WDW College Program

With in the program you are assigned to one place of work, but this does not mean they can’t send you to another location say for a week. This week I got deployed to River Side Port Orleans Resort with 7 other coworkers. When you get deployed you are essentially in the same line of work just in another location, so I was still able to be apart of quick service food and beverage. Even though this is the same business I felt like I was in a completely different world.

My first day at Port Orleans was quite the experience. From what I knew if you had been deployed they will send you an email as notification that you were relocated. I guess through technical difficulties I did not receive an email, so I showed up to Epcot thinking that nothing had changed. After speaking to my manager she showed me how I can see on my schedule if I was placed at a new location and sent me on my way. This unfortunately caused me to be very late but after explaining my story to the leaders at Port Orleans they were very understanding. They were able to show me around and let me finish out my day with them.

In Epcot we stand at a cart all day or are apart of the kitchen which restocks the carts. It is more of a demanding environment where you are always doing something because thousands of guests are at the park everyday. In River Side the environment is way more relaxed probably due to the fact that it’s only really busy times are breakfast. Once 10 o’clock hits most of the people who stay at the resort are either out at the parks or enjoying the sunny weather outside. It was a nice change of pace and really allowed me to get to know the coworkers that were deployed as well. We were all very confused at first and weren’t to sure on what we had to do and where everything was located, but we were able to really stick together and try to make the best out of our situation. Even though I was very nervous to start at a new location almost directly after my training was done at Epcot I am greatful for the opportunity to see what it is like to work at other locations.

This week has been very exciting as well as challenging. I finished training at my job location on Monday. Today, I started on my own and at first, I was very nervous. I thought it was going to be very difficult to be on my own since during training I experienced many difficult situations with a lot of guests. But it went pretty smooth and I was able to check in a good amount of guests. I had put into practice everything I have learned during training and it made the process very easy. I also got an evaluation and it was time for me to remove the red tag that read ‘Earning my ears’ since I had already finished training. I was really happy because this meant that I was officially a cast member and that I did not require further training.

The Resort where I work is usually very busy. I love it because you meet a lot of people from different parts of the country as well as the world. The front desk is always busy so you never really notice the time go by. I really love meeting and interacting with new people. It can be a challenging job at first but once you understand how everything works and you learn to interact with the guest with enough confidence it is very fun and rewarding.

This is my third week at work and I feel very fortunate and proud. first, one of my leaders congratulate me for such impeccable work that I’ve been doing in housekeeping since day one. Just to add a little bit more about housekeeping department, I want to say that out of all positions within a hotel housekeeping is one of the most harder positions to work in.

Today  I was chosen to participate in a special event coordinated by my leader and supervisor. The event was based on my country independence’s day, we were celebrating The Dominican Republic Independence’s Day which is February 27th. Some of the things we pointed out during our presentation was our agriculture field, Dominican Republic agriculture mostly produce; Sugarcane, Coffee, Cotton, Cacao, and Cattle. Some of the things we exports are; Ferronickel , Sugar, Gold, Silver, and Coffee. Another thing that many people may not know is that The Dominican Republic is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Adding some more about our culture, our country cuisine is predominantly made up of a combination of Spanish, Indigenous “Taino”, and African influences.

After our presentation we showed a video about all different places of our country so the audience could  have a better idea of how this beautiful island looks like. It was a very emotional moment for everybody specially for all of Dominicans that were there including myself. I did this event because I am really proud of who I am as Dominican, and that’s why I did it, but when at the end of the presentation all of the managers came over to congratulate me and they gave me a recognition card then at that moment I felt that all my work and effort was paid off. And after that I felt more proud than before. I also want to say that this event helped me to brand myself and to get all of my leaders and co-cast members to know more.

here are some photos about this morning’s event and also my recognition card!.

Last week I started training at my job location. I was very excited but also very overwhelmed due to the amount of procedures and information that I have to learn. I was amazed by the amount of responsibilities that a front desk cashier has when completing a check- in. I do not have any experience working in hotels but I have been learning a lot of new things that have made me even more interested in the hospitality field than before. I’m currently working at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. I love it. It can be very overwhelming at first because the hotel has been having a high occupancy rate the past couple of days. A lot of people love to visit the hotel because of its unique themes. The property is divided into different segments the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Each part of the property that falls into one of these categories has a theme that corresponds to said decade. The front desk and the lobby is amazing. very colourful and cool. They play music from each decade so you’re never bored. I’ve met some of my co-workers and they are very friendly. I was very nervous at first before starting but now I am more confident and I am very sure that this will be the beginning of an unforgettable journey.

Last week it was also my first day of classes. I have missed the first day due to mandatory training but I was able to catch up with the assignments. It is a large class and there are many people from different parts of the world. I find it so interesting and the classes are challenging. We learn a lot of new things in relations to Advance Hospitality Management and Human Resources. I love learning new things about the hospitality business that will broaden my knowledge as well as allow me to grow as a person.

This week in my Organizational Leadership class I learned that I am a driver, it’s a style of communication and it means that I’m the person who always takes charge and wants solutions. I like to be very direct and expect the same from other people. We took a self assessment in class and found out our communication style. It was about 6 of us that were drivers and our professor had some questions for us, and it was so scary how every driver had the same answers.

