Disney Memory Maker-is it worth the cost?

Hey all! A lot of my friends down here have been asking me about the Disney Memory Maker. This is a photo package from Walt Disney that I have purchased. I truly believe that is is an amazing deal. I spent $150 +tax and I am able to receive all of my Photopass pictures, both character meet and greets as well as the ones that are just around the park, and all of the ride photos! When purchasing memory maker you have two options, a)pre-order, do this one, you are not able to use the memory maker for 3 days and it is $150 + tax! Option b) buy it day of. The price of this is $200 + tax! I purchased my memory maker while I was still at home before I left for the program! You may be wondering how many pictures you receive, well, you will be able to take pictures for 45 days and begin the download process and while you are downloading you will be able to take pictures for another 30 days! That is 75 (consecutive) days of pictures! I think it is quite worth the cost when you see that like 2 pictures is about $15. I highly recommend this purchase but it is up to you! I love all of my pictures that they have taken as it does also include the magic shots! Have a magical day! As always if you have questions please let me know! I would love to have questions to answer over just talking about my random thoughts!

Bucket List Update

1 Drink around the world in EPCOT- I am 21 and I will be turning 22 while on the program
2 Visit Universal Studios-Maybe buy a season pass? I got the season pass but still have not visited
3 Visit all of the Walt Disney World (WDW) Parks done
4 Do a WDW behind the scenes tour
5 Eat around the world in EPCOT 
6 Acquire as many character autographs as I can
7 Get my picture taken with as many characters as I can
8 Eat a meal with a character-my birthday maybe?
9 See every WDW parade as a guest not a Cast Member (CM)
10 Attend at least one CM only event
11 Find and take a picture of as many hidden mickeys as I can find
12 Eat a Dole Whip-I hear they are amazing done
13 Celebrate my 22nd in the parks done
14 Collect all of the cards for Sorcerers of Magic I am working on this, I believe I have 28/72 (70 regular cards with a bonus for Mickey's not so scary and Mickey's Christmas)
15 Eat a turkey leg
16 Complete Agent P's World Showcase Adventure
17 See the Downtown Disney (DTD) Cirque Du Soleil
18 See the Castle Suite
19 Get a fastpass for every ride that has one
20 Get Pixie dust from the shop behind the castle done
21 Trade and Collect pins-Mickey Ears and one from each park I am working on this! I love to pin trade!
22 Attend the EPCOT food and wine festival Done
23 Attend the filming of the Christmas Parade
24 Buy a silhouette of my boyfriend and I from the shop on Main Street
25 Ride every ride!
26 Eat at every dining location in the parks
27 Become a wilderness explorer
28 Have characters sign a photo matte
29 Mail a letter from Main Street
30 Visit Sea World
31 Visit Busch Gardens
32 Attend Mickey's not so scary as a guest not CM done
33 Attend Mickey's very merry Christmas as a guest not CM
34 See all of the shows in WDW
35 Become a Disney VoluntEAR-Disney's volunteering program
36 See a movie in DTD
37 Go to as many Disney College Program (DCP) events as I can
38 See all of the firework shows
39 Disneybound (dress like) a character and meet them! done
40 Buy all of the antenna toppers!
41 Make a wish in Cinderella's wishing well
42 Try all of the flavors in Club Cool
43 Swim with the sharks in Typhoon Lagoon
44 Play WDW Mini Golf done
45 Visit the boardwalk done
46 Visit Coco Beach
47 Eat a "Kitchen Sink"
48 Meet someone famous
49 Buy a ride picture with all of my roommates I will not be buying the ride picture as I have purchased the memory maker. I will let you know more about this amazing feature later.
50 Pick-A-Pearl in the Japan Pavilion done
51 Buy a DCP Shirt
52 Have a Spa Day in one of the resorts
53 Shop at Company D done

This Past Month

Hey everyone! I am so sorry that it has been so long since I last posted. I have been so busy working at the happiest place on Earth! I work at the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular in Disney's Hollywood Studios.  I love my work family and I love my apartment family! So much has happened that I don't even know where to start.

Earning my Ears
During your training you will be "Earning my Ears" which is just a cute way to say I do not know what I am doing please leave me alone. My training was 3 days and then my assessment.  During training you will learn all of the positions for the attraction and how to answer some guest questions.  At the end of training you will be assessed by another trainer. This is just going through all of the positions to be sure you know what you are doing.  Don't worry, if you "fail" the assessment you will just receive more training time or they will transfer you to a different attraction.

