Week Sixteen

BEST WEEK EVER! My family came to visit. <3 They flew in on Tuesday night (23rd) and left today (30th). We stayed at Saratoga Springs which is HUGE and pretty, but their rooms are small. The cheapest rooms (ours) was just a queen size bed and a double size pullout, but it worked fine for us. We were right next to the bus stop which was nice and convenient. The 23rd we went to the Grand Floridian to look at the gingerbread house display, then went and ate dinner at the Contemporary at the Wave. IT WAS SO GOOD. I got steak which was like the best steak ever. The 24th we went to Animal Kingdom, this was fun because my family had never been to DAK before. Not the most conventional Christmas Eve but so fun :) We had fast passes for Festival of the Lion King, Everest, and Dinosaur, We went to Kilimanjaro Safari first, and pretty much walked on. We also got to see the animals, which I hadn't done yet. I'm talking the "zoo" component of animal exhibits. The gorillas were actually the greatest. Here's the greatest photo ever:

And here's my sister and I in front of the tree!

After DAK we went to Downtown Disney and saw Into the Woods! So long but so good! The song "Agony". Everything about it. YouTube it ASAP.

On Christmas day I had to work, but not until 2pm so we spent the morning in Hollywood Studios. We got fast passes for Rockin' Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. We got to eat lunch at my restaurant and my awesome coworkers gave us free cupcakes <3 I ended up getting an ER so I got off at 4:45 instead of 8! PRAISE THE LORD. So I got to spend the evening with my family :) We walked right into the Brown Derby for dinner, and my family loved it. They got the infamous cobb salad and said it was fantastic. I got a different salad that was SUPER good, and we all split dessert. You get to pick three desserts for a mini dessert trio platter, so my sister and I tried the grapefruit cake, blueberry cobbler, and some chocolate orange ball. My parents got the same but toffee pudding stuff instead of the blueberry cobbler. My favorite was the grapefruit cake, my sister the cobbler (this was essentially hot blueberries but still good haha), and my parents liked the toffee pudding. Then we walked Streets of America and admired the lights :) Here's some snapshotssssss.

The 26th we did Magic Kingdom! It had been hitting park capacity in the morning, so we got there at 8:30am. We had fast passes for Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Haunted Mansion, Monster Inc. Laugh Floor, Jungle Cruise, and It's a Small World. We also did standby for Pirates of the Caribbean, Mickey's Philharmagic, and the carousel. So we got a lot done. :) and get this....we WALKED INTO BE OUR GUEST THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. I've been trying to get reservations all semester!!! It's pure magic. Go. We got to eat in the West Wing, which is the smallest room and hardest to get so I was kind of ecstatic. It thunders and lightenings like a classy Rainforest Cafe. The Beast wanders through from time to time which was awesome. And the main ballroom (biggest room I think) has a super cool window that shows it snowing outside <3 The third room was the lamest and I think it was the library. My family all got the pork, and I got the salmon, and it was all incredible. We got the grey stuff for dessert which is indeed delicious. It was the highlight of the entire trip for me. And there was a special meet and greet room post dinner where we got to meet him! Unfortunately dinner fell the same time as Wishes, but we got to see Wishes two days later.

The 27th we did EPCOT and had fast passes for Soarin', Spaceship Earth, and the Seas with Nemo and Friends. My sister and I waited in the "70 minute wait" for Test Track, but it was maybe 50? We had lunch at Biergarten, the German restaurant, and it was really good. It's a buffet, and if you go, you HAVE TO GET the cheese and beer soup. It's to die for. The only awkward thing is you sit with another family unless your family is big (tables of 8). We did this with the Candlelight Processional package, so for $50 we got a full meal and guaranteed seating for the Candlelight Processional which was beautiful. It's the story of Jesus as told by some famous person, with traditional Christmas songs. We had Blair Underwood who we didn't know, but early December Neil Patrick Harris, Whoopie Goldberg, Jodi Benson, and Jonathon Groff all did it and everyone knows them hahah. We attempted to watch IllumiNations but it was too crowded to see anything.

(Insert EPCOT photo here;))

The 28th we did MK again round two. I had work this day as well, but only had to work 1-4 because I got another ER. Another reason I love my location, ER's are so easy. So I met my family at MK after work by taking the guest bus that runs from Studios to MK. We got fast passes for Peter Pan, Space Mountain, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ( YES IT IS POSSIBLE). We also got to watch Holiday Wishes which was fabulous as always. We decided to make this a shorter day because we were all very tired, but we made good use of our time :)

Our last full day (the 29th) was spent at Universal Studios. We did the park hopper, they bought tickets and I paid the $75 to upgrade to a preferred pass (no block out dates and free parking). We got there before the park opened, ran straight to the Gringotts ride, and it was a 120 minute wait. Yes. Already. 8am. But we waited in it, and my family loved it. We also did the Mummy ride, the big red rollercoaster (Rip Ride Rock It or something strange), the Dragon Challenge, and the soaking wet Bilge Rat Barge ride. Ride times were just so ridiculous we couldn't do more. We of course got butterbeer, but the crowds were miserable. I don't think Universal has a capacity where they cut people off? Every ride was like 100+ minutes and the staff was so unhelpful with directions and stuff. Disney does crowds so much better. We had to get a ticket to get INTO Hogsmeade because it was so full. Crazy. Well we did Margaritaville for dinner at Universal CityWalk (much less crowded!) and went back to the hotel. I left the hotel since I had to work the next morning, and said goodbye to my family at Downtown Disney. Not incredibly sad since I'll see them in a week ;)

Today I was scheduled to work 1-8 but got yet another ER! This one was because it rained though haha. So I worked like 1-6:15. On the way to work it was raining, and I didnt had a hood on my jacket so I was just plowing through it when I realized I was dry and someone was walking with me. It was one of the stormtroopers from the Star Wars show! SO SWEET. He walked me all the way to my work location and it totally made my day <3 Then to make it better, one of our guests today looked exactly like Santa Claus. This little girl goes up to him and asks him if he was at Disney World for his post Christmas vacation. He was such a good sport. As she walks away she goes "bye Santa, I love you!". I died. SO PRECIOUS. Well I only have two shifts left and it's so depressing. SO SAD :( Starting to pack and it's insane. Well I need to go get my laundry...by the time I write my next post, I'll probably be home. WHAT.

Week Fifteen

I just got my last work schedule. Excuse while I go bawl my eyes out. I can't believe my program is almost OVER! Insane. Well my family comes tomorrow! YAY! We're staying at Saratoga Springs, and they're here for a week. We're doing all four parks plus Universal, and I only have to work three days out of the eight that they're here. So that's pretty sweet :)

Last week was pretty good! I worked at Backlot Express for the first time since September, so that was a little odd haha. I got an ER on Wednesday, went to Universal on both Tuesday and Thursday, and called in sick on Friday. So a very easy week. If/when you go to Universal Studios....GET THE BUTTERBEER ICE CREAM! It's actually heaven in a cup. Also, Panda Express does Cast Member discounts so that's awesome <3 This week I got to be inside a lot, and on register a lot, so it was a very good week :) Also my location is BOMB and they feed us a lot. I cannot believe Christmas is almost here...I work 2-8 on Christmas, but we'll probs get more free food so it's okay ;) Next week I am off Monday (family still here) and Friday the 2nd. I picked up a PAC shift (those parade people that wave their wands around) at Magic Kingdom, so that should be fun! On New Years Eve I work from 3-11, so that should be dreadful. Just because apparently they hand out free horns, and children. Not that they hand out children, but kids are kids and don't shut up. Yeah that was awk but whatever hahah. Um that's all I have to say. Lindsey, Mikaela, and I have reservation for the Beach Club on the 5th, so we can take the Magical Express on the 6th to go home. Woah. My roomies and I have dinner reservations at Tony's for the 4th, but we're going to try for Be Our Guest! Yep, I'm boring, I know. Okay so that's all....until next time <3

Apartment Comparisons: Pros and Cons

So this will be apartment comparisons and pros and cons of each. Keep in mind I live in Chatham, so my lists for the other complexes are based on what I've seen and heard from friends.

