Friday, October 30, 2015

2015 Halloween Special

"Welcome foolish mortals to the inaugural Brittany Earns Her Ears Halloween Special. I am your host... your 'ghost host.' Kindly step all the way in please, and make room for everyone. There's no turning back now..."


                                      photo courtesy of DisneyTouristBlog.com

In this special edition of Brittany Earns Her Ears, we'll be delving into the spookier side of Walt Disney World. We'll revisit my experiences in the parks during the last Halloween season, and also learn about what's new for this year. Lets dig in!

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is a special ticketed event that takes place from 7:00 PM to midnight on select nights in the Magic Kingdom. The event includes special Halloween themed entertainment, including the Boo to You parade, Hallowishes fireworks, the Cadaver Dans, and more. New to the party this year was the Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular. This show replaced a somewhat similar stage show, that features many of the villains also on the Castle forecourt stage, but with less plot and of course, no Sanderson Sisters. While I haven't seen the new show in person, I've watched numerous videos of it online, and so far I much prefer it to last year's show! I think the addition of the Sanderson Sisters is great, and I'm always up for a revival of Hocus Pocus! If you haven't seen it but want to, see the video below courtesy of Inside the Magic:




Another fun part of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is that there are lots of different characters out that you cannot ordinarily meet, including the Seven Dwarfs, Jack Skellington and Sally, Lotso, the Witch from Snow White, Captain Jack Sparrow, and some of the classic characters such as Mickey and Minnie dressed in their Halloween costumes! If you plan on attending the party next year be sure to have a little bit of strategy planned to meet all of the characters, the lines (especially for Jack and Sally and the dwarfs) can get very long as the night goes on.




Also special for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is some of the park's decorations and photo opportunities. For instance, extra back lighting is added to certain areas of the park to make it a little bit spookier, including the Haunted Mansion:



And there are even some photo ops that only take place during the party! Here's my favorite:



Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is easily my favorite event at Walt Disney World. (Of course, the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is up there too!) Unfortunately I was not able to attend the party this year, due to starting at a new job where my vacation time does not kick in until January, but I'm already planning next year's Halloween trip, so be prepared for some Hocus Pocus to be added into next year's Halloween special!




Working Halloween at Walt Disney World
Working Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is so much fun! One of my favorite days at work ever, was the day that I was able to work a treat shift during the party. I have loved it if I were able to pick up more treat shifts during my fall college program, however the shifts are really hard to come by if you don't work Magic Kingdom attractions. I got lucky, and found an open shift online, and was able to give out treats for one night at the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.

Treat shifts are really easy, and really fun! The cast members rotate through a couple of different positions, either greeting, directing guests where to go from the line's exit, or giving out candy. After completing the last position, you would go on break and the rotation would start over again. It's a pretty laid back night to work, and there is some downtime during the parades and fireworks. It's also nice to work treat shifts (or any shift during the party really) because sometimes you're able to watch either or both performances. During my treat shift in Adventureland I was able to watch the fireworks, the view wasn't perfect, but you can't complain when you're getting paid to watch them. 

I also picked up a regular merchandise shift in Frontierland during a Halloween party, which was another one of my favorite shifts! I lucked out and ended up working at Big Al's, the cart near the Frontierland Trading Post and the Country Bear Jamboree. Because I was at the cart, I had a perfect view of the parade, and fireworks, and I was able to dance along with the parade's pre-show. While I'm thankful that I typically worked in Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom because of the hours, it was definitely a lot of fun, and a whole different feeling to work in the Magic Kingdom, especially during the Halloween parties!



My actual Halloween night last year was much less eventful. I was not scheduled to work at my usual merchandise location in Dinoland, so I picked up a shift online to work in Epcot. The shift I picked up was at Imageworks, the gift shop that the Journey Into Imagination ride exits into. I was really excited to work there, because I love everything Figment, and I figured it would be a nice relaxing shift. While I was on the bus on my way to Epcot, a cast member from deployment called and told me that my location had been changed, and that I would actually be working the same hours, but at the Land. 

