The Job of a Lifetime: My Spring 2015 DCP
- Thread starter thumpergirl101
- Start date
thumpergirl101
SA 2015 Alumna
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2012
I had nothing scheduled on Thursday, and unfortunately hadn't yet been through Traditions or gotten access to the parks.
Casey got called in for afternoon Traditions, and Amanda and Allison were heading to Walmart (yes, again. Moving is a busy, forgetful time), so I was on my own for the day!
There were still a ton of resorts that I wanted to check out, so I figured I would head over to the bus stop and just grab whichever one caught my fancy!
I was dying to see the Grand Floridian, since that's where I'll be working and I had never been there before, but as roommates there were a few resorts we wanted to all see together: the Grand Floridian, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Art of Animation. In short, three of the best resorts.
The bus that pulled up happened to be heading to.... The Boardwalk, Beach Club, and Yacht Club! That'll do!
At this point, I was still getting used to the bus system. For instance, finding the actual bus stop is kind of a chore. When I got off the bus at the Boardwalk, it didn't look like the driver was even at a designated bus stop, so I had really no clue where I would need to be picked up again.
But there was no point in worrying about it then! Instead I enjoyed the adorableness of the Boardwalk, and took a million pictures. It's so gorgeous.
I'm really proud of this shot.
From there I followed the signs to the Yacht Club!
Over the bridge!
And naturally I took lots of pictures there too!
I've been to the Yacht Club once before, but only to eat at the Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yum, by the way). And by that time it was pretty dark, so we just waited around to take the boat to Epcot. So it was nice to see everything in the daytime!
From there to the Beach Club!
Of course, the necessary stop at Beaches and Cream!
BUT ONLY FOR PICTURES! I'm extremely proud of myself that I managed to abstain from the ice cream...for now.
Purty. Purty lobby.
THE CHANDELIER IS MADE OF SEAHORSES.
I took a picture of this carpet because it was seriously the most comfortable thing I have ever walked on. Seriously...it's probably more comfortable than my mattress in CP Housing!
By this time I was pretty much lost, so I asked a CP from the gift shop where I could catch a bus back to Chatham. He wasn't sure, but suggested I go over by the cast parking lot, which sounded like a reasonable idea. I meandered on over, and confirmed with the people there that I was in the right spot.
But then, the bus never came. At all. I didn't even see one drive by. So either the buses were severely off schedule, or I was still in the wrong place. The Transtar app showed that another bus wouldn't be coming for 58 minutes, which was longer than I preferred to wait. There was a Housing Welcome Event at 6, and I had promised my roommates to meet them there.
So I walked back over to the Beach Club bus stop and caught a Disney bus to DTD. Unfortunately, the bus took longer than I anticipated, and when I finally got off I had 7 minutes to catch the bus home, or I'd have to wait another hour. And I was running late already.
So, I proceeded to run like a crazy person through Downtown Disney. I got some seriously weird looks, probably because I was wearing a dress and sandals, which make running more difficult.
As it turned out, the bus stop was farther away than I anticipated, and I definitely didn't make it in time. I resigned myself to waiting for a very long and cold hour, but a bus showed up about ten minutes later.
I mean really, does the schedule mean nothing? But hey, there was an unexpected bus. I wasn't complaining.
I got back to Chatham around 6:15, and Allison was getting off the Walmart bus at around the same time. We took her groceries back to the apartment in Patterson, then Allison, Amanda and I headed off to the welcome event!
I believe the theme was Old Hollywood Glam, so some people were dressed up, but the majority of people didn't bother. They had pizza and soda, plus mocktails, for food. There was a DJ who initially didn't play much music, plus a few strategically placed photo ops.
And there was a greeting station for characters (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip, and Dale) that always had a massive line.
We grabbed some food and found one of the few remaining empty tables, but were soon joined by some other people, including a few other boys from Holland that we hadn't met yet. Later Denise and Marlon told us that they were wandering around to every table, meeting all the girls.
There really wasn't anything entertaining going on. We sat and talked with people for awhile, and eventually Casey showed up, back from Traditions! We all oohed and aahed over her nametag and Mickey ears.
By that time, Amanda and Casey, who both love meeting characters, wanted to brave the line. However, I had morning Traditions the following day, which meant waking up at around 5:30, so I headed home. I took a shower and laid everything out for the next day, then settled into bed at a reasonable hour!
Sorry it's taken me so long to update this thing! I'm still adjusting to this new schedule. Hopefully I'll get better, but hey, I'm only a week behind!
Love,
Kira
Casey got called in for afternoon Traditions, and Amanda and Allison were heading to Walmart (yes, again. Moving is a busy, forgetful time), so I was on my own for the day!
There were still a ton of resorts that I wanted to check out, so I figured I would head over to the bus stop and just grab whichever one caught my fancy!
I was dying to see the Grand Floridian, since that's where I'll be working and I had never been there before, but as roommates there were a few resorts we wanted to all see together: the Grand Floridian, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Art of Animation. In short, three of the best resorts.
The bus that pulled up happened to be heading to.... The Boardwalk, Beach Club, and Yacht Club! That'll do!
At this point, I was still getting used to the bus system. For instance, finding the actual bus stop is kind of a chore. When I got off the bus at the Boardwalk, it didn't look like the driver was even at a designated bus stop, so I had really no clue where I would need to be picked up again.
But there was no point in worrying about it then! Instead I enjoyed the adorableness of the Boardwalk, and took a million pictures. It's so gorgeous.
I'm really proud of this shot.
From there I followed the signs to the Yacht Club!
Over the bridge!
And naturally I took lots of pictures there too!
I've been to the Yacht Club once before, but only to eat at the Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yum, by the way). And by that time it was pretty dark, so we just waited around to take the boat to Epcot. So it was nice to see everything in the daytime!
From there to the Beach Club!
Of course, the necessary stop at Beaches and Cream!
