WDW College Program

The past few weeks have been very eventful for me! I was deployed to Magic Kingdom Main Street East for some time and it was a big change of environment. First, the costuming facility for Magic Kingdom is huge! One could definitely get lost in there. I had a lot of fun looking at all the different MK costumes. Although I’ve been to MK many times, I’ve never noticed just how much thought goes into costuming.

MK Bathroom Selfie!

I hadn’t traveled through the MK tunnel since Traditions three months ago so it’s no surprise that I got lost finding my location. Fortunately, a few Cast Members helped me find my way. My deployment at MK exposed me to CDS (Cast Deployment System) which was very different for me because at the Art of Animation Resort, we used wall clocks and were generally stuck in one position our entire shift. I liked using CDS because it allowed me to move around to different shops. Most of my time at MK was spent at Uptown Jewelers.

I noticed the management at Magic Kingdom was very different than at my resort. Because there are more Cast Members to look over, the coordinators and leaders were not as aware of the store’s state. We were mostly left to our own devices and I felt like we were very overstaffed. I understand that it’s better to be overstaffed than understaffed, especially in such a high-traffic place as Magic Kingdom, but I found myself without guests most of the time.

I was also scheduled for Confectionery despite not having gone through food training so I picked up a couple of Confectionery costumes as well. One of the coordinators at MK MSE told me I shouldn’t have been scheduled for that role though so the scheduling team changed all of my Confectionery shifts to MSE. For the days I was originally scheduled to be in Confectionery, I was placed as “Confectionery Assist.” I spent my shift walking around, speaking and helping guests and occasionally ringing up their sweets.

What I enjoyed most about working at Magic Kingdom was experiencing Celebrate the Magic and Wishes with the guests and my fellow Cast Members. With my program drawing to a close, I like to be reminded of just how magical Disney World is. Time seems to stand still when the shops are silent and all the guests are outside, staring up at the castle.

Since I decided to extend my program my dad offered to pay for a ticket for me to visit home for a weekend. Visiting home was very weird to me because I became accustomed to my routine and apartment in Orlando. Being in my home in New York took some getting used to but by the second day I felt right at home again. It was great visiting my parents and friends.

Coming back to Orlando and trying to get back into the groove of things at work was difficult. Housekeeping is such a physically demanding role that having too much time off throws your body off the routine it gets familiar with. The first day back I did not have a full board of 17 rooms so that helped me. I was also able to work in the Cabanas section of Coronado Springs for the first time. The building that I worked in had views from every room. There were no parking lot views at all and mainly families roomed in this building or guests celebrating a birthday, engagement, anniversary and even honeymoons.

I also visited Magic Kingdom and got on Splash Mountain for the first time. I was not expecting the drop to be as steep as it was or to get as wet as I did. The park was surprisingly slow on the day I visited so there was not long wait times. I was able to get on a few other rides that normally have long wait times.  

This week was not too hectic with checkouts so I was able to have extra time to spend in the guest rooms adding special touches. I watched YouTube videos and found various ways to make towel animals and art on Pinterest. I made swans in a room for a couple that was celebrating their engagement and I made a flower in another room. I also attempted to make a monkey but I think he looked a little off. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of him.

My roommates and I took a bus trip to Key West for a day. The bus left really early but it gave us ample time to spend exploring Key West. We decided to go to the private beach where we had to pay $3.00 per person. There was not a lot of sand, it was mostly rocks so that made it a little uncomfortable to walk and lay on. The water was beautiful and clear. We also took a boat to snorkel and I got a little seasick so I did not go snorkeling. We did get to watch the sunset from the boat. Afterwards, we had dinner at Conch Republic Seafood Company. The food was amazing and very fresh. We had oysters for the table and I had two lobster tails with rice and green peas.       

I attended the Red Sox vs. Atlanta Braves baseball game at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. This was my first baseball game and sporting event that I have ever been to. We bought tickets for lawn seating, which was cool since the weather was amazing. There was a nice warm breeze and the humidity was low. The lawn was packed with people. Everyone brought their picnic blankets and enjoyed the food and drinks with their families. It started pouring towards the end of the game so everyone ran inside. We decided to leave when the rain eased up so that we would not be stuck in traffic trying to get out of the ESPN complex.

