WDW college program experiences

packwingfn · Post by **packwingfn** » Feb Fri 17, 2006 12:03 am

I have never been to the Outlet Mall but it sounds real cool. I like any place where I can find merchandise from the theme parks & resorts.

Post by **addlema** » Feb Fri 17, 2006 7:27 am

Went when I was a little kid.. Hated it since it was time my folks were wasting not in the parks!

You leave in May? bummer.. We are going to be down this christmas.. It would be cool to introduce you to my cousin (Who did the college program and now manages at Coronado Springs)..

Lion Sleeps Tonight · Post by **Lion Sleeps Tonight** » Feb Fri 17, 2006 12:04 pm

Congrats on your 100th post. Anyways, yeah I leave in May. But we'll always have Subsonic.

The first time I went to the outlet mall I was also p***. Why? Because that day it rained at the Studios, so we left early and it was our last full day to be in the parks. Instead we spent the evening sitting at the cafeteria in the Outlets. It had stopped raining and it was around 5pm, so we wanted to go back, but alas our parents wouldn't take us.

I would just go to the Character Premiere store because almost each week they get something new.

My roommate came home drunk as heck last night. A good thing I was still wide awake talking to another roommate and listening to music. When I got into the room, my roommate was already sleeping. Also, my roommate's cell phone is broken- yay technology!

Speaking of resorts, I need to visit them. I'm really interested in how each one looks and what they offer, especially for food. I've only been to Polynesian, stayed at Contemporary(where I hear W Bush is going to be this afternoon) and stayed at the All Star Music. I really want to try the Ohana restaurant at the Polynesian. One of my roommates has already eaten there twice for dinner, and totally recommends it.

Well today I go back into work. It's just a six hour day and hopefully nothing interesting happens.

Haha- I've got a little stupid story for you. So on tuesday I had restrooms to clean. It was going pretty well because I opened them, and it was a slow day. Well I do a round and come to the Icon restrooms(at the end of ABC theatre). I take one look in, and i quickly stick my head back out. It reaks! So I check inside and it turns out one toilet is full of feces. I press the flusher, and to my surprise the flusher handle simply goes limp. It's broken! So I go outside and ask a co-worker for a radio so I can call it in. He doesn't have it, and no one else in our zone has one at the moment. Frustrations!

So I walk out of my zone, and see two of my managers, who tell me to walk to the entrance of Star Tours and use their phone(yeah I walked too far). So I walk behind the Star Tours Stand-By sign and spot a brown box. I assume it's the phone box, and try to open it. It doesn't budge. I'm thinking, "okay, there's screws in it, so it must open somehow!" Well I can't open it, and finally ask one of the Star Tours cast members. He goes, "oh you're trying to use the phone?" "it's right here." He points to the side a little ways from where I was standing- to a regular looking phone box, which he opened to reveal a normal looking phone. I felt so so stupid. I call in the problem and that was that. So unprofessional!

..well i thought the story was kinda funny...

Sarah Turp · Post by **Sarah Turp** » Feb Fri 17, 2006 1:01 pm

I liked the story. Thats exactly the sort of silly mistake I would make!

Post by **addlema** » Feb Fri 17, 2006 2:27 pm

Wow... Thats gotta be the worst part of the custodial job (Backed up toilets).

You should try the Cape May Cafe at the Yacht Club if you like seafood. It's the best buffet on property i think. They have great meat and potatoes too if you dont like seafood that much.. Their clam chowder is to die for...

Spoodles at the boardwalk is also spectacular mediteranian food (SP?).

Wilderness Lodge has the Whispering Canyon. That is a great resturant. The waitstaff is awesome and so are the horse races. You can't go wrong with the bottomless milkshake!

Yippeee I made 100+. Didnt even notice.

G2-4T · Post by **G2-4T** » Feb Fri 17, 2006 10:31 pm

I think that phone box you tried to open [yep sounds like something I'd pull] is the radio tag box for the time cards they hand guests to get line wait times... I can't believe it was as simple as a real phone box - not like them to make it so obvious

Lion Sleeps Tonight · Post by **Lion Sleeps Tonight** » Feb Sat 18, 2006 12:49 am

Well it's hidden and out of the way, so guests wouldn't normally notice it. I didn't. And the radio thing sounds about right. That stupid thing beeps every five minutes. If it's annoying for me, it must be one hundred times worse for the cast members who have to reset it.

