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!    

Home Sweet Home

Since I talked about finding roommates in this post, I decided I should also mention the housing available for Disney College Program participants.  There are 3 different housing complexes:  Vista Way, Chatham Square, and Patterson Court.  There are 1 to 4-bedroom apartments available, with 2 people sharing a bedroom.  Thus, there can be 2 to 8 people living together.  The main advantage of a 4-bedroom apartment is an additional refrigerator; the downside, however, is that the 3 and 4-bedroom apartments cost the same. 

Built in 1988, Vista Way is the oldest of the complexes.  It is considered to have more of a “party” atmosphere than the other 2 complexes, but since this building is older it does have the cheapest rent.  It is also right near a Walgreens and other various stores/fast food venues.  There is also a bus stop located here to take you to all the theme parks, as well as a shopping center.

Chatham Square is the “middle” complex.  It’s not the oldest, but not the youngest; not the cleanest, but not the dirtiest; not the loudest, but not the quietest.  Since Chatham was built in 2000, it is still fairly new.  One really nice aspect of Chatham is that it is located across the street from Mickey’s Retreat, which is a recreation complex for Cast Members (sand volleyball courts, pools, hammocks, tennis courts, grills, table tennis, tether ball).  Like Vista Way, there is a bus stop here too. 

Patterson Court is the newest and the nicest of all three complexes.  It was built in 2008 and is still in excellent condition.  Because Patterson is in such great condition it is the most expensive, but not by much (I believe the rent is $1 more than that for Chatham).  One downside is that there is no bus stop, so you will have to walk to the one in Chatham. 

My roommates and I have discussed which housing complex we would like to live in and have decided on Chatham.  We chose this complex because the rooms are in good condition and it has a bus stop.  None of us are too worried about security, but if I’m arriving from work at 3 am I would rather be dropped off near my apartment.    

One additional note about policies.  Drugs and other illegal substances are forbidden.  Alcohol is not allowed in the “wellness” apartments, which are for participants under 21.  If you are over 21, then you can opt into a wellness apartment by signing a contract agreement.  There is also a security team at each complex; this means that a valid property ID is required to access your complex and no visitors can stay later than 1 am.  If any of these are breached, they could result in termination.  Always keep a sharp eye and make sure this doesn't happen to you! 

Since I don’t drink or like to party, I'd rather live in a wellness apartment.  I don’t mind if others around me like to party occasionally, but I don’t want to have to deal with alcohol problems in my apartment.  My roommates and I will hopefully make it to check-in early enough so we can get exactly what we want:  A 3-bedroom apartment in Chatham Square.  Can't wait for June 11th!

Well, that’s all for tonight.  I promise I will post my packing list soon and will begin a Countdown to Disney – starting tomorrow!  Yes, you should be completely excited to learn even more about my Disney favorites.  Have a magical night!