BUT ONLY FOR PICTURES! I'm extremely proud of myself that I managed to abstain from the ice cream...for now.
Purty. Purty lobby.
THE CHANDELIER IS MADE OF SEAHORSES.
I took a picture of this carpet because it was seriously the most comfortable thing I have ever walked on. Seriously...it's probably more comfortable than my mattress in CP Housing!
By this time I was pretty much lost, so I asked a CP from the gift shop where I could catch a bus back to Chatham. He wasn't sure, but suggested I go over by the cast parking lot, which sounded like a reasonable idea. I meandered on over, and confirmed with the people there that I was in the right spot.
But then, the bus never came. At all. I didn't even see one drive by. So either the buses were severely off schedule, or I was still in the wrong place. The Transtar app showed that another bus wouldn't be coming for 58 minutes, which was longer than I preferred to wait. There was a Housing Welcome Event at 6, and I had promised my roommates to meet them there.
So I walked back over to the Beach Club bus stop and caught a Disney bus to DTD. Unfortunately, the bus took longer than I anticipated, and when I finally got off I had 7 minutes to catch the bus home, or I'd have to wait another hour. And I was running late already.
So, I proceeded to run like a crazy person through Downtown Disney. I got some seriously weird looks, probably because I was wearing a dress and sandals, which make running more difficult.
As it turned out, the bus stop was farther away than I anticipated, and I definitely didn't make it in time. I resigned myself to waiting for a very long and cold hour, but a bus showed up about ten minutes later.
I mean really, does the schedule mean nothing? But hey, there was an unexpected bus. I wasn't complaining.
I got back to Chatham around 6:15, and Allison was getting off the Walmart bus at around the same time. We took her groceries back to the apartment in Patterson, then Allison, Amanda and I headed off to the welcome event!
I believe the theme was Old Hollywood Glam, so some people were dressed up, but the majority of people didn't bother. They had pizza and soda, plus mocktails, for food. There was a DJ who initially didn't play much music, plus a few strategically placed photo ops.
And there was a greeting station for characters (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip, and Dale) that always had a massive line.
We grabbed some food and found one of the few remaining empty tables, but were soon joined by some other people, including a few other boys from Holland that we hadn't met yet. Later Denise and Marlon told us that they were wandering around to every table, meeting all the girls.
There really wasn't anything entertaining going on. We sat and talked with people for awhile, and eventually Casey showed up, back from Traditions! We all oohed and aahed over her nametag and Mickey ears.
By that time, Amanda and Casey, who both love meeting characters, wanted to brave the line. However, I had morning Traditions the following day, which meant waking up at around 5:30, so I headed home. I took a shower and laid everything out for the next day, then settled into bed at a reasonable hour!
Sorry it's taken me so long to update this thing! I'm still adjusting to this new schedule. Hopefully I'll get better, but hey, I'm only a week behind!
Love,
Kira
thumpergirl101
SA 2015 Alumna
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2012
I'd like to start off this update with a short disclaimer:
I don't have pictures for the coming week.
While I really do enjoy photography, and the Disney parks are obviously incredibly photogenic, I decided that I wanted my first time in each park to be an immersive experience, where I could take everything in without distracting myself with pictures.
Plus, I look terrible in just about all pictures, and I don't believe in taking pictures of myself in general. So it might be awhile before you see any good pictures again, though I guess I could find some on the internet. We'll see.
I had set my alarm for 5:30 to make sure I would have plenty of time to get ready and still catch the bus at 6:55 like my Traditions paper told me to.
So I woke up....AT 6:33 WHEN MY ROOMMATE CAME IN TO TELL ME IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE.
That's right ladies and gentlemen, my alarm failed to go off. Actually I had set two just in case, and THEY BOTH FAILED. Because evidently that's what my life is like.
I immediately jumped out of bed, stripped off my pajamas and threw on my Traditions attire. There was no time for makeup or doing my hair, so I just grabbed my purse and rushed out the door.
THANK GOODNESS ONE OF MY ROOMATES HAD MORNING TRADITIONS TOO. DISASTER AVOIDED.
I tried to make my hair somewhat presentable on the way to the bus stop. I don't think I was entirely successful, but whatever. That's what happens when you get ready in three minutes.
The first bus that pulled up to Chatham was full, but I elbowed my way onto the next one. There was simply no way that I would let another thing go wrong.
We got to Disney University at around 7:30, so we stood around until 8:15 or so, waiting for everything and everyone to get situated. Eventually we were separated by number, and divvied up unto classrooms. I don't think the actual class got started until 8:30.
I won't give away anything major about Traditions, I'll just say that it wasn't as exciting as people made it seem. Maybe it's because I'm a cynic, but for the most part I wasn't terribly moved, and there was a lot of actual classroom learning, not anything interactive.
Also, on a side note, people had warned me against wearing heels, because there was so much walking. In retrospect, I would have been just fine. Yes, we did walk through the Utilidoors and up Main Street, but it truly wasn't bad. The worst part for heels would probably have been all the standing before Traditions actually started.
After we got our nametags and Company IDs, Traditions ended at approximately 1:30. I got on a bus home, texting back and forth with Casey to plan the afternoon.
Once home, I changed into more comfortable clothes and got a bag ready to go to the park! Casey was on her way home from Walmart to join me.
I feel like that's basically the theme of this trip report so far.
WELCOME TO THE DISNEY COLLEGE PROGRAM! LET'S ALL GO TO WALMART!
We didn't leave the apartment until 2:30, then we hopped on a bus to the Contemporary! The MK CP buses don't actually take you to the entrance of the park, but towards the back entrance and the Utilidoors, which obviously you can't use unless you're working, so the easiest way is to get off at a hotel and either walk or take the Monorail.
We decided to walk, mainly because we were following some other girls who looked like they knew what they were doing.
Once we made it to the entrance, we had to stop at Guest Relations to get our actual passes for the day. They let you in with your company ID before your main gates get mailed to you a few weeks later.
