Wrapping It All Up

Best 4 months of my life...

     After 4 months of nonstop fun, getting home is genuinely sad. I realize what the real world is like again, no more Magic Kingdom on my days off, no more Festival of the Lion King before work, just reality. That being said I made memories that will last the rest of my life, I will forever remember the friends I have made through my DCP and will keep in touch with as many of them as I can. I look back at the pictures, remember all the good times I had and realize it was the best decision I ever made. After years of writing it off, thinking it would never happen, thinking it was a pipe dream...I think back everyday to when I submitted my application and finally got accepted. It was the best post college graduation vacation I could have asked for.
     If you have the opportunity to get yourself down to Disney for your DCP, do it! Whether it be for the work experience or the fun of it all, you will not regret it. Working for Disney was some of the most fun I have had in any workplace, from the people I got to work with to the guests I got to interact with, it was an all around incredible experience. It also allowed me to learn even more about my industry and how different companies and different properties manage themselves and function on a daily basis.
      Even if you are not going into the hospitality industry, where Disney makes its name, if you are just a Disney nut like me or love theme parks, find the right time and excuse to get yourself into the DCP. You are looking at a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something few people can say they had the opportunity to experience. Never in a million years would someone have told me when I started my college career that I would end up living in Orlando for 4 months with free admission to The Most Magical Place on Earth.
     No matter where I go now, I have an experience in my back pocket that not everyone can relate to but people enjoy hearing about. I wear it on my sleeve proudly, from my Animal Kingdom hoody I wear to work, to my Mickey Mouse backpack I bring with me, I have gone from being tentative of sharing my love of Disney to showing it loud and proud. So get out there, fill out your application and do the DCP, it is a decision you will not regret!

Everything I Did, Everything I Bought

Kept track of it all...

     I knew of people who did this before I got to Disney and thought why not do it myself, so I did. I kept notes in my phone for each day I went to a park and which ones I went to, and another for each of the parks and how many times I went on the rides. Out of the 123 days I had my main gate, I went to the parks 60 of those days.

    

     I lived up to all of my expectations and then some and it is fun to look back at everything I did during my time at Disney. On top of all the visits I had to the parks, I also made plenty of purchases to represent my connection and love for Disney at home. All of my merchandise purchases were:

• Walt Disney World Mug
• Mickey Mouse Mug
• Port Orleans Riverside Mug
• Animal Kingdom Starbucks Mug
• Mickey Mouse Keychain
• Port Orleans Keychain
• Magic Kingdom Lands Magnets
• Walt Disney World Magnet
• Cast Member Magnet
• Sorcerer Mickey Ears Magnet
• Mickey Mouse Long Sleeve Shirt
• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Shirt
• Walt Disney World T-Shirt
• EPCOT Food & Wine T-Shirt
• Mickey Mouse Hoody
• Animal Kingdom Hoody
• Star Wars Snapback
• Duff Beer Pint Glass
• Duff Beer Tank Top
• Sorcerer Mickey Puzzle
• Fantasmic Pin
• Steamboat Willy Pin
• Splash Mountain Pin
• Kilimanjaro Safari Pin
• Squirt Pin
• Buzz & Woody WDW Pin
• Green Alien Christmas Ornament
• Hakuna Matata Lion King Painting

      And that was it, blew tons of money on all that to remember it by and do not regret a single penny of it.

The Bittersweet End

How bittersweet, yet fun it was...

     My final night in Disney, where I went from counting days to counting hours. I did the Wild Africa Trek that morning and by the time I returned to my apartment around 2ish, the texts were flowing about who was making it to Magic Kingdom that night and when. Once most of my Port Orleans family was confirmed to show up, I just left on my own and would eventually meet them all there. At this point I just wanted to soak it all in and enjoy it one final time before it was all over.

     

     I got in, immediately rode Buzz Lightyear and The Little Mermaid and then my family started coming in. We met up and started having the night of our lives, did Mickey's Philharmagic, Haunted Mansion, It's A Small World (stopped for food), Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear and then made our way back to Main Street so we could make some final purchases and prepare to watch Wishes. We were having a blast on Main Street, I got one last Mickey Bar, we took some group photos and then Celebrate The Magic started. Next thing you know a bunch of early 20 something year olds are belting out "Let It Go" with no shame. And then Wishes started, everyone gazing up and I know I was nearly crying again but managed to keep it together. Once it was over, I had to say my final farewells and then go to Beaches and Cream to meet up with my roommates. It was sad, it hurt, but we all knew it had to happen eventually.

