One Week

It's officially one week until check-in for my professional internship and about 6 hours before I leave my home in Pennsylvania and embark on my move to Florida! My mom, sister, and I are getting up bright and early to leave for the ~20 hour road trip to Florida! The cars are all packed (that's right - we needed two!) and I am completely ready to go. I'm so excited to finally be moving, but I'm also nervous! I need to buy a bunch of furniture down there plus go shopping for groceries and other basic supplies and I'm nervous there won't be enough time to get everything done.

Our plan is to drive all day tomorrow (Thursday) until we get to a decent stopping point for the night. Then, Friday we will finish the drive to Orlando, check in to our hotel, and go furniture shopping! I need a new mattress, sofa, and dresser, so we will definitely be busy. The plan on Saturday is to finish up any shopping we need to do and hopefully make it over to one of the parks before dinner time! Then, on Sunday, we are going to spend the entire day de-stressing in the Magic Kingdom! We even have dinner planned at the Grand Floridian with one of my roommates and her dad. I'm sure by Sunday we will all be exhausted and in need of a break. Finally, Monday I get to move in to my new apartment! I'm so excited to see what it looks like and how my roommates and I can make it our new home!

Next Wednesday (June 8), I officially start my professional internship. I have an 11:30 appointment at Casting where I will be filling out all my new hire paperwork and getting fingerprinted and officially "hired" by the company. I have a busy week of training after that, so look out for more posts about the start of my marine mammal professional internship!

I'm so thankful that I got to spend a little over a week at home saying goodbye to all my family and friends and getting to do some last minute Pennsylvania things (like going to a Phillies game!) before it was officially time to leave. Now I'm off to my new adventure, and I could not be more excited for what lies ahead! Keep checking back to find out more about my Florida adventures, and as always, keep on dreaming!

So You Accepted a Professional Internship, Now What?

About three weeks ago, I officially accepted my PI with the Marine Mammal team at The Seas in Epcot. The days after my acceptance phone call were filled with excitement - I got to tell all my friends and family, make a big Facebook announcement, and start to get excited about graduation and my future. But then, after those few days had passed, I found myself sitting there thinking "so now what?" I still had a few weeks until graduation and a few months until my start date. I had let the PI application process consume my entire semester, and now that it was officially over, it was a completely strange feeling.

So, allow me share my "so now what" journey with you as I eagerly anticipate my start date for the Fall 2016 Marine Mammal Internship.

The first point of business after accepting a PI is to find housing accommodations. Disney does offer PI housing in Falcon Square, but they charge $140 a week (as of now) and you have to share a room with another intern. I've heard that the PI housing is nicer than CP housing, and it is really convenient because you don't have to worry about finding a place with a short-term lease or buying furniture. However, I did not have the best experience with CP housing, and being a 22-year old college graduate, I did not feel like being put back in a situation where I had a lot of strict housing rules to follow while sharing a room and paying a fortune for it. So, my friends and I (my roommates from my CP) decided we would find our own housing. Looking for apartments was kind of a long process, but I started a few weeks before I was accepted to make the process easier! We ended up signing a lease with Victoria Park Apartments in Davenport, Florida. The reason we signed here was because it was relatively cheap compared to other options, the staff was extremely helpful and friendly, and it came recommended by some friends! All of this made it a lot easier to sign a lease from out of state and without having actually seen the complex. We are currently in the process of signing the lease for our 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom place! I'm really excited for move-in and think that Allie, Megan, and I will have an absolute blast when we are reunited in Orlando!

The next communication I got from Disney was about joining Yammer, which is an online social networking site for businesses. Basically, it's a place to get to know one another and ask any questions about your position, costume, or other parts of your internship! The ASE Yammer is really cool because Issac, who is a part of the talent management team, is also on the page and is available to answer questions and share some funny stories with all of us. It's a really great resource and a way to keep us all busy before check-ins start!

The last piece of communication I received from Disney (so far) is my welcome letter. The ASE Talent Management Team sent me a welcome letter introducing themselves, telling me how to contact them, and giving me details about Yammer. The letter also included information about my arrival date, the Disney Look, and my costume and shoes. Finally, since I am a marine mammal intern and will be SCUBA diving as part of my responsibilities, I had to read another part of the letter specifically about diving. This section mainly just talked about how we can't wear jewelry on the job, how we have to use special animal-safe hair-ties, and about how they will provide us with diving gear for on the job use! I had to respond to the email with my height, weight, and shoe size so that my gear would be ready for me when I arrived!

