"For 2,000+ Mile Round-Trip Drivers Only!" (Part V)

[ddluvsdisney]

We will be leaving Saturday too from the Chicagoland area! We are going down through IL so basically I-57. I hear there is a bunch of construction that way but not surprising considering there is *always* construction everywhere we go & the exit to I-24 is closed so we will work around that. It will be interesting to see who gets there first me or my sister.

She is coming from CT and we are both stopping overnight and will get there on Sunday, it appears we will both start out at the same time on Sunday. It's a race. LOL! I am betting that she will get there first, I have a person with mobility issues but she has a child with her so?

Sounds like a fun trip!!

 

[KCMA]

We will be leaving Saturday too from the Chicagoland area! We are going down through IL so basically I-57. I hear there is a bunch of construction that way but not surprising considering there is *always* construction everywhere we go & the exit to I-24 is closed so we will work around that. It will be interesting to see who gets there first me or my sister.

She is coming from CT and we are both stopping overnight and will get there on Sunday, it appears we will both start out at the same time on Sunday. It's a race. LOL! I am betting that she will get there first, I have a person with mobility issues but she has a child with her so?

Safe travels down!!

 

[dvczerfs]

Hello everyone!! I know, it has been awhile. We had a wonderful time at the Contemporary a few weeks ago celebrating my 60th birthday. We also did the Halloween party, we haven’t done that in a good 15 years. It was fun, did some trick or treating and we all decided we were good for another 15 years. Lol.
I have to admit, I retired five years ago and wanted to live out a life long dream, working for the mouse. I love every second of it!! My wife has been talking about retiring. On this stay, we had dinner and got into a conversation about, we are not getting any younger. She is talking about doing some traveling, get in the car and see the country. Not today or tomorrow but she don’t want to wait till we are not able to do it. I have to agree with her. We have been married over 40 years, we got to live out our dream.
So I was doing a lot of thinking, is it time? Is it time to hang it up again. Is it time for the next chapter. We are still both just enjoying life right now but really looking into our next chapter. Maybe snowbirding. We shall see.
I went back to work after that little vacation and some of my leaders and peers call me out of the store one afternoon. Hey David, come here, what is this?
I went out and they were all standing in a circle. I said what’s up?
They presented me with the Epcot merchandise quarterly award! Not only honored but extremely humbled. I’m not an emotional person but, I was fighting it. lol.
With this come a breakfast on Wednesday with the executives of Epcot.
The gentleman standing over my right shoulder is one of my leaders, he also did the college program with my daughter twelve years ago, it’s a small world.

 

[AnnaS]

Hello everyone!! I know, it has been awhile. We had a wonderful time at the Contemporary a few weeks ago celebrating my 60th birthday. We also did the Halloween party, we haven’t done that in a good 15 years. It was fun, did some trick or treating and we all decided we were good for another 15 years. Lol.
I have to admit, I retired five years ago and wanted to live out a life long dream, working for the mouse. I love every second of it!! My wife has been talking about retiring. On this stay, we had dinner and got into a conversation about, we are not getting any younger. She is talking about doing some traveling, get in the car and see the country. Not today or tomorrow but she don’t want to wait till we are not able to do it. I have to agree with her. We have been married over 40 years, we got to live out our dream.
So I was doing a lot of thinking, is it time? Is it time to hang it up again. Is it time for the next chapter. We are still both just enjoying life right now but really looking into our next chapter. Maybe snowbirding. We shall see.
I went back to work after that little vacation and some of my leaders and peers call me out of the store one afternoon. Hey David, come here, what is this?
I went out and they were all standing in a circle. I said what’s up?
They presented me with the Epcot merchandise quarterly award! Not only honored but extremely humbled. I’m not an emotional person but, I was fighting it. lol.
With this come a breakfast on Wednesday with the executives of Epcot.
The gentleman standing over my right shoulder is one of my leaders, he also did the college program with my daughter twelve years ago, it’s a small world.

That is awesome and sweet to get recognized. You love your job/position and I am sure you put a smile on many faces. Congratulations!!! Does that mean you will be staying put a little longer ?

