August 1 - The Final Goodbyes

August 1st came in way too hard and way too fast. I was looking forward to my last day of work, but the last day of my program? No way. It came with way too many goodbyes and heartbreak, and that just wasn't something I was prepared for. But, before I knew it, August 1st rolled around, and with that, the end of my program.

I had my whole day planned out very strategically. There were certain people and places that I needed to say goodbye to, and I made sure that I got to hit each and every one of them before the day was over. The morning started out with my mom and I arriving to Animal Kingdom bright and early, me clad in my graduation ears and favorite new dress and donning a pin that said "I'm Celebrating DCP Graduation." I went and rode Expedition Everest one more time since it's my favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World. Then, I saw the first show of Festival of the Lion King (FOLK), where I was lucky enough to get VIP seating. FOLK is one of my favorite shows, and a lot of people that I worked with at Nemo also work at FOLK, so it was nice that I got to say one last goodbye to them. FOLK is also where my first tears of the day fell. It's such a beautiful show that captures the essence of Disney, and I just felt so loved and happy there. Maybe it was the special way the performers were treating me (Timon waved and blew kisses at me in the middle of the show), or maybe it was just the reality that my program was finally over, but I started tearing up at the end of the show.

Finale of Festival of the Lion King

After FOLK, my mom and I headed over to Adventurer's Outpost where I met Mickey and Minnie! I hadn't met Mickey and Minnie there yet, and I was really anxious to see what they would think of my graduation ears. Needless to say, they were completely adorable. Mickey kept touching my ears and clapping and Minnie blew me endless amounts of kisses.

Meeting Mickey and Minnie at Adventurer's Outpost

After our lovely meeting with the mice, we headed to Discovery Island to look around the stores and eat at my favorite quick service location on property, Pizzafari. Then we quickly headed over to Finding Nemo, The Musical to catch my last and final viewing of my beloved show.

When I got to Nemo, I felt like a celebrity. I was saying hi to all of my coworkers, many of whom I hadn't seen since my last day of work or even before that. It was so nice to catch up with everyone and get a hug from my Nemo family. I got VIP seating for the show and got to catch up with everyone beforehand, although that wasn't enough for me, so I had to go back out and say goodbye afterwards too. 

Honestly, the show was really hard for me to watch. I got teary eyed at multiple parts, just thinking about how it was my last time seeing this show for such a long time. Then, towards the end during the "that's my dad, that's my son" scene (for those of you who know the show), I just lost it. Hence, cry number two of the day. The idea that I wouldn't be seeing this show I loved for a very long time or seeing these people who truly became my family for who knows how long just completely broke me. I'm talking quivering bottom lip and all, people. I was a mess, I even had to put my sunglasses on before I left the theater so I didn't walk out looking like a blubbering idiot. I cried straight through the last five minutes of the show, but in my opinion, that's a testament to the Cast Members who work at Nemo. My experience would not have been nearly as wonderful had it not been for all of the wonderful people there. 

My mom and I with Marylou, a huge part of my Nemo family

After Nemo, it was time to say goodbye to Animal Kingdom. I had a farewell photoshoot in front of the Tree of Life, where I truly did get to say goodbye to Animal Kingdom. It's been my home away from home, and I truly could not imagine a better place to work, learn, or grow as a person, and I am eternally grateful to the people and park of Animal Kingdom for making my Disney College Program such a wonderful experience.

Always in my heart

While saying goodbye to Animal Kingdom was sad, I still had a large part of my day in front of me. So, with that, my mom and I went off to Magic Kingdom, where we met up with my roommate, Allie, and her parents to watch our last Festival of Fantasy parade together. The parade was amazing, since I was wearing my ears every single character either came up to me or waved to me. The mime from Tangled even came over and gave me a big hug! It was a great experience, and it was nice to be noticed by all of the characters in the parade. It made my last Festival of Fantasy even more special. 

Allie and I celebrating our last Festival of Fantasy together

After Festival of Fantasy, it was time to get on some of my favorite rides. We went on Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Small World, Philhar Magic, Under the Sea, Buzz Lightyear, Laugh Floor, and even got to meet my favorite princess, Ariel, one more time! My dad met up with my mom and I in the middle of this, so it was nice to spend some quality time with my parents during my last day in Disney World.

My favorite princess, Ariel

I also was able to have a mini photoshoot in front of the castle as well, which made me feel like a princess. 

