At this time one year ago, I was living in Orlando, Fla. and working at the place "where dreams come true" as a participant of the Disney College Program. Every day, I went to work to make magic for the thousands of people that visit the Walt Disney World theme parks. While the program had its ups and downs, much like a rollercoaster, it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I am so grateful I was able to participate in the program, and there are a number of reasons why it was one of the best things I have ever done.
I applied for the program in February of 2014 on a whim when the applications opened. I wanted a change of scenery as well as to do something different with my life, and the Disney College Program would allow me to do both. I had done some research about the program and seen a few acquaintances participate in it, but I hadn't had the courage to apply for it until this point. The application process can feel a bit daunting at first. There are three steps: initial application, web-based interview and a phone interview. In order to be fully considered for the program, you have to make it past each step. I knew the program was incredibly competitive, but I was determined to get in. I completed my phone interview only to be greeted by a possible two month waiting period to see if I would get accepted. After only two weeks of dreading a “no longer in consideration email,” I was ecstatic to find an acceptance email in my inbox. I was going to be a part of the Fall 2014 Disney College Program as a merchandise cast member!
After accepting my role in the program and paying my program fees, I finalized that I would actually be moving to Florida by selecting my move in date of August 11, 2014. The next four months were a long and torturous wait since I had to finish spring semester of school and my other responsibilities. The feeling was much like senioritis since I was ready to take my semester off in the happiest place on Earth. I passed the time by finding my roommates for the program and looking at all of things I wanted to do while I was there. It was a long wait, but the program was worth every minute of it.
Finally, August arrived. I said my goodbyes to my family and friends, and two days before my check in date, I loaded up my car and made the eight-hour drive to Orlando. My first stop in Orlando that night was at the airport to meet and pick up my one of roommates from Utah. On Monday, I arrived at the infamous Vista Way for check in, where I finally found out what location I was working at and where I would be living. I won’t lie, I was a little disappointed to find out that I would be working in Africa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but that was short-lived. I came to love my location and its people an incredible amount. Some of the best friends I made on my program were those from my location. As for housing, my five roommates and I were happy to find out we had received our first choice of a 3-bedroom/3-bathroom apartment at Patterson Court. The first few days were spent settling into the new apartment and getting to know each other and the Orlando area.
After having these few days to settle in, my first day of work arrived. One of the very cool things about the first day is that everyone who is employed with the company has gone through the same, in the form of a class known as Traditions. It’s a long-awaited day for most because this is where they hand out nametags and blue Disney IDs, the latter of which are required for admission into the theme parks. My Traditions session was in the morning, along with a couple of my roommates, so we celebrated by going to Magic Kingdom afterward. I hadn’t been to Walt Disney World since I was about 8 years old, and I experienced the magic as if I was a kid all over again.
The following week, I started “earning my ears” at training for my work location, which was Africa in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. A couple days into training, we finally made the trip to costuming and I got my costumes for my location. One word of advice: Disney’s costume sizes run much smaller than typical clothing sizes, so don’t take it personally if you have to go up quite a few sizes. I felt a little ridiculous in my costume at first, since it was essentially a muumuu, but I eventually realized I was lucky since it wasn’t as restrictive or complicated as some other costumes. My favorite costume that I wore on my program was the one for merchandise cast members in Fantasyland, since it was a pretty dress and made me feel like a princess. The rest of training consisted of hands-on learning to work the registers, floor stocking, and merchentaining.
One of the most enjoyable parts of being a merchandise cast member was being able to “merchentain” with guests. Disney loves to make up their own terms so “merchentainment” is the use of merchandise to entertain guests. An example of this would be picking up drums sold in Mombasa Marketplace, the main shop in Africa, and playing for guests or encouraging them to pick them up and play along with you. It is a lot of fun and gives the opportunity to interact with the guest and make their visit to the shop fun and special. Merchandise is a role that involves a high amount of guest interaction and it was a great role for me since I love meeting new people and creating magical moments. Another perk of being in merchandise is that it is possible to pick up shifts anywhere on Disney property. In other roles, such as attractions, there is not as much flexibility, since the majority of those roles are location-specific. I enjoyed this aspect of merchandise because over the course of my Program, I was able to work in three out of the four parks.
