A Pirates Life for Me

Ahoy mates! I suppose I should update y’all on my program! 

If you did not already know, I am an attractions hostess at Pirates of the Caribbean. I absolutely love my job. The ride is definitely temperamental which makes my days quite interesting. The cast there are fantastic. I had such a close knit family back in Fantasyland, and made some great friends at the All Stars; so I was doubtful my new cast would be anywhere near as great as my past CP. I am glad to say I was proven wrong in so many ways. 

This CP is already completely different than my last. First off, I have my car! Thank goodness for that is all I can say. No more Transtar! I live in a 4 bedroom at Chatham Square, meaning there are 8 girls in this apartment. It’s definitely an adjustment for sure, but most of the kinks have been worked out which is fantastic. 

The bonds I have created with so many people have already greatly impacted my life. Some Spring Advantage CP’s just recently left. The issue is I wasn’t planning to create strong relationships with people this early and then saying goodbye to them almost immediately. I had to say goodbye to some amazing Cast Member’s and friends which is always the worst part about the College Program. But I know that they will all do great things in the future and am excited to see where their futures lead them. 

I was scheduled for my first ever PAC (Parade Control) shifts during the 3rd and 4th of July. It was definitely interesting, and I am glad that I was scheduled to them; however, I will be completely content living my life without ever doing another PAC shift. I definitely haven’t been getting the hours that I was used to in Fantasyland. I am more often than not scheduled a consistent 35-40 hours. I still haven’t decided if I am thankful for the shorter hours or want the overtime, I like money what can I say!

I will be turning 21 on this program! We already celebrated one of my roommates 21st at Crystal Palace a few weeks ago, and mine is coming up in a little under 2 weeks, exciting stuff. I’m excited to finally be 21 because I can go out to bars and what not with everyone, instead of saying oh no, I can’t I’m not old enough… Acca-awkward. 

I still love the Magic Kingdom with my whole heart. I don’t believe I will ever lose the magic that comes with walking down Main Street and seeing Cinderella Castle ahead of me. It’s weird for me not to be right behind the castle anymore, but I can still see Wishes and the parades pass by which is new and fun! 

Anyways, y’all have a lovely day and make sure you keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the boat at all times. We don’t want y’all to have to abandon ship!

DORMS

It is a DCP update! My second program starts June 9th, which means in 11 days I will be a CP again! I am not nearly as nervous as I was for my last program, which is really nice. I feel far more prepared for the program this time around. And since my College Program is almost here, Disney sent me an email regarding housing!

Disney utilizes a format called DORMS (Disney Onsite Resident Management System) to speed up the check-in process. This is the first time I have used DORMS in its full format. For my first DCP in Spring 2013 everything was done on check-in day, and when I extended my program I had a quick form to fill out in DORMS regarding where I wanted to be placed in regards to my new apartment. However, this time it was far more detailed.

I received my DORMS email on May 27th but didn’t fill it out until today, May 29th, because not all of my roommates had received their emails regarding housing and their housing ID’s. This was important because we all wanted to room together we had to wait until everyone had their roommate ID’s so that Disney and Lincoln Properties will hopefully room us all together.

Anyways, once I logged into DORMS I filled out info regarding whether I was planning on living in Disney housing, if I needed an ADA accessible apartment, if I was bringing a car, and other basic questions. Since I will have my car this program (THANK GOODNESS) I filled out some extra info regarding my vehicle. After that I signed and submitted some housing forms, including: housing rules, alcohol policies, rent prices, and vehicle rules. 

Following the forms I was asked if I was ok with the roommates that had been selected for me. DORMS asks that every roommate group has one roommate link every roommate up together on their form with each persons housing ID’s and then select preferred housing arrangements afterwards. Once one person finishes this DORMS will send every roommate who had been linked to the apartment an email stating they had been connected to these people: [insert roommate names here]. Every participant also has the option of going random in terms of roommates or unlinking themselves from their roommates (this will remove you from your roommates who you had grouped up with). Following my confirmation of my roommates DORMS displayed the preferences our group made in terms of housing. For complexes, in order: 1. Chatham Square, 2. Patterson, 3. The Commons; and for apartments: 1. 3 bedroom, 2. 4 bedroom, 3. 2 bedroom. There are 6 of us at the moment and we are hoping to avoid triple occupancy so cross your fingers for us, and I’ll let y’all know where we are placed!

