Happy 4th July!
God I'm glad I'm not in work today, it'll probably be mobbed! a) Because it's raining because people want an escape from the raining... and b) well, it's 4th July, half the people will be shut out of the parks as they predict they'll hit capacity by 11am (I think they fill some to OVER capacity. Yum...). Oh and c) certain inside information (ie re: $$$, but we signed a contract saying we wouldn't talk about things like budgets, trading information, etc etc) suggests that they're expecting a lot of people in today. Effectively twice as much activity as yesterday, and I could barely push a trolley because it was so mobbed then! Our merchentainment trainers were not kidding when they told us we'd be busy!
Anyway, this update should begin with Monday night I suppose, which eventually turned into another theme park trip. Amy, Charlottes T and I, Kate, Laura, Danielle and I all went to EPCOT with the intention of watching Illuminations and getting something to eat. However, due to going quite later and all being starving we ended up just heading to World Showcase to get some lunch and decided to save the fireworks for another time. Ate at the San Angel Inn in the Mexican pavillion, which was lovely- had proper non-pasta based food! (In the form of enchiladas and steak. So good!) It was such a cool setting as well- the pavilion is inside their 'pyramid', but inside it it's made to feel like you're outside at sunset/night, and it really felt like we were on some kind of girly holiday somewhere like Spain/France (maybe even Mexico :P) having a late night meal. The fact that the park was empty when we left the pavilion apart from a few families/ custodial CMs only added to the effect, as we were able to happily stroll along beside World Showcase Lagoon, looking at the silhouettes of the Eiffel Tower and various other cultural landmarks. It was just really calming and relaxing- something not generally associated with Disney theme parks! So even without the fireworks it was a nice way to spend the evening. Especially before...
Tuesday which was my first day of On The Job training, and thus the first time I'd had to wear that sexy uniform in public. I seriously hate the trousers, they make you feel so self-conscious! Ugh. Anyway, got some more trousers (as they'd only had one pair in my size last time) and met my trainer, Dee, and the woman I was being trained with, Lisa, outside costuming. Was a bit weird being trained with someone who had a daughter my age (who's doing the American College Programme at the moment for her second term). What was even weirder was that she seemed to be a complete Disneyaphile. Like I'm all into Disney, and I love the soft toys (sorry, plushes. Should probably start getting to grips with all the Americanisms!), t-shirts, etc, etc. But this woman seemed to own EVERYTHING that we came across- from car bumper stickers and license plates to mobile phone charms, dog toys and kitchen utensils. It was a bit weird her being like that and being around Mum's age! She also seemed to know the entire floor plan of World of Disney without being given a tour- no mean feet, I tell you. I could now just about navigate my way from Jewellery (the 'villains' room) to Boys ('Adventure' room) because we did it a million times in the course of the evening, and I could just about direct people to the princess room from Adventure, but other than that I'm still just about getting my barings. Even after an 8 1/2 hour shift in which I was constantly directing people around! I need a map to study...
Anyway, yesterday was stock training- World of Disney is so big and busy that they have separate stockers to cashiers, so some day you'll be tidying and putting back stock all day (I have two of those days in the next two weeks). Basically you go back and forth to the stock room taking back stuff you've found to be in the wrong section and putting it in baskets for the right one (you only work one section a day when you're stocking), then take the baskets with your stuff in and put it back, tidy, etc, etc. Then towards the end of the day (well, around 6 or 7) you look around the department and use this cool little scanner device to scan products you need more of and tell the stockroom how many to send down for you so you can fill the shelves. I was quite a fan of this system/ getting to use the scanner. It also means that except to collect lift drops (from Ariel's Attic/ Belle's Basement/ Cinderella's Closet) and to go to the bits where you put back stuff that's not yours/ get your stuff you never have to deal with navigating the stockroom which is definitely a bonus!
Oh and there's this little walkway behind the massive television screen in there which you can go over and you can see all the ceiling hangings properly from up there, which is pretty cool.
Anyways, we were shown around for a few hours, Dee pointing out all this cool little things like hidden mickeys and the way that the world in the 'map room' is in the shape of characters, and then after a break and going to the 'stocker's meeting' we were put to work doing all the stock stuff like scanning, putting stuff back, etc, etc until the lovely time of midnight. Then came home (after waiting 40 minutes for the bus, boo) and collapsed into bed.
