Today was my 5th day, and I can safely say I'm getting settled in. I'm able to keep it limited to about one major dumb thing a day. For instance, at the end of the day we're supposed to fuel the trucks by pulling up to the propane pump (these trucks use propane). No more than 4 in line and that's the only rule. Pretty simple...except for when I became the 5th truck in line. I thought I would be murdered by some of the stares I got from other drivers. Luckily, everyone is pretty forgiving, especially since a lot of this stuff doesn't come up in training.
If I haven't already said it, there are about 200 safari drivers, so it's tough to keep up with all the names...wait, we all have name tags. Nice. Anyway, a lot of cast members at Disney work seasonally so they can keep the benefits. Basically, pretty much everyday I'm seeing new people. I was told today that it's only a matter of time before I get sucked into the soap opera that is KSR, but I'm trying my best to stay neutral, regardless of how I may or may not feel about a couple drivers. But I'm sure I'll tick someone off sooner or later.
One of the difficult parts about making friends around here is that most of the time, you won't have the same days off to hang out. I also can't really go out on work nights since I have to wake up so early the next day. But that's for the best since I'm making jack squat anyway. After work, I usually have time to work out, eat, and sleep. Starting mid-October, I'll be taking a couple classes, Exploring Marketing and Exploring Tradition. They're both lecture series, so no homework (praise Allah). Both classes will bring in professionals from around the company to pretty much talk about whatever they want. The non-marketing class deals with the history of Disney as well as it's structure and anything else pertinent to the company.
I keep forgetting to have someone take a picture of me in a truck. I'll remember...hopefully.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
First Few Days
Monday and Tuesday were my first two days on the job without a trainer. I’m pretty sure, subconsciously, I dedicated Monday morning to screwing up as much as possible. Those of you who know me well know that I am usually not that hard on myself, but I was dropping the ball left and right. For example, going in reverse for anything is considered pretty embarrassing, like if I didn’t get close enough to the dock. Long story short, I had to back up twice. Yikes. I believe every safari I did that day had something I did incorrectly. However, the afternoon went much better. Also, all the other drivers are pretty quick to forgive when they realized it was my first day. Lots of advice was also distributed for my convenience.
Yesterday went much better. I felt much more comfortable and can’t really remember doing much wrong. Right around parade time everything gets a little slow, which is kind of nice. Also, until the end of the month, we’re gonna be open till 7 since dining reservations dropped the ball and overbooked a butt ton. The park usually closes at 6, so between 6 and 7, it’s been super slow. I was driving a departure 3 truck (handicap accessible) and on three trips had zero, four, and six people. On a side note, the departure 3 trucks are a bit tricky to dock and therefore made me nervous these past two days. Things will be good when we get back to normal, though.
To be honest, I wasn’t immediately psyched to work at DAK, since it’s not really ‘classic Disney’. However, between the awesomeness of my job and the fact that I get down waaay earlier than any of the other parks is very cool. Also as a bonus, safari drivers get paid about $.75 more per hour and get longer lunches; when I work over 8 hour days, I get three 15-minute breaks and a 45-minutes lunch. Not a bad deal. However, the best thing about safari is that the cast members control the ride. Every single ride here on property is on a track of some sort and operated electronically. But with safari, the drivers are in complete control, which makes it that much more difficult because there are roughly 23984762 things to remember.
I went out last night with a co-worker and her roommates and had a pretty good time. I’m meeting people here and there and am keeping myself busy. Pretty soon I’ll be applying for a professional internship here and I’m grilling everyone here to find out how they got here, what they’re doing to try to move up, and any obstacles they’ve encountered. So far, the optimists outnumber the pessimists and you really just have to bust your ass to get noticed.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Training: Complete
Good news, all: I passed my training. It was quite a whirlwind of activity; I had to spend at least 10 minutes at every position. I started the day with driving and did 3 rounds before management got on to make sure I'm not a complete idiot. The first time I docked, I jumped the curb and almost punched a baby. But then I got it together, dropped time off every round, and had things great by the time I was assessed. The rest of the day went swimmingly. I even got a sweet certificate and a bag of goodies! How satisfying. Tomorrow I start for real...and an 11 hr. 45 minute shift.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Training
The training for my position covered 5 days. So Sunday through Thursday, I have been getting my head filled with information. I always thought the job, or role as Disney calls it, was fairly simple. However, driving and spieling (reciting a script to guests) is actually the easiest part.
