WDW College Program

The past few days two of the attractions at Blizzard Beach were closed for maintenance so we had a lot of guest complaints and unhappy guests. The staff did an excellent job handling these guests so our leaders awarded us with pizza. It is always good to know that the hard work that we put in does not go unnoticed. When I first found out that I would be a member of the parking crew I was unsure about how I felt. After working a few days in parking I absolutely love it. Although we are standing the sun and it can get very hot it is very laid back. My fellow cast members and I make the best out of it whether we are dancing or doing quirky things and guests really seem to enjoy it.

Unfortunately, I have been sick for the past two days so I have been in bed all day and night with medication and Kleenex. I have not been able to do much because of this and I have not been able to go to work either. It has also been raining a lot, which is a bit of a downer but being sick it helps me sleep. Another one of my roommates is moving at the end of this week. It is going to be very hard to say goodbye. I also learned that I will not be moving out of my apartment for my extension but I will be getting 3 new roommates.

This week been has been fun, my coworkers that I’m really close with are leaving this week. I went to out to eat to Ohana with some of them and finally met Stitch. The restaurant is Hawaiian theme, which I love. As soon as we stepped foot on the resort Ohana is in. We got laded, I felt special and being part of them. I was the happiest girl ever when I met Stitch. He is my favorite Disney character and since I got here I wanted to meet him. I decided to wait to meet him in Ohana because I could actually spend time with him, which I did. I also got to take pictures with lilo, Mickey and Pluto, which was fun. To be honest, they should have more varieties for break fast. They only had the basics, which were, bacon, waffles, eggs and sausage. This restaurant is placed in the Polynesian resort and I expected more of this restaurant. And it all came out to $30, which is a lot.

The next day I went to Trails End restaurant with the rest of my coworkers to eat for lunch. Wen I got there, I thought I was going to eat in a buffet style like I did last time for breakfast with my roommates, but it wasn’t like that. We still ate a lot; we had home made corn bread, which are so good. My coworkers had chicken and waffles and I had mashed potatoes with chicken fried steak with side fries. I was really hungry, but I got satisfied. We ended up having dessert. It was cinnamon buns with pecan ice cream on top. The food was really delicious and plus we get a 40% off so I highly recommend it. The waiter was nice and funny. I will definitely be coming back with friends.

Saying bye to most of my coworkers has been really hard. I was one of the few that extended and I still don’t get why. It’s really hard knowing that the people you came with are leaving and you going to have to make new friends until the end of the program. I’m not looking forward to this.

I can not believe how fast the weeks have been going by this week I had a lot of amazing events and things to do. This week I was able to celebrate my birthday here at Disney World I had so much fun even tho I was working in the morning. At work, my manager brought me balloons and the funniest part was that I was able to have a magical moment created from a guest and her family. My manager ask the kids in the family to sing me the happy birthday song and it touched my heart because I was honestly not expecting that. When I got home from work, my lovely roommates surprised me with more balloons. Weeks before my birthday, I booked Boma inside Animal Kingdom Lodge for my roommates and I to go to for dinner. Now we finally had a chance to go there and enjoy the food. It was an amazing experience.
This week I was also able to fly back home and see my family and friends. I missed them so much. The main reason why I flew back home this week was because I am going to be a bridesmaid for a friends wedding. I think going home at least once made me realize that I have grown up and see how things has changed in me becoming more independent. This whole experinece has made me a stronger persob. Now I have two and half months left here in Disney I need to do more here to make this experience more worth it. Time is going by really fast and sometime I wish it could slow down a bit so I get to do everything I set out to do. I will be using my time wisely and planning out my days so I can cover everything I have my heart set on doing.

Sadly this is the last week I am having classes here at Disney. For my interactive learning class, we went to Epcot. At Epcot, we explored the technology the park has to offer. I was amazed at the amount of details that goes into each ride. When you finish a ride, there is a learning center that I usually miss out on because I am in a rush to go on to the next ride. Nevertheless because of this class, I notice more of the little details and actually learn why these attractions are placed here. For example, Spaceship Earth brought to us by Siemens takes the guests into the past and shows how technology has evolved over time. Then it takes the guests into the future and show them how technology can change the future. When the ride is over, the guest gets to walk out to the learning center and they can see in five to ten years how technology can help us created a better world. For example Siemens are creating new technology for cars to help detecte blind spots. After my interactive class was over, it was time to go to my Human Resource class. In class today we had to present our project. It was bittersweet because the people I had met throughout my program we will all have to go our separate ways. I hope to see them again there was some amazing people in both of my classes.