CHATHAM SQUARE:

1 BR: 2 Person
1 BR: 3 Person
2 BR: 6 Person
3 BR: 6 Person
4 BR: 8 Person

Rent ranges from $87-$114 starting Spring 2015.

 I currently live in the 2BR: 6 person. I don't mind our apartment, it's huge. The rooms are extremely roomy, though one person per room (me) has to sleep on the top bunk. Our bedroom happens to have the giant bathroom, it's probably the largest bathroom like ever. Ours has two drawers, three cupboards, one towel rack, a toilet, a sink, and a mirror that swings to a cabinet. And a big mirror. And a shower, obviously. Our massive walk-in closet is through our bathroom, which is a big strange but it works. In addition to our closet which has racks, three lockers, and TONS of hanger room, we have one big dresser with six drawers, and one little dresser with two drawers. The other room has the same stuff but their closet ad bathrooms are separate, and smaller than ours. We get two fridges, a large pantry with one shelf each, and a lot of cupboard space. Our dining room and living room is also extremely spacious. Our apartment has a big cove that we use for Christmas decorating, but you either have the cove or a balcony. Oh, and we're Wellness (under 21).

Chatham and Vista are the two biggest complexes, but Chatham is the newer and nicer complex. Chatham has a front desk with a computer lab/printers, pool and hot tub, gym, and classrooms. We also have a bus stop out front. If you have a car, don't worry about parking. There is SO much parking available.

Pros:

• Not as rowdy as Vista, but still louder than Patterson
• Bus stop
• Nice apartments
• Relatively cheap rent
• Many housing events held here
• Classes are held here
• Lot's of parking
• Walking distance to Mickey's Retreat
• Pretty much the "middle class" of the apartments

Cons:

• The farther apartments have a long walk to the bus
• Laundry is not in your building (most likely)
• You have to pay for laundry
• Not within walking distance of anything interesting except Mickey's Retreat
• Apartments can be a bit dirty and outdated
• There's is carpet everywhere except kitchen and bathrooms (buy a vacuum)
• The wild turkeys are EVERYWHERE

PATTERSON COURT:

Patterson Court

1 BR: 2 Person

1 BR: 3 Person

2 BR: 4 Person

2 BR: 5 Person

3 BR: 6 Person

Rent ranges from $89 to $114 starting Spring 2015

My friend Katy lives here in a 1BR: 3 person. Her apartment is MUCH smaller than mine, and their room is a smaller version of the other bedroom in my apartment. Their kitchen, however is WAY nicer and newer, and as a whole their apartment is much cozier and homier.

Patterson has pretty much everything Chatham has EXCEPT a bus stop. If you don't have car, you have to walk to the Chatham bus stop, but it's only like a ten minute walk. I like Patterson's pool and classroom area better than Chatham's, it just looks nicer.

Pros:

• Smaller apartment complex, easy to get around everywhere
• Newest and nicest complex
• Pool and classroom's are modern and clean
• Quiet atmosphere, very relaxing
• Easy to find parking
• Hidden from the creepers and taxis that plague Chatham

Cons:

• No bus stop
• Can be TOO quiet
• Few/no housing events held here
• Rent can be pricey
• Smaller apartments
• You have to pay for, and walk to, laundry

THE COMMONS

The Commons

1 BR: 2 Person

1 BR: 3 Person

2 BR: 4 Person

2 BR: 5 Person

3 BR: 6 Person

4 BR: 8 Person

Rent ranges for $91 to $118 starting Spring 2015

I have some friends in the Commons, and they love it. They're kind of in an awkward spot with the smallest bus stop, but they have LAUNDRY in the apartments! This was traditionally where the ICPs (internationals) were housed, but it's now open to everyone. They have the same things as Chatham. The Commons is probably the nicest after Patterson, and is in walking distance to the Florida Mall.

Pros: 

• LAUNDRY. FREE LAUNDRY IN APARTMENT
• Bus stop
• Quiet, but still lively
• Some housing events held here
• Walking distance to mall
• Nice apartments
• More hardwood floor than carpet (pro or con? I don't know.)

Cons:

• SMALL bus stop. If running late, the bus will skip this stop first, and you will walk from Chatham (20 minutes), or take another bus from Chatham or Vista to the Commons
• Most expensive apartments due to the laundry
• The most detached from the other apartments
• Most competitive complex to get into
• In a more sketchy area, across from a parking garage

VISTA WAY:

2 BR: 4 Person

3 BR: 6 Person

Rent ranges from $98 to $114

Everyone either loves or hates Vista. It's where all the parties happen, and they definitely have the most apartment pride. Vista is the DCP "headquarters" so they have the most to do there. Your initial check in and everything is here, and they are the largest complex. They have the same things as Chatham, but also with the learning center. The learning center is a building where you can rent movies and books, it's like a little library, Super cute, and cool concept. Vista is also where the buses stop the longest, because this is where the bus drivers change, and take their breaks. Often we'll sit at Vista for 15 minutes or so, so they can look over the buses, and change out drivers as needed.

Pros:

• Some apartments are brand new and really nice
• Cheap rent
• Learning center
• LOT'S to do
• Always something going on, if you're the social type
• Walking distance to Public and Walgreens

Cons:

• This is where the weird people end up. Maybe it's chance, but all the crazy's I've met live there
• The oldest complex
• Some apartments are in dreadful condition (one girl's ceiling actually fell in!)
• You're honestly over charged for the apartment quality (mostly)
• It's VERY busy and loud here, which can stress people out
• Known for sex in the pool, and sex in the hot tub, and everywhere public haha

All the apartments have very valid pros and cons, there really isn't an obvious best and worst. It all depends on your preference. I prefer the quiet environment, and would rather pay more for a nice apartment. So obviously Vista isn't for me! If I were to do the program again my list would go like this:

Commons 4BR

Commons 3BR

Patterson 3BR

Chatham 3BR

Chatham 2 BR (6 person)

Commons 2BR (5 person)

Patterson 2BR (5 person)

The rest

I think it's better with more people, so you always have someone to spend time with on your days off, and if you don't care for one or two of your roommates, it's easy to avoid them. Also rent is cheaper this way. I hope you found this helpful! If you are a visual person, look up your apartment of choice on Youtube, There are SO many vlogs out there that do apartment tours. Okay here's the Disney housing link:

http://cp.disneycareers.com/en/onboarding/fl/housing/housing-preregistration/ 

Week Fourteen

MY FAMILY COMES IN ONE WEEK! I am so excited. But that also means I leave Disney in only three weeks :(((( That's insane. Well I worked six days in a row this week, nothing exciting there haha. I was off yesterday (Monday) and I'm off on Thursday, and both days are being spent at Universal. My pass is blocked out starting Friday, so I'm taking advantage of it! Yesterday Sarah and I went to Universal, and I tried hot butterbeer for the first time. It's super good, but pretty rich. I think frozen is my favorite? I don't know, my opinion changes every time I go hahaha. We rode the Gringott's ride, the castle ride, and the Men in Black ride, which is similar to Toy Story where you shoot things for points (I lost of course). We also ate at the Leaky Cauldron, which has similar food to the Three Broomsticks. I got the stew, which I don't need to get again. It was just okay. This week I'm either off at 8 or 6, so at least I'm not closing EVERY day. Tomorrow I get off at 6, so I'm going to meet up with Lindsey after work to see the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian! And probably the Contemporary too. So that's exciting. Thursday is off to Universal again but with Katy! All my roommates and I are doing a secret santa, so we'll probably do gifts sometime in the next week as well.

