Magical Moments

I recently was able to see the fantastic parade, Festival of Fantasy for the first time!  Everything about this parade was beautiful.  As soon as the music started playing I got chills and then started tearing up.  Festival of Fantasy is a definite must see while visiting the Magic Kingdom at Disney World.  This parade only happens at 3:00 pm so make sure to line-up early and get a good spot!  Before coming to Disney I bought a new camera which I have enjoyed using while on the program.  I especially loved shooting Festival of Fantasy.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

After watching Festival of Fantasy I was able to watch Dream Along With Mickey.  I had not seen the show in so long so it was fun to watch it again.  Additionally, on the day that I visited there was a very small crowd of people watching the show so my roommates and I got prime seats.  Of course I took pictures during the show and here are some of my favorites!

 

 

 

 

Overall, I loved both the parade and the show.  I would definitely recommend going to see both of them while at the Magic Kingdom.  However, Festival of Fantasy is a must see while at Disney World!

Traditions

Every cast member of the Walt Disney Company must undergo Traditions before officially becoming a cast member.  Traditions is basically an orientation session where you learn about Disney’s values and customs.  Traditions takes place at Disney University, a building where many different orientation sessions occur.  Disney goes above and beyond in everything they do and this orientation session is no different.  During the session you earn your ears, get some special surprises along the way, and get your nametag.  Let’s just say it was a very magical day!

Down the Rabbit Hole

 

Curioser and Curioser.  This past week has been a blur.  I feel somewhat like Alice going down the rabbit hole;  all of a sudden I am in a beautiful magical land, Disney World!  It still has not completely set in that I will be living here in Florida working for the Walt Disney Company for the next 8 months.

Monday, May 19th was check-in day.  I arrived at my designated time of 10:00 am and then proceeded to get into the line.  Once in line I was able to skip towards the front because my last name was categorized in the n-z.  For once having your last name towards the end of the alphabet payed off!  Once I got to the front of the line I  received my Program Guide.  The Program Guide is a book that holds all of the important information that you will need to know while on the program.  It includes Housing resources, work resources, education resources, general addresses of places around Orlando, and important addresses and phone numbers.

 

When you receive your program guide you also find out where you will be working!  I am going to be working at Port Orleans Riverside.  Initially, I wanted to work in one of the parks but I still think it will be fun to work at one of the resorts.

After you receive your program guide, then you find out what apartment you will be living in.   My roommates and I got our first choice and are living in the Patterson Court complex.  Next, you file into a series of stations including: going over what Traditions session you will be in, Filling out I-9’s, and learning about Safety.  After all of that is completed depending on when your casting session is you may go immediately to casting or at that point you may be able to start moving in.  My casting session was at 11:30 am so after checking in I waited about 15 minutes and then got on a bus to casting.

The casting building is right across from Downtown Disney and it is the only place on Disney property that features the Alice in Wonderland door knobs! (1st picture)  The casting process takes about 2 hours and involves waiting in a lot of lines, but hey it’s Disney!  While at casting you simply fill out more paperwork and go into more detail about your specific orientation dates for your work location.  For example, everyones first orientation is Traditions which I will talk about in a separate blog post.  Then my orientation day 2 is located at Disney University and my orientation day 3 is located at Port Orleans.

After completing casting I was able to move into my apartment!  The apartment complex is beautiful and I cannot wait to spend the next few months here.

Flowers, Food & Surprises

This past Sunday my mom and I visited Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival.  The Flower and Garden Festival happens every year for a series of weeks.  The main components of the festival are flowers and food.  There are numerous Disney topiaries around Epcot from classic Disney characters such as Donald and Goofy to new favorites like Lightning McQueen. Walking into Epcot, one is visually overwhelmed with vibrant hues of every shade.  At the entrance to Epcot there are Donald, Daisy, and Goofy topiaries.  Disney is great with details and this is just as true with the Flower and Garden Festival.  I loved the detail of the Donald topiary with the bumble bee on his face.  

Flowers

As I mentioned previously visually this festival is gorgeous.  There are flowers everywhere you turn and the topiaries feature the likeness of many Disney Characters.  I took about 300 pictures while at the Flower and Garden Festival, but for now I will share some of my favorites.

I love this photo.  The motion of the monorail is captured in the background and in the foreground are gorgeous lilac hued flowers.

This topiary is of course of Lightning McQueen from Cars.

I love how Disney planted the flowers in the shape of flowers!  This particular flower shape is very reminiscent of the 70’s with the whole flower power movement.  It reminds me of That 70’s show.

