I don't really have a title.

One thing about the college program: you will be tired all the time. And that applies to me right now. I don't even go out to clubs like a lot of people here do, and I'm always so tired. 40+ hours a week, plus two classes, is a lot to endure. Work has been good so far; I had a rocky time last week because I got sick and called out, something I didn't want to do at all during my program. But an important piece of information I've learned lately is this: things happen. You can't control everything. People sleep in, people get sick, and these things are unevitable.

In other news, I really wanted to post this: if you have a car, bring it. I don't have a driver's license, and it is incredibly difficult to get around. American Coach, the company that runs the buses for the College Program, is unfortunately not the most reliable means of transportation. If you are like me, and must take the buses when you get down here, make sure you always plan ahead, and take the earlier bus than you think you need.

Alright, I think it's time for bed. I'm just so tired. Have a magical day!

All it takes is faith and trust, and a little bit of pixie dust!

So sorry I haven't updated in forever! Things have been crazy busy.

So far, since the last post, I've been through Traditions, resort orientation (named "Welcome Home" for my resorts), First Impressions and my first two days of training (day 2 was today). I must admit, I almost cried during Traditions! The videos they show you of cast members are truly touching, and my facilitators, Annie and Amanda, made the class fun. I met a few new friends there as well! Resort orientation was fun! Arnold, my facilitator for that, was truly knowledgeable about the two resorts and showed us all the great things available at each. As he sent us off at the end of our course, he began to cry, exclaiming how excited he was that he was a part of each of our lives, when maybe one of us could end up being a Disney big shot one day. It was truly touching. I received my costumes for both resorts - 3 for Saratoga and 2 for Old Key West - and they're quite interesting. I'll make sure to post pictures soon. My Old Key West outfit is quite the sight.

A few days ago, I completed my four-day First Impressions course, an introductory training to my Front Desk role. My facilitators for that, Jaime and Kristina, who are Concierge at Coronado Springs and Polynesian, respectively, were absolutely wonderful, and were hilarious when role-playing certain check-ins. We checked in Buzz, Woody, Hamm, and a host of other Toy Story characters, even Emperor Zurg! My class only consisted of four people, and I enjoyed every minute of it. If Jaime and Kristina happen to read this, thank you guys so much for a fun-filled training class!

So far, I'm loving my role. As Saratoga Springs and Old Key West are both dedicated Disney Vacation Club resorts, I have the opportunity to work at both! These past two days, I've been training at Saratoga, learning the ropes with my trainer, Valene, who's great! I've learned where everything is there, and have checked in quite a few people, including some into our new Treehouse Villas that just opened today! The units are beautiful, and it's so exciting to see something new. I'm getting a lot of experience with different guest issues, and it's very cool to see how the whole Front Desk unit really works as a team. I'm at Old Key West on Thursday and Friday (at 6:45am each time - eek!), and am excited to try something else! The days go by fast, and though my feet hurt at the end of the day, I'm still left with a lot of energy. I truly love seeing everyone, and interacting with guests. Today I saw a little girl in our lobby dressed as Belle! She was so adorable, and it made me smile and love what I do.

Other than work, everything's been going great! I went with a few friends to see UP on Friday at Downtown Disney, and it was one of the best movies I've ever seen, animated or not. I love Pixar. Please see it! I've also been having a great time with my roommates. There have been a few issues here and there, but I think things will work out for the best in the end.

That's all for now. I'm going to try to update more often for my own sake. I have the next two days off, and am going to park-hop with the roommates!

Ta ta for now!

'Bout time!

I'm here! Currently, I'm sitting with my roommates in the dining room of our three bedroom at Chatham Square! These past couple of days have been so hectic and exhausting, but I'll recap a bit.