So I'm really out of ideas for what else to write, but I think I'm going to do an apartment post next! Alright this was super boring, but that happens when you get in a schedule! Have a magical night <3

Week Thirteen

Well officially two weeks until my family comes to visit...crazy because that also means two weeks until Christmas!! AH! So exciting. But only four weeks until our program is over...absolutely insane. It's been such a magical and wild ride. Well this week I had Wednesday/Thursday off, and then Sunday/Monday. So my days off were pretty close together. Wednesday and Thursday seem so long ago I can hardly remember what I did...hahaha. But I definitely went to Epcot and got to do some exploring of Holidays Around the World. I tried a hot salted caramel from Germany, rice pudding from Norway, and a turkey waffle from Promenade Refreshments. I'm pretty sure I already blogged about this last week? Well anyway, on Thursday I went Christmas shopping at Downtown Disney with my coworker Lizzie, so that was pretty fun (and expensive). Sunday I went to Epcot again with Lindsey, and we just kind of wandered. And ate. Monday was awesome! I went to Yak and Yeti with two coworkers, and Monday night we had a Cast Member movie night! So basically all SCC and Backlot cast members met up at Sci Fi (that restaurant that is modeled to be a drive in movie theater), and we got to watch Elf on the big screen, and they provided cookies, s'mores, gingerbread cupcakes, popcorn, and soda. I love how much cast appreciation goes on in Studios, I really do <3 I'm off Monday and Thursday of next week, so yay! This week is a mix of closing and normal shifts, so finally I'm not closing everyday. Here's some random photos taken recently.

Week Twelve

IT'S DECEMBER! So crazy. SO SO crazy. Let's see, so far it's been pretty wonderful. Sorry if I repeat something, but time just kind of runs together here and I forget when these things happened hahaha. I went to Downtown Disney with my coworkers Lizzie and Matt and we went and saw Big Hero 6 at the Fork & Dine AMC theater. I highly recommend both the movie and the Fork & Dine. It's a movie theater with tables in front of you. So you have a waiter and a menu, and can ring him at any time to bring you food for you to eat as you watch the movie. Super cool experience, but expensive. I also finally went to Earl of Sandwich! The holiday turkey sandwich is SO GOOD AH. I bought my family's Christmas gifts at World of Disney in DTD, a very dangerous store haha. I worked six days in a row which was good, but I closed every single night which gets old pretty quick. We got a new seasonal cupcake for December, gingerbread with cream cheese frosting. So that's exciting. Last week for my days off I went to Animal Kingdom with Lindsey and ate at the Rainforest Cafe, which is a cool restaurant but not worth the money. Today I was off and went to Magic Kingdom in the morning, Epcot in the afternoon.

Holidays around the world in Epcot has started and it's absolutely fabulous. Picture a smaller, holiday version of Food & Wine. I got a sweet potato waffle with turkey, gravy, and green bean casserole at Promenade Refreshments, a hot salted caramel at Germany (literally tastes like a liquefied Werther's caramel), and rice pudding from Norway. Candlelight Processional is also starting, my roommates saw Neil Patrick Harris and said it was fabulous. Tonight was Jonathon Groff (Kristoff) but we were too tired to stay. With the holidays coming up, our apartment is all decked out including a homemade 3D fireplace with our stockings. We are doing a secret Santa so that should be fun :) Tomorrow I'm off to Downtown Disney for the last of my Christmas shopping, dinner at T-Rex, and probably a Starbucks (the DTD Starbucks is the only Starbucks that will redeem your free drinks and stuff because it's a REAL Starbucks, unlike the park Starbucks). Now I'm just binge watching 25 Days of Christmas on the ABC website, which all Cast Members can watch for free! Three weeks until my family comes which means five weeks until my program is over....absolutely insane. This program seriously flies by...well I hope your holidays are magical, and your week is fabulous <3

Week Eleven

It's been such a strange but fabulous week. Last week we finally cooled down!! I got to wear PANTS and a SWEATSHIRT. AKA highs in the 60s. So last Thursday, which was the end of the cold spell, I went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!! YAY! IT WAS SO FANTASTIC. LIKE SO GOOD. It's essentially the exact same as the Halloween party but Christmas themed. But I'm getting ahead of myself. In the morning I went to Magic Kingdom to play with Lindsey and her coworker Becca. We ate lunch at Tony's, and got to meet Mickey which was cute as always.

We hit up all the major rides (minus dwarf train) and got Starbucks and chilled until the Christmas party. At the party they had free snicker doodles and hot cocoa, the hot cocoa was excellent but the cookies were not my fav. We got to meet all seven dwarfs which was super awesome, pictured below:

That's my roommate Lindsey and I, our other companions wanted solo pictures. But after this we got to watch the parade which was my all time FAVORITE parade, and the Frozen floats were actually really well done, even though everyone complains about them. We rode some rides with short wait times, like Space Mountain, in which we attempted a selfie shot:

Yeah, it's pretty rough. Well after this we watched the Holiday Wishes which were beautiful <3 Then got to walk main street, which snows all night long. Seriously talk about magical. Here are some other pictures from the night:

Overall I prefer the Christmas party parade for sure, and theming/decoration. I liked trick-or-treating better than the snack stations, however, and the fireworks were pretty much equal for me. A fantastic two nights nonetheless <3

This week I mostly work 2-8 with a couple noon-8 shifts thrown in. Tomorrow Lindsey and I are eating at the Rainforest Cafe for an early Thanksgiving dinner, but we'll see how much time we'll get to spend in DAK, it's supposed to rain tomorrow. Today it was absolutely pouring, and park attendance was only 10,000. It was anticipated to be 34,000. So pretty much we all got ERs. Also there was a tornado warning, so that's fun...now there's a flood warning. But it should clear but the rest of the week and be 70s! That's it :) The program is flying by, and I know it'll be over before I know it and that makes me sad.

Side note: EXACTLY one month until Christmas.

Exploring Environmentality and Sustainability: Disney Class

This is all about the class I took through Disney! It was one of the exploration series classes, aka the seminars that don't have homework. The classes that start with "exploring" are the seminar classes that usually don't count for University credit, but they're the ones to take if you're taking one for fun. The "normal" classes aka the ones that you get credit for are once a week, for four hours each week. These have homework assigned and are mostly based in the classroom. Exploration classes are two hours each once a week, and are partially taught in the parks, partially in the classroom, but have no homework. Both are eight week sessions. I took Exploring Environmentality and Sustainability, and it was absolutely AMAZING. I would recommend it in a heartbeat. Here's the rundown:

