Its a Jolly Holiday

So my promised vacation post is here! Yaaaay! An honest moment: no one is really going to want to read my trip review. SO! I have decided to post a TON of pictures (not really, I didn't take that many pictures) because pictures are much more fun. So without further ado, my Jolly Disney Holiday.
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This is my twin. Not literally but he is my best friend whom I happened to meet while on the CP. My ability to go on this Disney Va-cay was in large part do to him since he is the person that I stayed with while in Orlando. As you can see we are goons. I think I maybe have like 3 normal pictures of us in my possession and all of the pictures I have of us from this trip are weird ones. These are actually all of the pictures. Baha.


 

First thing I did was go to Hollywood Studios and visit my very good friend June. I love this little ballerina. I unintentionally wore a purple skirt and so we kinda matched. :)













Woody as a chia-pet. Or at least that is what one guest called him.











I love these girls. :) Some of the all important (and often mentioned) Super Amazing Training Group! <3! <3! <3!

I saw some cool animals at AK. The elephant actually moved and ate some leaves off a tree. And behold! The K. Safari Lion was actually up and about! I got some pretty cool pictures of him.

I went to Magic Kingdom with Flat Kaylen and took some pictures with awesome characters. Tink gave her bunny ears. :) Later on I met up with the wonderful Luz.

Luz and I took part in the hoe-down thing that has a name which I don't remember in Frontierland. Horace Horsecollar was a gentleman and escorted us towards Splash Mountain.

Near the end of my trip I went to Hollywood Studios with my twin and saw Beauty and the Beast from the VIP seats at the front. I got some pretty awesome pictures of the show.

 

I will end this really long picture post with a picture of me in front of the castle. I surprisingly did not suffer from PDD when I returned home. I am just so much more determined to get back there as soon as I can. 102 days till graduation and the freedom to return to my beloved Orlando.

-M

:/

I have a confession to make. I am absolutely terrified that my Disney interview did not go well.

I didn’t feel like I connected with my interviewer. Literally from the moment I started talking to her I felt that she was bored and not engaged. It was totally just a Q&A interview, not a conversation like my past 2 Disney interviews were. Not like all the rest of my D-Fams seem to have gone. It scares me. I can't imagine not getting accepted again. I was and still am a wonderful employee. But what if I don't? Or what if I don't get a role I want? I would do Merch, but I really don't want to. I want to stay in entertainment.

I pray that I am psyching myself out. I pray that perhaps my former/current managers get contacted and get to share some rave reviews. I pray that I am going to get accepted and I will look back on this and think “You freaked out over nothing!” But right now all I am is scared. I’m also sick and therefore not at school and have nothing to distract me.

Uggles, urgh, blerg, blah!

-M

Post Interview Review

I interviewed for my second CP this evening with a lady named Danielle. She was nice but honestly not as peppy/enthused/interested as I would have hoped. I didn't really get much feedback from her. It was quite the question and answer style interview not so much a conversation. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing.

 Me during my interview.

I got asked questions about why I wanted to do the program, what sort of work experience I had other than the CP, a difficult thing I had to in one of my past jobs, and other sorts of generally experience. I have worked at GAP before so she asked if I had register experience. She how do I deal with doing multiple tasks at once with lots of stuff going on. She really only asked like one question for each of the roles I chose (Performer, Attendant, Photopass, BBB, Attractions, Merch, Concierge). She didn't ask any questions for Attendant (because I have experience there) or BBB or Concierge.

At the end I asked her how she started with the company and if she had done a CP. She said that she had done a CP in Attractions. From there she worked in lots of different roles including Hotel Management and at Disneyland Paris. She then said that there are lots of opportunities including PIs. She said that is is about thinking outside the role though. Going to the offered seminars and really putting yourself out there and networking. I am really glad I asked her that question because I really do want to make a career with the company and tips on how to do that is really helpful.

Over all I think I did pretty well. I will say I am second guessing myself though. Was I outgoing enough, did I get across my excitement, etc. I would hate to not get accepted for a second CP. I don't think that will happen but a part of me is unsure and nervous. She said I should hear in 2-3 weeks which basically means just as I am preparing/taking a major test I am taking to gain hours to graduate and preparing/going to Nebraska to visit my friend Joseph. It would be pretty awesome to find out while in Nebraska while I'm with Joseph. I know he would love that.

Anyways thats it for this one. I have been updating my interview question list so the link in the post before this one is as up to date as can be. If you want it or need it go take it!