Forever my favorite castle

My family and I were lucky enough to get reservations at Be Our Guest for dinner, which is the restaurant inside Beast's Castle. I had a wonderful time, the meal was excellent, and I even got to "try the grey stuff!" Trust me, it was delicious. After dinner I was able to meet our gracious host, Beast, take some pictures, and explore his castle!

Be Our Guest Restaurant

After dinner, my time left in the Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World was slowly coming to a close. My mom booked the dessert party for us during the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, which was a lot of fun. They had a ton of desserts and also primo viewing spots for Celebrate the Magic and Wishes. Speaking of Celebrate the Magic and Wishes, they were also the third and fourth times I cried that day. Celebrate the Magic is just a wonderful show that pays such tribute to Walt Disney and the legacy he created. I lost it when they had Walt's picture on the castle and him saying "I only hope we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse." I'm so honored to have been a part of Walt's legacy and vision, and this just really got to me. Finally, at the end of Wishes, I bawled like a baby. Wishes is all what Disney is about, making your dreams come true, and the fact that my wish had come true just made my last time seeing it all the more magical and sad.

Tinkerbell flying over the Magic Kingdom during Wishes

After the shows and dessert party, my time was really coming to a close. I had really worn my parents out by that point, so they went back to the resort and I was left in the Magic Kingdom with my roommate, Allie, and my friend from work, Alli. The three of us ran and did Space Mountain one final time before walking along Main Street USA, doing some last minute shopping, and taking some final pictures. The whole experience of saying goodbye to them was unreal. It didn't feel like goodbye, probably because it's impossible to become that close to people and then just decide to never see them again. That's how I felt saying goodbye to all of my friends, coworkers, roommates, and other people I met on the program. How can I just say goodbye to people who have come into my life and changed me for the better? So there I stood, in the middle of Main Street USA, wiping the tears from my eyes as I squeezed some of the best friends I'll ever have goodbye. It was hard, but, as I said before, I know it isn't forever. 

Alli, me, and Allie saying our final
goodbyes to Walt Disney World

So folks, there you have it. My final day in Disney World. It was heart-breaking, wonderful, depressing, exhausting, enchanting, and most importantly, magical, which I would say is an overall summary of my entire Disney College Program. It's hard to believe that 7 months came and passed by so quickly, but the memories I've created, the friends I've made, and the magic I've shared will last me a lifetime. 

So, Walt Disney World, friends, family, coworkers, and everyone: It's not goodbye, it's "see you real soon!"

My Last Day at Finding Nemo

Well, I have quite the shocking update for those of you who have been following my blog: as of yesterday, I no longer work at Finding Nemo The Musical. Apparently, because It's Tough to Be a Bug is closing for five weeks, the management team decided that the remaining theaters ops attractions would be too "over-staffed" so they decided to deploy all of the college program participants to other parks. As you can probably imagine, I was extremely upset by this news, and not only by this news, but by the way that the news was presented to me. I came into work earlier this week, and found a training schedule with my name on it sitting next to the computer where I clock in. Honestly, at first I thought it was a mistake. I have less than one month left in my program, and I couldn't believe that they would make me leave Nemo, especially since Nemo will still be operating normally for the remainder of my program. However, that was not the case, as I soon discovered that my deployment to Hollywood Studios was NOT a mistake, and I had to begin there almost immediately. I had two days notice that I was leaving Nemo.

I'm going to make more posts about my deployment to Hollywood Studios, but I wanted this post to be dedicated solely to my last day at Nemo. For those of you who know me personally, you know how much I loved my job; and for those of you who don't know me, I hope this blog has conveyed my adoration for Finding Nemo and the Cast Members there. I've always bragged that I had the best job in the college program. So, as you can imagine having to leave Nemo before my time was over, and especially with such short notice, was extremely difficult.

The CPs attempt to make an arrow on stage for our last day together

To make our last day somewhat memorable, we had a mini party for the CPs. We brought in food and desserts and took pictures during the show breaks with all of the Cast working that day. I made sure to say goodbye to everyone that was working, and there was lots of hugging and wishing one another good luck in the future. It's sad to think that I may not see some of these people ever again. It's even more sad that because I had such short notice, I wasn't able to say goodbye to those people who weren't working or who were on vacation. I do plan to visit Nemo again before I leave Disney for good, but visiting just isn't the same as working there. Even though my last working day wasn't even that great (I had all outside positions, I never even saw the show), I was very sad to leave at the end of the day.