With our day passes in hand, Casey and I headed through the MagicBand turnstiles and into the park!
We moved slowly through Main Street, taking it all in. We worked for Disney. We essentially live at Walt Disney World. We could come to the Magic Kingdom whenever we wanted.
And, though I promised myself to not get distracted with pictures, I did take the obligatory one in front of the castle. I would upload it, but I'm way too lazy to try to download it off my phone.
Our first goal was to wander through New Fantasyland! I had never been there, and there was so much I wanted to see! Be Our Guest looks so amazing, and I seriously can't wait to eat there.
Casey's family has a tradition where they ride It's a small world first, so we headed there! The wait was only around 10 minutes! I'm slowly overcoming my aversion to long lines. I mean, I live here. I can wait.
Afterwards, we spotted the Fastpass+ kiosks and figured we should go make some reservations. We ended up choosing Pirates, the Haunted Mansion, and Space Mountain! We had a few minutes before Pirates, so we walked through Liberty Square and Frontierland.
At some point during the day, my brother-in-law had told me to stop bragging, because he and my sister were stuck in Utah going to school.
So I made it a point throughout the evening to send him as many pictures as possible.
It was interesting to see a different manifestation of Pirates of the Caribbean, though it did make me kind of homesick for Disneyland. Same thing with the Haunted Mansion shortly after that.
After the Haunted Mansion, Allison texted us saying her Traditions class was on the bus to the Magic Kingdom! So Casey and I sat down on Main Street and waved at her as she walked by. We wanted to do the same thing for Amanda, but her class was moving more slowly, and we had a FP+ time to make! Once into Tomorrowland, I realized I was famished so we stopped at Cosmic Ray's for a quick burger.
Goodness, that place is busy. And the burger wasn't even good!
We tried to head to Space Mountain straight after that, but we were approximately 8 minutes early and they wouldn't let us through. So we headed to the nearest attraction without a wait...The Peoplemover!
I love that ride, guys. It's so peaceful. I really wish they had one at Disneyland.
It was finally time for our FP+ after that, so we headed on in! There was barely a wait, and in less than ten minutes we were boarding our spaceship!
The Space Mountain at Disneyland is so much better. It feels longer too.
Soon after, we had to stop at one of my favorite DL attractions, Buzz Lightyear! Let me say, it's so much easier at DL! For the first time in forever, my partner beat me! I think it was around 200,000 to 186,000, in Casey's favor. Our ride photo has me jealously looking at her score.
By that time, Allison was on her way to join us, so we went over to Main Street to meet her. Wishes also started at that time. We had decided to wait and see it the following night as roommates, so Casey put in some headphones and we shopped around until the fireworks ended.
Immediately after, we headed to Enchanted Tales with Belle! A friend from our university is a seasonal CM, and was working that night, so naturally we went over to see him.
Casey, who is just about always overflowing with happiness and enthusiasm (she's seriously amazingly optimistic), was chosen to play Chip! I took a million photos for her.
The park closed at 9 that night, and we got out of Enchanted Tales at 8:57, which meant...a Mad Dash to the 7 Dwarves Mine Train! I made it just as the CMs were roping off the queue, but they were nice enough to let Casey and Allison in as well. The wait time only said 30 minutes, which I was happy to wait, since everything else was then closed!
Plus, we were the very last people in line, which felt like something of an accomplishment.
While in line, we met the group in front of us, who were extending CP character performers! They were very nice and friendly. They also had one other girl who was leaving the next day after finishing her ICP, which was sad. In a weird coincidence, the girl we met, Kelsey, had been roommates with Casey's friend from back home!
The Mine Train was so adorable. Yes, it could have been longer, but I think it's the perfect addition to Fantasyland.
After that, we looked around Fantasyland a little with the people we met, Kelsey, Xander, and Lydia. Xander, Casey, Allison and I headed up Main Street and stopped in the Confectionary, where he sweetly bought us all red velvet cake pops! So delicious! Hurray for the Cast Discount!
As it turned out, Xander also lived in Patterson and had his car, so he also offered us a ride home. I was initially skeptical about accepting a ride from a stranger, but he was very nice and genuine, plus there were three of us.
Thankfully there was nothing to worry about, and he was a perfect gentleman. We got home around 10:30, and made plans to hit Epcot the next morning! Unfortunately, Amanda had training and still wouldn't be able to join us, but Brady (our friend from Enchanted Tales) had the morning free and we be meeting up with us!
Stay tuned! Hopefully I'll fit in another update soon.
Love,
Kira
I don't have pictures for the coming week.
While I really do enjoy photography, and the Disney parks are obviously incredibly photogenic, I decided that I wanted my first time in each park to be an immersive experience, where I could take everything in without distracting myself with pictures.
Plus, I look terrible in just about all pictures, and I don't believe in taking pictures of myself in general. So it might be awhile before you see any good pictures again, though I guess I could find some on the internet. We'll see.
I had set my alarm for 5:30 to make sure I would have plenty of time to get ready and still catch the bus at 6:55 like my Traditions paper told me to.
So I woke up....AT 6:33 WHEN MY ROOMMATE CAME IN TO TELL ME IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE.
That's right ladies and gentlemen, my alarm failed to go off. Actually I had set two just in case, and THEY BOTH FAILED. Because evidently that's what my life is like.
I immediately jumped out of bed, stripped off my pajamas and threw on my Traditions attire. There was no time for makeup or doing my hair, so I just grabbed my purse and rushed out the door.
THANK GOODNESS ONE OF MY ROOMATES HAD MORNING TRADITIONS TOO. DISASTER AVOIDED.
I tried to make my hair somewhat presentable on the way to the bus stop. I don't think I was entirely successful, but whatever. That's what happens when you get ready in three minutes.
The first bus that pulled up to Chatham was full, but I elbowed my way onto the next one. There was simply no way that I would let another thing go wrong.
