Service Training, stress and the dreaded test

I feel like I haven't had any time to myself for at least a week now. I've finally got the chance to catch up with all my laundry and get online and I'm feeling really peaceful; the calm after the storm.

Service training was a nightmare. It was so full on and stressful. I forgot how much Disney love to add stess into jobs that really shouldn't be stressful. I'm pretty sure they could make toilet cleaning into a reason for a breakdown. It's ridiculous!

Day one started off okay. We had to show our menu knowledge to our trainers and then discuss the Disney basics. After that we were each given a section to work on with our trainers. A section consists of four tables and you are responsible for them. It sounds so easy, right. Wrong! Here you go:

You're in your section and one of your tables have just been sat and handed menus. You have 60 seconds to greet them so you go over and say hi. You now need to spiel the drinks, appetizers and entrees, making sure you hit at least two of each. Then you take their order for drinks and appetizers and go to the kitchen to send it all through the till. Next you take them out bread and soft drinks (the bar hasn't processed your order for bar drinks yet). As you go out, you find out a second table has been sat so again you greet them and spiel before taking thier orders. You return to the kitchen and put it through and find the drinks ready for the first table. The second table also need bread so you take out both. Now table one asks for a smoothie so you go back and put it through to the bar. The appetizers for table one are waiting to be run so you take those out, followed by the drinks for the second table. When you go back out, table three has been sat so you greet them and spiel before returning to the kitchen to run it through. Table one now needs you to clear away their first course plates while table two are still waiting on their drinks and table three need bread. You also need to put their appetizers through the till. You take out table two's drinks and find that smoothie you ordered for table one on the bar as slush. You order a new one, take out the drinks for table two and bring cutlery for table three. That is only three tables! Add another one on top of that and you can see why it's so stressful.

Disney helps your blood pressure rise by insisting on stupid rules such as "you cannot take out cutlery with the meals. Cutlery must go out first and you come back for the meals" or "glass must go in and out on a tray". This means if you bus a table and take everything through, you must leave the one beer glass on the table while you go and get a tray.

On day two, I was in charge of my own four table section and it was awful! I was "weeded". That means when you have too much to cope with at once. It's called being "in the weeds". For example, if three of your tables are sat at once, you cannot greet them all within 60 seconds and spiel. That means you're weeded. I was dashing around here there and everywhere trying to cope with all the demands of the guests. I'm pretty sure the trainers weed you on purpose to make sure you can cope. I struggled with it but I was okay until my trainer told me off for asking another server to watch me do a transaction. I only wanted the reassurance that I wasn't messing it up but my trainer yelled at me. She said I was relying on other people too much, that I knew what I was doing because we'd been doing it for two days and she didn't understand why I was struggling. It was the wrong moment. I burst into tears and ran upstairs. My trainer followed and gave me a pep talk and I returned a few minutes later (someone looked after my tables while I was gone) to finish the night. However, by the end of it, I didn't want to be a server anymore. Still, I decided to wait a while before quitting.

Day three was alot better. I had a nice section and I was on top of three tables. Then the fourth table was sat and I freaked out a little. My trainer took over the fourth table for me and I managed to look after the three table section with no problem. One table had this adorable little girl called Mora on it. She was so sweet. As they were my first table, I spent a little time with Mora playing "Mr Napkin Head". This is a trick my niece loves, you get a napkin, hold a fork behind it and keep pushing the fork into the centre. It looks like the napkin's alive. Mora loved it and I was called "a modern day Mary Poppins" by her appreciative dad. That's all I want. A chance to really bond with my tables. The money really isn't a huge issue.

Yesterday was my final day. Time for THE BIG TESTS! I spent the evening before revising and then I got up extra early and went to work so I could practise opening wine "the Disney Way". In the morning we had the written test which didn't bother me. I know I'm okay with book smarts, if I can learn it from a book, it's fine. The practical was the one that worried me. I had our manager Yvette. Each trainee was given a two table section, one table was managment, the other was a regular family. It was horrible because management know exactly what is expected while regular guests aren't timing you to see if you greet them within 60 seconds.

I served Yvette first (the second table hadn't been sat yet) and she informed me she had an allergy to shellfish. I asked if she wanted to speak to a chef but she said no. She went ahead and ordered and I checked every meal she had with the head chef to see if it contained shell fish. I also marked it on the ticket. Everything went okay though I forgot to bring out the dessert spoon. I also had to open wine at the table but fortunately for me, the practice had really helped.

The second table were sat halfway through but I was fine with the two.

At the end of the evening, I was told I'd passed! I immeadiatly asked for a little extra help. I don't feel up to doing a four table section alone yet. They started me on a two table section and I'll have that for the next two days. Then I'll move up to a three table and get comfortable with that. Then I'll go for the four. It's all about confidence. Still, I started in my little two table section last night and I loved it. I got to chat to the guests and laugh and have fun while still staying on top of everything. At the end of the night, I cashed out and was amazed to discover I had tips. It was quite alot too. I figured I'd added it all up wrong but I checked and I hadn't. Considering I was only in a two table section, I took home only $20 less than another server in a four table section! As I said, the money isn't important to me, I want the guest interaction but it still made me happy.

I'm serving again today and I'm really looking forward to it. If I 'm okay with two, I might ask to go to three but I don't want to overdo things too soon.

Well, wish me luck!