Well I had a little extra free time today. So I thought I'd go ahead and update y'all on whats going on down here in Orlando right now.
Sunday I finally took my assessment and evaluation and I am proud to say that I'm no longer "earning my ears". That's right, I'm a full-fledged Skipper at the Jungle Cruise now. It's actually really nice, I don't have to follow someone around like a lost puppy and wait for instructions on what I need to do next. There's no one looking over my shoulder anymore either. I love it. :)
I was officially welcomed into the skipper family as soon as the word spread that I had passed my assessment. Our coordinator made me stand smack dab in the middle of the dock, on display for the entire attraction and announced that I had "just finished a 3 month skipper training class. If those of you waiting to go out on your expedition are lucky enough to be Sydney's first crew, please bring a map so she doesn't get lost in the Jungle". And then a round of applause followed. Gotta love those corny jokes.
So far everyone at the Jungle Cruise has been very welcoming and kind. It's a nice change of pace not to be a scared little trainee anymore. I had my first experience taking a "dead trip" through the jungle last night. We have 10 boats on the river at any given time, and in order to keep the spacing even between them, we have to dispatch boats every 58 seconds from the dock. Regardless of whether or not people are in them. I was really excited to finally get a break from spieling for almost six hours, but that didn't last long. I don't know if any of you have ever experienced it, but the Jungle Cruise around midnight is actually pretty darn creepy...especially if you're on a boat by yourself. I jumped more than a few times and I'm not one bit afraid to admit that I had to keep checking over my shoulder.
I'm really enjoying my position here at the Magic Kingdom. Its exciting to be one of the few attractions where the cast members are actually "the show" for our guests. And who doesn't love horribly corny jokes? I have to admit, they are kind of my forte. I think it's the Pierce side of the family shining through...Thanks Dad. :)
The best part is when I get to interact with all the little kids that come on the Jungle Cruise. They're all so genuinely excited to be at Disney World and it shows all over each one of their faces. We get a lot of little girls dressed up like princesses or boys dressed as pirates thanks to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique and the Pirate's League. It just makes their eyes light up when you address them as Captain Jack or announce over the intercom that we've been fortunate enought to have Princess Aurora visiting our docks today. I wouldn't trade this gig for the world.
I know that each day won't be entirely sprinkled with pixie dust, but so far I really can't complain. Each time I wake up in a grumpy mood, I'm constantly reminded that I work in the most magical place on Earth. It's pretty neat to be able to say that I work for the Big Mouse himself. And I can't wait to get out there again today and make someone else's day just that more magical. :)
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