Monday, November 29, 2010

Campus Representative!

My program is quickly coming to an end and I have very mixed feelings. On one hand I'm happy to go home to my family and friends (although I could do without Michigan). On the other hand I'll be sad to have to leave Disneyland, California, and all of the amazing friends I've made since I got here.

One thing that will make the departure a little easier is the fact that I was accepted as a Campus Representative! That means I will be able to keep my status with the company (including the perks) as well as be able to inject a little Disney into my boring life back in Michigan. I'm excited to share my experiences with other students, especially since I know there's a serious lack of DisneyLAND College Programers in Michigan.


Other than the awesome Campus Rep news, I also got to do a few cool things since my last post. First of all I got to tour the Disneyland Dream Suite. It was mainly used in the Year of a Million Dreams as a giveaway and it was pretty awesome. It started out as a second apartment for Walt (as I said, the first one is pretty small), but was never finished before he passed away. Eventually after housing a few other things, it was turned into a suite for a few lucky families to stay in during the Year of a Million Dreams. It had some very cool rooms that are too hard to do justice to via text. There's some pictures and videos of it on the internet, so I strongly suggest you look them up if you're interested (sadly I forgot my camera, but please enjoy the random photo Rachel took of a mirror/television).


Also (something not Disney related) I got to go to Small Gift LA! Small Gift LA was a sort of Sanrio festival celebrating their 50th anniversary. It included things like mini-golf, carnival games, and a store filled with exclusive merchandise. The one awesome thing about living so close to LA is that everything seems to happen there. I would never have opportunities like this in Michigan!

I'm doing a tour of Walt Disney Studios on Wednesday (only Disney Cast Members are allowed to do tours there), so I'll be sure to update after that (and I'll try not to forget my camera). That's all for now.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

A Very General Update

It's been way too long since my last post to try and go through the daily events that have happened to me, so instead I'll just hit the major ones.

I've gotten to do a few fun events since the last time I posted, including riding Space Mountain with the lights on, a backstage tour of Tower of Terror, and a tour of Walt's apartment.
Space Mountain isn't nearly as fun with the lights on, but I suppose it was pretty cool to see what the track looked like.
The Tower of Terror tour was pretty interesting, but really short. I get the feeling it wasn't planned very well, since our tour guides didn't really know what to talk about. I did get to walk on both of the floors that the elevator stops at though, which was pretty cool (they even played the scene out with us standing there). I also got to ride it with the lights on and realized it's much scarier that way, since you have no clue when you're going to drop.
Last but not least, Walt's apartment was another fairly cool tour. Although, I expected it to be bigger than it actually was.

As for my job, I currently have 3 locations I'm trained in within the Vacation Planning role.
The main location is the Ticket Booths, which are any of the eight booths located at the entrance to the parks. This is definitely my least favorite location as the booths are really cramped and not fun to sit in all day.
The other location I'm normally in a few times a week is Toy Story parking lot. This is definitely my favorite location, since the tickets we sell here are much simpler. We roll out carts in the morning with computers on them and try and save people from waiting in the ticket booth lines (which can get long) by selling them there tickets in the parking lot. The only difference is we only take debit/credit and don't sell any annual passes, which makes my job MUCH easier. There's also more guest interaction in this location since we also get sent out to "ambassador" by informing guests that they can purchase their tickets before they arrive at the parks.
The most recent location I've been trained in is the AP centers. There's one located in both of the parks, and essentially we take pictures for annual passes. Other than that, it's pretty much the same as the booths (although we only handle annual pass related concerns) except it's inside the parks and isn't nearly as cramped.

I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting to update on, but that's for another day since I have to get going!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

A Lot To Cover!

Forgive me for not updating my blog in a while. Obviously I've been much more busy since I started working and today has been one of the few days that I haven't had anything to do. I'm going to be covering the last few weeks here, so I may gloss over a few things since they aren't really fresh in my mind.

