Ten Days and Counting

We're officially at the ten-day mark. I'm back in Auburn, trying to finish packing all of my stuff. I don't know about everyone else, but really seeing just how much stuff I have kind of makes me sick. I wish I wasn't leaving most of it at my parent's house so I could just sell all of it online while I'm down in Orlando. I do have a few boxes to start with, but there is so much more I need to get rid of.

Here's a picture from about the half-way point in boxing things up. And most of this is just essentials! My holiday (mostly Halloween) decorations are where I'm on overload. I really should pare down, but it's just so hard to get rid of such awesome stuff. Especially when you get awesome stuff on clearance! Man..

Anyway. I'll be going to back to Birmingham for New Year's Eve and then staying for a few more days. Then it's back to Auburn for a final day of packing. Let the exhaustion begin.

Disney Christmas!

I got quite a few Disney-themed Christmas gifts this year! Lots of Hallmark ornaments, a few small things (like band-aids), and a calendar. But my favorite gift was this wonderful gift from my sister:

The knife set was another gift from my sister, but the Mickey waffle maker was what she got me for Christmas! I'm so excited to use it! I've been wanting one for so long!

The day after Christmas, my sister and I began and ended our day with some wonderful Disney films! I'm going to miss our Regal Cinemas so much. I love that theater.

Saving Mr. Banks was absolutely wonderful. The end is a real tear-jerker and the credits are just amazing. The Sherman brothers casting was perfect and the details in Walt's office were fantastic (Hello, Haunted Mansion and Florida Project concept art!).

I really enjoyed Frozen, too. I wasn't a huge fan of how the trolls looked or their song, but Elsa's "Let it Go" sequence makes up for everything I didn't like about the movie. There's no telling how many times I've listened to that song since I left the theater.

Now it's time to leave Birmingham and head back to Auburn to finish packing for the move!

See Ya Real Soon?!

Just a few short days?! WHAT?! I've still got like three weeks! I'm not ready, Disney! Stop rushing me!

I still have to pack and then there's Christmas, New Year's, moving plans, the actual move, getting settled in... Nope! Not ready!

DCP E-mail Timeline (From Acceptance to Check-In)

I know this is different for everyone, but I just wanted to show the timeline for when I received certain e-mails between the time I was accepted (September 20) and the day I checked in (January 8). So here's what's happened so far:

September 13 - E-mail about character auditions with locations, dates, and times
September 22 - E-mail requesting program fees to be paid
September 23 - E-mail requesting to select program arrival/departure dates
September 23 - E-mail requesting for additional information for human resources, payroll, etc.
September 23 - "Welcome to the Team!" e-mail containing candidate ID and Onboarding website information
October 21 - E-mail from my school's campus representatives, congratulating me on my acceptance
November 7 - Invitation from my school's campus representatives to the We're All Ears information session
November 8 - E-mail about The Disney Look
November 11 - Confirmation e-mail for my class registration indicating course expectations and other information
November 20 - E-mail containing the New Hire documents link and log-in information, followed by a separate e-mail containing log-in password
November 20 - "Share your good news!" e-mail containing graphics to use on social media sites to show off your acceptance into the program - also contained tentative dates for the next round of applications in the spring
November 23 - E-mail containing information about education opportunities on the program
December 4 - E-mail from my campus representatives, thanking those who attended the We're All Ears event, and giving a list of all of their contact information
December 8 - "Prepare for Your Arrival" e-mail, reminding us to check out all the information on the Onboarding website and to secure employment eligibility documents (driver's license, birth certificate, social security card, etc.)
December 18 - "See Ya Real Soon!" e-mail, reminding us to complete New Hire documents and check out all the information on the Onboarding site
December 23 - "Disney Housing Pre-Registration" - a two-part e-mail with DORMS (Disney Onsite Management Resident Management System) information
December 25 - "Action Required" DORMS e-mail, reminding me of the pre-registration time frame closing in 48 hours
December 26 - "Final Notice" DORMS e-mail, stating that pre-registrations closes in 24 hours
December 27 - DORMS Boarding Pass e-mail
December 28 - Another "FInal Reminders" e-mail, reminding me to check out all the information on the Onboarding site before check-in
January 3 - DORMS Domestic Arrival reminder, indicating when to arrive, what to bring, and how to dress

And that's all that's happened so far! I'm not sure if there are any other important e-mails left, but I'll continue to update this post until check-in day!