We got to Disney University at around 7:30, so we stood around until 8:15 or so, waiting for everything and everyone to get situated. Eventually we were separated by number, and divvied up unto classrooms. I don't think the actual class got started until 8:30.
I won't give away anything major about Traditions, I'll just say that it wasn't as exciting as people made it seem. Maybe it's because I'm a cynic, but for the most part I wasn't terribly moved, and there was a lot of actual classroom learning, not anything interactive.
Also, on a side note, people had warned me against wearing heels, because there was so much walking. In retrospect, I would have been just fine. Yes, we did walk through the Utilidoors and up Main Street, but it truly wasn't bad. The worst part for heels would probably have been all the standing before Traditions actually started.
After we got our nametags and Company IDs, Traditions ended at approximately 1:30. I got on a bus home, texting back and forth with Casey to plan the afternoon.
Once home, I changed into more comfortable clothes and got a bag ready to go to the park! Casey was on her way home from Walmart to join me.
I feel like that's basically the theme of this trip report so far.
WELCOME TO THE DISNEY COLLEGE PROGRAM! LET'S ALL GO TO WALMART!
We didn't leave the apartment until 2:30, then we hopped on a bus to the Contemporary! The MK CP buses don't actually take you to the entrance of the park, but towards the back entrance and the Utilidoors, which obviously you can't use unless you're working, so the easiest way is to get off at a hotel and either walk or take the Monorail.
We decided to walk, mainly because we were following some other girls who looked like they knew what they were doing.
Once we made it to the entrance, we had to stop at Guest Relations to get our actual passes for the day. They let you in with your company ID before your main gates get mailed to you a few weeks later.
With our day passes in hand, Casey and I headed through the MagicBand turnstiles and into the park!
We moved slowly through Main Street, taking it all in. We worked for Disney. We essentially live at Walt Disney World. We could come to the Magic Kingdom whenever we wanted.
And, though I promised myself to not get distracted with pictures, I did take the obligatory one in front of the castle. I would upload it, but I'm way too lazy to try to download it off my phone.
Our first goal was to wander through New Fantasyland! I had never been there, and there was so much I wanted to see! Be Our Guest looks so amazing, and I seriously can't wait to eat there.
Casey's family has a tradition where they ride It's a small world first, so we headed there! The wait was only around 10 minutes! I'm slowly overcoming my aversion to long lines. I mean, I live here. I can wait.
Afterwards, we spotted the Fastpass+ kiosks and figured we should go make some reservations. We ended up choosing Pirates, the Haunted Mansion, and Space Mountain! We had a few minutes before Pirates, so we walked through Liberty Square and Frontierland.
At some point during the day, my brother-in-law had told me to stop bragging, because he and my sister were stuck in Utah going to school.
So I made it a point throughout the evening to send him as many pictures as possible.
It was interesting to see a different manifestation of Pirates of the Caribbean, though it did make me kind of homesick for Disneyland. Same thing with the Haunted Mansion shortly after that.
After the Haunted Mansion, Allison texted us saying her Traditions class was on the bus to the Magic Kingdom! So Casey and I sat down on Main Street and waved at her as she walked by. We wanted to do the same thing for Amanda, but her class was moving more slowly, and we had a FP+ time to make! Once into Tomorrowland, I realized I was famished so we stopped at Cosmic Ray's for a quick burger.
Goodness, that place is busy. And the burger wasn't even good!
We tried to head to Space Mountain straight after that, but we were approximately 8 minutes early and they wouldn't let us through. So we headed to the nearest attraction without a wait...The Peoplemover!
I love that ride, guys. It's so peaceful. I really wish they had one at Disneyland.
It was finally time for our FP+ after that, so we headed on in! There was barely a wait, and in less than ten minutes we were boarding our spaceship!
The Space Mountain at Disneyland is so much better. It feels longer too.
Soon after, we had to stop at one of my favorite DL attractions, Buzz Lightyear! Let me say, it's so much easier at DL! For the first time in forever, my partner beat me! I think it was around 200,000 to 186,000, in Casey's favor. Our ride photo has me jealously looking at her score.
By that time, Allison was on her way to join us, so we went over to Main Street to meet her. Wishes also started at that time. We had decided to wait and see it the following night as roommates, so Casey put in some headphones and we shopped around until the fireworks ended.
Immediately after, we headed to Enchanted Tales with Belle! A friend from our university is a seasonal CM, and was working that night, so naturally we went over to see him.
Casey, who is just about always overflowing with happiness and enthusiasm (she's seriously amazingly optimistic), was chosen to play Chip! I took a million photos for her.
The park closed at 9 that night, and we got out of Enchanted Tales at 8:57, which meant...a Mad Dash to the 7 Dwarves Mine Train! I made it just as the CMs were roping off the queue, but they were nice enough to let Casey and Allison in as well. The wait time only said 30 minutes, which I was happy to wait, since everything else was then closed!
Plus, we were the very last people in line, which felt like something of an accomplishment.
While in line, we met the group in front of us, who were extending CP character performers! They were very nice and friendly. They also had one other girl who was leaving the next day after finishing her ICP, which was sad. In a weird coincidence, the girl we met, Kelsey, had been roommates with Casey's friend from back home!
The Mine Train was so adorable. Yes, it could have been longer, but I think it's the perfect addition to Fantasyland.
After that, we looked around Fantasyland a little with the people we met, Kelsey, Xander, and Lydia. Xander, Casey, Allison and I headed up Main Street and stopped in the Confectionary, where he sweetly bought us all red velvet cake pops! So delicious! Hurray for the Cast Discount!
As it turned out, Xander also lived in Patterson and had his car, so he also offered us a ride home. I was initially skeptical about accepting a ride from a stranger, but he was very nice and genuine, plus there were three of us.
