Light the lamp, not the rat, light the lamp, not the rat! Put me out, put me out, put me out!

Merry Christmas Eve!!!
Christmas Eve today and nothing too exciting happening today. The parents have been cooking all morning, my sister is out shopping, and well I've been chasing around the dog, or uhh having the dog chase me around. Later on tonight we will have a nice dinner, and just hang around, drink and be merry! Tomorrow is the big busy day, but I love it! And of course the Disney Christmas Parade is on, so that makes the day all that much better. We split Christmas up between my Mom's family and my Dad's family, that way we get to see everyone. Its nice to talk, laugh and just catch up with everyone.

On to DCP news!!!
My dashboard now says "PG Position Assigned" ! So now I guess I have a job location! I'll find out all that information and things I need to know at Casting on Jan 9th after we check in. So there are 16 day left till we move in. One of  my roommates has come up with a packing list which is super helpful, so after the holiday I'm going to start packing and getting everything together. I have printed out all of the online documents that Disney has available on the OnBoarding website, and I have a binder that I have everything in so I don't forget anything or lose anything. I'm traveling down there alone so I want to make sure I have everything organized and done so I don't have too much anxiety.

So the countdown stands at around 2weeks. I've got two weeks to pack my life away in my car, and travel down to live on Disney Property for at least 5 months. Its going to be a great start to the new year!

Gonzo: My name is Charles Dickens. 
Rizzo the Rat: And my name is Rizzo the Rat... wait a second! You're not Charles Dickens! 
Gonzo: I am too! 
Rizzo the Rat: No! A blue furry Charles Dickens who hangs out with a rat? 
Gonzo: Absolutely! 
Rizzo the Rat: Charles Dickens was a 19th Century novelist! A genius! 
Gonzo: Oh, you are too kind! 
Rizzo the Rat: Why should I believe you? 
Gonzo: Well, because I know the story of A Christmas Carol like the back of my hand! 
Rizzo the Rat: Prove it! 
Gonzo: All right! Um, there's a little mole on my thumb, and um, a scar on my wrist from when I fell off my bike... 
Rizzo the Rat: No, no, no, don't tell us your *hand*, tell us the *story*! 

Every day, another new adventure. Every mile, another new zip code

23 days till Check in! SO CLOSE!

Disney has been sending out a couple e-mails as time is approaching to move in. The e-mails are basic but it means my adventure is not far away. I've packed up a lot of my room at school and will be moving out on Wed. Its so real! I can't stop talking about Disney either, I just really want to get down there and start working. I feel like this is a chapter in my life that I'm ready to start and be an actual adult. I think the time is getting to other people also because the Facebook groups are a mess. I stay out of everything, but these people on there are children and its so sad watching them attack one another. It puts into reality that Disney is real, and there are going to be tons of people you do not like, but then again to think optimistically there are going to be even more people that you possibly can like. I'm hoping for the best, and to just make friends and be cool with whoever I meet. I've read so many places that if you are just open to people, and social you have the best time there and meet awesome people. So the drama on Facebook is nothing to worry about, I just feel bad for those who get themselves involved, no need to be rude to one another over nothing. Ohwell moving on....

I have two finals left of the semester!! Woo!! Tourism and Spanish.. I'll be studying all tomorrow and Monday morning for these exams, I'm praying for an easy Spanish exam. Looking back on the semester it has flown by! I feel like I was just complaining about how long it was taking and now it is over!!!

My 21st birthday was last week :D, what an adventure that was. Had a lot of fun, maybe too much, but it is surely a night for the books!

Well I'm spending the weekend before Christmas shopping like every other person. But only I'm not shopping for Christmas I just need to shop in general :P.. Once I'm back home, Christmas will be here, and after that is time to start packing for Florida and I'll be on my way. More updates soon as my arrival date gets closer just because I'll be super excited and everyone is getting annoyed so I'll need somewhere to express my emotions!

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. –Belle 

They say if you dream a thing more than once, it's sure to come true.

This title of my blog today is so true! I feel like there are so many instances that I've had reoccurring dreams, something from that dream happens especially my dreams about the DCP!

