Traditions (I'M OFFICIALLY A CAST MEMBER AGAIN)!!!

I just got back from Traditions and I am so excited to finally be able to call myself a cast member again!! I had 2:40pm Traditions, and the busses picked up right outside my apartment building at 1:15pm, leaving at 1:30pm. We got to Traditions right around 2pm, then mingled and split up. There was a different group every ten minutes, so a 2:30pm class, a 2:40pm class, etc. I had class with my new friend Corey, who has also had drug testing, casting, and housing with me! AND we have our welcome to ops class together on Tuesday. So it was fun to hangout with him, he'll be working Kilimanjaro Safari!!

I don't want to spoil too much of Traditions, but I'll give you the basic rundown! We sat in groups of five - mine included three attractions cast members (including myself), one lifeguard, and one working at the Grand Floridian spa! That one said that she was originally offered Children's Activities, but casting called her back and offered her this role instead. We think it's a role inconsistently offered which is why it's not listed anywhere. Super cool though.

The first part of the class was talking about the four keys (safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency), talking about integrity, and basically watching videos to inspire. WARNING: YOU MAY CRY AT THE VIDEOS BECAUSE THEY'RE SO DANG INSPIRATIONAL AND MAGICAL. You take a short break for food/bathroom, then get to go on a special field trip. I won't give anything away ;)

After you get back to the classroom you get your blue ID and your name tag!! Your blue ID is what allows you to get into the parks before your maingate (entrance ticket for the duration of your program) comes, and what you use to get discounts. A special friend comes in for the big name tag reveal, then your officially a cast member!! All you need for Traditions is your driver's license, and a snack if you want it. Oh, and business casual clothing of course. Don't stress too much about the clothing, you can get away with dark wash jeans and nice blouse. I wore slacks, a nice blouse, and flats, but many were wearing either dark wash jeans or dresses with flats. The guys all wore dark wash jeans with a button down, or slack with a button down or sweater. It was pretty chilly today (high of like 62) so most of us opted for tights/pants/jackets! Just make sure all tattoos are covered and you look presentable and you'll be fine.

I came home after Traditions because my roommates all decided to come home early from the parks due to early training schedules tomorrow, but we're all going to go to Epcot tomorrow! Yay! Super pumped about that. That's it for now, I'll give y'all an update once training is underway :)

Week One: Housing, Resort Hopping, & Grocery Shopping

So it has been a pretty uneventful week since check-in and casting, but here's a little update anyway!! Monday was check-in, drug testing, and casting so we're starting with Tuesday.

Tuesday we went shopping for the stuff we needed such as bare minimum groceries, certain kitchen utensils not included with the apartments (such as a cutting board), a bath mat, cleaning supplies, etc. Then Tuesday night we took the bus to the Polynesian Resort and watched the torch lighting ceremony which includes an attractive shirtless dancer from the luau. Also Mariam got her first dole whip!! Then we headed to the Contemporary for dinner at the QSFB restaurant in there, and finally went to the Grand Floridian for Wishes. We took the monorail since these three are the monorail line resorts. At the Grand we watched Wishes from the dock where the boat leaves from, and it was awesome. They pump in the music and you get a pretty great view of the fireworks.

Wednesday we went grocery shopping for everything we forgot on Tuesday, then basically just sat around the apartment because we were so tired from the previous few days!! Nothing very interesting. Oh, and we played Catch Phrase. Oh, and I had my housing meeting!! Almost forgot about that. Basically it's an hour long meeting at the Commons where the housing people tell you the rules of housing. They try make it interesting with a dance party and videos but it's pretty dry.

Today is Thursday and this morning Alexa took me to Progressive, which is the auto insurance of the man I got in a car accident with. Basically I had to meet with them to settle my health bills from the hospital, but the guy helping me (hi Darius) was super nice and helpful. So that should be taken care of and I just have to wait on my car insurance company to call me and tell me whether or not my car is damaged. Hopefully it all works out smoothly!! We have a welcome event tonight we'll go to called Jammin' in the Jungle and they'll have character like Turk and Jane out to meet, so that should be fun!!

Tomorrow is Friday and I still have nothing planned so maybe we'll go to a resort or something. Three of my roommates have Traditions so they'll be out of the apartment but I'm sure we'll find SOMETHING to do! I have Traditions Saturday so until then I'm a bit bored hahaha.