I absolutely love Bambi, he is one of my favorite characters.  This set of topiaries from the movie Bambi is simply adorable and was definitely one of my favorites.

Here is another view of the Bambi topiary with me in it!  I love how the topiaries capture the likeness of the characters so well.  Disney definitely captured the bashfulness and shyness of Flower in this topiary.

Moving onto the UK Pavilion and onto my favorite Disney movie of all-time, Peter Pan, this topiary features the likeness of the crocodile.  This topiary definitely makes for a cute photo-op and captures the quirky character of the crocodile.

Cinderella… enough said.

In the Japan Pavilion at Epcot they had a special Bonsai exhibit for the festival.  This was hands down my favorite Bonsai that I saw.  I love the beautiful pink flowers that are blossoming on it.

Who out there is a Toy Story fan?  Well, I definitely am!  Even though in the movie Lotso is definitely a villain, this topiary is still very cute!

This was my favorite topiary set out of all of the topiaries at the festival.  Lady and the Tramp were fittingly located in the Italy Pavilion.  I love the colors in this scene!

This may be one of my favorite shots that I photographed while at the Flower and Garden Festival.  Located near the Germany pavilion there were topiaries of all seven dwarves and of course Snow White.  Pictured here is Sleepy.  I love everything about this photo: Spaceship Earth in the background, the bird on the lantern, and the beautiful flowers in the foreground and the background of Sleepy.

In the words of Elton John,

From the day we arrive on the planet

And blinking, step into the sun

There’s more to be seen than can ever be seen

More to do than can ever be done.

I love the Lion King and I love this topiary!

Food

To start, I am a foodie.  As a result during my visit to Epcot I may have indulged in multiple delicious treats.  From food carts to Italian pizza I ate my way around Epcot.

As mentioned in the previous post, “I’m almost there”.  I was definitely looking forward to trying a Violet Lemonade for the first time at Pineapple Promenade.  I had heard great things about this drink and lets just say this icy, sweet, violet hued, drink did not disappoint.  To start off, this drink is ice cold and is about the consistency of a slushie.  It will truly cool you off on a hot Florida day.  The taste is perfect with just the right amount of sweetness and the flavor is delicious.

Next up, what do you get when you cross a croissant with a donut?  Why, a cronut of course!  If you are in the need to fill your fried sweet tooth stop by the Canadian Pavilion.  This is a delicious sweet, however I found the consistency to be a bit off.  This fried treat has the flaky layers of a croissant, however, the frying process tends to leave this dessert a bit too chewy.  For now I think I will eat the original croissant or donut and leave this hybrid out of my diet.

Hands down this was the best thing I ate while at Epcot.  Trust me, this picture does not do this dish justice.  This is a Caprese and it can be found during the Flower and Garden Festival at the Primavera Kitchen food stand.  I love the freshness and simplicity of this dish.  The simple yet high-quality ingredients are what makes this dish stand out.  This dish is comprised of fresh mozzarella, olive oil, roasted peppers, and basil.  The flavors of this dish are amazing just writing this is making my mouth water!

My last stop while at Epcot food wise was Via Napoli, a full-service restaurant specializing in pizza located in the Italy Pavilion.  I got the individual Margherita pizza, which featured tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil (pictured on top).  I loved the simplicity of this pizza, however I wish they had put more basil on top!  My mom ordered the Capricciosa Pizza (pictured on bottom) which included tomato sauce, eggplant, artichokes, ham, mushrooms, and mozzarella.  She said it was good, however, we both agreed we have had better pizza’s.  All in all, if you are in the need to fill your hankering for pizza stop by Via Napoli.  However, for the price you may be able to find better value elsewhere.

Surprises

I have never been much of a character fan.  On all of my previous trips I have blown right by the characters in favor of riding as many attractions as possible.  However, this trip is different.  Instead of spending one or two weeks in Florida I have the privilege of being able to spend eight months here with free admission into all four main theme-parks.  As a result, I am going to take my time and take advantage of visiting characters and walking around taking photos.

Because of my new-found attitude change I was thrilled when my mom and I were walking around Imagination and saw none other than Hercules!  In all of my times walking around Epcot I have never seen Hercules so I was super excited to meet him!

Overall, the Flower and Garden Festival was a great experience.  It is a definite must do if you are a Disney fan and it was a great way to kickstart my Disney College Program!

I’m almost there!

