A Career with the Walt Disney Company

Greetings from Walt Disney World!

2011-01-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Mike and I have been in Walt Disney World since Tuesday and we are having a great time! Aside from the whole giant snow storm that cancelled all flights departing from the northeast on Wednesday and our luggage fiasco, things are going well! I unfortunately wasn't able to pick up any shifts but Mike has been working a few shifts as a bus greeter to maintain his seasonal status.

We ate at Artist Point on Friday night which was delicious! Monday night we will be eating at Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada which we are really looking forward to.

Fantasyland is looking great these days with some new theming and updates. The construction is moving along nicely for Be Our Guest and Ariel's Adventure as well.

TTFN!

Back to WDW!

2011-01-08T10:35:00.001-08:00

4 Days and counting until Michael and I arrive in Walt Disney World! We are SO excited! We have a week full of excitement!

Here are few things on our To-Do List:
- Our first appointment with Disney Fairytale Weddings! We will be looking at a few different possible locations for our reception site!
- Work!
- Get Campus Rep Badge
- Look for condos
- Go to the parks!
- Try Artist Point at Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort!
- Do over 21 activities for the first time in WDW! (Jellyrolls!)
- Hang out with Mary (friend from PI)

Love life!

Updates

2010-12-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Sorry it has been so long since my last post! School has been crazy busy.
Here are just a few things that have been going on:
*A few weeks ago I went on a trip with my mom and sister to L.A. to go wedding dress shopping! I tried on 4 Kirstie Kelly for Disney Fairytale Weddings gowns and they were so beautiful! I would love to show pictures, but I wouldn't want Mike to see :-)
*While we were in California, we visited my Grammie in San Diego and we also went to DISNEYLAND!!! I was so excited to see World of Color but unfortunately wasn't able to go :-( Unfortunately our flight left extremely early the next morning so we had to leave before watching World of Color (and before going to ElecTRONica)
*Final few days of school. I cannot wait for the end of this semester because Mike and I are going back to Walt Disney World for a week!
*I have been applying for jobs like CRAZY! I have been applying for at least one position every week. Pretty much any position that I qualify for- Industrial Engineering or not
*Mike and I have been searching for a location for our RI wedding reception and we are in love with Easton's Beach Rotunda in Newport

I think that's enough for now!

Have a magical day!

Disney Fairytale Weddings

2010-10-23T11:02:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! I just wanted to give an update (since I haven't in so long!- sorry about that):

Mike and I have decided to get married in Florida and have a Disney Fairytale Wedding! We will be getting married in the Wedding Pavillion and are SO excited!

We will be moving to Florida after we graduate in May!

Anyone who is in the process of applying, interviewing, or auditioning for the College Program or Professional Internships, please let me know if I can help! I would love to answer any questions or give any advice :-)

Tabitha

Home Again

2010-08-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Sorry that it has been so long since I have updated, however I am home again. My last two weeks in Florida were very busy with my family coming to visit and then having Mike and his brother come to drive me home.

We stayed at All-Star Music Resort, Coronado Springs Resort, and the Beach Club Resort in my last week alone! We didn't want to leave, but we did. We took 2 days to drive home and arrived on the 16th. It took about 21 hours or so to drive from Orlando to Rhode Island. No tickets this time!

I will be back in Florida in January to work a seasonal shift or two and I will be living in Florida once again beginning in May.

If you are reading this blog because you are interested in the College Program or Professional Internships, please let me know if you have any questions! I am happy to help.

I just received my first Campus Rep email and I look forward to spreading the word about Disney Internships to everyone on my campus!

If you ever have extra time...

2010-07-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

If you ever have extra time, a friend of mine writes a blog as well. It is not Disney related, however it is hilarious. Check it out!

Slightly Disappointing

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I saw some of the most breath-taking fireworks that I have ever seen and I wanted to share some pictures with you and give you tips for if you are ever here for the 4th.

So, all of those were from the Magic Kingdom Concert in the Sky 4th of July Fireworks. I went to see those on the 3rd (highly recommended as the 4th was much much busier and they show the exact same fireworks on the 3rd). Then on the 4th, we went to the Epcot Resort Area. We walked over to the Boardwalk and stopped along the Hollywood Studios walkway and saw the Hollywood Studios fireworks from there. We then walked back toward the Swan and Dolphin and watched the special 4th of July Illuminations. It was great!

Vidia Auditions

2010-07-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

Vidia, a fairy who lives near Tinkerbell, was looking for new friends for when she starts coming to the Magic Kingdom. I auditioned to be friends with her, but still nothing. I will never give up on being friends with a character!

P.S. I can't believe it is 4th of July weekend! Where has the time gone?!?!

Cumberland Park

2010-06-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I have been living at the new housing complex for a little while now and I would like to tell you all about it. It is BEAUTIFUL. We are the first people to live in our apartment and everything is brand new. The entire complex is no more than 2 years old and there is a gym and a zero-entry pool and a movie theater and an indoor bball court. It's pretty nice. We are supposed to get bi-weekly cleaning service as well but I have not seen it yet. Not complaining!

The only thing I must speak about is the people that run this place for Disney interns. It is some made up company called Temporary Housing Solutions. It is basically these two blonds that try to tell everyone what to do. Maybe Disney has taken over me a little bit, but they do NOT dress Disney Look lol. I mean, I don't mind if you still look professional but when you address a group of educated people wearing flip flops and a tank top mini dress with your bra straps hanging out, they are going to find it a little difficult to respect you and take you seriously. Anyway they are not as strict as Price Management but they are annoying in other ways.

I'm not try to deter anyone from using Disney Housing but... if you have other options... it is something to consider. I love my roommates they are all great. Engineers like myself.

Anyway, feel free to ask any questions you have about PIs, College Program, anything! I'm here for you all!

MOVING AGAIN!

2010-06-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh. I cannot believe I am moving again. This is the third time in one year! Up until January 2010, I lived in the same house for over 20 years, haha.

So, I got a text from my roommate today saying "We have to move". I was just thinking, oh man this stinks. I'm going to fight this, we shouldn't have to move unless our apartment is below 50% occupancy. Then she said that they are moving all PIs to Cumberland Park, which isn't even Disney housing! And- get this- it is not going to be run by Price Management!!!! Yay!

Haha. So, despite the fact that I am mad that I am going to have to move all of my crap that I just finished unpacking to a completely new place, I am excited.

I may actually be able to have guests past 1am! I don't think I am going to have to sign anyone in to pay me a visit! I might be treated like an adult! Unbelievable.

So, this new place sounds MUCH nicer and I get cleaning service every other week! More details to come!

Industrial Engineering

2010-06-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

My professional internship is going very well. I am excited to be here and am still having a great time! We went to Universal's Islands of Adventure the other day and we saw a lot of Harry Potter World!!! We have some great pictures that I would like to share with you all soon... In other news... Mike leaves a week from today :'-(

But! My family is going to visit me!!! Yay!

So excited.

Talk to you soon

Last Day at Soarin', Moving to Patterson, Shuttle Launch!

