More and More Training...

Howdy there partners!  Hope y’all are having a Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah day !  (Did you see what I did there?  Definitely in character, wouldn’t you say?) 

For the past two days I’ve been having my Splash Mountain Training… gosh, that’s weird now that I think about it – it definitely feels like I’ve been there for a week at least.  Anyway, my Frontierland group was split up, so now there are only two of us in our group.  We have learned how to greet people, how to maintain the Fastpass line, how to load and unload guests, the basics of wheelchair assistance, where strollers go, proper attire for riding the attraction, and the height requirement (40 inches).  Yesterday we learned the opening procedures and today we took a walkthrough of the attraction.  We need to know all the scenes, the drops, stairwells, and exits for the safety of our guests and for ourselves, especially when powering up the attraction.  I wouldn’t want to be in the way of an incoming log, would you?  All in all there is a ton of information to learn, but I still have a few days of training left to master it all.  I’ve got a pretty good idea of the layout, so that’s good.  Tomorrow I have training at 6:30 followed by a 5:30 shift, so I definitely need some sleep.  Working at WDW is a tiring job; tiring, but satisfying.  Once I’m done training I’ll have worked for 7 straight days, but thankfully I have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off.  Then I can finally go to the parks!  Well, that’s all for now folks, have a magical evening! 

Check-In!

Hello all!  I apologize for the lack of updates, but things around here have been pretty busy!  My family and I spent last Saturday evening in Richmond, so we left there around 6 am Sunday morning.  We arrived in Florida at 6:45 that evening; it was a long journey, but we were all incredibly glad to be back in Walt Disney World.  After arriving, we checked into Pop Century (this was our first time staying here; it’s pretty nice, but definitely not my favorite resort).  We all went to bed early because the next day was check-in and we were going to have to wake up really early, aka 5 am. 

Alrighty, so Monday morning – June 11th!  The day we’ve all been waiting for.  My family and I all woke up and got ready, left Pop around 6:15, and arrived to Vista Way at 6:30.  One of my roommates was already in line, so I was able to join her; she was our lifesaver!  Apparently the first people in line arrived at 4 am – way too early for me!  So, my advice for check-in:  get there early; the earlier the better because the line will get incredibly long really quickly.  Once I was in line, my family left to go explore some resorts and ride the monorail (we didn’t buy any park tickets, so this was there entertainment, haha).  Check-in is a long process, so if your parents are coming I would suggest that they go do something else, and then you can meet up with them later.

Now we were told that check-in would start at 9 am.  Thankfully, they began to let us in the gates around 7:30.  From there, we all went to the back of Vista Way, where you could drop off your luggage (if you brought any).  As we walked through the line we were given a cute little name sticker before being checked off in their computer system.  After discussing some protocol and signing some documents, we got to choose our housing.  They send one person from your group to sign up all of you.  Five of us were in line together, but our other roommate was going to arrive a little later because her flight wouldn’t land in Orlando until 8ish.  Thankfully the cast member was able to put us all together even though one of our roommates wasn’t with us.  We were all placed in a four bedroom apartment in Chatham!  (I’ll do a separate entry about our apartment, so be on the lookout for that.)

Once we had the housing nonsense settled, we were given our keys and had to sign (you guessed it) more forms.  Then we had our picture taken for our housing ID; none of the pictures look good by the way – they take your picture and then expand it on the card, so you look like you’ve exploded haha.  From there you get to go to Casting, which is definitely the most exciting part of the day!

By this point it was only a little after 9:00.  We were all put on the 10:00 bus to go to Casting, so we had about an hour to chill.  Everything ran like clockwork; they definitely have this process down to a science. 

Okay, so onto Casting!  Once arriving at the building you get in yet another line.  It is here that you learn where you’ll be working.  So… I bet you all are anxious to finally learn my location… wait for it, wait for it…

FRONTIERLAND in the MAGIC KINGDOM

What?!  How awesome is that??  I’m so excited to work in the Magic Kingdom, since it is my favorite park. Plus, Frontierland is home to some of my favorite attractions, namely Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain.  Needless to say, I was (and still am) incredibly pumped to work here!! 

Also, the Casting building is incredibly beautiful.  Take time to savor where you are standing and take in your surroundings.  If you’ve ever seen the building from the outside, you’ll notice its diamond pattern.  You’ll never guess where it came from – Walt Disney’s socks!  Pretty cool, huh?

