Everybody says this. Everybody says, "If you told me 4 years ago, I'd be here, I would have thought you were lying". Everybody says, "I never could have imagined my life would turn out this way". It's because life truly is unpredictable. I mean think about it, we meet SO many people in any given day. We are exposed to HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of new ideas in one singular day. We meet one person and the trajectory of our lives takes a new turn. We come across a billboard that makes us think, or an advertisement that changes the way we do our daily tasks forever. We try a new drink that becomes our favorite or a new meal that becomes tradition. We buy a new house decoration that hangs on the wall for years to come and just becomes "something we've always had". We create SO many new memories every single day. New inspiration strikes and we make life altering decisions. Tiny things happen in every single day, and those tiny things create us.
And then there are the big things. There's trauma and loss. There are promotions with sizable raises and new additions to families. There are things completely outside of our control because it's up to somebody else's free will. Their right to choose what to do with their lives and all the little and big things that create them. Their hundreds of thousands of things that create them intersect with your hundreds of thousands of things, and in those moments big change happens.
So of course, after a couple years, maybe even after one singular year, we sit back and think, "How did I get here?". We look around at our lives and think about how we never could have imagined being here in this moment, good or bad.
Four years is a long time. I look back at my abandoned blog and see our new marriage and all the events leading up to that moment.
I'm hopefully going to get back into writing, journaling, blogging, whatever we want to call this medium of self expression. I'll probably explain to death the intricate details of my life that led to me to this spot. Or, maybe I'll forget about it again. Who knows?
What I do know, is a lot has changed in four years. My wife and I are completely different people. We don't live in North Carolina anymore, we both have different lines of work, we adopted a dog after our old girl passed away, and we bought a home. Those are just some of the big things.
If one little thing can alter a person's life so much, it should come as no surprise that my wife and I are completely different people going through four years of little and big things. But, I am still surprised and I'm still going to say it...
Four years ago, I never could have imagined my life turning out like this.
The first dance at a wedding is always a special moment for the couple, but I wanted to share why this moment was especially meaningful to me...
Jackie and I arenât really a publicly affectionate couple. I donât know if itâs because we are worried about what other people think - I think for LGBT+ couples there is always some level of that embedded in us somewhere - but it also might just be who we are as people. We know how we feel about each other and we donât need to share all that with the rest of the world. Sure, we hold hands and share a kiss or two sometimes, but you wonât find us being incredibly cuddly (unless youâve handed one of us a drink or two). As much as I share lovey-dovey pictures on social media, if youâve really hung out with us you know that we arenât really like that most of the time. We just donât put our relationship out on display like that. Which means, we donât really dance together.Â
Ever.
For my Birthday one year, we went to a club. We got a little tipsy at a bar beforehand, then went up to the rooftop bar in Downtown and continued to drink. The drinks loosened us up a bit and we started dancing. Now when I say âstarted dancingâ I mean we were still a foot apart from each other and maybe holding hands. A hand may have ended up on a waist at some point, but really, that was our version of âpublicly dancing as a coupleâ. As we danced, we both became aware of some stray lonely men up against a wall, watching. Itâs no secret that lesbians are some sort of weird fetish for straight dudes (because nothing can exist without being a source of pleasure for a straight cis male, right?), and we could see them plainly watching us with weird looks of âapprovalâ. Both of us immediately stopped dancing and left. It was almost like a light switch. One moment we were allowing ourselves to feel whatever alcohol was coursing through our bodies, and the next moment we were so hyper-aware of our surroundings you would have thought we had been drinking water all night. We never really spoke of it again, because it just was what it was.Â
We went to a wedding several months before we got married. We were invited by one of Jackieâs close high school friends. She knew other high school acquaintances would be there, and she wasnât sure how they would take the news of her recent engagement to me. We still wore our engagement rings and we loosely held hands throughout the wedding. It was clear that we were together. But when it came time for the couples to get on the floor and slow dance, we sat out. That moment wasnât for âusâ. It wasnât the time or place to make a statement about our relationship. Her friendâs entire family was there, and we didnât exactly know how every single person in her family felt about LGBT+ relationships. Obviously the friend who invited us was perfectly okay with it and even came to our wedding. But, we also knew they were religious and there was a chance that other family members may not see it the way her friend did. And so, not wanting to make anybody uncomfortable on a special day for her entire family, we stayed at the tables and made conversation with some friends who were flying solo.Â
Which leads me to our wedding night.Â
That night was a night to celebrate OUR love. We didnât have to hide the way that we love. We got to just be US and LOVE, publicly. Fearlessly. It meant that we held hands a little tighter, kissed a little longer, and danced so much closer. We felt like it was our one chance to dance as a couple together, freely. Without judgement, without worry or concern, without regard.Â
Some people shorten their first dance. They cut the music, they fade it out early, they move the party along. Some people add fancy dance steps, twirls, choreographed routines. Some take dance lessons. Some take it as an opportunity to entertain their guests. But not us. We just danced. Because we never get to just dance. We never get to just be close, sway to music that has gotten us through so much, and let love course through our bodies. We donât get to do what other people get to do. But that night, we got to. So we did.Â
We make it a habit now to dance together at home. We put on a record, or even our wedding song, and dance the way we did in front of our friends and family that night. No frills, no twirls, no regard or care in the world. Just fearlessly loving and dancing. But this was the start of it all.
So I love this memory. Because we just danced. And it was wonderful.Â
All pictures by the lovely Ashley + David Photography
Almost exactly four years ago I left home for the Disney College Program. Since then, so much in my life has happened. Part of me wondered if I should completely retire this blog... but so much has happened here as well. Over the course of four years, I have relived memories on these pages. Sharing advice, detailed stories, and countless pictures. I couldnât bring myself to retire the blog entirely. So, everything has been organized in what is now known as /dcparchives. Posts are sorted by several different categories so those who are interested can find old help pages, memories, and even the beginnings of The Kimmi and Jackie Show. It has been so wonderful sharing my college program memories with you all. I have a few more stories Iâm sitting on for a rainy day in which I wish to relive those days, but for now, you can expect this blog to move forward.Â
Thank you for riding this magic carpet with me. đ
I am in the process of revamping this entire blog. See, this blog started out as an attempt to document my Disney College Program. It is something experienced by many and yet, is still such an exclusive experience. When I first did my DCP, there wasnât that much âinformationâ out there. I watched the same vlog channel from an international student over and over again, and stalked every link Disney released about the DCP. Stories about unique experiences were hard to come by, and so, along with many others, I became one of the millions of people attempting to share mine with the world.Â
Almost immediately, this blog evaporated into thin air. My first few weeks into the program, our internet would spontaneously cut out. When that got resolved, I realized I didnât have that many pictures to share. My roommates and I visited the parks in the summer heat, making it less than ideal conditions to lug around my heavy duty camera. My phone was an old and tired dud. So, I relied heavily on pictures from others and Memory Maker, meaning for the first few months of my program, my pictures were scattered everywhere. I was also really lucky. I had roommates and work friends that I got along with very well. I spent very little time in my apartment, because I was always out with friends exploring. Naturally, the blog fell to the wayside. Although it came back during my extension, I no longer had a vision for it. My good days were far more scattered, and I struggled with figuring out how to write about my true experiences without being incredibly negative. Sharing just the positives felt dishonest. Not knowing where to go with it, everything quickly evaporated again.
Then, I moved to North Carolina. I didnât get to go back home after my program and share every story with all my friends and family. The people who wanted to hear all about it were miles away from me, and those who lived nearby didnât even know me yet. And while I struggled through my extension, I was still missing âhomeâ. With post-DCP-depression in full swing, the blog came back to life. Shortly after, I got a job. One that required me to sit at a computer for 11.5 hours. The blog once again became less important. The few likes and reads I got wasnât motivation enough to work hard at keeping it alive.Â
As circumstances changed the blog came back to life and died again, over and over - the worldâs longest rollercoaster - until it just no longer felt relevant. Stories became muddled in my mind, information became useless as things in the college program changed, and a few of the friendships from the program faltered. It seemed meaningless to attempt to bring it back to life, just for an occasional âhey, one time I worked at Walt Disney Worldâ post.Â
All that said, it turns out, I still enjoy sitting down from time to time and sharing my ramblings, thoughts, and experiences with absolute strangers. So I thought, it is time to update a few things. Iâm going to be cleaning things up, reorganizing things... Anyway, here I am! Welcome to the Kimmi and Jackie Show!
My high school friend Sarah was still in town for a few days. We had the choice of two parks to visit. Iâm sure most people would pick Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. We instead picked EPCOT and Animal Kingdom. I could not let her leave Walt Disney World without getting to show her my home park. Our first stop though, was EPCOT. It was another gorgeous day. I told Sarah she was getting really lucky with the weather. The humidity was tolerable and the minimal clouds helped cover the sun.
Beyond Starbucks, our first stop was The Seas. Iâm sure thatâs not where most people start, but I knew Sarah was excited about one thing: manatees. As we walked up to the Nemo ride, I told her she was going to get to see real live manatees. She instantly started crying real actual tears.
The exit for Nemoâs ride dumps right into an aquarium. Itâs one of my favorite spots in Walt Disney World. It just has so much to look at, and despite being a ride dump, it never has that many people in it. I guess many people donât pay the Disney price to go to an aquarium of all things, but to me itâs a hidden treasure. So we rode Nemo and went on to the aquarium.Â
Inside the aquarium we saw dolphins, manatees, and endless fish. Sarah was in heaven. We meandered on through until we reached the gift shop. The gift shop was one place I always wanted to work and never did. In part because after my one EPCOT experience backstage, I wasnât quite ready for another. The other part of it was that I didnât really see a ton of shift openings for it. I still wish I had sought after it a bit more.
Stormy clouds started to roll over EPCOT. The potential for rain lingered but the day remained beautiful. Spring is one of my favorite times to go to Walt Disney World. The weather is usually nicer and EPCOTâs Flower and Garden Festival usually takes place for the majority of the season. We headed over to World Showcase so I could show her some of my favorites.Â
World Showcase is a popular favorite. Tourists are amazed by the amount of detail in each pavilion. Returners have favorite spots they love to hang out and relax in. While I enjoyed World Showcase, I personally didnât have a lot of attachment to it. I liked walking around, I loved the festivals, but I didnât necessarily need to visit every country every time. In fact I still havenât visited most of the attractions. But it is something I feel like everybody needs to at least see, especially because I know my opinion is an unpopular one. There is so much to see that some people feel like they could spend their entire lives there. But for me, it is one of those things that remains stagnant. Luckily Flower & Garden was well under way, and I already had several favorites.
The first favorite is the infamous Frozen Lavender Lemonade. On my first visit to Flower & Garden I happened to be in the right mood, and was easily convinced to try new things. Usually, I steer away from newly flavored drinks. Iâm not a super picky eater but Iâm definitely a picky drinker (alcohol or no). The fact that it was purple didnât dissuade me, nor did the fact that I had no idea what on earth lavender would taste like. I went ahead and tried it and fell in love, much like everybody else who tries it. Itâs the perfect mix of sweet and sour. Itâs smooth and cold and wonderful on warm days in a park that doesnât have a lot of shade to offer. Of course that was one of our first stops.
We made our way through all the pavilions, stopping for the occasional picture, pausing for the shows we ran into, and paying for small snacks along the way. We took our time wandering through shops in countries that fascinated Sarah. I remember us not having a ton of time though I really canât remember if it was because I had work that morning or if it was because we had both decided to sleep in. Whatever the case, we made what we could out of the day and had a blast doing it.Â
By the time the sun went down, we were in the Mexico Pavilion and had made our way all around the world. My favorite food is Mexican food, so we stopped under the covering for some nachos and decided to stay in the area to wait for illumiNations. Shortly after we grabbed seats though, it started to storm. Rain drizzled down and lightning lit up the sky. It was common in Florida. Most of the time it lasted 20-30 minutes and then moved on. Sarah asked if IllumiNations would be cancelled, but Disney doesnât cancel things until the very last minute because weather can change in an instant. When it became clear that the storm was going to linger and IllumiNations was not going to happen after all (about 10 minutes before they actually made that announcement), we decided to make our way to Spaceship Earth. My roommate Dana worked that night and I wanted to pay a visit. We packed up our things and headed out. I mentioned earlier that EPCOT has no shade. Well, it also offers very little shelter from rain and storms. For whatever reason, that is the park I got caught in the MOST during storms. From the Mexico Pavilion to Spaceship Earth, there is almost no safe place to walk in the rain. We knew this and decided to go for it anyway. A little rain never hurt anyone and Disney had lightning rods installed in several of their buildings to keep guests safe. So we started running. The rain got harder until it was an absolute downpour. There were no guests in the streets and the lightning had gotten super close. The entire park was 101 - meaning all Cast closed outdoor locations, escorted guests to the nearest covering/shelter, and got to a safe place until the storm cleared. Ultimately it is up to the guest to decide whether or not they want to walk in the storm. No Cast Members can tell you that you have to go inside, and truthfully nobody had advised us to stay under cover. We were halfway across the bridge out of the Mexico Pavilion before we realized it was raining way too hard. We ran into one of the Ports of Call shops for safety. The store was packed with other guests seeking shelter, but we were the ones who ran in dripping wet.Â
As a Californian, I will forever love playing in the rain. We just didnât get that much rain and when it came, it was special. So I was never bothered by rain in Florida. I never minded racing through storms and winding up soaking wet. Inside the store, guests were talking and mingling with one another. People were estimating how long the storm would last, locals were trying to convince visitors that it wouldn't last long, and normal chitchat ensued. Sarah and I started talking about whether or not we should pursue our goal to get to Spaceship Earth. Both of us agreed that if we were going to do it, we needed to go ahead and do it then.Â
The only problem I have with running in the rain is that, without fail, the rain fills my glasses with water droplets making it impossible to see. Then water starts to drip from my glasses into my eyes, making my sensitive eyes burn. I normally try to keep my head down to keep the water out, and get to my destination as quickly as possible.
