The past month

I just realized it has been a month since I last posted on here.  A lot has happened in the past 31 days.  So, I'm going to catch everyone up in this post.

Work has been great.  I feel that I am really getting the hang of all the quirks of the job.  For the month of September, I earned a "silver" level reward.  The highest possible for a month is "gold," so I am very pleased with myself for my first month on the job.  We are awarded based on the types of tickets we sell, with number of days on the ticket being assigned a certain point value and add-ons (i.e. park hopper, water park option, no expiration option) add points to the value.  The total number of points is divided by the number of tickets sold.  I chose to redeem my "silver" reward in the form of a $70 gift card to Publix grocery store.  Glamorous, isn't it?

At the beginning of October, I took a few days off to fly home to Austin.  I got to spend time with my family and friends I haven't been able to see in awhile.  Saturday I drove up to Dallas with some friends to go to the Texas-Oklahoma football game.  Even though the Horns lost, I still had a great time!  I had to fly back on Monday, but I was grateful for the time I could spend at home.  I have been homesick since I have been back, but I realize I am really only here for two more months, so I'm going to make the most of it!

Last week, one of my roommates decided to leave the program.  She was having issues with lack of communication with her leaders and decided the program wasn't for her.  I took it kind of hard.  Not only did I want her to stay, I was also afraid that her leaving would motivate me or other roommates to leave.  So far, though, everyone is adjusting well.  And now I have a bedroom and bathroom all to myself.  I tried to convince my roommate, Morgan, to move into my room, (we are the closest in the apartment), but she thought it would be easier to stay put.  It is possible that the second bed will remain empty for the rest of my time here.  But it is more likely that someone will transfer into the apartment (and into my room) for whatever reason.

I have a midterm exam tomorrow in my class, so I need to start studying for that soon ;-)

Catching up

So after four days of on-the-job training, I finally had my assessment last Saturday.  I passed!  That means that I am able to work on my own; although, so far I have had a booth partner with me in case I have any questions or forget anything I am supposed to know.

Sunday was ANOTHER training day: product knowledge.  Basically, our leaders reviewed all four Disney theme parks, as well as the water parks, DisneyQuest, golf courses, and ESPN Wide World of Sports.  We learned about the main attractions of each park in order to get our guests excited about the attractions and buy our tickets!

I had my first day on my own Monday.  It went really well - it wasn't very busy, and there were no extraordinary things that I had to deal with.  I have had three shifts alone, and they have all gone well.  I am learning more everyday, and things seem to be getting easier as time goes on.

I had my first class on Tuesday.  I am taking a corporate analysis class this semester.  My professor is very enthusiastic and seems knowledgeable about all things Disney.  I will have the class once a week for three hours and will usually have an assignment due every week.

After class, I went to Epcot with two of my roommates.  We rode the popular thrill rides, including Test Track, Mission Space, and, my favorite, Soarin'.  Then we went around the World Showcase, visiting 9 of the 11 countries.  We had lunch in Morocco, where I had a falafel wrap.  It was pretty good.  My favorite part was the couscous!  One of the last countries we visited was France.  We went through the perfume and wine shops and finally visited a patisserie, and I got some creme brulee, my favorite dessert!  I have had better, but it was pretty good!

That evening, I went to Magic Kingdom with some friends (fellow vacation planners) for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.  The party features various trick-or-treat spots, a Villains show, the "Boo to You" parade, and halloween/fall themed decorations.  My favorite part, however, was not having to wait in line to ride the rides!  We got onto Space Mountain with not one person in front of us in line!

I finally have a full day off (as in no class or work) today, and I went to the pool with my roommate, Megan, and we had lunch at a restaurant by our apartment.  Tonight I am having dinner with my aunt and uncle.  Tomorrow I have work at 1:30.  It will be my first weekend shift on my own.  Hopefully it isn't overwhelmingly busy!

Vacation Planning Core Class

For five days, from last Tuesday until this past Saturday, I participated in Core class for Vacation Planning.  With me were four other VPs - another from Epcot, and one from each of the other three parks.  We learned all about the computer system that produces and prints Disney theme park tickets, the different types of vouchers, will calls, tickets, etc., how to greet and interact with guests, and how to make the best fit ticket packages for those guests.  The other VPs and I became close, and our facilitators were very nice, knowledgeable, and helpful.

The day after Core ended, I dove right into On-the-Job training (OJT).  For the past two days, I have been in a ticket booth actually interacting with guests, using all of the skills learned in Core to make guests feel welcome and feel that they got the best ticket for their vacation.  I have OJT for two more days, and on Saturday I have my assessment to make sure I am ready to take off the training wheels (which includes a flag on my name tag which says "Earning my Ears").