As Princess Tiana said, “I’m almost there”.  After spending the past two days frantically packing and ultimately loading the car to maximum capacity, I have one more day until I will be in Orlando, Florida.  My mom and I left the house at 6:30 am this morning to leave for Disney World! I am writing this post from Chattanooga, Tennessee and by tomorrow night I will be at the French Quarter Resort at Disney World!  I cannot believe after all of these months of waiting in a matter of days I will be at Walt Disney World working for the Walt Disney Corporation.

This coming Sunday my mom and I are planning to go to Epcot to see the Flower and Garden Festival.  I am super excited because I have never been to this festival before.  At the Flower and Garden Festival they have Disney topiaries and of course I am looking forward to trying the Violet Lemonade at the Pineapple Promenade kiosk.  After that I am going to meet all of my roommates at Beaches and Cream Soda Shop in the Yacht and Beach Club Resort.  Then off to cheek-in at Vista Way on Monday!

24 Days…

There are 24 more days until I will officially be in Florida on the Disney College Program!  I am doing the Disney College Program Fall Advantage which means I will be in Florida from  May 19th to January 5th.  In preparation I have been listening to the Disney Pandora station non-stop and of course watching/reading Disney College Program vlogs/blogs.  I am so excited to start my Disney journey and spend 8-months in sunny Orlando, Florida.  The only things standing between me being in Florida are time, three exams, and one paper!  Of course Disney has been on my mind constantly which can be kind of distracting.  In fact, instead of writing this blog I should probably be studying… but, I have not blogged in so long!  As a result of my hiatus from writing, this is going to be a catch-up post on everything going on in my life related to the DCP.

I got accepted for a quick service food and beverage position which I am excited about because I have the possibility of working anywhere on Disney property.  Quick service food and beverage is basically like fast-food, so I will be working at any restaurant that is a non-table service restaurant.  As a result I could be working at one of the two water parks, four theme parks, Downtown Disney, or any of the resorts.  I am secretly hoping to be placed at one of the theme parks, but I will be excited with any location!  However, I do not find out what specific location I will be working at until May 19th (my arrival date).

I also already found all of my roommates!  I am going to have five other roommates and we are either going to live in Chatham or Patterson, in a three bedroom apartment.  There are four apartment complexes in total.  Vista Way, Chatham Square, Patterson Court, and The Commons.  Vista Way is the oldest complex but also the least expensive.  Chatham Square is relatively new and has a bus stop at the complex.  Patterson Court is the newest complex, the most expensive, and there is no bus stop.  Lastly, The Commons used to be solely for international students, however, it has recently opened up to all students.  Plus it has a washer and dryer in the apartments which is nice.

All in all, I am so excited for May 19th!  It still seems so unreal that I will be spending 8 months in Orlando, Florida working for the Walt Disney Corporation.    As Walt Disney said, “All our dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”

The Waiting Game

By far the hardest part about the entire application process is waiting to hear back from your phone interview.  At the end of the interview the interviewer will tell you that you should hear back within 2-3 weeks.  However, this time period can range for everyone.  Nevertheless, whether you hear back within a week or 3 weeks, the waiting period is still excruciating.  My interview was on February 18th and I heard back on March 1st.   For me it was an agonizing wait of 11 days to finally receive that Congratulations e-mail.  In retrospect, I was very lucky to receive my e-mail so quickly, however, during the waiting period all that was on my mind was that e-mail.  Furthermore, going onto Facebook constantly and seeing everyone else get accepted was not helpful.  My advice, stay off of Facebook while waiting, or limit yourself to one check per day.  Additionally, I would check my e-mail and dashboard an excessive amount of times, constantly refreshing them!  Trust me, this does not help, it just makes one more anxious.

On March 1st, I woke up around 10:00 am and the first thing I did was check my e-mail. Yet, there was no congratulatory message in sight.  I then went down to breakfast and came back to check my e-mail.  Mentally telling myself, “this is the last time you are checking your e-mail today!”, because I knew checking my e-mail every hour was just causing more anxiety.  I opened my e-mail expecting nothing, yet, waiting there was a message entitled Congratulations!  I literally started dancing, crying, and screaming all at once.  I went and woke up my roommate to share in the good news and then proceeded to call my family and friends!

The lesson of this story is eventually it will happen, and eventually you will get that e-mail.  Most likely you will receive the e-mail when you least expect it, but that is the best part!  Do not lose hope!  Additionally, do not check your e-mail and dashboard excessively like I did; learn from my mistakes!  Overall, the waiting game is an extremely tedious process, but what is waiting for you at the end is possibly the start of an amazing journey!