Sorry this is such a boring update, but nothing super exciting has happened.

Day One: Check-In, Drug Testing, and Casting

This whole process is so different from when I worked here last time! Everything is SO MUCH FASTER WOW.

Check-in: I checked in at 9:30am at my apartment complex (Vista Way) and really quickly just took my picture for my housing ID (which is horrendous and super dark), did some paperwork, and could get my car decal (but I'm doing that later because I forgot my registration). The housing ID's are blue this time so they're prettier than last time when I had orange. That's literally it. It took me maybe 15 minutes to get through the whole process (minus the car decal).

Drug testing: I checked in for my drug screening at 10am in an apartment at Vista Way and sat around with some other CPs waiting for my turn. Everyone was super nice and excited so it was nice to make friends :) For the drug test I just had to pee in a cup and leave it on the counter then go. I probably didn't drink enough water going into it, but I was so stressed from the whole car thing. Anyway that's all done and over with! You pee in a room by yourself, but there are medical personnel right outside waiting for you.

Casting: I had casting at 12:30 in the afternoon, and went with a guy I met in my drug testing named Cory. We were both alumni so it was super fun talking to him!! He's working at Kilimanjaro Safari so that's super awesome. The bus to casting was the same as last time with us counting down to going under the Disney arch and starting out in the room with all the little gold statues. We got a nice little introduction from Randy, who was super hilarious, and there was also a man there that had been with Disney SINCE ROPE DROP IN 1971. That's so cool. Well we first filled out our I-9 form which they helpfully have a template for, then filled out some paperwork, then got our fingerprints taken, talked about the Disney look, learned about where our first few days of training would take place and how to get there, then were on our merry way. It took about an hour, but everything kept moving so it went by pretty quickly. Then we got on the bus and went back to housing! It's only a 10 or so minutes drive from housing to casting.

And that's day one!! It is currently day two which is a free day, so we're going to go grocery shopping :)

WE KNOW WHERE WE LIVE AND WORK!!

So the program did something different this year and told CPs ahead of time what their location is, their apartment complex, and their first week schedule. So Lindsey and I got this email on the Thursday before check-in, while in Kansas. We got a 3-bedroom, 6-person apartment in Vista Way (last choice, but hey, no triple occupancy) and we got with all our requested roommates! I'm working at Magic Kingdom, New Fantasyland East attractions. This includes The Little Mermaid (my requested ride), Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Teacups, and Winnie the Pooh. So I probably got my requested attraction YAY! I also found out I had check-in, drug testing, and casting all on Monday, a housing meeting on Wednesday, and Traditions on Saturday at 2:40pm.

Lindsey got placed in Magic Kingdom, Frontierland attractions. This includes Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Country Bears Jamboree. She's terrified of Splash Mountain so she's hoping for one of the other two haha. She had a similar schedule to mine but with Traditions in the morning on Saturday instead of afternoon.

My other roommates locations are as follows: Alyssa is QSFB - ODV (outdoor vending) at Magic Kingdom. Alexa is merchandise at TrenD in Disney Springs. Mariam (Murr-iam) is QSFB at Sunshine Seasons in Epcot. And Brooklyn is custodial at Hollywood Studios! We all have Traditions on either Friday or Saturday.

We also received our first few days of training schedule on Monday the 23rd via email. I have "Welcome to Operations D" on Tuesday from 7:30am - 2:00pm and "Once Upon a Time...Is Now!" on Wednesday from 7:15am - 4:00pm. Both of these I have to dress business casual, and the first will likely be lots of sitting and listening, and maybe computer training at Disney University, while the second will be at Magic Kingdom and include an introduction to our park!

That's it for now - SUPER excited I'm in the area I requested!!!

The Road To Disney (WE'RE FINALLY IN ORLANDO!!!)

So I've been on the road for the past week to get to Disney and haven't had time to blog about it. So this morning I'm going to pump out like four blogs, including check-in/casting, role and housing assignment, our apartment, and today's vlog of our trip details!! It was a crazy trip.

January 17th, 2017: Lindsey and I flew out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Denver International Airport, then took a shuttle up to Fort Collins (reminder: Fort Collins is where I went to school). One of my old roommates picked me up (thanks Katelyn!!) and we got to go out to dinner at Stuft, and super awesome burger restaurant with all of my college friends. This night we stayed in a hotel so we could get our beauty sleep for the next day of driving, but the other nights we stayed at friends houses.

