Interview a CP: Rachel (Caribbean Beach QSFB)

Some college program participants have the opportunity to work in more than one location, possibly in more than one role (after extending). Rachel had the rare opportunity to help open Disney's newest resort, Art of Animation! Here's what she had to say about her experience:

What role did you have during the DCP, and where did you work?

I started my program doing Quick Service Food and Beverage at Caribbean Beach and then later on went onto being on the opening team at Art Of Animation. Later on I had the opportunity to switch roles and then went onto working on Main Street USA at The Emporium in Magic Kingdom. 

What was a typical day like at work?

Typical day doing QSFB consisted of me waking up at 5 AM and catching the early bus to work. Clock in at 6 AM and either be in a specific area of the food court or on register or cleaning and I was usually out by 12:30 PM and had the entire day off. Something went for working at Art Of Animation and working at Magic Kingdom, was a whole different story. I usually went into work anywhere from 3 PM to 11 PM and work through the night and the latest I went home was between 4 and 6 AM. 

Is this the role you originally wanted? If not, are you happy you got it?

Starting off doing QSFB, that was the role I originally wanted because I was a culinary student. When I went onto doing merch, I originally wanted Attractions but due to health problems and restrictions I had to kiss that role goodbye. But it worked out in the end, I found out I would have worked on Splash Mountain (I hate that ride) if I did attractions. 

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about your job?

Favorite parts? Just making magic for guests. Theres honestly too many things that were my favorite.

Least favorite? Early hours, cranky guests, etc.

Any specific magical moment you want to share?

Actually this was from my very last day on my program. A family came into the Emporium looking for a warm outfit for their daughter who had an accident. I showed them their options (which was just a pair of leggings) that were in their budget range. The mother really wanted to get the sweatpants but was upset because they couldn't afford them. I went over to my leader and asked for a no strings for an outfit. Once I got the approval from my leader, I went and got the sweatpants and matching hoodie and packed them in a bag and told the family to have a good night and enjoy their vacation. I didn't think expect to see the family again but I was wrong. The husband came back at the end of the Wishes wave and came looking for me. He found me and just thanked me and gave me a huge hug. He told me that they're vacation so far was terrible and people were rude and nasty and they were getting ready to just give up and go home early. I gave him my name and he got my picture and spoke to my other leader (who didn't witness the magical moment earlier). Before he left he turned back to me and said "It's people like you that make this place a better place for people to enjoy. Thank you so much for what you did for my little girl and she will never forget this trip". Till this day I still cry when I talk about it or think about it. Its moments like those that made my job worth the year that I spent. 

What made you want to do the DCP?

Actually a classmate of mine in my baking class would not stop talking about his experience because he just came back from participating in his program. As he went on about it, I researched it more and more and decided to apply on a whim. I pended for a month and found out I was officially moving to Florida four days after Thanksgiving. 

Is there something you wish you would have known before doing your program?

I wish someone would have told me how much I would miss Disney when I left. No one prepared me for the weeks of crying because I missed seeing the busses to get to the parks, or go park hopping or even just going to hang out at the parks with friends. No one prepared me for that. 

What advice would you give to those who want to participate in your role?

Be prepared for early early mornings and late nights. 

Rachel and her friend Sabrina!

Any advice for the character performer audition? What should someone expect when they audition?

I only tried out for the characters once for Star Wars weekends and it was extremely competitive. Make sure you come looking your best beyond the Disney look book and always make sure that you smile and look like you're having fun at all times. 

What advice would you give to people who are interested in doing the DCP?

Dont second guess it, just apply. It will literally change your entire life for the better. You'll meet people from all over the world, you have the opportunity to take Disney classes and learn while you work. And who could ever say no to free admission to the parks?! Getting to live on your own is fun too and I never lived on my own before the program and I loved the peace and quiet and bonding with my roommates. But enjoy ever single moment and don't take it for granted. 

P.S: I even ran my very first 5K at Disney and it inspired me to want to run more 5ks and I hopefully will be doing my first half marathon in the future!

If you're a current or past college program cast member and would like to share your experience, email your name and role to thedisneyden@yahoo.com to participate!

I hope everyone has a magical day!

Interview a CP: Valentina (All Star Music QSFB)

Valentina and Minnie!

Valentina participated in the DCP during Spring Advantage 2012! Unlike many other food and beverage cast members that I previously interviewed, Valentina actually worked mornings most of the time at her resort. Read on to hear about her experience!

What role did you have during the DCP, and where did you work?

I was quick service food and beverage, and I worked at the Intermission Food Court at All-Star Music!

What was a typical day like at work?
I would normally start between five and seven am. If I started at five, 5:30, or six, I had to open one of the different areas we had (pizza, grill, specialty, bakery, waffles, beverage island or market), which basically just meant getting everything ready for the breakfast hours. We were usually pretty busy between six and eleven am, but after that it was basically pretty slow for the rest of the day because all of the guests had already left for the park. At eleven we switched to lunch, so if you were in pizza, grill, specialty or bakery, you had to do changeover, which meant spending the morning getting the lunch things ready. Depending on the length of my shift, I'd be off around 11-12 or 2-3. 

Is this the role you originally wanted? If not, are you happy you got it?
It wasn't even in my top five. Or ten. But I did learn a lot and while there were a lot of ups and downs during my CP, overall I had a good experience.

