Ema Earns Her Ears: My Secret Walt Disney World Cast Member Diary (Earning Your Ears Book 2) (13 page)

With his other hand, the boy handed Pluto his hat and indicated with a thumbs-up that he wanted me to sign, which I did and then put it back on his head.

It was such a little thing, but it meant so much to the boy and his family, and it’s why I wanted to be a performer in the first place.

“Let’s go celebrate Christmas in July!”

This was one of the best experiences I had while working at Disney, and probably one of the best experiences of my life. As part of the College Program, you’re given an events calendar when you arrive, and you can pick up a new one at the beginning of each month from the front desk of your housing complex. Every week through June there was a Give Kids the World event. I hadn’t even read the calendar during my first program, but I’d heard people talking about it. I learned that Give Kids the World is held at a “village” where children with life-threatening illnesses and their families can enjoy a week’s vacation. I wanted to do my bit and give what I could to help this worthy cause. Katie and I book our place on one of the upcoming event and were told to meet at the Commons that day at 4:30pm, where we would have a briefing, fill out some paperwork, and receive our volunteering t-shirts.

At the Commons, the event leader showed up with a armful of t-shirts and explained that she had only a limited supply of sizes. Luckily, Katie and I both got the size we wanted, and we put the shirts on right away over the strappy tops we were wearing.

We piled into the mini bus for the 20-minute drive from The Commons to the Village, where we handed in our registration forms and got our name stickers. We’d already been assigned a project. Today, as it turned out, was a particularly special day: it was a Thursday, and every Thursday the Village is turned into a Winter Wonderland, complete with a visit from Santa. It broke my heart when I realized that they were celebrating Christmas in July because some of these kids weren’t going to make it to December.

We were taken to a volunteer hut and fed pizza, crisps, salad, brownies, and other treats, and told to help ourselves to a drink dispenser loaded with every kind of fizzy imaginable. Then we were taken to a laundry room where they’d hung rails full of glittery red, white, and green costumes. The leader began handing them out; there were elves, candy canes, Eskimos, presents,and tin men, all in a variety of sizes. I was given a fur blue dress with a hood lined with white fur. I thought I looked like a snow queen, but I was supposed to be an Eskimo. Katie was a candy cane in a red-and-white striped dress. We almost forgot it wasn’t really Christmas time!

Now fully costumed, we were driven up the lane to where the parade would start. The parade was only a short route, but that didn’t matter because when we got to the courtyard, there were Christmas themed decorations everywhere, and music playing. Two children (who had walked with me hand-in-hand during part of the parade) dragged me to the center and wanted to dance. As they laughed at my silly moves, a giant elf on stage with a microphone said that Santa had a special surprise for all the children staying here. The elf asked us all to close our eyes. At this point, I had been joined by a girl in her early teens wearing a bikini top and shorts, which revealed several scars across her stomach and rib cage. She had short hair which looked as if it had been recently shaved and was just now growing back. She looked at me and I indicated for her to close her eyes by covering mine with my hands. She grabbed my right hand and squeezed it with excitement as she closed her eyes. We all counted down from three and then opened our eyes to find that it was snowing. All the children were fascinated by the snow, and the teenager next to me had tears in her eyes. She gave me the biggest hug and ran off to find her parents.

Back home, I realize that I’d just gotten a huge wake-up call and needed to stop complaining about the trivial matters that I thought were so important, such as:

• Why does it matter if the makeup I like isn’t in stock?
  
• Why does it matter if I’m not going to get a discount at my supermarket any more?
  
• Why does it matter if the top I want can’t be shipped to the UK?
  

These are all things that I have complained about in the last month, and the kids I met at the Village put my attitude to shame.

During my college program, I got pretty close to a few of the characters. I noticed a lot of things as a performer, and it only seems fair to share what I learned so that you’ll have better luck when it comes your turn to meet Pluto and all of his friends.

• Be prepared. When the attendant says “get your pens, autograph books, and cameras ready”, they mean it. Have them in your hands, ready to go.
  
