We Have Now Reached the End of the Journey

Well....my Disney College Program is officially over. I graduated on Thursday, moved out of my apartment yesterday, spent one last day in the parks, and came home today. It's hard to believe that I no longer live in Orlando, that I no longer work for Disney, and that I'm no longer surrounded by magic pretty much 24/7. What really sucks, though, is not being around the amazing people I got to spend my time with down there. Especially my besties. It's hard knowing that all of sudden I'm going from seeing them on a daily basis to not being able to see them at all. So this whole Post-Disney Depression (PDD) thing is very real. I'm going through such a wide range of motions, usually within a few minutes of each other. I'm happy to be home, back with my family, with my boyfriend, and with my friends here. I'm happy that I won't miss anymore family get togethers, and I get to spend the holidays with them this year. And that's going to be amazing because honestly, Christmas kind of sucked last year because it wasn't what I was used to. So I'm definitely looking forward to being surrounded by my huge, amazing family this year. :) But I'm also very upset about the fact that I'm no longer at Disney. I don't get live with pretty much constant sunshine (something I never thought I would get used to). I don't get to go play in the parks when I want. I don't get to get that wonderful Cast Member discount on pretty much everything. And I don't get to say that I work for the Walt Disney Company. I absolutely loved my life in Orlando, so I am definitely sad that I don't have it anymore. Being back home is definitely something I'm going to have to get used to again. And as sad as I am that this wonderful journey, this dream come true, is over, I am pretty excited to see what my next adventure will be. I've got a job interview lined up next week, and I'm applying for grad school, which if I get in, I will start in the fall. So I definitely have some kind of plan for my life right now. But, no matter how amazing it all turns out to be, nothing will ever truly replace my experiences on the Disney College Program. I had the time of my life, and I'm so glad I did the program. For everyone who kept up with my journey through this blog, thank you. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. And for those of you who are looking into the program, do it! You will never get another experience even remotely close to this. You will make amazing friends, work in the most magical place on Earth, and have the time of your life. It won't always be easy, but it'll be worth it. I promise. :) Well...that's it, I guess. My college program is done, and so is this blog. So, for the final time.... Have a magical day!

It's My Last Full Month!

So it's officially my last full month here in Orlando. I know I said this in my last post, but I really am sad about leaving. However, I know that it's time for me to go back home and settle into a "normal" life there. And as much as I love Disney and Orlando, I feel like I've been missing out on a lot back home, and I don't like that. I can't wait to be around my family and friends, and to be able to do the things that I love doing back home. And I'm also looking forward to being able to be back around my dogs! I miss them!

So since I'm leaving my "dream world" in 37 days, I have started trying to find jobs back home. So far, I've applied for one, and I'm getting my resume ready to send out to other places. I've also applied to go back to school for my Masters' degree. All that's left for me to do is to register to take the GRE. I'm dreading that because (a) I hate taking tests like that, and (b) it's expensive. But it's something that has to be done. To be honest, I'm looking forward to going back to school. I feel like I'll be one of those people who is pretty much always in school because there's just so much that I'm interested in and want to learn about. :)

However, I still have over a month left here at Disney, and I plan on making the most of it. Today, since I'm off, I'm planning on going over to the Grand Floridian and seeing the painted Easter eggs that they have on display. And Monday is my birthday, so Kim, Kelly, and I are planning to drive up to St. Augustine for the day to celebrate. I've always wanted to go to St. Augustine, so I'm excited that we're going for my birthday. :) I also have to start packing stuff up so I won't be rushed to do it all my last week here. Let's hope that for once, I'm actually on the ball about this. :p

Oh! And even bigger news--the boyfriend is coming to visit me!!! He'll be here for just 2 days (next Saturday and Sunday), but I'm so excited that he's coming!! He's never been to Disney before, so I'm very excited to get to share this part of my life with him and show him around the place I love so much. He'll be here in 10 days, and I can't wait!!! I just have to get through some crazy hours at work the rest of this week and next week. But it'll be worth it. :)

Well that's all for now. I will definitely try to update next week because I've picked up a PAC (Parade Audience Control) shift over at Magic Kingdom next Wednesday, and I want to tell y'all about that. I'm looking forward to that experience. :) And now I'm off to get ready and head out for the afternoon!