The Land? What? There's a gift shop there? After changing my costume and getting lost backstage with Epcot's bus system that I wasn't used to, I arrived at the Land pavilion to find that I would be working at the tiny little shop, or well I guess it's more like a stand, outside of Soarin. There was one register, mostly candy, and a little bit of Soarin items, plush, and little plants from the Land attraction for merchandise, and three cast members. I thought it was odd that I needed to change my shift because the Land was short staffed when there was really only so much you could do there with multiple cast members and only one register. 

The night went by really slow, mostly because Epcot is really quiet on Halloween. The wait for Soarin was only thirty minutes most of the night. Overall it was an extremely easy shift. I got to hang out with some nice cast members from Future World, and I was able to throw on a hoodie and buy my dinner from Sunshine Seasons, but the shift went by so slow, and since the park was so quiet I did not get a lot of guest interaction, or even good people-watching opportunities. If I still worked merchandise at Walt Disney World, I wouldn't mind picking up a shift there again, but I probably wouldn't do it on a holiday when all the guests are over at the Magic Kingdom. 

After my shift, I went home and went to bed. Lame I know, but being a CP is tiring, and I had work in Dinoland early the next day. 

DAK After Dark
DAK After Dark (or so it was called during my program, the name of the event changes yearly) is a chance to Animal Kingdom cast members to visit the park after it's closed an enjoy trick or treating trails, haunted walk through trails, live entertainment, costume contests, free dinner, and the games in Dinoland. Don't worry, our managers ran the games so that we could enjoy the event! 

This event was so much fun, and as far as I know it's something that isn't really done in the other parks. If you ever become an Animal Kingdom cast member, definitely plan to go to the parks cast member-only Halloween event. It's really nice to be able to attend something special like that, especially before all of the hard work that's coming with the approaching holiday season. 




Since I'm not in Disney this year for Halloween, my plans for tomorrow night are not really interesting at all compared to last Halloween season. I'm dressing up, not sure as what yet (either a witch, with that same hat I wore to last year's party, or Ursula if I can make the costume last-minute) and I'm just going to a bar with some friends. I don't have weekends off, so Halloween being on a Saturday actually makes things difficult for me because I really don't want to stay out late!

"Hurry back! Hurry back! Be sure to bring your death certificate, if you decide to join us. Make final arrangements now! We've been dying... to have you..."

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"Brittany Earns Her Ears" is available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle! Click here to order your copy today! And look out for the sequel (title to be determined) coming soon to Amazon!



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Thursday, October 29, 2015

January 2016 Pre-Trip Report

Welcome to my first pre-trip report! For starters, I've never written a trip report before, or a pre-trip report for that matter. It's really kind of a shame actually, because I really do enjoy reading trip reports, but writing them has never really been my thing. I've made two attempts at trip report writing in the past, and both of them ended up being failures. They used to take too long to write, with the details being fuzzy after waiting so long to write them, and ultimately I'd just end up getting frustrated and leaving readers hanging, which is never a good thing. Thankfully these botched trip reports are buried somewhere in the bowels of the internet, since I posted them on Disney fan forums and not my own personal blog, but I'm sure if you're really nosy and dig deep enough you'll be able to find them! 

Anyways, in order to motivate me to start actually producing well-written trip reports, I figured why not start with a pre-trip report?! There's no turning back now, right? 

Here's the basics of my next trip to Walt Disney World:

Who: Chaz (my fiance), myself, and guest appearances by everyone I met during the CP who is still in Orlando!
When: January 11-20, 2016
Where: One of the value resorts, for privacy purposes I'm not going to specify which one until after get get home.

Being a broke college student, I do like to go into some detail about how I budget my Disney trips. I know it's a topic a lot of people are interested in, and I like to think I have it down to a sort of science. 

