We like stories, and not just our own. We encourage you all
÷ Cast Members and simple visitors alike ÷ to submit to us
any stories which involve CMs and the CM-experience. Shorter
stories may be used in the regular mailbag updates, while
longer stories may rate their own exposure in this column.
Today, Dana Mosley Sieben talks about her experience
in the late 1980s with the Walt Disney World College Program.
|
Magic and Movies
by Dana Mosley Sieben
|
After reading your experience at Disneyland, I felt like sharing
my experience on the college program at Walt Disney World (WDW).
It started very innocently. A friend of mine, Scott, called me
at my dorm at the University of Alabama and told me of a flyer
he had seen advertising interviews for the Walt Disney World College
Program (WDWCP). I had no idea that Disney hired college students
and I had always loved WDW, so the two of us went to the Student
Union to check out the action.
Photo by Brian Bennett
I don’t remember the details on getting an interview or what questions
were asked, but weeks later, I received my letter accepting me
to the program. So, one semester into my sophomore year, I packed
up my car and headed for Orlando with Scott, who had also made
the program. All I knew was that I would be in Attractions somewhere.
Back then, there was only the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We drove
all night so we could get there right at check in. Stupid move;
we were so exhausted from the drive we almost fell asleep at a
couple of points.
So we get to Snow White Village in Kissimmee, Florida. Yep, we
had to live in trailers. The kids nowadays have it easy in their
nice apartment complexes — we made do with trailers infested
with ants. We didn’t care at the time — we were too interested
in who our roommates would be and how many cute members of the
opposite sex would cross our path. We checked into our homes for
the next semester and went to our welcome meeting that night at
the pool house.
We were required to take classes at Disney University at the Magic
Kingdom. They didn’t have a wide variety of classes to choose
from and they were long and boring, if I remember correctly. At
orientation, we split up into what areas we would work in. I got
Magic Kingdom West attractions! I ended up at the Haunted Mansion
of all places — my favorite ride at the Magic Kingdom. I
was so excited when I tried on my costume the first time. The
group of College Program people going with me were so fun and
I was going to have a blast. Scott ended up at Epcot in Food Service,
so we didn’t see each other much.
I could go on and on about my experiences at the Mansion, but I
won’t. What I will say is that that semester changed my life.
I learned a little about the world, I learned about broken hearts
and how much they hurt and I learned that I wasn’t satisfied with
only one semester. I stayed on for the summer, too, and there
were a lot of us who opted to do that. That summer, they opened
Vista Way, but they housed all of us in Snow White Village again.
Regardless, we had a blast! I still keep in touch with a couple
of people from that summer.
Well, I went back to the University of Alabama a very changed person.
I remember that people were so impressed that I had worked at
Disney. Nowadays, of course, working there is more common, so
I don’t have the prestige I did then.
Anyway, during the fall semester of 1988, Scott, asked me if I
would like to interview for the program again. But this time,
it was going to be different. According to the flyer, it would
be for a special group of CPs to open Disney-MGM Studios, starting
February through July 1989. I had recently torn some ligaments
in my left ankle during marching band practice, so I had to go
to my interview in sweats. I was mortified, but the interviewer
was very sympathetic. He knew my supervisor from the Mansion,
so it was a very friendly interview. I assured him that I would
love to work at the Great Movie Ride and he said he would
see what he could do.
I received my letter, as before, and I prepared to spend another
six months in Florida. Unfortunately, Scott didn’t make the program
this time around. We never did figure out why. It didn’t matter
though. He has worked for the company since about 1991 and is
now working in resorts. We still see each other occasionally when
my husband takes us all to Disney on vacation.
Well, again I didn’t get the chance to live at Vista Way. They
were housing us “special CPs” (their words, not mine) in the apartment
complex next door, Vista Village. I think it is a time-share now.
Anyway, we were the only ones opening the studio; the kids over
at Vista Way were still only at Magic Kingdom and Epcot, so we
didn’t have a chance to mix. Snow White Village was closed for
good now; I felt proud to have been one of its last residents.