We made a plan, and we had it figured out. A few other guests behind us were cheering us on. Nobody was outside. We ran out of the sliding doors and right into the giant lake that had formed in the entrance of World Showcase. The drains couldnât keep up with the amount of rainfall, and massive puddles were starting to form. It was dark so we couldnât really see where they were until it was far too late. We were ankle deep in water, I was completely unable to see, and Sarah was holding my hand and pulling me along with her. Just as I go to look up, an incredibly bright light filled the area. No time passed and the thunder came right behind it, making a deafening noise. Guests from the shop behind us gasped and/or screamed as the noise made them jump. Sarah had crouched to the ground with her hand over her head, panicked. The wind picked up, the rain fell harder, and the lightning was right on top of us. Sarah grabbed my hand and we booked it back to the store, letting the storm claim victory. By that point we were even more soaked and breathing hard.Â
A few guests thought it was hilarious how soaked we were and wanted to take our picture for us. I managed to clear my glasses with another nice guestâs help. About 10 minutes later the rain let up. Lightning was sill in the area but a few guests started to head towards the front of the park. World Showcase was pretty much a lake and guests were sloshing through the flooded park. We still had a bit of time before the park closed so we made our way to Spaceship Earth. Nobody was in line and Dana wasnât in the front greeting, so we headed up. Inside it was freezing cold. Their air conditioning was still on and when the cold hair hit our dripping wet clothes, we froze. We found Dana at the top of the ramp loading guests. I introduced Sarah and Dana and we caught up for a second. Soon, guests were behind us and Dana had to get to work. If my memory is correct, Sarah and I didnât stick around to ride. We were too cold and were ready to go home so we went back through the exit and called it a night. The front of Future World was a lake too. I attempted to get a picture of the flooded area, but it was so dark.
Thereâs nothing quite like getting caught in a Florida storm during your day at the park. I honestly kind of miss it. Even though we were uncomfortably wet, we were happy. We had an amazing day and I was so happy to share that with Sarah.
One of the best and simultaneously the worst things about living the Walt Disney World life is the amount of âstaycationsâ you can have. Whenever friends came to visit, we would go to Walt Disney World and I would show them around my home. I would take them places that tourists don't think to go during their first visit, or I would introduce them to all the people I had been calling family for the past several months. It can also be draining though. It can feel like you can never quite get away from that Disney bubble. While there are certain magical moments that never get old, working for the company for months and taking advantage of the free entrance into the parks as much as I did made most of it feel like the norm. Some of that magic wears off a little bit, and the imperfections that guests just shrug off become massive annoyances for Cast who want the park to perfectly match the companyâs mission statement. Sometimes you need a real vacation, and not just one that sends you right back to where you work. That being said, a friend from California was on their way to Orlando, and I was excited enough to see her that I didnât mind staying.
One of my best friends from high school was on her way, and some of her original plans had fallen through. So I decided to help her make the most of it by taking her to the parks and showing her around. The day she arrived we didnât really have any plans. It was already early evening so we werenât going to go to the parks quite yet. It hit me that I had mini golf passes still from working over the holidays. Because I had done the fall program, I got their holiday coupon packet which included tickets to mini golf. My original plan was to use mine when Jackie used hers at WinterSummerland, but the Cast Member there told me that Jackie should just sign me in as a guest so I can use mine later. Since I was staying through the spring it made total sense, but I hadnât gotten the chance to use them. I brought the ticket with me while I drove to Sarahâs hotel.
Sarah was staying at one of the non-Disney hotels across from Disney Springs. I had seen them millions of times but never actually stopped and looked at the hotels. I was amazed at how similar they all looked. After briefly pulling into the wrong hotel and turning around, I was at the front of the correct one and staring at Sarah for the first time in almost a year. Being reunited felt so good. I told her about my idea to take her to mini golf and she loved it, so we decided to catch up during our game.Â
There are two mini golf plazas at Walt Disney World: WinterSummerland and Fantasia Gardens. Both have two different routes you can take. I had already done the Winter route at WinterSummerland, but I had seen most of the Summer route from the Winter courses. Sarah didnât care where we went, so we landed on Fantasia Gardens.Â
We walked up the sidewalk to the front. It was a beautiful evening. Wispy clouds, not too humid, a cool breeze, and the area was very quiet. Most places on Disney property are noisy, crowded, and chaotic. But Fantasia Gardens was a peaceful little bubble. Faint laughter could be heard as a family started on their first few holes, but most of the area was empty.
Fantasia Gardens is very clearly the older of the two mini golf plazas. Some of the sidewalk was stained, portions of paint were worn down, and the decor was a little dated. We walked up to the counter to start our game. Just like WinterSummerland, Fantasia Gardens had two routes. But, unlike WinterSummerland, the courses varied in more than just theme. One route was a classic mini golf vibe. Bright colors, statues, funky obstacles... The other route was more like actual golf but just, well, miniaturized. All green with the occasional bunker, rolling hills, and natural looking obstacles. A putting course, if you will. Iâm not a regular golf player so we went for the brightly colored mini golf course instead, known as The Gardens Course.
The overall layout of the plaza was interesting to me. It was such a large space for a small mini golf place. Out beyond the Gardens Course were two permanent coverings. One known as Sorcererâs Apprentice and the other known as Dancing Hippo. Both were abandoned and dark, so they stood ominously in the background of every hole. It reminded me of an abandoned amusement park. An area that used to be thriving, sparkling and new, now left with faded colors, dark insides, worn down sidewalks, and nobody around. For that reason, Fantasia Gardens felt a little creepy to me. Apparently the two were designed for conventions, events, and private parties. I have no idea how frequently they actually get used, but it seemed like an odd placement for an event space.Â
Sarah and I took time to chat and catch up between holes. With how empty the courses were, we had all the time in the world to mess around and play. We talked about life back home in California, relationships, living the Florida life, future plans, etc, occasionally interrupting ourselves to point out something on the course or laugh about something ridiculous that had just happened.Â
To be clear, it had been more than an hot second since I had seen Fantasia. While I recognized some of the more famous scenes, several of the designs were lost on me. Iâm sure larger fans of Fantasia would appreciate it even more than I did. I did, however, feel that many of the holes were fairly simple. So simple, it reminded me of the mini golf place back home, which made me glad we hadnât paid any money for it. I just have this expectation for Disney where they should really blow their competition out of the water in everything they do. If they are going to design a mini golf course, it should be completely unique and over the top. This was standard mini golf, just Disney themed. There are people out there who are happy with that. There are people out there who believe that thatâs all Disney should focus on. I am just not one of those people.
We got to the third hole and after reading the poem at the start of the hole, it seemed like it was going to play us music. I forget who tested this but in any case we were right. I wanted to get a video of it so I sent Sarah to go while I recorded. There was something eery about the very still and silent evening being broken up by the sound of simple chimes. I wanted to remember that forever, so I hit record. Sarah swung. She had to hit it a little hard if she wanted it to go up the hill. But, she misjudged. The ball flew right over the entire course and landed in the bushes behind it.Â
The green fence had clearly tried to prevent this tragedy, but Sarah was not to be stalled by some measly fence. I donât know how many balls Disney has lost to that bush, but I imagine itâs quite a few if a couple of grown adults canât even keep them out of there. It was one of those moments where you just want to kind of run away and not get caught, but we were only three holes in and Sarah needed another ball. So we had to admit to the Cast at the front that we were the ones who lodged a golf ball in their plant and lost it.
We got to the fourth hole and there still was no sign of any other families coming up behind us. We took the course nice and slow. As we went through the course, its age really started to show. Faded putting greens, holes and divots where they werenât supposed to be, cracked cups in the holes, and paint chipping off the painted walls. It felt really sad in comparison to WinterSummerland. And save for a few cute courses, there really wasnât much that stood out.
Every so often weâd cross a manmade pond that reflected the course beautifully. It was the only particularly pretty thing around, beyond the fact that the sky was a perfect mix of blue and white to make the faded colors pop a bit more.Â
We rounded a corner and got to hole 9. This was the moment that solidified my opinion of Fantasia Gardens being creepy. Iâm just saying, if I had to work there, I would not have been amused. The poem goes,Â
âThe Impish Faun
loves to tease
as he plays his
pipe with ease.
So if you can putt
straight and true,
perhaps heâll play
a tune for you.â
We got the ball in the hole and he did, indeed play a tune. However, it was one of the creepiest pipe tunes I had heard. Just behind the hole was rippling water, and just behind that was that ominous event center I was talking about. Something about staring into a dark abandoned area with nobody around as minor chords played was VERY creepy.
Still, we dropped the ball in the hole again and again to hear every tune he played. The freedom of having nobody around was amazing. We got to spend quality time at each hole messing around with the different props and things.
As we neared the end of the course, the holes got more complicated. It was more of what I expected the entire course to be like, but I guess they have to make it fun for kids too. It should also be noted that Sarah and I werenât really keeping score. So the par 3 challenge didnât really exist for us.
The final few holes were my favorite. They were decorated beautifully and were more challenging and involved. It also helped that they were decorated after one of the most famous scenes of Fantasia, so the theming made a little bit more sense to me.Â
We finally got to the Sorcererâs Apprentice, featuring dear olâ Mickey Mouse himself. His hole was of course done up the best, making for perfect pictures.
The grand finale required us to send our ball rolling through the sorcererâs great waves and down the whirlpool, ending our game. It was an easy hole-in-one, and we were kind of excited to be done.Â
We left Fantasia Gardens as the sun began to set. It hit me that it was the last day of April, the final day of my last full month at Walt Disney World. Time had gone so slowly and so quickly at the same time. It made me want to appreciate and savor every last moment, even if those moments were in a somewhat creepy mini golf course. I was glad to have been with Sarah though, in a place where we could casually catch up and joke around. It was nice to experience something new with her, even after having been on property for so long. It was the perfect end to my final full month, but I was glad I still had a few more weeks left.
A College Internship.. It sounds professional. It sounds like a resume booster. It sounds like your door to bigger and better things within the company.Â
Living in an old apartment complex with a bunch of other (mostly) 20-something year olds who are working crazy hours, sometimes well past midnight, and who are in desperate need of some stress relief. It sounds less professional and more like the perfect recipe for a late-night party scene.Â
The Disney College Program is both of these things. On paper, it is a âliving, learning, earningâ experience, allowing students and recent graduates to professionally build their resumes by working for The Mouse. They live just outside of Walt Disney World, in apartments solely meant to house the Cast Members who are temporarily in Florida to make the magic. It allows younger people the opportunity to travel and gain experience with the company without having to commit to a permanent move to Florida. The added advertised benefit is that students learn responsibility by paying their own rent with the money they earn from the internship, taking care of an apartment and passing monthly inspections, living on their own. All of these things are true.Â
However, all of these things create a party vibe that rivals some of the most popular party colleges in the country.
Itâs no secret that college lends itself to parties. A bunch of people exploring their newfound freedom away from parents, some of them just turning 21 and finally being able to drink freely, and hoping to live a legendary college life like the generations before them, all create a desire to stay up late with friends, drinking, dancing, and forgetting all about the pending adult responsibilities. This is especially true on the Disney College Program. Some didnât have the money or desire to move away for college, so used the DCP as a way to have that roommate experience outside of college. Others took a well-deserved break from the stress of college to gain some work experience and get a breather away from classes and exams. Some participants were just celebrating the end of their college career. For some, all of that is just an added bonus but their real focus was working for Disney. But, truth be told, the Disney life is stressful. Late hours, long hours, little pay, homesickness, the crushing realization that life outside of Disney can still cause stress no matter how magical your life is, roommate squabbles, high expectations at work, a potentially stressful position, all create a need to find ways to relax and reduce stress. This, coupled with the fact that the DCP is a once-in-a-lifetime experience with people from around the world, makes people want to get out, dance a little, drink a lot, and have fun.
While people party in their own apartments, the popular party destinations are usually near Downtown Orlando. But, a lot of people on the DCP donât have cars. They rely on the transportation Disney provides. So, the solution was clear: Party Buses.Â
The party buses arenât affiliated with Disney in any way. In fact, in the first housing meeting, they advise against using these services and warn that if you do, you should be very cautious. But, every night of the week, a party bus swings by the apartment complex and waits for DCPâers to board. They typically run on a schedule so that it varies by day but is consistent weekly. So, for example, every Tuesday, the party buses would pick up participants and head to SeĂąor Frogs.Â
I was never all that interested in going on the party buses. I was never much of a drinker, didnât find loud music all that appealing, and wasnât a fan of crowds. The whole idea of going to a club was actually kind of repulsive to me. On my first program, I never even thought about going. My roommates and I were similar in that we didnât love partying all the time (and some of us didnât like it at all). We also lived in Patterson, and party buses donât usually stop there, so we werenât even always aware of it happening. Iâm kind of glad that my first program wasnât all about the clubs and parties though, because it meant that all of our nights off were spent at the parks instead. I honestly think I explored the parks more during my fall program than during my spring program.