Thankfully there was nothing to worry about, and he was a perfect gentleman. We got home around 10:30, and made plans to hit Epcot the next morning! Unfortunately, Amanda had training and still wouldn't be able to join us, but Brady (our friend from Enchanted Tales) had the morning free and we be meeting up with us!
Stay tuned! Hopefully I'll fit in another update soon.
Love,
Kira
bigsis1970
Thanksgiving,a Birthday & our Anniversary 2017!
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2001
Following.. I love reading about your CP Adventures! thanks for sharing with us..
DisneyNutMary
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2003
Following along. My son has visions of doing the college program in the future. I'm getting a lot of insight of what to expect from your trip report. Thanks for sharing your story 
thumpergirl101
SA 2015 Alumna
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2012
Once again, I apologize for the lack of pictures. I did take some food ones that I can use when the time comes, but I know it's not quite as exciting as seeing everything.
Saturday was a free day! Unfortunately, Amanda had training in the morning/early afternoon, but Casey, Allison and I decided it was time to go see the World Showcase!
The World Showcase didn't open until 11 a.m., so we had kind of a leisurely morning before catching the bus. The bus system isn't exactly what I had imagined. Most of the buses are naturally supposed to be used by people going to/heading home from work, so they drop you off at Cast services, generally. This means that it takes a little bit of extra effort to get to the front of the parks if you're just interested in playing. For instance, the bus stop for Magic Kingdom is rather far from the park entrance, and you're not allowed to use the Utilidoors unless you're working in MK. Obviously. So rather than taking the bus to MK, you get off at one of the resorts and either walk, take the ferry, or take the monorail. Generally the fastest way is to get off at the Contemporary and just walk over.
The process is slightly less elaborate for EPCOT. The bus drops you off in front of a Cast Services building. You scan your company ID to get into the building, then walk straight through it until you reach a bus stop. You get on the bust for Cast Services East, which will deposit you into another building. You walk through that one too, and the door on the far end will lead you out by the entrance! From there you just scurry on over to Guest Relations to get an entrance pass!
So that's what we did, following another group of girls because we had no idea where we were going. With our passes in hand, we went through the entrance turnstiles and headed across the park!
Our first stop was in Club Cool, because Allison was essentially new to WDW (her last trip was as a 3 year old). And naturally, Casey and I needed to make her try the Beverly. Casey actually convinced her to drink the whole thing like a shot, and her face was amazing. She knew something was suspicious, but she forgave us eventually.
Once we started to near the edge of Future World, Duffy was out greeting. Casey LOVES meeting characters, so we stopped to say hi. We browsed through the nearby store for a few minutes, killing some time. Then we headed over to Mexico to meet Brady! I had never really met him before, but he's the president of the Disney club at my university, so Casey and Allison knew him pretty well. Actually, he and Allison have the same last name and so worked out that they're 4th cousins or something like that.
With Brady, we just browsed and wandered through the first half of the World Showcase. We did do the Gran Fiesta boat ride, but other than that it was mostly shopping, though no one actually bought anything. By the time we hit the American Pavilion, everyone was famished, so we decided to wander over to Sunshine Seasons. Where, unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of anyone's food. Brady had the rotisserie chicken, which he choose for all the protein. Allison had the Sweet and Sour Chicken with the chow mein, and I had the Mongolian Beef with Fried rice. Honestly, I don't think anyone was blown away.
For a dish with "beef" in the title, there was not nearly enough meat in mine. The portion size was decent, but it was mostly rice and vegetables. I wasn't a big fan of the flavor of the rice, and I think Allison felt the same way about the noodles. Overall, Sunshine Seasons gets a C, and I probably won't be eating lunch or dinner there again. Breakfast and desserts and snacks are another matter entirely.
Since we were already in the Land, naturally we hit up Living with the Land, which is oddly one of my favorite attractions in EPCOT. Then we wandered over to the Seas and saw Nemo and friends. Allison adores animals, so we spent awhile looking at the aquariums. From there, the single rider line at Test Track was only at 20 minutes, so there we went! I was a little bit sad that we couldn't fully design our own cars, but whatever. I'll have to brave the real line someday.
From there, it was time to leave. Brady started work at 6:45, and it was 4:45 or so. So we hopped on the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom, then took the ferry the rest of the way.
We spent a few minutes in the Emporium before Brady had to go.
And from there, we didn't do much. We stopped in Frontierland so Casey could eat a corn dog. Amanda was on her way, so we went and grabbed Fastpasses for Pirates, Jungle Cruise, and Haunted Mansion. After the first two, it was time to hit Main Street and find a spot to see Wishes and Celebrate the Magic!
Though it was crowded and I'm short, I actually ended up with a pretty nice view. Casey and Amanda were both really excited to watch Wishes all together, but I have a confession to make. I don't care about fireworks. They're cool to see every once in awhile, but honestly, Disney fireworks have never been a priority for me. And I genuinely didn't think that Wishes was terribly special. Casey and Amanda seemed to really enjoy it though.
By that point it was 9:30, and I had to be at Disney University by 7:30 the next morning, so I opted out of Haunted Mansion and headed to the Contemporary bus stop. Upon arrival, I checked the bus schedule and realized the next bus wasn't supposed to come for another hour. Humph. So much for going to bed early.
I sat down at the bus stop, and over the next hour a lot of people showed up, so I made some friends, including a guy who would be working front desk at the Grand Floridian. Eventually the rest of my roommates showed up, so I stood with them until the bus finally came, even later than scheduled.
Once I got home, I set out my outfit for training (still business casual) and headed to bed! Tomorrow would be a long day.
Love,
Kira
Saturday was a free day! Unfortunately, Amanda had training in the morning/early afternoon, but Casey, Allison and I decided it was time to go see the World Showcase!
