It All Starts With A Wish: A Disney College Program TR NEW 9/3

[courtneybelle]

Thanks for the good review of it. My family is totally not into exotic cuisine either. I'm willing to try anything once, but I just can't get everyone else into the idea of venturing too far from ordinary.

As pkondz said, they also have more American fare like mac n cheese...but I think your family would be surprised at how much they like the more traditionally African food!

Do you get assigned on one attraction all the time or do they rotate you around? That is so awesome!!

I will find out which attraction(s) I work tomorrow!!! EEEEE so excited!!!

Yay!!!! MK!!! Oh my goodness, that is like the dream! I can't wait to know which attraction you'll be on. If I had to bet, I am going to say BTMR!! I was just at WDW (left 6/4, the day before you showed up!) and I saw tons of College CM with "earning my ears" badges. You will earn your ears soon!! I realize we don't know each other (duh) but I am like seriously happy for you!

I'll definitively be able to tell you what attraction I get tomorrow. Thank you for being so sweet and happy for me!!! Let me know if you're back at WDW in the next few months!

This is making me so excited! I start my CRP November 9!!

Congratulations!!! Keep getting excited because you are going to have a BLAST.

Okay! This is what I was talking about!
I was at a place that had a truck serving.... churros.
I thought of you and started towards it... and stopped.
"Wait a sec. She said I had to try one in Disney. This ain't Disney."

So I still haven't had one... because I'm saving it for Disney... because you said so!

SMART man. If I'm still here (which I sincerely hope to be) I will take you to any and all of the churro stands in the Walt Disney World Resort.

Do they still pipe the music underwater?

They do!!

I want to tour WDW with you.
Anyone who puts cupcakes on the their agenda... I wanna be with.

My mom and I are cupcake FIENDS. We love any and all Disney cupcakes. So see the thing above about if we're in WDW together.

 

[courtneybelle]

June 8, 2015: Check-In and Casting

This morning I woke up bright and early for my 8 a.m. check-in! I was SO excited and jittery the whole ride to Vista Way, one of the apartment complexes where I would check in. I enjoyed this adorable breakfast from the Boardwalk Bakery on the way:

I met up with some girls I had talked to via Facebook, and we all got in line together!

The first stop was our location assignment, where I found out I would be in Frontierland attractions!! I had the biggest smile on my face. I was so excited to be working at the Magic Kingdom. The girl who told me my location said, “You get to see the castle every day!” SO PERFECT.

Next, I found out where I’d be living. I would be in a two-bedroom, six-person apartment. I knew the two girls who would be in my bedroom since we linked up on Facebook, but I didn’t know the other three just yet.

From there I went to a bunch of different stations—one where I had to take a picture for my housing ID, one where a CM went over my schedule for the first few days with me, one about classes, one about the nearby urgent care center, and one about safety. I also got my bus schedule and a Disney Internships & Programs reusable grocery bag!

I wrapped up around 8:30 and went back to Art of Animation with my mom to help her pack up the last few things (she would be moving to All-Star Music later that day). And I got a picture that I hadn't taken yet:

Why Eric, run away with you? This is all so--so sudden!

Then we stopped by my new apartment to move my suitcases in—I was the first one there, and it looked really nice! I’ll show you pictures a little later. Then, I had to head back to Vista Way to do a drug test! Since I am in a safety-critical role that was a requirement.

We headed over to the apartment to move the rest of my things in and got to meet the rest of my roommates! The two girls in my room are Katie and Kristen. Katie is a concierge at the Boardwalk, and Kristen is in entertainment so her job is a little more secretive than the rest of ours. Then in the other room are Michelle, Ariel, and Lacey. Michelle is custodial at Art of Animation, Ariel is in attractions in Tomorrowland, and Lacey is main entrance operations at the Magic Kingdom.

After I met the roommates and got everything in my room, I went to CASTING!!!

This was the most exciting part of the day, if not my entire life thus far. I hopped on the bus and “What Dreams Are Made Of” from The Lizzie McGuire Movie started playing. Then, when we entered the Walt Disney World gates, “When You Wish Upon A Star” played, and I got all kinds of choked up.

AHHHHHHH. SO MUCH EXCITEMENT.

