Boo To You.....and You and You and You

This is an odd "ghostly" picture I took during the Boo To You parade.

I am pleasantly surprised about the amount of participation I had in the most recent theme poll. I put up the poll a couple weeks ago to choose this week’s theme and the whole time “The Future has Arrived” and “Let’s Go on an Adventure” were neck and neck. They were still tied at five o’clock today when I made the decision to hold those themes for next week and start a poll that just has those two as the option and do a different theme for this week. Then while I was writing the new article I saw that another vote was put in for “Future” and so I scraped what I was doing and started a new article for “Future” until……..yes, not even twenty minutes later a vote was put in for “Adventure.” So then I made my decision and here it is.

This week’s theme is “Holidays Part 1: Halloween.” Then next week I will do “The Future has Arrived Today.” And then finally, the following week will be “Let’s Go on an Adventure.” And then we will what happens from there on.

With Halloween inching closer and closer, I thought this week would be a good week to talk about holidays while you are in the program. Almost every family in the world has traditions during the different holidays. It could be something as big as throwing an annual Halloween or Christmas party or as small as maybe doing an Easter egg hunt or making special cakes on Valentines’ day. It could be that every year your family decorates the Christmas tree together or maybe you all go out to dinner on New Year’s Eve. Whatever it is, you have probably already realized that chances are this will be the first year you won’t be involved. Disney World is open every day and 85% of the time, College Program participants will be given those days (that’s just what happens). This week I will be discussing the many ways you can celebrate and enjoy the holidays. I am feeling great about this week because I feel this will all be information you will be happy to know. So until tomorrow….

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

My First Day and My First Magic Moment 2-2!

This is one of my favorite picture from the upstairs of my old restaurant looking out onto Tom Sawyer's Island.

First of all, my response to this video is that there are no such thing as ghosts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFnmTVwSIp4&feature=pyv
Secondly. Why can’t we get this or something like this at Disney World?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kupAApHVP2c&feature=related

And now the uh….."epic".....conclusion to My fist day of work and my first magical moment. Enjoy!

I walked back out to the counter area, the place that I would be living for the better part of five-ish months. I say five-ish because I did spend about a month and a half at EPCOT working the Food and Wine festival but that’s a whole other story for a different day. The first thing I noticed about the counter area was that it wasn’t very big so I found myself sharing an area roughly four feet by maybe twenty feet with about seven other people. I was told to only concern myself with handing out trays of food, as I would not be trained to man the soda fountains until the next day. I could only wonder what intricacies and skills it could require to man one of these stations that I wouldn’t be allowed to work it for another twenty four hours. Whatever. So focused on the task at hand and went into overdrive as it was the lunch rush. It was a fairly easy job to do. First I took an order receipt from the printer next to the apple crisps and looked over what’s on the ticket. I then proceeded to grab the corresponding tray and completed the order with the proper drinks, deserts, and side items the order called for. Finally I would call out the order number and the guests would get their food. Rinse, Wash, and Repeat. It was actually pretty fun, like a video game you would play on an educational website. At one point drink filler at station one was called away for a moment and I was told to fill drink orders while she was away. So much for training……but again it was pretty straight forward. An order appears on the screen, you grab the appropriate sized cup, pour the drink, fill the order, and move on to the next. Again just Rinse, Wash, and Repeat. Now I can’t say anything about other jobs outside of Disney World because truth be told I have never held a “common” job before this but even though I was simply moving food from point A to point B, I loved it. I got a real feeling of satisfaction when I would ask a guest how their day was going or what their favorite ride was so far and they would go on for ten minutes about everything they had done that day. Maybe it was because they were excited or maybe it was because they were talking about Disney but I loved listening to them and asking them, “and then what happened?” Anyways, to continue the story, there was only fifteen minutes left in my job and I had yet to perform my first magical moment for a guest. Just then I saw one of my fellow cast members from Brazil give a little girl with a Disney birthday pin a chocolate cake because it was her birthday. Apparently that’s one of the things we did as a magical moment (but apparently we stopped doing it towards the end of my program). So now I was keeping my eyes open for a birthday pin but with three minutes left for my day I worried that I wouldn’t be able to give one on my first day. And then I saw him. There was a little boy coming up at one of the stations that I wasn’t working at and I grabbed a cake and rushed to that station. And when the little boy reached the counter I gave him the cake and wished him a “happy Birthday!” When my shift was over I was grabbed by my trainer again and she congratulated me on a successful first day on the job. And truth be told, I gave myself a little pat on the pack and knew……this is going to be a pretty wild ride. As Mr. Toad would say, “We’re merrily merrily merrily on our way to nowhere in particular.”

I had a magical first day and I hope that those of you who are planning to do the program will have as an enjoyable first day and as an amazing of a program as I did.

And until next time.....

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day

My First Day and First Magic Moment 1 of 2!

