Some Work, Some Play

Hello again!

Wow what a crazy few weeks it has been! I cannot believe how much I have squeezed in to such a short amount of time. So as the title states I have had a pretty awesome amount of work and play. This post will specifically be about PLAY and all the fun park going and such that has happened in the last little bit (:

Words can't really explain how unreal it is to walk up to Magic Kingdom, scan my ID and go right in. I also have the freedom to do as much or as little as I would like that day, rather than cram it all into a 4 day vacation. So that's exactly what we've been doing.

The first night we ventured out to Magic Kingdom was on Sunday, the day after Traditions. We went later in the day because I had a training until 4 and so we could catch Wishes and ride some rides. We took the bus to the Polynesian Resort (insanely gorgeous) and rode the monorail to MK.

We rode Space Mountain, Its a Small World, and Haunted Mansion and stopped for some Mickey shaped ice cream of course! We got done in perfect time for Wishes to start, one of the shows that projects images on the castle and plays music and such. It was such a cool experience and was a perfect end to our first real night at the parks.

The next day we went to Hollywood Studios, where 2 of my roommates are going to be working! We spent most of the day there and left around 1 or 2. We took a bus to the Boardwalk which is insanely gorgeous and I would suggest everyone go check it out! We took a ferry boat to Hollywood Studios from there. We went on the Great Movie Ride, watched one of the Frozen Summer Fun shows, did the Tower of Terror, the Rockin Roller Coaster (favorite and only ride I sort of remember from when I came as a kid), and Star Tours! We seemed to luck out with wait times and had an awesome time. I really was looking forward to exploring the area where my roommates were going to be working during the program.

Fast forward about 3 days to the end of my Lifeguard training and we went to Magic Kingdom again on Wednesday night! We got to ride the Seven Dwarves Mine Train! This is the newest ride and has wait times that can get up to 3 hours on any given day. We went during Wishes while the rides are a little quieter and only waited about 45-50 minutes. IT WAS AWESOME. On the open parts of the ride we were actually looking right over the castle and could see the firework show from the ride. We also did Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. We hung out in Frontierland for the Electric Light Parade which apparently is the most popular, according to my roommate who is working this parade. It was so neat and we all geeked out a little when Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother had a moment with us. We ended the night by going to the castle for the clock to strike midnight and 'The Kiss Goodnight' with a magical goodbye announcement. It was close to empty and there was only a few people still taking pictures with the castle and walking around. Walking down Main Street while it was empty was a perfect ending to a long couple of weeks!

Wow long post but thanks for reading!

TRADITIONS!

Hello all! 

Today was the big day! I woke up bright and early to catch the 6:55 bus headed to Disney University. Everything about today was so surreal and getting to finally experience something I have heard so much about was just incredible. 

Essentially Traditions is your first day of training, your first official day as a Cast Member, and a day to take in as much Disney heritage and core values as you possibly can. You learn what it takes to be a part of a company in charge of making thousands of magical memories every day. *cue the tears* just kidding, but in all honesty there are some tear jerking moments. 

This has been one of those days where I feel so glad I took the leap and accepted my offer. Every day I am realizing just how special this opportunity is, I've heard lots of numbers tossed around but the most accurate seems to be that 20,000 people applied this round and 7,000 recieved offers. I have already met so so many incredible people and stepping into the Magic Kingdom and being made to feel at home was too unreal. (By this I mean specifically when Merida waved at me btw) There is no way I could regret taking this semester off because I have already learned so many things that I could never get from a classroom. 

Just a little story I thought I'd throw in here was that Traditions requires you be in Disney Look as well as business casual attire. I broke out the heel flats and am now full of regret now that my heels are covered in blisters. Random story, but necessary, in case any of you join the DCP, go to Traditions, and break out your most uncomfortable pair of shoes. 

Moving on.... I am now back in my apartment waiting for my other 2 roommates to complete their Traditions so we can all finally get into the parks! I will post some awesome pics below, although I feel you should know they are VERY strict at Traditions about what can be photographed and posted, and what cannot. So I am giving you what I can while preserving the magic and so on.. 

Also, I have no clue who actually reads this. But if it ever gets far enough to a future DCP or someone looking to apply and you have questions feel free to comment. I felt so clueless before I came and hopelessly read tons of blogs, as I become a little more informed I am happy to help anyone out! 

