Don't Rain On My Parade

Despite all my singing this morning, it did, in fact, rain on my parade.

A shift-swap had left my Sunday schedule wide open, and I sure as heck wasn't going to church, so I picked up a Parade Audience Control shift on Main Street. I was super excited at the chance to wear a new costume and try out a new work location. A nice change of scenery. I had a few reservations about how to get to my work location, where to clock in, etc. Luckily Tyler (from Encore) had also picked up the same shift, he guided me through the Utilidor and around the backside of the Emporium to the PAC briefing room, which is located upstairs in City Hall. After clocking in, the manager and coordinator talked to us in general about what was expected today, then called roll and gave us assignments. I was given Confectionery 2, and other than where the Confectionery is, I had no idea what to do. The manager assured me that my partner knew what she was doing and would help me out.

Turns out the shift was a lot of fun, despite the rain. We put masking tape down on the sidewalk to delineate where guests could stand or had to keep clear, put up a big rope along our corner of the street. I spent most of my time pointing guests down the sidewalk and asking that they continue moving down the narrow pathway, as it's the only path in and out of the Magic Kingdom during the parade. As the last float went past, we picked up our tape and ropes, and followed the float all the way to the bridge at Liberty Square, where we lined the middle of the street and kept guests moving on the right-hand side of the path in either direction, as that bridge gets very congested following the parade. After the traffic had cleared, we headed back to the south end of Main Street for PACtivities. This involves bringing out jumpropes, hula hoops, and bubbles to play with kids until the end of our shifts. Who knew that parents would pay thousands of dollars to bring their kids to Orlando and have them hula hoop with us?!

I have another PAC shift for SpectroMagic tomorrow night, which I think segues into Wishes. Getting paid to watch the evening entertainment is a real drag.

Universal was awesome. I didn't have really high expectations, but the park was really clean, not super crowded, the employees were pretty friendly, and most of the rides were really cool. I especially liked the Revenge of the Mummy coaster, E.T. Adventure, and Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls. There is also a really great section of the park themed around the world of Dr. Seuss. But the most exciting part of the day was definitely walking through the middle of Hogsmeade to get to the Dragon Challenge coasters. Granted, there were modular walls keeping us from seeing all the scenery, but we could see the rooftops and Hogwarts Castle. I'm soooo excited. The coasters themselves were pretty cool (though they're already ten years old), they're suspended below the track and dispatch at the same time, and though the tracks don't mirror each other, they have three points where the trains look like they're going to collide. One of the coolest ideas for a roller coaster I think I have ever experienced. Brendon was a great tour guide! Since he works for Disney and Universal, he knows a lot of stuff! Looking forward to my next visit!