Great Movie Ride Tour

In my area the manager set up tours each program. I was lucky enough to get a tour of the Great Movie Ride. The tour happened back in March so forgive me for lack of detail. It was so much fun and gave me a new appreciation for the ride. It is really great to be able to go in the ride and know so much about it.

We all met outside the ride at about 7 after the park was closed. We walked the entire track. I got to stand on the yellow brick road, hangout with John Wayne and even see backstage (but I won't talk about that). When I do my next program I would love to be a tour guide for the ride. That would be a dream. Here's some pictures!

A bunch of people were freaking out in the Indiana Jones room but I wanted to touch all the snakes. They wouldn't let me touch the ones that moved. 

I had noticed one of our tour guides disappeared and then we got here and as I suspected he jumped out as a bandit. The reaction was hilarious. 

They have programs named after people on the computers in the Alien room. 

Me with my munchkin friend. She isn't creepy at all. ;]

Follow the yellow brick road. =]

It sure has been awhile

I apologize for not keeping this blog updated while I was at Disney. There were times during the summer I was working 50 hours a week. I barely had time for myself. I wish I would have updated more. Not only for my followers but also for myself. I had an amazing time doing this program. I meet so many amazing people and they are truly some of my best friends. If you have any hesitations about the program just do it. You're in for the experience of a lifetime. Nothing will replace my Disney memories or the wonderful friends I made.

I'm going to give a bit of an update about what my life is now and then I'm going to put individual posts about different things I did during my program. Here we go.

The biggest thing about Disney that has affected me is not getting seasonal. For merchandise you have to have no more than 5 attendance entries (that means being late is the same as calling in) in a six month period. While I was never late, I called in six times. I went through a period in May where I didn't want to go seasonal and there were rumors going around that the managers could override the policy and that it was actually 6 entries and not 5. I really regret that last call in. Not only was I just one over, my first point would have been past the six month period a mere week after my program ended and the next point would have gone the day after. Now not only can I not work there but I can't get into the park which is really torturous when you're only a few hours away and have to drive through Orlando to get home from college.   Lesson learned. There will be times you don't want to go to work. Don't call in unless you actually can't go to work.

Now I'm back in school. I go to UNF and I absolutely love it. It definitely isn't as easy to make friends here though. I do find myself missing Disney a lot. Almost all my pictures in my dorm are of Disney or people from Disney. I'm studying Electronic Media and I enjoy every minute of it. I plan to graduate spring 2013. Puts me a year behind but considering I took last year off I'm right on time.

At this point in time I plan on applying to the summer alumni program. I have friends coming back in the summer and I would love to spend the summer at Disney. Hopefully from that I will be able to go seasonal. My top 3 role choices would be Character Attendent, Photopass and attractions. I emailed recruiting and they told me applications come out in January. I plan to apply as soon as they're out. I will update more on that when they come out.

This is enough for now. Look forward to up coming posts about different things I did at Disney. Great Movie Ride tour, moving to Patterson, my 21st birthday, 4th of July, Grad Nite (RIP), and graduating.

It isn't the same

It isn't the same without the people who left in May. My favorite ICPs leave very soon and it is going to be very sad working without them. I have decided not to extend. I am going back to school. I am going to UNF and I will hopefully have an amazing time there. It is a really great school.

It's been two months....

I am loving it here. Yes it's a lot of work and yes I don't have that much time to myself but it is awesome. Mostly I work the glow carts throughout magic kingdom. It's hard work but it's pretty fun. The people I work with are great. They make everything so much fun. I am really going to miss the ones who leave in just a few short weeks. I know I have been neglecting my blog but people are right, it is really easy to just forget about it. I've been thinking about what to do after my program. I am seriously considering extending my program. I would like to extend in attractions though. I would love to work the great movie ride. It would be amazing to do that. My manager set up a tour of the great movie ride for all the CPs in my area and since then I've had a new appreciation for the ride. I loved movies before that but working in that setting seems so much fun. If I can't extend then I'll probably just go back to school and finish my bachelors. I don't really want to go back to school right now though. The only thing I don't like about the program is the housing. Chatham is nice but I hate the visitation policy. I understand why outside people can't come in after 1am but I don't understand why people from vista or Patterson can't come in. Most nights I don't get off until 1:45 and it would be great if we could go to someone's house and hangout but we can't so most nights we end up spending money at ihop. Well I'm tired. I do have more to
Write about though. Maybe tomorrow

Been really busy here.

