by Conor Brown | Release Date: August 1, 2019 | Availability: Print, Kindle
Peel back the pixie-dust curtain and learn what it’s like to work at the most magical place on earth with cast member Conor Brown, who earned his ears at the front desk of Disney's Yacht Club and then spread his wings at the Magic Kingdom's Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Yacht Club to Diamond Mine is an inside look into what it’s like being an employee at the Walt Disney World Resort. In it you’ll follow Conor Brown, a lifelong Disney fan, as he fulfills a dream of becoming a Walt Disney World cast member.
You'll see what it’s like working in the resorts and discover how moving roles to a position just a few miles down the road can feel like a whole new world when you work at Disney.
From the relative quiet of the Yacht Club, one of Disney's BoardWalk-area hotels, you'll journey with Conor to the hustle and bustle of the Magic Kingdom, to the ride where "a million diamonds shine," one of the world's busiest and most popular attractions.
Along the way you’ll see what being a cast member is actually like and you’ll learn what to do if you ever find your dreams slipping away from you.
Introduction
Chapter 1: Destined to Work Here
Chapter 2: The Process
Chapter 3: Getting There
Chapter 4: The Arrival
Chapter 5: Training
Chapter 6: Welcome Aboard
Chapter 7: A Day in the Life of a Front-Desk Cast Member
Chapter 8: Coming Out From Behind the Desk
Chapter 9: A Note on Costumes and Costuming
Chapter 10: My Grand Plan
Chapter 11: Should I Stay or Should I Go
Chapter 12: The Transition
Chapter 13: Where a Million Diamonds Shine
Chapter 14: A Day in the Life of a Miner
Chapter 15: Five Miles Away But Worlds Apart
Chapter 16: The Three Types of Disney Co-Workers
Chapter 17: The Perks of Being a Cast Member
Chapter 18: Celebrity Encounters
Chapter 10: The Magical Moments
Chapter 20: The Not-So-Magical Moments
Chapter 21: A Place to Broaden Your Horizons
Chapter 22: Exploring Orlando
Chapter 23: The Last Day
Chapter 24: What I am Doing Now
Who exactly is this book for?
It’s for you! That’s why you picked it up of course.
I tried to write this book for anyone and everyone. Now I know I can’t try to appeal to everyone all of the time. But I think there are aspects of this book that can appeal to a lot of different people.
If you’re interested in learning about the Disney College Program and want to see if it’s something you want to do then this book is for you.
If you’re about to start your Disney College Program and you want some insight into what it’s like then this book is for you.
If you just want to see what it’s like working at the Vacation Kingdom of the World then this is the book for you.
If you’re a crazy Disney fan, like me, and you just crave any Disney World content you can get your hands on then this book is for you.
If you are interested in learning more about me...wait, really? You actually want to know more about me? Well I am flattered and a little perplexed but regardless, this book is for you!
I spent almost a full year working at the Walt Disney World Resort just outside Orlando, Florida. It was a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I learned more about myself in that year than probably any other year before or since. When I set out to write this book I thought I had a unique story to tell. One that hadn’t ever really been told before. For one it was my own story but I also took a path that not many people actually take while working at the resort. I thought it would be a unique perspective that people would like to see.
As I started to write the book I realized that while my story was unique and interesting I actually also had experiences and tips that I thought people could benefit from learning. Lessons and techniques I learned and came to realize that might actually help people in their daily lives. It might seem weird because all I really did was work at a theme park. But for whatever reason the things I experienced helped me in ways I could never imagine.
As you read this book I hope you’re entertained. I hope you find the story enjoyable and insightful. But I also hope you learn something. Sure, I hope you learn about the Disney company and how it operates but, I hope you learn something that can help you in your own daily life, too.
So who is this book really for then? I guess it’s for the curious. If you want to learn and have a curiosity to do so, then this is the book for you.
Conor Brown is a lifelong Disney fan who’s been traveling to Walt Disney World for the past 20 years. When not in Orlando you can find him devouring all forms of content to learn the history, stories and tips about anything and everything at Walt Disney World.
As a former Walt Disney World cast member, Conor knows what it takes to make the Disney magic and he still applies what he learned while working for the mouse to his daily life.
Conor takes his knowledge as a cast member and his knowledge from two decades of visiting the parks and shares his thoughts and opinions on his blog and podcast. As the founder of WDW Opinion he has made it his mission to help his fellow “Opinioneers” plan for and daydream about their next perfect Disney vacation.
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