We booked our hotel room at one of the value resorts, which came in at under $1,000 for nine nights. The room was booked using a 20% off offer that can be found in the special offers section of the official Walt Disney World website. We paid the deposit when we booked the trip, and as of right now we owe almost $700 on the room still. This extra $700 we already have set aside on Disney gift cards, so when we arrive at the hotel on January 11, we can just pay it off with that. 

In case anyone is interested, we're flying Jet Blue, from Boston to Orlando, which cost about $500 round trip for the two of us. We booked our airfare in September, and we have already added the Magical Express service to our trip.

In addition, we've decided to purchase annual passes, because we will more than likely be going to Disney more than once this year, and we're already going to be in the parks for ten days in January alone. In addition to saving money on tickets by purchasing annual passes, we'll also be able to receive merchandise and some dining discounts, and we'll have Memory Maker included, which is well worth it to us. 

Now the fun stuff-- advanced dining reservations! 

Breakfast: 
Sci-Fi Dine in Theater - We've eaten breakfast here before, but only when it's offered during Star Wars Weekends as a character dining experience. From the sounds of it, this breakfast opportunity is a test that runs for a limited time before they decide if they're going to keep it or not. We really enjoyed the breakfast here last May, and could not pass up the opportunity to come back, especially if it might turn out to only be a limited time thing.

Lunch:
Tony's Town Square Restaurant - I've been here before, but Chaz has not. He worked on Main Street during his CP and has been dying to try it!

Yak & Yeti Restaurant - Neither of us have been here before. It always smells so good when we walk by, so we're finally trying it out. 

Le Cellier Steakhouse - Both of us have been here before, although Chaz was acting like a grumpy gills last time and so he didn't enjoy it. Last time we were here was the day I got engaged, and apparently he thought it would have been nice to propose to me by the garden outside the restaurant. He wanted to do it while the PhotoPass photographer was out front to capture the moment, but I was starving and wanted to go right in and get out table! When we came out the photographer was gone, and he ended up proposing to me outside of Spaceship Earth, which was exactly what I would have really wanted anyway, but to this day he still tells me about how grumpy he was that I ruined his plan that day! As a result, we need to have a re-do of Le Cellier.

Dinner: 
San Angel Inn - We both love it, I can't wait to go back!

Kona Cafe - I named my cat after this restaurant. Enough said.

Yachtsman Steakhouse - I've been, he hasn't, he needs to realize what he's been missing.

'Ohana - This needs no explanation.

Liberty Tree Tavern - I've been before, Chaz has not. I also haven't been in years, the last time I ate here it was still character dining! 

Boma - One of our favorites!

Be Our Guest - Another favorite!

Contrary to how my previous failed trip reports have turned out, I'm actually planning on taking some decent pictures and writing fairly detailed reviews of the above restaurants. 

Now for the last order of business, something that a lot of you have been asking me recently-- Are Chaz and I going to the alumni homecoming events? No, we're not. I would love to go, if the price were cheaper. I'm fully on board with Disney charging for CP alumni events if that keeps the cost down and/or limits the crowd, but the $200 each price tag was a little much for us, especially during the time that we would have needed to pay by. If more was included for the $200 we would definitely go. As far as the events go, the only ones we would really be interested in would be the fireworks viewing party from the Contemporary and the character meet and greet (that costs extra and cannot be booked on its own without registration). For us, it makes more sense to just eat dinner at California Grille if we want to see the fireworks from up there. I'm sure the meet and greet is going to include some cool characters, but we just can't justify the price tag for the limited events we'd be interested in going to. We would like to go to alumni events eventually, especially if we think we'd go to the majority of the individual events, or at least if more of our friends are also going. 

So basically, no, we are not going to the homecoming weekend. But if you are, and you see us out and about in the parks feel free to say hi!

That's all I've got for now. To be continued in January...

- CP Q&A - Sarah: Main Street Custodial

­ This CP Q&A features Sarah, who participated in the spring 2015 Disney College Program in Main Street Custodial. Sarah is from Harker Heights, TX, which is located about an hour away from Austin. She attends Central Texas College, where she will soon be graduating with an associate's degree in culinary arts.

