June: The Month of Firsts

As Summer winds down, I feel as though I finally have time to get back at writing and sharing with all of you my journey on the Disney College Program. Firstly, I'd like to apologize for being MIA for the past three months with my posting. While I knew how much I would be working during the DCP, I don't think I fully realized how little time I would have to keep everyone up-to-date on a weekly basis. Once I realized this, my goal was then to update on a monthly basis, and before I knew it, we were halfway through September and I was wondering where in the world all the time went. But Hakuna Matata because I got you all covered and I am back and better than ever!

Since I've been gone for so long, I’m going to take a couple posts to update you on what’s been going on in my life here at the DCP. So buckle your seat belts, boys and girls, because we're in for a wild ride.

The month of June, we're going to call the Month of Firsts. The Month of Firsts was packed with just that, many firsts that changed the way I looked at Walt Disney World and a new appreciation I gained for all of the Cast Members that make this world go 'round. From first experiences working for the Disney Company, to the first time I almost cried as a Cast Member, to the first time I got to use my Cast Member discount, to the first time a friend visited me at Disney while I was a Disney CM.

My First Week as a Disney Cast Member

My first day as a Disney Cast Member was -- as I'm sure most people will agree -- overwhelming. While I learned pretty much everything I needed to know about my role at Disney University, I was now putting it to real world use at the front desk of All-Star Music. I was, of course, under the leadership of some great trainers, but I was still in a completely new environment dealing with completely new software that I only had lab experience with.

When I first received my offer letter inviting me to join the DCP, I had a million images of what I thought the role of concierge would be. While many of those images hold true, this role is so much more in depth than I ever could have imagined myself. Within this role we check Guests in and out of the resort, answer questions about resort and park offerings, sell tickets to Guests looking to spend time in the parks, work with technology to make sure every Guests My Disney Experience account is working properly, and that's just to name a few. So as you can imagine, there have been days where all I wanted to do was cry after at the end of the day. And don't get me wrong - I love my job - but I am the type of person who when she gets frustrated at herself and other situations releases those emotions through tears.

At Disney, instead of being "in training" we are actually "earning our ears." And during the first week or so, we wear a ribbon under our name tags that simply says "Earning My Ears." This lets Guests know that we are learning about all of the different processes and procedures within our role and helps them to understand why their interaction with us may take a little longer than usual. While Earning our ears, we are always with a trainer, and once we go off on our own, we get to graduate from that and remove the ribbon and become a full fledged Cast Member!

I still remember my first day after training, I definitely still wore my Earning My Ears ribbon, but was asked to take it off as I was done with my training. While of course I followed instructions, I definitely did not feel like I was ready to be out there on my own. I probably asked 10,000 questions on my first day alone, and felt as though I was in way over my head. By the time the day was over and it was time for me to go home, I remember being in my car in the parking lot of All-Star Music reflecting on my day and being nearly in tears telling myself that there was no way I was going to get the hang of any of the things I thought I would be able to do. Nevertheless, I persisted (cheesy line, I know) and I went back and got a little better every day -- but that's a story for a different article.

My Role as a Concierge

My role as a concierge is the first role that I have with the Walt Disney Company

As a Concierge Cast Member, I have a very unique role within the DCP. I find my role to be unique in many ways - firstly, because it is one of the only roles where you have to know absolutely everything about Walt Disney World (or at least have a way of finding out what you don't know). In a single shift I can get hundreds of different questions which vary greatly. From easier things like park hours to dining offerings, to harder things like questions about My Disney Experience and what may be wrong with someone's account.

Another reason why my role is so unique is that no day is ever the same. I have days where I am working on the desk all night answering the same questions and following the exact same check-in procedure over and over. And then I have days where I get to go to Epcot and purchase a plush Figment for a guest. I am always on my toes and never know what a day is going to look like when I head in for a shift.

The third reason why this role is so unique is the ability that we have as Cast Members to pick up at other locations. During a week-long training at Disney University, all concierge Cast Members are taught the same the same systems which we utilize globally at all on property locations. Because of the this, Concierge Cast Members can slip into shifts at other properties as sneakily and as swiftly as the Rescue Rangers on a daring adventure to save another innocent in need. (Don't worry, I will have another post about all of the locations I have had the privilege of picking up at!)

The final reason - and favorite reason - as to why my role is so unique is because we get to make pretty much unlimited amounts of Magic for the Guests at the desk. At the desk, we meet Guests from all over the World and from all different backgrounds, languages, and cultures. Sometimes Guest's are visiting on a basis that is much more heartwarming or heartbreaking than others. For instance, one of my favorite moments of Magic that I got to make for a Guest was when a family was checking in, and there father, who was in the Navy, was being deployed the following week.

For this circumstance, I worked with the back office and was able to get this family a complimentarily upgraded family suite for the duration of their stay. It was such an easy task for me to accomplish, but the difference it made for this family was something I will never forget! In general, we get to turn not-so-happy situations into situations that can turn their whole vacation around. And we get to turn happy celebrations into even happier moments with what we call "Magical Moments!"

