A Day in the Life

I figured I would write a "Day in the Life" post so that I can give some of my readers an idea of what my typical work day is like!

I typically work 5 days a week, and I've been getting around 35 hours per week. I know that in the busy season (summer, spring break, etc.) I will be getting way more hours, but for now I'm pretty happy with the hours I've been getting. I usually have to be at work between 10 and 11. Animal Kingdom opens at 9 almost every day, but our first show at Finding Nemo, The Musical isn't until 11, so that's why I don't have too many early days. When I get to work, I park in the cast parking lot (thanks again, Mom & Dad, for the car!) and then walk through the front entrance of the park and backstage. You have to scan your company ID to get into the backstage area. From there, I walk to the Dinoland gate, and I come back onstage near the Dinosaur ride. I then have a long walk from there to the Theater in the Wild, which is where the Nemo show is. I usually answer guests' questions on my way to the theater, since it's a decent walk. All in all, it takes me about 20 minutes to walk from my car in the parking lot to the theater.

The outside of the theater

When I get into the theater, I clock in using the computer. We have a really cool system that allows you to clock in, and it also gives you an assignment. I went over what the positions in and around the theater were in a previous post, so I won't get into it again, but there's a lot of different positions. Then, I go and start to work! We have a rotation that comes around almost every hour, which makes it so that you aren't in one place for too long. Also, we get breaks depending on how long we are working. Two fifteen minute breaks and one thirty minute break for an 8 hour shift, one fifteen and one thirty for a 7 hour shift, and two fifteens for a 6 hour shift. During my break times, I try to eat, use the bathroom, and sit down for a little while before I have to get back to work.

In the middle of the day, I may have a parade shift. Our parade at Animal Kingdom is Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. Part of our responsibility as theater ops cast members is to man part of the parade route. Most of the CP's and ICP's (international college program) in my area pick up the parade shifts. We each get a task, and our job is to interact with guests along the parade route before the parade starts, and then control the audience during the parade. For example, today I was Ropes 1, meaning that I walked behind the parade and carried a rope and everyone who wanted to follow the parade walks behind the rope. I like that job the best because I get to feel like I'm a part of the parade! Other jobs involve pulling ropes to control the audience and watching the audience to make sure they don't cross the tape lines on the ground.

The parade sign

After parade, I go back to Nemo and work for the final show or shows. The other good thing about working parade is that you get to miss the 3:00 show, which is typically our craziest and busiest show! Depending on when the park closes, my shift can end anywhere between 5 and 8. My shift isn't exactly the same every day, but because Animal Kingdom has such specific hours, I generally work only during the day, never late nights, which is awesome for me!

Some of the cast of the show

My drive to and from work usually takes about 20 minutes, so when I get back to my apartment I grab some dinner and then usually relax and hang out with my roommates. Occasionally, we will even hit the parks or Downtown Disney after work!

Some downsides of the job are that it's a ton of walking and being on your feet for the majority of the day, guests can get unhappy if they just miss the show and have to wait until the next one, and the lag-time between shows can get super boring when we just have to stand outside and answer questions. However, the job has way more upsides than downsides! I get a ton of guest interaction every day, whether it's waving to little kids, telling people "Happy birthday!", or pointing our guests down to the "bubble zone" in the theater. I also really like loading shows because it's always exciting and makes time go by quickly. Because there are only 5 or 6 shows per day, my day goes by much more quickly than it would if I were simply loading a ride all the time. Finally, most of my coworkers are awesome, and I can already tell that it's going to be hard to say goodbye at the end of my program!

If you have any specific questions about my job or my typical day, let me know! I would love to answer any questions and I love talking about my role as a cast member for Walt Disney World! I hope you all have the most magical of days, and don't forget to come visit me at Nemo! (: