My DCP Food Bucket List Spring 2019!

We all know Disney has so many dining and food options. I have been lucky enough to try many of them already but as I prepare for my second College Program this coming Spring there are definitely a lot of new things I want to try as well as things I missed the first time around and a few I just feel I need to do again! Without Further Ado Here is my Spring 2019 DCP Food Bucket List!. Attempt the Kitchen Sink

1. Attempt the Kitchen Sink
   
2.  Eat at Be Our Guest for Dinner
   
3.  Try the Cheeseburger Spring Roles
   
4.  Dole Whip!
   
5.  50's Prime Time
   
6. Try a Jumbo Pretzel in the German Pavilion
7. Drink Around the World
8. Get a Hot Dog at Casey's Corner
   
9. Beignets at Port Orleans
   
10. Get a Cinnamon Roll and Lou Fou's Brew at Gaston's Tavern
11. Macaroon Ice Cream at the France Pavilion
    
12. Eat at Ohana
    
13. Eat at Liberty Tree Tavern
14. Eat at Garden Grill
    
15. Si-Fi Dine-in Theater
    
16. Try the Peter Pan Float
    
17. Try the Food at all of the Festivals
18. Hoop De Doo Review
19. Eat at Trails End
20. Character Dining at 1900 Park Faire for Dinner
    
21. Try the New Snow White Character Dining Opening at Wilderness Lodge
22. Get Tea at the Grand Floridian
23. Have a Mickey Ice Cream Bar!
    

How to Prepare for your DCP

So you've been accepted and you are officially doing the Disney College Program. Everything is getting so real and moving so fast. You're probably freaking out because you don't know how to prepare or what to expect. Trust me, I've been there. Here are a few tips to prepare for your DCP.

• Think about how you are getting down to Disney. If your flying, think about what you will be packing your stuff in. Do you have suitcases? Will you be shipping it all down later? If your driving start thinking about how you're going to pack your car up. Who will be going with you and how much room with they need in the car for there stuff? Also, start saving for your parking pass can range from 75 to 120$.
• When packing keep in mind it will be between 75 and 80 degrees most days, but not always. Make sure to pack appropriate clothes. You may think you will be living in shorts every day, but trust me you will want jeans and sweatshirts as well, maybe even one heavier coat. It does get cold, especially in November through February. 
• On that note, make sure you pack cute outfits for going around the parks in and getting photos. It won't always be like a Disney vacation where you wear running shorts and gym shoes because of your planning on being there all day. Some days you'll run in for an hour and leave, so you don't always have to dress so practically.
• Make sure you bring a lunchbox and sunglasses (if you have an outside work location).
• For Training Days and Traditions make sure you bring nice comfortable flats (You will be walking a bit), as well as layers.
• Get a lanyard and ID holder. It will just make everything so much easier.
• Make sure you have large purses or small backpacks for the parks, its a pain to lug around something too big and it sucks to have something so small that you can't even fit an extra I'm Celebrating Button in it.
• Start Saving Now! Especially if there are a lot of expensive things on your bucket list or you plan on getting a Universal pass. Disney Expenses can add up quickly and sometimes there are hidden expenses during the DCP.
• Most Importantly, Get Excited! This will be the time of your life!

See you in January Disney!

Hey Guys go check out my new video on my Youtube channel!

My 5 Must Do's for a First Time DCPer

The Disney College Program is a once in a lifetime experience. As an alumni I have heard my fair share of "must-dos" and "bucket lists", but too me they always seem quite generic, the things everyone puts on their lists: eat around the world (zzz), ride every ride (duh), watch the fireworks (well yah!). My list has a few more personal things, things that I look back on my time at the DCP and miss or am very glad I did.