I was allowed to take pictures in the lobby, which has these beautiful gold statues!

After that, no pictures were allowed because we were in a backstage area. I filled out a bunch of paperwork and got my training schedule, which was really exciting! I also got to meet a lot of cast members who started in the College Program and are now full-time with Disney.

After Casting, my mom, Katie, and I went to Walmart to pick up a few more things. Then my mom and I tried to have a nice dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse…but I was so exhausted from the day’s events that I did not feel well at all, and then I looked over at my mom, realized she was leaving the next day, and burst into tears. Right at Longhorn Steakhouse. I know I am unbelievably blessed to have this opportunity and will have so much fun here, but my family is over a thousand miles away and that just seems so far! But they will be back to visit in August, which will be here before I know it.

I was going to stay in the apartment tonight, but I needed another night with my mom, so I went over to All-Star Music and spent the night there.

Keep scrolling for the next update!​

 

[courtneybelle]

June 9, 2015: Housing Meeting and Resort Hopping

I woke up feeling about a million times better than yesterday. I had my housing meeting at 9, so my mom drove me over.

I walked inside and there were strobe lights and loud music going, and Cast Members encouraged us to do the wave to get us all excited! The meeting was all about rules for living in the apartments, staying safe while living here, and, best of all, the fun events Housing puts on for us! The first event is Gran Fiesta themed and the Three Caballeros will be meeting so I really hope I can go!

After the meeting, my mom and I did some more shopping. We went to Publix, which we don’t have up in Massachusetts, but I really liked it!

Then, we went back to the apartment and finished setting up my room. Here’s what our apartment looks like:

This is my side of the room:

Our dresser, complete with my Tsum Tsum collection:

Our closet and the door to our bathroom:

Katie and Kristen’s bunk bed:

Kristen got these adorable pictures at The Art of Disney! They make our room so homey.

Common room:

Kitchen:

Unfortunately, at this point I had to say goodbye to my mom, which was really tough. But like I said, she’ll be back before I know it!

After my mom left, Katie, Kristen, and I decided to do some resort hopping! I wouldn’t have access to the parks until later this week but I needed a Disney fix!

Our first stop was the Boardwalk, because we wanted to see where Katie would be working!

I also did some pin trading. Katie and Kristen don’t pin trade and I am going to try my hardest not to get them as addicted as I am.

I still was not at the point where I felt like cooking for myself, so we went to the pizza window! I had never had this pizza before and it was soooo good.

Then we decided to walk around the Epcot resort loop. As you can see, it looked like rain, but it felt pretty nice out.

After our walk, we decided to hop on a bus to Magic Kingdom and check out all the monorail resorts.

Getting to the front gate of Magic Kingdom was such a tease. I wanna be where the people are…We did get close enough to use the Magic Kingdom Snapchat filters, though!

Our first stop was the Contemporary! We checked out all the stores and picked out things we want to get once we have our merchandise discount.

We also walked by Chef Mickey’s and saw our new boss from a distance! I can’t wait to meet Mickey and tell him I work here now!

Here's Katie, Kristen, and me on the escalator:

Next we headed over to the Polynesian!

We took a peek inside Trader Sam’s but the wait was an hour long so we decided to come back another time.

Our final stop was the Grand Floridian. We washed our hands with the sugar scrub in Basin, walked around, and listened to the piano player.

We headed back to Magic Kingdom and fortunately it wasn’t raining too hard. We got on a bus back to the Boardwalk and headed back to our apartment. I fell asleep right after we got home—it had been a busy few days and life was only going to get busier!

Keep scrolling for the next update!​

 

[courtneybelle]

June 10, 2015: Trader Sam’s and Wishes

Today I took it easy and hung around the apartment most of the day. Katie and I had hoped to check out the pool but it started downpouring right as we were about to leave, so we passed. Around 4:30 p.m. I got a call from Disney Recruiting that my background check hadn’t come in yet, so I wouldn’t be able to go to Traditions (the company orientation) the next day as had been scheduled. I was pretty bummed, but optimistic that it would resolve itself quickly enough!

