The Purple Folder

Hey! Dragon. Dragon, not lizard. I don't do that tongue thing.

2011-01-05T17:03:00.000-08:00

I have a radio show..... so take that people who said I would never get one. Which, if we count those who doubted in Europe but not the people who doubted in Antartica and the southern most coast of France, that equals zero whole people.

Anyways..... (Insert excruciatingly awkward silence here, and possibly a trip to your local grocery store because you're out of milk and I know you dont plan on eating your special "grown up" breakfast of two bowls of Cocoa Krispies followed by one bowl of Corn Flakes dry)

Now that we have that out of the way, yes I have a radio show. Towards the end of the last semester, the folks at Owl Radio granted me two hours on Monday to talk about whatever I wanted to. Naturally I chose to spend these precious hours to talk about the wonders of sweaters with Kittens on them (of the stories). The concept went over their heads and naturally I went to the second choice, Disney. (Do you realize how little substance their actually is tothis post? How does blogger allow me to keep this thing?)

Here are some quick hits about the show:

Name: Pause, Rewind, Play featuring an Hour in Wonderland
When: Mondays from 9PM to 11PM
Who: Your favorite Disney blogger (no, not that person, I mean me), CP Chris, and Mark the disney guru (loosely defined guru)
Where: http://owlradio.fau.edu/

So that's that, check out the show when we resume this semester.

Now for something different. How about a story? I feel good one of course, how about my favorite Magical Moment working at Beaches and Cream (or one of my favorite):
It was a relatively slow day at Beaches and Cream. I was put on "to-go" window duty with my buddy (and now radio co-host....see that, full circle) Chris. Now there were only two families eating in the restaurant and nobody was in our line so he and I were enjoying a rather competitive game of hangman (the category, retro disney....yeah, we are those kind of nerds and proud of it). A mother and her little boy came in for lunch and sat at the counter in front of us ending our game (I was winning FYI). The mom looked to be enjoying the air conditioner and her son was looking pretty happy and so we got to talking with them.

They told us that they had just come back from the Magic Kingdom to get a nap and a bite to eat before meeting back up with the rest of the family that night at EPCOT. So we asked the boy what his favorite thing was about Magic Kingdom. And that's when his grin got bigger. "I rode the Space Mountain and I wasn't afraid." That's when his mom told us that they go to Disney World a couple times a year and everytime the boy opted to take the white gate exit rather than ride the ride. But not today, today he found the courage to ride and he loved it. Well Chris and I decided this was a feat to be celebrated. So while he stayed there talking to them the family, I went on a scavenger hunt.

I first checked the storage area that we kept this particular object, nothing. So then I went through the kitchen to the manager's office, they were out. One more guess, I headed over to Cape May's offices but alas, they too were out. Then it hit me, I left the restaurant area and headed to the front desk of the resort and finally obtained two free guest Holy Grails, "I'm Celebrating" pins. I borrowed a sharpie, wrote what I had to on them and headed back, mission accomplished.

Catchint them just as they were finishing paying, Chris and I awarded them their pins. For the boy, "I'm Celebrating: Conquering Space Mountain" and for his mom, "I'm Celebrating: (Then an arrow pointing to her son) He Did." At this point the boy was beaming. As they were leaving, the boy showed everybody he could his new Medal of Honor. From the servers, to the seaters, and even the guests that were eating lunch. He was so happy! They left and Chris and I resumed our game. Just another day at Walt Disney World.

Finally, I believe I promised you guys a picture of me in my costume so enjoy, and be nice:

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

So I'm No Expert.....Just Expertish

2010-10-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

The World Famous Kitchen Sink

You can travel the world a million times, but you will never see it all. Alright, so I haven't been to Disney World a million times but you see my point, there will always be something you haven't seen or done everytime you go. I learned this lesson in a big way on the first day of my Summer Alumni program. You see, when I arrived, I was given an assignment at a restaurant that I knew nothing about.....Beaches and Cream.

Located in the EPCOT Resort's Beach Club, Beaches and Cream is a 50's style malt shop. Complete with soda fountains, jukebox with period music (there will be an entire post dedicated to this machine), and soda jerks (though I considered them okay people....get it, jerks....oh whatever), Beaches and Cream harkned back to a simpler time when burgers were 5 cents, sodas 10 cents, and touch screen registers were all the rage.

Beaches had great burgers and hot dogs and that sort of fare, but it was it's ice cream treats that brought in the crowds. I learned to make everything from an old fashioned banana split and hot fudge sundaes to Brownie Mudslides and Milkways. And then there was the Kitchen Sink, a really adventure an a half. This is the awesomeness that was the Kitchen Sink:
-Hot Fudge
-Caramel
-Peanut Butter
-2 scoops Vanilla
-2 scoops Chocolate
-2 scoops Strawberry
-1 scoop Mint Chip
-1 scoop Coffee
-Strawberry topping
-Pineapple topping
-Bundt Cake
-Banana
-1 Whole can of whipped cream
-Brownie
-Angel food cake
-4 oreos
-Handful of cherries
-All the small hard toppings (sprinkles and the like)
-MarchMallow topping
-Chocolate syrup
All served in a sink shaped bowl. And best of all, there's a challenge. If one person completes this everest sized behemoth of a sundae.....it's FREE (free at Disney is an award all its own.....the 2 weeks of stomach aches following are just a reminder of the victory). However, I saw grops of five and six come in and only get through about half of one. But they all have fun doing it. Which is why I encourage all of you out there to find a group of friends while on your program and try it at leat once.

Throw in some great CP's, the experience of working in one of Disney World's best Deluxe Resorts, and some good ol' fashioned pixie dust and you have one heck of a College Program. And to think, I probabl would have never experienced this Disney gem if I hadn't been assigned to work there. That is why I emphasize exploration on your program, you never know what treasures you'll find.

Have a Zip-A-De...wait what? You say I'm forgetting something? You say I didn't tell you anything about the costume I got to wear working at this unique location? Psshhh, you don't want to hear about that. It's boring. So as I was saying, Have a Zi......fine, I'll tell you about it, shesh. Close your eyes and pic.....no, don't actually close your eyes, how will you be able to read this with your eyes closed? Mentally close your eyes and picture a pair odd light blue pants being held up with a pair of eye blindingly yellow suspenders. Then think of every pastel color you can and imagine that as a slightly ruffly rainbow stripped buttoned down long sleeve shirt and just for fun, throw in a bow tie that matches those wonderful suspenders and there, voila you have a figment....er, I mean a Beaches and Cream Cast Member (of course, girls wear a dress variation of this pallet). I'll post a picture soon.

Now:

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

Makin Memories

2010-10-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

I was trying to decide what to cover for my first post back. I figured I would talk about my latest College Program at the end of the week and instead focus on Disney's newest marketing promotion today with a quick look at wher they've been and where they ar now. Enjoy:

Disney’s marketing teams have been VERY busy the past couple of years.

First there was the ‘Year of a Million Dreams’ and the Disney Dream Squads. Now this, was by far my favorite, favorite, favorite, Disney promotion in the many years I’ve been going. There was a push of over fantasization (FYI, not a word) in all aspects of the parks and resorts. From dream Fast Passes, to special YOMD Mickey Ears (which I have a pair), and even a stay in Cinderella’s Castle, everything about Disney World seemed to radiate with even more magic than ever before. oh, and who could forget those amazing Annie Lebowitz pictures.....amazing. This video pretty much sums up what I’m getting at:

They followed that up with a different kind of celebration, a celebration of the guests. ‘Celebrate You’ was a promotion that inspired guests to celebrate everything and anything they could think of. It brought forth new celebration buttons including “I Graduated”, “Happily Ever After” and even a basic “I’m Celebrating” for any occasion ( Picked up these on random days in the parks to celebrate everything from a day off, to a new haircut, and even Canada Day…..hey, when in Rome, or uh, Quebec?). This also introduced free admission on your birthday and Give a Day Get a Disney Day in which those who went out of their way to better their community by volunteering, received free admission to the parks (not a bad trade off). Hey, it’s like the song says, “In Everything You Do, Celebrate You!”

And that’s what leads us to this past September and Disney’s announcement of their newest and possibly most interesting promotion to date, Memories (a celebration of past, present, and future memories). Disney has already unveiled certain aspects of this promotion including the incorporation of guest pictures taken in the park, integrated into the night time show on Cinderella’s Castle through the use of some interesting Disney Imagineering magic. They have already started running a series of promotions which are almost entirely comprised of family home videos of the parks. This is why I am excited. With their past track record and the real potential Disney has to in front of them to celebrate past and future Disney fans with ‘Memories’ it will be interesting to see how Disney will take this to infinity and beyond!

There are really so many ways Disney can go with this that this could prove to be the best promotion ever, until the next one of course....I suggest "The Year of The Purple Folder Cp", what do you think?

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

The Purple Folder: Chapter 2: The Empire Strikes Back......or Attack of the Clones?

2010-10-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

Ummmm....

Hey guys....

Uhh, long time no see....

Where have I been?.....

Well you see, this evil witch turned me into a llama and me and this large dude who sounded alot like Fred Flinstone got lost in these woods and I could've sworn we were being chased by Patrick from Soarin'and he was speakin chipmunk Squirrel and telling me that I had to stow my Mickey Ears under my seat. And I was all like Genie, for my third wish, I wish you were free so that I could finally get back the Purple Folder when suddenly this weird psycho lady came and kidnapped my 100 brothers and sisters and myself (by this point I was a puppy and not a llama, just for clarification purposes). Then she brought us to this weird Mansion where Eddie Murphy was blabbing on about selling real estate and a Fortune Teller who was only a head told me how to get to a computer so that I could start blogging again, however, she led me to this under water cavern where a crab and a fish told me that I had to leave before this fish lady's father found me....of course I didnt listen and I was found and the only way he would let me go was if I pulled this sword out of the stone and became King of England (let me tell you, more trouble than its worth). Let me just summarize a few details and bring you to the end of the story. I was mauled by a mangy lion with a scar on its face, brought to the future to help fix a time machine that I supposedly built (go figure), saved by a short dude with a big ol hump on his back (he's sensitive about it, so if you see him, dont mention it),ummmm beat some broccoli colored lady who turned into a dragon, learned its not easy being green from a frog of all things, talked to a cricket who told me to wish upon a star and now Im here. What, why did the lion have a scar on it's face? You read that entire story and that's the only question you have? That's the only thing that sticks out to you? Boy, you guys must really be Disney fans......and that's a great thing.

Hey guys and galls, let me first address the flying circus elephant in the room. Yes I have been absent from The Purple Folder for well over 4 months now but Im here now and not only do I feel ready to start writing again, but I have some great new stories and insights straight from my latest adventure in the Disney College Program. I also have some great new article and series ideas, including new top fives, some great trivia, and even a few inerviews with people (many whom I call my friend and they call me "ol' what's his name...you know, the weird guy with the funny hair") who worked in different roles during their programs and who will give you their insights, advice, and crazy stories from.

So where do we go from here?

I call Tabula Rasa, a blank slate. Out with the old and in with the new. This is the beginning of "The Purple Folder: Chapter 2." From today on, I welcome back my old readers (those who went nuts and apparently didnt unsubscribe to my blog), new readers who either share in my love of all things disney and/or are getting ready to embark on your own College Program adventure (I encourage you to take the time and check out some of my past articles), and the random person who went googling for blogs all about purple folders (Im sorry to mislead you dude). I look forward to getting started again and I hope you enjoy.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!!!

I was Thinking About Thinking a Thought....but Decided I'd Write Instead

2010-04-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

Pardon the slight LOST reference ahead...

I always talk about the Cast Member difference. About how we are in the business of making the guests happy, and as Major Paine says, “Business is good.” We go out of our way to make sure each guest has the best time possible at Disney World. This concept takes on different names, whether it’s “The Disney Difference” or “Magical Moments” or even “Just doing what I love.” But no matter what you call it, it works. It is why the guests come back again and again and again. They know that every time they come to Walt Disney World they can expect the same level of guest service. It is the constant.

But the problem with my constant prattling on about well…the constant, is that up to now I have forgotten to stress the absolute importance of the second part of the equation, the variable. But what is the variable in this equation (Cast Member + ? = Perfect Disney Experience)? Before I continue, let me point out two things: 1) This is obviously a simplified version of what I’m sure is a large equation full of fractions and multiplication and other ‘algorithmic’ doo-dads, but I’m not a math major so we are sticking A+B=C. 2)'?' Can equal whatever you want it to equal but because I rule over this magical kingdom known as the Purple Folder, it equals what I say it equals and that’s that…….so meh.

Anyways, back to faux math and the variable. So again, what is the variable? Well, it is the people around you, or at least most of them. I was writing a post on the different types of guests (which is still in the works) and when I was working on “the true Disney guest” two particular instances immediately came to mind. During one of our vacations to WDW I was charged with the task of getting fast passes to Test Track for the four of us that were there (my mom, brother, sister, and myself….I’m not sure where the other’s were). Anyways, I ran up ahead only to find out that Test Track was out of passes for the day. Discouraged, I turned around and I was ready to head back with the news when an older company two FP machines away called me over and handed me five FP that were for later in the evening. Apparently their group was able to get a dinner reservations for a restaurant in the World Showcase but it was during the allotted time. And rather than throwing them away or keeping them but not using them, they walked all the way to Test Track where I guess they figured someone would want them and gave them away (to me, SCORE!). I thanked them and that was that. Sort of…

You see, years later and this singular act of kindness still comes to me as I write these posts. And not just now, but when I was on the program as well. Most guests come to Disney World for anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks (roughly, I account for the European travelers here on ‘holiday’). In that time, they are trying to take in the full Disney experience because most of them don’t know the next time they’ll be back. We on the College Program however, can come and go as we please for months. We wake up in the morning (maybe feeling like P. Diddy, maybe not) and we say to ourselves, “Where do I want to go today? I can go for a swim, enjoy a nice walk around the block, or hey, what about a stroll down Main Street?” But I find myself getting further and further away from the point. Their kindness, in giving the FP, stuck with me.

The other instance that cames to mind (and maybe it’s just an EPCOT thing) as I write this happened at Soarin'. We had gotten to EPCOT around one in the afternoon and as you would expect, the FP for Soarin’s were just about out but we were able to get some for something like 9 or 9:30 (it’s been over a year, cut me some slack on the time). So my roommates and I (the aforementioned “we”) headed into the World Showcase where we proceeded to eat drink and be merry. Anyways, we were having such a great time that before we knew it, it was time to use the FP. Well, we decided that we would rather just stay in the WS and so we found a group of people roughly fitting our group size and we gave them the passes and told them that they were for the current time, their reaction though, I did not expect. They were from up north (maybe Pennsylvania?) and it was they’re first time to Disney World. One of the big things they wanted to do apparently was Soarin’ but the line was always about two and a half hours and the FP were generally out by the time they got there (I wonder what they would have thought if they saw the Toy Story Mania line). Any who, they told us that we made their vacation and thanked us and such. A small gesture and it made all the difference.

That is why the guests and guest interactions are such an important part of the Disney equation. What they (and we on our days off) have such a big impact on the overall experience. Now, I’m not telling you to give up your FP every time you have one, because we are allowed to have fun too. But keep this in mind don’t forget that even when you are a guest in the parks, you have just about as much of an ability to make a guest’s day as any Cast Member. Be a “true Disney guest” and as always….

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

Post Olympics and Those Always in Ears.....Top Fives

2010-03-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

Another Vista Way Morning

I have two Top Fives for you happy people today, and I guess you unhappy people can read them as well if you so desire. The first delves into what the Olympics would be like if it were composed solely of Walt Disney World events. The second gives you ideas of when you can wear your ears when you aren't in the parks. Enjoy!

Top Five Disney World Olympic Events

5 Waterfall Roulette – I know that I have mentioned this in a previous post, but it bears repeating for the Olympics. For those of you who are unaware of what roulette is, it’s a gambling game in which you choose a spot or color on a wheel. The wheel is then spun a ball is dropped in. If the ball lands on the spot you selected you win. But what if the game is reversed? What if instead of winning on the selected spot, you won by choosing where it lands wrong? That’s what Kali River Rapids does. You and eleven other guests enter a circular watercraft. Come waterfall time, 2-4 guests are going to be met with a wall of water. You had better have chosen correctly.

4 End of the Night Triathlon – After a full day of rides, food, and fun in the Magic Kingdom, all you want to do is go home. And guess what, so do the other ten thousand guests in the park. Welcome to the End of the Night Triathlon. It is you and your friends against the hoards of guests with only one goal, be the first in line to the monorails or ferries or risk waiting up to an hour and a half to get back to the TTC……easier said than done. But once you pass this first hurdle and you think your home free, guess again. Now you must make your way to the trams, not as long of a line, but everybody thinks they can fit ONE more person on…..watch out lady with the stroller that doesn’t fold up for whatever reason. Finally you are at your car and home free, HA you wish. Now it’s time to get out of the parking lot and well, I’ll leave that fun portion of the event up to you imagination.

3 The Rope Drop 100 Yard Dash – The park just opened and you start to your favorite ride, but just as you are about to enter your favorite line you are met with an obstacle, fifty guests and one scared cast member with a rope in their hands. That cast member knows they are the only thing standing in the way of you and your favorite ride…..that and the fifty guests who ALSO want to be the first one in line. I hope you stretched up because once the countdown is done, it’s every man/woman for themselves

2 The Please Fill in All Available Space Gymnastics – You know this one. You have been waiting in line for anywhere from 1-2 hours to see the popular show or ride the popular ride but space is limited in the preshow room. From here you will be split into one of two sub events, “the suck up” or “the one more inch.” The suck up occurs if you are one of the first people in the room. Suddenly you and forty of your new best friends are standing elbow to elbow so tightly I believe its technically illegal in some countries (not really but it sure feels that way), and then you hear it. Like the voice of Satan calling to you from the PA system, “Please fill in all available space so we can fit in a few more people”.....and the only thing going to through your mind is THIS (It’s a link, click on it already. Jeez.). Then there’s the one more inch and if you don’t know what it is then you haven’t been paying attention. You are the person who feels like, for that instant, the Tetris God who sees such a way that the guests can move so that you and your five friends can squeeze in to THAT showing rather than waiting for the next one….prepare to be dispised.

1 Guest Swimming – This is an event we all participate in. Let me paint the picture: You have just gone through the turnstiles and you are walking underneath the train station when you notice a bunch of guests in front of you. Then you get the full picture, it’s parade time and every guest is on Main Street. You don’t have time to wait for it to finish because all you want to do is ride Splash Mountain. It’s guest swimming time. So you limber up, take a deep breath, and dive right in. A million “Sorry, my bad” and arm swipes with squeezing between people later and you look up…..you are only at the Confectionary. Happy Swimming!

Top Five Places to Wear Mickey Ears Outside of Disney World

5 Class – First of all (for those who, like me had to wear uniforms through middle and high school) nothing celebrates your new found freedom like black ears. Plus, who knows, your teacher could be a big Disney fan and there could be some extra credit coming your way

4 The Bar- Nothing says party like Mickey ears

3 A Funeral – Nothing says party like Mickey ears…..wait, umm anyways…..

2 Job Interview – Nothing tells employers that you deserve that position in accounting like a pair of black Mickey ears. Plus, it goes great with your suit. Don’t own a suit? Buy a suit, suits are cool. (SUIT UP)

1 Presidential Campaign Trail – Heck, I’d vote for you.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah-Day!!!!!

Quick Reply to Lyanne

2010-03-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

She Wrote:

I wrote a super long comment the day you posted this but something happened with my internet and then I had to leave for school and now I don't really remember what I said...

Let's see:

I mentioned that Pushing Daisies was an amazing show. The art department for it was just incredible and I was sad to see it go.

That I couldn't agree more about the Disney touch. That's what really makes the difference between a theme park and an amusement park even if there are other non disney theme parks. Nobody can deny that there are no other parks that do it like Disney. It's all those little details that the imagineers create that make the experience so magical even if most (including myself) don't notice at first.

Would Walt like everything that is going on in his company these days?
Well, I doubt he would agree with everything but above all I like to believe he wouldn't love Stitch's Great Escape.
I love Stitch but his ride... not so much. I'd like to see some "progress" in that corner of Tomorrowland.

And I agree with Jenn about the Jacob quote.
Sorry for writing so much. I think the 3 essays I had to write last week got to me.

Wow! That comment seemed like an essay and I love it, thanks.

I lean towards agreeing with you about the Stitch attraction in that I feel that there is so much more potential.....so much more. That being said, Tomorrowland has to be the hardest land to imagineer for. The fact of the matter is, technology is evolving at such a fast rate that by the time something new comes out, chances are its already obsolete. So no matter what the imagineers do, by the time they plan it and execute the plan, it probably wont seem too futuristic.

Now that's not to say there isn't some solutions around this issue. The tomorrowland we have now is a future that never could have possibly been or a "fantasyland/tomorrowland" hybrid. It incorporates the Pixar characters and other characters like Stitch and Buzz to present a Disney Movie future full of monsters and such.

Another option, and the one that I wish they would use, is the original concept for Tomorrowland and that is "the tomorrow that never was and never will be." Something out of the Jetsons that represent the Tomorrow that is impractical but fun. Robots running around, personal rockets to Mars....pretty much what we see in the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Personally, I would like to see Tomorrowland draw inspiration from Meet the Robinsons with all the bubbly over the top buildings, vehicles, people, and robots.

But to each their own I guess....

(P.S. The Puching Daisies style was neat, very unique)

That's What They Call Progress Dear: Part 2

2010-03-19T00:30:00.000-07:00

I wasn’t sure where to start with this answer, and then Bree commented on my post. She wrote:

I have always wondered about Walt, and what he would think. Like (I personally have nothing against it) but I don't think he would like his name associated with "Desperate Housewives" and some of the other shows that are "of our time".

Now, it’s relatively hard to speculate what a man with the mind that conceived Disneyland, Mouse Ears, and full length animated films would have thought about today’s shows like Desperate Housewives. But I would like to believe that he would…..like it. Truth be told, tv is meant to evolve and you can’t really predict what the next step is. All you can do is study the trends, set the bar, and strive to plus everything you do. So when you look at a show like Desperate Housewives, you have to understand that it revolutionized the Soap/Drama into almost a parody of the genre. I think LOST is the same way in that there will never be a SciFi/Drama show anywhere else that’s like it. The now cancelled Pushing Daisies showed a uniqueness in it’s field and which drew a large fan base just as Nathan Fillion’s show Castle is now (I miss Firefly though). I don’t even think I need to explain what ESPN did to the world of sports and how we watch it now and how we will watch it 100 years from now. So do I know what Walt would think about having his name associated with a show like Desperate Housewives? It’s tough to say (maybe it just wouldn’t have been his cup of tea). Though I do believe he would appreciate the contribution it has made to its particular genre. That’s not to say there’s no room for improvement….but that’s not for today.

So now to what this whole thing was about, the parks. And I want to start this with the rollercoaster. You see the way I understand it, Walt wanted a park that everybody could enjoy, from the young to the old (aka the young at heart.). So if you add a rollercoaster, that’s one ride that a good demographic of the guests couldn’t enjoy. The second problem is that Walt was all about story telling there was no conceivable way to tell a story with a rollercoaster. But as Dylan said, “The times, they are a changin.” Walt and his group of mad scientists created the Matterhorn. This rollercoaster was just extreme enough to please the thrill junkies while tame enough that the height limit wasn’t so great that many of the younger kids couldn’t ride…..and best of all, it told a story. And that was progress. We look at where we are today and not only has the Matterhorn stood the test of time, but it paved the way for other story rich coasters such as the Space and Big Thunder Mountains, Rock ’n Rollercoaster, and the grand mac daddy of them all…..Expedition Everest. Eureka….

We can figure everything we need to know about progress in the parks by looking at the Matterhorn next to Expedition Everest. The Materhorn was a first of it’s kind. Sure places like Coney Island had more thrilling coasters, but what they didn’t have were heart….. the Matterhorn had heart. The same thing can be said today, Expedition Everest doesn’t have any fancy loops or super backward ultimate death defying whatevers that you would find at competing parks but it has heart, it has a story……it had the Disney touch. This is why I think if Walt were to walk around Disney World today, he would be grinning the Chesire Cat. Because behind all the techno do-dads and what-cha-ma-call-its, it still has the Disney spirit that knew Snow White and the Seven Dwarves would succeed, that knew people would want to be transported into the world of pirates and princesses, and knew that when you wished upon a star that there’s a good chance your dreams will come true (life lessons taught to us by a Cricket ….imagine that).

We have to tell ourselves that progress is good, progress is good. Progress gave us Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and I enjoyed it Then times changed and so came the Many Adventures of Whinnie the Pooh. While I was upset to see Toad go, I also noticed Pooh gives the new generation the same joy that Toad gave me…..and in the end, that’s what matters. It’s what happened when If You Had Wings eventually led to the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger spin I enjoy. As I look to conclude this, a quote from LOST comes to mind. As Jacob sat on the beach talking to the Man in Black he says, “It only ends once, the rest is just progress.” And that’s what it is, as long as Disneyland, Disney World, and every other Disney park is around…..let’s make it simple, as long as Disney is around, things will come and go in the name of “progress.” But, based on THEIR track record, I look forward to the progress.

I know this was a long post, but that’s what I think. Also, take a moment to listen to the video (HERE) and because, Fess Parker was just as important to the Disney Company as anybody I can think of. He played Davy Crockett in movies, he basically shaped Frontierland to what it is today, and let’s face it, he made the coon skin a pretty awesome thing. He passed away on Wednesday. So yeah…..

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!!

That's What They Call Progress Dear: Part 1

2010-03-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

Today and tomorrow I have a different kind of post in store for those two or three of you that still read my blog....when its updated....every decade or so. Today's post asks the question of progress and I hope to come up with an answer or two by tomorrow (That's right, its the same wing it attitude that got me where I am today....where ever that is). And if this isn't your kind of post, don't worry. I have a great top five that is just about finished which will be posted either Thursday or Friday...so yeah. I hope you guys and gals enjoy this (if not, at least have the decency to march in single file when you come at me with the pitchforks and torches):

I think I have let it known that I enjoy the Carousel of Progress. It creates a false nostalgia where we yearn for simpler days, simpler times. A time when the latest technology meant an ice box, and not the next generation of Ipods. A time when the news meant information on a small town event or the creation of a “flying contraption” and not how many babies Octomom has now or who’s suing whom because their coffee was to hot. A time when the youts (“What did you say? The two what’s?” Sorry, My Cousin Vinny reference) were expected to be home from formal events at nine…..okay, so we don’t yearn for all of it.

But this isn’t a post of comparing the world then and now. Rather, I want to contemplate the idea of progress as it pertains to the wonderful world of Disney (not the tv show…but you get the point). You see, as I wandered around the inter-web today, I found myself watching a video of the Cranium Command from the old Wonders of Life pavilion. From there, chaos ensued and I found myself watching everything from old Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride ride-through videos to video of 20,000 leagues under the Sea, and even old videos of Walt talking about his dream of the “Florida Project.” And it brought up the question in my mind that I’m sure has flown through yours in the past as well, “What would Walt think if he saw what Disney Animation Studios and Disneyland and Mickey Mouse had done to the world?”

He wanted to make movies so he started an Animation Studio with his brother, it later evolved into a full movie studio. Today, that studio is responsible for over 300 full length animated and live-action movies as well as many more short animated features. Then he said “there should be something built where parents and children could have fun together,” and Disneyland was born. Today, there are five Disney resorts in four countries, with a total of eleven parks around the world and a twelfth park coming to Shanghai in the near future. To see the rest of the company’s success and evolution throughout the ears, all you have to do is walk through a mall. In record stores, there are sections devoted to Disney music. Clothing stores feature everything from Peter Pan shirts to Donald Duck shoes to Mickey Mouse Pajamas (I used to have 101 Dalmation jammies…party like a rockstar). Walk into any game store and there, in their PS2 Greatest Games section, you will find both Kingdom Hearts games (If you don’t know what Kingdom Hearts is, then a say shame. But think Final Fantasy meets Disney meets a bottle of steroids meets the essence of epicness….with only a single player mode). Fact is, everywhere you look, its Disney Disney Disney. All this from a man who left for a better life with nothing more than $40 and an idea or two…or three….or four.

But I still haven’t gotten to any sort of point yet. Why is that you may ask? Well its so…….I ….. umm…..have something to write about tomorrow and anyways, this post is getting long enough as it is. You see, the question I hope to answer tomorrow is, “What would Walt say if he were to see Disney World now?” I also want to try to explain that first concept of “progress” in the parks. Why is it that beloved attractions come and go to make way for the “progress?” And other stuff. I’m not considered one of the great thinkers of the world. At this point, I’d settle for one of the great thinkers of my house (though I think my sister takes that crown from me).

These are not really thoughts. These are not really ideas. These are simply ramblings of a crazy man. But really, what’s wrong with that?

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

And the Award Goes to.....

2010-03-08T19:03:00.001-08:00

Well, the Academy Awards came and went yesterday with Disney and Pixar's UP! coming home with a few pieces of gold. Also yesterday, we had the last day of voting for the "Best Ride at Disney World" competition (or "The Most Drawn Out Competition in the History of Ever"....I mean, it started in November). Now, before I reveal the winner of the competition (in case you haven't already seen it) and in the spirit of yesterday's Award show, I have come up with what I feel are represent the best rides in each of my selected categories. These categories are as random as I am...that's very, in case you haven't been paying attention. The winners of each category were chosen using a very scientific algorithm I developed known as T.M.O.S.L.W.I. (or They're My Opinions, So Live With It). Enjoy:

1. Wildest Ride in the Wilderness – (Big Thunder Mountain Railroad)

2. Least Wildest Ride in the Wilderness – (Goofy’s Barnstormer at Wiseacre Farms)

3. Best View of the Backside of Water – (Jungle Cruise)

4. Best Example that Disney Should Re-evaluate their Janitorial Staff – (Tower of Terror with Haunted Mansion as a close second)

5. Best Ride Featuring a Battle in Outer Space – (Dinosaur….why? Because it’s my list and I wanted to remind you who holds the power….however limited it may be)

6. Queue that Would Best Benefit from a Fire Breathing Dragon….or Anything Really – (Dumbo the Flying Elephant)

7. Best ride that based a movie that based a ride……huh? – (Pirates of the Caribbean)

8. Most Likely to Have a Wait Time That Makes you Say “Wait, what? Are you Kidding Me?” – (Peter Pan’s Flight)

9. Best Ride Who’s Lesson is Eclipsed By a Giant Waterfall – (Kali River Rapids)

10. Best use of the Phrase “Car Phone” in an Attraction – (Walt Disney’s Carousel or Progress)

11. Best Near Death Experience by a Cardboard President – (Test Track…for more elaboration, click here)

12. Trippiest Ride – (Journey into Imagination)

13. Best Collection of Dead People Outside of the Haunted Mansion – (Hall of Presidents)

14. Kid’s Ride the Gives Me the Willies – (It’s a Small World)

15. Best Cameo by Lieutenant. Dan – (Mission Space)

16. Fastest Way to Tire an Arm – (Toy Story Mania)

17. Best Audio Animatronic That’ll Never Work – (Expedition Everest)

18. Most Original Ride – (Dumbo….er…Astro Orbiter….er….Magic Carpets of Aladdin…..er….Triceratops Spin)

19. Best use of a Montage Featuring Eddie Murphy, The Sting, and Scarlett O’Hara Getting Spanked – (The Great Movie Ride)

And of course, the winner of the Best Ride at Walt Disney World is....

20. Champion - (Splash Mountain)

Now, with as long as this copetition lasted and the amount of voting participation as it received, I fell like I should do something. So I have decided that sometime within the first week of arrival at the program, I will have some sort of event at Splash Mountain. Maybe we get a group of people to ride the ride a few times, watch the parade and fireworks, and maybe grab something to eat.....I dunno, its still a ways away. Anyways, that's it for today....

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

Well, It's Getting There

2010-03-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

I am still in the process of writing my Disney World: Academy Awards post. That’ll go up tomorrow, so look forward to it. That being said, today I have two College Program tips. The first deals with your ID tag, the second talks about making smart purchases with your discount. I also linked up an older post to the first tip and I encourage you to check out some of my older posts as I have articles that deal with what to bring, your first week of the program, and a bunch of other interesting tips, tricks, quizzes, and whatnots. It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents…eh, just enjoy it:

Tip 108: Keep your ID hidden when on stage- Congrats, you work for the Walt Disney Company. Is there proof of this? Of course, you have your company ID. This card will get you into the parks, backstage, and just about anywhere else you need to get (please don’t flash this and expect to backdoor rides or something because you will be laughed right out of your job). Now I mentioned in this post (http://bit.ly/c8fYQy) that when you are backstage you need your ID out at all times when you aren’t in costume and that the key is to have an ID lanyard. Yeah, yeah, yeah….okay, back to the rule. Wear the lanyard, but when you are out in the parks, keep it tucked in your shirt. If you don’t, ONLY BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN. I will repeat that, ONLY BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN. First of all, I think there may actually be a rule against having it out. Secondly, let’s say hypothetically that you have an accident with a guest and someone gets hurt. If they think you are also a guest they will chalk it up to an accident, but if they see that you are an employee of the Walt Disney Company then….well, let’s just chalk it up to ONLY BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN. And thirdly, all that aside, there are so many other cast members working in the park and enjoying their day off, who are you really trying to impress?

Tip 316: Do you want a soda or water? Pick it up at a merchandise location- Logic tells you that if you want food or drink, then you pick it up at one of the many QSFB carts and restaurants. It only makes sense. But here’s something to consider, there are few if any (I don’t think there are any) QSFB locations that you get the cast discount at. That just won’t do. But, you do receive the discount at most merch locations and guess what. (What John?) Many of the stores have places where you can purchase a soda or water. And because places like the Confectionary on Main Street are considered a store, you can pick up a snack at discount as well. The fact is, when money is tight, knowing where these places are is very important.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

Victory or Death....Wait, is there a third option?

2010-03-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

Wait,wait, wait, wait, and wait. Before I go any further, I was reading the comments section of blog and I came across this from one of my earlier posts and I have to thank Lyanne for both giving me a laugh and teaching me something in the process:

I was re-reading your blog and I thought I should mention that if anybody is wodering how to say "I just saw a platypus highjack a blue Prius in the Magic Kingdrom parking lot" in spanish...it's:

Acabo de ver a un ornitorrinco robarse un Prius azul en el estacionamiento del Reino Mágico.

So now nobody has an excuse to not be able to say this...except pronounciation problems...

Anyways.....

Guys and gals who haven’t unsubscribed from my blog, thank you. February has been a busy month so I haven’t been able to post anything. Ill give you a quick overview about what’s been going on (DCP wise) before I get into my article:

-We had our one and only campus presentation for the season and we met our numbers, so you guys may see a couple of great people from FAU and PBCC while on your program.

-I got accepted into the Summer Alumni 2010 program as a Quick Service food and beverage cast member.

-Several other bloggers got into the program, so check out the blogs that I follow and start subscribing to them if you haven’t already.

-Speaking of friends, some of your favorite bloggers (if you’ve been around since fall/winter) are already out there and enjoying their roles. Check out Katie’s “When You Wish Upon a Star” blog, Ashlie’s “Princess Ash’s WDWCP Blog Presents” blog, and Ryan O’Neill’s “Ryan O Disney Show” blog/vlog to get a feel for what the CP is like including what it like to work in the parks and life in the DCP apartments.

-The Purple Folder Wait Watchers blog has been absolutely thriving in my absence and I want to thank the contributors for taking it, wrapping some dynamite around it, and making it absolutely EXPLODE. Great job.

-Lastly, if you haven’t already done so, go onto FaceBook, look up the Disney College Program Fall 2010 group and check it out. There you will find over 500 other students all who will be doing the program with you.

Now, I want to start my reemergence into the blog-o-sphere with a clean slate, so today I am going to be finishing a bit of old business and tomorrow we will have a new fun, and dare I say interesting, Top 5(ish) list. Today however, we have a Best Ride at Disney World competition to finish up. In this very last round we are featuring a 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 match up. Why the extra 1 you may ask? (or you may not, who knows) Well upon looking at the votes, Splash Mountain ended up tying Great Movie Ride. Quite frankly I didn’t think it would be fair to allow a coin flip to determine which should be in the final three (especially since if Splash Mountain won the toss, Ashlie would tear my arms off and if Great Movie Ride won the toss, Abby would tear my limb from limb). No…..I chose life.

So, we will see these four proverbial juggernauts go head to head where four rides enter and only one ride exits. (Don’t worry though, no rides are actually hurt in the making of this blog). So enjoy, happy voting, and as always……

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

Today's POst Will Be Tomorrow....Then What's This?

2010-01-27T22:35:00.001-08:00

I am still working on today’s actual article, but I wanted to get something for tonight. So tomorrow I am going to put out the two posts and for today I have the second round of “Best Ride at Disney World: Finals.” Let’s do it:

We had some interesting turn at the end of Round 1. Magic Kingdom swept all three of its matches, while EPCOT found itself eliminated after losses to the Haunted Mansion, Expedition Everest, and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Hollywood Studios, although losing in the featured match, was able to pick up two solid victories. And while Expedition Everest had the highest amount of votes of any ride, it was the only Animal Kingdom ride to continue. So with only six rides left, your Round 2 matches for “Best Ride at Disney World” are as follows:

Round 1: Tower of Terror vs. Expedition Everest- Submitted for your approval, imagine a ride so powerful, so mysterious that it commanded all but three votes in its preliminary round only to come back the following it to crush its competition. But suddenly, the ride finds itself in a tough match against a ride that has taken its own amount of respect from its fellow combatants. The winner of this week’s match is unclear, but what is clear is that everything in the match will be twisted and nothing will ever be the same again when they fight in…….The Twilight Zone. (WAY too much work for a good Rod Sterling impression)

Round 2: Haunted mansion vs. Space Mountain- These two rides have been in the most amount of fights out of the rides that still remain, but today they set their sights on each other. Two of Disney’s different styles of rides go head to head in this match as we see one of Walt’s best examples of storytelling (Haunted Mansion) take on one of Disney World’s premiere roller coasters (Space Mountain). Only one of these two rides can continue representing the Magic Kingdom in the next round…..who will it be.

Featured Match: Splash Mountain vs. The Great Movie Ride- When the residents of the briar patch take on the glitz and the glamour that is Hollywood, only one group can claim a victory. Will the Great Movie Ride find itself “Singing in the Rain” or will Splash Mountain finally find it’s “Laughing Place.” Ready on the set? Lights! Cameras! ACTION!

Have a Zip-A-Dee-DoDah-Day!!!!

Don't Worry

2010-01-25T22:37:00.000-08:00

My desk is a mess but....Cheerios!

Friends, it is Monday night. Today was a long day that started at 8:00 AM and didn’t end until 11:00 PM. When I finally got back to my apartment, I sat down at my desk and proceeded to complete my homework. When that was done, I took a shower to wash the day off of myself and then went back to my desk to write this post. Now I knew that I wanted to start that the theme week again and I knew that I wanted this theme to tie into everything that’s gone on in the past couple of weeks. Some bloggers that we have been following since the fall have now started their program and those interested in the Fall season have already started to apply and some have even had their phone interviews already. And then inspiration struck in the form of many O shaped toasted whole grain oat cereal pieces.

You see, at some point between finishing my homework and sitting down to write my post I had poured myself a cup of Cheerios and milk through pure instinct. So I grabbed the spoon and took my first bite of the cold soggy cereal and something came over me. It was a mixture between happiness, comfort, and familiarity. And I started to write this.

Without further adieu, the theme for this week is “Find Me a Hammock.” This week, I will be talking how to take it easy. This includes tips to making your purple folder wait not seem like four levels of eternity. I will also talk about the perfect “walks” while on your program. And I have an entry idea that may or may not work….but we’ll see. As always, there will also be what we will call “A Few Surprise Tests.” Now, if this whole routine seems a bit extreme, you’re absolutely right but that’s what a test track is all about.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah-Day!!!

22 Down, 4 to Go

2010-01-23T22:58:00.000-08:00

Today, I finish up the letters series in a big way with the strangest letters of all. So here we go…..

W Wishes- We had an interesting schedule at my restaurant. You see, unlike Cosmic Ray’s or Pecos’s Bill, we didn’t stay open until park closing. In fact, in most cases, we would close our doors at……well I forget what hour because it didn’t really matter. On most nights of my program, when I heard the first blast from Wishes, I knew it was closing time. That alone won it the “W” title for me. But I assume you guys want more reasons than it was my clock-out alarm. It has a great soundtrack which even features some movies that don’t get as much love in the parks as they should (*COUGH* Hercules *COUGH*). Any fireworks are cool but when you set fireworks behind a well lit Cinderella’s Castle at night time to the afore mentioned soundtrack, there is only one word that can be derived……Magical. And I can’t wrap this up without mentioning the Tinkerbell fly over. Every little kid’s eyes open up and for that moment in time, anything can happen.

X Xenia- So, I actually had to look up words that begin with “X” and I came across this little number that fits into Disney World like the missing piece of a puzzle. It is Greek for “hospitality” or “guest service.” If I were to ask you, what is the one thing Disney is best at? You might say Dole Whips (you know that’s right). But the answer I am actually referring to is guest service. I mean, in the end, isn’t that why we want to work for Disney? We know how great it feels to walk through those turnstiles and to be treated as guests and not customers and I think it is that same feeling that we want to provide to the guests whether it’s their first or five hundredth time to Disney World. If there is one skill you pick up on your internship at Disney World (besides how to never be able to point with one finger again), its how to provide perfect service no matter what job you are doing.

Y Yakitori House- Hidden high among the mountain of Japan (okay, mountainish) lies what is arguably the best QSFB in the World Showcase. Modeled after a 16th century tea house, this tiny eatery offers not only amazing teriyaki chicken, sushi rolls, and beef sukiyaki but also some great scenery (there’s a koi pond there for goodness sake). And when you finish your meal, go down the steps and be treated to one of the best, unobstructed views of Illuminations. What a way to finish the night.

Z Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah-Day- I love Splash Mountain plain and simple. Obviously, it’s a fun ride with a great story, great characters, and some fun drops. But this answer is not Splash Mountain; it’s Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah-Day. There is just something so odd about this phrase. Essentially, it is just a couple of random syllables and hyphens thrown together in what is nothing more than gibberish. And yet, as I turn that last corner before the unloading dock on Splash Mountain and I see the phrase painted right there, I feel what I can only assume is optimism. So to close this Disney A-Z I leave you guys with….

It’s the Truth
It’s Actual
Everything is Satisfactual
Have a Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah-Day!!!!!

Let's Keep it Going....

2010-01-22T23:03:00.000-08:00

We'll jump right in the action:

S Smells- Forgive me people because I don’t exactly remember whose comment it was on the Facebook group (let the lashes begin) but when I saw that, it seemed almost blasphemy if it wasn’t my “S.” Everybody that is reading my blog knows what I am talking about. It’s walking past a swimming pool and immediately being brought back to Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s eating a cinnamon roll in the mall and flashing to Main Street USA as you pass by the bakery on your way to the castle. I mean, can we agree that are few magics at Disney greater than the smells. (I think it was Jenn’s post…..but I could be wrong).

T There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow- This is one of three being featured on this on this list. The first being Hakuna Matata and the second is on tomorrow’s list (if you don’t already know what it is then you haven’t been reading any of my blog posts). This song is really what Disney World is all about. Every year Disney becomes better and better. A single thought became Space Mountain brought forth Big Thunder Mountain and Rock n’ Rollercoaster which became Everest and who knows what next. I think one of the greatest Walt Disney quotes (and forgive me if I’ve already used this in the past) came from when he was thinking about Disneyland as a whole and he said, “Even the trees will grow; the place will get more beautiful each year.” I leave you with a portion of the lyrics and I want you guys to consider how they almost completely parallel the process from I want to do the College Program, to the work put into achieving the goal, and finally being at Disney World on the Program.

Man has a dream and that’s the start
He follows his dream with mind and heart
And when it becomes a reality
It’s a dream come true for you and me

U Universe of Energy- If there is one ride at Disney World that is underrated to the extreme, its Universe of Energy. Let’s start with the music. In the words of the great philosopher Barnabas Stinson (look him up), “It is Legen………….I hope you’re not lactose intolerant because the second part is……..dary. Legendary. It is honestly in my top five Disney ride songs. It has a great cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Ellen Degeneres, Alex Trebek, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and Michael Richards (Kramer). Point is, it’s a funny ride that’s relaxing on a summer day and if nothing else……hello, no line.

V Voices of Liberty- Show of hands, how many of you have gotten to the American Adventure a half hour before one of the shows just to watch these guys sing? They are absolutely amazing and very deserving of the “V” position (Don’t get angry Villains in Vogue). The best way to describe this Acapella group is simply 1 word 3 syllables: AMAZING. They generally do patriotic music but they will add one or two Disney songs to their performance. But who am I kidding, what’s more patriotic than Disney music Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk4thV0n9J8&feature=related
*LETTER REWIND* Q QSFB (thanks Katie)- There are some rolls that have received bad raps and none more than QSFB (I myself fell prey to discounting it when I got my roll….especially since I REALLY wanted attractions). But then I did my program, 7 months in QSFB, and I couldn’t have loved it any more than I did. If I had to choose the greatest advantage to working QSFB, I would have to be the guest interaction. If you’re loading guests on a ride, the most you may get to say is “Have a great time” or “No, go to rows 2 and 3 not 3 and 4.” When you are working behind the counter, as a cashier, or even bussing, you get an opportunity to ask the guests “How has your day been? What was your favorite ride?” and there is nothing that’ll get a kid excited and talking like asking “What characters have you seen today?”

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day D-Fam!!!!

Q is the Most Evil Letter in the Alphabet

2010-01-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

APPLICATION NEWS: Now, with all the preliminary stuff out of the way, its game time. I got my go ahead email to set my phone interview. So I called the number provided and after listening to When You Wish Upon a Star, Big Blue World, Indiana Jones Theme, and A Pirates Life For Me for a while, I spoke to a representative and it’s official. I will be taking my phone interview Wednesday Morning. So now it begins again. Also, for those who completed the application, passed the web interview, and have their phone interview set……Good Luck. For those who haven’t started…….get to work. For those of you doing the Spring 2010 program and are at Disney right now while I am doing my school work….I have nothing but good tidings and the greenest envy for you.

And the Letters begin once more starting……now…….now …….NOW:

O Ostriches- There are so many O’s out there and I choose a complete wild card…..and you guys don’t know what I am talking about. I am a big fan of Kilimanjaro Safaris (Warden Wilson Matua and I go way back). But it seems as though every time I ride this ride, there is at least one Ostrich that has nothing better to do than to just walk right in front of the car and stand there. It’s AWESOME. (Wait…..what did he say?) Look, Disney is the greatest place in the world (no offense Japan) and I have nothing at all bad to say about it. But in a place where everything happens right on queue, it is interesting to see the Ostrich standing in the middle of the road and stopping the ride’s progress. What do they say in the Great Movie Ride? “That just shows that anything can happen in the movies.”

P Polynesian- This was a tough choice to make. It was between the Polynesian and Port Orleans (Riverside and French Quarter) but Polynesian ended up on top. Now I have already discussed why I love the restaurants before so I’m just going to leave you guys with two words that sum up the food…..suckling pig. It’s a Magic Kingdom resort which means you can wake up in the morning and (assuming you are on the right side) you can see Cinderella’s Castle from your room…..but more on that in a second. The themeing is great and they even “Lei” you when you arrive. You can jump on the monorail and be at the Magic Kingdom in two stops. You can even walk to the TTC from the hotel. And I said I would come back to the view of Cinderella Castle. Well at night, you can walk on out to the beach area of the hotel, grab a hammock or a beach chair and have one of the greatest views of Wishes. (FOR GUYS EYES ONLY: *cough*Cheap Date*cough*) I kid. I kid. (SUDDENLY JOHN FINDS HE HAS NO MORE FEMALE SUBSCRIBERS)

Q ?- 5,000points to Gryffindor if you can come with anything for “Q” at Disney World because I am just blanking. (except for Quasimodo) If I come with anything later, I put it up.

R REFRESH REFRESH REFRESH....not really (A handful of you got that, and the rest are still scratching their heads)

R Rizzo the Rat- Okay, so you may be wondering how I could possibly justify putting Rizzo over such R’s as Rose and Crown or Rock n’ Rollercoaster…..but if something as trivial as my form of logic deterred you, you would have stopped at Ostrich. You see, I was working on a different article for the top five funniest lines from a Disney attraction and I kept coming back to one spoken by none other than Rizzo the Rat in the preshow of Muppet Vision 3D.

Sam the Eagle: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is my honor to present to you... Mr. Mickey Mouse!
Rizzo the Rat: [singing to the tune of the Mickey Mouse Club March] Oh, Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da! Hi there, welcome to my park, how'ya doin'...
Sam the Eagle: Wait a minute! You are not Mickey Mouse! You are a rat!
Rizzo the Rat: Rat, schmat! Besides, they're tourists. What do they know?

There is no other line from any Disney ride that makes me laugh harder on a consistent basis. And let me assure you, it gets about 10X funnier when you are on the College Program. Don’t believe me Spring 2010ers, on your next day off go watch that and tell me a light doesn’t suddenly turn on.

Have a Zip-ADee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

Let the Finals Begin!

2010-01-20T18:13:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess we should first deal with the Elephant in the room. For those who are applying for Fall 2010, the application has finally come online (R.I.P. the many fingers lost clicking the refresh button and infinite amount of times). So, if you haven’t already, start working on those applications. I myself completed an application and am currently awaiting the next step.

Next, check this out. It is the 3D model for the new Fantasyland expansion. It shows both facades and show buildings so check that out.
http://bit.ly/7eP1lp

Today we have the winners of the preliminary rounds for Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. A majority of the matches were relatively one sided. The featured match did prove to earn its place as the winner was of the Great Movie Ride vs. Toy Story Mania was decided by a single vote. Anyways, the winners are as follows:

Rocking Roller Coaster beat out Backlot Tour featuring Catastrophe Canyon
Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror beat Star Tours by a few votes
Expedition Everest slaughtered Primeval Whirl
Dinosaur won out against Triceratops Spin
Kilimanjaro Safaris had a big victory against Kali River Rapids
And The Great Movie Ride pulled out a one point victory against Toy Story Mania

Now I have the set up for Round 1 of the “Best Ride at Disney World.” In Round 1 we see the top three rides from every park going up against one ride from each of the other parks, meaning no ride will go up against another ride from the same park. We have a total of six matches ahead of us so let’s get right down to it. Enjoy:

Haunted Mansion vs. Test Track- Will Test Track become the 1000th Happy Haunt to fall victim to the Haunted Mansion or will Test Track smoke the competition?

