Well, since the last time I wrote I have started working! I started my training outside on the popcorn cart and then this past week I was in the restaurant training. In this blog I think Im going to talk about the jobs at pop corn cart and my next blog will be about working in Le Cellier, if I don't it's going to be a super long novel which is what the last one was like.
A quick little talk about the training at Disney. You have one day of training per position. Once you are done your training shifts, you have what they like to call your "Prove it" shifts. Which isn't as scary as it sounds, it's just a day where you work without a trainer helping you and explaining things to you. I haven't had any major issues yet with my prove it shifts I did for popcorn so I don't really know what happens if your "prove it" shifts don't go well. I guess they just get you to do another training day to get you more comfortable with the position.
AM Popcorn Cash:
For AM popcorn cash, you have to open the cart in the morning (you have about an hour to do so, and should not take longer then that hour because guests are waiting to buy stuff by 12pm). AM popcorn cash talks to customers and takes their orders, handles the money. You get one 45 minute break during this shift usually around 3pm and at the end of your shift you close the till and are escorted back to the restaurant to count the till. The one downfall with AM Popcorn is that you are working by yourself for the majority of the time, but you do have Merchandise close by if anything happens.
PM Popcorn Cash:
This is so far my favourite position. You arrive and head up to the cart, open and count your till, then basically do what you do for am popcorn (except you don't have to open the cart). You also have whoever is on popcorn stocker to help you out if it gets busy. Dinner break is usually an hour or two after we start, so around 4pm. Lucky thing about PM popcorn cash is that you don't have to close down the cart. PM popcorn cash helps the popcorn stocker by cleaning up somethings while waiting for the escort and bringing things down to the dishwasher to be cleaned then you bring them back up on your way out.
Popcorn Stocker:
This is a somewhat tedious job and is more physically demanding the the other two popcorn duties.
Through out the day and night, the popcorn cart will get low on supplies and it is the popcorn stockers job to stock them up. You need to change kegs, move kegs, empty spill buckets, stock up on pop, frozen drinks, popcorn, popcorn containers and cups. There is a lot of moving back and forth for this. Although your job doesn't really start until 9pm when you start to close the cart. You need to count all products, clean the cart, un tap the kegs, lock everything up and bring all dry products and the two slushy drinks back down to the restaraunt. It doesn't sound difficult, and once you get a good routine that works for you, it's really not. It's only because you are the only closing and are working at night that makes it seem long. But it can be kind of fun because thats when all the disney wildlife comes out! There are about three or four bunnies that live around the Canadian pavilion, they are very cute and like to graze around the popcorn cart.
Now time to talk about the popcorn cart itself! It is where I learn't how to pour draft beer! At the popcorn cart we sell draft canadian beer (Moosehead, Moosehead Light and Labatt Blue), popcorn, pop, one alcoholic slushy (Torontopolitain, which is similar to a cosmopolitain) and a North Bay smoothie (which is like a frozen sheerly temple). For popcorn cart we wear the red and black plaid shirt, tan culottes and a lumberjack hat. (*Pictures will be posted when as soon as I get a picture of me in both my outfits*) Popcorn cart is a lot of fun because you are outside for your shift and you get to communicate a lot more with the guests.
Since today was my day off I did my chores and plan on going to Epcot to eat at Germany (when guests are unable to get a table at Le Cellier, we recommend them to eat at either Germany, Morocco or China. So what better way to recommend a place then by trying it yourself!
Thats about it for now!
-Janice
Also, I thought I would add some pictures I took when I went to see "Wishes" at the Magic Kingdom. It is seriously the best thing to watch to cure homesickness or just to brighten your mood. It's is truly breath taking.
"When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable."
-Walt Disney