2010-05-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy few days for me! My last day at Soarin' was sad... but great because I got to work with all CPs since it was a night shift... I moved into my new apartment yesterday which was very emotional since it is one step further from Mike (moving to a new complex, even though it's still Disney housing). I had to go through the entire stupid check-in process again which was ridiculous. Once I got to room assignments the girl didn't ask me anything she just said you will be in XXXXX. It's a 3 bedroom in Patterson. And you will have to move again on June 11th because it will be below 50% occupancy. WHAT!? UGh. THat is going to suck having to move again. ESPECIALLY since Mike is leaving June 9th. He won't even be here to help me. :( So sad to think about. My new ID picture is awful since I was crying thinking about the fact that I was moving into a new apt with a bunch of girls that already know eachother and have lived together since January and Mike is leaving so soon and... I'm just a mess. I spent one last night in Chatham last night and tonight will be my first night in my apt. My roommate seems really nice, she is a civil engineer and it turns out that not everyone in the apt has been there for so long. She arrived yesterday too so that's good.

One exciting piece is that today was the last shuttle launch of the ATLANTIS. We drove over to Cape Canaveral and went as far as we could. The closest we could get without special tickets was Titusville and it was a great view. Watching a shuttle launch is AMAZING. It is unbelievable to think that there were actual astronauts in there and they are now in space! So today was fun!

Tomorrow, Mike and I are attending the d23 event "Flowers and Fireworks" so that is exciting. Talk to you soon!

Almost Done with Classes!

2010-05-11T12:15:00.001-07:00

Only one 5-7 page paper about women's studies stands in between me and my summer! I am so happy that school is almost over! Tomorrow, however, is my last day at Soarin'. It will be a sad one but I am so glad to have had Soarin' as my first experience in my Disney Career. It is beautiful out today here in Florida: warm but not extremely hot or humid as it was all last week. A lot of CPs are starting to leave for good. It's sad. Talk to you all soon!

Goofy Mystery Tour Results!

2010-05-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I am in such a good mood right now because I got a 90 on my macroeconomics final!!!!

I also just received the results from Goofy's Mystery Tour!

Team #134 Trivia Score: 130 Clue Score: 530 Total Score: 660 Ranking:175

175 Out of 250 on the first try isn't bad!

Tours, Moving, Etc.

2010-05-10T08:09:00.000-07:00

Today, Scott, Nick and I went with some sustaining engineers of EPCOT and had a backstage tour of the American Adventure. It was awesome! This Wednesday is my last official day as a Soarin' Cast Member!!! So sad so sad. Friday is the Shuttle Launch, Saturday through Sunday is the D23 Flowers and Fireworks event, then Monday I start my new job!!!

I also move into Patterson on Saturday, so that is also exciting. Hopefully my new roommates are nice!

Talk to you soon!

Campus Rep Interview

2010-05-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!!! Sorry that these postings have been so sporadic but I have some news!

I just got off the phone with a recruiter for the Campus Rep position and I think my phone interview went well! I was asked the basic questions (why do you think you would make a great campus rep, etc.) Hopefully Mike will get a phone call about it soon because I would love to be the campus rep team at URI with him. Apparently there are no current Campus Reps at URI right now so I would be the first! I should hear by the end of the week or the beginning of next week either way.

Tonight is Spring Formal! I'm really excited to be wearing my prom dress for the 3rd time! (and they say you pay all that money to only wear it once)

Disney's Ultimate EnginEARing Exploration

2010-04-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Saturday I participated in Dinsey's Ultimate EnginEARing Exploration and my team won!!! I was the IE of the team and the judge said that the IE section was perfect! Yay!! Today was my second to last class of the PDS Engineering Class and the person who interviewed me for the PI did a presentation about Industrial Engineering. I think I will really enjoy working in Disney's IE department.

Sorry I keep going so long between posts, everything is pretty much same old same old. I have less than 3 weeks left at Soarin'... Oh! Next Friday is Goofy's Musical Mystery Tour and I can't wait! Hopefully my team does well, I have heard the trivia is really hard... Mike's family comes to visit this Friday (the same day as graduation :-( )

Anyone who is reading this and will be doing the program soon (or not) feel free to ask any questions! I would love to help anyone who was in my shoes a few months ago.

Extensions!

2010-04-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

Extensions were just posted online! I was offered a position as Photopass photographer! I really wish I could do it, but I had to go and jump into a real job... haha

Oh well.

P.S. Yesterday was the last day for Ariel's Grotto and I got to see her in her mermaid form for the first and last time.

Where Dreams Come True...

2010-03-26T07:16:00.001-07:00

I'm in!!!!!!!

I will be staying here in Florida for the Industrial Engineering Professional Internship! Unbelievable!

I received a voicemail a couple days ago saying that there is one last part of the application process that I need to complete so I called back and the offered me the position! I can't believe it! They offered me summer 2010 and spring 2011!!!

I will be moving to Patterson on May 13 and staying through August 13th! The only bad part is that Mike is going home on June 4th :-( But two months without him isn't so bad...

I still can't believe this opportunity of a lifetime. It all seems so meant to be: I didn't pass entertainment auditions so I wouldn't have a decision to make. One issue that I may have is coming back in the Spring because it is technically my last semester at URI before going to Germany for a year.

Disney's Fairytale Weddings Open House!

2010-03-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy! Today, Mike and I are going to the wedding pavilion for the open house! We walked around the outside a couple of weeks ago, but today we get to go inside and look around and talk to people about pricing and everything! I'm so excited!!!

I will tell you all about it soon, and hopefully will have some pics!

Industrial Engineering Professional Internship Interview

2010-03-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

I just had my phone interview!!! And all of my preparation paid off! I waso nly unprepared for one or two questions, but I still handled everything well! Yay!!

I can't believe this, my dreams may come true :-)

The only bad thing is that I won't know for another 2-3 weeks.

I'm so happy!

P.S. I can't believe I have 29 followers! You guys are the best!

NETWORKING WORKS!!!

2010-03-10T07:15:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!

So, the day before yesterday I had my second engineering class and we had three people from Disney make a presentation. One of them got her start as an Industrial Engineer so I decided to stay after class and speak with her about the Co-op program that she participated in. It sounds great! Basically, you go to Disney for a summer, go back to school, then come back the next summer for a few years! How great is that?? And on top of that, they hire 80% of their full-timers from this program!!!!!!

So, I gave her my resume and sent her a follow up email, and the very next day I got a phone call to schedule an interview!!!

So, I just got off the phone and my interview is tomorrow at 10:30am!

I can't believe this!!!

I will let you know how it goes!

Princess 1/2 Marathon

2010-03-08T13:51:00.000-08:00

So, I decided to pick up a shift so I could get some OT and that shift just so happened to be the Princess Half Marathon on Sunday. Guess what time I had to be at work...

4AM!!!!

I picked up a shift from 4am to 11am but got an ER at 10am so that was nice. I then went to work at Soarin' at 3:45pm to 9:45pm. What a looooooong day. It worked out though because that means 4 hours of OT for me :-) If only all places gave OT for shifts over 8 hours, I'd be rich! :-P

I have a midterm paper to write for Women's Studies and a quiz to take for computer science so that's all for now!