Splash Mountain vs. Dinosaur- Will Dinosaur find itself falling head first down the Briar Patch or will Splash Mountain see ACCESS DENIED?

Spaceship Earth vs. Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror-A time machine to the far past or one to a dark night at a haunted hotel…..but only one can reign supreme.

Universe of Energy vs. Expedition Everest – Can the underdog conquer the mountain that lies before it?

Kilimanjaro Safaris vs. The Great Movie Ride- Hollywood Studios original signature attraction goes head to head against Animal Kingdom’s original signature attraction.

Featured Match

Space Mountain vs. Rock n’ Rollercoaster- Space Mountain finds itself once again in the Featured Match “hot seat” as it goes toe to toe against its modern predecessor. Two dark coasters come in but only one will see the light.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

Response to Another Blog

2010-01-19T19:44:00.000-08:00

Starting next week, this blog will be returning back to normal. That means that themed weeks will be returning and my articles will return to their gold standard (or was it Copper Standard). I will be providing tips for those in the Spring 2010 for everyday living and park exploration. I will also start talking more about Fall 2010 and hopefully I can start planning for my own College Program. So, I next week is the return of regular (whatever that means) the Purple Folder CP.

Second, let me say that I am going to finish my letters project as follows:
-Thursday: OPQR
-Friday: STUV
-Saturday: WXYZ

Tomorrow I’m going to announce the winners of Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios as well as the bracket for the “Best Ride at Disney World” competition.

Now, I was going to continue the letters today but as I was checking out the latest posts on some of the blogs, I came across a tip in Cori’s blog that has become sort of canon in the Disney College Program “How to Handbook.” (My lawyers have told me to inform you folks not to waste your time going out to Barnes and Noble or Borders because there is no real How to Handbook……yet). Now bear with me those of you who are doing the Spring 2010 program and have successfully completed everything you are already at Disney (or almost there)……this is more for those who are awaiting the arrival of Fall 2010 applications that should be here any day now. The tip is to SMILE during your interview because although the interviewer can’t physically see the smile, they can hear it in your voice. It is a great tip, one that I have stressed time and time again. But I have to wonder if there is more to be said about this. Remember folks, I am not an interview expert and although I work for Disney, nothing I say here guarantees you anything…..these are just my thoughts on the matter.

I think it goes beyond the smile. You see, when you are TRYING to smile, you have the potential to come across two issues. The first issue that can arise is that you may think about smiling so much that you start forgetting how to finish your sentences or what you are trying to say entirely. The other issue that can arise is by forcing a smile, you may become nervous or anxious and this can cause uncomfortable giggling or stuttering (or something like that) and that is something that can potentially be off putting to the interviewers. I think rather, it’s the mentality of SMILE. You should be happy, I mean, you are interviewing for a position at the Happiest Place on Earth (I’m sorry Disneyland, but Disney has four parks…..doesn’t get any happier than that). Laugh when it’s appropriate. Remember to be professional (because it is a job interview) but stay light hearted……almost conversational (I know I had a great talk with my interviewer about this and that and it definitely made all the difference…..it took the shake out of my voice.)

Here are some tips on of how to be successful when it’s your time to get to interview:

-Watch a Disney movie (but not Ol’ Yeller) to get into the Disney mindset and so that you remember what you have been working for all semester (or life time…..however long you’ve preparing)

- Sleep in until about an hour and a half before your interview (or just nap until if your interview is in the afternoon). That way you have no time to work your nerves up. (Hey, whatever works right?)

- Set a timer for two minutes and in that time write down your favorite things about Walt Disney World so that you can reference the list…..when it’s relevant of course (Example of not relevant: Q- What’s your name? A- I love Expedition Everest)

-Make sure you have some questions for when they ask, “Do you have any questions?” I don’t know, It’s just something I was told to do and it probably couldn’t hurt.
I feel like I just sort of rambled through this so in case you want a summary, here are my concluding thoughts. (Smiling = Good) but (Actually being happy and enjoying the interview = better). If they can hear you smiling, then it must sound like screaming (in a good way) when you are enthusiastic and excited. Go into it relaxed and happy but remember to remain professional at all time.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

P.S.: If all else fails, remember that chances are they will ask you “Why Do You Want to Work at Disney World?” and that’s when you can really shine.

Answers from Thursday

2010-01-16T16:22:00.000-08:00

I just realized I didn't post the answers from Thursday's post yesterday, so here they are:

1) 999HHs = 999 Happy Haunts
2) 3Ms in the MK = 3 Mountains in the Magic Kingdom
3) 11 Cs in the WS = 11 Countries in the World Showcase
4) M sits on 1R = Monorail sits on 1 rail
5) 0 Bs on C’sC (That’s a zero not the letter) = 0 Bricks on Cinderella's Castle
6) S is E 626 = Stitch is Experiment 626
7) 6 Rs at AK = 6 Rides at Animal Kingdom
8) 1 M’s D at HS = 1 Man's Dream at Hollywood Studios
9) 4 HCs for the DCP = 4 Housing Complexes for the Disney College Program
10) 3M Ts at the TTC = 3 Monorail Tracks at the Transportation and Ticket Center
11) MK O in 71 = Magic Kingdom Opened in 71
12) 1 R in LS = 1 Ride in Liberty Square
13) 4 Ps at WDW = 4 Parks at Walt Disney World
14) MK has 7 Ls = Magic Kingdom Has 7 Lands
15) 25 Hs at WDW = 25 Hotels at Walt Disney World (I should have been more specific by saying Disney owned)

And Away We Go....

2010-01-15T22:10:00.000-08:00

I had to limit today’s post to only four letters otherwise the article would be way tooooooooo long. Doing the math would also tell you that chances are this won’t only be a four part series. So Enjoy:

K Kutter- Yes, that’s Kutter with a “K”, as in Kingdom Kutters. You see, sometimes it can be difficult with your work schedule and all to get to an outside hair cuttery or barber shop to maintain that ever fabulous “Disney Look.” That’s why Kingdom Kutters makes the list. You see deep within the labyrinth that is the Magic Kingdom utilidors lies a barber shop that caters to just to cast members. Bottom line, they do a good job, they are convenient, and they are relatively inexpensive. I do want to say however, between Kingdom Kutters and the one at EPCOT (its name escapes me) I prefer the one at EPCOT because the guy over there does a real top-notch job. But again, no matter which one you go to, you really can’t go wrong.

L Living with the Land- Sure, it’s not Soarin or Test Track or any other E-Tickets at EPCOT, but (there always seems to be a but) it does have some really cool and really unique things going for it. For one, can you say Mickey Mouse shaped pumpkins? (I think that alone warrants this ride the “L”). Then there’s the fact that a lot of the stuff (a word that encompasses the vast majority of horticultural products) grown in the Land greenhouses, tilapia and all, is served in many of the restaurants at Disney World. The Land also features some of the neatest (and cheapest) tours at Disney World.

M Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano- Every mafia family in New York has that one Italian restaurant that they can come to umm…”conduct business.” (Just ask Tony Soprano). If Disney were to have it’s own mafia, Mama Melrose’s is where they would gather. This restaurant, hidden in the back alley of Hollywood Studios by the exit of Muppet Vision 3-D, is one of the best restaurants you may not have eaten at. It starts with the ambiance; a dark but cozy little Italian restaurant lit by a random assortment of bed lamps and card table lamps, and a soundtrack ripped straight from a Rat Pack concert (plus Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life). You add in some great chicken parm and wood-grilled shrimp and you have yourself an experience that you won’t be able to “fuh’gett about.” (Level 10 head slap pun)

N Norway Pavilion- If you were to only look at one country’s pavilion to get a feel for the spirit of EPCOT and Walt Disney World as a whole, they need only look at all that the Norwegian Pavilion has to offer. Let’s start with the awesomeness (that’s a word right?) that is the Maelstrom. It has everything you could want; Trolls, a waterfall, polar bears, a waterfall, Vikings, a waterfall, an oil rig, and a lesson (about what? Okay, I have no idea). Then there is Restaurant Akershus which features some amazing food and it is the one restaurant, besides Cinderella’s Golden Table (but try getting reservations there), that little girls can meet and greet with all the Disney princesses. And of course, there is my favorite World Showcase treat shop, the Kringol Bakery. Here you can get so great orange crème brule or some amazing School Bread, giant bread roll with vanilla cream filling and caramel and coconut on top…..are you kidding me, talk about Norwegian nirvana. (Level 20 head slap pun)

*EXTRA BY REQUEST* M Monorail- I remember a movie that we used to watch before all of our trips to Walt Disney World entitle Tiny Toons: How I Spent My Summer Vacation. And in it Plucky joins Hamm’s family in a road trip that culminates in their arrival at Happy World Land (I wonder what that’s a play on). The first thing they do is get on the monorail which shows them a preview of all the great rides ahead of them. Once they get off, Plucky all ready to get at it, Hamm’s family promptly turns around and heads back to the car stating “We have to save some of the fun for next time.” At the time , I couldn’t imagine what it would be to get to Disney World, ride the monorail to the gates of the Magic Kingdom, only to find out we were heading home. However, when I was on the Program, I found myself from time to time catching a bus in the morning to the TTC. I would then proceed to the Contemporary where I would buy a newspaper, a drink, and a danish. Then I would get back on the monorail and just ride the monorail a couple of times around before going into the Magic Kingdom. While on it I would hear all of guest’s plans for the day and see the kids get all excited at seeing Cinderella’s Castle for the first time. It was a great way to start the day. It was at that point that I realized just how important the monorail was and is. It is many of the guests first view of the true plendor that is Walt Disney World. So “Please Stand Clear of the Doors. Por Favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas.”

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!!

This will lead us to the greatest treasure in our nation's.......

2010-01-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

Today I’ll be taking a quick hiatus while I whittle away my possibilities for letters K,L,M,N,O, and P. So that leaves me with only one option for today’s post……quiz time. This time however we are doing things a little different. I present before you guys 15 letter number puzzles. All you have to do is figure out what each line means. For example, If I wrote (2 Ls at E) the answer would be (2 Lands at EPCOT). I have helped you guys out by putting an “s” next to the words that are plural. This is the first time I am trying out a game like this so if you guys like it then great, if you don’t well…..great. I continue with my normal post tomorrow. Enjoy:

1) 999HHs
2) 3Ms in the MK
3) 11 Cs in the WS
4) M sits on 1R
5) 0 Bs on C’sC (That’s a zero not the letter)
6) S is E 626
7) 6 Rs at AK
8) 1 M’s D at HS
9) 4 HCs for the DCP
10) 3M Ts at the TTC
11) MK O in 71
12) 1 R in LS
13) 4 Ps at WDW
14) MK has 7 Ls
15) 25 Hs at WDW
The answers will be posted tomorrow

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

There's A Great Big Beautiful ummmm....Post just a Dream Away!

2010-01-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

We are just going to get right into it today. We have part 2/4 of the Disney World Top 26 A-Z as well as the last preliminary round of the “Best Ride at Disney World Competition.” So enjoy and happy voting:

H High School Mu……no, I’m just kidding……it’s Hakuna Matata- So this might be another one of those choices that your scratching your head about with all the other great H’s out there (Haunted Mansion, Hollywood Studios, Hoop-Dee-Do) but this is another abstract choice that I feel deserves the title (and if you want to get technical, it’s sung during festival of the Lion King). First of all, if you have to ask what Hakuna Matata is then you probably should not be reading my blog (please don’t stop reading my blog). But when I think of Disney World and I think of my time in the College Program, I don’t think there are many other phrases that described everything quite like Hakuna Matata. You apply for just about any other job anywhere else (exception of course being a hot air balloon pilot or president of Egypt for a day) and work is just a long drawn out miserable time. However, when you are working a long shift at the World, you really don’t feel it because you are having so much fun. Even jobs like mine where I handed guests their trays of food and took their orders was just so much fun. It’s all because of that worry free philosophy. Enjoy every shift you have and remember Hakuna Matata.

I Impressions De France- So my initial choice for “I” was obviously Illuminations (and it still remains my favorite “I” at Disney World) but I have two reasons why I went with Impressions over Illuminations. The first is that I have already talked Illuminations to death in the past. The second reason is that most of the guests pass by this show because they think it’s a boring waste of time and that’s a real shame. This 200 degree movie provides some amazing views of many of France’s amazing scenery including:
-Versailles
-Many of the Chateaus
-Bastilles Day in front of the Arc De Triumph
-Elevator ride up the Eiffel Tower
-The amazing Mont St-Michel
And it is all set to some great classical music (the best description a college student with no music background can give). My point is, it’s a great show and while you are there on your program you should definitely check it out.

J Jungle Cruise- One of Walt Disney’s greatest creations, there is no surprise that the Jungle Cruise takes the “J” spot. This ride along with the Haunted Mansion are easily the most desired rides for those chosen to participate in attractions on their College Program. The only other thing I want to say about this ride is that while you are at WDW you should ride this at least once at night. Everything looks more realistic, the skippers are generally funnier when entertaining smaller groups, and as Bill Nye says on Universe of Energy, “It’s just cool.”

Today’s match features a two park double header with three Hollywood Studios matches and three Animal Kingdom matches. At the end of this round, we will have the top three finalists for each park. That means that next week will be the start of the finals. Also, the featured match of the week pits two perennial powerhouses from Hollywood Studios. One, the Great Movie Ride, was the original MGM Studios E-Ticket. The other, Toy Story Midway Mania, is Hollywood Studio’s newest go to attractions that is so popular that it generally sports at least a 2 hour line. Enjoy:

HS and AK Round 1
Rocking Roller Coaster vs. Backlot Tour featuring Catastrophe Canyon
Star Tours vs. Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror
Expedition Everest vs. Primeval Whirl
Triceratops Spin vs. Dinosaur
Kilimanjaro Safaris vs. Kali River Rapids

Featured Match
Toy Story Midway Mania vs. Great Movie Ride

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!!

Now I Know My......Wait What?

2010-01-12T21:33:00.001-08:00

Beast's Rose in France

Where I had been away from the blogs for a while, I only noticed yesterday that a hand full of you guys have already moved in and started so before anything else, I want to congratulate those of you that have and good luck from here on out. And for those of you that are almost in Orlando and Disney, whether it’s a couple days, a week, a month, and for some of you (Abby) a whole program I want to wish you guys safe flights or drives and good move ins and great programs.

That’s all I’m going to say about that (so when you are starting your program, know that that was the only blessing you are getting……maybe…..probably not). Today and Tomorrow, I have two objectives. The first, today, is to give you guys my Top Fiv….er something……well you’ll find out in a minute. The second, tomorrow, is to pick up where I left off on the “Best Ride at Disney World” contest with a joint Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (R.I.P. MGM) round. But now, as Mickey Mouse would say “On With the Show”

Today I thought it would be fun to do a Top 26 Walt Disney World A-Z Part 1/4. Now I’m sure that you may not agree with some of these but let’s face it, both Splash Mountain and Space Mountain start with an S but only one can represent in the list. I also want to tell you that there may be a better answer that I don’t put or that *GASP* I didn’t think of, but keep in mind that I also wanted to go with some things that may not have been the absolute obvious answer (ex. I didn’t use the College Program for C because you guys might have already had that in your minds). I do encourage you guys to comment below with your own favorite version of any of the letters. So let’s try this:

A Asia- I know that I could have just as easily said Animal Kingdom and have that encompass all the lands including Asia, however I feel it is important to note how much Asia does standing on it’s own. It obviously starts with Expedition Everest, it’s pride and joy. But then you have Kali River Rapids which remains to this day, the only ride that I have ridden more than 7x’s in a row. Asia is also home to the Pangea Jungle Trek with some amazing Tigers, awesome Fruit Bats, and (insert adjective that begins with “A”) Kimodo Dragons. And how can I forget Yak and Yeti, Animal Kingdom’s only sit down restaurant, and it’s adjacent Tea Cart with some great Black and Oolong tea. I don’t think you could say enough good things about this land. I might go as far as to say that if there was one land in any Disney World park that best exemplifies the Imagineer’s ability to creating amazing themeing, this is it.

B Boardwalk- If Asia was the example of best themed Disney World land, then Boardwalk is the best themed Disney World hotel. I’m not going to say to much because I went over a lot of the Boardwalk splendor in a past article. I’ll just throw out a few things and leave it at that: Watch any sports match on any one of the ESPN Zone’s 200+ televisions, enjoy an Ice Cream cone from Seashore Sweets, rent a four or six person bike, step into the hotel and find yourself transported into a simpler time in America, and I STILL WANT A LAMB BURGER FROM KOUZINA.

C Columbia Harbor House- Alright, Alright, so this choice is probably based HUGELY on personal bias (I only lived there for seven months) but it’s not as much of a stretch as you may think. I mean consider this, you can’t go wrong with any of the QSRFB locations on property (I think they say “It’s not fast food. It’s good food fast”) and you probably won’t find any better on property than the Columbia Harbor House. Their Fish and Chips are better than anything I had in the most famous pubs in London. The Chicken nuggets are some of the best chicken on property (yes, even better than the Roasted chicken at Cosmic Ray’s). And the fries, when they are hot, are just the best snack I can think of. Take all that and a great tasting vegetarian menu and you have a QSRFB location that could rival some of the Table Service restaurants.

D Dinosaur- I said it before and I’ll say it again, Dinosaur is to me “Disney World.” From the moment you arrive at the Dino Institute’s doors to the moment to are….well…getting back in line for the ride, Dinosaur is the second most well themed ride at Disney World (Everest is first but another “E” took the spot). This attraction features by far the most amusing Pre-Show hosted by the Cosby Show’s Felicia Reshard and Dr. Grant Seeker (Disney Magic Pun). And the ride itself throws enough smells, special effects, and AA dinosaurs to make you believe “That the Future is Truly in the Past.”

E EPCOT- I really don’t know what to say about this one. EPCOT is by far my favorite park. Future World boasts some of the best family E Ticket attractions (Soarin’ and Test Track) as well as some neat technology in the different Innoventions. The World Showcase features probably (with no contest) the best food in any theme park around the world as well as the best live performances, shopping, and location themes on Disney property.

F First Visit Pin- You may think that I couldn’t come up with anything else “F’ (I could), I just think that this one is important. You see, the First Visit pin along with the My Birthday or I’m Celebrating or whatever else pins they have exemplify the difference that Disney provides. You aren’t just “another customer,” you are their guest and every cast member tries their hardest to make sure that your first visit is as magical as you dreamed it would be (or better if you are a glass half empty person).

G Great Movie Ride- I don’t think I have ever met anybody who has ridden this ride and not loved it. It’s pretty amazing how well Disney was able to translate some of the most iconic movie scenes into an attraction that guests can ride through The movie montage at the end is absolutely amazing. And if there is any ride in Disney World that keeps with the Disney spirit of Cast Member/Guest interaction more than the Great Movie Ride, I don’t know what it is.

Have a Magical....er....Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

My name is John and Windows 7 was my idea.

2010-01-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

Vista Way Bus Stop

Okay, so it wasn’t really but I felt as though I had to reintroduce myself to those of you that did not lose faith in me and unsubscribe. You see, last time we spoke, which was a little before Christmas, I said something to the effect of…..”I’m going to be posting everyday until the New Years.” (or something like that). Well then some circumstances changed and (without going into great details) I lost the ability to post until a couple days ago. But I digress……

Ladies and gentleman, it’s that time. I have been browsing around facebook, fan-sites, and the blogosphere and all I see is “Last minute packing” and “Move in day is almost here.” Now, I’ve already talked about what you should and shouldn’t pack but if you want a new rule, then try this: If your bags exceed the total weight of the airplane you are flying in on, then you should probably leave that extra pair of shoes at home (don’t forget, you will want space in your luggage for the stuff you buy while you are down at Disney). But once again, I digress….

No, today I want to talk to you guys and gals (okay so most of my subscribers are girls) about the first day of your program. The first day of your program is going to be one of the greatest days ever. You see, right now the theme song of many of your lives right now might be “Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog album. Actually, when I saw the movie in theaters, I felt that that sequence really summed up the feeling of everything you do to get to the point to finally start your college program. The lyrics say:

And I'm almost there, I'm almost there
People down here think I'm crazy, but I don't care
Tribes and tribulations have had my share
There ain't nothing gonna stop me now cause I'm almost there

And it continues

"Fairytales can come true
You gotta make 'em happen, it all depends on you"
So I work real hard each and every day
Now things for sure are going my way
Just doing what I do
Look out boys I'm coming through

The fact of the matter is that you guys worked hard, passed two interviews (web based and telephone), followed through, and you got your Purple Folder. And sure you may think that the reality hit you when that acceptance letter came in the purple package, or when you were talking to others that made it on the fan boards and blogs (or vlogs) or as the evil Mr. Fathertime finally conceded and allowed your move in day to come closer and closer or even while you are currently packing, but let me tell you this……it hasn’t REALLY hit you yet. But once you pass through those guard gates into Vista and you stand in line with every other excited soon to be CP souls to fill out novels worth of paper work, that’s when it will hit you. But I’ll continue this talk tomorrow, for now I’ll just “digress” for the evening”…..

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

Oh, and by the way, I never got the chance to when it was time.....
Merry Christmas or Feliz Navidad or a Mele Kalikimaka or Happy Holidays......whatever you celebrate, I hope it was great. And also, have a great new years...."May the best of your today be the worst of you tomorrow."

Oh Boy

2009-12-18T05:23:00.000-08:00

Whenever you go someplace new or you find yourself in uncharted territories, you try to cling to something familiar. This becomes especially true during the holidays. Everybody has their own set of traditions that makes their particular celebrations unique…….special…..magical. My family, for instance, gets so into Christmas that we could write encyclopedias of “How-to-Holidays.” Every year we sit together and assemble our twelve foot tall artificial Christmas tree. One of my older sisters and my mother then proceeds to stream the balconies in the family room with garland, berries, and lights while the rest of us start to decorate the tree. Once all of that is complete, Christmas is officially underway and we all try to find things to do.

My brother and I attempt to light the outside of the house without blowing a fuse (we are 0-7, but we’ll get I tone day), my sisters put up wreaths and accents and what not, and my mom makes different holiday cookies making our house smell like a bakery. From there we all enjoy the season. We play games, watch the various Christmas specials (CSI:NY’s was particularly nice this year), and we enjoy not really having anything to do. Then on Christmas Eve we all sit together and watch what is arguably the greatest Christmas movie of all time. Any guesses? No, it’s not Miracle on 34th street or It’s a Wonderful Life. No, it’s not the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas or Tim Allen’s The Santa Clause. Fine I’ll tell you already. The greatest Christmas movie of all time is……

A Muppet Christmas Carol.

That’s right, every year we sit together and watch as Gonzo the Great….er….I mean Charles Dickens and his rat friend follow Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge on his story of redemption. It is as funny and witty as it is heartwarming. It really is the greatest Christmas movie of all time (sorry Bill Murray’s Scrooged, it’s just not at it’s level). And from there, we enjoy a good night sleep. When Christmas morning comes, we open presents and enjoy both a great Breakfast and later a great Dinner. Now there is a point to me sharing all this. You see, while on your program you are going to miss out on Holidays with you family, whether it’s Easter and 4th of July for Spring Advantage or Christmas and Thanksgiving for Fall advantage. And that’s a real shame, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

You see, just about everybody else in the program is in the same boat as you. Sure, some people will be able to give away enough shifts around a holiday to go home and celebrate with family but I don’t recommend this because A)It’s a neat experience to work on a major holiday because all the guests seem to be in a better mood than usual (if that’s possible) and B)You are ditching you D-Fam at a time when they don’t have family there also. No. It is important that you all stay and find ways to incorporate (even if it’s just the smallest thing)some of your holiday traditions and to make it a special and unique holiday. My apartment didn’t go all out and get a tree or lights or anything but we did hang what little seasonal items we had and made our apartment look festive during this time. And you know what I did Christmas Eve? That’s right, I rented Muppet’s Christmas Carol from the learning center and put it on for the roommates that were at the apartment. The next day, the chefs made some food and we all just had a great time.

Now to conclude, I know many of you are doing Spring and Spring Advantage and you may not see how this applies to your programs but I say this. Consider the message provided during Disney’s current promotion, “What Will you Celebrate?” In everything you do, Celebrate you. This means, there is always a reason to show off traditions, have a party (or small gathering), and enjoy yourselves because it all comes down to one thing……you are at Disney with fellow Disney enthusiasts (not to be confused with the ever popular Gnome enthusiasts). If you’re there for the summer, celebrate a Christmas in July. I don’t know. That’s all I have to say on this December 18th at 8:22 in in the morning. Have a great holidays and as always…..

Have a Zip-A-dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

P.S.
If you guys haven't picked up on the hint yet, go out to your local DVD store and pick up a Muppet's Christmas Carol.

We Interrupt This Broadcast to Say.....

