Extra hours hotline question. (Dinoland Attr H/H Untrained)

[Mecha Figment]

my question is.. what is this shift? what does it do .. it's in the boneyard costume and it's only 2 hours. I picked it up not really knowing what it was.. can somebody enlighten me?

this is the first time i've ever used extra hours. I'm entertainment, so i don't really know how other things work. so any tips would be great.

 

[mousermerf]

You'll probably be doing Greeter duty at the Boneyard. They sometimes put these shifts out for other attractions as well - in short they toss you infront of the area, tell you not to let anyone get killed, give you a basic rundown of where the potties are, where the food is nearby, and anything else you might need to know, and then ask you to stay put and be a point of guest contact.

BTW, try to grab the Flower/Garden shifts - they're awesome, plus you get to wear bright pink (Epcot Events polo). I've worked the butterfly garden in the past and my friend worked the home depot display and spent 6 hours making things out of tissue paper and pipe cleaners.

 

[mousermerf]

Also - avoid "PAC" shifts. Those are Parade Audience Control. *shivers* Just don't do it.

 

[Mecha Figment]

do i need to sign in on CDS? i've never done this before either. any tips on how it works.

 

[mousermerf]

Depends on the locations - some use it, some don't. Since it's attractions I would assume so.

Know thy employee number.

Arrive early at the meeting place, someone will be looking for you (hopefully), and they'll give you the run down. If anything, ask a CM in the right costume - that always works. Attractions are used to "newbies" because they're pretty much constantly training new people.

 

[mousermerf]

To note, Flower and Garden shifts sign in at the Epcot Events building (behind Imagination) while Crowd Control shifts for the Flower Power concert series sign in at the American Adventure. F/G used CDS, and last time I did it, the concerts did not, but rather a sign-in sheet.

So its possible to be doing either.

 

[Mecha Figment]

i'm asuming the employee number is on my id. and thanks for your help.

 

[kcw]

do i need to sign in on CDS? i've never done this before either. any tips on how it works.

I picked up a PAC shift once just because my roomates said it was fun and I wanted to wear my nametag for once... haha I will never venture from entertainment again!!! CDS is super confusing, and just a hint, you can't login or logout from any location (like the one near our timeclocks near the tunnel entrance..... ), you have to login on one that's near the location you're working. And it's best just to ask someone that knows what they're doing to help you- it's super confusing- most people were more than willing to help and were friendly

BUT when I went to check out my costume, I had NO IDEA how the sizes on the pants worked (uh normal pants....1,3,5.... their pants 74/32.7/108.... :veryconfu ) So I asked a girl that was in there what size she wore because she looked similar to my size.... (which doesn't seem to me to be that odd of a question, I explained that I normally didn't use these pants)....she just gave me a wierd look and then answered.... and then when we got on the bus at westclock, she walked by me, turned to her friend, and mimicking me was like "um, what size pants do you wear, we look like a similar size" and then they both started laughing... real cool I'll tell ya....

so give yourself LOTS of extra time to take care of costuming and CDS... and have fun!! oh and hopefully like someone said you'll have someone looking for you, but be prepared if not- I had nobody and was completely on my own to get from one place to another.... just don't be afraid to ask questions!

 

[joanna71985]

Also - avoid "PAC" shifts. Those are Parade Audience Control. *shivers* Just don't do it.

Are you kidding?! I LOVE PAC. It was soooo much fun (luckily I knew how to do CDS from my merchandise days. I so prefer the timeclock now). My favorite area is Main Street PAC, but I also loved Frontierland PAC because I got to be a roller (the thing that rolls up the ropes). I even got to do Fantasmic/DSMC PAC a few times. That was the best!

 

[bsummer]

I'm also a fan of PAC...I worked these shifts when I worked at the hotel, but now I don't pick many shifts up that aren't entertainment...but that's just because that's what I love! Fantasyland PAC is also a lot of fun!

 

[kcw]

I think it would have been fun- I just wanted to play games with the kids before the parade started!! lol but I didn't check the schedule well enough, and it just said that it was night parade.... but instead of being spectro like I expected, it was MNSSHP... and they didn't even do the games before the parade! So I was actually helping to clear the park of the day guests and do the wristband check for the party guests... mass chaos I tell you!!! but at least I got to wear my nametag!!! :lol:

 

[Scar Junior]

I loved PAC when I worked at the Tree of Life. Put down tape, answer questions, greet VIPs and guests with disabilities... spend 1/2 hour watching a parade... pull up the tape. A nice break in the day, if you ask me.

Also, CDS isn't hard at all. It may take a few days to get it down... and thus, somewhat challenging if you are just coming into it... but soon you'll find its very simple. If you can learn to check your email you can learn CDS.

 

[Captain Hank]

Whenever I picked up a shift in an unfamiliar area, I actually went to that location a day or so in advance and asked a CM in the appropriate costume where the CDS sign-in, breakroom, etc. was. There were a few shifts where I would have been completely clueless had I not done this. It also helped to be able to scope out unfamiliar backstage areas. You can also scope out bathroom locations in advance so you don't have to try to learn everything about an area all at once.

Disney costumes are weird. The sizes have no actual bearing on the real world. I recall once wearing an XL vest and a M shirt. Trial and error (often a great deal of the latter) is the only way to get something that fits reasonably well.

CDS isn't too hard to use. Simply type in your PERNR (the ID number on your Cast ID, without the leading zeroes). You'll then be assigned a location, what to do there, and often how long you're to perform that task until you come back and re-deploy. You'll also be given breaks through CDS.

 

[ImaYoyo]

Agreed that pac is fun. It's been quite a few years since I've been able to work PAC, but on my Spring Cross-U this year I'm hopping to see some availability!

 

[maelstrom]

BUT when I went to check out my costume, I had NO IDEA how the sizes on the pants worked (uh normal pants....1,3,5.... their pants 74/32.7/108.... :veryconfu ) So I asked a girl that was in there what size she wore because she looked similar to my size.... (which doesn't seem to me to be that odd of a question, I explained that I normally didn't use these pants)....she just gave me a wierd look and then answered.... and then when we got on the bus at westclock, she walked by me, turned to her friend, and mimicking me was like "um, what size pants do you wear, we look like a similar size" and then they both started laughing... real cool I'll tell ya....

I really don't understand some people. It sounds like she had a really bad case of immaturity. That was a perfectly fine question to ask.

When I worked at Delia's (trendy juniors clothing), customers would ask me all the time, "hey, you look about the size/age of my daughter/niece/granddaughter, would you wear this, what size pants do you wear, etc". I've actually even been asked that in the dressing rooms at places like Kohl's when I step out to look in the three-way mirror. I don't mind. The only thing is that I do have to sometimes tell people that while I may be the same size as their thirteen-year-old niece, I'm actually 21, so my style will probably be a lot different, so I can't help them out with style, only size.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

Also - avoid "PAC" shifts. Those are Parade Audience Control. *shivers* Just don't do it.

*gasps* I LOVED working PAC!!!!!!!!! Granted I only worked PAC at Magic Kingdom but PAC was the best!!! You got to work at a different location, you got a front-seat to the parade, you got to wear cool costumes (I worked Ad-Lib PAC a LOT), etc etc. I highly recommend PAC OT for everyone!!

 

[joanna71985]

I also picked up non-PAC shifts. During my first CP I picked up a few Glow/Squeeze Breeze shifts (can't anymore). And I picked up a HM shift when they did the 5 am First Family in the Park thing. Man that was something. But an awsome experience.