Piloting Submarines in the World of Tomorrow

Last Wednesday my phone rang while I was reading, and I was surprised to see that the call was from Disneyland. Being a seasonal cast member, my last day of work had been on New Year's Day, and I wasn't expecting to work again until starting the Disney College Program at the end of the month. I picked up the phone.

"This is so-and-so from the Disneyland Resort. I'm calling about your training schedule for the college program. You'll be starting on the tenth."

"Excellent," I said. "The tenth of February, I presume."

"No, actually the tenth of January," came the reply. "This Sunday." Unexpected, but not at all unwelcome.

"Sounds good," I said, pulling up my calendar.

"You'll start at 6 a.m. and then you'll working these hours on these days to train for your new attraction."

"Okay, and what attraction is this for?" I asked. I had been gunning for the Haunted Mansion ever since I applied to become a cast member.

"Oh, you'll be working the submarines."

Inside, I broke down a little. Kinda like Space Mountain. I had really hoped to continue working at Splash Mountain throughout my time with the Disney College Program. The New Orleans/Critter Country area had really begun to feel like home, not just because I spent so much time in the area but also because I really liked the atmosphere of the place. And now I was the kid who was told by his parents that the family was moving out of the state. In less than a week. One phone call had suddenly thrust me from home to the other side of Disneyland.

Of course, I didn't go down without a fight and asked if it was possible to stay where I was. Unfortunately, this year happens to be the year that the Rivers of America get drained for routine maintenance and will be down for several months. That means everyone who works a river-based attraction has to find a place at the other New Orleans/Critter Country attractions, and sadly there was no room left for me. So I took the defeat graciously (I'm in reality quite mild-mannered when it comes to fighting) and accepted the loss.

Okay, so I make this sound like it's a tragic ordeal. It's really not. The situation has been bittersweet at worst. Yes, I was disappointed to no longer wear the burgundy suspenders and work at Splash Mountain, but that disappointment was eventually overshadowed by the excitement of piloting the legendary submarines, Walt's original fleet of eight. So far, after one day of training, the work has lived up to my expectations. I think I'm really going to enjoy working the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage in the world of tomorrow.

Here's to the future!
T.H. Excellence

Feed the Birds

One of my favorite positions as a guest control cast member is patrolling the bridge that marks the entrance to Frontierland. Foot traffic is pretty light until the fireworks let out, so I spend most of the evening answering guest questions and enjoying the sights and sounds of the park as the sun sets for the day. The other night, a woman came up to me and asked if it was all right for her young son to feed the ducks. "Perfectly fine," I replied, and the family spent the next five minutes on the bridge as popcorn and pieces of bread were tossed into the water. The ducks swam all around, trying to eat everything before it sank, and soon a small crowd of five or six people had gathered to watch the antics below them.

"It's quite amazing," thought I, "and also quite wonderful that among such world-class amusements such as Space Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean some people would still take a few minutes to enjoy the simple pleasure of feeding the ducks."

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Reflections of a Cast Member

A few months ago a friend and I were discussing Disneyland and she asked me whether I preferred being in the park as a guest or as a cast member. I hesitated for a moment, considering each one, then replied, "Cast member. You get a really unique perspective of the park that way."

This is something I've felt ever since I started work at the Magic Kingdom. Though I've been familiar with Disneyland ever since I was a very young, something about switching roles and taking on a position I had never experienced before allowed me to see the park differently. Of course, I can't explain this without stepping back to explain a little bit about the Disney magic.

When Walt Disney built Disneyland, he created more than just an amusement park - he successfully crafted the illusion of a world entirely separate from reality. Accordingly, everything in his world was artistically assembled to uphold and maintain that illusion. The giant stone blocks that compose Indy's forbidden temple do more than just support the structure. They are an important storytelling element that informs each guest about the environment in which his next adventure is about to take place.

However, Walt created more than a lost temple in the middle of the jungle. He built Disneyland out of entire communities, such as those found in New Orleans Square or along Main Street U.S.A. Elaborate locations such as these need more than just buildings. Additional elements are in order, such as a laid-back jazz beat heard in the back alleys of New Orleans or a horse-drawn carriage faithfully making trips up and down Main Street. Finally, the illusion is not complete without one last touch: people. These places could not come to life without cast members to fill the roles of those who live, work, and breathe in this magical world.

This is the perspective I've come to understand as a Disneyland cast member. Every day when I go to work, I do much more than operate a theme park ride. I become a part of the magnificent show that Walt created over fifty years ago. The experience, of course, is absolutely fantastic, and as much as I love being a guest, it should be little surprise that I prefer being a cast member. To experience the magic of Disneyland is an incredible experience, but to be part of the magic is something even greater.
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"Disneyland is the star, everything else is in the supporting role."
~Walt Disney

Ever Want to be a Disneyland Cast Member?

Hey kids! Have you ever wanted to be a Disneyland cast member so you could help operate some of the most popular Disney attractions of all time? Well now you can! Themagical.nl hosts a variety of Internet-based simulations that allow you to take complete control of top rides such as Big Thunder Mountain and Tower of Terror! Just follow this link to Themagical.nl and you're on your way to making magic happen for guests around the world!

Enjoy!
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A Tribute to the Magic

Here's a tribute to the magic that cast members make every day. A fellow cast member from Splash Mountain was once doing a little guest interaction while the attraction was experiencing some downtime. A small child ran up to him and asked, "What's wrong with the ride?"

