My Daily Routine

My day ended up being pretty good today. I never really talk about work; I guess because it isn’t very exciting; for the most part. I no longer work at Disney’s Hollywood Studios where I worked at eight different attractions. It was never really boring, but it was frustrating being moved around all the time.

Now, I spend all of my time, for the most part at the International Gateway, greeting guests, scanning tickets and providing support for the rest of the cast members I work with.  The people I work with are pretty awesome people. I like them all. I work with a number of individuals who work well together, though we all have our little idiosyncrasies.

My typical day starts around seven a.m. I get up, usually to an excited Chico(my Chihuahua), I clean up, shave, brush the pearlies, make lunch, have breakfast, put on my costume jump on Marisol(my Ninja) or Gertie(Roy’s V-Star) and make the fifteen minute drive to EPCOT.

When I arrive at Cast Services, I go to my locker, switch jackets and make my way to the bus stop outside of the CS building, where I await the arrival of the Cast West bus.
While I wait, I take the time to change out of my jeans, pack them into my bag, update my twitter and facebook on my phone and board the bus when it arrives.
The bus ride usually takes about ten minutes where I get off at the International Gateway. Usually, I am the only one who gets off there. Everyone else(usually ICP’s) get off at the other stops which are the Japan, Morocco, German, Italian and French Pavilions.
The bus is a plethora of languages and cultures and I often enjoy listening to the conversations that occur.

When I arrive at my destination, I get to my mini-locker and change shoes, get my water bottle and pouch, where I keep a towel, mints, hand sanitizer, stickers, pens, a marker and my tell-a-cast. These are all of the things that I may need at any moment. Of all these things, the tell-a-cast is the most useful. A tell-a-cast is like a super times guide that gives us all of the information that is needed to help the guests plan out their day.

I clock in at our breakroom on a computer that runs what we call CDS. CDS stands for Cast Deployment System. CDS tells us where we are supposed to be, sends us on break, lunch and when it’s time to bump out and clock out.

I get two fifteen minute breaks on short days and they add a forty-five minute break on my long days. I have lunch on my first fifteen minute break and go back to work.
Though I hate the long days, the forty-five minute break is a good rest period. This period gives me time to watch a video on the ARCHOS or the ipod. Sometimes, I carry my ipad with me to do some writing or reading. All in all, my day is a bit diversified.






I don’t really talk with many of the people I work with. I am quite fond of a couple, especially Vera and Marianne. All of the regulars there are pretty awesome. The cast members, who work at the Main Entrance in the front, call the International Gateway area, The Island of The Misfits. I think that is incredibly mean. Everyone I work with is fun.

We enjoy our conversations and the time we spend with each other. We work well together, watch over each other, cover when one-another needs a water of bathroom break. It’s a positive environment to work in.  The day usually goes quickly, as we get the guests through the turnstiles. We help them solve ticket problems, answer the questions they have about the park and resorts in the area. We explain the FASTPASS system, help them plan out their day, figure out which shows to see, what attractions to ride and what eateries to visit.

Most of the guests are really wonderful people. They are one of the main reasons I work at DISNEY. I love meeting people from around the world and I am really thrilled when I meet people from my home state of California. Occasionally, I actually meet people from the San Fernando Valley, where I grew up. It is always fun to reminisce about home, the sights, and the restaurants and hang outs back home.

There are those guests that are not that friendly. Having been a guest there in 2004, the one week in August that there was no hurricane, I know how frustrating it can be waiting in lines, to get into the park when your ticket doesn’t work. There are lines for the attractions, eateries and even lines to go to the bathroom. Visiting Walt Disney World isn’t cheap. It can be affordable if you plan for it. For two of us, my god-daughter, Ashley and I, for seven days with airfare it was nearly four-thousand dollars. This did not include any meal plan. We actually spent additional money for our meals. Eating at Disney is not inexpensive. I would say about five hundred dollars went on meals. So, I understand how expensive it is to visit; a family of four most likely spends a lot more for a week. The typical cost of a week at Disney World is anywhere from five to fifteen thousand dollars per week! Not everyone has a great time at Walt Disney World.
Some guests, curse at us, and swear never to return to our happy little realm.
Then of course, there are the others; the guests that love our park, don’t want to leave and can’t wait to come back. I have had many guests like that, guests that have come to find me every time they visit. This is a topic for another posting though.

When I get out early, I make it a point to walk through the park on the way home, instead of riding the Cast East bus back to Cast Services. When I walk out of the park, I usually exit out through The Mexico Pavilion, go into the CS building, head to my locker, switch jackets again, jump on the bike and make the fifteen minute ride home.

My job isn’t hard, it isn’t life altering but, I still make a difference. I make a difference for the guests I greet with a smile everyday. I serenade the birthday girls and boys, men and women; I bow to and greet the little princesses that come to visit our realm. I congratulate the Anniversary Couples and those celebrating everything else that they can on their visit.

I want to make one note on this mini-topic; a couple of years ago, I was very happily working in my playground at Hollywood Studios. It is the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playground where everything is HUGE! The size of everything in the playground gives one the impression that they are ant-sized. Anyway, I was at the photo-cell position where the guests enter/exit. On one particular afternoon, there was this adorable little six year old girl named Marissa. She took time to sit on the rock by the PC and just engaged me in conversation. She talked to me about living in Massachusetts and how she was really enjoying her trip to Disney World. This trip happened to be her second trip in two years. Her mother walked up and joined in on the conversation. Marissa introduced me to her mom and ran off to play. Marissa had been wearing one of the green Celebration buttons that we give to the guests for various celebrations. I asked her mom what Marissa was celebrating. Her mother, whose name I don’t recall right at this moment, proceeded to tell me that Marissa was celebrating being free of Leukemia. She continued to inform me that when Marissa had visited the previous year, she was on her Make-A-Wish trip, a trip for children who are not expected to survive whatever ailments that they are battling.
This wonderful, courageous little cherub faced death and stared it down. I was so moved by this child, this family; that I was compelled to summon another cast member to take over for me for a few moments, so that I could go back stage and cry my eyes out.
I know that I have made a positive difference in many lives, young and old; however this little angel, Marissa, made a phenomenal impact on my life that continues to shape my way of thinking and actions to this day.

Not every day is like this; in fact these types of days are few and far between, but they are great experiences that I am able live through and document, hopefully to read years down the line and remember what it is that I am currently doing. I don’t know that I’ll stay at Walt Disney World for years to come. I try to go day by day, until something else that garners my attention comes into focus. For now, I like seeing my friends at the International Gateway every day. They are a fun bunch; I for one am proud to be a member of the Island of The Misfits!