The World Showcase didn't open until 11 a.m., so we had kind of a leisurely morning before catching the bus. The bus system isn't exactly what I had imagined. Most of the buses are naturally supposed to be used by people going to/heading home from work, so they drop you off at Cast services, generally. This means that it takes a little bit of extra effort to get to the front of the parks if you're just interested in playing. For instance, the bus stop for Magic Kingdom is rather far from the park entrance, and you're not allowed to use the Utilidoors unless you're working in MK. Obviously. So rather than taking the bus to MK, you get off at one of the resorts and either walk, take the ferry, or take the monorail. Generally the fastest way is to get off at the Contemporary and just walk over.
The process is slightly less elaborate for EPCOT. The bus drops you off in front of a Cast Services building. You scan your company ID to get into the building, then walk straight through it until you reach a bus stop. You get on the bust for Cast Services East, which will deposit you into another building. You walk through that one too, and the door on the far end will lead you out by the entrance! From there you just scurry on over to Guest Relations to get an entrance pass!
So that's what we did, following another group of girls because we had no idea where we were going. With our passes in hand, we went through the entrance turnstiles and headed across the park!
Our first stop was in Club Cool, because Allison was essentially new to WDW (her last trip was as a 3 year old). And naturally, Casey and I needed to make her try the Beverly. Casey actually convinced her to drink the whole thing like a shot, and her face was amazing. She knew something was suspicious, but she forgave us eventually.
Once we started to near the edge of Future World, Duffy was out greeting. Casey LOVES meeting characters, so we stopped to say hi. We browsed through the nearby store for a few minutes, killing some time. Then we headed over to Mexico to meet Brady! I had never really met him before, but he's the president of the Disney club at my university, so Casey and Allison knew him pretty well. Actually, he and Allison have the same last name and so worked out that they're 4th cousins or something like that.
With Brady, we just browsed and wandered through the first half of the World Showcase. We did do the Gran Fiesta boat ride, but other than that it was mostly shopping, though no one actually bought anything. By the time we hit the American Pavilion, everyone was famished, so we decided to wander over to Sunshine Seasons. Where, unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of anyone's food. Brady had the rotisserie chicken, which he choose for all the protein. Allison had the Sweet and Sour Chicken with the chow mein, and I had the Mongolian Beef with Fried rice. Honestly, I don't think anyone was blown away.
For a dish with "beef" in the title, there was not nearly enough meat in mine. The portion size was decent, but it was mostly rice and vegetables. I wasn't a big fan of the flavor of the rice, and I think Allison felt the same way about the noodles. Overall, Sunshine Seasons gets a C, and I probably won't be eating lunch or dinner there again. Breakfast and desserts and snacks are another matter entirely.
Since we were already in the Land, naturally we hit up Living with the Land, which is oddly one of my favorite attractions in EPCOT. Then we wandered over to the Seas and saw Nemo and friends. Allison adores animals, so we spent awhile looking at the aquariums. From there, the single rider line at Test Track was only at 20 minutes, so there we went! I was a little bit sad that we couldn't fully design our own cars, but whatever. I'll have to brave the real line someday.
From there, it was time to leave. Brady started work at 6:45, and it was 4:45 or so. So we hopped on the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom, then took the ferry the rest of the way.
We spent a few minutes in the Emporium before Brady had to go.
And from there, we didn't do much. We stopped in Frontierland so Casey could eat a corn dog. Amanda was on her way, so we went and grabbed Fastpasses for Pirates, Jungle Cruise, and Haunted Mansion. After the first two, it was time to hit Main Street and find a spot to see Wishes and Celebrate the Magic!
Though it was crowded and I'm short, I actually ended up with a pretty nice view. Casey and Amanda were both really excited to watch Wishes all together, but I have a confession to make. I don't care about fireworks. They're cool to see every once in awhile, but honestly, Disney fireworks have never been a priority for me. And I genuinely didn't think that Wishes was terribly special. Casey and Amanda seemed to really enjoy it though.
By that point it was 9:30, and I had to be at Disney University by 7:30 the next morning, so I opted out of Haunted Mansion and headed to the Contemporary bus stop. Upon arrival, I checked the bus schedule and realized the next bus wasn't supposed to come for another hour. Humph. So much for going to bed early.
I sat down at the bus stop, and over the next hour a lot of people showed up, so I made some friends, including a guy who would be working front desk at the Grand Floridian. Eventually the rest of my roommates showed up, so I stood with them until the bus finally came, even later than scheduled.
Once I got home, I set out my outfit for training (still business casual) and headed to bed! Tomorrow would be a long day.
Love,
Kira
thumpergirl101
SA 2015 Alumna
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2012
Sunday morning, the 25th, I had to be at Disney University at 7:30. I knew the buses would be insanely crowded, so I woke up early to catch the 6:03 bus. The bus stop was already crazy, so I ended up standing, but at least I had made it on the bus. When we stopped at Vista, the bus was so full that no one managed to get on. I think we had even left people behind at Chatham.
Since I have such a terrible fear of being late, I ended up being around 45 minutes early. In the DU cafeteria there were tables labeled with our schedule letter. For instance, I had "Welcome to Operations D", so I sat down at the D table, one of the first to arrive, so I read my book for awhile until things were under way. By around 7:15, our trainers showed up and led us upstairs to clock in and settle into the classroom.
I don't know how much I'm allowed to say about Disney training, but let me just say that this was one of the most boring classes I have ever been forced to sit through. Yes, all the information was important, regarding safety and all that. It was probably all information that they're legally required to provide us with. But one of my biggest pet peeves is wasting time. And honestly, without exaggeration, I could have read all that information in about twenty minutes instead of sitting through a 4 hour, excruciating class. We spent a large chunk of time discussing physical safety and how to reduce wear on the body, with demonstrations about lifting and all that. When a pamphlet with that exact information was sitting on the desk from the beginning, that I read in around 47 seconds, it was especially frustrating.