Q: What made you want to do the Disney College Program?

A: That's actually a funny question. I had always wanted to do it ever since my sister had done her program back when I was still in high school. I didn't know it was a thing before then but ever since, it has been my dream to work for Disney. I actually applied back in 2007 when I first when to school after I graduated but I had to turn down the offer. I laugh now, because I had actually forgotten about it until I was going back to school and looking for a job in my hometown and coming up empty. So I applied this time because it would be the chance of a lifetime but also because I figured, well I can't get a job at home, why not just try to move sixteen hours away and work for Disney?




Q; What was your role and location? Was it your first choice? If not, what was?

A: Going into it, I knew my role would be custodial, which wasn't my first choice. I actually wanted full service or quick service food to be closer to my major. But I did the research and it turned out that custodial is one of the best positions in the park despite a lot of people not wanted to do it, which after doing it I totally agree with. It probably helps that my location was Magic Kingdom South, so working on Main Street in front of the castle every day was just amazing.




Q: What was your training like?

A: My training was fun. The first day or so was awesome because we sat in a classroom with other custodial cast members who were going to other locations, so you got to meet a lot of people and it was interactive, and the trainers were cool. The introduction to my home park was also awesome. Getting to tour the park and making friends that were going to other areas of the Magic Kingdom was cool. I spent a couple of days with a few other people learning all of the facets of the job and how things worked on Main Street, and then I was assessed and started to work. The training was fun and meeting everyone I was going to be working with was great. Main Street made you feel like you were just joining the family. You trained in both what they call "streets" and "restrooms" shifts. Probably the most fun part of training was learning the radio and all the different codes that are used for everything. The custodial codes became a part of my life with my friends and I. We used them even outside of work, and I still will use them in texting just to fool around with them.




Q: What were the best things about your role?

A: Definitely one of the best things about my role was the freedom it gave me. Even though Main Street is broken up into sections, and you're assigned to a section, you can just traverse the entire area.You're not tied down to just one location like you would if you say, worked specifically in the Emporium or Casey’s Corner. This freedom also allows you a lot of guest interaction. One of the best things was being able to wander around and make a family’s day. Give out magical moments. Going up to a family and talking with their kids while they’re waiting for a parade for twenty minutes, playing with them, giving them stickers, just getting to know people. Yes there were trash runs, and sweeping, and restroom shifts. But that barely scratches the surface of the job. Pin trading was another fun thing we got to do with guests. It was always amazing to see someone’s face light up when you had one that they had been searching for, or just the right one to complete their set, or even if they were collecting all Stitch pins and you actually had one because they were surprisingly rare. Parade and Wishes cleanup was one of the best things, standing there watching the parade and learning Wishes by heart so that you can conduct the fireworks before sweeping up after...probably working right in front of the castle and just being able to be the person to greet someone as they first come in to the park or as they’re leaving ask them what their favorite activity was of the day...seeing girls and boys dressed as their favorite characters and have fun with them. I also actually really liked the costume. I hated it at first because it was so plain but I came to lovingly refer to it as my Baymax Disneybound haha.




Q: The worst?

A: Really the only part that I did not enjoy was the restroom shifts, but that’s to be expected. Who really relishes going to clean up after people and then twenty minutes later seeing all your work undone? But even those shifts I came to enjoy after a while depending on which restrooms I was assigned to.




Q: Would you recommend this role to a friend?