• Have an itinerary. Know who in your group wants individual pictures and who just wants to be in the group picture. If you want individuals, decided whether it is really necessary for all 20 members of your group to have their own photos taken.
  
• Pens! Don’t give the characters pens that are for meant for small, nimble fingers. Some of the characters have paws or big hands, and some are not able to pose their fingers. Mickey taught Pluto how to write especially so he could sign his name for guests, but please make it easy for him (and for characters like him) by giving him a big, thick, easily manipulated pen. I have seen Rafiki been forced to write with half a crayon, and on the other end of the scale, I’ve seen Pluto handed one of those giant novelty pencils. If you want a decent autograph, the character needs the right tool with which to give it to you.
  
• Sharpies. Be careful where you’re pointing that thing. It’s good that you uncap the pen to help out the character, but don’t throw it at him or stab it into his palm nib-first. It’s not easy to wash permanent marker out of fur.
  
• The characters do love to be hugged. But be gentle; a proper hug doesn’t involve hanging off Rafiki’s neck or using Pluto’s nose as a pull-up bar. Some of the character performers are quite small and easily damaged.
  
• Mix things up a bit. The characters also know how to high-five and some can even fist bump. Some characters in the quieter meet-and-greet areas will even learn a new handshake if you want to teach them something cool. Pluto, in particular, loves learning new tricks, and for him a hand shake is definitely a trick.
  
• Talk to the characters. It’s awkward if you just shove your paper at them expecting it to be signed without saying a word. You can even ask them questions and create a fun game of charades trying to guess their answer (for the ones unable to talk). It can be amusing to see how the character reacts when you guess wrong. Please do avoid stupid or intricate questions, however.
  
• Accept the PhotoPass card. You don’t have to be rude to the photographer or attendant for asking you if you have or would like one. The cards are free, and you aren’t bound into a contract to buy anything by accepting the card. The PhotoPass photographers are pros and will capture things on film that you’re likely to miss.
  
• Character love presents, especially those handcrafted by children such as pictures, letters, stickers, origami, paper airplanes, bouncy balls, or anything small but memorable.
  
• Would you give your newborn baby to your dog at home? No! So don’t give your newborn baby to Pluto. He sure doesn’t want to hurt the little fella, but with big paws and fingers that don’t always work so well, he does tend to drop stuff.
  
• Do not announce to the entire queue waiting to meet Mickey Mouse that he is “just someone in a costume”. You may think you’re cool or “above the magic” when you do this, but no one else will think so (if only you could hear what the people around you are likely thinking) and all you accomplish is to confuse the littler kids. Is that why you came to Disney World?
  
• Don’t ask the characters, “Is it hot in there?” Of course it is, and that’s why they’re given frequent breaks. Also, see the previous comment, above.
  
• Think about what you are going to get signed. Hard book? Great! Tiny bits of paper made for ants? Not so great. Don’t expect the best autograph ever if you just hand the character a loose sheet of paper. Pluto has an especially difficult time signing his name as his huge snout gets in the way, and he could use all the help you can give him.
  
• Bring fun things to sign. Signed t-shirts and even pillow cases make great souvenirs that cost you nothing. But again, remember to put something hard beneath that pillow case, or you’ll be disappointed by the autograph. If you can’t sign a t-shirt held in mid-air, neither can Pluto or any of the other characters. Bring a clipboard.
  
• And finally, if you are going to tell a character that they are your favorite and that you’ve watched all their TV shows and films, please get their name right. Pluto hates being called Goofy, especially when his name is right there on his collar.
  

It was a DinoLand day, and I was at Animal Kingdom for 7am watching all of the breakfast workers coming out warm up as I was went into the base. The forecast today was for thunderstorms and torrential rain, with potentially a hurricane warning thrown in. This has always scared me. But the worst thing about today, besides the potential risk of a hurricane, was the likelihood of lightning, and my break room for the day was a caravan-type trailer. I was terrified that lightning would hit the trailer and kill us all.

