DCP: Advice for Choosing Roommates

If you've officially been accepted into the Disney College Program, you're probably wondering about where you're going to live and who you're going to live with throughout your internship. In my latest video, I explained the process I went through and options you can choose to find your own roommates and decide where you want to live.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

Have a magical day!

Interview a CP: Lizzie (Main Street Merchandise)

Lizzie hangin' out on Main Street!

Lizzie is my closest friend that I made on the program. We started as roommates, and started to grow closer because of similar night hours with work. I miss this girl like crazy, and I'm so happy she was able to share her experience working on Main Street with you!

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

Hi my name is Lizzie! My role was Merchandise and I worked on Main Street East in the Magic Kingdom!

What was a typical day like at work?
Confectionary: Go into work. Work in a candy store all day which is amazing cause I NEVER thought I'd do that. Selling candy making tons of people happy!

Shops: Go to work get an assignment and don't know what stores I'll work in until I get there. Work in numerous locations throughout the night. Which can be fun selling artwork, jewelry, photographs and also hats. A bit different vibe all day.

Is this the role you originally wanted? If not, are you happy you got it?
No I wanted Photopass but it was in my top 5 roles so I was fine with it. Before my program I worked in the Disney Store in my mall so I was used to working in the Merchandise field within the company. I was happy with the location very much so for the role!

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about your job?
Favorite parts are creating magical moments for families and meeting people from around the world. Also working on Main Street I get the privilege of hearing the parades, shows and Wishes every night. I love singing along and dancing when I'm working.

Least favorite part is being forced extended when the park hours are extended. Also working on Main Street the shops stay open an hour after park close so the hours are a bit crazy.

Any specific magical moment you want to share?
One day I picked up Confectionary merchantaineer. I thought well this is strange cause that's NEVER an assignment. Anyways my friend Taylor and I put stuffed Remy's on our shoulders and walked around the store. Little kids and parents thought it was adorable. A lot of people took pictures with us that day.

Also we magic momented a family that day by talking to them and learning about their family and their vacation. We gave the two daughters cake pops and cotton candy samples. Then the parents pulled out a signature book used for characters, but this book was a bit different. It was filled with cast members signatures and they wanted us to sign it and it was pretty awesome to know I was included in it.

What made you want to do the DCP?

Lizzie with me in the Confectionary!

I've been coming to Walt Disney World about every year since I was two years old. So I've been here a lot and obviously in love with everything Disney. But strangely I never thought that I could work here. So when I found out about the DCP I immediately jumped on the idea and wanted to do it as soon as I could.

Is there something you wish you would have known before doing your program?
The thing I wish I'd known before my program is that you meet so many amazing people here that you never thought you'd meet. I thought that I'd make friends here but not with SUCH amazing people. These are people that you might be lifelong friends with and will always stay in contact with. Then the worst thing happens when your/their program ends and you have to say the hardest goodbyes. So please hangout with these people as much as possible. Make the most of your program with your friends and coworkers!!

What advice would you give to those who are going to be participating in your role?
Just be ready for doing your job but have fun with it. You need to enjoy it. Otherwise its just another job. You need to make it memorable for you and the guests. By the energy at work you have and enjoying what you're doing.

What advice would you give to people who are interested in doing the DCP?
DO IT. You'll meet amazing people, work with amazing people, and just enjoy every second of it.

Lizzie is actually still doing the DCP! She extended through August in her same role, and plans to do a double extension that will last until December! As of now she plans on permanently residing on Florida to continue her schooling and further her career with Disney. Just shows how much the DCP can impact someone's life!

If you would like to ask Lizzie any questions, she has a blog right here that you can contact her with! If that doesn't work, you may leave comments below and I can ask her the questions for you!

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 everyone!

Interview a CP: Sarah (Kilimanjaro Safaris)

Sarah with her safari truck!

Sarah was one of my roommates during my program. She had one of the coolest jobs as a safari driver in Animal Kingdom! It was so neat to hear some of the stories about the animals and the guests she would tell us after work some days, and after a while some of us started to memorize her safari spiel! ;) Here's what she had to say about her experience!