1. Class intro and info. We got to look into the history of Disney sustainability, and see how far we've come as a park. This includes literal sustainable practices, as well as movies they produced that were created to raise environmental awareness. So Bambi, Wall-E, and other Disney films that incorporate sustainability or animals with personality, which gives people a personal connection to them.
2. This week was dedicated to corporate citizenship and the DWCF. We looked at what companies practice good environmental habits, and make it known. We also look at why Disney is consistently at the top of the game for this. DWCF, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, is super cool. People can buy merchandise and food that goes towards the DWCF, and Disney matches it dollar for dollar. None of this money goes to any Disney cast member, or administration costs. Environmental groups can send in applications for funding, and Disney gives out money to support these groups in whatever they're doing for our environment. This can be rebuilding the coral reefs, or protecting the elephants in Africa. We had a speaker from DWCF come and talk to us.
3. FIELD TRIP! We went to Animal Kingdom this week. We explored Rafiki's Planet Watch, and did a scavenger hunt throughout the area. At the end we got a super awesome magical cast specific ride on the Safari. Highlight of the day for sure. 
4. This week we had the head of recycling come speak with us. He is in charge of all recycling throughout the parks, and is a remarkable man. He has a huge job, and there's just him. We learned how Magic Kingdom recycles plastic wrap, plastics, cardboard, paper products, and gift cards all separately. We also learned more about Reedy Creek (the garbage/water/recycling company we use).
5. FIELD TRIP! We went to Epcot's the Land and started off by riding the Living with the Land ride. After this we got to do the backstage tour of the Land, led by professional interns. We also got to meet their boss, who was super cool. And eat cucumbers. 
6. This was my favorite speaker of the whole class. We had the head manager of animal care from the Animal Kingdom Lodge. He spoke the whole two hours and had us all laughing the entire time. But we learned about all that goes into animal care, specifically animal training. Super fascinating. 
7. FIELD TRIP! We went to Epcot's the Seas, and this was my favorite week. We got a backstage tour of the Seas, let by a professional intern. We got to see the dolphins, and go ABOVE the 5 million gallon aquarium you can see from the Seas. SO COOL AND SO HUGE. We got to see and talk to the divers that were going to feed the stingrays, they were all so chill. I am looking into marine mammal internships because of this day alone!
8. Last day :( We had a panel of three people from across the animal care/environment team, and it was pretty much a Q & A. We had one (super attractive) animal keeper, the lady in charge of the environment education team (AKA Wilderness Explorers) and in charge of hiring her interns, and one of the current management interns that works in DAK in Rafiki's Planet Watch area. We finished up the day by talking about what to add to the class for the future, and what to get rid of. 

Overall this class was incredible. I highly recommend taking a class, and all the exploration classes have great reviews. It's an awesome way to network, and get to know the parks in a more intimate way. Also, you always know one of your days off! Unless you usually have awkwardly late hours, then you might still work after class. But I was scheduled off every single Thursday. My only piece of advice is to only take one, so you still have one day off a week to sleep in and play the WHOLE day instead of having class in the middle of both days off. But that's it :) This ended up being super long haha as per usual!

Week Ten

I can't believe it's week ten already...it's almost THANKSGIVING! WHAT! So scary. Well I finally got sick :( I had to call in one day last week, and sounded like a chain smoker for two days. It was just a really bad cold, but it lasted a week! Well all week I worked 2-8, and I was scheduled 30 hours this week (all 2-8) but picked up an extra shift that's like 11:45-6:30 or something. So I'm working 6 days this week, like two weeks ago. Next week I'm scheduled 33 hours, so a couple of 7 and 8 hours shifts. I'm off on Thursday this week, so my roommate Lindsey and I are going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!! YAY!!!! We're going to spend the whole day at Magic Kingdom. Lunch reservations at Tony's, then random fast passes throughout the day :) So psyched.

Next week I have Tuesday and Wednesday off which is weird, because I never have those days. But I think it's because Thanksgiving is on Thursday, so most full timers and part timers get it off. Tuesday is going to be a chore day for the most part, but Wednesday Lindsey and I are going to Animal Kingdom (haven't been in FOREVER) and eating dinner at the Rainforest Cafe! I love food. So much happy. And right after Thanksgiving, all the Christmas festivities start up in Epcot, and the gingerbread houses are open in the resorts across property, so we have A LOT to look forward to! Definitely going to try go to various Candlelight Processionals. They just have SUCH good speakers!! I really want to see Jodi Benson (Ariel), Whoopie Goldberg, and Jonathon Groff (Kristoph form Frozen). I probably spelled those all wrong. Oh well. Well today we had a tornado watch, it was pouring rain all day long so we were swamped. The rest of the country is experiencing some cold chill or something, because it's snowing everywhere. But tomorrow we have a high of 59, so that's pretty cold for us! I think on Friday after work I am going to see Big Hero 6 with some coworkers, and FINALLY get Earl of Sandwich. I've been wanting to try it since I got here, but haven't made it back to Downtown Disney!

What other news...we are decorating for Christmas in the apartment, and I'm already constantly listening to Christmas music. Sorry but I'm one of those people who likes to start early...but I definitely have no plans for Black Friday. Sounds dreadful. Oh and I made resort reservations at the Beach Club for Lindsey and I the day before we fly home so that's super exciting! With our 60% discount it's only $80 a piece :) I'm going to do a post soon on my class I took, and get an apartment blog up, hopefully with a picture/video tour!

Have a magical week <3

Week Nine

I can't believe how fast my program is going...it's scary. It is officially CHRISTMAS in Disney!! So that's exciting. The castle is now being lit up at night by Elsa, I have yet to see it but I will on Wednesday after work! Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (I think I got the name right?) started two days ago, so our hours are now extended to 7pm. The cast preview was Wednesday at 9pm, and it was only open to cast members and we could use our guest passes to get up to three others in. They have out free hot chocolate and snickerdoodle cookies which was super fun and cute :) I highly recommend doing a cast preview. Osborne Lights is super cool, it's like two hours of lights synced to Christmas music, from traditional to modern remixes. My favorites are Carol of the Bells by Trans Siberian Orchestra and the traditional songs :) There's also a nativity scene, and other religious elements which I think is pretty cool. This takes place on Streets of America which is right next door to us, so we get to hear the music at night which is super fun <3 We get to dance and sing and make people happy. It finally cooled down, so I bring my jacket to work most days, which is awesome.

My last day of class is Thursday :( So weird since I've been in class basically my entire program. I absolutely loved my class. I'll do a post on it later, but last week we got to do marine sciences stuff backstage of the Seas in Epcot which was SO SO SO cool oh my gosh. We got to go ABOVE the massive gigantic tank where they keep all of the marine animals, and it was like the coolest thing ever, but I'm super into marine biology so it's kind of my thing. Well aside from Christmas stuff and class, since our hours are extended now I have a lot of 2-8pm shifts which is pretty unusual. I finally got register trained! Did I mention that last week? Probably. I love it. Let's see, what else...Christmas decorations have exploded within our apartment. Some Thanksgiving as well, but we were so ready to be done with the past two months which were all Halloween. Once Upon A Time is intense. I went grocery shopping. My sister is starting to apply for college. That's about it! I'm in such a routine now that I forget what I write on here and what I leave out!! I worked 40 hours this past week, and I work 31 this week, so I'll try pick up a shift. Yep. That's it. Hope y'all have a fabulous and magical week <3

Week Eight

We officially reached our halfway point for our program...WHAT. SO crazy that all the Christmas festivities start up tomorrow! BUT I AM SO EXCITED. It's been Halloween for two months, so I'm ready for the next holiday. We change our cupcake every month or so, so we just got in a pumpkin with maple frosting cupcake which is pretty exciting...and I finally got register trained! SO NICE. Shifts seriously go by so much faster this way. Last week I took a much needed glorious three day weekend, and it was fantastic. Thursday class we had the animal care manager from Animal Kingdom Lodge come and speak and HE WAS SO GOOD and it's something I'm really interested in, so that was great. Friday I went to Hollywood Studios and finally saw shows! I did the Frozen Sing-A-Long which is actually super cute, Indiana Jones, and Fantasmic. I also ate so much sugar that I had a 48 hour stomachache. So don't do that. Saturday I went to Magic Kingdom and brought my nice camera, and just played. It was 50s and 60s all weekend which was a nice change, finally some fall weather! Cast preview for Osborne Christmas whatever the whole title is, is tomorrow night, with guest showings starting on Friday. So that means starting Friday our hours are extended to 7pm, and I have later shifts (no complaints here!). So basically all next week I'm 2pm-8pm, but I might see if I can come in early a few times and get 8 hour shifts instead. Elsa lights up the castle tomorrow night for the first time, so Christmas is upon us! Christmas merch is already out at MK and I had to buy Mickey Christmas PJs, so so so cute.

