Candlelight

 Sorry for the lapse in posting- my laptop stopped working a few months ago and I finally decided to replace it with an iPad Pro, which I am currently using to write this post.  Lots of fun activities and goings on have been happening here, but the most notable and exciting is that I have been performing in the Candlelight shows here at Epcot for the past two weeks.  Auditions were held in August and I was accepted as a Soprano 1! I went to over 10 rehearsals over the course of a few months to prepare.  I was fortunate enough to perform in the first show of the season with Josh Gad as narrator.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Candlelight show, it is a retelling of birth of Jesus with a choir singing Christmas carols.  I had the pleasure of singing in the Disneyland Candlelight show which takes place on Main Street USA when I worked at Disneyland.  Here at WDW Candlelight takes place at the American Garden theater at Epcot.  So far I have performed with the following narrators: Josh Gad, Nico Santos, Whoopi Goldberg, and Chrissy Metz.  I attended Candlelight as a guest for Brenden Fraser and I worked tonight cleaning the theater when Gary Sinese was narrating.  Tomorrow I will be performing with Gary Sinese as the narrator.  Other than that I have been keeping busy with work and playing in the parks.  

For WDW Candlelight we wear gold robes, pictured below.  

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Settling in

 Hi friends, 

I have had time to settle into my new place and new role with Disney.   I am a custodian at Epcot and I am global, which means I work everywhere in the park.  I have not had a day that I am working in the same area, so every day I have learned a new area.   I have been able to clean mostly Canada 🇨🇦 in the World Showcase, along with the Ratatouille restrooms in France,  the area near test track (which is currently closed right now! Will be for a while!) and the American Adventure restrooms in America.  The largest restroom is the American restroom with 44 stalls. So I got to beat my personal record of how many stalls I cleaned when I worked at Magic Kingdom.

I had the opportunity to go on a backstage tour of the Parade Building.  We got to see where the characters get ready and dressed, as well as how they are lifted onto the floats (forklifts!).   We got to see and touch the parade floats and see the set up for the drivers (some have visibility whereas other float drivers utilize cameras).  They also pointed out a few hidden mickeys on the float and they pointed out the emergency stop buttons on each side of the float.  Try and look for those next time you watch a Disney parade!  

After the tour, our leaders spread some pixie dust on us and we got to ride the newest ride at Disney, Tianas Bayou Adventure!  

I have been going to a few other cast member events, such as a cinema trivia night, where my team won first place!  

Our cast member discount was up to 40% until yesterday, so I was able to buy a few items with a great discount.  Our cast connection store was also discounted as well and I was able to buy 4 spirit jerseys for the retail price of 1! 

I will try and add photos later, since I don’t have a laptop anymore it’s not letting me insert them.  

Please follow me on instagram or tik tok for photos and videos of my shenanigans.  My username is sweeping.beauty  

-KB 

Epcot Custodial

 Friends, family, countrymen…I have accepted a position as a custodian at Epcot!!  I am currently packing up my stuff to get ready to drive across the US and begin another Disney journey.  

Follow me here or on my social media accounts! 

Instagram- sweeping.beauty

Tik tok- sweeping.beauty 

Spending the Holidays at Disneyland

Hello friends! This holiday season was the first time I spent it away from my family, but I did get to experience Christmas at the Disneyland Resort, and I spent it with some awesome cast members and in one of my favorite places in the world!

The most amazing experience I got to be a part of this holiday season was the Candlelight Processional! I was honored to be part of the Cast Choir for this performance on Main Street, U.S.A! The performance was invitation only and sadly only those working the event or invited were able to view it, so not many of my friends were able to see, but some of them did! We sang a number of Christmas carols, then the guest celebrity, Chris Hemsworth, started narrating the story of the night Jesus was born.  Then the chorus would sing traditional Christmas songs such as "The First Noel" and "Silent Night", with guest soloists.  Although I was sick during the performance, I gave it my all! It was such a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I could not pass it up!  We ended the performance with Handel's "Hallelujah" from The Messiah.  I wish you all could have been there!

Chris Hemsworth, and me right behind him a little to the left!

"The Living Christmas Tree" I am in the center in the 2nd row

 Some other awesome things that I have been able to do is to Tour Walt's Apartment inside Disneyland that is above the Fire Station.  It was so cool and a humbling experience to get to see a place that is so rich in Disney history.   Another great experience that I have been able to do is to clean Club 33, the most prestigious place in Disneyland!   I had a lot of fun seeing the goings on at Club 33 and I am hoping to get to work another shift there before I leave!   Speaking of leaves...Although I was not able to earn my Water Art license, I have been sweeping up the leaves on the ground and making magic for the guests by making Mickey leaves! It's sooo much fun and I love to see the guests's reactions! They also love to take pictures of the finished artwork and even like to take pictures with me!

One way Custodians can make magic at the resort! 

