So this week has been pretty laid back. Not much is really happening here in Orlando, except that the parks are starting to get busy as we near Halloween. Oh, and I had my first shift as a trainer and also went to Food and Wine Festival at Epcot.
Scratch that, everything is happening here in Orlando.
This week has been one of the toughest yet most rewarding weeks that I have spent down here in Disney. I have learned lessons in time management, leadership and determination, and I am happy to say that I survived.
So let’s talk about the highlights.
Food and Wine Festival is incredible and this year is its 20th in existence. In addition to the standard 11 pavilions at Epcot, we (my coworkers and I) had the opportunity to visit 27 booths set up with food and drinks from various countries.
Being under 21, I was not allowed to try any of the drinks, but the food sure was delicious.
My favorite was definitely the Tacos de Camarón (shrimp tacos) from Mexico.
Some of the other booths we visited included Patagonia, France, Greece, the Cheese Studio and Hawai’i.
In addition to the booths set up around the park, Food and Wine offers a concert series known as Eat to the Beat. Some of this year’s more notable artists include David Cook, Smash Mouth, Rick Springfield, Boyz II Men and Hanson. We had the opportunity to see Sugar Ray, which was absolutely fantastic. Lead singer Mark McGrath proved himself to be a great performer, interacting with the crowd and adding entertaining commentary in between songs.
During the show I saw, they performed several notable songs, including “Someday,” “Every Morning,” “When It’s Over” and “Fly.”
It was definitely a very nostalgic and fun-filled 30 minutes. In fact, it may have been my favorite part of Food and Wine. Actually, it was probably my favorite part of the week.
This past week was very busy, so it was nice to get to relax and unwind. Plus, any time spent with the Backlot kids is time well spent.
With the exception of the time we spent at Food and Wine, I did not do much outside of work. But I worked a lot. With more guests in the park each day, the operating hours for Hollywood Studios extended, and so did the Backlot Express.
And I had a trainer shift. My first trainer shift. It was very exciting, getting to work with our newest employees and showing them how the restaurant runs. It was also very weird though, several of our kitchen procedures have begun to come second nature to me, and I had to make a conscious effort to explain them rather than just performing them.
As I said earlier, this week was quite hectic, but also very rewarding. I am looking forward to the week ahead. The Backlot Express kids and I have big plans for Tuesday, so be on the lookout for photos and maybe a story about our adventures.
