As some of you may remember, I put together a list of my top 5 dream work locations at Disneyland before I started my program there. I thought I'd do the same for Florida, now that I have just around a month and half left before I check in! I'll once again be working Attractions for my role, and I'm pretty excited!
1) Kilimanjaro Safaris - Disney's Animal Kingdom
This is the dream, folks. This is the Jungle Cruise in a truck and with animals without the robotic innards.
This is an attraction in a park that is rarely open past 9 pm. No clock out times of 1 am.
Did you get that? Let me say it again.
No clock out times of 1 am.
In terms of theme and details, Animal Kingdom is a star amongst a family of parks known for being the best themed and most immersive in the world. While some dislike the park's general lack of attractions compared to WDW's other 3 parks, I have always seen Animal Kingdom itself as an attraction. While any Disney park is designed to make you forget where and when you are, it is quite easy to really believe you're in Africa or at the base of the Himalayas, depending on which section of the park you're in. Altogether, I adore this park and fully believe Walt is beaming with pride over it somewhere.
The Africa section of Animal Kingdom is anchored by Kilimanjaro Safaris. You get to tour the Harambe Wildlife Reserve on a truck and check out animals native to the continent of Africa, and possibly stop a group of elephant poachers along the way.
The role includes lots of memorization and spieling as you drive the trucks around the reserve. I could spend every day driving a beast of a truck, using my memorization skills (that haven't gotten a workout in awhile) I learned in Job's Daughters, and probably be home before 10 pm every night. I have put in a request for this attraction, so we will see what happens.
2) Tower of Terror - Disney's Hollywood Studios
I want the bellhop costume. Is that enough reason to want this location?
If that's not enough, it is one of my favorite attractions. I do love the California version, and there are a few effects from Cali that I wish the Florida version had, but if I had to pick a favorite the DHS Tower wins. You get to actually move forward through the Twilight Zone in your elevators, and the outdoor queue is beautiful. Once I discovered the creepy/awesome use of sublminal messaging that this ride uses on my last trip (hint: ever wonder why you feel a little shaken up after the ride is done? It's not just the drops. Pay close attention to what's in front of you as you're dropping - you aren't imagining things.), my awe of this ride went up to like a 30 out of 10. Also, I'd get to act creepy.
I am considering calling and adding this to my request list, but I haven't as of yet.
3) Expedition Everest - Disney's Animal Kingdom
This is Disney's single best roller coaster and possibly one of the greatest attractions Disney has done altogether. It's big, bad and thrilling and the queue even tops Indiana Jones' in California and does a spectacular job of setting the story for the attraction. Disney is not really known for major thrill rides, and Everest satisfies the needs of any adrenaline junkie.
Sure, there's the controversy over "Disco Yeti" and it does make me sad to see that beauty of an animatronic not moving the way it used to, but it is still an impressive part of the ride experience.
4) Star Tours - Disney's Hollywood Studios
It's Walt Disney World's newest attraction (well technically, it is an update to an old attraction) and I do love the Star Wars series. I liked the costumes when I was there a few months ago. Its a pretty popular attraction, which means I'd be busy and on my toes at work, which is the way I like it. It's also a great attraction for re-rides, as you can get a different experience each time you go on. That also makes it a great attraction to become a part of the story as a Cast Member.
Also, I don't know if it would be possible to make my mom any prouder than if she could tell everyone her daughter sent people on flights to Endor every day.
5) Spaceship Earth & American Adventure - Epcot
Next to the castles, Disney Parks most recognizable icon has to be the Epcot centerpiece, Spaceship Earth. It is a nice smooth ride through the gigantic inside of the globe, and is entirely focused on my college major: Communications! I have found it utterly fascinating every time I have been on it, and it really showcases Walt's dream of education intertwining with amusement at Epcot. Disney already looks great on a resume, but how awesome would it be to tell a potential employer, "Not only did I work for Disney twice, I worked on an attraction focused on the history of the field I want to work in." Also, as my sister is currently working Main Entrance Operations at Epcot, she'd likely be within waving distance while I'm out at the greeter position.
