So Sad, November Disney Trip Postponed

   Hi guys, we were planning to go to Walt Disney World from November 10th to the 18th but I took a job as full time reporter at a newspaper in Londonderry, New Hampshire and, well it was a cut in pay but a challenge that I felt I should take. As a result a few financial reassignments were made and the WDW trip had to be pushed out.
   Anyway, I'm excited to be back blogging about WDW and sharing with anyone who'll listen (read?) about the happiest place on earth.
   Originally, this blog was about my time at WDW as a Security Host and it will continue to be so. That way I can share what it was like to work there and reminisce a little and jog my memory for the book.
   However, I think I'll expand the scope a little and make the name Protecting the Magic to include how people who visit WDW can protect there magical experience at WDW and not "lose the pixie dust" as we cast members and former cast members say. I'll share inexpensive places where visitors can eat and where to go that won't break a budget. (After of course, conferring with my wife who is  the money saver in the family when we lived there and go there on vacations)  Having lived in Kissimmee, there's plenty of places to explore and add to a Disney experience. Not that Disney needs any additions.

   The above picture is that of the entrance to the Cast Services building backstage at Epcot. Once inside those doors, there's a Security Host that inspects the bags of cast members who are showing up for work that day.
   After you pass through security, there are row after row of lockers to your right and a wall on your left that extends almost the entire length of the building. Go through the doors in that wall and you are in "costuming." All the costumes needed for the park are in that room. A cast member goes in and selects up to five costumes (three for security) and drops off the soiled costumes which are scanned. Bring the new costumes to the "check-out" station and a cast member scans them too and you're ready for another week.
   All cast members other than security (at least when I was there) are allowed to "zoom."
Zooming is wearing your costume to work. Security at the time wasn't allowed this priviledge. We were told that wearing the costume looked too much like law enforcement and if God forbid you walked into a seven-eleven and it was being robbed, you'd be the first one shot. How true that is, I don't know. Those royal blue pants are pretty hard to confuse with the deputies attire. Sooo, security cast wore bulky clothes over the costume and then just took off  the outter layer when in the locker room. We were just careful not to get caught. I wore a Hawaiian shirt over my security shirt and that seemed to suffice.
  One last tidbit. While the cast member is in the locker room or at the back of the building waiting for the bus to your work site, music is heard overhead. When I was there it was WMMO in Orlando and probably still is. (if anyone knows differently that it has changed, get the call letters and let me know).
   It really is cool to go on the computer to work on writing projects and put on WMMO and know that at every Cast Services Building, the cast are listening to the same thing. There a little connection there I guess. That's it for today, so, until next time--Have a Magical Day!
  

Back To Blogging!

   Well, when last we spoke, I was suspending this blog to work on writing a book called "Protecting the Magic" and well, I thought that writing the blog would take away from time writing the book. Well I'm still writing the book, but can't seem to remember stuff as easily as when I'm blogging. It seems my editor says that he thinks that I'm trying so hard with the book that it's preventing me from relaxing enough to write. Whereas blogging is fun and more informal, he thinks I should blog and use the blog for a sort of outline for working on the book. In short use what I've written to share with you as a launching pad for my memory and add details in the book. Sounds like good advice, besides I really missed this blog. So here we go again!

   I took this picture on a recent research trip for the book to WDW. I was standing by the American Garden Theatre when I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. The movement was this majestic Bald Eagle swooping down to land on the flagpole atop the American pavillion across the promenade. I grabbed my camera and took this picture just before the symbol of our nation flew off.

   I recently received a very nice e-mail from a fellow Walt Disney World Security Hostess. (I won't give her name because, quite frankly I'm a gentleman and she hasn't given me permission to do so) but I encourage anyone who has come across our little blog to do so as well.

   I enjoy hearing from cast members (former and present) and Walt Disney World enthusiasts. I guess I view it like the Marines. There are no former Marines. There are no former Security or other cast members. We will always be cast members at heart.

   I'm going back to Walt Disney World on November 10 for another research trip, gathering photos and jogging my memory and keeping an in depth diary for the book as sights and locations trigger more thoughts and memories to add to the book. 29 days and I'm off!!

   I'll be blogging before I leave and while I'm there so until next time, Have a Magical Day!!!

 

Working on the Book

   Hi all. (Well, all three of you.)
   I can't believe it's beeen so long since my last posting! The reason is that I'm writing a book about my time at Disney oddly enough entitled Protecting the Magic and with my full-time job and other writing committments I haven't been able to get back to the blog.
   There's another reason to be perfectly honest. There's an old writer's adage that says "Don't talk (or write/blog) about what you're going to be working on because you'll lose it." What that means is that once you, the writer, let out about stuff you're working on in an article or book, that stuff loses something when the time comes to write about it.
   So, with that in mind, I'm going to concentrate on the book and when it's finished, come back and blog away. Don't worry though, I hope to finish the book very soon. Until then: Have a magical day!!