8/21/10

This was my first day of training, called "Traditions". Essentially it was an 8-hour presentation designed to get you excited about working for Disney. They talked about the past, present, and future of the company. A lot of people complained about it being boring, but I don't think those people are truly "Disney people". I enjoyed it very much and so did everyone I came with. It didn't really discuss any job specifics, since everyone in the auditorium had different roles. It was more designed to show that every role is equally important and everyone has the opportunity to create magic for the guests. This was also they day that I received my cast member ID, which meant free admission into the parks!

8/22/10

On my second day of training, everyone was split up into smaller groups related to their roles. I had Park Operations, which included Vacation Planners, Attractions, Custodial and a few other areas related to the operation of both parks. This day was a little less exciting that Traditions, since it got into the more boring yet necessary aspects of our jobs such as safety. Luckily, we also got to go on a tour of Disneyland towards the end of the day. Park Operations was the only group that got to ride an attraction (Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blaster) since we had the Attraction cast members in our group. It was a pretty interesting tour and I definitely learned a few things I didn't know before.


Sadly I have to leave for work now, but I promise I'll fill in the rest of the days soon. I've started posting all of my pictures from the program in a single album (able to be seen by anyone) so that they're easier to find. You can check it out here.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Check-In and Orientation

Today appears to be my only day off for a while, so I figured I'd give a quick update as to what I've been doing since I arrived in Anaheim.

Wednesday was check-in. I got there around 7:15am for my 8am check-in and there was already a decently long line. After checking-in at the front of the apartments, we moved up to a patio section on the second story to complete the move-in process. There we figured out how we were going to pay for the program (I paid in advance so I didn't have to worry about this). Then we filled out forms confirming we were eligible to work and got our parking passes as well as free bus passes. After that we were free to move into our apartments. The entire time I was going through the check-in process I had people telling me how great my room was. Apparently it's one of the biggest apartments in the complex and after visiting other people's apartments I definitely believe them. Overall it's a really nice place, even if the area surrounding it isn't all that nice. I also got the second closest parking structure, which isn't all that far compared to the third. Later on I met my roommates who are all great (one already lived here and was sleeping when I arrived) and attended a housing meeting (they discussed a few things about the apartments and the program in general). The only thing I did after that was go grocery shopping and take my dad back to his hotel.

Thursday was Orientation. It was a 3-hour presentation about what to expect from the program. We also got to sign up for our classes, as well as choose our preferred days off (we get two a week). After Orientation there was an info fair. Most of it was spent waiting in line (I didn't even get to all the stations), but I did receive some free stuff so I guess in the end it was worth it. After that I was able to meet up with some people I knew from facebook and pretty much spent the entire night hanging out.

Today is the Welcome Party in front of the building and tomorrow I have my first paid day of training called Traditions (I'll write more about that tomorrow). Overall the program is going great and I'm definitely looking forward to starting my job as a Vacation Planner (aka Ticket Seller)!

Here's some links to pictures I took of various things:




Monday, July 5, 2010

Roommate Notification

With my arrival date fast approaching, I figured I'd give you guys an update on what's been happening the past few weeks.

First of all, I finished my spring classes. That means that I won't be going back to school until January 2011. It's weird to think about.

I've also gotten multiple e-mails from Disney pertaining to the college program. Most of these are about what I need to do before I arrive in California. So far I've gotten e-mails about the "The Disney Look", parking (we have to park in lots separate from our apartments), housing payments, and renter's insurance. I also received an e-mail a few days ago with the name of one of my roommates. Surprisingly enough, he is actually part of the "Disneyland College Program Fall 2010" facebook group and we had talked a few days before. We haven't really talked much since, but it seems like we shouldn't have too much trouble getting along.

Only 44 days left until I move to California!



Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Formspring

Here's a quick formspring update. I haven't gotten many questions, but I figured I need to post something during this long stretch of time before my arrival date.

Your left... no right side GOD ANDREW I LOVE YOU,....ONLY IN DISNEY LAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDD

Thanks ;-)


when is the next vlog

I probably won't be posting another vlog until closer to my arrival date (August 18th). There won't be much to talk about before then, so I'll do one right before I leave and hopefully I'll have time to post more regularly while I'm in Disneyland.