Shenanigans

So, as some of you may know we cannot get into the parks for free yet until we go through Traditions and become official and what not. BUT we are certainly making the most of our time regardless. Today we woke up and went to a pool party at one of the other Disney Housing places (Commons) and it was a blast! They are themed and have a DJ, food, etc.. I am typically not the type to really go out of my way to attend these type of events but this situation really almost requires (to me) that I go out and make the most of every second. We got back and waited for our other roommate, who was at Traditions most of the morning. 

It was time for our first Downtown Disney adventure! Our intention was to go to eat and explore. We got on the bus and Vista is the first stop and DTD is the last, so it took roughly 30 minutes. And then Florida weather not so kindly reminded us that you should ALWAYS have some sort of rain preparation. It started pouring rain. We went to the TRex restaurant and it was such a neat experience. The atmosphere is so cool and there is even a 'meteor shower' every 15 minutes with flashing lights and animatronics. (Not as cool after you've been there for an hour though...) We then had a mini adventure trying to find the bus stop home and make it in time while walking through more rain. It was an awesome little day off, and I look forward to many more days like this when our schedules line up. 

Traditions is tomorrow and I am so excited and anxious! It's basically my first real day and the beginning to my journey to 'Earning My Ears' or completing training. Lots of cool info and pics to come so stay tuned! 

What Next?

Hi! 

Little update on my upcoming schedule for those who are interested! It's going to be a whirlwind, but the roommates and I have vowed to make time to visit the parks as soon as we possibly can (for free anyway 😉). 

The first big thing going on is Traditions! Time to truly become a cast member and learn all about this incredible company. Lasts about 4 hours on Friday. 

Next I start role specific training. I have a general (and VERY long) training about Operations, which includes lifeguards as well as attractions and other roles. 

Then lifeguard training begins..the real deal! 3 days of 7 hour training sessions. I'm so so glad I have lifeguarding experience and feel somewhat prepared for this. 

Last, but probably the most exciting for me... Location specific training! I'll be learning all about my location and hopefully get a good sense of what it'll be like. 

That's all I know for now! I wanted to put this out there because I have no clue if I will have time for updates. 

Thanks for reading! 

Apartment Pics!

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of space and furniture we have! Also, we lucked out and I am obsessed with our huge window and high ceiling in the living room. I was worried that it would make it even hotter in our apartment but so far so good. My Colorado self has stayed a lot cooler than I expected. It is a 2 bedroom apartment and each room has one bathroom and an extra sink/vanity area. 

Check In Day!

Let me just begin by saying check in day was pretty insane! It was an incredible day but they don't mess around, there is a lot to get done. Also, the only piece of information I had going into it was my check in time and the limited amounts of info I scraped together from blogs/Facebook. 

A few days before you arrive you select your housing preferences and roommates. This will not be confirmed until you check in and is not a guarantee. I had been getting to know 3 other girls and was so hopeful we would be roommates. Somehow, it all worked out as planned and we got both our housing AND roommate preferences! We are in Vista Way and I honestly love our place, pics to come later! 

Anyway back to check in.... I arrived at 7:45 am and immediately was directed through a very well organized set of stations, I guess you could call them. We got our housing assignments, went to Casting (HR type of thing, by Downtown Disney), got our housing ID's and some other random things like confirming that we were in Disney Look. **sidenote about Disney Look, my hair actually was deemed unnatural looking (highlights), and I was told to get my hair colored before Friday. This immediately stressed me out, but I got it dyed this morning and all is well** 

(Around 12:30 pm) After check in and casting we returned to Vista and I was able to join my roommates in unpacking and explore our room! Not for long too though... Earlier in the day I was given instructions about our lifeguard test that night. I was in charge of figuring out how to get there on time using the cast member buses (Transtar). This was totally new to me but I figured it out fairly quickly and am honesty looking forward to being able to rely on the bus. I passed the test and got my location and upcoming training schedule. Up to that point my amount of info was VERY limited and it was such a relief to feel like I had some solid info about my upcoming months. 

Sorry for the long post, they won't all be this way. Like I said, this was a packed day! 

Until next time (:

About Me/Introduction!

Hello everyone! 

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Merritt and I am a college Junior. I am hitting the pause button on my life and school in Colorado to participate in the Disney College Program. It is a 5 (ish) month paid internship that involves working in the Disney Parks. In my case, I will be a lifeguard at Disney World, working in the All Star Resort. I am so thrilled to see what the future holds and cannot wait to document my adventures. 

PS, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Disney lingo; 'Role'=Job, 'Costume'=Work Uniform, 'Backstage'=Any area not open/seen by the public 

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy!