I had the great fortune of experiencing a truly magical place today and making yet another childhood dream come true.
I'll start with a bit of back story to paint a mental picture for you all. Like most my age I grew up on Disney films, television shows, toys, you name it. I always wondered what place all this Disney goodness came from. As I grew older I came to the realization that movies and tv shows came from studios; these studios were not only where stars acted but where the magic was made. If only I could be so lucky as to see the studio and the magic in action... Flash forward to the present time... My loyal readers know about my transformation from self proclaimed Disney Dork to Disneyland Resort Cast Member; that in itself is a dream come true. Today thanks to my lovely aunt Alison (Meme) and her wonderful friend Lisa I was able to cross off another childhood dream.
Alison and Lisa went to architecture school together at the University of Arizona, I'm going to resist my U of A jokes here. Lisa took a very different path from architecture; she is now a paralegal at the Walt Disney Studios and works in the trademark department on the Burbank campus. Lisa is featured on the Disney Careers website telling the story of what she does, one day I was sent the link to Lisa's story from Meme. I thought it was amazing that she went from architecture to working for the studio. So here I am thinking how rad it is that my aunt know someone that works at the studio... it gets better. I got a message from Meme telling me to get in contact with Lisa for lunch at the studio, I did, we set things up and that brings me to today.
The entire drive up the 5 all I could think of was another one of my dreams was coming true, how I got so lucky I'll never know. I exited and drove the few blocks to Keystone and there it was the Walt Disney Studios. I came in on the backside so all I could see was the backs of sound stages but it was still a beautiful sight to me. I turned on to Riverside, then into the employee entrance, as I showed the Security Cast Member my id all I could do was smile. Here I was flashing my employee id to gain entry to the Walt Disney Studios, crazy right? I parked in employee structure, still weird to me, and walked through the sound stages towards the commissary. I don't care that I had my id on my I still must have looked just like a kid wondering through a toy store alone. Lisa greeted me and we headed toward the Buena Vista Commissary for some lunch and chit chat. I shared with Lisa my journey from Arizona to Innoventions, a bit about my job, and how thrilled I am to be living my dream. Lisa then shared her story from architecture school to where she is now, as I listened to Lisa I was inspired. She had come such a different place and ended up at the studio; it gave me hope that I too can end up at at the studio on this wild journey of mine.
After lunch Lisa said she would take me on a quick tour of some of the best parts of the studio, and she didn't lie. We stopped at the famed Mickey Ave. and Dopey Dr. sign as Lisa told me a story about the old Animation building, the next thing I knew I was walking through the doors of it. We strolled down the main hall past art work for tons of Disney animated features, my mind was blown I was in the building that so many films were produced in, and Walt himself had worked. At the other end of the hall we exited and I saw it, Legends Plaza. Lisa took my picture with the Seven Dwarfs of Team Disney 1 in the background for her collection and to send back home to Meme then we headed to the plaza. Lisa let me take my time walking around, looking at the plaques, and soaking it all in. I felt near the same emotions as I did when I received my name tag, but with much wider eyes. I was comparing my hand to those of the Legends, thinking of their many accomplishments, dreaming of what it was like to work with them, and paying respect to those Legends no longer with us. I could spend hours there soaking it all in and day dreaming, it is an amazingly magical place for those who can appreciate it. Lisa then took me over to the Frank G. Wells building, it's this little building with trivial things like a Multiplane Camera and the Walt Disney Archives, like I said trivial things. Again my mind was blown as I looked over costumes from films and the Multiplane camera then Lisa really out did herself. She opened the door to the Archives and invited me in with her. I cannot even describe the amount of history there was, I still don't think my mind has processed it all yet. We then headed over to the company store, Lisa snapped some photos for work and I browsed everything they had. Lisa informed me she had to get back to work, I thanked her for giving me such an amazing experience, I purchased some pins I liked, and headed back to the Zorro parking structure. As fast as it had begun my day at the studio was over; but the time I spent at the studio with Lisa is something I'll never forget.
Lisa thank you for letting my inner child come out and experience something most children only dream of.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Monday, December 19, 2011
The Adventures of the New Guy
This has all happened before, and it will all happen again. But this time it happened in the city of Anaheim, in a quite building in Tomorrowland. Now if you've ever been to Innoventions you'll get the joke here, if not come on by and visit us.
This blog was a little delayed but I wanted to get all of the way through my training before I put it up and my training was spaced out and long.