During my extension though, things changed. The roommates I was really close to were really into the clubs and party buses and all that. Their friends would come over and pregame beforehand, and then theyâd go out and drink and come home super late. Every single time they talked about how it was such an awesome night. We had all had drinks in the apartment together before, so I had already gotten a little more used to drinking alcohol and the feeling of being tipsy, so all that was really missing was my desire to do that outside of the apartment. I was always worried that my anxiety would be overwhelming while I was drunk because Iâd be less in control, and so I never wanted to drink outside of the apartment because I never wanted to experience that level of anxiety in public. My job was getting increasingly stressful though, and I was getting to the point where I wanted to let loose and have fun because after work Iâd be grumpy and uptight. Also, my program was coming to a close and everybody said that the party buses were something CPâs had to experience. I knew plenty of people who never took part in that scene and still loved their college program, but I was curious about it and I didnât want to leave my program regretting anything. Plus, the party bus parked right outside the front of Commons every night and because I lived in the front of the complex, I was always hearing the music.Â
Finally, one week I decided to just go for it. It was a Tuesday night, so we went to SeĂąor Frogs, and honestly it was so much fun. My friends and I had a few drinks beforehand just to get in the mood. I honestly knew that I wouldnât be able to get on that loud bus without a little bit in my system to start. I do think the party buses are cool though because itâs an automatic DD. Everybody gets to drink and have fun because the bus will take everybody back. Plus, nobody has to worry about getting there, finding parking, or any of that nonsense. Anyway, the club was loud and fun. We paid a really small cover charge and walked on in. The floors were covered in melted ice and splashes of mixed drinks from people dropping their mostly empty cups to the floor when they were done. The bar was crowded with people ordering $2 margaritas. The bathrooms were filled with drunk girls trying to fix their hair and makeup in the giant mirrors. The dance floor was loud with people shouting over the music to be heard, and others singing every lyric they possibly could. Everybody was jumping, dancing, taking selfies, and letting go. Despite the place being filled to the brim with CPâs, nobody talked about work. Nobody talked about the difficulties of housing. The only gossip in the air was gossip from that night, and even that wasnât real. None of it felt real. It was all just pure fun. The part I loved the most was feeling like I knew everybody. Every time I turned around I was running into somebody I worked with or a friend of a friend that I had met a few times. We always ended up dancing together in a large group. The group got bigger and bigger as the night went on, and it never mattered how large our circle got.
I only went to SeĂąor Frogs twice on my program. The first time I had gone was so close to the end of my program that the second time I went was the very last time I could possibly go. I donât regret that though. I'm glad I got to go. I have some very fond memories of that place now. I was never interested in going to parties or drinking before the program, but really the program helped me let go in a lot of ways. I was constantly trying new things and pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and in turn I was finding things I really enjoyed doing. In fact, several people I knew who had joined the party scene at Disney were never really interested in that before their program. I always joke that the Disney life pushed me to drink, but I honestly think it was just that the college program made me realize that fearing things was keeping me from trying new things that I could have been enjoying for a long time. Iâm thankful to have had friends on my program who were different from me and could push me to go for it. I never would have had the stories I have now if it werenât for that. SeĂąor Frogs will always have a special place in my heart.
On my spring program I had set a goal for myself: work all around Walt Disney World. I wanted to work at every single park at least once, and at a handful of locations outside of the parks. Disney Springs, the Disney Liquidation store at the Outlets, and the resorts were all included in that. I had a whole bucket list of costumes I wanted to wear too, but the list was a little outrageous in comparison to the time I had at Disney. As my program was coming to an end, I was determined to at least work in one resort.
Working at a resort requires special training. The gift shops there sell cigarettes and alcohol, which means every Cast Member needs to be aware of the laws regarding the sale of those items. I emailed my leader stating that I wanted to expand my experience with Disney by working in a myriad of locations, and that included resorts. I knew it required special training and I asked if he could add that training to my list so I could take it and pick up shifts there. He allowed it. The training was just an online course. It didnât take much time and I did it late one night in my apartment. What I was nervous about was remembering all the alcohol laws. See, Walt Disney World is actually spread across two counties: Osceola County & Orange County. Up until very recently, these two counties had different alcohol sale laws. Visitors of the county could purchase alcohol at different times depending on which side of property they were staying on. Some returning guests actually said they picked their resort of choice based on these differences, which was pretty crazy to me! In any case, I did my best to memorize the rules and wrote down the hard-to-remember ones.Â
I double checked that my training went through by looking at extra hours hotline. Sure enough, resort hours started popping up. At one point I picked up a shift for Caribbean Beach Resort, but after somebody explained costuming and the bus drop off, I got nervous and decided to skip it. Resorts were scarier to me than the actual parks themselves, mostly because it felt easier to get lost and go unseen. At least at a park, you could always find somebody to ask if you were lost. At resorts, its a little different. The end of my program was near though, and I was really determined to get over my fear and pick up a shift. So, I took a deep breath, and signed up for a 7am shift at Zawadi, Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Is anybody surprised to hear that I got lost again? With DAK as my home park, I knew where the costuming building was, so I went and picked up my costume. The pants were flowy and had an elastic band at the top, making them feel like pajamas. The elastic on the pants were covered by a long smock that went down to my knees. My only disappointment was the lack of pockets. Later, I discovered that the older version of the pants were the only ones without pockets. Other than that, I left Costuming really excited. The 7am shift was early and I knew it would feel tough after all the night shifts I was picking up across property, but changing into pajamas for work didnât seem all that bad.
Early in the morning I woke up, changed into my costume, and headed out. I was told to go to the guest entrance to the parking lot and tell them I was there for work. Then they would direct me to the Cast parking lot. The instructions I received were vague though. She told me to go a few stop signs down and it would be on the right. Down I went, until I saw a small lot that looked like it could be for Cast Members. To this day I still donât know if I parked in the right spot. With it being early, I didnât really look at where I had parked. I had to find Zawadi though.Â
DAK Lodge is HUGE. Itâs actually separated into two sections; Jambo House and Kidani Village. Jambo House was originally the only part of DAK Lodge, but later on, Disneyâs Vacation Club announced they would be adding DVC villas to the resort. They called it Kidani Village to help with guest confusion. DAK Lodge is probably the most confusing resort to me because of this. No other resort on property is split up this way, and even walking to and from the two buildings doesnât make much sense, at least not the path that I was on.
That morning I felt extremely directionally challenged. There were no signs around to tell me which way to go, and IÂ wasnât familiar enough with the resort to even know which building Zawadi was in. A quick google search made me about 80% sure that it was located in Jambo House. The only problem was, I had no idea where that even was. I started on a path to the left, figuring I had to run into something helpful soon. It was a while before I hit a sign that said Jambo House was the opposite direction. I turned around and started walking quickly to lobby. Time was ticking and the last thing I needed was a half point for being late. I finally made it to the lobby, but the doors to Zawadi were closed. Evidently, my shift was starting before the store even opened. I couldnât figure out how to get backstage to clock in, so I walked up to the front desk and asked for help.Â
It occurred to me then that Walt Disney World was brave for allowing merchandise Cast Members pick up a shift wherever on property. I doubt it looked very professional for me to approach the front desk with my purse, verbally admitting I was lost as a guest next to me checked in, but my other option was to stand in the lobby with a confused look on my face. The front desk Cast Member was nice about it and told me to go out the doors and to the left. There I would find a glass side door that would probably be unlocked for me. I flew out the doors and found the glass side door. Locked.
A Cast Member that was already inside saw me looking in. She pointed further down and mouthed the word âGATEâ. I was confused but started my way further down the sidewalk anyway. Sure enough, I found a gate that was cracked open. Another Cast Member was opening up boxes and taking care of stock. Inside this area, a door stood ajar, revealing the back stockroom to Zawadi. Everybody knew immediately that I was EHH. In larger areas, itâs easier to figure you just havenât met that person before or that they were new and just started training. But in a small location like Zawadi, where everybody knew everybody, I stuck out like a sore thumb.Â
There werenât any lockers, so I set my bag down in a corner space and figured nobody would mess with it. I took a minute to wander around the stockroom. I thought that clocking in was going to be fast and easy, and I was early, so I wandered. Then I was asked if I had clocked in yet. When I said no, they told me I needed to go ahead and do that. I asked where to go and they said, âDownstairsâ. I was so confused. Zawadi was on the first floor of the lobby, so I really wasnât sure what they meant. A Cast Member took me across the lobby, down an elevator, into an underground set of tunnels. I was so baffled. I had no idea that DAK Lodge had its own set of utilidoors like Magic Kingdom. There isnât much public information about it, and I didnât have much time to explore, but I was told that it only existed under one part of Jambo House instead of stretching all throughout DAK Lodge. We used a wall clock to clock in and went back upstairs.Â
The shift was surprisingly busy in the morning. I guess I should have expected it. People were checking out and grabbing last minute souvenirs and snacks, others were checking in and picking up a few things they forgot. Then there were the guests that were headed to the park and were grabbing a breakfast to go or a few pins for trading. The store was larger than some of the resort merchandise stores Iâve seen, so I had a great variety. Most of it I had seen over at Animal Kingdom though, so it wasnât new to me. I did think the decor of the actual store was very impressive though.Â
Then came my first alcohol sale. I should note here that I really knew NOTHING about alcohol. I had no business selling it. Besides being shown where the key was to unlock the glass behind me, I had no clue where things were and how to get it to a guest. When they told me what they wanted, I was so confused. Finally, I found the bottle and rang it up. After the transaction was done, I panicked. Had I just sold alcohol to a guest before the county allows sales? It was 11:00am exactly. I was nervous for a good part of my shift until I could go backstage and look it up. I was fine. I wasnât going to get fired or arrested today after all. I sold cigarettes and was asked questions about wine, asking for help from others along the way. I really had to rely on everybody else for help, which again made me wonder why Walt Disney World allowed Cast Members to pick up shifts wherever. Is it really that helpful to have an extra set of hands if that extra set of hands is consistently useless? Sure, I could ring out basic things, straighten out shelves, and answer general questions, but specifics always made me lost. That was true of every location, but at least I had spent enough time in the parks to feel like I could answer things. DAK Lodge, while beautiful, was a mystery to me.Â
My lunch came up shortly after. Downstairs in the Utilidoors was a little cafeteria, so I figured Iâd go there. In my nerves from the morning I hadnât really packed a lunch. The menu was surprisingly extensive though, and the chef behind the glass was making everything fresh and to-order, which was kind of incredible. I had a loaded baked potato and honestly, DAK Lodge raised to the top of my list in terms of Cast Member food offerings. By the way, the Utilidoors at DAK Lodge smelled EXACTLY like the Utilidoors under Magic Kingdom, which was disorienting.
My shift was over in the early afternoon, which was the perk of having to be up so early. I was heading out to leave when the coordinator asked me to fill out some paperwork. Apparently in addition to clocking in and out, thereâs a paper on a clipboard that everybody has to sign when they clock in and out. I didnât really understand the point but I filled it out really quickly and went back downstairs to clock out. The thing about the Utilidoors at DAK Lodge that was interesting was that after I clocked out, I had to go back upstairs to the lobby and leave out the front to get to my car. I asked a Cast Member if this was right, because at Magic Kingdom, you clock out downstairs and then you go straight to a shuttle backstage to get to your car. They told me to go through the lobby, so I did. It made me wonder what the point of doing it all downstairs even was. If guests were going to see us coming and going anyway, clocking in and out shouldnât have been a big deal. I get the feeling though that because I was only there for a short morning, I wasnât being given all the right answers. They probably figured it was just easier for me to go through the front. Or, that really is the truth and itâs just weird.
After all that, I headed to my car. I knew the general direction my car was in, but I honestly had no idea which parking lot it was in. I hadnât given it much attention when I walked into work because it was so early and I was more focused on getting to the store. I walked up and down the sidewalk trying to figure out where my car was. After ending up in Kidani Village for the second time, I pressed the alarm button on my key in every parking lot until I found it.Â
It was kind of a mess of a morning, but I came home happy. I had done something new, had checked it off my bucket list, and overall had fun learning something so different about the resort I had worked next to all program long. If that had been my first shift outside of my home location, I might not have been so eager to pick up other shifts. But, because I had picked up in so many other places, I wasnât easily discouraged. It was fun! Strange, but fun! Iâm so glad I went for it and worked at a Walt Disney World resort!
It was nearing the end of April. The last month of my program was fast approaching. I was counting down to the end of it while simultaneously dreading the goodbyes. On the one hand, saying goodbye meant leaving behind a job I didnât love on the pursuit of a more fulfilling one. It meant starting my new life with my girlfriend in a new state - something I was very excited for. It meant leaving behind the anxiety and depression those work conditions caused. It also meant leaving behind the spontaneous Disney nights I had grown so fond of, and that was heartbreaking.
Nicole, Seritta, and I knew that we needed to make the most of the end of our program. Nicole had extended her program with me at strollers while Seritta was a newer friend from the spring program. We all decided one night to go see Celebrate the Magic and Wishes at Magic Kingdom.
We danced down Main Street happily and found a spot to watch everything just feet away from the front of the castle. As the lights around Main Street dimmed and Celebrate the Magic lit up the castle, my heart skipped a beat. Every part of the show was my favorite and I frantically switched between taking videos and pictures, until finally I settled on putting it away and just enjoying it.
The range of emotions that night was so difficult to manage. At any given moment, the three of us were talking trash about our job. We were ranting about the disorganization, the chaos, and the unjust behaviors of our leadership. We talked about how we couldnât wait to leave the job behind and find something better suited for us. How all we wanted was to find a job where we were respected and known as people, not just numbers. Our work location had some serious problems, and all of us were glad we had seen the flaws in the company we had once viewed as perfect. At the same time we resented the fact that we didnât have the âperfect programâ that made us want to stay at Disney forever. As soon as Celebrate the Magic was over though, our complaining about having to stay to finish our programs changed to complaining about having to leave in just a few short weeks. The magic we felt in our hearts as the castle lit up was something none of us was ready to leave behind. We were torn between hating our program and loving every second of it.
