Busy Season has arrived!
Have a line? Pass out our All Guest Services magazines. Acknowledgement goes a LONG way with guests, so a simple “Hi there, I’ll be with you shortly” will be great! Pass out stickers to children (some adults like them too!) and SMILE. Giving your guests as much information as quickly as you can will get you through your busy moments. Park maps and times guides as well as your coupon packages will keep your guests satisfied. Are you aware of the peak season dates? Disney and Universal share the same peak season of December 21-January 3rd. Cirque is blocked out for gifting December 21-January 2nd and the kids half off tickets end today (Dec. 16). If your guests are heading to the theme parks, its good to know which rides they will not get to experience due to refurbishment. Over at Islands of Adventure, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is closed until the 18th. Magic Kingdom’s Stitch’s Great Escape is currently closed, but can open as the park gets busier. Seaworld’s Journey to Atlantis is closed until March and Antarctica (ride) is currently only open on weekends.
WALT DISNEY WORLD – HOLIDAY OFFERINGS
Of course the theme parks all have something great going on for holiday celebrating. If your guests want the Disney experience but do not wish to purchase Mickey’s Very Merry tickets, talk up the other parks’ Christmas offerings. Every year, Epcot hosts the Candlelight Processional on the stage in America’s pavilion with celebrity hosts in the evenings with normally three showings. This is the first year Epcot is also offering holiday food and drinks to coincide with different cultures at six different booths (think Food and Wine on a much smaller scale). Since the Osborne lights are no more, Hollywood Studios has a new holiday projection show on the Chinese Theater called “Jingle Bell Jingle Bam!” which includes lasers, fireworks, and “snow”. The show is at 6:45 on nights where the park closes at 7, but please advise your guests to get there early for a good spot.
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS – HOLIDAY OFFERINGS
Universal Studios kicks off their holiday celebrations on December 3rd, which includes the Macy’s Holiday Parade and Grinchmas. For some added entertainment, recommend Mannheim Steamroller, who perform Christmas classics on the stage in front of Rip Ride Rockit. Event Dates: December 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, and 18. Show time for each concert date is 7:00pm.
SEAWORLD & Legoland – HOLIDAY OFFERINGS
Seaworld’s Christmas Celebration runs until December 31st. Meet Rudolph and Santa then go see the Winter Wonderland on Ice! Some of the shows will have a Christmas theme including Shamu Christmas Miracles, Elmo’s Christmas Wish, and Clyde and Seamore’s Countdown to Christmas. Legoland’s Christmas Bricktacular is going on now until Dec. 30th.
WET N WILD CLOSED WED & THURS
Wet ‘n Wild is CLOSED Wednesdays and Thursdays through 12/22, and then will be open through 12/31 at which time they will close permanently.
DISNEY FLORIDA RESIDENT TICKETS
Florida Resident’s blocked out December 15th-January 2nd. Please keep this in mind when selling tickets. Again, we can now activate EXCHANGE tickets for 3 or 4 Days for Florida Residents and you RECEIVE COMMISSIONS! A few key points: They must be QUALIFIED as Florida Residents – all ADULTS must have a valid Florida ID; they have 6 months from the first date of use to use all days on their tickets; they must be aware of the Block-Out dates – 12/15/16 – 1/2/17, 4/8/17 – 4/21/17, 6/5/17 – 8/10/17; try to add Hopping or the Water Park Fun & More options to increase your commissions; and you MUST swipe the FLORIDA RESIDENT DTI SHELLS (68 for Adults and 69 for Kids) and these must be exchanged to get the actual tickets at ANY ticket window. All Adults will be required to show their ID’s when exchanging the tickets.
BLIZZARD BEACH CLOSED TILL 12/25
When selling ANY Disney ticket that includes a Water Park, make sure you are telling your guests that ONLY Typhoon Lagoon is OPEN. Blizzard Beach is closed and will re-open 12/25, at which time Typhoon Lagoon will close.
ORLANDO MAGIC
The Orlando Magic have a few home games this week on December 18th (against the Raptors), Dec. 23rd (against the Lakers) and Dec. 26th (against the Memphis Grizzlies). Encourage your guests to root for our home team and research which areas get you the best commission. For every 10 tickets you sell, you earn $25!
UPCOMING EVENTS IN ORLANDO
As the weeks start to pick up, you might get guests who want to avoid the theme parks all together but still have a fun time. Like Rick said last week, now is the time to brush up on those experiences you have yet to sell. Kennedy Space Center has a special event on December 22nd “Holidays in Space”. They project images onto the side of the Saturn 1B rocket in the Rocket Garden. Features include custom animation blended with historic footage of actual launches, a time-lapse video of the International Space Station and a glimpse of a future Mars habitat. The Holidays in Space show takes place December 22, 2016 through January 1, 2017, with the exception of December 25. If your guests go, remind them parking is $10. Orlando Balloon Rides is GREAT commissions for us and a GREAT morning spent for your guests. Although the ride itself can last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and 45 minutes, the memories made will last a lifetime. Your guests will for sure thank you when they see you next!
Employee Notes:
Happy Belated Birthday to Maria Del Carmen 12/11, Lucy L 12/13, Ariel 12/14, Mona 12/15, Armando 12/15 and Belated Anniversary to Valerie (6 years).
This week we celebrate Armando who has been with the company for 20 YEARS (12/17)!! Thank you for all you do for us.
Happy Birthday to Humberto 12/17, Jon F. 12/21, and Krystal 12/23. Happy Anniversary to Brian A. 12/19 (5 years).