To make up for my 3 day weekend, I'm working 40 hours this week with just one day off. I need money. Everything's been great. Work is finally not scary for me, study abroad is all coming together, and it's cooling down!! Life is just really good :) Big congrats to all those who got accepted for spring!! Y'all are going to have the most magical experience EVER. I think I covered it all. Our holiday coupon booklets came out, which I probs already mentioned, but I'm planning on using my dining discounts soon!! (one 30% off, one 40%, and one 50%) That's it for now, have a magical week <3

We can now link our maingates (entrance pass) to a magic band, and we get one for free!! They came in these adorable personalized boxes, so here's mine :)

Helpful DCP Links!

A list of helpful links for everything you need to know about the DCP :)

Video Blogs (Vlogs):

https://www.youtube.com/user/kelsiedoingdisney/videos
This one is from a fall 2012 program, but her earlier blogs are super fabulous :) She was a Photopass Photographer.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp6GLTo9J6-t-_xJMkwPptA/videos
This girl is in my program! So a current fall 2014 CP :) She's QSFB.

https://www.youtube.com/user/angelinammraz/videos
A 2013 fall - 2014 spring CP in Merchandise.

https://www.youtube.com/user/amypuddlesDCP/videos
Fall 2013 Merchandise CP, she's really quirky but a lot of fun:)

These all have great information and an insider look on the DCP!

Blogs:

https://disneyprogramsblog.com/disney-college-program-questions-of-confusion-part-3/
This one is actually through the DCP, and you can ask questions and have them answered. I recommend specifically the blogs on "Disney College Program Questions of Confusion".

http://racheldoesdisney.wordpress.com/
One of the most popular blogs run by an actual CP :)

There are plenty more blogs out there! Just google "Disney College Program blog fall" or whatever specifically you want to know :) Also, there's a lot of Tumblr accounts out there that are awesome, I just don't like Tumblr much.

Other Helpful Sites:

http://cp.disneycareers.com/en/default/
The official DCP website is probably a good place to start.

https://disneyprogramsblog.com/disney-professional-internships-recruiter-tips/
These are tips from recruiters regarding Professional Internships!

Everything is out there for people! You just have to put the effort into finding it :)
Hope these are helpful for the more curious people out there!!

Week Seven

So Thursday I had class at Epcot which was pretty sweet. We rode the Living with the Land ride and got the whole backstage tour from one of the Professional Interns (PIs). We also got to wear whisper units which are ear pieces hooked to a battery pack so you can hear the tour guide over the crowd, which is cool because it makes us look like spies. :) I just hung around Epcot after class and enjoyed Food and Wine some more! I tried the melon shave ice form Japan which is really good. I also tried the beef tips from Africa, which were super spicy. I've been working since Friday, and it's all been good, not too exciting. It's been super slow, we've been getting around 20,000 guests a day and we had been getting 30,000 so that's kind of random. I've mostly been inside on drinks, kitchen, or prep, which are all my favorite spots so that's nice!! Yesterday (Tuesday) was Allison and Sarah's birthday, and we went out to Ohana for dinner. I got an ER (early release) from work, so I was off at 3pm and met them all at Magic Kingdom. So 5 of the 6 roommates were together! For once. Haha we got LeFou's Brew at Gaston's Tavern, rode It's A Small World, Journey of the Little Mermaid, and watched Mickey's Philharmagic, the classics. :) We had reservations for 9:45pm because Ohana is so popular, so we made our way to the Polynesian (where Ohana is) for dinner. IT WAS FANTASTIC. It's family style, so our waiter kept bringing out different dishes and we would pass them around. The Polynesian is across the water from the castle, and we were sitting at a window, so we got to see the castle when Wishes went off, and we all cried. SO magical <3 <3 <3 Anyways, for food there was a sweet fruity bread, dumplings, chicken wings, pork, steak, shrimp, noodles and vegetables, lettuce wraps, and bread pudding a la mode. Major food coma but it was all superb. I highly recommend. I worked today and tomorrow, then I'm off Thursday - Saturday because I managed to give away my Saturday shift :) So I'm pretty stoked for my 3 day "weekend". Yep that's all I got...life is good! Osbrone Family Christmas Show thing starts next week, cast preview on Wednesday! YAY! But that means extended hours...oh well! Money. Hahaha

Here's photos from Playalinda Beach!

Week Six

Not much to report here! Work's been good, nothing exciting really. Oh, but some girl from Teen Mom came to our restaurant which apparently is exciting. My birthday was the 14th so I went to Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada (Epcot) with Sarah, Mikaela, and Lindsey, 3 of my roommates. IT WAS SO GOOD. I got a shirley temple, filet mignon, and grapefruit cake. Absolutely fantastic, I almost cried it was so good. Here's my cake :)

I actually worked on my birthday but my SCC family all sang me happy birthday <3 On my days off I went to class and grocery shopping, and on Friday went to Universal with my friend Katy! Here's us at Fred and George's shop.

On Monday I worked 10:30-4:30, so I went to Hollywood Studios with almost all of my roommates (except Allison) and I did One Man's Dream for the first time! SUPER cool, everyone should see it. It's Walt's life and is super magical and stuff. Today I had off, so I went to the beach for the first time! SO NICE. We went to Playalinda Beach which is kind of near Cocoa Beach, but MUCH less populated. There were like 10 people there total. And it's super nice, undeveloped, and beautiful. But I got super fried. Oops. Tomorrow I have class in Epcot in the Land, so that'll be exciting :) I'll probably just spend the rest of my day there too! Then I work Friday-Wednesday, so six days in a row, but I don't close a single time next week which is weird. Well that's it for now! Have a super magical day <3

Disney College Program: The REAL Deal

So here's a super unorganized post on what to REALLY expect on your college program. Updated on January 24, 2016.

When you arrive it is super magical and training and Traditions is FABULOUS and you think you're going to play all the time! Not true. The majority of your time here is working, but none less magical because of that :)

You will have these preconceived notions of what your roommates will be like due to your online interactions, but they are never what you expect. Sometimes this is good, and sometimes it's bad. Sometimes you will get a roommate who spends every other waking hour either watching anime without headphones or skyping her boyfriend. Or roommates who apparently don't know how to clean a dish. Basically, you will gain valuable communication skills, or will want to move out. We patched up our disagreements early on and had an awesome program together! JUST PRAY YOU DON'T GET THE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVES.

You will make basically minimum wage, and have rent taken out each week. After working around 35 hour weeks, I make about $170 after rent (but I have the cheapest rent). AKA learn how to budget, bring money from home, or eat ramen for every other meal.

Contrary to popular belief, HOUSEKEEPING is where the money's at. Yep, it's the only tipped role! I know a girl who's been here a couple months, and has made $500 in tips alone. But the job itself can be extremely lonely and stressful. 8am-4pm shifts everyday.

You have never felt so much like you're in some foreign country while being in the US. It feels like there are more International College Program students (ICPs) than American CPs! Also, even though all of these people have good English (otherwise they wouldn't have been hired), they only speak English at work and when directly addressed. Expect to spend your time at the bus stop deciphering the ten languages being spoken around you. Edit: this is not a negative, I LOVED all the ICPs I met!!

The application process is so thorough, you expect everyone to be shining Disney stars of magical happiness, NO. You will wonder how the heck these people got past the WBI, some are fantastic, and some are the most unmotivated people you have ever met.

You will be tempted to give away shifts and call in sick. AVOID. Save this for special occasions, because the people that end up broke, are the ones that never actually work. I know some people that give away a shift every week, so they work four days a week instead of five.