See you real soon!

PS I have my second Engineering class today and it was great! We learned about the Fantasyland expansion in MK and I networked with another person in Industrial Engineering!

Yay!

Audition Results

2010-03-04T14:01:00.001-08:00

Cut.

Again.

:-(

Still not a princess.

Interview, Service Fanatic, Audition, etc.

2010-02-28T21:18:00.000-08:00

As usual, I have a TON of things going on! First of all, I had a phone interview yesterday morning for Professional Internships with Disney that are only available to College Program alumni. It went OK... I'm not getting my hopes up for anything thought. I applied for a few event planning ones as well as a couple engineering ones, so we shall see!

Yesterday, my manager was walking around Soarin' checking things out and he noticed what a great job we were doing, so we all got Service Fanatic cards! I'm SO excited to get my first piece of recognition here at Disney. It only took a month :-D

The last thing I will mention is that the extension audition for people currently in the college program who would like to extend into entertainment positions is Wednesday! I had to trade some shifts to get it off, but I have it off and I am ready to go! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE the opportunity to get into entertainment with the Walt Disney Company. We shall see!

P.S. Alice in Wonderland premieres Thursday night at midnight, and we are all going to see it in IMAX 3D!!!! Yay! Can't wait :-D

Our House... In the Middle of the Street

2010-02-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

Work + Fun = WDWCP

2010-02-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

I picked up my first opening shift at Soarin' yesterday. It was a complete disaster, many things happening at a ride that usually never has problems... Anyway, I've been trying to get all of my work done and everything so I could go out and play in the parks, because I haven't in a while and I hadn't been to Hollywood Studios at all since beginning the program a few weeks ago.

So, this morning Mike, Rob, Karl, Grant, Sarah, and Liza all went to Typhoon Lagoon! (We had to go some time between now and Feb 27 or we'd have to pay) Today was the best day to go because the high was about 73 degrees. Unfortunately, when we got there it was only about 65 degrees (which is a little chilly, even for a Rhode Islander). But, there were no lines, we got right on everything really fast, and the water was HEATED! It was such a great time. We went on every attraction in the park! And we were done by about 2:30pm so we had time to go to another park. Since I hadn't been to DHS yet, that's where we went! We got some great pictures with some characters and we learned how to draw Donald Duck!

All-in-all, it was a great day.

My First Extra Hours Shift

2010-02-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

So, the other day I was at Soarin' and they asked me to go home early so I said yes realizing that I had a big exam the next day that I should be studying for. I went on the HUB waiting to clock out when I noticed an extra shift was available for that night with no training required. I decided to pick up the shift and I had a great time! It was at the Magic Kingdom, which was a nice change of scenery, doing parade crowd control. We had to do activities with kids like playing "Duck, Duck Donald" and "Red Light Green Light" and "Mickey Says". The only thing that was not great was the fact that it was near freezing. Where am I again? Oh that's right, I'm in Florida. Why is it so cold?!?! It's starting to warm up again finally though. A few of my friends and I plan on going to Typhoon Lagoon on Saturday (because it's finally going to reach the 70s).

Still having a great time! Have a magical day, everyone :-)

The Past Few Days

2010-02-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

I have been SO busy! I have been in and out of the parks and battling with my online classes. Yesterday was Mike and my 3rd Anniversary. It was cute. Mike has been sick the past few days and I took him to the doctor today. He has sinusitus and acute bronchitis. I fortunately haven't gotten sick yet but most of his roommates have the same thing. So, since we had to work opposite times on Valentine's Day we had our date on Saturday instead since we both had the day off. We went to the Wedding Pavillion and decided to get married there. It is SO beautiful. Later we went to dinner at Chef Mickey's (see pictures below) and we FINALLY did Characters in Flight!!! It was AMAZING. Highly recommended to EVERYONE.

Here are some pictures:

Where Mike Proposed

Work, Work, Work!

2010-02-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

So, I have been pretty busy these past few days. After I was pinned (finished training), I had 2 days off!

Wednesday, I basically stayed in all day doing homework for my Women's Studies class (yuck) and watched a couple movies with Mike and his roommates.

Thursday a lot of my friends had the day off so after I whipped up some Mickey Pancakes, we decided to go to the parks! Mike's roommate Phil had to do an assignment for his world music class so he needed to go to EPCOT, so we started there! We took pictures with Daisy and Stitch and Chip and Dale, then we went on Test Track and rode Segways!

(I want one so bad!) Afterward we were starving so we went to the Electric Umbrella, where Mike's roommate Scott works! It was his 20th birthday also and we made sure that everyone knew it, lol. So, we ate there and then went to Magic Kingdom!

At Magic Kingdom, we did the Monster's Inc Laugh Factory and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (I usually win that game, but Mike beat me this time!) We went to get Fast Passes for Space Mountain and went over to the Haunted Mansion, but were interrupted by the Street Party Parade which was cute. Phil got on Rob's shoulders and started dancing it was crazy lol.

Then we went on Haunted Mansion and it broke down about 3 times while we were on it :-/ Oh well it was still fun. Once we got out it was dark and Phil tried to show me up hula hooping (but couldn't, obviously :-P) Rob, Phil and Kim (my roommate) watched to SpectroMagic Parade and Mike and I went to the Country Bear Jamboree (we were 2 of 5 people in the theater!).

After that, when the parade ended we went to Pirates of the Caribbean and had absolutely no wait! After that, Kim, Phil, and Mike tried to run to Space Mountain to use our Fast Passes, but they didn't make it in time, so we watched the fireworks.

Once we got home, we made plans to take Scott out for his birthday and that was a good time :-)

Friday, I didn't have to work until 4, so we went to Animal Kingdom! We didn't get there until about 2, so we only had time to ride Expedition Everest (it was so worth it).

Then I had to drive Claudia and Scott with me to EPCOT to go to work :-( We got SO lost. Once I finally got there, I still had to change into my costume and I didn't have time to pick up rain gear or to wait for the bus so I ran through future world in the pouring rain and got absolutely drenched. However, if I had waited even a few more seconds, I would have been late and would have received a half point so it was worth it in the end. That was my first day working on my own :-D

Yesterday, I did homework in the morning and went to work at night. It was my first time closing without a trainer with me and it wasn't too bad. When I got home, everyone had gone to the last night time shuttle launch ever in the US which really upset me because I wanted to go but oh well. They didn't get home until really early this morning, so I would have been absolutely dead if I had gone. Unfortunately, Mike and Kim's alarms didn't work this morning so they were both late for work. They were both pretty stressed about it, but I'm sure things will work out for them.

And now, I must do my homework. Ug

Training Complete!

2010-02-03T17:36:00.001-08:00

I officially passed my assessment and I am one of the newest members of the Soarin' Team at EPCOT!

I have been pretty busy, having trouble finding time to clean and enjoy myself. Fortunately, I haven't gotten too far behind on my online classes (yet).

Tonight, all of my roommates are having dinner with all of Mike's roommates. We all get along so well, it's great. I have been hearing a lot about so many other apartments with drama and I feel so lucky to be with great people.

