It's Kind of Fun to Do the Impossible - MY DCP ADVENTURE (Updated 2/3 x3)

[Irish_Mike]

I Want Adventure in the Great Wide Somewhere. I Want It More than I Can Tell

Welcome, to everyone reading! My name is Mike, and I am soon about to begin a trip that will span just over six months – my Disney College Program Spring 2015 Adventure!

I’ll be working at the Walt Disney World Resort for the Spring Advantage 2015 Program! My check-in date is February 2nd, and my checkout date is August 7th – so a little over six months of work, memories, and plenty of Disney parks! I'll be in Quick Service Food/Beverage - meaning I have the chance to work at food carts, food courts, and other similar places across all of Walt Disney.

Considering my love for food, I am a-okay with this.

This trip report, inspired by many before me, will be updated as routinely as possible, so that everyone – friends, family, and the great people on this forum, can journey on this crazy ride with me. I hope that all of you who do plan to stick around enjoy the stories, images, and jokes.

My little cousin is super stoked about me working with Mickey Mouse. Can't say I blame him ​

Speaking of me, here’s a few facts so you can know who is writing this crazy report!

1.) My name is Mike, and I’m a 19-year-old sophomore from New York State majoring in Journalism, with a minor in Political Science.

2.) I have gone to Walt Disney World six times, with the most recent being a trip in 2011. I’m on Disney withdrawal, and it is extremely painful.

3.) My two favorite Disney/Pixar films are Beauty and the Beast (The ballroom scene!!), and Finding Nemo. Who doesn't love a bit of Ellen DeGeneres?

4.) Epcot is my favorite park, with Magic and Animal Kingdom tied for second. Sorry Hollywood Studios – maybe after you start expanding.

5.) Kilimanjaro Safari is my absolute favorite ride, just because you can literally see something different every time you get on. Lions, and Crocodiles, and Elephants – oh my!

6.) The Beach Club is my all-time favorite resort, but I also love the Contemporary, Coronado Springs, Wilderness Lodge, and Animal Kingdom Lodge.

7.) My food related dream for the program is to finally eat at Be Our Guest! I have reservations for June, but hopefully I don’t have to wait that long.

8.) Disney was my childhood – from my infant room that was Winnie the Pooh themed, to growing up going to Walt Disney World and with the Renaissance films, to now – preparing to attend the college program. It really is a dream come true, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you.

​

I will be attempting to document every single day down there, or as close to that that I can get. Of course, expect there to be days where work, the parks, or other situations keep me away from the forums to update. In this case, there are a couple ways to keep up to date if you so wish!

Feel free to follow me on Instagram, @IrishMike14, and Twitter, @IrishMike15, for additional pictures and sarcastic tweets from yours truly! Feel free to follow me on any one of those platforms and say hello, ask questions, whatever you'd like!

You’re also welcome to send me private messages if you have a burning question that I absolutely must answer, and I will respond as soon as possible!

Thank you so much, once again, for deciding to join me on this trip! Expect more updates on my application process and other DCP information posts before I officially begin the trip later in January! Until then, see you all real soon.

The opinions in this blog are mine alone, and do not represent The Walt Disney Corporation or any of it's employees​

 

[Irish_Mike]

Table of Contents!

Pre-Arrival + January!
December 29th: DCP Basic Information!
January 13th: My Application Process
January 31st (Part 1): Flying to Florida!
January 31st (Part 2): Downtown Disney!

February!
February 1st (Part 1): Shopping!
February 1st (Part 2): Sightseeing and Cape May!
February 2nd (Part 1): Check In Day!
February 2nd (Part 1): Check In Day!
February 3rd: Lazy Day + Chocolate Chip Cookies!

March!

April!

May!

June!

July!

August!

​

 

[Irish_Mike]

-Reserved for future need-

 

[dawnmichele]

Hey Mike!
I'm doing the program too! But just Spring (not advantage). Jan 26 - May15. I'm in merchandise - and I hope I'll see you there! Can't wait to read about your adventures!

 

[Irish_Mike]

Hey Mike!
I'm doing the program too! But just Spring (not advantage). Jan 26 - May15. I'm in merchandise - and I hope I'll see you there! Can't wait to read about your adventures!