Training to be a WDW Security Host Heads Outside

   After the introductions were over and classroom training began, we were told that part of our training would be held "on the road". There would be in fact three all day sessions that would take place in the parks and at various locations around property.

   The first one was a field trip to Animal Kingdom, but first we had to get our costumes. Several security vans, GMC Savannah's, were brought to the front of DC2 and we all trundled in. Each van held seven people and we sort of extended that number in each van.

   Each van also had one of the trainers. My vehicle had Karen as the host trainer and off we went to the Cast Services building that served Animal Kingdom to get fitted and be assigned our costumes. Remember, we are WDW Security Hosts, there are no guards, officers etc. we are hosts because we are hosting guests to the "show" and as in any show, the cast wears costumes.

   When we arrived at the Costuming Center at Cast Services, we went into a large room with thousands of costumes for every position at Animal Kingdom.
   We were allowed three costumes which included: a black belt, royal blue trousers, a light blue police style shirt, alittle blue bag that would hold our medical gloves and small flashlight etc. and an eight sided policeman's type cap which itself had to be assembled with different parts. The hat had a frame that you had to put a blue cloth cover that was attched with band that was adjustable.
   On our first day of training we were issued two items that we were to wear on our costumes. One was our nametag, the other was a red ribbon with the words "Earning My Ears" embossed in gold on it.
   Back into the van we went and off to Animal Kingdon. We arrived at the backstage entrance to the security office and were greeted and briefed by the AK security manager. We then split into two groups. My group, headed by Karen entered the park and were trained in park and guest interaction procedures. The other group got back into the van with Angel as their trainer and driver. They were going to learn the backstage, kiosk and other areas of backstage security. After lunch we were to switch. My group would then go with Angel.

Pride Rock is on the left, Animal Kingdom with the Tree of Life is on the right.

     Karen was a great trainer. She had patience which is not a gift everyone posseses. We were trained on how to interact with guests. "Always smile, if a guest needs directions always take them don't just tell them where it is. If there is a question that you don't know the answer to, take the guest to the appropriate person who will have the answer. Common sense stuff, but it is important to the guest and they are why we are here."

   For lunch we went to Pride Rock which is a cast member restaurant back stage. It's kind of like McDonald's. Burgers and such ordered at a counter and taken to your table. Pretty good and no one but cast inside.

   As we were getting up from the table to head out to the van, one of the security candidates who had been with Angel that morning leaned across the table and and in a low voice said, "You're gonna love this. Angel is well...unique."
   And he was. More on that next time. Have a Magical Day!

Let the Training Begin!

   OK, this is embarrassing. I ended my last blog by writing that it would continue "tomorrow" and that was almost 12 days ago! Sorry about that. No excuses. Won't happen again. Just going to blog on.
   So, where were we? Oh yeah, training.
   Our training which would last all day every weekday for two solid weeks consisted of all the new Security Hosts that were new hires and cast members from other areas within the property who wanted to become Security Hosts.
   We met at a building called DC2, sounds like an early style of aircraft, but it was in fact a building and the DC2 designation meant something, that escapes me now, but was logical when they told us what it meant at the time.
   When we entered the room on the second floor, there were four or five rows of of four long tables with an aisle down the center. Chairs lined the tables facing front and our trainers, I think there were four of them. I recall our trainers were Wayne, Angel, Karen and Melissa although as I try to remember there may have been one or two more, but these four were the ones that did most of the work with us.
   I took a seat on the front row to the right if you're looking at the "stage" where the trainers stood. We each had folded cardstock "nameplates" in front of us that we were issued when we entered the room. They were blank so we had to write our names on them and place them in front of us so the trainers could learn our names.
   We were then instructed to write our name on a piece of paper that they gave us (they gave each of us a notebook) and at the count of three toss them either forward or backward into the air. We were to catch one of these crumpled balls on which someone else had written his/her name. Then working from left to right front to back we each stood and read the name on the paper and sat back down. That person would stand and introduce themselves to us, telling where they were from, history at WDW if any and stuff like that. It was fun and a great ice breaker.
   After the introductions were over, it was time to get down to business.
   We learned about how we were to treat guests with respect, smiles, courtesy and that about 80% of guests on any given day were repeat visitors and we wanted them to keep being repeat visitors.
   Wayne seemed to be the trainer in charge and did most of the talking. He had a great style where he would ask a question and answer his own question. Something like: "There are no pick pockets at Walt Disney World are there? Yes there are...or could be, so it's our job to prevent it by observation and by being an obvious and constant presence." That kind of style.
   We also learned over the two weeks that our function was to "observe and report" and always call for back-up whenever needed and to perform and be certified in CPR, properly use and be certified in the use of AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillators), the proper use of radios and learning the 10- codes and Signal codes and what the difference was.
   For instance, a 10-25 meant there was a fire. That tended to generate a lot of attention. A Signal 10-25 meant that the Security Host was going to make an approach on a subject or guest. A 10-25 was said just like that: "10-25 at such and such location." To avoid any confusion a Signal-25 was said like this: "Signal Two Five at such and such location." That created much less adrenaline in the powers that be.