January 18th, 2017: We left our hotel at 8:15am after eating breakfast and headed to Kansas! We used an awesome website called GasBuddy.com which maps out your trip based on your vehicle, and the cheapest gas stops you can make along your ride which saved us a good $20 or so. But anyway, we mapped out each gas stop ahead of time, so our first stop was in eastern Kansas. Let me tell you, all of eastern Colorado and Kansas is flat and brown, so not the most interesting place to drive through. We got in to Stilwell, Kansas around 7:15pm and got to stay at my mom's cousin's house (my first cousin once removed?). It took us about 9 hours of driving, 10 hours total with stops along the way.

January 19th, 2017: Back in October/September when we booked these flights we gave ourselves two buffer days in case of weather, but the weather was perfect driving through Colorado/Kansas, so we stayed a day in Stilwell with my family. My mom's cousin took us to the barn with her and we got to ride a little bit, and she and my second cousin took us out to brunch. Even though Kansas is slightly atrocious, it was a super fun day :) Oh, and I went into their Honda dealer and got my oil changed. Also there was a passenger bag recall so they also replaced that.

January 20th, 2017: We left for Louisville, Kentucky around 9am, and drove through Missouri (DON'T STOP IN EAST ST. LOUIS), Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. It took us close to 7.5 hours driving, and 9 hours total because we stopped in Missouri to see Lindsey's cousin! The drive was super easy, we didn't hit any traffic, even around Kansas City and St. Louis areas. Super great though, because it made for a quick drive! Well we got in to Louisville (apparently pronounced Loo-ul-ville) close to 7:45pm and got Olive Garden for dinner. We stayed with a good friend of mine, Katy, who did my first program with me!!

January 21st, 2017: This was another buffer day so we spent it exploring a little bit of Louisville, and eating really good food. We got crepes at Twin Sisters, ice cream at the Comfy Cow, coffee at Please & Thank You, and dinner at the Village Anchor. It was all so tasty haha but I'm such a foodie. Lindsey has family near the Kentucky-Ohio border, so she drove an hour over to Lexington, and got to meet up with them while Katy and I went out to dinner.

January 22nd, 2017: This day was quite the day. We drove roughly 13.5 hours from Kentucky to Orlando, going through Tennessee and Georgia. Shockingly, we hit zero traffic going through Nashville, Chatanooga, AND ATLANTA (whaaaaaat). This was a Sunday though with some nasty storm warnings, so I guess it makes sense? We missed the worst of the storms for sure, we just got hit with some rain a few times, but apparently there were like 19 deaths storm-related in Georgia that day. So anyway, we drove straight to Downtown Disney (oops, Disney Springs), with one accidental detour that took us by a correctional facility (LOL). It was so fun to be back on Disney property; Lindsey and I got Earl of Sandwich for dinner, walked in World of Disney, and got completely drenched by the rainstorm. So here's where it gets interesting: we were driving to our hotel from Disney Springs, were literally 300 feet away from our turn into our hotel, and got in a car accident. We were at a yellow flashing light (which means go, yield if you have to), and t-boned a man in the middle of the intersection. Turns out he had a flashing red (which means stop, then go if there are no cars) so luckily his insurance is covering everything. His car definitely got totaled, and mine is TBD on damage. The whole front bumper area is smashed, the airbags deployed, and the hood of the car is a little wonky. Somehow both my headlights are intact though? My car was bigger than his and got hit on a sturdier side (he got hit on the passenger door, no passengers thankfully) so he had the worst damage. Anyhoo, we went to hospital for insurance purposes and we're both fine. I have a small burn from the airbag, and Lindsey has a bruised chest from the seatbelt, but my car did good. Now it's getting towed to an inspection center so I can know the damage and whether or not it's fixable.

That's our road trip!! We had to take a taxi in the morning and move all our crap to the taxi van, but I am finally sitting here in my apartment so it's okay. :) Thankful to be alive and well.

