When I first applied for the college program at Walt Disney World, I had no idea what to expect nor did I think that I was going to be accepted. After what seemed like months of waiting, I received that wonderful acceptance email. This is when my world changed. I quickly talked to my parents, accepted my role, and paid the fees. It looked like I was moving to Florida.
Now, when you’re accepted to the program, you really cannot get a sense of what you’re going to face when you get there. I sat watching YouTube videos for hours, trying to gauge what I was up against. It couldn’t be that hard, right? After all, you get to work at the most magical place on Earth. This is something people only dream of, and yet, here you are with the opportunity. After reading endless amounts of blogs and watching hours of vlogs, I thought I was an expert. However, I was wrong. The minute you are on that bus to traditions and moving into your new home, everything you know seems to slip away.
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There are some ugly truths to working at Disney and I think that a lot of people are afraid to mention them. They don’t want to ruin the magic, after all. And who could blame them. I grew up visiting Disneyland more times than I could begin to count. When I think of Disney, I think of pure happiness. Walt Disney created a timeless place that can make even the oldest adults feel as if they’re children again. I got to witness this first hand. Children will run up to you, hugging you with the biggest grin on their face. Working at Disney allows you to help make such magical memories for families that have come from all over the world. There’s nothing like this feeling. Your office involves a castle and a Mouse that brings nothing but joy. You end your nights watching the fireworks light up the sky (so many times you end up memorizing the whole song). You get to get into the parks for free AND you get discounts on hotels and merch. Could it get any better than that? Not really.
But it’s not always rainbows and ponies working there. Chances are, you are going to have to wake up at 5 AM to head to work. Other nights you are going to be at work until 3 AM. You are going to get a lot guests who are upset. You might get called names and you might get screamed at. Whatever you do, don’t take this personally. They’re not mad at you, they’re mad at the situation. You’re going to deal with screaming little children. You’re going to deal with parents who seem to forget that they have children, letting them run around freely. People won’t listen to you or they’ll simply pretend to not hear you. All of these things can be extremely frustrating and make it hard to get up in the morning to show up to work.
But there’s one ugly truth that everyone fails to mention and that’s how much you’re going to miss it when you’re gone.
When they say “post Disney depression,” they mean it. You’re going to wake up and you’re going to miss having such a grand place as your backyard. You’re going to miss dining at Ohana, Casey’s Corner, and Chef Mickey’s. You’re going to miss getting in for free. You’re going to miss the discounts. You’re going to miss meeting your favorite characters and going on your favorite rides over and over. You’re going to miss your coworkers and roommates who quickly became some of your best friends. You’re going to miss watching Wishes every night (chances are you are going to look up the song on YouTube and find yourself listening to it alone in your room). You’re going to miss going to iHop or Waffle House after a late night of work. You’re even going to miss the complaints, the guests, and the heat.
I cannot stress enough, if you are considering applying for the Disney College Program, go for it and make the most of it. It is a once in a lifetime experience and it will change your life. Never take your time there for granted because before you know it, you will be packing your stuff up and heading back home. You will make some of the best memories of your life. Plus you get to tell your kids you worked at Disney, how cool is that?