DC2 is at the top right and EPCOT is at the lower left

   Well, that'll do for today, so until next time when we pick up where we left off: Have a Magical Day!

Transitioning to a Career at Walt Disney World

   Hello again, last time I shared how my family and I moved from Methuen, Massachusetts to Kissimmee, Florida after learning that my mom had been diagnosed with cancer.
   The purpose of the move was to be there to help Mom after she beat her cancer. She had had cancer five years before (breast cancer) and had beaten that and I just never considered that she wouldn't beat it this time. I wanted to be there to help her and my stepdad, who were approaching their seventies with whatever they needed to get back to normal.
   It wasn't going to happen. The type and location of her cancer, pancreatic, was too formidable an adversary and as Mother's Day 2003 approached, my mom lost her battle.
   Less than two weeks later, on June 12, 2003, I got the call to report to Disney University on June 16th  for Traditions, the day-long orientation to the Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney the man that all new cast members take.
   One thing you should know: My Mom loved Walt Disney World. She had been a cast member herself after their move to Kissimmee from Salem, New Hampshire and really began to enjoy her "beloved Disney World." Even my stepdad had been a Security Host at WDW after they moved to Kissimmee.
   When my family arrived in Kissimme to start our new life (our house was less than a mile from mom's) Mom and Dad took us to WDW many times. Even as she became thinner and more frail, mom would still make trips to WDW.
   As I drove onto property off of Rheames Road, past the security kiosk (which isn't there anymore) I could see the Disney University building to my right as I pulled into the parking lot. I had a million thoughts running through my mind. Most of them were of my Mom. She would be so happy for me. She was in my thoughts all that day. I could see her in my mind's eye smiling broadly.
   I parked the car and entered the building to begin my career as a WDW cast member. This was going to be great.
   Inside, after we were seated, we saw videos of the history of the Walt Disney Company from Walt's early beginning as an animator to the company as it is today.
   Not everyone in the room were future Security Hosts, everyone who was hired starts with Traditions so there were Food and Beverage, Transportation, Guest Services, Housekeeping and Custodian cast members in attendance.
   After the video we were taught things like How to Indicate Direction: "You never point or indicate direction with a single digit. Always use either an open palm or a two digit point to indicate direction as a single digit point is considered rude or offensive in some cultures."
   OK got it. Two fingers or open palm.
   Then we learned the Disney Dip.
   "If you ever see debris or litter on the ground you should pick it up like this..." The trainer, an attractive young lady proceeded to walk towards a pre-placed article of litter and as fast as you could imagine, dipped from the knees and whooosh, it was gone.
  Got it. The Disney Dip. I'm gonna need to practice that one. I haven't "dipped' like that in... well.. never.
   After an all day session at Traditions I was tired, excited and ready to start my two weeks of Security training that was going to begin on the following Monday. Time to go home and relax by, or maybe in, the pool.

   What two weeks of Security training was like will have to wait until tomorrow, until then: Have a Magical Day!

The Beginning of a Walt Disney World Career

Dear Walt Disney World Fans,

   After being back in New England for the past five almost six years from a two year stint protecting the magic as a Walt Disney World Security Host, I've decided to put my experiences into words for myself as a kind of memoir and to share with the many Walt Disney World fans who would like to know, what it's like to work for Walt Disney World.

   This blog is intended to share my experiences and to enlighten future cast members on what to expect and how to become a cast member. To fans of Walt Disney World who don't particularly want to pull up stakes and move to central Florida, this blog is meant to share what we all love: The Walt Disney World experience!  

Here I am protecting the magic at the Polynesian Resort



   I moved from Methuen, Massachusetts, a town about 25 miles north of Boston to Kissimmee, Florida in September 2002 after learning that my mom had cancer.

   We had visited WDW in 2000 and I had been asolutely smitten by all that WDW and the surrounding area had to offer so when mom got sick, my wife and I and our four kids and our dog Hunter sold our house and packed up the van and rented truck and headed to Kissimmee where mom lived.

   Once we were settled I headed over to Casting on WDW property and filled out the application and had my initial interview on the spot.

   After several months of not hearing and calling, the usual routine when you really want the job, I was finally contacted and offered the job of Security Host!

   What happened next was a day of Traditions and two weeks of intense security training incorporating everything from proper use of a radio, the Disney "scoop" and the open palm and two fingered point to how to save someone's life with an automatic external defibrillator.

   All that next time. Until then: Have a magical day!