Dear Frontierland,
For about three years, I called you my home away from home. You were the place I grew out of my shyness, my insecurities, and my fear of being on my own. You brought me some of my dearest friends, and even some of my greatest learning curves. You taught me what it truly meant to be a cast member, because we do it in the best way possible.
Being set in the Wild West allows you to be a place of relaxation for both cast and guests. Cast don’t have to deal with the hustle and bustle of getting guests out the door and on their way. We, rather, take the time to get to know the guests, because most of the time, they could be the only ones we have in our line. We find out their favorite character or movie based on the pins they buy. We discover that they came all the way to this side of the park for an infamous turkey leg. We let them know to follow the screams when they ask how to get to Splash Mountain.
Sometimes we get to be the open ear for guests complaints, and immediately are given the chance to turn a negative into a positive. Although this doesn’t ALWAYS happen, it’s nice to know that we at least attempted to turn someone’s day around. There’s only so much you can do, but when you put all your effort in, at the end of the day, that is what matters. And, Frontierland, we learned that from you.
Thank you for the wonderful leadership that made me feel like more than a temporary cast member, even though after being back three times, I was almost a little permanent. Even though you couldn’t control if I could stick around or not, you helped me grow into the Cast Member I was. Your constant guidance, teaching, and teasing meant more to me than you know. Thank you for believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.
To the cast that still remain in the land, thank you. I know that not every group of CPs is the best, but you at least attempt to welcome each one with open arms. I’ve worked in enough locations to know that not everyone does that, so thank you.
I’m not the only one that will always call Frontierland (and Liberty Square) home for the rest of my life. I’ll hopefully get to walk through the stores one day with my children telling them this is where I got to work. And that is magical.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