My coworkers on the CP's last day at Finding Nemo

To those of you who I said goodbye to and left at Nemo, I miss you already. To those of you who I didn't have the chance to say goodbye to, I hope to get the chance to say goodbye to you before I leave in August. I miss my "Nemo family" already, and I can't believe I won't be back to work again. Working at Nemo has been a true privilege, and I can't imagine my college program without all of you having been a part of it. The Cast at Nemo are remarkable people, with unique personalities that make it an awesome place to work. I hope all my fellow fish remember to always go with the flow!

"Bye Dad"
"Bye son... *big sigh*"

End show.

How Megan is Handling the Florida Heat

For those of you who have been to Disney World before, or really anywhere in central Florida you will know that it is HOT during the spring/summer. If you vacation in Walt Disney World during these hot summer months, you receive some special treatment such as air conditioning blasting inside, lots of water refills when you eat at a restaurant, and fans located throughout the park blowing air and misting water onto you. All of this is fine and well, and most guests can get through their days with only a minimal amount of discomfort from the heat. However, I CANNOT say the same for all of us Cast Members.

So, you may be asking yourself, "how is Megan handling the Florida heat?" And, my answer to you is: NOT WELL. I'm a Pennsylvania girl; when it gets super hot we usually do indoor activities, and the humidity is no where near what it is in central Florida. When I am at work, we have five inside positions and close to ten or more outdoor positions, so let's just say I pray for inside positions whenever possible! It is extremely hot when you are working outside in the sun. There is some shade that we can find to stand in, but as you can imagine, the shade changes all the time, and we can't all chase the shade the entire day. I've begun to hope for rain each afternoon, just so that it will cool off a little bit! The combination of the Florida heat and humidity has not been good to me. I come home from work super sweaty, a little sunburnt, and exhausted!

Now, let me be clear, I am in no way tortured at work. If ever we are feeling overheated, we have the opportunity to go inside and cool off for a few minutes. We have fresh water available to us at all times, and we can carry water bottles with us wherever we are. We do have those five inside positions, which allows us to be inside for some time. Also, we do get breaks during the day, usually one about every two to three hours. So, while I am extremely hot and uncomfortable at times at work, it's not the end of the world, I promise.

The heat and humidity combination is something everyone should take into account when working in Walt Disney World. Yes, it's the opportunity of a lifetime, but it does come with other factors, such as the weather, that have to be considered! However, I do have to admit, dealing with the heat and humidity of central Florida is just a minor bump in me achieving my Disney Dream!

Watching Finding Nemo from a Guest's Point of View

My family visited again this past week, and I had to opportunity to watch Finding Nemo The Musical from a Guest's point of view. My coordinator gave my family and me VIP seating to watch the show. At first I was a little hesitant, mostly because I watch the show at least twice a day, usually more, so I didn't want to watch for fun. However, after watching as a Guest and not having to worry about watching people leaving, watching camera flashes, keeping the aisles clear, etc. it was much nicer! I was actually able to enjoy the show and take some great pictures! See the pictures below, and keep looking for more posts coming about my family's visit and all of the fun stuff that's been going on in the most magical place on earth!

How Cast Members Treat Other Cast Members

There are obviously a ton of perks to being a Walt Disney World Cast Member: free park admission, 20% off of all Disney merchandise, restaurant discounts, 50% off of activities, resort discounts, and way, way more. However, another perk of being a Cast Member is the way that Cast Members treat one another. 

Whenever I am at work and another Cast Member passes by me, they will always smile and wave, or say hello. It doesn't matter who they are, what department they come from, or how high up in the company they are. Even the Vice President of Animal Kingdom, Josh, will walk by and say hello to all of us!

Besides just being extremely friendly to one another, you feel like you are a part of a small family. Even though there are 65,000+ Cast Members, it doesn't feel that way. If you go somewhere and tell someone you are a Cast Member, they will automatically ask you about where you work, what you do, and how you like it. We all share this special bond of working for The Mouse, and it brings us close, even if we don't know personally know each other. 