In the spirit of Easter, Epcot had a Disney Egg-stravaganza, which was an Easter egg hunt through The World Showcase. The map was $5.00 withstickers of the eggs placed in each country. As you found the egg in each country you placed the corresponding sticker on the map. The eggs were hidden high, low and on the outskirts of the countries. Some were easier to find than others. At the end of The World Showcase you redeemed a prize, which was one of the various eggs in each country. I chose Thumper for my prize.

This has been an amazing week for me. I got an extension offer from the Disney College Program to transfer into a new role on May 17^th. I decided to extend my program for Main Gate Operations, which means I will be in a new location. My program will now end on July 30^th instead of June 5^th. I am really excited about this for a number of reasons. First, I will be getting a whole new experience in a new location. Second, I get to stay in Disney World longer, which is great because there is still so many things that I have not gotten a chance to try.

I got to experience a lot of things for the first time this week also. I finally managed to make it to Magic Kingdom to see Wishes. I saw the fireworks from behind the castle so I had an amazing view of the fireworks. However, the next time I see Wishes I would like to watch it from in front of the castle so that I can have the view of the castle with the fireworks in the background. My roommate and I were able to get fast passes for the Haunted Mansion and the Pirates of the Caribbean. Unfortunately, both rides broke down while we were on it. The boats for Pirates of the Caribbean were backed up and it became a bumper boat ride. We also got on “it’s a small world”, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, which has been one of my favorite rides thus far. I got to see the Electric Parade for the first time, which I absolutely loved!!

This week was certainly has been an Easter week for me. I went with Keriann and her fellow cast member Rebecca to 1900 Park Fare located inside the Grand Floridian Resort. The lobby of the resort was stunning. it was fill with chocolate Easter eggs with a touch of Disney on all of them. All the Easter eggs were made by the chef who worked inside the Grand Floridian Resort. Their sense to detail was just breathtaking. There was even an Easter egg of the Cinderella carriage from the live action film made. That day I just wanted to stay in the lobby forever, but of course I could not do that so I was glad we have a reserves at 1900 Park Fare for bunch. In was another characters meal and this time I met Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Alice, and the Mad hatter. All the characters were so nice and funny even with the crazy amount of pictures they have to take everyday. I appreciate that they try their best to make it personal for everyone. The food at 1900 Park Fare was delicious especially the strawberry soup which was very unique because I have not see that item anywhere else. We were talking to Tigger about it and it seem like he made the strawberry soup which was so adorable. Our server was so nice and friendly she made sure our glass was never empty. At the end of the meal, our server gave each of us a cupcake with Mickey on it in a to go container. We all left with a full stomach to the point where none of us could move.

After bunch, Keriann and I decided to go to Epcot to for the Disney Egg-stravaganza 2015 where we found Easter eggs in all around the countries. The Easter eggs hunt was not just for little kids, it was for everyone no matter what your age was. Before you started the Easter eggs hunt in Epcot, you needed to buy a map full of stickers to stick to your map every time you found an egg and it was a great activities for the whole family to do together. Keriann and I were so happy every time we found one egg and could not wait to add it to our map. It was fun there was kids asking us if we have found the egg or not since we were holding the map too and it allows for great conversation. When you found all eleven eggs in the end you get an award which was an Easter egg to keep. For my reward, I chose a Tinkerbell Easter egg and Keriann chose a Goofy one. It was a fun day to spend with Keriann for her late birthday.

For the rest of the week, at my work location we were really busy making Easter Egg Baskets, I had so many guests come up to me just asking for more information on them. There were also some guests being really sneaky in trying to created a basket without letting their little one knows. This week we created so many magical moments with families because of this Easter basket we help them created and I can not wait for my friends to come down to visit me.

