Amber Earns Her Ears: My Secret Walt Disney World Cast Member Diary (5 page)

When the other girls arrived, I helped carry in their things while our parents chatted in the kitchen. Finally, when everything had been moved in (I thought I had brought a lot, but Leah arrived with a U-Haul trailer in tow; admittedly, though, she did drive a Bug), we sat down on the couch and took our first roommate picture.

After our parents, with many hugs, had dispersed, we began to unpack and get to know one another a bit before walking over to the Commons for our first housing meeting which was, as per usual with these kinds of things, rather dull. There were grand efforts to make it entertaining , and the guy from Housing almost succeeded in keeping our attention for most of it. From stories about a linebacker tackling a roommate who pulled a prank on him involving a fake sword to the cheesy videos informing us of the different services offered by the complexes, he did manage to elicit a few peals of laughter from the crowd.

As soon as he left, the monotonous listing of rules began, and my interest plummeted. Despite the decorations shown hanging on apartment walls in the ePresentation video, the only thing you can hang are corkboards (and only the corkboards provided for you). You can’t open the windows. You must wear your ID at all times, and if you don’t have it, good luck getting into the complex. You can’t sleep in someone else’s apartment. You can’t drink if you’re underage. You can’t smoke in the apartment. And so forth.

Every few months, Housing would inspect the apartments for cleanliness. They would post the inspection date for your apartment building on a sign by the bus stop and at the security gate. At some unspecified time during that day, you’d hear a knock on your door. If you sleep through the knock, or don’t hear it because you’re in the shower, you’d hear a loud whistle and the sound of your door being unlocked as a team of three inspectors enter the apartment and begin to check bathrooms, trash cans, sinks, walls, carpets — anything you can mess up, they’ll check it, and if they find particularly egregious infractions of the rules, they’ll photograph them as evidence. If your apartment fails the inspection, Disney will deduct $25 from each roommate’s next paycheck to cover the cost of a cleaning crew.

The speaker made a point to explain which rules were a little more flexible — you’re not going to be kicked out the first time they find you at someone else’s apartment, or if you’re underage at an apartment where others are drinking. But it is, after all, Disney, and the Disney Image has to be protected.

Once the lengthy seminar was over, we walked back to our apartment, where my parents were waiting to take me to Walmart to stock up on groceries and other necessities. By the time we reached Walmart, however, I was exhausted. Not just exhausted, but in that state of exhaustion where everything is funny, and even the hint of having to make a decision causes your eyes to tear up in frustration. The excitement of the morning had worn off, leaving me sapped of any energy or thinking ability. As we meandered through the aisles, Mom kept suggesting things to buy, and I kept giving noncommittal answers. By the next morning, I was regretting my inattention, and realized that I should have bought more food. But all I had been able to think about in Walmart was my new bed in my new home.

Finally, my parents dropped me off at the apartment with my scant groceries, and I said goodbye — at least for a little while. They were staying until I got my assignment and learned what kind of shoes I would need. I would get that information, and much more, a few days later at Traditions.

THE DOORKNOBS WERE SHAPED like the ones in Alice in Wonderland. The hallways were painted with Disney characters. Ramps led up and down, random corridors branched off to unknown locations, and a bunch of young adults in varying states of business attire stood clustered together, gazing around with a uniform look of bemused anticipation.

That was my first — and lasting — impression of Casting. Luckily, Paige, Leah, Jenni, and I all got along wonderfully, so we clung together as much as possible before they put us in alphabetical order and marched us, a little shell-shocked, through the business side of Disney — a side we hadn’t seen before. Yes, Paige had worked at a Disney Store in Washington, D.C. prior to joining the program, but this was different from a stock room in a mall.

A bus had come to our complex early that morning to take us to Casting, where we would receive our work locations, submit fingerprints, and complete the myriad other tasks required for us to become Cast Members. We walked in — past the doorknobs, which held us up for a bit as pictures were taken — and joined lines of other new CareerStart participants strung through a hallway. We didn’t have a clue what we were doing, other than following orders. When word passed down the line that we were about to learn where we would be working for the next six months, a murmur of excited chatter arose.