Have a magical day!
-Amanda

Sorry for the Disappearing Act

I know I've disappeared for awhile, and I apologize for that. I've been settling into my new apartment, hanging out with my friends, and working. So I've been a little busy. :p

Just a few updates since I've been away from the blog for over a month. I know I said in my last blog that we were supposed to be getting new roommates, and I hoped that 2 of them would be Australian. Well, they are! Their names are Clare and Taylor, and they are such sweet and fun girls. I love sitting and talking to them and comparing cultures.....and of course, listening to them talk with their accents. :)

On a work note....we've got 6 new CPs at my location, making it a total of 8 CPs, when really, we only need 4. This means that those who work part time at my location aren't getting hours, and Kim and I are getting fewer hours than we're used to. As a CP, we're guareented at least 30 hours a week. When I checked my schedule on Sunday for next week, I was only getting 28.5. Luckily, when I told my managers, they fixed it and got me the hours I need. But I really feel bad for the part-timers because they need hours, too. Whoever is in charge of placing CPs didn't really seem to think this one through. Hopefully things will work out and people who need hours will be able to start getting them again soon.

Last week, my parents came to visit me. :) We got to stay at the Grand Floridian, which is the nicest resort on Disney property. It was a very relaxing vacation, and even better since I only had to work one 6 hour shift while they were here. :) I love getting to spend time with my parents like this, and I'm sad that I won't see them until May now.

And speaking of May, I have officially decided to go back home to Georgia at the end of this program. Don't get me wrong, I love being here in Florida and working at Disney. And 2 of my best friends are here, and I hate to leave them. But, I miss my family, I miss Ronnie, and I miss home. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my life once I get home, but I'll figure something out. I'm just ready to go home. After going home for a few days last month, I know that's where I need to be again.

So there's what's been going on with me for the past month. Hopefully I'll be able to update (meaning: hopefully I'll have something to update about) more than just once a month. So until next time....

Have a magical day!

Officially Started WDWCP Spring 2012!

Well, WDWCP Fall 2011 is officially over. Everyone who didn't extend/get jobs with Disney has gone back home, and we're getting ready to welcome new CPs to Orlando. Those of us who did extend our program have moved into our new apartments and gotten new roommates. I'm still in the same apartment complex, but a different building. And I'm in a 3 bedroom instead of a 2 bedroom. I like it though. I'm rooming with one of my coworkers, who happens to be one of my best friends on the program, so I know that these next 4 months are going to be fun! :)

I'm having to get used to a smaller bedroom and bathroom though. And sharing space with 2 extra girls. It's going to be interesting, that's for sure. I've met 2 of my other roommates, and they seem really nice. We got 2 new ones yesterday, but since I left yesterday morning to head home for a few days, I haven't met them yet. I think they might be Australian, which would be so cool! :)

I'm looking forward to the things I'll get to experience and the memories I'll get to make these next few months. I know it's all going to go by really fast, and I still have things on my bucket list to complete. But I'm ready to experience all of this and see where this experience takes me.

Have a magical day!

Looking Back.....and Looking Ahead

So, here's the last blog post of 2011! I honestly can't believe this year will be over in less than 24 hours. It's gone by so fast! And I really can't believe that the Fall 2011 CP is almost over, too! It's hard to believe that in 5 days, I'll be moving out of one apartment and into another with all new roommates. The packing has already started, and the apartment is really starting to look empty now. :( My room is mostly boxes and crates at the moment, and I feel like I'm nowhere near done packing. Luckily I have some time before I go into work today to get some more done. I just hate packing and will pretty much look for any excuse not to do it. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels that way. :p

Anyway, usually at the end of the year, I like to reflect on what's happened and look to what the next year will bring. But since this blog is about my college program experience, that's what I'm going to focus on here. These last 5 months have been, overall, the most amazing 5 months of my life. I've had a lot of fun down here, met some incredible people that I will be friends with for the rest of my life, and I've learned a lot about myself along the way. I feel like I've grown up a bit, and I've learned to not let things get to me like they did before. I still stress out, but nowhere as much as I used to, and I've learned how to deal with my stress--mostly by exercising now. Which is a good thing. :)

This isn't to say that the past 5 months have been all good. There have definitely been some issues...mostly roommate issues. I'm not going to get into all of that because honestly, it's in the past, and I'm not dwelling on it anymore. I've learned that there was nothing I could do to really change anything, and people are going to act like they want to regardless of how I feel about it. It's not up to me to change people or to try and make them see the error of their ways. They have to want to see that. And if they don't, oh well. There's nothing I can do about it. So I'm not going to waste my time stressing over it.

I've also been homesick a lot, but that was to be expected, I suppose. It's definitely hard for me considering that I've pretty much lived at home until this point in my life. I'm close to my family, so not to have them here is hard. But, I'm glad I've gotten to experience life without having them right here. It's definitely allowed me to grow and see just how strong I can be. And I also know that I can make it on my own, which is something I needed to find out about myself.