While Future World, the section of Epcot that Spaceship Earth is located in, is awesome, World Showcase is close to my favorite portion of any Disney park I've been to. The individual countries are beautifully detailed and all the Cast Members hail from that individual country. Meaning, as much as I love all the countries there, I only qualify to work in America. The American pavilion isn't as extensive as some of the others (because, I'm not sure, but WDW guests may actually already be in America just by being at Epcot), but the building housing the American Adventure show is beautiful and the show itself definitely rouses the patriot in you. While it's not the most exciting attraction, I would certainly love to be front and center in World Showcase everyday and chat with guests about my home country just like Cast Members in the other pavilions. There's not any great restaurants like the other pavilions have (America's food choices consist of burgers, turkey legs, funnel cakes and Budweiser - welcome to AMURICA), but they do have the Voices of Liberty, a small choir dressed in period clothing who are awe inspiring enough to be their own attraction. I also think working so closely with people from all over the world would an invaluable experience.
Honorable Mentions
1) Magic Kingdom Attractions
You may have noticed nothing on Magic Kingdom made my list. While I do love Magic Kingdom, out of the 6 state side Disney Parks, MK has a pretty firm hold on 6th place for me. It is a wonderful park, but seeing as I was already a Disneyland Cast Member, working there would honestly seem like a watered down version of what I've already done. (And if I get placed on Buzz in WDW, my sanity will likely not be coming home with me in Janaury - but that's a post for later) WDW has a ton to offer, and I want to branch out and try something unique to Florida.
If I do get placed here, though, I would be very happy on the Magic Kingdom Railroad, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, or Jungle Cruise.
2) The Great Movie Ride - Disney's Hollywood Studios
This ride is another great opportunity to spend my days at work spieling and flexing my memorization muscles. Set inside a replica of Grauman's in Hollywood, you board trams to take a tour of some of the world's most classic movie scenes. There's a bit of a twist during the tour involving your tour guide, and it's one I've thought looked like a ton of fun to do every time I've experienced the ride.
As the tour guide for the ride, you get to act and slip into your role in a way that other attractions don't always offer. You can certainly play your character no matter where you are in attractions, but The Great Movie Ride offers the opportunity to really be a part of the show.
My room mate Ellen put in a request to work at one of the theater shows at the resorts as well as The Great Movie Ride. With her major, these would both fit her to a T!
That wraps up this edition of
"Top 5 List". What do you think of my choices for locations? Did I miss anything you'd love to work on?
As the tour guide for the ride, you get to act and slip into your role in a way that other attractions don't always offer. You can certainly play your character no matter where you are in attractions, but The Great Movie Ride offers the opportunity to really be a part of the show.
Hi there - I'll also be arriving for WDWCP September 7. Question, how did you "put in a request" for your top attraction? Also, just out of curiousity, what ride did you work at Disneyland?
ReplyDeleteThis has nothing to do with the post, but because you've gone through it before, how does the whole housing situation work? I feel like that is the one thing Disney is so vague about before arrival. If you don't come with a roommate, or aren't matched up with someone in the roommate matcher system, do they just put you with whoever may be standing in line near you? How does that work?
Thank you so much!
Hi there! :)
ReplyDeleteTo put in my request, I called the 1800 number (the same one we called to schedule our phone interviews), let them know my arrival date and that I'd like to put in a work location request. They mentioned that it wasn't a gurantee, of course, but that they'd consider it if it all possible.
I worked on Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and Disneyland :) I adore my little Buzz ride!
The WDW housing is a bit different from the DL housing, so this will be my first experience with it as well. However, from what my sister (who checked in for her program back in June) has told me, if you don't have a room mate you'd like to request or weren't matched through the matching system, exactly what you posted above happens: you are placed with the people in line around you. So, if you want to do a two bedroom in Vista, and a person of the same gender in front of you requests the same, you'll be together. (likely the person behind you, as well - it will continue that way until the room is filled). My sister said people arrive super early on check in day, so I think it would be good to get there early and get to know some of the people hanging out and waiting - you can get to know some there and potentially get in line together when check in opens!
I hope that helped out some :) If you are on the WDW group on Facebook, feel free to find me and add me! Hope to meet you in a few weeks! :)