Then Wishes started. I had seen Wishes only once before my program started, so I didnât have that childhood love for it that many I knew had. I didnât work at Magic Kingdom so I hadnât grown fond of hearing it every night as I worked. I rarely went to go see it with my roommates because there were always other things to do at night instead. My heart wasnât that tied to it. And yet, that night, I cried. It was hard to believe I had made it there. All the way across the country. the thought crossed my mind that only a year had passed since I submitted my application as a DCP hopeful. My acceptance seemed like so long ago. People back home thought I was making a mistake. And now, they were thousands of miles away from me. Who knew what they were doing. I was standing in front of Cinderella Castle. It was a dream come true. Even though my entire program wasnât a dream come true, so much of it was and that was the important part. All this went through my head as I was surrounded by new friendships. To my right, Nicole, who was snapping pictures on her phone through tear filled eyes. To my left, Seritta, who was living in the moment as the fireworks reflected off her glasses. My life had changed so drastically in one year, and all my wishes really had come true.
As the flares went off above me, I cried over how beautiful it was that this place had become a home for me. It was amazing that I had all these new friends, new experiences, new stories. It was almost like a whole new life. I had left behind so much and had gained so much more. Everything I wanted for my life was coming together as fireworks lit up the dark night sky behind a beautifully blueish-purple castle. I cried because it was everything I had hoped for, despite all its challenges. I cried because as much as I wanted to leave and move on, I wanted to stay. I cried because I didnât want to say goodbye to the people standing next to me. I cried because I had taken a chance on myself, and had wound up in a pretty magical place.
The final fireworks went off and the crowd cheered. Families packed up their strollers, buckled up their kids, and headed toward the exit. Cast Members started their traffic control duties. Photopass set up their tripods and got ready to take pictures. We just stood there watching the crowds clear.Â
It hit all three of us at the same time that this was our real lives. It wasnât just a dream for our futures anymore, we were living it. And it was almost over. Nicole started dancing on Main Street, singing âNew York, New Yorkâ in the space in front of us as the street emptied. She said that was the song that always played in her head when she thought of walking down Main Street. All of it felt like a dream.Â
I got out my phone and took as many pictures as I could. I didnât want to forget anything. I didnât want to forget how magical it all was. But mostly, I never wanted to forget the friends I had made there.
The Castle flashed lights set to music as one final goodbye for all its guests. We all stopped to record it. I wanted to be able to look at the video and remember exactly how it felt. I wanted to remember the sounds, the smells, the weather, the people, the lights, the view, everything. I never wanted to forget it. In that moment, I truly never wanted to leave. I couldnât imagine ever being able to leave. I couldnât imagine calling any other place home. I couldnât imagine anybody else even understanding how deep that love for Disney went. I needed to be surrounded by people who understood what this love was like. I needed to be around people who knew what this life and what this experience had meant to me. I needed to come back as soon as possible. I was going to do whatever it took to come back, even though I knew Iâd never work there again.
As we left, my hip popped. It had been doing that lately. It would randomly pop and then give out, causing pain with every step I took. It was probably my body telling me that I was overexerting it, but I shrugged it off. As we wandered down Main Street, a lone wheelchair appeared. It was shoved up against a random storefront, but nobody was in the store and no belongings were near the wheelchair. As stroller Cast Members, we knew we should take it to the front for them. Nicole told me I should ride in it since my hip was hurting. We raced through Magic Kingdom, laughing as Nicole almost flipped me with the bumps she hit. My heart was happy. I wanted to always be this happy. I wanted to stay.
The night ended and we said our goodbyes, feeling lucky we still had a few weeks left to enjoy the magic. We made plans to visit every park at least once more to get pictures and see the shows. All the things we had done at the beginning of our program when we were new and were Disney-obsessed had become things we did rarely as we explored other areas of our program. We wanted to do them all again as one last goodbye. It was hard to think about leaving, but I was lucky to find people that were so hard to say goodbye to.
Christmas shops are curiously popular in Walt Disney World. While Disneyland offers ornaments year round in parts of their merchandise locations, Walt Disney World has shops dedicated to Christmas throughout their property. Fans of Christmas LOVE working at these shops because itâs Christmas all year âround! Christmas music, walls of ornaments, Christmas lights and merchandise, wishing every guest a Merry Christmas, all while dressed in festive attire. People talked about how much fun it was to work in a Christmas shop, so I found a shift for Days of Christmas in Disney Springs.
I had worked in a few different places across Disney Springs by that point, so I was very familiar with where to park, where to find the costume, and how to get around. My roommate from my previous program, Molly, had actually randomly been assigned to some âHeart of Houseâ shifts (basically backroom shifts that help with inventory, stockroom organization, and stocking the stockroom) so I was excited to be working in a place she had explored before.Â
People said the costume was âcute and festiveâ but I wasnât a huge fan of it. It was definitely festive. I basically looked like Mrs. Claus. But it wasnât cute by any means. The shirt was also impossibly short, no matter what size you got, so keeping it tucked into the skirt was a challenge when you were expected to reach around to clean and stock things. I walked in to the store, asked a Cast Member where I needed to go, walked to the stockroom and got acquainted with a few Cast Members there. They showed me around, plugged me into the system so I could get an assignment and work on the registers, gave me a paper guide to help me through the store, and sent me on my way.
The store is huge, and even though itâs warm in Florida 90% of the year, the store is made to feel like a cozy Christmas living room, complete with fireplaces. My guide had a map on the back to help with everything. Each register was given a character name, based on the backdrops of the registers. I was only allowed to work at the North Pole, South Pole, and Frozen Room Registers. The rest dealt with ornament personalization, which I was not trained on. The guide had some information on it regarding personalization so that I could at least answer guest questions before sending them over to the desk to finalize their order. With that information was also bullet points of text outlining the responsibilities of each register. It looked like a lot to take in, but really, the important parts were well-known to all merchandise Cast. Plus by that point, I was well-accustomed to the, âIâd be happy to find that out for youâ line that was often used when I had no idea what the answer was.Â
Really, the only thing that was massively different here was the ornament personalization. While most of that was handled by trained Cast, there were a few additional things I had to pick up on. The first was if guests were ready to pick up their personalized orders. They could go to any register to do that, so I was trained on what to do. I had to go to the back, find the box, double check it to make sure it was done to order, show it to the guests to make sure they were happy with it, and then package it up. The second thing was that some ornaments and frames were pre-personalized. Sometimes it would have a year, sometimes it would say a specific holiday, etc. These were for guests who wanted specific celebration ornaments but didnât want to bother with the personalization process. Being new, I wasnât always able to spot whether or not they were pre-personalized, so I had to check the tag. It would always have a written number beside the base cost of the item, giving the item a new total. Sometimes this was confusing for guests, which meant we had to apologize to guests a LOT for the confusion and explain the pre-personalization. There was a special checkout process to add in this cost as well, but by the end of the shift I was used to it.
Working with fragile items was interesting. I was used to selling the occasional mug at Animal Kingdom, but Days of Christmas is really ALL fragile items. Save for the few Christmas-themed plushes, everything had to be wrapped in paper to protect it. Every conversation at the register consisted of asking if the guest was traveling via plane or car. If they were traveling via plane, we advised them to keep the purchase in their carry on to be sure they didnât break. We of course did our best to wrap them, but planes are notoriously rough with checked baggage. In general, it took a lot more time to checkout a guest. Part of this was due to wrapping every individual item, but the other part was Package Pick Up. Throughout Disney property, guests can choose to have their packages delivered to their hotel rooms, or have it delivered to the front of the park where they can pick it up on their way out. Disney Springs only offered delivery to the resort, but guests really took advantage of it. It was understandable. They didnât want to have to carry around fragile items, especially if there were headed back to a park. This meant an extra slip needed to be filled out and processed at checkout, and then the bag had to be stapled shut with the package pick up slip stapled to it. It wasnât a super lengthy process but between that and having to wrap all the items, guests were usually at the register a bit longer than they normally would be.Â
I loved working at the North & South Pole though. Those were my favorite register stops, but I imagined that working at Days of Christmas all the time was  actually pretty exhausting. Transactions had to go slowly because of the fragile items, so the fast-paced environment of selling ponchos at the front of the park on a rainy morning wasnât really a thing. The end-of-the-day rush to return strollers and get deposit refunds on ECVâs and lockers werenât a thing. There was never any hurry up to the store, which made me feel like it was a sleepier position even though it was a lot of work. Even when there werenât any guests in line, ornaments and plushes were constantly in need of fixing. I was enjoying myself regardless though. The one position I couldâve done without was the Frozen Room. Of course it was all Frozen themed. I donât have that much against Frozen. At one point I was obsessed, then later I couldnât stand it, but after a while I had no opinion. It was what it was: another Disney princess movie that took the world by storm and was EVERYWHERE. While I didnât care that Frozen had taken over Walt Disney World, I much preferred the classic Christmas music over the Frozen soundtrack on repeat. There were fewer ornaments in those rooms though, so there was less wrapping involved.
Overall, I had fun working at Days of Christmas. It wasnât my favorite place to work, but I could see how magical of a place it was. With everybody celebrating big events with personalized ornaments, it made me want to eventually get my own. I had fun celebrating Christmas in the middle of spring and was glad I had experienced it.
With all the shifts I had been picking up around Walt Disney World, I was starting to miss the friends I had made at my home location. Every week I kept one or two shifts at DAK Strollers, but only if it was a shift I liked. Typically these were opening shifts or stock shifts. Back when CPâs could give away shifts, I gave away every other shift and picked up shifts in other places. I didnât have any regrets about doing this, but it did mean I wasnât as close with my work friends as I could have been. During my fall program, my work friends and I were really close, basically family. But after I extended in the same location, new people came in and I kept my walls up. For many reasons, as dumb as they were, I was skeptical about the new people and it wasnât until about a month into my second program that I started to appreciate them and become friends with them. When I started picking up shifts other places it created distance, but every once in a while I would find myself invited to a day out in the parks to play with these DAK Stroller people.Â
Central Florida gets a lot of heat for having crazy weather, but honestly mid April was the perfect time to be out enjoying the parks. I was planning to meet everybody at Animal Kingdom, and from there just see how the day went. I was not disappointed.
I had to meet everybody in Dinoland so I walked quickly through all of Animal Kingdom to get there. The group had pretty much finished up at Animal Kingdom, a result of me getting there late because I had wanted to sleep in on my day off. We stood around and talked about our next plan though because, letâs be honest, not many college program kids have a plan when theyâre headed to the parks unless they are checking something specific off on their bucket list. I donât think itâs necessary to always have a plan either. Part of the fun and magic of living there was not always needing a plan. You could go and relax and enjoy the day without thinking about all the things you absolutely HAD to do. It was nice and care free, but it did mean a lot of standing around wondering what was next. For a quick second, we distracted ourselves with a few goofy pictures in Dinoland.
I took well over 7,000 pictures (this is after going through and editing out duplicates and terrible ones) for my spring program alone and I STILL wish I had gotten more pictures. I think thereâs just always moments of your program where you think, âOh I can grab that photo laterâ or, âThatâs a silly tourist photo, we donât need a photo thereâ or the worst, âNobody is around to take our picture and/or the Photopass line is just too long to worry about it, weâll do it some other timeâ. The truth is, if you donât do it then you probably won't think about it next time. Iâm very picture-oriented. When I go back and look at my pictures, there are things that I cannot believe I didnât get a picture of. I always had my phone, camera, or GoPro out, and I still never got a picture of me and my fiancĂŠe in our matching strollers costumes. We worked together all the time but it just never happened. In fact most of my pictures in my home location costume happened in my spring program. Iâm thankful for the few moments I insisted on a picture no matter how flaming hot Dinoland was at the time, or what stranger we had to ask for the picture.
At some point in April, the outdoor amphitheater was revealed for the upcoming Rivers of Light show. At that point, all progress had stopped for the show and we were beginning to think that the giant lotus flowers backstage were going to be abandoned and the idea was going to be scrapped. No new release date was given, no new information was sent out to cast, it was all just rumors. Of course the main rumor was that one of the floats had sunk. See, this was the first âfree standing, remote-controlledâ show on water that Disney had done. Shows that look similar (Fantasmic! for example) were actually done in a man-made river or body of water that allowed for a track system to be installed underwater. Animal Kingdomâs new show was utilizing a natural body of water and therefore couldnât be drained. So if a water show was going to be developed, they were going to need to find a way to make the floats remote-controlled to allow them to be free standing without risk of collision. They did, and it worked, and all was fine. Until a test run went wrong and a float (supposedly) sank to the bottom of the river. This rumor spread amongst Cast Members like wildfire until it finally ended up on a main Disney forum and the guests got a hold of it. In any case, the amphitheater construction was 100% complete, so rather than keep walkways narrow with walls around the amphitheater still up, they revealed the amphitheater. It was beautiful and definitely made the walkways clearer, but it added to guestsâ questions about the release date of the show and reminded us all how bitter we were that we werenât actually going to be on our college program anymore when it was finally released.
Our last stop in Animal Kingdom was Expedition Everest. This is hands down, one of my top 3 attractions in Walt Disney World. The first time I visited in 2013, I was too freaked out to go on it. But I forced myself on it at the beginning of my first program and loved it. Now I canât go to the park without making a stop there.
