The Year of a Million Dreams

By Steve Stanton

We’ve all heard of Disney World – the most magical place on earth, and the magic and the mystery that surrounds it. We’ve all at some point dreamed of visiting. But what about the people that have actually worked there?

The Year of a Million Dreams will take you on a rollercoaster ride through the author’s personal journey following his year working on the International Cultural Representative Programme at The Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Experience this fun and personal recollection of navigating the challenges of moving to and working in a foreign country, whilst trying to keep the magic alive.

From befriending beloved characters to creating incredible magical moments with guests, this honest and inspiring insight into living and working at the place where magic lives is filled with heart-warming moments, and truly unforgettable experiences!

Step in to a literal Year of a Million Dreams!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Apr 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9781035833870

Book preview

About the Author

Steve Stanton is a huge Disney fan, originally from London and currently living in Glasgow with his husband, Chris, and their dog, Kaia. He currently works for the NHS in Scotland. Disney World holds a special place in Steve’s heart, and he travels to Orlando whenever possible to head over to Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, Sea World Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (and he is an Annual Passholder to all of them).

Steve currently runs a YouTube channel with Chris called Chris & Steve Do Disney, vlogging their trips to Orlando. You can check out their channel at

https://www.youtube.com/@chrisandstevedodisney and you can follow them over on Instagram at

@chrisandstevedodisney

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all the Disney fans and guests throughout the years who share a love for Disney and the Walt Disney World Resort; without you, this book and my experiences that are remembered here would never have happened!

To all who come to this happy place, welcome!

Walt Disney

Copyright Information ©

Steve Stanton 2024

The right of Steve Stanton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

All of the events in this memoir are true to the best of the author’s memory. The views expressed in this memoir are solely those of the author.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035833863 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035833870 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

This book has been a journey many years in the making, with different ideas and concepts being tried and tested, and there are a few people that have helped and pushed me to make it happen.

A huge thank you goes to Gilly – You have been my number one supporter through this process, and I couldn’t have done this without you! Thank you for your proofreading and your constant encouragement and motivation.

Thank you to Lee for being my editor and pushing me to move forward with my little project. I could not have completed this book without your help!

Huge thanks to my Disney friends (who have remained nameless in the book, but you know who you are) for helping me to remember the stories within.

And finally, thank you to my husband, Chris, for being a part of my Year of a Million Dreams, for putting up with me over the last 15 years and for supporting me with this book.

Chapter 1

Welcome

First of all, I’d like to say hi to you, my readers – thank you so much for picking up my book! In case you hadn’t guessed from the cover, I’m Steve, and I’d like to share my Year of a Million Dreams with you. If you’re reading this, then you may already be a die-hard Disney fan like me, so you should love the insights into the magical world of Disney the way I did! Fear not, though – I have kept the magic intact as much as possible!

When people ask me how I managed to spend a year working at The Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, my honest answer is that I found the job by mistake! No one really believes me when I say that, but it is 100% true! I’d like to share the story of how my Year of a Million dreams came true.

The story of my Year of a Million Dreams actually began back in 2005 when I visited The Walt Disney World Resort for the very first time. I was 21 and went on my first-ever holiday abroad with some friends. I absolutely fell in love with Walt Disney World – I stepped through the gates of The Magic Kingdom and walked down Main Street USA, walking towards Cinderella’s Castle and was a child again! It was magical!

But how does this tie into my Year of a Million Dreams I hear you ask. Like this. I thought that my 2005 holiday would be the holiday of a lifetime – one that I would never be able to afford to do again. So, naturally, when I was sitting at home after being on that fantastic trip, I wanted to remember as much as I could. So, I sat reminiscing (as you do) on the Walt Disney World website, clicking through all of the things that we had seen (and realising there were a lot of things that we had somehow missed!). While clicking through the various sections of the website, I accidentally found myself clicking through to the American version of the website and somehow found myself on the US careers page – I still have no idea how I managed to do that! But I am glad that I did because it showed me that Disney was looking for individuals from the UK to work in Florida at the Walt Disney World Resort for 12 months on an International Cultural Representative Programme!

At the time, I was desperately looking for a new job. I saw this and immediately thought it would be an amazing job to have but would be impossible to get—surely everyone would go for this, so I didn’t stand a chance! I jokingly shouted down to my mum that I had found the perfect job for me—working in Florida! I laughed, expecting her to tell me not to be so stupid and to concentrate on looking for a job closer to home, but instead, she surprised me and said, Why not? You don’t have anything tying you here. Go for it! So, I did.

The website told me that for UK applicants, a company called Yummy Jobs handled all the applications, so I clicked through to their website and filled in the application. I never expected to hear anything back because, let’s face it, it is a dream job! I was very