My first day of official training was Guest Interaction Training (GIT). Most people had groups of two of three and their trainer, I lucked out and was one on one. My trainer Marya was awesome, right off the bat she realized that I had plenty of Disney and Disney Park knowledge. I also found out that I won't ever get pulled for a Guest Show Organization (GSO). That means I'll never have a shift where I'm not working my attraction; it also means I won't get to work the flashlight of power. Marya and I strolled around the park bouncing facts of each other, I got to see more of the backstage areas that I hadn't seen yet. I got to work the flashlight of power for the parade, better than the flash light of power I got to wear an awesome Disneyland pea coat! I had an awesome day with Marya, she taught me somethings and I even taught her a few things.
So after my day of GIT I had six days off before I started my on the job (OTJ) training. So I did what anyone would do spend some time in the World Famous Disneyland Costuming and find pieces of my costume that fit. I learned quickly that size tags at Disney are estimates at best so it's always a good idea to have a back up pair of pants and a shirt that you know fit you. I spent a few days and nights in the park some alone and some with my roommate Sam. Sam has quickly turned into my Disney buddy, he's got an Annual Pass (AP) with no blackout dates so he can go to the park more than I can. Living walking distance of the parks has turned us into "snoby locals" who don't like waiting in line. I mean why am I going to wait over an hour for Space Mountain when I can get a Fast Pass (FP) for later in the day, go back home for a few hours, and come back at my FP time. I've also really enjoyed living so close because I can walk over and people watch. Some of the most laid back day's I've had in the parks are the days I've done the least amount of attractions.
Okay back to work talk, so my first day of OTJ training I met my trainer Robyn at Harbor Point. Here I was foolishly thinking I only had two scripts to learn, Robyn quickly informed me that we have seven scripts. She said if I couldn't handle it we could go to the managers right there and then to transfer me to a different attraction. I told her it would be no problem, even though I have minimal acting experience. So my first day mostly consisted of getting familiar with the attraction and covering the safety information.
Tuesday night however was one of the coolest experiences I've had in any Disney park. Tuesday night was the private holiday party, what that means is they close the park at six pm and only CM's and their guests are allowed in. For the CM's with families it means a rare calm time in the park during the busy holiday season; for younger CM's such as myself it means we have a chance to have a nearly empty park to cram in as many attractions as we can in a few hours. Once again Sam came with me and we hit a ton of attractions, all of Tomorrowland, most of Fantasyland (stupid Pete Pan still having a longish line), visited Mickey and Minnie in Toontown, I ate a breadbowl, hit Pirates and the Mansion. All and all it was awesome.
Lucky for me I wasn't on until 1:30pm the next day so I was able to sleep in a bit. Day two of OTJ was filled with more safety info, testing on that info, and learning two of the scripts. I was able to get one of them done that day so I was pretty happy with myself. Day three was a much earlier day, I was up at 5:30, walking to work as the sun came up, and clocking in at 7am. I was however able to finish our on show on the ring and two of the rooms in the Dream home, again very pleased with myself. Day four was another early day, but again I knocked out two more rooms in the Dream Home. Leaving me the last, and hardest room in the home. I don't want to give away too many spoilers but I will say it involves the story of Peter Pan coming to life. I practiced that for the entirety of the three hours I had before our building opened and again with guests during the day. I rocked it and was able to get signed off on all five rooms, two shows, and all the safety information in five days; that my friends is a day early. I am clearly a rockstar, you might want to get my autograph before I get too famous. Ego aside finishing a day early meant that I could come in later than 8am Sunday and Robyn could have the day off; I don't know which on of us was more excited.
Now not only was I thrilled to sleep in, it was going to be my first day done with training and in rotation. So I set of on my stroll to work in my sweet Tomorrowland jacket, y'all can hate on it but I think it's better than the brown fleece one that's our other option. I made sure I had plenty of time to battle the crowds in DTD and the esplanade, put my lunch cooler in the breakroom, got mic'd up and still had 15 minutes to spare. Better early than late right? Of course I started the day off at my least favorite show, but I was quickly bumped to my next spot and again and again and again, you get the point. I may have stumbled a bit but I think I did a pretty good job of covering it up, and soon enough it was time to close the building and head home. I've got to give it up to my coworkers they all have been super welcoming to me. They keep saying we are like a family which is great for me.
I can't wait to bring you more stories of my adventures in Neverland, whoops I meant Tomorrowland. Thanks for visiting us here at Innoventions, we'll see you around... get it, get it? Because the building rotates. These are the joke folks.
This blog was a little delayed but I wanted to get all of the way through my training before I put it up and my training was spaced out and long.