Finally a nice day. I didn't have to wear the ugly turtle neck that shocks you each time you check for paper towels. The weather was so nice for a change that I felt drowsy. It wasn't too hot or cold, but perfect for a mid-afternoon nap. Every chance I got I took a seat to just relax a bit.

All in all, today was a pretty easy day. It helped that the person before me left tons of trash can bags so all I had to do was pull. I even finished before the time to clock out and didn't have to rush to the bus. So yay me for finally setting a pace for restrooms.

Tonight there were at least two after hours events. At Streets of America- specifically New York street was a convention with fancy table clothes and cast members in high class-looking waiter outfits. There was a nice yellow ferrari parked nearby Al's Toy Barn, waiting to make its grand entrance.

At Epic was some kind of exotic dinner thing. They did the first scene of the show, and then the stage opened up for dinner. This is all just hear-say, so don't quote me. Of course I saw none of it, because I was in restrooms.

I think I've reached a point, that if I don't like a roommate(or anyone), I just won't talk to them. Like today, my roommate came home and I asked the obligatory "how was work?" and "what time do you go in tomorrow?" type questions and that was it. Same goes for the other roommate whom I think is dirty. I mean that roommate just did the laundry for the first time. Piles of dirty laundry just sitting in the closet for over a month. That one also left the superbowl dip in the fridge until recently.

One more thing to complain about. The people upstairs. Gorillas. They stomp or fall of the furniture every night. But that's okay, because we got paypack. A roommate and I went to Walmart last night and bought a football. We play catch and sometimes the ball hits the ceiling(multiple times). I don't know how it happens, honest.

Restaurant names are written down and are pending along with all the other ones. Next week I'll definitely eat at a nice sit-down restaurant.

Well tomorrow, I don't work till 4pm, but I'm pooped. Night all.

Lion Sleeps Tonight · Post by **Lion Sleeps Tonight** » Feb Mon 20, 2006 12:05 pm

Be nice to the CPs on Sunset Blvd!! For two days I worked with the Cast Members in the Sunset area. I'm not too sure why I was sent there, but that seems to be the trend. A few of our Icon guys have been sent to Sunset for a short stay as well.

So basically the Sunset area spands from the beginning of Sunset Blvd to Rockin Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. There are two zones. Zone One is just Sunset Blvd up to the ToT Fast Pass Distribution. Zone two is the street behind the Ice Cream stand and goes from the Coaster to ToT. These zones are small compared to the ones at Icon, but they are always packed with people. All the time. There are so many garbage and recycling cans in those zones. I don't think Icon has any recycling cans.

I feel bad for the showkeepers who have Zone two at Sunset especially. They gotta go all the way into the queue lines for both the Coaster and ToT. And those tiny queue line trash cans in the boiler room are ridiculous. We get huge black bags to put in there, but the can is waaaay too small for them. So we have to tie them in three places just so the liner bag will stay in place. So the next time you see a showkeeper changing the liner or opening those tiny bullet trash cans, say a nice "thank you!"

I asked what the average time of doing trash runs at Sunset is, and one CP replied that it takes two to two and a half hours.

But it makes sense because the trash cart gets really heavy, which means at least two total trips to the trash compactor, you always have to watch out and stop for guests(who ask the same questions) and you gotta bring it up that small hill near ToT.

Despite that, it seems like a party over at Sunset, well between all the CPs anyways. I like it there because they help each other out, and it seems pretty laid back... most of the time. I was surprised that there's usually at least one pan and broom free for use, and they aren't all spread out and claimed. All the supplies needed for cleaning the streets and restrooms are pretty much in one place- which is nice for a change.

One small complaint about the Sunset zone- it's soo small. I think I walked the entire perimeter of Zone 2 at least 5 times in 20 minutes. I couldn't wait until my Spill run last night because I was so bored. I even helped out with another CP's trash run.

