Training...

Friday was my first official day working for the Disney company.  We had a "Traditions" class, something all new Disney employees must participate in to be eligible to work for the company.  We learned all about the history of  Walt Disney, Disney World, and the Disney company.  We also learned about what makes the company so successful, including its "cast members," who should always be wearing a smile and do their best to go above and beyond their set tasks.  That only took a short 4 1/2 hours.

Saturday, I had park orientation with two of my roommates at Epcot.  We got to walk around the park while our leaders talked about the different attractions and included a boat ride around the World Showcase.  We covered some of the same material as in Traditions but went more in depth about our role as cast members.

For the second half of the day, I shadowed a Vacation Planner to get an introduction to the role I will perform while in Orlando!  I went to costuming to get my costume, which consists of black slacks, a white button-up shirt, and a vest!  I will take pictures and post them soon.

Sunday and Monday were my days off!  Sunday morning I took Mom and Dad to the airport then headed back to the apartment (home?).  The rest of the day I mostly vegged on the couch, caught up on emails, and watched a lot of television!

Yesterday (Monday) my roommates and I decided to go to Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly, MGM Studios).  We rode the Tower of Terror, Rock N Roller Coaster, and the Great Movie ride, and watched the Little Mermaid show.  We wanted to go on the Toy Story ride, but the line was incredibly long! So we didn't even bother.  The next time I go to DHS, I will also visit the Indiana Jones and Beauty & the Beast shows.

Finally, I started training today.  I dressed in costume and headed to Disney University.  We started by learning what it means to be a Vacation Planner and then dove into using the computer software for hands-on experience with the ticket selling process.  My head is swimming with all the information I learned today.  Did you know there are over 200 different tickets I can sell?

I will be doing the same type of training for the rest of the week (through Saturday), and my in-the-booth training begins on Sunday.