Training at Monsters Inc.

My attraction, Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the rescue! (Source)

I can't believe it's almost been three months since I starting working, and I still haven't told you guys what it's like to train and work in my new role!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was assigned to work at Monsters Inc., Mike and Sulley to the Rescue in California Adventure. Before I started actually training at my attraction, I was assigned to work during the Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun parade...even though I hadn't officially been trained for guest control shifts yet. Everyone was nice and helped when I had questions. I also met and really got along with a girl from Soarin' Over California named Shannon, who quickly became my parade buddy whenever we had a shift together. (I just found out yesterday that she got accepted to cross-train at Tower of Terror, I'm so jealous!) I have more to say about guest control shifts, but I'll write a separate post to explain everything in better detail.

My first training shift was a closing shift that lasted until late at night. What's different about training here and my experience at the Polynesian is that we actually had one trainer throughout the entire training process. At the Poly, I had a different trainer each day when learning something new. Also, I trained with another person at the same time at Monsters. I actually really appreciated this structured set up, because having one trainer means they understand where you are, what you've covered already, and can give you more accurate advice near the end of your training process to see what you still need to work on. Training with another person is also nice. If one of you has a question, usually the other can help out. It's helpful going through that experience with another person, especially since I learn by watching others demonstrate the process over and over again.

My sexy Monsters costume (missing the hat)

The first day we met up with our trainer, Kayla, who was honestly the best trainer ever. I'm not just
saying that because she was mine. She was extremely thorough and explained everything we needed to know, and always elaborated in case we were confused or had any questions. She first took us to get our new costumes. They're...uh...not nearly as festive as the one I used to wear for the Poly that's for sure. Sara had the most accurate comparison for me, "You look like a janitor." That basically sums it up.

After we changed into our costumes we walked over to Monsters. The first day of training is mainly filled with briefly explaining each position, describing the ride and its details (which of course includes riding the ride at least once), and reading LOTS of the Operation Guide, which honestly made me almost fall asleep. I learned that there are seven main positions within Monsters: Booth, Greeter, Unload, Load, Dispatch/Main Console, Grouper, and Grouper Assist.

Booth: Honestly, I can't say much about booth. Let's just say it's a fun and interesting way to interact with guests ;)

Greeter: When someone is at greeter, he or she is standing in front of the ride entrance, mainly in charge of answering any guest questions (yes, this is a ride, not a show), maintaining stroller parking, and making sure the wait time is accurate.

Unload: This position is pretty straightforward. We're in charge of making sure the guests unload out of their cab quickly and safely before sending it back to load more guests. If the attraction breaks down due to a monster getting loose (which tends to happen quite a bit at mine..), unload is one of the positions in charge of walking the track and helping guests evacuate safely out of the attraction.

Load: This is my favorite position, because we're constantly moving. After a semester in quick service food and beverage, you get used to the constant busy nature of the restaurant and the fast pace work environment. I really thrive in busy work environments like that, so load is right up my ally. Load starts at a small console, spiels to the guests to take all backpacks off and load little monsters into the cab first, closes the gates, checks all lap bars, then pushes the first button to approve sending off the cab before dispatch double checks from the main console to make sure everyone is seated and ready to go. If the monsters become loose in the attraction, load is in charge of evacuating the other half of the building similar to unload.

Dispatch/Main Console: This is one of the most important positions. Dispatch is in charge of watching to make sure the cabs are not backed up, eying the cameras to ensure guests are safe on the attraction, and double checking to make sure load has the guests in their cab safely. If the monsters escape, dispatch is in charge of powering down, spieling to guests, as well as powering up the attraction after the monsters are back safe in their houses again.

Grouper: Grouper assists guests into designated lanes for each cab. They're the one who asks guests, "How many in your party? Okay please go to rows one and two."

Grouper Assist: Grouper assist helps the grouper fill lanes in case row three remains empty, as well as assists guests with disabilities when they need to be loaded into a separate cab.

The first day of training we mainly practiced Unload and the Booth, and the other two days we went over all of the procedures for powering up in the morning and also powering down for closing. The very last day of training we were scheduled to have our PA (Personal Assessment), but the monsters were let loose for at least two hours, making it difficult for us to practice our spots. We did, however, practice a lot of powering up and down, which was helpful. At the very end of our shift, one of our leads took us through the positions and watched us perform each role independently, asked a few questions, and said we passed! Just like that, I earned my ears!

I honestly love working at Monsters. The people there are great and it's so much fun interacting with the children. It's nice having an attraction with no height limit, so we get to see babies and small kids all day that we wouldn't really see at larger, more intense attractions.

