#gabbing about the dcp

[gabbingaboutthedcp-blog]

DCP- Check In, Casting, Traditions. Oh My!

Well - I’m officially moved in! I’d thought I’d walk y’all through what the first few days in the program are like! 

A week before your check-in date, you’ll receive a handy dandy email listing your complex, your check-in time, and the timeline for your first week. 

~ Check-In ~

So come 1/14 at 12:15pm, I pull up to Vista Way to check in. I heard a lot of people complain about parking, but I didn’t have any issues. There was a table outside where they checked if my arrival time was correct, and I was issued my program guide, given my official apartment number, and my key. Next, you head inside to take your housing ID photo. If you bought a parking decal, this is when it’ll be given to you. Finally, you get your ID and lanyard (not the cutest, but hold out on buying one. You’ll want a cute employee one from Company D to hold your housing and blue ID). Then - it is time to move in!

~ Casting ~

Usually, the next event you’ll have will be casting. This is basically where you will fill out paperwork for your background check. It takes about an hour with lines. You will take a photo for your blue ID (cast member ID) and get your fingerprints taken. There are Disney hints of magic everywhere, so I recommend taking time to look around while you’re there :)

~ Traditions!! ~

Traditions was, for me, the first time I really felt like I was working for Disney. You get to go to the famous Disney University. You hang out in the cafeteria until they call your time. You’ll have to arrive at DU by either 8am or 1pm depending on if you are a morning or night class. So if you have an 8:30 am time, you have to be there at 8am. If you have a 9am class, you still have to be there by 8am. From the cafeteria, your group will head to a classroom to learn all about Disney values and the four keys. I won’t spoil the surprise of the day, but wear shoes you are comfortable walking in. 

After traditions, I recommend going to Company D, which is in DU. This is where you can get fun cast member merch like a Cast Member spirit jersey. Most importantly, you can get a cast lanyard. You’ll see a lot of these during your time. You need your blue ID on display while backstage, so nearly every employee has one. They are a simple string lanyard and you can pick a character pin to attach onto it. I also recommend getting a double-slide wallet. This will hold both your blue ID and housing ID. 

You’re now free to go play in the parks and use your cast member discount! The discount takes about 48 hours to go into effect though. You can use it on non-Disney POS stores. So this can be restaurants or stores in the Springs that aren’t Disney owned. Basically anywhere you don’t need to scan the ID to get a discount, just show it. If you want to go into the parks, just tell the park greeters you don’t have your main entrance pass yet (takes about two weeks) and they’ll give you a one-day pass. 

So in summary, that will be your first week in the DCP! You this time to really bond with your roommates and make friends! Get excited for the months to come :) 

[dancingthroughlife96]

7/11/17

Jambo, everyone! For those of you that don’t know, I’m Victoria. For those of you that do, well… Hey! Haha. This is going to be the first post, so I’m not going to explain what this blog is going to be about. If you want to read that, look at the home page. Alright, well. Let’s get right into it.

Last spring, I left home for the first time to move down to Orlando for the Disney College Program. I got put into Attractions at DismeyQuest. When I told people where I worked, all I heard was, “Oh, I’m sorry.” No, I’m sorry that you never got to work there. It got SO slow at times, but the family that I was brought into there was beyond incredible. Old news, but I did not get my extension, I moved back home, in August, and I worked in Jacksonville for about 6 months. I worked at Alhambra Dinner Theatre (awesome place, I highly recommend it), then Adventure Landing (indoor arcade with a water park, go-karts, and laser tag), as well as being a Scare Actor at Adventure Landing’s Haunt Nights (really awesome haunted houses. Again, highly recommend). I had a blast, I was back with my family, I was working with all of my closest friends, and for the most part, my managers were great. Well, there’s something that I left out. When I moved back home in August, my good friend from my first program, Diego, and I applied to the DCP Spring Program again just for the hell of it. Really, just to see what would happen. A month later, we both got accepted for January 2017.

For those of you that do not know me, it has always been a dream of mine to work at Disney. A lot of people told me that I couldn’t do it, but I did. I was 19 years old, and I moved away from home to follow my dream. @everyone that told me I couldn’t do it… I did it. Anyway, I really wanted to go back for Disney because ultimately, that’s where I wanted to be. I didn’t know how it would work out, or if it was a good choice at the time or not, but after a LOT of thought, I decided to do it. So in January, I packed up my life again and we drove down to Orlando.

Looking back, there are parts of me that regret going back so soon, because in reality, I was not ready. Although I did a lot of growing up in those months having to move back home, I probably should have stayed there a little bit longer. With that being said, there are way more parts of me that couldn’t be happier that I came back. I’m where I belong, I have such an AMAZING job, and I met the most incredible guy.