Besides finding an apartment, figuring out Yammer, and preparing for my arrival, I've also been trying to enjoy my last few weeks at Clemson! Two weeks from today I will be done my finals and officially done with my undergraduate career. I have mixed feelings about this - I'm so excited for my new Disney adventure (and to be done with school, for the time being), but I am also really going to miss my friends and Clemson overall. Clemson has given me so much during my 4 years here, and I am really going to miss it!

So, if you've made it through this long post - congrats! You now know how I've been handling this "so now what" period, and the best ways for you to handle it as well! My advice would be to plan ahead and don't leave all of the preparation until the last minute. You want to be able to enjoy your last few weeks of school without having all the stress of finding roommates, an apartment, and getting acquainted with the company policies. I should be getting my new hire paperwork and some more information about the internship closer to my arrival date, so be on the lookout for another post about more pre-arrival tasks! And, as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out and let me know!

54 days and counting...!

Marine Mammal Professional Internship

This morning I received the phone call that I have been dreaming about for years - I officially accepted a position as the Marine Mammal Intern with the Walt Disney Company starting in June! Words cannot even begin to describe how excited I am for this opportunity. I've been dreaming about this internship for as long as I can remember. I cannot believe that my dreams are finally coming true!!!

Last week my dashboard status changed to "post-interview stage" for the marine mammal position. Then, I received an email late last night to set up a "brief phone conversation" to further discuss my position. I had a pretty good idea this meant good news, but I was still really nervous!! Finally, around 10:00 this morning I received a phone call from the recruiter. We went over basic information about the applications I submitted, verified a lot of information, and then at the end of the conversation she let me know that the Marine Mammal team wanted to offer me the position!! 

So, beginning June 8, 2016, I will officially be moving to Orlando and starting work as the Marine Mammal Intern at The Seas in Epcot!! I have dreamed about this opportunity for so many years, and I am so thrilled to share my journey with you all!!

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

ACCEPTED!!

After 52 long days of waiting I can officially say that I have been accepted to the Disney College Program for the 2016 Fall Advantage program as an Attractions Hostess!!!!!

To say that I feel relieved after 52 days of waiting for this acceptance is an understatement. While I still felt optimistic about my chances of getting accepted, waiting that long for news is agonizing no matter what. I only had to wait 13 days to be accepted for my first program, so this wait was so strange and new to me. Combine that with the fact that I'm a graduating senior and was counting on having the DCP as an option for post-graduation plans and my anxiety was through the roof waiting to see if I would be accepted or not!!

Thankfully, the acceptance did come and I could not be more thrilled to be going back to the place where dreams come true to make more magic. My two roommates and best friends from my last program have also both been accepted, so we can now officially start planning our post-graduation move down to Florida!

Here is my acceptance timeline for those of you curious! You can also check out a more detailed version by clicking here.

January 13 - Applied to DCP

January 13 - Received & Passed Web Based Interview

January 22 - DCP Phone Interview with Christy

March 14 - Accepted (52 days after interview) 

For those of you who are curious to hear my acceptance story, here it is. It's not very glamorous, but it's mine nonetheless:

So, I had a pretty rough day. I had dental work done and two other doctor appointments. I was sore, tired, and grumpy because I noticed there was another wave of acceptances going out and I still hadn't heard anything. My roommates and I were texting each other about our Professional Internship Progress and I was just getting frustrated with my lack of news. I decided that since there was a wave happening, I would obsessively check my email (not a good idea, FYI). I was just about to go upstairs to get ready for my next appointment when I decided to refresh my email. I discovered that I had one email in my account, and opened it not expecting anything exciting. All I had to do was see the words "WDW and Congratulations!" and I jumped out of my chair (which was reclining at the time, so I'm still not sure how I managed to do this) and ran around my house. No one was home, so I frantically tried to call my mom. She was at work and didn't answer so I texted her and told her. Then I told the rest of my family and friends through various phone calls, texts, and social media updates. Everyone was so happy for me and I was so thrilled. I was sitting on my bed reading my offer letter literally shaking and breathing so quickly.

I can't remember the last time I wanted something so badly. I've been really stressed about my post-graduation plans, and now that I am officially accepted I am so relieved. I am thrilled that I will be going back down to Walt Disney World and continuing my Disney Dream!!

