Last updated 31Dec09 – The fun continues in 2009.

Last year from my start date of 26Jul08, I worked a total of 14 days including training days in 2008. I received many 50% and 40% discounts on rooms, many discounts of 50% on merchandise, many 20% discounts of meals, have received special considerations at reservation time, provide friends and family free admission to WDW, and a million fun times.

I am only trained to work in Disney’s Animal Kingdom (DAK) in Dinoland at Theater In The Wild (TITW) which features “Finding Nemo – the Musical” and at the Boneyard.

Week 1 – 04Jan09 – 1 day – Jan 09, 09

I stayed at Motel 6 for $20 per night again. I had 10AM start time so I went to Access Control (AC) to get my 2009 ID badge sticker. I had been told that I could get the sticker any time prior to 11Jan09. Turns out, that was not true. AC took my ID and told me to call my manager. I tried, but after finally getting some phone help, still could not get my manager. So I called my HR rep who informed me my manager now worked at EPCOT, she did not know any of the other Dinoland managers, and suggested I was probably out of luck. I explained the whole situation to her, I get my assignments off the net and do not talk to managers, that I had tried before to get the sticker, and all I wanted to do was go to work. She talked to AC and I got a 2009 sticker for my ID badge. I went to Dinoland, found some managers, and asked for a new card containing my manager’s name. They pointed out they only give those cards out the first day, but could give me a card with all the manager’s names on it – after they wrote some updates on it. Now I know who to call with a problem.

I spend the next 7.5 hours in the Boneyard making sure the kids on the slides and the dig site did not have any problems. At one time when a parent followed a kid too close down a slide, one of the other employees told me “they” were watching and I needed to make sure it did not look like guests were going down together. I guess “they” watch at times to make sure we are doing everything correctly and safely.

Observation: At the dig site I ended up talking to a guest who met her husband at Pleasure Island in Downtown Disney, married, moved to New Jersey 20 years ago. She found a friend on Facebook who still worked at Disney and were enjoying free admission thanks to the friend.

Week 2 – 11Jan09 – 1 day (2 work days so far in 09) – Jan 16, 09

I went to DAK early (Thursday PM) to study the operational guide (OG) for the TITW since that was my assignment on Friday. Seems I had to charm my way in – you cannot get in out of costume without manager permission. After making it in, I found a manager to open the training room. The OG for the TITW is not much help – it is badly in need of an update.

I left early for my 9:15AM work assignment, seems I could not get the zipper up on my jacket and even with my long under wear it was cold. The zipper has two slides and not a fixed bottom. It works but is not easy. I spent the day working at Greeter 2 (start of the line for TITW), mid theater left and right. “Finding Nemo – the Musical” is a fun show.

Observation: It looks like half of Brazil is here at D. They did suggest it was a little cold.

Week 3 – 18Jan09 – 1 day (3 work days so far in 09) – Jan 23, 09

Stayed at Saralogo tonight – a little nicer but Donna and guest were with me. We went to dinner at Fort Wilderness on Thursday and I got them into EPCOT before my shift started at 12PM in the Boneyard.

6 hours in the Boneyard with nothing exciting happening. I did get a unique assignment. I had to find a family in the Boneyard and talk with them for 20 minutes

to see if they were enjoying D and what would make it better. During a break, I walked in on a discussion on how D is cutting back on staff, supplies, etc. The current slowdown seems to be hurting everyone. After I left DAK I joined Donna at EPCOT for dinner and we drove home.

Observation: It took me an hour to get to EPCOT, get my guests in and return to DAK assignment.

Week 4 – 25Jan09 – (3 work days so far in 09) – I had requested the week off.