So I think I fulfilled one of those "wouldn't that be so awesome!" things at Disney two nights ago. The first day I arrived at Sunset, I had the closing trash run for zone two. This means I get to go into ToT by myself at night. Since the first time I waited in line, I've always wanted to see the queue without a whole bunch of guests in the way. It would either be really creepy or really cool.

So I go in through the gift shop, and towards the door that the guests with disabilities take to get to the elevators. I open the door, and the bridge to the elevator is up, so i can't take the elevator up. So I'm standing there and trying to think of a way to get up to the queue line. I walk back out the exit and to the gift shop to find the gift shop doors looked. I'm like, "crap, I'm trapped in here!" But then there were some cast members inside a stock room and they showed me how to unlock the door...which was really easy btw.

So then I take the emergency exit stairs up to the outside queue line, hoping that the doors to the lobby are open. Which they are. I was so tempted to leave a roll of bags by the door to keep it from locking. I mean the last thing I need is to be locked in. But I don't and make my way inside the lobby trying to admire all the 20s antiques, but also trying to keep in mind the time. I go through the lobby by the front desk towards the library doors which are closed. I push at them, and they aren't locked so finally I make it to where the stupid bullet trash cans are- the boiler room! And dude, was it creepy! The lights were just as they were when guests go in, and not fully lit. Something from the back is making a banging noise. Luckily, the sfx weren't turned on. I quickly find the trash cans, pull the trash and then make my way back to the library and out the lobby to the stairs, hauling what must have been the heaviest trash bag ever. But it was fun in a creepy way, and I even finished the rest of my trash run early.

Today I'm back at Icon. Happy to be home with people I know, and an area that isn't too crowded or have that many trash cans.

One thing to note: It sucks to come home late at night from work and find all your roommates already sleeping.

packwingfn · Post by **packwingfn** » Feb Mon 20, 2006 1:43 pm

The story about the ToT was awesome to read. I know I would be freaked out too, I probably would have wet myself.

At least they were alsleep already so you could sleep in silence and not have to worry about them talking or on the computer, late at night.

It's so funny now, When I go to Disney in August, even though you won't be there Lion, I will still laugh and appreciate the work of the custodians. :)I wish there was more college program students who did this "BLOG" of Disney World in other fields to see how they are run.

Another question, I went to that college program website, and I looked up my major (information technologies) and it didn't give me a good idea of what I could do there with my major. Well obviously, this isnt your major, why did you choose this and would working at Disney help you in your Resume, is that why you are doing this?

i REALLY wanna do this but i'm worried that it's too late for me to join since I'm a 2nd semester Junior.

lovesdisney44 · Post by **lovesdisney44** » Feb Mon 20, 2006 2:26 pm

packwingfn wrote:It's so funny now, When I go to Disney in August, even though you won't be there Lion, I will still laugh and appreciate the work of the custodians.

Ditto for me - I will never take custodial cast members for granted again. I'll have to remember to say hi and thank you to them this June. I don't think anyone could really understand your job - thanks again for posting your experiences for us to give us a great perspective!

By the way, my son will be majoring in Mechanical Engineer this fall. Do you know any other engineer students in the CP program? If so, what type of jobs do they do? Thanks!

Lion Sleeps Tonight · Post by **Lion Sleeps Tonight** » Feb Tue 21, 2006 2:31 am

Questions questions. I really enjoy posting my experiences as a cast member CP. Even the good and the bad times are fun to write about. I myself have always wanted to know what it was like working for company like Disney.

Well I really chose to do the college program 1) because I thought it was an appropriate time for me. I have enough credits to really take a semester off. 2) I was suffering from a college burn-out. This past semester was really stressful and frustrating for me. 3) I love Disney and a close friend did the program and did nothing but rant and rave about it. Those are my personal reasons. It varies with every single person. Oh yeah and 4) I wanted to have lots of fun with other Disney fans.

At the CP presentations the recruiters will tell you that working for Disney will look good on your resume. I'm not totally sure why that's so. I guess it's because Disney is a huge huge international corporation, and the brand is really about quality for its guests. I'll definitely put working at WDW on my resume whenever I apply for a job.

I do not know any mechanical engineers at WDW. But I do often run into the full time attraction mechanical engineers, especially in Star Tours. They're always trying to fix some external or internal problem for that attraction. I'm sure if you wanted to, you can ask them how they got their job and what exactly they do. Most of them are pretty nice...at least the ones I talk to.

