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.
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