or just for a semester. There were many unknowns. For me, that's a big deal, but I decided to take the leap anyway. Who knew what would happen?!
"It's been crazy..."
Not only was my college program crazy but the past two years have been crazy as well. I never dreamed that I would still be here. "Crazy" has turned into normal day-to-day business. Disney, as of right now, is my career. I'm excited to see where I will end up. I started my college program as a park greeter at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I enjoyed my program very much. The role could get monotonous, I will admit. Constantly helping people enter the park or waving goodbye as they exit. There was not much more variety than that. But the people, that's where it's at! The other college students I worked with, as well as the part- and full-time cast members, were such a great group! I miss them all so much! I made some very lasting friendships and am glad for being placed in that role. After my college program, I was selected for a professional internship. Here, I was coming in for a "normal" desk job, 8-5. I was answering phones and emails, helping program participants with any questions or issues they may have. I was sitting in on security and roommate meetings. I filled out paperwork for participants leaving the program early. It could not have been any more different than my first role. Again, I met so many wonderful people and learned so much about the company's inner workings. I loved every minute of it. When this internship ended, I was relieved and to have been offered a full-time Host position at Toy Story Midway Mania, back in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Here, I learned as much as I could, and continue learning every day. I have become a trainer, and can now impart my knowledge to the new toys as they come in. Again, it's a whole different ball game from my other two roles, but I love it just as much. And now, I'm also trained at Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Disney, Jr. Live on Stage. I can't believe it's been over a year as a Host. Time has flown by. It really has been "crazy."
"I felt lost for the first time on my trip." ... "But I got through it."
I can't say I'm entirely happy with where I am. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy where I am and what I'm doing. I was simply hoping that I would be a little further into the process by now. I guess I'm just impatient. To work up into any company, it takes time. And I know my time is coming. Sometimes though, I just get down a little bit. I feel like I'm not doing something right. I see other people starting their ascent up into the ranks and then I see myself still basically at entry level. But patience is a virtue, right? I will admit, sometimes I feel lost in general though. It starts with the fact that I have not moved up as far as I want. But then that gets me thinking about why I'm here in general. Was it really the right choice to move over 1000 miles away on a whim? What am I doing here? And why am I so far away from my family? But after a little while, I feel better. I've met so many people an done so many things that I would not have otherwise had the chance to do! I love that I've had this experience and am excited for the future.
"We got the complex we wanted."
Since being here in Florida, I've lived in several different places. During the college program, I lived with five other guys on the college program property. We lived in the newest of the complexes, which is the one we wanted. I loved it! The complex itself was quiet and, since it was new, was very nice. I loved living with my five roommates, and I loved being close to my other friends. If they weren't in the same complex, the other complexes were pretty close. It feels very much like college dorms in the community sense. When that program ended, I moved in with three different guys. We moved to an apartment complex down the road, in Kissimmee. The apartments were nice enough. I loved the location. But the living situation was not the best. I decided to move out after five months rather than endure the uncomfortableness for the entire year-long lease. At this point, I moved into a newer complex near the college program housing in Orlando. I loved these apartments. The location was not quite as good, but still very close to work. I moved in with two friends that I worked with during my professional internship. Here, I stayed the entire year-long lease. I won't lie, some of it was frustrating, on my end as well as theirs. But we got through. Up till now, except for my college program roommates, the other two situations were not the best for me. However, when the previous lease was over, I moved yet again. I moved back to the first complex in Kissimmee with the great location. This time, I moved with one guy and one girl, both of which I knew from Toy Story. It's been a great situation. We all get along and when we have issues, we can talk candidly to each other. I will admit, we don't really see each other at all. The girl now works at another location, with an opposite schedule of me. I saw here yesterday for the first time in weeks when she stopped by at my work. The guy I still work with, however we are now both trained at other, different locations so we don't see each other much during work. And after, we both have significant others and spend a lot of time with them. No big deal though! We make it work. And it seems to be working well at that!
"We did all of our working documents and such."
With everything that has happened, I have definitely become an "adult." With no longer being under my parents' roof as well as no longer being 18, I've had to do things for myself. Don't get me wrong, I did a lot of things for myself before. But since being in Florida, I've had to do a lot of "grown-up" things that I never had to do by myself before. I have life insurance now! I had to research and get my own auto insurance, as well as renters insurance. Since being full-time, I now have benefits with the company which include dental, vision, and health insurance. I had to research all of those and pick what was best for me. For the first time ever, I've had paid vacation time, which is exciting! Now that I'm graduated, I have had to start paying back my student loans. And up next on my list is looking for a new car. I'm still trying to decide if I want to buy a new car this fall, or next spring. But I'm currently researching cars and all that buying a car entails!
"But that brings you up to date on everything."
So what's next you may ask? Well here is a brief look at some things that I have in mind for the future.
