Hello, folks! I still have tons of stories to tell, so I will begin updating this blog again soon.
Category: Disney College Program
Grocery Bingo
One of the many things the Disney College Program did for us was put on monthly Bingo games. The winners would receive a DCP reusable bag that is filled with groceries! I don’t think most people in the CP have lived on their own before, so groceries are necessary and very much needed. Forget Disney Swag, we need to eat!
The first time I went to the Bingo, it was actually an accident. I was arriving home from work and I always walked outside to get to my room. It was a shortcut. Well, I walked outside and everyone looked up from their bingo cards. Guess I was joining them! That was also the day when helicopters began flying overhead and using their loudspeaker to announce all residents should remain inside because there was an armed criminal on the loose. We were perfectly safe up on the second story of our secured building, but it was still really freaky.
Back to the Future Movie Night
One of the many things the Disney College Program does for us is put on Movie Nights once a month. They put together snacks, decorations, and encourage everyone to dress up to the theme. This Movie Night was October 2015 for Back to the Future Day and was themed as such. We partied to the movie’s dance theme: Enchantment Under the Sea. So fun! Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well, so I became the photographer and took photos instead of participating in them. Enjoy!
Training Day 2-5 Indiana Jones Adventure
Indy Day 2- Friday: We finally learned how to make the 12,500 lb vehicles move using the multiple consoles. Oh, the power at your fingertips! There are loads of safety procedures in place to make sure guests are safe at all times. For example, there are two consoles with one Cast Member at each and they must press their own dispatch button at the same time in order to dispatch the vehicle from the station. If one person doesn’t press the button or releases it, then the other person can’t send the vehicle since there is apparently an issue that needs to be resolved first. Common issues would be a guest standing up, a bag hanging out of the car, or something on the track. Once you get on the vehicle, you’re moved a bit forward to a second stop where your seat belts are checked and then you’re off into The Temple of the Forbidden Eye!
Another thing you must learn is how to add and remove vehicles to the ride, hand gestures to indicate procedures that need to be followed while in the Station (the Station is so loud they offer Cast Member’s ear plugs), and the proper and most courteous way to direct guests out of the attraction.
It became second nature for me to remind people to collect their belongings because if they didn’t, we would have to search every single car until it was either found or confirmed lost. I tried to make my little spiel funny, but having to speak so loudly was exhausting. Not only would I get tired of saying it, but the Cast Member next to me at the second console would no doubt get sick of hear me say it!
“Welcome back, Explorers! Please grab all hats, bags, sunglasses, and cellphones. Exit to your righthand side, please.”
My favorite joke to play would be pretending we’d lost a vehicle to Mara inside the Temple when it was taking too long to pull up to dispatch. I’d make exaggerated searching gestures as if I were looking for the vehicle, then shout to the Cast Member across the way, “Where’d they go? If we lose another carload again, they’re gonna take it out of my paycheck!” Guests almost always found that amusing. Sometimes the Cast Member did, too. I did that joke rather often. Occasionally I’d point at the guests and warn them to listen to Mara and not look him/her in the eye otherwise they’d disappear, too.
At the end of the day, we went backstage to take a quiz and then read the Operating Guide again.
Indy Day 3- Saturday: You know how you always want “the driver’s seat” on the Indiana Jones ride? Yeah, this day is when Josh and I learned how to accommodate that request. We learned how to group people (a.k.a. “Grouping”) on the vehicle and what to do when someone wants to be seated in certain rows. The vehicles only fit 4 people across in 3 rows total. Each vehicle therefore holds 12 people. So what do you do if you have a group of 5? It wouldn’t be very fun to make someone ride alone, so we split them into 3 and 2 and have them take two rows.You don’t have to be good at math in order to do well at Grouping; you have to be aware of how many people you’ve already placed in a row to make sure you’re not double-booking a seat. It’s imperative to keep families together! I liked to spiel to guests that “this is Disneyland! We’re in the business of keeping families together; not spreading them apart!”
The next part we learned was the role referred to as Tower. Nearly all new Indy CM’s panic with the amount of responsibility in this role and I was no exception. Just to power the ride up and prepare it for the day, it takes at least a dozen switches/knobs/lights! Tower is where you can view a dozen monitors that display security footage from inside the attraction so you can watch to make sure everything is safe and guests aren’t in harm’s way. A lot of Cast Members are extremely intimidated by this location because if something were to go wrong with the attraction, you’re the one running the shots. You also have the ability to stop the ride in case of emergency (including Mickey Mouse ears that fell onto the tracks and a vehicle is about to hit it), answering the attraction’s internal park phone, talking to maintenance and custodial, monitoring the security footage, conversing with other Cast Members about ride breakdowns or loss of a vehicle, and a million other things. No to mention a handful of spiels you have to make over the ride intercom system when necessary.