A way of life had closed and a new one about to start.
The Studio was still under construction, so we had to wear maintenance
clothes to work. Brown pants and white shirts. Yuck.
We had had an orientation meeting where they divided us up into
groups. There was a group for the Great Movie Ride, a group for
the Backlot Studio Tour, a group for Superstar Television, and
I can’t remember what else. I made it to the Great Movie Ride,
which pleased me to no end! It looked so exciting in the drawings
they had shown us.
When we finally got to tour the ride, it was still under construction,
too — being painted, Audio-Animatronics being installed,
plaster all over everything. Again, we were divided into groups.
My group called themselves the Anubis, (pronounced Anewbees) after
the great god, Anubis in the Indiana Jones section. There were
the Mugsies, and I can’t remember the other groups names, but
we were to all be competitive in the months ahead. We rotated
work schedules.
Photo by Brian Bennett
Not only did we practice script after script after script, but
we helped maintenance test the vehicles, timing test and such,
and all the stuff we would need to know to run the building. We
studied and worked for three months until May, when it opened
to the public.
Those were good times, though. I remember the time my vehicle caught
on fire and I forgot every training I had ever learned and ran
screaming “Fire!” all through the ride trying to find a maintenance
person. My console was melted. I have never forgotten the smell
of an electrical fire since then.
My group’s trainer left for Entertainment, so they made me temp
trainer for the Anubis. I, a CP, was training people in the Gangster
and Western sections, as well as the part of tour guide. This
went on until my tour of duty was over in July. But I never was
paid trainer pay. Such is life.
What kills me is that, at the time, they had plans for a female
gangster named Roxy, but upper management decided that she was
too unrealistic, so girls were never allowed to do gangster. I
trained the guys to do it, but I couldn’t do it myself. Humph!
I know they are allowed to now, which is great! I was lucky enough
last year to have a female gangster — to actually witness
that it could be done. She got a guest compliment at Guest Relations
that day for her file.
My most infamous moment came when Michael Eisner came through the
ride before opening day, and I was chosen to be tour guide. Back
then, we all had fake blood patches under our shirt pocket which
we ripped aside while pretending to be shot in gangster. I did
my part (we had a great time with the dying scene) and pulled
the patch and disappeared behind stage.
Photo by Brian Bennett
After the ride was over and a little bit later, we were all informed
that Mr. Eisner had decided that girls couldn’t use the fake blood
patch anymore as it made us look as if our chest had been blown
off. He had looked at my chest! He had noticed my chest! Another
thing that girls weren’t allowed to do. I was mortified! Needless
to say, I never lived it down.
I remember when the Fantasia scene was a tornado for the Wizard
of Oz scene. I remember they used the big fans. I remember that
they decided that it wouldn’t work, and putting in Fantasia instead.
I remember how awesome the Wicked Witch of the West was, how Busby
Berkeley actually rotated and water squirted out of jets. I remember
getting away with murder in those early days — jokes played
on each other that today would get you fired. But we had a great
time.
During my time as trainer, I had the opportunity to train CMs from
other parts of the park who had transferred to the Great Movie
Ride. One of those people became a dear friend of mine. He died
last year from cancer. I will never forget the fun we had that
year, sunbathing at Little Lake Bryan, going into the parks on
our days off and playing with the guests, getting caught in the
hot tub at the Grand Floridian, and so on.
When we, the group, had our grad ball at the end of the session,
we invited a bunch of the non-CPs from the Great Movie Ride to
join us in our party as our dates. Since we had been separate
from the Vista Way gang, we had our own grad ball instead of going
to theirs. Ours was smaller, but I believe it was more fun. That
night, we got to witness a lunar eclipse and it just made the
night perfect. I wish I had more pictures from that time at Disney.
If anyone reading this was a part of that first opening crew and
remembers me — I just have to say, you guys were great! It
was the time of my life.
If I had never gone to Disney, I never would have met my roommate
who never would have introduced me to my future husband.
