Tampa Adventure

Saturday February 27 marked my first point on my record card at work. Unfortunately, I made plans with roomies to go to a concert, but could not find anyone to take my shift for me. Therefore, I had to call in personal, which was fine, I’m proud of my personal day. Besides, it ended up being a rainy day at work, so they did not miss me.

Teresa and I purchased an annual passport for Busch Gardens – Tampa and Seaworld – Orlando. We left really early Saturday to get to Busch Gardens by opening time. Of course, it ended up being rainy, but the park was empty and awesome. I’m stuck on this concept of the law of diminishing marginal utility. I was told in the efficiency class that guest’s ride per capita is 8.5. So, to feel like they got their monies worth out of their ticket, they have to ride 8.5 rides.

Teresa and I thought of this at Busch Gardens and since lines were so low, we rode everything twice. We rode SheiKra four times though. It’s hilarious to judge the rides by front row, back row, middle and so forth. I’ve come to the conclusion that the front row will always be the best simply because nothing is in front of you and you can take it all in.

I guess, I am a thrill seeker. I LOVE ROLLERCOASTERS! Disney rides are great and family oriented, but intense rollercoasters are my favorite – huge drops and fast speeds are exciting.

Teresa let us eat Subway for dinner. You may think that sentence is worded funny, but at home, my friends don’t like to eat Subway as much as I do, so therefore Teresa “let” me eat it. Haha!

We arrived at the concert about 5:30 and found some cheap parking. Then, we walked up to the entrance to find our seats. I have to admit, I do not know these bands as well as Teresa, but I recognized way more songs than I thought I would. The concert was Flyleaf, Breaking Benjamin, and Three Days Grace. It was pretty decent entertainment.

Can you believe tomorrow is March already?

Rain Check

Unfortunately, skydiving did not happen, again! Story of my life - cancel and reschedule. Feb 24 turned out to be a rainy day. Teresa and I ended up just going to Animal Kingdom most of the day and then Hollywood Studios for closing.

I apologize for the recent lack of posts, but it’s been pretty busy on my end. I went and watched Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios with a girl I work with, Lindsey. It was a really good show. I’ve also had another Marketing You class. We have been working on personal commercials, business cards, and networking.

Animal Kingdom was really awesome. I rode Expedition Everest seven times; this is the big rollercoaster in DAK(Disney’s Animal Kingdom). We also walked around and saw most all of the animals. It’s really neat that Disney can incorporate a theme park into a zoo. After DAK, we went to Studios and walked around the park. Studios has the “Streets of America” so you can walk the streets of San Francisco and New York City. Studios also has an exhibit of Walt’s life; that was a super neat walk through. I learn something new every day about Disney it feels like. Overall, it was a very good day and I have officially been to all four parks now. It only took me a month and a half.

I also had two more training sessions. One was an efficiency class where we discussed ways to be more efficient at each position during busier times. We like to minimize wait times for guests. My other “training” was actually a CP Welcome Session. We met in an auditorium and watched videos and listened to people speak about the company. Information is always repeated several times to us, I feel like, but repetition is how we remember it.

An interesting fact I learned: THREE Magic Kingdoms can fit into Epcot, but the entire DisneyLAND can fit into Magic Kingdom’s parking lot.

Florida Bucket List

I finally had a chance to sit down and write out all the things I would like to do in the five months I am here. Of course, I probably won’t be able to complete all of the items on my list, but having it written down is the first step to making it happen.

1. Visit parks – Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios,
and Animal Kingdom (Done)
2. Watch a day and night shuttle launch
(Night Done 2/8/10, Day – hopefully April 5)
3. Skydiving (Rescheduling)
4. SeaWorld
5. Universal Studios – Islands of Adventure
6. Busch Gardens (Done 2/27/10)
7. Beaches – Daytona and Cocoa
8. Kennedy Space Center
9. Gatorland
10. Medieval Times
11. Discovery Cove – Swim with Dolphins
12. Watch the Peabody Ducks
13. Mini Golf
14. Parasailing
15. The Holy Land Experience
16. Seafood
17. Concert (Done – Flyleaf, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace 2/27/10)
18. House of Blues
19. Clubs
20. Zoo
21. Aquarium
22. Cirque du Soleil
23. Water Parks – Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach
24. Richard Petty Driving Experience
25. Snorkeling
26. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium
27. Old Town
28. Ice Skating
29. Bowling
30. Museum
31. Visit St. Augustine
32. Visit Tampa
33. Visit Miami
34. Visit Savanah, GA to see Juliet Low’s House
35. Disney Cruise

Evacuate the Barnstormer

Unfortunately, I had to take a rain check on skydiving. The wind gusts were too much and if it shifted suddenly it would cause your parachute to collapse. Yikes. But, we rescheduled for February 24! Instead, Teresa and I went to Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. The cast members have a 50% off discount on merchandise until Feb. 11 so we finished up our last minute shopping at half price. We rode the Tower of Terror and the Rockin' Rollercoaster. AWESOME! It was nice to enjoy the parks for once. We also ate dinner at the cutest place called “Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant.” The tables are all shaped like cars and there is a large screen playing short clips like you are at a drive in. It was very cute!

Since last Wednesday, I have just been working and keeping up with stuff – laundry, homework, etc. Work has been alright. I worked a long shift on Valentine’s Day until 2AM and I work a ten hour shift yesterday. We did have an exciting moment at work. Something flagged the sensor on The Barnstormer so the ride auto emergency stopped itself. Guests were stopped on the lift and at hold (the waiting portion before arriving back in the station). It was a good learning experience to go through the drill of call maintenance, call a manager, call the coordinator, spiel to the guests to remain seated and then actually evacuating them out of the carts was exciting. After all guests had exited the ride, we were able to reset zones and get it back up and working. It definitely made my shift go by faster.