I love it down here!

Hello February!

2010-02-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

So, tomorrow is my assessment and then I have my first two days off!!! I'll let everyone know how it goes!

My Costume :-)

2010-01-29T14:53:00.000-08:00

Discovery Day at EPCOT!

2010-01-28T16:33:00.000-08:00

So, this morning was my second day as an employee with the Walt Disney Company. It was pretty good except for the fact that I had to be in Disney Look and had to use the second pair of tights that I bought (which were black and only matched one outfit that I did not want to wear) because the other pair had a giant run. I changed my outfit about 10 times and finally found something that looked OK, but the heels were definitely going to be a problem. But I had no other shoes that would be within the Disney Look, so I had no choice. This was a painful day. I learned SO many amazing things about EPCOT, things that I didn't know, things straight from Walt himself. He had a very different vision for EPCOT that unfortunately has never and probably will never come to be.

We toured the park most of the day and had some amazing surprises. We even met the VP of EPCOT! I was originally scheduled to leave at 12, but my trainer came to get me (and my fellow Attractions West crew) and kept me for another hour to get my costume and work schedule.

I found out that I am working at the single most popular ride in all of Walt Disney World Resort. Do you want to know?

My costume is not bad, I look like a flight attendant!

(That picture will have to come some other time because I don't feel like putting it on right now).

Talk to you soon!

-Tabitha

Continued

2010-01-28T16:22:00.001-08:00

Sorry, I didn't mean to be so dramatic, but that post was getting pretty darn long. Anyway, I forgot to mention several things. I was wearing heels the entire 5 hour period of walking around Disney World and my feet were KILLING ME.

So, Claudia and I decided to go home and change out of our "Disney Casual" wear (The Disney Look is a very strict dress code that basically ruled out all of my clothing except for 2 skirts, a suit jacket, and 1 pair of heels) and we would then go see the fireworks. Well, we ended up getting out at like 7, which was SO MUCH LATER than everyone else! What did our group do wrong? lol anyway, so with that change of plans, we realized that EPCOT had Illuminations at 9pm (Wishes Fireworks at Magic Kingdom were at 8pm) and decided to go for that. We got on the bus to go back home and they took us to the wrong place. SO, we had to wait for ANOTHER bus once we got to the wrong apartment complex to get to our correct apartment complex. This took forever. We changed and I Mike drove me, Claudia and Liza to EPCOT to see Illuminations, Reflections of Earth over the lagoon. His roommates went as well (in separate cars) and my other roommates met us there after leaving Magic Kingdom's Wishes fireworks display. The show was beautiful and we enjoyed getting into the park for FREE for the first time!

It was a great day.

I went home with Mike and I tried to do homework (while Mike was playing video games with my roommates), but I fell asleep.

I must say, Mike really seems to be enjoying himself out here. I feel like he is finally having his chance to be a college kid. He has never had the experience of living away from home, amongst peers, and I think he is adapting well. It's funny, despite the fact that we were SO desperate to get into the same complex so we could stay together overnight once in a while, we have not been together much at all. He has been staying in his apartment, and I have been staying in mine.

We are really enjoying ourselves!

Wednesday, January 27th

2010-01-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

So, Wednesday I officially became a Disney employee. I simply cannot describe the feeling.

My roommate Claudia and I discovered that we have the exact same job! It's funny because everyone else in the apartment has a wide variety of jobs. Here is the breakdown:

Tab- EPCOT Attractions West
Kim- DinoLand Attractions in Disney's Animal Kingdom
Kelsey- EPCOT Mousegear Merchandise
Liza- Baby Strollers in Magic Kingdom
Claudia- EPCOT Attractions West
Sarah- World of Disney Merchandise in Downtown Disney
Margo- Character Performer (SO jeal)
Jenna- Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (also jeal)

So, half of my roommates had to get up for the 6:45am Traditions class. I didn't feel bad for them because after taking this class they become official Disney employees so they have the whole day to spend at the parks!

I decided to wake up fairly early and go to the doctor. I had found a clinic in the area that accepts my insurance (I called to verify) and I was sick and tired of being in so much pain so I finally decided to go. I was really nervous about being held up there and being late to Traditions but I got there at the perfect time (right before the crowd). The nurse asked about my symptoms and I told her that ever since my engagement/going away party I have had TERRIBLE stomach pains. Under my belly button is extremely tender and when you touch that area, it HURTS LIKE HECK! I don't know why this is happening, everything else seems to be fine but it just hurts and I was done dealing with it. They had me take a urine sample.

IF YOU DON'T WANT TMI, DON'T READ ANYMORE.

So, I had blood in the urine and I thought they were going to tell me that I was going to die but it turns out that she thinks I have a UTI. This surprised me because I didn't have any trouble peeing and there was no pain at all, but whatever she is the doctor, not me. She gave me some meds and I was on my way.

Mike and I went to our apartments and the girls and I walked down to the bus to go to Traditions! I was SO excited!

Claudia and I were in the same group the whole time which was cool and we also met some other nice fellow CPs.

I don't want to go into too much detail in case anyone out there still has to do Traditions, but it is FUN. I will tell you that you get to see the UTILIDOR!!!! It was AMAZING. I could not believe it! The Disney magic is just... outstanding. We watched several movies and Walt spoke a lot of the time. It was like he was talking right to us. We were also told various do's and dont's of being a Disney employee.

At the end, we had a very special surprise and we got our OFFICIAL NAMETAGS!!!

Traditions was SO unbelievably amazing, you should enjoy every minute of it if you ever go through it. We have the best job in the world, creating happiness for people everywhere.

I must have teared up half a dozen times. It was just a wonderful feeling to be in this family.

I don't want to go home.

Tuesday, January 26th

2010-01-28T15:48:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention that I found out a little bit of my schedule on Monday. They gave me Traditions (my first official day of work as a Disney employee) on Day 3 (Wednesday) at 12:45pm. They also gave me a paper telling me that my "Discovery Day" in EPCOT would be Thursday at 8am.

Which means, I have Tuesday off!

I finished unpacking (for the most part) and Mike and I went grocery shopping. Then later that night, Mike and I had planned to go to UNO (we both got a coupon via email) but we decided to hang out with our own roommates instead. They had invited him to karaoke somewhere and I didn't want him to miss out on the bonding, plus my roommates were all going to Downtown Disney.

So, we went to Downtown Disney and ate at Earl of Sandwich (I had a meatballs! sandwich which was very good). We also walked around the various Disney stores including World of Disney (the largest Disney store in the world, and where my roommate Sarah will be working) and Once Upon a Toy. We realized how much trouble we are going to be in on Wednesday when we receive our ID badges that grant us access to employee discounts throughout the resort! Up until Feb 11th, the normal discount of 20% is increased to 50%!!!!!!!! Can't wait to shop!

We were walking to the car when we ran into... Mike! And all of his roommates! So we chatted for a bit (my roommates love his roommates, it's funny). It was getting pretty late and I had to do some work for my online classes (that began Monday), so I tried rounding up everyone who was in the car I came in (my roommate, Kim's car) and she realized that despited the fact that she wanted to stay out, she had the 6:45am Traditions class the next morning. Jenna graciously volunteered to go back with us as well.

