DORMS!

Hello friends! Okay so again I'm awful about being a super involved blogger and making everything cute-sy but I do have updates! After I received an email about how Disney was excited for my arrival soon I got one about the DORMS system! It came in two messages, a part one and part two and contains information about how to contact them with problems and what your roommate ID is. Your roommate ID is what identifies you in the Disney system so be sure to share it with the roomies you want as soon as you get it and get their numbers too! You login using your email and a temporary password they send you, you'll change it as soon as you get in the first time. 

         So the first page is pre-registration which is where you will fill out basic information about yourself such as phone number, address, emergency contact, ect. You will also be able to put if you are opting out of the Disney housing (you can get an apartment that isn't Disney owned if you appeal to Disney and request to opt out) , if you need disability housing (there are no apartments with ramps instead of stairs so they need to place you in a special place like the first floors of the buildings), if you need married living space (husband and wife doing the program) , or if you are bringing your own vehicle (which I am). If you check the box saying that you are bringing your vehicle means you need to fill out what make and model your car is and what year it is, as well as color and license plate number.

           Next, you will view paperwork about housing policies and alcohol policies (for wellness) as well as some other policies. You will put in your birthday at the bottom of each page. When I entered mine it said it was incorrect which just required an email to the disney housing and it was fixed within the hour. If you are bringing your vehicle, there will also be a page about vehicle policy you must initial concerning your decal, security, ect. After all of this comes the roommate and apartment pages!

For the roommate page this is where you will need to put in your roommates numbers which I mentioned before. When I put in one of my roommate's numbers it said it couldn't take it, causing panic on my part. I emailed the housing people and they made me the leader of our roommates and said I had to register everyone and then they could. When I logged back in Disney had put my roommates in for me except for one and I could continue. It seems since this is one of the first times DORMS is being used all of the bugs haven't been ironed out yet. However, they are easy to contact and always reply within the hour to your problem which is great. After you put in what roommates you want (note these are PREFERENCES, not guaranteed) you can move on to the housing page. 

On this page you will put in what housing you wanted and how many bedrooms you want. Keep in mind when signing up for rooms that one bedroom has two beds. The more people, the cheaper the price and more friends you will have to play with in the parks. On the flipside it also makes more room for conflicts and drama, especially with girls who may not like sharing with so many other people. 

When you're done with the process, you will review your information and submit. Check your information carefully as there may be errors in what has been submitted. Also don't submit until you have all of your roommates in the system and are sure everything is how you want it. Also note that your session expires very quickly so you can be times out and have to log back in. Some people experienced problems logging in on this system with password errors and such so email the housing email if you experience this (some people said that they had success getting in by making their emails in all caps). Your boarding pass is around ten pages long (make sure you have ink and paper!) and you must print them to have when you check-in. 

My review on the system? Easy enough if it saves me time waiting in line on check-in day although the prospect of not getting the roomies and apartment I want is frightening. The system has some bugs that need fixed but with Disney communicating so well I really can't complain about it. Unless something goes horribly wrong and nothing I planned ends up happening which would fry my poor anxious, OCD mind!

So what do you think about the DORMS system? 

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Hello friends! So I thought today would be a great time to go over some of my favorite things! I'll try and keep it as Disney related as possible for you guys!

1: All time favorite Disney movie: Tangled or Lady and the Tramp but I love them all!
2: Top 5 favorite Disney movies: Tangled, Lady and the Tramp, Little Mermaid, Frozen, Wreck It Ralph

3: Favorite Princess: Rapunzel, Anna, Ariel

4: Favorite Prince: Flynn, Eric, Kristoff

5:   Favorite couple: Flynn and Rapunzel or Lady and Tramp

6:   Favorite villain: Mother Gothel 
7:   Favorite heroine: Rapunzel
8:   Favorite hero: oh gosh... Simba
9:   Favorite sidekick: Sven!

