Erica Does Disney

Adventures working merch on the Disney Cultural Exchange program summer 2018. General Disney blog is upon-a-disneydream

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Disney Housing Registration

Today I got my email to register for accommodations while in Disney! I’ve done probably way too much research on it and watched far too many vlogs, but hey, it’s exciting! 

It turned out to be not a very long process, the longest part was just the research beforehand, honestly. Here’s all the info under the cut, including current housing prices for summer 2018!

After you log into DORMS (Disney’s Onsite Resident Management System), it’ll ask you to fill out some basic info like your flight/driving time, an emergency contact, and some personal information. It will also ask whether you have roommates you would like to match up with. I’m just winging it, so I didn’t worry about that part. It also asks if you want a wellness (under 21) or non-wellness apartment.

Then comes the fun part, choosing which residence building you want to live in!

You get to pick the building and room setup, which ranges from 1 room 2 people all the way up to 4 room 8 people! Most of my selections were in the 3 room 6 people range. The prices vary according to building and number of roommates, so if that is the biggest factor for you, you don’t need to do any research beforehand, as DORMS provides you with the costs right as you’re applying. 

These are the costs for this year’s program! The Commons is a little more expensive because it has a washer and dryer right in the apartment, while all other options do not, so personally that’s the one I’m hoping for, even though my bank account won’t be too happy. Patterson was my second choice, for reasons I will expand on below!

This is a map of the locations of the different complexes!

I’m not going to go super in depth into the four options, as that info can be found all over the web, and I don’t yet have any firsthand experience with any of them yet!

For the short version:

Vista Way

Vista is the original, I believe, so it’s a little older and a bit further away from all the other buildings. However, it is the main bus hub, and the apartments are being renovated. It has a bit of a reputation as a party place, but like all other student housing, it depends on the group that year.

Patterson Court

Patterson is considered one of the quieter options, which I’m on board with, personally. It’s the newest complex, and as such, it has some of the nicest rooms and the best pool and gym. It does not have its own bus hub, but it’s a short 5-10 minute walk to the one at Chatham.

Chatham Square

Chatham is the hub for all housing programming. As such, it can be a little on the noisy side during events. It also offers free food at a lot of events, which could definitely be a plus! It’s also closest to the cast retreat and has it’s own bus station.

The Commons

The Commons boasts newly renovated apartments, a bus station, and the most important: in-room laundry facilities! It’s also home to The Grid, a small convenience store. I’ve heard that it’s quite pricy though, so it might be better just to head over to Walmart or Publix, if you can!

No matter which building you end up in, you can have an amazing time. Your program is entirely what you decide to make of it, so don’t get too disappointed if you get a building that wasn’t your top pick.

If you have questions, just send me a message!

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CEP Bucket List

An essential part of any Disney program is the bucket list! There’s a lot here so hopefully I’ll be able to get at least some of it done, but this will be a full time job, so we’ll see!

Parks

Go to the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, depending when we get our park admission passes (it ends May 28)

Spend an entire day, open to close at each of the parks

Take a picture in front of each park’s landmark

Ride all 3 mountains (Space, Splash, Big Thunder) in one day

Watch Happily Ever After in front of the castle

Watch Illuminations

See the Kiss Goodnight at MK

Drink around the world at Epcot (hopefully for Canada Day!)

Watch festival of the Lion King

Try a Dole Whip

Disneybound in the parks

Go on Tower of Terror at night

Do the Wild Africa Trek (maybe, bc $$$$)

Dance in the Harambe Village street party

Go to Typhoon Lagoon and/or Blizzard Beach

Eat at Be Our Guest

Early morning dining reservation for Crystal Palace

Magic Kingdom 4th of July fireworks

Get a celebration button for being a CP

Get my name on a pair of Mickey ears

Job

create a “magic moment”

pick up a PAC shift in a different park

Resorts

Go resort hopping

Visit Animal Kingdom Lodge

Tea at the Grand Floridian

Watch Happily Ever After from the beach at the Poly

General

Have a character dining experience

Attend a housing event

See a movie in Disney Springs

Get a Duffy Bear

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The CEP Interview

Hey everyone!

Here’s a little explanation of my interview process for the Canada Cultural Exchange Program and some tips for the face to face interview! Fair warning: all interviews are a little awkward, and no matter what, you might feel as nervous as Lilo looks in this scene! 

The Day of:

The interview took place in the Disney headquarters in Toronto. We had to arrive early for a presentation around 9:30am, so of course I got there about an hour early. About 15 minutes before, I headed up to the floor the offices were on. As soon as we stepped off the elevators there were massive sliding glass doors engraved with Mickey’s head. We waited inside in front of reception, where a tv was playing Moana! It definitely helped to calm some nerves.

Then we went into the presentation room, got our name tags and mingled a bit with the other participants. It was a really good chance to meet everyone and chat about the program! The presentation was about an hour long and just went over the basics of the program as well as some other things that I’ll leave secret to preserve the magic!

Then it was time to wait for my interview time, which, luckily, was only about an hour after the presentation. I just hung out in the food court for a while and chatted with some of the other people there (and got a snack). I went back up to the office and waited with everyone else who was interviewing within the hour. We got to chat and get to know each other and it really helped to calm everyone’s nerves!

When I finally got called in, the interview was one on one and honestly super quick. She asked me about why I want to work for Disney, which roles I wanted and how my experience matched them, and then gave me an example scenario. It was a lot easier than I was expecting! After what felt like only a few minutes, we were at the end, I signed out and left!

As I was sitting at lunch about 10 minutes later though, I got a call from my interviewer, which was unusual! She explained that she had forgotten to ask which starting date I wanted and that was why she was calling. Not going to lie, it made me feel a little confident, because if she wasn’t considering hiring me then she wouldn’t have called to ask!

And that was it for the interview!

The wait after the interview was one of the longest few weeks of my life, and after complete radio silence I got my acceptance email about a month later!

Some tips:

- Do your research and be prepared ahead of time! Watching vlogs about the interview and writing out some examples of what I would say really helped with my nerves!

- Get to the location early! This way you won’t risk being late and you can chat with other people waiting to interview!

- While you’re waiting to start, chat with the other interviewees! Disney wants to see that you’re sociable and friendly, so don’t be on your phone the entire time!

- Dress to impress. Follow the Disney Look guidelines, which you can find online. This helps you look business casual and like you’ve dedicated some time to preparation. 

- Smile! Be friendly and act happy. This is an awesome experience no matter whether you get it or not, so enjoy it!

You do want this job, so act like it! Being prepared and dressing well really does help, both with nerves and with the first impression you make on the interviewers.

And that’s all for now, if you have any questions feel free to ask!

Have a magical day! 

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I’m a cast member!

Hey everyone! My name is Erica and I got the news on Februrary 19 that I would be spending the summer working for... Disney! 

After a super long application process I’m so excited to finally get the news! My start date is May 21st, so I’ll be updating this blog until then with notes about the application process and acceptance process. Once I get there I’ll be posting updates about my life and experience working and living in the parks!

My next post will be about the interview for anyone interested in applying in the future! 

If you have any questions about the application process or anything about the program please feel free to ask!

Have a magical day!