So when 11:30 hit and we got a half hour lunch break, it felt amazing. I met Allison in the cafeteria and ate the protein bar I had packed. Since I'm in Food and Beverage, evidently I had more training to do than Attractions, because I was schedule until 4 when Allison got to leave at 2. Needless to say, I was envious. With lunch over, I headed upstairs to a new classroom filled with computers and a new trainer. Though in general I try to avoid caffeine, I really needed it.
The next two hours were an introduction to Food and Beverage at WDW, with information about the 4 Keys and all that. Then we spent around an hour doing training on the Hub. It was basic food training, the kind of thing I did when I got my food handler's permit in Utah.
From there, we walked over to the Magic Kingdom costuming building to get the non-slip shoes that Disney provides for all Food and Beverage cast members. There was a gigantic line, so it took most of an hour. I had been hoping to get done early, but it was four o'clock by the time I clocked out and fought my way onto the bus home.
Once home, I immediately settled down for a nap. The last few days had been exhausting. Allison and I had intended to try to make the evening session of church that night, but unfortunately we slept through it.
The rest of the evening was pretty bland. I ate dinner and showered to be ready for my Grand Floridian orientation day the next morning. I had to catch the bus at 7, so it was going to be another early morning.
Love,
Kira
Since I have such a terrible fear of being late, I ended up being around 45 minutes early. In the DU cafeteria there were tables labeled with our schedule letter. For instance, I had "Welcome to Operations D", so I sat down at the D table, one of the first to arrive, so I read my book for awhile until things were under way. By around 7:15, our trainers showed up and led us upstairs to clock in and settle into the classroom.
I don't know how much I'm allowed to say about Disney training, but let me just say that this was one of the most boring classes I have ever been forced to sit through. Yes, all the information was important, regarding safety and all that. It was probably all information that they're legally required to provide us with. But one of my biggest pet peeves is wasting time. And honestly, without exaggeration, I could have read all that information in about twenty minutes instead of sitting through a 4 hour, excruciating class. We spent a large chunk of time discussing physical safety and how to reduce wear on the body, with demonstrations about lifting and all that. When a pamphlet with that exact information was sitting on the desk from the beginning, that I read in around 47 seconds, it was especially frustrating.
So when 11:30 hit and we got a half hour lunch break, it felt amazing. I met Allison in the cafeteria and ate the protein bar I had packed. Since I'm in Food and Beverage, evidently I had more training to do than Attractions, because I was schedule until 4 when Allison got to leave at 2. Needless to say, I was envious. With lunch over, I headed upstairs to a new classroom filled with computers and a new trainer. Though in general I try to avoid caffeine, I really needed it.
The next two hours were an introduction to Food and Beverage at WDW, with information about the 4 Keys and all that. Then we spent around an hour doing training on the Hub. It was basic food training, the kind of thing I did when I got my food handler's permit in Utah.
From there, we walked over to the Magic Kingdom costuming building to get the non-slip shoes that Disney provides for all Food and Beverage cast members. There was a gigantic line, so it took most of an hour. I had been hoping to get done early, but it was four o'clock by the time I clocked out and fought my way onto the bus home.
Once home, I immediately settled down for a nap. The last few days had been exhausting. Allison and I had intended to try to make the evening session of church that night, but unfortunately we slept through it.
The rest of the evening was pretty bland. I ate dinner and showered to be ready for my Grand Floridian orientation day the next morning. I had to catch the bus at 7, so it was going to be another early morning.
Love,
Kira
Last edited:
DisneyAndrew
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2013
I love reading DCP TRs. Funny enough, I had actually found yours when you first started it, but forgot to subscribe. So, I had forgotten about it until I found it again. So, now that I have binged and caught up, I'm looking forward to more - especially to see what it's like to work at GF.
thumpergirl101
SA 2015 Alumna
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2012
Monday morning I had my location orientation at the Grand Floridian! I had actually never been to the resort before, though of course I had admired it from afar and lamented that I will probably never be rich enough to stay there.
So that day I was pretty nervous. I got off the bus with a few other Food and Beverage people, plus one or two people from Front Desk and Concierge. We weren't sure where to go, because our instruction paper wasn't entirely clear, so we asked at the Front Desk and waited in the lobby while he found out.
Within a few minutes, he sent us on our way to the Convention Center, not too far from the main building. I couldn't see Citricos from the first floor, but I could see its general location! I couldn't wait to see the inside.
In my terrible fear of being late, once we got to the Convention Center we were still about half an hour early, so we settled down into chairs to wait. Goodness, I felt out of place. At least we were dressed in business casual clothing, so we didn't get too many odd looks.
A few minutes before 9, our scheduled start time, our two trainers for the day arrived! Eric and Starlyn talked to us, asking about our roles and where we were from while we waited for everyone else to arrive. We were handed our beautiful red, "Earning My Ears" ribbons, then led backstage into the kitchen to clock in.
Once clocked in, they led us into the backstage area of the main building, where most of us would be clocking in and taking breaks and such. We got to see the cast cafeteria/break room, and walked through the locker room briefly. However, pretty quickly we headed upstairs to our training classroom.
The first hour and a half or so were just filled with typical training. They described the Grand Floridian, its theming and our own roles within that theme. They provided us with a map and we played a little trivia game about the GF's various amenities. Then it was time for our property tour!
The Grand Floridian is both beautiful and gigantic. The buildings are surprisingly large, considering how expensive the rooms are, at least in my estimation. We basically just walked around the facilities, and Eric and Starlyn pointed out the main features, like pools, spas, and the newly built Villas. I got to see a little, tiny bit of Citricos: the podium, that we saw from across the hall. Not very exciting.
After the tour we headed back to the classroom to finish up some things. Again, not super interesting, but important. However, pretty soon we had finished our group training for the day! They even gave us beautiful certificates to celebrate our training day, with a gorgeous print of the GF.
At that point, some of my training group was sent to the costuming building so they could get their costumes all ready for work!
