Only slightly starting to panic

When you start you work on podium either as a seater or a greeter, or you work in the chip shop. Then you get trained to work the beer cart and some people do what's called stocker which is changing the beer barrels on the beer cart, stocking it with bottled beer, stocking the chippy, generally being a gimp who does everything to be honest. I LOVED being stocker while I was podium and would do anything to get out of seating/greeting if I could. Too much standing around for my liking.

Then once you have proved you are a hard worker etc, and if you want to do it you go into service. Like I said I never did this and went straight to bar-tending. So I don't know what it's like.

The money in F&B with the tips is insane. Like, just ridiculous how much money you can make. But it's hard-ass work too. You really do have to work for it. If you're not good, don't expect to make tips either.

I wouldn't be able to do the program again as a merchie...the pace of it all is too slow for my liking, I got used to the money & also the collar on the merch costume wouldn't cover my tattoo!

 

oh few things there ha ha ha

when you do bartending i assume you get tips like you would as a server?

also really important point, im desperate for a tattoo, i was meant to get 1 in nov, but put it on hold for disney. I want a chinese symbol on my upper pec right at the middle part of my pecs, visible if i have an open shirt or a v neck on. Would any uniform cover it and what is the difference between the merch and f and b costume for the guys?

I love how i still need to get in :S aaarrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

 

Yeah, you make tips as a bartender...even more than being a server! ;D

I have a tatt on the back of my neck that was just about covered by the costume. It buttons up like a regular dress shirt but without a top button if that makes any sense. So depends how high you're talking.

The main difference is the colour of the costumes but the merchie dudes shirt has a much smaller collar on it than F&B for some reason. Both of them make you look like a massive tool but you get used to it!

 

ha ha yeah i expected the tool bit

 

Wow, i never heard about that duck one. But i do believe it. There's been some crazy stories about Canadians.. one nick named hospital dave or something.. and he was running from security and when he tried to jump the fence he landed with one of the spears in him. And another got really drunk and fell into the lake in the commons and was so drunk he thought he was paralyzed.. supposedly a helicopter had to help him get out. All hear say, but i found it amusing. The funniest one when i was there aside from the HOB one, was this Norwegian who got really drunk and thought he could heal himself from jumping off the third floor in the commons. I remember coming home from work and there were police everywhere.
He didn't jump, but he definitely got termed.
To be honest though, i don't think i've heard of anyone getting termed from Disney (other then HOB).. or you don't hear it too often. It's always Price Managment.

 

Yeah Price Management is super strict.
My roommate used to sneak guys over the fence ALL THE TIME & never got caught and my other roommate's boyfriend stayed a lot. We lived in Vista, he wasn't.

 

The thing is.. you just need to know how to get around Price Management. Like i walked through the front entrance of the commons at 2:30am and this was after i had moved to the commons.. and my friend lost her key or something and we had to wait.. and she showed her id.. and i just followed her.. and slowly took steps and next thing you know security had now idea.. and i'm in her apartment. It was awesome. And it's the same with drinking underage. It's easy.. you just have to be smart about it.
But as Stu said.. if you break the rules you're playing with fire.

 

i just don't understand why anyone would want to risk it. i mean i would never break the rules in a job like this. it's something you do once in your lifetime and if you're going over there to try earn loads of money and just get drunk and go crazy than you're a bit of an idiot :-s it kinda annoys me that there's people who have just thrown away the opportunity when theres people on the weightlist who are desperate to get out there and fulfill their dream. i guess i just can't relate to it maybe because i'm older and have been to uni so have got most of that sort of perspective on life out of my system.

 

The thing is.. at least for Canadians.. they hear about the parties.. they hear that you can make a lot of CASH of mean Le Cellier really is a gold mine.. and any restaurant in Epcot is a gold mind during Candlelight. So that's why they go down. I was in awe.. and almost self termed because i couldn't find ANYONE who just enjoyed Disney for what it was. And that really did shock me the most being down there. I broke the rules, but they weren't huge rule breaking.. and until you're down there.. it's hard to explain, it's a whole different life. But for the people who do really stupid things, it boggles my mind. And i myself was put on the waitlist.. and had a couple really good friends waitlisted too.. and it used to bother me.. but that's what the face to face interview does. It allows certain people to shine.. and if you have that gift that you can talk your way through anything, then you're in.

 

That must have been frustrating =/ I know how you feel though, when I was in college I LOVED travel & tourism, still do otherwise I wouldn't be trying to get into the biggest tourist destination, but none of the others in my class did, they only did it for the trips =/ And I just didn't see the point, I had nothing in common with them, so eventually I just left =/ Not exactly the same but i know how disheartening it is to do something you really love and others do it just for money/trips.

Loving the experience being shared however =D f&b sounds like the job im doing now, cept at the moment I'm not being paid or tipped, woo xD I think the underage drinking I suppose my be because others are doing it and you don't want to feel left out? Thinking about it more I dont think I would, to much to risk really. Plus my folks will not be pleased if I get sent home early because I got drunk.

