Missing Canada?

Well I've been in Florida for two months now, it's hard to believe!

As time wears on, I find myself missing or craving certain things that you can't get here in the sates.
Although America and Canada are quite similar, there are some small detail that are different and can create a bit of a culture shock because you don't really expect it to be different (if that makes any sense at all).

For starters, when you go into Walmart, you walk in and don't know where to start!  The Walmart's down here are ginormous and super confusing!  They don't have roll back so you really have to really look at prices.  Also the customers aren't the same, in Canada everyone usually looks were they are going and is very courteous, in America...not so much.  I'm not saying it to be bias or trying to offend anyone, but it is true and slightly stero-typical...Canadians say sorry way too much (at least it seems to be that way with me....).

Some things I miss that they don't have in Canada:
-Tim Hortons (Seriously dying, I miss getting Timmies coffee and bagels and doughnuts!)
-Smarties
-Ketchup Chips
-Poutine (Never really craved it till I came here...now I want it all the time because I can't have it!)
-Kraft Dinner (They have Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, but it's weird not seeing KD)
-Kinder Surprise (I don't really miss it...but was surprised they don't have them)
-Plum Sauce (I go to McDonalds and ask for plum sauce for the chicken nuggets and they look at me like I have 5 eyes and ask what plum sauce is..)

Another thing is that the customer service is horrible.  It's a lot more difficult to get things done quickly when you need customer service.  Although I do have to say that even though working for Disney might sound intimidating to do, since they are very strict about having good show and looking/acting our best in front of guests at all times, I completely understand why.  Disney is probably one of the best places to go for great customer service, there is nothing they wont try to do (within limitation of course) to make sure you have an enjoyable time.  It's not always easy or possible to accommodate every guests need or solve every complaint, but Disney really does put in a lot of effort to make sure that everyone has a magical experience.  After certain experiences I have had with customer service from stores or banks while down here, I have found a lot of respect to why disney is so strict with how cast members act and I find myself trying to do my best to make sure that a guest doesn't have to deal with the stress or frustration I have had to deal with.

Sorry if this isn't a super positive post, I guess I'm just missing Canada a bit and wanted to educate you on somethings I've found out while down here.

On a more positive note, I've got 4 days off and today I am going to Animal Kingdom with my friend Sam!  Maybe one blog post will be strictly pictures of my adventure in Florida thus far!

-Janice


"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world.  But it takes people to make the dream a reality."
-Walt Disney

Le Cellier

Hello Folks!

I'm officially no longer the newbie at the pavilion as well as I am all done my "Prove it" shifts in the restaurant.  In this blog I am going to be talking about the different positions in our restaurant, Le Cellier.

Le Cellier Steakhouse is the Canadian pavilions signature restaurant.  It is the second most popular restaurant in all of Disney World.  It usually books up three to six months in advance!  So if you ever plan on eating there....book early!  And because Le Cellier is in a Disney Park, it is not like any normal high end restaurant, there is no dress code.

Right now I am working Front of House at Le Cellier.  Front of house positions consists of greeter, seater and setter.  These are all non tipped positions.

Greeter:

The greeter stands behind the desk and checks the guests into the restaurant.  As the greeter, you need to make sure you ask a guest how many children and adults are in the party, if children; ask if highchairs or strollers are needed, ask if guest in wheelchairs/ECV's are able to transfer, ask guests if they are on the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) or Tables in Wonderland (TIW) and remind the guest that if on DDP it will be two table credits per person.  You also need to make sure that if guests want to wait outside, they must know that they can not wander past the bridge because we will not be able to find them.  Greeter does involve a bit of computer skills as well as some multi tasking.  While typing finishing with filling out a check in, you need to be able to start greeting the next guest so they are not standing there for too long waiting for you to talk to them.  

Seater:

Being a seater, you need to be very quick at memorizing and have good people skills (you need good people skills with a positions...but a little more with seater).  You need to be able to have conversations with the guests while bringing them to their table.  Things I like to ask is where they are traveling from, if they are having a good time and if they have been to Le Cellier before.  If there are younger kids I like to ask what other parks they have been too, what rides are their favourite and what characters they have met.  You need to be quick at memorizing because you need to learn the table numbers and what sections they are in.  Each section represents a canadian provence or territory, so you need to be able to know a fun fact for each provence and territory.  Another thing a seaters job is, is Disney trivia (or canadian trivia).  When the wait is starting to get long and there are a lot of guests in the front area, we do disney trivia.  It entertains the guests and it helps time go by faster...it's also a lot of fun!  And the guests that answer questions right get mickey stickers!  It's great when you have a crowd with lots of kids.

Setter:

This is probably the most exhausting job on podium.  Setter is the one who sets each table, and the shift is about 9 hours.  You are basically running around the restaurant setting tables non stop for 9 hours.  The good thing about this shift is that you do get an hour break, so you do get a chance to re-energize.  As setter you also have to refill the pretzel bread.  As setter, you don't really have much interaction with guests unless they ask you where the bathrooms are.  This can be nice when you have a cold/lost your voice and can not talk over the noise of the dining room.  

There you have it, the three non tipped positions at Le Cellier!  The next step up are tipped positions which is Food Runner and eventually Server, but I'll let you know more about them when I know more about them.  I have also started studying for my service test!  It's hard to start since you need to know what to study for, but once you start studying it gets a little bit easier.  Who knew that even when you are not in school anymore, you'd still have to study and write tests...

Time to make some tea and relax!

-Janice

"Mickey Mouse is, to me, a symbol of independence. 

He was a means to an end."

-Walt Disney