Thank you!

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

Will be reading along! I hope you enjoy your DCP and I look forward to reading it! (And if I end up asking you a bunch of stupid questions-please don't mind, as I've been looking into the DCP myself for the future.)

 

[desheag]

Hi!! I can't wait to read all about your DCP! I did Spring Advantage 2012!! It was the best experience of my life!!!

 

[Irish_Mike]

Will be reading along! I hope you enjoy your DCP and I look forward to reading it! (And if I end up asking you a bunch of stupid questions-please don't mind, as I've been looking into the DCP myself for the future.)

Thank you! And feel free to ask questions - I'll try to answer as best as I can

 

[Irish_Mike]

Pre-Arrival: Disney College Program - Basic Information

Before I begin with my history applying for the College Program, along with the start of the trip report, I'd like to explain a bit about the Disney College Program ("DCP") for those who may be confused about aspects of the program, or just curious for more information in case they, or a loved one, are interested in applying!

The DCP is a national internship program ran by The Walt Disney Company, and began in 1981 with roughly 200 students interning at The Magic Kingdom in Florida. Over the past thirty-three years, the program has grown immensely - today, it includes internship opportunities at both the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, with work locations ranging from theme parks, to hotels, to other on-property locations (Such as ESPN's Wide World of Sports). The types of jobs one can expect to do has also evolved over time. When the program began in 1981, college program employees had the opportunity to work in one of four fields - Merchandise, Food, Attractions, and Custodial. Today, applicants can express interest in over twenty different fields, including Vacation Planning, Concierge, Bellhop, Attractions, Quick-Service Food & Beverage (QSFB), Full Service Food & Beverage (FSFB), and many more.

Although hard applications numbers are not readily available, it is estimated that Disney receives around 30,000 applications in each round of DCP application windows. Of that 30,000, it is estimated that, on average, 10% - or 3,000 - applicants are accepted. Again - all estimations, but commonly accepted ones.

The Disney College Program application process varies from each candidate - but most of us will tell you that the wait to hear back information on your application is one of the most agonizing things we have dealt with.

Generally, applications for the program will open in either February (For Fall/Fall Advantage), or August (For Spring/Spring Advantage). For those who may be confused by these terms, here's what they mean.

Disney World Program!

• Spring: Your Program will run from Mid/late January through early/mid May.
• Spring Advantage: Your Program will Run from late-January/February through early August.
• Fall: Your Program will run from mid-late August through early January.
• Fall Advantage: Your Program will run from late May/early June - early January

Disneyland Program!

• Spring: Your Program runs from mid January/early February through mid August.
• Summer: Open only to DCP Alumni, this program runs from May through August
• Fall (1): Your Program runs from August-January
• Fall (2): Your Program runs from May-January - Housing is not provided for this program.

*Be forewarned: You cannot change your type of program. If you apply for Spring Advantage, you cannot change to Spring to leave in May.*

The first stage of applications is basic - information about you, work history, etc. This is also the stage where you will be given the opportunity to express interest in the various roles for the program - there are four options for your interest: High Interest, Medium Interest, Low Interest, or No Interest.

*If you choose anything but "No Interest" for a role, you can be considered and possibly hired for that role.*

The second stage is the Web-Based Interview. In this stage, Disney presents you with a long list of questions and situations to gauge whether you would be a good fit for the company. The questions are not extremely difficult, but there are often several that are worded differently, but expect the same type of answer from you: An example would be "I am never late to work" & "I am always on time for my shift."

Following the Web-Based Interview, one of three things can happen. You can either be sent a notice that you are no longer in consideration for the program (Which happened to me the first time I applied), or you could be prompted to sign up for a phone interview timeslot. The third possible outcome is simply waiting - again, more agony.

The third, and final stage, of the application process is the phone interview. Here, you will speak 1 on 1 with an interviewer from the company, who will ask you more detailed questions about your interest in the company, questions on any of the roles you expressed interest in, along with scenarios to further gauge whether you'd be a good fit for the roles they are interested in filling. These interviews, on average, range around twenty minutes - so make sure you have a quiet place to complete it.