As a Concierge Cast Member, you get to welcome Guests to Walt Disney World as they exit the Magical Express (Disney's charter bus that travels to and from the airport), assist them during their stay, and thank them for staying as they get on the "Tragical" Express to head back to the airport. You get to wrap their stay up in a nice little package and, hopefully, create for them a most magical stay that they won't soon forget.

My First Visit from a Friend

My first friend to visit me at Walt Disney World was the one, the only, Taylor Pannett of the RMU Dance Team! While she was there supporting her high school, she made time to spend some time with me at WDW! We were able to spend some time together at Magic Kingdom and of course reminisce on some wonderful times of the past.

Now I'm not very superstitious, but me journey with Disney really has come full circle starting from my sophomore year of college. During the second semester, I was able to take a class that was all about the leadership of Walt Disney World. During this class, I met Katie, the captain of the RMU Dance Team. She invited me to audition for the team, which of course I ended up making! During both my junior and senior years of college, we went to Disney World to compete at UDA. Now I am participating in the College Program and Taylor has come to visit me here while I am a Cast Member. Life really has come full circle a couple times around!

The First Time I got to use My Cast Discount

It's no secret that one of the greatest parts of working for Disney is all of the wonderful discounts and additional perks that come with it. As a CM, we get additional Discounts on food and merchandise items across property, and of course complimentary admission to all theme parks and the two water parks.

The first time I got to use my Cast Discount was when I went to brunch with my roommate Emma! We both had a Saturday off together and we decided to use our discount at Trail’s End, a buffet style restaurant at Fort Wilderness Campground.

Trail’s End was an amazing meal, especially for the price which we paid after our discount was applied. The atmosphere is also amazing, and the proximity to Magic Kingdom is almost enviable. With just a boat ride away from Magic Kingdom, we were able to enjoy time at Magic Kingdom both before and after our brunch!

Since we decided to spend the day at Magic Kingdom, we decided to look for some FastPasses about a week prior to going. We were lucky enough to get FastPasses for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train just one week prior to going - a feat which was something straight out of a fiction novel. If you couldn’t tell by that last statement, it’s almost impossible to get FastPasses for that ride! Needless to say we were very excited about it!

My First Time seeing Toy Story Land

While I had been to Disney World since it opened, I had not had the chance to see Toy Story Land until coming down for my program. Toy Story Land is one of my favorite lands at Disney World because of how interactive it is! The concept is built on the idea that you shrink down to toy size and go into Andy’s backyard for a fun day with all of his best friends, including Buzz, Woody, Bo Peep, and Jesse.

Another thing that you can do is enjoy a ride on Slinky Dog Dash - a roller coaster that Andy created by combining a build-it-yourself roller coaster set with the ever-famous Slinky Dog. This attraction is great for Guests of all ages, and the theming can be appreciative by everyone as well!

All the Small Things

Throughout the beginning of my program, I was able to do many small things that were just as memorable as all of the other big things that I got to do. One of those small things was going to Disney Springs to the movie Aladdin.

Another one of those small things was experiencing the Tiki Room for the first time in a really long time. I can say that the Tiki Room is not one of my most favorite attractions, but it definitely is a classic and for that reason, it is a must do at least once during a program/vacation.

Another one of these small things is going into the parks for a Fireworks show. It's not super glamorous, but being able to do this is very exciting in the sense that it's not crazy amazing like going on on a popular attraction, but something about being able to go to the parks after work and enjoy a showing of Fantasmic! or Illuminations is really, really cool.

Disney Magic Has Changed for Me

At the beginning of my program, I went to the parks pretty much any time I had off. As time has gone on, my time in the parks has become a bit more limited. I will touch on this a little bit more in a future article, but I definitely do feel as though the Disney Magic does change quite a bit whenever you work for Disney. This is not saying that the magic is gone, because it definitely isn’t. It’s still there, but in very different ways.

I see the Disney Magic when I listen to the crowd during Happily Ever After and hear Guests of all ages shouting out their favorite character’s names.

I see the Disney Magic when I look around the crowd at Festival of the Lion King and see dads and grandpas grinning from ear to ear watching their children and grandchildren dance along with the character performers.

I see the Disney Magic when I see a young child who is visiting for the first time finally meets their hero, whether it be Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, or a favorite princess.

I see the Disney Magic when a child dances along with the 3 o'clock parade and sings along with every word.

I see the Disney Magic when I see a grown man wearing a "1st Visit" pin, and enjoying his time with his children and grandchildren.

As a Disney Cast Member and someone who can experience the Disney Magic any time, it is not about how happy I am when in Disney, rather it's about how Disney makes other people feel when they are enjoying their time within the parks. There is such a sense of privilege knowing that in some small way, I have contributed to the Disney Magic for Guests of all ages, and from any part of the world.

The beginning of my College Program journey has been so amazing, and cannot wait to see what the next three months will bring! I also cannot wait to share with you all more of my experiences from the summer months of my program! I promise there will be more pictures associated with those articles!