First Day!!

So I'm sitting here, waiting on the curb for the bus to come but it's late...I'm tired but I survived my first day!! So we started off and broke into groups with our trainer. Today I just worked with 1 other girl and we got trained in the "Market and Specialties" counters which included the bakery and the grab and go section. It was really cool because we got to sample a lot of the food such as the gelato, smoothies and some of the desserts. I had a really nice trainer named Jay who was actually a CP Student as well but has been there since August. I think my favorite part was the Gelato Bar because we have a lot of different flavors and getting to try them all was fun. Normally, if you eat on the job you get termed so everyone that was working was really jealous. We had to do some basic paper work and learn some more about safety but most of the time we would learned how to do something, and then got to do it ourselves. Today was a "training" day but tomorrow I'm on my own for where I got trained today! I think I'll be ready and it's called my support day so if I need help I can ask.

It was really neat to see back stage and see how they make everything. I don't personally make the food but I do get to decorate things like the cupcakes, I add 2 Oreos for the Mickey ears and a face on the front of the icing. Every food item has such specific things that need to be done in order for it to get put out on the shelves. I felt so important at times because when you're on stage, I was in full uniform so guests came up and asked me tons of questions and it felt good to know the answers.

Back stage was pretty big! I only learned a tiny bit compared to what I have to learn but I feel like I just finished studying for finals. Information overload! Haha there's cool things like free cast member soda machine and coffee, Einsteins bagels which is only available for cast members, cafeteria and of course the different freezers and storage rooms. I was really surprise to see how Disney really doesn't waste anything. The extra pastries get donated to the homeless shelter and the food waste all gets compacted to be used for soil in the parks, especially animal kingdom.

Anyways, I'm sure I'll think of more tomorrow but for now, it's almost 2 and I'm tired. Goodnight!

Art of Animations

Good afternoon! This morning I woke up and it was a beautiful day outside, so I made some coffee, put on my bathing suit and went to the pool! I laid out for a little bit and then came back to do some laundry. I don't work today until 4:30 but I work until 1:00 in the morning!! Lets hope I can stay up...anyways I wanted to share some fun facts about my resort that I learned. 

Landscape Cafe: This is where I am working. All around the cafeteria, there is artwork of different sceneries. Depending where you sit, depends what movie the painting is from. Disney explained that in all their movies they draw the landscape first and then add the characters at the end. So the artwork from the movies is actually displayed in our cafeteria! It's really neat. I'll try and take some pictures so you can get a better understanding of what I am talking about.

Hotel Rooms: The hotel has 4 basic themes, The Little Mermaid, Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars. Every room is themed based on the section you are in. Here's an example of "Radiator Springs" from the movie cars. If you look on the right and left those are the rooms. I actually got to go in one and the theming was incredible. 

Finding Nemo Big Blue Pool: Minus the water parks, this is the largest pool on site at Disney World. Here's a picture of 'Mr Ray" and the pool itself. There are 3 pools on this property and yesterday I found out that when you swim underwater you can actually hear music from the movie and the characters talking to you! I can't wait to try it!

 

 Here's a picture of the buildings in Finding Nemo and if you look on the far right you can see Crush!

Little Mermaid below!

Lion King!

I'm about to go to my first official day of work training!

Earning My Ears!

Yesterday I got this ribbon to attach to my name tag "Earning My Ears". Basically, it's to let guest know that I am in training and once I have passed all my tests and completed the full training I can take it off. Today I got out 2 hours early woo hoo! We went to a computer lab and did more online, virtual learning and I got done pretty fast. Now I have the whole day off and so does Lyssa so I'm excited bc it's our first day off together!

Memories, Movies and Magic!

Today was my first day of training!! All the CP (College Program) Cast members from both Pop Century and Art of Animation Resort got trained together. There were only about 40 of us all ranging from merchandise, front desk, concierge, house keeping and of course, my role food and beverage. The morning was basic training, where we talked about the history, locations, story behind it, etc. It was really neat because we learned all about it and then got to go tour the resort front and backstage. I am really happy with my work location because i'll be inside and won't be in the craziness of the parks! Before lunch we got sent to costuming to pick up our outfits.....just wait for it...the moment everyone's been waiting for...

