Hello!
I finally have time to fill you all in on what is happening here at the Magic Kingdom!
If anyone is confused by the title, "Earning your ears" basically means the process of training and passing your assessment. It wasn't difficult, but I passed! I am now working by myself.
Custodial Role
As some of you know, I joined this program in hopes of being a custodian a Disney World, and obviously I got the role that I wanted. All custodians at Disney World wear all white costumes to show that even the cast members that get the dirtiest can stay clean. As a custodian, there are a few different tasks that can be assigned to you. One of them is being responsible for a zone, which in my case would be in the "West" which means either in Adventureland, Liberty Square, or Frontierland. When I am assigned to a zone, I am responsible for sweeping the area of any trash, as well as taking out the trash when the trash cans are getting full. Another possibility is getting assigned to clean restrooms. Usually nothing too weird happens so it's not that bad and I like it because I can self-break. Here in the West, we have the busiest restroom in the park, and we call it Veranda. I have been assigned to it and it keeps my on my toes, but it wasn't too bad! Other things that custodians do are tasking, which means to either sweep popcorn in the streets, or clean out the bushes or ash trays. Another option is being assigned to parade. Every night, the Electrical Parade plays twice and goes through Liberty Square and Frontierland. If I am assigned to Parade, I wait until the Parade is over and I help clean the streets with the vacuum or broom. Then I am responsible for helping to make sure that all the other custodial cast members have closed out their zones and that everything looks pretty. The last option that I have done is Recycling. When assigned to recycling, I am responsible for all 48 recycling cans spread out in the West. Thankfully the cart that holds the recyclables is electric! Each custodian uses a radio, and we make sure to use codes so that the guests won't be distracted by what we are talking about.
Playing at the Parks
I have been able to go to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom so far! I enjoyed both, though I think I liked Animal Kingdom better! My favorite ride was the Kilimanjaro Safari, where they take you on a safari and you get to see all sorts of African animals such as lions, bongos, impalas, hippos, rhinos, alligators, birds, okapi's, etc. I also enjoyed the "Dinosaur" ride that is very similar to the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. Although I have not been able to go to either Epcot or Magic Kingdom as a guest, I am planning to do so soon!
Pin Trading!
Here at Disney, there is something called Pin Trading. I had not heard of it before this program, so I can't be sure that they do this at Disneyland. Basically, Disney creates a bunch of pins for both the guests and the cast members. If a cast member is out and about and wearing their pin trading lanyard, a guest who is interested in trading will come up to them and look at their pins. If they see one that they want to trade, they ask for it and give one of their pins to the cast member. Some guests are really enthusiastic about trading. I just got my lanyard yesterday, so I am looking forward to a lot of pin trading for the next few months!
Cast Connection and Property Control
There are a few cast member only stores in Disney World. Two of them are right next to each other and conveniently on my way to work. They are the Cast Connection and Property Control. They are basically like Disney thrift stores. I found some great finds at Cast Connection yesterday. I bought a dozen items for $4.97. Pretty amazing. Some of the merchandise they sell is either broken or has been returned and they are not able to resell it at the store. Many of the items that are sold for 12.95 in the stores are 10 cents, and items that are 16.95 in stores are sold for 50 cents. I like to go back a lot because they always have something new! Property Control contains a lot of merchandise and food that is overstock. There are eggs, bread, OJ, and fruit for really cheap there!
I need to buy some stuff to fix my camera....anyways, stay tuned to hear more about my experience and I am sure I will have some interesting stories to tell!