Another helpful tip - have a glass of water handy in case you get extremely nervous. Don't panic, just relax, and know that you are awesome.

Following the phone interview is a wait that can last several months - up until the final decision day (Which this year was November 17th). You won't get many notices from Disney during this period, aside from pending notices - which basically states Disney has reviewed your application and it is pending a final decision.

Ultimately, decision day does come. If you do get into the program, congratulations! If, however, you do not - don't feel too discouraged! Most people, including myself, have had to apply multiple times for the opportunity. Keep your chin up and prepare for the next round of applications. You never know - it might just be your time.

For those interested in courses during your program, they are offered through the Disney University. There are a wide array of marketing, business, hospitality, and various other courses - including the popular "Exploring Disney Heritage". Courses for the program are not mandatory, and many choose not to take the courses to allow them more free time while in Florida, or because the classes offered to not meet criteria for their home university's major. Other students choose to take online courses through other universities, which again is a popular option.

There are four housing complex's for the Disney College Program, all of which are fully furnished apartments that accommodate between 2-8 people. Some more details on the complexes:

• Vista Way - The oldest apartment complex, and the location of check in, Vista Way is located near a Chick-Fil-A, Wendys, and Walgreens - and is also considered the Party Complex.
• Chatham - The mid-tier apartment, Chatham is located near Mickey's Retreat - the cast member retreat.
• The Commons - Formerly for international students only, The Commons is the only complex with a washer/dryer in each apartment - the others have dedicated rooms for machines.
• Patterson - The newest apartment, Patterson has no bus stop - those who will rely on Disney transportation will have to walk to Chatham (A couple minute walk)

On top of this, there are two categories of apartment styling: Wellness vs. Non-Wellness

• Wellness - Automatic for participants under 21, this is a zero-alcohol apartment, with no tolerance. If alcohol is found in the apartment during inspections, all residents risk, and likely could be, terminated. If you are over 21 and choose wellness, you will have to sign additional forms.
• Non-Wellness - Alcohol is allowed in the apartment. Be warned - if someone under 21 is found in the apartment drinking, the entire apartment risks termination

All complexes have visiting hours from 7am - 1am. This includes for non-program participants, and for program participants who do not live in your complex. What is this means is, if I live in Chatham and want to visit my friend in Vista Way at 2am, it's a no go.

All complexes have a pool, fitness center, and clubhouse - with included WiFi in these main areas. If you'd like WiFi in your apartment, you'll need a router.

Hopefully, this little informative post helps answer questions you may have, or is just informative for you!

 

[courtneybelle]

Joining in! Nice avatar I'm hoping to do the DCP for Fall Advantage 2015 so I'm excited to read all about your adventures!

 

[Irish_Mike]

Joining in! Nice avatar I'm hoping to do the DCP for Fall Advantage 2015 so I'm excited to read all about your adventures!

Thank you. Hope you enjoy when the time comes

 

[usd2bmd]

Jumping on. My daughter is entering her 2nd semester of college and thinking about the college program. We live just down the 90 in Buffalo, so it will be nice to follow a fellow UNYer on his DCP.

 

[Irish_Mike]

Pre-Arrival: My Application Process!

I'm going to be completely honest; I applied for this round of the program on a total whim. That isn't to say that I wouldn't love to work for Disney as a College Program (Who wouldn't want to?!), but after getting rejected directly after the Web-Based Interview last February, my hopes weren't that high. But, who knows?

I filled out my application in the dead of night on August 21st; not even kidding; it was like two in the morning when I realized applications were open and rushed to get it filled out.

For those interested, my top roles were Merchandise, Quick-Service Food and Beverage, and Concierge. Mid-Level interest were Full-Service, Bellhop, and Main Gate Operations.

After doing this, I received the traditional;Thank You for Applying! email, which basically says We're going to get thousands of applications, and you'll know a final application result by November 17th.

Thankfully, it didn't take three whole months of agonizing torture to find out my results, but I do know people who were in that boat. It's. Agonizing.

Later in the day on the 21st, I got the invitation email to take the Web-Based Interview!!

