Journal Week 6

Week 6:          Date:   February 13-19

Summation:

Sunday this week was kind of sad because I had just spent an amazing day with my grandparents and then I was unable to see them off because I had to work. Work was pretty average except for the fact that it was super busy. The restaurant ended up having 100 people more than originally anticipated because it was the day before Valentine’s Day so we were super busy the whole night. Monday was ridiculously busy because it was Valentine’s Day. The restaurant had 350 on the books and we ended up doing a little more than 400 covers. I know that this number isn’t nearly as much as a lot of the other people that work in the parks but it is a lot to me and I was really proud at the end of the night that I had done so well and I had kept my head together and kept my cool the whole night. I didn’t really ever feel stressed; I just kept on telling myself “go go go.” At the end of the night I was exhausted but so happy because I had successfully served the most covers I have ever been able to. Tuesday was pretty good because it was my day off. I woke up early and went to the animal kingdom so I could record the lion king show for my roommate that was going back to brazil in the next couple days. I ended up falling back asleep after I woke up early and didn’t get my day started until 2 or 3 pm. By the time I got to animal kingdom they would close soon after the show so I wouldn’t be able to do very much else. So I went to the show and it was just as good as the first time! Next, I quickly went to the Bugs Life show and enjoyed that right before the park was going to close. The rest of the day I just relaxed, enjoyed a movie, did some laundry, and went to bed early. Wednesday was disappointing because I couldn’t just spend the day at the park. It was a pretty average day with about 200 covers. I did well and had some laughs with my fellow cooks. Thursday was much the same, the only difference being that it was ridiculously hot outside which made working on the HOTLINE twice as hot. My friend Erik and I were taking our temperatures with our thermometers and it read 99 most of the time. This was also the day that my first online homework was due. Friday was busy because the restaurant had 250 people because a big convention had just come into town. A lot of times when a big convention checks in at the resort they have meals paid for. Basically they can choose certain items on menus throughout the resort and it counts towards the dining plan they have. So Captains Grille has to just assume that some of the 800 people are going to come into our restaurant but we never really know how many or anything. This makes doing the prep at the beginning of the night kind of difficult. Saturday was very wearing because we were slow the whole night and then got slammed an hour before we were going to close with a bunch of walk-ins. I was exhausted on Saturday and ready to start the next week because my one day off was only two days away.

Week 5

Week 5:          Date:   February 6-12 

Summation: 

Sunday was the craziest day of my life. It was super bowl Sunday but I had to work. My restaurant does all the food for the bar as well as Private Dining (room service). We were only supposed to have 47 people on the books for in our restaurant but ended up having close to 150. When private dining and the bars (there are two) were added, we had close to 375 covers! The craziest thing of all of this is that I kept my cool the whole night. I was on grill middle and even though it was only my third day on that station, I did really well. I was exhausted by the end of the night, but I kept up with the tickets the whole night. Then on Monday when we had 85 on the books, we ended up doing close to 200 in the restaurant alone. I did well that day too. I was really excited because I finally felt I was getting the hang of things! Tuesday was really good even though it was ridiculously slow the whole night. We only had 250 covers total. I would have never thought I would hear myself say that 250 covers are “easy” or “slow.” It’s so cool and interesting to see how Disney has changed me in just 5 weeks. Wednesday was much the same as Tuesday, only slower. Captains Grille only did 175 covers that night so it was even slower. I was really excited that I have Thursday off because I would be able to spend time with my grandparents that had been in Orlando since Sunday but I was unable to see them until Thursday because I worked every day. Chef Michael almost asked me to work but then decided not to when I told him I was spending time with my grandparents as well as I was just finishing up an eight-day shift. Thursday was fun because I got to sleep in and then go on a drive with my grandparents and great aunt to see the house that they visited when they were younger. I got to learn a little bit about Muck Gardens and how the water became polluted after insecticides were dumped in the water and killed a bunch of fish as well as birds. We went to Texas Roadhouse (which was actually hard to find). Friday I went back to work but I worked on pantry instead of on grill middle because someone else was now being trained on grill middle. I felt like the prep for pantry was a lot easier after doing prep for grill middle. It felt really good to be in a little more control over my station. I came home and made dinner for my roommates. They all forgot I was making a late night dinner so I made it anyway and told them they could re-heat it when they came back to the apartment. Since that didn’t fill much of my time and there was vomit from one of my roommates on the side of the bathtub, I decided to do a ridiculous amount of cleaning. This included 3 and a half hours of me, bleach, and a washcloth. I hand-mopped floors; which is a thank you to my mother who showed me that’s the best way to clean floors. Then on Saturday, I woke up early and went to Hollywood studios with my grandma Barb, my grandpa Leon, and my great aunt Judy. It was a lot of fun because my aunt Judy wanted to ride the Rokin’ Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror. So we did those along with the Beauty and the Beast show and the Muppet 3-D show. I found out that you have to see out of both of your eyes in order for 3-D shows to work from my grandpa who can’t see out of his right eye. We also walked around and just hung out all day. I think this is exactly what I needed. Then we lounged at their suite for a little while and then fought the traffic to Olive Garden only to end up going to the Denny’s next door. It was really fun and I really enjoyed the time I spent with my family and I defiantly look forward to spending more time with my grandparents and great aunt and uncle. All in all, it was an exciting week that went by REALLY quickly.

