Hey old friends, whaddaya say old friends?
It's been four years since my last college program.
And I'm back at it again, this time in sunny Florida.
I'm a shallow water lifeguard working in the resorts this time.
If you read my personal blog, you'll know that people are often like "Hey gurl, i'mma let you save me". It's like a really popular tinder pick-up line I guess? When they find out I'm a guard it just sort of turns stupid fast.
Yeah, no, really that's a bad pick-up line. Disney guards are super professional, which I really like. Plus, saving people is definitely not a sexy thing. You drag them out of the water, you're screaming internally the whole time, and all you want them to do is be ok. I know they're trying to be cute or funny or something, but if you've been a lifeguard I think you'll feel me on a spiritual level.
If you're working where there is a slide you WILL jump in. Which is nice when it's hot out.
I've only had to go in three times and it's never been an emergency. Usually you can just help them out with your tube.
The hours are really good. You never work past 11:30.
Buses are still frustrating at times, but I feel like for the most part they've been reliable.
I live in Vista which has been much hyped. Really it's just like any other college apartment. But literally anything is an improvement from my college housing...so I may not be a good judge of that sort of thing.
I've met a ton of characters which is pretty sweet. Kylo is the love of my life. Ya know.
Merh, I can't think of what else needs to be said. Life is pretty basic. Pretty legit.
Oh! If you go to Disney Springs, get a lobster grilled cheese at the crab boat house place. $20. SO GOOD. Go in and tell them you want to eat there and they'll just text you when they have a table. It was an hour wait time for us during lunch.
Also, the $6 mac n cheese kids meal at the Tall Tale Cafe next to Country Bears is on POINT and cheaper than anything else. Still very filling though.
Showing posts with label Disney College Program. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disney College Program. Show all posts
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
New WDW CPs: Things I should have done
So... now that I'm hitting the two-month mark, I'm in the middle of some major Disney withdrawals. It seems to be hitting a lot of my fellow Fall 2011 CPs, so there must be something about this amount of time away from "home." Anyways, I decided to post on some of the things that I should have done differently, and that I plan on doing differently if I do a second program. Hopefully this will help any new Disney College Program participants!
1. Prepare for humidity. I moved to Florida at the beginning of September, and even then, the humidity was dreadful. If you're like me and from the West Coast(especially the Northwest), you do not understand humidity. Ladies, plan ahead and bring makeup that won't melt. Bring along your liquid foundation and cream eyeshadow if you want, but know that it will all slide off for at least the first few weeks. It's a rough adjustment, and it's better if you just accept that you won't look pretty during it. And bring shorts. And loose shirts.Sure, you can wear skirts, but if your inner thighs touch AT ALL when you walk, you're gonna have some problems. So just bring shorts. Or do what I did and wear jeans on your first trip to a park. And then buy several pairs of shorts at Wal-Mart the next day.
2. Prepare for rain. It rains all the time in Florida. ALL THE TIME. I've been living in a desert since I was fifteen. When I was younger and lived in a rainier place, rain was no big deal. I could just spend time inside. But on your college program, you'll be spending lots of time outside. You'll want an umbrella. You'll want a poncho.
3. Prepare for cold. What I said about shorts? Bring long pants, too. And layers. Get gloves and a hat. When your trainer tells you to check out a coat from costuming as early as possible, LISTEN TO HER. I would have had trouble no matter what because my area had multiple costumes and coats, but the odds are that you'll only have one costume to worry about, and one coat to check out. So check the coat out as soon as you can. If you're arriving in January, your coat selection should still be okay, because of all the Fall CPs who just returned theirs. And if the closest fit you can find is still not a great fit, check it out anyways. You can always trade it out later.
4. Honestly, just be prepared to be outside a lot. So bring clothing for all sorts of weather, bring fantastic walking shoes(not just for work), bring sunscreen, bring bug spray.
5. Bring a camera. I so wish that I had brought my camera. My phone has a pretty decent camera, so I figured I would just use that... yeah, no. You'll want something else to take pictures with.
6. Get a pass for another theme park. Yes, you have free access to everything Disney. And of course that's enough to fill your entire program with fun activities. But sometimes, it's just so NICE to go somewhere else for a day. And Universal and Sea World have some pretty cool stuff, too. You're living in Central Florida, maybe for the only time in your whole life. Take advantage of that. Also, you can get the cheapest passes possible without feeling like you're missing out, because even though there will be blockout dates, those dates usually match up with busy times for Disney, so you'll probably be working anyways.
So those are my six major things that I didn't do ahead of time... that I would do next time. Hopefully this will help someone out!
1. Prepare for humidity. I moved to Florida at the beginning of September, and even then, the humidity was dreadful. If you're like me and from the West Coast(especially the Northwest), you do not understand humidity. Ladies, plan ahead and bring makeup that won't melt. Bring along your liquid foundation and cream eyeshadow if you want, but know that it will all slide off for at least the first few weeks. It's a rough adjustment, and it's better if you just accept that you won't look pretty during it. And bring shorts. And loose shirts.Sure, you can wear skirts, but if your inner thighs touch AT ALL when you walk, you're gonna have some problems. So just bring shorts. Or do what I did and wear jeans on your first trip to a park. And then buy several pairs of shorts at Wal-Mart the next day.
2. Prepare for rain. It rains all the time in Florida. ALL THE TIME. I've been living in a desert since I was fifteen. When I was younger and lived in a rainier place, rain was no big deal. I could just spend time inside. But on your college program, you'll be spending lots of time outside. You'll want an umbrella. You'll want a poncho.
