If you're considering applying for the DCP or even if you're just curious about the application process, a huge part of the experience is applying for spring vs. spring advantage (or fall, fall advantage). The spring advantage program runs from January/February - May and the Advantage program runs until August. Basically, the difference is that spring advantage DCPers work during the summer months.
For me personally, I am so glad that I am doing the spring advantage program. I am not in any way ready to leave Florida yet, and I feel like I have so much left that I still want to do! However, I have a lot of friends and coworkers that feel differently. Some of my friends who are doing the spring program wish that they had extended and were staying longer. Others who are doing spring advantage wish that they had only done spring, because they are ready to leave now. I honestly think that your job has a lot to do with your happiness and wanting to stay or leave early. I love my job, my coworkers, and all my friends here, so I am so glad that I am staying for a few more months. I have some friends though, that hate their jobs, and thus are wishing that they had only signed up to do the spring program.
The one thing I will say about doing the spring program is that you have the option to extend your program through the summer. Basically, if you have a good record card, you will probably be given the opportunity to extend. Additionally, with that extension opportunity you can stay in the same job or you can switch jobs, which is also a nice incentive.
I recommend the spring advantage program because I don't think 4 months is long enough to be here for! However, I do have friends that would say differently, so my best advice to all of my readers is to do whatever you think is best for you. Take into consideration all of your options, and then decide how much time you want to spend in the happiest place on earth (:
May 18, 2014
May 17, 2014
New Roommates
The fateful day finally arrived when we received a notice on our door on a Thursday afternoon that we would be having new roommates move in on Sunday morning. As you can probably imagine, it was a little bit of a disappointment for us, as we were really hoping we wouldn't have new people move in until after our program was over. Nevertheless, the letter said we had to clean and make our rooms ready, so that's exactly what we did. We made arrangements in the bedrooms and kitchen for our new roommates and we had a cleaning crew come early Sunday morning to clean and sanitize the furniture. We also had a new (additional) refrigerator installed and more lockers come into our closets.
On Sunday morning, our new roommates, Sam and Emily moved into our apartment. I have to admit that I think we lucked out. Both seem like really nice girls and we've worked through the awkwardness of adding two more people into an apartment quite nicely. Sam was actually one of our friends old roommates! Both girls extended their programs, and Sam will be starting at the Contemporary as a concierge and Emily works at Art of Animation in Quick Service Food & Beverage.
The one downside to having two new people move in during the middle of the program is all of the additional stuff we have now! We have two toasters, another TV, way more decorations, and a lot of other things we wouldn't have doubles of if we had been able to talk about things beforehand! We are making it work though, and have managed to find places to put everything that the 6 of us own.
I'm excited to see what the summer holds for me and all of my roommates. I hope that we can enjoy the remainder of our program, and I know for a fact that we will all enjoy the $25 deduction in our rent starting next week!
On Sunday morning, our new roommates, Sam and Emily moved into our apartment. I have to admit that I think we lucked out. Both seem like really nice girls and we've worked through the awkwardness of adding two more people into an apartment quite nicely. Sam was actually one of our friends old roommates! Both girls extended their programs, and Sam will be starting at the Contemporary as a concierge and Emily works at Art of Animation in Quick Service Food & Beverage.
The one downside to having two new people move in during the middle of the program is all of the additional stuff we have now! We have two toasters, another TV, way more decorations, and a lot of other things we wouldn't have doubles of if we had been able to talk about things beforehand! We are making it work though, and have managed to find places to put everything that the 6 of us own.
I'm excited to see what the summer holds for me and all of my roommates. I hope that we can enjoy the remainder of our program, and I know for a fact that we will all enjoy the $25 deduction in our rent starting next week!
May 11, 2014
Animal Kingdom Cast Party
In case you haven't heard - Animal Kingdom is growing!
Last Thursday, there was a Cast party in the new Festival of the Lion King theater in Africa for all of the Animal Kingdom Cast Members. They had catered food, lots of drinks, free Mickey ice cream bars, and lots of tents and tables outside giving away free things. The idea of the party was for Cast Members to get to see the inside and outside of the new theater and to thank the Cast Members for all of our hard work.
I can't say too much about the theater, but I will say that I believe that most Guests will be very pleased!
I really enjoyed the Cast Party. I was able to take pictures with the shovel used to break ground at Avatar land, learn about the new and exciting things coming to Animal Kingdom (hint: it's going to be AMAZING!), and spend some quality time with my fellow Cast Members away from work.
It was also really nice to have an event where they were thanking us. We even got to meet Rafiki and Timon!
