Trip to FLA was BOFFO

Whew! My last post was from sunny Florida (yay!) and now I'm back in overcast Wisconsin (boo!).
FLA was great! I learned A LOT, had some family time, AND had ample time with the mouse.

I went to Disney World the Sunday night when I arrived on an "After 4" park ticket. It worked out perfectly - it was Extra Hours night, so the park was open until midnight for resort guests. I got there around 8, enjoyed a Dole Whip (the BEST frozen treat on earth!!!), went on Pirates a few times, did the Jungle Cruise, watched the fireworks, headed to the Haunted Castle, did Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates once more, and then headed back to my resort to rest up for some head-hurting learnin' on Mon - Weds at the Training Outsourcing conference. Two coolest things about the Con: 1) articulating the value of training using net present value, and 2) the Disney backstage tour conducted by the Disney Institute.

After Training Outsourcing, I spent some time at my sister's house (where my last posting was written!). I worked all day (yay!).

The following day I checked into my new hotel for Con #2 and went to EPCOT with my sister. I am always nostalgic for EPCOT because we went there alot as a family when I was a teenager. While they've really done A LOT to update the front part of the park (Future World has a new name and a ton of cool stuff like Soarin', Mission to Mars, and Test Track), my favoriate attraction at EPCOT is still the movie in France (I am SUCH a geek!), with the production at the American Pavillion coming in as a strong second.

Day after that, I went to the Magic Kingdom with her family, including my niece and nephew. We got to bypass all the lines and go in the back way for Pirates of the Carribean and the Haunted Mansion - I've never seen those parts of the park before - it ROCKED! We closed the day at the Hall of the Presidents, which was much cheesier than I ever remember - I swear I remember more dialogue between the prezidents - now it's mostly George Bush (boo!). What happened? Did I dream it?

From there, I started Con #2 (Learning 2006) and came directly home when that was over.

Some thoughts about my experience at Disney:

The war for talent is evident and it looks like it has taken it's toll.

• I heard alot at the back stage tour about employee selection and how they don't hire people who don't smile (apparently, cast members are required to smile and make eye contact with guests). I saw scowling cast members talking with their peers and ignoring guests.
• The parks are way dirtier than I ever remembering seeing them in the 1980s (especially the Magic Kingdom). We're talking TRASH on the ground and not a sweeper in sight. Amazing.
• Disney must outsource some things on property, because my very tacky waitress at a very high end restaurant told me so. She was relatively new and complained about having to abide by Disney costume rules even though she was not an employee. She then told us that she was 40 and had a daughter who was in her mid-20s because she didn't use her birth control pills correctly. She went on to tell us that she put her daughter on the pill when she turned 15 and reminds her about the importance of "not having a pill baby." Forgive me, but I CANNOT think of a better ending to a $250 dinner with friends!

I hope the guy or gal who came up with this princess thing got a hefty bonus. You can't go anywhere without seeing girls in $60 get-ups. They also have taken some very nice restaurants and made them "dine with princesses" establishments, which I'm sure means the food is quite marginalized yet more expensive. Way to go!