We made our way out of the park and headed towards Magic Kingdom. A good chunk of CPâs are known as âMagic Kingdom Trashâ which is the new way to say theyâre Magic Kingdom mega-fans. Me? Not so much and not so secretly either. Iâm a big fan of people watching on Main Street while parades pass by and the music plays. I think there are few things that are more magical than that. But the rest of Magic Kingdom is sadly outdated, making me miss the original park on the west coast that is better kept up in terms of attractions and general offerings. Donât get me wrong, I know WHY Magic Kingdom is more outdated than Disneyland. I can go over that in more detail in another post, but the truth of the matter is, Walt Disney World doesnât update things nearly as frequently as Disneyland does and it shows. It always makes me a little more homesick than other parks, but the group was headed there so I tagged along.Â
We pulled up to the Magic Kingdom parking gates and flashed our Blue IDs. Those magical pieces of plastic were our access to everything, including free parking. Instead of following the guest cars over to the Ticket and Transportation Center parking lot, we veered to the right towards the Contemporary. We parked in the cast lot for the Contemporary (WHICH I DONâT RECOMMEND YOU DO). It was a popular choice to park here for a visit to Magic Kingdom because it was only a walk away from the parkâs main entrance. Typically, guests have to park at the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) and take either the monorail or the ferry to the main entrance. The experience was one that Walt thought of in order to transport guests away from their land and into the magical one ahead. It was one of my favorite things to do but it was looked at as âinconvenientâ by several Cast Members. Itâs also not technically allowed. See, when you are a Cast Member visiting a park you are a GUEST. You are no longer allowed to access backstage areas, Cast Member parking lots do not apply to you, and (this should be a no brainer) you canât just hop on a register or run an attraction or close a character line like you might do on your day-to-day job. You are now a guest, which means you are held to the standards a guest is held to. They make it easy for you too by giving you free parking with your ID. Yet still, Cast Members park in the Contemporary and walk over to Magic Kingdom. Cast Members who are caught doing this are at risk for having their car towed by the way. They also monitor it even more on days they suspect more Cast Members will be there (like CP graduation days or CP departure days). I just donât recommend it. But that day, I was in that car, parking in that small lot, and crossing the one street that separated us from the park.
To be honest, one of my favorite views was on this street. I loved seeing the back of Space Mountain. At Disneyland, Space Mountain is pushed back to the very edge of the park. The back of Space Mountain is completely blocked off by a backstage area and there arenât any Disney roads that are accessible to guests to give you that same view. The first time I saw the back of Space Mountain I thought it was so weird, but so cool. I still got excited and took a picture every time I crossed that particular street.
Magic Kingdom felt 10 degrees hotter than Animal Kingdom did, which was unusual. I always felt like Animal Kingdom was the hottest park by far, with a humid rainforest feel that wasnât really imitated anywhere else in Walt Disney World. That day though, it wasnât the humidity that made it hot, it was the sun. Which meant that Main Street was on fire because of the lack of shade, and Animal Kingdom was slightly more bearable because of its trees. We were committed at that point though to see Festival of Fantasy. At the beginning of my program, I wasnât as in love with FOF as other people. I had fun with it, and I liked it, but I didnât LOVE it. It wasnât until I got to see it more that I developed more of an emotional attachment to it (which was how I felt about basically all of Magic Kingdom... itâs more sentimental love than anything else). Like many other CPâs, I had the introduction memorized, knew exactly where to stand to get the best views, and could sing along to the entire parade. While we stood on Main Street waiting for the parade to start, a nearby group had separated to get ice cream. They came back just in time for the parade, and pushed past us to give their kids sitting on the curb in front of us their ice cream. One person shoved past me and stood dividing our group, almost dripping their rapidly melting ice cream onto my friendâs hair. When I say guests are clueless about their surroundings, Iâm not kidding. It was hard to enjoy the parade when I was consistently warning my friend about the raining ice cream above her head, and making sure none of the sticky chocolate landed on my white shoes. It was one of those things that reminds you how tiring it is to be surrounded by selfish tourists all day every day. Beyond that, the parade was everything, as it always was. It lifted our spirits, made us feel magical, and kept us dancing and singing.
Decidedly the only way to cool off after watching the parade in the heat was to go on Splash Mountain. I hadnât ridden it all too often. In fact, I hadnât ridden most of the rides at Magic Kingdom that often. Whenever I did find my way into Magic Kingdom it was often for just the parade, meandering down Main Street, or taking pictures of random places. The attractions were not typically the first thing on my mind. But, down the mountain we went anyway! As huge fans of all things Animal Kingdom, especially Festival of the Lion King, we of course had to imitate our favorite animals all the way down!
We found our way back to Main Street for Move It Shake It Dance and Play It! (MISI). MISI is a character dance party and being one that avoids characters due to my sheer ability to be indescribably awkward, I typically didnât dance with the characters. But I did try to catch the first and last song at least once during my days at Magic Kingdom because I loved the atmosphere. We hung around, took pictures at the castle, and then some of our group took off for the day. That was the other thing about living the Disney life: there were always other things we should have been doing.
At some point during the day, we were able to head over to Jungle Cruise to visit Skipper Kasia. Kasia and I had worked together at Animal Kingdom Strollers in the fall, and had become fast friends. She extended her program into Attractions and became a Skipper for Jungle Cruise. I had always planned on visiting her on her bote, but our schedules never allowed for it. Even visiting her on that day, we were only able to get a quick picture before leaving. I was glad we had at least caught each other. I loved visiting people at work because it felt like I knew people everywhere we turned, and I knew it made a typical day more fun for whomever I was visiting. It was always nice to know that people cared enough to go to your part of the park and say hi.
We played on another attraction or two before the end of the day. The sun started to set. As we crossed over the bridge leaving Tomorrowland, the energy in the park seemed to calm down. The noise of the day had dissipated as large families disappeared into restaurants for the dinner rush, and passholders headed home for the night. We could hear the futuristic space music playing on the bridge as we approached, and while there was still that white noise of children laughing and families chattering, it felt like a fairly silent park. The sunset was gorgeous as it reflected off the clouds. It wasnât dark enough for anything in the park to be lit up, so the only thing lighting up the castle was the soft glow of the sunset through the clouds. It was magical and I was happy. It was the kind of happiness that washes over you when you feel like youâre home. I had been counting down days until the end of my program at that point, longing to leave the job I couldnât stand behind and ready to head off to my new adventure in North Carolina. At that moment though, I wondered why I was so excited to leave. Disney had that effect on people. The others in the group noticed the perfect lighting too, so we stopped for a picture on the bridge with the castle as our background.
It had been a pretty perfect day that made me love my coworkers and Magic Kingdom a whole lot more. Those are the moments I wish I could go back to. Relaxing on a day off with random people, some joining us halfway through the day while others left to go run errands. It was something that was unique to living at Walt Disney World, an experience Iâll likely never have again. Iâm glad I took a deep breath and enjoyed it every once in a while because that feeling is something I never want to forget.At some point during the day, we were able to head over to Jungle Cruise to visit Skipper Kasia. Kasia and I had worked together at Animal Kingdom Strollers in the fall, and had become fast friends. She extended her program into Attractions and became a Skipper for Jungle Cruise. I had always planned on visiting her on her bote, but our schedules never allowed for it. Even visiting her on that day, we were only able to get a quick picture before leaving. I was glad we had at least caught each other. I loved visiting people at work because it felt like I knew people everywhere we turned, and I knew it made a typical day more fun for whomever I was visiting. It was always nice to know that people cared enough to go to your part of the park and say hi. We played on another attraction or two before the end of the day. The sun started to set. As we crossed over the bridge leaving Tomorrowland, the energy in the park seemed to calm down. The noise of the day had dissipated as large families disappeared into restaurants for the dinner rush, and passholders headed home for the night. We could hear the futuristic space music playing on the bridge as we approached, and while there was still that white noise of children laughing and families chattering, it felt like a fairly silent park. The sunset was gorgeous as it reflected off the clouds. It wasnât dark enough for anything in the park to be lit up, so the only thing lighting up the castle was the soft glow of the sunset through the clouds. It was magical and I was happy. It was the kind of happiness that washes over you when you feel like youâre home. I had been counting down days until the end of my program at that point, longing to leave the job I couldnât stand behind and ready to head off to my new adventure in North Carolina. At that moment though, I wondered why I was so excited to leave. Disney had that effect on people. The others in the group noticed the perfect lighting too, so we stopped for a picture on the bridge with the castle as our background.It had been a pretty perfect day that made me love my coworkers and Magic Kingdom a whole lot more. Those are the moments I wish I could go back to. Relaxing on a day off with random people, some joining us halfway through the day while others left to go run errands. It was something that was unique to living at Walt Disney World, an experience Iâll likely never have again. Iâm glad I took a deep breath and enjoyed it every once in a while because that feeling is something I never want to forget.
When I first visited Walt Disney World in 2013, I fell in love with Magic Kingdom. I wanted to explore every inch of it. It solidified my desire to do the Disney College Program. I wanted to be part of the magic that I was feeling. Iâm sure thatâs what inspires many college program kids to apply. But the stand out moment to me was an odd moment. It wasnât seeing the castle for the first time. It wasnât the first time I saw one of the many inspiring Magic Kingdom shows. No, it was the moment I walked into Storybook Circus. The Cast Members behind the registers were wearing red striped vests, yellow striped shirts, carnival hats, and a giant striped tie. I looked at my mom and said, âI want to be a Cast Member and I want to work in this store with that giant ugly tie.âÂ
I didnât know my wish would actually come true.
I hadnât had any luck finding shifts at Storybook Circus. It appeared everybody who worked there, loved working there, and rarely were people willing to give away shifts to outsiders. My friend Emily had recently picked up a shift there though and said she loved it, so I was determined. One girl was giving away two shifts, a night shift on a Friday and a morning Saturday shift. I took them both. It was the only time I had really done that. Because my goal was to pick up shifts in as many different locations as possible, I wasnât really repeating locations. But, I needed hours and the convenience of it was too much to pass up.Â
I had always said, âI will work anywhere in Walt Disney World. I donât care what costume they put me in - in fact, I hope they give me the most ridiculous costume!â I had repeated it to friends before I left SEVERAL times. I was hoping for a costume as memorable as Storybook Circus. The Animal Kingdom Strollers costume is a pretty great costume when it comes to âridiculous costumes that only Disney would put you inâ, but the Circus was my dream costume. I canât really explain it, I just had my heart set on it. Getting to work there was so exciting. It was the shift I was probably the most excited for and the least nervous for.
The costume has several pieces. The first is an optional carnival hat. I loved wearing Disneyâs hats. Strollers had one and it was great at first, but after a while it became too much of a hassle. The costumed band around it always slid off and the humidity made my hat hair unbearable. I gave up on it shortly after starting my program. Still, I knew I had to have the circus hat. The next piece is the big yellow, red, and blue striped tie. Luckily it was a clip on. This sat underneath the collar of the yellow and blue striped, long sleeved shirt. The shirt was a little stiff at the ends where you could either button the white cuffs closed around your wrists, or roll it up a few times depending on the weather. Next were the pants...high-waisted red pants with even deeper red stripes. They were as soft as silk pajama pants, but they sat ridiculously high.
Over the top of all this sat a matching red striped vest. I checked out everything I needed and headed to the bus. I canât even tell you how thrilled I was.Â
The thing about working at the Circus is itâs technically part of âNew Fantasylandâ. The Circus portion of the land had been revamped on several occasions. It started as âMickeyâs Birthdaylandâ and progressed to âMickeyâs Toontown Fairâ. The idea was that the land was filled with vacation homes for Mickey and his friends, who of course lived in Toontown in California. From what I heard, it didnât go well and was later reimagined to the Storybook Circus around the same time as New Fantasyland. In the land there were two Dumbo rides, a kid-friendly rollercoaster, circus themed meet and greets, and of course, Big Top Souvenirs. Because New Fantasyland was an expansion of Magic Kingdom in 2012, the tunnels system didnât travel all the way underneath that part of the park. I donât know how it worked for Mickeyâs Birthdayland and all that when it first opened, but Storybook Circus was also expanded a bit when it was rethemed, meeting up with a backroad that the West Clock Buses took to the tunnel entrance. So, instead of the bus stopping at only the tunnels and requiring Cast Members to walk to their work places on stage, they had another bus stop that allowed New Fantasyland Cast to walk to their work locations through the backstage area. I think New Fantasyland Cast Members could use the tunnels if they wanted to but I know that several got off at the other bus stop.