Week 5 – 01Feb09 – 1 day (4 work days so far in 09) – Feb06, 09

I left Thursday evening for D and about an hour up the road, found I had not put my works shoes, badge, hat, etc. in the car so today’s trip was an extra 84 miles longer. I have a check list of everything I need, but forgot to put all of the items in the car. My assignment today was TITW. I spent the day working at Greeter 1, mid theater left and right. “Finding Nemo – the Musical” is a fun show. Greeter 1 is responsible for verifying with each wheel chair guest that they do or do not want to switch to a seat inside. If they can move out of the wheel chair, we have a lot more room to accommodate those wheel chair guests who cannot move to one of our seats. Greater 1 also watches the audience for problems and flash photography during the show from inside door 2. There was a trainer and trainee training at Greeter 1 today, so for all I did was greet guests and move strollers. Mid theater left and right help load the theater and then watch for problems and flashes during the show.

Observation: I had a couple of free box of popcorn coupons left from my D Christmas gift booklet so I passed them out to some guests. They seem surprised and appreciative.

Week 6 – 08Feb09 – (4 work days so far in 09) – I had requested the week off.

I did find out I am entitled to 2 free e-tickets per year. I printed them and gave one to my son so one of his friends could use it next week. Ryan and most of his friends have annual passes.

Week 7 – 15Feb09 – 1 day (5 work days so far in 09) – Feb19, 09

Today was an uneventful day working in TITW. I worked various positions and had a good time greeting guests who had question about where various attractions were. I ended up talking with a guest from St. Louis who was down for a convention and enjoyed D so much she skipped the convention. She wants to get a job at D when she retires – I suggested it was a good idea and lots of fun.

Observation: My son, daughter-in-law, and friends were camping at Ft. Wilderness. I drove over there after work and they were not there. So I wandered around Ft. Wilderness, had a discussion with a guy from Illinois, took the bus to the Wilderness Lodge, enjoyed a dinner with my 20% cast discount, after watching the geyser, took the boat back to Ft. Wilderness, watched the free movie, and went back to my motel. It was an amazingly enjoyable, relaxing time, so different from my normal life. In the morning, the gang went shopping at the cast connections store with me to get merchandise at a discount.

Week 8 – 22Feb09 to Week 19 – 10May09 (5 work days so far in 09)

I requested that I not be scheduled due to tax work at HRBlock and my volunteer field trip bus driving at Jupiter high school. I did notice a lot of openings in the “available shifts” for the Boneyard – perhaps they are a little lean in the staffing department. My guess is I will be working in May again.

Week 20 – 17May09 – 1 day (6 work days so far in 09) – May 21, 09

Today was an uneventful day working in TITW. I worked various positions and need to review the instructions for each position. I’ve forgotten a lot. I did learn that if you are assigned the position stroller-2, the computer did it because it thinks you are untrained. Seems the computer wipes out training history after a couple of weeks. Then a supervisor comes by and asks if you are trained, you tell her yes, and she fixes it. I told her I prefer outside positions anyway – more contact and helping guests than the inside theater positions.

Observation: If you go to Downtown Disney, even in a monsoon, please have reservations for any place you plan to eat. After checking out various places and not wanting to wait for 90 minutes, we went just out side of Downtown Disney and ate at Fudruckers. Good meal.

Week 21 – 24May09 – 1 day (7 work days in 09) – May 28, 09

TITW had many trainees being trained today. Trainees take over your position, with their trainer, and you are free to help out someplace else. One of the downsides of being a seasonal worker is that updates on procedures do not get communicated. I found out today that if the theater is not full, guests can quietly come in the exit and view the show after it has started. I learned that after I kept complaining about it.

Observation: I think there should be more cast members outside giving directions after the show. Guests tend to get a little disorientated, especially when we move their strollers.

Week 22 – 31May09 to Week 28 – 05Jul09 (7 work days in 09)

I have not been scheduled to work. However I did do a busman’s holiday on 27Jun09 by showing up as a guest for “Finding Nemo – The Musical”. One of the cast members said I was on the wrong side of the ropes. I had not seen the complete show. I ended up talking with an active duty Army doctor and his family. He has had some tours in Iraq and is currently working at Walter Reed Army Hospital in DC. I thanked him for his service to our country. I try to identify every military veteran and thank them for their service to our country.

Week 29 – 12Jul09 – 1 day (8 work days in 09) – Jul 16, 09

I spent the day working in the Boneyard from 12:30 to 19:30. It was HOT. For an hour or so I was at the dig site where kids can

dig for dinosaur bones.