3. Prepare for cold. What I said about shorts? Bring long pants, too. And layers. Get gloves and a hat. When your trainer tells you to check out a coat from costuming as early as possible, LISTEN TO HER. I would have had trouble no matter what because my area had multiple costumes and coats, but the odds are that you'll only have one costume to worry about, and one coat to check out. So check the coat out as soon as you can. If you're arriving in January, your coat selection should still be okay, because of all the Fall CPs who just returned theirs. And if the closest fit you can find is still not a great fit, check it out anyways. You can always trade it out later.
4. Honestly, just be prepared to be outside a lot. So bring clothing for all sorts of weather, bring fantastic walking shoes(not just for work), bring sunscreen, bring bug spray.
5. Bring a camera. I so wish that I had brought my camera. My phone has a pretty decent camera, so I figured I would just use that... yeah, no. You'll want something else to take pictures with.
6. Get a pass for another theme park. Yes, you have free access to everything Disney. And of course that's enough to fill your entire program with fun activities. But sometimes, it's just so NICE to go somewhere else for a day. And Universal and Sea World have some pretty cool stuff, too. You're living in Central Florida, maybe for the only time in your whole life. Take advantage of that. Also, you can get the cheapest passes possible without feeling like you're missing out, because even though there will be blockout dates, those dates usually match up with busy times for Disney, so you'll probably be working anyways.
So those are my six major things that I didn't do ahead of time... that I would do next time. Hopefully this will help someone out!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
New WDW CPs: Choosing a role
So I've been getting some questions from friends considering applying for the Disney College program... and one of the big ones seems to be: What roles should I apply for?
I don't know that I'm really the right person to answer this. I applied for all of the roles(except for the hospitality ones. I knew I wanted to work in a park). And then I got Merchandise, which I'm pretty sure is because I had been working at a grocery store for almost two years at the time of my interview. That said, knowing what I know now, here's what I would apply for if I went again(which I am seriously considering). Keep in mind that this list isn't necessarily in order of which job I would like to have the most. Also, this is a list based on my personal experiences, and what I know that I would personally like.
Attractions. Cast members in attractions are at the lowest possible wage, but it would be awesome to work in one of the attractions. My backstage tour of the Haunted Mansion was amazing, and I would love to learn about all the inner workings of a ride(or multiple rides). If I could choose an attraction, I'd definitely want to work at one of the animal-centric ones, mostly because I really want to work with the Animal Programs at Disney someday. So Pangani Forest Trails, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Kilamanjaro Safaris, or something in The Seas. Or a spieling one, like the Jungle Cruise or Innoventions.
Merchandise. I already know the system, and I already know that I enjoy merchandise. Merchandise cast members get paid a little more than attractions, and if you have merchandise training, you can pick up shifts anywhere at WDW. So if you want to pick up some extra hours, you can. For me, I would absolutely try to get back into my old area, because I loved everything about it(especially the Glow operation). But pretty much all areas have their perks. If I couldn't work in Adventureland... I'd probably want to work... man, I don't even know. Somewhere with one of the candy stores, probably, so I could get production-trained. But again, that's because I already worked there. I really can't think of a bad merch location.
Front Desk/Concierge/whatever this role is called. Apparently these cast members get even more than Merch cast members, and like merchandise, if you're trained on the computer system here, you can pick up shifts at any of the resorts. Honestly, whenever I went on the Hub to look for extra shifts, they all were either in Merchandise or Front Desk shifts. Given a choice, I'd want to work at one of the DVC resorts, because there's some additional training for that.
Custodial. All of the people who worked this said they enjoyed it. I don't know what the wage is, but I do know that they tend to get more hours, even during the slow weeks. The custodians also get to go EVERYWHERE in their area. The Magic Kingdom custodians knew that place, onstage and off, better than just about anyone you can think of. And when I was chilling with my Glow cart by Casey's Corner during Wishes, the custodians from the area were usually there, too, and it felt like they had a cool team thing going. Given a choice of parks, I think I'd actually want to work at Epcot... like I said, custodians get to go pretty much everywhere, and there's some REALLY interesting stuff at Epcot.
Quick Service Food. They get paid a decent amount, and with QSF, you actually can pick up shifts elsewhere(depending on your location). I don't really have a preference for where I'd want to work. I would just apply for this so that there would be a fifth option. And it's not a bad role, as far as roles go.
There are some things to keep in mind. Sometimes, location is everything. There might be a role that you want only if you could get a specific location. But you don't get to choose your area. You don't really even get to choose your role. So if you would only be happy in Attractions if you got to be a Skipper on the Jungle Cruise, and NOTHING ELSE, feel free to apply for attractions. But apply for roles where you feel like you'd be fine anywhere. Attractions roles vary widely in "awesomeness." Other roles also vary... not necessarily as much, but they do. Also, think about what you want from your program. I just wanted to have fun- work for Disney, make new friends, see some behind-the-scenes stuff, play in the parks. Any role was fine for that. If you have more specific goals, remember to factor those in. Lastly, and most importantly, be flexible. And be open to loving whatever role and whatever area you get placed into.
I don't know that I'm really the right person to answer this. I applied for all of the roles(except for the hospitality ones. I knew I wanted to work in a park). And then I got Merchandise, which I'm pretty sure is because I had been working at a grocery store for almost two years at the time of my interview. That said, knowing what I know now, here's what I would apply for if I went again(which I am seriously considering). Keep in mind that this list isn't necessarily in order of which job I would like to have the most. Also, this is a list based on my personal experiences, and what I know that I would personally like.
Attractions. Cast members in attractions are at the lowest possible wage, but it would be awesome to work in one of the attractions. My backstage tour of the Haunted Mansion was amazing, and I would love to learn about all the inner workings of a ride(or multiple rides). If I could choose an attraction, I'd definitely want to work at one of the animal-centric ones, mostly because I really want to work with the Animal Programs at Disney someday. So Pangani Forest Trails, Maharajah Jungle Trek, Kilamanjaro Safaris, or something in The Seas. Or a spieling one, like the Jungle Cruise or Innoventions.