 The parks have been very busy this past week.  They ended up extending park hours and they have on a case by case basis been adding an extra viewing of "Fantasmic!".  I have not had a great chance to visit the parks recently, but I enjoy working there and getting to know my fellow custodians.   I am going to miss it here! Especially the weather! I love the weather because it doesn't get too cold!

We had an awesome view of the rocket launch in Disneyland along the Rivers of America! 

Our time as College Program participants is coming to end! We had a pretty cool celebration held at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Spa.  They served us a meal and gave us our certificates for completing the program and even Mickey Mouse, the boss himself, showed up and took a few pictures with us.  Not sure how I managed this, but even after three college programs I still have not taken a picture with Mickey Mouse.  Oh well. 

The Disneyland College Program Custodians at the end of program celebration.

I hope everyone reading this has had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you all have a happy new year!  If you would like to see more pictures of my adventures working at Disneyland and of my life in general, please follow me on Instagram.  My username is sweeping.beauty 

Disneyland Cast Member Life

Hi friends, sorry for not posting for a long time, but life has been kinda busy here in Southern California.  I have had the chance to experience working as a cast member for a few months now, and my program is over half way over.  Here are some pictures and moments from my program so far:

My roommates took me to the Museum of Ice Cream for my birthday! It was a LOT of fun and there was ice, cream, and a pool of sprinkles!!! 

One of my fellow cast members took this of me while I was doing trash on Main Street!

This is a picture of my fellow custodians, gathered in Cars Land for the Mid Program Celebration.  We got free churros, popcorn and drinks and got to roam around Cars Land in our best Disneybound outfit.  I went as a Coconut. (consider them)

My friends and I went to the Goodwill Outlet.  I was SOOO stoked!!! Found some great items for very cheap.

I had the chance to visit Northern California last week.  I went on a walk with my brothers, as well as visited my grandparents, went to church, and visited my old work! It was nice being home and getting to experience actual Fall weather. 

My Aunt and Uncle and cousins came to visit! We had a blast. 

This is just me being weird and not knowing exactly when the ride would take the picture. 

I have been able to go to some awesome events that I sadly cannot take pictures of, but some of them include haunted mazes in the ride queues, going on rides with the lights on, and tonight I will be going to a backstage tour of the Haunted Mansion. I am very excited!  

Arrival

Hi friends! It has been a wonderful three weeks! I have moved into my new apartment with my roommates Megan, Irma, Sarah and Lizzie! I am happy to announce that I will be working in Disneyland park as a global cast member! This means that I am not locked in one land, such as Critter Country, but rather I change locations daily.  I feel that this will help me grow by learning about other parts of Disney and being a part of many more stories.


I have gone to the parks with my friends as well as alone, which is always fun! One awesome thing that the College Program does for its participants is special events.  On top of the housing events they plan, which is where they have music and food at our housing location, they have park events.  I attended a special backstage tour of the Indiana Jones ride! I learned a lot of cool stuff!  I am looking forward to the next event, which will be riding Space Mountain with the lights on!

My roommates and I attending our housing meeting

I learned my lesson: Don't go on Splash Mountain at night when there is no sunlight to dry your soaked clothes.

Some of the attractions here at Disneyland are currently closed for refurbishment, the most notable one is Haunted Mansion.  I have never been to a Disney park during the holidays, so I am beyond  stoked to see the Haunted Mansion as well as the entire park be decked out for Halloween and Christmas.  I signed up to be trained to give out candy for the Halloween parties that they throw at Disneyland.   

I reunited with my Custodian friend from WDW back in 2014!

My work has been going well, other than getting hurt by running into a rock.  I banged up my knee but I am slowly getting better.  I have lots to share about the differences in Custodial between the two parks, but I will save that for another post.  As for now, I am just enjoying my time here and meeting new people every day!  

Chapter 3 begins August 2017!

Hello friends!
I am pleased to announce that I recently accepted a position for the Disneyland College Program. My previous adventures have been as a Custodian at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.  I will have the amazing opportunity to be a Custodian at the Happiest Place on Earth, DISNEYLAND.  This is the original park that Walt envisioned and even lived on Main Street, USA.  Walt knew his theme park would stand out against the rest through his storytelling, creativity, interactive experiences, and of course the cleanliness of the park.  As a Cast Member in Custodial Guest Services, I will have the honor of continuing Walt's dream!  Unlike the program at WDW, the Disneyland program is much smaller with exciting new cast member experiences.  I am excited to continue my Disney adventures at this new location.

Before I do so I will be spending another summer at Mt. Cross Ministries, which is the Lutheran Outdoor summer camp that I have been attending since elementary school! I will be in a Leadership position this summer, helping out with Ropes (elements and rock wall), and leading High School students in training and ministry!

Currently I am taking some music classes and working at the candy store!

I'll keep ya'll updated!

Disney Lyfe.