The Application Process

The Disney College Program application process is fairly simple and consists of three main components:

1. The Initial Application
2. The Web Based Interview (WBI)
3.  The Phone Interview

The Initial Application

Before applying for the Disney College Program you first must decide which program you want to participate in, as this will determine when you apply.  Disney offers two separate programs one in Anaheim, California at the Disneyland Resort and the other in Orlando, Florida at the Walt Disney World Resort.  There are four separate programs for the Walt Disney World Resort: Spring, Spring Advantage, Fall, and Fall Advantage.  At the Disneyland resort there are Spring, Summer*, and Fall.  However, the Summer session is only offered to DCP Alumni.

Walt Disney World Resort/ Disneyland Resort Applications:

Spring/Spring Advantage:  Applications and interviews occur from September to late October.

Fall/Fall Advantage: Applications and interviews occur from February to late March.

*Note Applications for both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort occur at the same time.  If you want to apply for both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort you do not need to fill out a separate application, when applying the application will simply ask if you would like to be considered for both Disney World and Disneyland.

Walt Disney World Resort Programs:

Spring: Program begins mid/late January and ends in early/mid May.

Spring Advantage: Program begins in late January/early February and ends in early/mid August.

Fall: Program begins in mid/late August and ends in early January.

Fall Advantage: Program begins late May/early June and ends in early January.

Disneyland Resort Programs:

Spring: Program begins mid January/early February and ends in mid August.

Summer:  Program begins in May to August.

Fall: *Two separate programs – one begins in May, the other begins in August, both last until early January.

The Actual Application Process

Once you have figured out what program you want to apply for and the corresponding application deadline, the actual application itself is pretty simple.

The application simply asks you basic questions such as name, age, etc..  Then there is a section where you fill out which program you are interested in (The Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort or both), a section where you will select spring/spring advantage or fall/fall advantage, a section about work experience, and lastly a section about roles at Disney.  The last section is hands down the most fun part about the application because you get to fill out what roles you are interested in.  On the application there will be a list of all of the jobs offered: Character Attendant, Quick Service Food and Beverage (QSFB), Lifeguard, Attractions, Hospitality etc.. then you will be asked to rate each of these according to preference. Specifically you will be able to select no interest, low interest, moderate interest, and high interest.

The WBI

Based on your application you may  receive an e-mail asking you to complete a Web Based Interview.  If you get this congratulations! You are moving on to the next step in the application process.  If you do not receive an e-mail right away asking you to complete a WBI do not worry!  You are not out of the application process until you receive an email saying you are no longer in consideration  (NLIC) or your Dashboard officially says NLIC.

My best advice for the WBI is to be completely honest!  The WBI is basically a situational personality test.  It asks you questions about what you would do in certain hypothetical situations and basic personality questions, such as, “Are you generally a positive person?”.  The best part about the WBI is the immediate feedback.  After taking the WBI you will either immediately be asked to move on to the next step and schedule a phone interview or you will be NLIC.  Because of this immediate feedback some people may have a tendency to get nervous and overthink the questions.  Once again, just breathe and be honest! Believe in yourself!

I filled out my application two days after applications opened (February 8th, 2014) and within a half-hour I received an e-mail asking me to complete a WBI. After the WBI I was then asked to schedule a phone interview.  Therefore, for me, the first two steps of the process happened fairly quickly.  However, keep in mind you are not out until you see NLIC.

The Phone Interview

I scheduled my phone interview for February 18th, 2014.  This gave me a little more than a week to prepare for the interview.  I had never completed a phone interview before and had very little previous experience in interviewing, therefore, this part of the process was the most nerve racking.  To prepare for the interview I found a list of possible questions that could be asked during the interview and looked over them.  I believe this is an important step in preparing for the interview, being able to look at the questions and having an idea of what is going to be asked is nice.  However, DO NOT over rehearse the questions.  The interview is just that, an interview, while it is ok to have some notes nearby, (I did), please do not simply read off over rehearsed answers to the interviewer.  Another great thing about the phone interview is it is your chance to tell your interviewer your top three choices for positions while working during the program and why!  My top three choices were Hospitality, Attractions, and QSFB.  This is your opportunity to connect with the interviewer! Additionally, make sure to ask questions!  This was my favorite part of the interview, I had prepared four questions and was able to ask my interviewer each one of them.  It was awesome to hear her experience working for Disney and how she got started working for the company.  Lastly, remember to smile and have fun!!!  Smile through the interview because believe it or not that smile will show through the phone!