Training

Hey, all!

WELL, they don't lie, they work you hard here. Today is my first day off since I began work, yeesh!

Training has been a lot of information crammed in to a short amount of time. There have been the general orientations-- like Traditions class that I talked about in my last post, but more recently, training has gotten concentrated, honing in on exactly what my job will be.

I'll be working in Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios) in the area called "Hollywood Hills" which includes Rockin' Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Fantasmic. I'm part of what Disney calls their "Merchantainment" Cast Members, which is a combination of Merchandise + Entertainment.

Training has ranged from being quizzed on where the nearest bathrooms and smoking areas are, to learning the tips and tricks of how to "magic" a guest's day. I might get the opportunity to call Goofy up and have him wish one of the guest's a very special birthday over the phone, trade Disney pins with another collector, or I could point out the Hidden Mickey's in my area.

That's the fun part though-- learning the registers is rough, since we only had one day of practice, and didn't even get into the particulars of our area before we were put on the floor with the full force of the summer crush of people bearing down on us, yipe! I did fine though, phew!

I work in the gift shops at both Tower and Coaster, but I also may be put on "photo" helping guests select and purchase the ride photos that they like. It's fun because they're always laughing at themselves and ready to have a good time.

But my absolute favorite part of the job is working on Fantasmic, the water/fireworks/and special effects show just down the hill from the Tower of Terror. Last night, I wore an apron with... I don't know how many pockets that I could stuff with light-up glow toys. I had so much fun just talking to guests and the kids. Some of the smaller fry were simply mesmerized by this glowing, walking, talking girl-- adorable. By the time I got back to the stock room, I had $500 dollars on me, thank goodness I learned how to count back change the Disney way and quickly. Twice I was given a $100 dollar bill for a $7 purchase-- whoa.

I'm excited to get back out there, but I have tomorrow off too. Hoping to get to the parks again sometime soon! We went out to Toy Story 3 a few days ago, which was FANNNNtastic. Then, stopped by House of Blues on Sunday since it's free to get in for CPs and on top of that it was ladies drink free night! With paid-for bus transportation on top of that... I didn't pay for a thing. Score.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Love ya. Please comment and stay in touch!!

First Days

Hey guys,

So, as you may have suspected, the past few days have been extremely eventful. I’ve checked in, gotten my room and work assignments, been through a LOT of orientation, and taken a few privileged tours onstage and offstage.

Oh, for those of you who don’t know: We speak “Disney-ese” here. That means that customers are our Guests, the staff are Cast Members, and taking a break means Going to a Tea Party and other assorted niceties. Everything here is just like a show, and it’s all geared towards keeping the magic and entertainment alive. Look at me, already forwarding the brand.

I’m getting ahead of myself—but SO much has happened. Anyway, I’m living in Vista Way, one of three apartment complexes I could have been in. It’s the “happening” place to be I’m told. I’m living with five other fun girls in a three bedroom apartment with two bathrooms, a kitchen, and laundry machines (and the pool!) right around the corner. But I’m only one room in one building out of 38 buildings just in Vista Way alone! The Disney College Program (DCP) is BIG, almost 3,000 students are here, as opposed to when it first started 30 years ago, when about 30 students worked as interns during the first program.

Vista Way

Our first day (Monday, 6/14) was spent going to “Casting” where a lot of paperwork was filled out, but instead of shuffling it in front of us—we were lead on a maze of a journey through the entire building (courteously directed the entire way, of course). I was given so many packets and folders and informational booklets—I even got my fingerprints taken!

Yesterday (Tuesday, 6/15), we sat through the Housing Welcome Session which took considerably shorter time than Casting and left us a bunch of space in the day to finish moving in, socialize, and go to a pool party at Patterson, one of the other apartment complexes. It’s so nice to have a car here. The 22 hour/3 day drive was definitely worth it (Shout out to all the people in Indianapolis I got to see on my way down! Missed you guys like crazy!)

And today was my official first day of work. I woke up at 5:30, put on my “Disney Look” approved outfit, got on a bus, and I just got back as a brand, sparkly new Cast Member myself!

Today, I attended what is called “Traditions” which is mandatory for all new Cast Members. I learned a lot about the Disney Difference, what my role is in creating it, and a few extra tidbits that make me feel a little closer to the magic. I could go on and on, but I’ll just give you the highlights.

Today I learned:

· Disney’s Motto: “We

create happiness by providing the finest in entertainment for people of all ages everywhere.”