Mom and I left for Florida on Monday, driving down and ultimately stopping in Georgia at the end of the night. We got to central Florida around noon on Tuesday and I recouped a bit and got ready for the Meet N Greet dinner at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. The dinner was a lot of fun (though it was literally hurricane-ing outside), and I met some great new people. My roommate, Jessie, and I were talking about the way everyone has already sort-of formed their groups - the tables were split in to about seven rows, and there was a lot of scatter. I had talked to a few people online, but am always nervous to go up to new people and introduce myself, even though I am somewhat outgoing - it takes me some time to get used to the situation, but once I do, I'm almost always talking. I did meet a few great new people, though! Thank you to Jaime Ray Soto for setting it up!

Wednesday (yesterday) was the longest day ever. I arrived at check-in around 7:45am, and got out of the car without realizing I had left my phone in it! I had no way of contacting the people I was going to meet up with. After some confusion, I found Jessie, who I'd met the day before, and we went through the line together. We ended up becoming roommates! We met another one of our new roommates, Joan, and then we drove to Chatham to check out our apartment, where we met another roommate, Francesca, and headed towards the bus to Casting.

Disney did something different this year - we actually registered for classes, fingerprinted, had a background check, and found out where we were working all in the same day we received our housing assignments! I am pleased to report that I am working Front Desk at....

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa!

I'm happy with my assignment - I had requested the Polynesian with my recruiter, or had hoped to get a monorail resort, but Saratoga is a great hotel, and I've actually stayed there more than any other Disney resort. I'm also happy about Saratoga because I'll be working at a DVC (Disney Vacation Club) resort! I have Traditions on Friday morning, my "Welcome Home" class is on Saturday morning, and then I don't have another class until Wednesday! In that time, I'm hoping to go to the parks once or twice with some new friends. My roommates, Francesca, Zahra, Pristina, Joan, and Jessie, are wonderful, and we all have different jobs and work locations!

That's all for now. I'll hopefully post pictures soon, and be sure to update after my first few classes if I don't fall asleep first!

Are we there yet?

It has been so long since I've updated my DCP blog and talked with those of you going to the program and checking in when I am. I feel so out of the loop with the Skyping, private jokes, and vlogging. School has been really frustrating, time-consuming, and, at times, rewarding. I'd rather not talk about it, but it's time to look ahead to my excited next seven months in the Happiest Place on Earth!

My credit with school has been worked out, my On-Boarding Paperwork is finished, and my bags are packed. I leave tomorrow for a long car trip to Florida. I should be there around midday Tuesday, and have just enough time to put myself together before the Meet and Greet dinner! If you don't know what I look like, check my Facebook or Twitter for a picture of me.

I'm so excited to see all of you, and thrilled that the time is finally here to begin making magic! TTFN - ta-ta for now!

"Concierge-Level" Hospitality

Just a little blurb.

I was reading on the Facebook DCP Fall '09 group that some Hospitality cast members are being called and offered "Concierge-Level" hospitality, a role that is not on the role checklist. I've never heard of that before, and must say I'm a little disappointed I wasn't offered this/haven't heard of it before.

Oh, well, must not frown! At least I am getting to experience this great opportunity, and soon! I just need to get on the ball with my advisors - they haven't been good about getting back to me lately.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Disney Podcasts!

I'm not big on podcasts. I mostly read on the subway (current book: The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life - I LOVE it so far), and very rarely listen to my iPod. Searching for Disney information one day, I downloaded a few but never had a chance to listen. I was tired on my way home last Wednesday and didn't really feel like reading, and decided to try out the "Inside the Magic" podcast, and was instantly in love. I love being able to get something accomplished during my long subway ride. Today, I'll take a lot at two very different but wonderful Disney podcasts - "Inside the Magic", and "WDW Today".



Inside the Magic
"Inside the Magic" is a Disney podcast created by Ricky Brigante. Ricky lives in Orlando and has the chance to go to Disney often. The podcast is published weekly, and includes tons of Disney information in a roughly hour-long podcast. There are tons of segments in the podcast, and Ricky has been trying to streamline them lately to shorten the show, as there's always so much information that the shows run very long! Also featured on the "Inside the Magic" podcast is Skipper Ben, a former Disney cast member who features stories about Disney as well as trivia. Many fans will also enjoy all the music Ricky plays - my favorite is the "Top For Today" music that comes from the information channel at the Disney hotels. The show is a comprehensive weekly recap of Disney news as well as a discussion of new Disney stuff!


WDW Today
WDW Today is published by four Disney lovers - Matt Hochberg, Mike Newell, Mike Scopa, and Len Testa. All four are established Disney reviewers, and have published articles and books about Disney World. WDW Today differs from "Inside the Magic" in the fact that it publishes about three podcasts a week, all on different topics. They also feature one live show a month, which is great to try and get your questions about Disney answered. Lately I've been combing the archives for reviews and information on the Disney hotels, since I'll be in Hospitality, and have found a wealth of information.

I hope to post more soon - I've been going crazy with school, and when I'm not learning, I'm trying to catch up with friends and on precious sleep! I've also been shopping a bit for clothes for Disney, and may do a post for that just for us girls.

TTFN, ta ta for now!

Lack of updates!

Just wanted to apologize for the lack of updates! Today was my first day back after a busy Spring Break. Once I have time, I will find a few new Disney/DCP things to update with.

Lack of Updates...Vlog (!!!) Coming Up

I'm terribly sorry for the lack of updates lately. I haven't had much Disney stuff to talk about, and I've been really busy with school (the only reason I'm updating now is because I'm home sick :/).

Anyways, I am hopefully going to make a VLOG (shocking, I know) this weekend, detailing what's happened so far and putting a documented ending to my vlogs since I'm not really good at making them. Hopefully my friend will let me use her MacBook :).

Until then, watch this, a video of Fall '09 vloggers being awesome:

Clash of the Deans

While the application process and waiting for my glorious purple folder was difficult, I have to say that the most difficult thing about preparing to go down to Disney is working it out with my college.

I had a second meeting with my Advisement Dean yesterday to discuss classes, and she expressed her disapproval at their courses in relation to the ones here, and did not sound very optimistic about the whole thing. There is some light at the end of the tunnel, however - my Hospitality and Tourism Dean knows how important this program is to me, and approved a course at Disney taking the place of a course for my degree, as well as the internship credit. These are things my Advisement dean doesn't agree with. They're supposed to meet with each other to discuss this, but it's causing some stress, I'll admit.

Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. Have a magical day!

And all our wishes will come true.

I'm sitting in the living room with my roommate right now, listening to Wishes and looking through pictures of the resorts at WDW, and it finally hit me.

In less than three months, I will be working in one of these resorts, living right next door to Disney World. I can get into the parks for free (and bring friends, too), get discounts on everything Disney, and network with a company I've wanted to work for since my first trip.

I'm so excited.

When You Wish Upon a Star

I don't remember the last time I watched Pinocchio. It wasn't a favorite of mine as a child - I was a huge fan of Peter Pan, and demanded to watch those instead of the Princess films. When I heard Pinocchio was returning on DVD, I was excited to see a movie that I hadn't seen in such a long time, a Disney film I haven't watched over and over again.

The 70th Anniversary release of Pinocchio is absolutely wonderful. The movie looks more beautiful than ever, with the animation cleaned up and better restored. And this fact helps to illuminate how truly beautiful the animation of Pinocchio is. Disney's second full-length animated feature, the animators at the Studio had more knowledge than ever before on what worked and what didn't on the screen, and took risks with the production. A talking cricket who narrates the story?

The true stars on this release, however, are the special features. My favorite is "The Making of Pinocchio: No Strings Attached". This nearly hour-long documentary focuses on the importance of Pinocchio from an animation and filmmaking standpoint, as well as comparison of the original story to the Disney version. There's also some interesting live action reference footage, and dozens of production, development, and publicity footage to check out.