MY COSTUME! Look at the shoes....Hahahaha

Here's a certificate of completion that I got for the course today! We did safety and learned more important stuff...and I also made friends! I'm really excited and today was a great day. 8 hours down and only 42 more this week :) Anyways, here it is!

Started my pin collection!

I'm sure many of you have heard of "pin trading" at any Disney theme park. I always thought it was super nerdy until I became an employee here...hahaha now I am TOTALLY that girl. Anyways, I started my collection today and bought 2! The "Safe Begins with Me" is a cast member only pin that we got at Traditions and I bought the other 2 in the World of Disney Downtown! If you ever see ones around that are unique or special please let me know! Thank you :)

3 parks 2 days!

Wow it's been a busy 2 days! Yesterday I went to Hollywood Studios for the first time! It was really neat but a lot different than the other parks. We started off by going on Rockin Rollar Coaster, my FAVORITE ride in that park. It was so fast and reminded me a lot of Screamin' in Anaheim but had more loops and corkscrews. So much fun! We then went on Tower of Terror which was cool because it's a bit different than the one we have in DCA (Disney California Adventures). This park had a lot of scenes and TONS of shows you could go to. We went for about a half a day and that was all. I liked it but I don't think it's one I will go to a lot.

Lexie, myself and Allie outside Rockin Roller Coaster

Roommates 

Today was very adventurous because my roommate, Haley and I went to 2 parks! We woke up early and got to Animal Kingdom right when it opened. We were both so excited because we hadn't been to this park yet! It was AMAZING, I think as of now it's my favorite park. We went on the safari ride to start where we saw hippos, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, monkeys, elephants, flamingos and many more unique animals. They set it up like you're on a safari ride in Africa for 2 weeks! It was really need because you were in these big open trucks where the driver actually drove, you weren't on a track and you went through "the African forrest and land" to see the animals, which were all up close and personal!  I absolutely loved it. Next we decided to go on the big roller coaster there, Expedition Everest. I was not expecting it to be as intense as it was, so it was really neat and super fun. After that, we ventured over to Dino Land where we rode 2 rides there and then caught the Lion King show. I'm not joking when I say this was the best show done by Disney that I have ever seen. I could watch it over and over and I would say its a must do for anyone that comes. It started getting a little crowded so we decided to go to Epcot.

GIRAFFE!!

 If you look closely that's a girl in the tree costume, she was beautiful!

I had lunch in Japan today which was really good! I was going to order sushi but sadly they didn't have soy paper so I didn't. Haha my roommate Lyssa was friends with Dale today, so we went and met Chip and Dale together. We also decided to go on Test Track which just recently got re done. It was sooo fast and so much fun! You sit in a car and it takes you through a room where a bunch of tests are performed. You then get to race around an open track in an open car and at one point you go 64.9 miles an hour! I sat next to a little 4 year old and his face was priceless! 

Meet our favorite furry friends, Chip n Dale!

Taking advantage of the single rider line with my roomie because the lines are shorter!

Overall, I had a great passed 2 days and just got my schedule. I am working 50 hours this week alone and only have 1 day off in these next 2 weeks. It's going to be so crazy and hectic I'm a little nervous. But the time off will be nice and i'll let you know how work is going when I can. Wish me luck!!