My first day of official training was Guest Interaction Training (GIT). Most people had groups of two of three and their trainer, I lucked out and was one on one. My trainer Marya was awesome, right off the bat she realized that I had plenty of Disney and Disney Park knowledge. I also found out that I won't ever get pulled for a Guest Show Organization (GSO). That means I'll never have a shift where I'm not working my attraction; it also means I won't get to work the flashlight of power. Marya and I strolled around the park bouncing facts of each other, I got to see more of the backstage areas that I hadn't seen yet. I got to work the flashlight of power for the parade, better than the flash light of power I got to wear an awesome Disneyland pea coat! I had an awesome day with Marya, she taught me somethings and I even taught her a few things.
So after my day of GIT I had six days off before I started my on the job (OTJ) training. So I did what anyone would do spend some time in the World Famous Disneyland Costuming and find pieces of my costume that fit. I learned quickly that size tags at Disney are estimates at best so it's always a good idea to have a back up pair of pants and a shirt that you know fit you. I spent a few days and nights in the park some alone and some with my roommate Sam. Sam has quickly turned into my Disney buddy, he's got an Annual Pass (AP) with no blackout dates so he can go to the park more than I can. Living walking distance of the parks has turned us into "snoby locals" who don't like waiting in line. I mean why am I going to wait over an hour for Space Mountain when I can get a Fast Pass (FP) for later in the day, go back home for a few hours, and come back at my FP time. I've also really enjoyed living so close because I can walk over and people watch. Some of the most laid back day's I've had in the parks are the days I've done the least amount of attractions.
Okay back to work talk, so my first day of OTJ training I met my trainer Robyn at Harbor Point. Here I was foolishly thinking I only had two scripts to learn, Robyn quickly informed me that we have seven scripts. She said if I couldn't handle it we could go to the managers right there and then to transfer me to a different attraction. I told her it would be no problem, even though I have minimal acting experience. So my first day mostly consisted of getting familiar with the attraction and covering the safety information.
Tuesday night however was one of the coolest experiences I've had in any Disney park. Tuesday night was the private holiday party, what that means is they close the park at six pm and only CM's and their guests are allowed in. For the CM's with families it means a rare calm time in the park during the busy holiday season; for younger CM's such as myself it means we have a chance to have a nearly empty park to cram in as many attractions as we can in a few hours. Once again Sam came with me and we hit a ton of attractions, all of Tomorrowland, most of Fantasyland (stupid Pete Pan still having a longish line), visited Mickey and Minnie in Toontown, I ate a breadbowl, hit Pirates and the Mansion. All and all it was awesome.
Lucky for me I wasn't on until 1:30pm the next day so I was able to sleep in a bit. Day two of OTJ was filled with more safety info, testing on that info, and learning two of the scripts. I was able to get one of them done that day so I was pretty happy with myself. Day three was a much earlier day, I was up at 5:30, walking to work as the sun came up, and clocking in at 7am. I was however able to finish our on show on the ring and two of the rooms in the Dream home, again very pleased with myself. Day four was another early day, but again I knocked out two more rooms in the Dream Home. Leaving me the last, and hardest room in the home. I don't want to give away too many spoilers but I will say it involves the story of Peter Pan coming to life. I practiced that for the entirety of the three hours I had before our building opened and again with guests during the day. I rocked it and was able to get signed off on all five rooms, two shows, and all the safety information in five days; that my friends is a day early. I am clearly a rockstar, you might want to get my autograph before I get too famous. Ego aside finishing a day early meant that I could come in later than 8am Sunday and Robyn could have the day off; I don't know which on of us was more excited.
Now not only was I thrilled to sleep in, it was going to be my first day done with training and in rotation. So I set of on my stroll to work in my sweet Tomorrowland jacket, y'all can hate on it but I think it's better than the brown fleece one that's our other option. I made sure I had plenty of time to battle the crowds in DTD and the esplanade, put my lunch cooler in the breakroom, got mic'd up and still had 15 minutes to spare. Better early than late right? Of course I started the day off at my least favorite show, but I was quickly bumped to my next spot and again and again and again, you get the point. I may have stumbled a bit but I think I did a pretty good job of covering it up, and soon enough it was time to close the building and head home. I've got to give it up to my coworkers they all have been super welcoming to me. They keep saying we are like a family which is great for me.
I can't wait to bring you more stories of my adventures in Neverland, whoops I meant Tomorrowland. Thanks for visiting us here at Innoventions, we'll see you around... get it, get it? Because the building rotates. These are the joke folks.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
They Call it Tradtions...
I call it the best first day at a job I've ever had.
