"Keys" to success!!

There are quite a few things discussed in training that can’t be repeated to those not employed by the company, but what I can tell you is how much Disney stresses something referred to as the Four Keys. If you ever work for Disney you will hear this term so many times it will probably make you ill. The Four Keys are basically just an illustration Disney has invented to describe their top priorities as a company. The Four Keys are as follows: Safety, Courtesy, Show, and Efficiency. Not only were these values stressed to us day in and day out, we were told it was important to remember that they are reason these “keys” are in that order. They are lined up in order of importance. You see, Safety is the top priority at Disney World. Safety for the guests and safety for the employees. One day we spent a good hour watching training videos just on how to lift heavy objects without straining our backs. Now Efficiency is also important to the company, but you should never endanger yourself or others around you by discarding Safety to achieve Efficiency, and so on and so forth. Personally, my favorite “key” was Show. We were taught that everything at Disney is a performance. That is why the areas the guests can’t see is called “backstage” and the park is called “onstage.” You don’t have a “job” you receive a “role.” You don’t wear a “uniform” you wear a “costume.” The people are not “customers” they are “guests.” All of these terms were taught to us and they really stressed the importance of using them and truly adopting the idea that your time spent with Disney is more or less, a production. On your last day of training at Disney University your trainer takes you to Magic Kingdom for your first official tour of the park and of course, the first time you are ever allowed backstage as you are now an employee. Complete side note for those that may be doing the College Program- You will be expected to wear business casual clothing throughout all of your training. Let me stress to you, on the day of your tour, WEAR DRESS PANTS AND BROKEN IN FLATS. The park is huge, and it’s usually hot, and you are standing and walking the entire time. You do not sit once during your tour. (This is probably dependent on your trainer, but we certainly did not.) If you wear a dress you run the risk of your inner thighs being raw by the end of the day. If you wear heels, you will absolutely want to die. I’m so serious. One of the girls in my group wore heels and another girl wore flats that she had just gotten. But the end of our tour her blisters were bleeding so badly it was dripping down her shoes, and the girl in heels had actual bruises on the bottom of her feet. Keep it in mind.
Next week we will get into our onsite training so stay tuned! Let me know if there are any specific questions you would like answered!!

"Ohana means family."

Our family is no stranger to Disney World. Growing up it was always our first choice for vacations and we made frequent trips throughout my lifetime. It has gotten to the point that is almost expected every three years or so. As of this past summer it had been quite a while since we had taken a true, all out, Robinson family trip to Walt Disney World. So this past May, on the eve of my 21^st birthday, my parents surprised us all with news that we were headed to Disney in just a few short days! We were elated and it turned out to be one of our greatest trips yet. To commemorate this perfect family adventure, here are a few of my favorite shots that fill my heart with such Disney love. Enjoy!

 

 

"We're following the leader, wherever he may go."

Before we continue discussing training, a lot of people have talked to me about the stress of the first couple of days on your program. Even describing it now reminds me of how exhausting and fast paced Check Ins and moving in and the beginning of training was. BUT let me assure you that Disney has this down to a science. They don’t do anything that’s not basically perfect. So while there is a ton to do and you feel like you are being thrown so much information, they do a wonderful job of walking you through every step. They know you’ve never done this before. And most people are multiple hours away from home. For some people, this was their first time away. And no matter how many jobs you have had before or how many times you might have lived away from home, there is nothing like working for Disney. They get that. So as long as you are there and willing to strap in for the ride, you’ll be fine. Just be prepared for your first few days to be incriminated into almost seconds. But they will tell you where to be and when to be there and what to wear. Just follow the leader. On your day of Check In you will given something called a Program Guide. This little book is packed full of useful information you might need while you are on your program. It has every number you could possibly want, addresses for everything from parks to grocery stores, maintenance information for you apartment, and so much more. Read it, live by it, it’s a life saver.