     Hello folks. I have been here for about a month.   My internet did not work for the longest time and I checked it today and it finally works! I have been working in the West of Magic Kingdom in Custodial Guest Services.  It has been great and I have met some cool peeps.  There are a bunch of transitions and changes going on and I have not been able to pick up any extra hours but I am getting by alright.  I decided to use all my money to buy a season pass to Universal. I have spent many a day off there, mostly in the Harry Potter world.  It's refreshing to step outside the Disney bubble.  I also decided not to take any Disney classes this time around.
     I was sick for a long time and I am slowly getting better I think.
Here are some pictures from my adventures:

Group of Custodians at Universal on our day off

Right after the water ride. Drenched!

This first month has gone by tooooooo fast and I still need to meet new people and do much more!

TAKE 2

Hello, friends! I have had quite an exciting first week here in Orlando Florida! 

     My travels went very well other than the airport food.  I fit all my items and clothing for the next 4 months in 2 suitcases and a small carry-on.  I took a shuttle to the hotel and there I met my 7 other roommates!
     The next day was check in day and we all found out where we would be staying, who we would be rooming with, and where we will be working for the next 4 months! I am living with 7 lovely ladies in Chatham Square and will be working at Magic Kingdom in the South which is on Main Street U.S.A.! After check in I went to Casting to turn in my I-9 documents and to get fingerprinted for the background check.  I went home to my new apartment, unpacked and went grocery shopping.  I attended a Housing Meeting the next day that went over all the rules of staying on disney housing.  In our downtime, my roommates and I went to Disney Springs (formerly called Downtown Disney) to shop and eat.  Then it was time to attend Traditions, which is our first paid day at Disney that welcomes us to being new Cast Members for Disney and where we learn Disney values and goals and visions. We ultimately learned that we as Cast Members have the ability to create happiness for the guests and to go out of our way to make the Disney difference for our guests.
     After traditions we are able to start visiting the parks with no entrance fee.  I did visit a few times, though I have been suffering through some health problems for over a week and have finally started to see an improvement.  I started feeling bad during my first day here.  I had been suffering from an eye problem for over a year and was just starting to get better when the next problem popped up. I believe I had a Urinary Tract Infection and needed antibiotics, though the antibiotics made my stomach very sore and it depleted my good bacteria so it messed with my digestion.  I bought some antibiotics and some Kombucha to help replenish my bacteria and I think it's working well!
     Although I haven't seen them all, it is great to be back in Florida and see all my old friends again! It's also great to visit the parks and to see all the changes that have been made in the past 2 years.  Today on my day off I visited Hollywood Studios, which has undergone the most changes since I left and there are many other attractions that are going away soon.  The biggest difference I noticed was the focus on Star Wars franchise.  I was able to see a short show on the making of Star Wars, and noticed there were many Star Wars character spots.  Another great update was during my flight on Star Tours, we got to visit new destinations and BB8 and Finn were there, helping the rebel alliance! Also, Disney Springs is now much more completed than it was during my last program.  In Animal Kingdom it is plain to see they are working on the creation of Pandora. Another great experience I had was going on "Kilimanjaro Safaris" when the sun was setting and seeing the animals at that time! They were much more active!
     Tomorrow I start my official training!

My roommate, Lauren!

I met Ariel!

Almost all of my roomies!

Disney College Program Order of E-mails

Hello friends! If anyone who has applied or is planning to apply for the Disney College Program and curious about when and in what order you receive emails and correspondence from Disney, this post is for you!

I will add the dates of when applied my first time, for the Spring 2014 DCP, however I have since then applied for a Fall program and turned down the offer, and recently accepted another position for Spring 2016. 

Please note that not all applicants receive all emails, and not all emails are in this order.

1. "Thank You for Applying": This is the first email you will get after your application has been submitted.  I received this email the same day I applied for the first time, which was September 29th.  Please note I applied well after a month the apps opened and therefore the application process went faster than most of those that applied when apps first opened. 

2. "Immediate Action Required: Web-Based Interview": I got this email minutes after the previous email and it provides a link to complete the web based interview. I have heard that it may take longer to receive this email, and for some they never get a chance to do the web based interview based on your information and experience in your initial application. 

3. "Schedule Phone Interview": Immediately after I completed the web based interview, I received an email asking to schedule a phone interview for within the next few days.  If you are applying early in the process, you may have to wait a few weeks.  The most important thing to remember when scheduling your interview is that the schedule is in Eastern time, and military time, so make sure you understand when your interview starts. When I completed my Web based interview, the last screen said something like" Congratulations, we believe you are a strong candidate and would like you to schedule a phone interview",  In my experience, if you do not receive this message, you may have not passed the web based interview and will not continue with the interviewing process. 

4.  "Phone Interview Confirmation": This confirms your scheduled interview time. This email, along with all previous emails were all sent to me on the same day, September 29th. 

(In between email 4 and 5 I got an email letting me know when the Character Auditions were for my area, though this only applies to applicants interested in Entertainment)

5. "Thank You for Interviewing": I received this email on October 1st, which was the date of my interview.  It says thank you for your interest and that all decisions will be made my mid November. 

