Today was the last shift for our daughter at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. It’s a bittersweet moment.
She arrived for permanent, full time work as an entertainment technician on Nov. 20, 2012. The coronavirus pandemic disrupted any plans she had last March. After six months on furlough she took an assignment outside technical stagecraft in retail sales as part of an agreement negotiated by her union. She took a substantial reduction in pay.
It was not why she journeyed to Florida so she asked again about a transfer to live performance, then gave proper notice and ended her work today. We discussed how live theater would always be an option for work before she took the job. Who knew the pandemic would happen? She worked hard and was well liked.
Doors that opened also close behind us, creating new beginnings. We hope for a positive outcome, especially on the other side of the pandemic.
Following is a blog post she made the day after checking in through the doors in the photo.
Down the Rabbit Hole…again.
Yesterday, I was up early in anticipation of my on-boarding appointment at the Walt Disney Casting building. I didn’t really know what to expect, but as I had been sent a packet of materials right after my phone interviews, I was sure that they would be important.
Who am I now? A blog post on Nov. 21, 2012 by Elizabeth Deaton
The Casting building is prominently displayed on the highway leading to the Downtown Disney area. You can see the large gold letters standing out against the brightly colored building, shining in the Florida sun. There is still a thrill in seeing them, even all this time later.
The inside of the casting building is draped in images from Alice in Wonderland. This seems a terribly fitting image as one joins the ranks of the Disney Cast. Working for the Walt Disney Company really is a strange world where the rules aren’t quite the same and the characters all seem to have their own language. One can become tongue-tied just trying to say the right thing. Fortunately, I’m still able to translate decently and spent all of my morning with a smile on my face. The strangest part for me was actually seeing cubicles again. I am so used to being out in the park to work, there’s something strange and foreign about the office setting. It did remind me of what I left back in Colorado though. That strange contrast of just how different the outside world really is.
I met some very nice women who were also waiting for their paperwork to be processed. It continues to fascinate me how, even in a company as homogenizing as Disney can be, there is still such amazing diversity among people’s own stories and personalities. Along with that: I really must brush up on the Spanish. I’m terribly out of practice.
I spent most of the rest of the day recovering from my two days drive. That long on the highway had not done well for my sense of direction or my personal health. The rest seemed to do me very well though, as I feel much better this morning. Some of that may have to do with my two cups of coffee this morning; that seems to have solved my headache problem. Dear Former Office Job: I learned many things from you, but I do not appreciate the caffeine addiction, thanks.
Today, there is much to do. I must visit an apartment office, and I’m hoping they have something suitable and available, as I really don’t want to search much more at this point. I’m currently in the midst of the Tourist district, so trying to get my bearings is quite a pain. Everything is smashed in very close together and the drives and turns here are rather a mess in comparison to other places I’ve lived. I am also hoping I’ll have time to drive up to Orlando and visit my gym. I have been too long away and it’s starting to be noticeable in my midsection. (I’m sure the 3 days of driving in the last week and a half didn’t help any either).
All that aside, I should be truly settled here shortly and will let you all know once that happens. In the mean time, Live well and have a Magical Day. ;)
Journey Home 
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