For those who may not know what this it, it's basically a long list of questions that Disney asks to find out whether or not you'd be a good candidate to work for the company. It's not terribly long, just in-depth with a lot of questions that are worded similarly to (unintentionally) trip you up - such as "I rarely arrive to work late" & "I would say I arrive to work on time often."

Directly after finishing the web-based interview, I got alerted that I was on to the next round!! I - nearly- screamed. I. Got. A. Phone. Interview!!!!

I scheduled the interview for August 25th at 7:45 PM the following Monday, and proceeded to call half of my family. Everyone was ecstatic, and I felt on top of the world.

Now, I kid you not. The next four days were spent watching dozens of Youtube videos, reading blog after blog (Including Jess Disney College Program: Frump Style!), and trying not to go crazy with nerves. It didn't help that this was also the weekend that I moved into my university for a second year.

Yeah, probably poor planning on my part. Don't judge.

Monday rolled around, and after going through the motions of classes (Most of which were spent doodling Mickey symbols on the sides of syllabus), evening finally rolled around and I was ready for my interview!

I retreated to a quiet corner of our Student Union Building where I was sure no one would bother me, and just tried to remain calm by listening to my favorite Disney movie soundtrack; Beauty and the Beast!

I secretly think Lumiere and Cogsworth were cheering me on. Judge me.

Pro-Tip for potential readers who are thinking of applying, or know someone who is: When it comes to the phone interview, the little act of smiling while explaining yourself goes a long way! It exudes a sense of confidence, even if you are nervous.

Just after 7:45, my phone buzzed. A blocked number. It was time.

Cue the nerves!

My interviewers name was Jack, a former college programmer himself. The interview started off with the most commonly asked question to all candidates: Why Disney?

After this, we went on to discuss my work experience as a busser in a restaurant, and how I thought that would help in working for Disney. Too be honest, looking back now, nearly all of my questions revolved around restaurants and food in general, so I'm pretty sure they were already leaning to put me into Quick Service Food.

There were plenty of other basic questions you can expect: Whether I liked a fast paced environment, whether I was a team player, whether I had any preferences in terms of indoor or outdoor locations, and hypothetical scenarios to see what I could do.

I'd like to think I was prepared thanks to the time I spent researching, so the interview went pretty smooth, which was awesome! Following the questions, Jack explained to be a bit about his ascension through the company from his own college program, which was nice to hear.

Overall, my interview clocked in at just less than 18 minutes, which wasn’t too bad! I let my Mom knew how it went, got the "Thank you for Interviewing!" email, and then comes the worst part.

Waiting.

Essentially, you have finished applying after you complete the phone interview. There's no next step until you find out whether or not you've been accepted or not. It's quite depressing, not knowing when you'll find out.

Snapchat Drawings were done to pass the time.

Disney does, at the very least, send out notifications if your application is pending; for those who don't know, this just refers to the fact that your application has been reviewed and is simply pending a final Decision. I did receive a notification regarding that on September 22nd.

Either way, September came and passed without a message, as did the first half of October.

I was just planning to check my emails on October 22nd, delete some junk mail, and I noticed something.

An email from the Disney Recruiting.

It said Congratulations.

I kid you not, I screamed at this point. I screamed and jumped up and down, and I hadn't even opened up the email yet. I quickly read through it and went to the webpage to find out my role; Quick Service Food!

I ran down to my friends rooms and proceeded to scream with them. Some tears were shed. I called my Mom and Grandma who were thrilled for me. I jumped around my room, and immediately went to post on Facebook:

I'M GOING TO DISNEY!!!​

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Congratulations on being accepted! This is going to be such a great time in your life. I look forward to reading along on your journey.

 

[Irish_Mike]

January 31st - Flying to Orlando!!!​

It has been just over 100 days since I officially received my acceptance letter into the Disney College Program. 100 days of shopping, packing, finals, and holidays.

Today is January 31st 2015. Today is a frigid, but sunny, Saturday. Oh, and today is FINALLY the day that I fly to Florida to WORK FOR DISNEY!!! Hello word, I finally can say hello!