6. "Congratulations!": This is the email that lets you know you have been selected to do the program.  Although it won't say in the email, there is a link to your official offer letter than includes your role that you were offered, In my case this was Custodial, my top choice! I received this email on October 4th, around 10 AM, which was a few days after my interview.  Some wait longer for this email and some waits are shorter, but the earlier you apply, in most cases, means the longer you wait.  This may seem like you should apply later, however there are perks of applying early, such as getting a chance to pick an earlier arrival date.  Also in this email it explains the 3 step process of accepting your offer with Disney. 

7. "Submit Program Fees" After you have reviewed your offer and have decided to embark on this journey and click "Accept Offer", you will be instructed to pay your program fees. You have 7 days to submit these fees. Please save up money before you apply for the program in order to make this deadline.  For my second program offer, I was never sent a "Congratulations!" email and was sent a warning email that said I had like two or three days left to submit my program fees, so you can imagine my surprise when I got this email since I had no idea I had an offer. I decided to not take the offer (because I had another job offer that conflicted with the program dates" and received a "No Longer in Consideration" email for not paying the fees. I got this email October 4th. 

8.  "DORMS Payment Confirmation": A receipt of payment, mine was for about 350 dollars, which is for the first two weeks of rent at housing.  If you choose to opt out of housing, a portion of this fee will be refunded to you. The rest of the fee is for paying for things like Housing events, and the end of the year party, so be sure to take advantage of those opportunities during your program because you are technically paying for some of it, and they are lots of fun! I got this email October 4th.

9.  "Welcome to the Disney College Program Team!" This email is to ensure you that you have completed all steps to accept your offer, and confirm your program dates.  It gives you a link to the website with reading material to prepare for your arrival.  I received this email October 4th.

10. "Request for Additional Information": This email has links that you click on with forms that Disney needs you to fill out. 

11. "Education Course Registration": I got this email next, though there may be others you get in between, such as newletters.  The education email basically lets you know what courses are available and when you will be able to register for courses.  The policy has recently changed that someone who would like to take a collegiate course with DCP must be receiving credit through their college/university.  However, all participants are eligible to sign up for the Seminars, which are now only 4 weeks long instead of 8 weeks. I received this email on November 11th.

12."The Disney Look": The email provides a link to the Disney Look information that is important to look over to make sure you are in compliance with the Disney Look while working.  I received this email on November 19th. 

13. "Prepare for Your Arrival"  This email has a link to the onboarding website and encourages you to visit the site to review the information.  I received this email on December 19th

14. "See Ya Real Soon": This email mentions that your arrival date is quickly approaching and that the next step is to complete the New Hire paperwork, however it offers no instructions for how to complete it.  This is by far the most confusing email because it tells you to do something yet provides no links.  When you receive this email, it means that they will shortly be sending you the new hire paperwork, so don't panic if you are unsure what to do.

15.  "New Hire Portal Instructions" This email gives you a link to fill out your New Hire Paperwork.  It also gives you a username and explains that your password will be sent in a separate email. I received this email November 26th.

16. "New Hire Account Information": Moments after the previous email, I received this email with my one time password for filling out my paperwork.  When you receive this email, you are able to fully log in and complete all the paperwork.  I received this email November 26th. 

17. "Housing Pre-Registration" This email usually comes 14 days prior to your arrival date.  Some arrival dates get this email the night before registration goes up, some get it that day when registration is live. This is the email that you have been waiting for if you have a group of people that you want to room with already.  You will receive a ID number (that becomes your Perner number) in the email. Whoever you appoint in your group to be the group leader will take these numbers and link you all together in DORMS to request that you live together. The leader also will pick housing preferences, which includes which complex, how many bedrooms, and if you want double or triple occupancy.  You will only have a few days to enter and link everyone so make sure you have all your roommates in mind before this date and that you all check your emails and have received and completed the new hire paperwork. I received this email on January 7th for a January 20th arrival date. 

18. "You Have Been Linked!" This lets you know that someone has linked up with you in DORMS, and sends you a link to confirm and double check your preferences.  

19. "Boarding Pass": This email sends you your DORMS Boarding Pass that you need to print out for check in day.  

20. "Final Reminders": Reminds you when you are checking in and to pack appropriately for the weather. I received this email January 8th. 

21. "DORMS Domestic Arrival Reminder": This reminder is a specific reminder for you, that tells you when you need to report for check in (mine was at 9 AM), and where check in is. (Vista Way). It also reminds you that you need your printed Boarding Pass, Vehicle Registration Form, and your I9 documentation. 

I hope this was helpful!

I'm going HOME!!!!!!!!!!

True 2 years ago, true today.