-M

Blah Blah Blah says the Phone Interview

Lookie! Another tip blog entry! It seems like everyone is doing these right now. I would avoid that band wagon but I had planned to do one so I am going to continue on with that plan. Hopefully the fact that I have interviewed with Disney twice will provide some unique insight. I have decided rather than list questions I will post my super awesome master word document to a file sharing site and then post the link at the bottom for anyone who wants it to download. That means that the portion here is just going to be tips and insight.

#1 thing to remember is that you won't necessarily be asked all of the questions you find online or hear from others. Each Recruiter/Interviewer is different and chooses different questions to ask. However by looking at possible questions and coming up with answers, you will have an idea of what to expect, feel more prepared (and so more calm), and be in the right frame of mind so when you are asked something you don't already have an answer for you will be able to come up with a good answer.

#2 thing to remember is that the point of the interview is for the Recruiter to get to know you. They want to get a feel for your personality to see if you would be a good fit for the company and then what role you would be best suited for (that also matches their needs). That being said it is important to remember to BE YOURSELF! If like me, you are a quirky chatter box, don't be afraid to show that! I wouldn't say to shove it down their throats and interject it into the interview if it doesn't fit. However, if it fits, rock it.  The final aspect of this is to try to relax so you are able to be yourself. I know that any interview can be really nerve racking and for many potential CPs the phone interview can be really stressful. But I also know that once they  are finished with it, people tend to say "Hey! That wasn't so bad! My interviewer was really nice."

General tips:
- Do your research. If you are reading this you are probably already doing that. But in addition to this, try to get a general idea of what the roles you selected really include. Then think of problems that you might face in that role and come up with responses to those problems. They will generally ask questions that relate to your "top x roles". They also may ask questions related to roles that they think you might be suited for based on previous work experience. (I was an RA and had checked hospitality but didn't say it was a top choice but was still asked questions about it)

-Make yourself comfortable before the interview starts. That means pick a quiet, comfy place with good cell phone reception. Go to the bathroom before your interview. Because lets be honest here, t minus 1 min and your probably gonna say "AHHHH! I GOTTA GOOOOOO!" Also wear something comfortable. If your wearing your new skinny jeans that are maybe a bit uncomfortable, change before your interview. It would suck to be in the middle of the interview and in your mind be saying "Dear lord these pants are doing crazy uncomfortable things!"

-Finally, as you have probably read by this point. SMILE! Make a conscious effort to be peppy, get excited, and smile. It really does make so much of a difference in the way your voice sounds. Don't get so caught up in your nerves that you forget to be excited. Also don't be ashamed of your excitement (and possible cheesy-ness). Disney wants an enthusiastic work force. Its what guests expect. So don't be afraid or forget to show just how much you want to be a CP!

Thats all for the tips. I will put the link up for the questions list asap. Its going to be a word .doc and will contain question gathered from all over the internet and supplemented by questions I was personally asked. The link will go HERE.

-M

Fall 2011 applications are up!

Well the big day has come!

Today the E-presentation and applications went up for the Fall 2011 WDW College Program. :) Yaay! They went up around 11/11:30 ish. I was in the middle of a project at work but that didn't stop me from trying to do the application at the same time. I failed at doing multiple tasks at once though so I ended up finishing it at like 4:30.

In case anyone didn't know already, if you are a current cast member or have passed the web interview within the last 6 months, you don't have to take the web interview. Which means... MARION DIDN'T HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN! YAAAAAAAAY for being a seasonal cast member! I have yet to schedule my interview because they were of course closed when I finished. I am debating on whether to schedule it for Friday afternoon/evening or Monday.

Thats it for this post. I am in the process of writing an interview tips one. Hopefully that will come in handy for people in the next few weeks. :)

-M

What This Blogs All About

Tick Tok: The coutdown is almost done!

Well hello everyone!

I am back from my Disney vacation. It was quite fun although if I'm honest I probably didn't take as much advantage of my time as I should have. But oh well. Can't change that now.

We are currently down to about 4 days till applications come out. In case anyone is wondering how I came about the end date for the countdown, I shall tell the tale. Basically for the past Fall application seasons the apps have come out on January 20th at about 4 o'clock. That is the reason for the assumption that apps for the Fall will come out this Thursday. I seem to remember that in the past applications have generally come out on Fridays, so its possible that they will come out the 21st. Who knows. We (we being the collective group of prospective Fall 2011 applicants) hope they will come out some time this week.

