Lately, I've been scribbling down notes from various people's stories, waiting until I had enough to blog about. So with out further adieu. . .
Did you know the Buzz Lightyear is on the International Space Station ? In 2008, the astronauts brought a Buzz doll with them to leave on the station. Apparently there is an on going kid's educational program and Buzz is the spokes-doll (is that a real word?)
I heard today, on the news that Barack Obama's girls was going to be wearing Disney made, princess inspired dresses for the inaugauration. I can see it now, we'll have a Princess line of dresses AND a Presidential line of dresses in our stores.
If it looks like pot and smells like pot, it must be . . . pot, right? Well, according to Disney Horticulture folks, maybe not. I was working crowd control for the Pirates and Princess party in 2008. Stationed in front of the train station, I began smelling something rather strange. Several other people I was working with thought the same thing I did. The plants around the flag pole looked like marijauna, smelled like marijuana, BUT apparently, was not marijuana. Believe what you will, I think the Horticulture people were messing with us.
Guests are what keep this blog going. THe things we see and we hear never cease to amaze me. Disney Vacation Club. (a.k.a. Disney time share) has a representative in the resort lobbies. One of the DVC reps mentioned that they have turned into the non-official information booth. I asked him what his most absurd question was. His answer: "If my dad buys a vacation club, does he get a monkey ?"
A tree had fallen across the boradwalk leading to the ferryboats to Magic Kingdom at Wilderness Lodge. A front desk cashier was working part of her shift at the bus stop helping people find thier way on the right bus. She had a very irrate guest confront her and demand that SHE move the tree, right then. After being yelled by the guest, the cashier left her post, walked in side and informed managers that she was never going back to the busses again. Thanks the the 2008 economy issues, that post was perminately eliminated.
A story about Port Orleans comes from many years ago. The person who told me this believed it happened back when it was still two separate resorts (Port Orleans and Dixie Landings). Apparently they have a place called Alligator Bayou and a brainiac was feeding an alligator. Let me remind you, a) this is Florida, gators are everywhere, b) it is a criminal offense to feed alligators, c) Gators are not the sharpest tool in the shed. When this guest ran out of food, the gator was still hungry and followed him to the building. The building had automatic doors. When the gator reached the door, it opened and yes, it went inside the building. Needless to say, they removed the automatic door opener soon there after.
At All Star Resort, I had a lady who had just got off of a very long and trying plane flight. They took her cigarette lighter from her a the airport. The fight was delayed. She was aggitated one moment and crying the next. When she asked if I had a lighter or cigarettes( of which I had neither), i knew her problems had little to do with us and more to do with nicotine withdrawls. It made me really glad that I did not smoke.
In closing I want to leave you with a recent story to start out 2009 right. One of the concierge Cast members was helping a guest, when someone came to the counter and said, "there's a naked child running up and down the hall way." THe cast member looked at her guest, who told her to "go do what you need to do, we'll wait." By the time Disney staff got there, another guest had corraled the child, wrapped him in a towel and had him sitting down. The managers used the master key to open the door to the child's room. There was nobody in the room. One of the managers noticed shoes by the balcony door. He pulled back the curtian and quickly closed it again, but he had seen WAY MORE than he had ever cared to. Let's just say, junior was about to be a big brother. Junior's mom and dad were, of course, a bit miffed at being caught with thier pants down. . . literally and figuretively, but the manager explained to him that his son was running up and down the hallway buck naked. Apparently, they laid Junior down for a nap and decided to expand thier family out on the balcony. When Junior woke up, mom and dad were gone, so he walked out of the room and the door locked behind him.
Tuned in next time for more tales of the absurd.
Showing posts with label Alligators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alligators. Show all posts
Friday, January 16, 2009
Sunday, September 28, 2008
WHEN MOTHER NATURE COMES TO VISIT . . . AND STAYS
As I mentioned in an earlier posting, wildlife is everywhere at Disney. In the late nineties I was leaving the studios one afternoon and had to come to a complete stop. The car behind me wasn't too happy about this, but I saw a bobcat tooling around in the bushes. It looked around for a few moments, then slipped back into the woods. Just the other day at the Wilderness Lodge some guests said, "We just saw the coolest thing." The cashier said, "Oh, really, what was it ?" "We were watching a rabbit out the window, then from out of no where a bobcat snatched it and vanished into the woods." My first thought was," Atleast they weren't upset about seeing Thumper get eaten."