Today had the day off so went to Wal*Mart with Charlotte T, got a few more food-based supplies and a lunchbox for work because I'm super cool. Then went to the pool, hung out at Sarah/Kate/Amy's for a while, then came back here. Going to Downtown Disney in a bit, hopefully for the 4th July fireworks if it stops raining and maybe some Ghiradelli's or Haagen Dazs ice cream. Anyway best be off, bus in 15!
Anyway, this update should begin with Monday night I suppose, which eventually turned into another theme park trip. Amy, Charlottes T and I, Kate, Laura, Danielle and I all went to EPCOT with the intention of watching Illuminations and getting something to eat. However, due to going quite later and all being starving we ended up just heading to World Showcase to get some lunch and decided to save the fireworks for another time. Ate at the San Angel Inn in the Mexican pavillion, which was lovely- had proper non-pasta based food! (In the form of enchiladas and steak. So good!) It was such a cool setting as well- the pavilion is inside their 'pyramid', but inside it it's made to feel like you're outside at sunset/night, and it really felt like we were on some kind of girly holiday somewhere like Spain/France (maybe even Mexico :P) having a late night meal. The fact that the park was empty when we left the pavilion apart from a few families/ custodial CMs only added to the effect, as we were able to happily stroll along beside World Showcase Lagoon, looking at the silhouettes of the Eiffel Tower and various other cultural landmarks. It was just really calming and relaxing- something not generally associated with Disney theme parks! So even without the fireworks it was a nice way to spend the evening. Especially before...
Tuesday which was my first day of On The Job training, and thus the first time I'd had to wear that sexy uniform in public. I seriously hate the trousers, they make you feel so self-conscious! Ugh. Anyway, got some more trousers (as they'd only had one pair in my size last time) and met my trainer, Dee, and the woman I was being trained with, Lisa, outside costuming. Was a bit weird being trained with someone who had a daughter my age (who's doing the American College Programme at the moment for her second term). What was even weirder was that she seemed to be a complete Disneyaphile. Like I'm all into Disney, and I love the soft toys (sorry, plushes. Should probably start getting to grips with all the Americanisms!), t-shirts, etc, etc. But this woman seemed to own EVERYTHING that we came across- from car bumper stickers and license plates to mobile phone charms, dog toys and kitchen utensils. It was a bit weird her being like that and being around Mum's age! She also seemed to know the entire floor plan of World of Disney without being given a tour- no mean feet, I tell you. I could now just about navigate my way from Jewellery (the 'villains' room) to Boys ('Adventure' room) because we did it a million times in the course of the evening, and I could just about direct people to the princess room from Adventure, but other than that I'm still just about getting my barings. Even after an 8 1/2 hour shift in which I was constantly directing people around! I need a map to study...
Anyway, yesterday was stock training- World of Disney is so big and busy that they have separate stockers to cashiers, so some day you'll be tidying and putting back stock all day (I have two of those days in the next two weeks). Basically you go back and forth to the stock room taking back stuff you've found to be in the wrong section and putting it in baskets for the right one (you only work one section a day when you're stocking), then take the baskets with your stuff in and put it back, tidy, etc, etc. Then towards the end of the day (well, around 6 or 7) you look around the department and use this cool little scanner device to scan products you need more of and tell the stockroom how many to send down for you so you can fill the shelves. I was quite a fan of this system/ getting to use the scanner. It also means that except to collect lift drops (from Ariel's Attic/ Belle's Basement/ Cinderella's Closet) and to go to the bits where you put back stuff that's not yours/ get your stuff you never have to deal with navigating the stockroom which is definitely a bonus!
Oh and there's this little walkway behind the massive television screen in there which you can go over and you can see all the ceiling hangings properly from up there, which is pretty cool.
Anyways, we were shown around for a few hours, Dee pointing out all this cool little things like hidden mickeys and the way that the world in the 'map room' is in the shape of characters, and then after a break and going to the 'stocker's meeting' we were put to work doing all the stock stuff like scanning, putting stuff back, etc, etc until the lovely time of midnight. Then came home (after waiting 40 minutes for the bus, boo) and collapsed into bed.
Today had the day off so went to Wal*Mart with Charlotte T, got a few more food-based supplies and a lunchbox for work because I'm super cool. Then went to the pool, hung out at Sarah/Kate/Amy's for a while, then came back here. Going to Downtown Disney in a bit, hopefully for the 4th July fireworks if it stops raining and maybe some Ghiradelli's or Haagen Dazs ice cream. Anyway best be off, bus in 15!