Disney To-Do List

I know I won't get to do everything on this list (especially dining), but I'm going to try my darnedest! I'm going to section it off into categories to make it a little more readable:

Disney College Program

• Attend at least one housing event
• Shadow someone who works for the Disney Event Group
• Visit Company D, Property Control, and Cast Connections stores
• Do a backstage tour of The Haunted Mansion
• Find a way to get a peek inside the Cinderella Castle Suite
• Be a Disney VoluntEAR
• Meet Joe Rhode
• Work in a different resort than the one I am assigned to.
• Create a magic memory for a guest.
• Earn a Guest Service Fanatic card
• Attend graduation

Theme Parks

• Take at least one behind-the-scenes tour in a park
• Attend Star Wars Weekends
• Participate in Dapper Day
• Collect paper Fastpasses for any rides still using them before they're done away with
• Meet any characters I haven't met
• See any shows I haven't seen (that I want to).
• Magic Kingdom: Enchanted Tales with Belle
• EPCOT:  Off-Kilter
• Hollywood Studios: Beauty and the Beast
• Animal Kingdom: N/A
• Ride/experience any attractions I haven't been on.
• Magic Kingdom: Enchanted Tiki Room (original), Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom
• EPCOT: Agent P's World Showcase Adventure
• Hollywood Studios: Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow
• Animal Kingdom: The Boneyard

Dining

• Get a Dolewhip (They're vegan now!)
• Eat at the following resort restaurants:
• Jiko and Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Kouzzina at the Boardwalk
• Maya Grill at Coronado Springs
• Trail's End at Fort Wilderness
• 1900 Park Fare and Citricos at the Grand Floridian
• Boatwright's at Port Orleans Riverside
• Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge
• Eat at the following park restaurants:
• Magic Kingdom: Be Our Guest, Cinderella's Royal Table
• EPCOT: Coral Reef, Biergarten, Chefs de France, La Hacienda de San Angel
• Hollywood Studios: Brown Derby
• Animal Kingdom: N/A

Recreation

• Characters in Flight
• See Cirque du Soleil La Nouba
• Rent a watercraft in the Seven Seas Lagoon
• Learn to surf at Typhoon Lagoon
• Go bowling at Splitsville

Resorts

• Visit all the resorts by having themed Value, Moderate, and Deluxe exploration days!
• Attend Chip and Dale's Campfire Sing-a-Long at Fort Wilderness
• Take a dining tour at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Stay at the Yacht or Beach Club for one night so I can finally swim in Stormalong Bay!
• Watch the geyser erupt at Wilderness Lodge

Orlando Area

• Visit Busch Gardens
• Take a class with the Orlando Trapeze Federation
• Buy a season pass to the Universal Orlando Resort
• Attend the opening ceremonies for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - London
• Feed a baby manatee with a bottle.. somehow

Graduation!

I am officially an Auburn University graduate!

I'm smart!

I had my very last final on Friday and yesterday was my graduation ceremony. My family came down to celebrate with me and we went out for pizza afterwards. My husband, Jon, also graduated, but his ceremony was before mine and we weren't able to attend each others. Here are some photos from yesterday:

"I did it!"

The tassel switch.

Me and my grandparents.

Me, my parents, and my grandparents.

Me and my cat. Just trying to take a nice photo before I left for the ceremony!

I graduated Summa Cum Laude (GPA 3.8+), earning a  Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University! War Eagle!

Now I can solely focus on packing, the holidays, and the big move!

In Exactly One Month...

In exactly one month, I will be finding out which one of these amazing Walt Disney World resort hotels I will be working at.

Additionally, I will be living approximately five miles away from Disney's Animal Kingdom park! I can't even wrap my head around this. It's all going to happen so fast over these next few weeks.

This Week: Finals, a paper, and graduation
The Next Week: Packing
The Next Week: Christmas
The Next Week: Loading everything up and moving to Orlando
The Next Week: Check-in day!

Goodness, what a whirlwind this is going to be.

We're All Ears - Part Two

Just got back from my campus' We're All Ears info session! You should make sure you're in contact with your school's campus reps when doing the program to see if they host one of these, because I highly encourage you to go! It was a lot of fun getting to meet everyone else from Auburn who is doing the program, finding out their roles and majors, and playing against them in Disney trivia Jeopardy!

When I got there, the campus reps were still setting up. But there were DCP balloons, snacks (including a Mickey-shaped cheeseball!), photos from previous programs that the reps had participated in, and they were all wearing their Disney name tags. Everyone introduced themselves to me and I was able to find out what role they had participated in. There was very little overlap! Between the reps and the Spring '14 participants, we had Concierge (me!), Lifeguard, Quick Service F&B, Attractions, Custodial, Merchandise, and Main Entrance Operations. So lots of variety there!

