Monday, April 18, 2011
EASTER
WHY does everybody need to visit Disneyworld during Easter? I thought it was normal to just find candy in the morning and eat dinner with your family...? Apparently this tradition has died out and the new, Disneyworld tradition has begun. This means they are allowed to schedule us a BUNCH of hours and only give us one day off a week, which I thought I would be okay with because I like money. But, I'm being a baby today and calling in sick for my first time EVER! What? Don't judge. I had laundry...homework...and laying by the pool :) Good thing I don't have lots of "points" on my record card...or else I could be in trouble! Plus I was scheduled at the Jungle Trek today and they do not need my help over there! The tigers can speak for themselves today because I need a weekend! :)
-DisneyMeg :)
-DisneyMeg :)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Working (Putting on the "show")
As I mentioned before, while in my phone interview, I told the person I was talking to that I really wanted to work in the Magic Kingdom, where the magic was! So when I got my little sticker at Casting that read "Animal Kingdom - Asia Attractions," I was slightly disappointed. But believe me, and anybody who works in the Animal Kingdom will agree with me here, I am so very lucky to work at that park.
At first, everybody was saying "OH my gosh, you're so lucky, you're gunna get to work on EVEREST!" So that got my spirits up a just a little. (If I don't get MK at least I can work at a cool ride, right?) Wrong. There are actually four Asia Attractions :) Kali River Rapids, which you probably have heard of...and the Maharaja Jungle Trek and Caravan Stage (this is me) which you probably wandered into on accident, not even knowing you were in an amazing attraction! So I looked at my little paper the first day of training and saw that awful costume and I seriously think I just about cried...I was really really upset at first. But, all it took was some good friends, an amazing trainer and some time listening to my friends who work at the Magic Kingdom constantly gripe about the bus, travel, crowds, etc. for me to realize how much fun I was about to have!!
I work with really cool people from all around the country and the world! Jungle Trekkers also work Caravan Stage, which is where the bird show, Flights of Wonder is. Basically being an usher and greeting guests into the theatre, which is fun, too! At the Jungle Trek, it is what you make it. I get to talk about animals all day, which can actually be fun sometimes! My favorite part about working there though was Guest Interaction. I loved talking to guests - kids, adults, anybody! There is a lot of downtime with the guests at MJT so it can be nice to have enjoyable conversations with guests. If you do it right, you can really make them feel special :) Also, a lot of Jungle Trekkers get to work at Parade Access Control, which has been so far so good. You get a screaming guest or two, but after the first one, you really start to learn to brush things off. Plus, the parade is so cute and you get to (kinda) watch it!
Right now, however, I am undergoing a VERY UNIQUE experience on my program: Cross Training. DO NOT expect this to happen. It might, depending on where you work, but do not expect it to. When you come to work here, you are under a contract in your specific area, so moving to a new place kind of makes things go haywire. Luckily, I work "Asia Attractions" which is all four attractions! Today was my second day training at Kali River Rapids, and so far it's really fun! It's much more stressful, but that's kind of what I like to do! :) And I don't have to wear a long skirt or a shirt with buttons constantly falling off every day!
DisneyMeg :)
At first, everybody was saying "OH my gosh, you're so lucky, you're gunna get to work on EVEREST!" So that got my spirits up a just a little. (If I don't get MK at least I can work at a cool ride, right?) Wrong. There are actually four Asia Attractions :) Kali River Rapids, which you probably have heard of...and the Maharaja Jungle Trek and Caravan Stage (this is me) which you probably wandered into on accident, not even knowing you were in an amazing attraction! So I looked at my little paper the first day of training and saw that awful costume and I seriously think I just about cried...I was really really upset at first. But, all it took was some good friends, an amazing trainer and some time listening to my friends who work at the Magic Kingdom constantly gripe about the bus, travel, crowds, etc. for me to realize how much fun I was about to have!!
I work with really cool people from all around the country and the world! Jungle Trekkers also work Caravan Stage, which is where the bird show, Flights of Wonder is. Basically being an usher and greeting guests into the theatre, which is fun, too! At the Jungle Trek, it is what you make it. I get to talk about animals all day, which can actually be fun sometimes! My favorite part about working there though was Guest Interaction. I loved talking to guests - kids, adults, anybody! There is a lot of downtime with the guests at MJT so it can be nice to have enjoyable conversations with guests. If you do it right, you can really make them feel special :) Also, a lot of Jungle Trekkers get to work at Parade Access Control, which has been so far so good. You get a screaming guest or two, but after the first one, you really start to learn to brush things off. Plus, the parade is so cute and you get to (kinda) watch it!