For those of you still waiting to hear about an acceptance, or if you're just in a similar situation and feeling anxious about the future, remember these famous words:"Why worry? If you've done the very best you can, worrying won't make it any better." - Walt Disney

Stay tuned to follow along with Megan's Disney Dream - Part TWO!! I'm so excited to once again share my adventure with you all. Keep on dreaming, dreamers <3

The infamous acceptance email!

Update on Applications

So, as predicted, the first DCP acceptances did go out at the end of last week and the beginning of this week. Unfortunately, I was not a part of the first wave of acceptances, however I still am in progress! I know there is really no rhyme or reason to the waves of acceptances, but it's still frustrating to not hear anything! I'm just trying to remain patient and I'm constantly refreshing my email and dashboard!

However, on the bright side, I received an email from the Marine Mammals Department over the weekend to set up an interview with their team! I have an interview set up for tomorrow, February 24, at 9:30 AM! We are going to be doing a video conference. I'm so excited for the opportunity to speak with some members of the team and tell them about myself, my experiences, and my passion for animal care and training! I'm going to be spending most of today preparing for the interview. I booked a room in my career center so that I have a professional background and I'll be wearing business casual "Disney Look" clothes! 

I'm so excited for my interview. I'll be sure to blog about it tomorrow and let you know how it goes! 

This Week?!

Last week there was a DCP Twitter Q&A session with Marcie, one of Disney's recruiters (and also the administrator of the Disney Alumni Association, in case you were curious!). She answered a lot of questions that were posed to her using the hashtag #AskDCP. If you're interested in learning more about the program, I highly recommend searching #AskDCP on Twitter to view the question and answer session! However, probably the most exciting news to come out of her Q&A session was that the first wave of acceptances will be starting this week!

While I'm obviously thrilled with the news that the first acceptances will be coming out very soon, this is still a very vague response. Why? Because not everyone gets accepted during the first "wave" of acceptances. Also, "this week" could mean any day or time during this week. It's 6:30 on Monday night now, so the whole day has gone by without anyone seeing any acceptances. Does "this week" mean tomorrow... Friday?!

Anyway, the point is that I hope to start hearing news from Disney very soon! While I would love to be a part of the first wave of acceptances, I really will be excited once ANYONE hears back, because that means the acceptance process has started. Once it starts, it usually goes pretty quickly with acceptances rolling out every few days, so it will make the waiting less difficult. Last time I applied I only had to wait 13 days after my phone interview to hear about my acceptance. This year, it seems like Disney is doing things a lot differently. On Friday it will officially be one month since my interview and it's been way more than a month since I submitted my application. Disney is certainly testing my patience this time around!

So, to wrap up this whole post, Recruiter Marcie claims that the first acceptances for the Fall 2016 DCP will go out this week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will be fortunate enough to hear about my status sooner rather than later!!

Professional Internship Applications

Today's the day I've been waiting for! The Professional Internship (PI) applications opened up early this morning for the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Internships. I have been waiting and preparing for this moment for several months now, and it's kind of surreal that the application season is finally here!

I applied to three Animal Programs internships - Marine Mammals, Animal Behavior, and Behavior & Technology. You are limited to only applying to three Animal Programs internships, so I chose those three as the ones I was most interested in and most qualified for.

Professional Internships are really competitive as there are many applicants and very few spots! I feel as though I am certainly qualified for the positions I applied for, but I know that there are many other qualified candidates as well! I don't know as much about the professional internship application process as I do about the college program application process, so I'm excited to learn and share my experience with you all!

I applied around 9 AM this morning and received my "Thank you for Applying" email around 9:50 AM. I haven't gotten any other information since then. From what I've been reading, the professional internship application process is much slower than the college program one and it really tests your patience. I'm anxious to get going with the process, but I also know that patience is a virtue, so I'll be patiently waiting to hear about the next steps of this application process!

I'm still in progress for my CP and now in submission for my three PIs, so it's going to be a long few weeks of playing the waiting game until I hear back from my dream company! I'll be sure to keep you all posted, but until then, keep on dreaming!

Round Two?!?!

Well everyone, I can't believe I'm typing these words, but it's officially time for me to apply to once again be an intern at Walt Disney World! I feel as though I've been waiting for this moment ever since the end of my first program, and now it's here and it's completely exciting, unbelievable, and magical.

I'll be graduating from Clemson University in May and have decided to go back down to Orlando to continue pursuing my dreams. This time around I'm applying to both a DCP and some PI's (professional internships - more on these later) so I'm feeling hopeful that something will work out and I will once again be able to work for the mouse! The PI's I'm applying to will all be in the Animals, Science, and Environment Department and the DCP will just be the general application once again.

