So I realize that it's been a month since my last blog post...#whoops
I remember frantically searching the internet for college program blogs and insights about DCP life when I was preparing for my arrival date. I used to get so frustrated with the people who would post about check in, and traditions, and their first day of work...and then nothing about the rest of their lives. Because once you're accepted, that's what you really want to know. It's not "How are the first two weeks of working for Disney?" it's "What does a real week look like? Are guests mean? Does your job suck?"
That's what I was hoping to find, at least. So I apologize for leaving people like me hanging on that info. In a rapid fire way, here is my answer to some of those questions.
What does a week look like?
The thing with me and weeks is that since I've started working I often have no idea what day it is. My "Monday" is on Thursday and my "Friday" is Monday and everything in between just gets lost in the cycle of working, sleeping, and going out with friends. It's a fun life but definitely a weird one.
As far as Custodial in Future World goes, the scheduling seems pretty random. I always work at least 33 hours but some weeks I'm mostly in the streets, and other times (like this week) I have 6 days of restrooms.
When it comes to like, outside of work life, I'm really infatuated with Disney dining experiences. Two or three times a week I'll eat one giant Disney lunch and then just snack on my dinner break at work. Sometimes (if it's been a bad day and I get off early enough) I also treat myself to a pizookie at BJ's with my coworkers after we clock out.
I usually don't start work earlier than 2:30, which means that if I can drag my butt out of bed I have plenty of time to visit parks or run errands in the morning before my shift. 2 hours may not seem like much time to spend in a Disney park, but the way you approach the parks is completely different when you can go every day.You don't feel that need to do EVERYTHING every time you visit a park. You live here, so if all you have time to do before work is eat and go on the Great Movie Ride, that's totally cool.
Are guests mean?
I am fortunate to work a job in which it is almost never my responsibility to tell a guest "no". I don't deal with their money, I don't serve them food, I don't have to deal with fastpass+ confusion or complaints. When guests come up to me, it is almost never to be mean.
Sometimes guests are flustered. They have imminent reservations across the park and don't know how to get there. They're tired and trying to leave but don't know if there's a bus to their hotel. These people are not in the calmest state of mind, so they can come off a little brash; but having been a guest myself, and having almost lost the full deposit for our reservations at Hoop-de-Doo Revue, I know that it's not intentional. These guests can be intimidating or startling at first, but they are often the ones most thankful for your help. Even if the answer I give doesn't make a guest feel better, it's really not ME that they are upset with most of the time.
Sometimes guests DO have a concern or complaint with your area. Most of the time these concerns provide me with information that helps me do my job. If I work in a restroom, for example, I actually appreciate guests who inform me when a stall is out of toilet paper or if a paper towel dispenser is stuck. When the restrooms are busy I can't always check all the stalls before guests use them, and knowing that something needs stocking is helpful!
Probably the closest thing to "mean" I ever run into is when guests are disappointed or underwhelmed with something I'm responsible for. This doesn't happen often, and usually this opinion is something I hear spoken to another, not something that is spoken to me. I work very hard to keep my areas clean and show-ready. When I do restrooms, it is a point of pride for me to keep that place smelling nice. When I do Streets, my personal mission is to remove all evidence of popcorn sales. Of course, nobody is perfect,and sometimes things happen while I am working in another part of my area. One example of this is that I will leave to check another restroom and when I come back I'll hear a guest remark that it's smelly in one of my stalls. That's not something that was said to make me feel bad, it's just a common struggle in the public restroom world. Now that I know, I can step in and fix it so that nobody else has that experience.
Does your job suck?
No! Custodial has plenty of ups and downs in a given day, and it's not always the most glamorous of jobs, but I would never say that my job sucks. It's not something I want to do forever, but I can see why people retire into this kind of position. I get to walk around the parks all day interacting with guests when I work streets, and I am responsible for "keep[ing] the place clean", something inextricably linked to Walt's vision for his theme parks. I have one of the most important jobs in the park. I know that, and guests know that. I get thanked for the work I do on a regular basis by guests and fellow castmembers alike. I also have AMAZING coworkers to help me laugh through some of the grosser moments that we come across in a work day. All in all I get to come home with the best stories :)