I made myself dinner, and then Katie, Kristen, and I decided to text some girls we had met via Facebook and see what they were up to tonight! Catherine and Shayla were heading to the Polynesian so we decided to meet up with them. Catherine is concierge at All-Star Movies, and she did her last program in Quick Service Food & Beverage and Entertainment. Shayla is QSFB in Columbia Harbour House!

Their roommates came along and we decided to see what the wait was at Trader Sam’s. It was only about 30 minutes, so we put our names in and chatted in the Polynesian lobby until our buzzer went off!

Trader Sam’s is AMAZING. I am an Adventureland/Jungle Cruise/Tiki Room fanatic so this was my kind of place.

Some highlights from the menu:

The other girls all split some Uh Oas:

What’s so fun about Trader Sam’s is that for every drink, the restaurant lighting changes, and the servers do different chants and bring out different props!

Katie, Kristen, and I split the Nautilus. We decided against the souvenir cup since it was on the expensive side…plus it’s pretty hard to split a glass three ways. It’d work for the six months we were there, but we’d need a custody hearing at the end of our program.

It was really good! I loved the flowers in the drink.

Here are the roomies and me looking super attractive.

Some Disney magic: The table next to us ordered too many appetizers, so they offered us some sushi rolls and lettuce wraps! I am not a fan of sushi or lettuce, but I ate some of the chicken that came with the lettuce wraps and it was very good. It was so nice of them to offer their extra food to us!

We decided to head over to the Polynesian beach and watch Wishes! They didn’t pipe the music in, but Catherine had the soundtrack on her phone, so we lined it up with the fireworks.

I had been kind of stressed about my background check but that all went away when I saw the fireworks. My life is magical no matter how long it takes for me to start working and get into the parks!

After the fireworks, we sat on the beach for an hour with Shayla, Catherine, and two of Catherine’s friends from her last program just talking. I really like these girls and had a lot of fun with them!

Keep scrolling for the next update!​

 

[courtneybelle]

June 11, 2015: Outlet Shopping and Good News

This morning Katie, Kristen, and I were going shopping with Catherine! We checked out the outlets that are right near our apartment because the other girls wanted to get flats for Traditions. We also had to check out the Disney Character Warehouse, of course! Then we went to Walmart and picked up a few more things that we needed for our apartment.

At 5 p.m. I had given up hope about going to Traditions the next day, but at 5:43 I got a call that I was good to go the next morning!! I was SO excited. Honestly, it worked out perfectly, because I was able to go to Trader Sam’s the night before with my roommates, and then we would all be going to Traditions at the same time. Everything happens for a reason!

In other good, non-DCP but Courtneybelle family news, as many of you know my dad is hard-of-hearing. Last month he had a surgery to give him cochlear implants. Today they turned them on and they worked PERFECTLY! We are all ecstatic that my dad is on his way to better hearing.

We all wanted to relax tonight since most of us had Traditions the next morning, so we watched He’s Just Not That Into You, and Kristen invited some British International CPs that she had met earlier in the week to play Disney Scene It with us.

Keep scrolling for the next update!​

 

[courtneybelle]

June 12, 2015 (Part 1): Traditions!

Today I woke up around 5 a.m. because I had TRADITIONS! I would officially become a Cast Member today and I couldn’t have been more excited!

My roommates and I got on the bus to Disney University, where Disney has its cast member trainings.

Selfie to express our excitement:

We got split up into a few different classrooms. The class started with our facilitators leading some Disney trivia. I completed the lyrics to The Bare Necessities and won this fabulous pin:

The class itself was pure magic. It reminded me that so many families work their whole lives for a Walt Disney World vacation, and it got me so excited to be part of making the magic for these families. We got to hear from a lot of Cast Members about magical moments they made, and how a CM can make a huge impact on a guest’s vacation.

We got a very special gift from our new boss…mouse ears!

We also got to go on a field trip into the Magic Kingdom, and this was absolute perfect. We walked in, Dream Along with Mickey was on the castle stage, AND a couple got engaged on Main Street right in front of us!!

At the end of the course, I got a gift I had been waiting my whole life for:

IT’S OFFICIAL! I’M A CAST MEMBER!

Keep scrolling for the next update!​

 

[courtneybelle]

June 12, 2015 (Part 2): First Magic Kingdom Day!