The West Clock Busâs first stop was at Clownâs Alley, the backstage area behind Storybook Circus and leading to a gate for other New Fantasyland Cast Members. My coworker Emily had recently picked up a shift at Storybook Circus, so she had texted me what to look for and where to go. I felt like I had found where I needed to be, but I was a little bit nervous. I never knew what to expect from doors backstage. Would the door lead me on stage or would it be to another backstage area? Walking on stage half-ready with personal belongings in tow is frowned upon at Disney, so doors always gave me pause. I went in anyway and got lucky. Inside sat a row of lockers, CDS (where we clock in), and double doors that clearly marked the way to on stage. There were also a few offices. I went around the corner to the offices to see if I could find a coordinator that would introduce me to the area. As I waited, I watched the TV that was mounted above the CDS. Music from Festival of Fantasy played as daily announcements flashed across the TV, and then a short skit made up by some Cast Members who worked at Storybook Circus played. The loop went on and on, filling the back area with music from the parade. I was surprised at how much effort they had gone to for this merchandise location. At my home location, we were lucky if we got briefed by coordinators before starting our shifts. Things that were âneed to knowâ were announced to those who opened, and everybody else got their information through the grapevine, if at all. I was excited to have picked up two shifts at the circus, seeing how organized everything was.Â
I got a tour of the backstage area and the entire store. Big Top Souvenirs is so interesting because it has so many moving parts. They sell almost everything there. Thereâs of course the regular merchandise like hats, shirts, plushes, jewelry, postcards, keychains, etc. But there was also an entire concession stand in the middle of it all selling caramel apples, dipped marshmallows, and other Disney snacks. They also sold MagicBands, which (at the time) required Cast Members to be able to link the bands up with guestsâ accounts. Behind a different register, guests could get their ears they purchased embroidered. I was amazed. Cast Members who work at Big Top are able to be trained in so many different things. To work with food they had to be trained in food safety and have the training to actually make the food, to link MagicBands they had to be trained to link it up with guest tickets, and to embroider ears they had to be trained in Costuming. I was curious about what I would be able to do as a Cast Member who was only qualified to sell regular merchandise and MagicBands. They told me that backstage was called Clownâs Alley, and in that alleyway were the cast restrooms and break room. They showed me where the stockroom was, and then I was on my way!Â
Assignments were given by register, but each register was themed to look like a circus cage. Each cage was given a particular animal, so instead of being told to go to Register 1, youâd be told to go to Lions 1. There was also the option of working the outside cart by Casey Jrâs Splash and Soak Station. Itâs really only open during peak days when the weather is warm enough, otherwise the Splash and Soak Station is turned off and the cart remains closed.Â
The cart sits off to the side and sells basics like hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, and towels for those who got a little more soaked than they intended.Â
I didnât even realize the cart was back there until the coordinator showed me around. My hope was that Iâd get a healthy mix of being outdoors and getting to work around the store. Knowing that I wasnât trained in everything made me nervous that my entire shift would be outside. Sure enough, I started my shift at the cart. It was fun watching the kids play in the water. It wasnât a boring cart by any means. I was working the cart by myself though, and I wasnât a fan of that. Every so often somebody would come and restock the cart with a towel or two, but beyond that I was by myself.Â
Later on I got to be inside, and I loved it. There were parts of the store that were hard to keep clean, like the plush walls or the walls of Mickey ears, and sometimes the registers got surprisingly busy for a story in the back corner of Magic Kingdom, but keeping busy was what kept it fun. When I got my break slip it was called a âcookoutâ. Something about walking backstage where Festival of Fantasy music is being played and running into a Cast Member who asks if youâre headed to your coookout makes the whole thing more magical. It didnât feel like real life because it didnât feel like anybody would live a life where they dress head to toe in carnival themed clothing to sell merchandise to guests. The evening signaled the end of my shift and I went home, all smiles.
I worked a Saturday morning opening shift. We skipped the tour since I had just worked there the night before. The store was incredibly slow. Guests hadnât really gotten all the way to the back of the park by that time, so we were pretty over staffed. With that, I got to do âtasksâ. Tasks are the assignments that merchandise Cast Members pull every so often. They can be because something really needs to be completed or because there are just too many Cast Members at that time. One of my tasks was to take the trash cans out, including the ones in the kitchen area where all the caramel apples and other snacks were being made. It was the only time I was ever allowed back behind one of those counters as I wasnât food trained or anything. It was neat to see how its set up and how it functions. Not that taking out the trash is special or anything, but when youâre curious about the magic made at Walt Disney World, any glimpse of backstage that youâre not used to is exciting. Another of my tasks was to entertain guests outside. There were a few carnival style games we were allowed to bring out to the front of the store to bring attention to the store and bring that extra magic to guests. The Cast Member who was doing it before me was clearly tired of having to work outside in the sun, playing the same carnival game theyâve probably been forced to play for hours on slower days. It was all new to me though, and it was far more fun than the worn down hula hoops Animal Kingdom Strollers has.Â
I stood outside and played with guests willingly. It was better than straightening out the Mickey plushes for the 90th time. I was glad I had picked up an opening shift because it was so different than my almost-closing shift from the night before.Â
With it being so slow, they decided to briefly train me on how to ring out embroidery orders. Typically, one Cast Member takes the order and rings it up while the other Cast Member preps the sewing machine and embroiders the ears. I wasnât there long enough to be trained on the embroidery part of it, but I read through the rules of embroidery orders, wrote out orders on the little cards, and rung them out. I realized that I really missed being constantly challenged at work. My favorite part of working at Tower Gifts was when I learned how to find, edit, print, and ring out ride photos for guests. Learning how to do embroidery orders, no matter how small that was, was fun for me. I liked being pushed to do new things and learn more. It was the primary reason my job back at Animal Kingdom was getting stale. CPâs were so limited at DAK Strollers that after a certain point, learning new things wasnât really an option.
I also got lucky in that the Saturday morning I was working also happened to be the day Ricky was in town. He had come in town for Animal Kingdomâs Birthday (and the release of Rivers of Light that never happened) and was hanging around the parks. He stopped in Circus for a visit and even though he had just visited me at Animal Kingdom a few days before, it was awesome to see him again. Plus, he was able to get a few pictures of me working which was cool.Â
When I made that joke years ago about wanting to work at Big Top in the silly hat and giant tie, I didnât think it would actually be possible. I honestly think that if I hadnât done it, it would have been one of my biggest regrets. I loved working at Storybook Circus and if I had to do the program all over again, I think Iâd request it as my home location.
Animal Kingdomâs Birthday - The Year We Were Turtle Heroes
On April 22nd, 1998, Animal Kingdom opened its gates to guests for the very first time. The day was deemed âEarth Dayâ back in 1970, making it the perfect day for Animal Kingdom, a park celebrating the wondrous and inspiring life on our planet, to open. Since then, the park has celebrated its Birthday by setting up extra stations for guests to learn about animals, conservation efforts, and the value of nature. Disneyâs Animal Kingdom has always focused its efforts on conservation, allowing guests to understand the value of protecting our world through education and hands on experiences. Guests get the unique experience to see animals up close, learn about the natural world through the Wilderness Explorer program, and explore the small things we can do that will make a big difference for our future. Throughout the park, guests can also donate to Disneyâs Wildlife Conservation Fund, which funds research around the world to help us better understand the animals that live on our planet, so we can learn what we can do to protect them. If it sounds like Iâm a big advocate for all that Animal Kingdom does, itâs because I am. Animal Kingdom has always been my favorite park, and knowing the message behind the park always fills my heart. Itâs about more than creating a magical space for guests. Itâs about connecting guests to worlds they donât understand by exposing them to varying cultures, beautiful creatures, and simplistic nature. I was lucky enough to be there for Animal Kingdomâs Birthday, and even luckier to have the day off.
I had spontaneously made plans with Emily the day before. Originally, I was going to go to Animal Kingdom by myself, roam the park, take pictures, and just relax. Emily and I had bumped into each other in line for Jiminy Cricket the day before though, and after she didnât get to meet him, we made plans to come back on DAKâs actual Birthday for the picture.Â
We drove the familiar drive to Animal Kingdom in the early afternoon. It was strange how easy driving around Walt Disney World had become. When I first arrived, I couldnât trust myself to get anywhere without the help of a GPS. By the end of my program, I could get myself almost anywhere in Orlando without thinking much about it. On our way down Osceola Parkway, we swerved around a turtle shell. That particular street gets pretty busy as its a main connection street between several of Walt Disney Worldâs popular locations (Animal Kingdom included) and the busiest highways in Florida. Turtles are my favorite animal and I was horrified to think that something might happen to the it if tourists didnât slow down or someone didn't see it. There wasnât really a place to stop on that stretch of Osceola, but Emily and I both felt the same. I made the first  U-Turn I could, away from Animal Kingdom, and slowed down to try to find the turtle on the other side of the road. We saw it on our side of the street, sitting in his shell between a right turn off and the rest of the road. I pulled off into the grassy median and we walked back to see if we could do anything about it. Clearly, the turtle had already gotten hit a few times or it wouldnât have already made it to the other side of the road. Luckily at that point it was sitting on a section of the road that was marked as a median by paint, lining the curve of the right lane. I stayed in the median of the road, hoping to make us more visible to drivers so they could slow down. Emily ran across to the turtle to try to edge it towards the grass where it was originally headed. A Disney Security car pulled over and asked what was wrong and if we needed assistance. We told him we were trying to save the turtle in the road, and move him off so he wouldnât get hurt. The officer gently picked up the turtle and moved him off the road for us, insisting that we get off the sidelines of the busy highway. We thanked him for his help and ran back to my car.
We got to Animal Kingdom much later than we expected, but both of us felt so good about saving the poor turtle. For once I was glad that our work location was Main Entrance, because we were dying to tell everybody we knew what had just happened. After telling our story, Kassidy, one of our coworkers, walked up with âTurtle Heroâ celebration buttons she had made for us. We wore them proudly. It was so silly but the entire thing had been crazy and with how dangerous Osceola Parkway is, we were pretty lucky we hadnât been hurt. It also felt like such a fitting thing to do on Earth Day of all days.
We also got Happy Birthday buttons for Animal Kingdom, and went along with our day. As promised, Animal Kingdom had all kinds of booths set up throughout the Oasis to get guests excited about the animals and conservation. We played an animal guessing game and were pretty good at it!Â
Our next stop was to get an Earth Day Celebration Cupcake at Creature Comforts. The thing I appreciated most about Animal Kingdomâs Birthday was that we werenât celebrating Animal Kingdomâs Birthday. We were celebrating Earth Day. Nothing in the park really reminded guests that Animal Kingdom had opened that very day years ago. Beyond a few Cast Members informing guests of the significance of the day for the park, everything was labeled as a celebration for the Earth. The cupcake was just one of the many examples.Â
It was huge, but extremely cute. The gardening pot was even edible, which was crazy. It was like a giant dirt cup cupcake, and it was one of the best Disney cupcakes I had ever had. Next up was Rafikiâs Planet Watch to meet Jiminy Cricket.
Rafikiâs Planet Watch is usually one of the most deserted places in all of Walt Disney World. It is only accessible through the Wildlife Express, a small train that takes guests backstage momentarily to get to a more secluded area of the park. Back there is a petting farm, the vetâs office where they perform real animal procedures, educational animal shows, some character meet and greets, and a few other exhibits. It also featured several Wilderness Explorer badge opportunities for guests - a tactic Disney used to get more guests to visit the area. I always felt bad for Rafikiâs Planet Watch. I think itâs so underrated and very much worth the short train ride.Â
Clearly the appeal of Jiminy had won guests over, because Rafikiâs Planet Watch was far busier than I had ever seen it. The line to meet Jiminy stretched from the front of the Conservation Station, around the corner, and down the trail headed back to the train station. It was hot, humid, and crowded, so Emily and I decided it wasnât worth the wait. I triple-checked with Emily to make sure it wasnât something she wanted, but the line had grown so long and there wasnât even any way to make sure we would meet him because he only met guests in 15-20 minute increments and his last set was about to happen. We realized that saving the turtle probably cost us the meet and greet, but Emily and I both knew it was worth it.
Instead, we walked around the Conservation Station, pet some goats, and took our time exploring. I bumped into Sarah, who worked in the trails at Animal Kingdom, which was always such a day maker. Sarah and I met at our very first Animal Kingdom training day. We were headed to Costuming together, but she was coming back empty handed because they didnât have anything for her. I was coming back with an armful of hideous stroller costumes that made us both laugh. We talked the entire bus ride home and became friends, catching up with each other briefly every time we bumped into each other at the park.
We also ran into Shelby, a Wilderness Explorer who worked Photopass during my Fall program before she moved onto becoming a Wilderness Explorer. Because she worked Photopass, she was often at Garden Gate Gifts with us merchandise folk, helping guests choose their photos. On slower days, we stood outside together waiting for guests to come up to us. It was nice that she stayed a familiar face throughout the park, even though she wasnât working Photopass anymore.
Just outside of the Affection Section (where you can pet goats and other animals, but mostly goats) there is a small stage where Cast Members do information shows with the animals. They basically sit on the stage with the animal and talk about what the animal eats, when it sleeps, what its habits are, how it lives, etc. I hadnât ever seen one of them before so when it started, Emily and I curiously sat down. The hostess of the show was Kay Panabaker.Â
Kay Panabaker was a famous early 2000â˛s Disney Channel star. She had acted in several other shows and such before that, but most Disney fans know her from her Disney Channel roles. Not only was she in the popular show Phil of the Future, but she also starred in Disney Channelâs Original Movie: Read it and Weep. Later, in 2011, she starred in ABCâs Cyberbully, a movie that went viral based on the way teenagers were experiencing bullying at a time where social media was first becoming king. She stayed within the Disney family by starting a career at Disneyâs Animal Kingdom as an animal keeper. Fans of the late 90â˛s early 00â˛s Disney Channel tend to put âfind Kay Panabaker in Animal Kingdomâ on their bucket list. I hadnât because my luck with running into celebrities was rather slim (I mean I really should have met a lot more having lived in Los Angeles my entire life) and because I believe that celebrities who step out of the limelight are trying to live regular lives. Running into her by happenstance was unexpected and exciting, but we were happy to see that everybody (even the evidently excited fans of hers) kept their distance and let her do her job.
Our next stop was obviously to pet goats. More people should pet goats. Theyâre such awesome animals and the ones at Animal Kingdom love the attention. In fact, goat selfies were actually fairly popular on my program. I wasnât one to visit the goats often, but I wish I had. On hot, humid days, it can be super tempting to pass up standing in the hot dirt just to pet a goat. But I promise you, itâs worth it. (Sorry for the random Ode to Goats here, but Câmon. Goats.)
