This past week has been a ton of fun with all of the characters being dressed up for Christmas.  The guests have been even more interactive and some of the cutest kids have come through the line.  When little kids under the age of three come through the line I have to be very animated with my voice and facial expressions.  I do this especially when taking pictures so that I am able to get their attention to look at the camera.  When I can get a little kid to turn their head and smile at me I know that I was successful in what I was suppose to accomplish.  My theatre experience at Wesleyan has helped tremendously with my ability to get kids attention.  I have been able to use the projection of my voice, exuberant facial expressions, and have been able to communicate nonverbally by using my hands and my body language to get their attention.  Having been in productions prior to this was a huge help and I don't feel I would be as successful in getting kids attention if I didn't have this experience.

As this journey continues there are many experiences that will help me become a more successful person when I graduate from college and venture out into the real world.  I have learned that communication is key in any situation that may occur.  I have to use communication all day, every day when I am at work.  I am constantly communicating with the guests, the characters, and my co workers.  I have to be professional on the job which means that in order to communicate effectively I have to be clear and concise at what I am trying to get across to the guests.  This also means that my words and facial expressions need to be exuberant and over-exaggerated.  This is where my theatre and communication major has helped me tremendously.  Working in the entertainment department at Walt Disney World allows me to be creative when telling stories to the guests about the characters I am working with.  There are always little children that come through the line and all they do is ask questions.  In order for me to make them understand what I am saying I need to be clear and make what I am saying believable.  Everything is magical at Walt Disney World and part of my job is making the magic for the guests come to life.  I do this everyday whether it be putting a smile on my face, telling stories, or playing games with them that make the experience even better.

Halloween

Overview of the Past few weeks

These last few weeks have been a lot of fun but also challenging!  There are a variety of places I work at Animal Kingdom such as Boat Dock (Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger), Camp Minnie-Mickey (Minnie, Mickey, Baloo/King Loui, Donald, Chip and Dale, and Pocahontas), Dinoland (Pluto and Goofy), and Tree of Life (Doug and Russel from UP).  This past week they decorated Camp Minnie-Mickey for Halloween.  The characters were all dressed up and they were playing creepy music to set the mood.  This was by far one of my favorite weeks to work.  The mood changed instantly with the guests and the meet and greets.  Not only was I working with great characters but dancing along to the music while doing my job was very rewarding.  I had many guests ask me where I was from and what I was doing down here.  Being able to explain my story over and over again is so satisfying.  I love being able to tell people where I come from and why I love the job I'm doing at Disney.

I've had three days that stand out to me.  These three days involved me getting random hugs and thanks from little children after visiting a character.  One little girl came up to me just the other day while working at Boat Dock.  First, she came up to me and gave me a hug, then looked me in the eyes and thanked me for a great time with Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger, and then handed me a Mickey sticker.  She put it on my uniform and I thanked her and took a sticker out of my bag and in return handed her a Chip/Dale sticker.  She walked away absolutely gleaming with excitement.  Little things like this make me know that I'm doing my job right.  I know one meet and greet can make or break a persons day and I get to be part of this.  I am able to interact with the guests about their experiences or where they came from and how they ended up at Walt Disney World.  I am able to be the eyes and ears for the characters and be their voice throughout their interactions.  Lastly, I am able to make those magical moments and do the job I came here to do.

Make A Wish

Today was a very eye-opening day.  I had one family that had on blue t-shirts with a little boys name on them along with blue ribbons.  They told me that they were a Make A Wish family so I sent them down the exit line so that they would be first in line to meet Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger.  When they got down to the characters a co-worker of mine asked what the ribbons stood for.  The mom told her that their one-year old son had terminal brain cancer.  I watched as this young boy met all of the characters.  Him and his families faces lit up with joy and it reminded me why I do this job every day.  No matter who the person is, the characters can make a person’s day.  They are able to experience magic and meet the characters that they have seen on tv shows or movies.  This young boy has barely had a life and probably won’t live much longer.  I am so glad I had the opportunity of being a part of a magical moment that he was able to experience at Walt Disney World, that his family will remember for a lifetime. 

Fanatic Card!

I was excited to receive this four keys fanatic card from one of the managers in Entertainment.

More experiences

While being down here at Disney I have been trying to network as much as I possibly can and get as many experiences before I head back to Nebraska.  There are speaker series that take place through the College Program so I was able to attend one which had leaders across Disney property that held jobs in "Events".  This was all new to me because I had not thought about this as a career but now will consider it because of the event.  I have also been able to network with some of my leaders that I work with which has been very eye opening, hearing about what they do on a daily basis.