2009-12-16T05:42:00.000-08:00

Little more than a week ago I started my Yes…We’re Related week, then put out two posts, and then disappeared. During that time I went into commando mode to get all of our house’s Christmas decorations up, go Christmas shopping, and get the house ready for my sisters’ arrivals from across the country. Needless to say, I didn’t get any posts out. And I have missed putting them out because I feel out of touch right now. But now that the dust has settled, I am returning with a bang. From now until January 1st, I am hoping to post at least one blog a day. I have written a couple of great articles for the coming weeks. They will be a fusion of family and holiday posts because the two really go hand in hand. I have a DVD review coming up, holidays at the hotels, holidays at the park, and so much more. All of this starts tonight so look forward to it. Also, Sunday, I am getting back to the Best Attraction at Disney World with Round 1 of both Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. I’m looking forward to the next couple of weeks as I hope you guys are as well. Have a Happy Holidays and as always……

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

The Bigger the Better

2009-12-08T21:13:00.000-08:00

Pizza Planet....but is it worth the line?

It feels great to be an only child at Disney World. You get to choose what you want to do when you want to do it. You want to go on Space Mountain now? Go for it. Dinner for you and you parents at San Angel Inn? Make the reservations. That’s right, I love nothing more than being…um….umm…..okay, who am I kidding? I am not, nor have I ever been an only child. In fact the only things I know about being an only child, come from interpreting cave paintings and legends passed down through out the tribe. No, I am one of five. So when we all go to Disney World it really becomes a challenge to involve everybody in one thing, especially since with the parents we are a total of seven people. That means we can’t all fit in one Test Track picture and coming to a decision of what to do next becomes a battle to rival even the Greatest World War II battle. But you know what……I wouldn’t have It any other way. So today, I bring you my list of top three (or so) attractions for those with a larger family at Disney. Enjoy!

3. Great Movie Ride and Universe of Energy- These two rides make the list simply for row capacity. Depending on how….what’s the word I’m looking for….”ambitious,” we’re going with ambitious. Depending on how ambitious your vehicle loader on the Great Movie Ride is, each row can fit anywhere from 5-10 people (you get so close to each other that the stranger next can technically no longer be called a stranger afterwards). As for Universe of Energy, I can’t even fathom the capacity of those Coliseum sized rows because how often are any of them ever full. Even though I don’t know row size, think of this, “Each show has a maximum capacity of 500 people.”

2. Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, and Dinosaur- I know what you’re thinking, “Whoa! What kind of an answer is that? You have three rides there. Count them, three. One-two-three. It’s bad enough your last answer had two selections. You’re a cheater cheater pumpkin eater.” Well I say trust Columbus that we won’t fall of the edge of the earth. Consider what these rides all have in common. If the answer that you came up with is “They all have the letter ‘O’ in them” then you are right. Not the attribute that I was trying to get at but right none the less. No, the feature that these three rides have is that they are the only three rides at Disney World that are capable of producing a ride picture for a family of 7+. In fact, Tower of Terror takes a picture of 21 people, Splash Mountain is capable of anywhere from 8-12 (depending on how many people you fit in a row), and Dinosaur has a capacity of 12. So think about that next time you guys want to buy the picture.

1. Kali River Rapids- One of the greatest things about being at Disney World with your family is the bonding. You all enjoy each other’s presence (or at least tolerate it) and it’s a great experience for everybody. But there is one ride at Disney that dares to threaten this family truce and pits everybody against each other. That ride is Kali River Rapids. What starts off with twelve members of your family enjoying a peaceful ride through an Asian jungle, quickly turns into the world’s biggest game of Russian roulette. As soon as you hit the clearing with the burning trees, you are doing everything within your extremely limited power to ensure that anybody’s side of the raft goes down the falls backwards…..except for yours. Fear turns to pandemonium turns to angry screaming of “lean that way” so that it is good ol’ Uncle Al and Auntie Ann that are met with a fifteen foot tall wall of water instead of you. Have fun!

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

Family Time

2009-12-07T19:05:00.001-08:00

Today's is going to be a short post as I am preparing for my economic fianl tomorrow. This week, as all but two of my classes are over, I will be returning to my five posts a week schedule so I am excited about that. Using my scientific tie-breaking techniques, this will be Yes....We're Related Week where I will be focusing on family and Disney World (because you can't really enjoy one without the other). This will include the best things to do, facts to impress your siblings, your Disney family, featured College Program blog of the week, and much much more.

This week will be an off week for the "Best Attraction at Disney World" competition as I figure out how I want to set up Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. I do however have the results of the final preliminary round for Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. The following six rides will represent their respective parks in the final tournament. I was surprised by some of the results from this past week but that's a good thing because it shows the great diversity amongst Disney fans (R.I.P. Journey into Imagination, maybe next time). So here we go:

Magic Kingdom
1 Space Mountain
2 Haunted Mansion
3 Spalsh Mountain

EPCOT
1 Spaceship Earth
2 Universe of Energy
3 Test Track

So stay tuned, because we are going to have a great week ahead of us.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

Classes Part 1....I Know, Finally!

2009-12-04T23:02:00.000-08:00

Am I a Dinsaur or an Ice Cream stand.....or Both?

I know I haven’t been following my normal posting schedule but that is because I am in the middle of finals and as we all know, you can’t get a good job at Disney if you don’t graduate so yeah… Today, I am finally (I know finally) going to start what will be a two part “Starter Kit” for the classes. In the next two blog posts, I will try to give you everything you need to know about taking classes at the Disney College Program. Now just keep in mind that I obviously couldn’t have taken every class offered so a lot of the information that I will provide comes from a combination of my experience, different websites and message boards, and friends that also took classes. Today I am going to explain the three types of classes you can take. Enjoy!

Welcome to your Disney College Program Classes Starter Kit: Part 1. This is everything you need to know about the classes provided while on your program. Let’s begin.

First it is important to understand that all the classes provided by Disney on the College Program fall into three separate categories. Each category provides a completely different and unique learning experience. They are:

Professional Development Courses- Although there are only four classes in this category, these classes are a lot more major specific. The majors that the different classes look at are Entertainment, Finance, Security, and Engineering. In these courses, the teachers explain you’re the majors as they apply to jobs at the Walt Disney World Resort (i.e Ride Engineering and Disney Security).

Recommended Course- I didn’t take any of these but I have to say that getting a new look at the Disney rides seems really cool. And for those of you into Entertainment, it seems as though having an in depth look at the shows would be pretty fascinating.

Collegiate Courses- There are eight of these courses provided and they will be the closest to a normal college course (book or text book, essay writing, tests, etc.). Now although you may not think these classes to be the most interesting sounding or you don’t want a class that is so work heavy, keep in mind that these are the classes that would be best to help your in future career.

Recommended Course: Marketing You- Learn how to make a strong resume, present yourself well to employers, and network effectively

Exploratory Classes- I wish that I had known more about these classes when I did my program because, personally, these classes sound AWESOME. There are five different classes in this set that range from exploring Leadership to Marketing and even Guest Service at the Disney World resort. These classes promise interactive learning experiences taught by many of the experts that Disney has in their various fields. There are no test or quizzes in these classes.

Recommended Class- I have to say that the “Exploring Guest Service at Walt Disney World” class sounds like an amazing opportunity considering the fact that Guest Service is really the cornerstone of the Walt Disney Company.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day D-Fam!!!!!

A Prayer.....sort of

2009-12-02T21:45:00.000-08:00

We had our Send Off party today which was a smashing success. We had a Q&A, We played Disney World Trivia, and we just had an all around good time.

Today I have a prayer that you can say while on you College Program. Just remember, this is all in good fun and I hope you guys enjoy it.

Thanks
Heavenly father, at this time of the year it is important that we reflect on the blessings we have been, well, blessed with.

Firstly, we thank you for our acceptance letter because if we didn’t get one we would have to be at school this semester or worse…..working at (fill in the blank).

We thank you for the amazing Disney ID that gets us into the park because otherwise we might have to spend our time playing Monopoly or Mouse Trap and dare I say it…..bond with each other *SHUDDERS*.

We thank you for the roommate with the car because without them, we might have to wait for the bus like everybody else. And for those who don’t have a roommate with a car, we thank you for American Coach because well…..it beats hitch hiking to work everyday.

We thank you for the Disney look because although it prevents us from having hair with three shades of green or tattoos like a prison inmate, it does mean that Disney will continue to do our costume laundry for us.

We thank you lord for the free Guest passes and their ability to make old acquaintances suddenly reappear (“Hey, how’s it going? Remember me? I hear you are working at Disney World now. Oh yeah, I’m going to be in Orlando next week. Do you want to meet at the Magic Kingdom? Wait, shoot I don’t have any money. Do you want to get me into the park? Thanks…umm..umm….You.).

We thank you for having a Chef for a roommate because although the extent of our cooking skills end at Top Ramen and Easy Mac, you can always mooch a good meal from these fine people.

We thank you for Dole Whip Floats. (What? I don’t have anything else to say about that. They’re amazing.)

We thank you for Cast Member lingo because well it’s fun using it with those who don’t know it. (I was enjoying My Weekend at MK riding the HM when one of the AA’s caused a 904 and a CP CM had to 103 it. TRANSLATION: I was enjoying my Tuesday off at the Magic Kingdom riding the Haunted Mansion when one of the Audio Animatronics caused a fire and a College Program Cast Member had to shut down the attraction. Yes indeed!)

Finally, we thank you for our fellow workplace Cast Members, without whom we couldn’t give away the sixteen hour shift that we should be at right now. And we pray that they take our thirteen hour shift next week as well.

For these blessings, as well as those we did not mention, we say thank you.

Amen

This is a pretty entertaining video that I found when I first did my College Program. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrUhVAWJ45Q

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

A Festivus for the Restivus!

2009-11-30T21:47:00.000-08:00

Too….much…..turkey…….extended…..weekend….coma…..no….blog…..posts…..in…..a….while.

But I’m back!

I still plan on doing the post about the classes this week and what we are thankful for in the College Program and Disney World in general. So for this week once again there will be no theme, however……you guys will be voting for next week’s theme so have fun with that. This month I want to do a week devoted to Christmas (or the holidays), I want to do a week focusing on the final days leading up to your arrival in Orlando because let's face it.....it's almost that time, and finally, I want to do a family week discussing tips for when they come down (or up) and family in general because it is just that time of the year. So I think we have three good ones to choose from. And speaking of voting…..

Today we see the final preliminary matches for both EPCOT and the Magic Kingdom. Pirates of the Caribbean returns this week against the Haunted Mansion in this week’s Magic Kingdom featured match. EPCOT’s featured match pits the two thrill rides at EPCOT. By luck of the draw, Splash Mountain and Spaceship Earth both earn a BYE for the week and with that they will be a part of the final twelve tournament.

Matchups
It’s a Small World vs. Space Mountain
Haunted Mansion vs. Pirates of the Caribbean
Mission Space vs. Test Track
Journey into your Imagination vs. Universe of Energy

At Home, No Picture Album

2009-11-25T22:12:00.001-08:00

No blog post yesterday because I had class all day and then I drove home for the thanksgiving weekend.

Now although I write this post with the Fall and Fall Advantage participants in mind, I think it can also apply to those of you in the Spring and Spring Advantage programs for a holiday like Easter. Enjoy!

As we prepare for tomorrow’s feast, I can’t help but think back to my Thanksgiving dinner while on the college program where my roommates and I enjoyed a great meal and had a chance to gather together for the first time in a long time. There’s something unique about Thanksgiving that really lends it to the lifestyle of the College Program more than any other Holiday. I think it’s the sheer simplicity of it. During Halloween you have to worry about jack-o-lanterns and costumes. For Christmas, it doesn’t feel right unless there’s a tree of some sort, some lights strung here and there, and ol’ Bing Crosby crooning about that White Christmas just like the one he used to know. But the only things you need for that perfect Thanksgiving is some decent food and some good people. So here are some of my tips to a great Thanksgiving at Vista or Chatham or where ever you may live.

-Meat but not a Turkey. I know that a lot of you are thinking to yourselves, “Boy you must be out of your mind. I always have turkey on Thanksgiving and this year is no different.” And that’s fine but there are some things you should consider. First of all, no matter the size of the turkey, I guarantee it’ll need more room than you have in your freezer. Secondly, turkeys can wind up costing you a pretty penny and let’s face it, that’s money you probably just don’t have (especially with Christmas coming up). And third, unless you plan on buying one pre cooked (again a pricey option), you are going to invest time in the kitchen that could be better spent in the parks if it’s your day off and if it’s not your day off then chances are you won’t have the time to make the turkey. No, I suggest going with some kind of roast (I prefer pork roast). You can pick up I good sized roast that will feed close to eight people at WallMart for about $13-$18. You can look up a good rub online (which can be as simple as some brown sugar, salt, and Italian seasoning) and just throw the thing into the oven for as little time as an hour and half.

-Simple Sides and a Desert. Don’t worry about emulating that seven course meal your mom, grandma, and just about every other maternal figure in your life seems to cook up at Thanksgiving time. Choose maybe two sides and a veggie and remember instant is your friend. You can make instant mashed potatoes in about ten minutes (too plain, add some herbs and make it your own). For a second item I suggest picking up about two packages of Hawaiian rolls because they taste amazing and they heat up real fast. Throw a bag of frozen corn into the microwave and you are in business. For desert, all you have to do is pick up one of the pecan pies (I prefer pecan over pumpkin) from the bakery for a couple of dollars. There you go, instant Thanksgiving meal.

-Potluck. This is a second option if you don’t feel like preparing all the stuff on your own. Set up a potluck dinner for Thanksgiving evening so that as many people can come as possible and just tell those who want to come to bring a dish. In the end, Thanksgiving comes down to having a great time with those you call your friends and family and if you can pull off a potluck with about 10-20 people, I think it could prove to be one of those moments that sticks with you for a while (at least until Christmas when you host the twenty thousand dollar blow out party).

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

A New Week. A New Set of Possibilities!

2009-11-23T15:48:00.000-08:00

I can’t express in words how good I feel right now people. I’m pulling an A in History of Civilization, I got an extra post out on Saturday because inspiration struck me so hard that it’s going to leave a bruise, and I’m feeling optimistic about this week. This week, if it’s any surprise to my fellow American friends, is Give Thanks Week. We are going to talk about the classes offered during the College Program because we are thankful that we aren’t taking classes at our own college. We are going to talk about a great way to spend Thanksgiving for those of you doing the Fall and Fall Advantage 2010 program. I’m going to have a top ten list of things we are thankful for at the Walt Disney World Resort. And as always, there are going to be some surprises thrown here and there. Today we also have Round 2 of Magic Kingdom and Round 1 of EPCOT for the “Best Ride at Disney World” contest. And last but by no means least I have a video that I want each and everyone of you to watch. Seriously, if there is one link that I ever post on my blog that you must click on it’s this one. It’s a video I found on the web a little while ago made by a Disney World fan that ties in with this week’s theme and answers the question, “What makes Disney so special. So let’s have a great week my because although I haven’t met a single one of you guys, I’m thankful this Thanksgiving for my Disney Family. God Bless!

The link to the video, watch it and add it to your favorite pages!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LBch91FqN8

THE CONTEST CONTINUES
At the end of Magic Kingdom: Round 1 we have nine rides remaining which means eight rides will battle it out this week and one ride will get a BYE until Round 3. Because it won with 100% of the vote, Pirates of the Caribbean takes the BYE for this week. Now because there are only four matches in the Magic Kingdom, I’m going to start EPCOT: Round 1 today as well. The featured matches of the week include a clash of two Disney Mountains and a battle between two of EPCOT’s powerhouse E-Ticket attractions. Happy voting!

Magic Kingdom: Round 2
Mad Tea Party vs. It’s a Small World
Peter Pan’s Flight vs. Splash Mountain
Haunted Mansion vs. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

EPCOT: Round 1
Spaceship Earth vs. The Seas with Nemo and Friends
La Gran Fiesta Tour vs. Universe of Energy
Journey into Your Imagination vs. Maelstrom
Mission Space vs. Living with the Land

Featured Matches
Space Mountain vs. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Test Track vs. Soarin

Extra Weekend Post

2009-11-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

My room at Vista Way on move out day!

I know it's not a weekday but I was sitting at my desk looking at some of the Roommate surveys and I decided to write this. If you come by a survey that looks like this, it should probably raise a few red flags in your mind. It's all for fun so Enjoy the "Suspicious roommate survey"!

1. Name?

2. Age?

3. Where are you from?

4. Which Program are you doing?

5. Role?

6. Can you cheat a polygraph machine while under pressure?

7. What’s your favorite Disney park?

8. I enjoy music A LOT (LOL) and I think music sounds the best if played at full volume through quality speakers at four in the morning. What’s your favorite type of music?

9. I love sports. My favorite sport is running. If you saw me running away from an apartment building with a TV in my hands, would you help me?

10. Do you mind if I spontaneously redecorate the room from time to time so when you come home from a sixteen hour shift at 3 in the morning you are completely disoriented?

11. I’m going to have a lot of friends over all the time so that it feels like you have fifteen roommates and not seven, is that okay with you?

12. I don’t know how to cook but I’m going to teach myself through trial and error. Do you own a cell phone that we can use when we need to call the fire department?

13. Who’s your favorite Disney Character?

14. I don’t actually like Disney or Disney World, I just needed an excuse to get away from college for a while. You cool with that?

15. The cops, NSA, CIA, and other various government task forces might come knocking on the door asking if a “Senor (Senorita) Jones” lives there. So are you cool with not sleeping through a complete night? Are you cool with lying to government agency (It’s only a little white lie and the most they can get you with is a minor felony)?

16. What’s your favorite Disney movie?

WOW! I think we are going to make great roomies. Until then, have a Magical day!

I also thought to myself, "Gosh, the surveys that are out there don't really relect what a guy would ask if he were looking for a roommate." So I have written the complete male roommate survey. Enjoy!

1. Name:
2. Over or Under 21:
3. Are You Brining the TV:
Cool Bro

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

Food for Thought

2009-11-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

LEGOS + Disney = http://planetoddity.com/disneyland-made-out-of-lego/

TIP FOR TODAY
It’s important to understand your grocery options while you are on the college program because unless you are planning to blow every cent you make on fast food, you are going to have to have a well stocked kitchen. Now when you get there, there will be three places you can pick these up.
WALMART
- You can get there via a special bus that leaves on the hour (or half hour) from the living complexes
- The they have a great grocery section and since it’s Walmart, you can pick up any other miscellaneous items you may need (Cleaning supplies, Clothes, Electronics)
-Conveniently open 24 hours
-Some of the most reasonable prices you will find

PUBLIX
-The bus that goes to Walmart makes a stop at Publix first. You can also walk there from Chatham and Patterson
-It is the major chain grocery store in Florida and so you will find just about any food item you would need. It also has a great deli and a great bakery.
-Store hours: 7-10
-The prices are moderate but they do tend to have a lot of “buy one get one free” sales that makes it a great option

WALLGREENS
-There is one within walking distance of Vista Way and another one within walking distance of Chatham and Patterson (next to Publix)
-It doesn’t have a great selection (2-3 aisles of food) and you should only go there for last second items
-It is conveniently open 24 hours a day which does make it pretty convenient if you worked a late shift
-Very expensive for moderate quality items (again, last resort)

Something else to consider is that all the resorts have a store with a little mart in them. Now although this may not seem like a feasible option at first, keep in mind that you do get a cast discount at these store that make the prices look pretty good. This can be a convenient option for those of you that are marking at one of the hotels or one of the parks that have a resort within walking distance. I personally favored the market on the concourse level of the Contemporary resort and store on the corner of the Boardwalk next to the Bicycle rentals.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
It seems in life that the only thing we as people want are answers. But the fact of the matter is, the questions that we ask are far more important. For example what if someone tells you that the answer is “7” and that’s it. Well it means nothing unless you know why you were looking for the number seven. Maybe you wanted to know “What is the square root of 49?” or “How many Harry Potter books were written?” or even “What was the name of the movie Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman made together back in 1995?” My point is this; you guys have decided to partake in the Disney College Program because you have figured out already that the answer you are looking for is in fact the “Disney College Program,” but what is the question you were asking in the first place. Was it “I want to work in Disney so how do I get my foot in the door?” or was it “I need a break from college so what is my best option?” So when you have a moment, just take a little time to think about it and try to figure out the one question that answers why the Disney College Program.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

My Life Just Flashed Before My Eyes

2009-11-19T22:47:00.001-08:00

Hello my Disney Family. Today I came across this video and I really think it conveys the meaning EPCOT’s World Showcase…..so just enjoy it already. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xjPODksI08

I friend recently asked me what the scariest moment of my College Program was. Was it my first day of work? Was it riding Tower of Terror for the first time (I’ve never been a fan of heights but my fellow Cp’s pressured me into riding it for the first time thus officially marking the moment I had finally ridden every ride at WDW)? Was it experiencing my first angry guest? And I had to tell him no. The scariest moment of my whole program actually came two days before my program had ended…..in the Magic Kingdom. For those of you doing the math at home let me make it easy for you, I was in the dead center of Main Street on New Year’s Eve minutes before midnight. I was watching the New Year’s countdown and fireworks display on Main Street which was an absolutely amazing experience. They had big fireworks, fireworks that formed shapes, and even fireworks that 360ed around the park. It was an awe inspiring presentation that only Disney could put on and I was enjoying it with close to 70,000 of my closest friends.

Then all of a sudden the show was over and the crowd started moving towards the Monorail and the Ferry. I however made the mistake of thinking that I was headed in the opposite direction to Liberty Square and my way home. It is at this point in the game that I believe I have the right to coin the word “Mufasa-ed” because I’m fairly certain that is the only word to described what occurred for the next ten minutes. Like the pack of wildebeests that descended upon James Earl Jones in lion form, the guests devoured me and it seemed the like the more I tried to move towards that sparkling castle, the farther away I got. And just before I thought it was never going to end and I would be forced to walk home from the Contemporary, it was over. I looked around and all I could was a Main Street covered in plastic New Year’s hats (given out at the entrance) and a handful of janitors preparing to pick up said hats. After I caught my breath, gathered my bearings, and assured myself that I still had all of my body parts, I made a promise to myself that in the future I’m going to watch all firework shows from the Tomorrowland Noodle Terrace. And that lead me to two pieces of advice to commit to memory for your College Program:

1. The Tomorrowland Noodle Terrace is the best non-crowded place to watch the fireworks if you want to see the castle. If you don’t need to see the castle during the show then I suggest standing at that large area of Tomorrowland between the Carousel of Progress and Space Mountain because there’s rarely anybody over there and the view is great

2. Never try to go against the flow of a massive crowd of guests unless you have a death wish (or you can do the snake move pretty well). Instead…..remember that chances are, any set of stores you encounter are all connected (i.e. The Emporium) and it is better to break off from the crowd at one of the edges and just cut through the stores.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

Yes......That's a VMK picture

2009-11-18T22:18:00.000-08:00

Fly Me to the Moon
Let me sing among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter or Mars
-Bart Howard

Today I just want to talk about an revelation I made when thinking about my previous College Program and now.

Believe it or not, I didn’t realize just how big of an online community there was of CPers and future CPers when I did my College Program. My connection to those who were going to share the same experience that I was for the next seven months was limited to a single message board. But now, as I look to embark on the journey yet again, I look around and it seems as though everybody has a blog or vlog and everybody’s a part of at least twenty message boards dedicated to the experience. They (and when I mean they, I am obviously also referring to you guys) are doing things that I wouldn’t have dreamed of doing like roommate notifications and meeting everybody months before your program begins so that when you guys actually do meet for the first time, it feels like you guys have known each other forever.

I remember, the only thing I knew about my roommate was that he was going to be a guy ( and I only assumed that because I am a guy and it only made sense) and those few people that I met during the orientation were the limit of the people that I knew. And I’m not saying that what I did was a bad thing or detrimental to my experience because I didn’t connect with people before I started. I’m just saying that I am really impressed with the connections that the Cpers are making now. In a small way, it reminds me of the part in Spaceship Earth (before the recent rehab) where you are going down backwards and you see the people chatting amongst one another, sharing their good news, and creating that real sense of hope and happiness and then it shows the futuristic city with the fiber optics above glowing, showing where everybody is connecting with each other. It all just inspires a sense of optimism and I think in some way, shape, or form you all understand that.

I think that it’s that optimism, enthusiasm, and passion (for Disney) that sets those in the College program aside from anybody else getting ready for another kind of internship anywhere. So stay connected. Make it a goal to find three new College Program blogs a week and leave at least one comment on their blog to spark that enthusiastic conversation. Whether it’s, how you can’t wait to ride the refurbished Space Mountain or you want to invite them to see Illuminations during your first week with you and your new extended Disney family (that’s what you will now know your new College Program friends as……in fact, as of right now you are all members of my Disney Family whether you like it or not). I know I was thrilled to wake up this morning, check my blog and see how many people voted and talked about what ride they think should win because you guys let your passion for Disney show. Enjoy the message boards, enjoy the other media advantages in front you, and keep on keeping on.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day my new Disney Family!!!!!

50th Post......Awesome

2009-11-17T20:02:00.001-08:00

My "Magic" Mouse Ears for drawing the Attractions

Ladies and Gentlemen, today I have a couple of treats for you guys. First, I present a new interactive game for the Purple Folder. I also found a couple of Disney videos from Youtube that caught my eyes that should get everyone in the holiday (yes, the magical two months of Christmas)spirit. "Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, you have been among the many passengers of.....The Purple Folder!" (oh, that felt good!)