These past 5 months have also been hard on my boyfriend and I. It's definitely been more of a roller coaster ride than before I moved down here. And there were times when I wasn't sure if we would survive this. But we have. And I know that we will come out stronger for this. He's been so supportive of me coming down here to do this program, and he's been really supportive of me staying here for another 4 months. I honestly couldn't ask for a better person to be with through all of this. He's amazing, and I am so lucky to have him. :)

While I will miss some aspects of the Fall program, I can't wait until next Thursday when I get to move into my new apartment and start this next chapter of my Disney journey. :) It's going to be another crazy ride, but I'm confident that it will be a blast. :)

So Happy New Year, everyone! May 2012 be even better  than 2011! :)

Housing for Extension

So, I went yesterday to get my housing assignment come January. I'm happy to announce that I will be rooming with one of my co-workers/best friends down here, and that I will be staying in Chatham! :) No changing complexes....just buildings. And the building I'll be moving to is a short walk from the one I'm currently in, so all is well with that. :) And I'll be on the first floor this time, which will make moving in so much easier.

Move out/in day is January 5. We have 3 hours to move everything from our old apartments into our new apartments. It shouldn't be a problem for me, but Kim (my future roomie!) is moving from a different complex. Hopefully she won't have too hard of a time getting everything moved.

I've already started packing up some stuff--mostly stuff for my parents to take back home with them when they come visit me next weekend. I hate the thought of moving again, but I'm excited for the next chapter in my Disney adventure. I still don't know what I'm going to do come May 11, but I'll figure it out. I have to.

Well that's all for now. I'm gonna get dressed and maybe head to Hollywood Studios for some drawing classes for a bit. :) Then it's back to the apartment to pack some more.

Have a magical day!

Extension!

Wow....it's been almost a month since my last update! Sorry for that! I've been pretty busy with work and classes....and my parents just left yesterday after visiting me for a few days. :) It was good to get to see them (and my dogs!!!), and to spend some time in Disney with them. :)

Also, I put in an application for an extension to my college program. I know I've talked about how much I love it here, and I don't want to leave, so I'm trying to find ways not to. I still haven't heard about the PI I applied for, but they have until December 4 to let me know something, so I should be finding out about that soon. However, I did hear about my extension request, and I was approved! So, I'm staying in Orlando until at least May 11, 2012. And I'm keeping my same role at my same location, which is fine with me. I love where I work and the people I work with, so I didn't really want to change. However, I'm still hoping I get the PI I applied for. As much as I love my current role, it's definitely not what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Because I'm extending, I'm going to be moving out of my apartment before the rest of my roommates. I don't know where I'll be moving to yet, but I'm hoping I stay in my current complex. That would make moving so much easier, and I love Chatham. I don't want to leave it! :p

Sorry this is kind of short, but I do have to go finish getting ready and head off to work. Luckily, this is my Friday, and I have a 3 day weekend ahead of me. I'll try and update some more in the next couple of days. And I'll definitely try not to go almost a month with nothing!

Have a magical day!

Picture Time!

Okay, here is the long awaited picture post I've been promising.

And yes, I'm aware that you all are saying it's about time. :p

So without further ado........I give you:

THE PICTURES.

First roomie picture! Taken at Casting right before we found out where we would be working.

Me and Cayla with Pooh and Tigger

Me and Mexican Donald. :)

Me and Cayla on a boat. :p

The oh-so-attractive costume.

Back when I was training. :)

Finally got to meet Pinocchio!

I sent this picture to my parents. :)

Minnie and Mickey came to my apartment complex for a Western style party. :)

Got to meet Gaston at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. :)

I met Captain Jack, too. :p

Me and one of my co-workers, Emily. :)

Finally took that hot air balloon ride. This is the view of Downtown Disney.

Panorama shot of World Showcase.

In Canada. ;)

Beautiful sky at sunset.

Found this on my car. I don't know who put it there, but it was definitely a magical moment for me. :)

Sorry it's sideways....but, Kristie, Chris, and Hannah visited Disney! :)

He danced with me. :)

Raspberry wine from South Korea. Yay for the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot!

Tiff and Jordan enjoying F&W, too. :)

Trying out the different sodas from all over the world! :)

I found out I got to audition for my dream job the day F&W started. This is how I celebrated. :)

I came home to find this lovely head in my bed. >.>

Those are just some of the many pictures I've taken since I've been here. Life has been pretty amazing down here. :)

Today is the first day of classes for me, so I'll post a blog later tonight telling ya'll all about them. :)

Happy Birthday WDW!!!