I'm so excited/anxious/nervous/hopeful for this second round. I cannot believe that my four short years at Clemson are rapidly coming to a close. I'm looking forward to an amazing final semester here at the best university in the world and hopefully an acceptance into an internship at Disney so I can finalize my post-graduation plans!

I'll be sure to keep you all just as updated as last time on the whole application process and the final results. It's officially time for round two, and I could not be more thrilled to once again share my journey with you all!

Post-Disney Update

I wanted to give you all an update on what's going on in my life Post-DCP. I'm back in school at Clemson University still studying environmental and natural resources and psychology. I've had a great time catching up with all of my friends from school and getting back into the swing of my "school life."

Something exciting that I currently have going on is that I am the Animal Department Intern at the Greenville Zoo. This means I am working at the zoo helping zookeepers with cleaning, training, enrichment, and diet preparation for a variety of animals. I've had a lot of amazing experiences already, and I would love for you all to check out my zoo intern blog at http://tailsofazoointern.blogspot.com/. 

I've definitely been experiencing some post-DCP depression. I miss my friends from Disney so incredibly much, and it's so hard with them being scattered all over the country and the world, to keep up with one another. I've also had a hard time adjusting to this "homework/school" thing, since I haven't had homework or tests in eight months... So, needless to say, that's been an interesting adjustment I've had to make. I also just miss being surrounded by people like me, who love Disney. Not too many people here get super excited to hear about the new improvements they're making around the theme parks! 

I think the best way to sum up my Post-DCP experience is that it's different. I started a completely new internship at the zoo (which I'm loving), and am back in the swing of my school schedule. It's fair to say that I feel like my heart is split in half and I'll never have it all back in the same place again. Half of my heart lies in Clemson, with my friends, school, and extracurriculars, and the other half lies in Disney, and with the people, memories, and experiences I had there. 

The DCP is certainly a life-changing experience, and I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to have had my life changed for the better because of it. Please continue to keep up with all of my adventures at Tails of a Zoo Intern, and if you have any questions/comments, please feel free to reach out to me! Until next time, always keep on dreaming!

The Last Few Weeks

The last few weeks of my Disney College Program were kind of a blur, and in hindsight, I think they needed to be that way in order for me to get through them. Basically after my roommate, Megan, left, I was chomping at the bit to wrap up my program and get home. But then suddenly, it hit me. No matter how much I despised Olaf Distribution, or how hot I was all the time, or how much I was ready to see my dog and cat, or how much I hated the afternoon Florida storms, or how lonesome I was for my family and friends at home - I had only a few weeks left in the most magical place on earth. It started to hit me that whenever I did something in the parks or the resorts, it could very well have been my very last time doing those things for a few years. YEARS - can you imagine that? I've had Walt Disney World as my playground for the past 7 months, and now all of a sudden I'm forced to come to grips with the fact that I won't be doing these rides, seeing these shows, watching these fireworks, or shopping in these stores for another few years. The thought alone was enough to make my stomach churn. I started running around in my free time, determined to make the most of my "last time" doing everything. We went to Universal again, I sat by the pool after work, we went to see movies at the theater, we watched all the fireworks shows, and so much more. I began taking pictures of things I never really thought to take pictures of - the thought was always "oh, I'll see it again." But suddenly, I wasn't going to be seeing, doing, or having anything to do with these things again. It was an overwhelming thought, and I truly believe that's why those last few weeks kind of flew by. In all the time that I wasn't working (even though I was getting scheduled for 6 days a week), I was running around, saying goodbye to my favorite people, places and things. I bought all the things I'd been talking about buying for so long (2 Nemo stuffed animals, the Finding Nemo soundtrack, a Nemo ornament... you get the picture). Anyway, I think you probably get it, I was in a frantic rush to make the most of my time. What had seemed like an eternity was finally coming to an end.

Update on My Deployment

I just wanted to update everyone on how my deployment to Hollywood Studios has been going. I am still doing the same thing as before - handing out Olafs at the main entrance of Hollywood Studios. As I stated in my previous post about HS, the job is somewhat boring and mindless, but I have grown more accustomed to it. I do certain things to make my day more interesting and to pass the time. I really like talking to people, so if at all possible, I try to engage people in conversation about the park, Frozen, etc. instead of just handing them an Olaf and having them walk away. The little kids are also really cute, and it's fun to see how excited they get when I give them an Olaf and tell them all about the Frozen Fun events. The coordinators at the main entrance are all really nice and try to be as helpful as possible; one coordinator even gave me a Four Keys Card the other day to thank me for all of my hardwork and helpfulness. All in all, it's a job that I have to do for two more weeks. I'm trying to make the most of it, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I really do miss my old job at Nemo.