Also, I mentioned my mother helping me move in. Let’s talk about the apartment complex rules specifically. You CANNOT at ANY POINT allow people to stay with you within you College Program apartments. Ever. Under any circumstances. So before you invite your best friend and grandma to come visit you, understand that they will have to stay in a hotel. Now, you are given sizable discounts on said hotel stays (which we will discuss later) but know that no overnight guests are allowed in the apartments. When friends come to see you in your apartment you must sign them in at the gate. You have to come meet them there to let them in, show your own personal apartment ID, they must show their ID, and then you have to sign them in. When it is time for them to leave, you also must go and sign them out. You are given an ID for your specific apartment complex the day of Check Ins. This is separate from your cast member ID. This ID is required for your entry into the apartment complex and your ability to ride the bus, so DON’T LOSE IT OR FORGET IT. Most people buy lanyards in which they kept both. I learned that was the easiest way to ensure I had both on me at all times.
Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions about the Check In process or apartments or the first few crazy days of Disney!! We will pick up next week with Traditions training.
See ya real soon!!

Why Disney Princesses are in fact, perfect.

I’m going to interrupt our regularly scheduled information pieces for a bit of an opinion piece, so strap in because there is potential for this to be a bumpy ride.

Let’s talk about Disney princesses.
I will preface this by telling you two important facts about me:
1. I am a feminist
2. I am in fact, not a princess. (In case there was any confusion)
BUT I have an intense passion and belief for the Disney princesses and what they stand for.
So here are 5 myths about Disney princesses that I am here to debunk.

1. Disney princesses are brats.
Nothing aggravates me more than when people try to portray the princesses as selfish and pampered little girls that always get their way. Frankly I can’t name you one from my childhood that taught me to be selfish. In fact, more often than not they were busy showing me how to be a kind and compassionate young woman. Let’s take Belle for instance. We open this story with the most attractive man in town begging for her hand in marriage. A man that could clearly provide for her and would manage to be pretty decent arm candy. But she refuses because she is in search of something more. She then proceeds to save her father from harm, take his place as a prisoner to a Beast, find a way to forgive a man that enslaved her and stole all of her freedom, and goes on to even love him enough to soften his heart and change him forever not only saving his own soul but the soul of all the people he had hurt through his actions (the random household objects she befriends)
Whoa. How dare she teach our children to be so selfish?

2. Disney princesses are always white.
OKKKKKKK. Let’s have a quick chat about geography. There is a difference in “white-washing” and just being culturally accurate. The movie Brave is set in Ireland. The largest demographic in Ireland? Irish. These people just happen to have white skin. The movie Tangled is set in Germany. The largest demographic in Germany? German. They have white skin. And let’s not forget all of the princesses that represent vastly different cultures. Pocahontas, Jasmine, Mulan. White washing would be setting “Princess and the Frog” in New Orleans but giving Tiana blonde hair and naming her Amanda.

3. Disney princesses can’t relate to modern day issues.
The official line up of Disney princesses contains 12 women. In order of release: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, and Anna.
7 of them are raised in single parent households, either caused by death or divorce. According to the Kids Count Data Center, 35% of American children are living in a similar situation at home. Furthermore, 3 of the princesses are orphaned at a young age leaving them relatable for an estimated 153 million children worldwide.
At the beginning of “Aladdin”, Jasmine is trying desperately to escape the cultural norm of arranged marriages, which may seem silly to us in the United States but is certainly something many young Arabian girls can still associate with. Mulan is fighting against a culture that allows little ways for women to show honor other than marrying the appropriate man. This remains an issue in the Chinese culture today. And Pocahontas is forced to choose between her father and a man she has fallen in love with because her village is unwilling to accept an interracial relationship.  There are few cultures nowadays that can’t relate to that particular issue.  

4. Disney princesses are always being saved.
Does anyone else remember the time Mulan took her father’s place in one of the most brutal wars in Chinese history? Or the time Pocahontas threw herself on top of her boyfriend so her father would bash her head to pieces instead of his? Just checking.