I'm hoping to become a relief coordinator and then a status coordinator in my area. These are the people who supervise the attraction hosts and hostesses. Relief is a person who is trained as a coordinator, but still works as a host. Status is a person who works only as a coordinator. I think by the end of the year, I will be a relief coordinator At least, that is my goal. Future goals include getting into leadership/management. They also include possibly looking into casting, recruiting, or college program roles.
I'll be living where I am now until May 2014. After that, it's unclear what will happen. I will start figuring it out early next year. However, I am hoping that the next time I move, it might be a little more permanent, and not another apartment to rent.
I'm also looking into going back to school. Right now it's just an idea. I have not actually started looking into it. I don't know if it will be another bachelor's degree or if it will be a master's degree. And I don't know where. However, Disney has a pretty good education reimbursement plan so why not look into it, right?
One very important thing I have not really mentioned yet is Nick. Nick and I have been dating almost the entire time that I've been in Florida. I was not actively looking for anybody when Nick came into my life, but things just fell together and I wouldn't change any of it. Nick really is the one person who can keep me sane and keep me on track. I don't know what I'd do without him. I am excited for our future together. Maybe I convince him to come with me next time I head home!
Hopefully that brings everybody up to date one my life. It's probably one of the longest blogs I've written in quite a while. PS the quotes I've used were from my blog I posted two years ago about checking into the college program, just in case you were curious.
"It's been crazy..."
Not only was my college program crazy but the past two years have been crazy as well. I never dreamed that I would still be here. "Crazy" has turned into normal day-to-day business. Disney, as of right now, is my career. I'm excited to see where I will end up. I started my college program as a park greeter at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I enjoyed my program very much. The role could get monotonous, I will admit. Constantly helping people enter the park or waving goodbye as they exit. There was not much more variety than that. But the people, that's where it's at! The other college students I worked with, as well as the part- and full-time cast members, were such a great group! I miss them all so much! I made some very lasting friendships and am glad for being placed in that role. After my college program, I was selected for a professional internship. Here, I was coming in for a "normal" desk job, 8-5. I was answering phones and emails, helping program participants with any questions or issues they may have. I was sitting in on security and roommate meetings. I filled out paperwork for participants leaving the program early. It could not have been any more different than my first role. Again, I met so many wonderful people and learned so much about the company's inner workings. I loved every minute of it. When this internship ended, I was relieved and to have been offered a full-time Host position at Toy Story Midway Mania, back in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Here, I learned as much as I could, and continue learning every day. I have become a trainer, and can now impart my knowledge to the new toys as they come in. Again, it's a whole different ball game from my other two roles, but I love it just as much. And now, I'm also trained at Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Disney, Jr. Live on Stage. I can't believe it's been over a year as a Host. Time has flown by. It really has been "crazy."
"I felt lost for the first time on my trip." ... "But I got through it."
I can't say I'm entirely happy with where I am. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy where I am and what I'm doing. I was simply hoping that I would be a little further into the process by now. I guess I'm just impatient. To work up into any company, it takes time. And I know my time is coming. Sometimes though, I just get down a little bit. I feel like I'm not doing something right. I see other people starting their ascent up into the ranks and then I see myself still basically at entry level. But patience is a virtue, right? I will admit, sometimes I feel lost in general though. It starts with the fact that I have not moved up as far as I want. But then that gets me thinking about why I'm here in general. Was it really the right choice to move over 1000 miles away on a whim? What am I doing here? And why am I so far away from my family? But after a little while, I feel better. I've met so many people an done so many things that I would not have otherwise had the chance to do! I love that I've had this experience and am excited for the future.
"We got the complex we wanted."
Since being here in Florida, I've lived in several different places. During the college program, I lived with five other guys on the college program property. We lived in the newest of the complexes, which is the one we wanted. I loved it! The complex itself was quiet and, since it was new, was very nice. I loved living with my five roommates, and I loved being close to my other friends. If they weren't in the same complex, the other complexes were pretty close. It feels very much like college dorms in the community sense. When that program ended, I moved in with three different guys. We moved to an apartment complex down the road, in Kissimmee. The apartments were nice enough. I loved the location. But the living situation was not the best. I decided to move out after five months rather than endure the uncomfortableness for the entire year-long lease. At this point, I moved into a newer complex near the college program housing in Orlando. I loved these apartments. The location was not quite as good, but still very close to work. I moved in with two friends that I worked with during my professional internship. Here, I stayed the entire year-long lease. I won't lie, some of it was frustrating, on my end as well as theirs. But we got through. Up till now, except for my college program roommates, the other two situations were not the best for me. However, when the previous lease was over, I moved yet again. I moved back to the first complex in Kissimmee with the great location. This time, I moved with one guy and one girl, both of which I knew from Toy Story. It's been a great situation. We all get along and when we have issues, we can talk candidly to each other. I will admit, we don't really see each other at all. The girl now works at another location, with an opposite schedule of me. I saw here yesterday for the first time in weeks when she stopped by at my work. The guy I still work with, however we are now both trained at other, different locations so we don't see each other much during work. And after, we both have significant others and spend a lot of time with them. No big deal though! We make it work. And it seems to be working well at that!
