DISNEY COLLEGE PROGRAM - A Spring 2013 Adventure! *COMPLETE* 11/20

January 22nd, 2013 (Part 2) - CHECK-IN AND CASTING

We waited in the first room and got Mickey stickers! Then we were brought into another room and waited in a line. We got a little checklist of places we had to go.

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It was SO AMAZING in there. The artwork was beautiful and I was just soaking it all in. It was so incredibly exciting. I wish my future home could own half of the artwork that is in the casting building.

While we were at Casting we got a lot of information. I found out that my first day of training was not until January 29th, which was one whole week from that day! Then my resort orientation is not until February 12th!

All of the CM’s were impressed when I told them what role I got. It’s apparently a rare to get a Concierge role as a CP. More difficult than I thought!

I made friends with this girl who is actually rooming with some girls from my school. But she’s from Indiana and she’s working at Wide World of Sports! Very fun.

After that I was DONE! I met back up with Maria and Mark. I took these pictures of THE CUTEST DOORKNOBS EVER on the way out:

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Then we went to go catch the bus to get back to Vista. It felt like 5 o’clock in the afternoon and it was only 10:48 am. WEIRDEST AND LONGEST DAY EVER.

We made friends with this girl Halie from Mississippi. She’s working Frontierland merchandise! She thought Mark and I were HILARIOUS. We were just a big bundle of entertainment today because we were so tired. And I mean, normally we’re super outgoing and fun anyways. Sooo that happened. All day.

We got back on the bus and THERE WAS A BEE IN THE BUS. It really is funny how much girls freak out about bugs. This big African American kid from the back of the bus came up and killed it for everyone and was the hero. It was so funny.

We got back to Vista and my Mom was there! She drove Mark, Maria, and I over to Patterson. WE LIVE IN A GATED COMMUNITY! (that’s Mark’s favorite thing to say)

We found our building and went up to our rooms! Our other roommates already had their stuff in the rooms but there was only one girl in there at the time. Her name is Lindsay and she’s SO CUTE. We just talked and talked right away! She’s around 5'2 and she has red hair. Her favorite character is Ariel so we bonded immediately. Her role is Frontierland merchandise which is really cool!

I brought some stuff up to my room and then we went over to Chick-Fil-A to eat! We were STARVING!!!!

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I got a chargrilled chicken sandwich, waffle fries, and a strawberry milkshake. I scarfed it all down. That was the longest day EVER.

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I forgot to take food pictures and I devoured half of my meal before I remembered.

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After Chick-Fil-A, we went back to Coronado. I was crashing so hard. I needed to take a nap. So I laid down and Mark and my Mom went back to Patterson to drop off all of Mark’s luggage.

I slept from 1:30-4:30 pm. It was WONDERFUL. Then I woke up and figured I should make my way back over to move in.

Mom and I went back to Patterson and brought all of the stuff up. No one was in the apartment, which was kind of nice. I brought all of my luggage up and we unpacked. The girls eventually came back from grocery shopping and I met the other three girls. Sammy Jo, Liz, and Jana!

Everyone was REALLY nice. We seriously lucked out! I hope that everything continues to go smoothly!

We unpacked most of the stuff and then decided it was time for dinner. The girls cooked spaghetti here but since my Mom was still in town, we wanted to go out to eat at Disney! We deserved it after that long day, ya know?

I LIVE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!

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Mark made us a reservation at KONA!

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So we went over to the Polynesian and checked in for our 8:15 pm. We only waited a couple minutes and we were seated in a cozy booth.

Mark was BLOWN AWAY by THE BREAD. But who’s surprised?! It’s the best bread in the entire WORLD.

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I got the Teriyaki Style Steak for my entrée, which was DELICIOUS. That’s such a good meal.

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Mom got the pan-seared Asian noodles with tofu and Mark got the pan-seared Asian noodles with chicken. He just kept going on and on about how good it was! He loved all of the flavors and the vegetables that were included. I love that we’re able to show him all of these easily overlooked/hidden gem places!

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For dessert Mark and I both got the pineapple upside down cake, which was DELICIOUS!! Mark loves all things pineapple.

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Then Mom got the Jasmine infused cheesecake.

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After that we left the Poly. Our GPS took us some really weird way back to Patterson, but we found it! We got back, said goodbye to Mom, and went up to our apartments! Time for bed!

Continued in Next Post
 
Oh WOWSA!I am so glad I had insomnia tonight and caught this update!:)

This is so exciting for those of us who did not/will never get to do the CP to actually "experience" it through your eyes!You are SO nice to do this DCP TR!:)

I bet you feel like you are in a DREAM!:)

That is too funny how you and Mark are going to be NEIGHBORS!:)

Oh my the Casting building must give anyone who enters it chills!:)

I am so glad Mark finally got to urinate!That was painful to read!:)

Sounds like you got some good roomies-maybe even some lifelong friends!

I think you will be too busy to stay very sad,so keep your chin up and hang in there!