Merchandise. I already know the system, and I already know that I enjoy merchandise. Merchandise cast members get paid a little more than attractions, and if you have merchandise training, you can pick up shifts anywhere at WDW. So if you want to pick up some extra hours, you can. For me, I would absolutely try to get back into my old area, because I loved everything about it(especially the Glow operation). But pretty much all areas have their perks. If I couldn't work in Adventureland... I'd probably want to work... man, I don't even know. Somewhere with one of the candy stores, probably, so I could get production-trained. But again, that's because I already worked there. I really can't think of a bad merch location.
Front Desk/Concierge/whatever this role is called. Apparently these cast members get even more than Merch cast members, and like merchandise, if you're trained on the computer system here, you can pick up shifts at any of the resorts. Honestly, whenever I went on the Hub to look for extra shifts, they all were either in Merchandise or Front Desk shifts. Given a choice, I'd want to work at one of the DVC resorts, because there's some additional training for that.
Custodial. All of the people who worked this said they enjoyed it. I don't know what the wage is, but I do know that they tend to get more hours, even during the slow weeks. The custodians also get to go EVERYWHERE in their area. The Magic Kingdom custodians knew that place, onstage and off, better than just about anyone you can think of. And when I was chilling with my Glow cart by Casey's Corner during Wishes, the custodians from the area were usually there, too, and it felt like they had a cool team thing going. Given a choice of parks, I think I'd actually want to work at Epcot... like I said, custodians get to go pretty much everywhere, and there's some REALLY interesting stuff at Epcot.
Quick Service Food. They get paid a decent amount, and with QSF, you actually can pick up shifts elsewhere(depending on your location). I don't really have a preference for where I'd want to work. I would just apply for this so that there would be a fifth option. And it's not a bad role, as far as roles go.
There are some things to keep in mind. Sometimes, location is everything. There might be a role that you want only if you could get a specific location. But you don't get to choose your area. You don't really even get to choose your role. So if you would only be happy in Attractions if you got to be a Skipper on the Jungle Cruise, and NOTHING ELSE, feel free to apply for attractions. But apply for roles where you feel like you'd be fine anywhere. Attractions roles vary widely in "awesomeness." Other roles also vary... not necessarily as much, but they do. Also, think about what you want from your program. I just wanted to have fun- work for Disney, make new friends, see some behind-the-scenes stuff, play in the parks. Any role was fine for that. If you have more specific goals, remember to factor those in. Lastly, and most importantly, be flexible. And be open to loving whatever role and whatever area you get placed into.
New WDW CPs: Housing
Considering the Disney College Program? One of the first things they tell you is that the program includes Living, Learning, and Earning. This post is going to focus on the Living portion. When I applied, the Disney College Program website had a pretty limited amount of information about the different complexes. And when I searched for information on different apartment complexes, there were a few posts, but not a lot. So hopefully this post will give some people the information they need. :)
There are four complexes for interns in Florida: The Commons, Vista Way, Chatham, and Patterson. The Commons is just for people on the Cultural Representative Program(and not all CRPs live in The Commons, either), so that won't be on the list of complexes for you to choose from if you're doing a CP or ICP. So here's the rundown on the other three.
Vista Way: I did not live in this complex during my program. I also know some people who moved out of Vista, but I also know some people who moved into Vista. Jokingly referred to as "Vista Lay," Vista is generally considered the party complex. It's the oldest complex, and it does show it. The apartments are cheaper than the other complexes, and Vista is close to restaurants and a Walgreens- the other three complexes are about a mile away from the nearest businesses. Most of the housing offices and resources are located at Vista Way. The bus office is also located at Vista, and the bus drivers often take their breaks at Vista... or leave the other stops early so they can spend a little extra time at Vista. The bus stop for Vista is actually located behind security, and some of my CP friends had trouble when they took a bus over to Vista, left Vista to go to a restaurant, and came back when it was too late to either get into the complex without someone signing them in(or too late to get in at all).
Chatham Square: This is where I lived for most of my program. If you're a student at any of the LDS schools, you'll automatically be placed in Chatham. The rent is higher than at Vista, but the apartments are newer. They also tend to be pretty roomy, although the layouts do vary. Chatham is generally called the "quiet" complex, but all the housing events actually happen at Chatham field. This was right next to my apartment complex, so it was pretty convenient for me to be able to grab some of the free food on my way from the bus stop to my apartment. The bus stop for Chatham is right outside Security.
Patterson Court: This is where I lived for the last few weeks of my program. The rent here is the highest, but a lot of people feel that it's worth it, since it's the newest and the apartments are nice. And they are, compared to the other complexes. There's also lots of palm trees at this complex... not that big of a deal, but I associate palm trees with Disney, so that was cool for me. In my experience, Patterson was just as quiet as Chatham. The annoying thing about Patterson is that it shares a bus stop with Chatham, so it takes longer to get to the bus stop. Also, all of the apartments at Patterson have this distinctive... smell. It's not exactly a bad smell, but it's definitely there. I have no idea what it is. Oh, and my apartment was smaller than my Chatham one. And the security guards seemed more laid-back at Patterson, which was weird, because they all work at all of the complexes. But other than that, I really felt that they're about the same in terms of general lack-of-crappiness and lack-of-noisy neighbors.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Yo ho, yo ho!
I've been REALLY busy since I last posted. Holy cow have I been busy. But it's a good kind of busy! Here's a quick review of what's happened since I last posted:
On Friday I went to my Disney Traditions class. Traditions is a class that every single employee takes. It covers a little bit of Disney's history, and they cover the Disney Basics. The Traditions class at Walt Disney World also includes a short walk in the Magic Kingdom. You also get to go through the utilidors, which are the tunnel system that is under the Magic Kingdom. Fun fact: The park is actually the second story. The utilidors were all built on the ground floor, because you can't dig in Central Florida. If you do, apparently you just get water.