So, there is both big and little news today.

Big news: Today is Magic Kingdom's 40th birthday! Yay!

Little news: Today is also Epcot's 29th birthday! Yay again! :)

I didn't get to go to MK today, but that's okay because apparently this morning, 6,000 people were on Main Street. I don't like crowds (and I work at Disney World. Yes, I'm aware of the irony.), so I'm glad I didn't go this morning. However, it would have been nice to get a 40th anniversary cupcake. Or a button. Or a map....which are already on eBay. Go figure.

But anyway, I was thinking that my first trip to Disney World was taken during the 25th anniversary celebration. Fifteen years ago, I entered this world of fantasy and magic and dreams, and I never wanted to leave.

Fifteen years later, I don't have to anymore. :)

Oh....so I do have some more big news, and it kind of ties in with all of this. Tuesday, I went to an information session for the Y.E.S. program to find out about the audition process and all of that. I found out that I could apply for a Professional Internship since I'm currently in the College Program, so I did. I had to apply by Wednesday, and they were going to notify people yesterday that they wanted to move up into the next phase of the process, which is the actual audition. So everyone who submitted a resume did not make it to the audition round.

How did I do?

Well..........

..................

I made it!!!! I get to audition for a PI in my dream role this coming Wednesday!!!! I'm so excited! And I celebrated by going to the opening day of the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot with Cayla, Tiffani, and Jordan last night. :) Now I just need to work on what I'm going to do for my audition. I'll work on it tomorrow. :)

Fifteen years ago, I came to the happy place and told my parents that I wanted to work here someday. To me, Disney has always been a place where I can escape reality and see my wildest dreams come true.

And fifteen years later, Disney is still making those dreams come true. This place is truly magical. And I truly am blessed.

Wish me luck on the audition! :)

Have a magical day!

Sore & Tired....

Well, work has been keeping me pretty busy last week, and it's going to again this week. It started Thursday when they asked me to extend my shift to cover a co-worker who had to leave because she was sick. I agreed, so instead of getting off at 5pm like I was scheduled to, I got off at 8:30pm. Then yesterday, I went in 3 hours early. And I'm only getting one off day this week because I agreed to go in on Wednesday and work. I don't mind all the extra hours....especially since I know my next 2 paychecks are going to be AH-MAZING! However, I am definitely feeling the soreness and exhaustion that comes with being on your feet all day.

So, for those of you that are applying for the program and get FSFB, just be prepared for this. There will be days where you are either asked to come in early or stay late. And there will be times when they ask if you can come in on your off day and work. Do it. Even if you don't want to. Even if you have a million other things you need to do (laundry and grocery shopping, for example, like I needed to do). By helping out your managers and co-workers, you're making yourself look like a great CM, and that's important. If you want a future with Disney, doing this kind of thing helps, because they know they can count on you when they need you. Even if you don't want a future with the company, by helping out when you're needed to, your managers will be more likely to write you a glowing recommendation should you need one for school and/or a future job. Plus, if you have to extend your shift to cover a co-worker for whatever reason, that will definitely make your co-workers have more respect for you. :) It's important to be a team player here. Remember that.

Luckily for me, I love my job and the people I work with, so even though I'm completely sore (like....I could barely move when I got up this morning), and I really want to go back and lay in my bed, I'm not dreading working today, because I know that I get to make some magic for guests, and I get to work with some of the most amazing co-workers ever. :)

It's Been A Month!

I have officially been a Cast Member for a month! Yay!!!

Now, I know I've sucked at posting, and I'm sorry for it. Between work and hanging out with my roommates, I've been kept pretty busy. I feel like I live at Coral Reef--but luckily, I love the people I work with, so it's not a bad thing. And I get 2 consecutive days off right now, which is good. And judging from how the part- and full-timers schedules are, I should keep getting 2 consecutive days off. However, I know that could change when the Christmas season gets here. Business for us will pick up dramatically after Thanksgiving because we are one of the restaurants people can choose to eat at when they book their dinner packages for the Candlelight Processional. :)

So, I've been to Magic Kingdom a couple of times in the last week, and I'm very excited to report that they have their fall decorations up!!! It makes me excited to see the fall colors and pumpkins everywhere because it makes it feel a little more like fall....even if the temperature here isn't fall like at all. And what's even more exciting is that Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party starts on Tuesday!!! I've never been to the Halloween party, so I'm really looking forward to getting to experience it this year. :)

Well, I wish this could be longer, but I have to get ready for work. If I'm not exhausted when I get home, I'll try to post again tonight.

