I did it.

My long awaited final Disney College Program post! I’m sorry it’s so late, and I don’t really have an excuse because I have just been enjoying life outside of work and relaxing. But I am here now, and that is what counts, right?! Anyways, my program end date was August 2^nd, 2013—and my last day of work was July 31^st. I’m not going to lie, I was very anxious for my program to end; almost every one of my CP friends’ was as well. I absolutely loved the program; but after a while sharing a 3 bedroom apartment with 5 other girls, having no other transportation options except for Transtar, and getting silly hours because you were a CP was a little exhausting. This caused me to make this post a list of things that I wish I would’ve done or had known before, during, and after the program.

Before I came down to Florida for my program, I believe that I prepared myself quite well for what I was going to experience. I knew that I would work hard and consistently long hours, and that I was basically at the bottom rung of the ladder. If you decide to participate in the Facebook groups, Google hangouts, and any other way to meet new people before you arrive, just know you probably won’t hang out with half the people you met or friended on Facebook. My best friend was one of my roommates who I hadn’t even said a word to before we arrived in Florida. However, some of the greatest people whom I am blessed to call my friends and Disney family—I met over Google hangouts. You just never really know who you’re going to get along with and become friends with until you meet everyone in person. I also would highly suggest bringing your own car down with you. I knew that I’d regret not bringing mine down with me; however, it just wasn’t feasible for me. While I did have some memorable moments on those lovely buses (A, B, and K buses I’m talking to you…) my life would’ve been so much simpler if I had my own car. Just make sure you can afford the gas down there, and that you don’t mind being used as a shuttle service for some of your lovely DCP friends… I may have been guilty of this.

During the program you will have some time to play but you will definitely spend most of your time working. When you have free time go do something fun!!!!! On my days off I always tried to do something; whether it was going to the parks, watching the fireworks, tanning at the pool or water parks, planning a beach day, or just shopping at Downtown Disney. You have so many options available to you, most of which are free for your use! Don’t get me wrong a chill and relax day is definitely nice after a long work week, but just make sure your taking advantage of all of the wonderful things to do around you. You’re living next to “The Most Magical Place on Earth” which people pay thousands of dollars to visit for just one week. Visit, have fun, and enjoy your time down there.

If your program is anything remotely like mine you will probably have two separate groups of ‘families’ as I like to call them. One will be your roommates and friends that you have met, the other will be your work family. I honestly believe with my entire heart that I had the greatest work family a girl could ever ask for, and I know that you’ll feel the same way. These people make you you feel okay working a 15 hour shift because at least you’ll get to see their face for a few minutes. If we had someone who had a car when we closed the park, you could guarantee that you would find us at IHOP or Ale House that night after work, maybe even “waffley house”. These are the people that will probably either make or break your experience down in Disney. Just know that you will get close to your fellow cast members, no matter how hard you try to tell yourself that you won’t care when you leave, you will—it’s inevitable. I know a bunch of part timers and full timers who hate CP’s because they become friends with us and become friends with us, and then their hearts are broken when we leave. It’s a terribly wonderful and horrible process that happens every semester and maybe if you’re lucky it won’t hurt as much when you leave. Because I know when I left it was the most painful thing I ever had to do; to leave these people whom you saw every day for 5 or 7 months, and then they’re just gone.

I am lucky though because I was able to go into a seasonal position at Fantasyland when my program ended. This is where I believe one of the most important aspects of this program came into play for me, networking. I hate that word; I hate the idea of it and everything that comes with it. I wish people could get an interview or a job based on their motivation, work ethic, education, and values. Unfortunately, life doesn’t like to play that game, so you need to network if you want to move up or around. Thankfully Disney makes networking pretty simple for you. They have all sorts of workshops, meet and greets, and you will have several managers whom you can always talk to and get to know. If you show them your determination and how hard of a worker you are you’ll have no issues networking.  I was lucky enough that managers got to know who I was for good reasons! I emailed my old homeroom manager and asked if it were possible for me to go seasonal in my old role; she was able to contact casting and scheduling and they were able to open a seasonal fantasyland attractions position for me! So I am still an official Walt Disney World Cast Member, and hope to continue my career with Disney far into the future.

