Anna Does Disney

One More Disney Day!

It’s been one week since D-Day and I still haven’t talked about it!

Well, it was both me and my boyfriend’s day off so we decided to go to the MK. We arrived around noon, and at the entrance to the park, we were given these nifty buttons commemorating the day.



The park was surprisingly uncrowded. Well, it wasn’t empty by any means, but it was a fairly normal February day. We walked around, did some attractions, traded pins, etc. When nighttime came, that’s when the park became more crowded. I assume it was because people were getting off of work and whatnot - I did run into a lot of my coworkers. But we had a fantastic time.

 

I’d definitely go again. Except it’s not happening again for at least four years. Sigh.

I have definitely not updated enough recently.

But I am sick. Sick as a dog. I called in today and slept until 4 in the afternoon, so I have been extremely lazy. So here’s some info about what to do if you’re too sick to work during your college program!

• Try your best not to call in sick for 3 or more days within a 30 day period. They will give you a point on your record for that, and those are not good. HOWEVER, for CPs, there is a sort of “get-out-of-jail-free card” that will allow you to miss more than 3 days and only get one point for all of it if you get a doctor’s note.
• You do not get anything leading up to a point if you are sent home early from work for being sick! So as much as they tell you to not come to work sick, it’s better to go there and see how you feel then call in.
• If you have called in, DO NOT GO TO THE PARKS, even if you feel better later in the day. You will be terminated and it will not be pretty.
• And this should be a no-brainer, but don’t call in if you aren’t sick. Calling in so you can get a day off or hang out with friends or go to the parks (see above) will result in termination. Some of my coordinators have talked about CPs that have called in sick, then later gone to their attractions as guests.

Pre-emptive measures are important too! Unfortunately, getting sick is a fact of life when you work at Walt Disney World - you see thousands of people a day and come into contact with lots of dirty things and illnesses. I very rarely get sick but I have already been sick TWICE since arriving for my program (almost exactly one month ago). Here are good (and occasionally really obvious) tips for staying well.

• Drink lots of water. You will be given a water bottle during training. Keep it filled, clean, and at your side at all times!
• Use alcohol-based sanitizers and/or wash your hands frequently. At my job, there are sanitizer dispensers everywhere but I know that probably isn’t true for all roles. Carry some hand sanitizer with you or wash your hands whenever you can if you don’t have ready access to sanitizer.
• Eat well! Even though it’s difficult on a small paycheck and with sometimes rough hours, try your best to keep a balanced diet. Your body will thank you.
• Get some sleep. I know it may be tempting to go out and party or play in the parks every time you aren’t working, but remember to get as much sleep as you can. It can be so easy to get run-down here, and you have to be able to pace yourself and use self-discipline to keep yourself in functioning order.
• If you feel yourself getting sick, try taking some dietary supplements that boost your immune system such as zinc or echinacea. Orange juice and other foods and beverages with high vitamin C levels will also help out.

Healthy days to all! :)

You might meet a wonderful person on your program

And it might be due to a total accident.
Like missing the 00:40 bus by mere seconds but meeting them on the 1:11 bus.
Then you might chat to them on the bus and find out you share a TON of stuff in common.
Then you might go on a date to see Star Wars in 3D at the Downtown Disney AMC and have an amazing time.

Just saying.
Don’t rule out any possibilities for the DCP.

Seven Tips

Because I’ve now been here over two weeks, I’m gonna compile some tips for people beginning their College Program soon or who have just begun.