I mentioned yesterday that I was excited about today’s post and I still am. We are going to be running a “Best Ride at Disney World” tournament. This is what will happen. Today I wrote all of the rides in the Magic Kingdom (with the exception of the Liberty Bell and the WDW Railroad) down on slips of paper. I then proceeded to draw the slips out of my "magic Mouse Ears one at a time and created a single elimination tournament based on the order they were drawn. Now it is up to you guys to vote for your favorite attractions and the rides with the most votes by next Monday will go onto next week’s round. Then next week I draw the remaining attractions again and (because of the way the numbers work) one attraction will end up with a BYE. After we have the final three we will then go onto EPCOT and then Hollywood Studios and finally Animal Kingdom. The last couple attractions from each park will end up in one final tournament and the last ride standing will be pronounced the “Best Attraction at Disney World”……and umm….well that should be good enough. So let’s have some fun with this. Cast your votes and as always, have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

Here's a list of this week's mathups:

Magic Kingdom: Round 1

1. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin vs. Astro Orbiter
2. Magic Carpets of Aladdin vs. It's a Small World
3. Splash Mountain vs. Goofy's Barnstormer
4. Snow White's Scary Adventure vs. Mad Tea Party
5. Pirates of the Caribbean vs. Indy Speedway
6. Peter Pan's Flight vs. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
7. Dumbo the Flying Elephant vs. The Haunted Mansion
8. Tomorrowland Transit Authority vs. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Featured Matchup of the Week

Space Mountain vs. The Jungle Cruise

Videos

The Emporium from "Attractions Magazine"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JYoqSmT0jI&feature=sub

It's a Small World Holiday Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNF5CfjvfSM

I Am.......Different!

2009-11-16T19:56:00.000-08:00

This is a new day and all is good with the world!

One of the followers of the blog known as the Purple Folder asked if I could talk about classes you can take during the Disney College Program. And I will…..eventually. That article is going to take a little bit of time (not too much though) just because there are so many classes you can take and I want to try to cover it all in one post. So look forward to seeing that maybe next week.

There will be no theme for this week. Instead I am working on something very AWESOME. So AWSOME in fact I’m not even going to tell you guys what it is until tomorrow when I will be starting it. It will then go on for this first week and then off and on for the next couple of weeks. This is something that I am really excited about and I hope it will be something that you will all enjoy. And if you don’t well……I don’t know. But for now, a hint. Hmmmm…..a hint? Okay, I’ve got it! “NCAA BB MM.” Okay? Figure it out and stay tuned for tomorrow when you find out that the fun is only starting.

And if you feel like you didn’t get your Disney fix for the day, I give you three great links to tide you over until tomorrow.

Everybody (or most everybody) has played 20 Q. Well this site allows you to see if you can stump the computer....Disney style. Just choose your language and then choose the Disney themed game and have fun.
http://www.20q.net/

This next link will take you to my old roommate's new vlog. He will be doing the Spring 2010 Advatage Program and although he is still getting used to vlogging, he is really energetic and he knows alot about the social aspects of the program. So check him out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dy4KGVFhjE

And this last one I've only just started to explore but it seems like a neat Disney nedia site
http://disneyexperience.com/

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

We're Walking Right Down the Middle of Main Street USA...

2009-11-13T01:33:00.001-08:00

I’m feeling pretty excited. I submitted a budget for our “Disney College Program Alumni Association” club and if we get it approved, we will be able to have a Disney Movie Night at our school where we will screen a Disney movie, play Disney trivia, and donate all proceeds to the Make a Wish foundation. The gears are turning.

Today I present you with three reminders that will hopefully help you during your College Program. These were just a couple things that we covered when we were talking about the actual work aspect of the program during our past Offer Session. I pulled these out specifically because I really think they were a good representation of, at least, my time in the program. Enjoy!

Always Keep Your Cool- Although Disney World is the place where dreams come true, you will face some of your worst nightmares at work. You will face kids who can’t seem to hold their lunches, rides breaking down, or guests who (for whatever reason) seem to complain about everything. And it is up to you to keep the pixie dust flowing and the wheels of magic turning. You have to be able to brush off the little (or really big) things that happen because when, let’s say a guest slips and injures themselves, the last thing they and guests around them want to see is you screaming and barking orders while running around panicking. Breathe, remember your code words (i.e. Alpha Unit and Protein Spill), and handle the situation with the coolness of Dean Martin (man I have to get less dated references).

Remember there is only one Mickey Mouse- It’s pretty self explanatory. Most guests come to Disney World and immediately buy into the Magic that Disney has to offer. There are however, those guests that, for whatever reason, want to know every little secret Disney has offer regardless of whether it ruins the magic or not. The prime example that they will give you is one of the favorite guest questions, “How many Mickey Mouses (Mickey Mice?) are there in all the parks at any given time?” And the answer plain and simple is….there’s only one Mickey. “Oh come on, I just came back from Animal Kingdom where I saw Mickey but then I came here to the Magic Kingdom and he’s sitting on a float in the parade. So tell me, if there’s only one Mickey then how do you explain that.” Well it’s obvious; he drove his car back here just in time for the parade. And this is just one example. You will hear every question from “What’s the deal with the cable coming from the castle into Tomorrowland? (Well Prince Charming needs his ESPN)” to “Be it true that everybody that works at the Magic Kingdom lives underground?” (Hand to God, someone asked me that once…..okay minus the Be it true, I just think that sounds more fancy) And it is up to you to “know” the answers to those questions at any given moment but remember, whatever you say is canon so yeah…

All it takes is one hug- Now I said a couple posts back that every day is going to be more magical than the next and that’s true….for the most part. But like every rule, there’s an exception and sometimes you will just have one of those days where it seems like everything just keeps piling on. Whether you are working attractions and your ride broke down and you have to tell all the guests that are in line that they have to turn around and leave. Or you are working custodial on Main Street after Wishes and the street is littered with stale popcorn and other miscellaneous pieces of trash. Some days might just flat out stink and there is no bright spot on the horizon. But then it happens. A random guest will say something like “Thank You for all that you do.” Or a little kid that you just gave a sticker to will hug you and all of a sudden you know that everything you had to deal with that day was worth it just to have that moment of appreciation.

Keep Moving Forward People……

North, South, East, or West....An Adventurer's Life is Best!

2009-11-11T22:11:00.001-08:00

The reason I didn’t have a post yesterday was because I was having computer issues. There was a strange beeping noise filling my room and by the time I got to the keyboard and typed in the number sequence (4-8-15-16-23-42) it was too late. There was a computerized female voice yelling “SYSTEM FAILURE” at me, the sky turned purple and then white, and the next thing I knew I was waking up naked in a forest on some mysterious island. Needless to say because of all that I wasn’t able to get post up. Either that or our school’s internet was out and so I didn’t have any internet access. Either way I will be posting on Saturday as well. So yeah…..

47. That’s the number of square miles of land that make up the Walt Disney World resort. That’s twice the size of Manhattan. With four theme parks, two water parks, a downtown district, and 25 hotels, the Walt Disney World is the largest vacation resort in the world. And you know what? It will all belong to you. That’s right, when you get your pass to the world (your I.D.), you will have access to everything within those beautiful purple gates. But one of the things that I noticed on my program was that many of the CPers that were on four month and seven month programs would not visit any of the resorts saying, “Why would I want to go walk around a hotel when I could be riding Space Mountain or Living With the Land (hey it has its own special fan base)?” And that’s a real shame because some of the neatest things at Disney can be found in the resorts. Here are a few of my favorite resorts and what I enjoy doing:

Polynesian/Fort Wilderness Camp Grounds- I mention these two together for one reason….they both have amazing dinner shows (and you get discounted tickets). But if you wanted a suggestion as to which one, I would probably recommend the Hoop Dee Do Revue at the camp grounds primarily because I enjoy the food (chuck wagon style) a little bit more than at Spirit of Aloha (though the pork at Ohana’s is AMAZING). They both feature great shows as well. Obviously Hoop Dee Do Revue is a western themed dinner show full of slap stick comedy and great cowboy songs while Spirit of Aloha features hula dancers and fire twirlers. You can’t go wrong either way.

Saratoga Springs- Are you a runner? No. A jogger? No. How about a walking enthusiast? Okay fine, if your answers to these were no then you can go on to the next one but if you do enjoy throwing on those running shoes and going out, then this is the place for you. Located conveniently within walking distance to Disney’s Downtown area (literally like a fifty foot path drops you right in the middle of the action), the Saratoga Springs resorts offers both long path ways and all the peace and tranquility you can use. Personally I am not much of a runner but I did get dragged here by a few of my “Can Do Attitude” friends and I have to admit it wasn’t terrible (again, I am not a fan of running so that’s high praise coming from me). The place is large enough that you are not back tracking. It is a visually appealing resort and best of all it has a lot of benches (again, not a runner). Plus when all is said and done you can cool off at Downtown Disney where you can also catch a bus back to Vista or Chatham. (Great Fact: Downtown Disney is the closest Disney attraction to the housing complexes, keep that tidbit in mind when you are trying to figure out where the complexes are.)

Contemporary Resort- All I really want to say about this place is that I came here often to grab a newspaper and a pastry before I walked into the Magic Kingdom (or after a shift). (Great Fact: If you are working at the Magic Kingdom and you need to catch the bus back home at night, it is so much easier to change into street clothes and catch the monorail to the TTC and get on the bus home from there. You will learn quick that at around closing time, you could watch three or four Vista buses fill up behind the Magic Kingdom before you get a chance to get on one)

Boardwalk- I feel as though I had to save Boardwalk for last because it is by far my favorite Disney resort. Located conveniently within walking distance to the back entrance to EPCOT, the Boardwalk resort has the look and feel of a turn of the century seaside well….Boardwalk. It houses an impressive array of shops and restaurants. You can watch football games on the ESPN Club’s 200+ televisions, enjoy an Ice Cream cone (or awesome milkshake) from the bakery, or enjoy some great music at one of the Boardwalk’s two dance clubs. But what was my favorite thing to do? Well I think first I should remind those of you at home that I worked the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT and most of the time I worked closing shifts. That meant that by the time I got off work everything was closed except, that’s right, the Boardwalk. I would walk the path from France, through the gate and onto that wooden pier almost every night. The Boardwalk would be lit beautifully with turn of the century music playing. Even on the hottest days, the weather always seemed to be perfect. I would grab a slice of pizza and an orange soda from the Spoodle’s To-Go window and eat it by the water while I watched the Guests come and go to wherever it is they were going. And I would just sit there for a couple hours. Not a care in the world. There truly is nothing like it anywhere. (Great Facts: The Boardwalk really does come alive at night so if it is your first time going there, definitely see it for the first time at night)

This post is getting kind of long so I may do a continuation on another day but really, the one thing I want you to pull from this is that there is more to do at Disney than riding Splash Mountain or enjoying the Hall of Presidents (again, special group of fans).

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

P.S.
That was a LOST reference at the very beginning.

Marching Along We're Adventurers

2009-11-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

I found two links over the weekend that have actually gotten me pretty excited.
- This first link is a very short video taken now that with the construction walls down at Space Mountain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i7jl-UaeHc&feature=sub

- This second link is actually a really neat site that provides the design and instructions to help you build your own model of any one of the Haunted Mansions from the various Disney parks. I can’t wait to make one of them. http://www.haunteddimensions.raykeim.com/index305.html

Tomorrow, Tuesday November 10, I am working my first Disney College Program event at my school as an official Campus Rep. We are having an offer party for those who applied for the College Program and their parents so they can ask any questions before they accept their invitation (and of course those who have already accepted their invite). I’m pretty excited. It should be interesting to hear what kind of questions they can come up with.

This week’s theme is Let’s Go on an Adventure. I have been waiting to do this one since I first put it on the poll. I will be discussing new ways to explore the parks, provide a few tips for bettering yourself on the program, and of course I will be exploring a whole new level of tom-foolery (or John-foolery, whatever). So I will be ending this completely random Monday post with one of my favorite Jungle Cruise jokes:

To speed things up, we ask that you tell the loaders -- the men who will be helping you into the boats -- how many there are in your party. For instance, if there are four people in your party, say "Hi, Mr. Smiling Boat Loader, there are four people in my party..." and he will save you four seats. If there are eight people in your party, say " Hi, Mr. Smiling Boat Loader, there are eight people in my party..." and he will save you four seats.

Oh Yeah!

2009-11-06T23:33:00.000-08:00

I know I talked last week about the power Disney music has over emotions. As I sit at my desk writing this post in my dorm room at who knows what time, I find myself drawing inspiration for this post from a musical combination of Soarin’, the Magic Kingdom entrance medley, and a whole array of park music. And I love it. I could listen to Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah on a loop all day.

When I write my papers for English and I find myself hitting a wall, I will turn on the Spectromagic theme and throw a racquetball against my wall until something comes to me (not sure if my roommate appreciates the racquetball though). The song Heigh-Ho Heigh-Ho is probably my favorite song to listen to when I need to cheer myself up.

Now you guys are probably wondering where I’m going with this but trust me there will be a point eventually. There is truly magic afoot at Disney and although most of you…..who am I kidding……all of you who have been accepted into the program or who are waiting to apply for the program are so excited that I’m not sure if there’s even a word strong enough to describe. I know I couldn’t put into words how excited I was to be living and working at the place where some of my happiest memories were created.

The crazy thing is, that feeling that you have now is nothing compared to when you are actually there. Every day you spend on your program is going to feel even more amazing than the next (it’s just what Disney does best). Before you know it, your program will be over because seven months will have felt like seven weeks (rough average) and you will be back at college or the next phase of your life wondering what next.

Thoughts of second college programs and Professional Internships and Campus Reps will be filling your head like visions of sugar plums on Christmas Eve. That’s why I say, during your program, make sure you take advantage of every opportunity and appreciate the magic that is sparked up by working at Disney World.

When you work at Disney World, you are becoming the Disney music in a way to many of the guests. It doesn’t matter if you are the pirate that’s helping the guests set sail into the Spanish Main (Caribbean) or the waitress on wheels that is immersing the guests into the world of classic Sci-Fi drive-ins. It doesn’t matter if you are creating magic through nostalgia for the returning guests or introducing a whole new generation of guests to the magic of Tinkerbell and Mickey Mouse. That’s why I say you are the music. The same euphoria that I get from listening to Spectromagic or Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah is the same that the guests get when you do well….whatever it is you do at Disney.

Remember, your program will come and go and you want to make sure that you did whatever you could do make it special for you, for the guests, and hopefully for the park itself. Walt Disney was mainly referring to the foliage at Disneyland when he said but I like to think the same could be said about the introduction of the new cast members and the uniqueness they bring to the table. That’s all I have to say. I’m sorry if this post seemed like a lot of rambling but really, it’s all I have to say for today. So I’m going to put on the Space Mountain theme, pull by Bagel Bites out o the oven, and wish you all a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!

Here are the answers to yesterday’s trivia questions. If you haven’t read yesterday’s post then I suggest you check out the questions before reading the answers. It’s a lot more fun that way. Enjoy!

1. Horizons stood where Mission Space stands now and it was a proposed sequel to the Carousel of Progress. In fact there were several renditions of Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow that played throughout the ride.

2. On the Tomorrowland Transit Authority it is the model city you see when you enter the first tunnel.

3. Bill Nye is the narrator in the “old wing” at the Dino Institute while Ellen provides the voice For Dory in the Seas with Nemo and Friends.

4. Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin

5. Your party from Saturn has arrived. Please give them a “ring.”

6. Lyndon B. Johnson

7. Sunny Eclipse

8. In order: World of Motion, Universe of Energy, Communicore (think pre-Innoventions), Spaceship Earth, The Land, The Living Seas

A Test! A Test!

2009-11-05T22:05:00.000-08:00

Today I bring to you another quiz, this one incorporating the week's theme: The Future Has Arrived. The following questions will test your knowledge of both the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland as well as EPCOT's Futureworld. Enjoy!

1. What EPCOT attraction stood where Mission Space stands now? And what attraction was this attraction a proposed sequel to?

2. In what attraction can you see a model of one of the original plans for EPCOT?

3. Bill Nye the Science Guy and Ellen (just Ellen) star in the current version of Universe of Energy in EPCOT. What other attraction does Bill Nye provide his voice for? What other attraction does Ellen provide her voice for?

4. What attraction now stands where, in 1972, stood the Eastern Airlines sponsored “If You Had Wings?”

5. Before the most recent update to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority the narration was informing that Mr. Tom Morrow’s party had arrived from what planet?

6. In Test Track, your vehicle narrowly avoids hitting a semi-truck before you approach the crash test. The person sitting in the driver’s seat is actually a cut out of which former American president?

7. What is the name of the intergalactic lounge singing alien that performs daily at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café?

8. Attractions in Futureworld at EPCOT used to be given unique logos that could be found on signs to identify these attractions. How many of the following rides or attractions can you identify by their original logos. (Hint: There are a couple extinct attractions as well)

Keep a weather eye on the horizon and as always...

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

2009-11-04T21:54:00.001-08:00

Water Water Everywhere but Not a Drop to Drink- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

In the Disney produced sequel to the new Cameron Diaz movie “The Box,” a strapped for cash couple will be given a box with a button. If they press the button they will be rewarded with a briefcase containing one million dollars but someone somewhere they don’t know will be forced to ride It’s A Small World for the rest of their life. Egads!

I know that this doesn’t really fit in with the week’s theme but it has become warmer and warmer every year (scientists say global warming but I still think it has something to do with highly intelligent penguins…..but who knows). That being said, today I want to cover “staying cool” on your program. Enjoy!

Ah November has arrived. It’s the time when the leaves start falling from the trees, the air becomes crisp and cool, and you can finally pull out that jacket that you bought on sale last July. Yep it’s the magical time of year that you can ummm…I mean you can…okay who am I kidding. The closest Disney World central Florida gets to a fall/winter season is maybe dropping down to 55 degrees for a whole day. When on your program, whether its during the Spring or the Fall, you will notice that there are only two seasons in central Florida; Summer and Post-Summer (they are pretty much the same thing except one has more rain).

-Shorts…..like lots of shorts
-Any kind of swimsuit (doesn’t matter if its one piece, two piece, forty piece…..whatever)
-An Electric Fan (nothing big, just something to keep by the bedside……Im not kidding when I say it gets HOT)
-Don’t girls wear summer dresses or something like that…..yeah if you’re a girl then probably want some of those (I don’t know…Im a guy…..but the girls seemed to wear a lot of dresses)
-Weather control machine with death-ray attachment…..if there’s no death-ray then just forget the whole thing

In all seriousness though, it is important that on your program you try to stay cool because Florida really can be dangerously hot. Heat exhaustion and dehydration can hit you fast and hard and trust….its not fun. Make sure when you are enjoying the parks you carry some water with you at all times and make sure you dress appropriately (that means that if it is over 100 degrees, then your expensive down winter jacket is probably a no-no). Keep in mind that there are pools at every housing complex as well as fully air conditioned lounges and computer labs. Well, that’s all I have to say about that. Tomorrow, I have an exciting article on…..something. I wont say what it is right now, only that I had a great time when I started writing it. So yeah…..

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

Future World......its like a completely different Tomorrowland

2009-11-03T22:35:00.000-08:00

Have you gone to the Haunted Mansion in hopes of becoming the 1000 ghoulish ghost only to be turned away because you didn’t bring your Death Certificate? Fear not, now you can procure your own Haunted Mansion death certificate. Just click on the link below….and hurry, they’ve been Dying to meet you!

http://www.yourdeathcertificate.com/

Alright so first of all, I realized that I never mentioned this in my blog before but about a week ago I interviewed for a Campus Rep position at my school and well…….I totally got it. That’s right, so although I am still waiting for my official ID to come in, I am a Disney Cast Member once again….so that’s that.

Top Four things to do in Future World besides riding the rides and playing in Innoventions

4. Play the Games in SSE- This may or may not come as a surprise to many of you but I am a kid. Sure I have a couple of years under my belt in college and okay, its already been a year since left the status of “teenager” behind me. At Disney World those don’t matter because I am a kid and I enjoy playing games. This is why the games at the end of Spaceship Earth made this list. I love exiting the ride and immediately running to the 3D skeleton game or the Neighborhood energy game with my friends and just have fun. In fact one time, my roommate Cong and I spent almost two hours playing the energy game because we saw two little kids get the highest score possible and we were determined to do the same or die trying…..it took us a while but we did it. Point is, they are ADDICTIVE.

3. Stare at Fish- Did you know, when I was younger, I was afraid to be too close to the fish tanks at the Living Seas because I was afraid the glass would break? True story. But today I enjoy following up my ride through the “Big Blue World” with a walk from fish tank to fish tank in the Living Seas…..and yes I insist on calling it the Living Seas just as I still call the park MGM Studios…..so meh. But seriously, if you are looking for a great place to kick back and relax in Future World, you probably can’t do any better than the Living Seas. From the fluid and fitting ambient music to the benches looking right into the Dolphin tank, the Seas provides an atmosphere that is as inviting as it is alive. If that doesn’t do it for you then you can always check out Turtle Talk with Crush, one of the most tubular technological advances Disney has ever made. But honestly, how could anybody get bored starring at……fish?

2. Get a Soda (Pop for you people from the north) from Club Cool- Do I really need to spend time explain this….fine, here’s the math…… College Student (You) + Free = No Brainer…….I just miss the frozen caveman

1. Picture Time- Sure, everybody loves getting their picture taken in front of Cinderella’s Castle or shaking hand with Mickey Mouse and that’s all fine and dandy but to me, some of the best places to get you picture taken at Disney World are in Future World. Here are a few of my preferred spots and time.

-Mission Space, next to the Giant Red Orb at dusk
- Spaceship Earth from behind the fountain (Bonus points if you hold a cup in the right position, you can make Spaceship Earth look like a scoop of ice cream in the cup)
-The Dancing Fountains outside of Honey I Shrunk the Audience and snap right when the water in above your head (Ninja reflex picture timing required)
- Next to the fountain of nations at night just as it is shooting water up
- The cars at the Test Track post show…..duh
- At night, standing on top of the timeline of inventors in Future World East (really neat lit up)
I’m sure there are much more that I am missing but hey…..its my list.

May you all have an enjoyable evening and a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

Why not us?

2009-11-02T21:58:00.001-08:00

First of all, if you were wondering what to ask Santa for Christmas, ask for the red monorail door.
http://mousesurplus.myshopify.com/

Second, two posts today? Can anyone say "King of the Lab!" (Bones is an awesome show)

I think back to a comment I made to one of the campus reps from up north who was talking about how he was preparing for four Professional Internship interviews. I asked him, jokingly, “Have you told Iger yet that to be on his toes because you are gunning for his job?” or something to that effect. At the time I was joking but looking back on it….why not? Why don’t we hold onto that over the top thinking, its not necessarily to much of a stretch? “Somebody” has to be the next president of the Walt Disney Company…..why not me, why not you? Many of you are getting ready to experience the Disney Company on a whole new level…..a professional level. Who knows what new doors the Disney College Program will open for you? A College Program could lead to a full time job or a Professional Internship which could lead to some managerial position and from there its just a ladder climb straight up. Hey, somebody has to fill the seat in the president’s office, why not one of us? All I know is that one day I’m going to be president of the Walt Disney Company and when I am…..who knows. Dream big, dream really big, dream in widescreen (thank you Ellen’s Universe of Energy). For the future has arrived and its up to you to blaze the road it travels on.

To close, I recall a drive to Disney back when I was about seven and I told my mom with all the truth and sincerity of a young dreamer’s dreams “When I grow up, I’m going to live in Cinderella’s Castle!” Three things you look for when buying a house…..location, location, and location.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

2009-11-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

First of all I just want to take a moment to thank the twelve subscribers I have right now. I expected to have maybe one subscriber total by this point and I have twelve times that. You Guys Rock!

I will be posting my real weekly post later tonight but this explains sort of what happened to the end of last week.

So I just finished a week with several tests, quizzes, and a 10+ page research paper to write. After all was said and done, for the first time ever, I went to write my blog post and I felt well...uninspired. I don’t know why because the one thing I look forward to everyday is writing on my blog. For whatever reason all I could do was stare at a blank white screen while nothing came to me. However, when Friday night came along I went to a Halloween party with some good friends and we started talking Disney. It was at that point that the weight of the whole week lifted off my shoulders in a giant whoosh (it could have been a swoosh, I’m not sure). And to quote a Muppet, a thought had cerebral cortexed into my cranium. I was once again inspired and I went home that night and I just started to write…a lot. So starting this week, tonight, we will experience THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED WEEK 1.5 because I wasn’t able to finish it last week. I have some great tips for the College Program and for your time in the parks as well as a few other surprises here and there. I recall a couple of posts in the past where I said that although you can have fun, remember that you are there to work…..I think I was wrong. It’s true that you have to work and do your job right in but the key is to have fun. You are there to have fun helping guests and enjoying the splendor and magic that is Walt Disney World. I leave you today with a quote from one of my all time favorite Disney World attractions:

One little spark of inspiration,
Is at the heart of all creation.
Right at the start of everything that's new,
One little spark lights up for you

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

It's here.....or at least almost here

2009-10-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

Today’s post is short but only because I am working on finishing my ten page paper on the Protestant Reformation for Friday so I can have my teacher look over it before next week. Tomorrow and Friday will be full posts I assure you.