Well guys, this’ll be the last post I make in reference to my Spring 2013 Disney College Program. Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep y’all updated on where life takes me—PI’s, management internships, coordinator positon, CEO! The possibilities are endless.

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. – Walt Disney

Hospitality Training and All Star

So I thought I would share a little bit about my new position with y’all!

I now work Hospitality at Disney’s All Star Resorts, I work two positions: front desk and runner. Front Desk is pretty self-explanatory; I check people in and out, give them directions, explain dining plans, extra magic hours, keys, etc. And the runner is an interesting position. Basically you drive around the All Star property for your shift, helping guests who were locked out of their rooms, delivering packages they had ordered, surprising them with floral arrangements, sometimes driving them to their room or possibly to a park or other location on and off property.

I finished my training for Front Desk on Saturday. It was four 8 hour days of training at Disney University. These days consisted of learning Lilo (the reservation system, also the name of my dog!), how to do check-ins, check-outs, exchange foreign currency, paid outs, refunds, room changes, and all that jazz. It was a little overwhelming because there is so much information you need to know, but by the fourth day I felt a little more comfortable about what I was doing. I will say that the way Disney University trains you is very cool. They have an actual little lobby set up like the check-in desks, so you do different scenarios with your ‘guests’ and that helps you get more hands-on training. Once I was done with my four days at Disney University I started my All Star training.

It’s actually funny because out of all of the Disney resorts on property, All Star is the only one that I had never visited before. So I knew the least about it, but after our property orientation I had a better feel of the resort. The nice thing is all three resorts—sports, music, and movies—basically have the same set up, so it isn’t too confusing when you switch resorts constantly because everything is in the same general area. After my property orientation, I received my costume, which is all blue. Blue pants, blue top, blue bag… everything is blue, I look like a mail man. And then I had my first day of training on the desk!

I was lucky enough to have the same trainer, Edward, for all 5 days. Edward was very nice and extremely helpful! He knew exactly what he was doing and wasn’t afraid to ask managers if I had a question he could not answer. He definitely better prepared me for the desk, which I am very thankful for. Throughout my training I got a little bit of everything; I received cash, paid outs, refunds, foreign guests (thank goodness for the language bank!), cancelled reservations, groups, etc. Basically what Disney University told me might happen during my time in hospitality; I got in my first week. The interesting thing is All Star is the largest resort on property (when you put the three themes together) and they have hundreds of check-ins in one day. But, it’s a lot calmer than Magic Kingdom. Unlike MK you have downtime, and I don’t really know what to do with myself. The managers don’t really care if you talk with your fellow cast members as long as you are there to help a guest should they need it. One suggestion during down times is to blow up balloons; they even have a whole helium tank and a balloon animal guide. It’s just a very different setting than Magic Kingdom, which I will have to get used to.

My homeroom managers seem awesome, and the FSA’s are great as well! That is definitely something I like about my resort, I have actually met my managers, where in Fantasyland I didn’t know half of them by May. All Star is extremely different from Magic Kingdom and I’m assuming the other theme parks, you have guests there 24/7, so you are basically always on call. But you also have those down times, and from what I’ve been told when people are deployed from another resort to All Star, they are always surprised at how busy it is. However, I would like to try to cover shifts at other resorts, because once you are front desk trained you can pick up shifts at any resort on property which I believe could be fun!

Alright I believe I covered everything in this little post for y’all. But if anyone has any questions about hospitality, All Star, my extension, or the College Program feel free to ask! Have a philharmagical day everyone!

Extended!

I have officially extended my College Program!!! Yay! Happiness, and rainbows, and butterflies, and all that jazz (just imagine a dancing Kelsey)! I was accepted to extend my program until August 2, 2013 in Hospitality. I am so excited to have this opportunity and it should be interesting to see how different hospitality is from attractions; my guess, it’ll be extremely different. But I’m hoping I will get more intense guest interaction, and it definitely doesn’t hurt that I will be in air conditioning during the summer ;).

