Movin On Up

I decided to relocate my blog over to the domain I own. It's totally for selfish reasons, I want to be able to easily post from my phone :D

You can now find me at:  http://www.wdwcp.chrislet.com

The RSS feed is:http://wdwcp.chrislet.com/?feed=rss2

One more thing done

I was finally able to register for online classes for the fall. At my school, Florida Atlantic University, there is an online BBA program. My major, Hospitality, is within the school of business. Because there is a fully online program, non-online people couldn't register until today.

I didn't totally get what I wanted, but I got two classes, which is what I wanted. I'm taking Operations Management and Management Information Systems. I really wanted Marketing Management but there was a major issue with registration and I didn't manage to get in. Oh well, I can always take that in the spring.

So, other than packing, I'm all done with the other "need to be done" stuff. My onboard paperwork is done, renter's insurance is done, I have a roommate, going away party is this weekend. Suppose I should start packing soon huh? I do have a list. I'm also still undecided what to do about scrapping stuff. Brian says to leave it and grab anything I want at a later time. I'm sure he's right, but for me, scrapping is my stress relief. Not having it available kinda stinks to me.

2ish weeks to go

I head up to Orlando two weeks from tomorrow. Seeing as how it is 10:20 PM, I'm saying 2ish weeks.

The "big" topic in the last week has been Renter's Insurance and what the new requirements mean for those of us arriving in the next 2ish+ weeks. Everyone is getting different answers. One thing everyone agrees on is that it is now required. Now, whether or not they're checking when we check-in or not, well that's a whole 'nother story all together. The right hand doesn't know what the left is doing in this situation it seems. Some people on the Facebook Group are being told that no, they're not checking. Others are being told, yes they're checking and you'll be turned away if you don't have it.

So to be on the safe side, I got it. I went with Geico. It was $25 down and is like $20/month for $7K in "stuff" coverage and whatever the typical liabilities are. I went with a $100 deductible. A lot of people are paying for the whole year (mine would have been $154) and then dealing with a refund when the program is over. I'm not doing this for a couple reasons. First and foremost is that I'm broke. I've been on unemployment for 9 months and homegirl is broke as broke can be so putting out $154 right now just isn't going to happen. $25, doable; $154, not so much. Second, I don't want to deal with trying to get a refund. Goodness knows what kind of mess that can turn into, so I'd rather pay the extra $2-3 a month for the convenience of not having to chase a refund for an unused portion.

And just a little mention for my scrapbooking followers who are planning on heading to Harry Potter land at IOA - Creative Imaginations is releasing a Harry Potter line. It's being shown at CHA (Craft and Hobby Association).  I haven't seen the sneak peek on their blog yet, but a bunch of their other lines are there (including an awesome one by Marah Johnson - Wicked). I'm guessing it'll be there soon (I hope!)

And the preperation is beginning

I drive up to Orlando in three weeks, check in 3 weeks from tomorrow.

I've started putting aside some stuff I'm going to bring, like my sheets, bed risers and stuff like that. I'm totally a last minute packer, so knowing me, I'll be throwing stuff into bags this time in three weeks.

I checked in with my orthopedic today and got a cortisone injection in my ankle. I have some scar tissue in there that keeps getting irritated and swelling, causing pain, so this should calm it down. My ice pack is my best friend right now.

As I mentioned in my last post, August 11th arrivals are now in the Hub. I did find out where I may be working, which is Epcot Front Entrance Greeters. I'm pretty excited about that as Epcot was my second choice behind Magic Kingdom.

I guess that's it for now, have a Magical Day!

I go to PBSC and I got in CP for fall 2010! How do you find about the campus get togethers?

I was on an e-mail list for those on the CP. I don't think there are anymore events before fall, but if you'd like to grab a cup of coffee, I'm on campus a couple days a week. I'm all for meeting fellow CPers before we head up!

Ask me anything

4 weeks to go!

I can't believe I'm 4 weeks away from check in. 28 days. Oh my.

I have what feels like 10,000 things to do. I have a bunch of crafting projects on my to do list before I go, including a super secret surprise for my step-mom. I need to get my lists of what to pack, what to bring and what I need to buy together. I love lists.