We went back to the apartment, got something to eat, and then decided to get some rest. It had been a long day…

I’M KIDDING. Of course we went to the Magic Kingdom right away! I went with Katie, Kristen, Shayla, and Catherine. We all got dressed up and drove over for some fun with characters!

From left to right: Katie, me, Catherine, Kristen, and Shayla.

Our first stop was Adventureland. Catherine was the only one of us who had ever had a dole whip so the rest of us wanted to try it!

I am not much of a pineapple person but I ended up really liking this. I was craving ice cream all day and this definitely helped.

Next, we decided to see if Peter Pan was out, because he’s Shayla’s favorite character. We were able to get in line right away and only waited about 10 minutes!

Peter crowed for Shayla, then saw my button and said Flynn was a pirate because he had a beard and stole stuff. He also accused Katie of being Mrs. Smee because of her striped dress. He was so much fun and a perfect way to start our MK day!

Also, a character attendant noticed my button and said Flynn taught him how to smolder. I swooned.

Then, we headed over to Main Street and got spots for Dream Along with Mickey!

Our next stop was Enchanted Tales with Belle! Believe it or not, Katie suggested this one, not me, but of course I said we absolutely had to do it. None of us were picked for the show but it was still super fun to watch!

After that, we did Journey of the Little Mermaid and met Ariel in her grotto!

Ariel was so excited to hear we were cast members now and wanted to know where we were working.

We decided to grab dinner at Columbia Harbour House (where Shayla would be working). I had my long-awaited reunion with Disney nuggets:

We rode Haunted Mansion next, then went over to Storybook Circus to meet Minnie and Daisy! Minnie and Daisy were so cute and so happy to see us. Nobody told me I was facing the wrong way in this one, though...

Minnie was SO excited about Kristen’s outfit, since there were Mickeys on the skirt.

Then, we rode Dumbo! Katie had never done Dumbo before, so naturally we went over the top and yelled WHEEEEE the whole time, hands in the air and everything.

Of course, our first day as CMs wouldn’t have been complete without Wishes. We watched from Fantasyland, which was amazing. The fireworks were coming from all different directions and we had to keep turning around to see them all.

I had such a magical first day and the adventure was only beginning!

Keep scrolling for the next update!​

 

[courtneybelle]

June 13, 2014: Welcome to Operations and Star Wars Weekend

I got approximately four hours of sleep before I had to get up for my Welcome to Operations class! Here I learned a lot about the importance of safety and how I will be keeping guests safe in my role as an Attractions Hostess. I also learned a lot about Disney’s commitment to guests with disabilities, some of which I knew from my dad’s experiences with the captioning devices and sign language interpreters.

After class, I went back to the apartment and made myself some dinner before we headed to Hollywood Studios! It was the last weekend of Star Wars Weekends, and although I am not a huge Star Wars fan, I had heard amazing things about the fireworks, so I definitely wanted to check them out! I drove over with Kristen, Katie, and Kristen’s friend Gavin, and we met up with Kristen’s friend Hayley there. Gavin and Hayley are both International College Programmers from the U.K., here for the summer and working in entertainment!

We just wandered around for a bit seeing which Star Wars characters were out. The lines were too long so we didn’t meet anybody, but it was pretty cool to see Darth Vader and Chewbacca out and about.

Our first attraction was the Great Movie Ride, which recently had a bit of a Turner Classic Movies makeover!

Gavin, Hayley, and Kristen:

I ended up really liking the new spiel and I’m excited to see what movies join the Great Movie Ride (just saying, if they have a Titanic poster in the lobby, they can give me a Titanic scene…)

And we got the elusive cowboy scene! Our cowboy was so loud and enthusiastic, he definitely made the ride for us.

After the Great Movie Ride, we decided to see when the next Voyage of the Little Mermaid show was. It was about 20 minutes away, so we went into the Animation building to wait! We took the quizzes to see which characters we were most like. I got Lady from Lady and the Tramp…I don’t really see it, but she’s super cute so I’m not complaining.

Then we saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid, which is one of my dad's favorites so I sent him pictures. He loves the part where Triton says, "Well, I guess there's just one problem left...how much I'm going to miss her." It gets me very emotional.

After the show, we grabbed some Starbucks and got our spots for Symphony in the Stars!