Well, I know I kept saying that I wasn't planning on coming back to work for the mouse, but here I am with another acceptance to the Disney College Program.  I am very excited to be heading back "home" to my Disney family.  I am yet again going to be sweeping the streets of Disney, and of course flushing toilets as well.  I have already met some lovely gals on the Facebook page and we are planning on rooming together, and I really hope everything works out and that we all get to stay with each other!

It's been two years since I have done the DCP...not much has changed in my life (still trying to finish school, still single as a pringle, still have not learned to drive haha). I did get another cool job here in my home town of working at the candy store, and I spent my summer working at the lutheran outdoor camp I grew up going to, but other than that same old same old.  In the DCP however, a lot has changed since I left.  I have heard that hourly pay rates have gone up (WOOHOO I am not gonna have to eat Ramen every night!), I have heard that the apartments now have bunk beds, that the apartment prices have gone up (hello Ramen), and that the policy for cast members bringing in guests have changed. I am looking forward to having a smart phone while on the program because I heard there is an application that you can use to track the buses.  So it looks like some of the changes are for the best, and some of them I would love to know more since I am nervous....but I can't complain because I am going to DISNEY WORLD!!! AGAIN!

This is life. Vegetarian frugality 

I have been saving up for my family to get to come and visit me! Hopefully I will get to show them a great time and that they get to visit all the parks, and I hope Disney sends out the new changes to the guest policy so I know beforehand what we will be able to accomplish on their trip.
I am most excited about meeting my roommates, finding out where I will be working, seeing my Disney work location family again, going to the parks (I tear up every time I think of EPCOT....I had no idea it would affect me this much), and seeing Wishes for the first time since the last night of my last program ( I haven't even listened to it because of all the feels it brings).
I am nervous about the possibility of getting a bed bug infested apartment...getting an apartment with no bus stop would also be unfortunate.
I have two more weeks of school and finals and then I can really focus on packing and getting everything ready for leaving again!
Despite some of the non-magical goings-on of Disney, working there has made Disney even more magical and special to me.  This time around I really want to try hard every day to make a positive difference in the lives of my fellow cast members and the guests at Disney.  There were so many moments of regret after my first program where I stopped and asked myself, "Why didn't I do this during my program?", "Why did I resort hop only once?", "Why did I hoard my stickers to myself and not give them out every second of the day!??".  I am beyond excited to get another opportunity to do all these things and explore the Disney bubble of Orlando with new peeps.
I am very excited about being able to see the Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom, which was closed my entire program last time.  I am also starting an a capella group to sing a piece for the Night of Stars Talent Show- I am super stoked for that!
I can't wait for the Flower and Garden Festival, which is basically my favorite place to be...ever.

Well folks, stay tuned for another crazy ride.

Post Disney Disorder

Hello my friends, this shall be my final post here for now unless I ever work for the mouse again.  I have been home for over a month and the loss of the magic is sad but I have been trying my best to cherish the magic I find here at home.  I made so many great friends at Disney and I am thankful that I did this program.  Any of you who have read my other blogs have known that I like to write a list of what I have learned. Here it is:



1. If this is the first time you have lived away from home, you will learn your true living habits.  I had always thought, "When I get my own apartment, I will..." I thought that I would spend time on making food, HA. nope.  I thought I would decorate my billboard...I had one picture.  I didn't care, haha! I still struggled with dishes and making my bed.  You actually are hardly ever home, and when you are you hope to relax.

2.  I learned many differences between Disneyland and Disney World!

3. I basically memorized the different music loops that play in each land I worked in.  My favorite will of course be the Veranda restroom music in Adventureland.

here is a link to it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqoibEsn1L0


4.  I got over my laziness. I worked 60 hours a week sometimes, had a 15 hour day in Veranda restroom and survived 8 days straight in Veranda. Of course I did start talking to myself by day five, but that's a different matter.

5. I learned that guests get dirtier as the day goes on.  A morning shift or mid shift is always easier than a night shift because guests just don't care at the end of the day and will leave you with whatever they didn't want to deal with.

6. I learned what stalls get the dirtiest.  This is a lesson, folks: Don't choose stalls that are busy, such as the first few stalls.  If these stalls always have people in them, I obviously can't check on them or clean them so often times I find this stall trashed because women have not cleaned up after themselves but still feel the need to use the restroom.

7. There is a machine in the restroom that has 3 options: Tampon, shield, and napkin. It took me a while to figure out what each of these meant but I quickly had to learn because the guests also had no idea.  I got so embarrassed of trying to explain what a tampon was to guests that did not speak english that I carried extras around with me.  So, obviously a tampon is self-explanatory, but a napkin is a pad (I believe it is regular sized) and a shield is a panty-liner or mini pad. There are no diaper machines in the restrooms, Sorry.

8. Not many people respect the ADA stall, which is apparently known as the "Big stall" to some.  So many women take their children in there with them, and of course their strollers (which should not be in the restroom in the first place!). Women, please respect the stall and leave it for those who need it!