My week at Yacht and Beach did not go as I had expected. Instead of four days being at the Beach club, I was at the Yacht club for five days since I did not know anything about the meal and snack plans. I was disappointed that the coordinators did not try to teach me about the meal and snack plans. I understand that the first day I was there, they were very busy and were not able to find someone to teach, but I was sent to the Yacht Club. The second day when one of the trainer was teaching, me the coordinators just move me again. Even the trainer was thinking that is weird because there was enough people who are working that night for someone to teach me. Once I realized that, I was upset because it seems like they did not even bother in teaching me because I am only be there for a week.
Nonetheless, the other cast members at Yacht Club were all really nice and I was surprise that there was CP that work at the Swan and Dolphin. The Yacht Club was definitely a lot busier than the Swan and Dolphin. Unlike the Swan and Dolphin, the Yacht Club also sold non Disney products such as Lily Pulitzer and Tommy Bahama clothing. This help guests buy professional attire for their meetings just in case their suitcase is missing or to go to dinner with friends. It allows guests to have more option for clothes other than having Mickey’s face everywhere. Another difference was that both of these stores sold alcohol and the Swan and Dolphin do not.
This week is also cast member appreciation week and at the Yacht and Beach Club they have amazing event everyday just for their cast members. Some of the events wwre free lunch, free ice cream day, and giving out free snacks. The free ice cream was amazing because it is not the regular Mickey’s bar we can find at the parks but it was ice cream they use for the kitchen sink and it was delicious.
I was very fortune to be at the Yacht and Beach Club for a week and see how a Disney’s resort run and the guests there really enjoy their time. All the cast member enjoyed working with each other and the whole resort worked together to bring magical moments. However, at the Swan and Dolphin the front desk treated the Disney cast members different since we are not under the same company which I found odd. That should not matter, the guests should always be first.

It was my turn to be deployed to a different location ever since I have been here. Even if it is only for a week, I was very excited to see my schedule posted up. I will be in a new environment and have the opportunity to experience many new things. To be honest, I was more nervous than I was excited because everything will be completely different. My deployment location will be at the Yacht and Beach Club also around the Boardwalk area. When I saw this deployment location schedule, I was a bit confused because all my co-workers who went before me all had Boardwalk. I thought I would be going to the boardwalk as well. At my new location, there will be a set of new managers and leaders to get used to. I had my doubts because I did not even know where to pick up their location costume. Good thing when the schedule got posted, I had other cast members who are full timers and had worked there before. They told me everything I needed to know. I have four days at the Beach club and one day at Yacht. The main difference between these two resorts is that the Beach club has meal and snack plans, which is something I never worked with before, and the Yacht club is very similar to my home location. However, they sell non Disney clothing too.
The day before arriving at my new location, one of my friends and I went the tunnel system for Yacht and Beach. It was confusing at first; good thing I went before hand and checked it out. We were so lost in trying to find it because it was not near the bus stop, but lucky for us a fellow cast member showed us around. She showed us where to clock in and how to move around the tunnel. Later on, I got my costume. The top it is really cute while the dress weighs about 5 pounds. Now that I have my costume and feeling a bit less lost, I am ready to start working there. I am looking forward to learning new things and experiencing what this location has to offer.

My last week of work at the Art of Animation was my most hectic but also my most enjoyable one. A lot of mishaps happened with our guests and we were shortstaffed the entire week so I was bouncing between positions by myself and ended up working a few 12+ hour shifts. I really pushed myself this week and my managers and fellow cast members showed recognition by presenting me with several Fanatic cards in just a couple of days. I was really shocked but also so grateful to have a family at DAAR who shows so much appreciation towards one another. I’m really not sure if I’ll ever find a team as close as this one.

Rebecca, one of my good friends since the beginning

A snapchat of me and another great friend from DAAR

I know that new CPs were scheduled for training the week after my departure. It’s sad knowing that I’ll be replaced by a new batch of CPs but I’m also happy for them. They really don’t know what they’re in for and I truly hope they make the best of their time at Disney.

I barely got any sleep between work and hanging out with my Disney friends for the last time. My only wish would have been for there to be more than 24 hours in a day because as the hours went by, I found myself desperately hold on to my life in the program. I actually did not go to the parks during my last week of the program although I wish I did so I could have a picture of myself wearing my graduation hat in front of the castle! I was just happy to be able to spend my last week with my DAAR family and the wonderful friends I’ve made during these short four months.

This week I completed my training in Main Gate Operations at Blizzard Beach. It was very interesting for me to see how the information is read on the touch points and how it is shown to me on the handheld device. There are so many errors that may occur and having the “GRAPE” there for support really helps. I had never used the CDS system prior to working here so I was a little confused about getting an assignment and clocking out. It is a little annoying having to constantly look at the time to get back to the computer in time to get another assignment. I was also trained in parking, which was surprisingly a lot better than I expected. It is really laid back and my coordinators and fellow cast members make it fun so the time goes by faster.

I am truly excited and happy about having the opportunity to work in another line of business for the Walt Disney World Company. It gives me a little insight into both the resort aspect and theme park aspect of the company. So far I like Main Gate Operations a lot more than I did housekeeping. Housekeeping was one of the toughest jobs I have ever had in my life and I gained a lot of respect for the people who do this every day. It is not an easy job and it is very labor intensive. I found myself questioning whether I wanted to stay or go home. I have great leaders and great college program friends that worked with me to thank for getting me through housekeeping. Most days after work I was too tried to do anything but shower eat and sleep.