I have been working at Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I drive a truck full of people, through a “reserve” full of animals, and I get to teach people about all of the animals. I have learned SO much about myself, my limits, people in general, and animals! Haha. I knew I loved animals, but this job has really opened my eyes to my love for them as well as my newfound passion for conservation (Learn more at https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/environment/ ).

On my first day of training, I was a little lost backstage. I rode the cast member bus to the back and all my paper said was “Meet at the SFO”. What the hell is a “SFO”?! As I was asking my roommate if she knew, a guy walked up next to me and said, “Did you say SFO? For Safaris?” I nodded and he replied, “I’m going there now. I can show you where to go!” Well he did, and he introduced himself. Will. We became friends on Facebook and we would talk a bit when I saw him or over messenger. All during training, I was a nervous wreck. It’s very overwhelming because it is so much in a week. At the end of the week, passed my assessment, and my first day on my own, I was even more nervous. I didn’t want to be THAT CP that messed everything up on her first day. This boy just told me to keep breathing. All day, just keep breathing. I did, I got through it, and Will and I have been dating for going on 5 months now. He is so incredible and I am so beyond blessed to have him in my life.

So flashing forward about 5 months! This is where it gets fun… Yaaay. I have about 4 weeks left of my program. Once again, I didn’t get my extension. Another huge bump in the road. Going back to me making the rash decision to move down here, moving back home was not an option for me at the end of this program, because then what was the point? I signed a lease to an apartment (yeah, surprise, I live in Orlando officially now… At least for another year!). With the he money that I made, I did save a lot during my program. I also spent a lot. Well everything with the apartment has taken up most of my savings from my program (lots of fees, expenses, rent, etc.). I still don’t have a car, which is going to be really REALLY difficult over the next few months. I’m still trying to find a job for when my program is up so I can ultimately pay for everything that I have to pay for now. My phone stopped working completely last week, so I don’t really have a reliable way of communicating with anyone, and to top it all off, my purse got stolen a few days ago. My purse was turned in, but they took my wallet with my debit card, and my my purse at the time had almost $300 in cash in it. I know what you’re thinking. Why the heck would I be carrying that much in cash? I normally don’t carry cash. All the cash that I usually have (which is never a lot), is hidden in a jar. I was getting ready to pay rent and the rent had to be paid my money order. The only reason that I had cash was because its easier to get a money order that way. For the first time ever, I had to swallow my pride and borrow a good chunk of money from someone (You know who you are, again, I can’t thank you enough).

I am super duper stressed right now trying to figure everything out and how I am going to live down here. What I do know, is that I am a strong person. I may not have been acting like it recently, but that’s because I’m scared. This is all very new to me and it is a lot all at once. But like I said, I am a strong person. I’ve wanted this for as long as I can remember. Even though I wasn’t ready for it, it’s happening and I am going to be fine. I have an incredible support system back home (shoutout to my family: Mom, Dad, Gabs, Grandma, Poppy, and everyone else back home that’s been looking out and praying for me), and an incredible support system here (Will, you’re amazing and I can’t thank you enough for everything that you do for me).

See? Life is hard. Growing up sucks.. Even when you’re doing something that you love. You just gotta take a deep breath, stand back, and think about what you want. Just because it gets hard, does NOT mean that you should give up on what you love or what you want. It’s just a little bump in the road. If I can do it, anyone can.

I know, that was a LOT for a first post, but I had a lot to catch y'all up on! Until next time, Kwaherini, friends.

~Victoria~

[gabbingaboutthedcp-blog]

Training at Cinderella’s Royal Table - DCP Seater

When I found out I was going to be working at Cinderella’s Royal Table (CRT), I literally screamed and jumped around my house. Not only was I working in the Magic Kingdom, but I am also literally inside an international icon - the Castle. There’s nothing better than walking into the dining room and overlooking Fantasyland. Or seeing the princesses walk through the dining room making magical moments for our guests. 

Training consisted of a day learning operations, a day park orientation, and four days of one the job training. 

~ Welcome to Operations ~

Welcome to Ops is a class many roles have to go through. It is a day where you go more in-depth on the four keys, and how you can apply them to your role. You also get to watch an hour-long video with Coach Andy on proper lifting technique!  If you are in food and beverage, today is the day you get to pick up your company-provided shoes!

~ Once Upon a Dream ~ 

The next matter of business will be your park orientation. This is an amazing day where you get to walk around the park before opening! You get to learn facts about the park. You also learn the locations of first aid, AEDs, restrooms, charging stations, etc. I also recommend paying close attention to the restaurants (especially if your Food and Beverage). You’ll need to know every quick service and full-service restaurant.