But anyways, I am transferring roles, which means that I will be leaving my Fantasyland family May 12^th. I totally feel like I’m going to cry already, these silly people have made such a huge impact on my life, and I know that my CP wouldn’t have been nearly as great as it has been if I hadn’t have had them by my side day in and day out. We just had one of our busiest seasons of the year—spring break—and every day I was scheduled for those two weeks, I worked 12 hour shifts. But, I loved coming into work and seeing my cast members. I did a little interpretive dance/hand thing during Wishes for Daniel while guests stared at my awkwardness. I did the moon walk, Macarena,  and any other dance I thought would be fun with Andria at guest flow while Paul judged us and secretly wished he could join :). And I got to fill the theater for back to back shows with Andria and Cait while hoping that guests’ would listen and move all the way down their row. This has been the greatest job I ever could have asked for and I am so blessed to have gotten to know everyone I work with in Fantasyland. So thank you to all of my fellow CP’s, part-timer’s, and full-timers; you made my CP worth every hoop I had to jump through to get down here.  

Would I recommend doing the Disney College Program?

Yes. Absolutely. 100% yes.  

This has been one of; if not the greatest experience I have ever participated in. The hours are pretty crazy, work is hard, guests can definitely be a challenge, and sometimes you wake up and wonder why you are doing this to yourself. But then you get that special guest, or see your best friends, maybe you remember the magic that you’re creating, or you just know that you are fulfilling your dream. When all is said and done I absolutely love this program and would repeat it in a heartbeat.

I have met my best friend here, and made a group of friends whom I know I will still talk to 10, 20, 30 years from now. I can start singing a Disney song and they join along, instead of looking at me like I have gone insane. All of my fellow cast members that I work with and hang out with are just as awkward as me, and we all get each other. I know I could call anyone of them when I’m having a hard time and they will listen, comfort, and understand me. I’m so blessed to have met these people who have now made a permanent impact in my life, and I could not be happier.

I will say this; don’t plan on sticking with your plans for after the program (that sounds redundant doesn’t it)? So much stuff has happened to basically everyone I know that has changed their future plans, myself included. Be prepared for anything and be open to everything here because there is so much to experience for every single type of person! Basically, if you want to participate in the program, do it; and if you make the most of it, then you definitely will not regret it.

I earned my ears!

It’s official guys, I earned my ears! I can officially operate all of the positions for Prince Charming Regal Carrousel and Mickey’s Philharmagic on my own! I had three days of training: the first focused on the carrousel, the second was Philharmagic, and the third was a combo of each. Then, I had my assessment on Sunday, which I was super nervous about. My assessor was great and very helpful, but she did e-stop (emergency stop) the carrousel when I wasn’t looking to make sure I knew how to handle that situation. And yesterday was my first day on my own! It was actually a lot of fun. I got to see so many cute little kids and wish them Happy Birthday or call them princess, I love it! I mostly did stroller parking and the exit glasses for philhar, but I made the most of it and actually had a good time doing those!

I have lost my voice though, because I have to scream/annunciate at guests to fill in all the available space in the queue for carousel. So if you guys are ever told to move all the way down please do it! Anyways, I’ve been hanging out with my roommates and friends a lot lately, which is great! And our sixth and final roommate arrived this morning. She seems super nice so hopefully everything turns out well!

In other news, the buses suck. I waited for the Walmart/Publix bus today and it never showed. Then, once I called transportation from the apartment they said it was running half an hour late and that I would have to just guess and wait for it to arrive. Yeah, ummm no thank you. So I’m either going to Publix tomorrow or getting groceries delivered, at the moment I am still undecided. 

Well, I am going to enjoy my two days off, and to end this post I will be posting some pictures of my time here so far!

The last two days!