Right now, however, I am undergoing a VERY UNIQUE experience on my program: Cross Training. DO NOT expect this to happen. It might, depending on where you work, but do not expect it to. When you come to work here, you are under a contract in your specific area, so moving to a new place kind of makes things go haywire. Luckily, I work "Asia Attractions" which is all four attractions! Today was my second day training at Kali River Rapids, and so far it's really fun! It's much more stressful, but that's kind of what I like to do! :) And I don't have to wear a long skirt or a shirt with buttons constantly falling off every day!
DisneyMeg :)
Saturday, February 12, 2011
APARTMENT ADVICE
Arriving was crazy! And so much fun... :) First of all, I would recommend knowing your roommates ahead of time and meeting up the night before or something because you never know how somebody is in person versus on the phone/texting. Plus, it makes the check-in day less awkward. But that's just my opinion. I don't know, maybe you want it to be a total surprise!
Okay, picking an apartment... We chose to live in Vista because my roommates and I are all social butterflies and wanted to meet lots of people, but each apartment has it's own perks. Not one apartment has more perks than the other. Each place has "welcoming parties" put on by Disney (welcoming party = free food, dancing, meeting new people, and character meet and greets! You can't go wrong!), education classes, a pool (Vista has 2 and is the only one with hot tubs...just sayin), a gym, a bus stop, etc. These are all furnished, as well! So don't worry about that.
Chatham, Patterson, and the Commons: Chatham, Patterson(which is mostly for people looking to live in a quieter space) and Commons (you will not live here unless you are international student) are right next to each other. These are NOT walking distance to Vista... you have to drive or take the bus to get to from one to the other, but there are constantly busses running back and forth, so don't worry so much about that. Chatham, Patterson and Commons are close to Publix (grocery store) and Premium Outlets (an outlet mall with big names only...Guess, Banana Republic, Coach...stuff like that). Oh, and if you live in Patterson you will have to walk to Chatham to get on the bus (not that far, but at 6am it might seem like it is...) If you want Chatham or Patterson get to Arrival EARLY.
Vista: Vista is walking distance to Walgreens, Chick Fil-A, Wendy's, and a gas station/convenience store. You can also walk to Crossroads (lots of restaurants to choose from and right across from one of the Disney gates), which is kind of sketchy because you have to walk along a highway but it took us about 20 mins to walk there which isn't bad considering the bus takes 45 minutes because of all the stops. Vista is also kind of on a main highway (535) which I don't mind. Chatham and Patterson are about a 10 minute drive away from the highway (but it does have nice trees and is in a nice neighborhood with lots of other apartments...it's a pretty drive).
My Living Situation: I love our room. It's on the third (top) floor, but to me, that means less chance of seeing a cockroach while I'm here. Also, on the top floor the ceilings are vaulted and the window in the living room is giant and beautiful! It really makes the space look much bigger. Although I'm pretty sure in Vista that all 2 bedroom apartments are on the top floor. That's 3 other roommates, which is a perfect number for us...
Roommates: If you are considering living with 5 other people think about the following things: sharing a common space (a refrigerator!? with six people?? no mini-fridges allowed either....good luck) and your free time. Most of your free time, at least at first if not the entire stay, will be spent with these people. The more people there are, the more you chance of somebody feeling left out, which means the more chance it will take you an hour to get where you are going because you had to take the bus because you can't cram 8 people in a 5 passenger car. (Speaking from experience here!)
Another speaking from experience thing...talk about cleaning the FIRST DAY you arrive. Stuff like "Okay, so we will take turns buying the dish detergent and we will all just do our own dishes, right?" or "I'll buy trash bags this time, but let's make sure we take turns." And then right it down. Seriously. You don't want to buy the trash bags every time. Also, if something really grosses you out, let your roommate know right away. Example: "Just so you know hair really grosses me out so can you make sure it's always cleaned up in our bathroom?" Done. If you are a youngin' who has never done their own dishes, LEARN. Because you will make people angry. And if you have lived on your own before, be prepared to live with a young person who hasn't yet...