"We did all of our working documents and such."
With everything that has happened, I have definitely become an "adult." With no longer being under my parents' roof as well as no longer being 18, I've had to do things for myself. Don't get me wrong, I did a lot of things for myself before. But since being in Florida, I've had to do a lot of "grown-up" things that I never had to do by myself before. I have life insurance now! I had to research and get my own auto insurance, as well as renters insurance. Since being full-time, I now have benefits with the company which include dental, vision, and health insurance. I had to research all of those and pick what was best for me. For the first time ever, I've had paid vacation time, which is exciting! Now that I'm graduated, I have had to start paying back my student loans. And up next on my list is looking for a new car. I'm still trying to decide if I want to buy a new car this fall, or next spring. But I'm currently researching cars and all that buying a car entails!
"But that brings you up to date on everything."
So what's next you may ask? Well here is a brief look at some things that I have in mind for the future.
I'm hoping to become a relief coordinator and then a status coordinator in my area. These are the people who supervise the attraction hosts and hostesses. Relief is a person who is trained as a coordinator, but still works as a host. Status is a person who works only as a coordinator. I think by the end of the year, I will be a relief coordinator At least, that is my goal. Future goals include getting into leadership/management. They also include possibly looking into casting, recruiting, or college program roles.
I'll be living where I am now until May 2014. After that, it's unclear what will happen. I will start figuring it out early next year. However, I am hoping that the next time I move, it might be a little more permanent, and not another apartment to rent.
I'm also looking into going back to school. Right now it's just an idea. I have not actually started looking into it. I don't know if it will be another bachelor's degree or if it will be a master's degree. And I don't know where. However, Disney has a pretty good education reimbursement plan so why not look into it, right?
One very important thing I have not really mentioned yet is Nick. Nick and I have been dating almost the entire time that I've been in Florida. I was not actively looking for anybody when Nick came into my life, but things just fell together and I wouldn't change any of it. Nick really is the one person who can keep me sane and keep me on track. I don't know what I'd do without him. I am excited for our future together. Maybe I convince him to come with me next time I head home!
Hopefully that brings everybody up to date one my life. It's probably one of the longest blogs I've written in quite a while. PS the quotes I've used were from my blog I posted two years ago about checking into the college program, just in case you were curious.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Excited, yet Discouraged
Fast forward two months, and I'm well on my way! I've had several trainees! And I'm much more comfortable training! I've had three sets of twins, as I call them. That is to say, I've had three weeks where I've been doubled up on trainees. When this happens, special attention must be paid. You may have two trainees that can keep up with each other. Or you may have two trainees where one does not catch on quite as quick as the other. So now, you want to balance between making sure the one is not bored, but the other is not lost. My twins have been pretty good, and seem to catch up with each other. One of the most difficult situations though is one particular set of twins. One had been a cast member for 5 or so years, while the other is a new hire. Luckily, the new hire caught on very fast. But it's difficult since the seasoned cast member has all the background information of the company, while the new hire was learning everything for the first time. It's interesting and can be a challenge! But I'm up for it!
At this point in time, Toy Story really has no new people coming. All of our open positions have been filled, and no more College Program people are coming in. So training has slowed down.
This week, I'm being cross-trained at Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Disney, Jr. Live on Stage! I've only trained one day so far, but I love it! I'm so excited to get a little break from Toy Story. Don't get me wrong, I love Toy Story, but it's just nice to have a change every once in a while! And cross-training will also give me more opportunities to pick up hours!
I'm hoping to cross-train some more and become even more marketable! It's exciting! But at the same time, I'm a little discouraged! I was hoping to become a relief coordinator soon. But as of yet, there is no news for that! There have been rumors of others though, which is why I'm discouraged! But I just need to keep my chin up and bide my time, right?! So hopefully soon that will happen! Until then, I'm going to enjoy my new location and keep working hard at the old location!
At this point in time, Toy Story really has no new people coming. All of our open positions have been filled, and no more College Program people are coming in. So training has slowed down.
This week, I'm being cross-trained at Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Disney, Jr. Live on Stage! I've only trained one day so far, but I love it! I'm so excited to get a little break from Toy Story. Don't get me wrong, I love Toy Story, but it's just nice to have a change every once in a while! And cross-training will also give me more opportunities to pick up hours!
I'm hoping to cross-train some more and become even more marketable! It's exciting! But at the same time, I'm a little discouraged! I was hoping to become a relief coordinator soon. But as of yet, there is no news for that! There have been rumors of others though, which is why I'm discouraged! But I just need to keep my chin up and bide my time, right?! So hopefully soon that will happen! Until then, I'm going to enjoy my new location and keep working hard at the old location!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
To live would be an awfully big adventure!
