I currently work for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts US. I have held various roles at the Magic Kingdom® Park and Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park in Merchandise, Attractions and Guest Service over the last six years. I am a graduate from Eckerd College with a degree in Environmental Studies and minors in Human Development and Communications
Tom Webster
Author's posts
Jan 01 2009
Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009
Well, it is officially 2009. Things have been pretty busy the last few months with work and life in general. I spent a wonderful holiday week in Minnesota for Christmas and I couldn’t have been happier to get back to the cold and have a week off! Work has been extremely busy even with the economy the way it is. My area is getting many new and exciting projects that keep coming down the pipe that will keep us busy.
As I sit and reflect back on 2008, I can honestly say that it has been a great year despite a few disappointments in the career department. I celebrate my one year anniversary in my condo. I have worked hard to make my condo mine and I can honestly say that I am extremely happy with how it has turned out. Here’s to many more great years in my condo.
So what will 2009 bring? I can’t really say but, I am looking forward to it. I have several fun and exciting things coming up in the next few weeks that I am looking forward to. Happy new year everyone!
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2009/01/goodbye-2008-hello-2009/
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2008/12/websters-kingdom-disney-turns-its-world-over-to-unknown/
Dec 03 2008
Thanksgiving and a new iMac
Wow, where do I start? Tis the season for being busy. Work is going well for me these days. We have just started one of the busy times for us at Ticketing with the start of the Cast Member Main Entrance Pass Distribution followed by Cast Complimentary Tickets. This morning I officially started the distribution season with Hong Kong Disneyland’s tickets and the team will be moving on to the domestic files later this week.
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Thanksgiving was good around here as well. I was able to get away from the office and head to Naples to visit Grandma and Grandpa as well as my Cousins Lisa and Stuart and Aunt Cynthia. It really is relaxing to get away and just enjoy the great location down there. Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for letting me come down to visit as much as you do!
One downside this Thanksgiving though was my PowerBook G4 deciding to stop working and leave me with a dead hard drive. So on Black Friday, I did my part to help with the economy and went out and got the new iMac I have been looking at for the past few months. Wow is this thing smoking fast compared to my old (almost 5 years old) PowerBook G4. Downside is that I had to buy the new computer a few weeks before I was planning on getting it. Oh well, I’m quite happy with the decision to upgrade.
Not much else to report. I’ll be busy with work for the next few weeks and then it is off to Minnetonka for Christmas. I can’t wait! If you are in Minnetonka December 19-25 and want to hang out, let me know.Â
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2008/12/thanksgiving-and-a-new-imac/
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2008/11/what-will-you-celebrate/
Oct 17 2008
Returning to my Roots
This weekend I am down in St. Petersburg, FL at Eckerd College to visit some old friends and teach a lifeguard training class. As I sit here in The Pub having dinner, I realize how much Eckerd means to me in my life. Behind me, Pitchers with Professors is going on. Bring one of your Eckerd Professors and get a free pitcher of beer. Students and professors are not only socializing together but, talking and engaging each other on current events, course work or the College Program Series Lecture from last night. The sense of community never leaves here even if the the people change. Eckerd College really is special and I can see why it was listed in Colleges That Change Lives. Tomorrow I will be teaching a Lifeguard Challenge course for the pool staff here. Having lifeguarded and taught water safety for 7 years of my life, I have to say, I sometimes miss it.
Teaching aside, life continues to roll on by. I slowly continue to add things to my place that make my home me and make it feel like home. Several more pictures on the wall and just adding the finishing touches. Dad also came to visit the other week which was a nice long weekend for me. We enjoyed the parks as always but also went over to Kennedy Space Center and did the tour over there that I hadn’t done since Space Camp in elementary school. It was also cool to see both Atlantis and Endeavor on the launch pads ready for launch. You don’t realize how big they are until you see them even from a mile away!
Anyways, I think I am going to head out and go stroll around campus and memory lane before the pool party/tip-off tonight here on campus.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2008/10/returning-to-my-roots/
Sep 22 2008
Home and Intellectual Improvement
Is it really almost October? Where did the month go? Things have been about the same around here. I am continuing the home improvement kick and slowly finishing off the place. I think I have most of the living room area done and have moved on to the dinning room and my bedroom. This past Friday I joined Luke, Casey and Sawyer at the the Orlando Home Show. Nothing really too exciting but, it gave me some ideas/incentives to get the place done.
In the “I’m feeling old” direction, Sawyer and I went down to Eckerd College for a lecture on Global Values versus Cultural Relativism by Dr. Kwame Anthony Appiah. It was a very good lecture and it made me realize what I miss about Eckerd and the need to learn and expand my mind. I guess that is why I listen to NPR and watch Nat Geo, PBS and Discovery these days. It’s nice to have a roommate that also likes to think and learn. One of these days I’ll head back to school and work on a masters. I just need to figure out when and what I want to go in to.
Candlelight is going well and I already have agood start on the required 10 rehearsals. I should get two more done this week and that will put me at the half way point and well in line to get all 10 in before the crunch time to complete them. I still can’t believe that we are already thinking Christmas. Then again, the Magic Kingdom is having Halloween parties now and has been since September 1.
In general life is good. Sawyer’s brother will be down this week with his significant other and Dad will be here next week so I will be busy with entertaining and enjoying our parks. The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival starts this week which, like always will be a fun time and as a bonus, Jonny Lang performing in two weeks which is exciting for me.