Once we got situated, everyone went around the room and introduced themselves (name, major, year in school, role on the program). Then we started out the evening with a game of Disney Trivia Jeopardy. There were a few tricky questions, such as "What are the names of Daisy Duck's three nieces?" (not nephews)! The answer was April, May, and June (who knew?!) I got to answer a "Name That Tune" that just so happened to be from my favorite Disney animated film, Hercules. They gave out prizes like pens, screen cleaners, and a DCP drawstring bag. We also got some sweet DCP car decals, as you can kind of see in the photo above!

After the game, the campus reps got into the main presentation and Q&A session. They talked about the Living, Learning, and Earning and encouraged questions throughout the event. I didn't really learn anything new necessarily, but it was nice to hear some of the facts in person rather than randomly over the internet. They definitely went more in-depth during this than during any regular DCP info session open to the entire school.

Overall, I thought it was a great event. It was nice to meet like-minded Disney fans who go to Auburn. I really wish I wasn't graduating this semester so I could come back and be a campus rep! What a great job! (With some seriously awesome perks!)

Here are a few more photos from tonight:

As you can see, I even received my official Disney name tag! ; )

We're All Ears!

Tonight my university's Disney College Program campus representatives are holding an information session called "We're All Ears!" So I'm just sitting around in the student center, waiting until it's time to leave for the event.

From what I understand, this event is held so that accepted students from the university can meet each other and ask DCP alumni any questions they may have about the program. So I'm going to come up with a list of questions I would like to hear their insight on!

1. What is the best way to network while on the program?
2. How can you get in contact with someone in the department you want to eventually work in? Is it acceptable to ask if you can shadow them for a day or two?
3. What should I know about living off campus? (Does it make things harder, etc.) Any secret shortcuts for driving to work from the Davenport area?
4. Which of the DCP events should I really try to go to?
5. How can I get an electronic transcript for when I apply to the professional internships in the spring?
6. How and when do you request for an extension of your program or for a full time position?

I think that's good enough for now. Maybe when we're all talking I'll be able to think of some more.

...Disney Institute Called!

From what I had been reading online, all Professional Internship decisions were supposed to have been made by November 25.

So you can understand my surprise when on Tuesday, November 26, I received a voicemail from someone at the Disney Institute in Celebration, Florida, stating that they had ended up with my resume and were calling to see if I would be available for and interested in a Professional Internship. I called back to see what the job was about and it turns out it was for some sort of consulting position with the Account Director of the Disney Institute. Definitely nothing I applied for myself! But I thought it couldn't hurt to practice interviewing and to use this as an opportunity to see if this would be something I'd be interested in after the College Program. So I set up an interview for the following morning at 9:30 AM, Central, with the Account Director of the Disney Institute.

This man was very nice and explained the job very thoroughly for me. Basically, I would be acting as an assistant to the Account Director, coming up with proposals, and assisting in training sessions with the companies that come to Disney for advice on how to run their business. He made sure to mention that they were looking to hire for the long-term, as they were experiencing tremendous growth and wanted people who they could keep on as full time employees after the internship period. That part I liked! However, he also mentioned that once full time, there would be travel involved - such as going out and meeting with businesses at their own locations, all around the country. While I would probably be interested in that if I were single and had no pets, I just can't see that being my lifestyle at this point in time.

He told me that if I was interested in the position, I should get online and find the application to fill out by Friday. He said they were looking to make a decision very quickly and that the two chosen applicants would find out this week if they were extended an offer.

After carful consideration, I decided not to apply. I was called again yesterday to inquire about my application status, but I just don't think I'll be following up. While it does seem like a great job to have with Disney, I'm not quite ready for that kind of business atmosphere just yet. I've wanted to do the Disney College Program for the past seven years and I just couldn't bring myself to even chance giving up my dream role as a concierge in a Walt Disney World resort. I want to be trained to give the best possible customer service to guests and have the chance to interact with fellow Disney fans from all over the world before I settle down at a desk job.

However, I am pretty honored that I was even called and offered a chance at this internship with the Disney Institute. It has definitely made me feel more confident going into the next round of applications for Professional Internships in February, especially getting to see how different people conduct the phone interviews. Definitely eases the stress a bit.

So, that's that! I'll update soon about our apartment-hunting trip we took to Orlando the weekend before Thanksgiving!