I have worked everyday since Traditions. Tomorrow is my first day off and it's been a long time coming. I really do enjoy the job though. Finally finished training and had my first day by myself yesterday. It was a little stressful. Everything I was told I probably wouldn't have to do that often, I had to do. Returns, exchanges, dump skus, voiding an entire transaction. The only thing I didn't have to do was a package pick-up. I handled it all pretty well though. They even had me close a store on my first night. The manager was really nice though so I didn't feel too stressed about it. She told me what to do and helped me out. Today I get to work pirates which I'm really excited about. I heard it was busy which I like because it makes time go by so much faster. As long as nothing too stressful happens then I'll be good.  One problem I have is counting the disney way. I understand the concept and I understand why it's a good idea to do it that way but when you're so used to doing something one way it's hard to get in the habit of doing it another. It takes me a few seconds to count back to the guest and it makes me look slow. I can tell the guest just thinks I'm stupid and can't count which makes me feel really awful because I'm really good at that kind of math and normally I can figure out a guest change in a few seconds without counting and without looking at the register. I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually but right now it's making me flustered and I hate looking stupid. Another reason I'm excited about pirates is that I know I won't be alone. In Adventureland you kind of just get thrown in by yourself and guests expect you to know everything. I know almost everything about magic kingdom so I'm happy to tell them where splash mountain is or the fastest way to fantasyland. I know NOTHING about the merchandise we sell so when a guest asks me if something comes in a different color or where they can get a Tigger sweatshirt I don't know what to tell them. I don't want to give a guest the wrong information but I also don't want to call a manager for something that small. During training a manager, coordinator or someone from the stock room was always walking by but yesterday I was lucky to have one person walk by every time I changed posts. I did okay though and luckily the guests were all really nice. I got on the bus during wishes and that just made my day a lot better.

I really have nothing else to share. I have no roommate drama and I haven't even really been out to the parks yet because I've been working so much. Tomorrow we're going to toontown before it closes on friday. Kind of sad that it's going but I hardly ever go in there so it isn't much of a loss. I think the fantasyland expansion will be better anyways.

I have arrived!

I got to Orlando on Sunday and went to visit my friend at UCF. My GPS took me to Valencia Community instead which is about 20 miles out of the way. I eventually found UCF and she gave me a nice little tour. It would be a great place to go if I get accepted there. 

Check-in on Monday went by pretty fast. My roommate and I got there around 7 and there were about 20 people in front of us. They let us in around 8 and since we didn't have any luggage to put away we ended up being closer towards the front of the line. Once we go to the housing part they told us they had nothing left in Patterson which was a huge bummer because we really wanted to live there. We ended up in a 2 bedroom at Chatham and it really isn't that bad. I enjoy the apartment. It's spacious and our room is big. We have really nice roommates and everyone I've met so far is really nice. The one complaint I have right now is we need wireless. I'm currently hooked up at the tiny desk and it's not all that fun. 

After check-in we went to casting. It is an amazing building just like everyone says. When you first walk in you get the most important information, where you'll be working. I will be working at Adventureland merchandise. I heard the costumes were pretty bad but I hope they aren't awful. Today is traditions and I'm in the second group. I heard we won't be done until around 7 but I hope we have a little bit of time to go to Epcot or something. I have training all morning tomorrow and again all day Friday. I can't wait to get my actual schedule. 

7 Days!

I have just 7 short days left before I leave for Orlando. I work 5 of those days so I'm a little stressed out. I will spend today washing clothes, packing and doing homework for my online class. I'm taking spanish and mass communications. I'd like to get a few weeks ahead in my classes so I don't have to worry about it during training and everything. I little good news, I just got accepted to UMass Lowell. I may go if it doesn't work out with UCF. Only problem is that I won't find out about UCF until after I would need to do stuff for Lowell. Either way at least I know I have somewhere to go.

Well since it is 7 days before arrival I should go make a packing list. I plan on getting this done today and leaving out some clothes for the week. Then I can just do a load of laundry the night before I leave and I'll have everything I need. Here's a list just for myself.

Kitchen
Coffee Maker
Toaster
Magic Bullet

Bathroom
Shower Rack
Shower Curtain
Shampoo
Conditioner
Body Wash and my soap bar
Razor and Blades
Loofah
Toothbrush/paste/floss

Bedroom
Twin Sheets
Comforter/Blanket
Pillows
Clothes
Jewelry
Hair Stuff
Make-up
Books
DVDs
Wii
Playstation
Television

Office/Study Stuff
Laptop
Printer
Paper

What I need the day of Check-In
Binder to hold papers and my On-Boarding Paperwork (which I will finish today)

I'm sure more will be added to this list but for now that's enough. I can buy whatever else I need when I get there. I just want to note that this is stuff I already have. Can't wait to see everyone in just one short week!!