A word on water: All of the tap water here is gross. Seriously. It tastes like gross new plastic times eleven. It even tastes gross from the fountains at the Magic Kingdom, which totally kills the fantasy. Crystal Lite and bottled water are my new best friends. I ran out of Crystal Lite the other day, and I was chugging milk and grape juice just to stay hydrated. The water here seriously makes me gag. Even ice tastes gross.
Saturday, I began my training. I learned how the register works. It was strange, because I was the only College Program(CP) in my class, and everyone else had already had a couple of other training days besides Traditions.
On Sunday, I had some location-specific training. The first thing I did that morning was get my costume! I was already excited about it, because people had been telling me that they were like pajamas. They weren't lying! The general Adventureland Merch costume really does look and feel like pajamas. The pants even have a mesh panel up the side, which is great for the hot and humid weather here. I can wear that costume in any of the shops in Adventureland, but I also have a pirate costume that I can wear when I'm working in the Pirates of the Caribbean shop. There's a third costume that I'll wear when I'm working the Glow Carts, but I won't have that training until the end of September, so I'm not even going to worry about it.
Costuming was a huge pain. Those of you who read Alyssa's post already know- costuming is no place for vanity. The important thing to remember is that the sizes for the costumes are meaningless. They act as a general guide- for example a Large Long pair of pants should be longer than a Large Regular pair of pants. But I had to try on every single pair of Large Long pajama pants before I found two pairs that were long enough. So for future interns: Don't get too worked up over costuming! And make sure to try on a whole bunch of everything! Something will fit you.
After we did costuming, we did some e-training and then walked around Adventureland for a while. Our facilitator showed us a few things and had us interact with the guests pretty frequently. We had lanyards for pin trading, which was so much fun! I love pin trading with the little kids, especially. The grown-ups are sometimes kind of rude about pin trading, but apparently it's pretty competitive, so that sort of makes sense. I'm going to try to stay out of it on a personal level, since it looks like an expensive hobby.
When I got home from work, I got changed for church. They have a late sacrament meeting for the LDS kids who have to work at the parks during the morning session, but it was canceled for a CES fireside. We went anyways- it's good to go to some church. After that, we headed BACK to the magic kingdom for... the cast preview of Mickey's Boo to You Halloween Parade! We waited at the cast bus stop forEVER, until they finally let us into the park. We went through the utilidors and came up in Liberty Square, where they had all of us stay in a big quick-service restaurant while they got all of the guests out of the park. After they let us out of the restaurant(at midnightish), we were herded into... the Haunted Mansion! I was totally geeking out at this point, because it was my first time in the Magic Kingdom outside of work, and going on the Haunted Mansion ride at midnight just felt so epic! As we got off the ride, we were directed to the parade route, and at 1, the Headless Horseman rode! IT WAS SO AWESOME. The rest of the parade was fun, too. I've still got the song stuck in my head, but I don't mind, because THAT is how good it is.
I had Monday off. Woohoo sleeping in! I went to the Magic Kingdom and played in Adventureland and Frontierland and Liberty Square for a few hours, and then headed back home because I was out of milk and had to go to the store. Woohoo grocery shopping!
On Tuesday I had my Magic Kingdom Orientation. Yeah... most people have the BEFORE they actually start working in the Magic Kingdom. Woopsies. :) The orientation was FANTASTIC. Yes, I said fantastic. The Magic Kingdom is all about fantasy. Our facilitators for the orientation were super, and I could really tell how much they loved working at the Magic Kingdom.
Today, I had my first day of register training. I got to work in every single shop in Adventureland and interacted a lot with the guests. I didn't mess up too much, and my facilitator was nice/seemed to like me. I'm getting more familiar with the utilidors and all the backrooms. I'm still a little confused when it comes to figuring out where the shops are in relation to the utilidors, but hopefully I'll have it down tomorrow.
WDW does a really good job of training employees. I have gotten such fantastic training. I'm getting one-on-one training for sixteen hours, and that is so incredibly helpful. The correct onstage behavior is constantly modeled for me, and the facilitator is able to answer any questions I have right there on the spot. It's a very effective way to train new employees, and it seems to be working well. I've only heard of one person who wasn't fully prepared for work on their first official day alone.
Aaaaand that's it! Life is going good. I'm definitely getting more used to the humidity. I haven't been seeing as many little lizards around... it must be getting cooler? The bus system has become my friend. The bus drivers, not so much. I've got the whole laundry thing figured out, too. No quarters necessary, thank goodness. We use little moneycard things. It works pretty well. The washers lock while they're doing a load, so you had better be certain about the wash settings before you start the load! But the locking is great, because you don't have to stay in the laundry room while your clothes are getting washed.
Adios!
On Friday I went to my Disney Traditions class. Traditions is a class that every single employee takes. It covers a little bit of Disney's history, and they cover the Disney Basics. The Traditions class at Walt Disney World also includes a short walk in the Magic Kingdom. You also get to go through the utilidors, which are the tunnel system that is under the Magic Kingdom. Fun fact: The park is actually the second story. The utilidors were all built on the ground floor, because you can't dig in Central Florida. If you do, apparently you just get water.
A word on water: All of the tap water here is gross. Seriously. It tastes like gross new plastic times eleven. It even tastes gross from the fountains at the Magic Kingdom, which totally kills the fantasy. Crystal Lite and bottled water are my new best friends. I ran out of Crystal Lite the other day, and I was chugging milk and grape juice just to stay hydrated. The water here seriously makes me gag. Even ice tastes gross.