When it comes to work, I've been much less burnt out than the last time I posted. On the contrary though, I've been kind of getting "burnt out" when it comes to Florida. I'm missing home. My family, my friends, places, things. I'm missing everything about Illinois. But I keep telling myself that I'm here now. I'm not saying I'll be here always, but I'm here now. And I want to see this through. I miss a lot of things at home. Parties, weddings, anniversaries. I have cousins that I've never met. I have family members who have had babies and I never saw them pregnant. But this is really a once in a life time opportunity. When else in my life am I going to get the chance to move down to Florida and work for Disney? I'm here now, and we're going to see what happens. It's an adventure, and it's better to have an adventure when I'm young, and then settle down. So, even though I miss everything and everyone, I'm going to stick this out and enjoy my adventure.
To become a trainer there are two main things one must do before he is able to train by himself. First and most importantly, he must shadow a current trainer for an entire training process. Second, he must attend a four hour class called Train the Trainer. My shadows were weeks ago. I got to shadow one of my favorite Toys. I learned a lot and we had a bunch of fun doing it. Our trainee was very smart and such a great guy. Fast forward to now, and he's doing really well at Toy Story. I hope he sticks around, because I can see him becoming a trainer when the time is right!
Train the Trainer is a simple class. The first part of it is electronic. The second part just reinforces the first. After the class you get your trainer pin, which is Jiminy Cricket. Then you wear it on your costume, as a way to signify that you're a trainer.
Last week, I had my first trainee by myself. It was a bit nerve-wracking. But it was fun. Again, I had a good trainee. She got a little overwhelmed every once in a while, but she was super smart and now is on her own and seemingly doing well! Everything went smoothly, and I'm getting my bearings as to what to do when, and for how long, etc. I've started my second trainee this week. However he only has Fri/Sat/Sun availability, so I saw him Sunday, but I won't see him again till tomorrow. Sunday did not go so well. Not my trainee's fault. My trainee is super smart. Circumstances just did not work out well, mainly that we had 5 new people start on the same day so we were continually bumping into the other training groups. Now tomorrow we will have to review quite a bit and then try to get in all the new stuff I want to cover as well.
A normal training schedule is four days of training and one day to assess. The first day is a closing shift. The second, third, and fourth days are opening shifts. Opening starts at 7 am (when we open at 9 am), so the training groups come in at 6:30 am so they have a half an hour to walk through what's going to happen. We are required to train to of our opening positions (out of seven). But here's the problem coming up. Star Wars Weekends start tomorrow. We open at 8 am for the events, so opening starts an hour earlier. Except none of the trainers were scheduled an hour earlier. So for those of us it effects, we had to get our schedules changed. I am now coming in at 5:30 am several mornings! It's gonna be a little rough, but we'll get through it! I just hope my trainees are okay with us changing their schedules, and with coming in an hour earlier. Plus side, it means we get to leave an hour earlier!
Otherwise, everything is going well! I just recently moved. My lease at my old place was ending, so I've now moved to a new place. I moved in with two friends from Toy Story and will be here for the next year! I like my old apartments better, mainly because they are just newer/nicer. But I love the location here better. It's closer to work and/or easier to get to different places.
To become a trainer there are two main things one must do before he is able to train by himself. First and most importantly, he must shadow a current trainer for an entire training process. Second, he must attend a four hour class called Train the Trainer. My shadows were weeks ago. I got to shadow one of my favorite Toys. I learned a lot and we had a bunch of fun doing it. Our trainee was very smart and such a great guy. Fast forward to now, and he's doing really well at Toy Story. I hope he sticks around, because I can see him becoming a trainer when the time is right!
Train the Trainer is a simple class. The first part of it is electronic. The second part just reinforces the first. After the class you get your trainer pin, which is Jiminy Cricket. Then you wear it on your costume, as a way to signify that you're a trainer.
Last week, I had my first trainee by myself. It was a bit nerve-wracking. But it was fun. Again, I had a good trainee. She got a little overwhelmed every once in a while, but she was super smart and now is on her own and seemingly doing well! Everything went smoothly, and I'm getting my bearings as to what to do when, and for how long, etc. I've started my second trainee this week. However he only has Fri/Sat/Sun availability, so I saw him Sunday, but I won't see him again till tomorrow. Sunday did not go so well. Not my trainee's fault. My trainee is super smart. Circumstances just did not work out well, mainly that we had 5 new people start on the same day so we were continually bumping into the other training groups. Now tomorrow we will have to review quite a bit and then try to get in all the new stuff I want to cover as well.
A normal training schedule is four days of training and one day to assess. The first day is a closing shift. The second, third, and fourth days are opening shifts. Opening starts at 7 am (when we open at 9 am), so the training groups come in at 6:30 am so they have a half an hour to walk through what's going to happen. We are required to train to of our opening positions (out of seven). But here's the problem coming up. Star Wars Weekends start tomorrow. We open at 8 am for the events, so opening starts an hour earlier. Except none of the trainers were scheduled an hour earlier. So for those of us it effects, we had to get our schedules changed. I am now coming in at 5:30 am several mornings! It's gonna be a little rough, but we'll get through it! I just hope my trainees are okay with us changing their schedules, and with coming in an hour earlier. Plus side, it means we get to leave an hour earlier!