The good thing about my deployment is that it has made it easier to transition to the end of my program. I don't have the connections or emotional attachment to the people or park of Hollywood Studios that I did at Animal Kingdom and Nemo, so it's not going to be as hard to say goodbye in two weeks. I've received my final workweek schedule and my family is arriving for their last trip this Friday, so I'm excited to see them and spend time with them. Although my program is coming to an end and I am going to miss my friends and being in Disney World so much, I know that my time to leave has come. I've learned so much during my DCP and I'm ready to go back home and then back to Clemson and get back into the "real world" and put my skills that I've learned here to good use.

So, for the next two weeks, if anybody happens to be at Hollywood Studios, stop by the Main Entrance and get an Olaf from me! As always, keep on dreaming!

On With the Show at Disney's Hollywood Studios

So, as I explained in my last post about my last day at Nemo, I have just been deployed to Hollywood Studios. Hollywood Studios recently kicked off its "Frozen Summer Fun" event, which essentially is a summer-long celebration at Hollywood Studios to celebrate Frozen and have people visit the park and participate in all the new events. There is a parade with Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff, a sing-along, an ice-skating rink, and a dance party every day. My understanding of the situation is that Hollywood Studios decided that they would need more people to staff this event, and that Animal Kingdom theater ops decided they were too over-staffed, so they shipped all the CP's from theater ops over to Hollywood Studios (and a few to Magic Kingdom). I wasn't given too much information about my deployment from Animal Kingdom, so when I went to Hollywood Studios this morning, I was really looking forward to getting some answers. I went in with a really positive attitude, thinking that it would be nice to have the opportunity to perform two separate roles in two different parks and it would make me a more versatile Cast Member and person. However, my experience today at Hollywood Studios was certainly an interesting one and not entirely what I was expecting.

Let me start at the beginning. When I arrived at Hollywood Studios this morning, the first part of my On With the Show class began with a park tour. We did a 2.5 hour tour of the entire property, and our leaders informed us about each attraction, restaurant, and merchandise location. I did find this part a little bit boring, especially because I am pretty familiar with Hollywood Studios and I didn't feel like they were telling me anything that I didn't already know. However, I got paid to go on a park tour, and even to ride the Great Movie Ride, so I can't complain too much about that! After our park tour, we had a quick break and then went into the classroom for a brief session about working at Hollywood Studios and being a Disney Cast Member. Since I was deployed from one theme park to another, I felt like a lot of the information was stuff I already knew from working at Animal Kingdom, but still, I understood the need for them to share this information with us, and it was interesting to see how another park handles their orientation and park tour. However, throughout the whole tour, I couldn't help but feel as though I just didn't belong in that park. I love working in Animal Kingdom, and being a conservation biology major, I feel as though that's where I truly belong and feel the most comfortable.

After the park orientation and information session is when the day really took a turn for the worse. I learned that I essentially didn't have a "job" to perform at Hollywood Studios. As of right now, I am scheduled for Olaf distribution shifts at different areas in the park. Basically, another part of the Frozen celebration is that they are handing out Olaf on a stick to people throughout the park and encouraging them to selfie with Olaf and then put the seflies on social media and hopefully have a chance to be displayed during the nighttime fireworks. So, yes, as of right now, my job for the remainder of July will be to hand out Olaf on a stick. Nothing else. Now, that's not to say that tomorrow, when I report to my first real day on the job, that things won't change, but as of now that is what I am scheduled to do. The more disappointing part of it is that no one at Hollywood Studios seemed to have any answers about what we were doing. It actually seemed like someone just made up this job. They weren't sure what costumes to give us, what shoes to have us wear, where to have us meet in the mornings, and they weren't even aware that we were scheduled to be placed all around the park. I understand that my deployment was thrown together very quickly, but I was really disappointed in my whole deployment experience. However, I am extremely hopeful and I have faith in the Disney Cast Members that things will eventually work themselves out. I hope that as the Frozen celebration continues to grow and expand that I will find my place and be happy making magic for the thousands of guests visiting Hollywood Studios. So, for now, look for me handing out Olaf's throughout Hollywood Studios! I will update everyone more once I actually begin to work.

And hey, as for my experience today, some of my favorite Disney characters may fondly remind me to "Let it go..."