Today started early for me, first alarm went off at 6:15, didn't even need the several backups I had set. Two bowls of cereal, shower, shave, and I was on my bike by 7:15 on my way to Team Disney Anaheim (TDA). I'm hopping I looked as dapper as I felt riding down Ball in my dress clothes. I arrived some five minutes later and was greeted by a courtyard full of many new Cast Members such as myself. We all made small talk until our Leads for the day greeted us and began to check us in.
After check in we made out way to the CM Auditorium in (TDA) and there we watched several welcome videos. The first was clips of Walt talking about his vision for the park and there were several values mixed in as well. Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger was nice enough to join our class via satellite, well that's what our Leads joked. We then split off into groups to meet new people and play a game. We had to name as many Disney animated characters as we could in 90 seconds; sadly my teams was 11 shy of winning. We then we arranged in more new groups and headed up stairs with our Leads to classrooms.
We had another activity to do, it was a timeline of the Walt Disney Company. I don't mean to let my ego show to much, but I put the team on my back and only made a few errors. More video clips and Power Points slides, I enjoyed all of them, then time for a break. Kristian and David, my Leads, made mention of free coffee and it was a mad dash for most of us to go get out caffeine fix on. More video clips and Power Point slides, then it came time for our backstage and on stage tour. Backstage was something I always dreamed of seeing and now I was going to get my chance. We strolled through the backstage areas, went on stage and made several stops around the park. I couldn't have been more proud of my paper name tag at the point. During our outing in the park I shared some of my Disneyland knowledge with my new found friends. Then it was time for lunch. All I'm going to say is the Eat Ticket Cafe has some of the coolest Disneyland memorabilia hanging in it. Surprisingly the food wasn't too expensive, so maybe I'll splurge and eat there a few days a week.
It was back to video clips and Power Points slides again, I was trying to soak it all in... I hope that didn't make me seem like the over the top CM to be.... Afternoon caffeine break, more clips and slides, then we headed back down to the auditorium. This was it, this was the moment I've been waiting for. Or so I thought, they had us meet with out Onboarder (another fancy Disney term). Art gave us some forms, told us to be prepared and in the "Disney Look" for tomorrow, then sent us back in the auditorium. We watched a quick video welcoming us the the team and it ended with a segment of Walt talking. It was a truly amazing experience, but I knew what was coming next. Mickey was going to come out and give us our name tags and CM ID. I may be 23 years old but this got me a bit choked up. This was it I was finally no longer Sean the Disney Dork, I was Sean from Tempe, AZ a Cast Member at the Disneyland Resort. I have never had a job that has made me feel this way after just one day of training, nor I job I wanted to succeed to my maximum potential more than I do now. While they may just be two pieces of plastic they changed my life. I cannot say how thankful I am to my family, friends, and all of you that read this. I hope to continue this blog with stories of how my fellow Cast Members and I create happiness and magical memories.
Hold on to your hats and glasses folks, this here is the wildest blog in the wilderness.
Today started early for me, first alarm went off at 6:15, didn't even need the several backups I had set. Two bowls of cereal, shower, shave, and I was on my bike by 7:15 on my way to Team Disney Anaheim (TDA). I'm hopping I looked as dapper as I felt riding down Ball in my dress clothes. I arrived some five minutes later and was greeted by a courtyard full of many new Cast Members such as myself. We all made small talk until our Leads for the day greeted us and began to check us in.
After check in we made out way to the CM Auditorium in (TDA) and there we watched several welcome videos. The first was clips of Walt talking about his vision for the park and there were several values mixed in as well. Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger was nice enough to join our class via satellite, well that's what our Leads joked. We then split off into groups to meet new people and play a game. We had to name as many Disney animated characters as we could in 90 seconds; sadly my teams was 11 shy of winning. We then we arranged in more new groups and headed up stairs with our Leads to classrooms.
We had another activity to do, it was a timeline of the Walt Disney Company. I don't mean to let my ego show to much, but I put the team on my back and only made a few errors. More video clips and Power Points slides, I enjoyed all of them, then time for a break. Kristian and David, my Leads, made mention of free coffee and it was a mad dash for most of us to go get out caffeine fix on. More video clips and Power Point slides, then it came time for our backstage and on stage tour. Backstage was something I always dreamed of seeing and now I was going to get my chance. We strolled through the backstage areas, went on stage and made several stops around the park. I couldn't have been more proud of my paper name tag at the point. During our outing in the park I shared some of my Disneyland knowledge with my new found friends. Then it was time for lunch. All I'm going to say is the Eat Ticket Cafe has some of the coolest Disneyland memorabilia hanging in it. Surprisingly the food wasn't too expensive, so maybe I'll splurge and eat there a few days a week.