Almost at the Two Week Mark!

So I leave 2 weeks from tomorrow!! That's just 15 days! On Thursday, I told my boss that my last day would be the 28th. It made it so much more official since I didn't have to hide it anymore and I could discuss it with my coworkers. They ask me questions and I can talk about it at work which just makes it that much more real. They're all really excited for me. My boss wasn't too happy I was leaving but what can ya do. 

The plan is to take the hour drive up to Orlando the day before and stay at a Sheraton. Hopefully it's the Sheraton Safari because it's literally down the street from Vista Way but my dad's not sure yet. I'm hoping to hangout with a couple of my UCF friends that day. I'm haven't even thought about packing yet but I need to do that next weekend. If I don't do it soon I'll end up doing it the night before/morning of which won't be good. 

So since this is the 15 day mark, I'm going to go through the checklist that's on the college program website of what we should have prepared at this point. 

Download and complete the on-boarding paperwork.

Just printed the packet out today at work. It's a 14 page packet about all the policies we have to follow and the normal employment forms that you fill out for every job. There are a lot of strict rules for Disney but nothing to out of the ordinary. I just want to point out that gambling and sleeping are not allowed on the job so if you were thinking of having a poker-nap-party while on the job then you might want to rethink your plans. 

Employment Eligibility Verification

Again, something you need for every job. This is the social security card, birth certificate, driver's license, passport. You don't need all those things but I'm pretty sure unless you have a passport you'll need two of them. The on-boarding paper work explains the different categories and exactly what you'll need. 

The Disney Look

I don't do anything out of the ordinary so I know I've got that covered. 

Later this week I'll try to put up a packing list. It will definitely help me and maybe it can help someone else too. I live in Tampa which is less than 2 hours away so I'll definitely be driving. I will be able to bring more stuff (hopefully I won't have to buy much when I get there) than those of you who are flying. I can't wait to get there and meet everyone. This is something I've wanted to to for a very long time and I know it will be a great experience for me. 

While I wait...

I got this from fellow blogger Jaime. Figured it'd give me something to do. I'm at less than 3 weeks away and I am super excited. Tomorrow I will be telling my boss that I am leaving at the end of the month for an amazing journey. I'll let you know how that goes. 

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  What are you most excited for about living in Florida? Considering I already live in Florida, I'm not excited for that. I AM excited about doing the CP though. I'm excited about meeting people, getting to know all about the parks and the Disney Company, being in the most magical place in the world everyday, having the time of my life. 

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  What are your goals for when working at the park? Have fun and enjoy myself is the biggest. Also to pursue a career within the company and learn as much as I can. Take advantage of every networking opportunity in order to fulfill my dream of working for ABC. 
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  What park do you hope to be placed in? I requested EPCOT but anywhere except Downtown Disney, only because it's crazy busy, would be great. Animal Kingdom would be perfect since it has the most regular hours but I'm also a night owl so Magic Kingdom would be a good fit too. 
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  What is your favorite park? EPCOT. 
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  What is your favorite attraction at Disney World? Am I really suppose to choose?
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  What is your favorite attraction at Disneyland? I've never been but I would love to go. 
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  What is a favorite memory inside the Disney parks? Every memory has been a great one. 
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  What are some of your favorite traditions inside the Disney parks? I actually don't have any but I'll be sure to make some. 
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  What is a favorite thing you have bought from inside the parks? The first time I went to Disney my parents bought me a minnie mouse hat. I had that thing forever. I wish I knew where it was. 
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  Who is your favorite Disney character? There are so many to choose from. If were talking princess then I would have to go with Belle because she is the only one who doesn't need rescuing. She's already smart and intelligent and she does the rescuing. I guess Mulan is pretty kick-ass too. 
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  What is your favorite Disney movie? Again, too many to chose from. If were going with classics then I'll say the Lion King cause Be Prepared is the best song ever. 
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  Who is your favorite Pixar character? The desk lamp. 
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  What is your favorite Pixar movie? Toy Story. 
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  What are your plans with Disney in the future? I would like to be a television producer for ABC or work in production for the parks. 

It's been awhile...

I know it's been awhile since I last posted. I've been busy with school and work. Also. I honestly haven't had that many Disney related things to share. I live an hour away from Disney so I haven't had a need to make any travel arrangements or worry about packing. I plan on packing the weekend before I leave. If I forget anything I'll absolutely need from home then I can always make the drive on a day off to come get it. It barely feels real that its happening at the end of the month. I light up whenever anyone mentions it. I was at a NYE party last night and everyone was asking me about it and I was so excited to share everything I knew. Since I last posted I have found a great roommate, been to Disney twice, have had a miserable time at work, have had a great time catching up with old friends since they're in town for break and have had an interesting time finding a school I want to go to after Disney.

I attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and had a great time. It is definitely a worth while experience. When we first got there we headed toward Tomorrowland and went on the Stitch attraction. Not a big fan of this attraction but my friend was so we went on. When we left we saw Buzz! I had never gotten a picture with a Pixar character before so we ran to the line. The rest of the night is all blurred together so I don't know in which order the rest happened. At some point we went in line for space mountain. We were able to walk all the way to where the line splits in two (that's a pretty short wait for those of you who don't know) and then it broke down. They told all of us to exit the ride. It took about 20 minutes with the massive amount of people to actually get out. I have no idea what happened but they at least gave us a fast pass to come back when the ride was functional again. We went to the Laugh Floor (Monster's Inc comedy show) and watched the very long initial video you watch before you go into the actual attraction. When we got in it went through the intro and then stopped working so once again we were sent packing on another attraction. It was okay though. It didn't happen again.
One thing I have to say is that the free hot cocoa and cookies is the best. You can have as much as you want. They were practically throwing it at us by the end of the night. For only being there 7 hours we were able to go on everything we wanted to go on. Peter Pan was our longest wait. Near the end of the night there was practically no one there. We got a picture with Donald Duck in his frontier outfit, there was a country bear just walking around so we took a picture with him and then we saw Woody in a parlor and got a picture with him as well. I had never seen free roaming characters.
Before going into Magic Kingdom we had a late lunch at the Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort. I picked it randomly because it was on the monorail so it was the most convenient. I had no idea I'd like it so much. I definitely recommend eating there at least once. It has a small menu but the food is amazing.

The second time I went to Disney was with some family friends. My sister's friends were taking her to Disney but we were away so my sister was a day late and I had to drive her up there. My sisters sang in the Candlelight Processional twice this month so luckily we had a Disney ticket I could use to tag along. We ended up going to Hollywood Studios but not before we had breakfast at the Kona Cafe (it was a few weeks after the initial visit). There breakfast is almost better than their lunch and the kona coffee is to die for. I didn't order it but some others at my table did, they have this giant piece of frecnh toast stuffed with bananas and other things. I tried it and it was great. Definitely not a health food.
We got to Hollywood Studios at noon and the fast passes for Toy Story were already gone so we did not wait the 120+ minutes for the ride. We did do a lot of other things though. We rode Rockin Roller Coaster 3 times on single rider. They tell you every chance they get that your party will be separated but two out of the three times I was next to or behind someone in my party. We also rode Tower of Terror, Great Movie Ride, saw the Muppet 3D show and the Osbourne lights and did a bunch of other stuff I can't remember now. We had lunch at the prime time dinner which they also call Mom's Kitchen. It looks like you're in a 50s home and they play 50s shows on an old fashioned looking television like The Mickey Mouse Club. It was a lot of fun. Our waitress was awesome.

The next day I had to go back to work after being away for about a week. It was not fun. As I get closer to Disney, my job starts to get more mundane and almost torturous. I get my wisdom teeth out on Friday and I'm almost looking forward to the days off. Sounds awful I know but that's how much I don't like it. Don't get me wrong I appreciate the opportunity to have a full-time job at only 20 and I do not take it for granted but this is not what I'm meant to be doing so it does not make me happy.

I've been thinking about what I want to do after Disney. Originally I was going to go to an online arts school to finish my degree, my major would have been motion picture and television, but after careful consideration I've decided that is not the right path for me. It is too expensive and I don't know how much opportunity I'd really have after going to a school like that. I've applied to multiple schools. Florida State, Florida Gulf Coast, University of Massachusetts Lowell and University of Central Florida. The one I most want to go to is UCF. They have a Radio and Television program and it would be the most convenient if I wanted to continue my career at Disney. The one fear I have is not getting into any of these schools. I had a decent time in community college and could have gotten into any of these schools last spring. However I had an awful semester at USF due to my full-time job, family troubles and honestly the fact that I was set to go to an online school so it didn't really matter what grades I got. I ended up failing a course which brought my GPA down lower than anyone will accept. I'm trying to see if at least UCF will make an exception but with the break I may not find out until its too late and then I don't know what I'll do. Either way I'm hoping Disney will give me some answers and a future in what I want to do in life.

I know this was a long post but I had to play catch up for my lack of updates. I promise I will post as much as possible in the upcoming weeks as I prepare and I will try to post while I'm at Disney. The blogs I like to read the most are about the people actually experiencing the CP, not the people preparing for it. Have a magical day!