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Hello everyone!! I know, it has been awhile. We had a wonderful time at the Contemporary a few weeks ago celebrating my 60th birthday. We also did the Halloween party, we haven’t done that in a good 15 years. It was fun, did some trick or treating and we all decided we were good for another 15 years. Lol.
I have to admit, I retired five years ago and wanted to live out a life long dream, working for the mouse. I love every second of it!! My wife has been talking about retiring. On this stay, we had dinner and got into a conversation about, we are not getting any younger. She is talking about doing some traveling, get in the car and see the country. Not today or tomorrow but she don’t want to wait till we are not able to do it. I have to agree with her. We have been married over 40 years, we got to live out our dream.
So I was doing a lot of thinking, is it time? Is it time to hang it up again. Is it time for the next chapter. We are still both just enjoying life right now but really looking into our next chapter. Maybe snowbirding. We shall see.
I went back to work after that little vacation and some of my leaders and peers call me out of the store one afternoon. Hey David, come here, what is this?
I went out and they were all standing in a circle. I said what’s up?
They presented me with the Epcot merchandise quarterly award! Not only honored but extremely humbled. I’m not an emotional person but, I was fighting it. lol.
With this come a breakfast on Wednesday with the executives of Epcot.
The gentleman standing over my right shoulder is one of my leaders, he also did the college program with my daughter twelve years ago, it’s a small world.

Aw that is so awesome Dave! Congrats!
I want to be you in a few years.
I drove cross country with my best friend last year, and eventually want to do it with DH before we get too old as well.
Can’t wait to hear about your adventure!

 

[dvczerfs]

That is awesome and sweet to get recognized. You love your job/position and I am sure you put a smile on many faces. Congratulations!!! Does that mean you will be staying put a little longer ?

Yes. I will be there atleast another year and a half. I want to achieve one more goal. I want to get my five year with the company. None of this was really my goal when I started. I started part time at the Skyliner. I worked there for a year and transferred to Creations. I was part time and after a few weeks, I was approached to be a relief coordinator. At first I wasn’t interested. I’m retired, I just want to smile and push some buttons. Well, that led to a full time, status coordinator. The leader who encouraged me and helped the old man compete with the younger candidates is actually standing behind me over my left shoulder. We worked at Creations together and as luck would have it, he has joined our team. The day they gave me the award was his second day with us, he didn’t have a vote. lol. He kept saying, man, what did you do to get this? After our first shift together, this first fifteen minutes he said, now I know why you got that award. Gave me a fist bump and said man, I’m proud of you.

 

[dvczerfs]

I kind of skipped a step, most people who start with the company are front line CMs. From there you go to be a trainer and on to relief coordinator and then status full time. Once you are status, that’s you position, that’s what you do. I didn’t really want to be a trainer, just something I did not see myself doing. Well, in our area, a lot of the status coords have left to go into management which left a hole in Coord Trainers. Basically a new Coord just shadows you, there is no assessment or anything by this stage you already know what you are doing.
But a Coord has to sign a new Coord off in the system. So, off to class I went and I got my pin. They have been pushing for me to get into the management program. I respectfully decline every time. If I was thirty years younger, I’d do it. There are a bunch of young people, fine CMs that are working for a goal and a dream. I feel, let the younger people go for it, they are our future, let them carry on the legacy for the next 30/40 years.
Anyway, I got my Disney trainer pin. I won’t be officially training new cms but with my current position, it is part of my job to always keep training the newer cms.

 

[AnnaS]

I kind of skipped a step, most people who start with the company are front line CMs. From there you go to be a trainer and on to relief coordinator and then status full time. Once you are status, that’s you position, that’s what you do. I didn’t really want to be a trainer, just something I did not see myself doing. Well, in our area, a lot of the status coords have left to go into management which left a hole in Coord Trainers. Basically a new Coord just shadows you, there is no assessment or anything by this stage you already know what you are doing.
But a Coord has to sign a new Coord off in the system. So, off to class I went and I got my pin. They have been pushing for me to get into the management program. I respectfully decline every time. If I was thirty years younger, I’d do it. There are a bunch of young people, fine CMs that are working for a goal and a dream. I feel, let the younger people go for it, they are our future, let them carry on the legacy for the next 30/40 years.
Anyway, I got my Disney trainer pin. I won’t be officially training new cms but with my current position, it is part of my job to always keep training the newer cms.

Love that you want to give the younger generation the opportunity to move up.

My daughter was in the College Program many years ago. She loved, loved it. Would have loved to be there full-time. She did get seasonal - it was not ideal coming from home but we were going to try. Somehow after we had our reservations/plans, there was a screw up on Disney's end and I had already cancelled all our plans. Needless to say, she never followed up and did not push it. She met her future husband there while they were both in the program. Engaged and married/wedding in Disney -

Keep smiling and putting smiles on everyone!