Disney Delights

Photo from www.themeparkinsider.com

Hey everyone, each Monday I am going to be sharing a personal Disney favorite plus back story. It's a great way for me to share more about my Disney obsession, and get to know all of you better!

 To kick this off, I chose my favorite Disney fireworks show, Wishes. I first saw this when I was a cast member in the College Program back in 2005, working over time. I will never forget catching the last few moments of it from backstage (as far as I'm concerned, it's the perfect vantage point for full effects), and being in absolute awe at the sheer sound and power of the whole thing. To be honest, though, the real reason this is a Disney favorite is because it is the first thing that opened my husband Ken's (hubby but at the time, fiance) eyes to why I love the parks so much.

 We hadn't seen each other in months, and since it was my first time away from home, he made certain to come and visit even though he thought the parks were "for kids." The weeks up to his arrival I went over in my mind all of the places I had to take him, and where to go first. When he finally was in Orlando, I knew we had to start at the Magic Kingdom. I instantly dragged him to the park (and let me tell you, after travelling from Tacoma, Washington to Orlando Florida it was definitely dragging) and ran around like crazy trying to show him all of the magical things. We had fun, and Ken was definitely supportive in saying how proud he was of me in the college program, but that he still didn't understand the full hold it had on me.

 As evening approached and announcements were being made for Wishes, I started pulling him towards the Wishing Well by the castle to have a magical viewing spot. Before we made it to our location, the fireworks started and Ken was rooted to the spot looking up in amazement, unwilling to move until realizing that there could be a better vantage point. We made it to the Wishing Well, and watched the rest of the show holding each other. Since then, we have returned home and started a new life together, but he still occasionally mentions that moment we had so long ago. It is one of the several Disney Magical Moments I cherish, and will never forget. Thank you for joining me in this week's Disney Delights, I cannot wait to continue this adventure with all of you!

Life Skills on the College Program

I opened up my Facebook page today, and noticed a posting from the Disney College Program. Their message today was simply "what life skills did you learn on the program?" I quickly put down my response of the basics about learning how to manage a bank account, get along with others, and have more fun. After clicking submit, I really started to think about my time in the program, and what others coming after me could benefit from. In other words, what else does this program contain that would make a student want to move far from home (at least it was far in my case), and go into a completely known world.

The first positive is pretty self explanatory - working for a top company like Walt Disney World will definitely help when creating a resume. Even if you have zero job experience prior to the College Program, that will be an attention grabber, and for good reason. After completing the application, interview, Traditions, training, and then working in the fast paced parks for so many months anything else will seem easy. Literally anything. Not only that, but any future company knows the WDW reputation for requiring excellence from all of their cast members. There is no slouching, frowning, leaning, back talking, laziness, or bad attitude allowed. People who make it through the grueling process are those who can create magic for all guests, and actually want to do it. These are the people who are willing, wanting, and waiting to go the extra mile. Now why wouldn't any employer want those qualities?

Another positive is the transition into the real world. Technically, we cast members lived on our own (as in, away from parents and schools) but are still in Disney provided housing with excellent security guards, and common sense rules to provide extra safety. It's a start though, it's a real tool to learn how to get along with roommates, cook, clean, do laundry, pay bills (although rent is taken, automatically, from each check), and get to work on time. Oh, and lets not forget having a bank. Disney provides a banking service from a company called Vista. For some (like me) it's a first to have a bank account, and Disney does what they can to educate. On the first day of being on property, Disney required all of us to attend an orientation, and part of that was teaching us how to fill out a check, balance a check book, and sign up for a bank account. Also, Vista has some very helpful bankers that will sit down and explain even more about budgeting and what not.

Something else to definitely keep in mind is the life lasting friendships that come from the experience. Every person you meet will be unique, and contribute something to the person you will develop into over the course of the internship. My former roommates, for example, are still friends of mine. We don't necessarily communicate every day, or very often, but they are always on my mind. We check up on one another via Facebook, and chat by text occasionally. At the birth of my daughter, I received gifts, cards, and congratulations from them, and with each achievement they have I make sure to share my happiness. Other friends met in Traditions, and on the job, are still part of my life with fairly regular life updates. Each of them mean so much to me, and helped make my time in the College Program special, and bearable when times got hard. And I will never forget them.