Otherwise, everything is going well! I just recently moved. My lease at my old place was ending, so I've now moved to a new place. I moved in with two friends from Toy Story and will be here for the next year! I like my old apartments better, mainly because they are just newer/nicer. But I love the location here better. It's closer to work and/or easier to get to different places.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Movin' on up
Surprise Surprise, it's been a while since I posted. Sorry again!
Yesterday, my Toy-baby was born. I have been working in the Toybox for nine months. Which also means I've been full time for nine months. Lately, I've been getting super burnt out at work. It seems all I do is work. To have any resemblance of a decent paycheck, I have to put in 50 to 60 hours a week. But the more hours I put in, the more burnt out I get. If I cut back my hours back down to 40, I'll have no spare cash. So I push on through. This past week, I tried my hardest not to get burnt out and to have fun while working. And honestly, going in with that mentality, it helped me. Most of the days I was at work, I was content. I mean, I'm still not as happy as I may have been when I first started there, but I definitely feel better.
But hopefully it'll all change. I found out two exciting things this past week. First, the Toybox is bringing back a backstage tour of Toy Story Midway Mania. At the end of February, the manager in charge of the tour put up a sign up list if we would like to be a tour guide. After anybody interested had put their names down, the manager team would discuss the possibilities and select a few to become tour guides. I found out this week that I was selected to be one of the tour guides! There's no monetary advantage to being a tour guide, but I'm doing it just to mix things up. And I think it will be loads of fun. It's just an extra hour in the morning.
But even more exciting than that, I found out that I would be a trainer! A few weeks ago, the trainer interest list went up. The managers discussed the possibilities and selected five people to give their support to become trainers. On Thursday, I had a meeting with the Training team manager to seal the deal. And found out then and there that I would be moving on and will become a trainer for sure. In the next two months, I will go through the training required to become a trainer, including some E-learning, a class, and trainer shadows. The goal is to have us ready to train by the next CP arrival which is in May.
This is the moment I've been waiting for since I started at Toy Story nine months ago. This was my first major goal, and my first stepping stone into the upper ranks of Disney. The next stepping stone will be to become a Relief Coordinator. This means having the proficiencies of a coordinator, but not being statused in that role. I'm also still keeping my eye on Office and Technical jobs that might catch my eye. But for now, I'm excited for the training experiences to come!
Yesterday, my Toy-baby was born. I have been working in the Toybox for nine months. Which also means I've been full time for nine months. Lately, I've been getting super burnt out at work. It seems all I do is work. To have any resemblance of a decent paycheck, I have to put in 50 to 60 hours a week. But the more hours I put in, the more burnt out I get. If I cut back my hours back down to 40, I'll have no spare cash. So I push on through. This past week, I tried my hardest not to get burnt out and to have fun while working. And honestly, going in with that mentality, it helped me. Most of the days I was at work, I was content. I mean, I'm still not as happy as I may have been when I first started there, but I definitely feel better.
But hopefully it'll all change. I found out two exciting things this past week. First, the Toybox is bringing back a backstage tour of Toy Story Midway Mania. At the end of February, the manager in charge of the tour put up a sign up list if we would like to be a tour guide. After anybody interested had put their names down, the manager team would discuss the possibilities and select a few to become tour guides. I found out this week that I was selected to be one of the tour guides! There's no monetary advantage to being a tour guide, but I'm doing it just to mix things up. And I think it will be loads of fun. It's just an extra hour in the morning.
But even more exciting than that, I found out that I would be a trainer! A few weeks ago, the trainer interest list went up. The managers discussed the possibilities and selected five people to give their support to become trainers. On Thursday, I had a meeting with the Training team manager to seal the deal. And found out then and there that I would be moving on and will become a trainer for sure. In the next two months, I will go through the training required to become a trainer, including some E-learning, a class, and trainer shadows. The goal is to have us ready to train by the next CP arrival which is in May.
This is the moment I've been waiting for since I started at Toy Story nine months ago. This was my first major goal, and my first stepping stone into the upper ranks of Disney. The next stepping stone will be to become a Relief Coordinator. This means having the proficiencies of a coordinator, but not being statused in that role. I'm also still keeping my eye on Office and Technical jobs that might catch my eye. But for now, I'm excited for the training experiences to come!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Holiday Festivities
I realized that I never really talked about the holidays, except for how many hours I worked. And that made me realize that there was one really big work-related thing I never talked about: Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
First, for those of you who don't know what it is, The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is over 5 million Christmas lights set up on the Streets of America (the forced perspective of San Francisco and New York) in Hollywood Studios. They turn on each night around 6pm and stay on till an hour after the park closes. Every 5 to 10 minutes, they "dance" to the music. It really is extraordinary.