1. Take as many "basic" Instagram photos as possible. 
You will thank yourself later, I promise. You don't necessarily need to buy Photopass (thats like 200$) but definitely still take photos at all the famous walls, in front of all your favorite rides, and with all of you favorite characters. Take photos at traditions, and your first time in the park, and your last night with your roommates. I still look back on all my photos and remember are the amazing times I had and I am so grateful I took so many (some might say a crazy amount) of photos.
 Me and my friends had a Google Doc that we shared all our photos on and that worked out great, no texting back and forth "can you send me this one". Also the photos stayed really high quality.

2. Find a Unique way to get Autographs of you favorite characters.
This doesn't have to be anything crazy, I saw plenty of CP's have children's books for them to sign. But you can get as creative as you'd like with it. Me and my roommates painted a big canvas for them to sign and I loved getting photos of all the characters reactions. Priceless memories, priceless photos, and a great keepsake. I still have mine hanging in my apartment. 

3. Get Button's for EVERYTHING!!
One of the only free things Disney gives out is Celebration buttons so collect as many as you can. They have them for special events (I have one for Epcot's 35th Anniversary and Mickeys Birthday) but they also have a I'm Celebrating, Happily Ever After Button, and Birthday Buttons all the time. Get as many as you can. Celebrate even the most mundane things, I promise these keepsakes will have so many memories attached to them.

4. Go to the Parks by Yourself
This is an important one. I saw a lot of kids miss out on a lot of things because they were afraid of doing it alone. Your schedule is not always going to line up with your friends and its important to realize that you can do things by yourself! Going to the parks by yourself is actually really fun. You get to dow whatever you want and skip all the stuff you don't like as much. Not to mention its easier to get fastpasses! I think going to the parks by yourself really allows you appreciate the park and the experiences.

5. Spend as Much Time with your Friends and Roommates as Possible!
You will miss the people you meet on your Program so much after you have left, I promise. The time you spend with them is precious and really important. Make memories, don't turn an experience down (even if your exhausted). You will never have another chance like this. Go out for food after work, Go to the beach or the parks every opportunity you have, Go grocery shopping with your friends, or even at the very least have a movie night with your roommates. Some of my favorite memories include me and my roomies just dancing or watching movies, or even cleaning together. You will miss them when it's done so spend as much time with them as you can now.

DCP Web Based Interview Breakdown

Hey Guys. Part 2 of my Disney College Program Application Process Videos is up on my youtube channel. Take a look and Make sure you Subscribe so you don't miss my upcoming videos.

Role Overview: Merchandise

The Merchandise role was my own role during my Fall 2017 Disney College Program. I worked at the World of Disney at Disney Springs.

The Merchandise role is a high volume role, meaning that many DCP applicants get placed in this role. It is one of the most common for DCP applicants. 

Role Description:  As a merchandise cast member you are in charge of a variety of different tasks, regardless of what location you are placed at. The larger stores do have a few more roles then the small and medium sized ones though. You will be trained at the register, floor stocking, and "Merchentaining"(Merchandise + Entertaining) at all locations. At the larger locations you will likely also be trained as a runner and in the back of the store stock rooms. You will likely rotate between all of these different tasks within a single day. Depending on what location you get placed at you may also work with food in the Confectionaries, which is important to keep in mind when accepting this position. Overall this is a very guest oriented role, where you will constantly be talking and interacting with guests.

Hours: As a Merchandise College Program cast member you are likely to be given the closing shifts at any given location. You may be one of the lucky few who gets opening shifts, but be prepared to work till 1 or 2 in the morning some times. Most Merchandise cast member work between 30 and 45 hours a week, but as all roles go some work much less and some work much more. I know at the World of Disney I was averaging about 55 hours a week, which is on the extreme high end. The shifts tend to be between 6 hours and 12 hours with breaks about every 2 or 3 hours. Breaks also will depend on your location. I was given a lot more breaks then my fellow cast members who worked in the parks.

Pros: Well basically your job is to interact with guests and play with toys all day, which is amazing. I remember one shift specifically I got to just play with Star Wars lightsabers for 6 hours straight. You are also usually given a lot of hours and can pick up and trade at any location, so you can work at all 4 parks I you wanted too! Also you get the ability to make magical moments by giving away "No Strings Attached" items sometimes.

