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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Roomies: In a little more detail



I've sort of touched on the roomie situation already in the blog I did about living conditions. However, while talking to a couple of my Disney friends, we agreed that I needed to go into a little more depth. The number one thing we felt it was necessary to mention was:

Do not expect to become best friends with your roommates...

Is it possible that you will become best friends with your roommates? Of course! But don't expect it. I did... and a couple other friends of mine did... and we both ended up moving apartments.

At the beginning, everyone is super nice and you think you really are living in fantasy land... about a month or two later you start to see people's true side. And that is what happened to me, sort of. I had 7 roommates and 6 of them decided to stab me in the back and what they did made my entire CP life hell... so instead of staying in that apartment with the one roommate I could actually stand, I moved.

Luckily, I had talked to a couple friends of mine and it turned out that they had an empty bed in their apartment so all I had to do was get it approved through housing, pay 50 bucks and sign a waiver saying I wouldn't drink alcohol in the apartment since I would be moving into a non-wellness.

I lovvvveddd that apartment. One of the girls and I had a falling out, but I still had 6 other girls who I considered sisters to me and I was much MUCH happier living there.

Moral of the story: If your roommates suck, move. Don't be worried about causing drama, hurting your roommates feelings , etc... do what is going to make YOU happy. It's worth it in the end.

Also...

You will be living with people from all over the country and possibly people from other countries... if I can offer you one piece of advice about that:

Be prepared to compromise!!

People might surprise you. Some people have never had to take out the trash or do the dishes their entire lives. Some people's "really clean" is your "really messy"... some people just DON'T care about partying at 2 am when you have to be to work 4 hours later... the more you prepare yourself for compromise and team work, the better off y'all are going to be !!!

I also recommend to make some sort of chores chart and set some apartment "rules" right off the bat. It will just help organize everyone right away and will probably save some arguments down the road.

Downtown Disney Must Do's

Downtown Disney (DTD) offers a range of shops, restaurants and entertainment to participate in. It is free to get into DTD but you pay for everything inside of it such as shopping, eating, Cirque, Disney Quest, etc. Here is my list of must do's!!
Shopping
1. World of Disney: It is an incredibly HUGE store and you can probably find any Disney item you want in this store. I've gotten lost in it multiple times. (well, ok not lost but I couldn't find my way back to the way I entered).














2. Design A T-shirt- maybe not a must do, but I made a college program shirt and I like it and thought it was fun. It cost about 25 bucks, but it's not like I did it every day...

Places to Eat

1. Ghirardelli- I am in love with their ice cream. My friends and I went there A LOT!! (and you get a cast member discount!!)

2. Rainforest Cafe- There is also a location at Disney's Animal Kingdom, but I am partial to this location since I had my Pre-Check In dinner there and it's the place where I met a BUNCH of my friends for the first time!













3. Planet Hollywood















Downtown Disney also has a TON of other restaurants that are very popular with guests, I just don't feel like I can recommend them necessairly because I never ate there...

Entertainment
1. Disney Quest- You will like this if you like video games. It is known as a "5 story indoor-interactive theme park". Here is where you can go on a virtual Jungle Cruise, Virtual Pirates ride, Build and ride your own roller coaster, etc. I liked it.













2. Cirque Du Soleil: La Nouba- Wait until you get 50% off tickets. We paid $42.00 for 4th row tickets. We probably could have gotten better yet, but we had 13 people together and we all wanted to sit together. There really isn't a bad seat in the house from the looks of it and the show is SPECTACULAR!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Must Do's at Hollywood Studios



Disney's Hollywood Studios is my favorite park, hands down. I could spend days upon days in this park and not get bored. I spent a lot of time at this park during my CP and my favorite things to do include:

Attractions:

1. Rockin' Roller Coaster











2. Hollywood Tower of Terror


















3. Toy Story Mania- but get there early because the line is always long and fast passes run out early!!













Shows

1. Beauty and the Beast- live on stage... I could watch this all day.



















2. Lights motor Action: Extreme Stunt Show

Food

1. 50's prime time cafe- great home styled food and a fun atmosphere!!
2. Sci Fi- I never actually got to eat here but I really wanted to and I heard it was great!!!

Also... make sure to take the time to view the performances by the street performers!! They are great!!















And please, please, please see Fantasmic... it is my favorite... EVER!

Must Do's at Epcot


Epcot is a park that is split up into two areas: Future world -and- the world showcase. Epcot used to be my favorite park. That being said it's not anymore and I think I went there 3 or 4 total times during my program. There are a couple things I love doing there, though:

Attractions

1. Soarin'- get there early since there is always a constant line without fail.
2. Test Track













3. Mission Space- extreme team













4 .Finding Nemo- it's so cute!!
















The one thing I haven't really done at Epcot, and it's considered a cardinal sin by most, is eat. I know, I know... a reason for me to go back, right!?!