What role did you have during the DCP, and where did you work?
I was Attractions, and was fortunately placed at a spieling attraction, more specifically Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

What was a typical day like at work?
A typical day included getting assigned a specific truck and then going through a checklist to get the truck ready to be taken to the ride path to be used for the day. The checklist included things like checking the tires, making sure the gauges and other electronics worked properly, and just generally assessing the vehicle for the day. After opening the truck and getting signed out by a manager, I would drive the truck a mile or so down to the ride path and then start taking guests! The days are broken up into (approximately) 2 hour sections, three or four of which are spent on a truck and the other spent on a "land" position like info guide (greeter) or departure (grouper). At the end of the day whatever truck I was on I would take off of the ride path and back to the Vehicle Maintenance parking lot where I would get it fueled and then shut it down for the evening! On any given day I would spiel to around 400 guests total. Or more.

Is this the role you originally wanted? If not, are you happy you got it?
I originally wanted entertainment, but after a bombed dance audition, I couldn't have been more pleased with KSR (Kilimanjaro Safari Ride). Plus, entertainment success came later on... But thats a whole 'nother story. 

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about your job?
My favorite parts.. oh man, there are so many. The people I work with are incredible. KSR is a massive, beautiful attraction to run, with around 85+ cast members working each day, and about 200 employed in total. I love every single safari driver I work with, and their dedication, passion, humor and family-style love are things that are indescribable. Also, my guests. Getting to spend around 22 minutes alone with my 35-45 guests is a magical thing. I love being able to educate them while playfully bantering with and entertaining them simultaneously. Each exclamation of "oh wow!" or "I didn't know that!" that I heard on my truck makes me love my job even more. There is also nothing like applause after a safari ends or the numerous guests who would come up and tell me that my safari is the best they've ever been on, or come up to ask questions or share stories and facts with me. Not only did my guests learn a lot from me, I definitely learned a lot from them as well. Lastly, the animals. Even though I have grown accustomed to spending every day surrounded by lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, hippos, rhinos, etc., these fabulous creatures still take my breath away. I can't believe I get paid to watch baby elephants splash around in a river, or to have white rhinos nuzzle my truck, giraffes linger within arms reach, and to hear lions roar. I won't ever forget each moment that I got to see the guest's reactions to these gorgeous, awe-inspiring animals.

Any specific magical moment you want to share?

Action shot!

There are too many. One of my favorite Guest Service Fanatic cards came from a couple who happened to get on my truck during a slow point and I gave them a private safari. The lady had never been on the safari and, in fact, had just gotten released from a long stay in the hospital. She was amazed by each individual animal, but the lions were her favorite. When we pulled up to the kopje rock, I was so thankful to see the gorgeous male lion perched powerfully at the top of the rocks. Since I knew no other trucks were around, I sat and let her admire the lions for much longer than normally allowed. The tears on her face are something that will stay in my heart forever. Of course, small children provided many of the magical moments of my job. A lot of magical moments came, surprisingly, from working land positions. I always loved when tiny princesses would throw their arms around me or blow me kisses, and having guests ask if they could take pictures with me (I always say yes!). I just love interacting with guests.. I could go on forever. Also I got filmed to be on the Brazilian version of American Idol... that was interesting.

What made you want to do the DCP?
Honestly, I think I was born knowing I wanted to do the DCP. I can't remember when I decided I wanted to do it, Disney is a fire that has always been in my blood.

Is there something you wish you would have known before doing your program?
YOU WON'T NEED HALF THE STUFF YOU BRING. Also, two bedrooms in Patterson are wonderful, Vista Way actually isn't bad and I wish I would have lived there because of the social life, the party bus IS A BAD IDEA slash gross, don't date full timers even if they are a prince, DO NOT EVER CALL IN OR GET POINTS, yadda yadda yadda.

What advice would you give to those who are going to be participating in your role?
Ooh this one is a bad one for me because my attraction is so different than others. The people you work with WILL BE YOUR CLOSEST FRIENDS (99.9 percent of the time) because you have similar schedules, you understand each other's work stories/problems, etc. If you are lucky enough to be placed at KSR then 1. congrats, 2. cross your fingers that Jimmy is your trainer cause he's the bomb, 3. always sit in the back of the VIP cast bus. Khaki rules!

What advice would you give to people who are interested in doing the DCP?
Pick the earliest arrival date possible, don't stress too much over which apartment complex you get, don't waste time oversleeping, enjoy every moment and spend every free moment with friends or at the parks, choose Advantage, DON'T get ANY points, pick spring because you get Star Wars Weekends, bring bed risers and a vacuum, take classes (particularly Entertainment PDS, its life changing).