Now, for a little background. Jennings Osborne loved Christmas, and loved his family even more. One year, his little daughter asked Jennings to decorate the house with Christmas lights. This he did. Each and every year, he would decorate the house with as many lights as he possibly could. And it would grow and grow each year. People started coming to see the lights until his neighbors got upset for all the traffic and noise. So Jennings, instead of toning it down, bought his neighbors' houses on either side of his house and began decorating their houses too. This attracted even more people. Eventually, the other neighbors got upset and took him to court. The case went all the way up to the Supreme Court where it was ruled that Jennings would have to quite setting up his display. At this point, Disney took over. Ever since, the lights have been set up on the Streets of America. There is a giant globe that spins. There are two carousels with angels. There are two "small" Christmas trees and one large one. There are assorted scenes made out of rope light. There are over 100 angels, most of which are flying midair. And of course, since it's Disney, there are over 70 hidden Mickeys. If you ever get a chance to go to Walt Disney World in November or December, definitely check out these lights! It's entirely worth viewing!
The reason I bring this all up is because the Streets of America are in my area of the park. And of course, there need to be cast members working while the lights are on, to direct traffic and answer questions. So the attractions in my area are in charge of staffing the event each night. Which means, about three to four times a week, I would go to Toy Story in the morning, and then around 4:30, change my costume and head over to work Spectacle of Dancing Lights. They were long days, but it was super fun! Definitely one of the highlights of the season. And it actually made all the hours I worked a little more bearable as it was two different locations then, instead of just one.
A normal Spectacle shift looks something like this. 4:30-5, track talk (meeting with managers and coordinators to talk about the day), followed by setting up barricades and signs. Then we would have some free time to walk around the streets answering questions and talking to guests. At 5:45 we would have to be in positions and start redirecting traffic to help with traffic flow. This redirect would last about half the night, until it quieted down. Then we would enter a "free-flow" time where we would take the barricades down and were once again free to walk around and talk with the guests.
I have a short story that happened one day that's kinda cute, and totally nerdy. But first, a little more background. This fall, the New Fantasyland opened in the Magic Kingdom. Included in this area is a ride telling the tale of The Little Mermaid, a meet and greet area with Ariel, an immersive experience telling the tale of Beauty and the Beast. The last thing that New Fantasyland has that is open is a new restaurant called Be Our Guest. You can go in and eat lunch or dinner in the grand ballroom, or the west wing of the Beast's castle!
A little more background: at Spectacle of Dancing lights, when the lights are not "dancing," it snows! They have snow machines set up and it can actually look like a blizzard sometimes! At the Magic Kingdom, it also snows during their special Christmas events. Lastly, in the grand ballroom of Be Our Guest, it also snows outside the windows.
And now my story. While walking around one night for Spectacle of Dancing Lights before the lights were turned on, my friend Kristin and I ran into a family. A mother and her two young daughters. We were talking to them about the lights, the normal questions: what is it, when will it turn on. I don't remember if they asked, or if Kristin and I just brought it up, but we began talking about how it also snows on the Streets of America.
Here's how the rest of the conversation unfolded:
Mother: Oh it snows! Girls, where else did you see snow in Disney World?
Girls: Magic Kingdom!!!!
Mother: But where in Magic Kingdom?
Girls: in the castle!
Kristin and me: Oh, you mean Be Our Guest Restaurant in the Beast's castle?
Girls and Mother: Yes!
Kristin and me: So you visited the Beast's castle? Did you eat there?
Girls: Yes!
Me (to the girls): Did you try the grey stuff? I heard it's delicious!
Girls (quizzical looks)
Kristin (to me): They don't believe you, they should ask the dishes!
Everybody: (laughs)
Honestly, that was not planned at all. But Kristin and I are kinda nerdy like that and we play off each other quite well sometimes!
I just thought it was cute! Another example of how a little conversation can turn into a lot of magic for guests!
First, for those of you who don't know what it is, The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is over 5 million Christmas lights set up on the Streets of America (the forced perspective of San Francisco and New York) in Hollywood Studios. They turn on each night around 6pm and stay on till an hour after the park closes. Every 5 to 10 minutes, they "dance" to the music. It really is extraordinary.
Now, for a little background. Jennings Osborne loved Christmas, and loved his family even more. One year, his little daughter asked Jennings to decorate the house with Christmas lights. This he did. Each and every year, he would decorate the house with as many lights as he possibly could. And it would grow and grow each year. People started coming to see the lights until his neighbors got upset for all the traffic and noise. So Jennings, instead of toning it down, bought his neighbors' houses on either side of his house and began decorating their houses too. This attracted even more people. Eventually, the other neighbors got upset and took him to court. The case went all the way up to the Supreme Court where it was ruled that Jennings would have to quite setting up his display. At this point, Disney took over. Ever since, the lights have been set up on the Streets of America. There is a giant globe that spins. There are two carousels with angels. There are two "small" Christmas trees and one large one. There are assorted scenes made out of rope light. There are over 100 angels, most of which are flying midair. And of course, since it's Disney, there are over 70 hidden Mickeys. If you ever get a chance to go to Walt Disney World in November or December, definitely check out these lights! It's entirely worth viewing!
