Little bit of business

So this update is going to be two parts, one just a fun update for everyone and the second part is going to be more for the journal that I have to turn in to Eastern.

So I am getting over a massive head cold-I think I am the only person who could catch a cold in the summer in Florida. Sudafed and Amoxicilin for me. Finally making the turn for the better, my ears are unplugged and I can breathe out of my nose for the first time in days.

So working with the public is always fun, I learned a little bit of that working at Compuware but Disney takes it to a whole other level. We had to talk to a woman, from Spain, that it is not appropriate to be in the water park topless. I have seen 3 women who are very, very pregnant in a two piece bikini (think of laura flynn boyle at the start of Men In Black 2) and bigger girls who should not be wearing what they are...especially when hair is coming from places that it shouldn't.

Mostly though I have to explain to guests that their ticket package does not include water park access. 99% of the time I get, "Yes it does, it has the park hopper." To which I have to explain that while they do have the park hopper option that only includes the four major theme parks. They argue with me some more, tell me I'm wrong, then I send them to guests services and then I watch them walk back to the parking lot about 5 minutes later. Now, try doing that with a family that doesn't speak English!

The other thing that happens way to often is that I get fake tickets. Well, they aren't fake, but they don't work for the person who buys them. Every time a person uses their ticket they have to have their finger scanned and it links that ticket to that individual person. So if the ticket is lost or stolen and someone tries to use the ticket it will not allow them to enter. So what I get a lot of the time is a person where none of their fingers will match and it will not allow them to enter. I then look at the name on the back and if they have ID that matches then I can let them in. So I ask, "Is this you?" and they look at me and say, "No." I ask them where they got the ticket from and the most popular responses so far are, "From some guy" or, "From a gas station."

What happens is a family who is done with their vacation but still has days left on their tickets sell them to others saying that there are still days on the ticket. However, because of the disney ticket tagging system tickets are only good for that one person. Moral of the story is ONLY buy Disney tickets from Disney! If you buy the discounted tickets on the highways outside property you are probably buying used tickets and they will not work!

I am having a blast playing in the parks on my time off, and from the photos on my facebook you can tell that I pretty much spend all my free time getting pictures with characters. My next goal is to get my picture with Daisy Duck and then move on to the villains, which are hard to find! Mostly I want Jafar.

Ok, onto the more formal writing.

During the first week I attended Traditions. This is the orientation class that all new Disney cast members must take. We learned about the history of the company, the Disney Basics, and the four Disney Standards. By teaching all new cast members about the history of the company it serves to make a connection with the workers. Disney is all about creating magic and the only way that happens is if the cast members go above and beyond and one way to get them to do that is my making them feel a part of this massive company. It serves to create a sense of community and a sense of being a part of something that is bigger than the worker.

The Disney Basics is a list of characteristics that Disney wants all cast members to demonstrate. These characteristics were developed by a mass survey of park guests when asked what they think a Disney cast member should be. The basics are: I go above and beyond, I stay in character and play the part, I am courteous to all guests including children, and I project a positive image and energy. Disney wants all cast member to demonstrate these characteristics because these characteristics are what our guests are looking for and expecting from Disney cast members. The way we treat our guests is a large reason why our guests return year after year.

The four Disney Standards help us provide the best time for our guests. They are: Safety, Show, Efficiency, and Courtesy. Safety is the top standard for both guests and cast members. Show is about being "on stage" or when guests can see you, the cast member. When you are on stage you are playing the part and creating the magic. This means you are projecting a positive image and playing the part. Another example is the theming. Cast members have costumes that match the theme of the ride. Each land has music and it changes subtly as you move form land to land. You are not walking into a land that is not yours and no matter how bad of a day you are having when you are on stage you leave it behind. Efficiency is both on stage and off stage. On stage Disney is efficient by providing fast passes for their guests-allowing a guest to wait in line less. Off stage Disney is efficient in how it moves cast members around out of the public eye. This also includes having evacuation plans ready for all parks and hotels. Courtesy is projecting those Disney Basics and treating all guests like they are our family, and creating a welcoming atmosphere. This goes a long way to bringing guests back for repeat visits.

Once we learned all these standards and basics we were taken into the Magic Kingdom, on stage, and had to look for examples. We were able to talk to on stage cast members, guests, and look at the little details that a park guest may over look but still goes a long way to creating the Disney Difference. This was a fun way to reinforce what we had learned, get us out of the classroom, and give us a truly special experience-using the tunnels at the Magic Kingdom.

When we got back to the classroom we reviewed what we had seen and then there was a knock on the door. Who was it? The boss. Mickey Mouse walked in carrying a package. Mickey stayed for about 10 minutes passed out some prizes to people who answered questions about the Disney Company correctly and then had to move on. Now, the room was full of people 18 years old and up but I everyone had a huge smile on their face when Mickey was in the room. Our teachers made a point to discuss this with us. All the Disney Basics and Standards played a part in our smiles with Mickey. Mickey represents everything about the Disney Company. That warm fuzzy feeling is created by how all the cast members treat our guests, and that we were going to be trusted with continuing that tradition.

My Costume

Well here it is, by popular demand, my costume

You know you love it. Notice my awesome black water bottle huggie on my hip!

Tour of Blizzard

So I have been here over a week and I have worked exactly two days. One was the Traditions class which all cast members must take and it is an orientation for the entire Walt Disney Company. Second was the orientation for Blizzard Beach called Forecast Blizzard. It was basically a little history of the park and a park tour. It was from 8-1 and then I had two hours of online training to complete which ranged from chemical safety to how to catch the pedophile at a water park.

Tomorrow I actually start my on the job training as I will be a park greeter for Blizzard. I get two days of OJT and then I am on my own. The good part about this is that I can easily pick up extra shifts at the theme parks as a park greeter as it is the same exact job, I would only need to go get a different costume. Speaking of which mine isn't too bad-white shorts, red bahama t-shirt with Ice Gator (get it?) all of it, an optional all white hat, and a gold colored belt. I'll post photos of me in my costume soon enough.

Other than that I have just been hitting the parks and riding all the rides I want. There are basically no lines down here right now as we are entering the off-season. It will start picking up as we get closer to Halloween and then die off again, and then pick back up for Thanksgiving, die right back down after and then get crazy busy for Christmas.