Saturday, I began my training. I learned how the register works. It was strange, because I was the only College Program(CP) in my class, and everyone else had already had a couple of other training days besides Traditions.
On Sunday, I had some location-specific training. The first thing I did that morning was get my costume! I was already excited about it, because people had been telling me that they were like pajamas. They weren't lying! The general Adventureland Merch costume really does look and feel like pajamas. The pants even have a mesh panel up the side, which is great for the hot and humid weather here. I can wear that costume in any of the shops in Adventureland, but I also have a pirate costume that I can wear when I'm working in the Pirates of the Caribbean shop. There's a third costume that I'll wear when I'm working the Glow Carts, but I won't have that training until the end of September, so I'm not even going to worry about it.
Costuming was a huge pain. Those of you who read Alyssa's post already know- costuming is no place for vanity. The important thing to remember is that the sizes for the costumes are meaningless. They act as a general guide- for example a Large Long pair of pants should be longer than a Large Regular pair of pants. But I had to try on every single pair of Large Long pajama pants before I found two pairs that were long enough. So for future interns: Don't get too worked up over costuming! And make sure to try on a whole bunch of everything! Something will fit you.
After we did costuming, we did some e-training and then walked around Adventureland for a while. Our facilitator showed us a few things and had us interact with the guests pretty frequently. We had lanyards for pin trading, which was so much fun! I love pin trading with the little kids, especially. The grown-ups are sometimes kind of rude about pin trading, but apparently it's pretty competitive, so that sort of makes sense. I'm going to try to stay out of it on a personal level, since it looks like an expensive hobby.
When I got home from work, I got changed for church. They have a late sacrament meeting for the LDS kids who have to work at the parks during the morning session, but it was canceled for a CES fireside. We went anyways- it's good to go to some church. After that, we headed BACK to the magic kingdom for... the cast preview of Mickey's Boo to You Halloween Parade! We waited at the cast bus stop forEVER, until they finally let us into the park. We went through the utilidors and came up in Liberty Square, where they had all of us stay in a big quick-service restaurant while they got all of the guests out of the park. After they let us out of the restaurant(at midnightish), we were herded into... the Haunted Mansion! I was totally geeking out at this point, because it was my first time in the Magic Kingdom outside of work, and going on the Haunted Mansion ride at midnight just felt so epic! As we got off the ride, we were directed to the parade route, and at 1, the Headless Horseman rode! IT WAS SO AWESOME. The rest of the parade was fun, too. I've still got the song stuck in my head, but I don't mind, because THAT is how good it is.
I had Monday off. Woohoo sleeping in! I went to the Magic Kingdom and played in Adventureland and Frontierland and Liberty Square for a few hours, and then headed back home because I was out of milk and had to go to the store. Woohoo grocery shopping!
On Tuesday I had my Magic Kingdom Orientation. Yeah... most people have the BEFORE they actually start working in the Magic Kingdom. Woopsies. :) The orientation was FANTASTIC. Yes, I said fantastic. The Magic Kingdom is all about fantasy. Our facilitators for the orientation were super, and I could really tell how much they loved working at the Magic Kingdom.
Today, I had my first day of register training. I got to work in every single shop in Adventureland and interacted a lot with the guests. I didn't mess up too much, and my facilitator was nice/seemed to like me. I'm getting more familiar with the utilidors and all the backrooms. I'm still a little confused when it comes to figuring out where the shops are in relation to the utilidors, but hopefully I'll have it down tomorrow.
WDW does a really good job of training employees. I have gotten such fantastic training. I'm getting one-on-one training for sixteen hours, and that is so incredibly helpful. The correct onstage behavior is constantly modeled for me, and the facilitator is able to answer any questions I have right there on the spot. It's a very effective way to train new employees, and it seems to be working well. I've only heard of one person who wasn't fully prepared for work on their first official day alone.
Aaaaand that's it! Life is going good. I'm definitely getting more used to the humidity. I haven't been seeing as many little lizards around... it must be getting cooler? The bus system has become my friend. The bus drivers, not so much. I've got the whole laundry thing figured out, too. No quarters necessary, thank goodness. We use little moneycard things. It works pretty well. The washers lock while they're doing a load, so you had better be certain about the wash settings before you start the load! But the locking is great, because you don't have to stay in the laundry room while your clothes are getting washed.
Adios!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The Adventures
So... I know it's been a while since I posted, but that's because my life was really dull. Not in a bad way. I worked and spent time with my family, which I really enjoyed. But nothing particularly unusual or epic or Disney-related.
And then... my life became nothing BUT adventures, so it's been difficult to get computer time. Etcetera.
This next bit has nothing to do with Disney, but people have been asking me what I've been up to, so here's the summary of my last week: Last Wednesday, I said farewell to my family(which was a tearful moment), and my dad and I drove to Seattle. I checked my two heavy bags and went through security. The TSA people at the Sea-Tac airport are nice, but not particularly efficient. I got to the gate and checked in with the flight agent. You see, instead of having a seat number on my boarding pass, it merely said "check in at gate." It turned out that the flight was oversold by 16 people, and NOBODY was volunteering to get off. Nobody. People who checked in first got their seats. I guess I was behind? Anyways, thanks for that, HURRICANE IRENE.
So I didn't get on my flight. I did, however, get a hotel voucher, a first class ticket for the next day, and a voucher I can use on a future ticket. And they told my that my baggage would be put in a locked room(remember that). So that was nice. And then I got to spend the rest of the day in Seattle with my dad. We went to REI and the Woodland Park Zoo(which is, by the way, my favorite zoo in the history of ever). The next morning, I got up EARLY and went to the airport. I didn't have to check any bags(since they were already in New Jersey), and I already had my boarding pass WITH A SEAT NUMBER on it. No problems in security, and I got to the gate in plenty of time. Other people got bumped from the flight... but not me! I felt bad for the people who didn't get on, of course, but not bad enough to give up my seat and say goodbye to my dad all over again.