So I have only been here for two days and my roommates and I have already done so much stuff!

• met lots of new people
• played a huge game of apples to apples
• made our first roommate meal
• went to downtown disney
• started a flash mob
• gone to the pool (twice so far)
• and went to the housing meeting

The housing meeting was definitely... different. It was fun, but they have to be informative also, so a lot of the info was kind of boring. But when we walked in they had fog machines going, loud music playing, and lights flashing and moving everywhere. It was very club-like. 

After that we went to the pool and hung out for a while! Now we are hanging out in the apartment and probably going to have a board game night. And tomorrow is Traditions, and I cannot wait. I'll let you all know how that goes soon!

Crazy!

You guys, I am packing. Let me give you time to have that sink in. *tick tock* …

Ok that’s enough time. I’m packing to move to Disney World!!! Oh my gosh, this is crazy! I feel like my life is just waiting for me. It’s in my grasp, I move in 4 days and check-in is 8 days away! I’m just going to say that I feel like just two weeks ago I interviewed for the program, and here I am packing. Whoa. Just, whoa.

2012 in Review...

It is December 31^st of 2012, otherwise known as New Year’s Eve. Let me just share with you that 2012 was a vast improvement over 2011. I have so much to be grateful for in my life and this year ensured that I knew it. I went on several family vacations, everyone is in great health, school is going well, and I achieved a long-time dream of mine; the Disney College Program.

I am so incredibly thankful for what this year has brought, and what 2013 has in store for me. This will be an adventure that I am far too excited to embark upon. And while there are several things that are up in the air for me – I mean it, there are A LOT – I know these next several months will help me find myself and figure out what I need to do to continue on God’s path for me.

So thank you everyone who has been there for me in 2012. My family; all of you have supported me throughout this difficult but exciting adventure and I am so lucky to have you all in my life. Whitney and Kelsey; I don’t think you two even know I have this blog, but you both helped me get through this year with hardly any scratches! You are some of the greatest friends a girl can ask for, and I am so lucky to have had you both be a part of my life. My Old Navy family; I was lucky enough to have some amazing co-workers and managers for my first job. You all helped me improve myself as a person, employee, and friend; for that I am greatly appreciative. And finally several of the DCP people I have been lucky enough to meet! Jenn, Kasey, Katie, Desirae, Kristen, and the several others I have had the pleasure of talking with on Google+ hangouts and the Facebook pages. You all make me so excited to go live in Florida with you all!

So that is my sappy post for today! I hope you all had a great year, and if you did or didn’t I hope that 2013 will be the best year yet!

New Hire Paperwork

I got my new hire paperwork yesterday, and I plan on finishing it all today! Its pretty ridiculous at how excited I am to fill out paperwork. I think only Disney can make anyone happy to do anything! There was a video of Bob Iger welcoming employees to the Disney family, and it just made me realize how incredible this opportunity will be. I am so lucky to be given this once in a life time chance, and I pray that I make everything I can out out of it.

Disney Email!

So yesterday a lot of people, including myself, got and email from Disney that gave a broad explanation of housing costs and roommate matching. So this year instead of using roommate matching online, they said that you will find or meet (if you have not already found a roommate) on your check-in day. This doesn't really affect me because I have already found all of my lovely suitemates and roommate! However, if you are one of the people who want to be surprised or just don't want to look for someone before you get down there, then this could be an issue. A lot of people without roommates are worried because they don't want to have twice as many items as they need (i.e. 2 tv's, 2 toasters, 2 coffee machines), and won't be able to get to know their roommate beforehand. So if you want to know your roommate and coordinate with them before check-in date, I would highly reccomend searching for someone on Facebook or Tumblr. Search anywhere you may think there are roommates available!!!
Another item on the email was when you can arrive. Disney says, "please do not plan on arriving prior to 7am as you will be turned away". If previous years are any indication then security will not turn you away if you arrive befor 7 a.m. HOWEVER, Disney has a new security company and Spring 2013 will be their first check-in so it is somewhat iffy on whether or not they will allow you to wait before 7 a.m. So I guess we'll have to wait and see what they do on the first arrival date.
Finally, what is probably the most important item of this email is, drum roll please.... Housing Prices!!!! Disney has given a pretty broad idea of what housing prices will be this coming semester. But here is what they have sent.