The people at Nemo are especially great at treating one another fairly and nicely. I've heard a lot of stories form CP's about how the full-timers don't like the college kids because we "take their hours" and all of this stuff, but I never feel any hostility from my Nemo coworkers. We all truly care about one another and want to see the others do well, not just in work, but in life. When I had bad sunburn from my trip to the beach, I had at least 3 or 4 coworkers ask me about it for multiple days, give me tips as to how to treat it, and tell me to let them know if it was really bothering me. It's times like these that make me glad to be a WDW Cast Member at Finding Nemo The Musical. 

I love being a Cast Member, not only for all of the amazing perks, but for the way that I am treated and the way that all Disney Cast Members truly care for one another. 

Four Keys Card

One way that Disney recognizes its Cast Members is to give out Four Keys Cards. Disney's four keys are the foundation that the company prides itself on. The idea is that if the four keys are followed (in order) then each Guest and Cast Member will have a safe and enjoyable experience in our Resort. The Four Keys are safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency.

Some managers, Cast Members, and other people give out Four Keys Cards constantly, while other areas are more strict with their distribution. My area doesn't give out many Four Keys Cards, so the fact that I got one made me so happy and honored! The idea is that if a Cast Member displays one or more of the Four Keys by going above and beyond, then someone can give the Cast Member a Four Keys Card.

Once you receive a Four Keys Card, you can get a manager/leader to sign the card, and then submit it into a pool. Every so often they do a drawing and you can win a prize if your name is pulled! The Four Keys card also goes on your record card to indicate that you were recognized.

My first Four Keys Card!

Easter on the DCP

What are the holidays like on the Disney College Program? Well, to be honest, not that much fun. I would have much rather been home for Easter and spent the time with my family, but since I was here, in the happiest place on Earth, I decided to make the most of my time and try to enjoy the holiday.

Easter morning started out early with my roommate Megan and I getting up to attend 7:30 mass at Mary Queen of the Universe Shrine. The church is literally right around the street from our apartment complex, and it was nice to go to church and see all the people gathering together. However, the early wakeup call did not make me too happy!

I hid Easter eggs around our apartment for my roommates to find, so when Megan and I came home, our other roommate, Danielle was awake, so they had an Easter egg hunt while I watched and gave hints! Danielle also made an Easter basket for all of the roommates to split, so we got to open that up and eat some of the treats inside!

I worked from 11:45 to 7:15 on Easter. I actually picked up a longer and later shift that day, because I did not want to be sitting in my apartment bored and sad that I wasn't at dinner with my family. Work was fine, but it didn't really feel like Easter, it just felt like a regular day at Animal Kingdom. My coordinators and coworkers were nice enough to make us little Easter bags with candy, which was a special treat!

After work, all of my roommates were home, so we decided to make fun plans with some of our upstairs neighbors and try to make Easter as much fun as possible! We decided to head over to the Boardwalk and rent the surrey bike and ride it around the Boardwalk! It was so much fun, but we joked that with six people on it and having to go up hills, we were more paying to exercise than anything else. Still, we had a blast and it was a great experience. After having worked up a sweat, it was time to go get some ice cream from Beaches & Cream. We ended up sitting outside and talking about all of our jobs and sharing stories: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

While it wasn't a traditional Easter by any means, it was definitely a unique one and surely one that I will remember. I'm glad I got to spend Easter with such great friends and that my coworkers at Finding Nemo tried their best to make Easter as special as possible. Nemo is truly one big family!

Oh, and for those of you interested in knowing if Disney does any Easter decorations, they had an Easter egg display in the lobby of the Grand Floridian. All of the eggs are completely edible and weigh between 12 and 16 pounds. Check out some of my favorites below!

The whole display

Cinderella & Prince Charming

Queen Elsa

Rapunzel and Flynn Rider

Ariel

Lady & The Tramp

Why I Love My Job

It's 7:35 PM, I'm the only one left at the theater during my closing shift and I am bored out of my mind. I'm standing outside, hoping that I can grab the attention of some Guests with my pins or with my smile, but they continue to race past me in an attempt to make it on Everest or Dinosaur one last time before the park closes. But then, my night takes a turn for the better...

An international Guest: "I just have to tell you, this show was spectacular. We were amazed at how life-like the actors made the fish look. We loved it"

A Mom: "That show was amazing. I spent the last ten minutes crying. I loved it so much."

A young couple: "We loved your show. Thank you so much, it was beyond amazing."

