the custodian princess diaries p.1

My first trip to Walt Disney World was when I was nine years old. I have loved Disney as far back as I can remember, but this trip brought out something in me that I had never experienced before, a want to work for a company. But this wasn’t just any company. This was the company that granted happiness to millions and millions of people each year. When we left that magical place and I gazed out the window in the backseat of my parents van at the “See ya real soon” signs, my two immediate questions were, “When can we come back?” and “When can I work here as a princess?” Little did I know, eleven years later I would be applying for my first Disney College Program where I would be working as not a princess, but a custodian.

Yes. A custodian. Not a janitor, not some lady who cleans the bathroom, a custodian. A custodian was my first choice when I applied. If you’re stumbling on this blog and have no idea who I am or anything about Disney, you may be wondering why on earth I would want to actually clean restrooms or take out trash or clean up someone’s spilled popcorn. That is because I did extensive research on the program and what the best roles were. I always would tell questioners of my choice before I started the program that this job was the most underrated role in Disney because you do so much more than clean. You interact with guests, make memories, and learn so much about yourself. I know how cheesy that sounds, but it actually turned out to be very true.
I worked at Animal Kingdom, which was the area I requested when I was on the phone with my recruiter during the hiring process. Initially I wanted to work at Animal Kingdom because I thought this was the park that closed the earliest. When we came to Disney in 2005 and 2011, this park closed at five pm, and would usually be cleared out pretty early because it was known as a “morning” park. This was mainly because of the Kilimanjaro Safari ride, which is known to be best during the early hours of the morning due to the animals being more active during this time. Little did I know, this parks hours had dramatically changed. It had now started closing at 8:30, and then 9, and then eventually 10 (I think now it closes even later due to the new Pandora land). When I found this out, I wasn’t thrilled. I wanted to work somewhere that closed early so that I could go to the parks right after work and also have plenty of time to rest. In retrospect, I am glad that it closed later. Longer hours meant more money for me, and the more money the better (Disney food and merch is EXPENSIVE).

 The first month of working at Disney, I was actually miserable. I cried almost every day and wanted to go home. I have a boyfriend, my family, and my friends at home that I missed so much and I wanted nothing more than to be with them. Move in day was stressful, but once I got everything in, it wasn’t too bad. My roommates were nice and excited, like I was, to be working somewhere they had dreamed about for a long time. Traditions, the eight-hour long training that we had, was not as bad as everyone made it sound. They said you would cry, and I cried. They said you would meet people who you would never see or talk to again, this is also true (Although I did run into a girl while I was working that I sat next to in Traditions…She wanted to hang out and that never happened. I am sorry). Seeing the underground tunnels in Magic Kingdom was actually super cool, but I can imagine it’s not cool if you’re working there every damn day. And that was also the first official time I had been in the parks as a cast member. That was awesome. The rest of my training was pretty interesting and not at all what I expected. I was actually trained on how to pick up objects so I wouldn’t throw out my back (basically training us so that we can’t sue Disney’s butt). I was trained on how to put a trash bag on a trash can, and the different chemicals I would be using. I was SCARED TO DEATH that I was going to kill myself or kill someone else if I used a chemical improperly. Luckily, no one was harmed during my time cleaning Africa in Animal Kingdom. And then there was the week I actually had to go on stage and train for three days with someone. Those were the days I went with having tears in my eyes the entire day. And actually, I don’t really know why. I think part of it was that I was so scared of messing up and part of it was that I didn’t see anyone my age working. I heard that all the friends you were going to be making on the program were going to be your work friends. How the hell was I supposed to relate with a bunch of middle aged men and women? I didn’t know that some of those people would become my friends and people who I miss so much right now. But anyways, these days were stressful and long. I had to read a freaking manual about safety and different chemicals and all of it was so overwhelming. I thought I was never going to make it and I would suck at my job. Luckily, things only got easier as my time went on and I made more friends and more memories that will last me a lifetime.