Back to the check-in process!  From there you are sent into another room where a cast member will talk to you about the Disney look.  Then you sign some more paperwork and get fingerprinted.  And then you are all done!  I had my housing meeting the next day, so I was completely free for the rest of the afternoon.  I took a bus back to Vista Way, where my parents picked me up so we could go check out my new apartment.    Since there were four of us we made fairly quick work of unpacking the car and decided to go have lunch at Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney.  I think it was around 1:30 by that point, so the entire check-in process doesn’t last too long. 

Soon after lunch, I got a call from Casting (begin slight panic mode).  Thankfully I only had to go in to fix my address on my I-9 Form.  My family recently moved, so it got switched on all the other forms except that one.  Then we headed back to my apartment to unpack and have my brother fix our router and internet nonsense (thanks again!). 

I spent the remainder of the day and next morning hanging out with my family since they were only going to be here until Wednesday.  On Tuesday morning we got up fairly early again and went shopping for groceries and cleaning supplies.  Dang, it takes a lot of stuff to get situated.  My family then dropped me off, along with all my stuff, at the apartment.  I unpacked and got situated, then went to the housing meeting at 3:00 in The Commons, which is the housing for international students.  It was about a 10-15 minute walk over there, so be sure to leave early.  This meeting was pretty boring for the most part, although they did their best to make it fun and enjoyable (aka strobe lights, music, games, skits).  All in all it was just more information about our apartments, security, how to check visitors in, safety, roommate disagreements, and where to go for certain resources.  That finished a little bit before 5:00, so after walking back to our apartment my family came to pick me up again.  Or at least that was their plan until a huge thunderstorm began.  Luckily it didn’t last too long, so they arrived a little after 6.  We had our last dinner together for a while, bopped around Downtown Disney, and had some ice cream.  Since my family was leaving really early the next morning I was going to spend my first night at the apartment.  At around 10:00 my family dropped me off and we said our goodbyes :(  Thanks for everything – you guys are the best!  Hopefully they are going to come visit me this fall (yay for cast member discounts!).  Two of my roommates were home, so we sat outside and chatted for a while and they had our first experience killing a very nasty, large bug.  It was quite the sight!

So, that brings us to today, Wednesday June 13th.  I have Traditions at 2:00, but the bus comes at 12:45.  I even ironed my clothes and everything (mother would be so proud!).  Today is the day that I officially become a Cast Member!!!  I’m going to wrap up this post for now, but will keep you updated.  Have a Magical day!    

We have to go back. Way back, like many million years ago!

Well, not quite millions of years ago, but a few years ago at least.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, I wanted to become a DCP participant as soon as I learned about the program.  I started doing some intense (like camping!) research about the program in my sophomore year – reading the DISboards forums, watching the presentation video on the DCP website, reading blogs, watching vlogs, etc.  I also attended the DCP campus presentation at my college in September 2010 and immediately fell in love with this fantastic opportunity to be a Disney Cast Member.  I began talking to registration services and my Department Head to see if the program would count as credit towards my major.  Unfortunately, I hit a roadblock on both accounts and was told I would have to take a leave of absence for the duration of the program and return the next semester to resume classes.  I looked into doing this, but found that I would have to give up my housing contract and lose the best roommate in the universe.  It would also mess up my plans for graduation in May 2012.  After discovering all of this, I decided to put my DCP journey on hold.  From my research I had learned that students can only apply for the program while they are still enrolled in classes, which means that students can apply the last semester of their senior year and do the program after they graduate.  This became my new plan of action.

Fast forward to January 2012.  On January 23rd applications for the Disney College Program were released for the Fall Advantage and Fall seasons.  The Fall Advantage season lasts from late May/early June through early January, while the Fall season lasts from August through early January.  This year check-in dates for Fall Advantage are May 16th, May 21st, June 4th, June 11th, and July 10th (this was added to the list on March 23rd).  Now that this was my last chance to participate in the DCP, I applied on January 25th.    

In the general application, you will have to fill out all the obligatory information:  name, address, phone number, email, past work experience, etc.  You also have to list all the roles you are interested in.  There is a little dropdown box next to each role with choices like “not at all interested,” “moderately interested,” “very interested,” and so on.  Make sure you list ONLY the roles you are interested in – you wouldn’t want to get stuck with a role you would absolutely hate.  Once you have completed this, you wait patiently to receive an email about the Web-Based Interview. 