I also had my first homeroom meeting with my manager, Julie. I have around 12 managers and 10 or so coordinators in the Magic Kingdom, so it’s different people every day. But, Julie is my homeroom manager. With the college program, I am supposed to have three formal sit down meetings with her to discuss my expectations and progress.

For lunch on my day off, I went on a Toonie Outing! We ate at Sanaa located at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was African/Indian mix of food. I had chicken with red curry sauce, beef, basalti rice, naan bread, and mango chuckling. It was very different, but I really enjoyed it. It’s nice to get out with your co-workers too. From the restaurant, you could see giraffes and zebras just hanging out. It was a really neat place and cast members get 40% off!

I also had my second Marketing You class and she went over all of our homework for the entire course. Time to get ahead on things(again)!

Endeavor Launch 2/8/10

Endeavor launches at 4:14AM on February 8, 2010 from the Kennedy Space Center. Teresa and I are located at Space View Park in Titusville, FL, basically the closest free spot!

The video starts recording at 90 seconds until launch so give it some time before you see the light. This was the last night launch before the shuttle is retired. Also, Teresa is an astronomy major so you will hear her excitement loud and clear! :)

To infinity and beyond!

As Buzz lightyear from Toy Story would say, “To infinity and beyond!”

Teresa and I have had quite the adventure the past couple of days. First of all, we have had on our calendars for two weeks now, “Sunday - 4:39AM Launch.” On Saturday, I got off work at 10:30PM, was home by 11PM and we were on the road by 11:30PM. It is only an hour drive, but most people we talked to recommended being there four hours prior to the launch. I let Teresa do the research of who, what, when, and where.

We arrived in Titusville by 12:30AM, but little did we know how unprepared we were. It was insane the number of people camped out with tents and everything. We drove around the area to check out what we got ourselves into and we found a parking spot about five blocks from the park.

After finding a spot inside the park, Teresa and I watched “Beauty and the Beast” on her ipod to pass the time. It was rather cold and we realized many things we should have brought – chairs, thicker blankets, and a flashlight. After sitting for four hours, it was down to twenty minutes until launch and they scrubbed it. Weather conditions would not allow the launch to take place. It was unbelievable to us, but as we made our way home, sleep deprived and all, we decided we’d be back the next night to see the launch.

Our second attempt and Endeavor’s second attempt was successful. I was off work at 7:30PM Sunday evening so I was able to cook up some dinner and do some online homework before we left. We left about the same time, 11:30PM, but we were on the hunt for chairs. Our closest Walmart was actually out of the fold up camping chairs and I thought it was just normal for small town Walmarts to run out of stuff when big events are happening. We found chairs at another Walmart and hit the road.
Through discussion, we decided it would be less packed for several reasons. First, it was not a weekend anymore so families would not be out there with their kids because they have school. Second, the Superbowl was on so many people would rather be on that band wagon. Last, it was much colder outside. Our theory turned out to be true because we actually arrived later and found closer seats. It was worth it to come back and try again.

I curled up in my chair and went to sleep from 1AM until about 3:45AM. There were a couple of times the mission turned red for weather conditions, but it cleared up just in time and all was green. I couldn’t believe it was actually launching; I honestly half-expected it to be scrubbed again.

But, at 4:14AM, Endeavor gracefully rose about the horizon into the sky and everyone cheered. We videoed it happening and it honestly looks like the sun is rising. Once it hits the clouds, it looks like a giant fireball. It was so cool, but it still seemed unreal.

In between the launch and work, I have had about 7 hours of sleep in 2 days.

Let’s just say it was a really long two days.

What's next? Catching up on sleep. Skydiving Wednesday!

And so it begins.

I am finally starting to settle into my schedule and catch up on my online homework. My Disney class starts next week and I got my book for it in the mail yesterday. I feel like I’m finally in a routine! I work out in the mornings with Teresa in the fitness center. Then, I clean up and pack my lunch/dinner. I typically work from around noon until seven or later – it depends if it’s a six or eight hour shift. Then, return home to prepare to start all over again!

I want to share some of my favorite parts about work so far. First of all, I drive through the Walt Disney World gate almost every day. There is just something about it that makes it feel “magicial.” Second, The Barnstormer is most kids first rollercoaster. I’ve decided 35’’ height is between 3-5 years old. I love seeing the excitement on their face or the fear. Most of the kids that left the station with fear on their face come back ready to get back in line and ride again. There are a few that return to the station bawling. But I definitely enjoy seeing that burst of excitement.

Also, Disney trains the cast members to treat everyone as an individual first and then assist with any disabilities or language barriers. I encountered my first Make a Wish family that came to ride the rollercoaster and it was really touching to give them the first rows and let them stay on and ride a second time. It’s also really nice when guests call me by my name just as we acknowledge their birthday, engagement, or anniversary buttons.

The most important things we strive for are safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency – in that order. The four service basics are simple sentences and Disney posts them everywhere: I project a positive image and energy. I am courteous and respectful to all Guests, including children. I stay in character and play the part. I go above and beyond. And our common goal: We create happiness by providing the finest entertainment for people of all ages everywhere. That is my training summarized in a paragraph!

Not that I’m running out of things to blog about, but the days are not as new and exciting as the first days, so I’d love to hear if any of you have specific questions about the program, the parks, the area, anything. A questions answered blog will be interesting so ask away!

If you do not have a Google account with the capacity to leave comments, email questions to kimberly.tuttle@students.opsu.edu