It was back to video clips and Power Points slides again, I was trying to soak it all in... I hope that didn't make me seem like the over the top CM to be.... Afternoon caffeine break, more clips and slides, then we headed back down to the auditorium. This was it, this was the moment I've been waiting for. Or so I thought, they had us meet with out Onboarder (another fancy Disney term). Art gave us some forms, told us to be prepared and in the "Disney Look" for tomorrow, then sent us back in the auditorium. We watched a quick video welcoming us the the team and it ended with a segment of Walt talking. It was a truly amazing experience, but I knew what was coming next. Mickey was going to come out and give us our name tags and CM ID. I may be 23 years old but this got me a bit choked up. This was it I was finally no longer Sean the Disney Dork, I was Sean from Tempe, AZ a Cast Member at the Disneyland Resort. I have never had a job that has made me feel this way after just one day of training, nor I job I wanted to succeed to my maximum potential more than I do now. While they may just be two pieces of plastic they changed my life. I cannot say how thankful I am to my family, friends, and all of you that read this. I hope to continue this blog with stories of how my fellow Cast Members and I create happiness and magical memories.
Hold on to your hats and glasses folks, this here is the wildest blog in the wilderness.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Delayed
Due to my classes background checks being held up in the courts my Traditions and Parks Operations classes have been delayed a week. I still made the journey to Anaheim yesterday, everything went smoothly, so much so most of my new room is already set up. I was heart broken Tuesday night when I received the call from Casting letting my know my start date had been delayed; I've since changed my mind a bit. While I am bummed to not be in dress clothes walking around the park today I do have a rare opportunity. One of my favorite podcasters from the DIS Unplugged Disneyland edition is in the parks. Though I won't be able to enjoy the parks with him; he invited me to dine with him and his family at a Whitewater Snacks, a favorite of all of ours. Whitewater Snacks is in the Grand Californian with a great view of Disney California Adventure and they have the best nachos I've ever eaten. So I get to have great lunch with some great company today.
Last night I had the opportunity to hangout with one of my favorite people Carly. She was a sweetheart and drove down from Pasadena after working at Starbucks just to hangout with me; that in itself made me super happy. We tried to go to my favorite sushi place in Orange, sadly Tokyo Cafe was closed, the Old Town Grinder however was open. The Grinder not only has one of the best pastrami sandwiches I've ever eaten, they have tons of bottled sodas, and it's a favorite of mine I haven't had in close to a year. As if eating with one of my favorite people at one of my favorite places wasn't enough we were able to watch the Disneyland holiday fireworks as Carly drove us back to my place. I had my first "I live here now how cool is that" moment when I first pulled off the freeway; seeing the fireworks shattered that first moment and really made me realize this is my life now. I may not start working for the Mouse for a week, but I'm already fully immersed in my noisy neighbors night time activities.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
It's Real
Warning I ramble a bit in this one...
This dream of mine is really happening. I know, I know; Sean it was real when you were offered the job. But it really hit me yesterday, again I know, I know I keep saying that. It was an early 6am wake up call so finish my ironing, shower, gourmet breakfast of S'more Pop Tarts, then on the road. Pops had said he wanted to make the trip with me so we'd be leaving from my parents in Chandler. He also has this thing about wanting to take his M3 over my single cab Ranger. I don't see why, the Ranger has four cylinders, power nothing but steering, and some sweet stickers on the rear window. Whatever if he doesn't want to take my sweet ride I guess we can take his hoopty.
Okay back to the story you folks are here for. We set out and hit the carpool lane as soon as we got on the freeway. Nothing like Pops and I laughing at people as we cruise through town. In the words of Julio sucks to suck nerds. We jam out to some sweet tunes; for a middle age man my father has a quality taste in music, go pops. We continue to chat the whole way, and by chat I really mean me talking my fathers ear off. I kept going on and on about how excited I am about the job, rambling on about Disneyland facts, I think I brought up potential living situations but who can be sure. Five and a half short hours later we pull off on Katella, throw the top down on the M3 and head towards Downtown Disney.
My father has never been to Downtown Disney, heck he's never even stepped foot on Disneyland property since before they built California Adventure. After we parked in Downtown Disney lot we dug into our lunch, shout out to Moms for packing us tasty foods. Then it began, Pops knew I have a wealth of Disney knowledge, but I think I surprised him. We took a leisurely strolled around the Disneyland Hotel; the new E Ticket pool just opened and it looks great. Pops was happy to find there is a Haagen Dazs in Downtown Disney and picked up some over priced ice cream. While Pops indulged his sweet tooth I used the lovely facilities at the Disneyland Hotel to put my dress pants on. Then the fun park started; I had to finish changing in the parking lot of Downtown Disney. I certainly got my fair share of interesting looks as I changed from a tshirt to my dress shirt and shoes. Ladies and gentlemen I have zero shame so those interesting looks had no effect on me.
