Day 6-8: Disney University & Training

On Saturday, I had my food and beverage class in Disney University (DU). For those of you who don't know, DU is the building where collegiate classes and seminars take place, as well as lecture-based training classes. My class didn't start until 1pm, so I was able to sleep in, which is always nice! But despite this, I was still struggling to not fall asleep as they showed us video after video about food handling, storage, and safety. After three hours of this, we went into the computer lab to complete a couple more learning modules and register for the Hub. In a nutshell, the Hub is the online information center for Disney Cast Members. Then we all got our shoes for our work locations! Hideous as they are, I am just grateful that Food & Beverage (F&B) doesn't have to pay for them like everyone else. Once we were done, I hopped on a bus, headed to Wal-Mart to pick up some food, then headed home to sleep. However, my roommates were going out to the parks, so I thought I would join them, despite the fact that I had to get up early the next day for training! We hit up Magic Kingdom, rode a few of the attractions (they were less busy since it was about 10pm and everyone was watching the firework show), and then browsed through the shops. Finally, after waiting an hour for the bus, we made it home at about 2am Sunday morning. It's safe to say that I didn't prioritize very well that night.

Yesterday, I woke up at 4:30am in order to get ready and catch my bus at 5:30. Work didn't start until 7:15, but it takes an hour to get to Magic Kingdom, and you never know when a bus is going to be late! After our leaders introduced themselves, we split into groups and got a 3 hour tour of the Magic Kingdom. Once we were nearing the end of the tour, they took us all through the fast pass line to the Haunted Mansion. Sweet! Now I can say that I got paid to go on an attraction! After this, we split up based on work role. I went with the F&B cast members to receive our training schedules, get our costumes, and complete a couple more computer-based training modules. I found out that I will first be trained in the kitchen for a few weeks before being cross-trained to work out front. That's nice because I can pick up a wider range of shifts in other locations and always work indoors in the air conditioning. My costume is super plain (black pants and a white shirt), but it's only for a few weeks! However, I have no idea what I'll be doing in the kitchen. Dishes? Cleaning? Cooking? I mean, we do have pb&j sandwiches on our menu, so that I can do!

Once I got home, I crashed at about 6pm, woke up this morning, and began to blog since I have the day off. I think I'm going to hang out here for awhile and hit up the parks in the late afternoon. Hollywood Studios, perhaps?

Day 3-5: Kitchen Sink, Traditions, & Magic Kingdom

I'm starting to understand how people begin to stop blogging once they enter the DCP. I haven't even started training and I barely have time to blog, but I am determined to make time! We all had the day off on Wednesday, so two of my roommates and I caught the bus to the monorail. From there, we visited each of the Disney resorts that the monorail stops at: Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary. I loved the Polynesian because I truly felt like I was on a Hawaiian vacation! Not to mention the Lilo and Stitch music that played throughout the hotel! Next up was the Grand Floridian. Right from the start, it was as if I was walking through the doors and onto the Titanic - I truly felt like a million bucks! Finally, we hit up the Contemporary for lunch. The coolest part about this resort is that the monorail drops you off inside the resort!

Thursday was Traditions, which is basically an orientation of the Disney company. We watched some informational videos, got a short tour of the tunnels under Magic Kingdom, and received our nametags. Not to mention the fact that Mickey made a surprise visit to our class - it was amazing! And because this was our official first day of work, we received our cast member IDs that get us into the parks for free! Later that night, we met up with a group of friends and headed to Beaches & Cream in the Beach Club resort to take on the world famous kitchen sink! It was a huge bowl filled with eight scoops of ice cream, all the toppings, and an entire can of whipped cream! We ordered three kitchen sinks between the 18 of us, and finished them all in under 15 minutes! Then we walked around the boardwalk before catching the bus and heading home.

Today, we had the day off again and took advantage of our free admission into the parks! I didn't get to the park until a bit after noon, but I was able to ride the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Roller coasters are definitely my thing, so Space Mountain is currently my favorite attraction. I was also able to experience the infamous jumbo turkey leg and pineapple dole whip. I wasn't able to finish the turkey leg, but I'm sure the caloric intake was still ridiculous. After I got home and took a nap, we headed over to the Patterson pool to meet up with some friends. Unfortunately, the swimming was cut short as the lightning and thunder started up after about an hour, but we were still able to hang out for another hour before going home.

And tomorrow is my first day of training, so wish me luck!

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