My DCP Journey: Exploring Animal Kingdom

Well it's been a week since I have written a post. I have been working so much I haven't had much time to spend doing fun things so I didn't have anything great to write about. But today is my day off and I decided to head to the parks bright and early! Before I get to that I wanted to share a special moment I had at work yesterday. This moment made my day and my shift was just so much better because of it!

At Disney, we have an activity called "magical moments". This is when a cast member has the opportunity to make a guests day by offering something to them. It could be an extra fast pass, or a voucher to be redeemed in the parks. In food and beverage at Sunset, we can offer a cupcake or ice cream or sometimes we give pretzels or churros away. It really depends on what position you are in.

Magical moments can also be interacting with guests, especially kids and playing with them. Yesterday at the start of my shift, I got assigned to magical moments and at sunset that means we get hula-hoops and mermaid wands and we play with the kids outside. I had laid everything out and finally got some kids to come and play and this little girl walked up. At first she was really shy, but I started taking to her and she warmed up to me pretty quickly. I learned her name was Isabel, she was 3 and she was from the UK. She is obsessed with the teacup ride in MK and was adamant that she was going to go on it later that day. I started playing with her and she asked me to play with the mermaid wand so I gave it to her. Shortly after my coordinator came and told me to get a new assignment, which meant my time was up. I politely asked her for the wand back and gave her a cupcake to make her feel special and to thank her for playing with me. I went to put the stuff away and when I can back to the area, a fellow custodial cast member told me a little girl in a blue dress was looking for me. I located her family and I went up to the table. Her mom asked if she could have a picture with me, as she was quite fond of me. I politely said yes and took the picture with her. I was so honored from such a small interaction to be asked to take a photo with her. These moments continue to reassure me that this was the right choice for me and that I am capable of making someone's day just like that.

Now onto my adventure today! I started off my day at MK. I got to the park around 10:30 and went to the carousel of progress. It was a 20 minutes show and was boring. The only good part was the air conditioning. Next I went to do meet and greets with some characters. I started off with Tiger and Pooh! It was a 30-minute wait but totally worth it. Tiger had a lot of energy as per usual; and he was bouncing around everywhere! That crazy Tiger! Pooh bear was more relaxed and mellow. After that I headed over to princess hall and met Cinderella and Aurora. My last character visit at MK was with tinker bell. She was so cute and very talkative. She was also very kind and sweet to all the little girls who visited her. Before I left MK, I went and visited by friend Rebecca at the main entrance and headed off to catch the bus to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

I arrived at Animal Kingdom and met up with two of my other friends, Stephanie and Kyley. We had gotten fast passes for Expedition Everest (the roller coaster), Kilimanjaro Safari and the Jungle Book Show. Expedition Everest was a blast. It is quite scary the first time you do it but know that I have done it several times (I went on it 6 times today); it is not scary and very fun. After that we walked to Dinoland to get on a ride there. Unfortunately the lineup was long and not worth the wait. We walked around a bit and looked in some shops. Stephanie then headed to work and Kyley and I headed to the safari. The safari was very true in nature.. It took us through all the different climates. We saw so many animals and it was much better than the first time I went. After that we got some Dole Whip followed by the Lion King Show. This show is amazing and I would recommend everyone to go and see it. It is so interactive and the acrobatics and the entertainers make it spectacular. I have seen it twice, and will continue to see it when I’m at AK.

After the show Kyley and I went on Everest again before she headed home. She had to work early and needed to sleep. I continued on my journey and met some more characters. I saw Pocahontas and Minnie and Mickey. After that I had some food and headed back to Everest. I rode that a couple more times and then I decided to do a nighttime safari. Nighttime safaris are much different than daytimes one’s as different animals are out and every driver also makes the experience unique. I recommend doing both a daytime and nighttime safari. I then headed to wait in line for the Jungle book show. My friends from work met up with me and we all watched the show together. It was a bit of a let down for me and I wouldn’t see it again. Nothing really blew me away.

Overall the day was a busy one, but I saw some thing and met some characters I have yet to experience. I was happy I actually did something fun on my day off. Now I have another few days of work ahead of me and of course I have some special victors coming on Saturday. I can’t wait to see them.

Until next time,

Michelle

xoxo