I'm now standing in Upper Right, loading the 3:00 show, which without a doubt is always the busiest show of the day. A family comes in with a wheelchair and asks if they can sit in the very front. I begin to walk them down to the front of the theater, explain where we are going, how to leave if they need to, and chit chat about their day. I get them down to the front of the theater, tell them to enjoy the show, and I begin to walk away...

Little Girl (as I'm walking away): "Thank you so much! You were such a big help to my mom and my family!"

I'm at the stroller position for the 1:00 show, trying to direct people where to park their strollers while also helping people get into the Fastpass+ line. People are zooming past me and asking me questions right and left, and I'm beginning to feel slightly overwhelmed. Suddenly...

A Little Girl (walking past): "Hi, I love your makeup!"

Now, I'm standing outside at a show break, while everyone else is inside either on break or trying to get ready for the next show. A family comes up to me and starts asking me questions about the show. Then...

Mom: "Oh, another Megan!"
Me (looking at the teenage girl): "Are you Megan too? Spelled this way?"
Teenage girl: "Yes! It's the only way to spell Megan!"

I'm working a parade shift, and spieling to Guests that they no longer will be able to walk down the current pathway, but showing them an alternate path they can go down to reach their destination. A family of six is sitting on a bench next to me, listening and watching me give directions to dozens of Guests. The mom looks up at me and smiles...

Mom: "Megan, you deserve an award for saying the same thing over and over again and having a great attitude about it"

The same family walks back past me after the parade is over...

Mom: "Thank you again, Megan, you were wonderful."

Finally, I'm standing in front of door 4 as the 5:00 show empties. I'm smiling and waving to Guests as they leave the theater. A man walks toward me...

Dad: "Clemson? My daughter goes there!"
Me: "Really? I'm a current sophomore there!"
Dad: "That is so cool, what a small world"
Me: "Exactly. Hey, go tigers!"
Dad: "Go tigers!"

See that's the thing about my job. It's not exactly the most glamorous, or lucrative job out there, but I get to have the most amazing interactions every single day. All of these conversations are real conversations that I've had in just the past five days! In five days, I've had that many memorable conversations with Guests, which truly makes both their day and mine. I get to be a part of a company that prides itself on making dreams come true. And when it comes down to it, what job could be better than that?

The Kitchen Sink!

One of the huge things on my bucket list for the DCP was to eat the kitchen sink. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to say that I can cross that off my list! All of the CPs in my work location met up one night last week and headed over to the Beach Club to share some ice cream and hang out outside of Nemo!

The kitchen sink is a specialty at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop which is a small restaurant located in the Beach Club Resort. It's one scoop of all of their ice cream flavors, every single topping they have, and a whole can of whipped cream served in a bowl shaped just like a kitchen sink! They have sirens and lights that go off when they deliver it to your table and they make a big deal about the fact that you are attempting the kitchen sink!

Of course, my coworkers and I just ordered two kitchen sinks and split them among ourselves. They say that it serves 4 people, but we had a hard time finishing them with 6 people per sink! It's A LOT of ice cream! Nevertheless, we all had a great time and it was so nice to bond with my coworkers outside of the theater!

Here it is, in all its glory

The Nemo CPs after the Kitchen Sink!

A Thought on Dreams...

While I was working at Nemo today in the pouring rain, wind, and cold weather, it suddenly hit me: I am 20 years old and have already accomplished one of my life dreams. For as long as I can remember, it's been a dream of mine to work for the Walt Disney Company. Growing up coming to the parks, I always felt as though I "belonged" there. I knew that I could be the happy, smiling, and helpful Cast Member who always exceeded Guest expectations. And guess what? I am that person.

This was a welcoming thought in the middle of the torrential downpour that hit central Florida today. Despite the few downfalls that come with being a Cast Member (among them, the temperamental Florida weather), I am doing something that I have dreamed my entire life of doing, and that I am sure many others dream of someday doing.

So, this post is dedicated to all of those dreamers out there. Whether your dream is to apply for the DCP, become a Cast Member, travel, discover the cure for cancer, or change the world, your dreams matter and you should never let anything stop you from achieving your dreams. It doesn't matter if you are 9 years old or 90 years old, it's never too late to make your dreams come true.

Take it from me, Megan, the girl who is currently living her Disney Dream!

Keep on dreaming, dreamers!