One Month Left

I'm actually cringing as I write this post, but the time has come when there is only ONE month left in my college program. Can you believe it, one month?! I sure can't. It seems like just yesterday that I was packing up my stuff and driving down to Florida with my mom, and it certainly couldn't have been six months ago! To say that the time has flown by would be an understatement.

Nevertheless, it's here I stand with exactly one month left in my DCP, and it's time to start prioritizing the things I want to do and deciding how I want to spend my last month. My friends and I have started doing a lot of things we've been talking about since we got here: bowling at Splitsville, going to Universal, eating dinner at Dick's Last Resort, watching the fireworks and eating dessert at California Grill, and the list goes on and on. It's been a blast doing these things, but also exhausting at the same time, since I'm constantly running between work, my apartment, and the surrounding Orlando area.

I'm starting to feel bittersweet about a lot of things. Sure, I'm really hot and tired at work, but in one month, I won't ever have to work again, and that's depressing. I've spent six months of my life living every day with these girls in my apartment, but in a month, we're all going to go back to our hometowns, and that's even more depressing. I think the most depressing part is that I won't be able to say I live in Disney World anymore, the happiest place on earth, and my favorite place on the planet.

So, there you have it. It's July 1st. I leave August 1st. My college program is officially winding down. However sad it may be, I'm excited to go out with a bang, so look for lots more posts about the end of my Disney College Program, and all of the fun things I'll be doing between now and August 1st. As always, keep on dreaming.

Saying Goodbye & Saying Hello

Recently, I've had to say goodbye to many of my favorite people and things at Walt Disney World. The people who were just doing the spring program left throughout the month of May, with the last departures occurring May 30th. It was hard to say goodbye to some of the friends that I have made here, especially because I don't know if I'll ever see them again. It's crazy that you go on a journey with these people and spend all of your time either working or hanging out with them, and then suddenly they are gone. I'm definitely already missing my friends, and wishing them happy and fun summers.

Another sad goodbye occurred at DAK this week: we had to say goodbye to Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. It was the longest running parade at Animal Kingdom, and now with its departure, the only park with a parade is the Magic Kingdom. I'm sad to see the parade go because it was such a nice break from Nemo during the middle of the day. However, I'm glad I won't have to work the parade during the hot summertime!

The Last Jammin' Jungle Parade Crew

With all of the goodbyes did come some hellos! The fall advantage program people have arrived, and one of those people is my friend, Franklin from Clemson! We have a lot of new neighbors and I'm excited to meet some of my new coworkers.

We also get to say hello to FOLK, or Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom. FOLK has been down since January because they rebuilt the theater in Africa. It used to be located in Camp Minnie Mickey, but since Avatarland is being built where the Camp used to be, the FOLK theater had to be moved to Africa (where it truly belongs). I've been inside the new theater already, and it's beautiful (but very similar to the old theater), but I haven't seen the show yet. Rumor has it that the show is the exact same, but I'm still excited to see it in its new home. I'm also excited that I don't have to answer the "what happened to Lion King" question anymore at Nemo!

So, there you have it. The beginning of summer has been a series of goodbyes and hellos here at Disney World. While it's sad to say goodbye to all the memories, it's exciting to think that there are new memories to be made. I'm looking forward to enjoying my last two months here, and I hope you continue to enjoy me on my Disney Dream!

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!

Why I Love My Job

It's 7:35 PM, I'm the only one left at the theater during my closing shift and I am bored out of my mind. I'm standing outside, hoping that I can grab the attention of some Guests with my pins or with my smile, but they continue to race past me in an attempt to make it on Everest or Dinosaur one last time before the park closes. But then, my night takes a turn for the better...

An international Guest: "I just have to tell you, this show was spectacular. We were amazed at how life-like the actors made the fish look. We loved it"

A Mom: "That show was amazing. I spent the last ten minutes crying. I loved it so much."

A young couple: "We loved your show. Thank you so much, it was beyond amazing."

I'm now standing in Upper Right, loading the 3:00 show, which without a doubt is always the busiest show of the day. A family comes in with a wheelchair and asks if they can sit in the very front. I begin to walk them down to the front of the theater, explain where we are going, how to leave if they need to, and chit chat about their day. I get them down to the front of the theater, tell them to enjoy the show, and I begin to walk away...

Little Girl (as I'm walking away): "Thank you so much! You were such a big help to my mom and my family!"