Anyway speaking of my dreams, I will be checking into Vista Way in 42 days!! YAY time is flying by and I'm so anxious to be there. I have began to take home things from my apartment and clear stuff out. My room is half full, half empty, depending on how you'd like to look at it. I've been cracking down on all my work that is due next week. This is my last week of "real" classes and next week is when all the assignments are due. Then the week after that are finals! Ah gosh its so refreshing knowing after these finals, is Christmas, then I get to move to Florida. Does life get any better? As of right now it doesn't for me. I actually found a list in my room at home the other day that I made in high school for class "25 Things to Do Before I Die", the Disney College Program was on the list. Realizing how long this has been my dream to do, it makes it that much sweeter.

Anyway nothing new is going on in the DCP world with information they send out. I'm actually STILL waiting for my purple postcard to get here! So frustrating! But oh well, good things come to those who wait. I'm still waiting for DCP to update their I9 papers and hire papers so I can get those filled out so I won't have to do it when I get down there for check in.

Well its officially Christmas season, and well that means I should be in a constant good mood due to lots of Christmas music, decorations, trees, and delicious treats! Also this means that my 21st birthday is 2 weeks away! WOO HOO haha Needless to say I'm super stoked for it.

I've got 3 projects, 4 papers, 1 quiz, and 5 finals left in the semester! ALMOST THERE!!!

This is just a part of growing up. A little adventure, a little rebellion, that's good. Healthy, even. –Flynn Rider 

I'm a damsel. I'm in distress. I can handle this. Have a nice day.

I'm slowly beginning to go crazy due to the amount of work I have to do thanks to finals approaching. But I really only have myself to blame, since I knew I had all this work I just didn't realize the depth of each of my papers and projects. So now I'm going to try to get everything done and hopefully early. Ultimately the goal is to try and have mostly everything done by Thanksgiving so I can relax for the weekend and then just deal with one last week of classes and then finals.

56 days till my check in date in Florida. Everything is starting to fall into place and its making me really excited but at the same time I'm starting to get nervous and anxious. Everything is becoming so real; Housing confirmed my release from my current apartment, me and my future roommates decided on who will be sharing rooms, we made a packing list, I'm starting to think about what I can pack up to bring home for Thanksgiving and the end of the semester is here. Needless to say everything is happening quickly and my nerves are getting to me. Everyone keeps asking me how I feel, and how excited I am to go down to Florida for that long of a time. Honestly I am really excited I just can't help but have nerves. By no means do I want to back out or not do the program, I just have like pre-nerves! haha. I think once I finally arrive in Florida I will have too much adrenaline and excitement that there won't be time to be nervous.

So back to studying, writing papers, and packing up some of my apartment. Ugh!

Change is nature. The part we can influence. And it starts when we decide. - Remy (Ratatouille)

Ariel, listen to me. The human world is a mess. Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there.

^^Life in Disney is better than anything!

TOMORROW I LEAVE FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD!
Yay I've been looking forward to this weekend, especially now that midterms and such are over, its a nice getaway. Of course I did have mixed feelings because it is Halloween weekend that I will be missing but I figure a trip to Florida cancels out any need to stay at Mason just for a holiday.

Onto DCP news, nothing actually new is going on. I did sign up for a class. All the classes offered by Disney are really interesting and I wish I could take them all. Some of them are "real" classes that reminded me of classes I will be taking at Mason, so I decided to skip those because I won't get credit. The other types of classes they offer are the Exploration Series, which seem to be the most popular of what people are taking. Most of the people I see on the facebook groups signed up for the Disney Heritage  which seems really cool because it involves a scavenger hunt and such. I chose to sign up for the Guest Services course. It sounds really fun and it is going to help me learn more about the field I'm trying to go into at Disney. Another thing I found out about is that you can ask to "shadow" another role when you have free time. I am definitely going to take advantage of this since I didn't get my first choice- Hospitality. So after I get comfortable in my MEO position I'm going to talk to managers to find out how I go about shadowing a role. And since I want to ask to extend to Spring Advantage (till august), I'm pretty sure I can try to switch my role. I found out that not everyone will get permission to extend- you have to have a clean record throughout the program and there needs to be positions open. So I'll have to keep my fingers crossed when its time to apply to extend.