Even though I was trained at Monsters, new hires usually see more guest control shifts during their first few months during their probation, which I will explain more about in a later post.

Until then, have a magical day!

Five Days of Training

As of Tuesday, I have finally finished training at Captain Cook's! Like the title says, it lasted five days in total. I'll give you guys a brief overview about what I did each day and how it went!

Day One (Stocker): I was kind of happy I got placed as a stocker for my first day of on the job training (OJT) because it eased me into everything in the restaurant and gave me an idea for behind the scenes before being thrown into helping customers. I mainly spent time in the cooler restocking drinks and whatnot. It was so cold in there! I even had my jacket and I still felt chilled. My trainer showed me around where the main kitchens are and where they keep all the stored food and drinks in case we run out at our location. The best part about training, free food! Each day I was able to have two entrées for lunch or dinner (depending on when I worked), and the first day I had the chicken sandwich and caesar salad. It was way too much food I couldn't finish! After my break I returned to the cooler and kept stocking the shelves. My trainer showed me where all of the chemicals and emergency exits were and whatnot, and I finished the last bit of my e-learning online (thank goodness).

Day Two (Kitchen/Counter): I really enjoy this role. I'm constantly busy doing something and time just flies by. Here I prepare the orders for the customers by looking at their receipt, grabbing the food made by the culinary team, adding any necessary sides such as fries, and then paging the customer to have them pick up their food. I quickly learned that Captain Cook's is BUSY in the morning, especially on a Saturday during a three day weekend. We got a little backed up in the morning but by the afternoon the crowd flow was much more steady and easier to manage.

Day Three (Morning Cashier): I've never worked with an actual cash register, so it took me a little while to get the hang of this role. I shadowed my trainer for a few hours, observing how she interacted with guests and how to use the computer system. When I finally stepped in, the hardest part was understanding the Disney dining plan and remembering to designate a pager to every order BEFORE I push total. If I don't put a pager number in, the kitchen won't know what number to page, so they'll have to call me or vice versa and to let them know what number goes with what meal order. After a while I got a better hang of the position, and it was getting easier to give back change.

Day Four (Afternoon Cashier): This was a much better day than the previous because I already had a basic idea on how to do the role. The only difference was the food because we switch from breakfast to lunch/dinner at 11 o'clock, so the computer switches menu options. Once again I was having a difficult time remembering to add pagers to orders, but by the end of the day I was making sure that was the first thing I did when someone came to pay for their food so I didn't forget. I really like afternoon shifts more than morning. Not only because I don't have to wake up at 4 or 5:30 in the morning to be ready in time to catch the bus, but the restaurant isn't as crowded and crazy. A couple days ago I went to Magic Kingdom with a couple of my roommates and we ate at Casey's Corner. Let me tell you, I'm SO happy I didn't get a QSR in MK or any other busy park. Casey's is ridiculously CRAZY busy!! I would probably stress way too much in a situation like that. It really makes me appreciate my location. At the end of my afternoon cashier shift, my trainer showed me how to take the money from the cash register to put it in the bank and counting to see if we came out even or not from the beginning of the day.

Day Five (AmBUSSador): This was the longest shift of my life. The job was really easy, and we actually had one more person than usual doing the job because I was training and needed a trainer with me to help. However, the scheduling somehow got funky and my trainer actually started work two hours before me, leaving our breaks at different times. I was basically on my own during a majority of the job, which was totally fine because it's a super easy one. All I have to do is make sure everything is stocked on the condiments bar (napkins, untensils, etc.) and clean tables and keep the dining room area clean. If I get the beverage side of the job, I also have to clean the drink machines. It's not hard, but it was a nice change of pace because we were SLOW that day. Oh, did I mention my shift lasted until 1:30 in the morning? Yeah...Captain Cook's is a 24 hour location for snacks and drinks, so I had to see what they did to prepare for the morning after and the graveyard shift before I was able to go home. I actually ended up not doing much besides restocking napkins and bussing a few tables for the last two hours of my shift because hardly anyone was coming in. A few of my roommates surprised me at work while I was cleaning the drink machines, which was nice. By the end of my shift I was the only one on the bus back home, which is a long 40 or so minute drive thanks to all the stops we have to make before we actually head back to the Chatham bus stop. I was definitely exhausted by the time I got back to my apartment.

That concluded my on the job training! I had two days off and then yesterday I had a work class for about three hours in the morning so technically I count that as another day off. Today is going to be my first day of work without a trainer, but I still have to take my assessment to officially "earn my ears." I honestly have no idea when that's going to happen because another CP that works with me finished her training on Saturday, and still hasn't taken her assessment even though she's been working on her own ever since. We'll just have to wait and see!