The Happiest Place on Earth
10:   Disneyland or Walt Disney World: I’ve only been to WDW
11:   Favorite ride: TOO HARD! Seriously I can't answer this. I love Expedition Everest, Splash Mountain, all the character rides, Tower of Terror, Rockin Roller Coaster, ect

(This would be Thunder Mountain)

12:   Favorite park within the resort: Magic Kingdom, duh!
13:   Favorite land inside a resort: Fantasyland!!! 
14:   Favorite Disney snack: I haven't really snacked at Disney but I do love their dark chocolate bars and their dole whips!

15:   Favorite Disney restaurant: The Be Our Guest restaurant!

16:   Favorite Attraction/Show: Hmmmm Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Oh or the drawing class they have!

17:   Favorite character to interact with: Ariel! She loved my fishtail braid!
18:   Favorite Disney Hotel:: So far the Art of Animation Little Mermaid room
19:   Favorite Epcot Country: Italy!
20:   Favorite Song: I See the Light, Kiss the Girl, I Just Can't Wait to Be King, Love is an Open Door, all of them!

As for favorite items I have from Disney:

I love my sweatshirt from Kohl's that was soft and like a shirt.

I still really want this adorable Eeyore pillow pet because I ADORE Eeyore!

This is my favorite sweatshirt ever! Although it is thin, this sweatshirt from Hot Topic shows my favorite couple/princess/scene besides kiss the girl.

I know this is small but I love the color and picture on my other Kohl's sweatshirt. 

And of course any stuffed animal character like Sven, Eeyore, Pascal, Lady, and more!

Did I forget anything? What are ya'lls favorite things?

Our Gingerbread House! Err...Castle

Hey guys! Thought since I was in a blogging mood I'd do another post about our awesome gingerbread creation. I can't take any credit as it was all done by my dad but I felt the need to show his craftsmanship and skills off as I was blown away! He started creating this masterpiece near Thanksgiving and yes, it's Cinderella's Castle. We have a tradition of making a gingerbread creation from whatever we did on vacation and our only vacation was Disney World so here it is! I love it so much and it's perfect for before I move to Walt Disney World! Everything you see is edible (except Cinderella herself!) and did I mention it lights up from the inside too? I can add more pictures if anyone is interested but I just thought I would share real quick since I loved it and found it to be so special!

Have a magical night (or day)!

Applying to the DCP

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been super caught up with school finals amongst other things. I decided on this post I would talk about how to apply to the Disney College Program and how the process is to give applicants an idea of what to expect as it can be a little bit overwhelming. Also, sorry if I skip some stuff at the beginning because I'm a little rusty on how it started, it went by so fast!

First: The Online Application

When you first apply you will receive an email to do the online questionnaire. This is a simple questionnaire where you will answer various questions about your personality and what environment you like to work in, as well as how you work with others. There is no wrong or right here so my best advice is to answer honestly! If you don't like working with others, put that down as there are specific roles where not as much group effort is needed. Disney is just trying to see if they would have a role that would fit for you and what preferences you have so that you can enjoy your time working for them where you are placed. Answer honestly and it will help you out later. But overall, don't stress about this part! This will also be (if memory serves right) where you choose what roles you are interested in. You can put high to low interest on as many as you want, but note that you can be chosen to do a low-interest role that you picked. If you REALLY don't want a role don't put any interest on it just to get into the DCP you won't be happy doing it.

If you are still worried some example questions are:

-Do you prefer working with others or alone?
-Are you mostly positive at work?
-Do you like interacting with customers and guests?
-Are you on time to most things?

Once you get past this Disney will email you back shortly (mine was the same day) and tell you if they want you to continue or not. For me, I received an email saying they were very interested in me and wanted me to do the dreaded phone interview! That being said, my final tip would be to take the online interview whenever you know you will have free time for the next couple of days due to the fact that when you get an email saying they want you to do the phone interview you only have the next three days to schedule it.

Second: The Phone Interview

Once you receive the email from Disney saying they are interested in you they will ask you to go to a website and pick an interview time within the next three days. Once these three days are up, you're out of the opportunity so make sure you plan when you start applying accordingly. You can pick any time on the hour (and maybe the half hour I don't remember) on any of the three days. I remember selecting the second or third day at 8 pm.  A lot of websites will tell you to do the interview in the early morning as interviewers are first starting out and they haven't gone through thousands of other applicants already. Although I think this is good advice and it may be true, you need to select the time best for you. Don't go out of your way to make an appointment at a time you wouldn't normally accept because you think it will give you a better chance of getting in. You get in for being you and your interview with the person, not what time on what day you choose to do your interview. That being said my tips for this process are:

-You are expected to be free and ready thirty minutes before your interview. Have a pad of paper and pen ready to write down some stuff like questions you have and to be able to write down your top three role choices (they will ask you to do this).