"You know that big snoring bear that you hear when you're up in the mountain?" the cast member started. "Well, he woke up and was very hungry, so he came down to the churro cart here for a churro. Except the cart was all out of churros, so he had to go all the way to Main Street to get one, and we can't start the ride again until he comes back."

The child nodded in understanding and walked away, at which point the father walked up to the cast member and said, "Okay, c'mon now, what really happened?"

"You know that big snoring bear..."

The Return of a Cast Member

About a month ago, I received a letter from Disneyland scheduling asking if I would like to work in the park during the week of Thanksgiving. I replied immediately with a, "YES!" And so Monday night marked my eventful return to the park at last as a cast member instead of as a guest. Though it felt as though I had never left, I did have to get used to being back in the role. Almost immediately after walking onstage, a guest asked me where the nearest restroom was. I was surprised enough that someone had asked me a question out of the blue, despite the fact that I had just realized that as a cast member I would get questions at a regular rate. Fortunately, I was able to maintain composure and point out the nearest restroom without difficulty. The night was fairly simple after that and I fell into pattern with ease. The rest of the night was spent as a valet for stroller parking, which, I might add, is my favorite job out on the Fantasmic front.

The Life of a Cast Member

Today marks one week since I started my official duties as a post-training cast member, and I must say this has been quite an exciting week! Almost every day I'm in the park, helping Splash Mountain to run smoothly. So far, it's been quite fun! I've really enjoyed interacting with guests and taking on the various roles required to operate the mountain.

Not that work has been all fun and games. The job certainly has its ups and downs, and sometimes it's easy to get really frustrated when confusion erupts or guests get upset over something. But making one guest happy completely compensates for dealing with twenty annoyed guests, and I must say I really take pride in the job. The best part of my day is closing up the attraction at midnight once Disneyland has closed. Afterwards, I walk to my car, enjoying the cool silence and the glowing lights of the empty park.

Okay, I need to go sleep. I've got an eight hour shift tomorrow, and it starts at 10:00 a.m.
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First Days at Disneyland

If you happened to be here around mid-April, you may recall that I was recently hired by the Disneyland Resort to work in an attractions role. Well, Saturday, May 31st marked my first official day as an attractions cast member as I went down to the Disneyland property to begin my first day of training called "Traditions". This day was a simple walk-through of general training, in which I was instructed in various cast member traditions and guidelines with regards to safety, performance, guest interaction, and so forth. After lunch, my group and I were taken through the backstage area of Disneyland and emerged "on-stage" in the middle of Toontown, where we began a quick walk around the park to inspect and observe its various aspects. I must say that entering Disneyland from the back is quite a different experience, but not an altogether unwelcome one.

The day eventually concluded by preparing each of us for our next day of training (which would be area-specific), and I learned I would be operating Splash Mountain for the time being (bummer, no Haunted Mansion). When all was said and done, we received our official Disneyland Resort ID cards and name badges, which was very exciting. And, of course, my natural response upon receiving my ID was to rush to the main entrance of Disneyland and present it for admission into the Magic Kingdom.

Since Traditions concluded around 6:00, I had approximately six hours to romp the parks before they closed for the night. Since it was a Saturday, the lines were a bit long, so I was worried I wasn't going to get to do everything on my agenda. Indeed, Disneyland closed its gates before I could get on every attraction I had intended (California Screamin' will have to wait for another time), but I managed to fit in quite a bit between 10:00 and midnight. Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain were all walk-ons, allowing me to experience all of those in less than an hour. Space Mountain wasn't quite a walk-on, but I easily made my way through the queue in about 10 minutes, which wasn't bad at all. Afterwards, I attempted to cram Peter Pan's Flight and Indiana Jones Adventure into the last 20 minutes of the day, but, alas, I did not quite make it.

Oh well. There will be other times.

Anyway, even though I was rushing from place to place, I still managed to snap a few pictures. I would have loved to take more, but I can spend more time doing photography later. After all, I've got access to the park for the entire summer.

The train station was looking lovely in the setting sun, so I took a few shots.


I was inspired to take this shot while in line for Soarin' Over California. I'm very satisfied with the lighting and colors, but I'm not sure about the composition. I can always try again some other time.


So I went on Tower of Terror for the first time (that ride is a death trap!) and got a few not-so-good out-of-focus slightly-grainy shots of the very well themed lobby.


Loved this owl sculpture in the middle of the room. Wish I would have had my tripod so I could have capture it better.


My group stopped to watch a bit of the Electrical Parade (which we kept running into as we tried to get out of the park), so I propped my camera up against a trash can and got a few shots.


In my opinion, this is probably the most memorable part of the parade. Not sure why, though.


I bet it's fun to be the guy who drives that turtle around.


And for the final shot of the day, Space Mountain (the wait was only 10 minutes!). Don't look too closely - it's a little blurry. Wish I had my tripod.

Okay, those are all the pics for now. I'm hoping to go down to the park one day for a massive photo excursion, but first I have to get settled in working there. At any rate, I'll keep you updated until then.
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Making Dreams Come True

It finally happened. I went down to Disneyland for a job interview, and when I left, I had been presented with a role in attractions at the Disneyland Resort. In other words, I've been signed on to become a cast member!

And, obviously, I'm thrilled to pieces!

As of now, I'm scheduled to start May 31st. Stop by the park some time. You might run into me.
T.H. Excellence