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Sunday, April 06, 2008
6:04 PM
It looks easy enough, doesn't it? Until you have 15 minutes to find an unmarked location and realize you have absolutely no frickin' clue how to get from point A to point B...
Last Tuesday I decided to work "Pirate and Princess Party" parade control. Well why not? I only get to interact with guests once a week in my current role, and I thought it might be fun to see what it's like on the "front lines". I picked up my lady-in-waiting costume and scouted out the Magic Kingdom cast parking situation well ahead of time. I was completely psyched to experience first hand the thrill of working IN Magic Kingdom.
My shift started at 6pm, and I thought two hours would be plenty of time to eat dinner and make it to cast deployment (my regular job ends at 4pm). However, I didn't take into account two things: 1) DAK's cast cafeteria closed at 4, BEFORE I made it there, and 2) Florida traffic. I had to grab a quick bite to eat at Wendy's, drive back to the Animal Programs building, change into my costume, and navigate traffic to the Magic Kingdom cast parking lot...where I promptly discovered that parking spots aren't so easy to come by. Once parked (phew!) I managed to find my way onto the right bus to take me to the tunnel entrance...
The tunnel. Here was the moment I was both dreading and so so excited about. For years I had wondered what it was like in the tunnels beneath the Magic Kingdom, and here I finally was! I wandered around wide-eyed for around 5 minutes, bumping into a character here and there, until I finally decided that there was just no way I was going to find cast deployment on my own. It wasn't me - it just wasn't marked on the map! Thank goodness my roommate Katie works down in the tunnels, so I called her for help. She found me and helped me find where I was supposed to go. I don't know what I would have done if she wasn't there, because let me tell you...it's a scary frickin' city down there!
As for the rest of the evening? Holy cow, what a disaster. I had no idea where I was supposed to be or what I was supposed to be doing half the time, and they put me with another girl who also had never work a Pirate and Princess Party before. It was the blind leading the blind! For the first half of the evening we had to check wristbands and ask those guests without tickets (or wristbands) to please leave the park. Simple enough, except I can't tell you how many times I had guests yell at me and demand to see someone in charge because they didn't know the park was closing early. Yeah, because it wasn't like there were huge signs everywhere, posted hours at the park entrance, and announcements made all day...
And then there were the guests that didn't speak a word of english. I gave up half the time, because there was just no communicating the fact that the park was c-l-o-s-e-d unless they had purchased a Pirate and Princess ticket.
The last half of the evening was parade control. My spot was directly in front of the castle, an area known as "Castle 3". Basically I just made sure people stayed on the "red cement" so they wouldn't get run over by a float or anything. Simple enough, until the parade starts and parents don't watch as their kids float further and further out into the street. Nevermind the huge float heading straight for the child. I call it natural selection, but Disney calls it a lawsuit. And so I did my job.
But of course it rained for the last half of the evening, so I was cold, wet, and tired whilst coralling children back behind the line. Ah, Florida weather. Gotta love it.
Let's see...what else to say about the evening? Well the parade was through my area by 9:10pm, and my shift wasn't supposed to end until 9:45pm. I basically hung out backstage and watched the parade exit "on stage". Very cool. :) Except for the rain. :P
I signed up for another shift the following Friday, but after the stress of that first parade control shift decided to drop it. I'd do it again, and it would probably be much easier now that I'd have some clue of what to do, but just not so soon. Maybe next month. After all, I have this sexy lady-in-waiting costume (or pirate wench) hang in my closet and nowhere to wear it. Except to the Magic Kingdom, that is. :)Labels: disney, work
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Sunday, March 04, 2007
9:58 PM
This is the first time in a long time that I'm actually showered and in my PJs before 10pm. I must say...it feels good.
I keep on thinking about all these clever, interesting, and insightful things to blog about, but then I forget them. So I guess this will just be another boring post about my not-so-exciting life.
This past weekend I went home to Cuyahoga Falls for a little rest and relaxation before finals. This is the last week of classes before spring break, and I am just about as unprepared for finals as one could possibly be. Am I worried? Nope. Not yet, anyway. Right now I'm just trying to find the motivation to get up tomorrow morning and go to work.
Things have actually been really good at work - I've been very busy entering data and making pretty graphs in Prism. I wish I had more time so I could actually pay attention to what I'm graphing, so that I might actually have something intelligent to say about the results. I'm so busy copying and pasting huge blocks of data and rushing over to Dr. B's office to show him that I don't ever get a chance to just look at the graphs and think about what they actually mean. Dr. B is usually great about talking about the results and explaining what's going on, but it would be nice to form an opinion about them on my own for once...
I'm still not sure about spring break. Hopefully I'll find the balls to ask Dr. B about it tomorrow. I would like to go home for the week and relax, but it sounds like they could use my help around the lab. It's a great opportunity, plus I need the money, but the homebody exhausted side of me just wants to get out of this crazy city! I'm going to Pittsburgh with my church friends the weekend before spring break, so that should be fun. Maybe I can go home the weekend after spring break? Hm.
My roommate makes me feel like such a loser. She went to three parties on Friday night, and I went home. I've just never been the party, loud music, drinking, large crowds type of girl. I don't think that's a bad thing...but apparently I'll be single for the rest of my life because of it.
This week is going to be b-a-d. I have two papers to write, plus three finals to study for...plus it's cold, snowy, and just plan CRAPPY outside! I feel like I'm going INSANE in this shitty weather. Get me OUT of this state, please! What I wouldn't give to be in Hawai'i right now.
Is it spring yet?Labels: home, school, work
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