Thanks again for sharing your adventure with The DIS as "all your WISHES come true"!:)
 
So frumpy! Where was that one picture of the teacup outside taken? I don't remember seeing that boo! Btw this is Mark! So happy to be on this DCP with Jess :D
 
Hello!!! I have enjoyed many of your trip reports from afar. This is so exciting and I cannot wait to follow you on this journey. Csr is my fav resort and I will be on the lookout for you if we happen to return this spring. :cool1:
 

So frumpy! Where was that one picture of the teacup outside taken? I don't remember seeing that boo! Btw this is Mark! So happy to be on this DCP with Jess :D

Please allow me to CONGRATULATE you on your DCP!:)

I hope it is SO Magical for you!:)

I bet Patterson is going to be HAPPENING with you fun people there!:)

Best wishes again and if you will excuse me,I HAVE TO GO PEE!;):)
 
So frumpy! Where was that one picture of the teacup outside taken? I don't remember seeing that boo! Btw this is Mark! So happy to be on this DCP with Jess :D

Congrats to you, too!! I'm going to be following you and Jess' every word living vicariously through you youngins! lol (Not that I'm OLD old, but you know lol)
 
January 23rd, 2013 - Shopping Day!

This morning I got up around 9:15 am and got ready for our housing event. It started at 11 but Mark, Maria, and some of Mark's roommates left at 10:15 am. We had to walk to the Commons.

We got there, lined up, and were brought into the clubhouse room. There were strobe lights, fog, and upbeat music playing to welcome us in.

We took our seats and the meeting started at 11. The CM who was doing the presentation was Sarah. She was SUPER perky. She was like "my name is Sarah but you can call me Sarah Smiles because everyone else does!" She was so funny. She seriously smiled the ENTIRE time. I loved her energy.

This housing meeting only lasted an hour long, but it was mandatory. We went through important stuff like safety, visitors policies, networking/future opportunities, apartment cleanliness, etc.

I posted on twitter:
Housing meeting - complete (: #dcp now I have nothing until traditions on Friday! Woohoo!

So I have a day off tomorrow! YAY YAY!

After that was all over, we walked back to Mark's apartment.

I posted on twitter:
I like to play the game "guess where the cast member costume is from" when walking around the apartments. #dcp

I'm not as good at it as I thought! I need some practice.

I also posted on twitter:
The "Disney point" is just a subconscious action. #mliwdw

We got back to the apartment and Mark wanted to order a Magical Ribbons bowtie (because she was actually open today!) and I had to call the education office to make sure I was enrolled in my classes. I wasn't getting the emails for my classes but I am on the list! Thank goodness.

My Mom went to church that morning at the national shrine and then she came to come pick us up! We had to do some shopping!

First, though, we went to T-Rex for lunch! I love that I can just be like "hmmm I feel like going to (insert Disney restaurant here)" and I CAN. Life is perfect.

We were seated immediately in the coral reef room.

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All three of us ordered grilled cheese for lunch!

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It was a really fun experience! I just love that restaurant and the atmosphere!

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After T-Rex, we headed out and went to Walmart.

WHY IS THIS ADVERTISEMENT NOT AT EVERY WALMART IN THE COUNTRY!?!

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And seriously. There is just Disney stuff EVERYWHERE. I belong in Florida.

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We needed to get stuff for our apartment. I got some extra storage shelves, some school supplies for my classes, some medicine, toiletries, etc.

Mark judges me because I use color catcher sheets instead of separating my darks and lights. SORRY I'M LAZY.

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Drivin' aroooound town. Preston sent me a picture of him all bundled up because it's literally 9 degrees at home. So I sent this in response. Sorry about the cold weather, but I'm also sorry you didn't move to Florida. :lmao:

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We went to the outlet mall after and found me some shoes! Those were going to be necessary for my upcoming shifts!

Then we went to Publix and Mark and I did some shopping! We have Wegman's at home that we are VERY attached to, but we really liked Publix! They had some great deals and we got a ton of good stuff! Also, the ladies who cashed us out were really cute! They crammed all of our stuff into 3 paper bags because we had limited car space. How nice!

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We went back to the apartment and unpacked everything. It FINALLY was piecing together and looking like a real apartment!

After getting it to an okay state, we realized we were STARVING! So we went over to Art of Animation for dinner! YAYAYAYAY! We got to the gate and we told the security guy we were gonna eat there. He asked for my ID and he saw that it was from Patterson. He was like "Oh YOU are all set! GO RIGHT AHEAD."

I'm official.

I posted on twitter:
Being waved right in by the security guard at AoA because I showed him for my Patterson ID. #win #vip @Mjp935

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I was so excited to go back there! AoA is one of my FAVORITES.

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I posted on twitter:
Just RAN into Art of Animation because I'm 5.

We went to Landscape of Flavors and I saw some lady with Disney pizza. It just looked SO GOOD that I had to get it. I don't regret that decision AT ALL. It was literally some of the best Disney pizza that I've ever had. It was SO GOOD.

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Mom got the make your own pasta. It had pesto and chicken on it. She REALLY loved it!

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Mark ended up getting a burger! Yummy classic.

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He also got the cheesecake sampler for dessert!

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Then we left AoA. Mark and I will have to come back and explore in the daylight so he can see it!