9. Disney is so magical that it makes your local theme park look so rinky-dink and has basically ruined all other theme parks (except perhaps universal which I have never been).  I recently went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and realized that they really don't care about show, efficiency, or courtesy.  There was one tram running that held only 45 people so we waited a long time to get to the park.  The played really ghetto music.  I think I saw one employee smile the entire day.  They we EXTREMELY understaffed, (which I can understand, because who would want to work there!?) and it left our family in line for lunch for almost 45 minutes because there was only ONE register open! There lime green shirts are so bright that you don't even want to look at them or approach them (which might be why they wear them). We saw the new show and we left in the middle because it was so bad.

10. Because Disney is so magical people's minds "go on vacation" but this is just a compliment in disguise. When I visited six flags I had to keep my head on straight because I had to make sure that my family was safe. At Disney, the cast members do that for you, so it's a compliment when I am asked by a guest how to exit the restroom and silly little questions like that. I get it now-even if I was annoyed at the time but of course I always wore a smile on my face.

The gang.

Party at Typhoon Lagoon!

End of the year party!

Love:)

Saying goodbye to my roommates and Magic Kingdom

Post-disney depression is of course my life right now. I need to do something to keep me busy. I am already thinking about applying to work at Disneyland, as well as looking into traveling abroad.  I am also looking in to doing another term of AmeriCorps, possibly with the California Conservation Corps, but for now I will be going to DVC once again and continuing my education.

Here is a link to a Youtube video that one of my roommates from Disney put together:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz4BRlR2H54


See ya real soon!

Disney Knowledge and Family!

My family have since come and gone since the last time I posted! Being a cast member, I am granted access to all parks as well as am able to let in 3 other guests. I used these passes to let my family in the parks for 6 days! We had a blast though we didn't take too many photos. Here are a few:

Haunted Mansion exterior

THE TROLL. BEWARE THE TROLL.

I have experienced each Disney Park in their entirety, and here is my completed list of my favorite parks in order of awesomeness and why I like each one.  

1. Animal Kingdom.  I could spend all week here. They have my favorite food in the world- the Falafel.  This park is all about research and conservation and they want the guest to know it! They have a lot of vegetarian and vegan options, and of course my favorite place to hang out and get food and tea is India.  It has inspired me to want to travel to India! My favorite ride in Animal Kingdom would of course be the Kilimanjaro Safaris, because I get to see the animals! However I do really enjoy Everest and Kali River Rapids.  I also love to watch the Finding Nemo Musical in Animal Kingdom! 

2. Epcot. Don't remember what is stands for, but I always like to think it means Every Paycheck Comes On Thursday...because it does.  I love the World Showcase! As you all know I like to travel and what better way to spend my day than immersed in other countries! And it just so happens that Morocco has the Falafel as well. My favorite countries are Japan (because of the Miyazaki products), China (because China is awesome) and Germany because of the Grapefruit beer.  Norway is scary because of the trolls! Beware the trolls! During the Spring season Epcot hosts the Flower and Garden Festival.  I love this Festival because there are topiaries shaped as Disney characters. It rocks. 

Legitness

Mexico exterior

3. Magic Kingdom. Because I work here and it has lost a little magic.  But I LOVE Wishes, the fireworks show.  I also love "Celebrate the Magic" which is a show projected on the castle.  Of course the West is the place to be, which consists of Adventureland, Frontierland and Liberty Square. And although there is no Indiana Jones ride and their Pirates of the Caribbean is SUPER short, they do have a better Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain.  I also enjoy riding the People Mover, which takes you on a tour around Tomorrowland.  The Monsters Inc Laugh Floor is HILARIOUS and there is nothing like it in Disneyland.  

4. Hollywood Studios...There is not much to say about this park.  Of course the noteworthy rides here are Star Tours, (which I rode today 5 times and got to my favorite planet twice!!!) as well as rock n roller coaster, the Tower of Terror and the Great Movie Ride.  All are great rides.  But that's about it.

Their Star Tours exterior is awesome in WDW!

I have less than three weeks left to spend at this magical place. It is going to be really hard to leave, but I know I will have more exciting adventures up ahead and perhaps I can even travel to some of the countries they have featured in Epcot, but for real! 

The Disney Life

Hello my friends.

I have had an amazing first month living and working at Disney World.

Days off

During my days off I like to spend my time either going to the parks, relaxing (watching movies), or doing chores like doing laundry or going to the grocery store.  And yes, it is a chore because I have no car and sometimes I need to walk to the store and carry all my groceries home in my very large backpack.  

Water Art

As custodians in Disney World, we have a few ways to pass the time when our zone is show ready.  We can be certified to make water art for the guests.  This is when the custodian takes their pan and broom and cleans it out and puts water in the bottom of the pan and proceeds to dip their broom in the water and create either Mickey, Minnie, Goofy or Donald.  This is a great activity and can even draw a crowd in.  We also let the audience participate by letting them fill in the nose and such.  Here is a picture of a Mickey water art.