1. Don’t completely rely on the bus schedule. Always take a bus earlier than you think you’ll need. The buses are often late and the bus drivers will not stop for you even if you’re running and frantically waving. On our first day, we were waiting for the bus to Walmart and it never showed up.
2. Don’t squander your paycheck. Your first paycheck will be pretty measly - about $60 or so. Until you have a healthy amount of money in your bank account or on your pay card, don’t go crazy buying things you don’t need.
3. Use Company D and Cast Connections to buy Disney goodies. The stuff you can find there is far cheaper than in the parks/gift shops, and even with the discount we get on stuff, Company D/Cast Connections can sell you stuff like the Mickey ears hats for about 50 cents.
4. Use your days off wisely. I suggest, depending on errands you need to run, to spend a day doing fun stuff such as going to a park and the other day on important things like laundry, grocery shopping, etc.
5. Bring your car, or, alternatively, make friends with someone that has a car. Because of the aforementioned issues with the bus system here, having an assured way to get from point A to point B and back is almost considered a luxury.
6. Bring thumbtacks/push pins. The only place in your apartment where you can hang stuff like posters is the cork boards they provide you. As such, Walmart was sold out of thumbtacks and pushpins for days and days after we moved in.
7. Your program will be exactly as good as you let it be.  Even if you get assigned to a location or role you weren’t hoping for, make the most of it. I was hoping for the Tower of Terror or the Haunted Mansion and got Journey into Imagination and Captain EO. Not what I expected and I was a bit disappointed at first, but just try to get to know your coworkers and have fun with it. I love my location now, even though it wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. Don’t get stuck with negative people and don’t be embarrassed of remaining positive even when everyone else seems to be negative. You’re at Disney World! This is the chance of a lifetime.

Sorry for the lack of posting as of late…

Work/life in general has been extremely hectic! Loving life and my job and stuff though. :)
I get paid tomorrow! Also, I’ve become a bit addicted to Disney pin trading/collecting.
I look super-scary in this photo but whatever. I’m tired.

Day 2!

I am too tired to make a comprehensive post so I’ll just list a few of the major events of the day.

• THREE people called in sick who were scheduled to open the ride, so Bobby (my fellow trainee) and I were enlisted by the trainers to go open the ride. It was definitely a learning experience. And I got a GFS card for it! :D
• We read the Operation Guides today which were hellishly boring.
• I love everybody at work.
• I got to pretend to be disabled and was loaded onto the handicap-train in a wheelchair, then got to ride the ride, then I did the same thing for my trainee. AND WE SAW FIGMENT WAVE!
• I traded a pin with this adorable little kid today! Best moment of my life, seriously.
• I got more of my outfit for the ride, including pants that will actually fit me!

I’m super excited for work tomorrow. I am really tempted to extend my program already!

Training: Day one!

Training was surprisingly fun. After meeting up with my trainer, I got my somewhat unattractive costume (although the cool labcoat made up for it). Learned a lot about Imagination, too! We won’t start on Captain EO until Wednesday,and I have to learn three spiels for that by then.

We did a crapton of e-learning, too. I learned that I AM NOT REQUIRED TO USE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AS PART OF MY ROLE as well as other somewhat useless stuff. There was an entire 30-minute or so course on Hazcom (hazardous chemicals communication) and it told us to ask our trainer about it. He just said that there was this sawdust stuff that they put on vomit and we weren’t supposed to eat it, hah.

I got to actually work the ride, too! Lots of fun stuff today, actually. I’m gonna post my (and two of my roommates’) costumes soon.

Discovery Day & Magic Kingdom!

This morning, I woke up early for Discovery Day. It was basically an EPCOT-centric Traditions and I definitely enjoyed myself, despite the slightly cold weather! Lots of awesome things happen but I won’t spoil them for any future EPCOT CPs. I got my schedule/first work location, too! I’m working at Captain EO and Imagination! I met one of my coworkers who seemed really nice, too, so all is good.

This evening, two of my roommates (D and Jenna) and I decided to take advantage of being able to get into the parks for free for the first time! We went to the Magic Kingdom and had a brief visit, but it was fun. We rode the Haunted Mansion, had dinner at the Columbia Harbour House, rode “it’s a small world”, then, last but not least, Space Mountain. Definitely a great evening and a great start to being “real” cast members.

Tomorrow is my first OJT (on-the-job training). I’m working from 11:15-20:00, so it will be quite a full day. But I’m really excited.