Have a magical day! :)

Sick. :(

So, I'm officially sick. Ugh. I heard that a lot of CPs get sick within the first 2 weeks of the program, but I didn't think I would be one of them. But I am. And it sucks.

I left work early yesterday, and then I called in today because I'm sick. And I hated doing all of that. But, I can barely talk, I'm coughing, and my body aches. Considering I work in a restaurant, I thought it would be safer for everyone if I just stayed home today.

I did have my weekend Tuesday and Wednesday, and it was very fun! :) Cayla's fiance was in town, so I spent a lot of time with them. Monday night, we went to Downtown Disney to see "The Change-Up" at the AMC. It was a good movie, but I forgot that it was filmed in Atlanta....and it takes place in Atlanta. So I did get a bit homesick after seeing all the places that I loved (especially Turner Field...with a Braves game happening). But, it was nice going to a late movie after work, knowing that I didn't have to get up the next day. :)

Tuesday, we went to Typhoon Lagoon and hung out there for a few hours. We rode a lot of the slides, and spent some time in the wave pool. We even got to see Tiff and Jordan working! That was pretty cool. Then, it started storming, so we were going to wait it out. We got what's called The Sand Pail--a sand bucket full of ice cream and all the toppings you could imagine. The 3 of us ate it, but we didn't finish it. We almost finished it though. :) The storm didn't let up, so we ended up leaving and coming back to the apartment. Cayla and Ryan went and had dinner, and then the 3 of us went to Jellyrolls at the Boardwalk Resort. It's a piano bar, and it was so cool. We spent about 3 hours there listening to the guys play all these songs on the piano. And it was requests only, so we got a wide variety of stuff. :) It was such a cool place. :)

Wednesday was spent at Hollywood Studios. We did so much--I think we rode almost every ride in the park. We also saw Fanstamic! It was my second time seeing the show, and it was Cayla and Ryan's first time seeing it. They loved it! :) We then proceeded to ride Tower of Terror 4 times in a row. :) Oh! We were waiting in line for Rockin' Roller Coaster, and there was this 8 year old girl in line with her dad and brother, and she was terrified. She tried to run back out of line because she was so scared to ride it. We talked to her and convinced her to ride it. I told her that I rode it for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and that I freaked out the first time too, but now I love that ride. They ended up riding in front of me, and when the ride was over, she turned around, smiled, and gave me a thumbs up. She loved it! That was the coolest moment for me. :)

So that was my weekend. And now I'm sitting here in the apartment in my pjs, sick, and it's storming outside. Perfect sleeping weather, I guess! :)

Have a magical day!

All About Work

Work is making me exhausted. Seriously. Today is my 6th day in a row of work, and it's my Friday (yay!!).

I guess I should give you a little insight into what it is I actually do at work. Well, there are several different kinds of jobs that I do.  I know when most people think of hosting, they think of the people who greet you at the restaurant, take your name, and then show you to your seat. This is exactly what I thought of when I thought of hostessing in a restaurant. But there is so much more to it then that. Of course, I've done the greeting thing where I check people in (this person is called, appropriately enough, the greeter. We also call this position podium.), and I've also shown people to their seats (also appropriately called a seater). But, as a hostess, or Front of the House (FOH) CM, I've also been in charge of stocking either the left side of the restaurant or the right side of the restaurant (known as left side or right side). We have side stations on both sides of the restaurant where extra place settings are kept so that the servers can just come grab them when they need to reset their tables. The person working left or right side is in charge of making these settings and ensuring that there are enough plates, napkins, forks, and knives to continue making settings. It's actually more difficult than it sounds, especially when you're having to hunt down forks and knives. The person who does right side is also in charge of making sure that the ice at the drink station in the kitchen is kept full, and that the butter that comes out with the bread is in the butter dishes and ready for the servers to just grab on the way to their tables. The person who does left side also helps with seating guests, too. Right side doesn't unless it's extremely busy. I hate being right or left side, because I hate stocking, but it does make the time go by a lot faster. So does seating the guests, especially when we're really busy.

The last job that I could do as a FOH CM is be the assigner. This is the person you see walking around the dining room checking for open tables and then assigning parties to them. I've shadowed assigners twice, but I haven't done it myself yet. To be honest, I'm not sure I want to. It seems to be a pretty tough job because there's so much you have to take into consideration. Plus, it wasn't really explained to me, I was just observing, so I'm not 100% clear on what to do.