As I queued up and got closer to the desk where people were getting stickers plastered onto their College Program booklets (already, CareerStart had ceased to exist; once you’ve finally made it to Florida, the two programs function the same way, so even though I was technically in the CareerStart Program, all the training and introductory materials were identical to that used for the College Program), my mind was racing with possibilities. I had already decided the most preferable spot would be the shake stand just outside Rock 'n' Roller Coaster; what better way to spend the day than listening to Aerosmith? Maybe then I would finally learn all the words. The smiling Cast Member took my folder and applied my sticker. Breathless, I looked down:

Electric Umbrella.

Electric Umbrella?

Honestly, I remembered Electric Umbrella only from a link someone on Facebook had sent me. I couldn’t remember ever eating there, and I wasn’t even sure where it was (a rare occurrence), but that didn’t matter. I was working at Disney World!

As I waited in another line to be inspected for compliance with the Disney Look, I hurriedly sent out a text to my mother, letting her know that I was working in EPCOT. Then, as the line advanced, I shoved my phone back in my purse and peered ahead to see what was happening.

In groups of four, we were inspected by a Cast Member who assessed our hair color, clothes, tattoos (if we had any), jewelry, and every other aspect of our appearance to ensure that we complied with the Disney Look. While the rules for the Look have slackened over time, the guidelines for College Program participants are quite strict. Hair had to be of a natural color, with no roots showing if it was dyed. Men’s facial hair was compared to a few charts the Cast Members had on hand, clothes were assessed for level of appropriateness, and even nails were checked to ensure they were of a proper length. Luckily, no one in our group had any problems, but I have heard of people who had to go home and dye their hair before they did anything else, or buy special make-up to cover their tattoos. Disney posts the Disney Look guidelines on the College Program website, so it’s easy (and advisable) to log in and make sure you qualify ahead of time.

More tedious tasks ensued. We were taken through a string of offices to fill out more paperwork and answer more questions. Adding our fingerprints to the system proved to be troublesome — my thumb was refusing to scan, and I wasn’t the only one having issues. Leah encountered a plethora of problems with the business side of Disney, beginning with the background check. It took aeons to process, and she wasn’t able to start training until later than the rest of us.

Eventually, though, it was almost over. We queued up for one last room, where we received even more booklets and rules, and then picked up our debit cards. Once we registered the cards, we’d be sent a text whenever money (such as our Disney paychecks, which were deposited every Thursday) was put on them, and whenever money was spent. I eventually switched over to the Partners Federal Credit Union, a Cast Member banking system with an office located just down the road from Chatham and Patterson, and another at Disney University.

As people trickled out, I found a seat on a bench outside to wait for Jenni, Paige, and Leah so we could all ride a bus back to our apartment together. One by one the others emerged, pausing to take pictures with the costumed characters that Disney had waiting for us at the exit.

On the bus back, we all compared Traditions times, which were on the sticker that told us where we would be working. Jenni and I had Traditions together; Leah, sadly, wouldn’t get to attend Traditions until later, due to the delay with her background check (we never did find out what took so long). Back at the apartment, we retired to our seats in the living room — everyone had already picked out their spots — and chatted, getting to know one another more. Now that we were evolving out of that awkward strangers phase, personalities were starting to emerge.

Jenni was the comedian. Everything was funny when she was around, and every night would end with all four of us collapsed in hopeless laughter in the living room over some outrageous comment she had made. Many inside jokes emerged from late night conversations — late being somewhere around ten, when things took a definite turn from fairly normal to absolutely nonsensical.

Leah was compassionate, creative, and fun-loving. She was quite the seamstress, too. While the rest of our rooms had a slightly lived-in feel (except for Jenni’s room, since she never did manage to unpack everything she had brought), Leah’s assortment of knick-knacks — from pillows she had made and then thrown on the couch to picture frames everywhere — made the apartment feel like a home in no time.