Now, nothing will top Wishes for me as far as emotions go, but in terms of just fireworks…Symphony in the Stars was the best show I’ve ever seen. The fireworks were SO spectacular, especially the finale!! The Star Wars score went perfectly with the fireworks, and I really enjoyed the show.

The fireworks ended around 9:50, and the park closed at 10, so we booked it over to Tower of Terror! It was Hayley’s first time so she was nervous (and so was I because I’m a weenie), but it was so much fun! The drop sequence was great and we got some amazing views of the park at night.

Finally, we went to get spots for Fantasmic! Hayley had never seen it and Kristen doesn’t remember seeing it so it was a necessity. We were all in awe and just SO happy to be there—I’m glad I found people who love the parks as much as I do and are up for doing anything and everything while we’re here!

My two favorite princesses!

Continued in next post​

 

[dj1028]

Wow, such a great update! I'm so excited for you and the adventures you're having with your new friends!

 

[pkondz]

I'm going to preface this by saying I've got a million comments.
But I know you're busy so feel free to not reply to any of them and I won't be the least bit offended, okay?

SMART man. If I'm still here (which I sincerely hope to be) I will take you to any and all of the churro stands in the Walt Disney World Resort.

I'd like that! My own personal churro tour guide!

My mom and I are cupcake FIENDS. We love any and all Disney cupcakes. So see the thing above about if we're in WDW together.

Cupcake and churro guide????

(I still have never seen this movie)

I've seen it once. I think.
I know I've seen it, but don't know if I was busy doing other things at the same time or not.

That's frequently the case.

I enjoyed this adorable breakfast from the Boardwalk Bakery on the way:

I didn't know they could/would do that with a muffin.

I met up with some girls I had talked to via Facebook, and we all got in line together!

Nice that you had some people you "knew". Makes for less loneliness.

The girl who told me my location said, “You get to see the castle every day!” SO PERFECT.

OMG. Perfect is definitely the word!

I knew the two girls who would be in my bedroom since we linked up on Facebook,

See previous comment!

Why Eric, run away with you? This is all so--so sudden!

Goodbye Courtney! Goodbye! Drop us a line from your honeymoon!

Then, I had to head back to Vista Way to do a drug test!
Since I am in a safety-critical role that was a requirement.

Huh. Interesting. We don't have to do them up here.
I wonder is that a Disney policy or a State or Federal policy.

Then in the other room are Michelle, Ariel, and Lacey.

You share an apartment with Ariel?!?!?!?

This was the most exciting part of the day, if not my entire life thus far

Go Courtney!

“When You Wish Upon A Star” played, and I got all kinds of choked up.

It does that to everyone, I think. It has to, doesn't it?

After that, no pictures were allowed because we were in a backstage area.

I get that.

and then I looked over at my mom, realized she was leaving the next day, and burst into tears.

Awwwww......

But they will be back to visit in August, which will be here before I know it.

And it sounds like you'll be pretty busy with work and friends so the time will fly by.

I was going to stay in the apartment tonight, but I needed another night with my mom, so I went over to All-Star Music and spent the night there.

Just one more night, right?

the fun events Housing puts on for us!

I didn't know that happened! Cool!

This is my side of the room:

I like that. It's like: "This is my side of the room... so back off!"

Katie and Kristen’s bunk bed:

So you got the bed because you were there first?
Or you guys worked it out later?

Plus did they share the Oreos with you?

"Okay, I'm going to take a picture of the kitchen. Put some fruit out in central locations so people don't think all we eat are Oreos!"

Unfortunately, at this point I had to say goodbye to my mom, which was really tough.

And again...

Our first stop was the Boardwalk, because we wanted to see where Katie would be working!

Makes sense.

I also did some pin trading. Katie and Kristen don’t pin trade and I am going to try my hardest not to get them as addicted as I am.

I had never had this pizza before and it was soooo good.

Looks good too! What kind was it? Pepperoni?

Getting to the front gate of Magic Kingdom was such a tease. I wanna be where the people are…

It must've just about killed you to not go running in!

I can’t wait to meet Mickey and tell him I work here now!

I bet!

Here's Katie, Kristen, and me on the escalator:

Three pretty and obviously happy girls.

