Interview a CP: Holly (Slide Operations)

Holly in front of the Blizzard Beach sign!

Before Holly emailed me saying she would like to participate in an interview, I honestly didn't know that slide ops was an option for recreation! (Learn something new all the time!) Because of this, I'm definitely glad that she was able to share about her role during her second Disney College Program!

What role did you have during the DCP, and where did you work?

I was a recreation cast member working as a slide op at Typhoon Lagoon & Blizzard Beach.

What was a typical day like at work?

Every shift started at 9 am unless you were an opener then that shift started at 8 am. You checked in with the base coordinator of that day to get your morning job which was normally pushing or raking sand or re-setting a sand zone.  At about 15 minutes before the water parks opened you had a morning meeting where you got your rotations for the day which is the schedule of what stand you start at and the time periods you'd be at what stand.  Through out the whole day you were rotating to different stand about every 30-40 minutes which made the day go by super quick.  We also got 2 half hour breaks during the day which was a nice break.  After the park closed you did your closing jobs which were normally to just pick up trash, towels & life jackets off the beach and then a breakout at 5:30 pm.  A lot of the days during a spring program will be cold weather closings.  When the temperature is forecasted to be below 70 degrees the water parks won't open and they give you the option to take the day off or get deployed to the other parks to experience different roles.  Weather closings happen a lot during the late Spring & Summer, when the weather is inclement the park will temporarily close and you get to have a lot of interaction with the guests in the weather stations. 

Is this the role you originally wanted? If not, are you happy you got it?

My first program was the Spring of 2012 so when I came back for Spring 2013 I knew exactly where I wanted to work & under what role so when I had my phone interview I told them I only wanted to be a slide op & when I ended up getting the role I was super quick to accept it.

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about your job?

My favorite parts of my job were just being outside in the sun all day, definitely the people I had the amazing chance to work with, and the fact that I had the set schedule of 9-5:30 everyday.  Another favorite part was getting the chance to be deployed. I was able to work in all four parks, both water parks, and ESPN.  My least favorite part about my job was the morning jobs because you did them for an hour before the park opened and it was just the time of the morning when the sun started getting hot. Some of them were just kind of tiring.

Any specific magical moment you want to share?

A little blurry, but Holly's in front of Typhoon Lagoon!

Being a slide op we didn't really have very many opportunities to give guest magical moments.  But my favorite one I ever did was opening up Summit Plummet in the morning because at Blizzard Beach we have a family of ski captains (the first guests allowed in the park) and we bought them all up to Summit before the park opened and let them be the first guests go down and have the rest of the cast members & guests count them down.  At Typhoon Lagoon our magical moment was the Big Kahuna, every morning we took the first family to arrive on a private tour of the park before it opens and then they get to "control" the waves in the wave pool for the whole day.

What made you want to do the DCP?

Well this was my second program and half way through my first program I knew I wanted to do another one.  I know so many people say this is the opportunity of a lifetime, but it literally is.  Now that I'm home so many people ask me about my experience and a lot of my friends did the program or are going to in the next few months.  Both of my programs were the absolute time of my life, I had the best role and I met so many amazing people that I became so close with and will be life long friends.

Is there something you wish you would have known before doing your program?

Even before my first program I had a really good idea of what to expect because I had friends and coworkers that had done it in past years, I also became obsessed with reading a lot of vlogs and blogs like this one. The blogs and even the DCP intern site give you a ton of information that will really help you out.

What advice would you give to those who are going to be participating in your role?

•  Definitely bring your rain jacket, even if it's sunny in the morning because the weather is so crazy especially during the spring and you will get caught in the rain.
•  BUY CROCS! They are a total lifesaver when your on your feet all day, even though they're completely hideous.
•  When you get the chance to deploy out, take it because it's a nice change to see how other roles besides your own works.
•  Even though you're living in Florida and working at a water park, pick up the long sleeve shirts, pants, and fleeces from costuming because it does get really cold up on the mountains.
•  Get friendly with your coordinators, leaders, and lifeguards because they all help you out tremendous amounts and will be your best friends.
•  Try an opening shift if you can because it gives you a chance to do different morning jobs and no closing jobs.
•  SLIDE TEST! It will literally be the best part of your day because you can test the rides and go in the lazy river.

What advice would you give to people who are interested in doing the DCP?

Make the most of your program.  There's so much to do on a limited amount of time.  Go to all the parks, resort hop, eat in the restaurants, hang out at Downtown Disney, explore Orlando, go to the beaches. The DCP is seriously a life changing experience and I wish I could just be a permanent CP.  Network a lot because you never know when you'll do it.  I networked with a bunch of my leaders and became close with them and I'm now a seasonal slide op at both the water parks.  