These past few weeks I have been able to pick up Party shifts at Magic Kingdom working with many different characters.  I am usually working at Animal Kingdom so picking up shifts at MK is always very different and I learn something new every time.  I worked "Stitch's Dance Party" on Tuesday.  This was unlike any shift I had worked because there was never any line.  The characters, including Stitch, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale danced the whole time with the guests.  I was able to dance along with them but also keeping an eye on them at all times.  Guests can get overwhelmed with excitement seeing characters just out and about with no line.  They are able to go up and dance with them while spending more than five minutes with the characters (a meet and greet interaction).  I have to make sure the character is safe from issues that could occur and get to interact with the guests with questions that they have.  This shift was very exhausting because the dance party goes from 7 to 12 but it was so much fun and very worth it!

A quote from October House Beautiful that was found by my mom!  Even when I am home sick, I know I am at Disney for the right reasons.  This is a wonderful opportunity and will be a great learning experience.

“Travel inspires and opens our eyes to everything both special and common.  It gives us the opportunity to explore the variety and beauty in the world, and to discover the things that make us happy at home, wherever we live.  Let’s go!!!”

Daisy and Goofy all dressed up for Oktoberfest

Halloween time at Disney!!

A week ago I had the pleasure of working two Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Parties!!  The first night I worked with Maleficent on the castle stage which was one of the best experiences I've had since I've been here.  Guests have the opportunity of seeing some of the Villian's on the nights of the Halloween parties, so being able to work with one was very cool.  The line gets very long because the villian's only come out on special occasions, so my job as the attendant is to control the line and to make sure the character is safe, upon other tasks.  The second night I was able to work with Phineas and Ferb, which were really fun and entertaining characters to work with.  As the weeks continue on I learn more every day and am able to witness new guest interactions on a daily basis.  This job never gets old because every character has a different personality and every guest has a different reaction which makes my job very satisfying.  

Experiences off work:

The college program put on an Oktoberfest two weeks ago and a Vegas night a week ago.  Each of these events had live music, great food, and special character meet and greets.  There was gambling tables set up at Vegas night, so of course my roomates and I gambled :).  

My roomates and I and some neighbor girls have been able to to make our way around the parks and explore different parts of Orlando, including some of the restaurants and the Boardwalk!  One of the nights that we went down to the Boardwalk we ate a kitchen sink full of ice cream.  This included a whole can of whip cream, eight different scoops of ice cream, a whole handful of cherries, plus much more.  As you can imagine, it left us with a pretty bad stomach ache after we finished :) haha

Magical Moments

I have now completed one full week of work and have to say that it has been pretty successful.  I have met people from all around the world of all ages.  The guest interactions with the characters is the most satisfying part of my day.  Being able to see a child's face or even an older man or woman's face light up when meeting Mickey Mouse for the first time is priceless.  These families came to Disney because of the impression it has on people all over the world.  The characters are one of the many parts of Disney that makes it so magical.  I have had the pleasure of working with "The Boss," Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Donald, the "UP" characters, and Goofy and Pluto.  Each of these characters brings a whole new life to the people around them.  They are fabulous co-workers and I couldn't ask for a better job.  My job as the attendant includes managing the lines, making sure the character is safe, interacting with the guests, and providing those special moments that the guests get to experience with the Disney Characters.

I have had three of my four days of training and have learned so much about the Entertainment industry at Disney.  It is really cool experiencing it from a different place in relation to Wesleyan.  The first few days we stayed inside most of the time learning in a classroom environment.  Today we actually were able to apply our knowledge working with the Characters outside.  This was a lot of fun but also nerve-racking because we were in front of guests.  I learned so much, though, and was able to apply what I needed to work on the more times we went out.  I start working on Friday in Animal Kingdom and am looking forward to that!!

Work!!!

This first week here has been so surreal.  Working for this company is absolutely amazing.   It really is one of the most magical places on earth.  I was updated on my work status and was informed that I will be working in all of the four parks with different characters.  Animal Kingdom will be known as my main park, though.  This was great information because the more experience the better!  I had my first day of training yesterday and was able to find out more about the Disney program!  I start my actual character attendant training this week in the parks and cannot wait to learn more.

Pictures from the Tea Party!

The Arrival to Disney!

I checked into the Disney College program this past Monday, August 20th.  There were about 500 other college students that also checked in on that day!  We went through multiple steps throughout the day, so they could get all of our information.  We then did a quick move into our apartment and after that went to casting where I was assigned Animal Kingdom as a character attendant.  I will travel with numerous characters throughout my shifts!  I was happy about this because that is one of my favorite parks.  I will find out more information during the Disney traditions class and my first training day on Saturday.
This program is really pretty cool.  Most of the people working here have gone through the college program, then do a professional internship, and later on end up working for one of Disney's companies including ABC, ESPN, Disneyland, and the resorts overseas.  I could see myself working for Disney after I graduate, especially if I end up loving the program, which I do so far!
A little of what I have experienced this week --
There are many events that the college program hosts.  Today was the first of many.  It was called "Time for Tea Party."  Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, and Mary Poppins were at the event so my roomates and I got pictures with them.  It was awesome to be able to interact with them :).  There was also a DJ at the event, and they handed out prizes, and then we had food there.  Disney does everything possible to make a good impression.  Everything I have attended so far is done very well and I believe that is why they have such a good name.