This blog will likely be pretty lifeless for the next few months. I'm done with the winter semester (I've moved on to spring classes) and haven't heard anything from Disney since being accepted. If I get any kind of news worth sharing I'll definitely post it, but don't expect much until at least August.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Credit Update

I recently got in contact with my financial aid office about my scholarship, since I was really worried about having to balance online classes with work in Disneyland. Luckily I found out that I'd be able to keep my scholarship in the fall without taking 12 credits. Rather than taking 12 at one time, I'll be taking 7 in the spring (may-june) and 6 in the fall. They'll split my scholarship up so that I receive half in the spring and half in the fall, so I'll still get the full amount.

This means that I can focus purely on working and taking a few classes offered by Disney while I'm in California. This is definitely a relief since I feel like I will have much more time to have fun and not be stressed out all the time. I will also be taking a semester off from my Japanese studies while I'm down there, so hopefully the smaller load will give me more time to review so that I don't forget everything by the time I start full-time again in the Winter.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Credit

Since I haven't posted in a while, I figured I'd update you guys on a meeting I had with my advisor recently about what kind of credit I can get on the program.

First of all, I'm only getting three credits for the working part of the program. The reason why it's not more is because I'm doing the program as a co-op (required of my major) which is only 3 credit hours. It requires 600 hours of work experience, so unless I work more than 1200 hours I won't be getting anymore than 3.

Luckily I can get some credit for the classes they offer, but it may not be exactly what you think. My program doesn't really differentiate between the different classes offered, so collegiate courses are worth no more than the lecture series. My advisor said I could receive 3 credits of Independent Study if I take 2 classes while I'm down there. She said it doesn't matter which ones I take, as long I bring back my "Ducktorate" to show her (to prove I actually attended and passed). I'll probably be taking the easiest classes I can, mainly because...

I'll be taking two online classes while I'm down there. I haven't mentioned this yet, but I have a small scholarship at my school and I have to remain a full-time student to maintain it. That means I need to take at least 12 credit hours every semester. I get six from the program itself, so that leaves at least 6 to fill up with online credits. The two classes I plan on taking are a writing class required for my major and a science class which gets rid of the final gen ed required for me to graduate. These definitely wouldn't be my first choices for online classes, but because I'm almost finished with all of my general requirements and my major refuses to offer much in terms of online credits I don't really have much of a choice. I'm hoping these classes won't take up too much of my time, so that I can have the opportunity to at least have a little fun.

I'm kind of bummed that I couldn't just get 12 credits for doing the program, but I also feel lucky since I know some people have schools that don't recognize the program at all (leaving them with no choice but to take 12 credits worth of online classes). I've heard that 2 online classes is manageable on the program, so I'm trying not to let that get me down too much. The only thing I'm worried about is that these classes may be too hard, since I don't really have any "fluff" classes left to take. Nonetheless, I'm still super excited about the program which is approaching very slowly (although with summer coming up, hopefully it will get here faster).

What do you guys think, is two online classes (along with work and two disney classes) too much? Has anyone done the program and taken online classes at the same time? If so, was it hard? I'd love to hear your guy's opinions on the matter.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Purple Folder Vlog and Formspring



LMAO you are such a dork .. but that is why i love you

I know who this is, but um... thanks?


Congrats on the Disneyland program! That is many a person's dream job.

Thank you! I am completely aware of how lucky I am to be accepted into the program. It's been my dream to work at Disney since I was a child and I don't plan on taking it for granted!


EDIT: I had to edit and re-upload my video after someone pointed out that my address was showing. Hence the awkward close-ups of my face.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Accepted Vlog and Formspring



Check out my vlog here.

I figured I'd also post the questions I've been asked on my formspring. They're from before I was accepted so they're kind of outdated, but the answers still apply:

How are you feeling about your interview? Positive I hope. by AlyssaJeanesse

I'm pretty positive that my interview went well, but I felt the same way about my WDW interview before I got rejected. I do think I was able to improve on a few things for my DLR interview since I had an idea of what to expect, but the DLRCP is also much more competitive than the WDWCP. I signed up for a bunch of roles, so hopefully that helps. Right now I'm hoping for the best and trying not to let the wait kill me.

What role where you offered/hope for? Do you have a fave attraction?