All in all, I love my job. The Coral Reef is a great place to work. It's a beautiful restaurant with amazing food (yes.....I did get to do a tasting with one of the chefs! I love my job!) and great CMs to work with. And I love getting to talk to the guests and such. I have realized that there are 2 languages that I need to learn at least the basics in though--French and Spanish. I took French in high school, but that was so long ago, and I have forgotten a lot of what I've learned. Luckily, there are several CMs at the Reef who speak Spanish, so I should be able to learn some things from them. :)

Once again, sorry it's been a few days between updates. I've been working some long days lately. But, like I said, today is my Friday, so hopefully I'll get in an update or 2 tomorrow or Wednesday.

Have a magical day!

The Crazy Schedule Begins

So, I was off yesterday, which was good. I got some laundry and some grocery shopping done. I also got some cleaning done, and some other errands that I needed to take care of. And I still had time to hang out at MK for a couple of hours last night. :)

Today is the start of 6 straight days of work for me. And it's kind of a crazy schedule. Today and tomorrow, I work from 12:30pm-9pm. Friday, I work from 4:30pm-10:30pm. Saturday is the day I'm dreading. I work 11:30am-10:30pm. But, part of me is thinking that this is when my assessment will be, and that they've allowed time for that, which is why I'll be working so long. Sunday and Monday, I'm back to working 11:15am-8:45pm. And then I'm off Tuesday and Wednesday of next week! Yay! :) I think the only thing getting me through the next 6 days is the fact that I do get 2 days off in a row.

But, the good thing is work tends to go by fairly quickly because I'm always doing something. I'm learning that the restaurant business is a very fast paced business, and that's good for me. Yes, it's repetitive, but that's okay. And I have several different jobs that I do. So far, I've greeted people (basically checked them in if they have reservations, or put them on the list if they didn't) and I've sat people. And I enjoy both of those. I will say, if we're not busy, it does get boring. But, I work with fantastic people, and there's always someone to talk to. :)

Well, I'm off to finish getting ready for work!

Have a magical day!

Welcome to Coral Reef Restaurant!

So, yesterday was first day of on-the-job training. So, instead of wearing business attire and sitting in a classroom all day, I was finally able to wear my costume (I'll take pictures and post them later) and learn my actual job! :) And so far, I am loving it! I learned how to check people in, and I learned how to seat them yesterday. I pretty much got seating down because I did that at dinner, and we were slammed. It was pretty much reservations only last night, and my trainer ended up having to leave me to go help bus tables. She did make sure I was okay on my own first, though. And I was. After seating my first family, I got really comfortable with it. I'm still not 100% comfortable checking people in on my own though. But then again, I did that at lunch when we were pretty dead, so I didn't get a lot of practice in. Maybe tomorrow.

My fellow cast members at Coral Reef are really nice, as are the managers. They all welcomed me, and no one seemed upset that they had another CP there. Which is good, because I've heard so many stories from people about how their managers are mean, and the full- and part-timers didn't like having CPs around. I'm so glad that is not the case at my restaurant. Having great people to work with is going to make my job easier. Which is good, because this is my first time working in the restaurant business, and I don't want it to be too difficult.

That was pretty much my day yesterday. Today, I'm off, so I'm hanging out with Cayla, Tiff, and Jordan, and we're going to see the Peabody ducks at the Peabody Hotel, and then head over to Blizzard Beach for some fun!

Have a magical day!

Orientation Days

First, let me begin by apologizing for not blogging last night. When I got home, my roommates were at the pool, and then we all decided to go to CiCi's and then to Downtown Disney with the guys across the hall. So, that made half of the 2nd floor of my building hanging out last night. And it was a lot of fun. I meant to make last night an early night, but that didn't happen. And that's fine. I was hanging out with some awesome people. :)

So, yesterday was basically another day at Disney University. It was for everyone who's role is food & beverage. We had to sit in a room and watch presentations over safety when dealing with food and all of that good stuff. Then, we got to go down to the computer lab and sign up for the HUB (pretty much the place for Cast Members to go online for everything related to our jobs), and do some online classes. We also got our work shoes yesterday, too. Food and beverage is the only role where the shoes are supplied for us. Every other role has to provide their own shoes. So I'm not paying anything for any part of my costume. :)

Today was my orientation at Epcot. I won't go into everything that happened because I do want future Epcot CMs to have something to look forward to with orientation. And trust me, there's a lot to look forward to. :) I did get to get my costume today (and Disney sizing sucks, for the record), and I did get to see the kitchen of the restaurant I'll be working in. The two of us that are working at Coral Reef also got to meet the head chef of the restaurant, which was pretty cool. We also got our work lockers, and a little tour of the backstage area of Epcot. And we got to take a couple more online classes. And we got our schedules for on the job training (OJT) for the next week. This is where the really long hours for me begin. Tomorrow and Monday, I work from 11:15am-8:45pm. I'm not sure the exact hours the restaurant is open, but I'll be there for most, if not all, or them. Fun day indeed.