Day 1 I met my trainer, Ginni, a 5-foot nothing fireball of a lady who just happens to be 62. I was totally thrown off, but she doesn't beat around the bush. She tells it like it is, and luckily we got along quite well the whole week. So that first day consisted of walking around the park and learning all the land positions. However, before that, I got to do something pretty cool. When the park opens everyday, they select about 5-6 families to be on the first safari of the day. After that, they pick one more family to 'open' the park. So, I and another cast member held the ends of the ceremonial rope while the two people chosen held the middles. It's cool for the families and acts for us as a way to slow down people trying to run into the park. Either way, fun way to start my first day. I also got to drive the truck through the ride, sans guests, which was fun. I also typed out the whole script which ended up being 14 pages. Not all of it is required, only the certain parts that keep the story together as well as the conservation messages about certain animals. There are also about 25 animals throughout the trail and we must know 2 facts about each one. Unfortunately, those jerks sometimes appears out of order or grouped together with several different species. But, that variety is what makes the job great.
Day 2 we opened a truck, which involves a meticulous checklist, and took it out on the ride path so I could practice my spiel. The second time through, however, Ginni loaded guests onto the vehicle! I was driving, she was spieling. We did that twice, then switched places, her driving and me spieling. Good fun. Wrapped up the day with some e-learning, aka, watching 'awesome' safety videos online. Not fun.
Day 3. I did a dry run driving and spieling. After we docked and I prepared to do another dry run...but that wily Ginni opened up them doors and loaded me some passengers. So there I was, day 3 and taking passengers already. I did pretty well, and even got some applause (didn't matter to me that Ginni did say that it was my first safari). I ended doing 3 more rounds that day and got pretty comfortable. In the afternoon, I did most of the land positions, and Ginni said that I must be more charming when around guests. Once I get comfortable, it shouldn't be a problem. But like I said, there are tons of things to consider with the different positions. Plus, you really have to be on top of things since guests are just looking for a reason to walk all over you.
Day 4 I took another 3 rounds of guests and finished doing the land positions. Just for fun, they are info guide (person at the stand-by entrance), booking (fast-pass distribution), check-in (checking fast-passes), booking coordinator (takes the fast-passes and regulates the line), gatekeeper (looks for persons in wheelchairs and directs them to the right place), departure (puts guests into rows), departure assist (opens gates and closes doors of truck), departure 3 (seat guests in wheelchairs and their parties, parks wheelchairs/ECVs, and gets them ready for when they return. Hell of a job), and pram parking (stoller valet). As you can see, lots of stuff for lots of positions. In all of those, you must keep in character and put on good show. Later in the day some more training and whatnot.
Day 5 had me go out to Rafiki's Planet Watch, which is a place that has many more animals including cotton-topped tamarins, snakes, prehistoric things, cameras to look at animals that you can adjust yourself, etc. Ginni just wanted me to know what's out there for when guests asked. The only big thing I did that day was drive a departure 3 truck, just so I knew how to dock and whatnot. When I was getting grilled at the end of the day, though, my brain was shot.
Tomorrow I get assessed, just to see if I can go out on my own. I'm not nervous, but then at the same time, who am I kidding? Being jittery is my thing.