If you would like to see some of Sarah's safari tour, she makes a guest appearance in my Sara Squared Animal Kingdom Vlog here!

If you have any questions for Sarah, you can ask through her twitter here! Or, if you don't have a twitter, feel free to leave any questions in the comments below and I can ask her for you!

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!

My Roommate Experience

All six of us together resort hopping!

On my last post, someone asked me about what happened to my roommates. Apparently they seemed to have "dropped off the face of the Earth" (lol). They didn't, I promise. Let me explain what happens when you room with five other girls.

We started out hanging out together all the time. We made sure everyone could go to whatever park we had planned on visiting that day, and we all went to dinner together. Honestly, we all got along just fine pretty much the entire time. We never had any huge drama, fights, or anything of the sort (which is kind of a miracle for putting six random girls into one living area). The only small problems we'd have were related to everyone doing their part when it came to cleaning the kitchen and preparing for inspection. I'm not going to say names, but we also had some suspicions about some people stealing food without asking...but we could be wrong and it was a very minor occurrence.

Sarah, Liz and I "swerve" in MK

What really got in the way of staying close to all of them was our work schedules. For example, Sarah drove trucks in the Kilimanjaro Safaris in Animal Kingdom, while me, Briana, Sara and Liz worked in Magic Kingdom or MK's resort areas. Animal Kingdom has early morning shifts, while if you work in MK or it's resorts, you usually have night shifts. (Bethany worked at DisneyQuest and had kind of mid day shifts which made it even more confusing.) Naturally if someone has a completely opposite kind of work schedule as you, you don't see them nearly as often as someone who has the same kind of shifts. I grew extremely close to Liz, mainly because we had similar bad sleeping habits and stayed up super late together all the time. We also had the same kinds of night shifts, similar enough for her to drive me to work every once in a while. I definitely hung out with her the most throughout the program...I think even more than Sara (my best friend from home who came with me).

Every once in a while there were special circumstances in which we would have the same days off, so we would take that opportunity to hang out together. I took a class with Bethany, which was every Wednesday morning at 8 am (ick), so I got to see her at least once a week. Sometimes if I got switched to have a few morning shifts, I'd be able to see Sarah and hang with her every once in a while.

But honestly what happens is you make new friends who have similar schedules as you. Everyone that I lived with started making friends with their co-workers, which is great! I was friends with my co-workers, but we didn't necessarily hang out outside of work all that much. I mainly became close friends with people that I had met on Facebook or Tumblr before the program started. I would a lot of times introduce those friends to Sara and Liz (the two roommates I hung out with the most), and then we'd all be friends and hang out whenever we could.

Bethany and me at graduation!

Things started to kind of change when applications for extending your program starting rolling around. Briana, Liz, and Sarah all applied to stay throughout the summer (instead of leave at the end of May like I did). Bethany actually applied to leave a week early for Summer classes. Briana and Liz got accepted, but Sarah didn't and decided to go seasonal during the summer. When you extend, you have to change apartments if you don't have all of your roommates extending with you. The original move out date was June 1st for Liz and Bri extending, but Bri actually requested to move out earlier so she could move in with some friends she had made during the program. It was a little random, especially since it wasn't really in her plan to tell us that she was moving out nearly three weeks early. We found out from Bethany, who was her direct roommate in our apartment. When the time came for her to move...she just left. Didn't give us a warning and didn't say goodbye. She's still in Patterson, and Sara saw her at the bus stop every once in a while, but that's really it.

I got to hang with Bethany a little more as time went on, thankfully. I really wish our work schedules had allowed us to hang more. We went to DisneyQuest together, which was pretty cool. Definitely something to check out if you like video games. Anyway, she left a week early which was really sad. I got to see Sarah a little more as the program was starting to end as well, which was nice. Liz and Sarah drove with me and Sara to the airport to say goodbye, which was really sad.

Overall the thing to remember about roommates is, you're all different people with different work schedules and different personalities. You could get along really well beforehand on Facebook, and then never really stay friends in real life. The opposite could happen to, where you don't talk to them beforehand but become close during the program. Both instances happened to me during my program. You just have to be prepared for anything!