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After that, we left and drove back to Patterson. I went up to my room, packed up my backpack, and went back to Coronado Springs with my Mom. She's leaving me tomorrow so I wanted to spend the night with her before we are apart. :(

I posted on twitter:
Sleepover with Mommy at Coronado before she leaves me </3

I have just been writing updates and listening to Stacey in the background. It is beautiful.

Also...

PRESTON JUST OFFICIALLY BOOKED HIS FLIGHT TO COME VISIT ME IN DISNEY WORLD. I'M SO HAPPY AND RELIEVED THAT HE'S ACTUALLY COMING FOR REAL AND I CAN'T EVEN WAIT. HE'S GOING TO BE HERE IN 38 DAYS AND I'M SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!

party:

Seriously, this is a dream come true. A week after we started dating he told me he wanted to go to Disney with me so he could see me experience it. Now a year later, it's finally happening!

I'm THRILLED.

We are currently on FaceTime freaking out about it because WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!

I posted on twitter:
@PrestoVision IS OFFICIALLY COMING TO VISIT ME IN DISNEY WORLD! #happiestgirlalive #dreamcometrue d

So alright, I'm gonna go to sleep in a little while. Thanks for reading everybody!

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Glad I caught this thread early, spent the night catching up. Thank you for posting, it's been great hearing about it and I look forward to seeing how great the rest of your time at Disney goes!
 
It sounds like you are having the best time ever, I'm so pleased for you. I've been following you on twitter as well as here ( tried to tweet you yesterday but it didn't seem to work) how lucky that you'll be working in such a lovely resort. Really looking forward to hear the rest of your adventures xx
 
So frumpy! Where was that one picture of the teacup outside taken? I don't remember seeing that boo! Btw this is Mark! So happy to be on this DCP with Jess :D

Hey Mark! Congratulations on your DCP, following along and so happy for you. I know, I just love that picture. Maybe you can use your clout (currently in the form of Patterson ID) to make them sell it in the parks. :scratchin Oh! If you manage to be friends with Tigger at some point, watch that tail. I stumbled across another DCP report where he managed to knock over some tableware, a bunch of strollers and lose the tail all together! :rotfl2: :lmao: Have fun making wonderful memories of your own!
 
Thanks for the glimpse into Casting! The exterior is gorgeous and the entrance is breathtaking. I have just the place for that Castle/tea cup picture! Now hear this Disney :mic: - release the artwork! (sorry-I just wanted and excuse to use that emoticon) :sad2:

Your mom is amazing to help you settle in. Having sent two wonderful kids off to college already, I can imagine how she must be feeling. Her tweets are so sweet. And your dad's message, well I've finally gotten myself together enough to write about it without crying. My dad brought me up with the same sentiments; I still hear his words gently pushing me forward with assurance of his love and giving me great confidence in what I pursue. It's so wonderful to have that kind of support in your life and helping you fulfill your dreams. Those words will live on for a long time.......

Your roomies sound great, not to mention the neighbors, especially since you can't pick either. It was nice of the CM to let you pick rooms at the same time though! :yay:

Sorry about the Chef Mickey ressie. It's frustrating :headache:, but I'm sure it will work out.

I love Preston's countdown picture - it's soooo you! :yay: Stay happy and healthy. Waiting to hear more! :hourglass
 
What an amazing update Jess - thanks so much for letting all of us follow along in your dream... It's a dream, I am sure, most of us would love to live. It's just so exciting!

I can't wait to hear about how everything comes together!

D~
 
Aww Jess! :hug: Your first day with the DCP sounds like it went off without a hitch! I'm so excited for you to start your classes and begin your job with Concierge at Coronado Springs! :thumbsup2
 
congrats on CSR!!! that is a big deal ;) this is very exciting to be able to experience this with you so to speak lol... thanks for sharing!!! I have a few years to convince my DD she should think about this in her future (I just allowed her to get instagram she is following you I think)

Hope the roommate situation continues to go well.
 
Wow, this all sounds so interesting! What a great day, and I'm so happy for you that Preston is coming to visit. Love his countdown! Hope you get the ADR you want!
 
Glad you got all checked in! My sister might have known her work location before she actually got there too...:rolleyes1 She is also living in Patterson!

Have fun at Traditions tomorrow!
 
I am loving reading about your DCP experiences! Thank you for letting us all come along for the ride! I'm also thrilled Preston gets to come and experience Disney with you! My first time with my DBF was so truly magical, yay for you both!
 
You are bringing some memories back for me girl! I will say that the subs, cookies, and chicken from publix are the best! And chick fil a is ok. I live down here so we eat it alot but for some reason i only always crave it on Sundays!! Casting looks so fun, we did all that fun finger print stuff at vista. Safe D begins with me! Ha! I remember that but that disney point they teach you, i still do that, it became a habit. Aww i miss Disney!
 
I am literally so jealous right now. Can't wait to hear about all the stuff you get to do! I'm thinking about doing the international programme to work in the UK pavilion in Epcot, and this report is making me want to do it even more! I hope you have a brilliant time, very lucky!
 
:banana: Yay for getting Coronado Springs! :banana: You already know that you love the resort so that's awesome!
 












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