A: Definitely, it was so fun; I made friends there that I still talk with all the time now. Sure you had to clean up a code V or work a restroom shift or do a trash run, but the role is about so much more than that. It’s about creating a safe atmosphere for guests. It’s about interacting with them and making sure they’re having fun and having a good time in your role. Probably my favorite moment was when this family was visiting from France for the first time and they asked if they could leave their stroller next to me while I was working the Tony’s gate back when custodial was still doing the Wishes bypass behind Main Street. I told them no problem because that’s where the stroller parking was and talked to them a little about how they were going to meet Mickey and have dinner. While they were gone I went about my time, talking to guests and fiddling with this Tsum Tsum I carried around back then. When they came back I asked how their meal was and we talked about how you can’t go to Tony’s Restaurant and not get spaghetti. I then asked the little boy if he had fun meeting Mickey and he nodded and kind of hid his face in the stroller. The mom told me that he was kind of shy so I was like that’s alright, I can be shy sometimes too. I asked if he happened to see Minnie while he was in there and he shook his head no. And so I was like really? I wonder where she is...Mickey and I have been looking all over for her...and he smiled and laughed a little. So I asked, him if he liked Minnie and he smiled and nodded; so I pulled out the Minnie Tsum Tsum I had been playing with and handed it to him and said well since you didn’t see her why don’t you hold on to this doll for me then? He looked at me with the widest grin and eyes before he grabbed her excitedly and hugged her to his chest. His mom was dumbfounded and asked if the doll was for him to keep. I told her sure and I hoped they enjoyed the rest of their time here. She smiled and kind of teared up a little and said that it was their first time visiting and she would remember this for the rest of her life and how I just made their vacation. I was like, oh he’s just so adorable and Mickey and I wanted to make sure you guys had the best time here in his kingdom. To be honest it was only after she told me that I noticed they had first visit buttons on but it’s little moments like that that made my program. Knowing that someone appreciates you and you have the ability to just make someone so happy.




Q: What advice would you have for new CPs in this role?

A: I would say to not set yourself up for failure. Like don’t go into it thinking it’s going to be gross all the time and you don’t want to pick up trash and clean a restroom. If you go into it with that mindset you’re going to hate it. But if you go into thinking about how you’re contributing to the park and you’re going to be interacting with guests and helping them you’re going to have fun with it. There’s really two types of CPs I think. You have the first type that takes their role and runs with it. They have a great time and they’re fun to be around. They have the mouse in their heart and it shows. And then you have the second type that came to just basically get free access to the parks and they hate their role, they hate the hours, they always call out, and generally just don’t like being at work whenever they’re there. If you’re a part of the first group then you’ll be just fine in whatever role you wind up getting accepted into.




Q: What have you been up to since your program ended?

A: My program ended and I came home and got back into school. It took me three months being back to find another job which surprised me. But now all I can think about is saving my checks so that I can apply to go back and do another program after I graduate and stay and work for the mouse for the rest of my life. Disney will do that to you. It grows on you... the whole time was amazing and as it got closer to my end date I just couldn’t imagine life outside the Disney bubble. Probably the saddest part of my whole program was going 10­ 98 for the last time and clocking out for my last shift. It hits you when you know your last assignment is complete and you’re never clocking in again. You’ve watched Wishes for the 200th time but the emotions hit you just as hard as when you saw it your first time because you know it’s your last time, at least for a long time.

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"Brittany Earns Her Ears" is on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle! Click here to get your copy today!

Instagram: @brittanyearnsherears

Facebook.com/BrittanyEarnsHerEars
Twitter: @BrittanyEHE

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

- CP Q&A - Sara: Main Entrance Operations in Epcot

In this CP Q&A, Chicago native Sara gives us the scoop on what it's like to work Main Entrance Operations in Epcot. Sara is currently attending Dominican University in River Forest IL, and she plans to graduate in May 2016 with a degree in Communications and a Spanish minor.

Q: What made you want to do the Disney College Program?
A: I found out about the Disney College Program through a recent grad at my university who was Disney bound back in February 2014. I didn't know Disney offered internships, I was a sophomore at the time, but I jumped at the opportunity to participate. I might have jumped a little too fast though; I applied and didn't make it past the web based interview! It wasn't until October of the same year that the program popped back up on my radar. With nothing to lose, I applied again and two weeks later I got the email that I had been accepted for the Spring 2015 program! Disney has been a part of my life for as long as I could remember. The movies I watched, the toys I played with, the Princesses I aspired to be, all revolved around Disney. At 15 years old, I visited Disney World for the first and only time in my life. I knew I had to get back somehow. The Disney College Program was my ticket in.