So we got back and I did some work and went to bed!

Monday, January 25th

2010-01-28T15:33:00.000-08:00

Check-in day!!!

So, Kim and I planned to meet at the Vista Way entrance (the check-in location) at 7am, despite the fact that they claimed they wouldn't open until 9am. Mike and I got there, thanks to TomTom, and we were the 3rd car there! We spoke with the guard and he told us the earliest they would let us in would be 8:30. So, we parked across the street and the other cars left. Kim pulled up a few minutes later and she spoke with the guards as well who told her that we could come back over at 8am! Why did they give us false information?? Whatev. So we waited and as 7:45-7:50 rolled around, people were pouring into this parking lot and they soon formed a line blocking us in!! (Even though we were the first people there!!!) Kim's dad cut some of the off and let us go, so we finally made it to checkin.

We ran in line (after making sure we had our on-boarding paperwork and license, proof of insurance, etc.) and we still had a wait (despite the fact that we were there first). There was a DJ there and he was asking Disney trivia questions and I got one right so I won a Disney College Program keychain! We waited and waited and presented all of the necessary documents and finally it was time for housing.

I went up to the counter and the cast member asked where Kim and I preferred to live and I told her Chatham Square. She said is a 4 bedroom OK? I said yes! (That was what we wanted). So, I proceeded forward to pick up my key and find out how much rent is and found out that Mike got Chatham too!!! Yay!!! AND on top of that,

WE ARE IN THE SAME BUILDING!!!

This complex is huge, there are at least 30 buildings that people can be placed in and Mike and I just so happened to be placed in the same one! So convenient, it's like fate. :-)

So, after doing those things Mike and I took the bus to casting and received SEVERAL more pieces of paper that we are required to not lose during the process and we get fingerprinted and all of these other things. I found out that I am doing Attractions in EPCOT (lol I already knew) and Mike found out... nothing. He is a "transportation greeter" which means... I don't know?

So, later that day we were scheduled for a housing meeting and it was a little boring (and we found out that we are not allowed to have light sabers in the apartment complex because they are considered toy weapons).

After an exhausting day, Mike had dinner with all 7 of his roommates and I had dinner with all 7 of my roommates (we cooked it ourselves!).

My roommates are fabulous so far and I think things will work out nicely :-)

Without Further Delay...

2010-01-28T15:32:00.000-08:00

So sorry for not posting in the last few days! It is unbelievable how busy I have been in the past few days. So, in order to avoid an extremely long post, I will break it up into days so you all know what has been going on.

Officially a Florida Resident!!!!! lol

2010-01-24T17:58:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is Check-in!!!!

2010-01-24T17:56:00.000-08:00

Just came back from CiCi's, it wasn't too bad for only $5.99! I'm uploading more pics to my photobucket, so you guys can see what my car looks like, lol. It's crazy.

Anyway, I'm at Disney's Old Key West Resort right now and it is BEAUTIFUL. I loved Hilton Head Island also, but I'm glad to be in Florida. As soon as I stepped out of the car, my hair puffed up immediately, which had been the only down side to today.

Mike and I met up with my roommate Kim and we drove to CiCi's together to meet with some of the other people who are checking in tomorrow.

I'll let you know tomorrow the specifics about the apartment complex and everything. Kim was nice enough to take us around after we left CiCi's and I would honestly be happy with any of them.

Talk to you soon!

p.s. here is the link again to my pics: http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y172/tab1021/Journey%20to%20DCP/

Some pics of our trip so far...

2010-01-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to my photobucket, where I expect to be posting some pictures from our escapades so far

enjoy!

http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y172/tab1021

Almost There!

2010-01-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

So, I am currently blogging from a beautiful studio in Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina! We also went to Sonic for the first time and it was pretty good! We ended up leaving an hour late due to some alarm clock difficulties and we got stuck in New York City accident/ construction traffic for an hour and I would love to show everyone how completely stuffed my car is but it will have to wait because I'm very tired (and watching "The Pregnancy Pact" on Lifetime) so I will talk to you all tomorrow!

I'll be in Florida tomorrow!!!!!

Last Day at the Block Island Ferry :-(

2010-01-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

Today is my last day of work at my job of 2 years with the Block Island Ferry. It is sad, but I might come back in the summer :-) (depending on what opportunities arise).

I am very very excited about all things in life right now. Despite the fact that 2 of my courses have started posting material and it seems like it will be a lot of work, I am actually kind of excited about it. I really just can't wait to be on my own: buying groceries, cooking, paying rent, etc. I have never really been this far from home for so long. (School is only 20 minutes away from my house)

One thing that I think will be interesting is if I run into people partying. I think that I am still in the RA mindset and I don't know how I will react lol. Hopefully I don't do anything embarassing!

Tonight is Mike's and my Going Away/ Engagement Party. I am really excited, my mom did so much and was so generous about the whole thing. I can't wait to give her the gift we bought to show our gratitude for having the party for us. I hope she likes it :-D

Anyway, as soon as I leave work, it is crunch time. Fortunately, Mike and I have not been slacking (I think it is in part because we took different days off this week, so we don't have each other to distract from getting things done) so my car is clean, the trunk is fully packed, and some of the back is packed. I will be finishing the packing tomorrow after I have done the final load of laundry. Tomorrow we are also touring Oceancliffe Mansion in Newport for our wedding and I can't wait! Basically when we get back we will pack lunch for the next day and go to sleep!

We are leaving bright and early Saturday (3am!)

Talk to you soon!

3.5 days until I leave!!!

2010-01-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while, but I have been SO busy (in a good way). I have been to a total of 3 bridal expos in the past 10 days lol and life has been crazy. I'm basically completely booked solid until... June-ish? lol

I'm so exicted to be leaving so soon. Come this Saturday at 3am, Mike and I will be on the road to Disney!!! We will be staying at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort on Saturday night, then staying at Disney's Old Key West Resort on Sunday, then checking in bright and early Monday morning!!! It's sooo great that other people have checked in first; I love reading their blogs and planning my attack lol. Basically, I plan to be there at 7am on check-in day *Hopefully that will be early enough to ensure that Mike and I will both be in Chatham!!*

My trunk is packed and my car's oil is changed and it is ready to go! I just contacted my auto insurance agent about needing proof of insurance in my name, so that is under control. I just need to make sure my registration is in the car and that I don't forget anything stupid (license, passport? lol)

We are pretty much done packing (sort of). We know everything we are bringing (for the most part) and we will prob begin packing the car tomorrow (hopefully it doesn't snow like it is supposed to). We are def. bringing my car only, so anything that won't fit will have to be shipped which may suck depending on how much that is... (hopefully nothing?) Most of the clothes are packed, but there are still some things that we wear now that we would like to bring with us...

My going away/ engagement party is Thursday night!!! I can't wait, I think there is going to be a pretty good turnout! Mike and I have had a lot of fun registering (ettiquette doesn't require that you bring a gift to an engagement party, but people might so we wanted to be prepared!) and doing other wedding things. Friday (my only day off this week) I am getting my haircut and Mike and I are looking at two possible reception sites for our wedding!!