We head to casting, I grab my paper work and Pops turns the car into his office. There were about ten of us there for Onboarding paperwork and we all made small talk. It was a fun group of people, I'm glad that I get to do Traditions with them next week. Onboarding wasn't anything special, I signed my life away to the Mouse, took a picture for my Cast Member i.d., and went over when and where we need to be for Traditions. I can't wait to see these people again, everyone was super friendly and I'm sure the nine hours we spend together for Traditions will feel like much less.
The housing situation: The one and only thing that I was stressed about was my housing situation. I was making jokes to everyone at Onboarding that if I looked like I slept in my truck the next time they saw me it was because I did. I had a sweet cottage to check out... the sweet cottage turned out to be one step up from my truck. PSA: If a room or house on Craigslist only has photos with awkward angles AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS. This "cottage" was a room slightly larger than my bathroom, it had an outdoor only kitchen, and the bathroom was off the back of the main house without a lock on the door. I should have know that for 500 dollars it was too good to be true.
PSA #2: HAVE A BACK UP PLAN! I had emailed several other people regarding rooms off Craigslist and none of them had got back to me. Not wanting to waste time Pops and I hit up a local gourmet dinner, McDonald's I think it was called, so I could get back on Craigslist. I found two rooms that looked promising and set up a meeting for them both. Folks there is someone upstairs looking after me, I have positive karma, however you would like to say it, I have good luck when I need it. The first room was amazing; only slightly smaller than my current room, private bathroom, and in a sweet townhome that has been overhauled in the last month. I feel like I'm forgetting something, oh two cool guys as my landloards and roommates.... Still there should be something more... oh it's on a street called Walnut. You don't know where Walnut is? Walnut is the street that borders the west end of the Disneyland Resort property. That's right I will be living within walking distance of work, I see plenty of theme park time in my days off. Pops and I wrapped up things at the new place and hit the road. We stopped at another one of those classy McDonald's for some sodas and ate some meatball sammiches, another shout out to Moms. The drive home was much quieter than on the way to Anahiem. In fact I passed out a few times; I ended up getting back to my apartment around 2:30, unpacked only my phone charger and passed out.
Yesterday was a long day, but it was a very rewarding one. My paper work is filed, I have a start date for work, an amazing place to live, and I start my dream job a week from Saturday. For those in Arizona please lets spend sometime together before I move next Friday; for those in California get ready. It's real, I'm chasing One Dorks Dream.
This dream of mine is really happening. I know, I know; Sean it was real when you were offered the job. But it really hit me yesterday, again I know, I know I keep saying that. It was an early 6am wake up call so finish my ironing, shower, gourmet breakfast of S'more Pop Tarts, then on the road. Pops had said he wanted to make the trip with me so we'd be leaving from my parents in Chandler. He also has this thing about wanting to take his M3 over my single cab Ranger. I don't see why, the Ranger has four cylinders, power nothing but steering, and some sweet stickers on the rear window. Whatever if he doesn't want to take my sweet ride I guess we can take his hoopty.
Okay back to the story you folks are here for. We set out and hit the carpool lane as soon as we got on the freeway. Nothing like Pops and I laughing at people as we cruise through town. In the words of Julio sucks to suck nerds. We jam out to some sweet tunes; for a middle age man my father has a quality taste in music, go pops. We continue to chat the whole way, and by chat I really mean me talking my fathers ear off. I kept going on and on about how excited I am about the job, rambling on about Disneyland facts, I think I brought up potential living situations but who can be sure. Five and a half short hours later we pull off on Katella, throw the top down on the M3 and head towards Downtown Disney.
My father has never been to Downtown Disney, heck he's never even stepped foot on Disneyland property since before they built California Adventure. After we parked in Downtown Disney lot we dug into our lunch, shout out to Moms for packing us tasty foods. Then it began, Pops knew I have a wealth of Disney knowledge, but I think I surprised him. We took a leisurely strolled around the Disneyland Hotel; the new E Ticket pool just opened and it looks great. Pops was happy to find there is a Haagen Dazs in Downtown Disney and picked up some over priced ice cream. While Pops indulged his sweet tooth I used the lovely facilities at the Disneyland Hotel to put my dress pants on. Then the fun park started; I had to finish changing in the parking lot of Downtown Disney. I certainly got my fair share of interesting looks as I changed from a tshirt to my dress shirt and shoes. Ladies and gentlemen I have zero shame so those interesting looks had no effect on me.