I have been very tired the past few days, waking up around 5:30 in order to get ready, pack my lunch, and get to the bus in time for my clock in at 7:30.  After training, I am more likely to have later shifts (at 9:30 or 1:30, for instance), which will be nice, so I won't have to go to sleep at 10 o'clock every night :-)

Training...

Friday was my first official day working for the Disney company.  We had a "Traditions" class, something all new Disney employees must participate in to be eligible to work for the company.  We learned all about the history of  Walt Disney, Disney World, and the Disney company.  We also learned about what makes the company so successful, including its "cast members," who should always be wearing a smile and do their best to go above and beyond their set tasks.  That only took a short 4 1/2 hours.

Saturday, I had park orientation with two of my roommates at Epcot.  We got to walk around the park while our leaders talked about the different attractions and included a boat ride around the World Showcase.  We covered some of the same material as in Traditions but went more in depth about our role as cast members.

For the second half of the day, I shadowed a Vacation Planner to get an introduction to the role I will perform while in Orlando!  I went to costuming to get my costume, which consists of black slacks, a white button-up shirt, and a vest!  I will take pictures and post them soon.

Sunday and Monday were my days off!  Sunday morning I took Mom and Dad to the airport then headed back to the apartment (home?).  The rest of the day I mostly vegged on the couch, caught up on emails, and watched a lot of television!

Yesterday (Monday) my roommates and I decided to go to Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly, MGM Studios).  We rode the Tower of Terror, Rock N Roller Coaster, and the Great Movie ride, and watched the Little Mermaid show.  We wanted to go on the Toy Story ride, but the line was incredibly long! So we didn't even bother.  The next time I go to DHS, I will also visit the Indiana Jones and Beauty & the Beast shows.

Finally, I started training today.  I dressed in costume and headed to Disney University.  We started by learning what it means to be a Vacation Planner and then dove into using the computer software for hands-on experience with the ticket selling process.  My head is swimming with all the information I learned today.  Did you know there are over 200 different tickets I can sell?

I will be doing the same type of training for the rest of the week (through Saturday), and my in-the-booth training begins on Sunday.

Checking in

Yesterday (August 31) was my first day with the Program!  My parents and I spent a couple days at my aunt and uncle's house once we got to Orlando then drove down to the Disney area yesterday morning.  I checked in at the apartment complex and found out which apartment I would be living in.  I was placed in the Vista Way apartments, which seem to be the least fancy of the complexes in the program - but are also the least expensive - so it is seems like a fair trade off.  And the apartment isn't even bad.  I am in a three-bedroom, two-bath, six-girl apartment, and I am very happy with all of my roommates so far!  The roommates are Katie (me), Kaila, Kayla, Marta, Megan, and Morgan.  Yes, that's three K's and three M's! Weird, huh?

After settling in, the whole group went over to "Casting" on the Disney compound, which is what they call the employment offices, as far as I can tell. We turned in our employment paperwork, got fingerprinted, and got our training schedules for the next few days.  That was also the point at which I learned that I will be doing "Vacation Planning" at Epcot Center!  I also learned that Vacation Planning is a really fancy title for what I will actually be doing, selling tickets at the entrance of Epcot.

Today, all the Program participants had to attend a housing orientation, where we learned about maintenance, security, curfew rules, etc.  I then went with my parents to Publix (grocery store) to buy groceries for the next few days.  Hopefully I won't spend money going out to eat for awhile!

Tomorrow I will be attending Traditions, an orientation every single Disney employee must participate in!  During the class, we will learn the history of the Disney company, as well as what makes Disney so successful and how we will become a part of that success.  The next few days after that will be dedicated to training for our locations (Epcot, in my case) and specific jobs.

More tomorrow! Have a magical night :-)

how I got started...

I realize that I should have started this blog awhile ago, so that I could include all the background information about it.

Last spring, I read in the KNOW (an email sent out to UT students about goings-on around campus) that Disney would be visiting UT to inform students about the Disney College Program.  I went on a whim, curious to find out what it was all about.  It sounded fun and exciting, so I filled out an online application.  I passed the first "screening" and moved on to the phone interviews.  The woman on the phone asked what jobs I would prefer to do if given the opportunity at Disney, what my strengths are, and why I want to participate in the program.  I made it through the process and was assigned job of "Vacation Planner."

My check in date was then set for August 31st, giving me time to finish my internship at UT, give my two weeks notice at El Arroyo, participate in fall formal recruitment, and still have time to pack before making the 1100 mile journey to Orlando, Florida.

I am excited to participate in the program: a) because it is a fun opportunity, b) it allows me to kill a semester, so I can graduate with all my compadres in May, and c) it will look great on a resume!  I am not receiving any college credit for the program, but - let's face it - I don't really need it, and it is too much of a hassle to try and get credit anyway.

Tomorrow, I will overview what I did today (check-in day), so that this post isn't ridiculously long.