     The rest of that night was depressing, I made it to Beaches and Cream and my roommates  (who extended) could clearly see I was pretty upset. So we just hung out and talked for a while, eating our ice cream and we finally left and I had to spend the rest of my evening packing my things, I had a train to catch the following afternoon. As upset as I was to leave Disney and everyone I met behind, I was happy to finally be headed back to my family.

Wild Africa Trek

One of those experience you have to do...

     As a Cast Member, there are certain Disney experiences you have the opportunity to capitalize on at a highly discounted price. The Wild Africa Trek is one of them and the cast discount varies depending on the season, I got to do mine for 50% off the original price and was SO happy I did. I wanted to do this ever since I got to Disney and just could not find someone to do it with. I love Animal Kingdom, Kilimanjaro Safaris is one of my favorite attractions at all of Disney, so knowing I had the opportunity to do this was something I could not pass up. So in my final week, and on my last day, I had it booked and went with one of my friends from Port Orleans.

     We were very tentative that it would even happen as we woke up that morning and per usual Florida, it was raining. So I called to ask how we would find out if it would be cancelled or not, and they told us we would receive a phone call but it would go on if it was raining. And it did, we arrived to the entrance for the Wild Africa Trek, right next to Kilimanjaro Safaris. We waited around for about 15 minutes, talking to the Cast Members before getting let in to be geared up to head out. They weighed us, gave us our harnesses, signed our waivers, got a water bottle and headed off.      It started with us walking through the Pangani Forest Trail and a few minutes into it we veered off into the woods and next thing we knew, we're standing over the Hippopotamus pool. It was awesome and hilarious, the Hippos immediately swam over to where we standing over them on the rocks, mouth open ready for food. Getting to see them up close was awesome and from there we walked on, over the suspension bridges to the Crocodiles. Got strapped in there, peering over into their habitat as we were told a bunch of facts about them, then got into the special Wild Africa Trek truck to drive into the Serengeti and see all the animals. We got up close with the Giraffes, drove around to the Elephants and finally pulled up to the gazebo placed in the middle of the grass. The views from there were awesome, they fed us and we had a chance to just relax and take it all in. After about a half an hour there we finally departed, finished the rest of the safari and finished our trek. 

     Overall it was an awesome experience that I would do again in a heartbeat. Seeing the animals from a different perspective, learning about them in detail and being so immersed in a Disney attraction was unreal!

The Countdown to the End

Expect it, but embrace it...

     As my days become less and less, it begins to sink in more and more that leaving is inevitable and I will miss everything about my CP so much. It has been 4 months of a working vacation, minimal responsibilities, amazing friends and nothing but fun. What's most upsetting is how close I have become with my fellow CPs from Port Orleans in the last month. Sure we talked at work, but it wasn't until December that we all started becoming best friends, went to the parks together and now it's all ending. I have to try and squeeze so much into such a small amount of time to take advantage of the time I have left with these friends and it's bittersweet.

     It becomes more and more apparent as the days dwindle that each time I'm in one of the parks could be my last, I don't know when I will be back at Disney to have as much fun as I have had these past 4 months. Knowing this, I capitalized on every opportunity I had, to do the parks with as many of my friends as possible and the last two weeks of my program were my best. I went to the parks before work, after work, on all my days off and made the effort to do them with as many friends as possible. At this point I realized I did not know if or when I would see these people again, so I didn't want to regret anything during my final days.

     Even with the days dwindling though, they are becoming some of the best days I have had since I got to Disney. Work is even more fun because, knowing we are all leaving soon, we are just having fun getting to work with each other everyday and making the most of it. We have all started looking forward to our final days of work because we know we will be spending time with each other and we know how to make work almost as fun as being at the parks together.

     I will also be real, expect the waterworks to flow during this time because the floodgates opened when the days became numbered. Especially with my co workers, specifically around Christmas when we were missing our families and accepting we were leaving, we were all upset. Tears were shed at work quite often. But, having each other around, knowing we were all feeling the same way gave everyone comfort, we could all relate. To relieve some of the depression we went bowling after work on Christmas Eve, and it really brought us close together and we forgot about how much we missed our families.

       I remember one of my final days off, I ended up at EPCOT that evening on my own because everyone had work. This night was for me, I went to Morocco for dinner, finally went to see The American Adventure for the first time and when I exited, I lost it. Walking through World Showcase talking to my mom on the phone, within minutes I was sitting between China and Norway bawling to my mom about how hard it is to leave. The friends I made here are the best I've ever had and leaving them and all the fun behind is not easy. When I finally pulled myself together, I went to The Seas and walked around before watching Illuminations one last time.

     After all of that, I knew I still had about a week left until my departure. And with plans nearly all these days, I could still look back at my CP and know I had no regrets and made the most of my time here.