Anyways thanks for reading guys I’ll update y’all again when the days get closer and my second CP starts!

Everything Disney Blog!

Hello everyone! I am hoping to keep you all updated on my future with the Disney company soon! I am excited to announce that I will be officially moving down to Florida March 2nd. I am so excited to begin this new journey in my life.
In other news, I would really appreciate it if y'all would visit my blog that I created with my best friend! It's all things Disney and we hope y'all really love it! Feel free to click here to head on over!
I'll talk to y'all soon, but until then much love.
Kelsey

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

T-minus One Month...

I have one month left of my program. I don’t like reading those words because this program was the greatest decision I have made for myself. However, I am going to finish school and I will get my butt back down here as quickly as humanly possible! So for this update I’m going to talk about extensions, my new position, and any other things that are on my mind at the moment!

            Extensions!!! Oh, extensions… once these come out during the last 6 weeks of your program you will probably see three different types of people: those who apply, those who want to but won’t/can’t, and those who basically think the DCP is hell on earth. Let’s start off with those unhappy DCPers, shall we? Basically, they hate the program and Disney. They met some great people but they hate their job, hate the hours, don’t go to the parks and take advantage of the perks, and just want to get back home. There’s nothing wrong with these people, just that they didn’t have the experience they thought they would and they’re over it. If you don’t let them bother you then you won’t even notice them! :- ) Then we have the kids who would like to apply to extend – or at least like the idea of it – but they won’t or can’t. At the moment that is me and several of my friends. We are either need to finish school, have to go back home, or have different plans for our futures. Then we have the kids who will apply for extensions. You apply, then you get an email saying okay thanks we’ll let you know later, and then you wait. And the waiting sucks, and basically all you can think about is whether you were approved to extend or not. Then you get an email saying yay or nay and your plans will basically be made for the next few months!

            On to my position at All Star! There are sooo many cast members within the Front Desk role alone, but luckily I have been getting to know everyone a little more and feeling more comfortable in my position. I love being a runner; I can move around all day, walk outside, converse with CM’s and guests and face some fun challenges along the way. I’m probably at the actual front desk once or twice a week and runner 3-4 times a week. This isn’t common, but I believe the managers and scheduling knows that I like being a runner and they always see me as one so my schedule has kind of shifted towards that role. Front desk is definitely interesting, I like the ability to converse with CM’s near you and that you are one of the first people guests will see when arriving. There is a lot of responsibility such as making sure guests rooms are clean and ready, finding their reservation and ensuring everything is correct, fixing any issues a guest may have whether it was at the parks or in the resort, and making sure your bank is even. I don’t mind the bank until I pull cash (so when someone pays with cash) then it becomes a bit of a hassle. Usually, it’s just a few extra steps and then you are done; however, for me something always goes wrong! The machine will break, I can’t figure out why the computer is saying my bank isn’t even when I have counted it 30 times and I can guarantee it is. It’s just stupid things that make my day a little more difficult, but everything works out! I also just had my first curbside shift which I liked! Basically we walk around the lobby with an iPad and greet guests getting off the Magical Express, or answer any questions they may have, and try to contain the line by getting as much information as possible so that the cashier (a.k.a front desk) doesn’t have to ask. It is fun and easy, and I get to talk to a lot of people which is great for me!

            Other than work and extensions, Disney has been swell! I am trying to get everything that I want to do into my last month here, so wish me luck on that! I am also trying to hang out with everyone who is leaving or lives here before I leave, I hate goodbyes and I have to do them again! But this program has been wonderful and I cannot wait to return to Florida, I just have to get that degree and then I’m golden! :- ) 

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!