-Remember your interviewers name! I wrote mine down when she introduced herself and made sure to tell her thank you at the end with her name, showing I cared enough to take note of it. It shows great personable skills when working with guests and it's just common courtesy in my opinion.

-Don't hesitate to ask any questions you have along the way! Your interviewer should ask you if you have any questions after they're done interviewing you so don't worry about that.

-Be open-minded, but have your limits. My interviewer asked me if I was willing to do janitorial if that was an only option and told me how everyone who did it loved it. Was I interested? No. However I did show some interest and told her I might be willing to do it but it would be at the very bottom of my list. Again, be honest with them.

-Have fun! I know this one was hard for me because I have horrible anxiety when it comes to phone calls and that sort of thing but when I got on the phone I was honest with my interviewer and was smiling and upbeat, which they can pick up over the fun. I joked with her when she misspoke and she thought it was hilarious. I ended up squealing over how excited I was at the end so don't be afraid to be yourself! That;s what they want to interview, not a dull person trying to be "professional and business-like", but always BE HONEST.

As for what kinds of questions are asked, they will be something like:

-Are you okay with working outside in the heat?
-Are you okay with being responsible for everyone on a ride if you are operating it?
-What would you do in case of an emergency?
-A child is not tall enough to ride on a certain ride, what do you do?
-Are you okay with doing repetitive actions such as taking tickets or saying things like "watch your head"?
-Are you willing to help others with responsibilities as a team?

These were some of the questions I received but for more of an idea of what to expect then check out YouTube videos on what people have to say about it.

And feel free to check out more if the videos above didn't help or feel free to contact me with any questions about the process! 

After your phone interview, you can only wait for the results on whether or not you're in the wonderful Disney College Program! It's a lot of anxiety to wait but well worth it if you get in! If you are rejected along the way Disney may just not have the right spot for you at the time so always reapply and keep trying! As for time for hearing back, I heard back approximately one week after my phone interview which was wonderful! Good luck to everyone applying and have a magical day!

Nothing is better than your purple letter!

Hey guys! Last post of the night I promise! I wanted to post about getting the exclusive DCP purple congratulatory letter from Disney and getting it, which is such a thrill! I knew about the letter and anxiously checked the mail everyday for over a month looking for the letter to arrive. And of course, it came in the day after I had texted my friend that I was disappointed and that I thought it wouldn't when I was with that same friend. Needless to say, I was enthralled!!!

 It is so much more beautiful in person, but it is so magical and personal all the same. I got it 5 weeks after I was accepted so don't worry if you haven't gotten yours. It will come in it's own time! If you are concerned (like I was!) you can always email them and they will reply within a couple of days giving you an update on if your letter is processing as sometimes they lose your letter in the mail or something like that. Anyways, my purple letter was a fantastic gift, when did ya'll get yours?

Packing for Disney World

Hey guys! I'm trying to put more information on the Disney College Program and whats going on with me but with finals and everything it'll be a sad effort for a while. So, I've been trying to figure out what I need to pack and what I need to buy while I'm down in Florida and what to leave. To be honest, it's a little overwhelming. However I'd like to share some links to resources and lists that I found that I have found to be helpful. Any comments that would be helpful potentially to the craziness that is packing for the DCP would be greatly appreciated! :)

Packing for the Disney College Program

Pre-Packing List

2012 Packing List

What am I going to pack?!

Disney Den Packing List

Basic Packing for DCP

DCP Packing Grid List

Workout like a Princess!

Getting ready for a race at Disney? Cassey Ho from blogilates.com has an amazing lineup of workouts that really work and are super fun, and she has a princess workout (of course!)

So if you're getting ready for a race or just want to get in shape, Cassey has the perfect workouts! Train like a Beast to look like a Beauty!