Roommates
Don't get me wrong I love my roommates but I am sure glad I lived alone during college.  When you first meet your roommates, or that first week, be sure to all sit down and lay some ground rules.  Things you should talk about: Parties, will you throw them or no? Who will pick up the mail and where will it go, whose food and Tupperware will go where, and how clean is clean?  The answers to these questions will change from person to person so be sure to set ground rules before you snap over something stupid.  Your roommates will probably be your first group of friends here and they will be very important to you.  The girl I share a room with and I always have Thursdays off together so we always make a point to do something together. We call it our roomie date day! This week we are going to lunch and then to character auditions! Wish us luck! We have gone to the parks together too!

Magical Moments
While working at Disney you will have some magical moments.  One of my favorites so far was of me telling a couple "Happy anniversary!"  There were two couples, one right in front of the other and the back couple had anniversary buttons on.  So I said "Happy anniversary!" and they smiled, so did the front couple.  The front husband replied, "How did you know? We aren't even wearing buttons? We have been married for 30 years!!" I replied, "I work for Mickey Mouse, he told me you would be here today!"  I have never seen a smile that big on anyone's face, the couple in the back were giggling as they knew I was really talking to them.  I love the kids that some to Disney! When you call them by the character they are dressed as they just light up! So do the ladies that have birthdays!  I always make a point to tell the moms and grandmas happy birthday and to call them a princess, they light up more than the kids do! This is what working for Disney is all about! I have had some great conversations with guests and those moments make all of the moments you may not enjoy worth it.

DCP Busses
The busses are not as bad as many will say but they can be bad. I highly recommend that you download the APP for the bus system (It will be in your program guide but I will post a picture of what to search at the bottom) The App will show you where the bus is on the route and it will also, if you click on the stop (the little dot where the bus will pick you up), tell you how long until the bus will arrive.  I always take the "early" bus. I make sure that I have at least 20 minutes from when the bus is scheduled to arrive and when I need to be clocked in at my location.  Some locations will require you to arrive earlier. If you are working at Magic Kingdom you will take the DCP bus to the bus station. At that station you will take a bus from there to the cast member entrance of the Magic Kingdom so you will have to allow more time for that.  If you are going to the parks as a guest and you stay until park close please stand and save the seats for those that have worked long days.  The busses will get filled at park close so someone will have to stand.  If you are really nice you will take your sweet time leaving the park and take the next bus, this gives you plenty of time to get a few last minute pictures or a snack. I will post pictures of the bus schedule at the end.

My Personal Feelings Toward Frozen
I personally love frozen but I am ready for it to be over! This movie is taking over all of the parks and it needs to be stopped! I agree that Malstrom (the ride in Norway at Disney's EPCOT) needs to be updated but EPCOT is about the countries not the characters that are based there. France has Bell but it is France then Bell, China has Mulan but it is China first then Mulan.  Frozen belongs in Fantasy Land! Hollywood Studios is not designed for fireworks or for a long parade so everyone complains about how crowded the park feels.  I am so ready for it to be over come Sunday!  Now that I got that off my chest I feel much better!

As always if you have any questions please ask! I would love to answer them!

I got to meet Indy on my day off! While working here you should take a day to character hunt!

Me at my position for part of the day!

Everyone needs a little Pixie dust!

Bus schedules for days!

Finally All Checked in

Yesterday was an amazing but long day. I arrived at Vista Way right on time (7:55 AM) and I was done with check-in and casting by noon.  When you go to casting be sure to take all of your I-9 documents with you! I went straight from check-in to casting and you need those documents so that you can be fingerprinted. At check-in you will find out your work location! I will be working attractions in Hollywood Studios! I am so very happy that I did not get "It's a Small World!"

You may also have to take a drug test! Mine went great, it was at 1:15 and I had to pee so bad that I didn't need to worry. One of my roommates did not have such a great experience. She went to the bathroom about 2 hours before her test and was not able to "give" enough during the test...she has to go back tomorrow morning.

This week will be pretty relaxed which I am so thankful for.  Tomorrow I have my housing meeting at the Commons Clubhouse and Wednesday is my birthday! I'm feeling 22! My roommates and I are going out to dinner to celebrate and get to know each other! I can't wait for my "It's my Birthday" button! Thursday I will be attending Traditions (the welcome to the company) at 8 AM and I can begin going to the parks after that! Saturday and Monday I begin training!