5. Disney princess are always being swept off their feet by a prince.
This one is just humorous. First of all, more often than not, the princesses were brave enough to go out and find their own man. Like Cinderella breaking out of her evil stepmother’s house to go to the ball. Also, she barely even mentioned the prince before she went. It’s not like she was going to the club to meet a man. She does chores all day, the girl just wanted to party, let her live, geez. She happened to look really good and a guy liked her. She can’t help that. And Ariel. Bless her heart. She was so determined to be with that boy she went to an evil sea witch to order a pair of enchanted legs and traded her voice and freedom. For a vast part of the movie she didn’t even have the opportunity to be swept off her feet because she didn’t have any. Belle falls in love with her prison warden, Jasmine plays hooky from the castle one day and literally runs into the street rat, Tiana falls in love whilst transformed into a frog (which is just altogether confusing), and Anna’s “prince” tried to kill her.
Also, points to Merida because she’s an independent woman and didn’t need a man at all.

So, let’s just all accept that the Disney princesses are perfect. Please and thank you.

"You gotta friend in me."

After receiving our roles we were sent back to our apartment complexes to get settled in. My mother and I spent the afternoon moving me in and then I returned with her to spend the night in the hotel so we could enjoy a park day together on the 16^th. As Disney employees you are allowed free entrance into the parks. You also receive something called “Main Gate Passes” that give you five opportunities to bring three friends or family members inside the parks with you for free. However, it takes a few days to process all your information and begin training so there are about 3-5 days before you are able to use your IDs to get in. As a present from my dad, we hit the park the next day as guests and obviously we went to Magic Kingdom.

I remember it being such an exciting feeling. I was really there. This lifelong dream of mine was truly being fulfilled before my eyes. I think I spent most of the day in happy tears. After enjoying the day with my mother and spending one more night in the hotel, she returned home and I made my way back to my newest temporary home, Patterson Court. You are given 3 days from your check in date to move in and calm down. The entire check in process is extremely stressful and utterly exhausting so you spend most of the days sleeping and getting to know your room mates. One evening we ventured out to Downtown Disney but for the most part we stayed in and unpacked while excitedly discussing and anticipating our future days.

Let's talk a second about room mates. With apartments comes the question of "How many?" There are the options of 1, 3, 5, or 7. You can choose from a one bedroom apartment with a single room mate all the way up to a four bedroom apartment with 8 of you. Some people find their room mates before the program begins. There are multiple forums found on Facebook that you can join to find people doing the same program as you with the same start date and you can arrange your room ahead of time. Others find their room mates as they are going through check ins. As I entered the line on the day of check ins I knew I wanted a bigger apartment. I was leaning towards a 3 or 4 bedroom preferably, but I knew no one and had no certain plans. That is when Fate intervened and introduced me to my room mates that became my very best friends and the biggest blessings of my program. I was just standing in line when Marta (you will hear about her often) walked up and introduced herself. After speaking to me for sometime she pulled her two friends aside (Rachel and Caten) And they returned to explain they needed one more room mate and would like to ask me to join! There is housing for under 21 year olds called "Wellness Housing" and because we were all 19 and under it fit perfectly. I can't tell you how wonderful knowing them has been.

Your first day of training is called Traditions. You load buses and are taken to Disney University, where all of your initial training is held. It was absolutely thrilling. In the beginning you are randomly separated into smaller groups and led to different classrooms, strictly based on alphabetical order. This is when you acquire all basic Disney training, that is given to anyone regardless of their role. I remember this day being rather overwhelming. There is so much information thrown at you at once and while they make you feel valuable, you are also acutely aware of how many people want your job, and could have it if the rules aren’t followed. The majority of the day was spent discussing Disney history and heritage, and the importance of you as an employee, carrying on this legacy. Day Two and Three were more specifically targeted at your personal role. Stay tuned!

"I will go most anywhere to find where I belong..."

This post is going to be completely dedicated to Disney College Program Housing information, so bear with me. As I said in a post before Disney does have designated housing for College Program participants. There are three apartment complexes to choose from. Vista Way, Chatham Square, and Patterson Court. While I ended up living in Patterson I spent many a night in each apartment complex with friends so I feel fairly educated on the pros and cons of each place, so here we go.