First of all a piece of advice. As I write this I kick myslef for not having kept any sort of blog or journal during my program. I do remeber just about all of the details, I don't have any sort sense of time during this entry. I believe on my first day I went from 10:30 until 4:30. So just note to yourself that it is a good idea to keep a journal or something. And now I present part 1 of my first day. Enjoy.......


I was told to report to a particular white bench underneath the Magic Kingdom, I arrived there an hour beforehand just in case. And as I sat there, I watched the other new Cast Members coming and going. They were all wearing the costumes of their new work location and all with the same look of fear and excitement. Then it was my turn. A lady approached me, dressed from head to toe like Betsy Ross. She asked me, “Are you John?” I looked down at my chest to make sure I was wearing a name tag that said John ( I was) and I looked back up and said, “Yes.” I stood up and I followed her down the rabbit hole known as the Utilidors. We went down two hallways and found ourselves in front of an elevator. We got in the elevator and it took us up to a patio behind the restaurant where I met a few of my would be fellow Cast members. Then my trainer, who was an extremely nice lady, gave me the rundown of the restaurant and handed me a packet which gave a background of the restaurant, Cast Member guidelines, the menu, and a list of what’s inside all of the food items we sell. I was told to know it well. We then went inside the restaurant and instantly, everyone of my senses were put to work. I could smell fish and fires frying. There were a lot of dishes clanging and orders being filled. I saw both Cast Members dressed in 1700’s garb mingling with Cast Members wearing their cooking outfits. It was a little over whelming but I quickly gained my bearings. I was brought out to the counter area for all of ten seconds where I met the rest of the people I would be working with for the next seven months. We then proceeded out to the dining area, up a flight of stairs, and into a back area where I met the area manager (again one of the nicest people I’ve ever met). Then before I knew it I was being whisked down another set of stairs and I found myself once more in the patio area by the elevator where they had a small selection of the menu items for me to sample. The fish, chicken, and Mac n cheese were the best. When I finished, another girl grabbed me and told me she would be helping me with the next phase of my training and that for the last two hours of my shift I would be at the counter filling orders. This was the moment I had been waiting for. It was game time!

To be continued tomorrow…….

Everyone has a Magic Moment

I was originally going to post a list of different locations around Disney World and what magical moments they provide. But alas the list I compiled is on my laptop in my dorm and well......I'm not at my dorm room. So I will be posting that list on Saturday or Sunday as a bonus post and today I have a couple links to check out where Disney fans have posted their favorite magic moments. Check them out and feel good.

Passporters
http://www.passporter.com/wdw/vacationermagicmoments.htm

Magic Moments
http://www.magicmoments.org/stories2.php

Mgmcinnis' flickr page of Magic Moments
http://www.flickr.com/groups/waltdisneyworld/discuss/72157603258180847/

Do you have a Magical Moment you want to share? Leave a coment below with your favorite Magical Moment.

Tomorrow I have one of my favorite articles up to this point. I am going to walk you through my first day of work at the Magic Kingdom and the first Magis Moment I preformed as a Disney Cast Member......so stay tuned.


Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

The Magic is Inside All of Us

Today we are talking about creating very simple and basic but definetly worth it Magical Moments. The following are three examples of how, on your days off in the park, you can make fellow guest's experiences that much more magical. For your convenience I have also included what not to do along with them.


Do: Take a guest’s picture- One of the only downsides to modern day cameras is that someone in the party has to take the picture. This is where you come in. If you see a family in front of Cinderella’s Castle or anywhere else ask them if you can take the picture for them. Although they will probably forget you five minutes later, you can take solace in the fact that you just made one of their cherished family moments that much more complete

Don’t: Take a guest’s picture- I cannot emphasize enough just how creepy it is to follow guests around taking their picture……without them knowing


Do: Enjoy the splendors of Pin Trading- Disney struck the Magic gold mine when in 1999 they started the Pin Trading trend in the parks. And this is a trend that you should consider jumping aboard when you head on down to Disney. Not only is it a fun thing to collect but it also encourages guests interaction. I can’t tell you how many conversations I struck up with other guests on my days off that start with them wanting to trade and ends with us riding Splash Mountain together. It’s fun for everyone.

Don’t: Enjoy the splendors of Pin Trading- There is something about the innocence of a child that is, in it’s purest form, Magical. This unfortunately, however, makes pin trading with kids a tough thing to do because their idea of value is not determined on monetary or rarity scale but rather what they like the best. So if they like one of those incredibly common and inexpensive “Disney Cutties” pins, then they would be willing to trade a rare limited edition pin without a second thought. Please do not take advantage of this. In fact, this was particularly difficult when I was on the clock because a Cast Member can’t refuse a trade. So what I would do is trade with the kid but then give the mother or father the rare pin and tell the parents to encourage the kids to continue to pin trade but to explain that some pins are more “special” than others.


