I worked most of the attractions in Fantasyland. The process
was that we would type in our SSN into the computer and it would tell us which
ride to go to and then we were placed on a "bump" schedule. You would
basically work at your station until you were bumped to the next attraction on
the list. Sometimes the computer would tell you to "Create a magical
moment." I loved doing these! I remember one family I picked was so happy!
I took them through the exit of the Winnie the Pooh line when there was a massive
wait. The kids were jumping up and down. Another time a family was venting to
me how much bottled water was on WDW property so I had someone go to Wal-Mart and
send a case of water to their hotel room that night on WDW property since they
had no car. They came back a few days later to thank me. The whole time I
worked there I only encountered one person with whom I worked who didn't seem
like she wanted to be there. I don't understand how you could work there and
not be happy?! I loved helping people!
The next time you are at Disney, make a note
about how the Cast Members point. Something so simple that Disney came up with
their own point! Using one finger is rude in some cultures so Disney came up
with cast members putting together their pointer and middle finger to show directions.
I still do this to this day! You don't know how many times I used the
"Disney point" to direct guests to restrooms, rides and other things!
My mom thinks it is so cool and tells people about it. :) .
Another thing that
the attraction cast members do is hiss to get each other’s attention. I made
the mistake of telling my friend and he would hiss anytime we went on
Fantasyland rides. Hah. When you are holding a car, you hold a fist and when
you are ready to set the car forward, you open your whole hand so the control
operator can see. This is very important when working at Dumbo. One person
would do the spiel and control panel while the other did a walk inspection
check and releases their fist so the controller knows everyone is safely
buckled in. I still remember the spiel from saying it so many times!
"Hello, and welcome to Dumbo the flying elephant.
Please remain seated at all times. To make Dumbo fly high simply move the lever
up and down in front of you. Have a nice flight!" HAHAHA .
I cannot tell you how many times I had to tell adults that
no more than TWO adults can fit in one Dumbo. It was hard sometimes mostly
because there was a language barrier. I'm SO glad I took Spanish in high
school! I definitely used it every day working there.
I will share the one
Disney Moment that made me cry out of happiness. That has never happened to me
since. I'm not sure why I cried because I'm NOT an emotional person at all! I
was working at the Snow White's Scary Adventure control panel and the Seven
Dwarfs came to ride with guests! There were a few Make a Wish kids there as
well as everyday guests. To see the kids light up made my day!
- Kate
I
worked at the Camera Center underneath Spaceship Earth in Epcot, and
occasionally, I would also have to work the lockers too. They were
located around the corner
from the Camera Center. While I was there one day, and I wasn’t helping
any guests at the moment, I witnessed a little girl lose her balloon!
I
had worked three summers at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ as
a balloon-girl when I was a teenager, walking around the park and
selling balloons for
$5. each. (I used to tell people that if they bought one balloon for
$10, they get one for free! LOL) Anyway, Epcot did not sell balloons in
the spring of 1999 when I did my College Program, and I don’t think they
sell any there now either. The little girl
must have gotten the balloon at the Magic Kingdom and hopped over to
Epcot with her family. When I saw the little girl lose her balloon, she
started crying! Her father knelt down and was trying to console her.
That is when I went over to the family and talked
to the father.
I
said that I saw what happened, and I was terribly sorry. (I gave the
little crying girl a Mickey sticker, but she wasn’t too thrilled about
it.) I asked if
they were staying on Disney property, and they said yes- they were
staying at the Polynesian. I got their name, and I said that they should
expect something later on that day, to be delivered to their room.
I
had arranged for the little girl, whose name was Hannah, to receive a
bouquet of helium-filled mylar balloons, along with a card signed by the
Big Cheese himself,
Mickey Mouse!
-Monika