The Tunnels and Backstage 

Many of the guests know that there are tunnels underneath Disney World.  I use them every day to get to my locker, eat in the Cafeteria/Mouseketeeria and get around to other parts of the park faster.  They are very helpful and expansive.  Most people walk in the tunnels, but you will see some on their bikes, and of course there are carts carrying a variety of things because there is a lot of merchandise and food storage in the tunnels. When I first got here I would get lost in the tunnels, but I have pretty much got the hang of it now.  There is a pin trading station in the tunnels that allows the cast members to trade in their pins that the guests are not interested in with new ones that they might be interested in trading with you. 

There are also backstage areas of course, There is a large area behind Splash Mountain that actually has a small lake that is fenced in, and there is a baby alligator living there.  He is really cute and people have named him all sorts of different names.  I'm not totally sure what he eats, but hopefully he does not die of starvation.  I have also seen rabbits behind there as well.  Yesterday in the park I saw a mother duck and three ducklings in Liberty Square and they were heading to Frontierland.  

Earning My Ears

Hello!

I finally have time to fill you all in on what is happening here at the Magic Kingdom!

If anyone is confused by the title, "Earning your ears" basically means the process of training and passing your assessment.  It wasn't difficult, but I passed! I am now working by myself.

Custodial Role

As some of you know, I joined this program in hopes of being a custodian a Disney World, and obviously I got the role that I wanted.  All custodians at Disney World wear all white costumes to show that even the cast members that get the dirtiest can stay clean.  As a custodian, there are a few different tasks that can be assigned to you.  One of them is being responsible for a zone, which in my case would be in the "West" which means either in Adventureland, Liberty Square, or Frontierland.   When I am assigned to a zone, I am responsible for sweeping the area of any trash, as well as taking out the trash when the trash cans are getting full.  Another possibility is getting assigned to clean restrooms.  Usually nothing too weird happens so it's not that bad and I like it because I can self-break.  Here in the West, we have the busiest restroom in the park, and we call it Veranda.  I have been assigned to it and it keeps my on my toes, but it wasn't too bad!  Other things that custodians do are tasking, which means to either sweep popcorn in the streets, or clean out the bushes or ash trays.  Another option is being assigned to parade.  Every night, the Electrical Parade plays twice and goes through Liberty Square and Frontierland.  If I am assigned to Parade, I wait until the Parade is over and I help clean the streets with the vacuum or broom.  Then I am responsible for helping to make sure that all the other custodial cast members have closed out their zones and that everything looks pretty. The last option that I have done is Recycling.  When assigned to recycling, I am responsible for all 48 recycling cans spread out in the West. Thankfully the cart that holds the recyclables is electric! Each custodian uses a radio, and we make sure to use codes so that the guests won't be distracted by what we are talking about.

Playing at the Parks

I have been able to go to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom so far! I enjoyed both, though I think I liked Animal Kingdom better! My favorite ride was the Kilimanjaro Safari, where they take you on a safari and you get to see all sorts of African animals such as lions, bongos, impalas, hippos, rhinos, alligators, birds, okapi's, etc.  I also enjoyed the "Dinosaur" ride that is very similar to the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. Although I have not been able to go to either Epcot or Magic Kingdom as a guest, I am planning to do so soon!

Pin Trading! 

Here at Disney, there is something called Pin Trading.  I had not heard of it before this program, so I can't be sure that they do this at Disneyland.  Basically, Disney creates a bunch of pins for both the guests and the cast members.  If a cast member is out and about and wearing their pin trading lanyard, a guest who is interested in trading will come up to them and look at their pins.  If they see one that they want to trade, they ask for it and give one of their pins to the cast member.  Some guests are really enthusiastic about trading.  I just got my lanyard yesterday, so I am looking forward to a lot of pin trading for the next few months!

Cast Connection and Property Control

There are a few cast member only stores in Disney World.  Two of them are right next to each other and conveniently on my way to work.  They are the Cast Connection and Property Control.   They are basically like Disney thrift stores.  I found some great finds at Cast Connection yesterday.  I bought a dozen items for $4.97. Pretty amazing.  Some of the merchandise they sell is either broken or has been returned and they are not able to resell it at the store.  Many of the items that are sold for 12.95 in the stores are 10 cents, and items that are 16.95 in stores are sold for 50 cents.  I like to go back a lot because they always have something new! Property Control contains a lot of merchandise and food that is overstock. There are eggs, bread, OJ, and fruit for really cheap there!

I need to buy some stuff to fix my camera....anyways, stay tuned to hear more about my experience and I am sure I will have some interesting stories to tell!

Arrival and Traditions

Hello! I am finally here in Orlando! I was picked up by my lovely roommates at the airport, stayed at my roommates house for a night, and then headed off to check-in at one of the housing complexes.  It took about 2 hours to stand in line and get our room assignments and keys, our pictures taken for our I.D's and submitting some paperwork to Disney.  After that I headed to Casting and got fingerprinted, submitted more forms, and met with an adviser who explained to me what the next few days would look like.