This is also a very exciting day because you’ll get your costume!! Word of warning, Disney sizing is very real. I was reminded multiple times that day not to let it get to me, but it still did. So if you need to go up 2-3 sizes, it’s okay. Everyone does. When you grab costumes to try on, go ahead an size up, then grab the size above and below that. This will save you a trip back to your area, and there are only a couple of dressing rooms. 

~ Day 1 On The Job Training ~

Your first day at CRT will be devoted to learning the restaurant. You get to go in before everyone and take time learning table numbers. You also learn your way around the castle, the kitchen, and the backstage areas. Then, once the restaurant opens you’ll get to practice as a seater, so seating families.  You also get a tasting panel, where you’ll try the breakfast offerings.

~ Day 2 On the Job Training ~

The first day is mentally exhausting, the second is physically exhausting. Day 2 you start as a stocker. This position is in charge of making sure the servers are fully stocked. This involves a lot of running around the kitchen and castle, constantly keeping an eye on supply levels. In the morning, it is very high stress. But dinner/PM shifts (what you’ll get mainly as a CP), are stressful for the first rotation or so, but then it calms down a lot.

The afternoon, you work as an updater.  During this position, you help wipe down tables and grab table setups (trays with 4 knives, 4 forks, 4 napkins, etc). It’s a pretty fast-paced role, as we need to turn around tables as quickly as possible for the next seating.

~ Day 3 On the Job Training ~

Day 3 was by far my favorite day! You get the most guest interaction, and it’s your first night shift - so you can see what you’ll actually be working. First, you’ll head to the podium.  This is the person outside who helps check in guests for their reservations. There’s a lot of little details that go into this position so it can be a little overwhelming at first. But once you get the routine down - it’s really fun. However, you also deal with a lot of angry guests on podium. Sometimes people want to add people to their reservation time, mark their 12-year-old as a child and get mad when they have to pay the adult cost, or even just mad that they have to wait to check in.  After you check them in, you flag if there are any allergies, birthdays, etc. and print out a wait time ticket. You’ll instruct them to head inside for their portait with Cinderella, then move on to the next guest! As this is all going, the printer will be printing tickets once a family is assigned to a table number. You take these, stamp them if necessary, and put it in a basket for the greeter.

As greeter, you’re in charge of the transition from the Cinderella picture to the dining room upstairs. You’ll collect the table number tickets and bring them up to a microphone and chime cabinet. You’ll hit the chimes and announce “Lords and Ladies of the castle, Cinderella has an invitation for the Royal ---- Family. If you heard your name please raise your hand and stay where you are.” Then you tell them to head upstairs to be seated! It’s a pretty chill role. You do have to deal with guests being mad about the wait time, but usually when you explain the situation, they are understanding. 

Finally, you head upstairs to do setups. This role is kind of monotonous, but easy. Basically, you put together about 40 table setups for a variety of table sizes (4-top, 6-top, 8-top). You’re in your own little corner, and just put the top # of forks, knives, and napkins on the trays. 

You also get a tasting panel of the dinner menu, which is DELICIOUS. The steak is my favorite :)

By far, the best part of the day is when you close the restaurant. You will practice on outside and inside closing. But - your trainer will probably have you outside during the fireworks (!!!). You get to watch them from the walkway in the castle (near the check-in area, by the Bibbidi Boppity Boutique). It’s just you and the other podium people, and it is basically a private viewing of the show. I can’t explain how gorgeous the view is, seeing the fireworks perfectly framed over the carousel. I honestly nearly cried, because this is when it really sinks in that you’re working at DISNEY!

~ Day 4 On the Job Training, Assesment Day ~

The final day will be your assessment day! This day, you can get more training in whatever roles you feel the least confident in. I personally chose stocker (because it’s hectic) and podium (because there’s a lot of little details). Throughout the day your trainer should be quizzing you on locations, QSFB and FSFB restaurants and locations, and important safety info. They’re doing this to prepare you for the manager assessment. Once it is time for your assessment, your trainer will follow you through each of the roles. Then you are quizzed by the manager. After it’s over, they will tell you if you passed or not. Looking back on it, I think I stressed too much. The assessment doesn’t expect you to know everything about anything. It just is to prove you have been trying and are willing to learn. If you pass - congratulations!! You’ve earned your ears!

~~~~~

I’ll do a couple posts about what an average week at CRT is like, general DCP stuff, etc. But please let me know if you have any specific posts in mind! Have a magical day lords and ladies :)