Check-In Day

Tuesday, May 27th 

Yesterday was my check-in and first day of my program. I enjoyed three amazing days in the parks with my family prior to check-in. We stayed at the Art of Animation resort and went to Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. The highlight of the trip was experiencing Star Wars Weekend for the first time and riding Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for the first time in the front row!

I woke up at 6:00 am to get ready for check-in. My amazing Dad also woke up to drop me off at Vista Way. We arrived around 7:15 am and there was already a line forming at security. I waited about ten minutes until they took us back to check-in. 

Once at the building where check-in is I waited about twenty minutes before getting into the building. They gave out program guides and temporary name tags during that time. The first stop was to find out where I was working. I found out I will be working at Beaches & Cream Soda Shop at Yacht and Beach Club. Ahhhh!!! I almost cried I was so happy! 

My next stop was to find out where I was living. For the next seven months I will be living in Chatham Square in a three bedroom apartment with five other roommates. Then I took a picture for my housing I.D., received my apartment key, then picked up my housing I.D. 

After that I waited in another line to receive my itinerary for Casting, and the Housing Meeting. I ended up having Casting at 9:30 am that day and the Housing Meeting the next day at 8:00 am in the Commons Clubhouse. 

After receiving that itinerary you are called in groups of four or five to speak to a representative that will go over that itinerary. They stress how important it is to arrive to all of your classes on time dressed in appropriate dress. Casting and the Housing Meeting are casual dress, unlike Traditions and Training which require professional dress. 

The last stop was Safety. Then I grabbed a snack they provided and sat on a bench to wait for Casting. I had about an hour to kill, but it didn't seem like that long at all since I was getting to know a few girls. The entire check-in process took about an hour and a half. 

Casting was amazing and stressful at the same time. My biggest advice for Casting is to bring a folder for all of your important documents they need to see and for all the papers you receive. 

After Casting I was able to head back to Vista Way where my parents and sister were waiting for me. They were so excited about where I was working!  We went to Earl of Sandwich for lunch before heading to the apartment to unpack. My Mom and sister helped me unpack until they had to leave, which was about two hours. We left to take them back to the resort to get on the Magical Express. I hated saying goodbye to them. :( 

From there my Dad and I went to Wawa so he could teach me how to pump gas, because Jersey girls don’t pump gas! We then headed to the Super Target to pick up apartment things and groceries. After we went back to the apartment to unpack more and put my groceries away. For dinner we grabbed a bite to eat at the Panera which is right down the street. 

We were both so exhausted from the busy day we had, my Dad wanted me to take him back to his hotel, All Star Music, so we both could get some sleep. As soon as I dropped my Dad off at his hotel my car started making the weirdest noises. I turned right around and had my Dad come back out to look at it. To make a long story short we had to wait for Triple A to come tow my car to the AAA Care Center in-front of Magic Kingdom. The tow truck didn’t arrive till 11:40 pm!!! We went into the lobby to ask the front desk to call me a cab, but I ended up asking if there were any buses that would take me back to Chatham Square and there was one that was coming in twenty minutes. Whew! I got back to the apartment at 1:00 am and had to be up at 6:00 am for the housing meeting. 

I will update about the following day(today) and the housing meeting tomorrow. 

Packing!

My car is offically packed and heading down to Florida! It took a little bit to figure out how to fit everything into my car, but with the help of my Dad, Mom, and sister we did it!

We have been buying and packing things since I was accepted March 1st. This is my first time I will be living on my own, so I needed almost everything! I typed my packing list into a google document, which can be viewed if you click here. 

To pack my things for the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen my Mom and Dad bought medium sized containers in packs of three at Costco. My breakables were wrapped in tissue paper. One container was specific for all of my meltable products, such as deodorant. Other than that we packed everything  by room in each container. This way it will be easier to unpack everything. 

To pack my clothes, bedding, towels, and Vera Bradley handbags we used space bags. I highly suggest buying a pack of these. By using these we gained a lot more space in the car. 

I also had to prepare my Vinylmations and display case. To do this we bought bubble wrap and tissue paper. I wrapped each Vinylmation in tissue paper and put it back into the display case. Then I wrapped the entire display case in about three layers of bubble wrap. haha! 

Next stop Disney World! 

Graduation

I am officially a college graduate! Wednesday, May 21st I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Rutgers University.

I decorated my graduation cap to show my love for Disney and my appreciation of my parents support. They have always supported me and encouraged me to follow all of my dreams. With out there support this day would have never happened.

My graduation took place at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ. My Mom, Dad, Sister, Mom-Mom, Pop-Pop, Grandmom, Grandpop, Aunt Lisa, and Pete were all there to see me receive my degree.

After the graduation, we went to my house to relax a little before dinner. I opened one of the many graduation gifts my parents gave me, my first Jim Shore figurine! I love it so much! For dinner we went to Maggianos, one of my favorite restaurants.

It was such a great day! I will remember this day for the rest of my life.

1,000 Page Views

My blog has hit 1,000 page views! I hope that everyone who reads my blog is enjoying the content. I am committed to keeping up with it throughout the duration of my program. I am so excited to start blogging while on the program.

I have three goals for this blog.

1. To document my experience, so I can have something to look back on later.

2. To share what I am up to for my family, boyfriend, and friends in New Jersey.

3. To share useful information about the Disney College Program for potential participants. I waited many years to apply for the College Program and during that time I looked to blogs and vlogs to give me insight and information on the program.

New Hire Paperwork

About two weeks ago I received an e-mail asking me to complete my new hire paperwork and that I would be receiving a username and password in two separate e-mails. The other day I realized that I have yet to receive my login information. I asked my roommates to see if they received theirs yet and sure enough they all did except for Kat.

I called recruiting to find out if it was abnormal that I did not receive my username or password yet. The women I spoke to was very nice. She explained that it was just an error and before I hung up the phone I had the two e-mails in my inbox. 

Before starting the paperwork I made sure I had the updated version of adobe reader and that it was my default PDF reader. I completed the paperwork on Safari and had no problems. I would make sure you have an hour of free time before starting the paperwork. 

Completing this paperwork is just another reminder that my check-in date is quickly approaching!

12 Days Until Check-In

I am officially finished all of my undergraduate coursework! No more classes, homework, quizzes, presentations, papers, group projects, or exams. It's all over! Honestly, it has not hit me yet. I think once I receive my diploma next week it will feel real

My last final was this past Monday. After the final, Pete and I headed straight to Atlantic City for a little getaway. We had so much fun! It was nice to spend some time together before I leave for Disney next week 

Now that I am home I need to concentrate on packing and getting things ready before I leave. My graduation party is this Saturday, so I also need to help prepare for that. My to-do list is a little overwhelming, but if I stay focused I know I will get it all done. 

Last Day at HomeGoods

Today was my last day at HomeGoods, my part-time job of over three years. It is a very bittersweet feeling. I am so happy and excited to start pursuing my dream, but on the other hand I am going to miss working at HomeGoods.

I will especially miss working with my little sister, Kaitlin. She has been working with me since this past September. We would normally get the opportunity to work together every Saturday, which I loved. It made going to work enjoyable. I loved collaborating with her on merchandising projects. Lunch breaks were also always ten times more enjoyable with her. For our last lunch break together we met our Mom and Dad at the Pei Wei across the street.

I feel so fortunate to be able to work with my sister and best friend. 

Merchandising and creating displays is another thing that made working at HomeGoods fun and enjoyable. I loved being creative in all of the departments. This is something that I will miss very much.

Thank you to everyone at HomeGoods and Marshalls who made the past three plus years enjoyable.