Cons: I know for myself sometimes the hours were not fun. Working late into the night got really old really quick. You have a lot of guest interaction, especially with guests from other countries so you have to be very patient and know how to handle situations with money, foreign money, language barriers, and sometimes declined credit cards and irritated guests. I know at my location people would get very upset if we didn't have what they wanted so you will often have to deal with irritated, annoyed, and sometimes entitled guests. Depending on your location your store could be very slow and boring, or it could be so busy and crowded its overwhelming at times.

Overall the Merchandise role has its goods and bads but in the role itself you do get to create a lot of magical moments. Honestly all roles on the DCP are what you make of it, have a good positive attitude and you will love anything you end up doing. If you have any other questions go ahead and comment.

Housing Complexes on the DCP

While on the Walt Disney World Disney College Program you have five options for housing. In my opinion each has its pros and cons and suite different lifestyles. While you usually have no real choice on where you live it is still nice to know what you are getting into with each complex.

Patterson Court: This complex is often stated to be "the old peoples complex", meaning it is just very chill and laid back. Not many parties go on at this complex and there isn't a lot of movement around. It had the nicest and largest pool out of the four complexes. The buses do not come to this complex so you will be doing a lot more walking if you don't have a car. You will need to walk to the other complexes to catch the bus. This is the newest and nicest furnished apartments, but it is also the most expensive of the complexes. The Laundry facilities are located within each apartment building, they are shared laundry.

I would recommend this housing complex for the more introverted Cast Member that has a car.

Chatham Square: This is the third housing complex to be added to the DCP housing. It hosts many of the classes and housing events. Its location is right in the center of the the housing complexes and all of the buses come here. This place is the central hub for many people and events. Lots of people live here and it is often said to be a more upbeat atmosphere since it has a Volleyball Court, Tennis Court and a very fun Mickey shaped pool. This complex is also located right next to Mickey's Retreat, which can be used by all cast members. Apartments are more average priced out of all the housing complexes. The interiors are all a bit outdated and need updating. The laundry facilities are only located in 4 of the 30 buildings, so that is a small con. Party buses often park out front of this complex during the night.

I would recommend this housing complex for anyone who doesn't have a car or wants to be in the center of all the action.

The Commons: This was the housing complex I lived in during my program and I really enjoyed it. The interiors of the apartments are a bit outdated and things break fairly often, our air conditioning broke 3 times and are dishwasher never worked properly. This is a 10 minute walk from Chatham Square where many of the events and classes are held. Most of the buses stop here but not all of them, you can request a bus to stop or drop you off here at certain hours of the day and night if they normally do not. It has an okay pool and a nice connivence store inside the offices that is open pretty late. Pricing is pretty average here as well. Laundry is included in each apartment unit.

I would recommend this housing complex for the more relaxed DCPer or the DCPer that really doesn't want to pay for laundry.

Vista Way: This is the oldest housing complex and definitely the most outdated, but is also the cheapest of the housing complexes. I had many friends that lived here and it actually seemed just as nice as the other complexes. It is located quite a bit farther from the other complexes so it is nice to have a car if you stay here. There is two pools and an education complex here that is pretty nice to have. It is often known as the party complex and the liveliest of the complexes by far. They have many outdoor activities and at night party buses sit out front of the complex. Many people also through parties inside there apartments at this complex as well. It is in walking distance to many restaurants and you often get to skip the DCP traffic from the other complexes sine it is located farther away. Laundry is located on the first floor of each complex.

I recommend this complex for anyone who wants to save some money or the more outgoing and extroverted DCPer.

Off Site Housing: You always have the option to find your own apartment or your own place to stay. A lot of the apartment complexes around have leases that last the duration of the program and are often cheaper the the housing complexes. With this option you must have a car and it is sometimes harder to make friends or hangout with people from work.

I recommend this option for older or more seasoned DCPers who have experience renting apartments before and want to save some money.