We started the day as we usually did. I went out for my Pluto sets to meet the guests who were risking a day in the park despite the forecast. Around 11am, the heavens opened, with rain so heavy that we were told to report to our designated rain locations instead of our usual spots. But even getting to those locations would mean a lot of wet fur for Goofy and Pluto. Just as we were about to give it a try, the call came in: WE ARE 101!

The internal code 101 is used by cast members to report a location is no longer in use due to weather conditions or other issues. Usually, a weather-related 101 is linked to lightning, which means that the characters can’t come out (they’re too afraid) to play. Many of the rides shut down, as well. Disney foresaw the danger from lightning when they built the park, and if you look at the very top of Cinderella Castle you’ll see a spire: that spire isn’t for Cinderella to hang a washing line, it’s a lightning conductor which is meant to redirect any errant bolt of lightning into the ground to discharge, with no harm to cast members or guests. Unfortunately, most of the other buildings don’t have these lightning conductors, and so an electrical storm usually signals an unscheduled break for cast members (and an aggravation for guests).

Two hours into the 101 and it’s still chucking down, and we were already through our first film in the trailer break room. As we started a vote as to what we would watch next, more lightning struck, followed by the loudest crack of thunder I’d ever heard.

Not even 10 seconds passed before the next bolt hit, seemingly right next to our trailer. I curled up on the sofa as the other girls screamed and the boys jumped out of their skins. Just as I was lifting my head up, another bolt hit. This one actually struck the trailer, causing it to shake. I vowed never to wish for another 101 ever again.

The insane weather conditions didn’t stop before my shift ended, and so the van came to pick us and take us back to base. I always used to walk to the bus stop from base at animal kingdom, but today the weather was so bad that I had no intention of walking. I hid under the shelter and waited for the bus that went from the gates to base; it wasn’t a very long trip, but it was far enough to get soaked. Unfortunately, on the other side of the gates there was another walk to the stop for the college program bus, but luck was finally on my side and the rain let up a little just as I went through the gates.

The bus was 30 minutes late, which wasn’t unusual for a CP bus. We all queued up and proceeded to rush onto the bus to grab a seat. During the trip home, I looked at the many tourist hotels off Disney property and the tacky shops, including one with a giant eagle stuck on it. I guess the owner thought that a giant eagle would lure in tourists eager to buy his stupidly over-priced t-shirts, mugs, and key rings to prove to the folks back home that you’d had a wonderful time in Orlando.

We hadn’t even reached the giant eagle before we were stuck in traffic caused by flooding. Our bus came to a halt just as thunder rumbled down once more. The storm grew worse as we sat there, not moving. I could feel tension building inside the bus. Everyone wanted to be home.

Finally, traffic began moving again, despite the thunder and lightning and sheets of rain. We drove through a “lake” that had been created in the middle of the road and then we were able to pick up a bit of speed. Almost immediately, however, a massive thunderclap shook the bus and lightning hit the road nearby. My phone rang at the same time, making me jump. It was Amy and Katie, advising me not to use my umbrella in these conditions.

Just then, another lightening bolt struck, only this time it didn’t hit the road, it hit the back of the bus, causing a bang, screams, and sparks. The bus driver looked in his rear view mirror, and I could tell he was worried. I dropped my phone, ending my call to Amy and Katie, who undoubtedly had heard the loud bang and the dropped call and assumed that I might not be coming home, after all.

On the odd occasion when Katie and Amy and I would finish work at around the same time, we’d often head to Downtown Disney for an adventure, often involving Ghirardelli milkshakes. It was just as well that we didn’t finish work at around the same time every day, because then I’d have needed to purchase an extra seat for the plane trip home. Each shake was a full day’s caloric intake in a single glass, but so totally worth it.

Before we went to Ghirardelli’s one night, we had a look around the shops. I had already begun making a list of the gifts I wanted to buy for people back home, and also the things I wanted to buy for myself before the program ended. One thing I wanted, but which I could never find in my size, was a princess dress. I had seen photos on Instagram of girls skinny as rakes fitting into the children’s size princess dress, but that wasn’t for me: at 5’7”, it’s safe to say that I’m not a stick. Katie and Amy, on the other hand, are so petite that they can get away with it.