Stories of the Magic

In this episode, we conclude our 3-part interview with Lauren Delmont. In part 1 we talked about how she started working for Disney and about the Disney English program she’s working with in China. Then in part 2 we talked about the DVD she and her dad made, The Secret Tour of Disneyland. This time, we venture a bit into trip report territory as Lauren tells us about Hong Kong Disneyland, before we wrap up with our usual questions.

In this episode, Lauren talks about…

• An overall look at Hong Kong Disneyland;
• Some attractions they have there Lauren wishes we had at Disneyland;
• Why she has been there 8 times in the time she’s been in China;
• Differences in characters, and in the way guests there relate to characters;
• Differences in food—sadly, no Dole Whips;
• The big difference in the Jungle Cruise;
• A brief tangent about language;
• What a crowded day is like at Hong Kong Disneyland;
• Mystic Manor—it’s hard enough to describe, there’s no way I can summarize it here;
• If she could have any job working for the Walt Disney Company, what it would be and why;
• Want she never gets asked that she wishes she would;
• What inspires her, and how Disney has inspired her;
• Her advice to you for following your dreams;
• Shameless Plug Time (of course), including Disney English.

Find Lauren Online:

• Take Him With You

In this episode, we have part 2 of our 3-part interview with Lauren Delmont. Last time we talked about how she started working for Disney and about the Disney English program she’s working with in China. This time we talk about our second major subject, and the one that inspired me to reach out to Lauren to do this interview in the first place: the DVD she and her dad made, The Secret Tour of Disneyland.

As with part 1, there are still a few places where it distorts a little or drops out, thanks to an international Skype connection. Hopefully I’ve minimized it enough that it won’t be distracting, but I wanted to make sure you know what’s going on if you do notice it.

In this episode, Lauren talks about…

• Her favorite memories from working at Disneyland;
• How she felt like she was carrying on the legacy and tradition of what Walt Disney wanted his Cast Members to be like;
• How she and her dad, John, got the idea for The Secret Tour of Disneyland DVD;
• The process of making the DVD;
• What the script she used had in common with the Pirate Code from Pirates of the Caribbean;
• The most interesting things she learned about Disneyland during the making of the DVD;
• Her favorite attraction and what she learned about it that made her appreciate it more;
• An attraction she wasn’t as fond of but learned to appreciate—and the field trip involved;
• Plans for updated editions or other versions of The Secret Tour;
• Challenges while filming;
• 1 place they weren’t able to film but wanted to, and 1 place they didn’t expect to but did;
• Getting Cast Members to tell stories for the DVD;
• Trying for internal continuity—and eventually throwing that out the window;
• The farthest and most interesting places they went to see connections to Disneyland.

Find Lauren Online:

• Anomaly

First, Happy New Year! I hope you have a blessed and prosperous 2014!

In this episode, we begin a 3-part interview with Lauren Delmont. If you’re a fan of Disneyland and have a DVD player, you may have heard of Lauren and her dad, John. If not, you really should. The DVD they made, The Secret Tour of Disneyland, is a must-have and must-watch. If you’ve never been to the park, it’s a great overview. If you consider yourself a Disneyland expert, you’ll still learn something new.

But there’s much more to Lauren and her connection to (and interest in) Disney than that DVD. She worked at Disneyland during the 50^th anniversary, teaching English in China with Disney, and several visits over the last year to Hong Kong Disneyland, and we talk about it all.

This was my first international interview—Lauren is currently in China—and I learned something new. Apparently trying to use Skype at mid-morning on a weekday in China means the internet connection isn’t the best sometimes. The audio quality held up pretty well, but there are some places where it dropped out. We tried to take care of as much of that as we could, and I edited around more, but there are still a few places where it distorts a little or drops out, and a few stray sounds towards the end of part 1. Hopefully I’ve minimized it enough that it won’t be distracting, but I wanted to make sure you know what’s going on if you do notice it.
In this episode, Lauren talks about…

• Her first job, working at Disneyland in Foods;
• How she got involved with Disney English in China;
• What Disney English is;
• Its similarity—and differences—to traditional English as a Second Language programs;
• How kids get into the program;
• How her college major, which wasn’t teaching, prepared her to teach in this program;
• What she loved most about what she did while she was working at Disneyland;
• What she loves most about what she does now;
• What it’s like teaching English in a country where she’s not a speaker of their native language;
• More about what makes the Disney program unique;
• Where Disney got the teachers from for this program;
• A little about her 2 Disney Traditions classes, and the differences between them;
• Some times, in both Disney jobs, where she remembers thinking, “I’m doing something really special”;
• Why they stopped giving her the job of closing the line of the little ice cream shop across Main Street from Gibson Girl;
• How she deals with rough days—for herself and for the kids.

Find Lauren Online:

• Tales from the Mouse House