A dream come true?

Written by Maaike Dukker - 't Hart

‘A dream? No, not really,’ Lisa confesses, ‘but those cruise ships are indeed very cool projects!’ Lisa Padding finished her bachelor’s degree at BUas in 2020. She completed the minor in Design and Strategies in Themed Entertainment, got noticed, and was offered a job at Europa-Park after her studies straight away. And now she’s on board at Disney. Just like Tom van Bommel and Jasper Wilms, she works in Papenburg (just across the boarder near Groningen) at one of the largest shipyards in the world. 

Picture perfect
Lisa is Show Design & Production Coordinator. ‘Ah, the parades, I often hear, or are you a dancer?’ It makes Lisa laugh. 'Show does not equal entertainment,' she explains, 'at Disney, everything is show. Everything the guest sees has to be picture perfect. It's my job to find out what it takes to orchestrate a magical experience. I unravel drawings, what goes where, who do I need? Guiding suppliers, arranging equipment, audio, all that beautiful light, and making sure it works!

650 moveable units
'I am happy with the broad foundation I have in project management. Among other things, I was responsible for the logistics of 650 moveable units from supplier to exact location on the ship, quite a challenge, but 'it all worked out!' Lisa pats herself on the back and rightly so! I see so much of BUas coming together here, events and experience, hospitality, facility and organisation, logistics. The best argument for further cooperation with Disney in an BUas minor, if you ask me.’

Leisure for a better world
Leisure for a better world, how do you see that in your work, I ask Lisa. 'It makes people happy. And everyone sees themselves reflected in some aspect of the ship. I think that's the beauty of my work. Disney is showing more and more diversity, everyone can identify with a Disney character. I like to see myself as Moana, the great navigator. Headstrong, doing what she believes in and what she thinks is best, even if others - who are often much higher up the tree - don't agree.'

Dare to dream
Tom van Bommel sees himself in Tiana from Disney’s animation film ‘The Princess and the Frog’.
Someone who dares to dream, does not allow himself to be thrown off guard, and invariably continues to work towards realising that dream. For Tom to work at Disney has always been a dream, which is why he chose BUas. He did his work placement at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando (Florida), graduated in 2021 and currently works as Project Coordinator for the Strategic Development & Operations Integration Team.

It does have to fit  
‘Whatever the creative team of Walt Disney Imagineering in the USA comes up with, it does have to fit within the Disney Cruise Line operations, of course, and I make that translation,’ says Tom. 'It starts with identifying problems. Sometimes this is very practical, just think of a bar that is too short to cope with the capacity. It can also involve fine-tuning the creative concept. Sometimes something just doesn't fit the culture. It's important that we spot that in time.'

Creative in solutions
'And then you start thinking about a solution that is feasible in the context. You look at time, money, physical space, you do research, outline costs and approach in various scenarios. So I don't develop the creative concept myself; that's what other specialists, such as designers and architects, are for. But I am creative in solutions. Doing things myself, figuring things out, making the right translation and then organising it well, those are typical BUas skills, they like to see that at Disney.'

Going the distance
It doesn’t take long to dawn on me. Holding hands, they don't do that at Disney, but offering opportunities they do. Jasper Wilms has embarked on a Professional Internship. 'During my studies, I worked on assignments for Europa-Park and Efteling and gained hands-on park experience at Disney in Orlando. Going the distance in operations, that helps!' In 2020, he earned his bachelor's degree and was recently allowed to call himself Master of Science in Leisure and Tourism. Congratulations!

Showing that you want to learn 
'Everything is coming together quite nicely now,' Jasper beams. 'Tom told me about the possibility of a Professional Internship at Disney and I just gave it a try! I will be working with and for two Project & Design Managers for a year. My work is mainly about priorities and the impact of modifications on the space. I am working with building plans and learning so many new things. Showing that you want to learn is important at Disney.'

Safety first
Jasper is the link between Creative, Design and Operations. He gathers input from the various teams, communicates and determines – together with his colleagues – the priorities. These are always tested against Disney’s core values. There are five in total: Safety, Courtesy, Show, Efficiency, Inclusion. ‘Safety is always number 1,’ says Jasper, ‘if we want to change something in efficiency, it should never be at the expense of safety, but certainly not at the expense of the show either.'

Working really hard
Finally, everything comes together in the test voyage. 'That is a very exciting moment,' says Tom, 'only then do you see if everything works as we intended.' In June 2022, the Disney Wish - after several Sea Trials - made its first crossing to the USA with guests. 'That sounds a lot of fun and it is, but I was actually still working really hard, while my mother was enjoying a glass of wine. We only had a few kids on board, which made testing certain facilities for this target group quite complicated.'

Make a dream come true
Something can be done about that, Tom. I think there are enough people in the BUas community who are willing to join a sea trial with family or friends. Be sure to let us know! Or will you guys have moved on by then? Maybe on your way to the next step to make a dream come true? 'I'd love to stay on board even longer,' says Jasper firmly. 'Me too,' Tom adds, even if he also sees himself in a park in the USA or Asia one day. 'I would like to develop further in lighting,' concludes Lisa, 'or maybe as a producer.' And so we never stop dreaming.