Since applications will be out so soon, I plan on working on that interview prep/tips entry. It will be up either today or tomorrow since I start school on Tuesday. I will also probably post some pictures from my vacation.

And speaking of school (since everyone who reads this cares so much about my school saga), I may not be graduating this May. I found out recently that I only have 99 credit hours right now. I need 120 to graduate. If you do the math that means I would have to complete 21 hours this semester to graduate in May. I'm honestly not sure that is going to happen. I am going to meet with someone on Wednesday to talk about my predicament and figure out what I can do. This doesn't change my plan to do the Fall Advantage CP. One way or another I am leaving Austin in May and not coming back for school ever again. I may end up having to graduate in August and take an ACE course on my CP to make up the hours I will need to graduate.

Love you all!
-M

1 Year Anniversery

Today marks my one year anniversary with the Walt Disney Company. A year ago today I completed Traditions and became an official Walt Disney World Cast Member. While the company does not recognize this date for a year pin or any of the other perks that go with company anniversaries, its still an important milestone for me.

Happy One Year Anniversary To Me!

In case any potential CPs (or anyone else) is curious as to what I mean by Disney not recognizing my hire date for anything I shall explain. Basically Disney does not recognize any time in an internship program (Career Start, College Program, or Professional Internship) as counting towards seniority or any of the benefits of being with the company for a long time. I know several people who could practically have a 5 year pin by now if the company did recognize time spent in internship programs. lol. Oh well!

-M

A year ago today....

I was going through the check in process at Vista Way. It was freezing cold (legit. It was below 32) when I got to Vista Way at 7am. I have so many fun memories from that day and my program as a whole.

I was so cold I wore a shirt under my sweater under my jacket. I had forgotten to take it off before I went to Casting and while waiting to get my location and start the Casting process I was dieing of heat. So I handed my stuff to my roommate Katie and took off my undershirt while standing in line in the middle of Casting. All of my roommates were quite amused that I basically stripped in the middle of Casting.

Its crazy to think that it has been a year since I started working for Disney. A year in which I have changed so much. I met so many incredible people. I know I have said that before but its true. I had and continue to have to sacrifice a lot because of my decision to participate in the program. But its a decision that given the chance to make again, I would make in a heartbeat and wouldn't change a damn thing. I had a dream and I went after it. I fulfilled that dream and I made new ones along the way. And now I am about to begin the process of making those new dreams come true.

To end this ridiculously sappy entry I will leave you with a quote from a new and really awesome Disney movie, Tangled.

Rapunzel:What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?
Flynn Rider: It will be.
Rapunzel: And what if it is? What do I do then?
Flynn Rider: Well, that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.

 -M

D3DC: Day 30

Day # 30: Your favorite park show

So I guess technically my favorite park show is a parade, but it has a show stop and spends most of its time stationary. SO! I think it counts as a show.

Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party

I honestly didn't really got into this show until my friend was trained and cast in it. I love it now though. Its really high energy and of course my favorite part is the guest interaction. Guests are invited to dance with the dancers, stilts walkers, and characters. A good chunk of time is spent dancing in the streets with them. The reason I chose this over more traditional shows (some of which I like a lot such as FOLK) is because you get to interact with the performers. I think that it makes this show special. Its the reason Block Party Bash was my favorite parade. Anyway. MiSiCi is awesome and amazing and pretty much rocks.

Sheer Awesome-ness!

-M

PS: This is the last 30 day challenge post. :( sad day. But its ok because I am going to be a good blogger and post regularly even though it is finished.

D3DC: Day 29

Day # 29: Favorite Park Attraction

There is a tie for this post. Mainly because I am to lazy to choose one. But also because I really like them both. So in no particular order, my two favorite park attractions.

Tower of Terror

I like the ride in and of itself but I think my favorite part of this attraction is the themeing. I absolutely love all of the old stuff in this ride. I'm really into this time period in general so I kinda love the fact that the themeing is so spot on. Maybe one day I will dress all vintage-y and go ride it. :)

Rockin Roller Coaster

Yet again, I like RRC for the ride itself. The roller coaster is quite fun and the take off is quite fast. But honestly thats not the reason I love this ride as much as I do. I absolutely LOVE the music. Aerosmith is awesome and listening to it while going really fast is fun. I have a specific song loop that I like best but rarely get. I mean what's not to love about getting to listen to Aerosmith while waiting in line? 30 mins of that... ok! 