Decorations: You are not allowed to hang up anything on the walls except for one cork board per wall. This includes tape, sticky tack, tacks, etc. Don't ask because I don't know why this rule is here because our wall has holes all over it! We haven't had our inspections yet so we're not too sure what flies and what doesn't...I'll let you know when I find out really how strict this is...
Inspections: Yes, your apartment will be inspected! Bet you didn't think that was going to happen. Like I said I haven't had one yet, but I will post once I do. They have a list by the busses of when yours will be, but I talked to someone on the bus the other day who said they had a random one, so I am not too sure about that either. I do know that if you don't meet Disney Standards, pictures of your nasty apartment will be posted online for the world to see...I don't understand why or what that's accomplishing but just keep it clean because you get cookies if it's really clean!
- DisneyMeg :)
Okay, picking an apartment... We chose to live in Vista because my roommates and I are all social butterflies and wanted to meet lots of people, but each apartment has it's own perks. Not one apartment has more perks than the other. Each place has "welcoming parties" put on by Disney (welcoming party = free food, dancing, meeting new people, and character meet and greets! You can't go wrong!), education classes, a pool (Vista has 2 and is the only one with hot tubs...just sayin), a gym, a bus stop, etc. These are all furnished, as well! So don't worry about that.
Chatham, Patterson, and the Commons: Chatham, Patterson(which is mostly for people looking to live in a quieter space) and Commons (you will not live here unless you are international student) are right next to each other. These are NOT walking distance to Vista... you have to drive or take the bus to get to from one to the other, but there are constantly busses running back and forth, so don't worry so much about that. Chatham, Patterson and Commons are close to Publix (grocery store) and Premium Outlets (an outlet mall with big names only...Guess, Banana Republic, Coach...stuff like that). Oh, and if you live in Patterson you will have to walk to Chatham to get on the bus (not that far, but at 6am it might seem like it is...) If you want Chatham or Patterson get to Arrival EARLY.
Vista: Vista is walking distance to Walgreens, Chick Fil-A, Wendy's, and a gas station/convenience store. You can also walk to Crossroads (lots of restaurants to choose from and right across from one of the Disney gates), which is kind of sketchy because you have to walk along a highway but it took us about 20 mins to walk there which isn't bad considering the bus takes 45 minutes because of all the stops. Vista is also kind of on a main highway (535) which I don't mind. Chatham and Patterson are about a 10 minute drive away from the highway (but it does have nice trees and is in a nice neighborhood with lots of other apartments...it's a pretty drive).
My Living Situation: I love our room. It's on the third (top) floor, but to me, that means less chance of seeing a cockroach while I'm here. Also, on the top floor the ceilings are vaulted and the window in the living room is giant and beautiful! It really makes the space look much bigger. Although I'm pretty sure in Vista that all 2 bedroom apartments are on the top floor. That's 3 other roommates, which is a perfect number for us...
Roommates: If you are considering living with 5 other people think about the following things: sharing a common space (a refrigerator!? with six people?? no mini-fridges allowed either....good luck) and your free time. Most of your free time, at least at first if not the entire stay, will be spent with these people. The more people there are, the more you chance of somebody feeling left out, which means the more chance it will take you an hour to get where you are going because you had to take the bus because you can't cram 8 people in a 5 passenger car. (Speaking from experience here!)
Another speaking from experience thing...talk about cleaning the FIRST DAY you arrive. Stuff like "Okay, so we will take turns buying the dish detergent and we will all just do our own dishes, right?" or "I'll buy trash bags this time, but let's make sure we take turns." And then right it down. Seriously. You don't want to buy the trash bags every time. Also, if something really grosses you out, let your roommate know right away. Example: "Just so you know hair really grosses me out so can you make sure it's always cleaned up in our bathroom?" Done. If you are a youngin' who has never done their own dishes, LEARN. Because you will make people angry. And if you have lived on your own before, be prepared to live with a young person who hasn't yet...
Decorations: You are not allowed to hang up anything on the walls except for one cork board per wall. This includes tape, sticky tack, tacks, etc. Don't ask because I don't know why this rule is here because our wall has holes all over it! We haven't had our inspections yet so we're not too sure what flies and what doesn't...I'll let you know when I find out really how strict this is...