Pinocchio: 70th Anniversary Edition comes to a store near you March 10th!

All The World's A Stage

Someone posted this video in the Fall 2009 group on Facebook, and though it's old, it's interesting to see. The video explains the "show" motif of Walt Disney World and the importance of putting on a show. It also provides a look into Custodial and Attractions roles, specifically the Jungle Cruise.

There will be more posts this weekend, including a review of a "Platinum Edition" Disney DVD, coming soon to a store near you. Stay tuned!

Guess now it's official!

I'm happy to report that my meeting today with one of my Deans went very well, and she advised me to officially "accept" my offer. We have a follow-up meeting next week to discuss the courses Disney offers (I've already had two pre-approved for major credits), but the important thing to note is that I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!

Here's something interesting to look at while waiting for your purple folder or for my next post ;) - MiceAge has an article today detailing the layoffs happening around Disneyland and Disney World. The article also mentions how John Lasseter & family frequently make trips to the park to stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite, an apartment made for Walt that was not completed before his passing, located in New Orleans Square. The Lasseters spend full days in the park, riding attractions and watching shows like any other guests. Can you IMAGINE having a perk like that in your contract?

Disney Couture

When I was fifteen years old, and was about to embark on my first summer in New York, I went on the quest for a purse. I never needed a purse before, as the only place I went without my mother those days was school, and I had my trusty backpack. However, in NY, you need to lug a lot of things around at all times of the day, and my backpack was a little too bulky. Frustrated while shopping in the mall, I stopped into Hot Topic, a store that kind of intimidated me beforehand. While shopping, my eyes fell on a burgundy bag with the outline of Aurora. Dotting the outline were dozens of small rosebuds. I instantly fell in love, and used that bag until it fell apart. Thus began my love with Disney Couture.

Fast-foward to present day. Although I love Disney merchandise, wearing a "Walt Disney World" shirt in the fashion capital of the world isn't very chic. I've bought many a Mickey Mouse shirt at the Happiest Place on Earth, but tend to wear them to bed instead of out on the town. Recently, while surfing the internet, I found the Kidada by Disney Couture line. Kidada Jones, daughter of music legend Quincy Jones, is a Disney fanatic, and designed a line of upscale jewelry for the Disney-loving fashionista. The line came out last summer, and has been spotted on celebs like Miley Cyrus and Nicole Richie. Most famous are the wrap bracelets, which feature charms that represent different Disney characters. There are bracelets for Alice, Cinderella, Aurora, Pocahontas, Belle, Tinker Bell, Bambi, and the Seven Dwarves. There's even a bracelet that has a charm to represent some of the most famous Disney princesses - a lamp for Jasmine, an apple for Snow White, a feather for Pocahontas, and so on.

I picked up one of the wraps that represents most of the Princesses, as well as a gold ring that reminds me to "think of a wonderful thought".

A College Program-related entry will come soon - I have (yet another) meeting tomorrow with one of my financial aid advisors from my school. Everything seems to be going smoothly, I just have to make sure and follow every step to earn credit and retain my scholarships while on the program.

Also, my hearts go out to all of you getting rejected from the program. The economy is affecting everyone, even including the Happiest Place on Earth. Your time will come soon enough!

The Princess and the Frog

If you're a fan of Disney, you're definitely a fan of Disney animation. It's what Walt started with. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, the first full length animated feature, was only the beginning of the magic. Disney animation is what gave Walt the money to pursue his dreams of a place where both kids and kids at heart could have a great time together.

In 2004, Disney released Home on the Range, the last 2D feature to come from the studio before a decision to go completely 3D. The movies weren't making money, and Disney deduced that people were no longer impressed with the 2D style. John Lasseter says it best: "“The whole notion that the audience didn’t want to watch hand-drawn animation any more was ridiculous. It would be like saying the audience didn’t want to watch something made with a particular camera. Give me a break! It’s storytelling. No one goes to a movie to see a particular technology. They go to see story and characters. They go to be entertained. What it was is that 2D became the scapegoat for bad storytelling.”