Q: What was your role and location? Was it your first choice? If not, what was?
A: My role was in Main Entrance Operations. I was a Park Greeter at Epcot. This role was not my first choice. Like a lot of applicants, my first choice was Character Attendant. I loved the idea of interacting with guests, especially with the kids! Working as a Park Greeter, it was literally my job to interact with the guests entering and leaving the park. There was a lot of responsibility to make a great first impression for the guests as they arrived to the park but I'm glad Disney was confident I'd be a good fit for that.




Q: What was your training like?
A: My training was interesting. I had to learn how to open, close, and maintain the entrance. I also had to learn how to identify all the different ticket media and understand the touch points. I wish I had counted how many times I had to repeat "It's not a finger print, it's a biometric scan of your finger." My training consisted of two full days in which I shadowed my trainer on the first day and was put to action on the second day. Getting my costume (the periwinkle one with Spaceship Earth all over it) was probably the moment in which I really felt like part of the Disney family.





Q: What were the best things about your role?
A: The best thing about my role, hands down, was getting to know the other Cast Members. This was a role in which you were constantly surrounded with Cast Members who were all from very different backgrounds. I was able to interact with a lot of International College Program participants as well. On down time, believe it or not at the entrance, we really bonded with one another and built relationships that have lasted after the program. Of course, I also enjoyed creating magic for the guests with the buttons! At Epcot, we had the special event buttons right up front. When people would ask for a button and I was able to provide them with something personalized, the joy on their faces was awesome. Those buttons are conversation starters and I got to meet a lot of really cool guests who were from Chicago, who knew the area around where I go to school because of my acknowledging their special event button. I think that experience was something very unique to my role.




Q: The worst?
A: The worst part about the role was probably having to work outside. The weather is totally unpredictable! Especially working at the International Gateway, wearing white pants (yikes!), when it rained you did the best you could to hide. Not too horrible of a worst thing though!




Q: Would you recommend this role to a friend?
A: I would definitely recommend this role to a friend. I really can't imagine any other role that would give you constant guest interaction. You can't create magic without the guests! I also had supervisors and non DCP Cast Members who went out of their way to make sure my experience was the best it could be. Epcot really became home for me. Plus, there's a beautiful view of Spaceship Earth at night at the Main Entrance and a pretty decent view of IllumiNations from the International Gateway.




Q: What advice would you give to new CPs in this role?
A: Don't let grumpy guests put you down! That's the best advice I can give to a new CP in this role. You will get all kinds of people coming through your touch point: bashful, happy and most certainly grumpy. It's important to know that Guest Relations and your supervisors are there to be a support to you. Whatever the problem is, there's definitely a solution.




Q: What have you been up to since your program ended?
A: Since my program ended back in May I have been completely immersed in senior year. I have two more semesters left until graduation so I am trying my best to enjoy every moment. The weekend I came back to Chicago I returned to campus and completed an event programming internship. I am currently the president of the Campus Activities Board which is the largest student organization at my university and am working as a Resident Assistant. When I'm not on campus I'm in New York every chance I get. Love was definitely in the air for me post Disney. I am now in a long distance relationship with a really amazing guy that I met during my program. I miss Disney and Epcot and my roommates more than I could imagine possible, even five months later! My next step is to get back out there on a Professional Internship for the Fall 2016 program. Faith, trust, and pixie dust!
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Click here to order your copy of "Brittany Earns Her Ears" today!

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Sunday, October 18, 2015

- CP Q&A - Natalie: Hollywood Hills Merchandise

In this CP Q&A, Natalie tells us about her time so far in the Fall 2015 program working in merchandise. A California native, Natalie attends Diablo Valley College, where she majors in Psychology. 

