Remember - it all started with a mouse!

Traditions and Day 1 of training are now complete!

Traditions was the same and yet very different all at the same time. I had the pleasure of experiencing Disney's tutorial on integrity again (it was thrilling) and then learning about the 4 keys again. WDW doesn't follow the service model though...instead they have 4 Disney basics that say basically the same thing. We took the shuttle over to the Magic Kingdom and got to experience the Utilidors, which was totally awesome. Walking onto Main Street USA was one of the most bizarre experiences of my life though.

See, I haven't been to the Magic Kingdom since I was about 10, and I know Disneyland like it's my own home. So as I walked down Main Street and gazed upon the Partner's statue and the castle, it was like I was home...only not. Everything was so much bigger and spread out. The entrance to tomorrowland is totally different and the Astro Orbiter (over here with an e) was hidden in the back. It's hard to explain...but it was a very overwhelming and emotional experience for me.

We went back to Disney University and finished up class. Unfortunately I ran into another snafu where my ID was missing. I was told I wouldn't get it until Tuesday (which I was NOT happy about), but then found out I simply had to go to security to pick it up. I was able to get my ID later that afternoon and watched Illuminations at EPCOT that night. Now THIS is what I came here for. :)

The next day I spent at Disney's Hollywood Studios with my new friend John. We also saw Black Swan up at Citywalk and let me tell you - that movie is INSANITY. Natalie Portman is amazing.

So today was day 1 of my global training for Guest Relations. Our leaders were Sean, Janet-Sierra, and Lynn - all seasoned GR cast members that were enthusiastic and wonderful teachers. They make me feel like I will be more than prepared once I start OTJ Training. We learned a LOT today - how to help guests with disabilities, different forms to fill out, formats to use when assisting guests, phone etiquette...all sorts of really useful information. Tomorrow we'll learn more general information about GR, then Thursday I start learning how to use ATS (the resort's ticketing program). It's a lot of information all thrown at me at once, but I feel like I'm doing a good job taking it all in.

There's 1 other intern in DTD - a boy named Aaron. There are about 20 or so GR interns all together - most of them are placed at the Magic Kingdom. Funnily enough there was another tall, brown haired, theatre loving Jillian in my class - what are the odds? I'm excited to go back tomorrow and get to know these wonderful people even better and learn more about how I can best assist guests and make their vacations as magical as possible :)