For now though, I’m off to make my lunch for tomorrow and watch some TV before heading to bed.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2008/09/home-and-intellectual-improvement/
Sep 05 2008
Making Things Me
So it is finally September and fall appears to be here as I was so reminded at my morning Starbucks run when they changed their menu to add the “fall” drinks on the menu like the Pumpkin Spice and Carmel Apple Spice. September is also my one year mark with Walt Disney World® Ticketing. Work has been busy for me as I have been working with several projects that involve not just Walt Disney World® Resort but also Disneyland® Resort. This has been a nice change for me and gives me a chance to expand my network to another state and business unit in the company.
Today is finally a day off with no real plans. The last two weeks I had several meet and greets set-up with various leaders in the Transportation Line of Business about possible leadership opportunities there for the future. I guess one can say I am keeping my options open. As for the day off, with Hanna around off the coast, it is a nice rainy, windy and cloudy day. Only thing really on the docket is going to Epcot® to pick up my music for Candlelight which starts rehearsal next week. Yes, Christmas in September.
Home is going well too. I have finally gotten to the point where I am officially making my condo mine. After a year here, I am finally getting pictures hung on the wall and personalizing things more and making the place mine. I even had my first dinner party with friends the other night with Luke and Casey coming over. Though, getting settled in aside, this is the first year that I have been here with several major storms coming our way. Fay and Hanna seem to be non-issues here but, Ike is still coming this way. I guess there is a good reason to be living inland instead of on the coast.
Looking forward to October as well. Dad will be coming down in the first week and I am also looking at a long weekend to Naples and a weekend at Eckerd again. Till then though, I’m heading back to the morning coffee and The West Wing on Bravo.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2008/09/making-things-me/
Aug 12 2008
Minnesota and Ceremony of Lights
So it has been almost two weeks since I was back in Minnesota for my cousin Sarah’s wedding and visiting family and friends back home. I have to say, it was nice to get away from Florida for a nice long weekend for a change. The wedding was very enjoyable and we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect weekend weather wise for the event. Sitting on the hsoores of Lake Minnetonka brought back many memories of growing up and lifeguarding. I miss it to a point even though I have an ocean somewhat near by, ok an hour and a half away. Also, we officially welcomed Justin, Sarah’s husband in to the cousins group. Here is the new Webster Cousins:
Wedding aside, the weekend home was also a nice chance to reconnect with some old friends from Hopkins. Ryan, Pete, Paul and Scott, it was great to see all of you at home. For those that I missed, I will have to catch you the next time I am home.
Back in Florida, this past Friday Sawyer and I went down to St. Petersburg for something different to do. We started the morning off at teh Salvador Dali Museum downtown near USF and then spent the rest of the day at Eckerd where I gave Sawyer the full tour and met up with some of my old mentors and friends before attending the Ceremony of Lights for the Class of 2012. Can I just say I officially feel old now that the new Freshman class was all born in the 1990s!
This week is just a slow week around the office. My main manager in on vacation and there really isn’t much going on with distribution being completed. Not much planned for this weekend other than a few meetings and appointments I have with the doctor and dentist. So that’s all for now folks.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2008/08/minnesota-and-ceremony-of-lights/
Jul 13 2008
Hanging with Captain Sig
This weekend has been pretty fun so far. It’s been a much needed break from the stress of the distribution at work and I am just relaxing around the house and enjoying the parks in my backyard. On that note, for those that know, I love the Deadliest Catch on Discovery. It probably is one of my favorite shows that I seem to watch every week and even when it is on reruns. One of my favorite boats to follow is the F/V Northwestern with Captain Sig Hansen. Well, this weekend at Epcot® I had the opportunity to meet Captain Sig and his Brothers, Deck Boss Edgar and Engineer Norman. The brothers were in the Norway Pavilion promoting their new line of Helly Hansen products.
Hanging with the Hansen Brothers at Epcot®
I think one of the funniest parts about meeting the guys was when Sig asked me where I was from and I told him that I was enjoying my day off and that I worked at Disney. He started teasing me about it and had some funny comments but I can’t repeat them on here.
Captain Sig Teasing me
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2008/07/hanging-with-captain-sig/
Jul 05 2008
Birthday, Distribution, and more
Wow, it has been a long time since I posted something more than a promo. A lot has been going on the last few weeks. First off, I had a great birthday weekend last weekend at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa thanks for the prize that I won from Corporate Alliances at the Ticketing Family Picnic. The birthday festivities actually started on my birthday, June 25, at Epcot® for drinks and fireworks and then several of my friends (Sawyer and Matt) joined me for two nights at the Grand where we had an amazing dinner at Citricos and enjoyed our suite that overlooked the Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom. To top it off, I even ended up with a three day weekend so that just made it even better.
Birthday aside, work is steady again. We are in the middle of Cast Member Comp Ticket Distribution again and my schedule has changed to help out the team more with production. I am really excited actually about this distribution as it is the first where I really got a chance to help design the ticket and give my input. I’m excited with how they turned out. I will post images of them at a later date once they have mailed. I want to keep them a suprise to those Cast Members that read this. Hint though, think heritage.
As far as the Leadership Casting Call went, I did have my interview and have heard back. I was not selected this time however. Although I am slightly disappointed, ok, a lot disappointed, I was given some great feedback of what to work on for the next time and was encouraged to for sure come back at the next posting. As a side note, most people do not get it on their first try. I would say 9 out of 10 managers at Disney have gone out at least twice before getting in to the pool. I am working with an awesome mentor to develope a plan of action to take me to the next step.
Today is just my day to relax and do nothing. It’s been a crazy week at work and having to work late nights has just drained me. IKEA is have ing a sale this weekend so I think it’s time to head up there when Sawyer gets off of work. Anyways, that’s it for now folks.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.webbyaquatics.com/archives/2008/07/birthday-distribution-and-more/
About
Welcome to Webby Aquatics! This site will give you a look in to the life of Tom Webster. For more information, please visit About Webby or one of the social networking sites above.