Q: What made you want to do the Disney College Program?
A: Like most people who do the program, I've wanted to work for Disney since I was little. My family and I went to Disneyland every year (sometimes more than once) since I was a little girl and I had so many magical moments there that I wanted to do that for other people! I wanted to be a parade performer when I was little and while that didn't happen I still wanted to work for the company that effected my life so much! I want to possibly make Disney my career so the program was the perfect way to get my foot in the door with the company.



Q: What was your role and location? Was it your first choice? If not, what was?
A: I work merchandise in Hollywood Studios at Hollywood Hills which consists of the Rocking Roller Coaster gift shop, the Tower of Terror gift shop, and working glow shifts at Fantasmic. Merch was my third role behind character attendant and PhotoPass. But I'm glad I got merch cause I have a lot of freedom to move around and Tower of Terror was one of my number one locations I wanted to work at! I was very lucky getting my location. 



Q: What was your training like?
A: My training was pretty long, it was almost a week. It was so long mainly because at Hollywood Hills we have a lot of roles and places we work. We had to get trained for the cash register, the machines for the ride photos, stocking, and using cash aprons for Fantasmic. Training was a little confusing because each day we would have a new trainer who did things slightly different so it was tough to figure out how we were actually suppose to do things. Even a month and a half later I still feel like I do things wrong because every coordinator and manager likes things done differently. 

Q: What were the best things about your role?
A: What I really love about my role is the flexibility to move around. I'm trained in a lot of things so it is pretty easy to pick up shifts other places. I've worked in 3 parks so far (Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Magic Kingdom). Right now i'm working my way through Magic Kingdom, I've already worked at Tommorowland, Main Street, Adventureland, and Liberty Square so I'm very close!



Q: The worst?
A: Sometimes working in merch can get very boring. Certain times it's very exciting and busy and you can play with kids and make some magic. Other times it's very slow and you have to stand there and wait for guests or just straighten stuff out.

Q: Would you recommend this role to a friend?
A: I would definitely would recommend merch! The freedom to move around to almost any shop is too good to pass up! Plus you get to make a lot of kids smile just by playing with merchandise or blowing bubbles. Little magical moments are still magical moments! 



Q: What advice would you have for new CPs in this role?
A: Don't be afraid to go to different parks and areas! It is scary at first but you're going to have so much fun! Plus you get to wear different costumes and who doesn't want that?



Q: What are your plans for after your program?

A: I'm still here for a while but I am hoping to extend or do a PI! Disney won't be rid of me that soon!

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"Brittany Earns Her Ears" is available on Amazon in paperback and for Kindle! Click here to order your copy today! 

Facebook.com/BrittanyEarnsHerEars
Instagram: @brittanyearnsherears
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Saturday, October 17, 2015

Updates!

Apologies for not posting for an entire month! (I can't believe it's been a month since my last post!) I've been really busy working on some other writing projects, which will be officially announced on this page sometime in the very near future. :) Anyway, here are some quick Disney-related updates!

I'll be visiting Walt Disney World from January 11th to the 20th! If you see my definitely say hi! I'll be live posting from Instagram and Twitter while in the parks those days, so you might be able to track me down if you're in the area. For the sake of my privacy, I'm not posting where I'll be staying, however I will fill you all in on some of my dining reservations once the trip is closer. 

The second annual DCP alumni homecoming weekend will be taking place while I'm in Orlando, however I will not be in attendance this year. I did seriously consider registering for the events, but I don't think the $200 price tag is worth it for me at this point in time. The events do sound really fun, especially the meet and greet, but I'm putting a lot of money towards getting an annual pass already for this coming year, and none of my friends from the CP are going to make it to homecoming this year anyway. So I figured I'll save my $200 registration fee for a year when a bunch of my friends will also be going. 

I'll be posting some more CP Q&A's soon! If you, or anyone you know, is interested in being interviewed, please email me at brittanyearnsherears@gmail.com. 

And with the holidays coming up don't forget what's on Amazon! ;)

Instagram: @brittanyearnsherears
Facebook.com/BrittanyEarnsHerEars
Twitter: @BrittanyEHE