For my Advanced Studies in Hospitality Management class we are doing a business plan about a Value Resort, we already came up with the name and theme for our resort, Vision and Mission statement, and our SWOT analysis as well. I have to admit I am very excited about this project.

During my time off I have been visiting all the parks, which is not a surprise but this time I have been meeting with characters. I got to meet my favorite Pixar characters of all times Mike Wazowski and Sulley.

Since I never had the chance to come to Disney World when I was a kid, this is my only chance to meet all the Disney characters and also get their autographs. I got my very own autograph book. My goal is to have every character’s autographs along with their pictures. So far I got a couple, from Mickey to Ariel.

This is my second week here at the WDWCP. After traditions, I’m finally in training. I’m currently earning my ears now. I was a bit scared to be working in a park that I’ve never been to until I started training on site, because of the questions I would be bombarded with by Disney guests. Luckily, I have gotten a few tours by different trainers which have really helped me get to know Hollywood Studios a little better. My training is coming to an end tomorrow. Today would be my first night training. I’m a little nervous, but I think I’ll be okay. Since this is my first week as a park greeter, I really took into consideration what having an emotional connection with guests are. It’s honestly just making conversation with them and making them feel important. As these guests would be let into the park, I would make conversation with them and I notice them smile. That really made me feel good inside. If a guest was having a bad morning and was heading to the park, I am the person letting them in and I would want to be that person to help them have a good rest of the day.

This has been my second week of Disney classes. There was another set back this week, for some reason my name wasn’t showing up on the roster for the professor. Luckily, I contacted the department of disney education and they were able to solve it within the day. Apparently, the person who filed my payment forgot to complete the process. However, everyone makes mistakes and I’m just glad that this one was resolved. My two classes are Human Resources Management and Advanced Studies in Hospitality. I have the same professor for both classes. Professor Campbell is amazing, I really like her teaching technique and her personality. She breaks things down and gives real life stories in order for us to understand and relate to. I enjoy both of the classes greatly.

I also just registered to become a Disney VoluntEAR and is excited to continue the volunteer work I was doing back in New York.

I have just completed my second full week of training and now I have more of an understanding of how much work is really being asked of me. When first beginning my training I was not completely sure of what exactly I was going to do in Epcot but I was very excited to work in a park that I have never been to before. On the first day of training, Discovery Day, the leaders take you around the park and show you all the work locations you will be training at. From my understanding we get trained at all of the locations but once fully trained they will keep you in one zone of the park.

After the fun of Discovery Day the real work began. We were issued our costumes and the next day scheduled to come on and start training at one of the food carts. My first trainer’s name was Ben. He is a very sweet man and knowledgeable of almost everything outdoor vending. His training concept was to throw us into the lions nest and help when needed. He did go over the basics and where exactly we can find everything but that was it. I did really appericate this type of training due to the fact that I am more on a hands on learner, so this allowed me to really dive into my work and get myself a nice flow.

For the next few day I had the same trainer and was performing a lot of the same tasks. On the last day they assigned me to train in the kitchen. This is where the Mickey pretzels, speciality popcorn, turkey legs and other various quick to make foods are stored and prepared. I really enjoyed being in the kitchen because of its laid back atmosphere. When on stage you are constantly aware of your self and your surrounding because you have to keep up with the Disney image. In the kitchen you have a little bit of time to collect yourself before entering the stage area again to bring the refills of the foods to the carts.

My last day of training, assessment day, will be this up coming Monday. After I pass my assessment I will be able to work at the carts by myself and handle my own money. I do have high hopes for this day and but still very nervous on the outcome. From what I Ave been told it is a simple assessment and will go over the topics that almost all of my trainers have been preparing me for. Now I just have to try my best and take pride in all that I have learned thus far. 

This week has been a very challenging week because my training days had ended.  This photo on the right is my first bed that I made by myself, I have to say that at first it was really difficult, I could not believe how many steps have to be done to make a bed at a hotel. today is my second day ramping up, I was supposed to have only four rooms to make on my second day, but due to the Valentine’s weekend we had a lot of check outs and we were really busy. So I ended up having six rooms three check outs and three occupied. Eight hours shift may sounds a long time to do six rooms but actually it is not enough time. Just to do one check out room it took me like two hours to have it done, so three rooms was six hours and remember that I only had eight hours so there was two left to do the other three. Today was a difficult day but thank God I had some help from my coordinator she helped me finish on time. The reason why it takes me like two hours to do a check out room is because we have to leave the room like nobody else was there before. The upcoming guest have to feel and see the room like in a new welcoming and fresh environment where they can enjoy their vacation and immerse their life into a fantasy life away from reality.

Disney main’s  goal is to immerse their guest into a fantasy that will create a lifetime experience for them while their stay here at Walt Disney World. For example, the four keys is an good way to explain how Disney provide the excellent service that they have been providing and will continue to provide on and on. I am sure this company will continue to grow in the future, because the service their provide is exceptional. Just to give you some ideas of how big is this company, Disney owns a huge part of Orlando plus their other location internationally that makes this organization a worldwide known company. I am so proud to be a cast member of this company.