I talked on Monday about Disney owning a time machine and then I told you that in reality they don’t have a time machine but rather a show that allows you to look into the “future.” So is time travel possible? The answer of course is yes and I just so happen to have the ability. How did I get this ability? I purchased it from the back of a comic book ad four proofs of purchase and $5.95 shipping and handling. In hindsight not one of my more financially sound moves. Where was I…oh right time travel. So I can use this ability on anybody anywhere. For example, I am currently using this power on you. As you read this, I am moving you second by second closer to your departure date for the Disney College Program. By now you are roughly anywhere from ten to fifty seconds (I say fifty so as to not let the slower readers feel bad) closer to that much anticipated date. Alright so it’s not a very practical gift and I probably should have gone with the X-ray glasses but you all get my point. Every second that elapses is another second closer you are to your Disney experience. And the question that you must ask yourself is, “Am I ready?” Have you started working on your Disney preparedness checklist? Do you know what you need to bring or how to get squared away at school? These are the things you must be considering now because the program will be here before you know and you probably don’t want to be like myself who waited until 10 p.m. the night before to start packing (it was an interesting evening though). That’s all I have to say for today so good day……I SAID GOODDAY! (I’m sorry, I’ve been watching WAY today much Newsradio lately)

Just a dream away

2009-10-27T21:27:00.001-07:00

The first thing I want to say, since it’s on ABC, how awesome was the Firefly reference on Castle yesterday (it kinda gave me chills)? If you have never seen Firefly before then after you finish this post, I suggest you click on this link (http://www.hulu.com/search?query=firefly&st=1) and watch at least the first five episodes. And if you haven’t seen Castle then I suggest you check it out every Monday night on ABC because it is one of the wittiest shows on TV right now.

It probably comes to no surprise to any of you that I love Disney and Disney music (and if it does well….SURPRISE!). Now although the park music is my favorite Disney music, there are complete Disney soundtracks that I find amazing. I think Hercules has the best soundtrack of the animated films with Mulan as a close second and believe it or not, I think Holes has the best live action soundtrack (it’s a great CD, check it out). I think Someday My Prince Will Come, as played by Myles Davis, and When You Wish Upon a Star, as sung by Louis Armstrong, are my favorite individual songs. Disney music just seems to possess the gift of stirring up amazing emotions inside all of us. Pop some popcorn or if your in college and like me can't afford popcorn then boil some Ramen and actually if your like me and you can't afford Ramen then graba bowl and pretend and enjoy my tale for today:

Around the country, high school seniors go on class trips that can be anything from ski trips Colorado to a class picnic in the park. In Florida we have an event called Grad Night where on particular nights, most of the senior classes from around the state enjoy an evening at the Magic Kingdom from about 8pm-4am *my times could be a little off). This is a great opportunity to ride the rides with minimal waits and enjoy the parks with your friends as a last HOORAH before you all go your separate ways. So that’s what we did. We arrived at about 9: 30, entered the parks, and walked side by side down Main Street USA (oh that Magic Kingdom in the Sky).Now as the seasoned Disney veteran my friends looked to me for what we should do first, so I lead the way and we hit up the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. The funny thing about Pirates was that Disney was so afraid students would leave the boats that they had cast members stationed in the ride sets every couple of feet, hiding in the shadows. After hitting a lot of the quick attractions we met up with more friends and all got in line for Splash Mountain. It was in this line that I had a moment that to this day still gives me chills thinking about it. We had just gotten to the part of the queue where you are standing next to the train station (which was abandoned because it is not operational on Grad Nights) when we heard and saw the first of the night’s fireworks exploding in the air. Now I should also mention that during Grad Night they don’t play the different land’s area music but rather current pop, rock, and rap (clean of course) and what should start playing but the new song by the All American Rejects, “The Future Has Arrived.” It was like a moment out of a cheesy high school movie: The park was dark and my friends and I were all together for one of the last times huddled trying to watch the fireworks coming up from the Castle from behind the train station while listening to how the future had arrived today. This is what I mean when I said Disney music has the power to stir up such great emotions and create great memories.

So as you plan for the arrival of you future whether it is the Disney College Program, another semester of school, or something that you know not of but you know it’s coming try to think about what kind of memories you have and what kind of memories you want to make. And enjoy a Disney song or to along the way because you never know what magic lies behind it. I would add another cheesy cliché but I’m kind of tapped out so until tomorrow……

Have a Great Big Beautiful Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond!!! (oh another good cliché)

We have to go Back to the Future......or we can just wait.

2009-10-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

First of all an interesting thing happened, I came up with two intros for today's post as I was writing this blog and since I couldn't figure out which to use, I just decided to include both (organized chaos I assure you).

Secondly I know I said that I would put up my thoughts on Spring holidays over the weekend and well.....I didn't. But it's for a good reason I assure you. I am trying to compose as good of a list as I can and since this holidays don't occur until the Spring (unless theirs a memo I didn't get, which is likely because no one tells me anything) then I have time to make as good of a list as I can.

And finally, those locked coordinates. *ACCESS GRANTED* We're in! Enjoy "THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED" week

Did you know that Walt Disney World has a time machine? Well they don’t, so if you answered “yes” then you are a liar liar and I think it’s a safe bet that your pants are currently on fire (if they are then you probably want to put them out). Okay they don’t have a time machine but they do have the next best thing, Walt Disney presents the Carousel of Progress. That’s right, step into the gear patterned building and take a trip through the 1900’s from gas lamps to electricity and all the way into the future with the high tech……car phones? Sure the attraction’s climactic futuristic scene is probably the future of twenty years ago (although we still don’t have voice activated ovens) but it’s still interesting none the less.

I thought Meet the Robinsons was a great movie. The story was interesting, the sight gags were funny (Todayland), and Disney really hit the lesson of “Keep Moving Forward” out of the park. Of course I am mentioning the movie because this week’s theme is “The Future Has Arrived” which you know, if you are a Disney fan I’m sure most of you, was both a song and another theme from the movie. It is a very “Disney” concept in the fact that from the time Walt opened the animation studio and even today in the parks and movies that came from the studio he really seemed to believe that the future had and was constantly within his reach. And now, several years into the new millennium, this heavy baton is passed onto current cast members and future cast members as I know many of you hope to be. If you don’t think you can shoulder this responsibility and you wish to opt out then you can sign up for mission control training in the advanced training lab just ask any member of the ISTC crew as for the rest of you report for your preflight briefing. It’s report time. But seriously, as a Disney Cast Member, it is an interesting feeling to be a part of a group that is truly writing both history and the future as it travels along this, our Spaceship Earth. (Oh snap, two EPCOT references in one post. Say what!)

Now I want to give you a look at the week ahead but to be honest I haven’t really thought that far ahead. So we’ll be playing it by ear but I assure you, it will be an interesting week.

Enjoy and have a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow!!!

Strange Short Post today

2009-10-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

I decided to go home for the weekend and because I didn't have access to my computer until about ten minutes ago, today is going to be an intro for tomorrows post (I know it's mind blowing, but let it sink in).

Today's post is sponsored by the letter "Y" as in "Y am I wide awake at at 1:34 in the morning?"

So it was brought my attention that there are actually people out there doing the Spring and Spring Advantage programs. This means that instead of missing out on the traditions of the smaller holidays such as Halloween and Christmas, they are missing out on such heavy hittters as St. Patty's Day and Valentine's Day (and possibly Chinchila Day, I'm still not clear as to what day that falls on). Now, because I did my program from May to January, everything I say from here on out is hypothetical; meaning this is what I would assume would be the best way to approach the holidays during your program. Why celebrate them? Why not.....it is the year of "What will you celebrate" after all. So check it out tomorrow: How to celebrate the Spring holidays on the program at Disney.

Whenever strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls

2009-10-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

That is one strange looking pumpkin.....the FDA should probably check it out.

And now presenting: The continuing adventures of "Yesterday's Post".......so epic!

Step 2: Party or Par-tay... I’ve heard it both ways. (Psych reference y’all)

Around Halloween time you will see two types of parties emerge: Costume Parties and Costume Parties. I know what you guys are thinking, “The Purple Folder is the greatest blog ever!” What do you mean that’s not what you were thinking? Oh, you want to know what I mean by Costume Party and Costume Party. Okay then here we go:

- Costume Party #1: This is your run of the mill costume party. I know somebody has to throw a party in order for there to be one but it would probably behoove you to “go” to one of the parties instead of being the one throwing the party. I say this because a little shindig with you and your closest friends will instantly turn into you and a hundred of your closest friends. Well whatever you decide to do, these parties are awesome. A lot of the time Cper’s will make a costume with whatever they have as opposed to buying one. A good example of this was my roommate Tom who went as Phantom Mickey and he wore his Mickey Mouse Groom’s top hat, his Mickey gloves, a cheap black masquerade mask, all black clothes, and a black bed sheet as a cape (It was pretty spiffy). You get to meet a lot of people and if done correctly, you can get your entire Halloween fill in just one arty (I know I did).

- Costume Party #2: These are an interesting “Disney” twist on a costume party and of course I’m talking about a party where everybody wear’s their work costumes. I am only going to mention this party because you will come across them and you should probably think before you go to one. Now if it is just a small gathering, then it is fine and it could really be a lot of fun. I would caution you to not go to one where there are a lot of people at for this one reason…..THOSE COSTUMES ARE BLOODY EXPENSIVE. When I say expensive I mean expensive. Disney uses their own custom fabrics and colors (and you will learn about all this when you get there), in fact I can’t confirm this but I heard that the full Tower of Terror costume is worth a couple thousand dollars all together (It’s insane). I think my costume all together was relatively cheap but I still wouldn’t have wanted to pay for any piece of it. And you will be charged for anything that is lost, stolen, or ruined. Again, these parties can be fun but think before you go.

Step 3: Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

You may ask me, “John, Why would I want to pay twenty some dollars (remember you get a discount) to be in the Magic Kingdom for a couple hours when at any other time of day I can get in for free?” If you have never been to MNSSHP before then you probably wouldn’t understand how special it really is (and if you have then I say shame on you for asking). The quick overview of it is the Magic Kingdom park is open from 7 pm until Midnight. It is a limited guest hard ticket event so the park is no where nearly as crowded as it would be during the day and you can walk onto every ride. The park is all decked out with Mickey ghosts, crazy pumpkins, and a ton of fog machines. Everybody is encouraged to wear costumes and they have special trick-or-treat stations throughout the park where you walk up with your bag and well…..you get candy. There are dance stations spread throughout the park with their own themed dance parties as well as free face painting stations where well……you get your face painted (pretty straight forward I think). The event also boasts the amazing Boo-To-You (the gravediggers in the parade are worth the price of admission, they are amazing) parade and the special Hallo-Wishes firework display. All in all it’s an amazing event where you and your friends can get dressed up and enjoy a very disneyfied (another word I’m coining) Halloween. My only warning is this: don’t over expose yourself to the Boo-To-You theme as it holds the same hypnotic powers as It’s a Small World. Once you hear it, it will never leave your head (I still sing it out loud from time to time when I’m not thinking).

Have a Zip-A-Dee-BOO-Dah-Day!!!!!

2009-10-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

Dead Men Tell No Tales.....so chnaces are I'm not dead and that's a good thing.

Today and tomorrow I will be going over my three steps to having an enjoyable Halloween and fall seasons. Now I am aware that quite a few of my readers (I have readers, WHOA) are doing the Spring sessions and as such you may feel that you can't get something out of this, but I say try to pull out the ideas of celebrating the seasons. Also, on Friday I will talk about the best ways to celbrate those "smaller" holidays that fall in the Spring session so....yea. Enjoy!

Step 1: Be Festive
Before I continue I feel it is necessary for me to provide this disclaimer:

I AM NOT MARTHA STEWART. I AM A MALE COLLEGE STUDENT WHO WAS LIVING WITH FIVE OTHER MALE COLLEGE STUDENTS SO IF ANY OF THIS SEEMS UNINSPIRED REMEMBER: SIX COLLEGE MALES NOT MARTHA STEWART. OH AND AS LONG AS YALL ARE READING THIS, HOW AWESOME IS LOST? KATE IS ANNOYING BUT BEN LINUS IS PROBABLY THE COOLEST TV CHARACTER ON TV WITH LEROY JETHRO GIBBS FROM NCIS AS A CLOSE SECOND. WAIT AM I STILL TALKING IN CAPS? SHOOT! WELL THAT IS ALL.

The first thing to consider is that simplicity will out. What I mean is that you probably don’t want to go cobweb crazy and you probably shouldn’t be turning your apartment into a haunted house. I say this because it can get real old real fast and after a twelve hour shift, the last thing you want is to be bombarded with Halloween ho-ha everywhere (or maybe you do, I don’t know). In fact, I recommend you decorate for the fall and not for Halloween. Some things consider include:

- Candles: For whatever reason, our apartment always seemed to smell stale. Our initial solution to this problem was sticking dryer sheets in the air vents which actually worked pretty well. Then one day in early October I was at Walmart with two of my roommates and they were having a sale on seasonal candles and we figured it couldn’t hurt to try so we bought four Glade Apple Cinnamon candles. We lit them as soon as we got home and there was a considerable difference after just ten minutes and so we kept at least one candle lit at all times. It felt good to come home from work or the parks everyday and be instantly hit with the smell of fall. To be honest I think this was the biggest key to getting into the Holiday spirit for me.

- Decorations: Again, we didn’t go overboard when it came to decorations. Thinking back on it, we only had about five pieces of fall décor around our apartment (granted we lived in Vista Way so we didn’t have a big place to begin with). Now again, we didn’t have anything specifically Halloween because we figured it would be good to have something for the season that would work well for Halloween but that we could also keep up for Thanksgiving and all (anything to make out apartment look better). We picked up a couple of small autumny (I’m coining that word) centerpiece items for our kitchen table, counter, and desk. Again, just simple autumn leaves and twig things we picked up on the cheap at Wallgreens. Then we also picked up two of those cinnamon brooms that they sell at Publix (local grocery store) that we hung up on our wall which both looked good and added to that autumn smell.

- Candy: When I say candy what I mean is a lot of candy. There is nothing better about Halloween then the day after Halloween when you are looking at the piles of “fun sized” candy that you still have around. We always had a bowl of some kind of candy going at all times. And we are not talking about a little cereal bowl with a couple Almond Joys and some Twix in it. NO! We had a huge bowl that you would see cooks preparing bulk salad in filled to the brim with everything from Skittles to Reeses and everything in between. Hey, either go big or don’t go at all.

And again these are just a few of the things you could do to bring Halloween and the season to you and your apartment. Tomorrow we will take a look at Step 2 and 3 which include the best ways to do a costume party and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-BOO-Dah-Day!!!

The Phantom of the.....Megaplex?

2009-10-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

The Tower of Terror!

First of did you see that title? I know, awesome Disney Channel original movie reference. Man I'm good.

I had an incredibly strange evening.....

I saw a sign yesterday about this ghost "expert" that was coming to do a presentation at out school. I've said it before and I'll say it again, "THERE ARE NO SUCH THING AS GHOSTS!" Why did I go then? I guess it's like a dinner show....minus the food. So she started off with this hour long presentation where she showed a bunch of slides of pictures that she and her friends had taken on their "ghost hunts." Apparently every blurry spot on every picture anybody has ever taken is some kind of spook or spector. After the presentation, we were all lead to the school's theater where we were told to get in touch with the spirits and I did hear something.....the kid fooling around with his skateboard in front of me. We were then told to explore every aspect of the theater and report back in a half hour with anything that we saw or discovered. Some people took the time to climb the cat walk and get on the roof, while others hid in different rooms trying to scare anybody that would pass by them. Me? I took this opportunity to creep up behind unsuspecting students and recite my favorite lines from the Haunted Mansion i nthe creepiest voice I could muster. Hey, to each their own. We then reconvened and some of the students recounted tales of doors slamming behind them and lights flickering......hocus pocus to me. Then she asked people if they had any questions and of course I had to say something. So I stood up, flipped through my notebook as if looking for notes that I knew wouldn't be there, and finally I asked in a serious inquisitve manner, "Is it true that Grim Grinning Ghosts come out to socialize?"

I know this story has nothing to do with the College Program but I just wanted to share it with yall. And because it was not necessarily a Disney tale, I will be adding an extra post this week on Saturday so.....yeah. Also, don't forget the last day to enter the contest is coming up on us fast so make sure you enter to win the super ultra secret....thingie.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

Boo To You.....and You and You and You

2009-10-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

This is an odd "ghostly" picture I took during the Boo To You parade.

I am pleasantly surprised about the amount of participation I had in the most recent theme poll. I put up the poll a couple weeks ago to choose this week’s theme and the whole time “The Future has Arrived” and “Let’s Go on an Adventure” were neck and neck. They were still tied at five o’clock today when I made the decision to hold those themes for next week and start a poll that just has those two as the option and do a different theme for this week. Then while I was writing the new article I saw that another vote was put in for “Future” and so I scraped what I was doing and started a new article for “Future” until……..yes, not even twenty minutes later a vote was put in for “Adventure.” So then I made my decision and here it is.

This week’s theme is “Holidays Part 1: Halloween.” Then next week I will do “The Future has Arrived Today.” And then finally, the following week will be “Let’s Go on an Adventure.” And then we will what happens from there on.

With Halloween inching closer and closer, I thought this week would be a good week to talk about holidays while you are in the program. Almost every family in the world has traditions during the different holidays. It could be something as big as throwing an annual Halloween or Christmas party or as small as maybe doing an Easter egg hunt or making special cakes on Valentines’ day. It could be that every year your family decorates the Christmas tree together or maybe you all go out to dinner on New Year’s Eve. Whatever it is, you have probably already realized that chances are this will be the first year you won’t be involved. Disney World is open every day and 85% of the time, College Program participants will be given those days (that’s just what happens). This week I will be discussing the many ways you can celebrate and enjoy the holidays. I am feeling great about this week because I feel this will all be information you will be happy to know. So until tomorrow….

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

My First Day and My First Magic Moment 2-2!

2009-10-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite picture from the upstairs of my old restaurant looking out onto Tom Sawyer's Island.

First of all, my response to this video is that there are no such thing as ghosts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFnmTVwSIp4&feature=pyv
Secondly. Why can’t we get this or something like this at Disney World?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kupAApHVP2c&feature=related

And now the uh….."epic".....conclusion to My fist day of work and my first magical moment. Enjoy!

I walked back out to the counter area, the place that I would be living for the better part of five-ish months. I say five-ish because I did spend about a month and a half at EPCOT working the Food and Wine festival but that’s a whole other story for a different day. The first thing I noticed about the counter area was that it wasn’t very big so I found myself sharing an area roughly four feet by maybe twenty feet with about seven other people. I was told to only concern myself with handing out trays of food, as I would not be trained to man the soda fountains until the next day. I could only wonder what intricacies and skills it could require to man one of these stations that I wouldn’t be allowed to work it for another twenty four hours. Whatever. So focused on the task at hand and went into overdrive as it was the lunch rush. It was a fairly easy job to do. First I took an order receipt from the printer next to the apple crisps and looked over what’s on the ticket. I then proceeded to grab the corresponding tray and completed the order with the proper drinks, deserts, and side items the order called for. Finally I would call out the order number and the guests would get their food. Rinse, Wash, and Repeat. It was actually pretty fun, like a video game you would play on an educational website. At one point drink filler at station one was called away for a moment and I was told to fill drink orders while she was away. So much for training……but again it was pretty straight forward. An order appears on the screen, you grab the appropriate sized cup, pour the drink, fill the order, and move on to the next. Again just Rinse, Wash, and Repeat. Now I can’t say anything about other jobs outside of Disney World because truth be told I have never held a “common” job before this but even though I was simply moving food from point A to point B, I loved it. I got a real feeling of satisfaction when I would ask a guest how their day was going or what their favorite ride was so far and they would go on for ten minutes about everything they had done that day. Maybe it was because they were excited or maybe it was because they were talking about Disney but I loved listening to them and asking them, “and then what happened?” Anyways, to continue the story, there was only fifteen minutes left in my job and I had yet to perform my first magical moment for a guest. Just then I saw one of my fellow cast members from Brazil give a little girl with a Disney birthday pin a chocolate cake because it was her birthday. Apparently that’s one of the things we did as a magical moment (but apparently we stopped doing it towards the end of my program). So now I was keeping my eyes open for a birthday pin but with three minutes left for my day I worried that I wouldn’t be able to give one on my first day. And then I saw him. There was a little boy coming up at one of the stations that I wasn’t working at and I grabbed a cake and rushed to that station. And when the little boy reached the counter I gave him the cake and wished him a “happy Birthday!” When my shift was over I was grabbed by my trainer again and she congratulated me on a successful first day on the job. And truth be told, I gave myself a little pat on the pack and knew……this is going to be a pretty wild ride. As Mr. Toad would say, “We’re merrily merrily merrily on our way to nowhere in particular.”

I had a magical first day and I hope that those of you who are planning to do the program will have as an enjoyable first day and as an amazing of a program as I did.

And until next time.....

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day

My First Day and First Magic Moment 1 of 2!

2009-10-16T20:16:00.001-07:00

First of all a piece of advice. As I write this I kick myslef for not having kept any sort of blog or journal during my program. I do remeber just about all of the details, I don't have any sort sense of time during this entry. I believe on my first day I went from 10:30 until 4:30. So just note to yourself that it is a good idea to keep a journal or something. And now I present part 1 of my first day. Enjoy.......

I was told to report to a particular white bench underneath the Magic Kingdom, I arrived there an hour beforehand just in case. And as I sat there, I watched the other new Cast Members coming and going. They were all wearing the costumes of their new work location and all with the same look of fear and excitement. Then it was my turn. A lady approached me, dressed from head to toe like Betsy Ross. She asked me, “Are you John?” I looked down at my chest to make sure I was wearing a name tag that said John ( I was) and I looked back up and said, “Yes.” I stood up and I followed her down the rabbit hole known as the Utilidors. We went down two hallways and found ourselves in front of an elevator. We got in the elevator and it took us up to a patio behind the restaurant where I met a few of my would be fellow Cast members. Then my trainer, who was an extremely nice lady, gave me the rundown of the restaurant and handed me a packet which gave a background of the restaurant, Cast Member guidelines, the menu, and a list of what’s inside all of the food items we sell. I was told to know it well. We then went inside the restaurant and instantly, everyone of my senses were put to work. I could smell fish and fires frying. There were a lot of dishes clanging and orders being filled. I saw both Cast Members dressed in 1700’s garb mingling with Cast Members wearing their cooking outfits. It was a little over whelming but I quickly gained my bearings. I was brought out to the counter area for all of ten seconds where I met the rest of the people I would be working with for the next seven months. We then proceeded out to the dining area, up a flight of stairs, and into a back area where I met the area manager (again one of the nicest people I’ve ever met). Then before I knew it I was being whisked down another set of stairs and I found myself once more in the patio area by the elevator where they had a small selection of the menu items for me to sample. The fish, chicken, and Mac n cheese were the best. When I finished, another girl grabbed me and told me she would be helping me with the next phase of my training and that for the last two hours of my shift I would be at the counter filling orders. This was the moment I had been waiting for. It was game time!

To be continued tomorrow…….

Everyone has a Magic Moment

2009-10-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

I was originally going to post a list of different locations around Disney World and what magical moments they provide. But alas the list I compiled is on my laptop in my dorm and well......I'm not at my dorm room. So I will be posting that list on Saturday or Sunday as a bonus post and today I have a couple links to check out where Disney fans have posted their favorite magic moments. Check them out and feel good.

Passporters
http://www.passporter.com/wdw/vacationermagicmoments.htm

Magic Moments
http://www.magicmoments.org/stories2.php

Mgmcinnis' flickr page of Magic Moments
http://www.flickr.com/groups/waltdisneyworld/discuss/72157603258180847/

Do you have a Magical Moment you want to share? Leave a coment below with your favorite Magical Moment.

Tomorrow I have one of my favorite articles up to this point. I am going to walk you through my first day of work at the Magic Kingdom and the first Magis Moment I preformed as a Disney Cast Member......so stay tuned.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

The Magic is Inside All of Us

2009-10-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

Today we are talking about creating very simple and basic but definetly worth it Magical Moments. The following are three examples of how, on your days off in the park, you can make fellow guest's experiences that much more magical. For your convenience I have also included what not to do along with them.

Do: Take a guest’s picture- One of the only downsides to modern day cameras is that someone in the party has to take the picture. This is where you come in. If you see a family in front of Cinderella’s Castle or anywhere else ask them if you can take the picture for them. Although they will probably forget you five minutes later, you can take solace in the fact that you just made one of their cherished family moments that much more complete

Don’t: Take a guest’s picture- I cannot emphasize enough just how creepy it is to follow guests around taking their picture……without them knowing

Do: Enjoy the splendors of Pin Trading- Disney struck the Magic gold mine when in 1999 they started the Pin Trading trend in the parks. And this is a trend that you should consider jumping aboard when you head on down to Disney. Not only is it a fun thing to collect but it also encourages guests interaction. I can’t tell you how many conversations I struck up with other guests on my days off that start with them wanting to trade and ends with us riding Splash Mountain together. It’s fun for everyone.