Do: Give away your Fast Pass: Now I’m not saying that you should spend your days off standing in front of E-ticket attractions constantly getting Fast Passes to hand out. However remember that you are going to be at Disney World for several months and the guests are there for about three to five days. So if you and your friends are enjoying the park and you have, let’s say fast passes for Test Track, when it’s time for you to report for the passes take a quick look at the stand by line. If you see a particularly long line consider giving one of the families your fast passes. They will appreciate it and you can continue to enjoy the park knowing that you just made their vacation.

Don’t: Give away your Fast Pass: I know I wrote “Give Away Fast Passes” but what I actually mean is “Don’t: Sell Your Fast Passes.” Believe it or not I saw a gentleman outside of Soarin selling his two Fast Passes and what’s worse that someone bought them for ten dollars. That is one of the biggest ways to cheapen the magic of Walt Disney World and a quick way to get yourself kicked out of the parks.



So take some of these things to heart when you are enjoying one of your days off. Also don't forget to check out the contest I posted yesterday and submit your entry.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

Magic and My First Contest!

I talked briefly of creating Magic yesterday I think before you consider how you can make magic for the guests, you should just sit back and think for of the magic Disney has made for you. Let’s face, if you are reading this then chances are Disney has had an impact on your life. Today I am talking about a special type of moment…..the moment that you realize, “I’m at Walt Disney World.” This moment can come from getting your tickets, passing through the property gates for the first time, checking into your hotel and seeing Disney everywhere, or your first step on Main Street of the vacation. These moments have become almost necessary in keeping up the magic of Disney everytime you go to the parks.

Here are two of mine

My first moment that I know “I’m at Disney World” doesn’t even occur on Disney property. When we drive up to Disney we get on the highway before mile marker one and we know that it’s a straight shot north until mile marker 249. This is the exit onto Osceola Parkway which is a road that shoots right into Disney World. Well when I was young my parents were surprising us with a trip to Disney World and they didn’t tell us until we were actually in the EPCOT parking lot. But when we were getting off at the 249 exit my dad turned back to us since we were constantly asking where we were going (let’s face it, three hours in a car as a little kid feels like two weeks). And he started with a serious face but then changed it to a smile and said “We’re here. Kids were going to Weiner World.” We of course believed him and thought we were going to a hotdog theme park……Oh…..Boy. And from then on that exit serves as both a reminder of a great vacation and a landmark that tells me that we’re there.

I live about three and a half hours south of the parks and because of this our family tends to leave for a Disney vacation in the afternoon so that we will arrive at night and get settled. This means that our park experience starts the following morning and 99% of the time, we start at Animal Kingdom. What’s the ride we do first? Nope not Expedition Everest. Why would you say Triceratops Spin……I mean no not Triceratops Spin. The answer is Dinosaur. There is something complete about this ride experience that starts as soon as I enter the building and I’m met with the scientific ramblings of well…….Bill Nye the Science Guy. I then enter the theater where I am greeted what is arguably the second best preshow video in all the parks. The doors open up. I round a corner and as soon I step out onto the loading area and I watch the cars fill up and head out, I am filled with every emotion my body can hit me with. One near death experience and an Iguanadon later, I know that I am at Disney World.

Now It's Your Turn

I have told you two my “I’m at Disney World” moments and now I want to know what’s yours. What is the moment that fills you with joy and makes you scream “I’m at Disney World?” In fact let’s make this more interesting. Leave your moment in the comment box below before October 31 at 11:59 P.M. and I will pick one entry at rondom to win…..something. I don’t know what yet and it probably won’t be anything big but it’ll be something and let’s face it, a prize is prize. So just leave your moment in the comment box below and as always….

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

Wrapped Up In pixie Dust!

Look I completed a puzzle ...a couple years ago.

First of all, today is going to be a relatively short post because I just came back from the most amazing Monday Night Football game I have ever seen and my brain is going haywire. That being said I am "uber" excited about some of the articles I have planned and prepared for this week.

I mentioned in a previous post that I am always on disney forums and I always try to find a new Disney blog or vlog to enjoy. And when I reviewed all these different medias, there is one common factor that makes me proud to have had the chance to have done the College Program and makes me that much more excited to do it again. The one common trait that I see is......"I want to help the guests" "I want to make their time at Disney World or Disneyland as magical as possible." This is not a sentiment you will normally find working at other parks because this is a tradition Walt Disney established back when he started his animation studio and when he opened Disneyland in 1955. It's such an amazing tradition of service that is in it's truest essence, the greatest feeling of all.

It's the feeling of:

-Satisfaction you get when you trade pins with a little kid

-Joy inside when you witness a little four year old's first encounter with Mickey Mouse and he runs up and hugs him like an old friend

-Excitment on a guests face when recommend your favorite place to eat

- Rush you get when a guest says thank you

That is why this week is MAGICAL MOMENTS WEEK. This week I will be sharing a couple of my cast member stories, a top five list of how to carry these traits over when you are a guest in the park, and a few other articles relating to what you can do as a cast member to make a guest's vacation truly......well, MAGICAL.


Have a Zip-A-Dee........no wait.

Have a Magical Day!