[Ready2Go]

Have a blast!!!!!!!......5 months will go by fast!!

[DisneyWorldFan]

Have fun with this Ginger! I've got to suscribe to this thread so I can learn about your experience(s). Good Luck!!!

[Princessbaby]

WOW! Sounds great so far and you haven't started your job yet!! Have fun and keep us updated!

[JM0318]

I will be there sometime in Jan the end or the first part of Feb. I will be sure to look for you.... Congrats.... and I can hardly wait for pic's....

[DisneyHog6]

I'll probably say it every time I respond to your thread... BUT I'M SO JEALOUS!!!! :BIGGRIN:

Congrats on getting your assignment. I've heard Traditions class is a lot of fun.. My DW is a former WDW CM. Can't wait to hear about your first few days.

[georg_w]

Hey im so syked for ya. I imagine it being extremely stressful. Ok so i have a few questions, but let me get tow the background info first. OK.... im leaving for wdw on the 10 of jan but my check in day isnt untill the 11 would you recomend staying at pop century like you did, how much did you pay for your room. Did you drive down, or fly. Give me the basic rundown of what your travels were like i cant wait to be there!!!! Thanks a bunch!
~Georg

[gingita]

Well tomorrow I actually start my job. I am so excited that I wish I didn't have another day off today. I get to go all over the MK touring and around the backstage area and such. One of my roommates went yesterday and she said it was really cool. We are both huge Disney fanatics, so this stuff is really fun for us.

Yesterday I hit MK, Epcot, AK, and the GF. I was only planning on going to MK for a few hours, but then I got too caught up in everything and couldn't stop. The holiday crowds are definitely starting to pick up. It was very busy, but manageable with fastpasses.

Also, I posted a pic of myself in the photos thread, it's also now in my avatar so you know what I look like if you happen to head to Adventureland. Also, whenever I am just touring the parks, I always have on a lanyard with a pouch that has my housing ID in it. So if you see someone wearing an ID card that says Chatham Square, Ginger Wester, it's me!

I will be sure to post some more pics later (I have some really pretty ones of the park), but I still need to upload them from my camera. I am going to be lazy today and just get things done around my apartment, so be sure to check back later for those. I also need to go buy my shoes! Yay!

Well, as always, have a magical day!

[Princess Tessa]

Ginger.....time for another update!!!
Tell us everything about your job and the training process and what not.
Life on Disney property...

Also, I don't remember if I already asked you this, but I was wondering how many roommates do you have?

[The Goof Father]

YEAH! Me and Tessa want to hear more! MORE! MORE! MORE!

The trip reports + pictures are great, but we need to hear about the work! Inside scoops on Disney!

[gingita]

Wow, the inside scoop....hmm, what do I know....

First of all, if you are thinking about taking the Keys to the Kingdom tour just to see the Utilidors, don't do it. To be honest, they are really ugly. I actually hate walking through there--it smells really funny and it's not at all attractive, but I have to do it to get to Adventureland. So that's my only complaint about my job.

I guess I will just start from the beginning to tell about the training process, but I am going to break it up over several posts of related items so this one doesn't run on forever.

Hope you enjoy my ramblings because I am pretty bored right now!

[Princess Tessa]

YAY!!!! Ramblings!!!

[gingita]

The Housing Situation:

I live in Chatham Square which I really, really love. I live in a 3 bedroom apt, so there are 6 of us total, but soon to be 5. One of my roommates is leaving tonight at 11pm because she hates it here so bad. Apparently she didn't read all the information about the program, so her view was pretty skewed coming in. But secretly we are all glad she is leaving because she is always so negative about everything and it's hard on the rest of us.

Security is super tight in all the housing complexes, so Tessa, you can feel very safe coming here. IDs are checked on everyone coming in and all guests have to be screened and have to leave the complex by 9pm if they don't live here. You can be a guest in another apartment until 1am, but from 1-7am, only you and your roommates can be in the apartment. But if you want to go somewhere else overnight, it's totally cool.

The apartments are very nice and each bedroom has it's own bathroom (thank goodness!). My bedroom here is about 1/2 of the size of my whole apartment back in Utah! It's really big and I love it! Mickey's Retreat (a recreation area for cast members) is my view out my bedroom window. It's between Chatham and The Commons (international program housing complex).

But Tessa, definitely bring a mattress pad or buy one at Wal-Mart when you get here because the beds are pretty stiff.

And yes, there is a bus dedicated to driving us to Wal-Mart. The bus system isn't too bad--yes, it can be slow at times, but as long as I am to work on time, I don't really care. I don't have anything else to do here but work, sleep, and play. So who am I to complain?

[gingita]

Traditions:

Traditions is a 4-hour class about the history of the Walt Disney Company and all the values Walt instilled into his company. It was my official first day of work (meaning, I am now getting paid). Being the Disney nut and history buff that I am, I absolutely loved it! I couldn't believe I was getting paid to listen to this and watch all the cool videos about Disney.

Sure, some of the videos were a bit cheesy (like the one about sexual harassment--I laugh just thinking about it), but I loved it all. Plus whenever you answered a question, you received a little Disney figure--I got Minnie Mouse.

After the class was over, the trainers from all the areas of all the parks and resorts came to "claim" us. It was so exciting, yet nerve wracking at the same time because I was finally going to find out the actual attractions I would be working at. And of course, I had to be the last one called...

So after I found out I would be working in ATT (the abbreviation for my area--the attractions are listed in my signature), I was given two days off. I was actually a little disappointed I couldn't start working immediately because I was ready to! But now, looking back, I am very grateful I had those days off because the rest of the week was pretty crazy.

Up next...
Training Day 1: Once Upon a Time and Be a Guest (yes, those are the names of the two training classes I had on Tuesday)

[Princess Tessa]

oh wow! I am LOVING this!!! more more more
I'm glad your poopy room mate is leaving hee hee, what was she expecting?
Thank you for the tip about the mattress pad, I'll be sure to bring money for that to bet at walmart
I'm also so glad we get so many bathrooms! That can be a problem with tons of gils living together haha.

I can't wait to do traditions, I'm going to LOVE it so much! hoo-rah...

[gingita]

Originally Posted by Princess Tessa

oh wow! I am LOVING this!!! more more more
I'm glad your poopy room mate is leaving hee hee, what was she expecting?
Thank you for the tip about the mattress pad, I'll be sure to bring money for that to bet at walmart
I'm also so glad we get so many bathrooms! That can be a problem with tons of gils living together haha.

I can't wait to do traditions, I'm going to LOVE it so much! hoo-rah...

Well you know how they pull money each week from your paycheck for the rent (mine is $71 per week)...well she thought it was $71 for the whole month! Then she claims she was told that Disney provides everything, including food! Again . Due to her lack of reading through all the information, she claims she has the right to sue Disney over this. We all just laugh and are counting down the hours until she leaves...yes, we are bad.

But yes, the bathrooms for each room are a definite blessing. And it's even better because my roommate and I work opposite shifts, so we rarely see each other and have to wait for the other to finish in the bathroom.

And also be sure to bring plenty of money to blow at Walmart. It's amazing the amount of things you have to buy once you get here that you don't realize you use every day (ie. cleaning supplies, enough food items to make meals, toiletries, work location shoes, bathroom rugs, etc...) I think I have spent about $200 at Walmart since I got here.

So I will have more of my training report later. It's time for dinner and someone is making something that smells really good--better than my Christmas chocolates I have been eating all day. I am hungry!