Vista Way:
Vista Way is the original College Program apartments so that obviously comes with its advantages and disadvantages. While it is honorable to have lived in the first, these apartments are also extremely dated. They are also the cheapest of the apartments. While this may be appealing to some, it also attracts a very large party crowd. Vista Way is really just a place people use to lay there head. It is not somewhere you would go if you wanted to create a home for yourself while you were down there. If you wanted a quiet place to escape to after work, this place is not for you. That being said Vista Way is the closest to the strip. It is within walking distance of a Chick Fil A, Wendy’s, Santa Fe, and a Walgreens. Keeping with the positives here, it is also the home of the main College Program offices and the bus stop at Vista Way is where the bus drivers use to switch so you are rarely left waiting like you can be at the other stops. But keep in mind, even when these conveniences the place is nicknamed “Vista Lay” for its notoriety in the party scene.  

Chatham Square:
Chatham Square is the second most expensive complex (however is differs from Patterson by just a few dollars) and it certainly the prettiest in regards to landscaping. There is a bus stop directly in front of the complex and within walking distance of a large field people use for sports. With Chatham you will deal with Housing Events. Housing Events are put on by the College Program people and they are a way of uniting all the students in various activities throughout your program. You go to wherever the event is located, tents are set up, you get free food, there are meet and greet characters, and usually some sort of fun theme. While these might be close they also create quite an inconvenience the day of and they can be loud. These are also the most coveted of the Housing so they run out of Chatham quickly (this happened to me and we had lined up at 4:00 in the morning.)

Patterson Court:
Home sweet home. I personally loved living in Patterson. It is the most expensive of the Housing Complexes, but keep in mind your rent is taken directly from your paycheck so it’s easy to get used to not missing that money. It has a pretty pool and it relatively small so it creates easy entrances and exits. It’s within walking distance of a Publix and most of the Disney Classes are held in the classrooms on Patterson’s complex. The only strong disadvantage was not having a bus stop, but the Chatham stop is roughly an 8 minute walk.

Keep in mind this was two years ago, so I am sure things have changed and I am forgetting things. Check out these two bloggers for more info!! http://thedcplife.blogspot.com/2013/11/disney-college-program-housing.html, http://thefrodiaries.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-introduction-to-disney-housing-and.html

"Tell everybody I'm on my way..."

There is something absolutely exhilarating about packing up your life into your car and driving it to someplace completely different to start a brand new adventure. On August 14th, 2012 I squeezed everything I could possibly fit inside my trusty travelling sidekick (including my mother) and we headed for Disney. From my hometown it's about a 12 hour car ride, but the anticipation stretched it into what felt like 4 days.

My mom and I stayed in the All Star Sports hotel the night before check ins which commenced on the 15th. Now let me explain check ins. When you are accepted to the College Program (or maybe during the application process, I can't quite remember) you select a start date. This is simply you deciding which date between a few choices provided works best for you and the time you wish to spend there. I had decided to do the program that Fall semester so most of the start dates were in August. The start date refers to the time you are set to arrive and check in for you program.

In true Disney fashion, this process isn't mundane and structured like being assigned to your dorm. If you are participating in the College Program there is designated housing. Disney provides three different apartment complexes for students- Vista Way, Chatham Square, and Patterson Court. (I will designate my next post purely to Housing) Because housing is first come first serve, people begin lining up for check ins at 3:00 a.m. Check ins are held Vista Way, the original apartments of the College Program. You line up at the gate along with the other participants and wait until 8:00 when the actual registration process can begin.

The registration process consists of mainly handing in personal information the Disney Company would need to employ you. You also receive your photo identification that allows you within the apartment complex and gives you access to the bussing system provided for the college students. When you are finished registering you line up outside to load a bus that takes you to the Casting Castle. The Casting Castle is where you will receive your role (or job) and the location you will be working. When you arrive as a College Program student you literally know nothing. You are completely unaware of where you will be living, what your job will be, and sometimes who you will be living with. For me, this was exciting, but for some people it was very unsettling. When we arrived at the Casting Castle we were lined up down a long hallway (Alice in Wonderland themed, might I add) and we were each handed small slips of paper and told to wait. When everyone had received there’s we were allowed to open them all together and the hallway erupted into chatter. Some were giddy with excitement, some stared at their slips of paper in horror. Because on these sheets of papers were our new lives. And I looked down to see “Elise Robinson-Animal Kingdom-Food and Beverage.”