Paige was more logical and down-to-earth, with a drier sense of humor that I totally appreciate. She was a gamer, and the biggest Disney fan I had ever met. Her goal was to be a tour guide for the Keys to the Kingdom tour — anything we needed to know about anything Disney, she was our source of information. She was also a huge Harry Potter fan, which meant that we were destined to have a few adventures on that front.

And I fit in quietly, still warming up to everything. I got incredibly lucky, standing next to those three in line on check-in day. They made it easier for me to meet my goal of becoming more sociable; there was no awkward tip-toeing around, no arguing over fridge or pantry space, no complaining about sinks full of dishes or the air conditioner being on too high. After that first night, we had all become friends.

The days before and after Traditions were filled with relaxation and getting to know people. My parents came by again, and we went to the outlets to buy some black, no-slip tennis shoes for the Electric Umbrella. We also picked up a houseguest for 22301 — Alex, the theatre fan from our Facebook group. He and Jenni had become friends before the program, and his goofy personality fit in well with the rest of us.

Alex also had Traditions the same day as Jenni and me. As the day rolled around, I slipped into a skirt and button-down, then walked with Jenni to the bus stop in the chilly morning air. There we were greeted by plenty of other CareerStart and College Programmers in various states of business attire. We found Alex and one of his roommates, and stood clustered together, waiting for the bus. Other CPs, already well into their program, lounged on benches or stood with headphones attached, waiting for their buses to take them to work, hardly sparing a glance at the bunch of newcomers. Finally, the bus with a “Traditions” sign in the front window rolled around, and we piled on.

Traditions was…amazing. It was a day of Disney history, games, videos, and tours. Alex, Jenni, and I sat at the same table, and slowly a few others joined us. We wrote our names on our Disney course books, and slapped yet another sticky nametag onto our chests.

I have been told that Traditions changes a lot. I’m not sure which aspects change, but I do know that I had goose bumps as we watched the introductory video, which featured clips of people’s enthusiasm for the company, guests’ reactions, Art the doorman at the Beach Club (who no longer works there), and testimonials by Cast Members about working at Disney. A lot of people who participate in the program have never visited Disney World — Jenni, for instance, as well as many of the Cast Members from other countries — and Traditions does an excellent job of introducing strangers to this new and complex world.

A cheerful Cast Member walked in, introduced herself, and it began.

We went through the history of the Disney Company — beginning, of course, with Walt himself. Then we went over other aspects of the company: what it owns, its goals and values, our part in making the magic. We were told to elect leaders in our small groups; I was chosen because I looked the most “professional” at our table — meaning I had my pen shoved behind my ear and no one else did. We played a few games, mostly Disney trivia, where small prizes were awarded.

Then, to our great relief, we got to stretch our legs with a tour of the Magic Kingdom. We roamed the Utilidor, checking out the cast cafeteria and costuming, among other highlights, and went on a scavenger hunt for examples of the Disney Basics: four principles (safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency) that Cast Members must always keep foremost in mind. After we finished our scavenger hunt, we returned to the bus and the rest of the seminar.

We arrived back home exhausted and exhilarated. Traditions really pumps up the Disney enthusiasm, and it also let me put to rest some of my fears about the program. Before leaving for CareerStart, I panicked that I would be one of the very, very few on the program because they loved Disney. I imagined everyone else was there less to work for Disney and more to take an extended vacation from school. And while this would prove true for many, it did not apply to the people sitting at my table, or to my other roommates.

Not long after Traditions, we received our Disney IDs, and we took a roommate trip to Magic Kingdom. (Jenni had never been there, other than the brief tour during Traditions.) Paige and Alex had already begun training, so they weren’t able to go with us, but Jenni, Leah, and I hit the park, taking advantage of our first few empty days. We bought Mickey ears (for the entire group), rode the rides, and camped out on the sidewalk so we would have good seats for the parade.