I got into Newark, NJ at around 3ish Eastern time. THERE ARE NO BATHROOMS IN THAT AIRPORT. It took me forever to find a restroom. I was in literal pain by the time I did find one. But I did find one, so all was well. I called my aunt to find out how close she was(ten minutes), and then went to find my poor bags. First I talked to your stereotypical NJ lady, accent and all, who informed me that I was in the wrong line, and to go "ovah theah" to get my bags. She waggled her fingers in the general direction of "theah," and I headed off to find my bags. As I was heading to the correct window, I saw my bags... just standing against the wall... in the open. I assumed that a security person would jump me if I tried to get my bags, so I waited in line. At the end, an angry Jamaican lady informed me that if I could see my bags, I could just take them. That... bugged me. My luggage didn't appear to have been tampered with in any way, but I hate being lied to. Either the airline employee in Seattle had blatantly lied, or didn't know what he was talking about, which is still a lie. I've seen this a lot in airports and with airlines. I'm not sure what the deal is there.
Anyhoo, my wonderful aunt Nancy picked me up from the airport! I was in pain from the long flight, and it was a looong drive back to her place because some key roads were still closed from the flooding, but she still made me enjoy my ride! New Jersey is very flat and very green. Almost like Seattle green, but a lighter green. We made it back to her apartment safe and sound. I got somewhat settled, and played with my cousin and a little girl that my aunt babysits. I enjoyed it. It was nice and peaceful and quiet... quite the opposite of the last two days.
The next day we went to the Turtleback Zoo, which was fantastic, but I won't bore you with all my zoofangirliness. But zoos=awesome in my book. Then... we went to New York City! The first stop was the Central Park Zoo(like I said... zoos are my thing), which is an extremely well done zoo. It gets really crowded, and it doesn't have the large exhibits that seem to really wow people at big zoos, but it's a zoo that knows its limitations and does extremely well within them. We walked down 5th Avenue... went to FAO Schwarz(coolest toy store EVER)... walked down to the GE building... ate street food... had Mister Softee ice cream... it was a good day. Hot, but good.
Sunday, we had to go back to the city to pick up my aunt Molly. We had a pretty low-key Sunday, which was good. On Monday, we went back to NYC. This time, we went to Washington Square and I met up with Colby, an old friend of mine from Alaska. We walked around some of the NYU campus-ish area and got falafel sandwiches. Later, I met up with my aunts and cousin again for some more NYC fun. Molly and I went shopping and got awesome fruit smoothies from one of the street vendors. At the end of the day, we took the subway back to where we had parked the car(for the record, Nancy is a parallel-parking goddess), and then drove home.
Tuesday was low-key, which was a good thing, because it rained. Hard. We went to Kohl's, and half of the parking lot was flooded, that's how hard it was raining. On Wednesday... I got up super early, and my wonderful aunt Nancy took me to the airport, with my also-wonderful aunt Molly coming along to help me inside the airport. I got everything together, went through security(it's never crowded for the super early flights), and I was on my way! My plane was NOT oversold, and I got on my seat just fine! I finished Pride & Prejudice, and got to Orlando without any major hitches.
I used Mears for my travel from the airport to the program check-in. The counter was really far from my baggage claim, and I felt like a ridiculous camel with all my bags. I had to wait a bit for a van, but it wasn't bad. There were three other CP people in the van with me. The shuttle person dropped off two other people at their hotels first. I wondered about that a little, because our location was closer, and there were more of us. When we got dropped off, though, I found out why.. none of the college interns tip! People: It is polite to tip your transportation from the airport, whether taxi or shuttle. They have to help you with your luggage, but it's up to them whether or not to be nice to your luggage and whether or not to take you to your location first. Tipping your shuttle driver will make life easier on future interns.
The check-in process was crazy, but everything went smoothly. There are people who will tell you exactly where to go, what to do, how to act, and where to sign. No question is ever too dumb to ask. Most of the people helping you did the college program themselves, so they understand your confusion and possible nervousness.
My apartment is in the Chatham building! I wasn't super thrilled about that at first, but I've gotten to like it. I was given my apartment number and key, and about 30 minutes to get my bags in and get back to the bus stop to go to Casting. None of my roommates were in, but there was a note saying hi and a bag full of cookies. I ran out as quickly as I had come in, because I didn't want to miss that bus. Casting was... interesting. They whipped me right through the hiring process that took me a week at the grocery store I worked at back home. I got my assignment: Adventureland Merchandise! I am SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT. Seriously, that's one of three locations where I wanted to work. the other two were Tower of Terror or somewhere in the Animal Kingdom, and after being here, I've found out that the costumes there tend to be more comfortable. That's fantastic, because while I'm getting used to the humidity, I'm not used to it to the point where I could wear some of the costumes I've seen.
After casting, I made a Wal-Mart run with a couple of my new friends. We got lost getting there and back, but figured it out in the end. I think I'm going to stick with taking the bus from now on- it will take longer, but there will be less chance of getting lost. When I got back, I met my roommate, B(I'mma use letters for my roommates until I get the okay on using their names)! We share a bedroom, so I was glad to meet her right off. I spent the rest of the night unpacking and getting settled and meeting my other two roommates. Nothing too interesting happened.
On Thursday(today), I slept in a little, and then made another Wal-Mart run for some laundry supplies. When I got back, I had some lunch, and then I went to the Welcome session, where they covered housing. I made some more friends while I was there. Everybody here is so nice! It's so easy to start conversations with people, which is great, because there's a lot of waiting. We're all in the same boat, and we all came here for the same reason: we want to work for Disney. Some people want to work for Disney for different reasons, and that's what makes the conversations more than just running through a checklist.