Tonight, I'm relaxing a bit and probably going to Hollywood Studios with the roomies. :)

Have a magical day!

Traditions!

Yesterday was a very long day. But it was also a very fun day. I had Traditions (which is held at Disney University!) yesterday, but I had the afternoon session with Cayla (Tiff and Izzy had it in the morning). So, I was able to go with Cayla to take her dad to the airport (which meant that I also got to see my parents before they headed home), and then I was able to do a Walmart run and get some stuff done around the apartment before I had to catch the bus at 12:45pm for the 2pm class. We had to dress up for Traditions, which was fine. What wasn't fine was standing at the bus stop all dressed up in the heat, and then the buses being 30 minutes late. >.< I have a feeling I'm going to need to get used to late buses. Hopefully they won't be that late.

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about Traditions because I think it should be a surprise for the people who will take it in the future. I will say that it is a long class, though, so bring food. They do have vending machines there, but you only get 2 10 minute breaks. So I would just go ahead and pack a snack. By the time we got through, I was starving. But other than that, it was a very informative class, and they did add some fun into it. We even got to take a field trip. :p And we had a special visitor, and they gave me a little something for being smart and knowing that Walt Disney founded the company:

My prize! :)

What was the best thing about Traditions, though? Well, we got our company ids and name tags, of course!

I'm an official Cast Member now!!! :)

My company ID.

I will admit to the fact that I almost cried when I got my name tag. Since my first trip to Disney World in 1997, when I was 9 years old, I dreamed of working here and having one of those name tags. And now, I do. My dream is coming true, and it's all unbelievably amazing and overwhelming to me. :)

After Traditions, Cayla and I came back to the apartment and met up with Tiff and Izzy. We went and did a little shopping (well...Tiff did), and then, we decided to put that company ID to good use, and we headed to the Magic Kingdom! It's a glorious thing to be able to get into the parks for free. We got there when everyone was either leaving or waiting on the parade and fireworks, so we were able to ride 4 rides pretty much back to back with very little waiting. We rode Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain, and then Izzy and I rode Haunted Mansion while Cayla and Tiff went and did some more shopping. :p

All in all, this is starting out as a wonderful experience. Today, I have Food & Beverage Core Training at DU from 1pm-5:30pm, and then tomorrow, I have Discovery Day at Epcot from 8am-3:30pm. I'll definitely blog some more tonight about how today goes!

Have a magical day! :)

Check-In!

I am going to start off by saying that I know it's after midnight, making this officially day 2 of my program. But...since I'm just now getting to where I can slow down enough to blog and I haven't slept yet, I will still refer to this as today. And now, on with your regularly scheduled post. :p

Oh my word. Today has been insane. I am so overwhelmed after everything I went through today, and I am so glad that day 2 is an off day so I can get settled in and recover from the craziness that was day 1.

I was up at 4:30am....something I typically don't like to do. I met my 2 housemates (Tiffani and Cayla) and Tiffani's boyfriend Jordan in the lobby of the hotel we were staying at, and we drove over to Vista to get in line for check in. We got there around 5:30, and while we weren't the very first people there, we were still at the front of the line. We stood in line until right around 8am, and I'm glad we did. By the time they opened the gate and let us in, the line was freaking long. I took video, and I'll post it tomorrow. It was ridiculous.

So, they let us in, and that's when the craziness started. We pretty much ran to the back of Vista and had to go through this process of filling out some paperwork that wasn't related to the paperwork we had to fill out before today. This is where we found out where we would be living, who our roommates would be, and got our parking decals (which I still haven't put on my car. I need to do that tomorrow). We also got our program guide, which will basically be our best friend throughout the program. It has pretty much any piece of information we need to know about the program, from maps of the apartment complexes to phone numbers, to information about the Orlando area. We also got our housing ID. I hate mine. My picture looks horrible, and no, I will not be posting it for you to see. :p

And just so you know, I did get with the 3 girls (Tiffani, Cayla, and my roommate Izzy) I wanted to be with, and we did get the apartment we wanted. All went very well with housing. :)

After we got through all of that, we had about 45 minutes to kill before we had to board the bus to Casting, so we walked over to the parents' area and met up with my parents for a bit. Tiffani took the time to actually drive over to the apartment complex and find our apartment. When she got back, we boarded the bus and headed over to Casting so we could find out where we would be working and get all of the technical things taken care of so that we could officially become cast members at Walt Disney World. And yes, this included taking another picture for our Cast Member ID. So now, I have to carry 2 IDs with me at all times. This should be fun.

