Welcome foolish mortals…
If you read my last blog post, you know that I promised to reveal my work location in the coming weeks. If you didn’t read my last blog post, then shame on you! Let’s hope you were at least watching Sherlock instead. Or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Either one. Tony Hale’s great and all, but Tituss should have won that Emmy. I digress.
The time has come at last. Drum roll, please. I work at THE HAUNTED MANSION! That’s right. I get to call one of the most beloved rides of all-time home, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
When I was initially accepted in to the Disney College Program, I was offered the role of “Attractions,” meaning I was hired under the pretense that I would be working at one of Walt Disney World’s numerous rides, 3D shows, etc. Though, I wouldn’t know which one until I got there.
On check-in day I was informed that my attraction was located in Magic Kingdom in Ad/Lib. (Short for Adventureland/Liberty Square). Magic Kingdom is itself broken up into six different “lands” including Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland, Liberty Square and Main Street.
Knowing I was located in either Adventureland or Liberty Square narrowed the playing field dramatically, but I still didn’t know. Could I be a skipper at the Jungle Cruise? Or a carpet saleswoman at The Magic Carpets of Aladdin? After a few days of company orientation I had my answer. I was to be a maid at The Haunted Mansion.
I was in heaven! Err, hell. With its gothic tone and impeccable theming, The Haunted Mansion, in my opinion, goes above and beyond to remind you what masters of storytelling the men and women with the Disney Company are. The costume’s not bad either.
For those of you who may not have had the chance to experience this attraction, the story goeth thusly… You have all been invited by Master Gracey to take a tour of the Haunted Mansion where 999 Grim Grinning Ghosts have taken up residence. (Although, there is room for 1,000.) Guiding you through your tour is a frightful, but friendly, disembodied Ghost Host, who encourages you to hop on board a “Doom Buggy” that will take you through the mansion and into the “boundless realms of the supernatural.”
I would describe this ride as delightfully kitschy. It has its genuine frights, but it’s more spooky than scary. I do my best to remind smaller guests who may be afraid, that it is, at the end of the day, a Disney ride. Not to mention it’s only a few hundred feet from the Tangled bathrooms.
As a maid, I am responsible for fulfilling numerous duties within my role. (Haha. Role.) As with any attraction, there are several positions one must be able to successfully demonstrate in order to pass their assessment. Ah, yes, assessment. In truth, it’s not enough just to be offered a position. You have to prove that you are worthy of keeping it. No matter what you are offered, there will be a brief training period, in which you are taught the ins and outs of your role; how it works, what it entails, what the positions are, etc.
In my case, I was given four days of training, during which time I was given a cast member’s tour of the Mansion, read the operator’s guide, practiced each of the positions (Greeter, Wheelchair Assist, etc.) and more. It was stressful, but exhilarating all at the same time. On the fifth day, I was subjected to an assessment. Think of it as the Disney College Program equivalent of a final exam. And like a final exam, it took longer than I thought it would — the assessor asked questions that had never been brought up during training, and I spent the night before insisting I would get up early and study that morning. You do it too! But, long story short, I passed.
Now I work five or six days a week depending on what I’m scheduled, and on my days off I enjoy a combination of sleep and free admission to the parks. Overall, I can’t complain. There are days that are longer than others, days that I don’t want to get up, and days where I have some not so magical things to say about the guests, but, after all is said and done, I’m in Disney World. It’s hard to stay upset when you’re in Disney World! But if you are, it helps to work at The Haunted Mansion. Where people assume you’re just really good at what you do… Until next time.