We head to casting, I grab my paper work and Pops turns the car into his office. There were about ten of us there for Onboarding paperwork and we all made small talk. It was a fun group of people, I'm glad that I get to do Traditions with them next week. Onboarding wasn't anything special, I signed my life away to the Mouse, took a picture for my Cast Member i.d., and went over when and where we need to be for Traditions. I can't wait to see these people again, everyone was super friendly and I'm sure the nine hours we spend together for Traditions will feel like much less.
The housing situation: The one and only thing that I was stressed about was my housing situation. I was making jokes to everyone at Onboarding that if I looked like I slept in my truck the next time they saw me it was because I did. I had a sweet cottage to check out... the sweet cottage turned out to be one step up from my truck. PSA: If a room or house on Craigslist only has photos with awkward angles AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS. This "cottage" was a room slightly larger than my bathroom, it had an outdoor only kitchen, and the bathroom was off the back of the main house without a lock on the door. I should have know that for 500 dollars it was too good to be true.
PSA #2: HAVE A BACK UP PLAN! I had emailed several other people regarding rooms off Craigslist and none of them had got back to me. Not wanting to waste time Pops and I hit up a local gourmet dinner, McDonald's I think it was called, so I could get back on Craigslist. I found two rooms that looked promising and set up a meeting for them both. Folks there is someone upstairs looking after me, I have positive karma, however you would like to say it, I have good luck when I need it. The first room was amazing; only slightly smaller than my current room, private bathroom, and in a sweet townhome that has been overhauled in the last month. I feel like I'm forgetting something, oh two cool guys as my landloards and roommates.... Still there should be something more... oh it's on a street called Walnut. You don't know where Walnut is? Walnut is the street that borders the west end of the Disneyland Resort property. That's right I will be living within walking distance of work, I see plenty of theme park time in my days off. Pops and I wrapped up things at the new place and hit the road. We stopped at another one of those classy McDonald's for some sodas and ate some meatball sammiches, another shout out to Moms. The drive home was much quieter than on the way to Anahiem. In fact I passed out a few times; I ended up getting back to my apartment around 2:30, unpacked only my phone charger and passed out.
Yesterday was a long day, but it was a very rewarding one. My paper work is filed, I have a start date for work, an amazing place to live, and I start my dream job a week from Saturday. For those in Arizona please lets spend sometime together before I move next Friday; for those in California get ready. It's real, I'm chasing One Dorks Dream.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Welcome!
My name is Sean S. from Tempe, AZ, how can I help you today?
This is my blog documenting my adventures and experiences through out my journey from Disney Dork to Cast Member. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm sure I'll enjoy writing it.
This is my blog documenting my adventures and experiences through out my journey from Disney Dork to Cast Member. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I'm sure I'll enjoy writing it.
It Happened
I got an interview with the Walt Disney Company for an Attractions position at the Disneyland Resort. I couldn't have been more excited about it; I was so excited I'm pretty sure some of my friends got sick of hearing about my interview and my excitement.
I could hardly sleep the night before, my generous estimate is two hours of sleep. So by the time my alarm went off at 6am I was already on my computer and eating some breakfast. That's a pretty normal morning for me; most of the time I'd get my cycling clothes on and head out for a ride, this day was different. I was about to embark on an adventure to Anaheim for my interview. I knew that leaving at 7am for a 4pm interview would leave me plenty of time for any problems that might arise as well as the battle against Phoenix rush hour and LA traffic. I had a worry free drive and in just a little over five and a half hours I was in Anaheim around 11:30 local time.
My luxurious room at the Extended Stay America wouldn't be ready for me until 1pm so I did what any weary driver would do, seek nourishment. Sticking with the trips theme of luxury I went to the McDonald's across from the park and ordered a McRibb. As you can see I was clearly going all out on this trip folks. After my five star lunch I headed over to Downtown Disney to take some photos, walk around, and kill some time. It may be early November, but in true Disney spirit Christmas decorations are already popping up in Downtown Disney and the entrance gates at Disney California Adventure. So I took some photos of the decorations and random shots of the DTD, the esplanade between the parks, and Disney's Grand California. It was shortly after 1pm, so I headed to my classy hotel.