Training Day #1

Today I started training! It was a very early morning, because I had to catch the bus at 6:30, training did not start until 8:00 but the buses aren't always on time and I did not want to be late on my first day! The class was all food and beverage people and we learned about the safety with working in this role. We then had to take some online courses ourselves that taught us all about certain situations and trained us on how to handle them. It was about a 4 hour morning. Next, we got sent to costuming in Magic Kingdom to pick up our shoes. No joke, probably the ugliest shoes in the world. They have to be non slip, Disney approved and I got them for free which is nice, but....I won't be the most fashionable one on the block. Who am I kidding though? I work for Disney...I should expect this. Haha I came home, made myself some lunch (hear that mom?) and then took it easy for a little bit. Lyssa was getting off work around dinner time and had been working in Epcot for the day so around 5:00 I headed over there. That park is so neat! We ended up having lunch in CHINA! The World Showcase is truly incredible and I highly highly recommend it to everyone, I think it's my favorite thing here so far! It was really neat because I took the "cast member only" bus there, I got to enter the park from backstage, meaning I didn't have to go through the main entrance. I walked right threw a special door and I was literally standing 1 minute away from the middle of the park. It's experiences like this that make me realize how special it is to be apart of this program. We walked around a bit, got some ice-cream and then came home because we both had some homework! It's so fun being able to go to the parks and not going on any of the rides, they're fun but it's not the constant pressure or feeling of having to get everything done. It's very relaxing! I hope everyone had a good day and here's some pictures!

China!!

Mexico!!

Sunset on the lake at Epcot!

OMG!

Just found out Justin Bieber was in Epcot today!! He posted almost an identical picture that I had taken in the Finding Nemo ride! I love him....I think I would get termed if I saw him in real life. Hahaha just kidding but really. Look how similar our pictures are?

TRADITIONS!!!!

Today was my first day of training which was called Traditions! It is required for all cast members, so it wasn't my specified training for my work location. We met at Disney University and got divided into groups. The first hour and a half taught us all about the history, timeline, common goal and main strategies of the company. It was really neat but at times kind of boring. We watched videos and were taught many things which to me, seemed like common sense, but I could tell why it was so important to learn. After that, we went and got a backstage tour of Magic Kingdom and underground Disney!! They took us to what is called the "utilidoors" which was a cast member only zone. We entered through the back of Cinderella's Castle and walked underground all the way to the front of the park. It was different to see the behind the scenes work but I expected it to be a little nicer. Haha of course it was organized and stuff but it was a little smelly (due to trash shoots) and looked like a basement! My favorite part of that was, we were walking through right before a show so we saw Snow White backstage getting ready to go on! We came out on Main Street which was pretty neat and made me feel important coming out of the door. Haha we were all wearing headsets and our leader was talking to us and explaining everything as we were walking. We passed the show going on at the castle and I thought it was so neat!  Something funny I noticed underground was the cafeteria was called the "mouseterria". 

After that we returned to the class room and learned some more things like the "4 keys" to the company; safety, courtesy, show and efficiency. Mickey came in towards the end and played some trivia with us as well! To end the day we watched some more videos and the last one made me tear up a little bit (so cheesy). It showed clips of Walt Disney talking and saying exactly what his dream was and what he wanted and it was really neat to have realized it all came true. It then went into saying how big of a difference I am going to make to make his dream come true as being apart of this company. "Welcome Home"was a line repeated many times in the video. 

MY NAME TAG!!!!

Business Professional Clothes!

My new college :) 

I have always been excited to be working for Disney but I don't think it was until today, that I realized what an amazing opportunity this is going to be for me. I am so thankful to have gotten this chance and it truly is going to be an unforgettable experience. Finally, we got our name tags and I am officially a cast member of the Walt Disney World Company! I now have access to all the parks, discounts, etc. Here are some pictures from my day! 

Mickeys Retreat!

Today was my last full day off until I start my training! I woke up this morning and decided to go check out the outlet malls. They are dangerously close and it's only a 10 min walk from my place! I had so much fun and there were some great stores including Lulu Lemon, Steve Madden and Michael Kors! I was in heaven. Haha so I was shopping for business professional clothes because for all my classes and training thats what I need to wear. I was successful and then I met up with one of my good friends named Kevin. We decided to check out Mickey's Retreat!! It was beautiful. There's a huge lake and we wanted to kayak and paddle boat but on the "off season" it's only open on the weekends. So instead we played tether-ball and then some more friends came and we played beach volleyball! It was so much fun and afterwords I got offered to play on a cast member team for a little league they have on Tuesday nights. Depending on my work schedule, if  I can do it I totally want to! So after that we went by the pool for a little bit and then took the bus to Wal Mart. Lyssa has had really long days of training and had asked us (Kevin and I) to make her dinner. So we went and got stuff for tacos and had them ready for her when she got home. To end the day we headed to Downtown Disney and went to the Ghiradelli  Chocolate store and got sundaes and milkshakes. We then went to the BIGGEST Disney store made around the world and it was gigantic. One of my other roommates is actually going to be working there and of course it was really fun to look around at all the stuff. I am loving my time here and am really excited to go to Traditions tomorrow! Kevin, Lyssa and I have become great friends and it's always so much fun hanging out with them. Here's some pictures from my day!