After a lot of discussion and contemplating I've decided to finish my degree at George Mason. I have a lot of catching up to do, and trying to transfer on top of that is way to stressful. So currently here is the plan:

• Finish this semester up in December
• Take the spring/summer off for the DCP
• Take 18 credits for the fall semester at Mason
• Take 18 credits for the spring semester at Mason
• Take 6-9 credits at a community college during the summer, or live in VA and take classes at Mason
• Take 18 credits for the fall at Mason 
• Apply for the DCP again and apply for the Disney Professional Internship
• Graduate in Decemeber
• Hopefully do the DCP or PI for the spring and officially move my life down to Florida

So that is the master plan and we'll see how it works. Taking a semester off is going to make things a lot more rough for me but this program is super important to me. To me it is worth graduating a semester behind my friends, and loading on the work. I'll probably be pretty stressed out during the rest of college but I think at the end of the day it'll all be worth it!

Well off to packing and finishing some homework!
Off to the happiest place on earth in the morning with the family.

Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten. - Lilo 

A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Sometimes in life its the only weapon we've got.

About 14 days till I take my weekend trip to Disney! Yay!!! Its so needed!

I still haven't received my purple envelope, I'm keeping positive though hoping I will get it soon. I know I'm not the only one waiting but it sure feels like it! I did get a verification e-mail that I am scheduled to move in on Jan. 9th, so that calmed my anxiety about the purple envelope. I also got a bracelet one of the other CPs was selling that is red and black that says "Disney College Program, Spring 2012" it is super cute. I can't wait to start getting more merchandise that says things about being a Cast Member and what not.

I'm currently working on getting released from my housing contract with Mason so they won't keep charging me through the spring semester since I won't be living there. The paper work all says that I can get denied release from my apartment, which is crazy, but I have a good reason for leaving so I shouldn't have an issue with them granting it to me.

I have been watching some more videos about the program, and I am getting really excited. Everyone around me keeps saying how quick the semester is going by, but for me it is dragging! I'm ready for January, but I have to keep reminding myself not to rush my life away this semester. My friends tend to get frustrated when I talk about leaving so there is a lot of time I need to spend with them here before I leave them for a semester.

My anxiety is building like crazy though. I recently watched a "Check In" video from Fall 2011 and well needless to say I'm nervous about the entire process. The video kept stating that it moved very efficiently and smoothly but I'm just nervous that I'll miss something or we won't get there early enough. I know I'm not the only one with these emotions about it, but no matter how many people feel this way I can't stop thinking about things that could go wrong.

I need to start making a list of everything to bring, and also start putting more money aside. I need to get a jar and start putting my change in it for Florida. I also need to start filling about some of the paper work. I'm putting together a folder of all the Disney related things I might possibly need when I get down there.

88 days till I'm living the Dream!!!

I"ve been seeing this everywhere and I absolutely love it.

I warn you dear child, if I lose my temper, you lose your head. Understand?

Ah! When you apply for the Disney College Program, there should probably be fine print at the bottom:
"If you have no patience whatsoever rethink this process" :P
I feel like this waiting game is starting to get to a lot of people, and we all need to just calm down. I think people forget that applications are taken up until mid November, and everyone gets so antsy when they don't get what they want when they want it. I will say that Disney does like to make you wait for things, but I would rather wait and have everything done right, then have them rush through everything. I am currently still waiting for my purple envelope and I am one of those people with no patience so I'm going slightly crazy! I also just want it to be January already. My roommates and I have literally almost everything planned and it hasn't even been two weeks since we've been accepted! We obviously still have some things to sort out, but we have the general idea.

School is a drag recently, because all I can think about it working in Florida next semester. This upcoming month is pretty stressful for me. October is all the midterm work, and all the little projects are due, so my brain if going to be fried by the end of the month! Thank goodness for the Disney Trip at the end of the month!

I also have began running and working out again! Yay. There is a run in Disney World that I would love to participate in, but I am worried that I'll have to work it, so I don't know if I should register for it. I don't want to have trained my butt off for it, paid my money, and then they tell me I couldn't run in it- I would be devastated!
Disney Princess Half Marathon <-- There is the link, it looks pretty cool to me. I'm going to talk to some other people who are interested in it and see what they are going to do about it.

"Run away Simba... Yes, run away and never return." -Scar

See Ya Real Soon!

Honestly, if I get to do this everyday, I will be content with my job. (And well obviously I want to drive the tram with my wonderful Jersey driving skills :P) Being a part of Main Entrance is going to be so much fun. Though my first choice was Hospitality because I want to be a part of the Guest Relations department, this was my 3rd choice and you have to start somewhere! Baby steps through the Disney Company. I have so many goals that I have set for myself that I want to be a part of the Disney Company as a career so starting as a CP is putting my life into perspective on how hard I really have to work. I'm starting at the bottom like most people in the working world, and I hope to make a strong impression and gradually make my way up! 