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about your job?

Valentina and some friends at Typhoon Lagoon!

My favourite part was working in the grill! That's where we did pancakes and French toast in the morning, and burgers and chicken nuggets for lunch. It was always very fast-paced, and shifts there went by super quickly! I also really liked specialty, because the salad bar was really fun to work. My least favourite part was having to work so early — I felt like I was constantly missing out on hanging out with my roommates and doing fun things because I had to be up at three or four am.

Any specific magical moment you want to share?

The only thing I can think of is our area magical moment. I knew about magical moments before I started working at Disney, so I asked my trainer on one of my first days about it! What we did was called "Chef of the Day," where we picked a kid who was eating in the food court to be our chef of the day, asked him or her what flavour of ice cream they wanted and got them every topping in the house so they could make their own sundae!

 What made you want to do the DCP?
It was a total stroke of fate! I got an email in October of 2011 telling me applications were open, when I'd never signed up for any email alert, list or anything of the sort. Regardless, I went with my instinct and applied and it was the best decision I ever made!

Is there something you wish you would have known before doing your program?

I wish I'd been more selective with the roles I wanted when I applied, because I could have gotten a different role if that were the case.

All Star Music costume!

What advice would you give to those who are going to be participating in your role?

Be prepared to work a lot harder than you think you will, and for really weird hours because when you work resort F&B, you're either am or pm and you either start working really early or get off work really late!

What advice would you give to people interested in doing the DCP?

DO IT!!! It was the best experience I had and I'm so glad I did it. Do what you can to get here because it'll be worth it, and when you're here, make the most out of it. Don't forget that it's not always going to be perfect, and you'll have days when you'll want to go home, but at the end of the day, you'll be working in the happiest place on earth and doesn't that make everything a little better?

If you're a current or past college program cast member and would like to share your experience, email your name and role to thedisneyden@yahoo.com to participate!

Resort Hopping and Traditions!

I am SO sorry for not posting lately!! Training has started and it's been absolutely all over the place. However today is my last day of training and I have the night shift so I have some free time this morning to share with all of you what's been going on! I'll start with the first week after I left off with a tour of my new apartment in Patterson.

At the Polynesian Resort beach with Sarah and Sara!

After checking in and a few days off to use for shopping and getting settled, we had our housing meeting at The Commons (the international apartment complex). A lot of people were warning us that it was boring, but it really wasn't that bad. They mainly just went over the policies with what items you can't you can't have in your apartment, if you want to bring guests into your apartment, etc. After this, my roommates and I decided to go resort hopping for our first adventure together! We really wanted to check out where we were working (for those of us not in the parks like me), so we hopped on a bus and made our first stop at my work location, the Polynesian Resort. Let me just say, my resort is breathtaking! It's like the people who placed me there saw all of my tropical photos on my tumblr and decided "Let's put her somewhere like that." Okay, maybe not, but still it's really a perfect location for me. After we spent time on the beach and exploring the location more, we hopped on the monorail and went to the Contemporary, where my roommate Briana is working in merchandise. We spent so much time in the gift shop! After the Contemporary, we needed to somehow find a way to the Wilderness Lodge, where Sara is working. It's kind of awkwardly in a different area without a monorail, but still close to Magic Kingdom so we decided to just take a stop at MK and go on a bus to the Wilderness Lodge. I am absolutely obsessed with Sara's resort. My family would go camping at least once or twice a year during the summer, so it really reminded me of home. It also reminded me of Lake Tahoe, where my grandparents live and where I've been able to visit many many times.

Where I work!

The Wilderness Lodge was the end of our visiting journey for exploring our work locations for the night, so we decided to head back to the Polynesian and eat dinner at my work location, Captain Cook's. I don't know if it was this day exactly, but this was where I had my first ever Dole Whip! SO good! After dinner we needed to head to the bus stop and go back home because Briana and Sara had early morning Traditions the next day.

Which brings me to my next important event: Traditions!!

Traditions is the ever-famous Disney orientation where you finally become an official Disney cast member. I'm honestly not going to explain too much about it because most of it needs to be kept a secret for future cast members, but I'll tell you a brief bit of what to expect.

Many CPs are pretty nervous about being able to dress appropriate to "The Disney Look" for traditions, but honestly just make sure you're presentable and wearing clothes that are conservative and business like with closed toed shoes and you'll be fine. I just wore one of my few outfits I would wear to scholarship interviews when I was in high school. I don't have a picture right now but it was just a nice shirt and black slacks with flats. Pretty simple! I would NOT recommend wearing heels to Traditions because you will be doing a lot of walking. Traditions lasts around four hours, and yes there were some boring moments where a lot of people almost fell asleep, but overall it was a good experience and we finally got our Disney IDs and name tags!! (I might actually order a new ID with my hometown on it, since I don't technically go to the college on my name tag anymore.)

Many people know that after you go to Traditions, you can officially access the Disney parks for free whenever you'd like. Since our class was in the afternoon and finished after six and the park closed at around eight, we decided to just go back to the apartment and relax to get ready for going to the parks the next day. Some people rushed home and rushed to MK within the same day as Traditions, but honestly we weren't in any hurry because we knew we had five more months to visit them whenever we felt like it!

If you have any more questions about Traditions or the like, let me know. I'll do my best to answer them!