I do have an advantage over many CPers, I live a mere 3 hours away. If I really need stuff, I can run home. I don't need to pack my "winter" clothes to bring with me in August, I can grab them later, or worse case, I can have my wonderful fiance bring them up for me.

I think my biggest challenge right now is what to bring for scrapbooking stuff. I have an entire room here at home, way more stuff than any one girl needs. It's kinda hard to narrow down what I need. Do I need my Cricut? Grungeboard? Thickers? How much patterned paper? How much cardstock? Most people are probably shaking their heads at the craziness of this paragraph but other scrappers are laughing at me while nodding their heads. They get it :)

The arrival date just before mine has had their roles disappearing from the CP site. That means that they're getting put into the Hub, which makes this all that much more real. Being in the Hub means that you have a job location assigned. Some want those with Hub access to look them up to see where they're working. I'm up in the air if I want to know or not. I did request Magic Kingdom a few months back, it'll be interesting to see if I get what I requested. Looking at the Fall Advantage people in the Facebook Group, it seems that most who put a request in didn't get their location choice. I'm just hoping to not be stuck selling tickets at one of the water parks. I'd prefer to be located at one of the main theme parks. What job I get, I'm far less picky about.

Oh, and to my 22 followers - Hello! and Thank you! I'm hoping that there will be more updates once I actually make it up to Orlando.

2 Months

Today is June 11th. This time in 2 months, I'll probably be sitting in a housing meeting. I can't believe how quickly time is going by.


I need to start making lists of what to bring with me. I have my old bed risers set aside and I got a couple sets of sheets on sale at Target. It's hard to know what to bring - I have a feeling a large Wal-Mart run will be in the cards once I'm there and settled in.

On the facebook group, almost all of the Fall Advantage people have arrived. The last check in day for FA is on the 14th. After that, the next check is will be August 9th, the first group of us Fall people.

Disney actually sent out an e-mail the other day asking us if we'd be willing to change check-in dates, from whatever we have now to September 6th. Yeah, cause I'm not excited enough about August 11th, lets throw another month on top of that? No thanks! Besides, I've already booked Brian's return flight home. He's going to come up to check-in with me.


I've got two weeks left of my first summer class - Quantitative Methods of Business (QMB). So far so good, but I have one more test and a final left. From there I go right into my second summer class - Excellence in Guest Services. That should be fun and interesting, leading into the CP.

ACK! It's been how long!?!?!

Sorry I haven't posed anything in a while, but being as how I don't arrive at Disney until August 11th, there really isn't much to report.

Yesterday roommate matching opened up for us fall people. I now "officially" have a roommate, which is good. We're wanting a 1 BR, Patterson is our first choice, Chatham second. Neither of us wants to live at Vista.

I'm a little over 2 months until arrival and the list of packing stuff is growing. I've been watching a lot of Vlogs and reading tons of blogs of CPs who have arrived or are about to (the Fall Advantage people). Can't wait until it's my turn.

And it begins

The first group of Fall Advantage CPers are checking in today. I can't believe how fast time is going. August 11th seems so far away, but in reality it is right around the corner. I can't wait!

Cake Wrecks

I LOVE Cake Wrecks. I get laughs and laughs out of the posts.

Today's was about my favorite mouse - Mickey :D Check it out for a couple groaning laughs.  Click Me

Campus fun

Last night the campus reps for FAU and Palm Beach State College had a "You've been accepted, now what" kind of Q&A on campus.

It was neat to hear experiences of Alumni, but it's kind of funny how stuff has changed. I am on multiple facebook groups, have watched a ton of vlogs on youtube and am on the disboards college area. I'm pretty well informed.

Being older, I don't have to worry about my parents thoughts about this whole thing (although they're both very excited for me). Listening to some of the parents questions yesterday made me giggle a bit. I mean, your child is an adult and a college student, yet you're worried some small things that silly. Do these parents let their children have any control over their own lives? Once I turned 18, my choices were mine. My parents still advised me and helped me along the way but they were my decisions to make and if it was a wrong decision, I had to live with what happened.