So so busy! Can't wait to give you more details when I have them!

<3

Less Than 3 Weeks!

2010-01-07T05:20:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Less than 3 weeks to go ( I leave for Florida in 2 weeks from Saturday!!!)

I met my future roommate Kim on Tuesday at Mohegan Sun and she is SO nice! I am so happy, I think we will be a good fit :-) Mike never contacted anyone about roommates so hopefully he doesn't get stuck with a jerk or someone who wants to party all the time because he will be taking 2 online classes and trying to pick up as many extra shifts as possible so we can stay afloat :-/

We are both SO excited and we are starting to pack (just stuff we won't need like summer clothes. Although based on current forecasts for Florida, it seems like there won't be much of a temperature difference at all down there!) We have been working on cleaning my room (it's getting out of control just because I had to combine everything in my dorm room with everything in my regular room. We have given ourselves a deadline of Sunday to have my room completed and then we will start working on Mike's room (which is much worse I must say lol).

In other news, we had originally planned on both just taking my car (2006 VW New Beetle Convertible) but judging by what we plan on bringing... not sure if it's going to be enough. I didn't want to take Mike's car because 1) It's a 93 Ford Tempo so who knows how many more miles it has left in it and 2) I don't know if I can drive 15 hours straight without falling asleep. Obviously it's safety first and we are still going to try to bring only my car, but we shall see.

One last thing I want to mention- 27 degrees today in Vero Beach!!!! OMG it's ridiculous. If people still don't believe in global warming, there is something wrong with them.

Hasta Luego

Engaged in Walt Disney World

2009-12-31T06:30:00.000-08:00

So, my WDW vacation is over, but I have some wonderful memories as always. One of which is that my boyfriend of 3 years asked me to marry him!!!

We were standing on our balcony in Saratoga Springs overlooking the water when he took my righthand ring (that he gave me for our 6 month) and pretended to put it on my left hand. He had actually put on a diamond Tiffany engagement ring and said "Will you marry me?" It was so cute. Of course I said yes! The ring is BEAUTIFUL (it's platinum!) and I am SO happy, it doesn't seem real. He even asked my parents for their permission to ask me. We are starting such a wonderful journey together and in a few weeks, we will back in Florida! I can't wait.

I KNOW MY ROLE!!!

2009-12-28T04:19:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Today is my last day of vacation here in Walt Disney World and I have great news! I know my actual role!!! Mike and I met a very nice person who is doing Fall Advantage on Kilamanjaro Safaris and he said he would look us up on the HUB!!! He facebooked me and told me that I am working at EPCOT Attractions West (which is more than likely Mission Space and Test Track!!!!) Thank you Adam!!! I am SO excited to know what I am doing and it is really funny because we were planning on going to EPCOT today anyway! :-) Unfortunately, Michael was not yet listed on the HUB so his specifics are not yet known.

Yay!

Have a magical day!

Disney World

2009-12-25T14:22:00.001-08:00

I'm in Disney!!! It is day 3 of my family's Disney World vacation, and we are having a great time. I have been noticing several people doing the CP here and have done a little bit of chatting with them... Mike also tried to speak with someone who works on the Monorail to see what he would be doing for the CP (Transportation) and they said that he would be helping people on/off the monorail and eventually he may be trained to drive!! So jeal.

Anyway, I discovered a ride that I would love to operate: Studio Backlot Tour. I never thought of it before, but we went on it yesterday and it was so much fun! So, I don't think I will be calling for any more requests, seeing as it is so close, but I'm sure I will have fun with anything I do.

Oh, I also had breakfast with Belle this morning at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian Resort and we are twins! lol I don't know what casting was thinking when they didn't hire me for a character, more specifically, Belle from Beauty and the Beast. :-P I don't really think I looked that much like her, but she certainly looked the part, it was great. She may have been a little more thin than I am but I could just be being critical of myself. Whatev.

Login Page

2009-12-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

So I called yesterday to find out about the Login page thing. The first time I called, I spoke with a man who I have talked to before (who never seems pleasant, which is strange because that is not the Disney way) and he basically told me it was not there because I was using FireFox and they only recommend that you use Internet Explorer to look at their website. I said Ok and tried going on the site with Explorer. Same thing happened, no role.

So I called later that day and spoke with a very nice young lady who told me that she will look it up. I was really hoping that she was going to say "Ah, yes you have been selected to host The Great Movie Ride or Jungle Cruise" but unfortunately that didn't happen. She said that I am "in the system for Attractions" so I guess that it means absolutely nothing that my role disappeared.

Oh well. On the DISboards, someone received a phone call from Disney telling her that she was selected to host Innoventions and she would have to memorize about 15 pages of script to spiel off about different products. Someone who is a current cast member with Disney responded to her saying that when you are selected for that, you also get a $1 premium pay increase! So instead of making measily minimum at $7.26 in FL, if you are selected for this, you get at least $8.26 (which is almost respectable!! lol). So that is exciting for her.

Hopefully I will find out before I get down there what I will be doing. We shall see!

Login Website

2009-12-18T05:44:00.000-08:00

Where is my role???

I logged into the website today and found that my role had disappeared. It still has all of my correct season and date information, but the role has disappeared. Other people on DISboards have had this happen too, but I am going to call to see if maybe they can tell me what my actual job will be!

We'll see!

Rambling

2009-12-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

So... not too much news the past couple of days. Definitely not going to be a character, which is upsetting, but I am really excited for the program. Talked to my step-cousin Tyler yesterday which was nice... (he is also doing the CP).

In other news, I am going to Disney for vacation one week from Wednesday, which means I am also almost done being an RA! Don't get me wrong, it was fun, and I made a lot of great friends, but it was stressful at times and a little much to combine with an engineering full course load.

I know it's early (still have about 40 days until I leave), but I kind of started packing today... I put my new TV and a twin comforter and sheet in one of my space bags (which was a great investment!).

Anyway, it's funny that now that classes are over, I don't know what to do with my time. I'm so used to being busy nearly 24/7 that I don't know what to do when I have down time. It's good, because it makes me more confident that I will be able to handle working full time and taking 4 online classes.

Auf wiedersehen

Attraction Request

2009-12-10T07:02:00.000-08:00

So, I called Disney again yesterday to request a specific attraction. At first I wated to only ask for Jungle Cruise or The Great Movie Ride because those are the most guest interactive and challenging because you have to memorize a long spiel. But then I realized that since Mike is doing transportation, he may be working on the monorails until really late. (The monorails run up to 2 hours after the last park closes- and Magic Kingdom can be open till 2am with extra magic hours!) So, I would want our schedules to coincide at least a little bit (either both working mornings or both working nights or something), meaning that I should prob work at the Magic Kingdom at an attraction that is open late for extra magic hours. In addition, since I will no longer have my RA income, I will really need to be able to pick up extra shifts (Disney only guarantees something like 32 hours of work per week) to make sure ends meet. BUT, I am taking 12 CREDITS of online classes at URI while on the program. Needless to say, I am going to be extremely busy. Fortunately, Mike doesn't need to keep concurrent full time status to keep his financial aid (but I do, which is why I have to take so many classes) so he will be able to pick up extra shifts to make more money for us. He will, however, still be taking 2 online courses (he needs them to graduate on time).