We washed our hands, hopped on the train, and headed to Africa for lunch. Harambe Market was one of my favorite places to eat. I honestly think Animal Kingdom had some of the best quick service food out of any park. Nothing at Harambe Market was bad, but the most popular was definitely the ribs. Emily joked that she wanted to always have them in her pocket so she could eat them until the end of time, thatâs how much she loved it.Â
It was a great end to a perfect day. I was so glad we got to spend Animal Kingdomâs Birthday in the park. Although, I was a little bitter. All spring, Animal Kingdom had been gearing up to debut âRivers of Lightâ. It was going to be Animal Kingdomâs first nighttime spectacular. Originally, Animal Kingdom was just a day park, closing around sunset for the safety of the animals. It was the only park without a nighttime spectacular, because they knew they couldnât do fireworks with all the animals in the park. Most animals at the park werenât nocturnal either, so it made sense for the park to close when the animals started to fall asleep. Then, Animal Kingdom started to create Pandora, which would be a land to explore during both day and night. They started creating ways to keep guests in the park for the entire day, even after the sun set and âRivers of Lightâ was born. It was a show made to celebrate the harmonious nature of water and light to create life, an experience unique to Earth. As Cast Members we had been watching the magic build backstage for months. Then, an official countdown was released. Rumors started that they were having problems with some of the floats and technology used to make the show. The infamous Cast Member Previews were tabled, and we knew its fate was sealed. The press wasnât informed though until partway through the month of April, well after most of the Cast Members had a hunch the show wasnât going to premier on the 22nd. As an Animal Kingdom Cast Member, it was the biggest lie of my college program. We wondered if âRivers of Lightâ would ever actually happen, and we made endless âRivers of Liesâ jokes. The giant countdowns backstage were taken down and I had a feeling that whenever âRivers of Lightâ made its debut, it wouldnât be when I was a Cast Member. Despite that bitterness, the day was truly amazing. Of all the Birthdays I could have been there for, I was so glad to have been there for Animal Kingdomâs. I hope I get to experience more of their Earth Days in the future.
A vacation at Walt Disney World is so different from having access to the parks all year in so many ways. Standard WDW vacations usually have guests visiting one park per day, or park hopping between two parks max on any given day. Experts have studied guest movement, hoping to understand how people prefer to spend their days and it is quite a bit different than how passholders or visiting Cast Members spend their WDW days. Passholders and Cast Members have the freedom to go to their parks during normal park hours throughout the year. Save for a few block out dates here and there, the all-year access means that not everything has to be experienced in one day. As a vacationer, you may have a list of attractions that are considered âmust doâ and âcanât missâ. You plan your vacation accordingly, accounting for every minute of each day, filling it to the brim with attractions. As a frequent visitor, this pressure is off. You have the freedom to come in and do one or two attractions, and then save the rest for another day. You can come in just for one show, or lunch at your favorite restaurant, before leaving. You can also complete absurd âchallengesâ.
There are SO many challenge ideas available online. You can eat or drink your way around the world at EPCOT, attempt to ride every single Walt Disney World attraction during one business day (or the variation of doing it within 24 hours), find all the hidden Mickeys, ride all of WDWâs famous mountains, see every single WDW show, meet every WDW character, the list goes on and on. One of the most famous challenges among frequent visitors though is the 4 parks in 1 day challenge. Everybody has different parameters for how this should be accomplished, but I can tell you that for us, it was one unexpected day!
Eduardo and I had been visiting Animal Kingdom once a week for a while, knowing our programs were coming to a close and that DAK was easily our favorite park. We wanted to see Festival of the Lion King as many times as we could, and it also cheered us up from the mundane work week. That week, Animal Kingdom was gearing up to celebrate its Birthday ANDÂ âEarth Dayâ. As a special treat for guests visiting on Earth Day, Jiminy Cricket was scheduled to make a special appearance at Rafikiâs Planet Watch. It just happened to fall on a day weâd normally visit the park, so we made sure to add the meet and greet to our to do list.Â
Our schedule had always been pretty relaxed when it came to visiting Animal Kingdom on our days off. We never arrived at park open because there was never any reason to. We slept in a little bit, got a relaxed start to our day, and then headed out for a day of fun.Â
The first stop was Rafikiâs Conservation Station. We knew that meeting Jiminy Cricket would be popular for guests with the flexibility, so we made sure to try to do that first. The line was only a few guests long, so we walked into the conservation station first to hang out. I had walked through the building quite a few times, but I had never really paid attention to the Song of the Rainforest rooms. It was always just a backdrop for Rafiki as far as I was concerned. Rafiki wasnât greeting guests at that time though, so it was easier to see that the Song of the Rainforest was actually an assortment of rooms where guests could wear headphones and hear the varying sounds of the rainforest.Â
It was an interesting experience. If nothing else, it was nice to experience something new having visited Animal Kingdom so many times. Our next stop was to meet Jiminy! As we were leaving the Conservation Station I ran into Emily, who worked at Strollers with me. She had work later that day but was determined to meet Jiminy Cricket because it was her all time favorite character. She was there with her best friend Katie, and they invited us to join them in line. We waited for a while in the hot sun, watching the line grow longer as it headed down the trail towards the train station. He was going to be a very popular character. Sadly, Jiminy took too long to come out so Emily had to go before she was late for her shift. I promised her Iâd come back with her the next day to get a picture with him, because I had the day off anyway and wanted to visit Animal Kingdom on its actual Birthday.
Katie, Eduardo, and I got our picture and headed along to Festival of the Lion King.
We caught the very next show of Festival of the Lion King. It had been a gorgeous day. Not too hot, not too cold, the perfect spring weather. We were having the ultimate day in Animal Kingdom and FOLK added to that amazing mood. I attempted to capture pictures with my DSLR, but having little to no experience doing it (as almost every time I sat in the theater I put down my camera and enjoyed the show), they werenât perfect. Still, the show lifted my spirits and we left the theater dancing and singing in the Florida breeze.
With Earth Day being the very next day, Animal Kingdom had a few signs created for photo ops in front of the Tree of Life. I had Memory Maker throughout my entire program so I wasnât shy about taking advantage of Photopass pictures. Any chance I got of capturing memories in the parks, I took, knowing this experience wouldnât last forever. Eduardo and I snapped a few pictures in front of the Tree of Life and the main entrance before taking off.Â
We had planned to make our visit to Animal Kingdom short because we wanted to try to meet Joy and Sadness at EPCOT. They were new characters but by that point they had been meeting guests for a while, and neither of us had gotten the chance to meet them. Iâm super awkward when it comes to meeting characters but I knew Eduardo was a pro, so I was excited to go around and meet everybody with him.
It wasnât until we were in the car, on the way to EPCOT, that we decided to do the four parks, one day challenge. Most people prepare for this day. Most people wake up at the crack of dawn and head to Animal Kingdom right at park open so they can truly do all the parks in one day. We had gotten to talking about things we wanted to do before our program was over, and that was on both of our lists. I realized we didnât really have many days left if thatâs really what we wanted to do, so I said, âWell? How hard could it be? Want to do it today?â and we headed off to our next park.
It was then that we made the rules. In order for the park to be considered âcompleteâ we had to meet at least one character, get a Photopass Photo that was not a character picture with a main icon of the park, and complete one major attraction or show in the park. Animal Kingdom was considered completed because we met Jiminy Cricket, watched Festival of the Lion King, and took Photopass pictures at both the Tree of Life and the Main Entrance.
Animal Kingdom was done! On to the next...
We decided to do Hollywood Studios next. Based on how the parks sit, Hollywood Studios is closest to Animal Kingdom. We also knew that it would get busier at night with Fantasmic. We made the quick turn to Hollywood Studios and headed on our way!
Of course we decided on Tower of Terror as our attraction. Rockinâ Roller Coaster had a terrible tendency to make me really anxious, so Tower of Terror was the logical choice. We hopped on the ride in a matter of minutes, making us feel pretty good about our odds of completing the challenge.
We made friends with a stranger on the ride, who agreed to do the âhear no evil, see no evil, speak no evilâ pose with us. A regular smile was never good enough for ride photos when you visited all the time!Â
Hollywood Studios was using Tower of Terror as their park icon for a while, so we stopped a Photopass photographer on our way out for a quick photo of our second park!
The last thing we needed was a meet and greet with a character. We decided on Sorcerer Mickey. My two character attendant friends were always telling me that this location was pretty quiet, but it was one of the best character spots in any of the parks. So we went to check it out and neither of my friends were wrong. We told Mickey all about our challenge for the day. He wished us luck, and told us weâd have no problem doing it at all!
Hollywood Studios was officially complete! As we were leaving though, we ran into Character Palooza. Character Palooza is a character event that isnât published in any of the entertainment guides. It happens on days Hollywood Studios shows Fantasmic, with any of the characters in Fantasmic. I had only run into a Character Palooza once or twice before, but every time I only got a picture with one character before everybody left. We werenât quite sure we had time to stop, but we couldnât pass the opportunity up!
Meeting Mary Poppins and Pocahontas was cool, but my favorite interaction was really unexpected. Brer Fox was out and he was quite the character. He said he was hungry and accused me of being a rabbit. I insisted that I was no rabbit, and instantly he apologized and started trying to make it up to me. I usually canât understand what characters are trying to tell me. Iâm the one that stands there awkwardly laughing and nodding my head until a Photopass photographer decides theyâve looked at the awkwardness long enough and collects everyone for a picture. But Brer Fox and I didnât miss a beat joking around, and it honestly made my day even brighter.
The next stop was EPCOT. The evening was approaching quickly and we were a little worried we wouldnât have time to get to everything. I wouldnât have been too disappointed though. It was all so last minute and I knew I would have another chance to do it. Luckily the parks werenât too crowded so that at least made it easier for us.Â
Of course our photo op for EPCOT was going to be Spaceship Earth. There are always at least two Photopass photographers right there at the entrance ready to take pictures of everybody, so we hopped in line and grabbed our picture.
By this point we were hungry. We hadn't eaten anything since before Animal Kingdom so we wanted to take a moment to try to eat something. With Flower and Garden Festival happening, EPCOT had about a thousand good options, but we were set on experiencing new things. I had never eaten at the Electric Umbrella before. I canât even tell you how many times I have passed it and intended to go in, but I never actually went inside. We decided to venture in together.Â
After reviewing the menu, I realized why I had never eaten there. Absolutely nothing sounded good. Every single normal menu item had some weird addition to it that I was not about. Of course Disney is great about allowing you to customize things but I wasnât willing to fork over the money to a restaurant that didnât have anything I wanted on the menu when I could go right down the way to something amazing. I donât remember where we wound up but we didnât stay at Electric Umbrella for very long.
Once we ate we meandered over to meet Joy & Sadness. We hopped in line, then noticed that Baymax had a ridiculously short line, only one or two people long. I love Baymax so it was a no brainer that we had to stop.Â
We could have stopped there. He could have just been our character and we couldâve headed onward, but we were determined to meet Joy & Sadness. I have to say, very rarely did Disney plans go as planned. Most days a plan was made of the things we wanted to do or accomplish, but by the time we got there we were either too tired, didnât care, or had bumped into somebody that had different plans. This was the first day that we were sticking to what we said we wanted to do and I was so for it.
The line for Joy and Sadness was ridiculously cute. It was all themed to make you feel like you were really weaving through long-term memory to get to headquarters. Eduardo and I got creative and asked strangers for help for a picture.
Normally, I relate a little bit more to Sadness. But that day I was feeling nothing but Joy. The day was everything I wanted my entire program to be. I felt like I was living the dream, bouncing carelessly from park to park, experiencing the things that only Disney offers. The woes of yesterday and the anxiety of tomorrow was left behind for a day of skipping through the parks with a good friend. I felt on top of the world. I was also incredibly excited to finally meet Joy and Sadness.
Sadness gave me a big hug as soon as I rounded the corner. She loved that we both had glasses, and said my purple MagicBand reminded her of her friend Fear. She then told me I better go hang out with Joy again to refill my heart. Sure enough, Joy was thrilled to see me. She jumped up and down, excited by my twirly skirt, and we danced together. I never thought Iâd be the person that bounced from character to character, laughing, joking, and dancing with them. I was too socially awkward for that. Yet there I was, spinning and swaying and dancing with Joy, having the time of my life.Â
I left the meet and greet literally jumping up and down. I felt so incredibly magical. I flipped through the pictures Eduardo had just taken, loving every single one. Now all that was next was the attraction.
We were a little stumped on what our major attraction would be. Test Track would have been ideal, but it was way too long of a line for that. I get sick on Mission Space, so that was out of the question. While there were quite a few smaller attractions to choose, we wanted to choose a major attraction or show to fit within the parameters we set when we first started the challenge. IllumiNations wasnât an option because we would have to be headed towards Magic Kingdom by that point.Â
I had planned on dropping by Spaceship Earth though, knowing my roommate Dana was working that night. We headed on over and found her working the front. She whipped out her autograph book and asked us both to sign it, which of course we did. Then she whisked us over to the VIP entrance to hop on Spaceship Earth! It was something they were allowed to do every once in a while as a magical moment. The major perk of the VIP entrance is skipping the line, but there wasnât much of a line to speak of. It shaved off a few minutes of waiting though, which was helpful because we really needed to start making our way to Magic Kingdom.Â
Visiting friends at work was one of my favorite things to do on the college program too. Just knowing people everywhere you went made the place feel less like a vacation spot and more like home. Casually running into people at Walt Disney World the way you may run into an old friend on a walking trail or in the grocery store was just the norm during a college program, and those run ins only added to the feeling that these parks were your world.Â
Spaceship Earth was our last stop at EPCOT before we headed out. Magic Kingdom is actually the park that is furthest away from the others, even though people would have you believe that Animal Kingdom is further. I was nervous about getting there in time for Celebrate the Magic, Wishes, and still have time for a character meet and greet. We figured that weâd probably meet either Mickey Mouse or Tinker Bell in the Town Square Theatre, then just hang out on Main Street for the shows. As we were heading into the park, the electrical water pageant was behind us in the Seven Seas Lagoon. I had never had luck catching the show so I was excited to see it. We watched for a bit, took a few pictures, and turned around to bag check so we could head in.Â
Along with our firsts for the day, it was going to be my first time meeting Mickey Mouse in the Town Square Theatre. A little extra magic existed in that theatre that allowed Mickey to speak freely with the guests. It was the only place in Walt Disney World that had this kind of magic. I was a little nervous. I had no idea what Mickey would say to me and I had no idea what to say back. We were brought to a door that looked like a backstage door for Mickey. As soon as we entered we could hear him greeting other guests. Several âOh boy!â âs and âSee ya later Pal!â âs later, it was our turn. We told him all about our park to park adventure, and how Magic Kingdom was our very last park. All we needed was a picture with him and to see a show at Magic Kingdom. He was really excited for us and suggested we go ahead and get that picture.