My #1 role (that I told them in my interview) is Front Desk. However, I think I would actually be more excited for attractions. Front Desk applies to my major more (Hotel & Restaurant Management) which is why I chose it, but I'd love to be in the parks where all the magic is (not that Disney hotels aren't also magical). I'm still in the hope phase right now, so hopefully I hear back soon.

My favorite attraction at DLR is Matterhorn Bobsleds. It's kind of hard to explain, but it has to do with riding it as a child. I went to Disneyland multiple times when I was young, but didn't get to go back again until I was about 14 (I went to WDW much more often). I always had this weird picture in my head of a ride that looked like Space Mountain, but splashed into water at the end. When I finally got back to Disneyland, I realized I was thinking of Matterhorn Bobsleds. I thought it was funny that I had remembered it from so many years ago and it pretty much immediately became my favorite ride after that.




Obviously I was eventually accepted and offered the role of Ticket Seller. I figured I'd post these to remind people that I have a formspring and everyone is free to ask me questions. There's a box on the side of my blog where you can submit your questions, or you can go directly to my profile.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Accepted!

After being rejected from the Disney World College Program, today I was accepted into the Disneyland College Program! I'm still not sure why I was accepted into the program that accepts hundreds against the thousands that Disney World accepts, but at this point I don't really care. I'm going to Disneyland!

I was accepted as a Ticket Seller (from what I understand it's similar to Disney World's "Vacation Planner"). My arrival date is August 18th and my end date is January 2nd. I will also be staying in the housing (again another surprise, since they accept even less people into housing).

I'm so excited, it's not even funny! Even though I've been to Disneyland multiple times, I'm still not as familiar with it as I am with Disney World. That alone should make it fun to discover new things I didn't get to do on previous visits.

I'll be sure to post more information as my arrival date gets closer, and perhaps I'll post a picture with my purple folder once I receive it ;-)

Monday, March 1, 2010

Disneyland Interview

I just had my Disneyland interview today at 8:45pm. I think it went well, but I thought the same thing about WDW and we all know how that ended. Everything is pretty fresh in my mind, so here's a list of questions they asked:

1. Tell me about your previous work experience.

I didn't get many other previous experience based questions after this, mainly because I talked for so long. It was such a vague question that I figured I may as well get as much out as possible about my previous job.

2. Why do you want to do the Disney College Program?

I simply told them that I've been a huge Disney fan since I was very little and that I wanted to start a career with Disney after I graduate. Obviously I made it sound a little better in my interview.

3. What are your top roles?

At first I listed Front Desk, Attractions, and Stores/Retail. When she asked for more, I ended up listing every role I checked off in order from most to least wanted (I had prepared a list just in case).

4. Tell me about an experience where you had multiple things to do and didn't know how you would possibly get them all done.

I simply talked about multi-tasking and prioritizing in both the work place and at school. I didn't give a specific incident, but I think I gave the kind of answer they were looking for.

5. Have you ever handled an emergency situation before?

I told her about a handicapped child who fell down the stairs at my previous job. I called an ambulance and provided the caretaker with whatever she needed to help. I emphasized that I remained calm during the entire situation and required an incident report to be filled out at the end.

6. Are you comfortable speaking in front of large groups of people?

I feel like I should of mentioned that I spoke in front of groups of people many times at my previous job, but sadly I forgot. Instead I talked about how I've taken multiple public speaking classes and generally enjoy talking in front of people. I also mentioned that I would be very happy memorizing a large spiel for a ride, since I think it would make it more fun. I'm not sure if this was the kind of answer they were looking for, but I don't think my answer was horrible either.

7. What do you think the role of Front Desk entails?

I talked about them being one of the first people that people come in contact with when they enter the resort, so it's important to make a good impression. I also talked about multi-tasking and having a lot of knowledge about the resort.

8. Tell me about a time when you provided a magical moment for a customer.

I honestly was not expecting this at all, but I feel like I did a decent job answering it. I talked about hosting birthday parties at my previous job. We would take the birthday boy/girl behind the counter to pick out a present. As if getting to go behind the counter (it's cooler when your a kid) wasn't awesome enough, you also got a trophy (or a t-shirt which no one ever picked). I said it was always a good feeling to see how happy the kids were when we did this.

