Student Blog: Going to Disney World as A Performer

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Orlando, Florida, and visit Disney World for a week. I've been to Disney World, but it has been almost ten years. I can honestly say that it was a very different experience this time around, especially in terms of being a performer myself.

For those who aren't aware, Disney's whole premise is that the theme parks are basically like a show. The employees are called cast members, and so on. This trip I was able to really appreciate the show aspect of the parks. The biggest example of this was Galaxy's Edge, Disney's Star Wars themed land. Every single cast member in this land was playing a character. This world you are supposed to be immersed in is not on Earth. It is the planet, Batuu, which has different customs. For example, in the ride, Rise of the Resistance, cast members either act as rebels or members of the first order. It really felt like you were immersed into the movie, whether that was seeing BB8 or running into a Stormtrooper.

Another way that Disney really plays with the show aspects is through their actual shows. The two that stood out the most to me were the Frozen Sing-Along in Hollywood Studios and Feathered Friends in Flight in Animal Kingdom. With the Frozen Sing-Along, you felt really immersed into the story of Frozen and invested in it, even though it was a retelling of the first film. What made it unique were the Arendelle historians, the hosts of the sing-along. They were constantly playing off each other and making the audience, both kids and adults, laugh. The same was true with the hosts of Feathered Friends in Flight. In the show I watched, a bird unexpectedly stole one of the host's microphone wires. However, they were able to play it off and it allowed the audience a laugh and the ability to see something unexpected.

This was the first trip that I knew that the character performers were performers, so I was able to play with them in their performance. One of the best character interactions I had was a very unexpected one. It was in Magic Kingdom's Adventureland, which is their tropical themed land. I was just walking casually with my friends when suddenly I heard Jack Sparrow shouting. It was such a surprise, but my group was really able to play off this actor who was a little wild and silly with us. Another great character interaction was with Rapunzel from Tangled. She was so sweet, and really played off the questions my group was asking.

Overall, I'm really grateful for the fact that I had the opportunity to visit Disney World again. I have really grown to appreciate how thrilling and exciting the show of it all can be. I am inspired by the cast members who have to be in character every day, whether that is as an umpire at Casey Corner, or a princess at Fairytale Hall. These performers have a strength and imagination I don't yet possess, but I really hope to someday.