I got a call from Disney Recruiting that my background check hadn’t come in yet, so I wouldn’t be able to go to Traditions (the company orientation) the next day as had been scheduled. I was pretty bummed, but optimistic that it would resolve itself quickly enough!

Well, I was going to say "Too bad" but I know it worked out so....

Trader Sam’s is AMAZING. I am an Adventureland/Jungle Cruise/Tiki Room fanatic so this was my kind of place.

I just read about it another TR.
It sure sounds like a lot of fun!

What’s so fun about Trader Sam’s is that for every drink, the restaurant lighting changes, and the servers do different chants and bring out different props!

Really? I had no idea! That's great!

plus it’s pretty hard to split a glass three ways.

Very true.

It’d work for the six months we were there, but we’d need a custody hearing at the end of our program.

Here are the roomies and me looking super attractive.

Agreed.

Some Disney magic: The table next to us ordered too many appetizers, so they offered us some sushi rolls and lettuce wraps!

Pixie dust right out of the gate!

My life is magical no matter how long it takes for me to start working and get into the parks!

I really like these girls and had a lot of fun with them!

I think you'll be just fine.

At 5 p.m. I had given up hope about going to Traditions the next day, but at 5:43 I got a call that I was good to go the next morning!!

More pixie dust! So glad that worked out.

as many of you know my dad is hard-of-hearing.

Yup.

Last month he had a surgery to give him cochlear implants. Today they turned them on and they worked PERFECTLY! We are all ecstatic that my dad is on his way to better hearing.

Oh, that's wonderful. So great for your Dad.

Kristen invited some British International CPs that she had met earlier in the week to play Disney Scene It with us.

Sounds like a great night of laughter and friendship.

Does that sound corny? Because it's not meant to.

I would officially become a Cast Member today and I couldn’t have been more excited!

I can't even imagine!

Selfie to express our excitement:

You guys look slightly excited all right!

I completed the lyrics to The Bare Necessities and won this fabulous pin:

So fitting that the pin collector should win the pin! Congrats!

We got to hear from a lot of Cast Members about magical moments they made, and how a CM can make a huge impact on a guest’s vacation.

That's for sure!

We also got to go on a field trip into the Magic Kingdom,

Wait.
Courtney.
Do you realize what you just said?

You went for a field trip.... IN THE FREAKING MAGIC KINGDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We walked in, Dream Along with Mickey was on the castle stage, AND a couple got engaged on Main Street right in front of us!!

Wow! Pretty magical start to the boring ol' field trip.

IT’S OFFICIAL! I’M A CAST MEMBER!

Woot!!!!

Look at that smile!

So happy for you!

We went back to the apartment, got something to eat, and then decided to get some rest. It had been a long day…

I’M KIDDING. Of course we went to the Magic Kingdom right away!

From left to right: Katie, me, Catherine, Kristen, and Shayla.

Ah. Now I don't have to ask which is which.

Catherine was the only one of us who had ever had a dole whip so the rest of us wanted to try it!

The only one?!?!?

I am not much of a pineapple person but I ended up really liking this. I was craving ice cream all day and this definitely helped.

Hmmmm.... Usually I tell people that they must do the Dole Whip float.
But since you aren't much of a pineapple person, maybe just suggest it to the others?

Also, a character attendant noticed my button and said Flynn taught him how to smolder. I swooned.

Best picture out of a plethora of great pictures.

Well I'll be darned.
Usually Ariel is the prettiest person in the picture.

Huh.

I had my long-awaited reunion with Disney nuggets:

We rode Haunted Mansion next

You can't just gloss over the best ride in the world like that!

You rode HM!!!!

Nobody told me I was facing the wrong way in this one, though...

Well, you stand out in a crowd, right?

Then, we rode Dumbo! Katie had never done Dumbo before, so naturally we went over the top and yelled WHEEEEE the whole time, hands in the air and everything.

Love that!

The fireworks were coming from all different directions and we had to keep turning around to see them all.

Cool!

Here I learned a lot about the importance of safety and how I will be keeping guests safe in my role as an Attractions Hostess.

That must've been really interesting.

although I am not a huge Star Wars fan, I had heard amazing things about the fireworks, so I definitely wanted to check them out!