9. Working in parking you'll be one of the first people guests come in contact with, how would you make each guest feel special?

I wasn't really sure how to answer this. I said I would greet each guest with a smile and show just how high Disney standards are for customer service. I would make sure to answer any questions the person may have and bid farewell with "Have a magical day".

10. What's your favorite kind of weather?

This was definitely the weirdest question I had. She said something about California weather being different and whether I could handle it or not. I said I like warm weather the best, but I live in Michigan so I'm used to super cold and snow.

11. Do you think you would be able to handle the housing element of the program?

I simply said that even though I've never lived on campus, it's something I always wanted to do. I talked about being outgoing and enjoying meeting new people and making new friends. I also slipped in something about taking Japanese and hoping to travel to Japan in the near future.


So for the most part, I'm happy with my interview. The only odd part was at the end when I was going to thank her and talk about how much the opportunity meant to me. I said "thank you so much for interviewing me", then she interrupted me saying "you're welcome, bye". I said "bye" back and she hung up. It was weird getting cut off like that, but my sister says that's a good thing since it means she got all the information she needed.

Anyways, just wanted to mention Honey and Alyssa who commented on my last post. Your comments definitely helped me remain positive for my interview, thanks!

NOTE: You may notice some changes to this post, as I remember to edit in things I originally forgot.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Rejected =(

So today I decided to call to check on the status of my application (despite the fact that I had already called on Thursday). After waiting for about 15 minutes, I found out that I had been rejected. Apparently they sent out a letter, but I have yet to receive it. When I asked her why I was rejected, she said my interview wasn't good enough. As if getting rejected wasn't bad enough already, I thought my interview went great and the realization that it was what caused my rejection totally caught me off guard. I did however try and remain as polite as possible since I knew it was likely that I would be applying again (I don't want to leave a bad impression). I wasn't really able to get much more specific answers out of her besides give better answers next time. So I'm pretty depressed now that the rejection has had time to sink in (at first it was just shock).

Luckily during that moment of shock I was able to apply for the Disneyland program and schedule an interview for Monday at 8:45pm. My sister is going to help me practice on Saturday, so hopefully I'll be ready by Monday to fix any mistakes I made in the first one. I am trying to remain positive so that I can nail the interview and get accepted (I realize that the Disneyland program is much more selective).

This blog shall henceforth be known as "Andrew in Disneyland".

Saturday, February 6, 2010

First Post!

Well this my first post in what will hopefully be a blog about my experiences in the Disney College Program (more info about the program here). It would be rather depressing if I don't get accepted after starting this...

Anyways, I hope to do the Disney College Program in Fall 2010. For those of you who don't know, I'm double majoring in Hotel & Restaurant Management as well as Japanese Language & Culture. I really hope I get a chance to practice my Japanese while I'm down there (even if it's with a fellow cast member) so I don't forget it all before I get back (I plan on taking my Japanese book to review as well).

I actually hope to work for Disney after I graduate, so I think this program would be a great jump-start to a future career with the company!

The roles I signed up for are as follows (you can find descriptions of the roles here):
-Attractions
-*Concierge*
-Character Attendant
-Custodial
-Full Service Food and Beverage
-*Hospitality*
-*Housekeeping*
-Main Entrance Operations
-Merchandise
-PhotoPass Photographer
-Quick-Service Food and Beverage
-Transportation
-Vacation Planner

As you can see, I pretty much signed up for all of them (skipping any that involved heavy lifting or swimming skills). The ones I put stars next to are my top three choices, mainly because they pertain to my major the most. While I'm hoping I get one of my top three, I'd honestly be happy with any of the roles I selected because I'd be working in Disney World!

Apparently Disney started sending out acceptance e-mails on Feb. 5th. I have yet to get one, but I'm not too worried just yet. I interviewed on Jan. 26th and the person who interviewed me said it could take 3-4 weeks before a decision is made (the thank you e-mail I received said 4-6 weeks). Even though I'm not worried, I'm still very anxious about finding out whether I've been accepted or not. I hope I get my acceptance (not denial) e-mail in the next batch that they send out, because I don't think I can wait 3 weeks (let alone 6)!