I'm at the stroller position for the 1:00 show, trying to direct people where to park their strollers while also helping people get into the Fastpass+ line. People are zooming past me and asking me questions right and left, and I'm beginning to feel slightly overwhelmed. Suddenly...

A Little Girl (walking past): "Hi, I love your makeup!"

Now, I'm standing outside at a show break, while everyone else is inside either on break or trying to get ready for the next show. A family comes up to me and starts asking me questions about the show. Then...

Mom: "Oh, another Megan!"
Me (looking at the teenage girl): "Are you Megan too? Spelled this way?"
Teenage girl: "Yes! It's the only way to spell Megan!"

I'm working a parade shift, and spieling to Guests that they no longer will be able to walk down the current pathway, but showing them an alternate path they can go down to reach their destination. A family of six is sitting on a bench next to me, listening and watching me give directions to dozens of Guests. The mom looks up at me and smiles...

Mom: "Megan, you deserve an award for saying the same thing over and over again and having a great attitude about it"

The same family walks back past me after the parade is over...

Mom: "Thank you again, Megan, you were wonderful."

Finally, I'm standing in front of door 4 as the 5:00 show empties. I'm smiling and waving to Guests as they leave the theater. A man walks toward me...

Dad: "Clemson? My daughter goes there!"
Me: "Really? I'm a current sophomore there!"
Dad: "That is so cool, what a small world"
Me: "Exactly. Hey, go tigers!"
Dad: "Go tigers!"

See that's the thing about my job. It's not exactly the most glamorous, or lucrative job out there, but I get to have the most amazing interactions every single day. All of these conversations are real conversations that I've had in just the past five days! In five days, I've had that many memorable conversations with Guests, which truly makes both their day and mine. I get to be a part of a company that prides itself on making dreams come true. And when it comes down to it, what job could be better than that?

2nd Family Visit

A large part of the reason I was so behind in my posting was that just last week I received my second visit from my mom and dad! It was awesome to see my parents, and this time, they stayed for an entire week, so I had plenty of mom and dad time to myself!

For this visit, we stayed at Bay Lake at the Contemporary Resort. I love staying here because it's within walking distance to Magic Kingdom AND has a monorail run right through the Contemporary, so it's easy to get to Epcot as well! Also, the resort is just really nice and has an all around great feel to it.

I did a lot of fun things during their visit! The first day included a trip to the Kennedy Space Center, which was so much cooler than I expected! I was expecting a museum type thing, but it was actually its own park! We got to see a lot of cool exhibits, including the Atlantis Space Shuttle and the Space Shuttle Launch Center. If you're ever in the Orlando area and have some time to spend away from Disney World, I highly recommend the Kennedy Space Center!

During their visit, we also had a trip to Gatorland. I have to say, Gatorland was not my favorite place, but please keep in mind that these thoughts are coming from me, a conservation biology major who wants to go into the animal training and care field. I personally thought that the conditions in Gatorland were not up to the standards that they should be. I was really against the use of gators for certain forms of entertainment (like paying $8 to sit on a gator... is that even humane???). However, while Gatorland was extremely cheesy and not my personal cup of tea, I have to admit that they did try their best to spread conservation messages to the public. And hey, my dad loved it!

I also had the chance to cross something off my bucket list during the visit - scuba diving in The Seas! The experience was AMAZING. If you're ever going to scuba dive, I highly recommend The Seas! It is like luxury diving; you don't have to clean or put away your equipment, you get a towel handed to you as you get out, and you have a warm shower waiting for you immediately! In addition to the great Guest service that Disney provided for the experience, actually getting into the tank and diving was awesome. I felt like a celebrity because I got to go up to the windows and wave to all of the Guests! I even had some people take pictures of me! Aside from all of the people watching and waving, I got to swim alongside sharks, stingrays, and sea turtles. Honestly, this was one of the best things I've done on my program. If you are scuba certified YOU MUST GO DIVING IN THE SEAS!!!! Take my word for it, it's well worth it!

Your local celebrity Megan scuba diving in The Seas

Finally, my parents were amazing and scheduled a fireworks cruise for us and some of my friends! We got to meet at the dock at the Contemporary Resort and take our own private boat out into Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Afterwards, we all got to hang out at the top of Bay Lake Resort at the Top of the World bar and lounge. It's reserved exclusively for vacation club members staying at Bay Lake Tower, so we felt really special that we even got to go up there! Plus, the views of the Magic Kingdom were amazing. The whole thing was awesome, and I was so glad to get to spend some time with both my friends and family. It was a beautiful night with great people!