The morning before we got to the airport was fairly laid back. Some final minute packing because I always put stuff off to the last minute, a bit of cleaning, and running around to the bank to deposit some checks.

My New Years resolution to stop procrastinating hasn't gone well. Don’t judge.

At a little after noon, my Stepdad helped to pack up the car and drove my Mom and I over to the airport. We have three suitcases dedicated to everything that I’ll (hopefully) need for the next few months, along with a little carry on for my Mom’s clothing.

My Grandma, who’s also flying down with us because I'’m SUCH a Grandmas boy, met us there.

​

Thankfully, the airport was pretty much dead, so we breezed through check in and security and got to our gate! It’s my first time ever flying Southwest Airlines, so we're in a completely new part of the airport to me.

As pretty as it may look, it's beyond freezing.

​

Oh, and let it be known that I have dubbed this flight as the “Retirement Party Plane”, because aside from a couple other children, the median age of the passengers has to be 73 years old.

They’re all adorable though, so it’s ok.

T-Minus three hours until we arrive in Orlando! Goodbye snow and cold, hello sun, warmth, and a great adventure!​

 

[Irish_Mike]

January 31st - Downtown Disney!​

HONEY, I'M HOME!!!!

The flight went very well; especially consider I cannot stand flying. At all.

In-flight selfies are the best selfies!

​

With our luck, we arrived at the airport roughly twenty minutes early and headed on through the airport towards baggage claim.

Everything is so sunny and green and the air smells good! It's so nice to be here after the rough cold we've had at home the past couple of weeks.

Baggage claim went well and only took about 15 minutes, so the three of us headed down to the ground level to check out the car. Of course, not everything can be fast; rental took around a half hour.

Mom picked out a Chevrolet Sonic, another compact since she usually drives around a Ford Focus. We loaded up and headed out of the garage, into the tropical night!

Not even five minutes later, we were lost.

Our GPS decided to continue telling us that we were back up north, and did NOT want to agree that we were in Florida. So somehow, we ended up on an expressway heading towards Cocoa Beach.

Thank God for iPhones and their Maps app, or I don't know where my Mom would have gotten us.

A half hour, and three tolls later, we were FINALLY on International Drive. We passed by Vista Way completely by accident, and soon enough ended up at the Clarion Inn: Lake Buena Vista, my temporary home for two days.

It's not Disney, but it's still pretty nice.

Since we hadn't had much for lunch and it was not close to 8 o'clock, we headed over to Downtown Disney to grab some dinner and do some shopping.

It was MOBBED over by DTD since it was a Saturday night, so we parked over in the casting parking lot and walked across the street near the Casting castle.

Downtown Disney, how I have missed you!!

Earl of Sandwich was fairly busy, but the line went through pretty quick. We had our food within ten minutes of ordering!

Mom had the Thai Chicken Wrap. She said it was pretty good!

​

Grandma had the classic Holiday Sandwich; she's been talking about getting this for weeks. She loved it, as everyone does!

I had the BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad, since I wanted to try something new. It was really great!

​

After dinner, we walked around and did some shopping at some of the stores, just enjoying the night. It was beautiful, and wasn’t as crowded as I expected.

Of course, I did the "Create Your Own" snack in Goofy Candy Co! Milk Chocolate dipped pretzels with M&M's and white chocolate drizzle.

​

So. Good.

I also bought a coffee mug, since I didn't bring any down from home. It's Mine! Mine! Mine!

​

After a bit of browsing at the World of Disney, we decided that it high time to head back to the resort and relax.

I also wrote this report while watching Friends. Greatest. Show. Ever.​

 

[Irish_Mike]

Congratulations on being accepted! This is going to be such a great time in your life. I look forward to reading along on your journey.

Thank you! Now that I'm actually down here, expect more updates

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

Yay! You're finally in Florida!

That mug is adorable. Great first purchase in Florida! I don't know where I would be without all of my coffee mugs (though they're rarely used for coffee.)

Can't wait to read the next update!

 

[figment52]

congrats on your contract....looking forward to following your adventure

 

[JoyFaithGrace]

Following! We hope to join you there in June!