Cast Member Charlotte (Disney's CEP 2018!) Days 40, 41 & 42

[EvilQueen1937]

I'm currently stood in an hour long line for the Rock N Roller Coaster so I figured now is a good time to write my Dibb posts! It's been an emotional few days to be honest, with lots of negativity and bad news. But I've been handling it like a true Disney fan and with less than three weeks left, I have been spending as much time as I can in the parks and with my beloved housemates. I'll be writing about Thursday, Friday and Saturday, picking up from where I left off in my last Dibb post. The rple wall pic is from the other day when I went to MK with Ashley, and I'm using it just because I don't have a picture from Thursday!

On the bus on the way to work I got talking to two other CPs, who said they had bought tickets for MNSSHP after our program finishes. At that point, I had zero plans for what I'm doing after the 16th August when I move out of my accommodation, and hadn't even booked a flight home. I was feeling a bit down because we were talking about our program ending, but I found out the first Halloween party is on the 17th, and we get a huge discount! So when I got off the bus I absolutely legged it to Company D at Disney uni, and I got my ticket for only $55! Apparently they're usually more than a hundred. I absolutely LOVE Halloween and am so happy I got a ticket because now I can go out with a bang at the end of my program!

I've slept since Thursday, but from what I can remember, work was pretty much business as usual! The days are blurring together and I'm going to start writing stuff down that I know I want to tell you guys, because I'm really struggling to remember the last few days! 😂 I just remember that I managed to get a ride home from work again. I got home at about 11:30 and my body clock can't sleep at that time so I made hot chocolate and watched telly, stuffing my face with M&Ms, Pringles and Skittles. It was fabulous.

I got up the next morning (Friday) to the most horrible news! Joyce had pulled a sicky to skive off work and was in deep discussion with a friend and her parents about self-terminating herself from Disney! She had mentioned it a couple of weeks ago but I didn't take her seriously, and I'd managed to convince her not to. She only had two weeks left of her program so I didn't see the point in quitting! She hates her horticulture program though, and has obviously had a very different working experience to me and was unhappy. But the selfish part of me didn't want my perfect house with my perfect housemates to fall apart because I have so much fun with them! I didn't want her to go! It would also wreck our plans for Sunday, which was the first time we were all off work together and I was really looking forward to it! But unfortunately she decided she would be leaving the next morning, and I was heartbroken.

To make matters worse, I'd just got off video call to my parents and had booked my flight home on the 18th August. That's depressing enough without also thinking about the £400 shaped hole in my pocket as a result! So my morning was spent sulking about my flight and how I'm only here for three more weeks, and begging Joyce not to leave us! Taylor and Ashley came home and were just as gutted as I was about Joyce, if not more so because they've lived with her a month longer!

I was really not in a Disney mood by the time I got to work, and woefully told my colleagues of my despair. It was hard to get into the swing of things in terms of being all happy and smiley onstage, so I kept it pretty simple that night, because I was tired and miserable and needed to go to bed.

Shortly towards the end of my shift, another CM approached me asking if I wanted to go to "Waffle House" after work. That meant no buses, a lift home, and nice juicy waffles so I was all in! Big mistake.

I was expecting a cute little American diner with strawberries and Nutella and cinnamon to put on my waffles, but instead it was a greasy takeaway that only had two type of waffles, and instead sold pathetic 'versions' of English breakfast style food. I've uploaded the menu for your benefit, but would like to draw your attention to two things in particular.

On the menu, it says 'sausage'. Where on earth is the sausage? It also says hash browns. I see no hash browns! My friend ordered some and check it out - THIS is what Americans think are hash browns!

It's shredded! What on EARTH?! It looked absolutely disgusting. Josh, one of the CMs with us, ordered a 'steak' and it looked like cardboard and was delivered stone cold. I was appalled and deeply regretted my decision to come along. I thought waffles would comfort me at the end of a long horrible day but there was barely a waffle in sight!

I ordered the one waffle that was on the menu and only got part way through. It wasn't disgusting, but looking at my dirty surroundings and the horrible greasy food that everyone else got really put me off. I just wanted to go home at that point. Unfortunately, I only got home at 1 ish, a full two hours after my shift finished. I wish I'd just bitten the bullet and got the flipping bus! I knew I was getting up early to see Joyce off too so heaven knows what I was thinking.

I woke up at about 6:30am the next day, (Saturday), as hearing Ashley and Taylor help Joyce to pack her car woke me up. I didn't mind though, I was just happy to spend a last bit of time with her. Taylor went out to pick up lots of coissants and pastries and stuff for breakfast, and we all sat down as a four for the last time to have one last breakfast together. Delphine was still in Miami so didn't get to say goodbye at all!

We had a last photo together, as we didn't have a single one of us all because of our mismatching shift patterns. Because Delphine wasn't home, we STILL don't have a picture of us all together and never will. 💔 Joyce is the little one in the middle - it's hilarious because she drives a huge black monster truck thing!

We said our goodbyes and I had to swallow the lump in my throat. Taylor, Ashley and I had been brutally reminded of how short our time was together, so we threw on some clothes and make up, I packed up my costume, and we jumped in the car and headed towards the Animal Kingdom!

We three had a great time in AK! I stupidly went on the Kali River Rapids and got my hair all wet, so I wasn't very presentable when I got to work later on but who cares! At least I was having fun instead of being stuck in the house waiting to go to work for once!

It was my brother's 18th birthday that day too, so I skyped home to find all my family on the other end of the phone waving to me from a pub. It's so ironic, because my little brother is can now drink, but I'm stuck in the US unable to even have a sip of alcohol because I'm not 21 until November! 😂 I picked up a couple of bits from the shop to take home for my family then I hopped on one of the guest buses and headed to MK. I had about 40 minutes to spare so I watched the parade from the Christmas shop, then went backstage to change.

Once again, most of my shift was business as usual, until a guest made me cry. Yep, for the first time in the five years that I've been employed, a customer actually reduced me to tears. I was working on the register in the centre of the Emporium and a man and his son came to me with their stuff. I scanned it all, and the total came to some random number that was just under $100, so the guy gave me a $100 note. I put it through the till and it told me the exact change I was to give, so I counted it out and went to hand it to him.

Except he suddenly decided he wanted to use his coins to give me change. I told him I'd already counted it out and politely went to hand him the change anyway, since it had already gone through the till and was too late. But he demanded I did it his way.

Now l was always good at maths, (I got an A in my GCSE! &#128514 and under normal circumstances I would be able to work this out on the spot. Anyone who has worked with a register before knows how annoying it is when a customer decides to give you the extra change anyway, especially after it's already been processed. Add on the fact that it was immediately after the fireworks and the place was HEAVING, I was under pressure to be speedy, American currency is still foreign to me and I'm also not a human calculator, the guy insisting I took this change really threw me off. I tried to explain to him but he didn't want to listen, yelling at me that it was simple and it's the same money. This went on for a few minutes and I eventually just stopped engaging with him. I shut up and submissively tried to recount all the money and work out the change in my head, since the total had also now disappeared off my screen as it had been a few minutes since the transaction was processed. He carried on yelling and I silently handed him the money. He made a point of counting it out in front of me like I was stupid, slamming the notes onto the counter. Then he yelled that I still owed him a dollar. By this point my heard was thudding and I was trembling so much it made me clumsy. I should have recounted it to make sure, according to Disney's rules. But I dared not make the guy any angrier so I just handed him a dollar and he walked off.

I felt tears prickle at my eyes and I was shaking so badly. I've never been spoken to like that before by a customer in all my life, and never has someone treated me as though I'm thick and humiliated me in front of others. Other cast members had witnessed it, as well as other guests. The next guest to come to my register asked me if I was ok. I said I was, but that I'd just had my first horrible guest. She saw me shaking and saw that I was holding back tears, (honestly, it took all my willpower, I just wanted to go running backstage and be swallowed up by a hole!) and she told me that I had done nothing wrong and that the guy obviously had a massive chip on his shoulder. She tried to distract me by asking me about myself, and she told me how proud my family must be. She was so unbelievably nice, and such a contrast to the guest before, that it just made me want to cry even more!

When I said goodbye to her, there were luckily no more guests in the queue so I rushed backstage and burst into tears in a corner. Another CM walked past and asked me what was wrong so I told her about the horrible guest. Within a few seconds I had about ten other cast members all surrounding me sympathetically, offering to "kick that guy's ass" and giving me hugs. They told me that you can't properly say you've worked at the Emporium until a guest has made you cry! They brought me water and made me sit down, and told me about times when it had happened to them. I didn't want to mess around for too long though so I pulled myself together and went back onstage. I was nervous and shaky for the rest of the night then, as it had really knocked my confidence and I couldn't stop thinking about it. When my shift ended I practically ran for the bus, wanting to get away. There was no sign of one coming, so someone suggested we all got an Uber to Macdonald's! I usually hate Macdonald's but that sounded perfect, as I hadn't had any tea. I made friends with the Uber driver and bonded with him via stories of evil customers who treat us like poo, and ended up inviting him for Macdonald's with us! He declined, but he's probably the best taxi driver I've ever had, bless him!

I went straight to bed when I got home, glad of my day off the next day (today!) and excited to spend the day with my housemates.

So that concludes my account of the last three days! I told you it had been a bit emotional! I'm currently sat on Main Street waiting to meet my Godparents, today has been a BRILLIANT day so don't have too much sympathy for me! I'm still exactly where I want to be and having the time of my life! I'll update again in the next few days, so ta ta for now! 😁

[Disney_time]

Oh dear, some sad times, especially as you have only a short time left, but youll love MNSSHP and I cant wait to hear about your costume.

I hate to break it to you, but I believe your photo is exctly what a home made hash brown should really look like. The McDonalds version is what we have come to think is right in the UK, but nothing like the real thing!

[app]

New Photo Added by EvilQueen1937 - 29 Jul 18 11:46 PM.

[BevS97]

Sorry to hear about your poor few days but I have to agree about the hash brown. It looks pretty good.

[Mel49]

An emotional few days but you've survived to keep sprinkling the pixie dust and that rude guy will get his comeuppance once day. Must have been sad booking your flight home but at least you have MNSSHP to look forward to now xx
ps My friend in Canada made us home made waffles for breakfast this morning and wish I'd taken a picture as your one looks very unappetising !

[emilou]

Aww how awful for you to deal with horrid people like that, my daughter has had to deal with some real obnoxious customers in Epcot and some sleazy comments from men about her rose and crown costume and as a mum it makes me mad, but like you said there are nice people out there and you are the better person, that guy must have a miserable life. Btw I came into emporium this week (weds eve) to say hi but couldn’t see you maybe next time.

[duchy]

Bah ... he was probably with only his son because his wife refuses to be seen out in public with him. Everyone in retail has encountered someone like him ... sadly some people have an inflated idea of their own relevance on this planet and think it's OK to treat everyone in a service industry like that ... the important thing to remember it's their character failing not yours . What a loser to behave like that in public ... I bet his son was wishing he was anywhere but with him ... which is a rubbish way for any kid to feel at Disney.

[JudyC]

Aw what a rollercoaster. You are doing the right things squeezing in as much as you can before work though .

[mick]

Oh dear that was a few mixed days not nice that people treat you like that! Enjoy today

Joan

[Cinderella]

Onwards and upwards -enjoy the rest of your programme!