The process!

Hello! Okay so on Sunday, we decided to meet Lyssa and her mom at Magic Kingdom! It was so much fun, we took a boat from the parking lot to the actual park and then we're there for the opening ceremony! The characters came out and sang and danced and then someone cut the rope and everyone ran into the park! We went straight to Fantasy Land because it just opened and we knew it was going to be the most crowded! I had envisioned this park to be just like Disneyland, (which it does have its similarities) but it's a bit different and is so much larger! We fast passed 'Ariels Grotto" then went on Space Mountain as our first ride! It was funny because it was single rider seats where at Disneyland they're double. The ride itself was a bit different but it was still so much fun! We went on some new rides but also did the classics like Pirates, Small World and Haunted Mansion. The pirates here is A LOT shorter of a ride. Around 3:00 we watched the parade down Main Street which was so neat. We left the park around 5:00 because it got crowded and we were exhausted. For dinner we went to one of the resorts and had a nice dinner with our moms and then we went back to our hotel. 

 We had rumored to be the biggest check in date in the program so check-in was normally supposed to start at 9, but people lined up at 12am to wait because the apartments are first come first serve. Everyone was guaranteed an apartment but if you wanted a certain complex and already had a group of girls you needed to get there early. Thankfully, I had a roommate that got there at 1am so we were 6th in line. I arrived around 3:15 and they started taking people around 7:00. The process took a really long time and I was done around noon, but we found out where we were working and we got the apartment we wanted!! I got picked to work at the newest resort, ART OF ANIMATIONS!! I was so excited I almost cried. My mom and I decided to go there for lunch and check it out after we had moved some stuff in. Thankfully, while we were still checking in, Lyssa and I's moms came and started moving stuff into our apartment. It is a lot bigger than I expected, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, walk-in closets, a kitchen, dining room and living room! A bit different than my dorm room :) Haha but the resort is BEAUTIFUL. If you get a chance you should check out the website.  That night I had to say bye to my mom which was so sad but now I'm on my own again! I am really happy and am really enjoying my roommates they're all really nice girls! 

We had a housing meeting today but other than that I don't have "Traditions" until Thursday and then I start training on Friday. It's really nice to have a few days off because I feel like I have been so busy and I'm still pretty tired. We had lunch today at Downtown Disney which was super cool! Later, I think we're going to check out "Mickey's Retreat" which is a cast member only place where we can play volleyball, basketball, tennis and soccer or paddle boat and kayak on the lake. You can also barbecue and from what I understand it's just a place for cast members to just hangout.  Here's a picture

of the resort sign!

Such a busy 4 days!

I don't know if I have ever been this tired in my life. Yesterday we did Magic Kingdom which was incredible! I've had a really stressful and emotional day with check in and saying good bye to my mom :( I was a wreck! Anyways I promise to write soon and share everything but I'm going to sleep...here's a beautiful picture of Cinderella's Castle that I took with my phone though! It almost looks fake..goodnight!

First park!

We woke up today with a text from my roommate saying her and her mom were going to Epcot later in the afternoon. My mom had looked at me and said..."Well, should we go? Should we just do it?" Our original plan was to not go to the parks this weekend (because my passes weren't valid) and to just explore everything else but we couldn't resist. This place is AMAZING! So much to see and so much to do, I cannot believe it! I feel like Disney should be it's own town. But anyways, we went to Epcot and got there at about 11. We surprisingly got on almost every ride and could not get over the different countries..they were seriously incredible. We met up with my roommate, Lyssa, and her mom for lunch at a place in France! My mom and I felt like we were going on a blind date because we had only seen pictures of each other but had never met. She seems really great and we had a great time. Tomorrow, we are planning to go to Magic Kingdom and are going to meet up with Lyssa again because she knows Disney World really well, so it will be fun to explore with her tomorrow. So much for not going to the parks right? We didn't even make it 2 days! Haha anyways, here's a cool picture of Mission Space at Epcot!

Just landed!!

We just arrived in Orlando!! I saw Christina Yang from Greys Anatomy in the airport this morning...so cool! Anyways have a great day, I'm off to adventure!

3 days!

I'm sitting here now, thinking about how much my life is about to change. I've never been to Florida and in 3 days it's going to be my new home! My mom and I are flying out on Friday and check-in starts Monday morning. As of now I'm supposed to live in an apartment with 5 other girls. My immediate roommate is from Pennsylvania and just got hired to be RAPUNZEL, an actual Disney princess!! I am starting to get very anxious. I thought packing for Arizona was tough? I was wrong...moving across the country is definetly a bit more challenging. My next door neighbor, who I've known my whole life, just checked in yesterday! She called me today and sounded so happy and all she kept saying is, "You're going to love it here!" I'm starting to get very very bored at home, most of my friends have left and when my mom is working all day and my brothers are in school, I have no one to hangout with! Haha plus all my friends are back in school and sadly I'm not :( I have to keep reminding myself, my adventure is almost here and it's going to be a blast!

       Many people are confused with how I am getting 15 credits, paid and my internship hours out of the way. My school is very encouraging with internships and because my HRM (Hotel Restaurant Management) major is highly ranked they have made it possible. I am enrolled in a class called HA408 which is giving me 12/15 of my units. These are counting as my advisor approved electives classes, and I have a few assignments here and there which are mainly to keep in contact with my internship counselor back in Flagstaff and improve techniques on how to maintain healthy relationships with my coworkers. I am also taking an online class HA250 which is an Introduction to Property Management class, just so I can have a full semester and am not behind when I return. Like I mentioned earlier I am also earning my credit hours towards my major and it is a paid internship. Flagstaff is currently 0 degrees, did I mention it's 9:15 in Orlando and still 72 outside? :)

Congratulations!

Being a part of the Hotel Restaurant Management major at Northern Arizona University, creates many opportunities. One day, my teacher had warned us that there was going to be a job fair in our building, so if interested, dress appropriately. I had thought, well, it's intended for Junior and Seniors but what the heck, my next class is in that building, I'm going to go and introduce myself and see what's out there. In order to graduate through my program at school, it is required to have 1200 hours of an internship or job having to do with the hospitality.  So I walked around, talked to many different people representing hotels, restaurants, clubs, etc. One of my first stops was Disney! I talked to the representative and she explained their College Internship Program, I thought well hey thats cool! So on my walk home I called my dad and told him about the program, he kind of laughed and said thats very neat but you're a Freshmen Kelly, I responded, you just watch dad..I'm going to apply just for fun and so I did. I went home and filled out the application, within 24 hours I received an email saying Congratulations, they reviewed my application and I qualified for a "character based interview". So, right then and there I took it! It was an online test basically asking questions such as "How do you work with others on a scale of 1-10?" or "True of False you are a people person" etc. All questions which I felt were quite easy because I've had relatable experiences with ASB. It was a 45 minute times test and at the end, I got another email Congratulating me that I qualified for a phone interview!! So immediately I scheduled that but there next available time wasn't until 2 weeks later...which ended up being the LONGEST 2 weeks of my life. I anxiously awaited and researched possible questions, watched you tube videos, practiced with my friends and finally the time was there. I wasn't nervous until I realized how cool the program was and how bad I wanted to do it! So finally the time came and my interview took about 30 minutes. I talked to a representative and she asked TONS of questions and then explained the program more in depth as well as gave me the option to ask some questions. I felt good about the interview but was nervous because not many Freshmen apply and I didn't know if that would hurt my chances. Finally, about 2 weeks later I received this email shown below Congratulating me that I had been accepted to the program!!!

Congratulation Email!