Yesterday started off pretty boring with some online learning classes. There were four of us in the orientation group and we had to sit in a computer lab for about two hours reading a bunch of generic safety information and such. It was boring but it's necessary in order to help prevent accidents. Afterwards we went to lunch and then it got fun! Since we finished our E-learning earlier than usual, we got to participate in the 'Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It!' (MiSiCi) parade. We started off by dancing down Main Street in order to clear the roads and make sure no one was in the way of the floats. It was a little awkward because everyone was watching us and I'm not a very good dancer... I thought it was so funny that people were taking pictures of us as if we were important people! We then stopped along side the parade route and watched until it got to where we were. Unlike other parades, the MiSiCi parade has a part where Guests are invited into the street to dance with the characters. During this time, our job was to protect the float and keep people from going near it or hitting any of the controls. I felt pretty important - it was exciting to be a part of my first parade! Once that parade was over, we went to a Parade Audience Control (PAC) meeting. They have this meeting every day before the 3 o'clock parade to distribute roles to everyone and prepare for the event. We then set up the ropes and I got paid to watch a parade for the last time haha... Next time I watch it, I will be doing work during it!
As I said, I had to wake up super early today. I got to work at 6:30 and met my trainer, Matthew. The group for training was also made up of four people including me. Matthew showed us the procedures for opening the park and explained what our jobs would entail. Then, we went to a meeting similar to the PAC meeting but for park greeters. The Guests began arriving early so we went and handed out stickers to them. The little kids were so excited, and a lot of the adults were too! Right before the park opened, we watched the Welcome show which entails a short performance and then all of the characters ride into the park on a train. It was the first time I had ever seen it and it gave me the chills! I don't know what was cooler - watching the show, or watching the Guests' reactions to the show. People were jumping up and down and cheering and it made me so happy to be able to be a part of their experience. Afterwards, we did some reading and a bit more paperwork. I had a lot of fun with my trainer and the other people that I was training with. We were all constantly laughing and cracking jokes so it made being up that early a bit easier. A lot of the day was spent learning about the park greeter position, but there was a lot of time spent interacting with guests. My trainer made a "laser" out of stickers so we got to walk around looking for a little boy to turn in to a Space Ranger (like Buzz Lightyear). We found a kid walking around with a Buzz toy and decided he was perfect. We taped the laser to his wrist and immediately he started shooting laser beams at us. He used sound effects and everything! It was so cool to see how happy we had made him. Also, I was a part of another "Magical Moment" when one of the Guest Relations cast members asked me to help him find a fun family to give some goodies to. They got "No Strings Attached" forms which basically allow them to get whatever they wanted, like ice cream, popcorn, etc. I pointed out a family and he went over and told them that they were the millionth guest and that they had won a prize. They were so surprised and it made me happy to see how excited they were. We spent some other parts of the day actually working at the turnstiles which was pretty cool, but also very overwhelming. I still have two more days of training with Matthew so hopefully I'll be able to get the hang of it by the time of my assessment on Friday!
After work, I went to Downtown Disney with Stacey. We did a little bit of shopping and had some dinner and dessert. Earlier in the day, Katelyn had told me that her aunt was down in Disney and to tell her that she said hello. Obviously we were just joking around because Disney is huge and the chances of me seeing her aunt were slim to none. Well, who would've guessed it - as we were standing on line at Earl of Sandwich, Aunt Lorraine walks up and stands with the people who were right in front of us! I started screaming, "AUNT LORRAINE! AUNT LORRAINE!" and definitely freaked her out haha. Once I explained the situation, she was so excited and took a picture of us! Katelyn couldn't believe that I had actually seen her aunt! (I couldn't believe it either! What are the chances!?).
Me and Aunt Lorraine!
I know I'm throwing out a lot of information and it may be hard to understand, but I just want to let you all know what is happening! Every day I learn more and more about my roles and the park as a whole, and so many exciting things happen to me. I wish I could carry a video tape around with me all day so that I could show everyone exactly what is going on! I try to include the big things but I know I'm forgetting so much. Once training is over, I will be working as a park greeter for a little while until they train me in the other areas of Main Street (like a more in-depth PAC training and a few other roles). I am working very hard to earn my ears and I am both excited and nervous to begin working on my own soon!
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