If anyone has any questions about the DCP in general or specific roles you can contact me/ follow me:

Instagram- @princesshollyx0

Twitter- @princessholly0x

Facebook- www.facebook.com/hollyw00dxx3

If you're a current or past college program cast member and would like to share your experience, email your name and role to thedisneyden@yahoo.com to participate!

Interview a CP: Melissa (Recreation)

Melissa hard at work!

Earlier last week I interviewed Caitie, who was involved in the children's activities aspect of the recreation role. Melissa had a different role for recreation, boat docks/marinas! Here's what she has to say about her experience as a resort recreation cast member:

What role did you have during the DCP, and where did you work?

I am Recreation! I worked the Sassagoula Region, which includes Port Orleans Riverside and Downtown Disney.

What was a typical day like at work?

My typical day is closing docker. Like most cps, I close almost every day...(which is fine by me because the marina is only open until 7pm!) I'll come in around noon, speil and load guests into boats, bring boats in, fuel up some searaycers, maybe break the cashier and be tormented by the lakers. Especially be tormented by the lakers. 

Other things included in our role is cashiering, surrey bikes/regular bikes, and fishing hole.

Is this the role you originally wanted? If not, are you happy you got it?

Originally when I saw Recreation, I was hoping for Children's Activities. But I actually really really enjoy my job and the people I work with. I wouldn't want to work anywhere else :)

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about your job?

Pros:
Constant hours. The marina hours are constant. No extra magic hours. Marina closes at 7...latest I work is 8:30. No force extensions. I also love mostly everybody I work with. Everybody has a great sense of humor, and they are a lot of fun to work with. At Port when it's slow we play games like corn hole, jenga, and four square. We blow bubbles, hula hoop, dance, whatever we want. My coordinators are like the older brothers you've always secretly always wanted. They squirt me in the eye with water guns, throw footballs in my face, and almost run me over with their pargos...the list can go on. I also really like that I work in two locations and I love both locations for different reasons. Downtown Disney is the busiest marina in all of Walt Disney World, and it definitely holds true. Some days, you blink your eye and its over. Port is more slow paced, and you get way more guest interaction. You can talk to the families a little more and get to know more about their vacation which also means that there are more opportunities to create magical moments. At Downtown, you're always on the go, so it's a little harder to give every family special attention. All in all though, I really do enjoy my job. Also, I sometimes get to go on a boat. It's a good day when they take you out on a lake patrol boat.

Cons:
If you're a docker, you're outside for a very very very long time out in the sun. You are doing a lot of physically draining work in that humid Florida sunshine. You are running up and down the dock loading and unloading families, making sure children don't run off the dock into the lake, trying to direct in pontoons with crazy, clueless drivers without being knocked into the lake, starting and spieling large groups of seayracers at once, etc. etc. Its just a lot of hustle and bustle in the heat (especially in Downtown!) and sometimes it's hard to just stop and take a drink of water. Another con are the guests that don't speak english. We have to go through a very important safety speil before we send each family out. (How to drive the boat, what to do if you need help, what to do if the boat stalls, waterway etiquette, etc) and a lot of times, these people will have absolutely no idea what I am saying which is incredibly dangerous, especially if they have never driven a boat before. It's definitely a huge inconvenience.... this also goes out to the guests who don't want to listen to your speil! It's like you're talking to a wall! Also, fishing hole at port. Blech. And checklists. We have lots and lots of checklists. 

Melissa with some fellow cast members!

Any specific magical moment you want to share?

There's only one I can think of right now.... I was cashiering at Downtown and a dad and his son (around maybe 6 years old) just came back from going on a searaycer. So I was doing the usual 'welcome back! did y'all have a good time? yadda yadda' and the little boy was like "My dream just came true!" and I was like "Oh yeah? What was your dream?" and he said "To go on a boat!" And I just gave him like 100 mickey stickers and he was adorable. 

What made you want to do the DCP?

The moment I heard about this program I knew this is where I needed to be. I love everything about Disney, and I knew since high school that this is where I belong. 

Is there something you wish you would have known before doing your program?

No, I did my homework before coming! :) 

What advice would you give to those who are going to be participating in your role?

• Drink LOTS of water
• Wear sunscreen
• Be prepared to be outside for 8.5 hours
• Thunderstorms are your best friends
• Bring two pairs of shoes & socks, and two shirts. (If it rains, it's nice to have a dry pair of sneakers to change into. Also, two shirts because there are a lot of birds who like to use the dock as their potty and sometimes the dockers get in the way...)
• Accept the fact that you'll probably fall in the lake atleast once.
• Searaycers are going to be a pain in your butt. But they do get easier. I promise. 
• Know your spiel. You're going to get audited, and just know your spiel because audits are scary. 
• Also, don't wear expensive sunglasses. You'll go through about 50 pairs. 
• Be prepared for an awful farmers tan.
• Know your knots! 
• During lightning storms, cps are sent out with metal rods to go see how close the lightning is. CP sacrifices are common. (jk :P )

What advice would you give to people who are interested in doing the DCP?

