Hello all and welcome to a very special post. Today I am going to be covering the highly anticipated “Traditions” class at Disney University! I was fortunate enough to participate in this class once again on August 9th and officially start back up on my Disney Journey here at the Walt Disney World Resort. For those of you who don’t know what Traditions is, this class is an introductory class for all Disney employees into the Walt Disney Company. In this orientation, participants learn all about the history of the Walt Disney Company and what is expected of them as Disney employees.
Traditions is something that every Disney College Program participant looks forward to that first week they move in. While this class does officially marks your start with the company, receiving your name tags and blue ID’s, many participants often overlook the importance of the class. Therefore in this post, I am going to emphasize more on the important topics covered within the course that I believe participants should take away from it.
When taking requests for future posts, I got multiple messages from people to cover this topic. So I made sure to take lots of notes and observations so then I could share an up-close and personal look into this class this with all of you!
**DISCLAIMER: This post may spoil some of the topics covered in class and some of the magic that happens. So if you want a spoil free Traditions experience I advise reading something else on my blog instead ๐ ***
Why are you here? This is the first question that we are asked at the start of the class. For many Disney College Program participants in the room, this path is hopefully a stepping stone to something bigger and better within the company. For others, they just want to get college credit or take a break from school, so they are here on a College Program to make some limited-time magic. No matter why we choose to work for Disney, we are taught that we are all here for one common purpose “to create happiness.”
Right from the beginning, this class starts to get you excited for the road ahead and sets the tone for the rest of the day. Everyone is on the first step of their Disney journey and that is something to be excited about!
After getting us all excited to begin our journy, the facilitators start introducing us to some common Disney Language that we as Cast Members should become familiar with, such as:
- Guests
- Cast Members
- Show
- Backstage
- Role
After learning a little bit of this special Disney lingo, our facilitators explained their start here at Disney and how they have grown within the company, their very own Disney Heritage. Showcasing how there are an endless amount of opportunities with the Walt Disney Company.
One of the biggest things emphasized in this class is that YOU are the Disney difference. When guests look back on their trip the one thing that stands out above the rest is the amazing Cast Member service they receive and that is what keeps bringing them back. Cast Members accomplish this by going above and beyond the guest’s expectations, or by making a not so magical day the best day ever for someone. It is because of Disney Cast Members that the magic is alive and real.
The second question that we are advised to think about is “Who are we doing this for?” This part of the course is one of my favorites and I won’t spoil too much, but during this part, we are given examples of how Cast Members have made an impact in the lives of our guests. The facilitators read us some examples of guest letters, thanking the company for creating magic for their family, along with a few clips that show their magical experiences.
So how do we as Cast Members help make magic? There are a lot of things that we can do, however, when it comes down to it We Create Happiness through
- Stories
- Immersive experiences
- and Exceptional guest service
- = Emotional Connection
One of the most important things we learned in this part is that quality is always the #1 priority for the company. After learning about how we are better able to enhance the guest’s experience by creating those emotional connections and going above and beyond in our roles, we were then given the backstory of how all this came to be, our tradition within the Walt Disney Company.
One of the main purposes of this class is to acquaint us with our Disney Heritage. During this part of the course, we were told the Disney story, the history of Walt, and how the Walt Disney Company became what it is today. By learning more about our heritage it guides us as a company to our future.
Now it’s time to build your Disney Story. Walt said Disney will never be completed and he left that legacy to keep moving forward up to us. With the end of the class, we are now able to carry out that legacy, and our story officially begins! We were then given our name tags by a very special visitor and sent on our way in the hopes that this class taught us how we can make some magic of our own.
FINAL THOUGHTS
While I didn’t approach this post in the typical way that most DCP bloggers do (the 4 keys, “Earning your ears”, taking a field trip to the utilidors ) I wanted to captivate the real important topic points of this course and the expectations of Cast Members behind it. This class means a lot of things for different people and I know by reacquainting myself with Traditions it has taught me to appreciate more about the introduction into Disney culture.
The biggest takeaway from this class is that you need to have fun with it. The facilitators try and make this a really fun and engaging experience, and if you have some like mine, you can tell they truly care about their jobs and enjoy introducing the company to new employees. I also love the fact that we are taught about the history of Walt and how the company became how it is today. It is super important for those unfamiliar with the origins of the company to know more about its creator and how we came to be.
Thank you all for listening to my take on the Disney University Traditions class! I apologize that it took a while for me to get this post up but I am hard at work learning everything there is to know about becoming a Vacation Planner here at the Walt Disney World Resort. I am now just finishing up with my Vacation Planner Core Classes and I have my property orientation of Disney’s Hollywood Studios this week followed by on the job training. So once I finally figure out what I am doing I’ll get to a post all about this role.
Until then, Keep Moving Forward
-Kacey
Marketing the Magic 