The rest of the time I was at mid level in the slide area. I think that perhaps the computer forgot I was trained because I was not included in the rotation to the 4 other areas. I will have to pursue that.

Observation: I met a British Air Force officer who was just returning, with his family, from the United Arab Emirates where they had lived for the last four years. They were on a month holiday prior to returning to England. They had a very interesting 4 years. I thanked him for his service to his country.

Week 30 – 19Jul09 to Week 31 – 02Aug09 (8 work days so far in 09)

I received two more e-tickets for guests – I get 2 every 6 month.

Week 32 – 09Aug09 – 1 Day (9 work days so far in 09) – Aug 13, 09

Supporting guests entering and exiting the TITW was my assignment all day. A large part of the time I was inside rather than out in the heat. About 3pm the sky opened up and everyone outside got drenched. TITW has a different guest load depending on the rain. When rain arrives, it is more random. I had to leave a show for some extra training. Seems D change some procedures and I had to read them. I was also told the Operational Guide (OG) is now updated to match the show.

Observation: One of the guests asked me what sort of thing another guest was eating. I told him it was a turkey leg. He suggested there must be big turkeys and there were no turkeys in his country of Israel. Greeting guests and having discussion with them is one of the best parts of working at D.

Week 33 – 16Aug09 – 1 Day (10 work days so far in 09) – Aug 21, 09

I spent the day working in the Boneyard. It was hot and about 3pm the rain and lightning came. We had some confusion as the Boneyard closed but the Digsite was left open, the Boneyard was reopened for a couple of minutes, closed again, and then reopened. The Digsite has an alternate entrance which can be used.

Observation: One of the other cast members had a name tag which said she was from Russia. In talking with her I asked where in Russia she lived. She said she was really from Moldova but no one had ever heard of it. Moldova is between Romania and Ukraine.

Week 34 – 23Aug09 to Week 41 – 11Oct09 (10 work days so far in 09)

Not scheduled to work.

Since I have so many days driving a school bus on field trips for the Jupiter Environmental Research and Field Studies Academy at Jupiter High School, I change my WDW availability from Thu and Fri to Sat and Sun. I also asked if I could set up availability for more than two days, but only have consecutive days assigned so I did not have to drive to D more than once a week. Consecutively assigned days are still not an option.

September 26^th we went to SALSA (Spend A Little, Save A lot) a cast event at Disney’s Wild Work of Sports, Jostens Center. This is an opportunity to purchase surplus WDW store items at 70% off. The event packed most of three basketball courts (with bleachers move out of the way). If you purchased it with you WDW Visa, you got another 10% off. After SALSA we went to the EPCOT Wine and Food Festival.

Two more E-tickets arrived and the annual book of discounts came in the mail.

Week 42 – 18Oct09 – 1 Day (11work days so far in 09) – Oct 22, 09

On the web in Extra Hours Hotline – View Available Shifts, I found an available shift in TITW and decided to apply and take it. Most of the time there is limited extra shifts and I am too busy. It has been too long since I’ve enjoyed working at DAK. This is the first time I have applied for an open available shift; every other work day was an assignment. I spend the day working in TITW supporting “Finding Nemo --- The Musical”. Most of my assignments were inside the theater and thus was able to watch the show. A short musical preview of the soundtrack is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSH2zOTC3Hs.

Observation: Each time I work something has changed. This time if there are guests arriving late and there is room, they are allowed in the back door for the first 5 minutes after the show has started.

Week 43 – 25Oct09 - 1 Day (12 work days so far in 09) – Oct 25, 09

After I accepted the 22Oct09 work day, I found I was assigned to work again in TITW. Watching the different actresses play Dory is interesting. The lines are the same, but the delivery is different. TITW has added some work positions for which I was not trained. None were difficult, just different. I suggested to another cast member working 1 day in two months allowed me to forget too much. He suggested there was not much to remember, but he worked 5 days a week.

Observation: The CDS assignment slips contain an assignment, start time and end time. I missed an end time and was reminded to check in for the next assignment. No big deal, but another cast member was late in getting his break.