Later today, I went to Grocery Bingo. This is a Very Big Deal here. Basically, if you win, you get free groceries. I read about the crowds online, and let me tell you, none of the other bloggers are exaggerating. There were hundreds of people there tonight. I'm glad I got there an hour early. I didn't win any groceries, but I still had fun. They ended up sending my group back outside so the next set of hundreds of people could get in. I had the option of waiting in line again, but I decided to just go home. I'm getting the hang of the bus system... I think. Anyways, that's all for now! Thanks for reading, and hopefully I'll be able post soon. :)
This next bit has nothing to do with Disney, but people have been asking me what I've been up to, so here's the summary of my last week: Last Wednesday, I said farewell to my family(which was a tearful moment), and my dad and I drove to Seattle. I checked my two heavy bags and went through security. The TSA people at the Sea-Tac airport are nice, but not particularly efficient. I got to the gate and checked in with the flight agent. You see, instead of having a seat number on my boarding pass, it merely said "check in at gate." It turned out that the flight was oversold by 16 people, and NOBODY was volunteering to get off. Nobody. People who checked in first got their seats. I guess I was behind? Anyways, thanks for that, HURRICANE IRENE.
So I didn't get on my flight. I did, however, get a hotel voucher, a first class ticket for the next day, and a voucher I can use on a future ticket. And they told my that my baggage would be put in a locked room(remember that). So that was nice. And then I got to spend the rest of the day in Seattle with my dad. We went to REI and the Woodland Park Zoo(which is, by the way, my favorite zoo in the history of ever). The next morning, I got up EARLY and went to the airport. I didn't have to check any bags(since they were already in New Jersey), and I already had my boarding pass WITH A SEAT NUMBER on it. No problems in security, and I got to the gate in plenty of time. Other people got bumped from the flight... but not me! I felt bad for the people who didn't get on, of course, but not bad enough to give up my seat and say goodbye to my dad all over again.
I got into Newark, NJ at around 3ish Eastern time. THERE ARE NO BATHROOMS IN THAT AIRPORT. It took me forever to find a restroom. I was in literal pain by the time I did find one. But I did find one, so all was well. I called my aunt to find out how close she was(ten minutes), and then went to find my poor bags. First I talked to your stereotypical NJ lady, accent and all, who informed me that I was in the wrong line, and to go "ovah theah" to get my bags. She waggled her fingers in the general direction of "theah," and I headed off to find my bags. As I was heading to the correct window, I saw my bags... just standing against the wall... in the open. I assumed that a security person would jump me if I tried to get my bags, so I waited in line. At the end, an angry Jamaican lady informed me that if I could see my bags, I could just take them. That... bugged me. My luggage didn't appear to have been tampered with in any way, but I hate being lied to. Either the airline employee in Seattle had blatantly lied, or didn't know what he was talking about, which is still a lie. I've seen this a lot in airports and with airlines. I'm not sure what the deal is there.
Anyhoo, my wonderful aunt Nancy picked me up from the airport! I was in pain from the long flight, and it was a looong drive back to her place because some key roads were still closed from the flooding, but she still made me enjoy my ride! New Jersey is very flat and very green. Almost like Seattle green, but a lighter green. We made it back to her apartment safe and sound. I got somewhat settled, and played with my cousin and a little girl that my aunt babysits. I enjoyed it. It was nice and peaceful and quiet... quite the opposite of the last two days.
The next day we went to the Turtleback Zoo, which was fantastic, but I won't bore you with all my zoofangirliness. But zoos=awesome in my book. Then... we went to New York City! The first stop was the Central Park Zoo(like I said... zoos are my thing), which is an extremely well done zoo. It gets really crowded, and it doesn't have the large exhibits that seem to really wow people at big zoos, but it's a zoo that knows its limitations and does extremely well within them. We walked down 5th Avenue... went to FAO Schwarz(coolest toy store EVER)... walked down to the GE building... ate street food... had Mister Softee ice cream... it was a good day. Hot, but good.
Sunday, we had to go back to the city to pick up my aunt Molly. We had a pretty low-key Sunday, which was good. On Monday, we went back to NYC. This time, we went to Washington Square and I met up with Colby, an old friend of mine from Alaska. We walked around some of the NYU campus-ish area and got falafel sandwiches. Later, I met up with my aunts and cousin again for some more NYC fun. Molly and I went shopping and got awesome fruit smoothies from one of the street vendors. At the end of the day, we took the subway back to where we had parked the car(for the record, Nancy is a parallel-parking goddess), and then drove home.
Tuesday was low-key, which was a good thing, because it rained. Hard. We went to Kohl's, and half of the parking lot was flooded, that's how hard it was raining. On Wednesday... I got up super early, and my wonderful aunt Nancy took me to the airport, with my also-wonderful aunt Molly coming along to help me inside the airport. I got everything together, went through security(it's never crowded for the super early flights), and I was on my way! My plane was NOT oversold, and I got on my seat just fine! I finished Pride & Prejudice, and got to Orlando without any major hitches.
I used Mears for my travel from the airport to the program check-in. The counter was really far from my baggage claim, and I felt like a ridiculous camel with all my bags. I had to wait a bit for a van, but it wasn't bad. There were three other CP people in the van with me. The shuttle person dropped off two other people at their hotels first. I wondered about that a little, because our location was closer, and there were more of us. When we got dropped off, though, I found out why.. none of the college interns tip! People: It is polite to tip your transportation from the airport, whether taxi or shuttle. They have to help you with your luggage, but it's up to them whether or not to be nice to your luggage and whether or not to take you to your location first. Tipping your shuttle driver will make life easier on future interns.