So, I bet you're wondering where I'm working. Well, I was hoping I would be in a resort, but I'm not. I'm in a park. However, I got lucky and ended up in my favorite park, which is Epcot. And I'll be working at Coral Reef. This excites me. I ate there back in December, and it is such an amazing restaurant. Go look up information about it. It's awesome.

We were at Casting for what felt like forever. We had to get our background checks (including fingerprints) done. We got to turn in our on-boarding paperwork (the paperwork we had to fill out prior to getting here), we got to set up direct deposit for our money to go directly into our checking accounts, and we got information about our Traditions class and training schedule for the rest of the week. Traditions is on Wednesday. I have the later session, which is at 2pm. I'm glad because those who have the 8am session have to be at the bus stop at 6:45am Wednesday morning. I won't have to be at the bus stop until 12:15pm. More sleep for me! :p All I know about Traditions is that it gets us acquainted with the Disney Company and Disney World, and we get our CM IDs. Once we get those glorious CM IDs, we can officially get into the parks for free and start getting our CM discounts! The parks are going to be overrun with CPs on Wednesday! :) I'm so  excited to get to visit the parks again. I'm just trying to figure out if I should visit MK or Epcot first. :p

I start training on Thursday. I have what is called "Discovery Day" at Disney University then. I think this is probably when everyone with the same roles get together and learn about their role and what to expect and all. Friday, I actually have orientation at Epcot. I'm not sure if it's just for my restaurant, or if it's a park orientation. I guess I'll find out then!

After Casting, we headed to get our cars and go to the apartment to start unloading and moving in. Of course, it rained pretty much the entire time we were moving things in (oh...and we're on the 2nd floor of a building with no elevators.) Pretty fun stuff there. :p I was completely soaked by the time I finished getting all of my stuff inside. We had a few hours before our housing meeting (which was at 3pm) to start unpacking, so we did. Then we went to the meeting, and that lasted about 2 hours. Not gonna lie, it wasn't the most exciting thing in the world, and a lot of it was just repeating information we had already been told. I was pretty glad when it was over.

I went out to eat with my parents because I hadn't eaten a real meal all day. I get the feeling that I will have more days like that. So....I'll probably (hopefully) lose some weight on this program. :p After dinner, they took me to Walmart, and then I came back to the apartment to finish unpacking and such. I'm still not done, but I do have most of the stuff unpacked. I can always finish tomorrow. :p

That was pretty much day 1. It was all very crazy and overwhelming. A lot of information was thrown at us today. I'm going to have to take some time tomorrow to sit down and go over all of it.

I think it's bedtime for me now. Hopefully I'll get my pictures/videos uploaded tomorrow so I can post them and show you how things went. I'll do an apartment tour once we're all completely settled in and everything. :)

Have a magical day....er...night! :)

Made It To Orlando!

So, I arrived in Orlando late yesterday evening, after a very loooong day of driving. I didn't do much of anything because, well, I was exhausted last night. Pretty much came to the hotel, got settled, got dinner, and then went to bed. Such excitement, I know. :p

Today has been a little more eventful. It started off with a visit to Downtown Disney this morning, including breakfast at one of the newest restaurants there, Pollo Campero/Fresh A-Peel. I had some cereal and one of the fruit cups, and it was really good. Then I headed over to Babycakes Bakery (which is inside Pollo Campero), and tried one of their coconut doughnuts. I did have some reservations because they use completely organic things in their baked goods, but I was curious. And the verdict? That doughnut was one of the best doughnuts I've ever had. :) Then after that, there was some more shopping, then a trip to Walmart and to find where I have to go check in tomorrow, and to find where the apartment complex I hope I get is at. :)

Tonight is the check-in dinner for everyone checking in tomorrow. I'm excited because I get to meet a lot of the people I've talking to on Facebook. And....I finally get to meet my awesome housemates in person! :) I'm so excited!

Well, that's all for right now. I'll try and blog about tonight when I get back. If not, then look for a pretty lengthy update tomorrow. Actually, look for a pretty lengthy update tomorrow anyway. :p

Have a magical day!

Blog Roll!

Just a quick update to say that I added a blog roll page. So, if you want to check out some CP blogs from different roles, click the last link at the top of the page and check out some of the other blogs I follow. I'm still looking for other blogs to feature in my blog roll, especially those roles that are blank right now! So, if you have a CP blog you want me to feature, leave me a comment with your name, your role, and the link to your blog! :)

Happy reading! :)