So anyway, I decided to request either the Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios or anything in the Magic Kingdom (even though I really want Jungle Cruise). By the way, none of these requests are guaranteed, if there is more need in the Animal Kingdom, I may end up there- who knows! Anywhere I end up, I know I will have an AMAZING time!

I think that on my family Christmas vacation to Disney World (in less than 2 weeks!!!), I will ask cast members at different attractions who may look college aged if they are in the WDWCP and what they get for hours, etc. Maybe I will end up calling the recruiting office back to completely change my preferences!

So, that is all for now. Sorry my posts are so long!

Tabitha

Official Audition Results

2009-12-09T16:56:00.000-08:00

Well, that email worked.

Just checked my email to get that sinking feeling in my stomach. This is what I read:

We would like to thank you for attending the recent Walt Disney World® Entertainment audition in your area. Unfortunately, you were not selected for a role as a Character Performer.

If you have not already completed an interview and would like to be considered for other roles, please call 1-800-722-2930.

If you are still awaiting a final decision on your status, you will be notified within 4-6 weeks.

If you were already extended an invitation to join the Disney College Program, we encourage you to notify us of your decision through our Web site as soon as possible.

If you have already accepted an invitation for a different role, please continue to visit our Web site to help prepare for your arrival.

Thank you again for your interest in the Disney College Program!

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Disney College Recruiting

This was tough to hear.

More on the Audition and PI stuff

2009-12-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

So, I made a phone call today to the Disney Job Line and they told me that I am STILL BEING CONSIDERED FOR THE PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS I APPLIED FOR!!! I can't believe it. But at the same time, I feel like they don't actually know. Shouldn't I have heard by now? When I applied for PIs for this past summer, no one ever got back to me. I just never received an email rejecting me at all (and I was never offered a position either).

Honestly, it's just one less decision to make :-)

In terms of audition news, there is none. Brenna wrote on the DIS boards that she thinks those who have not heard about their status are in the character pool. I am NOT keeping my hopes up and I plan to audition when I am down there just the same. So, I have emailed Ms. Marciari several times now with no response from her. Once I received an automatically generated response because she was on Vaca. and another time I got nothing at all. So, I just sent this:

Ms. Marciari:

Hello, my name is Tabitha McLellan and I auditioned for a position in entertainment for the Spring 2010 season in the Disney College Program. I am contacting you because I was told that I would receive an email telling me one way or the other within 2-3 weeks of auditioning and have yet to receive one (over 5 weeks later). I was wondering if there is still any possibility that I will be offered a Character Performer Role, or if everyone has already been offered a role who passed the audition, or if perhaps I am in some sort of character pool with a pending status until further notice?

Any information is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Tabitha McLellan

I hope she responds to this. I have heard that other people have gotten answers this way. I mean, I basically know that it's a "no" but I can't help but wonder why I haven't received a rejection email yet? If only they knew how badly I wanted this.

Audition Results

2009-11-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I am happy to see that I have a total of one follower now, lol.

I am writing because I called the recruiting office today and they told me that I am no longer being considered for a Character Performer role with the WDWCP this Spring 2010 Season. I was, however, told that I should audition at the end of my season to try to extend my program and I will be able to get feedback about my audition at that point.

Who knows. I have heard many different things, like people getting pulled at check-in, etc.

Congrats, everyone who made it!

Tabitha

PI News

2009-11-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

I called casting a few minutes ago and they told me that I am still being considered for the Costuming Analyst Internship and the Industrial Engineering Internship and that decisions will be made by the end of this week (Dec. 4th) (like I haven't heard that one before...) Oh well, I should find out sooner or later I suppose. Either way, I am going to Disney!!!

Tabitha

The Phone Interview

2009-11-29T16:24:00.000-08:00

Hello, I am back (within only a few short minutes! lol) to tell you about the wonderful phone interview that I had.

I would like to start off by reminding you that I had already applied once for the WDWCP last spring. I got into the program then (Merchandise) as well, so I will tell you about that phone interview first so that you will know how unprepared I was! lol

I was a commuter last year and the only time I had available to take a phone call was in between classes last year, which totally stressed me out because they highly recommend that you use a home phone for your interview. But I had no choice at that point than to use my cell and hope for the best. Fortunately, I found a place with decent reception. I sat and waited in classroom by myself, sweating, getting extremely nervous with my pen and paper ready to take notes. Finally, a phone call! They asked me a few things that I did not expect. The first thing was my top three choices. I knew that I wanted to be a Character so I went on this spiel about how ever since I saw Beauty and the Beast the live stage show in MGM Studios that I knew I wanted to do that. She then told me that I would not be able to sing or perform in a show, that might be something I could look into with full-time employment. People who are Character performers do meet and greets and sign autographs. She asked if I would be willing to wear hot heavy costumes in 100+ degree whether and I was scared. I wanted to be a princess! Why was she asking these things? I said yes, though, hoping it would help. I knew that I would have to audition and I told her that I would prefer Rochester since it was the closest to my house (still 6.5 hours away!). I told her my next choice would be Bibbity Bobbity Boutique Hostess where she asked me some questions about what I would do if there was a huge line of screaming girls all wanting to get their hair and nails done. I had no idea how to respond and I told her that I had never been there, so I really didn't know what to do. Should I sing a song with them? lol, that was a fail. I told her my third choice was PhotoPass Photographer. She asked what kind of experience I had with cameras and I told her that I own my own camera and take pictures of people and places all the time. Nothing really seemed to impress this interviewer. She then told me that they take a lot of people for Merchandise and asked if I would be interested in that. I said yes and she asked me what I would do if a customer wanted a certain item and we didn't have it in the store. I told her that although I was unfamiliar with their system, if it was possible, I would search the inventory of other stores throughout the parks to see if the item was available there and if they were staying on property, I would have it shipped to their hotel. If it was not available anywhere on site, I would direct her to the website where she could purchase it. I think she liked this answer because I was offered a merchandise position months later after I decided not to attend the character audition.

Now I will tell you about my confident interview this time around:

So, my interviewer Tiffany called only a couple minutes after they said she would. I picked up and she told me who she was and everything. I was all ready with my top three choices and of course she didn't ask! She said that based on my work history we will focus on Quick Service Food and Beverage and we will focus on Attractions because I am an engineering major. She asked if there was anything else I was interested in. I said that I was interested in Character Performer and she said that they are doing things a little differently this year, you have to be INVITED to audition!!! She said they are reserving auditions spots for mainly theatre and performance majors and people with theatre experience. Fortunately, I actually have theatre experience. I told her that I was president of my high school drama club and I have performed in several shows. I also directed and produced my own cabaret during my senior year where I was the Master of Ceremonies and I performed as Belle in scenes for Beauty and the Beast! Thankfully that was enough to get an invite to audition. So, she also asked me how I would use teamwork to accomplish things in a F&B setting and I told her that you really can't do anything without teamwork in a restaurant. If the person taking orders does not communicate them to the cooks, the food will not go out, etc. She also asked how I would feel about memorizing and delivering long announcements for an attraction and opporating complicated ride systems. I said that I would welcome the opportunity. So, a couple weeks later, I received and invitation for QSFB.