You will meet guests that are the kindest people you have ever met. You will also meet people that make you sick. I've seen parents feed their infant beer, drunken parents swearing at people for not getting out of their way, been shoved by a lady because I didn't speak Spanish and didn't know what she was trying to say, and met some of the most selfish people ever to exist. But the magical moments you make far outweigh the negatives. If you make an effort to talk to guests, they automatically are SO much happier! I've made people's days just by giving them a cup of water...it really doesn't take much effort to make someone smile :)

THE BUSSES. They will be late, they will be early, the bus drivers will be rude, and on late shifts, you will be standing on the bus with 50 other people after standing all day for your 10 hour shift. BUT THEY'RE FREE. Take advantage of this! But if you do have a long and late shift, you're going to want to drive. It sucks standing squished on a bus after a long day.

Also noting the busses, you will hear so much negativity on them from the Facebook page, but when you get there  you will realize that most of the time, they aren't that bad. As long as you take the early bus to work, you will be fine. I was only late to work one time because of busses, and the traffic was so bad that I'm pretty sure you'd still be late if you drove your car. Just be grateful you have free transportation!

You will not get sick of Disney! Seriously, the backstage magic that some say "ruins the magic" really does the opposite. You get to see how much Disney puts in to making every guest experience as authentic, safe, and magical as possible. You will admire Walt and his daring to dream, the Imagineers that make so much magic come to life, and all of your fellow Cast Members that keep up the show <3

You will watch Celebrate the Magic and Wishes, and cry every time. Because it makes you realize how truly lucky you are to be able to work everyday to essentially create happiness. That's all you're getting paid to do, put smiles on people's faces and enhance their vacation.

Some call it Disney brainwashing, but you will want to live and work here forever. True story.

You will spend all of your time on the bus on the way to work analyzing everyone else's costume, picking your favorite, and trying to figure out who works where. It's a great game to pass the time...

Days off will be spent sleeping in, and enjoying evenings in the parks. You never need a whole day when you have months to enjoy every part of it!

The amount of people that self term will astound you. Homesickness, long distance relationships, being broke, hating their job after working a whopping two days....the reasons go on and on. But every day people self term, get termed, and do stupid stuff.  You were accepted out of...what...20,000 applicants? 50,000? Take advantage of this amazing opportunity! Don't throw it away. Obviously they're not paying you to take a semester vacation, you're here to work, and so many people don't know what that means.

You will quickly learn to appreciate the fact that almost every business does Cast Member discounts. Downtown Disney Starbucks does 10% off, all Disney merch is 20% off (40% off for Christmas season! AKA November - February), Panda Express at Universal CityWalk does 10% off, and many other places do special discounts as well which is cool.

You will buy groceries as if you were at home, then realize you buy half your meals in the parks. Honestly, buy the minimum and work up from there if it's not enough. Pretty sure I ate just about every lunch in the parks on my days off, and packed a Smuckers Uncrustables and an apple for my work days.

You will learn to love your location, and your coworkers and roommates (at least mine) will become your family.

When it comes time for you to say goodbye, you will feel as if you are leaving a piece of your heart in Orlando. You will watch Wishes for the last time while holding your Disney family, and you will cry. Lots. Finally, when you say goodbye to all your closest Disney friends to leave for home, you will feel so many emotions that you feel like your emotional circuits got fried. Thankfulness, sadness, joy, heartbreak, you really never knew you could feel so many emotions at one time.

You will get home and spend the next year (or two, or three..) reminiscing with your D-fam in your group message, being depressed because you have to go back to real life, and telling people about how magical Disney is, regardless of whether or not they actually care.

It will change your life.

Week Five

This week is my BIRTHDAY WEEK! HURRAY! Well my paycheck was astronomically low due to me only working 12 hours the week before. But we got a $1 pay raise because Florida raised minimum wage, which is so awesome. On Tuesday a group rented the entire park out from like 8pm - midnight, so we all had really long shifts. I was supposed to work noon - 9:15pm but extended to midnight, so I worked a 12 hour shift. Overtime holla. Well the park shut down for normal guests at 6pm, and we closed our restaurant down so a couple hours in between. I have the best managers in the entire world, and they set us up with some magical moments <3 We made a nice single file line (all like 50 of us) and got to ride Toy Story Midway Mania when the park was completely dead, and in full costume. AND we got to ride it twice in a row, which was so cool. Then we got to go ride Rockin' Rollercoaster with the lights on, which was super fabulous. And I got paid for all of this. It was actually the best shift ever!! But the next morning I had a safety class at 7:45am....so I got 4 hours of sleep. But it was so worth it because I got a lot of overtime hours. By the way, Disney overtime is if you work over 8 hours in a day, not if you work over 40 hours in a week.

So that was super bomb. Then Thursday I had my first class field trip to Animal Kingdom where we did a scavenger hunt by Rafiki's Planet Watch/Conservation Station. That's the place where the petting zoo is, and you have to take the little train to get there. We actually learned some super fascinating things, and I highly recommend this class. Well after our scavenger hunt we got to all ride Kilimanjaro Safari, and get the special cast member spiel, instead of the normal one. Seriously SO cool, and something you can only do if you take this class, or work the ride. My scavenger hunt group was super cool, so we hung around after class, and rode Everest and Dinosaur. One of the girls works Everest so we got to go through the FastPass lane and got front row!! Here's my giraffe friend from the Safari.

 Ugh this day was just so good. So after that I met up with some of my roomies at Hollywood Studios, basically just for snacking and walking because we got there at like park close. On Friday I had my second day off, and went to Magic Kingdom in the morning, and Epcot in the evening. Oh, and I got the exciting news that I got accepted to study abroad this spring in New Zealand!!! So I entered this scholarship contest and they wanted a picture of me with a kiwi. So here's me with a kiwi.

I rode Haunted Mansion with my roommate Sarah, and we got candy corn cotton candy, and LeFou's Brew and it was fabulous. Then at Epcot (still with Sarah) I got the potato leek waffle from Belgium which was SO GOOD OH MY GOSH I DIED IT WAS SO GOOD. I also got a teriyaki gyoza bun from Japan, a strawberry oolong tea slush from China, and I think that's it. We met up with my other roommate Ashley and her friend, and had fun soda tasting at Club Cool. Then we went home. Work's been good, but I had to call in sick today for the first time :( I've just been super nauseous lately and needed a day to recharge. Every time you call in you get a point on your record card, so I now have one point. (3 points to a reprimand, 3 reprimands = termination)

Well that sums it up! It's my birthday tomorrow and my roomies and I are going to Le Cellier's Steakhouse in Canada :) SO EXCITED! I work tomorrow and Wednesday, then am off Thursday and Friday! Hope y'all have a magical week <3

Week Four

This week was great! Got to fly home to surprise the family <3 SO awesome being able to go home, even if it was just four days. But that means my paycheck is tiny for the week....so that sucks. But we got a raise! YAY!! That's super exciting. I work 12-9:15 tomorrow, my longest shift yet, so that'll be interesting. I'm actually excited because my leaders and coordinators and coworkers are super cool and we're having a potluck! Apparently a group rented the park out, so we're staying open much later than usual. I know some of my friends are working 13 hours...yikes. Applications for extensions came out! So people who want to extend, you fill out an application and rank your preferences as far as role goes. So for example:
1) attractions
2) merchandise
3) character attendant
4) same role same location
5) same role different location
I'm personally not applying to extend, but I know of many who are. But exciting news...I GOT ACCEPTED TO STUDY ABROAD THIS SPRING! So I will officially be spending my spring in Christchurch, New Zealand. SO SO SO psyched about that.