As we were walking out of the theatre, Wishes began. We hung back near Town Square Theatre, singing all the words and dancing along to the music. Itâs no secret that I wasnât attached to Wishes the same way others were, but spending the show time dancing around in an empty clearing of Main Street was the best way to spend it. Tinker Bell flew to Cinderella Castle and Eduardo pointed out that we could meet Tinker Bell while we were right there. We let Wishes finish up before flying off to meet her. The line was completely empty. Cleary we were the first ones to head back towards Town Square Theatre.
Our character attendant led us into a room with long blades of grass on the walls, transforming us into pixie-sized people. Pixie dust dazzled along the walls, opening up the door into Tinker Bellâs pixie hollow.
We told Tinker Bell all about how we flew to her from Main Street after watching her fly to Cinderella Castle. She said she visits Cinderella every single night to say hello before flying back home, but itâs always a quick trip since they see each other so often. We posed like we were flying before dancing our way back to Main Street.
Our challenge was almost complete. We had to wait for Main Street to clear out a little bit before getting our Photopass picture in front of Cinderella Castle. A crowd still lingered as everybody waited for Celebrate the Magic. If there was ever a show in Magic Kingdom that made me cry, it was Celebrate the Magic. Celebrate the Magic never failed to remind me how far I had traveled, how much I had grown as a person to be standing on Main Street as a Cast Member, and how lucky I was to be experiencing it all no matter how different the experience was from what I was expecting. I was surrounded by tourists who were inching closer and closer to the castle, putting kids on their shoulders to get one glimpse of the show, and holding their breaths as the castle transformed into several different scenes. The street was filled with guests who were experiencing it all for the very first time, and for some, probably the only time. Intermingled were guests who were there for their annual vacation, breathing happy sighs as they relaxed into their homes away from home. And dispersed throughout this crowd were the few CPâs who were living this temporary life of casually visiting Main Street with friends. We learned every word of Celebrate the Magic just by hanging around so often. We knew when to pull out our cameras to take pictures of the castle turning into something amazing because we had seen it so many times. We knew when the end of the show was coming so we could slowly back away from the crowds and give ourselves a head start to the next adventure. Everything about that moment had become normal for us. It was all just âanother night off workâ. Our Instagram and Facebook feeds were filled with castle pictures and snapshots of people having similar adventures. Everybody we had recently talked to was doing what we were doing. In some moments it felt like a special and exclusive experience, but in that same breath it felt like the life everybody we knew was living. The show made me feel lucky to call it all normal. The finale was met with applause from the crowd and tears from me. It had been such a perfect day.Â
As Main Street cleared out, Eduardo and I got our final picture in front of the castle.
Our challenge was complete. We had hit up every single park in one business day. We stopped at Guest Services for âIâm Celebratingâ buttons, wrote â4 Parks, 1 Dayâ on them, and celebrated on Main Street talking about all that we had done. It was then that we realized how tiring it all was. It had been a long day, but such an excellent one. We completed many firsts, knocked a few things off our bucket lists, and checked off a classic challenge. I donât think Iâll ever get an opportunity like that to complete such a frivolous challenge again. Iâm glad I took the chance to go for it, even though it wasnât planned in the slightest. That was almost what made it more fun though. Instead of having a serious plan, we were just dancing from one thing to the next. If we completed the challenge, we would celebrate. If we didnât complete it, we would try again another time with maybe more planning again. All that mattered was that we were having fun, and that was an easy challenge to complete. Some may say we didnât do enough to complete the challenge, but I think we covered our bases well and we had an absolute blast doing it.
My program was ending in just a few weeks and my bucket list of âPlaces I Want to Work Before I Leaveâ was still far too long. I had taken too long to work up the courage to pick up shifts in places I had never been before, but I was doing my best. I had already worked at World of Disney, DisneyQuest, Once Upon a Toy, EPCOTâs Land Pavilion, Fantasyland, Liberty Square, Main Street, Tomorrowland, Hollywood Studios Strollers, a liquidation store at the outlets, and of course my location, and that was just in the span of a month. Some of those work locations werenât on the bucket list and just fell into my lap, and some were must-dos that I worked hard to find shifts for. One shift on my bucket list was a shift at the Tower of Terror Gift Shop, also known as âTower Giftsâ. Part of me had kind of sworn off working at Hollywood Studios again after the backstage nightmare I had experienced when I worked at the stroller shop. The other part of me really wanted to give it a chance.Â
Finding a shift at Tower Gifts was difficult though. It was another popular location that people wanted to pick up shifts at, so even when shifts were available, it was hard to find one that hadnât already been taken. Just when I decided to go ahead and give Hollywood Studios another chance, a Tower Gifts shift opened up. Thatâs how I found myself becoming a Strawberry.
This experience was one of the greatest shift experiences I had in so many ways. As always, it started with picking up the costume. The shift was in the evening so I decided to go ahead and get the costume the day of. I knew where costuming was but backstage still made me nervous so I made sure to arrive early. Tower Gifts has the same costume as a lot of the Hollywood Studios merchandise shops, and the costume is a well-liked one. I wanted to wear the bellhop costume but I knew that wouldnât have made any sense because we werenât the ones working the elevators. Regardless I was excited because the costume was actually the same as the brand new ones Disneyâs California Adventure had gotten after their main entrance was rethemed to be Buena Vista Street. It was like experiencing a little piece of home. Everybody calls Cast who wear this costume âstrawberriesâ because of the yellow polka dots on the deep red shirt. I was excited to be a strawberry for the night.
The costume surprised me though. It looks like it is separated into two parts: a greenish-blue skirt, and a red polka dotted peplum shirt with matching greenish-blue accents that sits on top of the skirt. In actuality, itâs separated into two different parts. The first is the red and yellow polka dotted shirt, that isnât a peplum shirt at all. The shirt was actually incredibly long with almost no shape to it, and was to be tucked into the skirt. The second part was the skirt, which actually started at the greenish-blue band, had a flowy piece of red and yellow polka dotted fabric to make it look like part of the shirt, and then continued on.Â
It was unexpected but it made so much sense. Peplum shirts would probably have been more difficult to fit on so many different people correctly. The way Disney did it made it flattering on everybody. It was also one of the comfiest costumes I wore.Â
Flabbergasted by this, I headed further backstage to work. I walked out of the Cast Services building and to the right, the way I wouldâve walked to strollers had I not gotten stuck in that weird parking structure. I walked straight across, and was right behind Beauty and the Beast in minutes. From there I walked on stage, not knowing how to get to Tower Gifts. I probably couldnât direct my way there now, but I do remember finding my way back backstage, approaching a large building, and going up. The break room for Tower Gifts was shared by the break room for Tower of Terror. It was neat because I had never been backstage of an attraction before, besides the occasional evacuation. The break room sat in the Tower of Terror building, just down the way from where the elevators were sliding up and down. Some doors were marked with bright red stickers that insisted NOBODY was allowed to open that door. It wasnât hard to figure out why. Every once in a while, an elevator would fly up and push air under the door, causing the door to rattle. Screaming guests and the sounds of the attraction were just on the other side of that door. White boards with attraction statistics were posted throughout the hallways too. The break room was small and separated into two levels. The lower level had couches and a coffee table or two, situated in front of a TV that was currently playing some sort of knife making competition. All the Cast Members seemed to be into it. It was very different from my Animal Kingdom Main Entrance break room that mostly just watched the news or talk shows. The upper level was only raised by a few steps and had tables facing the lower level so everybody up there could watch TV too. It was also where most of the lockers sat. The lockers werenât locked by code though, so I stuffed my things in a bottom locker that looked like it hadnât been used in a while and shut it, hoping nothing would go missing during my shift. Unfortunately for me, I had read my schedule wrong and was actually an hour and a half early for my shift. I sat in the break room, texting all the weird things I had found to my girlfriend and watching way too much knife wielding on TV.Â
I was less excited for my shift by the time it started, having been bored for the last hour. I walked downstairs and clocked in, got a brief tour of the shop, and was on my way. The shop had three different stations. The first was just a regular register, the second was in a small box in the middle of the shop surrounded by jewelry in glass cases, and the third was ride photo editing and sales. I was pretty sure that I would just be at the first station considering I wasnât used to selling expensive jewelry and I wasnât photo trained.Â
My shift was a closing shift and there were only two other people with me. One other girl was also EHH, so she wasnât trained on anything either, and the other girl was a regular and was clearly annoyed that she was the only one who knew much about the shop. Because there were so few of us and only one person was a regular Cast Member at the shop, the leader asked if the other girl and I would like to learn how to print photos and sell jewelry just an hour into the shift. The leader told us that she thought we were a good group of Cast Members and she could trust us to pick up on things quickly and do the job well, so she was going to make an exception for us. At the main register, I got to make âIâm Celebratingâ buttons for guests who just survived their very first ride. At the jewelry register, I got to unlock the glass case and pull out jewelry for guests to try on before they decided to buy it. The photos were my favorite though. Guests came up and scanned their MagicBand, eager to see the picture up close. Then I got to brighten it, make sure final adjustments didnât need to be made, print it out, and send guests on their way. When guests werenât buying photos I got to play Tower of Terror Jenga with guests who had just dropped in. It was also where the bellhop hat of pins could be found. I loved getting the prints for excited guests who loved their pictures.Â
At one point during my shift, a guest threw up in the middle of the store. I imagine this is a common occurrence in dump stores for thrill attractions. We called custodial and they came over promptly. I made conversation with them as they cleaned and the Cast Member seemed to really love his job. He said that even when he was working Rockinâ Roller Coaster and Tower, he felt like he was really part of a team and that was what kept him motivated. I had come across so many custodial Cast Members that felt that way that I sort of wished that was my job too.
The park closed and I shut the doors to our shop. I locked them and then got to work. The one regular Cast Member had declared that because she didnât like stocking, she would be doing something else, and that because we didnât know the store like she did, we didnât really have a choice. The other girl and I didnât argue, but we were both visibly annoyed. I wound up stocking, and I could see why the regular Cast Member wasnât a fan. The stockroom is fairly small, the clothing was disorganized, and finding all the tiny knick knacks for the store was rather obnoxious. I did the best I could, all the while making small talk with the other Cast Members. The regular found out I worked at Animal Kingdom strollers, and said she had picked up a shift there. She instantly started trash talking it. I didnât blame her. EHH typically had a rough time at our location because our location was strict about training and made everybody who wasnât trained in strollers to work at a small shop just outside the park. It wasnât necessarily a fun location, but you could make it fun if you tried hard enough. I didnât like my location that much, thatâs no secret, but itâs sort of like family. I wasnât about to let some stranger who had no idea what she was talking about start trash talking our location. The second she started in on one of my friends was when I put an end to it. It saddened me because I wanted to enjoy the shift, but her attitude about how we âtook our jobs too seriouslyâ at strollers annoyed me. Of course we took the job seriously. Of course we were required to work hard, even at a shop that didnât have much in the way of foot traffic in the middle of the day. It bothered me and gave me a new appreciation for the coworkers I had that believed in the power of a strong work ethic.
The shift was nearing the end and I still hadnât seen a leader come down to check on us since they closed the registers. Just as we were about to clock out, the attractions leader came down and told us that they were doing one last ride through and wanted to know if we wanted to join them. I donât know much about working attractions, but it appeared standard to run the attraction one last time at closing as a safety test of sorts. Having never worked attractions, I know very little, but my roommate who worked at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train the program before spoke often about ride throughs. We went upstairs and were led to the last elevator where the rest of the nightâs bellhops were waiting. The regular Cast Member told us that this was her first ride through even though she had done closing shifts night after night for several months. We just happened to get lucky. The bellhops seemed excited too. It felt like the privilege of riding the attraction in costume while on the clock was a rare one.Â
We enjoyed the ride together, boosting our moods for the night. I wished I could have experienced it with people who were genuinely friends of mine and not total strangers. Knowing that it was so rare for the Tower Gifts Cast to get invited up to do a ride through though made up for all that. I snapped an overexposed picture of the ride photo with my phone, planning to link it to my MagicBand later. (That never happened, but the cell phone quality photo is just fine with me.) The shift was easily in my top five.
As we were clocking out, CDS froze and stopped allowing anybody to do anything. We had to use the wall clock, where we swiped our IDs through like an old fashioned time punch. From start to finish, the shift was fascinating and fun. I loved the theming, I loved the language, the break room was awesome, the costume was comfortable, I got trained in several new and fun tasks, and I got to do a Tower of Terror ride through. It was a pretty special night at the Hollywood Tower Hotel.
