Training and My First Day!

These past few days have been magical and its just getting started. On Saturday March 12 I went to an all day orientation called Once Upon A Time is Now just for people working at Magic Kingdom. We toured the tunnel, which by the way is NOT underground because we are in Florida and underground is water so it is actually the first floor and the park is the second floor. Oh and I found out that guests can tour some of it too, you have to sign up for the Keys to the Kingdom tour and it is about $70. We went through the park and talked about why some things were set up that way and the reasons behind little things. We went to the front gate and watched as people waited for us to open the park. They all stood behind the rope with anticipation and when we opened the rope they came running in smiling and jumping and cheering. One dad really wanted to be the first one to see the castle, he had his daughter in one arm like holding a football and he ran and grabbed a map with the other hand and then just kept on running. It was so neat to stand on the inside and wave to the people coming into the park, some for the first time ever. Most people associate Disney with the castle because that's what's at the beginning of all the movies and that is the first thing they expect to see, but no when you get off the monorail and go to the gate all you see is the train station. You have to walk all the way down Main St. USA and over the hill until you see it, I learned that they designed that on purpose to build up your anticipation. As you walk down Main St. have you ever looked at the names on the windows they are credits for some of the many people, imagineers, casts member, and others, who contributed in some way to the creation and start of Disneyworld. Some of the names are fictional businesses (gyms, realtors, dentists), and they often refer to a hobby or interest that the person honored. Some also are fake realtor names that Walt and his brother used to secretly buy the land in Florida for the future Disneyworld, like for example M. T. Lott Realators-if you say it out loud it is empty lot. We learned about the history of each land in the Magic Kingdom and how detailed they are decorated even down to the fence and light post. We got to ride Buzz Lightyear and the Haunted Manson!! So that tour was to tell us background and give us a since of pride about working at Magic Kingdom, becuase every guest that comes to Disney must and always do see Magic Kingdom. My tour guide said take pride in what you do, you don't have a job you have a role to play, you don't wear uniforms you wear costumes, you don't serve cutomers you serve guests, it's a different kind of place to work but it's fun. The rest of the day we split up into the department we would be working in so culinary we went and got our scheduals for training and got fitted for our costumes. Sunday I had more training but it was on the computer, learning how to clock in and how to request days off and stuff like that.

Today Monday March 14 I had my first day of on the job training. I met my trainer this morning at 6 am and she showed me around the kitchen. We entered from the tunnel onto the loading dock into the first kitchen, which is prep and storage mainly. Then we went up the elevator and the second floor is the break room and the third floor is the main kitchen and the dining room. The kitchen is pretty small but it's workable. The dining room is gorgious, it is all decorated like a palace and the staircase from the dining room to the lobby is neat. The lobby is where Cinderella meets and greets, and this morning her friends Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Bell, and Jasmin came to visit. Outside the lobby a royal steward takes your reservation and rings the chime when your table is ready. This mornig when we walked outside it was still dark and the castle was all lit up and there was a bride and groom taking pictures in front of the castle. So today in the kitchen after I met all my chefs I got to work on the line plating breakfast. First I plated the french toast, which is a cream cheese danish dipped in pancake batter and deep fryed served with fruit compote, whipped cream, and bacon. It's so good! Then I plated the adult plate with hashbrowns, eggs, sausage, bacon. and the child with egg, bacon, french toast sticks. I got to try everything later on my break, I ate friut bowl, granola and yougurt with banana slices and sugar on top then brulade, crosant and chocolate crosant, the french toast, eggs, bacon, sausage. It was a lot of food but it was very good! Then we set up for lunch (oh and I could hear the fireworks going off right above me) and I worked the grill station, I cooked the pork chop, which has been in a brown sugar brine for at least 2 days, seared off tuna for the mixed green salad, cooked mahi mahi to order. I was incharge of plating beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes for a child plate. Pork chop with butternut squash, blanched greens, onion marmalade, herb butter. I worked that station all the way untill 20 minutes before lunch ended. Then I got to taste one of the desserts, I got the chocolate mousse it was good! Tomorrow I train in the AM again and then Friday, Saturday, Sunday I train in the PM. So far I love it