Back to work stuff, yesterday I got to go meet my roommate Sarah at Epcot for some Food and Wine Festival goodness. I tried garlic shrimp from Australia, a spicy shrimp roll from Morocco, mango green tea slush from China, melon rice cakes from Japan, and a pumpkin spice macaroon ice cream sandwich from France. So a VERY good night ;) The last three were in the pavilions, not the special Food & Wine booths. I think my favorite thing was the mango green tea slush, but the melon things were also really good, and both shrimp dishes were great. So much good. So much food. So much money. I made reservations for my birthday dinner!! YAY! Next Tuesday, three of my roommates and myself will be having dinner in Canada (Epcot) at Le Cellier Steakhouse! So excited. Can't believe I'm going to be 20...I wish so bad it was 21. Well this week I have a class field trip to Animal Kingdom, so I'll probably just be playing there before/after class. And Friday I have off, so my roommate Sarah and I are going to pick one (or more) of the parks to play in :) Someday I want to go to the beach...but not this week. It's been cool out here! SO nice. Like, I wear yoga pants and don't sweat. It's fabulous. Perfect park weather. Not rainy, and not uncomfortably cool.

I've had some awesome guests this week, and they make my day just by talking to me. Remember that the next time you're a guest, the girl bussing your table just needs a smile and a "hi, how's your day going?" to make her day better :) Well I think that's about it for this week! I finally cooked a meal, and made homemade pumpkin muffins so obviously it's been great. Have a magical rest of your week <3

The Bus System

So for all of you that come from across the country (or world), the buses are your main mode of transportation. Everyone will tell you that Transtar (the bus company) is terrible, the buses are always late and don't show up, and it's the worst thing ever. Well they're all complainer babies. I have never had any trouble with the bus system, AND it saves money. There are about 10 buses that each have their own specific route. Each bus comes every half hour, and they hit all Disney resorts, water parks, theme parks, and special sites like Casting (but different buses will go to different sites, they obviously don't go to all of the above sites because that would take forever!). I take the E bus for example, and it stops at Chatham Square (my apartment), the Commons, Vista Way, the Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club, and Hollywood Studios, in that order. So I have about a 45 minute bus ride, but it really doesn't feel that long, and this way I don't have to find parking. I have been here a month and have yet to be late to ANYTHING, have a super late bus, or have a bus not show up. People who are late either take the bus that would get them to work just on time (always take one bus early), or if it's really busy might not be able to get on a bus if there are a ton of people trying to get on. The worst is for people working at Magic Kingdom because they have the most amount of cast members, and SO many CPs that go and play in that park. So at night there is a lot of people standing since all the seats are taken. Just a piece of etiquette advice, even if you're exhausted from a fun day playing in the park, give your seat up to the exhausted cast member who made your day so great. They really appreciate it.

So the buses really aren't that bad, but I do recommend making friends with people with cars. This way you can go to Universal Studios or Sea World without taking an expensive taxi, or extremely long trolley ride. It is also really nice for grocery shopping. The H bus does go to Walmart and Publix, but it sucks carrying grocery bags from the bus stop to your apartment. If you're going to play in the parks on your day off, I would just take the buses. They're cheaper, and it doesn't matter if you're early or late. Also you don't have to worry about parking (which is free with your cast ID by the way), and having to walk a long ways or take the shuttle thing.

All in all, it is very convenient having a car, but also very expensive. If I were to do another program, I would not bring my car, and use the bus system again. Yes, the buses get you to work either 10 minutes early (risk being late), or 45 minutes early (what I do), but overall they're reliable and cheap transportation. And only CPs can use the buses we take, so you don't have to worry about the general public, or creepy adults. Make friends with people with cars, but don't take advantage of them, and offer up a couple dollars once in awhile. Don't depend on their ride or they'll get irritated really quick and feel taken advantage of. The one time I REALLY do recommend getting a ride from a friend and coughing up the gas money, is going to the airport. It cost me about $25 to take a shuttle with other strangers, but when my friend picked me up, I gave her $10 in gas and it was much more fun and comfortable. It's only a 25 minute drive to the airport, so taking a shuttle or taxi kind of feels like a waste unless your flight is super early (like mine was!!). I've only been late to work one time because of traffic, but even people who drove their cars were late that day so it's a moot point. So that's my two cents on the subject. It probably VERY different than most people, but people in the DCP seriously complain about Transtar, about housing, about security, about each other, about their job, the list goes on and on. The program is what you make it, negativity only makes your experience worse.

Well that was so much longer than I originally planned! I hope y'all have a fabulous week <3

Week Three

My week was good. Nothing too exciting happened, but I'm finally comfortable with my job and coworkers! Yay! I pulled trash a lot which kind of sucked, but I also got to work a lot of counter and did drinks for the first time by myself. So that was good :) I got some coworker bonding in over prep as we were all extended an hour, so that was actually really fun. I weighed chicken for two hours. Fun. I actually worked more hours then I was scheduled, so that made up for last week which is good. I had Wednesday and Thursday off, and they were both FABULOUS. Wednesday I went to Universal Studios with my friends Katy and Marlene, then we went to Epcot's Food and Wine Festival in the evening. GO TO FOOD AND WINE. It is the best thing that ever happened to you. ;) They have booths up for every country in the world showcase plus a bunch of additional ones. I got a Kahlua pork sandwich in Hawaii, cheddar cheese soup in Canada, and a mango green tea in China. Hawaii was my favorite. Next time I'm going for Australia and Morocco, but the dishes are about $3-$6 each and are appetizer sized. Really awesome authentic food, and you can get a passport which is cool. You get a stamp for each country you eat in. Also, if you're lucky enough to be 21, they have really unique drinks. I've heard fabulous things about the pineapple wine in Hawaii, and grapefruit beer in Germany. Definitely going back.

Thursday I slept in, and had my first day of my class. It started at 2:30pm and went until 4:30pm in Patterson. I am SO excited for this class. We get to go to Animal Kingdom and Epcot, and have speakers from around the parks. If you do the program, take a class. There are so many networking opportunities here!! And if you take a seminar (like me) you don't have homework, which is fab. After class I went to Property Control and Cast Connections, two discount stores for cast members. You can buy damaged merch for 75% off, cheap groceries, and other discounted finds. I got my sister a super cute blue Mickey shirt with lace, bought myself a Captain America mug, and got some apples. I spent less than $20.

On Friday I was extended an extra hour, but went to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. We get discounted tickets in September so I got one for Friday. My roommate was supposed to go with me, but she didn't get hers in time and it sold out :( So I did all the candy lines, watched the parades, and watched the fireworks. GO TO MNSSHP. Seriously, it's WELL worth the money. They have trick-or-treating all over Magic Kingdom (one of my friends got 35 pounds!!), special character meet and greets (all 7 dwarves at once AND Tarzan and Jane!), shorter ride times, and the AMAZING parade, which shows twice throughout the night. The villains take over Wishes and make it Hallowishes, which is super great, and you will never regret going. I'm actually going again in October so I can go all out with my costume and actually go with people.

Saturday after work I went into Hollywood Studios, went in the singles line on Rockin' Rollercoaster, got ice cream, and watched the last performance of Frozen fireworks with my roommate Lindsey, and friend Mary. The show will be missed. Sunday I flew home to surprise my family which went really well after I reassured them I was NOT fired from Disney, and stayed until today (Wednesday). I just got back to the apartment, but have tomorrow off as well for class. Then I work Friday-Wednesday and have Thursday and Friday off. Tuesday I work 11:30am-9:15pm because apparently a group rented out the park, so that will be interesting. And Saturday I work 1pm-7pm for the Tower of Terror 10 Miler. So that'll be fun? Hopefully. Hahaha. I'm already planning the holidays, and getting super excited. Family dinner for Thanksgiving (roomie family), decorations for Halloween, and all the Disney Christmas festivities. My family will be here over Christmas so that will be awesome. I REALLY want to go to the Candlelight Processional at Epcot which is where a famous person reads the biblical Christmas story. So I'm planning on going when Neil Patrick Harris does it, or Whoopie Goldberg.

