Disney 2012: August 2012

I went to my last training class on Tuesday, and the class went to the Magic Kingdom! We took the bus over to the Magic Kingdom, and we started backstage and went to the front of the park and came out to see that OVERNIGHT they put up the Halloween decorations. It was amazing to go to the parks the night before, and you come the next day and there are decorations. Our trainers were even shocked and didn't know the park was being decorated. So we started walking around and they started talking and giving us all this information that you would never know about the parks...I can't give it all away, but one thing....Mainstreet is built uphill so when the guests come running in they get tired half way up because they don't realize they are running uphill. Our special cast member tour took us just long enough to get up to the castle where it is elevated to see the opening of the park. Just like the trainers said when the parks open everyone comes running in and then half way they stop. They get tired from running uphill and they don't even know it! haha Well there are many more things we learned, but I don't wanna spoil the fun for everyone :)

Before the park opened

The official opening of the day with everyone running in

So we after got to ride a few rides during our training. We rode the Buzz Lightyear space ranger ride and then the Haunted Mansion ride. It was so much fun. :) After our tour and the rides we had lunch then then did some e-learning on the computer and got our costumes...I might...might put up a picture....We will see. haha There are so many buttons to the costume. It's not terrible...haha

I have realized that I just put pictures up, but never really explained my past two training days. The first thing you do in order to become a cast member is you have to go to the Casting building. I did that on the first day I got here right after I moved in. A bus took us over to the casting building and I learned some interesting things from the Cast Member going with us. A lot of the information was about our discounts, but there was some other random facts. The only ones that come to mind right now...1) Hess has a deal with Disney so Hess can't skyrocket there prices to the public around Orlando just to get tourists. Disney buys their gas from Hess so they have to keep the prices down for Disney and for their guests around Orlando, and 2) The casting building...

has the argyle design to it because Walt Disney always wore argyle socks. haha

So we left our apartments at 2 and got there by 2:30 and started our process. We were standing in line right right as soon at you enter the door in the picture up above and we saw this...

It was a round room and once you exited that room you entered into a hallway that inclines and there are many doors and different ways to go. Unfortunately, this was the only part I was aloud to take pictures in. So we are standing in line and these two ladies walk around the line and hand out our job positions of where we will be working. This is where I found out I would be working at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in Magic Kingdom. :) It took 2 training days and about 8 different people to get the real number and place correct, but finally I discovered that Cosmic Ray's is the 2nd busiest fast food place in the world right behind a McDonald's in Shanghai I believe. The only reason that the McDonald's beat us is because they are open 24 hours a day...Cosmic Ray's opens at 10:30 everyday and doesn't close until the park closes....Which means if there are those extra magic hours for our guests until 2 a.m....guess who is going to be working....me. haha I already found out 2 days next week I work until 2:30 a.m. Lucky Me! :) haha

So this whole process took about 3 hours we learned about the Disney Look, completed work forms, payroll stuff, education stuff, background checks....all of that stuff to get a job only Disney style :) There were Disney pictures all over the way and it was a very cool place to work there. All the cast member's offices were decorated with all this Disney stuff it was just so exciting :)

After we went through everything we figured out when our Traditions training was going to be and then our training days as well. So casting building was Monday and Traditions was Thursday.

Traditions started off early they picked us up at 6:45 at the bus stop and took us to Disney University behind Magic Kingdom. Class started at 8 am and right before class we got our Blue Disney IDs that allow us to get into the parks for free and give us all our great discounts! We actually left the class room and went to the park and walked around learning about Disney's 4 keys they have decided were what made them be so successful and put them ahead of "their competitors down the road" haha I love when they say that. :)

I was picked as the team leader when we walked around the Magic Kingdom so I got a cute little Donald Duck. :) We came back to Disney University and talked more and watched videos and then MICKEY came in to see us!! :) Everyone got excited and he came to say hi and welcome us and he brought a present which was supposed to be our name tags, but they weren't ready yet when Mickey came in. They were ready by the end and they handed them out to us, and by the end of the day we were official Cast Members :) We could finally go to the parks now because Tuesday and Wednesday we couldn't go to the parks because we didn't get our ID's yet. So Thursday, August 23 is when I officially became a Disney Cast Member :)

Sunday I had training at 8 at Disney University, but this time it was specific to my role in Quick Service Food and Beverage. We just went over basic food safety stuff and then went into a computer lab and went through some modules to learn about safety and what happens if an animal gets loose from animal kingdom....just basic Disney stuff...haha

My technical communications background was really interested in all this training..not for the training itself but for the modules we were doing and how they made them. I really loved every one maybe not for the content, but it was like an advanced Captivate..Ohh like those alumni's that came from MERC and should us the training things they made! It was like that only Disney's safety modules were Wild about Safety with Timon and Pumba! It was so fun just because it was Disney stuff like that. Every bullet point was a Mickey head or a leaf in the Timon and Pumba one or a bug. Just the modules they had were impressive and I think it would be fun to make the training videos and modules that the new Cast Member's have to watch and work through.

After we completed the modules, the whole class went over to the Magic Kingdom costume building...rows and rows and rows of costumes for every area of the Magic Kingdom and even the holiday costumes..It was just an amazing site to see. We went all the way to the back and we got.....our free non-slip shoes...haha I get my costume on Tuesday after my last training day :) They were actually free shoes though. They are black New Balance shoes that were completely free from Disney so that was nice. People so you don't get anything free from Disney. I got some shoes out of them :) I get to keep them too so I can wear them around when it rains instead of rain boots and never slip and fall! haha just kidding.

Now I wait until Tuesday to have my last day of official training. It starts at 7:15 and goes until 3:45. I think we get to go to the park before it opens! :) I did go to Magic Kingdom last night and cut through the Grand Floridan to get to the monorail so here are some pictures from last night.....I also decided I will be going to all the different resorts and just resort hop to see them all. They are all so intricate and detailed and amazing!!