-M

D3DC: Day 28

Day 28: Favorite Park

Hollywood Studios

This is probably (read: most definitely is) colored by the fact that it is my home park, but Hollywood Studios is my favorite park. I love Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster. I also love love love the characters. The fact that you can meet Buzz and Woody together (for at least part of the day) is one of my favorite parts of the park. Really I love all of the characters, but then again they are the characters I worked with so I am definitely biased. I love Fantasmic. I think it is an amazing show and now matter how many times I see it I still love it. Hollywood Studios also used to have my favorite parade, Block Party Bash. Unfortunately it is now gone. :( . It cost too much and many guests didn’t like that it stopped and the you saw the exact same thing a second time. Stupid, stupid guests how I hate thee. So now Studios will have Countdown to Play parade which is almost the same thing as the Pixar Play parade in Cali. Same music and all. There will be nothing new or awesome to the new Studios parade. :( BOOOO!

But its ok, Hollywood Studios is still my favorite.

-M

PS: I took that picture. I always thought it was pretty awesome b/c it has all of the big park icons. 

D3DC: Day 27

Day # 27: Favorite Quote

Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely

- The Land Before Time

I don't know if I truly believe in listening to your heart before all else but I do like this quote. 

-M

D3DC: Day 26

Day # 26: Saddest Death

Ellie Fredrickson

This is by far one of the saddest scenes in any Disney movie. Even though you don't actually see her die, its still so sad.  Ellie and Carl are the cutest couple so to see her die and him all sad and cranky is just incredibly difficult. Poor Carl.

-M

D3DC: Day 25

Day # 25: Your Favorite Scene From Your Favorite Movie

I don't really have one favorite Disney movie and I have already posted many if not all of my favorite scenes from my favorite movies so I am just going to post one more favorite scene from a movie I like.



I love this song and this scene. As a kid (and lets be honest, now too) I wanted to learn how to the the perfect cast so I can dance along to this scene. Tevin Campbell is pretty much awesome even though the only 2 songs that I know by him are the two in this movie. :)

-M

D3DC: Day 24

Day #24: A Movie That Makes You Cry

So I am a cold hearted biz-nitch that rarely if ever cries because of a movie. I can think of only 2 that have made me cry and neither of them are Disney (or a Disney owned company). However, I do have something that I think counts.



The first time I saw a Disney movie after I finished my CP, I cried when I saw that intro (the castle part, not the steamboat willie part). By cried I mean I shed a few tears, like drip drip. I have absolutely no idea what movie I was watching. I also teared up when I saw it at the beginning of Tangled. For whatever reason it gets me all chocked up. I think it is because I miss the magic. I miss that feeling I get when I worked there.

On a side note, I'm not missing it to much right now because I AM IN ORLANDO RIGHT NOW! My 10 day vacation has officially begun. I am going to try super duper hard to keep posting these every day. :)

-M

D3DC: Day 23

Day #23: A Movie That Makes You Laugh

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

OMG. Roger Rabbit is a great comedic movie. I snort when I watch this movie. LOOOVVVE IT! I love Roger and Jessica. I bought a Jessica Rabbit pin when I visited Disney in 06 and I had no idea wtf pin trading was. I just bought the pin because it was Jessica. And Roger. How I love him. I am so sad there is nothing left of him at Hollywood Studios. I remember going when I was little and there was this whole warehouse thing like at the end of the film. I remember these boxes that were labeled with things like box of laughs and when you opened them laughter came out. There was also a big steam roller breaking through the wall like in the movie. There is a picture somewhere of me as like a 2 yr old "crawling" out from under the rolling aspect. :( Now that whole area is the Studio Prop Shop store next to the Monsters Inc. character meet and greet location. They still have the Acme Bricks hanging from the ceiling and some of the old props. While he is pretty much all gone from the parks he can still be seen on the back side of the Animation building, but only by CMs. He is kinda hidden too.

:)

-M

D3DC: Day 22

Day #22: An Underrated Movie

This movie is totally awesomely 80s and so underrated. I mean the lead dog Dodger is voiced by Billy Joel. The chihuahua is voiced by Cheech Marin. The soundtrack features both Billy Joel, Bette Midler, and Huey Lewis and the News. How can this movie be so overlooked? I absolutely love it. Also, Why Should I Worry is kinda the best song ever. 

D3DC: Day 21

Day # 21: An Overrated Movie

Finding Nemo

Its an entertaining movie and all but I feel like people make a bigger deal out of it that really necessary. I feel like people freak out about that damn movie like its the best damn thing ever. I definitely think it is overrated. And I didn't really like the live show at Animal Kingdom either. I saw it once and that's enough for me.