Training at Cinderella’s Royal Table - DCP Seater
When I found out I was going to be working at Cinderella’s Royal Table (CRT), I literally screamed and jumped around my house. Not only was I working in the Magic Kingdom, but I am also literally inside an international icon - the Castle. There’s nothing better than walking into the dining room and overlooking Fantasyland. Or seeing the princesses walk through the dining room making magical moments for our guests.
Training consisted of a day learning operations, a day park orientation, and four days of one the job training.
~ Welcome to Operations ~
Welcome to Ops is a class many roles have to go through. It is a day where you go more in-depth on the four keys, and how you can apply them to your role. You also get to watch an hour-long video with Coach Andy on proper lifting technique! If you are in food and beverage, today is the day you get to pick up your company-provided shoes!
The next matter of business will be your park orientation. This is an amazing day where you get to walk around the park before opening! You get to learn facts about the park. You also learn the locations of first aid, AEDs, restrooms, charging stations, etc. I also recommend paying close attention to the restaurants (especially if your Food and Beverage). You’ll need to know every quick service and full-service restaurant.
This is also a very exciting day because you’ll get your costume!! Word of warning, Disney sizing is very real. I was reminded multiple times that day not to let it get to me, but it still did. So if you need to go up 2-3 sizes, it’s okay. Everyone does. When you grab costumes to try on, go ahead an size up, then grab the size above and below that. This will save you a trip back to your area, and there are only a couple of dressing rooms.
~ Day 1 On The Job Training ~
Your first day at CRT will be devoted to learning the restaurant. You get to go in before everyone and take time learning table numbers. You also learn your way around the castle, the kitchen, and the backstage areas. Then, once the restaurant opens you’ll get to practice as a seater, so seating families. You also get a tasting panel, where you’ll try the breakfast offerings.
~ Day 2 On the Job Training ~
The first day is mentally exhausting, the second is physically exhausting. Day 2 you start as a stocker. This position is in charge of making sure the servers are fully stocked. This involves a lot of running around the kitchen and castle, constantly keeping an eye on supply levels. In the morning, it is very high stress. But dinner/PM shifts (what you’ll get mainly as a CP), are stressful for the first rotation or so, but then it calms down a lot.
The afternoon, you work as an updater. During this position, you help wipe down tables and grab table setups (trays with 4 knives, 4 forks, 4 napkins, etc). It’s a pretty fast-paced role, as we need to turn around tables as quickly as possible for the next seating.
~ Day 3 On the Job Training ~
Day 3 was by far my favorite day! You get the most guest interaction, and it’s your first night shift - so you can see what you’ll actually be working. First, you’ll head to the podium. This is the person outside who helps check in guests for their reservations. There’s a lot of little details that go into this position so it can be a little overwhelming at first. But once you get the routine down - it’s really fun. However, you also deal with a lot of angry guests on podium. Sometimes people want to add people to their reservation time, mark their 12-year-old as a child and get mad when they have to pay the adult cost, or even just mad that they have to wait to check in. After you check them in, you flag if there are any allergies, birthdays, etc. and print out a wait time ticket. You’ll instruct them to head inside for their portait with Cinderella, then move on to the next guest! As this is all going, the printer will be printing tickets once a family is assigned to a table number. You take these, stamp them if necessary, and put it in a basket for the greeter.
As greeter, you’re in charge of the transition from the Cinderella picture to the dining room upstairs. You’ll collect the table number tickets and bring them up to a microphone and chime cabinet. You’ll hit the chimes and announce “Lords and Ladies of the castle, Cinderella has an invitation for the Royal ---- Family. If you heard your name please raise your hand and stay where you are.” Then you tell them to head upstairs to be seated! It’s a pretty chill role. You do have to deal with guests being mad about the wait time, but usually when you explain the situation, they are understanding.
Finally, you head upstairs to do setups. This role is kind of monotonous, but easy. Basically, you put together about 40 table setups for a variety of table sizes (4-top, 6-top, 8-top). You’re in your own little corner, and just put the top # of forks, knives, and napkins on the trays.
You also get a tasting panel of the dinner menu, which is DELICIOUS. The steak is my favorite :)
By far, the best part of the day is when you close the restaurant. You will practice on outside and inside closing. But - your trainer will probably have you outside during the fireworks (!!!). You get to watch them from the walkway in the castle (near the check-in area, by the Bibbidi Boppity Boutique). It’s just you and the other podium people, and it is basically a private viewing of the show. I can’t explain how gorgeous the view is, seeing the fireworks perfectly framed over the carousel. I honestly nearly cried, because this is when it really sinks in that you’re working at DISNEY!
~ Day 4 On the Job Training, Assesment Day ~
The final day will be your assessment day! This day, you can get more training in whatever roles you feel the least confident in. I personally chose stocker (because it’s hectic) and podium (because there’s a lot of little details). Throughout the day your trainer should be quizzing you on locations, QSFB and FSFB restaurants and locations, and important safety info. They’re doing this to prepare you for the manager assessment. Once it is time for your assessment, your trainer will follow you through each of the roles. Then you are quizzed by the manager. After it’s over, they will tell you if you passed or not. Looking back on it, I think I stressed too much. The assessment doesn’t expect you to know everything about anything. It just is to prove you have been trying and are willing to learn. If you pass - congratulations!! You’ve earned your ears!
I’ll do a couple posts about what an average week at CRT is like, general DCP stuff, etc. But please let me know if you have any specific posts in mind! Have a magical day lords and ladies :)