Day 1 I met my trainer, Ginni, a 5-foot nothing fireball of a lady who just happens to be 62. I was totally thrown off, but she doesn't beat around the bush. She tells it like it is, and luckily we got along quite well the whole week. So that first day consisted of walking around the park and learning all the land positions. However, before that, I got to do something pretty cool. When the park opens everyday, they select about 5-6 families to be on the first safari of the day. After that, they pick one more family to 'open' the park. So, I and another cast member held the ends of the ceremonial rope while the two people chosen held the middles. It's cool for the families and acts for us as a way to slow down people trying to run into the park. Either way, fun way to start my first day. I also got to drive the truck through the ride, sans guests, which was fun. I also typed out the whole script which ended up being 14 pages. Not all of it is required, only the certain parts that keep the story together as well as the conservation messages about certain animals. There are also about 25 animals throughout the trail and we must know 2 facts about each one. Unfortunately, those jerks sometimes appears out of order or grouped together with several different species. But, that variety is what makes the job great.
Day 2 we opened a truck, which involves a meticulous checklist, and took it out on the ride path so I could practice my spiel. The second time through, however, Ginni loaded guests onto the vehicle! I was driving, she was spieling. We did that twice, then switched places, her driving and me spieling. Good fun. Wrapped up the day with some e-learning, aka, watching 'awesome' safety videos online. Not fun.
Day 3. I did a dry run driving and spieling. After we docked and I prepared to do another dry run...but that wily Ginni opened up them doors and loaded me some passengers. So there I was, day 3 and taking passengers already. I did pretty well, and even got some applause (didn't matter to me that Ginni did say that it was my first safari). I ended doing 3 more rounds that day and got pretty comfortable. In the afternoon, I did most of the land positions, and Ginni said that I must be more charming when around guests. Once I get comfortable, it shouldn't be a problem. But like I said, there are tons of things to consider with the different positions. Plus, you really have to be on top of things since guests are just looking for a reason to walk all over you.
Day 4 I took another 3 rounds of guests and finished doing the land positions. Just for fun, they are info guide (person at the stand-by entrance), booking (fast-pass distribution), check-in (checking fast-passes), booking coordinator (takes the fast-passes and regulates the line), gatekeeper (looks for persons in wheelchairs and directs them to the right place), departure (puts guests into rows), departure assist (opens gates and closes doors of truck), departure 3 (seat guests in wheelchairs and their parties, parks wheelchairs/ECVs, and gets them ready for when they return. Hell of a job), and pram parking (stoller valet). As you can see, lots of stuff for lots of positions. In all of those, you must keep in character and put on good show. Later in the day some more training and whatnot.
Day 5 had me go out to Rafiki's Planet Watch, which is a place that has many more animals including cotton-topped tamarins, snakes, prehistoric things, cameras to look at animals that you can adjust yourself, etc. Ginni just wanted me to know what's out there for when guests asked. The only big thing I did that day was drive a departure 3 truck, just so I knew how to dock and whatnot. When I was getting grilled at the end of the day, though, my brain was shot.
Tomorrow I get assessed, just to see if I can go out on my own. I'm not nervous, but then at the same time, who am I kidding? Being jittery is my thing.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Traditions /DAKlimation
Traditions is the class Disney has every College Program participant has to take. It lasts about 4 hours and we covered A LOT of stuff. First off, we got to Disney University and I got my name tag, which was hella sweet. Representin' ISU.
Like I said, 4 hours, in which we covered the history of Walt, how everything got started with animation, the creation of Disneyland, then Disney World, Tokyo Disney, and Disneyland Paris. There are also three more parks in the world that are Disney's, but I'll get to those another day...you know, when you're not super bored with your life. We also covered safety and harassment, but we all know I would never harass anyone. The class was actually pretty interesting, but got hella boring towards the end. I think I just used up my 'hella' quota for the rest of the month.
So at Traditions we also got our company id's, so of course we had to immediately use them. Zac (roommate) had never been on a roller-coaster and I rode with him and some other people on Everest at Animal Kingdom. We also had a quick stint at MK (Magic Kingdom) but I left before the parade because I was super tired. This getting up at 6:30 thing is gonna take some getting used to.