Living: I will be living with 7 other girls in a 4 bedroom apartment in Chatham Square! This is great because Chatham has a bus stop in front of it! My roommates are great!

My lovely roommates and I at the boardwalk

Working: I also found out I will be working in Magic Kingdom! This probably means longer hours since it's doors are opened the longest, but it is also the most popular, and therefore the bus to Magic Kingdom will be frequent!

Florida is nice, the weather is decent, and it had a 5 minute down pour of rain yesterday which was interesting.  There are a bunch of weird birds here.

Traditions:
Earlier today I had "Traditions", which is an experience that each cast member goes through and is considered their first day of work and first day on stage.  The class consisted of watching educational videos as well as traveling to Magic Kingdom--- though we didn't take the guest entrance, instead we took the tunnels.  We got to go under the castle and such which was exciting. We also observed cast members in Fantasyland.  We also got to meet Mickey Mouse!  During my traditions, I was presented with Mickey Mouse ears, my name tag, and my cast member I.D!

Tomorrow I start my orientation and training!

Surgery and Packing

As some of you know, I was admitted to the ER a little bit ago for intense pain of my side and upper back. \ I got an ultra-sound and they found gall stones in my gall bladder. I had been experiencing this pain off and on for three years and had never got it checked out (it was never too unbearable).  After some thought, I decided to get my gall bladder removed. So a week ago, I headed to Kaiser for surgery.  It went well, and every day I am getting better and not needing as many pain pills.  However, I am not able to walk or do extraneous activity for long periods, and I cannot lift more than 15 pounds, which leaves me to my challenge: packing.  

Packing for the DCP (for most girls) starts many weeks before we get there. Yes, I usually pack ahead of time, unless you count AmeriCorps, where I only found out I was going to Mississippi three days before I left.  Otherwise, I pack ahead. However, AmeriCorps taught me quite a few things about packing.  Once during AmeriCorps we got word that we would be leaving the next morning for Hurricane Sandy staging/deployment and I got packed in a flash.  I have seen other girls doing the Disney College Program post pictures on Facebook of them with 5 suitcases....This will not be me.  I understand this is some participants first time away from home, and I also understand that they are bringing valuable things to the apartments , like TV's and kitchen stuff, so thank you.  I fly Southwest, and will be participating in the 2 free checked bags policy.  I lived out of one bag in AmeriCorps: this will be a piece of cake.  AND I'm including all my bedding and a few other supplies I am bringing to the apartment, such as a huge blender and an iron. All of my wonderful roommates have contributed to the apartment and I'm so excited to meet all of them.  Yes, I will still manage to bring Settler of Catan, Cards Against Humanity, my karaoke machine, and all those fun games and activities.  I will not, however, have the best wardrobe of any of the girls there. I don't mind that.  The bare necessities of life my friends, remember that.  

My family, friends and future roommates have graciously offered their assistance in the first week when I need help lifting things by myself.  Thanks!  I appreciate it.   

I am so pumped to be a custodian at Disney World!!! I know, that may sound weird, but I really do believe it is the right place for me and the right role! I can't wait to get this adventure started.  

Heads up: I'll be posting next during my first week there.  Wish me safe travels, I leave Sunday morning!

Accepted into the Disney College Program!

Yes folks, you read it correctly, Kristy Bouchard is headed to work, live, take classes, and do whatever else I can squeeze in 4 months in DISNEY WORLD.  Florida bound! I have had a lovely semester here at DVC but as many of you know I can't stay in one place for too long.  And Florida seemed like the place to be.  I just updated my AmeriCorps blog (the last entry I will write for it) so if you want to check that out it's belightfortheworld.blogspot.com 

To summarize what the Disney College Program or DCP is, it is basically a program designed for college students (or recent graduates) that live on Disney housing and work at Disney World throughout the week for their assigned role, and take classes offered there.  I am going to be a custodian! I am very happy with this role, it was one of my first choices!  I will be wearing a rad white costume and singing the sweep song from mary poppins all day. ha. perhaps not. But I will work hard.   The program length varies for most, but my program lasts from January 20th to May 16th, so I will be home well in time for the summer! 

Summary of what has happened since I got accepted: Found awesome roommates! (If everything goes according to plan I will be living in a suite with 7 other girls!) Started compiling things I need to bring AKA clothes that meet guidelines and documents and such.  Paid program fees, paid for plane ticket.  That's pretty much it. I am in the middle of finals right now...So wish me luck!  

Life in general: Finals are upon us...well me. And choir concerts! so many choir concerts..haha. After finals I am visting Seattle with friends, and hopefully getting my gall bladder removed before I leave for Florida so there are no complications there. ( I had to go to the ER because I hurt so bad and found out I need my gall bladder removed).

So....that's it for now! 

Have a magical day! :)