Published on Sunday, January 13, 2008 .
So a lot of you might be wondering why I have been AWOL for a good month or so with a few random updates here and there. It’s been over the past several months that I have come to learn a lot about myself. Who I am and what I strive for in my career and what will shape me to what I want to do with the Company. When I accepted my current role with Ticketing, it looked at the time as what I saw as following a passion I developed for tickets. It’s over the past few months that I have come to realize how much of a Guest Service person I am. I no longer have any contact with Guests and find myself finding excuses to get back in the park just to have that “one little spark” with our Guests.
Over the various jobs that I have held since high school, Guest Service and customer interaction have always been an integral part of my job. Be it as a lifeguard or swim instructor, member services or Guest Relations, Guest Service has always been there. It’s taken a lot of thinking and bouncing ideas of my mentors but I have come to a decision that I know will be the right one for me.
This morning, I reapplied to go back to the Dream Squad on another temporary assignment. This is just the start of another casting call process similar to the last time I applied and Guest Relations. I feel that taking a step backwards to a role such as Dream Squad will help me get the balance of Pixie Dust and Guest Service back that I have missed so much working in an office. Our Guests are the main reason that I work for The Walt Disney Company. To see the pure happiness in their eyes when you do something as simple as smile and wave or just saying a quick hello. That is why I work where I do. I miss creating that extra special magic for so many wonderful people and I hope that this step backwards will be the beginning to a great journey forwards.
Just as Walt Disney said himself, “we keep moving forward”. My experience at Ticketing has been one with a lot of learning. Learning that I know will help me down the road when I do decide to apply for Leadership Casting Call. I am glad to have had the experience but I also know when I need to make a decision that is best for myself. I will keep everyone posted over the next couple weeks on my decision to move back to the parks. Feel free to shoot me a line or leave a comments. Thanks everyone for your support!
Published on Saturday, January 12, 2008 .
Well, today I enjoyed a much needed day to just relax around the house. The last several weeks have been pretty busy with travel, work and friends. Since my friend Adam moved back in to a place in Chatham Square (Disney CP Housing), I have gained most of my condo back and took the day to straighten things up.
Last week, I even had a chance to finally get that new dresser I have been eying for a while that goes with my bed and night stand. Unfortunately, IKEA doesn’t make it in the color I have the other pieces in anymore but I got a color that seems to fit in really well. Thank you to Aunt Nancy, Uncle Peter, Chris, and Hannah along with Adam who helped provide the IKEA gift cards that helped me purchase it. as you can see below, it fits perfectly in my room and gives me some much needed extra drawers to store my cloths in. Thank you as well to my friend Steven who helped me assemble it as well.
Not much else new to report. Just enjoying my condo and doing my thing.
Published on Monday, October 09, 2006 .
it is with a mixture of emotions that I announce my return to Main Street, USA at the Magic Kingdom. Effective this coming Sunday, I will be leaving my TA in Guest Relations at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and returning back to my home on Main Street, USA at the Magic Kingdom. Why am I giving up the job I have tried so hard to get for the last two years? As hard as it is to give it up, I have to move back to Magic Kingdom for financial reasons.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the park hours a far shorter than Magic Kingdom and the average hours per week I was scheduled was about 32. Now, back at Magic Kingdom, I was on average getting 45-50 per week. Even with the pay raise that I received when I went over to Guest Relations, I was ending up making less money than I was before. I could not survive the remaining 4 months of my TA on 32 hours a week.
Aside from financial reasons, my long-term goal with the company is to move in to leadership as an Attractions Guest Service Manager. Moving back to Main Street, I will be a coordinator which I feel gives me more leverage for the Leadership Casting Call coming up in the next few weeks and in the spring. I will be going to the information sessions coming up and deciding if now is the time for me to post or if I should wait.
So that is what has been going on in my little world the last few weeks. Some tough decisions that I had to make. What may look like a step back, seems like it will in reality take me two or three steps forward in the long run. I will miss the Guest Relations role a lot but, Disney’s Animal Kingdom was just not the right park for me. Feel free to shoot me a message or a comment if you have any advice or feedback you wish to leave for me.
Published on Saturday, September 30, 2006 .