I do love the night time entertainment of Illuminations... it's beautiful... and I'm in love with the soundtrack.

I also love taking pictures around the world show case!!!...














Must Do's at Animal Kingdom


Disney's Animal Kingdom is an awesome park. A common misconception is that it is a zoo. That is not true. It does have animal trails in it like a zoo, but it also has Disney characters, attractions, shops, amazing shows and restaurants. Here is my list of must do's at Animal Kingdom:

Attractions

1. Expedition Everest- sit in the front row!!






















2. Dinosaur- sit in the back row for the wildest ride!! (This picture was taken when my friends and I got stuck on it for 45 mintues and just before we were evacuated... )












3. Kilimanjaro Safaris






































4. Kali River Rapids

Shows

1. Finding Nemo The Musical
2. Festival of the Lion King

Food

1. Character buffet at Donald's Breakfastsorus

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Must Do's at Magic Kingdom



Magic Kingdom is a beautiful park. For most people this IS Disney World. Here is my list of Must Do's:

Attractions
1. Splash Mountain










(My roomie and I on splash mountain)

2. Big Thunder Mountain












3. Space Mountain
4. Pirates of the Caribbean












5. Move it Shake it Celebrate it Parade.... and actually participate











6. Jungle Cruise
7. Haunted Mansion












8. Laugh Floor

Eating:
1. DOLE WHIPSSSSS!!!




















2. Casey's
3. Crystal Palace Character Buffet

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Top 10 (or so) Questions I get asked

So I've done some thinking about the top 10 (or s0) questions that I get asked about the CP... here they are!!!...

1. How many Mickey's are there?
- Once people find out you are a cast member they come up with what they think are really clever questions, such as "how many mickey's are there"... the answer is: one. One mickey, one minnie, one pluto, one goofy... you get it. Without fail, they tell you that they are an adult and they "get how it works" and that you can tell them the "truth"... well it goes like this: "Sir, I'm sorry, the answer is still one and will forever be, one. I'm not sure why you think there are multiple mickey's, but if you have any other questions guest services would be happy to assist you!"... or something like that.

2. What is that cable for that is connected to Cinderella's Castle?
- I've given multiple answers to that question but my two favorite are:
a. That is Prince Charming's ESPN cable... he likes to watch the games, too!!
b. It's cinderella's clothing line to hang the clothes to dry.


ok, now onto the ones CP's ask:

1. Wait, disney contacts my school?
- Yes and No. I was worried about this since my school won't tell anyone anything regarding my status at that school... not even to my parents. So, i emailed my recruiter expressing my concerns. They replied back stating they only contacted the schools that they had contact information for and they didn't have any for my school so i didn't have to worry... take that for what you will :)

2. Are there any trick interview questions you get while interviewing for the CP?
- This is a business interview. They don't try and trick you. Think about the roles you selected and possible challanging guest situations. Now think about any sort of questions that you could be asked about those scenerios/roles... and prepare those answers and you'll be fine!!!

3. Any thing you reccomend to cure homesickness?
- Calling home is always good... but if you aren't satisfied with that, then you can download skype or another messaging service and purchase a webcam, so you can see your friends and family while talking to them!! It helps everyone involved :-)

4. I heard that arrival dates are specific to your role you recieve, is this true?
-No. All roles arrive at various times throughout the month that your program starts.

5. Is the bus transportation free?
- Yes. It will take you to work, walmart, publix, and i believe cross roads... There could be more, but i never took the bus beyond my 1st 2 weeks and it was only to work that i took it :)

6. How much do the apartments cost?
- it varies.
i'll start with the LEAST expensive and go to the MOST expensive:
Vista 3/4 bedroom
Vista 1/2 bedroom
Chatham 3/4 bedroom
Chatham 1/2 bedroom
Patterson 3/4 bedroom
Patterson 1/2 bedroom
The commons.

I was in a chatham 4 bedroom and I think I paid 82/week. I heard patterson was only a dollar more and they were practically brand new... go figure:-)

7. What does PI stand for?
- Professional Internship

8. Why do you have to pay to do the CP?
- There is a 100.50 fee that goes toward housing events that are free to participate in such as: Grocery Bingo, pool parties, Graduation, etc.

9. How much do paychecks average per week after taxes and rent?
That varies by role and hours worked. For hospitality, i averaged 35-40 hours a week and my checks were an average of 140 after taxes and rent per week. So... about... 560/month. And then you have to figure in money for gas if you have a car, groceries, and any sort of entertainment that you want to take in.

10. I know a person who found out their work location early. How is that possible? I want to know!
- I knew a couple people who had friends that were CPs already and had them search for their name on the HUB before their arrival date. Some people were already in the system and it showed their work location... some people weren't in the system yet and had no luck. I can understand wanting to know your location early... but that's part of the fun and excitement of the whole first week... hold off if you can :-)