However, us Food and Beverage people still had some online training to accomplish. It looked like I had 4-5 different e-learning programs to finish, but as it turned out I could only do one that day: The Disney Dining Plan Overview! As a compulsive trip planner, I already knew most of the info, but it was nice to get a small glimpse of all the plans I'll never be able to afford.
That only took 15 minutes, at the most. From there, I too was sent to costuming! The costuming facility for the GF is in the cast parking lot for the nearby resorts and the TTC. I was told to take the monorail over to the Polynesian, but in my confusion I got off at the TTC instead. Thankfully, it wasn't terribly difficult to find from there, if a slightly longer walk. People must get lost a lot, because during training they showed us a slide show WITH PICTURES of exactly how to get there by both car and walking.
Once I arrived, I enlisted the help of a cast member to help me find everything, because the costuming building is confusing. Plus I needed to find a culinary costume for a training day, which I wasn't expecting.
Soon enough I had found all the necessary components and found everything in the proper size as best I could. The chefs coats only had as small as a medium, which was slightly on the large side, but I could make do. With everything checked out and in hand, I walked back to the Polynesian to catch the bus, clocking out about half an hour earlier than I expected.
My roommates weren't home yet, so I hung up my new costumes and took a long, beautiful nap. I woke up at around 6 to a text from Allison. My church was having an activity at the nearby Mickey's Retreat, and I certainly couldn't pass up free pizza! Plus it was nice to meet some people.
The rest of the evening was pretty mellow. Nothing terribly interesting occurred. But I was very excited and nervous for my first training day at Citricos the following evening!
Love,
Kira
So that day I was pretty nervous. I got off the bus with a few other Food and Beverage people, plus one or two people from Front Desk and Concierge. We weren't sure where to go, because our instruction paper wasn't entirely clear, so we asked at the Front Desk and waited in the lobby while he found out.
Within a few minutes, he sent us on our way to the Convention Center, not too far from the main building. I couldn't see Citricos from the first floor, but I could see its general location! I couldn't wait to see the inside.
In my terrible fear of being late, once we got to the Convention Center we were still about half an hour early, so we settled down into chairs to wait. Goodness, I felt out of place. At least we were dressed in business casual clothing, so we didn't get too many odd looks.
A few minutes before 9, our scheduled start time, our two trainers for the day arrived! Eric and Starlyn talked to us, asking about our roles and where we were from while we waited for everyone else to arrive. We were handed our beautiful red, "Earning My Ears" ribbons, then led backstage into the kitchen to clock in.
Once clocked in, they led us into the backstage area of the main building, where most of us would be clocking in and taking breaks and such. We got to see the cast cafeteria/break room, and walked through the locker room briefly. However, pretty quickly we headed upstairs to our training classroom.
The first hour and a half or so were just filled with typical training. They described the Grand Floridian, its theming and our own roles within that theme. They provided us with a map and we played a little trivia game about the GF's various amenities. Then it was time for our property tour!
The Grand Floridian is both beautiful and gigantic. The buildings are surprisingly large, considering how expensive the rooms are, at least in my estimation. We basically just walked around the facilities, and Eric and Starlyn pointed out the main features, like pools, spas, and the newly built Villas. I got to see a little, tiny bit of Citricos: the podium, that we saw from across the hall. Not very exciting.
After the tour we headed back to the classroom to finish up some things. Again, not super interesting, but important. However, pretty soon we had finished our group training for the day! They even gave us beautiful certificates to celebrate our training day, with a gorgeous print of the GF.
At that point, some of my training group was sent to the costuming building so they could get their costumes all ready for work!
However, us Food and Beverage people still had some online training to accomplish. It looked like I had 4-5 different e-learning programs to finish, but as it turned out I could only do one that day: The Disney Dining Plan Overview! As a compulsive trip planner, I already knew most of the info, but it was nice to get a small glimpse of all the plans I'll never be able to afford.
That only took 15 minutes, at the most. From there, I too was sent to costuming! The costuming facility for the GF is in the cast parking lot for the nearby resorts and the TTC. I was told to take the monorail over to the Polynesian, but in my confusion I got off at the TTC instead. Thankfully, it wasn't terribly difficult to find from there, if a slightly longer walk. People must get lost a lot, because during training they showed us a slide show WITH PICTURES of exactly how to get there by both car and walking.
Once I arrived, I enlisted the help of a cast member to help me find everything, because the costuming building is confusing. Plus I needed to find a culinary costume for a training day, which I wasn't expecting.
Soon enough I had found all the necessary components and found everything in the proper size as best I could. The chefs coats only had as small as a medium, which was slightly on the large side, but I could make do. With everything checked out and in hand, I walked back to the Polynesian to catch the bus, clocking out about half an hour earlier than I expected.
My roommates weren't home yet, so I hung up my new costumes and took a long, beautiful nap. I woke up at around 6 to a text from Allison. My church was having an activity at the nearby Mickey's Retreat, and I certainly couldn't pass up free pizza! Plus it was nice to meet some people.
The rest of the evening was pretty mellow. Nothing terribly interesting occurred. But I was very excited and nervous for my first training day at Citricos the following evening!
Love,
Kira
LuvEeyore
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2005
Sounds like your training is progressing well. I know that some of the early lectures are boring but as someone who has done training for students doing clinicals in a hospital, the law requires certain things be covered. I also know from personal experience body mechanics is boring...very boring but do you know how many people are out of work due to back injuries. Enough of the soap box.
Can't wait to hear more about your adventures!! I wish they had had the college program when I was in college...a really long time ago!!
Can't wait to hear more about your adventures!! I wish they had had the college program when I was in college...a really long time ago!!
Can't wait to hear more 
DnA2010
Rope Drop!
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2010
Very much onboard for your TR - I never knew about the DCP when I was in university, but I know I would have applied (I did do a university exchange to England which was great) can't wait to read more about your program, what a fantastic location! I have only been to WDW once and we stayed offsite, but can't wait to get back and check out some of the resorts 
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