On another note, I will be making a small weekend trip with the parents to WDW in 28 days!!! YAY. I'm super excited for this trip because:

1. I'm going to Disney, how can I not just be really excited
2. We are looking at houses and neighborhoods to move down to 
3. I get to make small chat with cast members to get some more info on the college program!

I'll only be there for 4 days but its worth it! I'm hoping to drive by the apartments and just take a look at what is around. And like I said I'm hoping to talk with some cast members (current cp or alumni) jut to get their insight on the program, and it'll probably make me jump out of my skin and attempt to move to Disney at that moment!

"Take if from an old spectator. Life's not a spectator sport. If watchin' is all you're gonna do, then you're gonna watch your life go by without ya." - The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Just grab a friend and take a ride, together upon the open road

Getting down to Florida sounds like a little bit of a hassle, and I'll admit I'm kind of nervous about it. It won't be too difficult because I will have everything packed from my apartment at school, but fitting it all into one little civic is going to be the worst part.

There are 3 options in which I could choose from to get down to Florida:

• Driving --an 18 hour drive from New Jersey
• Flying -- give or take 2 1/2 hours
• Auto Train -- 17 hours from Lorton, VA

My family decided the best for me would be taking the auto train down to Orlando from Lorton. It makes a lot of sense- My car is leased so I have to be careful with my mileage, and who really wants to drive 18 hours in a small cramped car, because I know I will have it packed to capacity. It also works out because Lorton, VA is about 30mins up the highway from Mason so I know the area and I'll have a place to stay the night before I get on the train. I've heard good things about the auto train, and hopefully it won't be too bad of a ride. Anything is better than being stuck in a car for that long!!

A new topic of conversation that has come up is what we have to bring with us to the program. Obviously being a girl I want to just pick up my entire room and move it into my new apartment down there but that is not very realistic for the situation. I have everything compact into my room at college now, but it still took 2 cars to get all my stuff here so I need to downsize even more! I'm most likely going to be going crazy trying to make everything fit in my car (good thing my Mama is good at puzzles and always finds a way to make things fit!) The good thing about the apartments for the program is that they provide a lot of items that most apartments don't have.

The apartments are fully furnished  and I mean fully furnished. Reading about the apartments on the website, they list everything you could possibly need. --> http://cp.disneycareers.com

• Bedroom-two beds, dresser w/ a mirror, nightstand
• Dining room- table w/ chairs
• Living room- couch, chair, 2 end tables
• Bathroom-shower curtain, 2 wastebaskets
• Kitchen-refrigerator, stove, oven, & microwave, dishwasher, and dish, pot, utensil, baking sheets, cups (its a fully stocked kitchen)

Having the apartment come with all of this is really going to help when I'm trying to pack. Though I'll need some more key items, I don't have to worry about setting up the entire apartment. Also the fact that there are 6 of us, that hopefully will make the packing even lighter!

I'll be arriving in Orlando on Jan 8th early in the morning, so I'm hoping to venture around the area and get acquainted with it so I don't need Ruth (my gps) every time I want to go somewhere. I'll have the entire day to relax and just go around, hopefully I won't get too lost! But that night a bunch of CPers are meeting at Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney to get to know each other a little bit before we move in. I'm so glad someone decided to plan this. Its going to give everyone a chance outside of the program to get to know each other just a little bit before we cross over into our Disney lives! Also I'll get to meet my roommates in person for the first time, so that will be a good time; all thanks to the world of facebook, connecting us Disney College kids!!!


"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."-Walt Disney

My name is Dug. I have just met you, and I love you.

So the next process of this is deciding where to live and meeting roommates. Some people choose to have random roommates, and meet them on the first day we move in, but I'd prefer to get to know the girls I will be living with for 5months rather than them be complete strangers. Alright so anyway on with the housing choices:

• Vista Way- it is the oldest of all the housing. I've heard good and bad things about it. I've heard it is very social over there and its where people hang out for parties and such. They just repainted it but I don't know if they fixed up the inside. I think it just looks aged but still possible good housing. Its also the cheapest of all of them which kind of made me want to choose this but I don't know.
• Chatham (My first choice)- This is what I would call the in between complex it seems like. I've heard vista is crazy and patterson is quite reserved. So this complex seems to be a happy medium. It is mid priced and from what I have researched looks really nice on the inside and not incredibly too small either. 
• Patterson- This is the newest of the complexes and is the most expensive- way to expensive for me! I kind of would like some money after rent is taken out! Patterson is super nice though and that is what you are paying for. Its a quite area, and I think its far from the bus stop though- a downside if you don't want to drive or don't have a car.
• The Commons- This is international housing, I haven't heard really much about it.