Week 47 – 22Nov09 - 1 Day (13 work days so far in 09) – Nov 28, 09

Every Thanksgiving for the last 30+/- years my family has camped at Ft. Wilderness. This year was the same, except I did not tell D I was unavailable for the weekend. So I found out I was working in the Boneyard from 3pm to 9pm on Saturday. Working on your vacation may seem poor planning, but by doing so, 3 nights at Ft. Wilderness, 2+ days of meals, the trip up, trip back, and tolls are now a tax deductible employee business expense.

Prior to going to work, I met some friends at EPCOT to get them in free and joined some family for shopping at Cast Connections which sells D stuff at discounts to employees.

The Boneyard was rather busy and the DAK seemed full. Not much happened, except at the end of the day, since my position was at the entrance, I ended up taking the lost and found to Guest Services. Anyone lose an 8' snake?

Observation: I talked to a guy from RI today who was wearing a jacket with the Fidelity logo. I told him I wrote Ned – the CEO – yearly about his stupid short term selling rules. He agreed and said he has the same complaint. Fidelity ignores him also.

Week 48 – 29Nov09 - 1 Day (14 work days so far in 09) – Nov 29, 09

I spent a second day in a row working in the Boneyard, this time from 2pm to 8pm. I have not worked two days in a row since Aug08. One of the Boneyard rules at the dig site is that you must keep your shoes on. About 6pm I noticed a very young child taking her socks off. I had been watching her for some time, trying to determine which group of adults were her parents. I told her she had to put her shoes on. She did and walked over to me indicating there was a problem. She had them on the wrong feet. I fixed her shoes noticing she was in severe need of a dipper change. About 7pm a grandmother showed up and called the parents indicating the child had been found. She had been at the dig site for at least two hours since I noticed her earlier when I was there. One of the “fun” activities of the Boneyard dig site is to cover up the bones at the end of the evening so they can be uncovered again the next day. Shoveling all that sand is a lot of work, but at least 4 other cast members come over to help.

Observation: I try to suggest to adults that digging in the Boneyard dig site is an adult participation event. Most suggest they brought the kids here, are exhausted, and that is enough participation.

Week 52 – 27Dec09 - 1 Day (15 work days so far in 09) – Dec27, 09

Each Sunday the work assignments are published online. On 20Dec, I found out I was assigned to work in the TITW again. Since I am inside about half the time trying to dress for 60 degree weather is hard. You are too hot inside and too cold outside. I was lucky because I had an inside assignment during the rain. The number of shows was increased during the holidays and regular employees are now working 50+ hours a week. The fall group of college interns has left and the winter group has not arrived. “Finding Nemo --- the Musical” is still fun to watch and I always get a great reply when I thank the guests for coming and asking them how they enjoyed the show.

Observation: I was able to talk to a family from Canada for a couple of minutes. The start of their 6 day, 5 night vacation was getting up at 4am, driving to Buffalo, flying to Baltimore, flying to Orlando, and getting a bus to their hotel at 8pm. I am not sure 16 hours of travel counts as vacation. I gave them some tips on where I like to eat and watch the fireworks at EPCOT.

It seems at D there are 3 types of employees, full time, part time, and seasonal employee.

Seasonal employees get no benefits, only discounts and only work when needed.

One thing to remember, when you are out of town working, all your expenses are tax deductible and you can take the per diem rate of $49/day for food in Orlando.

If you decide something like this would be fun for you, go to www.WaltDisneyWorld.jobs and apply for a seasonal position. As you go through the application, please remember that 448044 is the cast member who recruited you. Also, as you can read in my 2008 story, things change; seasonal does not mean a season, 6 to 8 weeks is not always 6 to 8 weeks, full availability does not mean 5 days, the hiring procedure this week is not the same as last week, the jobs available this week are not the same as last week, etc. My job category is Attractions and it took me months from the time I first went to casting until a position opened up. I accepted the position before I knew what it was; again read about my application process in my 2008 story. Also remember, 448044 recruited you.