WDW College Program

This is my fourth week here as a WDWCP. I’m starting to get used to my schedule of work and class. I work five days a week and go to class two days a week. I like my schedule because on my days of work, I can focus on work and my days of class, I can focus on class.

I have really fallen into understanding the four keys. Right after I clock in and get my assignment and before leaving my stationed building, I always give myself a checklist. Am I show ready? Am I within the disney look? Is my shirt tucked in? Are any of my tattoos visible? Do I have my water bottle? Do I have my telecast handy? Is my name tag on?

Also, just something I noticed the other day. When I first started work as a Disney Hollywood Studio’s Park Greeter, I thought that I would be able to personally interact with guests since I’d be one of the first people they’d see. I soon realized that sometimes it’s hard to connect with guests, especially when all they want to do is get into the park and play. I definitely don’t blame them. That is exactly the reason why people go to Disney World.

I was also able to attend Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival. People who attended would get a passport where they can obtain stamps from different vendors as they tried (or not try) their food. I collected a stamp from each country vendor that participated.

This week jump started the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festivle. In Epcot there are two major festivals, the Wine and Food festival that happens in the Fall and the Flower and Garden festival that occurs in the spring. I am very happy to be able to not only attend this festival but take apart in its work. Even though I am in outdoor vending pieces of this event are spread along the entire park and because spring break season is now upon us the park is as packed as ever.

In the International Flower and Graden festival their are various amounts of special dishes and beverages that are only here when this festival takes place. What I have really enjoyed though are the detailed topiaries that you can find in both Future World and the World ShowCase. These topiaries consist of classic and new Disney characters that have been recreated in amazing living sculptures by renowned horticulturists.

This festival lasts a full 3 months from March 2nd to May 30th. When entering the park you are constantly reminded of its presence and as soon as you walk in there is a amazing topiarie of Mini Mouse to welcome you into the park. Before the festival actually started I was one of the first people to see some of the events they had lined up. Such as the “Butterflies On the Go” exhibit where you are in a big netted tent that allows you to have beautiful butterflies flying all around you basically living as they normally would. Some people are even lucky enough to have some of the butterflies land on their shoulders.

The reason that this event is so special is mainly because of it food. They do have other events to keep everyone entertained and very much in to a greener earth, but what people really come for is the food that they know they can not get anywhere else. On my first visit I did not get the time or chance to purchase any of the specialty foods but I know that I will be back more then once to really be able to enjoy all that the festival has to offer.

This week has been very busy for the resort I work for. Pop Century almost reached its full occupancy. So many check ins were taking place, it was amazing. The place became very fast paced for some time and everybody was very busy. I loved it. Now that I get to see what is like to work at a hotel, how much you have to multi-task and how attentive you have to be towards the guests and how you need to pay attention to every detail, I realized that this is what I want to do. I realized that I chose the right field and I’m enjoying every minute of it.

Everyday you get to experience something new. Every guest has an unique situation that needs to be taken care of. Sometimes it can be a little challenging to try to cater to their needs but is not impossible. I love how enthusiastic everyone is at my work place. Even when they are very tired they do their best to assist the guests, have a smile on their faces and provide the best service possible. I am still working on enhancing my interactive skills and I can see how everyday I adapt more and become better at it. Working at front desk is a very exciting and challenging role that can actually be very helpful and allow me to learn many things that can be useful in the future towards my career.

This has been my third week here as a WDWCP and my first week of actual work has started. Being a Disney Hollywood Studio’s Park Greeter is actually exactly what I imagined. Being a park greeter makes you feel like the face of the company in a way. We are the first ones to see the guests. Besides security, drivers and vacation planners. We are the ones who let them in the park.

To get into the park, Walt Disney World uses something called touch points. Where people will either scan a card or a magic band that is linked with their card (ticket). While being at the touch point, we greet people, make connections and conversations. We also assist the guest with an questions and concerns. For example, where is the closest bathroom or where is the closest fast pass kiosk.

Although, as I do like my role here at Walt Disney World, I would still prefer to work indoors at a resort. My biggest reason is because of my fear of high temperatures. The heat and me do not get a long at all. I heard that summers in Florida are quite brutal with the temperature and weather. I also have to wear long sleeves and long pants at all times because of my tattoos. That would be a future set back for me.

This week was my first time going to Epcot park and I was really surprised when I saw the Spaceship ball right in front of the main entrance. The Spaceship Earth in future world at Epcot is a ride that takes people to a gentle journey through time that technologically man has evolved. This iconic and symbolic structure is one of the most recognizable structures of any theme parks. The ride takes about Fifteen minutes and it demonstrates to the guest how advancements in human communication and technology have helped to us to create one step at a time up to day.

The  reason why this famous and iconic structure made me reflective this week is because that for the first time in my life I have been in a ride that really made me think about where we are coming from in terms of communication and technology. I know that now in days, we as the new generation we don’t even care to know how we all have got to this point where everything is virtual and technology-wise. I still remember when in my house like Fifteen years ago we still had the black and white TV and when not everybody could have a computer in the house. But after I went into this ride I realized how advanced we were technologically  at that time compared to Thirty years ago. I saw how big were the computers, it was like the size of a house and now I can hold it with one hand. Another thing that really surprise me was when in one part of the ride we were like outside the Earth and I have to say that it feels very real I can almost say that I kind of have the idea of how it feels to be out in the space. I know all of this information is not new to me because I have taken classes and I have read books, watched videos etc. But what is new to me is that I have never lived this experience in reality like I did in the Spaceship ride, because it felt like I went back in time and through time up to the world we are currently living.