Days in Disney

Saturday, February 29^th

My roommate from my marketing class and I arrived at the Port Orleans Resort. I was fascinated how the cast members behind the desks had to wear bright purple skirts and pants as their costume. Everything in the lobby played a part in the Port Orleans vision from the flowery wallpaper and giant harp hanging from the ceiling to the patterned furniture and creamy colors that filled the room. Disney puts great emphasis on show throughout their amusement parks and Disney resorts. The four keys that Disney bases all their decisions by, in order are safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency.

Sunday, March 1^st

My Customer Experience Management class and I got to visit behind the scenes at all the Disney resorts. We saw how the floats from the Rivers of Light show were set up, which is most technologically advanced light show Disney has ever produced. Each flower petal from the water floats has over a thousand LED strip lights, and all of the floats were programmed to navigate by themselves. This was my favorite day of the trip because I was able to travel inside the Disney utilidor which is known as the Disney tunnel below Disney’s Magic Kingdom. However, it’s not actually a tunnel because all of Disney’s Magic Kingdom was built above ground level, so technically the utilidor is on the ground floor. Again, Disney is very dedicated to creating a magical experience for its guests and they do so by constantly putting on a show. This utilidor allows cast members to change in and out of their costumes free form the guest’s eyes, store equipment and food, break out of Disney character for a moment without having to listen to Disney music around the clock.

Monday, March 2^nd

The Rock n’ Rollercoaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios broke down when my friends and I sat in the cart. We sat there for a few minutes, letting the anticipation and our slight fear of the ride rise. I have been on this ride a few years ago and remember going so fast at some point that my hair tie almost fell off my ponytail. I was not wrong because as soon as the ride started, our rocking cart went from literally 0 to 60 miles per hour. The ride was mostly in the dark, taking us through quick loops and turns. The whole time, the ride’s safety barriers were keeping us locked in place, so we didn’t fall out of our carts. Before anything else, Disney prioritizes safety.

Tuesday, March 3^rd

My dream has always been to go to Paris, France; however, I was able to first experience Paris culture at Disney’s Epcot Center. The Paris section was drenched in the smell of freshly baked chocolate croissants and colorful pastries overlooking the outside from every pastry shop window. As I ordered food at one of the cute sandwich shops, I noticed that all the cast members working there were from France and spoke French fluently. I started ordering bottled water in French using the leftover skills I had from language class when the coworker started politely correcting my pronunciation. I was in shock when I learned that every country at Epcot Center had cast members who were from the specific country they were working for. Again, this shows Disney’s attention to detail and show at their parks.

Wednesday, March 4^th

Although difficult to choose, my favorite moment from this day was watching the Rivers of Light show. Seeing the water floats come to life on the pond was truly incredible, especially since my class got to see how the show is put together backstage. Movie clips and songs were displayed on gushing water from pond to pond. Fire and water erupted from the centers of flower floats. Water danced around the pond, missing the audience only by a few feet. Many guests’ favorite songs were played purposefully so that children could sing along, bringing the show more to life for them. I love Animal Kingdom and was thrilled that I got to see this park’s stunning night show.

Thursday, March 5^th

This time at Magic Kingdom, my class took a seminar on Disney’s culture. Disney thinks about its guests’ needs before the guests know what they want. For example, baby strollers, bathrooms, and water fountains, were all strategically placed when guests first walk into the parks. When people first enter Magic Kingdom they are struck with awe when they see Cinderella’s castle which is purposefully hidden from the outside, building the anticipation for guests. Disney wants their guests to feel as if they can achieve all their dreams and make them feel like little kids again when they roam through the Disney parks. Main Street at Magic Kingdom definitely achieves this from the colors they use at their shops, placement of their goods, and the architecture of their building. For example, Cinderella’s castle looks massive but the higher up in the castle, the smaller everything actually is. Everything on the castle is shrunk in size on upper levels, appearing bigger to guests at ground floor.

Friday, March 6^th

My skin was definitely not ready to let the sunshine of Orlando, Florida go. As I peered out the plane window, my eyes fixated on the palm trees outside of the airport, I thought about all the great memories I had at Walt Disney World that week, some of which I will never be able to experience again due to the nature of my class. However, I know that I will definitely be back at Disney, most likely with my future family so that they can experience the four keys for themselves. I want Disney to create happiness for them as Disney did for me. I recalled something one of my favorite Disney characters said which sheds light on what I experienced this week: "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." -Winnie the Pooh