 Be prepared to work! Don't come here expecting just to party and goof off. You will work a lot and you will work hard. Not all days are going to be magical. Just come with an extremely open mind. If you come with certain expectations and aren't willing to try to accept things are the way they are, of course it's going to suck. I wasn't totally excited to work at a marina at first, I was pretty bummed about it. But I had an open mind and did my work, and eventually I grew to love it. And be prepared to meet your future best friends.  I grew to love a lot of people down here who changed my life for the better. This program changes you and your whole life. This experience molded me into who I am today, and I am forever grateful for this experience and everyone who made an impact on me. This program will truly change things (hopefully for the better).

If you're a current or past college program cast member and would like to share your experience, email your name and role to thedisneyden@yahoo.com to participate!

Interview a CP: Caitie (Children's Activities)

Caitie working at Art of Animation!

Caitie was gracious enough to volunteer to share her story about working in a resort with Children's Activities! I've talked to a few people who have worked in this role, and honestly it sounds like so much fun! Here's what she had to say about her experience!

What role did you have during the DCP, and where did you work?
I had recreation! However, recreation has different areas including; marinas, arcades, slide ops, and children activities. I worked at Pop Century and Art of Animation as a Children Activities hostess.

What was a typical day like at work?
Each day was mostly the same. Each resort has different games on different days. So you’d start off playing a couple games, then go to your Pool Party which is an hour of games in and out of the water for a prize. Following that is your dance Party for thirty minutes of teaching kids dances. Then it was Arts and Crafts and some more games until it was time to wrap up poolside activities. After putting the party cart away, it was crunch time, aiming to set up the movie screen in about thirty minutes so you have enough time to talk to guests. Then it was time for my favorite part of the day, spiel. Where we would ask guest trivia questions about the movie we were about to watch, tell them about some activities we do, as well as activities around WDW, and pick a ‘director’ from the audience to start the movie. While watching the movie, one host would go and set the party cart for the next day. After the movie would finish, it was time to hurry and put the movie away. 

Is this the role you originally wanted? If not, are you happy you got it?
Recreation was tied for first choice. Once I got it, I got really worried that I would end up being a towel girl or in the arcade. About a month before check in, my dashboard said I got Children Activities and I was beyond happy.

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about your job?
Without a doubt, the kids were my favorite part of the job.  I have a million stories about these amazing kids I met. For my least favorite part, I would have to say wearing a one piece bathing suit that clings to your body after sweating and the tan lines.

Any specific magical moment you want to share?
Every single day was a magical moment for me. I met so many guests who made such a positive impact on me. There was one girl though who stood out. There was one girl named Cara who was from England with her mother, step father and brother. She was there for just about two weeks, and she was at the pool every single day. Each day she would play every game with me. On her last day, her step father came up to me and was talking to me about how they spent all this money to go to the parks, but every time at noon, Cara would say how she needed to go back and see Caitie. Her stepfather was talking to me and told me how Cara is usually very shy and reserved so it was amazing how she was so open with me. She won a beach ball that day from one of our games, and she got SO excited. She started crying saying how she never won anything. Her parents came up and started thanking me telling me how great I was, just for giving her a prize. In the end we all were in tears.

What made you want to do the DCP?
The first time I did the DCP, I just got out of a bad relationship and applied on a whim to get away, I figured I loved Disney and this is a great time to meet people and experience new things out of my comfort zone. I was later accepted for Spring 2012. After my first program ended, I realized I needed to go back as soon as possible. 

Is there something you wish you would have known before doing your program?
Don’t pack too much. For both of my programs I packed way too many unnecessary things. Also, I wish I knew not to be afraid. For my first program, I was so afraid to go to the parks alone or talk to people during housing parties. Biggest waste of time ever. 

What advice would you give to those who are going to be participating in your role?
Don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself! For the first couple weeks, I was so worried about not looking like an idiot. I finally realized how much of a waste of time that was!

What advice would you give to people who are interested in doing the DCP?
First of all, DO IT. Secondly, make every second count. You will meet some people who want to go to the parks every second, some people who want to go to all the clubs and party busses, some people who just want to network, and some people who just want to hang out at home with their roommates. None if better than the other, do whatever makes you happy, but no matter what you do make every second count. 

If you would like to hear more about her story or have any questions about her role, you can contact her on her blog growingstrong-growingstrange!

If you're a current or past college program cast member and would like to share your experience, email your name and role to thedisneyden@yahoo.com to participate!

Have a magical day!!