The End. :-)

What a journey it has been...

2009-11-29T15:14:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow marks four weeks after completion of the Character Performer Audition for the Walt Disney World College Program in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

I have read several other people's blogs and have found them all very helpful in my journey throughout the 'CP' process thusfar, therefore I would like to think that this will one day help others who are in my shoes.

My journey really began when I visited Walt Disney World for the second time in my life for Christmas with my family in 2006. I spoke with a cast member working for DVC and she told me all about the program. I knew instantly that this is what I wanted to do. I had been considering working for Disney for several years now and I have applied for the program for the second time this past August. I had previously applied last year for the Fall 2009 season and was unable to do it because they did not give me an answer in time (I had already told my boss that I would be staying and she promoted me to a supervisor). I am glad now that I made this decision. It broke my heart to decline the opportunity, but there was no way that I could do the Fall Advantage program (it would be a SERIOUS pay cut, not to mention the promotion thing). So, I looked over my schedule for the rest of my 5-year intense program and realized that I could apply for Spring 2010! It actually turns out that this works better for my schedule than Fall 09 would have. So I applied as soon as the E-Presentation was available (August 26th) and was accepted via email on September 18th! This was a very exciting time for me, as I had been waiting so long to do the program!!! I was accepted for Quick Service Food and Beverage (as I figured I would be do to the nature of the phone interview- I will speak more about this later). I went to my school's Internship Office to figure out how to receive credit for the program. To my dismay, URI does not under any circumstance give credit for this program (which is ridiculous seeing as impressive schools like Perdue give credit!). I went back to that office to present my case several times, even showing them the courses that I could take that were ACE accredited, etc. It seemed that my only option would be to take online courses through URI to receive credit. I spoke with my Adviser about this problem and she worked really hard with me and everyone else involved to find out my options. Seeing as I am a planner, I had already looked into everything she did, so nothing new came about. I need to maintain concurrent enrollment to keep my scholarship at URI, which I NEED. So, I will be taking 4 online courses to keep it. My adviser found Professional Internships on the Disney Website (which I have applied for before and had no success). I told her it was near impossible to get a professional internship without doing the CP and she insisted that I try anyway. I applied for 3 professional internships on October 20th (one day before my 20th birthday!): Labor Analyst Internship, Industrial Engineer Internship (this is one of my two majors), and the Costuming Project Analyst Internship (this was my top choice). I received an email from the Labor Analyst Internship on October 28th (only 5 days after the application deadline) notifying me that I have been rejected. I have still yet to hear from the other two internships and I called to find out if I was still being considered last week. They told me that everyone would find out by the 28th (yesterday) of November. I have not heard yet, so I will give them a call on Monday to find out what the story is. Unfortunatly, I have already paid my housing deposit for the CP and this would not be refunded if I did receive a PI, but I would still be super excited (especially since I would likely be eligible for college credit and wouldn't have to take bogus onlines).

I forgot to mention that during my time of trying to get credit for the program, I was told by my adviser that participating in attractions would make me eligible for credit, so I emailed the recruiting team and they were able to move me to Attractions :)

This is wonderful because I have been in the F&B industry my entire life (my family owns a small restaurant, which is why they thought that I was so qualified for the position). So, I am really happy with Attractions and I am still trying to figure out what rides I should request...

On with my journey (sorry this is so long!!! I should have started this a while ago).

Once my role was changed to attractions I again tried to get credit for this internship. My adviser told me that she could get me credit for basically letting people on and off rides so no luck once again. Well, this was OK with me because I REALLY wanted to audition to be a Character Performer (what? you don't think Engineers can act? lol) I did NOT tell my adviser this because she is anti anything that does not involve engineering, lol. But a dream is a dream and when else would I get this opportunity?

Since I had applied for this program last year, I knew how the process went. You apply for Character, audition, and then when you are rejected, they will put you in another role with what space they have left. Well, as it turns out, they changed things this year!!! This is actually a really good thing for people who want to do the CP no matter what, because you are guaranteed a role (if you are accepted), then you audition for Character Performer and your role will be changed if you pass. (I'm really sorry if anyone is reading this who doesn't know anything about the CP, because it is all out of order and confusing!!!)

So, back to the beginning.

8/26/09- Watched E-Presentation, applied online, passed online interview
9/1/09- Had phone interview with Tiffany (same name as my sister, what fate!)
9/4/09- Received a "Thank You For Interviewing" Email stating that I will hear within 2-3 weeks
9/18/09- Receive my Invitation via Email
9/?/09- Got my purple folder for the second time in my life :-D
9/19/09- Received my email confirming the dates that I chose and confirming that I paid my Program Assessment Fee
9/21/09- Realized that I needed to take summer classes! Called Recruiting office, they were able to change my dates!!! Received a confirmation email for the date change.
10/?/09- Attempted to get credit several times, changed roles to Attractions, etc. Once I found out that I would not receive credit for Attractions, I called back to ask to be put back in the Rochester, NY Auditions.
10/8/09- Received my first Disney College Program Newsletter!!!
10/20/09- Reserved a hotel for the night of my audition in Rochester, NY. Also, applied for 3 PIs and took assessment for Costuming Analyst Internship
10/21/09- My birthday! Mike (my boyfriend of nearly 3 years) decides that he wants to apply for the WDWCP!!!! I am so happy! He later does his phone interview and passes with flying colors!
10/27/09- Received an email reminder for my upcoming Audition in Rochester, NY!
10/28/09- Mike receives his invitation via email!!! He is doing transportation, I am so happy! He is accepted into Spring Advantage (I am spring) :( He calls recruiting and they change him to Spring!!! My dates are no longer available, so we decide it is best to move in on the same day and he will leave two weeks after me. :-( Maybe this can be sorted out when we get there?
11/2/09- Drove to Rochester, NY (a 6-7 hour drive!) with my wonderful boyfriend, Mike. We spend the night, met some friends who are also from RI and went out with them. We each received a "Next Steps" sheet indicating that we would hear the results of our audition via email within 2-3 weeks (which was last week, still nothing!)
11/3/09- Roommate Notification. (I later found someone else who was a better match for me)
11/4/09- Found out that my dates were changed (this is great because they are now the same dates as Mike's!)
11/23/09- Emailed Christ Marciari (the contact listed on my "Next Steps" sheet) because I hadn't heard within the 3 week period. Received an "out of office" automatic email saying that she will not be back until 11/30
11/25/09- Received an email (almost died because I thought it was my audition results) from recruiting saying that my audition results are still being processed (no answer yet, Grr)
11/29/09- Decide to finally have my own BLOG about my DCP experience.

Now, I decided that I would talk about my interview, and I will also talk about my audition experience. But I will do it in separate entries since this one is already ridiculously long!

That's all for now!

-Tabitha