The Norway Pavilion Epcot

Today I got an email from a person at Hadeland Glassverk, they have decided to contribute some of their famous artwork to the Norwegian pavilion.

I am so happy that they want to help out making the pavilion better with some real Norwegian artwork.
They are going to send us some crystal polar bears, glass dishes and wine glasses that we can display in the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall restaurant… Thank you very much, Hadeland Glassverk!

The polar bears looking at the guests from all over the world while they´re serving themselves from the buffet will be so cool.

So, I passed my service spiel today and Im now ready for becoming a server at the Norwegian Akershus Royal Banquet Hall Restaurant! Had to do the spiel for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That means what you have to remember, the whole menu by hand, some drinks, recommendations etc…

So finally I get in to service. Which mean I will start making tips instead of just regular hour-based salary.
It will be nice to get some more money so I can save up for traveling around the USA.

Had my last day as seater today!
Started the day with greeting (checking in) guests, then break, then tasking for a while, then greeting again, then I got to go home about 1 hour before schedule… My last ER! (early release)

Tomorrow Im going into culinary training, which means I have to run around in the kitchen and see how all the food is made for 8 hours. Then I have 4 days in service training with another server, and get to see how everything works, and try it a little myself. Then from next week Im on my own…

Currently doing some work for the pavilion, making a book about the pavilion features and history etc that if approved by Walt Disney World Imagineering, can be used to learn new Cast Members about Norway. Since it might get used by Disney, Im not allowed to publish anything of it here… But what I can publish that is common knowledge is some of the brief pavilion history for those who is interested. Its based on the book “Norge i Epcot” made by opening crew Cast Member Kjell Brataas… Enjoy!

That Norway would have its own pavilion in Epcot, was a dream and seemed very unrealistic when the idea came up in the beginning of the 1980´s. But hard work from businesses and private persons made it all possible, and the Norway pavilion was opened as the eleventh pavilion the 3th of June 1988  (soft opening May 6th 1988) by Crown Prince Harald, the session was also broadcasted live on NRK.

It was the Norwegian company Selmer-Sande and Kloster that first started the work with a Scandinavian pavilion in Epcot, they established ScanShow and started working on the plans for a Scandinavian showcase. The pavilion was ment to be located in-between England and France, and have architecture from all the three countries; Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Egeskov slott and some houses from Odense and Copenhagen would symbolize Denmark, while Sweden would be represented with Stockholm Stadshus and buildings from Gamla Stan. Already at this point it was clear that the buildings from Norway were going to be from the Bryggen i Bergen and Akershus Festning. The negotiations with the other countries and businesses did not go as expected, so ScanShow changed name to NorShow (Norwegian Showcase) and decided to go for a 100% Norwegian pavilion instead. The shareholders in NorShow was: Aker, Norsk Data, Norway Foods, Den norske Creditbank, Det Norske Veritas, Frionor, Kosmos, Vesta Group, Selmer-Sande, SAS and VARD.

After a lot of work from NorShow the Norwegian government decided to give 2 million USD as support and 8 million USD as a loan to the project. December 1985 the final economical contracts were signes, and NorShow was going to cover 30 million USD of the project (that 28th of August 1985 was estimated to be 35.2 million USD) while Disney was going to cover the rest. 29th of May 1986 the foundation was layed by Minister Kurt Mosbakk. Architecht Birger Lambertz-Nilsen had the responsibility for the exterior, while Ulla S. Hjort had responisibility for the interior design.

The first Norwegian working in Epcot was Truls Christensen, the son of NorShow chairman Lars A. Christensen. He started in 1985 with selling pretzels in the German pavilion, then Odyssey, then Germany again, and he finished the year driving bus around World Showcase Lagoon.

The first full year of operations (1989) was a good year for the pavilion. 5.7 million took the Maelstrom, 89 conferences was held in Norway Club. The shop and food locations sold for 10.7 million USD. 1990 was almost the same as 1989, and NorShow started negotiations with Disney to reconstruct the contracts originally made, it ended with the pavilion being sold to Disney in 1992 for 26 million USD. Pavilion costs total: 46 million USD, paid by Norway: 34 million USD, sold for: 26 million USD, loss: 8 million USD (share capital).

The government in Norway supported the pavilion with 200.000 USD for a 5 year term from 1992-1997, but in 2002 the government stopped the contribution and the pavilion is now 100% operated by Disney.

So, Im now starting to see how the Florida weather can be like.
We have already started the hurricane season, and Ive seem something quite near a small storm already.
I volunteered  to be a part of Epcot´s Hurricane Ride Out Crew, which means if a hurricane should occur near Epcot, I will secure the park and make sure the park is ready for a hurricane without too much damage, then when the hurricane hits Epcot I get to take shelter in Epcot´s underground tunnels… Very exiting.

Today it was terrible warm, over 30 celsius and humidity was about 90%.
I got home around 5pm, and was at the mailbox to get my mail, then it suddenly started to POUR down! And it was windy… Very sudden changes in the weather is something you have to expect when living in Orlando, central Florida!

“http://www.facebook.com/v/10150205878616227” < Here you can see how the weather was from my apartment.

Got my servicedate yesterday at work…
26th of June I have culinary day, then servicetraining starts the 27th…

When I get in to service, I will start making more money then I do at the moment, because you can get tips.
Looking forward not to live on a day to day budget and wonder which food is the cheapest and if you can afford it…

I think I will need to adjust a bit when I get in to service, because Im pretty slow with bussing tables and dont think I can carry full trays with drinks etc. But I hope that I can share a lot of Norway with my guests and make up for my slowness that way…