I never knew about that!

but it was pretty cool to see Darth Vader and Chewbacca out and about.

Sounds funny, doesn't it? "Oh, Darth and Chewie were just out getting some eggs and OJ for next morning's breakfast."

Our first attraction was the Great Movie Ride, which recently had a bit of a Turner Classic Movies makeover!

I wonder if that happened before or after I was there.
Didn't notice. But since it had been such a long time, I wouldn't have I don't think.

(just saying, if they have a Titanic poster in the lobby, they can give me a Titanic scene…)

She's the Queen of the World!

And we got the elusive cowboy scene! Our cowboy was so loud and enthusiastic, he definitely made the ride for us.

I didn't even know this existed until recently.

We took the quizzes to see which characters we were most like.

Didn't know about this either.
Missed it somehow.

He loves the part where Triton says, "Well, I guess there's just one problem left...how much I'm going to miss her." It gets me very emotional.

in terms of just fireworks…Symphony in the Stars was the best show I’ve ever seen.

Wow! That's saying a lot!

The fireworks ended around 9:50, and the park closed at 10, so we booked it over to Tower of Terror!

I thought you'd head out at that point.
Someone was on an adrenalin high!

It was Hayley’s first time so she was nervous (and so was I because I’m a weenie),

I’m glad I found people who love the parks as much as I do and are up for doing anything and everything while we’re here!

You are going to have the best time. I just know it!

 

[missjackiemcg]

So happy you're getting right into everything!! Making friends, getting your name tag, and park hopping right away keep up the excellent TR writing. You're off to a fabulous start!!!

 

[ElenaJane]

Now that is an update! Sounds like you are keeping yourself busy which will help with the homesickness! It seems like a lot of info to take in those first few days...and you have not even started to learn about your specific role yet! Your friends seem really fun which should add a lot to this adventure! Can't wait to find out your attraction! Still thinking BTMR....

 

[Clio]

Great updates. You looks so happy. I can't believe you'd never had a Dole whip.
Liz

 

[amberg93]

Okay I just caught up with everything so I'll be sparing with the comments

AoA is such a beautiful resort, it's def the right way to start things out.

Your Aunt Patti forgetting her monorail adventures is pretty amusing.

As always your pin trading is on point.

I'm so excited for you working in MK, it's going to be amazing!

Hey, you're more than allowed to be emotional about being away from your family. I'm sorry it hit you so suddenly but at least you did get to stay with your mom and extra night.

Your room looks fab, but that furniture in the common room scream 90s.

If you can't be in the parks, the resorts are the next best options.

I'm glad all the background stuff got to turn out and you got to go to Trader Sam's and have a great time.

Yay for your dad!

Of course you won something with your Disney knowledge. What an awesome pin.

Magic Kingdom to start things out is only right.

Star Wars Weekends are always a good idea, though sad that there was no character lines short enough.

I could do without the ToT but hey, Fantasmic is always an awesome choice.

 

[afwdwfan]

Thanks for all the updates! I love following along with your DCP experience. I find it all fascinating and I'm so happy for you for having this opportunity. I truly do appreciate you sharing with us! I was very impressed with all the details you shared in those updates. It looks like you've got so much going on between classes/settling in and having fun with new friends that you wouldn't have time to write such great detailed updates.

The first event is Gran Fiesta themed and the Three Caballeros will be meeting so I really hope I can go!

I didn't know they did things like that. Sounds like fun!

I got a call from Disney Recruiting that my background check hadn’t come in yet, so I wouldn’t be able to go to Traditions (the company orientation) the next day as had been scheduled. I was pretty bummed, but optimistic that it would resolve itself quickly enough!

Oh no... I'd have been a nervous wreck.

I had been kind of stressed about my background check but that all went away when I saw the fireworks. My life is magical no matter how long it takes for me to start working and get into the parks!

Great attitude. Keep this attitude and you'll be a phenomenal CM.

At 5 p.m. I had given up hope about going to Traditions the next day, but at 5:43 I got a call that I was good to go the next morning!! I was SO excited. Honestly, it worked out perfectly, because I was able to go to Trader Sam’s the night before with my roommates, and then we would all be going to Traditions at the same time. Everything happens for a reason!

