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! :- ) 

Goodbyes

            So this has probably been one of the hardest months of my life. The Disney College Program started out as a dream of mine that I had 10 years ago. I could work in Walt Disney World, visit the parks whenever I wanted, and still get credit for school while in Florida? Sounded like a great gig to me! Now, here I am 4 ½ months after I began my program and I have a completely different view of this program. Yes, this is an internship, and you get crazy hours, and the shifts everyone hates. But you meet the greatest people you’ll ever know. I met my best friend, made lifelong friends whom I will never stop talking to, and found myself. I know where I’m supposed to be, and I hate the fact that this will all have to end at some point.

            I’ve already said some goodbyes and I know next week I’m going to be an absolute wreck. My best friend will be moving out, the guys’ who I feel like I can call my brothers are leaving for home, and some of my amazing Fantasyland ladies will be working their last Philhar shifts. This is the moment where I wonder why I did the program. By having this program end I feel like my heart is being broken each and every time someone leaves. Yet, I know it was all completely worth it. These people made me who I am today. They know me inside and out; we shared stories about guests who got under our skin, shared all the details about our lives, had hearts to hearts when we were half asleep, and I fell in love with each and every one of you.

            So I’m going to be sappy for the next few lines…

Thank you to my entire Fantasyland family. You guys tried to help me keep my sanity through those 3:45 a.m. shifts. We may have clumped at guest flow a few times, or had sticker wars between all of us, and blew bubbles when there were no more strollers to move. When I’d pull Carrousel rotation and you all understood the hatred I had for CDS at that moment. Listening to all of my life drama which wasn’t all that important, but seemed like it at the time. Helping me fill the shows that were at capacity, and guests’ constantly listening to us say “move all the way down the row, please do NOT stop in the middle. That is a safety hazard for everyone. Sir, please move all the way down, yes you, the one wearing the hat. Yep, I need you to move all the way down, please”. So thank you to every single person I worked with: Andria, Cait, Chad, TJ, Edson, Daniel, Natasha, Jen, Melissa Emma, Jacob, Jackie, Austen, Pedro, Paulina, Ryan, Jonathan, Analia, Eric, and everyone I left out!

Sarah Mae, Angela, and Gemma! You ladies didn’t think I’d forget about you?!?! You three are wonderful people. Y’all made me so happy every time I worked with you. You listened to me vent to you about whatever drama was happening that week, complain about the positions I pulled at work that day, and act like my psychotic self. You girls are amazing human beings, and I know I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun at and outside of work without you! Angela, Beaches will always be here for you; so make sure you visit! Gemma, I’ll miss my kiwi, and please visit me in the states whenever you decide to come back! Sarah Mae, girly we’re here till August, but you are rocktastic. You were so quiet at the beginning of the program and now I can’t get you to stop yelling and screaming about your day! I love all of you girls’ so much and I hope we will stay in contact for the years to come!

My Pan peep’s: Erica, Blas, Stefen, Mason, Megan Adele, Sean, Wan-Ling, and Rumi.  Thank you for dealing with my weirdness in CDS! I became good friends with y’all and I hope I didn’t bother you too much with my loudness and random awkwardness!

Natalia, you were a wonderful roommate, I was so lucky to have you living with me! Thank you for dealing with my three alarms in the morning, my messiness, my constant discussions about the same topics until I completely overanalyzed everything, and for forcing me to watch The Vampire Diaries! You are wonderful girly, and I miss you a whole bunch!

            Paul, thankfully I have until August to say goodbye. But, what I’m going to say now is thank you for absolutely everything you have done. You are a wonderful person, and I’m so blessed to have you in my life. I don’t know how I’m going to leave in August, but right now I just want to say thank you.

            Kevin and Kody! You two are like my brothers. I talked to you over Google hangout’s before the program even started, and I had no idea that we would become so close. Kody, your awesome thanks for all the advice and you know just being your awesome self! Kevin Bear, if you ever turned into a slug I would still love you. You are one of my best friends, a fantastic artist, and an amazing human being thank you love for being you. We all better meet up at least once every few years, if not annually!

            Kristen. Hmmmmm, I never thought I would meet someone like you. You are crazy, weird, cool, silly, ridiculous, and just all around awesome. You are my Buzz Lightyear! I hope we do another program, and we move down here and live together. You are so wonderful and I know I will be an absolute mess on Thursday when you leave. Skype will be in our future, so will Facebook, letters, packages, and any other form of communication there is! I love you girly and I’m so glad that you are a part of my life now and forever.

            Alright, that’s enough good byes or as I hope to put it, “See you real soon”. 

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.