Squirrels are often called 'Rats With Good Press Agents'. While at Epic, we, the cast, did a very bad, but contagious thing. We fed the squirrels. In case you don't know, if you feed these little beggars, they become brazen and fearless. In fact Epic had to be stopped. . . in the middle of show . . . because of squirrels. There is a flame affect that floats on a sheet of water at the beginning of scene three. A squirrel thought the water was it's own personal fountian and stopped for a drink. . .a long drink. It's kind of a 'Guest Dissatisfier' to see a little furry woodlands creature get torched in the Dragon Burner flame effect, So every one got over time because the show ran long as the techs tried to herd the squirrel off stage. It's kind of fun though, watching a performer try to stay in character as a villian when two love smitten squirrels are racing around his feet.
I think the final straw, however, was when the squirrels discovered food in the parked strollers out side of the stage. The little theives would trash the guest's belongings during the show, then afterwards, it'd run up the leg of an suspecting guest trying to beg for more.
I never knew until recently that the Pirates of the Carribbean ride wasn't totally enclosed. Apparently, after the Johnny Depp rehab work a guest was talking to a cast member about the improvements. They said they were so impressed with the new animatrons. . . 'even the Alligator looked so real'. The cast member played it off well and asked which one they noticed. The guest described with scene it was in and went on thier way. The ride was shut down as the 'powers that be' removed the very real alligator that had found it's way into the ride. (Disneyland may be older, but our Pirates ride have real alligators. . . at times.}
Any building with massive amounts of people coming and going and the doors left open most of the time is bound to gather some uninvited guests. The character costuming builing had a nest of finches in the rafters one year. It was small, they didn't bother too many people. The next year, how ever, it turned into a condo. After nesting season and the babies were gone, we were vigilant about keeping the doors shut. WELL, that didn't work. They discovered a new exit point above the roll up door. The year I left, they were about to enter the third finch season and the third year of covering the costumes in plastic.
At one point, the character costuming building had a black bird who was drawn to our coffee pot. He would follow us in and go straight to the back of the building. My fellow cast members tended to over react and tried to chase him out of the building. You can not 'chase' a bird out of . . . anyhwhere, but he was smart enough to find his way out. The dove at the Boardwalk Resort was another story. The floors had been revarnished and the fumes were over powering, so we openned the doors to air out the lobby. A dove found it's way in and spent at least two days in side. Several of us called pest management and insisted they do some thing before it died. The operator said "it would be okay because she was sure it had found water". I ensured her it had not and that this bird was going to die if some one didn't do some thing. Long story short, that night, my manager said they had, had enough and decided to chase it down. The theroy 'if it was going to die, at least it would do so trying to rescue it'. He said they tired it out to the point of barely being able to fly and they were able to catch it and returned to the out doors.
Anyone visiting Florida has to realize, we are a swamp state. As a swamp state we have reptiles. I almost ran over a black snake with a Segway at the Allstar Resort. Scared the fool out of me. A few days later another runner had parked his pargo (modified golf cart) in the same area and, I think it was the same snake, tried to get into the pargo. When I used to work in the phone bank, I had a guest tell me that she was trapped in her room because a snake was curled up on the sidewalk in front of her door.
When I did my orientation tour of the lodge, there was a pair of Mallard Duck bopping around in the pool with the guests. I was surprised that no one gave them a second thought.
I'm sure there will be more critter stories. If you have heard of any, please let me know and I'll add your stories here too.
P.S. Today I had a lady asking where they could find bugs. She wanted to bring some home with her. I'm not making this stuff up. As we talked, I realized her daughter had a school project due on bugs.
Squirrels are often called 'Rats With Good Press Agents'. While at Epic, we, the cast, did a very bad, but contagious thing. We fed the squirrels. In case you don't know, if you feed these little beggars, they become brazen and fearless. In fact Epic had to be stopped. . . in the middle of show . . . because of squirrels. There is a flame affect that floats on a sheet of water at the beginning of scene three. A squirrel thought the water was it's own personal fountian and stopped for a drink. . .a long drink. It's kind of a 'Guest Dissatisfier' to see a little furry woodlands creature get torched in the Dragon Burner flame effect, So every one got over time because the show ran long as the techs tried to herd the squirrel off stage. It's kind of fun though, watching a performer try to stay in character as a villian when two love smitten squirrels are racing around his feet.