The check-in process was crazy, but everything went smoothly. There are people who will tell you exactly where to go, what to do, how to act, and where to sign. No question is ever too dumb to ask. Most of the people helping you did the college program themselves, so they understand your confusion and possible nervousness.
My apartment is in the Chatham building! I wasn't super thrilled about that at first, but I've gotten to like it. I was given my apartment number and key, and about 30 minutes to get my bags in and get back to the bus stop to go to Casting. None of my roommates were in, but there was a note saying hi and a bag full of cookies. I ran out as quickly as I had come in, because I didn't want to miss that bus. Casting was... interesting. They whipped me right through the hiring process that took me a week at the grocery store I worked at back home. I got my assignment: Adventureland Merchandise! I am SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT. Seriously, that's one of three locations where I wanted to work. the other two were Tower of Terror or somewhere in the Animal Kingdom, and after being here, I've found out that the costumes there tend to be more comfortable. That's fantastic, because while I'm getting used to the humidity, I'm not used to it to the point where I could wear some of the costumes I've seen.
After casting, I made a Wal-Mart run with a couple of my new friends. We got lost getting there and back, but figured it out in the end. I think I'm going to stick with taking the bus from now on- it will take longer, but there will be less chance of getting lost. When I got back, I met my roommate, B(I'mma use letters for my roommates until I get the okay on using their names)! We share a bedroom, so I was glad to meet her right off. I spent the rest of the night unpacking and getting settled and meeting my other two roommates. Nothing too interesting happened.
On Thursday(today), I slept in a little, and then made another Wal-Mart run for some laundry supplies. When I got back, I had some lunch, and then I went to the Welcome session, where they covered housing. I made some more friends while I was there. Everybody here is so nice! It's so easy to start conversations with people, which is great, because there's a lot of waiting. We're all in the same boat, and we all came here for the same reason: we want to work for Disney. Some people want to work for Disney for different reasons, and that's what makes the conversations more than just running through a checklist.
Later today, I went to Grocery Bingo. This is a Very Big Deal here. Basically, if you win, you get free groceries. I read about the crowds online, and let me tell you, none of the other bloggers are exaggerating. There were hundreds of people there tonight. I'm glad I got there an hour early. I didn't win any groceries, but I still had fun. They ended up sending my group back outside so the next set of hundreds of people could get in. I had the option of waiting in line again, but I decided to just go home. I'm getting the hang of the bus system... I think. Anyways, that's all for now! Thanks for reading, and hopefully I'll be able post soon. :)
Monday, July 25, 2011
An Introduction: Kayleigh
Hey, all! I'm Kayleigh. I'm going to be a Merchandise Cast Member at Walt Disney World for the Fall 2011 session. I'm a 20-year-old LDS girl from the dry side of Washington state, though I was raised in Alaska. I have an associate's degree in biology from my local community college. I currently work as a customer service manager at a grocery store. I'm the oldest person in my family. I love chocolate, peaches, the color orange, and orangutans. I want to work in wildlife and wildlands conservation in some sort of public education sense, possibly at a zoo.
My first, and so far, only, major Disney experience happened when I was sixteen. My high school marching band went on a trip to Disneyland. It was the best week EVER. I had never been to a theme park before(there's a tiny waterpark in Anchorage, but... yeah... doesn't count), but I had been to fairs and carnivals. Disneyland was such a far cry from any of those that it doesn't feel right to mention them in the same paragraph. Disneyland was so clean and perfect... everyone was nice... even when we were backstage doing a band clinic or getting ready for a parade, everything was neat and shiny and wonderful. When we left, I promised myself that I would be back soon.
Why did I apply for the program? Well... long story short, I got rejected from my first-choice transfer university, and in a fit of pique, I applied to Disney World. I went through the application and online interview process, and scheduled a phone interview. It was sort of on a whim... but when people heard that I hadn't gotten into my top school(which was the only school I had applied to), I told them about my upcoming phone interview so I wouldn't seem so pathetic. And, well, I started getting more and more excited. My phone interview went well... and a week later, I got my e-mail welcoming me into the program. By that point, I was looking forward to it so much that if I hadn't been accepted, it probably would have been the end of the world.
And so far, that's my Disney story. I don't know much about Orlando- I've never even been farther east than Chicago. I'm sure the heat and humidity will join forces to make me miserable, but right now, I don't really care! I can put up with anything for a semester, ESPECIALLY if Disney World is involved.
My first, and so far, only, major Disney experience happened when I was sixteen. My high school marching band went on a trip to Disneyland. It was the best week EVER. I had never been to a theme park before(there's a tiny waterpark in Anchorage, but... yeah... doesn't count), but I had been to fairs and carnivals. Disneyland was such a far cry from any of those that it doesn't feel right to mention them in the same paragraph. Disneyland was so clean and perfect... everyone was nice... even when we were backstage doing a band clinic or getting ready for a parade, everything was neat and shiny and wonderful. When we left, I promised myself that I would be back soon.
Why did I apply for the program? Well... long story short, I got rejected from my first-choice transfer university, and in a fit of pique, I applied to Disney World. I went through the application and online interview process, and scheduled a phone interview. It was sort of on a whim... but when people heard that I hadn't gotten into my top school(which was the only school I had applied to), I told them about my upcoming phone interview so I wouldn't seem so pathetic. And, well, I started getting more and more excited. My phone interview went well... and a week later, I got my e-mail welcoming me into the program. By that point, I was looking forward to it so much that if I hadn't been accepted, it probably would have been the end of the world.
And so far, that's my Disney story. I don't know much about Orlando- I've never even been farther east than Chicago. I'm sure the heat and humidity will join forces to make me miserable, but right now, I don't really care! I can put up with anything for a semester, ESPECIALLY if Disney World is involved.
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