Don’t: Enjoy the splendors of Pin Trading- There is something about the innocence of a child that is, in it’s purest form, Magical. This unfortunately, however, makes pin trading with kids a tough thing to do because their idea of value is not determined on monetary or rarity scale but rather what they like the best. So if they like one of those incredibly common and inexpensive “Disney Cutties” pins, then they would be willing to trade a rare limited edition pin without a second thought. Please do not take advantage of this. In fact, this was particularly difficult when I was on the clock because a Cast Member can’t refuse a trade. So what I would do is trade with the kid but then give the mother or father the rare pin and tell the parents to encourage the kids to continue to pin trade but to explain that some pins are more “special” than others.

Do: Give away your Fast Pass: Now I’m not saying that you should spend your days off standing in front of E-ticket attractions constantly getting Fast Passes to hand out. However remember that you are going to be at Disney World for several months and the guests are there for about three to five days. So if you and your friends are enjoying the park and you have, let’s say fast passes for Test Track, when it’s time for you to report for the passes take a quick look at the stand by line. If you see a particularly long line consider giving one of the families your fast passes. They will appreciate it and you can continue to enjoy the park knowing that you just made their vacation.

Don’t: Give away your Fast Pass: I know I wrote “Give Away Fast Passes” but what I actually mean is “Don’t: Sell Your Fast Passes.” Believe it or not I saw a gentleman outside of Soarin selling his two Fast Passes and what’s worse that someone bought them for ten dollars. That is one of the biggest ways to cheapen the magic of Walt Disney World and a quick way to get yourself kicked out of the parks.

So take some of these things to heart when you are enjoying one of your days off. Also don't forget to check out the contest I posted yesterday and submit your entry.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

Magic and My First Contest!

2009-10-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

I talked briefly of creating Magic yesterday I think before you consider how you can make magic for the guests, you should just sit back and think for of the magic Disney has made for you. Let’s face, if you are reading this then chances are Disney has had an impact on your life. Today I am talking about a special type of moment…..the moment that you realize, “I’m at Walt Disney World.” This moment can come from getting your tickets, passing through the property gates for the first time, checking into your hotel and seeing Disney everywhere, or your first step on Main Street of the vacation. These moments have become almost necessary in keeping up the magic of Disney everytime you go to the parks.

Here are two of mine

My first moment that I know “I’m at Disney World” doesn’t even occur on Disney property. When we drive up to Disney we get on the highway before mile marker one and we know that it’s a straight shot north until mile marker 249. This is the exit onto Osceola Parkway which is a road that shoots right into Disney World. Well when I was young my parents were surprising us with a trip to Disney World and they didn’t tell us until we were actually in the EPCOT parking lot. But when we were getting off at the 249 exit my dad turned back to us since we were constantly asking where we were going (let’s face it, three hours in a car as a little kid feels like two weeks). And he started with a serious face but then changed it to a smile and said “We’re here. Kids were going to Weiner World.” We of course believed him and thought we were going to a hotdog theme park……Oh…..Boy. And from then on that exit serves as both a reminder of a great vacation and a landmark that tells me that we’re there.

I live about three and a half hours south of the parks and because of this our family tends to leave for a Disney vacation in the afternoon so that we will arrive at night and get settled. This means that our park experience starts the following morning and 99% of the time, we start at Animal Kingdom. What’s the ride we do first? Nope not Expedition Everest. Why would you say Triceratops Spin……I mean no not Triceratops Spin. The answer is Dinosaur. There is something complete about this ride experience that starts as soon as I enter the building and I’m met with the scientific ramblings of well…….Bill Nye the Science Guy. I then enter the theater where I am greeted what is arguably the second best preshow video in all the parks. The doors open up. I round a corner and as soon I step out onto the loading area and I watch the cars fill up and head out, I am filled with every emotion my body can hit me with. One near death experience and an Iguanadon later, I know that I am at Disney World.

Now It's Your Turn

I have told you two my “I’m at Disney World” moments and now I want to know what’s yours. What is the moment that fills you with joy and makes you scream “I’m at Disney World?” In fact let’s make this more interesting. Leave your moment in the comment box below before October 31 at 11:59 P.M. and I will pick one entry at rondom to win…..something. I don’t know what yet and it probably won’t be anything big but it’ll be something and let’s face it, a prize is prize. So just leave your moment in the comment box below and as always….

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

Wrapped Up In pixie Dust!

2009-10-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

Look I completed a puzzle ...a couple years ago.

First of all, today is going to be a relatively short post because I just came back from the most amazing Monday Night Football game I have ever seen and my brain is going haywire. That being said I am "uber" excited about some of the articles I have planned and prepared for this week.

I mentioned in a previous post that I am always on disney forums and I always try to find a new Disney blog or vlog to enjoy. And when I reviewed all these different medias, there is one common factor that makes me proud to have had the chance to have done the College Program and makes me that much more excited to do it again. The one common trait that I see is......"I want to help the guests" "I want to make their time at Disney World or Disneyland as magical as possible." This is not a sentiment you will normally find working at other parks because this is a tradition Walt Disney established back when he started his animation studio and when he opened Disneyland in 1955. It's such an amazing tradition of service that is in it's truest essence, the greatest feeling of all.

It's the feeling of:

-Satisfaction you get when you trade pins with a little kid

-Joy inside when you witness a little four year old's first encounter with Mickey Mouse and he runs up and hugs him like an old friend

-Excitment on a guests face when recommend your favorite place to eat

- Rush you get when a guest says thank you

That is why this week is MAGICAL MOMENTS WEEK. This week I will be sharing a couple of my cast member stories, a top five list of how to carry these traits over when you are a guest in the park, and a few other articles relating to what you can do as a cast member to make a guest's vacation truly......well, MAGICAL.

Have a Zip-A-Dee........no wait.

Have a Magical Day!

What do you know?

2009-10-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

First of all as the first themed week is coming to a close I am feeling good about how the blog flows and I will definetly continue this format and so starting tomorrow I am putting up a poll where you can vote on the theme that I will cover in two weeks as I already have a theme picked out for next week. Well on with the show.......

Who did what to whom when? Where was what built why? How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood? Alright so that last question is slightly irrelevant (unless of course you are an avid fan of woodchucks and or random knowledge in which case let me apologize for…..whatever). Anyways my point is we are always asking questions and gaining more information. But what has this knowledge gotten you or how have you been able to use this knowledge?

Let me say first however, when you get to the site I recommend you sign up and join the community if you haven’t already. WDW Radio is an amazing site started by one of the front runners of the online Disney “fan club” age, Lou Mongello. He has written two WDW Trivia books, hosts his own podcast (go onto Itunes right now and subscribe to WDW Radio……and while you’re there also check out Inside the Magic, another good podcast), started the WDW Radio forums (originally WDW Trivia forums), hosts different Disney meets, and started his own charity that supports Make-A-Wish and helps children go to Disney World.
Today I present you with four links to different areas of the site and I highly recommend you check them all out. And remember, Knowledge is Power.

General Disney Trivia
http://www.wdwradio.com/Walt-Disney-World-Trivia.html
Disney World/ General Disney Crossword Puzzles
http://wdwradio.com/Walt-Disney-World-Crossword-Challenges.html
Disney Trivia Quizzes
http://www.wdwradio.com/forums/downloads.php?do=cat&id=6
And the link to his charity
http://wdwradio.com/Dream-Team-Project.html

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

Now I'm the king of the swingers oh, the jungle VIP

2009-10-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

What do John Lassetter and Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson have in common? No this is not a joke and there’s no witty punch line (though boy howdy there’s some potential there). Anyways they both worked at a Disney Park before they became famous. In fact Disney Parks has really amassed an interesting list that reads as a real Who’s Who of the entertainment world. To see a small list of some of these past Cast Members turned media super stars check out this link http://bit.ly/VUYOg .

I say this because when you start your College Program, you are embarking on a journey with amazing possibilities on the horizon. The Disney Company has more branches to it than the Tree of Life. If you are interested in television, movies, art, ect. You can try to follow your Program with a Professional Internship at the Disney Studios or Imagineering. If hospitality or management is you thing then you can look at the many Internships at the many Disney Parks…….around the world. Honestly, whatever your major is there is a perfect internship or position out there for you with Disney. But in order to give yourself the chance to pursue a successful career it comes down to determination and “wanting it” more than anyone else. Take advantage of the different classes, seminars, and other miscellaneous networking opportunities that the College program can provide you. If you sell yourself as the best Cast Member, then maybe you could be the next John Lassetter or Steve Martin or something even better.

I leave you today with three quotes from Walt Disney that I hope will inspire you to dream big and do well.

“If you can dream it, you can do it"

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

"All our dreams can come true...if we have the courage to pursue them"

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

Whatchu Talkin About.......Woody?

2009-10-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

Seldom, if ever, an event comes along that forces me to drop everything that I am working on and throw all of my focus on “it.” Alright, so it’s really not all that rare for me (I’m very much a focus……oh wait there’s a shiny thing sort of person). Anyways this time it was an event so epic, so monumental that I was able to sacrifice three hours and ten dollars (that I don’t really have to spend) to attend. That’s right, I’m referring to a Toy Story 1 and 2 Double Feature…….in 3D.

Disney and Pixar did an amazing job polishing up these classic films and rendering them in 3D and it has me extremely excited for both the Princess and the Frog and Toy Story 3……….in 3D. But this article isn’t a review of the movie because how would that fit into the WHO ARE YOU WEEK, honestly. No, instead I want to introduce you to the "who would say that" moment of at least this week. So I went to the 7:30 screening of this movie with a couple of friends of mine and Toy Story had already finished and we were just getting to the end of Toy Story 2. Wait first let me say that there is a potential spoiler ahead and if you haven’t seen Toy Story 2 yet then ……well continue reading this anyways because if you haven’t seen it after ten years then chances are you weren’t planning on watching it anyways and I say shame on you and I ban you from my blog (On a serious note though if you really haven’t seen it yet please don’t stop reading my blog because I only have like nine followers so I can’t afford to lose any). ANYWAYS, we were at the part where Woody and the gang just sent Stinky Pete packing and they were on the tarmac chasing down the plane to save Jesse. And my friend blurts out without thinking, “there’s no way they would be able to just run around on the air strip without security stopping them.” HOLD UP. So the fact that they are living, breathing, talking toys doesn’t raise a red flag and the fact that said toys could keep up with a plane while riding on a fabric toy horse doesn’t raise one either. But the fact that Woody and Buzz weren’t stopped by security for being a potential terrorist does…….well. I guess all I can say is kudos to John Lassetter and company, you have one believer.

Any hoo. That’s all. Again if you haven’t yet seen the Double Feature in theaters I highly recommend you check it out in the next couple of days while it is in theaters. And as always…….

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

Who Who, Who Who

2009-10-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

HELLO: My Name is…..

As a continuation of WHO ARE YOU WEEK we look at two ways to meet many guests and cast members during your program or vacation. These are two separate ideas that unfortunately I wasn’t able to take advantage of or utilize when I was doing my program so I suggest yall consider looking into doing one or both of these.

For Cast Members
Purchase a medium sized notebook. Make sure it is something small enough that you can carry around with you everywhere you go. Now every time you meet a new CP, ICP, or Cast Member you hit it off with take down their name, where they are from, and their email address (mostly because you will find a lot of people either don’t have a phone or have a throw away phone). This is a good thing to keep track of for three reasons. The first is that it allows you to keep track of everybody that you meet because you will meet a lot of people. The second is that it allows you to keep in touch with your friends when your program is over. And third, it would be neat to be able to look back at it ten years from now and see all these people from all these countries and know that you were a part of something big.

For Guests
I heard this tip on one of the Disney podcasts a while back and after I heard it I started kicking myself for not thinking about it. First purchase one of the Disney autograph books which can be picked up at just about any gift shop (if you can’t find a gift shop within arm’s reach then chances are you are not at Disney World). Then when it’s your day off take it with you as you explore the park and whenever you are in line for a ride, shopping in the stores, or just meandering, ask random guests to sign your autograph books. It’s a neat way to meet new people and learn a little bit about where they are from. Plus at the end of your program you will have a cool souvenir with guest signatures from around the world (the real world….not the Disney World).

Oh and I'm in that picture above from back when I was......12?
Anyways,

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

Who Are You? Who Am I?

2009-10-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

I said last week that this week I will be starting my themed weeks and I came up with and wrote down seventy themed week ideas. Why seventy you ask? The answer is quite simple……I dunno that’s just what I came up with. Then I came up with a really complicated and technical scientific method to pick from random what the first ever theme would. Alright, so I picked the theme out of a hat (that’s as scientific as it gets for a business major). So without further ado, the theme for the week is….

WHO ARE YOU WEEK

Today I want to talk about creating a niche for yourself. What I mean by this is, do you want to be the anonymous Cast Member that pointed the guest to Rock n Rollercoaster or the Cast Member that that was able to not only point to RnR but also told them the best time to ride it as well as suggestions for what to do after? Do you want to be the Cast Member that sold the guest a turkey leg and bottle of water or the Cast Member that made the sale but also made the guest laugh so hard that said water shoots from the guests nose (but hopefully not on you)? If you answered any of these questions……then you didn’t realize that they were rhetorical but I applaud the effort. But yes you want to stand out and make the extra effort because although the guests will always remember how much fun the rides were and how good the food was, they will also remember how helpful or how charming a particular Cast Member was and how they made their experience more Magical.

Here a few the type of Cast Members that guest appreciate. Is this you?

The “funny” one- You are the person who knows that you don’t have to be a Jungle Cruise Skipper to make guests laugh and have fun. You can make something as simple as selling french fries or loading guests onto Spaceship Earth a fun experience for both the guests and your fellow Cast Members. The first thought that comes to your mind is “Make ‘em laugh.”

The ”Disney Trivia” one- You are the person who knows when every attraction and restaurant was built, who designed it, who sponsored it, and how much it cost to build. Your brain knows nothing but Disney and you are ready with an interesting fact about anywhere whenever you can find a guest interested to listen. There is no question that you love to hear more than “What’s that?”

The ”nice” one- “Have a magical day” and “How may I help you” are the only things that seem to come from your mouth. You are concerned for the guest’s well being and by gosh by golly you’re going to help them. You are first person to offer to take a family’s picture and the last person to refuse to to fulfill a guest’s needs. Kudos for you if this is who you are

The “let me let you in on a little secret” one- You are the person who will tell the guest where the best place to see Illuminations from or how best to approach the parks based on crowd capacity. You thrive off of the pleasure the guests give when they feel as though you just let them in on the biggest secret in Disney World even if what you told them was which bathroom has the best toilet paper (it’s the Grand Floridian by the way).

As you finish reading think about this: What kind of Cast Member do I want to be? It doesn’t have to be one of the ones above but what kind of Cast Member do you want to be known as?

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

Pardon Our Pixie Dust

2009-10-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you tuning in for the TOP FIVE list I am sorry to tell you that there is not one this week. Why? I am working hard to improve the quality of my articles which I feel could be better and I am working on getting everything set for the new format change (plus school is keeping me pretty busy). But I have already written the articles for next week and they are really top notch so stay tuned. Today however I thought I would give a couple of the quick bullet points about the changing format of my blog and a look at what’s in store for the coming weeks. Let’s do this:

-Each week will have a theme and so each article for that week will have to do, one way or another, with the week’s theme

-I am keeping the general format of the articles but I not going to follow it to the tee…….they’re more like “guidelines” anyways

-I hope to get my readers involved more so if you come up with a question that you want answered, an idea for an article or week theme you want me to cover, or just any thoughts in general post them in the comment section of any of my posts and I will see about following through with them

-I am hoping to start a recurring Q&A section where I interview some of my friends that did work or are still working at some of the cooler attractions, shows, restaurants, ect.

-And depending on how you and your vehicle hold up we may even choose to throw a few surprise tests! Ummmm surprise tests?

-Some of the upcoming themed weeks include Boo To You, Bon Apetite, There’s No Place Like Home, Live Together or Die Alone (It’s a LOST reference and not something morbid, trust me) and many more. In fact I have compiled a list of close to seventy themes that I could try and play with. And again, if you have any ideas for themes you would like to see just tell me and I will try to work it in.

Now here are the answers to yesterday’s quiz.

The Monorail (EASY)
1 M-I-C-K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E
2 Jiminy Cricket
3 Two

You Must Be This Tall to Ride (MEDIUM)
4 The Haunted Mansion and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
5 Mission Space and Dinosaur
6 The Commons

The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness (Hard)
7 Mickey’s Starland and Mickey’s Birthdayland
8 Walter Cronkite
9 28 sets of stairs

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

I know what Disney is Celebrating!

2009-10-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

First of all I want to wish a Happy 38th Birthday to the Magic Kingdom and a Happy 27th Birthday to EPCOT.

Secondly that there will be a new format to this blog starting next week and I am excited about the potential and the possibilities that this new format will allow me. I will release details about this change on either Saturday or Sunday.

Thirdly I found myself laughing hysterically about a D23 video I had not yet seen and to watch it click on the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaNMXeFWIWA&feature=related

Because of the birthdays of the two parks I have a quiz to test your Disney World and Cast Member knowledge. There are a total of 999 uhhh……I mean 9 questions of increasing difficulty. I will be posting the answers in tomorrow’s post. So without further ado let’s do this.

The Monorail (EASY)

1 Finish the song: Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me, ______ _____ !

2 And Now Presenting: Who is the host of the Magic Kingdom nighttime fireworks show, Wishes?

3 Cast Member question: The cast member point consists of at least how many fingers?

You Must Be This Tall to Ride (MEDIUM)

4 Gone but not forgotten: What two attractions have a tribute to Mr. James Thaddeus Toad (aka Mr. Toad)

5 I know you: What two attractions feature actors that are currently on a CSI show?

6 Cast Member question: What is the name of the Disney housing complex that only International College Program students that work at EPCOT can stay at?

The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness (Hard)

7 Back in the Day: Before it was Mickey’s Toontown Fair, what two temporary lands occupied that area?

8 Speak Clearly: Who was the narrator of Spaceship Earth after it reopened from it’s first renovation in 1986?

9 Cast Member question: How many sets of stairs are there from the Utilidors in the Magic Kingdom into the park?

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

X Marks the Spot

2009-09-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying I’m feeling good today. Wait, scratch that. I’m feeling AMAZING today. In fact scratch that too. I’m having a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day.

Now today’s tip is not one that you do in the park but that you can do right now. Many people do not realize but Disney Parks actually have a map customization program on their site where you can customize your own Walt Disney World maps with your favorite attractions and restaurants marked. And best of all, when you’re done they will mail your customized maps to you for….wait for it……FREE! I know that as soon as I heard of this I ordered my maps right away. And when I got them I was completely blown away by how amazing they looked. Anyways, here is the link to the maps page http://bit.ly/pKoFC.

I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate those who have been accepted into the program including Eric, Princess Ashlie, and old roommate Tom. I also want to say to those who are still awaiting a reply and those who haven’t had their interview yet, GOOD LUCK!!!! And finally those who are applying for a future season or who are just fans reading this blog, in the words of Walt Disney “Keep Moving Forward.”

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!

FOCUS DUDE!

2009-09-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

If you are reading this blog then must have a passion for the Walt Disney Company, the College Program, and possibly future employment in the company. And the last thing you want to do while you are on the program is do anything to harm your chances of working for Disney again. That is why, if you follow only one piece of advice I have ever or will ever post it’s this one. First though look around you for a scrap of paper or a note card and any sort of writing instrument in your general vicinity. You have it? Great! Now write down the following in big letters:

“REMEMBER WHY I’M HERE.”

Now that you have that done stick it into your wallet, purse, or whatever you carry around with you. Make sure you always know where it is and when you start your program make sure you bring it with you. It only takes one day. On my program I knew any fellow CP’s who were sent home packing for making the stupid mistakes and thinking about only the short term gain and not focusing on the big picture. You do not want this to happen to you. If you tarnish your record by getting terminated or racking up reprimands then you make the job of the cast members in charge of the Professional Internships and casting in general real easy. So to conclude this post here are some points to focus on as well as some common mistakes to avoid.

Think about it

-You are there to work fun and have fun second. Yes you are in Disney World and it’s fun to explore the parks and Orlando in general but don’t skip work just to have fun.

-If you are a minor, it isn’t worth having a beer or going to a friend’s place to drink. They really crack down on underage drinking and if you are found with alcohol in a wellness apartment then you are also putting your roommates in danger of termination as well. Plus you don’t want to have to leave just because you wanted a buzz.

-Just because you are a cast member does not mean you have any more rights than a guest when you are in the parks. Point being, when you are in the park act like youare a guest because guess what.....you are. And don’t try to draw attention to the fact that you are a cast member when you are exploring the park, only bad things can happen.

-And finally I can’t stress this one enough because I was told about six people during my program that were termed because of it. Do not I repeat do not try to sneak anyone into the apartment complexes. If it’s too late at night then tough or they weren’t granted access for whatever reason, then tough. Trust me, it is not worth it to have them over for the night if it means you are putting yourself or your roommates at risk

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

Quiet on the set, roll the Links, and ACTION!

2009-09-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

Let me start this post off by saying that these are by far my favorite of the links that I have posted so far. With that being said, On With The Show:

Over the past week I have talked to three different people, all of who said that they would love to work on the Great Movie Ride. And why not? There is a fun spiel, there are two potential story lines, you can be a ride operator or a thug or even a bank robber, and of course there’s that great movie montage at the end of the ride. So I was inspired to post this link which was put together by a fan of the attraction and which features the many different movie montages The Great Movie Ride had featured over the years. Enjoy!

http://prettygoodmovieride.com/

This next couples of links are commercials but stay with me on this one. These are what I will call my top five commercials that really carry the Disney spirit with it. Enjoy!

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ2KHcGksw8&feature=related
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM-8SrBbOTE
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahGsElNsaQM
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flrt_cs6Dms and yes that’s Dr. Taub from House
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2KojRy5na4&feature=related

Last week I said that this week I would post what is arguably one of my favorite Disney links and here it is. Have you ever wanted to work a Disney attraction? Of course you have, it’s the most requested position on the College Program. Well now you can have a taste of what it’s like to control such rides as the Tower of Terror, Expedition Everest, and a few others including some extinct attractions like Who Wants to be a Millionaire Play It. So go to the site, click one of the simulators on the right side of the screen, and have fun. (Hint: Don’t get frustrated if you can’t figure it out right away. Just think of what the next logical step in the process is and do it).

http://themagical.nl/

Have an Actual, Factual, and of course Satisfactual Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!!!

Three top five......that's like fifteen

2009-09-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I took a look at my calendar and I saw that I had a tough two weeks ahead of me that included three quizzes, three tests, and a handful of essays and papers to do. And I sit here now, in front of my desk, feeling relived that I am half way through but also looking at the week ahead knowing that I still have a few more challenges including an Accounting test to complete before I can really breathe easy again (until I have to do it all over again of course). These weeks however did help inspire my Top Five list for today. So with that said here are the three quick top five places to relax and take it easy at Walt Disney World.

Top Five Relaxing Rides (There’s kind of a theme here)
5. Ellen’s Universe of Energy (EPCOT)
4. La Gran fiesta Tour (EPCOT)
3. Tomorrowland Transit Authority (Magic Kingdom)
2. Living with the Land (EPCOT)
1. Spaceship Earth (EPCOT)

Top Five Relaxing Hotels and surrounding areas
5. Grand Floridian
4. Port Orleans Riverside
3. Animal Kingdom Lodge
2. Fort Wilderness Campgrounds
1. The Boardwalk

Activities around the “World”
5. Mini Golf at Winter/Summerland
4. EPCOT World Showcase Segway Tour
3. Rent a Surrey Bike with friends and bike around the Swan and Dolphins, Yacht and Beach Club, and Boardwalk resort
2. Rent a single person motor boat and ride around the Seven Seas Lagoon
1 Attend a campfire at the Fort Wilderness campgrounds

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

Think About It.

2009-09-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

There are many good things about the Disney College Program but probably the neatest thing is getting to meet, live, and work with other college students from around the world. During my program I worked with kids from France, China, Romania, England, Haiti, Jamaica, Brazil, and few other countries. I actually worked with a student from the Netherlands at EPCOT that spoke nine languages (INSANE). Oh and this one time……wait what? My point? Oh yeah my point is this, it would behoove you to try to familiarize yourself with some different cultures before you head out. I’m not saying that you have to be able to identify every body of water in the country or to learn to speak a bunch of foreign languages fluently but just have a basic understanding of where they are coming from. Try to focus on the big countries (England, France, China, Brazil) but if you have the time explore other cultures. I tell you from experience, they do appreciate the effort to make them feel more welcome (Oh and if you are an ICP student coming to America and you think it’s weird, just humor us). So here it goes:

What you should know
-Where the country is
-What the capital and or two or three other big cities
-At least three interesting facts (good ice breaker)

Learn to say in the language (another good ice breaker)
-Hello
-How are you?
-I’m doing (good, bad, okay)
-Thank You
-I just saw a platypus highjack a blue Prius in the Magic Kingdom parking lot. (just in case)
-Goodbye

Good luck and enjoy. Oh and have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

Your Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah Tip for today

2009-09-23T16:07:00.001-07:00

My WDW tip for today is a basic run down of the best of the best table service restaurants around the "world."

Magic Kingdom

Liberty Tree Tavern- Admittedly the Magic Kingdom doesn't have a large. The Liberty Tree Tavern has arguably some of the best food in on Disney property. My top three entrees on the menu are probably The Clam Chowder, The Chicken Pasta, and The New England Pot Roast. The atmosphere is also a definite plus in this restaurant because it has a real “welcome home” real to it with all the nautical knick knacks hung everywhere.