Anyways, tonight is another get together on campus, I'll head over after my Business Law class. We're playing some games and watching Hercules. Should be fun, I haven't seen Hercules in a really long time but I love Danny DeVito's character. 

All the little things...

It's amazing when you start planning for something like the CP, all the little things that you think of.

Now, I never had the "typical" college experience. When I graduated high school in 1997, I went to my local community college. I then worked, went to school, worked on the student newspaper and finished my AA. I did all that while living at home with mom & dad.From there, I took "a semester off" which lasted from Spring of 2001 until Spring of 2009. It's amazing how one semester can turn into 8 years so easily. So now, here I am at 31 back at school with all the youngins :).

So I never had to worry about sheets, towels, how I'm going to do my laundry and all that stuff. I now live with my wonderful fiance, and we have a house full of stuff, yet I have to worry about what to bring, what do I need, what do I use on a regular basis.

Do I really need my flat iron? Which computer do I bring? How much of my clothes do I pack.

Brian will tell you I'm a planner and a worrier and I don't deny it for a second. I'm still just over 4 months away from arriving in Orlando, but I feel the need to plan... and worry.

So I'm going start with a budget and try to plan my financial well being to begin with. Of course that's the aspect of this whole thing that worries me the most.

Excitement

There's still like 140 days until I'm scheduled to check in for the CP, yet I can't stop talking about it. Stuff like what I'm going to bring, what I need to buy, what I want to do, thinking of days off I need.

I think I'm driving my dear fiance crazy. The CP is a catch-22 for me. I've wanted to work at Disney forever, this is really a dream come true. However, this will cause me to be approximately 180 miles away from Brian for 5 months, in the middle of wedding planning. That makes me feel downright guilty. I'm leaving him with the dog, and the responsibility of the house and all that good stuff.

He, as always, is by far the most supportive person I have ever known. I am a very lucky girl, but it doesn't ease the guilt. I don't know if that guilt is ever going to go away, or of its going to be easier, but I am thankful that he's supportive and I'm going to have the opportunity to make a dream come true.

Roomates

You know, it sucks being old and doing this program. I think I'm going to have to let Disney do the matching since I really haven't found anyone willing to room with me. I really wish I had done the program back when I was in my early 20's like everyone else.

But if I had, who knows how my life would be different. I may not have met Brian which would totally suck, seeing as how I'm going to marry him and all ;)

A little about me

I realized this morning, that 6 posts in, I haven't really introduced myself. How rude of me :D


Hi! I'm Christina and I'm just about 31. I live in South Florida about 200 miles southeast of Orlando. I made my first trip to Disney World in 1981 when I was 2. I can't say as I have many memories of that trip, but I have pictures somewhere around here I'm sure (or Mom still has them and won't give them up).

I grew up in a family in the travel industry. My Grandma owned a travel agency, my mom worked there and when I was young, my bio-dad worked for Eastern Airlines (at the time they were the "Official Airline of Walt Disney World"). Later, the old man went to work for Grandma as well.

Because of this, I got to go to Disney a lot when I was young. Here's a shot of me with Tweedle Dee from 1982.

It's pretty cool to see how Disney hasn't changed over the years. Here's a shot of bio-dad and I taken in Italy in 1984. Next to it is a shot taken with some friends at the same location in 2006. For everything that changes (RIP Mr. Toad), it's nice to see stuff that's been there since my childhood (and the opening of Epcot)

Are people always going to consider me crazy?

I'm a scrapbooker. I do a lot of crafts, but the majority fall under the scrapbooking umbrella.

I went to a three-day crop this weekend and was talking to a friend of mine and she was asking me questions about the CP and what I would be doing and all that kind of good stuff. The lady next to her gave me this "you're out of your mind look" and proceeded to tell me that I'm crazy for wanting to go and work at Disney.

Of course, said lady has been to WDW once - in 1979. Her biggest complaint - She didn't like It's a Small World.

So tell me.... am I crazy or is she?