· The History of the Company

· The four key values: Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency

· Some more Disney-ese: Like, an area is either “bad show” if it’s messy, “good show” if it’s clean, and “show ready” if it’s prepared for Guests to view

o And, if you know someone who’s playing a character like Mickey or Cinderella, you say that she’s “best friends with Cinderella”

· Plus, so many individual testimonies and stories from both Cast Members and Guests. They really made me smile, to think that I’ll be on the other side now, helping to make the magic.

o I got to share my favorite Disney story: Goofy proposed to me one time I visited! He got right down on one knee while I was at a character breakfast, and since we were affianced, he invited my family and I to ride on a float during the Animal Kingdom’s “Jammin’ in the Jungle Parade.”

§ Since I shared, I also got a figurine of Goofy—the kind that you can ONLY get at “Traditions” class

· We even got some sneak peaks at what Disney has in store for the future

o Fantasyland is due for a renovation, and they’re working on it right now, apparently, all the Princesses are going to have their own meet and greet area. Plus, we should watch for a ride called Dueling Dumbos?

On top of all of that, we got to take a tour behind the scenes at The Magic Kingdom. You know those tunnels under the parks everyone’s always talking about? I got to walk through them! They’re called the utilidors, but that’s about all I can say—you know, keeping the magic alive and all. I CAN tell you that I know where a few secret doors are though, and if you come visit me, I may just point them out to you!

When we got back from the tour, Mickey Mouse, the big cheese himself, was waiting to give us our name tags. Mine says “Kelsey” with “Knox College” underneath it. The rumor is that tomorrow at training I’ll get a pin to attach to it that says “I’m Earning My Ears” which means I’m in training.

I do think the favorite thing I learned today was to use the Disney Point. It’s a two-fingered or open-handed point which makes giving directions a bit friendlier. I practiced it out in the parks when we were walking around on a tour with Ben, our orientation leader. In order to go “undercover” we were all given very official looking earpieces and battery packs to clip to our waistbands through which Ben was able to communicate with us. In other words, I felt ridiculously cool.

I’m just so excited to be here, and I can’t thank all of you enough for all your well wishes and encouragement. The most common reaction that I got when I told people that I was going to work at Disney this summer was: WOW, followed by a slew of questions… the second most common reaction was “Well, duh!” and that was from those who know me best.

I can’t wait to get started with my training tomorrow and Friday. I’ve also decided to take a class called “Marketing You” which I signed up for yesterday. But, since I just got my Company ID today, I think I’m going to go take advantage of that—we want to get back to the Magic Kingdom in time to see their revamped Main Street Electrical Parade tonight.

So, I’ll leave you all with this: KEEP IN TOUCH!!!

Kelsey Ingle

13501 Meadow Creek Drive

Apt. 603

Orlando, FL 32821

Email: kelsey.ingle@gmail.com

Phone: 262-951-0168 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              262-951-0168      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 262-951-0168 end_of_the_skype_highlighting (I have unlimited texting)

Oh, and, please comment!

Tomorrow's the BIG day!

Hey, everyone!

Welp! Tomorrow's the day I move into my new apartment, meet a bunch of people I'll live and work with, and start a summer filled with loads of adventures. Back in February, I was accepted into the Disney College Program in which I'll be working Merchandise as well as living and taking classes at the Disney Resort... and I simply can't wait to get started.

A bit about me:

I'm a senior at Knox College in Galesburg, IL where I'm studying Theatre and English Literature. I call Waukesha, WI my home, which is 20 minutes outside of Milwaukee. I am a member of the Beta-Delta chapter of Pi Beta Phi, I have studied abroad in Dublin for a semester, and I've always, always been a Disney fan.

I've been to the parks... oh... upwards of 15 times, but this is the first time I'll see it from the other side-- working and living there! I'll be here until the beginning of January and between now and then I'm hoping to have done a ton of things to write home about-- hence, this blog.

What I'd like to accomplish with this blog:

I hope to answer some of your questions about what the Disney College Program is and does, keep my friends and family updated on my life (instead of telling the story a hundred times, you know how it goes), and to record my time here in a more personal fashion than mass-emails. Thanks for taking the time to check in-- please leave a comment!

I hope to start a FAQ kind of deal sometime soon, but for now, I'm gonna grab some shut-eye before waking up at 5:30am tomorrow for check-in. Haven't seen that side of 6 o'clock in a long time! Hahaha, night, all :)