So when picking a building, you also have to pick the amount of roommates you want. You can choose from 1-7 roommates. So with that being said, I have met and decided to live with 5 other awesome girls in a 3 bedroom apartment in Chatham. I can not express the excitement I have to finally move in and meet them. Its like being a college freshman all over again! There are 3 of us from Jersey, Indiana, Georgia, and Connecticut!

We all found each other through facebook (except one of the girls, I went to high school with).One of the good things about facebook is that people have started groups that are for the Spring 2012 DCP and its the easiest way to meet people. It also lets everyone in on information from each other that you may not know about. It helped me keep up to date with when acceptances went out, and what everyone was doing with the housing situations. It also helps answer questions you may have or maybe have the answer to. Everyone in these groups are going through the same thing so everyone is very willing to help each other out. I like that and it makes me want to meet everyone even more!

Now I don't get to secure my housing and roommates before we move in; it sucks but its how Disney has always ran it I guess. So we are going to arrive at check-in super early and stand in line together so we have a good chance of moving in with each other and getting the complex we want!

So as for now I'm getting to know my new roomies and talking all about what we want to do down there. We are all excited and I think we'll be talking about it everyday from now till Jan 9th! I am also waiting to get a purple envelope in the mail from the program; no more purple folder but an envelope that supposedly has something more exciting than a folder in it, so we'll see what it is!

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" - Casablanca (The Great Movie Ride)

All you need is faith and trust... and a little bit of pixie dust!

So I want to start doing a blog so my family and friends can keep up on what I am doing throughout my journey through the Disney College Program. Also I am hoping if people are searching for blogs about the program they can find mine and I can give them some information on the program and the process. I read a lot of blogs while preparing for applying for the program and they helped a lot so I hope I can help others too, along with just entertaining fellow Disney lovers with the adventure I am about to start. 


"I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination." -Walt Disney


So I applied to the Disney College Program on September 5th, in which I just filled out a normal application listing previous jobs and experiences. Along with my resume. Within an hour or so of completing my application I recieved an e-mail that I was going to have to take the oh so scary Web Based Interview. The WBI was much like a personality test and consisted of a lot of "what would you do" and "are you more like this or like this". I had heard that you should be definite with your answer and confident, so I had tried to stay away from any answer that seemed neutral.

I found out directly after the WBI that I would get a chance to have a phone interview! I was soo NERVOUS. I prepped the entire week for it. My phone interview was on September 10th at 12:00pm. The interviewer called a couple minutes early so I was shaken up! Completely nervous but I knew what I wanted to say. The interview only lasted about 12minutes for me and that made me even more nervous. They asked questions like:

• Why do you want to participate in the DCP?
• Why did you show interest in the roles you chose?
• What do you do when you have a lot thrown at you at once?
• How will you deal with a repetitive work enviroment?
• Do you prefer to work inside or outside?
• What kind of previous experience?
• Have you lived away from home? With other people?

The questions went on, but I barely remember because that whole 12minutes were like a blur to me! We ended the conversation with my questions and then she told me to just keep checking my dashboard online where I had gone to apply.

After an exhausting week and half I got my acceptance e-mail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What an exciting feeling. MAIN ENTRANCE OPERATIONS!!! that was in my top 3 so I'm still pretty excited about it. 

After you see your offer letter, you get 10days to either accept it or decline. (in my opinion who would ever decline?! crazy people) You also have to pay a deposit and once you pay that you wait for an e-mail that lets you pick your arrival and departure dates: I chose Jan 9th-June 1st -- for obvious reasons it was the longest for the spring term. I kind of want to extend to a longer program, but between trying to stay on top with school and all we'll see how that works.

Speaking of school I am currently looking at the Univeristy of Florida, and the University of Central Florida to either transfer to for 3 semesters or a graduate school to get my masters in hospitality. I just need to figure out all the transferring information and the tidbits that go along with switching schools like that.