“There is a
world where hope and dreams can last for all time.”—Ariel (The Little Mermaid)
That world is
absolutely, positively, without a doubt, Walt Disney World! But I never knew
how much work it took to keep this place as magical as it is. Don’t worry, I will make sure that you “keep
your magic”, as we say here. I won’t
tell you any of the secrets to destroy your childhood.
But what I will
tell you is a little bit about my Quick Service on-the-job training at The
Columbia Harbor House. This is me in my costume. I’ve never worked in a restaurant before so this is
going to be a treat.
Day One
My trainer was
Jason. I started work at 14:00 (Disney
uses military time. They’re really close
with the government). We did busing which consists of cleaning the tables,
sweeping the floors and cleaning out the trash cans. You have to be quick and on your toes. You also have to look out for the Guests
because they definitely aren’t looking out for you.
Disney is an
extremely clean place. I know because
that’s all you do as a Quick Service Food and Beverage Cast member. Clean. For
the first couple hours we cleaned the tables and swept the floors. But I would have to say the trash was the
worst. And the smelliest. There is one
trash can that even if you take it out and clean it, you come back and it’s
filled again, almost overflowing. It was
a long and tiring day. I was supposed to
get off at 22:00 but it was 22:50 before I could leave. Jason told me it’s like that most
nights. Oh boy.
Day Two
My trainer was
Vicki. I started work at 13:45. We did counters, which I liked a lot better. Anything rather than trashcans, I’m good
with. It is a very VERY fast place to
work. Especially at lunch time. Also included in this job are the drink
station and the greeting positions. I
didn’t get trained on these though because we didn’t have time.
Day Three
My trainer was
Kienan. I started at 9:45 and we did the condiment bars which has officially
became my favorite. He did teach me the
greeting positions which were really easy.
I actually got to get off work on time at 18:00! I was so happy and
especially because I had the next day off.
Day Four
My trainer was
Noemi. I worked from 8:30-16:45. We
opened counters and I had a pretty awesome day.
I actually got to do drinks, which was pretty fast paced. I got soda all
over my hands. I also got to try out the
pre-stocking station. I like that
position pretty well, but the cocktail sauce stinks like none other. Yuck! But
a pretty good day. And because we have been accident free for 100 days, we all
got free ice cream!!!! Sometimes I just love my job!
Day Five
My trainer was
Nancy. It was an awesome day because she said it was all about me. We were supposed
to do trash but once you do trash you know how to do trash. We ran errands, like taking any of the items that
people left to the Yankee Trader. I took my assessment that was really easy and
then I had to have my walk through. For the walk through, a manager has to take
you around the restaurant and ask you questions. The managers were busy so they just had my
trainer do it. It wasn’t too bad, but
when I was leaving one of the managers asked me even more questions. I
survived. I earned my ears!!!!!!!
"All our dreams
can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."—Walt Disney