I think the final straw, however, was when the squirrels discovered food in the parked strollers out side of the stage. The little theives would trash the guest's belongings during the show, then afterwards, it'd run up the leg of an suspecting guest trying to beg for more.
I never knew until recently that the Pirates of the Carribbean ride wasn't totally enclosed. Apparently, after the Johnny Depp rehab work a guest was talking to a cast member about the improvements. They said they were so impressed with the new animatrons. . . 'even the Alligator looked so real'. The cast member played it off well and asked which one they noticed. The guest described with scene it was in and went on thier way. The ride was shut down as the 'powers that be' removed the very real alligator that had found it's way into the ride. (Disneyland may be older, but our Pirates ride have real alligators. . . at times.}
Any building with massive amounts of people coming and going and the doors left open most of the time is bound to gather some uninvited guests. The character costuming builing had a nest of finches in the rafters one year. It was small, they didn't bother too many people. The next year, how ever, it turned into a condo. After nesting season and the babies were gone, we were vigilant about keeping the doors shut. WELL, that didn't work. They discovered a new exit point above the roll up door. The year I left, they were about to enter the third finch season and the third year of covering the costumes in plastic.
At one point, the character costuming building had a black bird who was drawn to our coffee pot. He would follow us in and go straight to the back of the building. My fellow cast members tended to over react and tried to chase him out of the building. You can not 'chase' a bird out of . . . anyhwhere, but he was smart enough to find his way out. The dove at the Boardwalk Resort was another story. The floors had been revarnished and the fumes were over powering, so we openned the doors to air out the lobby. A dove found it's way in and spent at least two days in side. Several of us called pest management and insisted they do some thing before it died. The operator said "it would be okay because she was sure it had found water". I ensured her it had not and that this bird was going to die if some one didn't do some thing. Long story short, that night, my manager said they had, had enough and decided to chase it down. The theroy 'if it was going to die, at least it would do so trying to rescue it'. He said they tired it out to the point of barely being able to fly and they were able to catch it and returned to the out doors.
Anyone visiting Florida has to realize, we are a swamp state. As a swamp state we have reptiles. I almost ran over a black snake with a Segway at the Allstar Resort. Scared the fool out of me. A few days later another runner had parked his pargo (modified golf cart) in the same area and, I think it was the same snake, tried to get into the pargo. When I used to work in the phone bank, I had a guest tell me that she was trapped in her room because a snake was curled up on the sidewalk in front of her door.
When I did my orientation tour of the lodge, there was a pair of Mallard Duck bopping around in the pool with the guests. I was surprised that no one gave them a second thought.
I'm sure there will be more critter stories. If you have heard of any, please let me know and I'll add your stories here too.
P.S. Today I had a lady asking where they could find bugs. She wanted to bring some home with her. I'm not making this stuff up. As we talked, I realized her daughter had a school project due on bugs.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Armadillos and Gators and Deer . . . Oh My
Disney has always been known as an eco-friendly place. Inspite of major habitat desctruction, wildlife still runs rampant through out the property. Not long ago I was working as a Front Desk Runner for the All Star Resort. Between runs, I usually would find a shady spot and park the pargo (modified golf cart). The nice thing about All Star sports and All Star Music is that the designers incoorporated the natural landscaping into the suroundings. So there was plenty of old growth pine trees, palmetto bushes and other ground cover. On this particular day, I heard a noise crushing it's way through the palmettos. I stopped and waited. I thought it can't be anything dangerous we're in the middle of the resort. A few moments later an armadillo crawled out of the bushes went under my pargo, came out the other side, looked up at me then meandered it's way across the drive.
That's what wildlife does on Disney property. They know that no one hunts them (anymore), so they meander. The next time you go to Magic Kingdom, keep and eye out on your left (East. . .I think. The opposite side of the monorail.) I usually find anywhere between four to ten wild turkey 'meandering' along the open fields beside the road. I had to park in cast parking for an overtime shift last year and found that the cast members have learned to share thier parking lot with them as well.
I don't golf. I have never golfed and know I would be horrible at it. The only time I have ever been on a golf course was when my brother and two of his friends wanted me to get them a tee time on a Disney course. Since there was three of them and two golf carts, I tagged along. A little side note, I learned that they weren't very good golfers either. :) Anyway, the back nine of the Magnolia course is full of deer, rabbits, squirrels, you name it. I felt like i was in a Bambi movie. If you are ever driving around the back side of Magic Kingdom, you're not supposed to be that far back, but in case you are, take those curves behind Grand Floridian slow. That is prime deer territory.