Quiz and Operating Guide again!
Indy Day 4- Sunday:
Review day! We went over all the rotations within Indy, what each job does, the workings within Tower, and everything else that needs to be known in order to safely and efficiently run the attraction.
Surprise! Quiz and Operating Guide again.
Indy Day 5- Monday:
Today was the final day of training. Josh and I were extremely nervous because we had a quick review of the roles and how Tower worked before getting our Performance Assessment. The PA’s decided if we were qualified to run the attraction or not. If we failed horribly, it could me an entire reassignment at Disneyland. If we missed a few things, it might just mean additional training and a second PA. Thankfully, both Josh and I passed right away. I was actually pretty positive I wouldn’t pass because I was so terrified of working in Tower. After a few times up there over the next four months, I would learn that it really wasn’t bad.
Training Day 1 for Indiana Jones Adventure
August 26-31, 2015
Wednesday: 1145-2000
Thursday: 0745-1615
Friday: 0600-1430
Saturday: 0500-1330
Sunday: 1630-2500
Monday: 1100-1930
That was my schedule. 1 day of GIT Training and 5 days of training is required for Indiana Jones Adventure.
Wednesday: GIT Training
Indy Day 1- Thursday:
I was paired with Josh for training, however we were the only New Hires paired up with one Trainer. Tasha, Miranda, and Ari all had their own one-on-one training. Josh and I got along well, so we were excited to share the training experience together. Our Trainer’s name was Adam and we had heard from other Cast Members that “he is pretty cool.” Turns out, they were right.
I drove Josh and myself early to the park and waited backstage at the main gate called Harbor Pointe. We were too excited to sit at home and wait. When we arrived, we were told to meet our Indiana Jones trainer, Adam, at “the flag pole” backstage. After that day, the flag pole area was known as “Starbucks” since Starbucks is more iconic than a flag pole. #Amurica
Adam arrived, introduced himself, and we took off right away to Costuming. This was it! This was what Josh and I were most excited for: our Indiana Jones fedora and costume! Costuming allows all Cast Members to (for the most part), check out 3 shirts and 3 bottoms, 1 belt, and our gender specific jacket. In addition, I had to also get a pair of spats and tie. It’s part of every Cast Member’s job to make sure they look exactly as they should with clean and non-wrinkled costumes. It helps to keep the Show (of the Four Keys) in tact and magical. We would find many coworkers who struggle with that requirement, however. For example, we knew one person who would always wear sagging pants. Not only is it tacky, but it doesn’t match Indiana Jones’ 1937 ear style clothing. I was told that even forgetting my tie would result in either being sent to Costuming and being forced to check out a second tie, which would be a penalty on my account, or go home and lose a day of pay and be docked points. Same goes for wearing too much makeup (even if it IS era accurate, i.e. red lipstick for women).
Adam took us out of costuming, back to Harbor Pointe, past the Soundsational Parade floats, and on stage to Town Square. We marveled at ourselves for a moment, standing in full costume in front of the Main Street Train Station as crowds passed us not knowing what a monumental moment it was. Josh and I exchanged smiles and hurried after Adam who had taken off across the street and toward the Firehouse to the backstage entrance.We walked backstage behind The Jungle Cruise and to the Indiana Jones’ backstage entrance.
After putting our things down in the break room, we were given a tour of the attraction, which tells the story of Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Every attraction at Disneyland has a story to it. Adam took Josh and I on what’s called a Temple Tour and told us the entire story of Indy and the Temple. (I’ll make a post on that another time because it’s a very intricate and brilliant story.) When we arrived in The Station where guests board the ride vehicles, Adam waved at another Cast Member, held up three fingers, and boarded the next vehicle. He walked on, sat down, took off his fedora, and looked up at us. You didn’t have to tell us twice! Josh and I hurried onboard and took a seat and fastened our seatbelts. We were going on a Show Check of Indy!
We had lunch at the Cast Member backstage cafe, which is moderately priced and has nearly the same foods guests get in the parks. It’s notorious for being painfully slow, so never count on eating there if you have less than 30 minutes for lunch (or, in my case, more than 30 minutes because they forgot my order TWICE despite me being the only person standing and waiting in line). They make a really great milkshake, though.
After lunch, we left Indy and went back to a building nearby the Starbucks backstage and read the beginning of Indiana Jones’ Operating Guide until the end of our shift.
By the time I got home, I had enough energy to hang my hat up, heat up a microwave dinner, then go to bed.
Magically Disney: Jessie's DCP 
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