The Funny Thing About Placements
There is a gift you get along with your graduation ears and certificate of completion at the end of your program. Some people throw it away right away, some people lose it once they are home, and some people treasure it like their favorite souvenir. In respect for those who prefer surprises I wont say what this gift is specifically but I will say that I am the latter of the three and I absolutely do not regret adding it to my luggage weight. I was looking at it today and going through old memories; my last bumpout, my collection of stickers, old movie stubs, and other various odds and ends. While lost in a photo of the castle I realized how lucky I was to be given my work location, and how naive I was to be disappointed upon arrival to check-in. When I got my acceptance email and saw that I had been placed in Attractions I couldn't have been happier. I was just hopeful to get into the program but to be in my top role as well was, well, a dream come true. Of course I started fantasizing of all of my options of where I could be placed. Headed to Orlando I could have been placed at any of the four parks as well as Downtown Disney. Visions of driving safari trucks or getting to ride Splash Mountain every day danced in my brain. I tried not to think of what I wanted most or least but of course that can be a hard thought to avoid.
I had never been into princesses or fairy tales, so when I was told I would be working in Fantasyland, I have to admit there was a twinge of disappointment hidden under my excitement to be beginning my program. Was it awesome to be placed in The Magic Kingdom? Yes! Would I have been more excited to be more excited to go to Adventureland? So I thought. Today though I look back and I cannot be more grateful to have worked directly behind Cinderella Castle. I had the opportunity to not only watch wishes every night, but be trained to work it as well. I came to learn that we were Walt’s favorite land and that the Festival of Fantasy was an extension of celebration of the stories we told. I worked to opening day attractions that, although I had no connections to before, I came to love more than anything. I still cry watching the opening to the New Years Eve fireworks show “Fantasy in the Sky” because it was a true symbol for the end of my program.
And every time I look at a photo of Cinderella Castle, I know, just behind those walls lies a courtyard, a forest, and a circus, that holds the greatest people and stories I will ever come to know. So to those readers embarking on a new CP adventure, never fret about your placement. Never get hooked on Pirates of the Caribbean because it was your favorite as a child. Don’t hold out on Animal Kingdom vs. EPCOT. No matter your placement, no matter what your original thoughts were, you will LOVE the place you end up. There will be no doubt once you  have settled in that where you are is where you are meant to be. I wouldn’t give up my pixie dust for all the safaris in the world. Now excuse me while I go purchase my Small World Sailors t-shirt from the Disney Store.