 

i think i said some really good things in my F2F interview but i think i shot myself in the foot a bit with my honesty. I have a back problem that can flare up if i do loads of heavy lifting so i told the interviewer this. I said it's rarely a problem and that when it is i have medication to take for it but for this reason i would rather do merchandising (i also have more experience in the retail industry) but i honestly think that put them off. i thought it would be better to say it then rather then get out there and have problems. i mean don't get me wrong i like a party as much as the next person! im a really sociable person however i'm 24 so i know when to calm it down. also...it's legal for me to drink there...i would NEVER if i was under 21 attempt to drink out there. it's just not worth it especially when you're working there!!

 

Breaking the rules for me was never ever an option. Working for Disney is what I want to do for the rest of my life, and if you get kicked off the program for something like underage drinking, you get kicked out of the country & it can be FOREVER. I was not going to take that chance. One time my roommate brought guys over that had a beer bottle and they just had it on the table, no one was drinking it or anything but I came home & freaked out and chucked it out the door. I was so mad. Yeah it's easy to get around the rules, but why would I? I'm there to work and to meet people and I can do all that while following the rules!
I don't know what I did, but somewhere along the line I upset YJ I think, because I have a signed letter in my hand from my managers saying that they want me back, and I got shot down at the F2F two years ago and didn't even make it to the F2F last year. I switched to applying for DCL after that! (And got hired on the phone).

 

Have you asked Yummyjobs why you're not getting very far anymore. Like by sending a concerning e-mail to Kristen or something. Cause that's weird. :-\
I do have to say, for ICP it's a little different then CRP. On icp.. you're there for such a short time, it's really working and playing at the parks for the 3 months.. but on crp.. it becomes your life, your family for a year.. and people become a b it more relaxed i think, and like i've said before.. 75% of crps are there just to party.. which is unfortunate. :-[
I wasn't going to drink underage, but i did a few times. It didn't happen often and i was really careful. But it's really risky thing.. and it isn't worth it, when it gets down to it.

 

i did ask Kristen and she promised she'd get back to me and then never did. This happened multiple times.

 

Wow, i'm really surprised.. that's not like Kristen at all. But i have a friend who's really done nothing wrong, sure the managers weren't as fond of her, but she was good cast member, and yummy jobs wont give her the light of day. I'm sorry to hear that.
To be honest, i'm not fond of Yummy jobs.
When i arrived at Disney, all the cast members were really hardworking.. knew something about disney, or knew it was a big deal to be accepted into Disney. And then i watched all the cast members arriving after me, and in my arrival groups and stuff.. and they just weren't the same. They had no work ethic, didn't really care they were at Disney. And i was speaking to are training coordinator for UK and Canada once and he said between the UK and Canada there were 45 terminations/self terminations. So i think Yummy jobs got in a little trouble for not picking the right people.

I'm kind of hoping they go back to Cast-a-way. I've never delt with them, and personally never had a problem with Yummy Jobs, but i think they recruited better people, or maybe it's just the times are changing. I mean you'll find that it almost any job you work now.

 

the people i arrived with were there for the disn ey experience not partying so much - dont get me wrong everyone enjoyed going out and to lads and lasses but we weret pi55ed every night - but somew of the others were wrecked continually - just seemed a bit of a waste to me - work drink puke feel like crap work drink etc...

in f&b u make more money but u have less time to enjoy it - last time i did 7 months podium - majority of that i was assigning which was quite long hours but regular time off like your 2 days off a week. soon as i hit service i was doing 6 day weeks with lonnggggg days so when i was off i was completely shattered and didnt do a huge amount. even tho i made less money i did more trips and stuff on podium than in service

i still want to go back to f&b tho i like the fast pace of it ad the magic moment and how when u are in service u have a table fo guests for hours at a time to chat to

 

Aha this may sound dim, but whats lads and lasses?

 

Almost all the countries have a drinking team for the guys and girls and the Uk's is called Lasses and Lads.
Every monday night is "Happy Monday" and you drink with other countries and such. I didn't do it much, but a lot of people do do it.

 

Just gto point out u dont have to drink at lasses if you dont want to - most people do but its not required for u to have alcohol u can have soft drinks. I did lasses a few times without drinking when i was on antibiotivcs or wasnt feeling great or my sugars were up and it was never a problem - admittedly my death drink was a pint of vodka cos theres not a huge amout i can really drink but was fine apart form that hehe

i would recommend to everyone to go to lasses just cos its a good way to soocialise with all the uk people not just the ones in ur areas - gives merchies time to hang with f&b and vice versa - im not saying go every week just give it a try a couple of times. Also lasses/lads is one of few places where under 21;'s tend to drink as must bars/clubs id / hand stamp u so u wont get served there

 

Ooooh awesome, like pub quiz teams just not so much quizzing involved? I'd do it for the socialization I think, me and drink, we get along but it paints my face red and i often end up with bruises xD