After I had officially “earned my ears” by completing training, I settled into work and in my free time, spent a lot of quality time getting to know the parks. I went with my roommates, coworkers, and sometimes, just by myself. There is so much to explore within the parks that it is fun with whoever you go with, even if it is yourself. I also loved all the post-work trips to the parks my coworkers and I would take. One of the perks of working at DAK is that it closes the earliest, oftentimes leaving enough time to watch Wishes at Magic Kingdom or grab dinner at another park. This was extremely convenient and led to some of the best memories I have of the Disney parks.
Fall was a great time to do the Disney College Program because there were so many different things to do as the seasons change. One of the highlights of fall at Magic Kingdom are the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween parties. My roommates and I all dressed up in costumes to attend the party which featured trick-or-treating, special character appearances, the “Boo-to-You” parade, and Hall-o-Wishes, a special Halloween edition of Wishes. It was definitely one of the highlights of my program. I also enjoyed being able to attend the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT. This is another of my favorite events because it showcases food and drink from all over the world while giving the chance to try it. Most of the food and drinks are delicious and offer something for everyone. This also leads to a simultaneous draining of your bank account. Leading into Christmas, there are more events, such as the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios, and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas parties. I also had the opportunity to attend the taping of Disney’s Christmas Parade and watch fireworks at midnight on New Year’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. There are so many things to experience during these seasons that will enhance the College Program Experience.
As magical as all of this sounds, my experience did come with a few drawbacks. Even though I was only eight hours from home in Georgia, which is not nearly as far as some people come for the program, I did get homesick since it is inevitable to miss the people that you are closest to. I was able to take two weekend trips home during my program, which helped immensely, and made me value the time I had with the important people in my life. There were also some very long hours that I spent at work in the Florida heat and I would come home completely exhausted. Another drawback occurred three weeks before the end of my program. I was driving home from work one night when I rear-ended someone on I-4. It was an incredibly stressful situation to deal with on my own since my family was not close enough to help. My car was totaled and I was forced to rely on the dreaded TranStar buses for the remainder of my program. However, what I was able to take from this event was that I was not injured; even if my car was totaled, that is something I can replace. I also had been lucky enough to have my car for the majority of my program, so three weeks of taking TranStar was not the worst thing that could have happened. Overall, these events allowed me to learn more about myself and grow as a person.
Another important component of the program is the stress placed upon learning. Disney offers a variety of classes in varying subject areas that participants can attend in order to develop themselves and their skills. There is a great value with these classes because many outside companies pay Disney to teach these and college program participants have access to them for little or no cost. I took a seminar on Disney Leadership while on my program, which was eye-opening for me since I learned about a variety of topics in leadership from a Disney Leader that had been with the company for a while. It was a valuable learning experience for me since I learned about different leadership styles, including my own, and how to effectively lead others. Plus, at the end of the course, I received a certificate granting me a Mouster's Degree in Disney Leadership. With all of that being said, I highly recommend taking advantage of these classes while on the program.
One of my favorite experiences from my program was a dinner with my roommates in our first week. We got to eat in the West Wing of the Beast’s Castle at Be Our Guest. The food was absolutely amazing and I recommend trying the “grey stuff” because they’re not lying – it’s delicious. Another of my favorites was getting to spend my 22nd birthday with my friends at Magic Kingdom. I got to wear a birthday button, have lunch at Crystal Palace with all my favorite characters from the Hundred-Acre Woods, meet Gaston, and then ended the night at the Disney College Program Winter Formal which was hosted at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. It was definitely one of the most memorable birthdays to date and it made my College Program all the more special.
I sincerely enjoyed my time as a cast member at Walt Disney World. It brought me to some of the most incredible people and experiences that I may not have had otherwise. It wasn’t simply a four-month vacation, but a program that I dedicated myself to. Even at its worst, the program was a wonderful experience that I would recommend doing. While every day of my program did not contain pixie dust and magic, there were a majority of days that did and those are the days that I value most. I am so lucky that I had the opportunity to participate and I encourage all who are interested to apply because it could change your life.