I will be living in a 3 bedroom/6 person apartment in Vista Way! I knew 2 of my roommates going in and I already love all 5 of them! Vista was not my first pick but I like it so far.  My apartment came furnished but it was missing some necessary things such as a baking sheet that I will be picking up tomorrow.  I went shopping today and I did forget a few things.  If you are like me and are going to fly to WDW then I recommend adding a lamp or some kind of light to your "Buy When I Get There list."

I still can't believe that I live here! This internship is a dream come true! I will let you know all about traditions and how amazing everything is! If you have any questions about anything feel free to leave them in the comments!

On the Bus to Casting with one of my Roommates!

Casting Building

Inside Casting

We were in line bright and early! These are our guide books!

Inside Casting again!

Roomies at Casting!

These little guys are all over! They are AWESOME!

Doors to Casting! 

Packing for the DCP

The time has come to begin packing for the next 4 months of my life! Let me tell you, the struggle is real! For those of you that are going to be flying to the program the hardest part is keeping your bags under 50 pounds! I still have so much room in my bag but I am at 47 pounds.  I will be taking 3 suitcases and 1 backpack. I know it sounds like a lot but one bag is pretty much empty. I would like to be able to bring some stuff home from Walt Disney World.  For my packing list I wrote down everything that I wanted to bring, what I have to bring, and what I was hoping my roommates and I could divide up and bring. This system worked great for me and it has prevented me from forgetting anything on my list.

My list-

        Bedroom

o   Bedding

§  Pillows

§  Blankets

·          

§  Sheets

·         Flat 2

·         Fitted 2

·         Pillow cases 4

§  Eye Mask

        Bathroom

o   Face

§  Face Wash

§  Moisturizer

§  Makeup

§  Brushes

o   Teeth

§  Tooth Brush

§  Toothbrush Holder

§  Tooth Paste

o   Hair

§  Hair ties

§  Brush

§  Hair dryer

§  Bobby Pins

o   Shower

§  Shampoo

§   Conditioner

§  Razor

§  Razor Heads

§  Towels

o   Eyes

§  Glasses-perscription

§  Glasses case

§  Extra contacts

§  Contact Case

§  Contact solution

§  Sunglasses

o   Others

§  Hand Towels

§  Hand Soap

§  Deodorant

§  Perfume

        Kitchen

o   Oven Mitt

o   Water Bottle

o   Lunch Box

        Living room

o   Movies

o   Headphones

o   Surge Protector

o   Push Pins for cork board

o   Umbrella

o   Folders with all of my documents!

o   Pad Lock-with combo paper (For your locker)

o   Pens-pencils

o   Dry Erase Calendar

o   Dry Erase Markers

o   Cell Phone

§  Cords

o   Tablet

§  Cords

o   Laptop

§  Cords

§  Ethernet

o   Disney Books (I have purchased quite a few tour books for Disney and Orlando)

        Closet

        Jewelry

        Shoes

o   Flip-Flops

o   Sneakers

o   Sandals

o   Slippers

o   Heels (Business shoes)

o   Flats

        Swim

o   Top

o   Bottom

o   Shorts

o   Towel

o   Cover up

        Tops

o   T-shirts

o   Business

o   Coats/Jackets

§  Warm (In the winter it will still get chilly and at night too)

§  Business

§  Cool

§  Waterproof (It does rain in Florida)

o   Tanks

o   Dresses (You will need a fun/semi formal outfit for the winter dance at the end of the Fall program, Spring does a night at Typhoon Lagoon I believe)

        Bottoms

o   Jeans

o   Shorts

o   Business

o   Capri Jeans

o   Leggings

o   Yoga

        Undies

o   Bras

o   Socks

o   Undies

        Sleep

o   Shorts

o   Sweat Pants

        Bags

o   Luggage

o   Luggage Lock

o   Backpack

§  Regular

§  Draw string

        Others

        USA Passport

        ID

        Cash

        Void Check

        Hotel Confirmation

        Plane Confirmation/Ticket

        Rental Car Confirmation- If you are planning on renting a car there is a fee for those under 25

Buy When I get There

        Pillows 

        Blankets 

        Q-Tips

        Hair Spray

        Shampoo

        Conditioner

        Body Wash

        Shave Cream

        Tampons

        Aloe

        First Aid Kit

        Toilet Paper

        Kleenex

        Lotion

        Sun Screen

        Bath Mat

        Black Sharpie

        Food

        Dish Soap

        Dish Sponge

        Paper towels

        Tupperware

        ZipLock Baggies

        Hangers

        Laundry Soap

        Work Shoes

          Memory Maker $180 (A Way cool photopass thing- https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/memory-maker/ )

I will let you know the final weights of my bags when I know them! Now that I am almost in Florida there should be a few more posts! I can't wait to get there! My next task is not for a few more days and that is registering for housing!!