Hollywood Studios

The Fifties Prime Time Café- Let me first say that if you want the best atmosphere then go to the Sci-Fi Drive-in. My choice for best overall restaurant in the Studios has to be the 50’s Prime Time. As soon as you step into the restaurant you are at home……oh and you are now roughly eight years old (yes mom and dad too). Your “mother”, “father”, or “cousin” takes your order and then makes sure you wash your hands (Be warned…..they ask you what color the soap is to make sure you do). Then you watch old 1950’s TV shows until dinner is served. The food is traditional family dinners better than your mom used to make (with the exception of mom of course). The best items on the menu are probably the meatloaf dinner and the turkey dinner. All and all it’s a warm meal at a home many miles from your own.

Animal Kingdom

Yak and Yeti- All right I’m not going to go into too much detail on this one for two reasons. The first is that I have only eaten here once and the second it’s really the only sit down restaurant in the Animal Kingdom. What I will say is that the food is definitely good and if you haven’t eaten here before it’s worth a try. But there are enough quick service locations with good variety in the park that if you didn’t eat here you wouldn’t really be missing much. My favorite quick service location though is the Flame Tree BBQ (primarily the Ribs with Cornbread).

Now by far the hardest one

EPCOT

This really is a hard one because let’s face, you really can’t go wrong. That being said I have broken EPCOT into a couple of small categories.
-Best Food: Le Cellier- For those of you who don’t know, Le Cellier is the steakhouse in the Canadian pavilion. It has some of the best steak I have ever had and the pretzel bread that they give you at the beginning of your meal and it is AWESOME.
-Best Atmosphere: San Angel Inn- As soon as you walk into the Mexican pavilion it is immediately night time in a lively Mexican city. The neat thing about this restaurant is, much like the Blue Bayou in Disneyland that looks out on the Pirates of the Caribbean boats, this restaurant is right on the water that La Gran Fiesta Tour goes through. When you put this all together it leads to a great relaxing meal.
-Most Entertaining: Teppanedo- Your food is cooked right in front of you by a show chef…….do I have to say more.
-Best Restaurant at Night: The Rose and Crown Pup- This restaurant located in the England Pavillion has too types of seating. You can sit inside the pub around the bar OR you can sit outside around the World Showcase lagoon. So if you sit outside and you time your meal right you will have a breathe taking view of Illuminations while you eat.

This is only my opinion though. Everybodies taste is different and so I eat where ever you can and find your favorite place to eat.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

P.S.
I want to try Iron Chef Cat Cora's new Greek restaurant, Kouzzina, at the Boardwalk resort so if anybody eats there then give me your feedback. I heard the Lamb Burgers are amazing.

College Program Tip for Today

2009-09-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

For the College Program Tip today I am continuing the piece that I wrote as my second blog article, What to and not to bring.

What you might not have brought but should consider bringing

An ID Lanyard-First off let me say this isn't really something you "need" to bring from home but it is definetly something that you will want when you are at Disney. You think I'm joking? One of the primary rules that you will have to follow when you are backstage and not in costume is that your ID needs to be visible or at least readily accessible. That being said, you don't have to have one of the boring lanyards like those that you were forced to wear in highschool. Disney has (for a fee) really cool and unique Disney lanyards for their castmembers. I personally have a Steamboat Willie, Disney villans, MKRO (Magic Kingdom Restaurant Ops), and Mickey Christmas lanyards that I still use even now that I am back in college. But whether you bring your own or get get one when you are here, make sure you have a lanyard for your ID........as Dr. Seeker on Dinosaur (Countdown to Extinction for those Disney purists) would say, "You'll be glad you did."

This is the Steamboat Willie one that I currently sport.

What you might bring but shouldn't

A Ton of Clothes- And I say a ton of clothes strictly because I believe some people brought cases of clothes that in fact weighted about a ton......or two. As a general rule I would say don't bring any more clothes than would fit into an airport regulation suitcase. I understand that you are moving from where ever you are from to live in Orlando for several months but you really don't need too much clothes. For a majority of your program you will in fact be in your costume, in fact you may even find yourself getting dressed for work and not taking off the costume until your ready for bed only to do the same thing the next day. So make sure you have what you need. I personally brought five pairs of pants (1 pair of jeans, 2 pairs Khaki shorts, 1 pair of basketball shorts, and dress pants) and something like ten shirts (a couple polos and t-shirts and a dress shirt) and I did pretty good. I know most people need more than that but again just try to bring what you need.

I say bring what you want but consider what I say and as always......wait I can't do it today because somebody *cough* Ashlie *cough* used my outro so for this time only.....

Let me think
Let me think

Okay and so

Have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious-day

Okay not feeling that....eh I guess I can use the original so......

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!!!

Links, Links, and Links.......Booyah!

2009-09-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

I listen to a lot of cover music to Disney songs and very rarely will there be a cover that is so much better than the original. Bill Joel did an amazing rendition of When You Wish Upon a Star for the movie “Simply Mad About the Mouse” and Louis Armstrong released a great album called Disney Songs the Satchmo Way with covers of songs such as Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah and Davey Crockett in his distinguishable way. That being said I came across an acoustic guitar cover of A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Make that is absolutely beautiful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfoaOsgWtCw

One of the greatest things you will appreciate when you become a Disney World or Disneyland cast member are the inside jokes. They are found everywhere; whether it’s the inappropriate hand gesture on Rock n Rollercoaster or knowing what it means if you say someone is a 904 (which is Disney code for something’s on fire). For some reason all of these seem to be funnier when you become a cast member, I chalk it up to loss of sanity (God bless those cast members that have to listen to It’s a Small World all day). Anyways, long story short here is a site with apparel made “especially” for cast members. Even if you don’t feel like getting anything, see how many things you can identify. I know there are about two jokes I don’t get.
http://www.mousetrapclothing.com/

This last site is one of my favorites because it is relatively practical and by practical I mean that if you are a Disney fan you will definitely find a way to use this. It is a site with many, many, many Disney World and Disney land type fonts. It has everything from Walt Disney’s handwriting to Epcot retro font and even Nightmare Before Christmas fonts. So check it out.
http://mickeyavenue.com/

As neat as these sites are, next week I am posting what is by far my favorite Disney World site. It is both interactive and fun so……

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!

Thursday's Post on a Saturday, Doesn't That Blow Your Mind

2009-09-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

Why Vista Way is the best Apartment complex

Location, Location, Location- I think the biggest factor that you have to look at when you are picking which apartment complex you want to live at is what is in the surrounding area. When you look at Chatham and Patterson they have Publix and they have Walgreens within relative walking distance (you probably don’t want to be walking back with a gallon of ice cream but they are still close) and I believe there is also a Subway, McDonald’s and some Columbian restaurant in the same complex. But then you look at Vista Way it has so much more options around it. In the immediate area there is a Wendy’s, Chik-fil-a, Bennigan’s, Ci-Ci’s, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Walgreens, and a pretty good small Greek Market. Then if you are up for the walk, when you under the overpass there is Crossroads with a bunch of other options including TGIFridays, Buffalo Wild Wings, and some local grocery store. And then in terms of fun things to do around the area, there is only Mickey’s Retreat by Chatham and Patterson but there are two mini-golf courses by Vista and they are pretty fun.

Bus are us- This is actually a big one and to be honest it’s a good thing that they tell you where you are working before you tell them which complex you want to live in. See there are two of the four park (I only talk about four parks because that’s where most people work) buses that stop by the Chatham area and then to the Vista and then the other two stop by Vista first and then the Chatham area. The bus A bus and the C bus stop at Vista second and these are the Magic Kingdom and Epcot buses respectively. Why is it important to have the bus come to you last? It gives you more breathing room, so if you find yourself waking up late there is some solace in the fact that the next bus that comes is going directly to the park rather than picking you up and then going twenty minutes out to pick up Chatham before going to the park. The only downside to this is at the end of the night it will take about fourty-five minutes to get from Magic Kingdom to Vista, the Epcot bus takes only about twenty minutes to get you home.

Homey Community- First of all I’m going to address the worry about parties at Vista. YES there are a lot of parties (almost one every night). YES they are a lot of fun (SO MUCH FUN). And NO they aren’t too loud that you can’t sleep so you don’t have to worry about not getting enough sleep. With that out of the way Vista is the greatest place to live. The complexes are all close together so you do meet a lot of your neighbors. Yes the apartments are smaller and more dated but for what you are doing there it really doesn’t matter. Vista just has a good feeling about it.

Plus it has it’s own theme song- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGzgwiAng7I
So just don’t count Vista Way our without thinking first. And that is the Thought for the day.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!

Top Five......The Key Word is Bonus

2009-09-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

I was looking over a lot of the news and info that came out of the D 23 Expo and one of the things that I was most excited about was the release of the name of Pirates of the Caribbean 4. It’s “On stranger Tides” for those of you that didn’t know. Anyways I was thinking of the movies based on attractions that Disney has released in the past and I realized that some of the concepts worked (Pirates of the Caribbean and yes the Haunted Mansion) and those that didn’t (How awful was The Country Bears Jamboree?). So I decided to post some idea for Disney attractions that would not work well as a movie. Enjoy.

Top Five Disney Attractions that Wouldn’t Translate Well Into a Movie

1. Speed 4: Living with the Land- The movie immediately starts with Keanu Reeves on a raft in the Land pavilion passing by the Mickey shaped pumpkins and turns to face the camera and yells “If this boat goes faster than half a mile an hour then we are all dead.” Then he looks around and realizes it’s Living with the Land so they have no problem with going too fast. The end. Short sweet and to the point.

2. Spaceship Earth The Movie……in 3D- First of all let me say this is one of my top errr... something ride, it’s somewhere up there. Anyways I tried figuring out how this ride could possibly be made into an even slightly interesting movie and I got nothing. It is a slow moving, serious ride about the history of communication and the only genre of movie it sells itself to is possibly a made for TV movie on the History channel that you would only watch because you turned on the TV, lost the remote, and didn’t feel like getting up to change the channel. But on the plus side it’s in 3-D.

3. It’s A Small World II: No Way Out- The concept for this is a horror movie on the same level of the Hills Have Eyes and Halloween (the original ones and not the new Rob Zombie remakes). Once everyone has taken their seats in the theater the ushers lock movie goers in and suddenly the screen turns black and for the next five hours you hear nothing but “It’s a Small World After All.” Oh God! Imagine the movie tagline for this one, “Amongst the song, no one can hear you scream.”

4. The Hall of Presidents- Just No.

Bonus Movie (Why you shouldn't just turn an movie into an attraction)

5. Stitch’s Great Escape or That thing that I run by on my way to Space Mountain (you know, the one with the yappy blue dog on it)- Once upon a time an attraction opened in the Magic Kingdom and it was.....good. Many years later Disney came out with a movie, Lilo and Stitch, and it was.....okay. Then came the magic of synergy and the attraction, Alien Encounter, fused with Stitch......and I cried. Where once you would smell the breath of an alien as it was about to pounce, now you inhale a noxious fume that is meant to simulate the smell of a chili cheese dog.......stays in your nose for hours (no thanks). It just has to be understood that not everything translates from one media or another without the help of "some" originality. This attraction simply makes me yearn for what once was. BRING BACK MY ALIEN ENCOUNTER!!!!!!

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!

This Isn't My Friday Post

2009-09-18T05:13:00.000-07:00

This is simply a message begging for the forgiveness of those of you who for whatever reason you felt compelled to read my blog and for the four of you who actually found it in your heart to follow my blog:

"Charlie Brown you blockhead!"

Alas that is how I feel about myself right now. I found myself sitting in front of my computer ready to write the post when I came to the realization that I have no idea what makes up a "thought of the day." Sure it sounded cool when I typed up the schedule.....Yeah thursday thought of the day, gee whiz that sounds swell. So I stayed up for a while last night and I came up with what I think may be interesting approaches to this topic and I will post my first thursday article this weekend to make up for missing it and then all will be back to normal.

And don't worry this is obviously not my Friday blog. I will still post my Top Five list later today, so until then......

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!

WDW Tip of the Day

2009-09-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

Alright, alright, alright!

When I was on my program I worked in the Magic Kingdom, Columbia Harbor House to be more exact. Never heard of it, that's fine apparently not many people have. When I worked in there I actually got a lot of guests asking such priceless questions as: "When did they put a restaurant here?", "Is this Frontierland?" and my personal favorite "Is this the line for the Haunted Mansion?" (CLASSIC).

But I digress. This is a ride tip and a particularly amazing one at that.

It took me about two weeks into my program to realize that there is a span of about 25 minutes where you can ride Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain as many times as you want with no wait......and this isn't simply by getting to the park early in the morning. Here it is. Set yourself up in either Fantasyland, Liberty Square (Mansion and CHH side), or actually in Frontierland (BTM and SM side) when Spectromagic begins. When the parade passes through that area a "magical" thing happens. The parade closes all but one entrance into the Frontierland ride area. What this does is it prevents guests from entering the area from all areas except the bridge that runs along the Rivers of America but at the same time guests already at that area know where to leave from, again along the Rivers of America. During this time you can ride two of the three mountains of the Magic Kingdom with no wait at all.

This tip allowed me to finish every night in the Magic Kingdom with a drop down Chik-a-pin hill and right into the Briar Patch. It is also good to note that at this time as well the Haunted Mansion has not wait.

Here's a picture showing the area I'm talking about. The path is marked in black. Commit it to memory and you wont have to wait in line again.

Next week:How to get on Peter Pan's Flight with no wait, here's a hint....... It's not possible

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!

College Program Tip of the Day

2009-09-15T20:11:00.001-07:00

Before we get into all the neat secrets of the college program we are going to get the biggest topic out of the way and that is to set a limit for yourself and stick to it.

Learning how to make a budget and sticking to it are one of the biggest things you must learn to do before you get down to Orlando. With all of it’s shops, restaurants, and shows it can be overwhelming and that paycheck that you just worked your assets (we are keeping this Disney friendly) off for a week can be blown through in a night before you can even say “What’s next?” So at least two weeks before you are ready to head down to meet this mouse make sure you have some rough outline of a budget set up.

- Plan to reserve maybe 30-50 dollars for food for that week. When you go to buy your food check out both Publix and Wal-mart’s prices and look to see if they are offering any sales. Wal-mart generally will have lower prices but Publix had better quality food and tends to run a lot of buy one get one free deals so definitely worth a look. And try not to make it a habit buying from the Wallgreens by Vista, Chatham, or Patterson because although they are conveniently open 24 hours a day, their prices are normally jacked up and their food is generally subpar.

-There are so many different shows and night time entertainment opportunities that it can be completely overwhelming and you are going to want to do everything all at once. DON’T. I’m saying not saying you shouldn’t go to Cirque du soleil or Medieval Nights but try only going to one show every other week or even better, every three weeks. When you think about it, this really isn’t a tough thing to do, I mean let’s face it you have the golden key to all four parks of the Walt Disney World resort. People pay $78 a day and you are getting in for free so use this as your primary source of entertainment and when you feel like you absolutely “need” something new then see a show. The other thing to do is waiting for the discounts to come up. There are off seasons for everything in Orlando and if you take advantage of this you will see a show like Cirque go from $80 to $40 practically overnight. So just think before you go out. On a final note consider buying the Water Park and More annual pass. It costs about $140 and it gets you into both of Disney’s Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon water parks as well as Disney Quest, Disney’s multistory arcade and fun center, for the year and it gives you a lot more options for you days off.

-The only two things I am going to say on restaurants is this: 1) Try, when you can, to eat sit down meals for a lunch or late lunch and avoid dinner because lunch prices can be anywhere from $10 -$30 cheaper than dinner and trust me those savings add up. 2)Check to make sure you get a discount at that restaurant at that time because discounts don’t always apply all day and you want to make sure again that you are using as little of your paycheck as possible.

Again you are going to be working for the Mouse for a few months and it definitely feels good to finish your tenure knowing that you have made some good money when you return to college.
Next week: The most efficient way to get from here to there at the Disney parks

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day

Something Neat From Around the Web

2009-09-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

This week I have three neat links to look at so let's get right to it

-As we all know the D 23 Expo came and went this past weekend leaving the disney community with so much new stuff it's impossible to take it in one bite. So here is a link discussing what was personally my favorite announcement, that's right the confirmation of the expansion of Fantasyland. New shows, rides, and restaurants.......it's a brand new Fantasyland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08W5Os-Wnj0

-This next link is also to a youtube video. This is personally one of my Top 5 disney movies even though it is a made for tv movie special entitled: Muppets at Disney World. It was made in 1990 as a part of the initial bond of the Jim Henson company and the Walt Disney Company. It is definetly worth a watch. Two things about this though: It features the idea that WDW is all one park as you will see in that fact that a character will be in Frontierland one second and MGM studios (yes I can call it that because it still was) the next. The other thing is you will notice the movie is broken down on youtube into six links so when part one finishes you will have to click on the link in the youtube sidebar to get to part two and so on. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTnc3eXJU_Q&feature=PlayList&p=0E8B7737AB0EB953&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1

-And the third I am putting in is a link to a site you will have to register for and its free just like any other forum. Once you do click on the jukebox option and ther eyou will have access to a library of over 1,000 disney songs and spiels from the parks. If that doesnt get you into a disney mood I dont' know what will

http://www.d-cot.com/jukebox?ref=nav

Well I hope you all enjoy the links and as always:

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day

Top Five Friday

2009-09-11T04:29:00.000-07:00

Let me first say sorry for not posting yesterday even though I said that that’s when I would start. I didn’t expect that my History of Civilization essay would take me as long as it did. But here is my new first official blog under the revised format. Enjoy!

(Let me preface this by saying that these are in no particular order)

Top Five: Ways to spend your first day off

-The WDW Marathon – Let’s face it, there is so much to do and see at Walt Disney World that you might not know where to start. Do I do Magic Kingdom rides in the morning and then jump on over to EPCOT for Illumination at night? Or do I bring a sleeping bag, tent, and provisions and attempt to survive the 4 day wait time for Toy Story Mania? I say don’t overwhelm yourself on your first day. Let’s face it, you are going to be there for four to seven months. That’s why I suggest on your first day to do the WDW marathon. The marathon is what I call going to all four parks in one day. Don’t focus on hitting the rides, just stroll around the park and learn the lay of the land. Then head on to the next park and the next until you allow it to hit you: Walt Disney World is your new home and playground.

-Sleep in – Let’s face it, in a matter of one week you have uprooted yourself and moved to Orlando, Florida. You got settled in your new apartment and you’ve met a lot of new people you hope to become good friends with. You’ve finished all of you orientations and presentations. You’ve visited your job site and met the other people you will be working with and in most cases you’ve already worked a full day. IT’S AN ENERGY OVERLOAD. So on your first day off don’t feel as though you need to do something. Get into bed or on the couch (my favorite place to nap) and just sleep the day away and recharge your batteries. Then explore the parks or your housing complex the next day. If you don’t take the time to relax the program will wear you down.

-Make new friends around the housing complexes – I say this for two reasons. The first is obvious and it’s that you can’t have enough friends. Your fellow CPers, like you, chose to do this internship because they knew there was something special about it and right there you all have something in common. I made friends from all over the world most of which I still talk to and it’s because we all found ourselves united by a common goal so get to know these people, you’ll be glad you did. And the second reason is that basic logic says that if you are at the housing complex and you see other people in the housing complex then chances are you have the same day or days off and in the future will have the same day or days off. Get to know these people. This allows you to have a set of friends that you know that when you have a day off and want to go into a park you can call them up to go with you.

-Make sure you are well stocked- The last thing you want to do is come home from a long day of work at the Magic Kingdom or Typhoon Lagoon only to find out you are out of ramen or cereal. Take your first day off to compile a list that ensures that you always have a plethora of food around the house. Then take the bus (or walk depending on where you live) to Publix or Wal-Mart and stock up on food, toiletries, and anything else you might need. Keep in mind that this is Florida and in Florida we get hurricanes so make sure you stock up on batteries, bottled water, and have at least one flash light. The other thing is that it would help if you meet someone with a car because just a few miles up the road there is a Sam’s Club where you can buy your food and toiletries in bulk. (That’s what two of my roommates and I did on our first day off together and we didn’t have to worry about groceries for about two months)

-Take in a show… – …but not just any show. Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and the Magic Kingdom all have their very own night time shows. Hollywood Studios has an exciting pyrotechnic and water stage show starring Mickey and many of the Disney Villains called Fantasmic which is a must see. EPCOT has a nightly Pyrotechnic/ Fireworks show that take place in the World Showcase called Illuminations Reflections of Earth and it is by far my favorite of the three shows. But it isn’t the nighttime show I would suggest on your first day off. No for that you have to head on over to the Magic Kingdom and to see Wishes. It is a fireworks show about all the different types of wishes. The fireworks shoot up behind the castle and Tinkerbell even does a fly over the spectators. And it is while you are watching this fireworks show whether it’s by yourself or with other people that it hits you: I work for Walt Disney World, where dreams really do come true.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day

2009-09-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

I have come to the decision that this blog needs structure if it is going to survive up against the other great WDW and College Program Blogs. So from here on in I am going to have a schedule for this blog. By doing this I hope to post an article every weekday and maybe something over the weekend if I feel so inspired. That being said here is the schedule:

Monday
-Something neat from around the web
Tuesday
-College Program tips, tricks, and suggestions
Wednesday
-Walt Disney World tips, tricks, and suggestions
Thursday
-College Program thought of the day
Friday
-Top five list

I will start this tomorrow thursday September 10th So I apologize for the short post but stay tuned for some great articles.

CLOSING QUOTE: Too many people grow up. That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They don't remember what it's like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors. Well I won't do that. -Walt Disney

2009-09-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

So I was sitting in my dorm room and I was thinking to myself: "For my first infotainment blog post should I write an article to help before arrival or when you are actually in the program?" So I decided to start a series that deals with what you should and shoudln't bring:

Things You Are Thinking of Bringing But Dont Need:

1.Heavy Jacket- I cannot tell you how many times I was in someone else's apartment and I saw a heavy jacket in their closet (One girl had four snow jackets "just in case."). Let me be the first to say to you "Welcmoe to Florida! It doesn't get cold.....even when it's cold it is not cold." For a majority of your program it is going to be warm and muggy, it's what Florida does best. On the off chance a cold front comes in during the winter it may get down to the 60's during the day and MAYBE the 40's at night. So to summarize......leave the down jacket at home, the heaviest cold weather clothing you need in a hoody.

Things You Aren't Brining But You Should Consider Bringing:

1. Wireless Router- Okay so this may be a weird item to start off with and I cant really speak to Chatham or Patterson because I dont know if they have this same design "issue" but when we arrived at Vista Way and my roommates and I were setting up our computers we came to the realization that there is only one corner of the apartment to connect to the internet. So picture six guys huddled together at one small table with six computers and wires everywhere. It got to the point where we bit the bullet and bought a router for $80 at Walmart and everything was great after that. So if you have a wireless router, bring it.

Aright to finish this post up Im going to go through a few quick hits about me. My name is John and I attend a college in Florida. I participated in the Fall Advantage 2008 in QSR at the Magic Kingdom and I worked the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT.My favorite disney movie character is probably Peter Pan and favorite WDW character would be the Figment with the Dreamfinder though I do like Rex the robot and Dr. Seeker is retty funny too(cop out answer) . Anyways I will be running this blog as long as I can so if you have any questions you want to ask or any idea for an article leave a comment and follow my blog.

Have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day!

2009-09-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

As highly evolved (for the most part) people that we are we tend to identify people, places, things, and emotions based on color cues. If you see a piece of food in tuperware at the back of the fridge and it isn't the color that it should be then you automatically know that chances are it's no good. If you are surfing the web and suddenly your computer screen turns blue, without reading the message you already know that your $2000 laptop or desk top has just turned into a $2000 paper weight.

So what about purple?

Well chances are if you are reading this, then you are a fan of disney, you are interested in the college program, and you already know what I am getting at. The color purple is a magical color thatcan turn even the darkest day into the best day of your teenage or young adult life. The color purple will symbolize your immediate transformation from an everyday run of the mill Jane or John Doe into an anybody who's anybody. That's right you know what I am referring to:

THE PURPLE FOLDER

That's right! From the moment you open up your mailbox and realize that among the many menus for chinese take out and the notices from the housing department that you are on your 5th or 6th warning for a noise violation there is one peice of about 9' by 12' envelope with a mouse on it that towers above the rest. And as you rush to the elevator in your dorm you fight back the urge just rip it open right then and there because you know that in it lies the one thing capable of making you lose focus in all of your classes for the two to five weeks that it took for it to arrive. And as you enter your dorm room you slam the door shut and throw everything off your bed or desk so that nothing distracts you from the magical moment you are about to have. You then regain some composure and for the first inch of the envelope you use your finger to slowly rip rip so as to not disrupt the integrity of the envelope. But then you realize you still have eleven inches to go and you say screw the integrity and you shred the envelope like a lion eating it's prey and that's when you see it:

THE PURPLE FOLDER

I will be using this blog to inform, entertain, and do pretty much what I want in terms of the disney college program. This first entry was meant to serve as a quick intro for the blog and why it is called The Purple Folder. My next entry will be a short blurb about myself and some preliminary information about the Disney College Program, so stay tuned and have a Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah-Day.