Normal check in stuff, the room wasn't anything special, and the wifi was horrible; again I am the 1%. Nothing memorable or blog worthy happened between 1pm and 3:30pm. After my shower I headed to "The Big Green Building" as it's referred to by anyone who has ever been to it. It's the home of Casting (Disney term for HR) at the Disneyland resort. What I felt was the best mix of nerves, excitement, and anticipation. I after I entered I was told to have a seat in the lobby and wait until a Cast Member called my name. I have to give it to Disney, even the interior of the Casting Building is wonderfully themed. From Disney Characters on the walls, the names of rooms, to Disney movies on the many TV's. My name as well as five others was called and we entered a "Cast Member Theater" to watch a movie about working at the Disneyland Resort. It covered things like the "Disney Look", pay schedule, ect; most things I knew, but it was a nice refresher. As soon, I mean I didn't even have a chance to sit back down in the lobby, my recruiter Wendy greeted me and invited me into her office. I remembered the many tips I had received; I smiled, made eye contact and was my normal bubbly self. A few minutes of chit chat later (Wendy said it was my interview) I found out that I would not be receiving the job I had interviewed for. However Wendy insisted that she had a job she felt was much better suited for me and I would enjoy much more. I was offered a position as a CM at Innoventions; Innoventions is a combined walk through and interactive attraction in Tomorrowland. Wendy said I would have my more guest interaction than at other attractions and it is a higher pay scale. I was SOLD! We went over the next steps for me, instructed to wait for emails so I could accomplish those next steps, and I was on my way. I did it I was offered a position as a Cast Member at Disneyland. I forced myself to contain my excitement until I was in the privacy of my own truck, once there I let out a cheer and called my parents and told them the great news. A quick 10 minute drive back to my baller hotel room and I began the many calls letting friends and family members the good news.
I could hardly sleep the night before, my generous estimate is two hours of sleep. So by the time my alarm went off at 6am I was already on my computer and eating some breakfast. That's a pretty normal morning for me; most of the time I'd get my cycling clothes on and head out for a ride, this day was different. I was about to embark on an adventure to Anaheim for my interview. I knew that leaving at 7am for a 4pm interview would leave me plenty of time for any problems that might arise as well as the battle against Phoenix rush hour and LA traffic. I had a worry free drive and in just a little over five and a half hours I was in Anaheim around 11:30 local time.
My luxurious room at the Extended Stay America wouldn't be ready for me until 1pm so I did what any weary driver would do, seek nourishment. Sticking with the trips theme of luxury I went to the McDonald's across from the park and ordered a McRibb. As you can see I was clearly going all out on this trip folks. After my five star lunch I headed over to Downtown Disney to take some photos, walk around, and kill some time. It may be early November, but in true Disney spirit Christmas decorations are already popping up in Downtown Disney and the entrance gates at Disney California Adventure. So I took some photos of the decorations and random shots of the DTD, the esplanade between the parks, and Disney's Grand California. It was shortly after 1pm, so I headed to my classy hotel.
Normal check in stuff, the room wasn't anything special, and the wifi was horrible; again I am the 1%. Nothing memorable or blog worthy happened between 1pm and 3:30pm. After my shower I headed to "The Big Green Building" as it's referred to by anyone who has ever been to it. It's the home of Casting (Disney term for HR) at the Disneyland resort. What I felt was the best mix of nerves, excitement, and anticipation. I after I entered I was told to have a seat in the lobby and wait until a Cast Member called my name. I have to give it to Disney, even the interior of the Casting Building is wonderfully themed. From Disney Characters on the walls, the names of rooms, to Disney movies on the many TV's. My name as well as five others was called and we entered a "Cast Member Theater" to watch a movie about working at the Disneyland Resort. It covered things like the "Disney Look", pay schedule, ect; most things I knew, but it was a nice refresher. As soon, I mean I didn't even have a chance to sit back down in the lobby, my recruiter Wendy greeted me and invited me into her office. I remembered the many tips I had received; I smiled, made eye contact and was my normal bubbly self. A few minutes of chit chat later (Wendy said it was my interview) I found out that I would not be receiving the job I had interviewed for. However Wendy insisted that she had a job she felt was much better suited for me and I would enjoy much more. I was offered a position as a CM at Innoventions; Innoventions is a combined walk through and interactive attraction in Tomorrowland. Wendy said I would have my more guest interaction than at other attractions and it is a higher pay scale. I was SOLD! We went over the next steps for me, instructed to wait for emails so I could accomplish those next steps, and I was on my way. I did it I was offered a position as a Cast Member at Disneyland. I forced myself to contain my excitement until I was in the privacy of my own truck, once there I let out a cheer and called my parents and told them the great news. A quick 10 minute drive back to my baller hotel room and I began the many calls letting friends and family members the good news.
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