Week 4

Sorry everyone, I know I'm a week behind. But here it is!

Week 4:          Date:   January 30 - February 5 

Summation: 

Sunday was, what has become, a regular day for me. I woke up, had breakfast, watched part of a Disney movie, went to work and worked on pantry station, came back to my apartment, had a snack, hung out with my roomies, showered, and went to bed. Any day that I work has this basic kind of schedule. The only real difference is how busy I am at work depends on how tired I am which depends on if I hang out with my roommates or not before I go to bed. Monday was much the same except I trained someone new at the station. I feel like I did a good job training him enough so he understands the station well. Then on Tuesday it was once again mostly the same. I got into trouble by chef Brian for not putting an end date on sprinkles but I didn’t know an exact date the sprinkles would “go bad” if the even ever do! I later found out by a different chef, chef Michael, that I don’t have to put an end date. Chef Michael later told me that I was different from the other CP’s (College Program) and that he believed in me. I had to excuse myself to go cry because it was nice having someone from Disney believe that I could succeed. Chef Michael is the reason I like my job so much because he is a great chef and leader. Later that night after work, I went to the House of blues and it was Latin night; which meant it was PACKED. It was mostly fun except for getting hit on by weirdoes. I really enjoyed dancing and hanging out with my roommates and then later getting IHOP for free because a guy was interested in my roommate and bought us all a late night snack. Wednesday was my day off and I was able to sleep in and then go to the Animal Kingdom. I didn’t get to spend very much time there because I slept in and because they close early but it was still a blast! I got pictures with the Donald, Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, and Thumper. Later, one of my roommates, Jessica, let Becky (another roommate) into the Lion King show in the very front row because she works there. It was amazing! I love all the shows! Then we went to Bdubs (Buffalo Wild Wings) and danced because they host a party thing every Wednesday night for all the CP’s. It was super crowded but pretty fun to just dance and hang out with my roommates. Thursday was a typical work day. Chef Michael was working on the turkey sandwich for the new menu and all of the cooks got to try it. I thought that it had too much of a mustard taste and not enough turkey and he agreed; I was glad. Friday was exciting because I was finally getting trained on a new station. My friend Trevor was bugging chef all night about training me on the hotline and he did the next day. I am now on grill middle and I do crab cakes, buffalo nuggets, regular nuggets, fries, the trio appetizer, and help grill with their plating and grilling. This was a fun station but, surprise surprise, it was very hot on the HOTLINE. I had an hour of training and then I was left alone the rest of the night. I got a couple of burns but overall, it was really fun. Saturday I was at the station by myself and I didn’t so very well on remembering everything for my prep because I forgot to fry chips before my break. Keeping up on my speed and cleaning, though, I know I’m doing a good job. All in all, a crazy busy week full of new experiences, but it was all fun. I can’t believe I’m already almost half-way done!