Chatham Square 1BR - 4BR $91 - $101	The Commons 1BR - 4BR $93 - $105
Patterson Court 1BR - 3BR $91 - $101	Vista Way 2BR - 3BR $86 - $96

These are weekly rates, and the higher the rate the fewer the bedrooms. The prices for this term have gone up. This is most likely because minimum wage has been raised from $7.67 to $7.79. Yay for a $.12 pay raise!!!! Just kidding.... Anyways, with this raise in prices, a lot of people have begun to consider switching their preference to Vista Way (which is great for me, the less competition the better!). And because all the DCP kids needed some new info and rumors to cling onto, several people are wondering if Disney will now allow us to live in the Commons. Ever since the Commons opened they have been strictly for International College Program students. However, the ICP kids apparently have a different website for all of their information, so everyone is wondering why those prices are on our website. So people are speculating on whether or not Disney is opening The Commons to all DCP's or if it is still strictly closed off to ICP's, like it always has been. Now let me just make it clear. At the moment everyone is welcome to visit The Commons! You just cannot live in them unless you are an ICP.
So I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens on check-in day and go from there! I've only got 39 days you guys! So excited :D

Welcome!

So a few days ago I got this email from WDW basically saying ‘woo hoo, you did it! Now here is all the info you need to know’. I’ve been searching the website they linked me to for what feels like days haha :) Anyways, the website is basically what the DCP used to send in the purple folders, but they’ve gone green now so it’s all web based. There is a part of me that wishes I still got the purple folder just to have it. But oh well I am so so excited! Only 97 days until I’m at Disney World!

What to buy?

At the moment my roommates and I are trying to figure out what we will need to buy for our place! This is a list of what is already in the apartments (courtesy of Disney :D):

Bedroom:

• Dresser w/ mirror
• Nightstand
• 2 twin beds

Dining Room

• Table w/ four chairs

Living Room (Cable hook-up only available in this common area)

• Couch
• Chair
• Two end tables

Additional Items Provided

• Shower curtain liner
• Two vanity wastebaskets
• Kitchen wastebasket
• Recycling bin

Kitchen Appliances

• Refrigerator w/ ice maker
• Stove, oven & microwave
• Dishwasher

Kitchen Utensils and Dishes

• Assortment of pots & pans w/ lids
• Mixing bowl set
• Measuring cups
• Cutting board
• Spatula
• Can opener
• Cutting knife
• Ladle
• Tea Kettle
• Serving spoons 
• Cookie sheets
• Dinner plates
• Salad plates Cereal bowls
• Drinking glasses
• Coffee cups
• Set of knives, spoons, and forks

So we are trying to figure out what we will be needing to buy/pack! If anyone has any suggestions on what we should buy (or shouldn't) please let me know!

Right now we already have decided that we will need:

• TV
• Iron/ironing board
• DVD player
• Coffee Maker
• Wireless Router

WE need some help, haha...

Also, how did you split costs of items with your roommates? And did one roommate take an item when you left or did you sell those items? Sorry for all the questions!

Oh wow!

I feel like everyday I'm hit with this bomb (a good bomb, mind you!) that I am going to be living in Florida and working for WDW! I'm sooo excited! I cannot wait to have all these new experiences! And while I know there will be some difficult moments and long hours, it'll all be completely worth it!
And even though I've seen Cinderella's Castle too many times to count, I know that even when I'm a CP and I see the castle AT LEAST once a week, this'll always be my expression.

I only have...

Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust
Kelsey O8

Roommate Survey!

Alrighty I posted my roommate survey up onto my tumblr, so just click here  if you'd like to see it!

Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust,
Kelsey O8