It was about time I went to a character breakfast since I been down here with Andrea. We went to ‘Ohana for the first time at the Polynesian Village Resort and is a beautiful resort. The breakfast for ‘Ohana was a fun experience because when you are there you are consider family so everyone was a cousins and not a guests. They bring the food out all at once which included pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages, and waffles in a big bowl. Once you finish that, they can bring you more if you would like them too. The juice I had there was amazing it was a mixtures of guava, mango, and pineapple juices. Some of the character we met was Sitch, Lilo, Mickey, and Pluto. The experience was fun, but not as amazing as I would like it to be. I felt it was kind of rushed. We spent most of our time taking pictures with the characters and we did not have enough time to eat and enjoy the restaurant.

At work, we started to make Easter Baskets for display to celebrate Easter. I made one for display and it was fun to make one. We uses the shrink wrap to tie everything together. My favorite was by far using the shrink wrap and putting on a bow after when everything was done. This week was also the start of Spring Break and it was nice to see guests from up north enjoying the weather down here. We also had a lot of guests coming from Europe this week and it was interesting to hear all their different ascents.

This week was also my first time being in Animal Kingdom since I started my College Program. Animal Kingdom has become my favorite park; there is a lot to do and to see. I recently found out that Animal Kingdom is also the largest park out of all four parks. The first thing I did there was to become a Wilderness Explorers and earning my stickers. Then I had fast passes for Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, It’s Tough to be a Bug, and Kali River Rapids. The Kilimanjaro Safaris ride was fun but the day that we went there were not that many animals out. All I saw was giraffe and zebras. Following that, I went on Expedition Everest. At first I really did not wanted to go on because from down below it look really high and scary, but my friends told me that I have to do it. I ended up going on it and it was honestly one of the most scariest rides I have been on. Following that, we went to see It’s Tough to be a Bug and the show was quite different a bit scary since you don’t really know the effects. For example, towards the end of the show, there were ants and other bug crawling under your seats which felt so weird for me.

In the end, Animal Kingdom was so much fun and to end a great day we went and had dinner at the Rain Forest Café. Inside the Rain Forest Café, the first thing I notice was all the decoration they had inside the restaurant it absolutely fit in with Animal Kingdom. The food inside Rain Forest Café was really good and the portion was pretty big that I ended saving my dinner for lunch the next day. Week eight was definitely an amazing week for me and I still can not believe I have been here for two months already.

This week I finally had sushi for the first time here in Florida. I was kinda nervous in trying it in because I have heard mix review about sushi down here. There is a lot of food New York have to offer that I am always comparing to Florida but definitely food back in New York tasted a lot better for the most park. However, I am glad that Andrea made me go to this sushi place called Sushiology the sushi there remind me of home. It is pretty funny that sometime so small can remind me of home. The price for the sushi was not too bad it was sushi at an affordable price. Not only did I went to Sushiology this week I also have went to Hollywood Studios and I met more characters.

I really like meeting with Woody and Buzz they were so much fun. When I was taking pictures with them they gave me a magic moment Buzz was so much fun to be with. Once he grab my hand we were jumping up and down before meeting them I was not a big buzz fan but I love Toy Story. On the other hand I really like Buzz now he might be my favorite character from Toy Story. Buzz was very interactive and entertaining Woody had his moments too but Buzz definitely won me over. My friend and I also met up with Mike and Sulley from Monster Inc, Minnie, and Baymax from Big Hero 6. Minnie was so cute because in order to meet her we have to go to this room and before I enter she was hiding in the corner so was so cute. Baymax to line to meet him was long but I waited even if it was like a 30 minutes line. Baymax was so much fun to meet he was hiding behind a cast member pretending no one can see him. I would definitely go see him again because I forgot to give him a fist bump like in the movie. My adventures at Hollywood Studios was so much fun I got to cross off more characters on my list. My friend and I were thinking about spending one whole day just to take pictures with all the characters that we can find that day. I think this is a great idea because we can dress up and bring back more memories with us when we are going back home.

Sometime I wish I could work at a different location such as in the park but it does terrific me since I do not know where anything is. I feel bad when guests ask me questions about the parks and I have no idea how to answer them because I myself don’t really know the park that well. If I am not with my friends going to the park I would be lost too because Disney’s Park is still very new to me even tho I have been here for two months. However one of my main goals is to know the park like the back of my hand before my college program ends. Nonetheless I love when a guests ask me questions and I know how to answer them my face just lights up because I feel less unless.