I know that I have not been as diligent on my updates as I once was. I wish there was more time for me to just sit down and write again. Since I have moved from attractions to Guest Relations, I am still in the process of learning a whole new role and a new park at the same time. I have left my comfort zone of the Magic Kingdom and entered in to the entirely new world of Disney’s Animal Kingdom (DAK).
DAK is a completely new experience. The attitude is so different than MK that I don’t know where to start. Things are so much more laid back in a sense but so much more strict in another. Where the Magic Kingdom is all about the world of Fantasy, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is much more about the real world with the animals taking the leading role in our park. This is evident in several policies in place. We do not allow balloons or stickers in the park and no where can you get a drink with a lid or a straw. It’s just strange to me to not see all those lovely Mickey stickers being given out.
My training though is finally complete. Aside from the training I will be getting just by doing my new role more, I just completed my global property tour. 21 people, 1 fun bus, 3 days and 49 square miles of property to travel and see. Yes folks, we went to every hotel, every park, every restaurant, and more in three days. A lot of review for a Disney Veteran like myself but I will be the first to admit that I did learn a thing or two. Plus, I had never been to Horticulture of Holiday Services before.
Speaking of Holiday Services, this place is crazy. In this hidden warehouse, is all the Christmas decorations for the entire property include Disney Cruise Line. They spend all year just maintaining all the decorations that will begin to show up on November 1. If you ever have a chance to go on Backstage Magic or see this operation, I recommend it.
Aside from tour and work, not much else going on. Candlelight Rehearsals have started again and I am diligently going to get my 10 in before the cut off. The nice part about working DAK is that I can get out of work by 6:30pm at the latest. Nice to reconnect with that social group after almost a year with out seeing some of them. I am also in the process of finalizing my plans to head to Disneyland in a few weeks. I’ll be out there with Joe, Jeff, and Brian October 24-30. I can’t wait to go back out and am looking forward to a much needed vacation considering my last REAL vacation was the same time last year.
Well, that is the last month in a nutshell. Look for more regular updates to return soon.
Published on Monday, August 21, 2006 .
For those that haven’t checked your e-mail or did not recieve my update, here is my latest quarterly update:
I want to first off apologize for my lack of e-mail messages and updates over the past several of months. I have been working very hard here at the Magic Kingdom and Main Street Operations. Since I last wrote, I became a relief or substitute coordinator (lead staff) for the area. What does this mean? Some days I am up front at turnstiles where I am responsible for not only our Cast but ensuring that all 50 turnstiles at the Magic Kingdom are up and running and that our Guests have a seamless experience while entering the Magic Kingdom. I also do coordinating on Main Street, USA. While on Main Street, USA, I am again responsible for our Cast but also ensuring the safe operation and efficiency for our Steam Trains and the safety of our Guests at parade time.
Along with coordinating, I am also an area trainer for Be Our Guest (new hire Guest Service training, Turnstiles and Steam Trains. As some of you know, I was a lifeguard training instructor for several years and it is nice to get back to training. Main Street Operations has been the most rewarding area I have worked here at the Walt Disney World Resort and has a great team of Cast Members. It is on that note that I move to my next bit of news.
After almost two and a half years, I will be leaving the Magic Kingdom. No, I am not leaving the Walt Disney World Resort. After over a year of hard work, and six-months of waiting, I have accepted a role in Guest Relations at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. My last official day at the Magic Kingdom will be on Saturday, August 26 and moving to Animal Kingdom on Sunday, August 27. This is an exciting time for me and I am looking forward to the change in pace and the role that I have been working so hard to get in to since I started. It will be hard to let go of a great area like Main Street Operations but, I know that I am finally moving on path upwards in the company, no part of which would not of been possible with out the great support my leaders on Main Street have provided.
Aside from the change in location, I am signed up to participate in the Candlelight Processional Cast Choir again at Epcot for the Holidays Around The World, which will begin in late November. This will be my third year in the choir and it will be great to be a part of the exprience again. For those that are coming to visit, try and come for a show that is narrated by Marlee Matlin. She is by-far one of the best speakers I have met and seen. I am also in the process of planning my trip back to Disneyland in October with several of my friends from Epcot.
That’s all the update I have for now. Look for more updates by visiting http://www.webbyaquatics.com . From there, you can access my blog and current photo collections. Please feel free to come down and visit anytime or drop me a line.