Enter The Princess and the Frog, marking the return of 2D animation. This movie also marks another milestone - Tiana, the main character, is the first black princess to join the Disney Princess group. The picture above is Anika Noni Rose, a Tony-winning actress, who is the voice of the new princess.

I must admit, I'm so excited for this movie. There's nothing I love more than the hand-drawn animated movies , and I can't wait for this new one.

A few more questions and what's coming up next!

I've gotten a few more questions today and was going to combine them with a post on how the meeting with the Dean went. However, I've decided to save the school information for a later and more informative post! So, here's a few more questions people have been asking:

When did you interview so I can know when to expect my letter?
Here's the deal - everyone's application is different. Depending on what you applied for, when you interviewed, your recruiter, and a ton of other factors, you never know when you're going to receive your letter. I recently talked to someone who was interviewed right after me, with the same interviewer, and has yet to receive a letter. There's no obvious pattern to the batches Disney's sending out.

What hotel are you going to be working at?
I don't know! Although we find out our specific roles once accepted into the program, we don't find out where we are until check-in.

I hope to post the school information blog early next week. Look out for a post this weekend where I review some great Disney documentaries!

We're following the leader wherever he may go.

Hello everyone! My name's Danielle, and I'm doing the Fall Advantage '09 Walt Disney World College Program in a Hospitality role.

I was originally going to chronicle my Disney experience in video form, but after making one, I find I don't come off very well in videos. I'm a much better writer than presenter - I was really never one for public speaking. I promise that in person, I am much more bubbly and talkative.

Today, while getting ready for school, I checked the mailbox as always, and gasped when I saw an envelope with Mickey Mouse on it. My roommate yelled, "IS IT HERE?" and I could barely contain my excitement. I ripped open the package to reveal that wonderful purple folder.

As all of us have said in the chat rooms and the group, we'd share when we got accepted with each other. Since, I've been flooded with questions and Facebook friend requests. I've answered a few questions on my vlog, but I'm going to list them here.

Q: When did you apply/interview?
A: I applied the day the forms came out, which was a Tuesday. I found out on my BlackBerry, came home, watched the E Presentation, and applied online. The next day, I called at around 9:30 AM to schedule my interview. I interviewed on January 23rd at 11AM with Elizabeth. After the interview, I faxed my role checklist and application, and later in the day, snail-mailed both as well.

Update: A friend of mine recently tried to apply, and we discovered that all application materials are now online! The process I went through was apparently part of the old system. Refer to the WDWCP website for application instructions.

Q: How do I find out if my recruiter/Disney recruiting received everything they need?
A: Simple - if you believe something may be missing, email your recruiter, or Disney college recruiting (you can find the email on the website). This is what I did, and my recruiter confirmed that everything had been received and my application was being processed. However, understand that the recruiters are swamped with these emails at moment, and it's important to be patient. If you haven't seen your folder yet, and you haven't confirmed that all your information has been received, it'd be a smart idea to email your recruiter. Also, note that Disney usually only contacts you if they find something to be missing. Keep your emails formal and respectful - the DCP is a job, after all, and you're talking to potential employers.

Q: Can you post the check-in dates for the program?
A: I'd rather not. First of all, I'm not sure if this is "priviledged information". I believe someone has already posted these in the group, but I decided against it. Plus, I haven't clicked "Accept" yet - I'm meeting with my Dean tomorrow to discuss how much credit I can get for the program and the courses offered at Disney. Once everything is finished, I'll be accepting, sending in my money, etc.

If you have any more questions, feel free to comment, or shoot me an email at showperson@gmail.com. I'll be updating this blog frequently, with things related to the program and also related to Disney as a company.

I hope you enjoy my blog!