This week (December 15th-18th) I went through my final round of Entertainment Host training at Disneyland Resort. If I could describe my experience in 4 words they would be, intense, scary, eye-opening, and wonderful. But I'll explain those more later.
First I want to explain what exactly an Entertainment Host does. To put it simply I'm here for the guest, guide them in lines, tell the which character they are getting in line for, help them make the process easier and answer any questions they might have, not only about characters but about the park in general. Basically we are a walking talking information booth. And to be honest, I can't think of a better job for me.
My trainers Lauren, Kirsten, Danny and Ryan lead by Andy were an amazing group of knowledgeable Cast Members. It seemed like put together they've really seen it all. They were all so willing and ready to answer any question and show us any where that we had a hard time finding. I couldn't imagine what this week would have been had even one of them not been there. So I thank them for that kindness, and encouragement.
All together there were 11 of us trainees, a few transfers from other departments and a couple new hires just like myself. We made quite a mix of people. The first two mornings were filled with power points and activities everything to help us get ready for the job. But after lunch it was time to go out and begin our "on-the-job training" We were split into smaller groups so that we could each go out into the park with out looking like a mass of people. I was paired with Sally and we would spend the rest of the week together learning everything we possibly could. Calling this training intense is an understatement. There is just so much to learn in a very small amount of time. But the end of just day 2 my head felt like it was ready to explode.
On our first day as we toured the Disneyland park we were sent with our trainer Lauren as we learned the ins and outs of the park she was there to answer every question. Again on the second day we were sent of with our trainer Kirsten to tour Disney's California Adventure. Both of these trainers seemed like they really knew it all. And it was really nice to know that no matter how dumb the question they were open to answering it. I do have to say that Day two was my "scary" day. It just seemed that while she was kind and knowledgeable the teaching styles of Kirsten just didn't match with the way I learned.
Before explaining my days 3 & 4 of my training I want to go back to the beginning... like the very beginning of my Disney journey. At the end of day 2 we all shared our stories of what lead each of us to a job at Disneyland Resort. For some of us it was just another job and for others it was a life dream. Each of us had a different reason for being there and I want to quickly share mine.
I've always loved Disneyland, going a minimum of twice a year while in High School I felt pretty lucky. Anyone who knows me knows that I would have loved to work there but I wasn't ready just yet to plan my entire life around something that was so far away from my hometown. It wasn't until August of 2013 that all of that change. That summer after my Senior year was one of the "darkest" times of my life. I had friends going off to college, leaving for LDS missions and some who just cut me out of their lives entirely, I was longing for a trip to Disneyland to get my mind off everything going on around me at home. As we arrived at the park my sister Linnea headed into the park while I purchased my very first Annual Pass. She ran over to Fantasy Faire so we could meet those princesses before a huge line formed. Walking down Mainstreet USA that day I remember my eyes filling with tears. Disneyland was so welcoming and so was everyone there. As we came to the entrance of Fantasy Faire we met an Entertainment Host named Jeremy.
Jeremy was only doing his job, being happy friendly and ready answer and of our questions. I remember him asking about everything we wanted to do and him being so willing to tell us where to go and when to go there to get it done. Even though I knew he was going to do this with everyone, I felt like he made sure that Linnea and I were taken care of before moving on. He truly cared about us as guests. We parted ways and headed off to get everything done in the quickest time we could. About 5 hours into our day we decided to take a short cut through Fantasy Faire and there Jeremy pulled us out of the crowd. Calling me by name, he asked if we had actually accomplished our goals and met everyone we had wanted too.
I have had many incredible experiences with cast members during my many trips to Disneyland but none that effected me in the way that this one did. Jeremy had gone above and beyond to make sure we were taken care of. It was that day that I decided I HAD to work there. Especially in an Entertainment Host position. I wanted to make sure that I could do for someone what Jeremy did for me. Because during a time in my life when I felt completely friendless here was this stranger who was more than willing to be my friend even if it was just for a few moments. And being in a job that could allow me to do that for someone would be a dream come true. And that's where my journey began...
On our 3rd day of training we were sent off with our trainer Danny, who is basically like a 6 foot tall teddy bear. Now, the tours were over and we finally got to experience what hosting with characters was really like. Danny was hands down my favorite trainer, he listened and helped with everything we needed. And he even shared experiences of his own while helping us. He was real and incredible easy to relate too. At the end of the day we headed over to Mickey's House in Toontown to host with the one and only Mickey Mouse. Something we'd kind of all been waiting to do. As we learned how to load guests into meet Mickey, Danny looked to me and said "Well, look who's in here" and of course I was thinking "Mickey Mouse duh..." but as I turned the corner I was face to face with Jeremy. The person who had started this entire journey for me. After talking with him, sharing my story and thanking him for setting me on this life changing path we shared quick hugs and headed off. From an incredible trainer to finally thanking the one person responsible for this I have to say that Day 3 was my favorite.
Day 4 was very similar to day 3 but this time we were on our own and it was very eye-opening. It really showed me what I had to work on. But again I want to compliment my final trainer Ryan on being honest, and just shoving us into the deep end because it's exactly what I needed.
Even through the ups and downs of it all this training was wonderful I've learned so much about who I am, about Disneyland and what it stands for and even so much about the entertainment business and everything that it takes to keep it going.
I can not wait to begin this wonderful journey starting this Sunday on Buena Vista Street with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