You can have all your credits taken care of and still joing the program. My roommate finished taking classes and is just waiting to graduate on stage in May. Same thing goes for a friend of mine who just finished this past semester. I'm a super-senior, so how do you think I feel?

If you feel that it's not the right time, then don't do it. For me, it just felt like everything was in place and all I needed to do was apply and see what came of it. If I didn't get accepted, then I would have graduated this Spring. Since I'm already behind in graduating, another semester wouldn't hurt.

Hope those answers helped. I'll think about them a little more...eventually. But now it's late and I have to be at work at 10:30am. nite.

Post by **addlema** » Feb Tue 21, 2006 8:32 am

Great stories, keep them up Lion! Now I wish I had actually spent more time in college so I could have done the program!

packwingfn · Post by **packwingfn** » Feb Tue 21, 2006 3:51 pm

Thanks for all the input, I think I might join the Spring Club in 2 years maybe. I will be a super senior as well and the way I have it planned out, in the Spring, I would only need to take 2 classes in the spring then I could finally graduate. I could probably switch it up where I could finish all of my classes in the Fall so I could attend Disney in the Spring.

That way, It wouldn't really affect the delay of my graduation since I would still be graduating in the spring, after a nice return from DISNEY

I'm looking at everything in detail now, last time I just briefed through it.

I dont like how you make $6.40 but I guess its the experience.
I still can't find out if my school will let me participitate in this. I know that every college student is eligiable but I should probably still talk to the President of my Department Major about this. How did you work this out with your school? Who did you talk too and stuff? and How long of an advancement did you tell them you were going?

I'll have more comments later, I have to work

Lion Sleeps Tonight · Post by **Lion Sleeps Tonight** » Feb Wed 22, 2006 10:26 am

I know some people at home are reading this, so "hello!" to you ya'll in CA. Don't laugh at my cheesiness.

Anyways, yeah we CPs get paid very little. Since my area has so many custodials, I usually get 30-35 hours, whereas the Main Entrance CP custodials(there's only two), get about 40 hours. Not sure it's like that. It could be because Main Entrance help out Sunset Blvd on busy days. Other jobs like quick service and characters get paid a little more- 6.90 I think.

But really, am I doing it for the money? No way! I'm having a great time down here! My co-workers and new friends are totally awesome. Some of my roommates make me feel I'm at home. They all make it worthwhile. Not to mention going to any theme park on a whim is awesome. And talking to guests is a lot of fun...or frustrating.

Yes, you should talk to someone in your Dept about it. Ask if anyone from your college has done the program. If they don't know anything about it, look online at the presentation schedule and find a school close to yours. My friend attended a presentation at another college and was the first from his to be a CP. Also, I believe you can apply online, but check to be sure.

It was easy for me because my school has had lots of CPs in the past- probably because we have presentations in the Spring and Fall. There's a College Program coordinator/contact guy. Also, we're allowed to take one semester off, and still be eligible to register for classes the following semester. So all I really had to do was apply, get accepted and go. At least that's what I thought we had to do. On my transcript, I believe it says, "continuing student."

You need to find out the policies on taking time off of school. Your plan sounds a lot like mine. I plan to finish up in the Fall and graduate in the spring. Well if you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Your best bet is to ask a CP alumni for advice.

packwingfn · Post by **packwingfn** » Feb Wed 22, 2006 12:41 pm

I just e-mailed the chair of my major (Information Systems). I mentioned if he has ever heard of the Disney College Program. Then I sent him a link to the website. I also showed him my proposed schedule of how I would finish my classes by Fall 2007 in order to go to Disney in the Spring of 2008 and graduate that spring also.

Let's hope he responds back

I'm not worried about the money either, I was just commenting

But for presentations, there is one in Providence, only 20 miles away. But I'm not gonna have to worry about going to a presentation for another year and a half. I figured I should look up all the information and see if it's ok with my school before I get excited about it. It's good to be prepared right?\

Do you have your own hometown/school on your namebadge? What college do you attend? How many days off do you get? Do you still have time to visit a park after you get out of work?

Thanks, Appreciate everything.
There will be more questions later I promise!