The First Long Shift...

Today was the first 10 hour shift that I worked during my whole College Program thus far. Honestly, I was so nervous because I'm usually tired after my 6 and 8 hour shifts, so I didn't know how I would manage 10 hours, but after surviving it, I can truly say that it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting! Sure, it was a long day, but because we had so many shows (7) and the park was a lot busier than it has been (President's Day Weekend), the day went by pretty quickly and I was busy most of the time.

My shift was also split up by a training session. I worked four hours at Nemo, then had a Safety in Motion course, and then worked four more hours at Nemo. Safety in Motion was a class that just informs new Cast Members about how to safely move, lift, and carry things so that you don't injure or harm yourself while working. It was a little boring, but it was a nice break in the middle of my day, and some of the information I can use while working!

All in all, I survived my first long shift! I was able to have a lot of guest interaction, work at a lot of different positions, and make a lot of money (always a plus!).

My Costume

Since I haven't posted a picture of my costume yet, I thought I would make a post dedicated to my costume!

It's a brown checkered button down shirt, green pants/shorts, a brown belt, brown boots, and of course my name tag! Oh, and if you're wondering, this is actually tame compared to some of the costumes at Animal Kingdom!

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! (:

Earning My Ears

To "earn my ears" and complete my training at Finding Nemo, The Musical I had three days of training and one day of assessment. I talked about day one of training in my previous post, so here I'll briefly explain how days two, three, and four went.

When you train, you essentially go to all of the positions in the theater and learn how to do each one. You have a trainer accompany you, and they give you advice, tell you the general things to know about each position, and jump in if you have any questions or need help during the show. My trainer, Wendy, was really laid back and cool. I think she realized pretty early on that I had a good handle on what my job was supposed to be, so my training wasn't super intense.

There are many positions inside and outside the theater. The main ones you must learn are photocell, greeter, wheelchair assist, fastpass, upper right, lower right, upper left, lower left, stroller parking, exit greeter, and house center. These positions assign you a place in the theater, and your job is to load the theater prior to the show, run crowd control during the show, and then clear the theater as quickly as possible after the show.

On Days 1 and 2, I covered most of the positions except for house center. I learned how to work the headset system that we all use to communicate with one another during and prior to the show. I also did some e-learning, which is a series of computer modules designed by Disney to make sure that new employees know the basic safety and courtesy guidelines. E-learning was extremely boring, as was reading the operating guide. The operating guide is a book that contains all of the proper procedures for the operation of the show. Those two tasks were definitely my least favorite parts about training.

Also, as an aside, on Day 2, we had a VIP come to the show! A famous actor and his family attended one of our shows, which was really cool. Obviously, no one made a big deal about it and we treated him the same as any other guest, but it was still a really neat experience and something I can now cross off my bucket list!

Day 3 was primarily focused on finishing up anything we had left to do, and learning house center. House center loads the entire show and is basically the "captain" for the show. They tell everyone where to seat people, keep track of wheelchair spaces, and control the opening and closing of all doors and curtains. It was definitely overwhelming, but after a while, I got the hang of it, and now I'm actually looking forward to running house center by myself next week.

I also learned Parade Audience Control (PAC) during training. As a CP, my job will consist of a lot of PAC shifts, which essentially is just controlling the crowd during the 3:45 parade at Animal Kingdom. There are certain ropes you have to pull, and you have to watch the crowd during the parade to make sure everyone is being safe and not putting themselves or the performers in danger. I think PAC is a nice break from Nemo, but everyone tells me that I will feel differently when I have to do the parade in the July heat and humidity!

Today was my assessment day. Assessment for Nemo consists of a performance and knowledge assessment. I was assessed by Awilda, because your trainer cannot assess you. I ran house center, photocell, fastpass, upper right, and did a shift at parade. Everyone told me I did an awesome job, and my coordinators and managers even took notice, so I'm really happy that I am off to such a good start at my role! I even managed to get every question right on my knowledge assessment (: Honestly, assessment day isn't something to stress about. If your trainer does their job, you should be able to breeze through the assessment. AND, at the end of your assessment, you officially "earn your ears!"

So, as of today, I am a fully trained cast member at Finding Nemo, The Musical and have officially earned my ears with the Walt Disney Company! I have off tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday, so I'm looking forward to relaxing, running errands, and hopefully hitting the parks!