The reason I bring this all up is because the Streets of America are in my area of the park. And of course, there need to be cast members working while the lights are on, to direct traffic and answer questions. So the attractions in my area are in charge of staffing the event each night. Which means, about three to four times a week, I would go to Toy Story in the morning, and then around 4:30, change my costume and head over to work Spectacle of Dancing Lights. They were long days, but it was super fun! Definitely one of the highlights of the season. And it actually made all the hours I worked a little more bearable as it was two different locations then, instead of just one.
A normal Spectacle shift looks something like this. 4:30-5, track talk (meeting with managers and coordinators to talk about the day), followed by setting up barricades and signs. Then we would have some free time to walk around the streets answering questions and talking to guests. At 5:45 we would have to be in positions and start redirecting traffic to help with traffic flow. This redirect would last about half the night, until it quieted down. Then we would enter a "free-flow" time where we would take the barricades down and were once again free to walk around and talk with the guests.
I have a short story that happened one day that's kinda cute, and totally nerdy. But first, a little more background. This fall, the New Fantasyland opened in the Magic Kingdom. Included in this area is a ride telling the tale of The Little Mermaid, a meet and greet area with Ariel, an immersive experience telling the tale of Beauty and the Beast. The last thing that New Fantasyland has that is open is a new restaurant called Be Our Guest. You can go in and eat lunch or dinner in the grand ballroom, or the west wing of the Beast's castle!
A little more background: at Spectacle of Dancing lights, when the lights are not "dancing," it snows! They have snow machines set up and it can actually look like a blizzard sometimes! At the Magic Kingdom, it also snows during their special Christmas events. Lastly, in the grand ballroom of Be Our Guest, it also snows outside the windows.
And now my story. While walking around one night for Spectacle of Dancing Lights before the lights were turned on, my friend Kristin and I ran into a family. A mother and her two young daughters. We were talking to them about the lights, the normal questions: what is it, when will it turn on. I don't remember if they asked, or if Kristin and I just brought it up, but we began talking about how it also snows on the Streets of America.
Here's how the rest of the conversation unfolded:
Mother: Oh it snows! Girls, where else did you see snow in Disney World?
Girls: Magic Kingdom!!!!
Mother: But where in Magic Kingdom?
Girls: in the castle!
Kristin and me: Oh, you mean Be Our Guest Restaurant in the Beast's castle?
Girls and Mother: Yes!
Kristin and me: So you visited the Beast's castle? Did you eat there?
Girls: Yes!
Me (to the girls): Did you try the grey stuff? I heard it's delicious!
Girls (quizzical looks)
Kristin (to me): They don't believe you, they should ask the dishes!
Everybody: (laughs)
Honestly, that was not planned at all. But Kristin and I are kinda nerdy like that and we play off each other quite well sometimes!
I just thought it was cute! Another example of how a little conversation can turn into a lot of magic for guests!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Happy Holidays
So, it's January 9th. The holidays are finally over. It's been a long couple of weeks. Leading up to the weeks before the holidays, we were all getting maybe 32-40 hours a week. Then the holidays started and hours went up. I was working 50-60 hours a week. I started working six days a week. Then the week of Christmas came. That week I worked all seven days, making about a 13 day stretch without a day off. I worked 80 hours that week. And then 70 hours the week after for New Year's. So you think then that the long weeks are over.
Wrong!
Right after New Year's, all of the college program kids finish their programs. The new college program kids don't start right away. So we are currently in what we call the CP-Gap. What this means is that all of the full- and part-time cast members are still working long hours. So I'm still working 50-70 hour weeks.
Don't get me wrong, I love having hours and good paychecks. But, I've not had a real break from work until right now. This is the first time I've had two days off in a row for several weeks. I'll be happy for the hours to get back to 40 in a week. I say that now, but as soon as they do, I'll want more hours again.
I received my first point on my record card. Actually, it was only half a point, for clocking in five minutes late. Normally, I start work around 8:15 or 8:30 in the morning. At this time, traffic is not bad at all since the park does not open until 9 usually. But as soon as 9 comes along, the parking plaza gets super backed up. I can usually make it to work in 20 minutes. This includes walk-time, from the moment I lock my front door to the moment I clock in at work. I usually leave 30 to 35 minutes before my shift just to give me some extra time. The other day, I strangely started at 9:45. Without thinking, I left my house at 9:15. Bad decision. The entrance to Hollywood Studios was super backed up. It took me 15 minutes alone to get from the turn-lane into the entrance to the parking spot. I did not park until 9:43, plus there is about 8 minutes of walking after that. I was so upset but oh well. It's my first notation. And it's only half a point.
I received another first the other day. It was my first Applause-o-gram. When a guest has a really great experience with a cast member, if they tell Guest Relations about it, guest relations will normally fill out an Applause-o-gram for that cast member. Here's my story:
I encountered a family around 8pm. They were a party of five: mom, dad, and three kids. The youngest, probably about 10 years old, suffered from some ailment. He was in a wheel chair and the parents explained that he is currently on chemo and medication. Because of this, they were not able to get an early start to their day. They arrived at Hollywood Studios at 1pm that day, about two hours after we had run out of fast passes. They did not have a Guest Assistance Card (which under the circumstances, they probably could have gotten). The boy really wanted to go on Toy Story. The standby wait time at 8pm was about 2 hours long. We explained that between 9pm and 10pm, the wait time would be considerably shorter. The parents responded that 2 hours was just too much to spend in line, and that they were unsure that coming back between 9pm and 10 pm would be a good option. The boy would only last about an hour longer before the meds started to kick in, the should really be leaving the park within an hour. With heavy faces, they turned and started to leave. I looked at my coordinator Jesse and stated that I feel horrible. Without hesitation, Jesse allowed me to grab the family and bring them through the fast pass line without fast passes. The family was so happy, but realized it was breaking the rules, so they only wanted to send in half of their party. I made sure the whole party was able to ride. I took them through the fast past line, got to know them a little bit while we waited. And told them that it might be an additional 20 minute wait or so. They were so very appreciative and humbled. As I walked out of the building, I almost started crying. Thirty minutes later, I was actually put in the positions where wheel chairs are loaded onto the ride. AS I got there, this family was just getting off the ride, and once again thanked me profusely. The little boy was so happy. And the parents couldn't thank me enough. Honestly, it was my pleasure. I'm happy that I got an Applause-o-gram for it. But, I would have done it regardless. The satisfaction I received from the action alone, was more than enough for me. This is why I work for Disney.
Wrong!
Right after New Year's, all of the college program kids finish their programs. The new college program kids don't start right away. So we are currently in what we call the CP-Gap. What this means is that all of the full- and part-time cast members are still working long hours. So I'm still working 50-70 hour weeks.
Don't get me wrong, I love having hours and good paychecks. But, I've not had a real break from work until right now. This is the first time I've had two days off in a row for several weeks. I'll be happy for the hours to get back to 40 in a week. I say that now, but as soon as they do, I'll want more hours again.
I received my first point on my record card. Actually, it was only half a point, for clocking in five minutes late. Normally, I start work around 8:15 or 8:30 in the morning. At this time, traffic is not bad at all since the park does not open until 9 usually. But as soon as 9 comes along, the parking plaza gets super backed up. I can usually make it to work in 20 minutes. This includes walk-time, from the moment I lock my front door to the moment I clock in at work. I usually leave 30 to 35 minutes before my shift just to give me some extra time. The other day, I strangely started at 9:45. Without thinking, I left my house at 9:15. Bad decision. The entrance to Hollywood Studios was super backed up. It took me 15 minutes alone to get from the turn-lane into the entrance to the parking spot. I did not park until 9:43, plus there is about 8 minutes of walking after that. I was so upset but oh well. It's my first notation. And it's only half a point.
I received another first the other day. It was my first Applause-o-gram. When a guest has a really great experience with a cast member, if they tell Guest Relations about it, guest relations will normally fill out an Applause-o-gram for that cast member. Here's my story:
I encountered a family around 8pm. They were a party of five: mom, dad, and three kids. The youngest, probably about 10 years old, suffered from some ailment. He was in a wheel chair and the parents explained that he is currently on chemo and medication. Because of this, they were not able to get an early start to their day. They arrived at Hollywood Studios at 1pm that day, about two hours after we had run out of fast passes. They did not have a Guest Assistance Card (which under the circumstances, they probably could have gotten). The boy really wanted to go on Toy Story. The standby wait time at 8pm was about 2 hours long. We explained that between 9pm and 10pm, the wait time would be considerably shorter. The parents responded that 2 hours was just too much to spend in line, and that they were unsure that coming back between 9pm and 10 pm would be a good option. The boy would only last about an hour longer before the meds started to kick in, the should really be leaving the park within an hour. With heavy faces, they turned and started to leave. I looked at my coordinator Jesse and stated that I feel horrible. Without hesitation, Jesse allowed me to grab the family and bring them through the fast pass line without fast passes. The family was so happy, but realized it was breaking the rules, so they only wanted to send in half of their party. I made sure the whole party was able to ride. I took them through the fast past line, got to know them a little bit while we waited. And told them that it might be an additional 20 minute wait or so. They were so very appreciative and humbled. As I walked out of the building, I almost started crying. Thirty minutes later, I was actually put in the positions where wheel chairs are loaded onto the ride. AS I got there, this family was just getting off the ride, and once again thanked me profusely. The little boy was so happy. And the parents couldn't thank me enough. Honestly, it was my pleasure. I'm happy that I got an Applause-o-gram for it. But, I would have done it regardless. The satisfaction I received from the action alone, was more than enough for me. This is why I work for Disney.
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