22 days!

Registering for DCP Classes

Today I registered for two classes! I will be taking Marketing You and Exploring Marketing.  I did have to pay a $30 fee for Marketing You which is for the book that will be given on the first day of class. For information about all of the classes offered please use this link-( http://cp.disneycareers.com/en/program-components/learning/course-syllabi/ )  I would like to let you know that I registered about an hour after registration became open and one of the classes was already a wait list only course. 

Registering was more stressful than I was expecting.  When I went to log on my Dashboard (the thing you apply to Disney using-this is also where you will accept your acceptance into the program) my Username and Password were not working! Thank goodness I did not need to be logged into the Dashboard to register. Then when I went to register for Marketing You none of the
Collegiate Courses were even showing up as offered.  This made both me and my mom panic! The two classes I wanted to pick from were not offered! I quickly went to Facebook and posted about my issue, turns out no one could register for them. A few minutes later the classes were available and it was time to pick between Marketing You and Corporate Analysis!! I ended up picking Marketing You because I feel as if it will help me improve my resume and my ability to get a full time job once the program is over!

I will keep you posted about the classes and I am so excited to take both of them. If you have any questions please let me know!

Disney Countdown- 57 days!! YAY!

My Bucket list for the program

Below I have compiled a list of things that I would love to do while on the program in Florida. This list has more than just Walt Disney World tasks and is a work in progress. I am hoping that I am able to complete all of my items in the 4 months but who knows how many I will really finish. If you have any additions to my list please let me know and I will try to get those finished as well!

1. Drink around the world in EPCOT- I am 21 and I will be turning 22 while on the program
2. Visit Universal Studios-Maybe buy a season pass?
3. Visit all of the Walt Disney World (WDW) Parks
4. Do a WDW behind the scenes tour
5. Eat around the world in EPCOT 
6. Acquire as many character autographs as I can
7. Get my picture taken with as many characters as I can
8. Eat a meal with a character-my birthday maybe?
9. See every WDW parade as a guest not a Cast Member (CM)
10. Attend at least one CM only event
11. Find and take a picture of as many hidden mickeys as I can find
12. Eat a Dole Whip-I hear they are amazing
13. Celebrate my 22nd in the parks
14. Collect all of the cards for Sorcerers of Magic
15. Eat a turkey leg
16. Complete Agent P's World Showcase Adventure
17. See the Downtown Disney (DTD) Cirque Du Soleil
18. See the Castle Suite
19. Get a fastpass for every ride that has one
20. Get Pixie dust from the shop behind the castle
21. Trade and Collect pins-Mickey Ears and one from each park
22. Attend the EPCOT food and wine festival
23. Attend the filming of the Christmas Parade
24. Buy a silhouette of my boyfriend and I from the shop on Main Street
25. Ride every ride!
26. Eat at every dining location in the parks
27. Become a wilderness explorer
28. Have characters sign a photo matte
29. Mail a letter from Main Street
30. Visit Sea World
31. Visit Busch Gardens
32. Attend Mickey's not so scary as a guest not CM
33. Attend Mickey's very merry Christmas as a guest not CM
34. See all of the shows in WDW
35. Become a Disney VoluntEAR-Disney's volunteering program
36. See a movie in DTD
37. Go to as many Disney College Program (DCP) events as I can
38. See all of the firework shows
39. Disneybound (dress like) a character and meet them!
40. Buy all of the antenna toppers!
41. Make a wish in Cinderella's wishing well
42. Try all of the flavors in Club Cool
43. Swim with the sharks in Typhoon Lagoon
44. Play WDW Mini Golf
45. Visit the boardwalk
46. Visit Coco Beach
47. Eat a "Kitchen Sink"
48. Meet someone famous
49. Buy a ride picture with all of my roommates
50. Pick-a-pearl in the Japan Pavilion
51. Buy a DCP shirt
52. Have a Spa day in one of the resorts
53. Shop at Company D (the CM only Disney store)

I know it is a long list but I think it can be done! As I get closer to my arrival date I will post more about what I am going to bring with me to Walt Disney World and my plans for my first night in Orlando! If you have any ideas of what I should write about please comment below!!