I'm glad that it all worked out so well in the end.

In other good, non-DCP but Courtneybelle family news, as many of you know my dad is hard-of-hearing. Last month he had a surgery to give him cochlear implants. Today they turned them on and they worked PERFECTLY! We are all ecstatic that my dad is on his way to better hearing.

That's great! I'm glad it worked well for him.

IT’S OFFICIAL! I’M A CAST MEMBER!

Great picture. Congratulations!!!!

I got approximately four hours of sleep before I had to get up for my Welcome to Operations class!

Don't burn yourself out on the first week!

Now, nothing will top Wishes for me as far as emotions go, but in terms of just fireworks…Symphony in the Stars was the best show I’ve ever seen. The fireworks were SO spectacular, especially the finale!! The Star Wars score went perfectly with the fireworks, and I really enjoyed the show.

I've heard nothing but great things. I'd love it if they would keep this or some other similar fireworks show at DHS on a regular basis.

The fireworks ended around 9:50, and the park closed at 10, so we booked it over to Tower of Terror!

Finally, we went to get spots for Fantasmic!

Dang... you packed in a lot during the last 10 minutes of the park being opened!

 

[pigletgirl]

What great updates! It seems as though you are thoroughly enjoying yourself, and you should! It's a very exciting time in life.

 

[DVC Emily]

I am really loving reading your trip report! Your pictures are fantastic! Almost as good as being there. This sounds like such a great experience, I'm so excited for you!!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Okay I'm getting all caught up.

Of course you didn't sleep a lot that night! I wouldn't be able to contain my excitement either. I'm with you though, I would also have a hard time being away from my family that long.

I was surprised how close AoA is to the gates to. Haha.

The details in the Little Mermaid room are really cute. I've only stayed there for one night, but we enjoyed it.

LOL, Churro Mania!

AKL is definitely one of my favorite resorts, but I have so many of them. I like them all for different reasons, but AKL is certainly up there from an atmosphere perspective.

Boma is funny, because everyone thinks it's going to be all exotic, but everything that's done is so yummy. My friend Amber, who is the pickiest person I know absolutely loved it, which I was not expecting.

I also really like the new lobby at the Poly. A lot of people don't, but I really think it's beautiful all open.

I highly recommend investing in a waterproof digital camera. Best $200 I spent!

I would have been sunburned in 2 hours, I feel you.

You definitely lucked out working at the Magic Kingdom! Seeing the castle everyday really is amazing.

Disney doesn't require everyone to undergo a drug test? I would think that was normal for anyone being employed. My company won't hire anyone until you pass the background check and drug screening.

I was getting sad just imagining you saying goodbye to your Mom. Just keep thinking about how soon you'll get to se her again.

Yeah, background checks sometimes can just take a little while.

I'm excited to compare the Trader Sam's in Disneyland to the Trader Sam's in Disney World. I haven't been to either, but my visits are one month apart, so I'm stoked. I'm glad you enjoyed it though, and a 30 minute wait is nothing!

That's awesome about your Dad's implants! I'm so happy for you guys.

I'm a fan of the dole whip swirl. I like the balance between the pineapple and the vanilla.

You call it facing the wrong way, I call it marching to the beat of your own drum. LOL.

Well we have to make you a huge Star Wars fan then!

It's great that you do have roommates that really enjoy everything the way you do. I think that will help make the entire experience that much better.

 

[dmlovullo]

Courtney! It all sounds so magical already! like something out of a dream sequence! I am glad you are enjoying your time so far. Not a bad view from "the office"!

 

[Wood Nymph]

What a great update. I love hearing TR's from new CM's. When you said that your background check wasn't complete and you couldn't do Traditions, I was feeling really bad for you. I'm sure that was really disappointing to hear. What a relief that you were able to go to Traditions after all. And maybe I'm just imagining it, but were you a bit teary eyed in the picture of you with your brand new CM pin?

Will you be able to tell us where you are working? I'm very curious, especially since you have an experience with disabilities that the majority of CM's don't have.

I have a friend you has one cochlear implant and is waiting for approval for the other one. It wasn't an easy adjustment for her. I hope your dad has a good experience with them.