My friends and I on the boat

Wishes from the Seven Seas Lagoon

In addition to all of our fun activities, I also had the opportunity to eat in some great restaurants with my parents, including Narcoossee's (Grand Floridian), California Grill (Contemporary), Tutto Ristorante (Italy - Epcot), Fifty's Prime Time Cafe (Hollywood Studios) and Le Cellier (Canada - Epcot). All of these restaurants are great and I most definitely recommend them. Plus, they are all excellent dining experiences in the Walt Disney World Resort, and it's always nice to get spoiled a little bit while on vacation!

So, to summarize, I had a great time with my family when they came to visit me. Thanks once again, Mom and Dad, for a great visit and for all of the fun things we did! You guys are both the best!

Love you guys!

And to the rest of you, thanks for sticking with me and reading this whole post! If you have any questions or need recommendations for activities from me, please let me know! I love to help other people plan their fun vacations/visits/etc. 

Until next time... keep on dreaming

Quick Update

This post is solely to apologize for my lack of blogging in the past two weeks. As you can probably tell, life gets pretty hectic down here in Central Florida, especially during Spring Break Season! However, I have lots to tell you, including information about my last Environmentality and Sustainability class, my parents' visit to Florida, the "updates" they have coming to our apartment (hint: I'm not too happy about it), and some exciting things that have been going on in the big blue world (otherwise known as Finding Nemo The Musical). So, please continue reading, and look for these posts coming very, very soon! I promise that after my online test this week I will do A LOT of catch-up blogging, so stay tuned!

As always, keep on dreaming.

Program Update #1

A lot has happened since my last post, so I wanted to make a general program update to let you know about all of the cool things that have been going on during my DCP.

First, I finally got to see the new Festival of Fantasy parade at the Magic Kingdom! It was amazing! It's great to see some of the new characters making their first parade debuts, and the floats are truly spectacular. The amount of detail on each one is enough to make your head spin! Here are some pictures from the parade.

The parks are definitely getting more crowded since it's spring break season, and with the crowds of course come a lot of changes at work. Almost every day we make a slight modification to the loading process at Nemo, which keeps things interesting! After all, Walt did say "We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

My friends and I have been planning a lot of fun days and activities, with the most recent being the Miley Cyrus Bangerz tour in Orlando! Five of us bought tickets to the concert in the Amway Center in Downtown Orlando. It was seriously so crazy (as expected with Miley) but a ton of fun and a great way to spend time together. 

In the middle of all of this fun, we've also had other issues to worry about, like passing the second round of inspections! We all cleaned for a couple of days leading up to inspections, and this time around we got inspected on the second day of inspections! I was in the apartment when they inspected us, so I got more of an idea as to what they did. Honestly, it was so quick. There were three people that came in, looked all over our apartment, and then told us if we needed to improve in any areas or if we were doing a good job. We passed with flying colors and got our 2nd White Glove Award! I'd say we are doing pretty well with inspections, well that, or the other apartments in the complex are just really dirty and gross...

Anyway, I have a lot planned in the next few days. I have a Meet & Greet tomorrow with my teacher to talk about how I should approach the rest of my program, an advising meeting with my Clemson advisor for next year on Thursday, my last two classes of environmentality and sustainability, and even some fun play time at the parks and resorts. Be sure to stay tuned for my posts in the next few weeks!

I hope everyone is having a magical day, and remember to keep on dreaming!

A Thought on Dreams...

While I was working at Nemo today in the pouring rain, wind, and cold weather, it suddenly hit me: I am 20 years old and have already accomplished one of my life dreams. For as long as I can remember, it's been a dream of mine to work for the Walt Disney Company. Growing up coming to the parks, I always felt as though I "belonged" there. I knew that I could be the happy, smiling, and helpful Cast Member who always exceeded Guest expectations. And guess what? I am that person.

This was a welcoming thought in the middle of the torrential downpour that hit central Florida today. Despite the few downfalls that come with being a Cast Member (among them, the temperamental Florida weather), I am doing something that I have dreamed my entire life of doing, and that I am sure many others dream of someday doing.

So, this post is dedicated to all of those dreamers out there. Whether your dream is to apply for the DCP, become a Cast Member, travel, discover the cure for cancer, or change the world, your dreams matter and you should never let anything stop you from achieving your dreams. It doesn't matter if you are 9 years old or 90 years old, it's never too late to make your dreams come true.

Take it from me, Megan, the girl who is currently living her Disney Dream!

Keep on dreaming, dreamers!