Inspections: Yes, your apartment will be inspected! Bet you didn't think that was going to happen. Like I said I haven't had one yet, but I will post once I do. They have a list by the busses of when yours will be, but I talked to someone on the bus the other day who said they had a random one, so I am not too sure about that either. I do know that if you don't meet Disney Standards, pictures of your nasty apartment will be posted online for the world to see...I don't understand why or what that's accomplishing but just keep it clean because you get cookies if it's really clean!
- DisneyMeg :)
Friday, December 10, 2010
Web Interview and Phone Interview Tips and Info!
Okay, getting into the Disney College Program is pretty easy! Make sure when you take the WEB INTERVIEW that you shut off your tv, music, go somewhere quiet where you can concentrate only on the exam! :) The questions are on a timer, and some of them are kind of tricky! So be careful to answer all of the questions, don't let the timer run out!
My PHONE INTERVIEW was really fun! I talked to a really excited young woman about a lot of different things. The main thing she wanted to discuss was ALL of my previous work experience. Every job I had, she pretty much had to ask the same things about. She asked me what my responsibilities were, any specific memory where I took leadership/initiative in my workplace. She also asked me why I decided to do the Disney College Program, and I told her my Beauty and the Beast story :) She also asked me why I wanted to do entertainment, so I elaborated. (I was "Belle" in a high school production of Beauty and the Beast!) Another thing we talked about ALOT was different jobs I have willing to take. She asked me about my top 3, why I chose them and asked if I had any experience. My top three picks were: ENTERTAINMENT, ATTRACTIONS, and PHOTOPASS PHOTOGRAPHER. I just told her the truth... I told her I loved interacting with people and I had a lot of experience doing so (lifegaurding, teaching swim lessons, gymnastics lessons and working in a restaurant) and that I wanted to work in the Magic Kingdom. I also told her I had an interest in theatre, being a theatre minor, starting up my first show in college and doing show choir, dance concerts and a few musicals in high school. This is important because I just found out last night that where you get placed in Disneyworld is based off of your phone interview! That means if you want to work in the Animal Kingdom, you better talk about that in your interview! Speak up, because they want this to be a good experience for you. She also asked me if I was willing to do pretty much all of the other jobs besides my top three picks - I told her yes because I wanted to work at Disneyworld more than anything and that I would just be ecstatic if I got one of my top jobs with lots of guest interaction in the Magic Kingdom. Know what you want and make it absolutely clear! But be sweet and super energetic and friendly! :) Gooood Luck!
- DisneyMeg :)
My PHONE INTERVIEW was really fun! I talked to a really excited young woman about a lot of different things. The main thing she wanted to discuss was ALL of my previous work experience. Every job I had, she pretty much had to ask the same things about. She asked me what my responsibilities were, any specific memory where I took leadership/initiative in my workplace. She also asked me why I decided to do the Disney College Program, and I told her my Beauty and the Beast story :) She also asked me why I wanted to do entertainment, so I elaborated. (I was "Belle" in a high school production of Beauty and the Beast!) Another thing we talked about ALOT was different jobs I have willing to take. She asked me about my top 3, why I chose them and asked if I had any experience. My top three picks were: ENTERTAINMENT, ATTRACTIONS, and PHOTOPASS PHOTOGRAPHER. I just told her the truth... I told her I loved interacting with people and I had a lot of experience doing so (lifegaurding, teaching swim lessons, gymnastics lessons and working in a restaurant) and that I wanted to work in the Magic Kingdom. I also told her I had an interest in theatre, being a theatre minor, starting up my first show in college and doing show choir, dance concerts and a few musicals in high school. This is important because I just found out last night that where you get placed in Disneyworld is based off of your phone interview! That means if you want to work in the Animal Kingdom, you better talk about that in your interview! Speak up, because they want this to be a good experience for you. She also asked me if I was willing to do pretty much all of the other jobs besides my top three picks - I told her yes because I wanted to work at Disneyworld more than anything and that I would just be ecstatic if I got one of my top jobs with lots of guest interaction in the Magic Kingdom. Know what you want and make it absolutely clear! But be sweet and super energetic and friendly! :) Gooood Luck!
- DisneyMeg :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)