The next I had DAKlimation, which is orientation for all the cast members working at DAK (Disney's Animal Kingdom). We talked awhile about conservation, the story behind the park, then took a walk around and learned all the lands of the park. There's Camp Minnie Mickey which has the Lion King show and lots of opportunities to meet characters, Asia which has Kali River Rapids and Everest. Africa has Kilimanjaro Safari (my ride!), Rafiki's Planet Watch, a place to see lots of animals and any procedures being done on the animals, and the Pangani Forest Trail which has gorillas, monkeys, and an open-air bird area. There's also Discovery Island, home to the tree of life which house It's Tough to be a Bug, a 3-D adventures with Flik from Bug's Life. Finally there's Dinoland, which has Dinosaur, an adventure back in time to recover an Iguanadon. Every area has different greetings relevant to the country. So every time I see a guest, I say 'Jambo!'. How quaint!
The last part of orientation we got our costumes. I keep forgetting to take a picture with it on, but I still lack the sweet sunglasses. Don't worry, you'll get to see it soon. We get 5 tops and 5 bottoms and can wash them at our own pace...or drop them off if we're lazy.
We went to the Publix, the supermarket 'round these parts, which is expensive. Looks like it's Wal-Mart for me, which is a two hour trip using the buses. Bummer. Made tacos with Zac, who has never lived in an apartment before. So it's a fun learning experience. I'm almost caught up with my posts; a few more days and then we'll get the exciting stuff going.
Much love.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Arrival
I left O'Hare about 4 p.m. Central time and got into Orlando International about 7:30 p.m. I crashed at the house of a former student of my dad's. He came here right after high school graduation and worked his way up the totem pole and now runs a parade, the High School Musical III stage show, and also works on Fantastic at Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM for you purists out there). I arrived at the main apartment complex, Vista Way, 45 minutes before check-in officially started but they were already beginning. Lucky for me, and my roommates, I was there first and snagged a swank apartment.
After about a 30 minute check-in process I grabbed my bags and headed over. I didn't have much time before they shuffled me over to casting for some more paperwork, including finding out my role which is...drum roll please...Kilimanjaro Safari! And yes, I will get to drive a truck around all day and talk to guests and see amazing animals...all while getting paid. I was so excited and just couldn't believe my luck. I guess that good Karma did come in handy. I also proved I could work, did fingerprints, all that exciting stuff. Then had another meeting, this one for housing and took 2 hours. Basically, anything that is fun, we cannot do or we get terminated. It's almost as if they're looking for a reason...but I'm keeping it optimistic.
Here are a couple pictures of my place:
And here's a picture of my roommate and I with Buzz Lightyear at a College Program party:
These posts are from a couple days ago, but I'll get caught up soon.
After about a 30 minute check-in process I grabbed my bags and headed over. I didn't have much time before they shuffled me over to casting for some more paperwork, including finding out my role which is...drum roll please...Kilimanjaro Safari! And yes, I will get to drive a truck around all day and talk to guests and see amazing animals...all while getting paid. I was so excited and just couldn't believe my luck. I guess that good Karma did come in handy. I also proved I could work, did fingerprints, all that exciting stuff. Then had another meeting, this one for housing and took 2 hours. Basically, anything that is fun, we cannot do or we get terminated. It's almost as if they're looking for a reason...but I'm keeping it optimistic.
Here are a couple pictures of my place:
And here's a picture of my roommate and I with Buzz Lightyear at a College Program party:
These posts are from a couple days ago, but I'll get caught up soon.
First Post
Hello everyone. I thought it fitting to document my Disney journey over the next five months and hopefully well into the future. Either way, I would love to share with everyone my experiences. I will post many pictures (since my new camera is awesome and easy to use) and periodically let you all know what I am up to. Please post comments, questions, anything to let me know you're alive because keeping in touch with close friends is so important to me.
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