That's about all I got. The DCP is going amazing, the people are great and the experience is one of a kind. I can't wait for the adventures to come :)

Random Tips and Advice

Super random tips and advice, sorry it's gonna be super chaotic but whatevs

• Go to the parks at night. They're so much emptier without small kids, and you need to watch Wishes whenever you can <3 We literally walked on Space Mountain twice with 15 minutes, and that would've been shorter if not for the long walk!
• Order kids meals when you eat out. You get an entree, sides, and a drink for half the price of an adult meal! It's plenty of food, and they don't even question if it's for a kid or something.
• Never buy a water bottle. Either bring in your own water bottle or ask a quick service place for a cup of water because that's always free.
• Bring food into the parks so you're spending less money, or save that money for one good meal or a couple of snacks.
• Don't be afraid to go to the parks by yourself! It's awesome.
• Try LeFou's Brew and other Disney specialties, they're famous for a reason.
• Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Take advantage of the beautiful food.
• If you're 21, drink around the world! How many times will you have all those unique drinks in one place??
• Try for a balanced diet. Make sure you're buying protein and fruits/veggies aside from the inevitable ramen and mac n cheese.
• Limit yourself your first month. Unless you plan on spending more than you make, the first month is by far the most expensive. You're making the least amount of money, and spending the most. I, for example, spent SO much on groceries (that initial trip is killer), Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP), and my Universal annual pass.
• Buy a ticket to MNSSHP!!! I am SO excited to go. What I hear is that you walk away with an absurd amount of candy, Hallowishes is the coolest thing ever, and the Halloween parade is the best Disney puts on. And you get a September discount, may as well use it!
• Tell your family not to come over Christmas because you can't use like any perks...found that out the hard way! Basically the week of Christmas is blacked out, meaning you can't get anyone but yourself in for free. Go for September-early November.
• Book any hotels early! There's only a limited number of cast discounts per hotel per night/week.
• If you need multiple days off for any reason, put that request in ASAP. As CPs we have the lowest priority for days off.
• Join your work location's Facebook page for shift giveaways. There are so many part timers that need more hours! They will gladly pick up any shifts you don't want. 
• That being said, make sure you're working enough hours to afford your lifestyle.
• DON'T QUIT. It's a job, you are here to work AND play, not just play. The amount of people that self-term is ridiculous.
• Give the DCP and your work location at least a month. It does suck in the beginning, but gets SO much better. One of my coworkers put in a request to self-term after a week or two, but after working longer and getting to know his coworkers, he loved it! One of his biggest regrets...
• The guest is always right. Just grin and bear it.
• Choose your roomies before coming, and choose them for their lifestyles. You don't need to be best friends, you need to live together comfortably. Chances are you'll also become good friends, but don't expect that. After the first week, your schedules will be so crazy that you'll never all be home and awake at the same time.
• Be considerate at night. For your roommates and neighbors sanity, don't blast music at 2am. It sucks. 
• Don't forget to call the family once in awhile! It's hard to find time sometimes but they miss you :)
• Don't drink if you're under 21. This is a huge reason people get termed, and it's so easily avoidable. Just be smart!
• Don't wait forever to do laundry. 
• TAKE PICTURES! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, take advantage of that and document your experience.
• When people know you can get them into Disney for free, they'll mob you. Don't accept bribes (termed.) or give them out to distant family. Save them for good friends and family!
• Even if you bring a car, taking the buses is not a bad idea. You save gas, and the buses are not as bad as everyone says. Post about that to come.
• Cook/bake at least once in awhile. It's so nice to come home and remember you made homemade muffins or a homemade meal!
• Florida is hot and humid, come into the program with the right clothes and attitude.
• Most of the boys are gay, don't come in expecting to meet a husband! Just expect to make some amazing lifelong friends :)
• Do all the rides, but don't forget the shows. They are SO cool. Be sure to watch The Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom!

That's all I got for now. It ended up super long...but oh well! Someday I'm planning on doing a "DCP: Real Talk" kind of thing, as well as one detailing life in QSFB, housekeeping, and custodial. I know this is post #2 within an hour, but whatever. My brain can't shut down!

Week Two

Big news..I've officially EARNED MY EARS! Basically this means you take your training label off of your name tag :) I'm lucky because my location does not require an assessment but usually this also means you passed that. Not a whole lot of interesting things happened this week, but it was a good week. All of my shifts have been about 6 hours, and they consist of bussing, counter, and dish room. So cleaning tables, giving guests their food, and cleaning dishes. The easy stuff :) Also my coworkers are SO BOMB so that's cool. I had Sunday and Thursday off this past week and those days were awesome. Did I already talk about Harry Potter? Well I went to Universal on Sunday with some of my roomies and bought my annual pass. It was like $215 or something with tax and our Florida discount. Go to the front desk of your complex and ask for proof of residency and you get the discount! Yay! We got to do both parks, but Islands of Adventure I think I like more. That one has Marvel and Dr. Seuss, and normal Universal has Simpsons (which I really don't like) and stuff. Our main goal was to hit the Harry Potter stuff so we did the new Gringotts ride (which is super cool) and the castle ride, drank Butterbeer (SO GOOD) and ate ice cream from the new ice cream place (which was also SO GOOD). I prefer cold Butterbeer over frozen because the frozen kind is more milkshakey and makes me feel sick because it's so rich. The ice cream I got was strawberry and peanut butter (think PB&J), and earl grey and lavender which was to die for. To get to and from Universal we took the trolley which you can catch if you take the bus to Publix and walk a bit. It drops you off about a 20 minute walk from the park, but it's only 25 cents for cast members. So it's cheap but it's long and it kind of sucks, so if you have a car I think it's worth the $20 in parking to just drive there.

Thursday I went to Magic Kingdom by myself and it was actually so much fun. I bought my ticket for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, which is discounted at $45 including tax for cast members through September. I got to the actual park around 2pm and took my nice camera with me. I took pictures of whatever caught my eye and got to do some "shopping" aka walk through stores and dream of buying things, and eat. I finally tried LeFou's Brew at Gaston's Tavern which was pretty delicious. It's like frozen apple juice with marshmallow flavor, and topped with a passion fruit foam. Sounds weird but it totally works, Next time I think I'd share because it's pretty rich, but it was really good. Got myself a kids meal for lunch, and staked out a perfect spot for Wishes at like 6pm. I brought a book to help pass the time, but I got to sit in front of Walt's statue right in front of the castle. I saw the electrical parade, Celebrate the Magic, and Wishes. Wishes was delayed almost an hour because of rain, but that also means it was practically empty! I highly recommend going to the parks by yourself once in awhile.

Work this week was pretty consistent. Worked about 12-6 everyday and did the same jobs. 2 days at Backlot, 3 days at SCC. This week is the same but I get Wednesday and Thursday off, and we're open later on Saturday due to the Tower of Terror run thingy. But my class starts Thursday so yay! (Exploring Environmentality and Sustainability) I think I'm going to Universal with my friend Katy on Wednesday, and doing errands and maybe a park in the morning on Thursday. Or Property Control. That's the cast member store that sells cheap merch that is somehow "damaged" (keep in mind this could be a thread missing or something tiny).

So that's my week. I think I'm gonna do a post soon that's super random tips and fun facts and whatever that wouldn't fit in anywhere else. I'm loving it here so far :) Stay tuned for the next post! Have a very magical week :)