Last Thursday, there was a Cast party in the new Festival of the Lion King theater in Africa for all of the Animal Kingdom Cast Members. They had catered food, lots of drinks, free Mickey ice cream bars, and lots of tents and tables outside giving away free things. The idea of the party was for Cast Members to get to see the inside and outside of the new theater and to thank the Cast Members for all of our hard work.
I can't say too much about the theater, but I will say that I believe that most Guests will be very pleased!
I really enjoyed the Cast Party. I was able to take pictures with the shovel used to break ground at Avatar land, learn about the new and exciting things coming to Animal Kingdom (hint: it's going to be AMAZING!), and spend some quality time with my fellow Cast Members away from work.
It was also really nice to have an event where they were thanking us. We even got to meet Rafiki and Timon!
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| Meeting Timon & Rafiki |
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| Breaking ground on Avatar! |
May 8, 2014
Starlit Splash
May 7, 2014 was definitely the best night of my entire College Program. Disney Internships and Programs rented out the entire Typhoon Lagoon water park from 7 PM to 1 AM for all of the College Program participants and had a giant party for the CPs!
From the moment my friends and I entered the water park, we could tell that it was going to be a good night. There was a DJ playing lots of great party music and a huge dance floor on the beach. The wave pool was in full force and we could smell lots of amazing free food right around the corner. Throughout the whole night we were able to spend tons of time in the wave pool, go on three tube slides, dance on the beach, meet Captain Jack Sparrow, have some free food (including Mickey bars!), snorkel with sharks, and watch an amazing fireworks show from the water!
There were so many CPs there, and you could tell that everyone was ready to let loose and have some fun. We were all dancing on the beach and in the water, swimming in the waves, and talking amongst ourselves. At 11:45, the entire party stopped, as they set up a fireworks show and we had an amazing fireworks display that we could watch from the beach or the wave pool! It was beautiful, and a perfect way to celebrate the night.
To make things even better, it was my friend's birthday at midnight, so we got the DJ to make a special birthday announcement for her and we all danced in front of the stage for a good part of the night. It was honestly the most perfect night; I loved every single second of it.
I am so grateful to Disney for setting up a night for the CPs to celebrate all of our hard work and accomplishments. Starlit Splash was a total blast and a complete success!
From the moment my friends and I entered the water park, we could tell that it was going to be a good night. There was a DJ playing lots of great party music and a huge dance floor on the beach. The wave pool was in full force and we could smell lots of amazing free food right around the corner. Throughout the whole night we were able to spend tons of time in the wave pool, go on three tube slides, dance on the beach, meet Captain Jack Sparrow, have some free food (including Mickey bars!), snorkel with sharks, and watch an amazing fireworks show from the water!
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| Meeting Captain Jack Sparrow |
To make things even better, it was my friend's birthday at midnight, so we got the DJ to make a special birthday announcement for her and we all danced in front of the stage for a good part of the night. It was honestly the most perfect night; I loved every single second of it.
I am so grateful to Disney for setting up a night for the CPs to celebrate all of our hard work and accomplishments. Starlit Splash was a total blast and a complete success!
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| Typhoon Lagoon at night |
May 7, 2014
How Cast Members Treat Other Cast Members
There are obviously a ton of perks to being a Walt Disney World Cast Member: free park admission, 20% off of all Disney merchandise, restaurant discounts, 50% off of activities, resort discounts, and way, way more. However, another perk of being a Cast Member is the way that Cast Members treat one another.
Whenever I am at work and another Cast Member passes by me, they will always smile and wave, or say hello. It doesn't matter who they are, what department they come from, or how high up in the company they are. Even the Vice President of Animal Kingdom, Josh, will walk by and say hello to all of us!
Besides just being extremely friendly to one another, you feel like you are a part of a small family. Even though there are 65,000+ Cast Members, it doesn't feel that way. If you go somewhere and tell someone you are a Cast Member, they will automatically ask you about where you work, what you do, and how you like it. We all share this special bond of working for The Mouse, and it brings us close, even if we don't know personally know each other.
The people at Nemo are especially great at treating one another fairly and nicely. I've heard a lot of stories form CP's about how the full-timers don't like the college kids because we "take their hours" and all of this stuff, but I never feel any hostility from my Nemo coworkers. We all truly care about one another and want to see the others do well, not just in work, but in life. When I had bad sunburn from my trip to the beach, I had at least 3 or 4 coworkers ask me about it for multiple days, give me tips as to how to treat it, and tell me to let them know if it was really bothering me. It's times like these that make me glad to be a WDW Cast Member at Finding Nemo The Musical.
I love being a Cast Member, not only for all of the amazing perks, but for the way that I am treated and the way that all Disney Cast Members truly care for one another.
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