I think, though, that the biggest things that can be gained is self confidence. After going through so much, you will know that you can do anything you set your mind to (with the right amount of effort and work, of course). Not only that, but knowing that you were one of the fortunate few chosen to be in the College Program, that you have so much passion a Disney recruiter can see it during their brief interview, is more than enough of a confidence booster.

All in all, so much can be gained by applying. Not all that I have listed are "life skills" to most people, but to me they are. I cannot imagine a better program for life preparation, and some day, when my daughter turns 18, I hope she'll follow in my footsteps and give it a try.

Creating the Dream - The Interview

Growing up, I was always surrounded by Disney images - the main movies my family watched were either classics or Disney animation, and the dolls I had weren't Barbie, but the princesses. From how my family tells it, at an early age I would pretend to be a different Disney character each day and only answer to that character's name. My love for all things Disney stayed fairly steady until junior high hit: at that point, Disney seemed uncool and even childlike. Not something I wanted to associate myself with. For a few years, things were rocky and I walked away from myself, high school came and I met Krystal. She shared her passion for Disney with me, and told me about casting opportunities with the company. I started looking for all the Disney information I could find, wrote papers about the company in college, and started making plans for the future.

By 2005 both of us had completed high school and were of age to apply for the College Program. I still remember sitting at the college library computers, filling out the application. It had asked for employment information, and I remember thinking that I would never be accepted as all of my work, to that point, had been volunteer only. Still, I decided to complete the application, and go to the orientation. The worst Disney could say to me, was no. And if they did, I promised myself I'd be back.

A few weeks after completing the application, Krystal and I headed up to one of the community colleges in our area for the College Program orientation. Anyone who knows both of us knows we like to talk and have a good time. The ride up Bellevue Community College was different: We filled the car with Disney theme park music, and exchanged hopes that this would be our ticket into the Disney company. It took about 45 minutes to get up there, 45 minutes of not knowing what came next, or what to say.

We finally reached the campus, and headed into the room for orientation. It was filled with other college hopefuls, many of whom were dressed in suits, dresses, and brought along resumes and portfolios. We all gathered together and listened to the presentation, and watched the film for about 20 minutes. Then, our presenter, Bryan, requested we all leave the room so he could start the interviews, which would be conducted in groups of 3. Krystal and I waited in the cafeteria for over an hour. Then, finally, our group was called. The 3 of us went in (I believe the other girl's name was Julia) and sat in front of Bryan, trying to maintain our calm and quickly prepare answers. I remember that any thoughts I had prior to entering that room quickly left me. Internally, I was panicking, hoping that Krystal and Julia could keep talking so I could come up with something original to say. My turn suddenly came, and Bryan asked me why I wanted to work for Disney. All nervousness left, and I was able say that Disney was my dream. I had been pretending to be a part of their company since I was 3 years old, had researched it in high school, and wanted to create the magic I experienced on all of my trips. Bryan smiled, and then moved on to ask the other girls new questions. One of the last questions he asked me was what role I most wanted and why. Before I answered, he gave me a sheet with the listing of available roles along with a description. My first choice was being in costuming, because I wanted to be behind the scenes and create the magic, to let other kids see the characters, believe they were the characters, and take that memory home with them after their trip.

The other girls gave their answers, and then Bryan took a moment to look over our applications again. He finally looked up, smiled, and said he was going to do something unusual, and that we could not tell anyone else from the orientation, but that he would like to extend the opportunity of working at Disney World to all 3 of us. Bryan then said that, though none of us had much work experience, that we made up for it in our passion. He felt we would be a true asset to the Disney company, and he hoped we would accept the offer. After a few moments of just staring, all I could do was nod and say yes over and over again.

We left the room trying to contain ourselves, and not show our true excitement. Somehow, Krystal and I made it to the parking lot without saying a word. Once in her car, we let loose screaming, bouncing up and down, and calling random people - I actually remember leaving my now sister-in-law a voice mail shrieking "I did it, I got in, I'm going to Florida!!!!!" We ended that day with making future plans, and started coming up with how we wanted to decorate our Florida apartment. I still remember the ride home and the shock I felt: the shock at how one interview, and one man, could change my life forever and give me a chance at my Disney dream.