Back a few years ago, I had just left the Studios on the way home, and in the wooded area between the Studios parking lot and Victory Way, I saw a large clump of tan scruffy fur on the edge of a swampy area. I came to a complete stop on the road. I know the people behind me thought I was nuts, but I had to stop. The clump of fur was a Bobcat. A real, life, top of the food chain Bobcat. He tooled along the edge of the woods for a few moments then disappeared back into the undergrowth.
I can't end this enstallment with out talking about one of our most meligned and misunderstood creatures. . . The Alligator. I can always tell when guests are from up north and out west. We usually get biraged with gator questions. I have had guests ask 'Disney relocates all of the gators, right?' 'Ahhh, No.' Logistically that would be impossible. I was flying back to Orlando from England a few years ago and a gentleman asked me, 'Now, seriously, do alligators really get into swimming pools ?' I had had to confirm that 'yes they do get into swimming pools', but I am pretty sure that you'll see them before you dive in the deep end. At that point I always go into my Gator 101 class. Number one, if you see a gator and it doesn't acknowledge you, that's good. It means that it's doesn't associate people with food. Number two, never, ever feed an alligator. There will be no Crocodile Hunter activities allowed on property. Number three, assume that all bodies of waterin Florida and the Southeast have at least one and probably more gators. However, if you are on Disney property and you rent a Sea Racer or other water craft, have fun and don't worry about alligators. They are usually very shy creatures, that when not fed by stupid people, pose very little threat.
We did have a guest paniced one day. She swore that there was baby alligator in her hotel room and that she wanted it removed immediatedly. . . . It was a tiny lizard, but more about our lizards, geckos and snakes later.
Until next time---
That's what wildlife does on Disney property. They know that no one hunts them (anymore), so they meander. The next time you go to Magic Kingdom, keep and eye out on your left (East. . .I think. The opposite side of the monorail.) I usually find anywhere between four to ten wild turkey 'meandering' along the open fields beside the road. I had to park in cast parking for an overtime shift last year and found that the cast members have learned to share thier parking lot with them as well.
I don't golf. I have never golfed and know I would be horrible at it. The only time I have ever been on a golf course was when my brother and two of his friends wanted me to get them a tee time on a Disney course. Since there was three of them and two golf carts, I tagged along. A little side note, I learned that they weren't very good golfers either. :) Anyway, the back nine of the Magnolia course is full of deer, rabbits, squirrels, you name it. I felt like i was in a Bambi movie. If you are ever driving around the back side of Magic Kingdom, you're not supposed to be that far back, but in case you are, take those curves behind Grand Floridian slow. That is prime deer territory.
Back a few years ago, I had just left the Studios on the way home, and in the wooded area between the Studios parking lot and Victory Way, I saw a large clump of tan scruffy fur on the edge of a swampy area. I came to a complete stop on the road. I know the people behind me thought I was nuts, but I had to stop. The clump of fur was a Bobcat. A real, life, top of the food chain Bobcat. He tooled along the edge of the woods for a few moments then disappeared back into the undergrowth.
I can't end this enstallment with out talking about one of our most meligned and misunderstood creatures. . . The Alligator. I can always tell when guests are from up north and out west. We usually get biraged with gator questions. I have had guests ask 'Disney relocates all of the gators, right?' 'Ahhh, No.' Logistically that would be impossible. I was flying back to Orlando from England a few years ago and a gentleman asked me, 'Now, seriously, do alligators really get into swimming pools ?' I had had to confirm that 'yes they do get into swimming pools', but I am pretty sure that you'll see them before you dive in the deep end. At that point I always go into my Gator 101 class. Number one, if you see a gator and it doesn't acknowledge you, that's good. It means that it's doesn't associate people with food. Number two, never, ever feed an alligator. There will be no Crocodile Hunter activities allowed on property. Number three, assume that all bodies of waterin Florida and the Southeast have at least one and probably more gators. However, if you are on Disney property and you rent a Sea Racer or other water craft, have fun and don't worry about alligators. They are usually very shy creatures, that when not fed by stupid people, pose very little threat.
We did have a guest paniced one day. She swore that there was baby alligator in her hotel room and that she wanted it removed immediatedly. . . . It was a tiny lizard, but more about our lizards, geckos and snakes later.
Until next time---
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