Web-Based Interview:  This is the initial interview for the DCP.  There are two sections that consist of multiple-choice questions and rating questions (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, and Strongly Agree).  This interview is timed, so make sure you set aside 40 minutes to complete this process (You can pause the interview midway, but I would highly recommend completing it in one sitting).  My advice:  be honest, consistent, and try to answer “Strongly” whenever possible.  Make sure you are in a quiet room that is free of distractions.  Even though it is timed, don’t rush – you should have plenty of time to answer each question.  Also keep in mind that the Walt Disney Company wants to hire people that are kind, passionate, timely, and team players.  Take a deep breath and relax!  You’ve got this!     

Once you pass the Web-Based Interview, you will receive another email about the Telephone Interview, which you schedule through the Dashboard.  I’m not going to lie – I totally freaked out when I found out I passed the first interview.  One step closer to my dream!  Since school was partially taking over my life that week I scheduled my Interview for the following week on February 3, 2012 at 9:15 am.  This interview will last approximately 20 to 30 minutes and may begin up to 15 minutes after your scheduled time.  If you would like more information about the Telephone Interview check out my next post.  You will then receive the “Thank You for Interviewing” email, which is kind enough to inform you that you will “receive an update on your status within the next two weeks.” 

Let the waiting begin!  Or not… I was fully prepared to wait 4 weeks to hear back, so imagine my surprise when I open my email on February 8th to find this

Congratulations!

You have been selected to participate in the Disney College Program at the Walt Disney World® Resort! This is a valuable résumé-enhancing experience for all students, and we are proud to offer this opportunity to you.

AHHHHHHHHH!  Begin freakout mode!  I was literally jumping up and down when I read this.  But then, I followed a lovely little link telling me what role I would be doing:  ATTRACTIONS!  My first choice – I was completely ecstatic!  Yup.  February 8th.  Best Day Ever.

So after all that waiting, I had finally applied to the DCP and been accepted.  Now came the harder part – paying the $304.50 Program Assessment Fee, Housing and Administration Fee, and Processing Fee. 

Tangent Time!  You see my friends; I had reached a crossroads in my life.  Although I truly wanted to do the DCP, I also wanted to use my degree.  So, I decided to apply for a few Disney Professional Internships, along with various “real life jobs” and use the DCP as backup.  I figured I could always transfer the program fees over to the DPI if I was chosen for that.  I’m assuming you can determine the outcome, but that’s another post.  Nevertheless, I am still completely overjoyed at this opportunity!  Ok, back to your regularly scheduled blog post.    

So I gritted my teeth and paid the fees on February 11th.  Next step:  Select your dates.  Since my family decided to take me to WDW for my graduation gift, I didn’t want to choose any date in May.  That narrowed it down to June 4th or 11th.  I decided to go with an arrival date of the 11th, so I would have some time to spend with my family before I left.   

On the 13th of February I got my “Request for Additional Information” email.  I honestly don’t remember what this entailed, but I know there wasn’t very much to fill out.  Over the next few months I received a welcome email, as well as emails about the Disney Look, educational opportunities, and roommate selection.  I also received an email regarding the Hire Documentation.  In the past, you would download all this paperwork, fill it out, and bring it with you.  This year, they transitioned to a new system, so we can fill everything out online.  The only thing we need to bring with us this year is our I-9 Form and proper identification (driver’s license and social security card).  The only thing left to do now before check-in is to pack… which I should probably start doing very soon.

So, that’s it then.  All the steps you need to become a participant in the DCP.  Like I said earlier, I will add a separate post about the Telephone Interview process.  And bonus points to whoever knows what attraction the title of this post is based off of.  Have a magical evening! 

Welcome to the Most Magical Blog on Earth

Hiya and welcome to my blog! I am a recent college graduate who was accepted into the Walt Disney World College Program as an Attractions Cast Member.  That's right folks - I am going to be working at Walt Disney World.    

I first learned about the Disney College Program way back in high school and ever since then, I have dreamed of the day that I could become a Cast Member.  I am absolutely overjoyed that this day has arrived.  I will finally have the chance to create magical memories for guests.  :)

I am sure by now that many of you are wondering just what this blog is going to be about.  Well readers, if you are interested in becoming a part of the Disney College Program, then you are in luck!  This blog will inform you all about the daily life of a Disney College Program participant; from beginning to end and everything in between.   I will keep you updated on everything - from the check-in process, to working attractions, to playing in the parks, to what I eat for lunch... well maybe not the last one, but you get the idea. 

I hope you will join me for this journey, so hang on to them hats and glasses, 'cause this here is the wildest ride in the wilderness!