New Hire Paperwork | Spring 2017

My new hire paperwork came today! There will be a link in the email for new users and for returning users. I thought I was a returning user, but my information wasn't recognized so I switched to new user and created a password (username is listed in the email). What the new hire paperwork basically is, is electronically signing a bunch of documents. You have to create an electronic signature which will turn out dreadfully, then allow that to be your signature for all documents. You simply press a button confirming you're signing.

These documents include information about costume rental/return, the Disney Look, confidentiality, safety, policy, bloodborne pathogens, tax information, the W-4 form, bank information if using direct deposit, and some other stuff. In total there are roughly 25 different documents you will need to either sign or fill out. If you're using direct deposit, have your checkbook nearby so you can easily find your account number and routing number. You'll also need your social security card if you don't have your SSN memorized (you should probably make an effort to memorize it).

That's pretty much it!! Really not very exciting, but necessary :) I officially leave in 13 days, and will check in at my apartment complex in 19 days! SO excited. Also, I should find out what apartment complex I'm living in around the same time Lindsey and I leave!! If this is news to you, the check in process has changed! Disney will now give you your itinerary ahead of time, including what apartment complex to check in to/you will be living in. You find this out about a week ahead of time, and now find out your work location at casting instead of check in!!

Next up will likely be an OFFICIAL packing blog! Or a detailed timeline blog. LET THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUE.

Dealing With DORMS: Housing | Spring 2017

HELLO HUMANS! So soon after my last post :) Our housing email came today for us to put in our housing requests! Kind of weird it came before the new hire paperwork email, but whatever.

So the email basically said housing registration is now open, and will be open from January 2, 2017 at 10:00 EST - January 5, 2017 at 12:00 EST. It includes a registration link and a "roommate number" which is also your Perner (employee ID number). You'll click on the link and that will take you to DORMS where you'll login with your password you should have created for class registration and program acceptance. After logging in you will click on the housing tab, and it takes you to a page to input basic information.

This page asks for name, address, emergency contact, etc. It will also ask you whether or not you want to opt out of Disney housing, if you require ADA housing (handicap), if you're requesting married housing, if you're requesting an alcohol-prohibited apartment (I'm 21+), and if you're bringing a car. I'm bringing a car, so clicking yes caused a menu to drop down and I filled in car info like make/model/license plate, but nothing about insurance. I assume if you chose yes on other tabs there would be a dropdown menu for those as well. 

Next is three forms you need to electronically sign. The first is community codes, so housing rules and stuff. The second is the payroll form which basically states that Disney will take rent out of your paycheck, and nothing is prorated. Finally, I had the vehicle agreement form which says you'll follow the rules regarding getting into the apartments and putting your decal in the correct placement. 

After this is the fun stuff!! You can choose to be adventurous and go random with roommates, or put in your own roommate preferences. For my program we were able to link up with FIVE other people. So if you had seven picked out for a 4-bedroom apartment, you're out of luck. This differs per arrival date I believe, there was one arrival date last year that could only link with three. To link with your chosen roommates you need to appoint a "leader" (me in the case of my roommates), and everyone gives them their roommate IDs. You type in all roommate IDs and verify they all have the same arrival/departure dates then you can choose what apartment you want to live in. DORMS will automatically provide a list of all apartment that could accommodate your chosen number of roommates OR MORE. So we were given all the six AND eight person apartment options. You rank all of your options, so you can't take any out.

We ranked like so:

1. Commons 3-bedroom, 6-person
2. Chatham 3-bedroom, 6-person
3.  Patterson 3-bedroom, 6-person
4. Vista Way 3-bedroom, 6-person
5. Chatham 2-bedroom, 6-person
6. Commons 4-bedroom, 8-person
7. Chatham 4-bedroom, 8-person

The prices for spring 2017 are listed below:

A guy screenshotted his DORMS page but mine looked the exact same. 

And that's it!! There will be a review page, then you'll click "submit." I'm pretty sure you can go back and change stuff at any time through the 5th. Next up should be new hire paperwork. You get two emails for the new hire stuff, and I have one of them. So maybe tomorrow I'll get the other one! We'll see. I LEAVE TWO WEEKS FROM TOMORROW, CAN NOT WAIT AHHHHHHH!!!!

01/09/2017 UPDATE: The January 30th arrivals can only link up with TWO other people. I believe the January 9th and January 17th arrivals could link up with seven others, January 23rd could link up with five others, and January 30th can link up with two others.