Roomate Survey

These seem to be popular on the facebook group so I thought I'd throw mine up here

1. Your name?: Christina
2. Are you legal (over 21)?: Yep, just about 10 years over
3. Male or female?: Female
4. Gay, straight, bi (optional): Straight
5. Where do you live?: Tamarac, Florida
6. What role will you have at Disney?: Main Entrance Operations
7. What are your arrival/departure dates/program (fall, fall advantage, fall quarter)?: Fall. I arrive on 8/11
8. Which apartment complex would you prefer to live at? I prefer Chatham or Patterson. I am not a party all the time kinda girl, plus I need to take classes (online) to stay somewhat on track with school.
9. How many roommates/rooms would you like? (1-7 roommates, 1-4 rooms)?: I’m thinking a three bedroom, but would also consider a 2.
10. Do you like to party? Will you be hosting parties in your apartment?: Probably no parties in my apartment. I’m a go to a movie, hit the parks, read a book kinds of girl.
11. What's your favorite food, and more importantly, can you cook well?: I’m an okay cook as long as I have a recipe. I’m spoiled, my fiancé does the majority of the cooking for us. I eat like a kid. I’m a really picky eater who eats like a 4 year old
12. If your friends could describe you in three words what would they be?: Loyal, fun, silly
13. What kind of music/movies do you like?: I’m a romantic comedy/musical/Disney fan for movies. Music is a lot of showtunes, Jimmy Buffett and Bon Jovi.
14. Do you smoke, and if so, inside or outside?: No smoking here
15. Do you drink? (socially or alcoholic) I’m a social drinker. I don’t drink often, but I will have one every now and then
16. Are you a night person or a morning person?: As long as I’m getting enough sleep, I can be both.
17. Are you driving or flying down?:  Driving. I’m about 3 hours south of Orlando.
18. What do you do for fun?: I go to a lot of sporting events (My fiancé and I are season ticket holders for the Florida Panthers, we had season seats for the Marlins and the Dolphins also). I’m a huge Red Sox/Celtics/Patriots/Marlins/Panthers fan. Other than that, we hang out, movies, dinners out that kind of stuff.
19. What is your favorite quote?: “It’s smarter to be lucky than it’s lucky to be smart”
20. What are you most excited about in being in the WDWCP?: I’ve wanted to work at Disney since I was 7. This is a dream come true.
21. Favorite things to do when not working: Hitting the parks and working on my photography skills, sleeping, school work
22. Name one good quality about yourself: I am very loyal
23. Name one bad quality about yourself: If I don’t have enough sleep for a couple nights in a row or are really hungry, I’m not the nicest person to be around
24: Your college: Florida Atlantic University
25: Your major: Hospitality Management
26. Any medical conditions (optional): Nothing to worry about.
27. Are you messy/tidy?: I’m a tidy clutter. I tend to have a stack of stuff next to my bed, but it’s a tidy stack.
28. Anything else you want to state: not really
29. Favorite Disney movie? Aladdin
30. How many times have you been to Disney?  I’ve been to WDW about 40+ times. Disneyland only once
31. Favorite park? Studios
32. Favorite ride? Tower of Terror
33. Favorite show? Fantasmic!
34. Favorite resort? I’ve stayed at quite a few, but my favorite has been Port Orleans – Riverside. I also love AKL. For values which is where I typically stay, Pop Century is where it’s at.
35. Favorite dining? LeCellier and dinner at Ohana
36. Favorite character? Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbell
37. I prefer to sleep in a room that has: I need noise of some sort. I’m not a go to sleep in dead quiet type
38. I like to go to bed: When I am ready to
39. I sleep better when the room is: comfortable.
40. I would prefer to sleep in a room that is: not too hot, not too cold
41. I would prefer guests: be respectful of me and my roommates stuff.
42. I absolutely could not live with a roommate that: is rude
43. Do you snore: I’ve never been told that I do
44. On your day off..what time would you wake up: It’s rare that I sleep past 9 anymore.

It came!

My beautiful, wonderful, official-looking Purple Folder arrived. It all seems so much more real now. It's a little more than 5 months until I head north and it seems like there is so much to do. I'm planning a wedding for May of 2011, so I need to get as much of that done before I leave as I can. I also have stuff I need to buy, projects that need to be completed (I'm a crafter, I have Christmas projects that will need to be done before August unless I plan on bringing my sewing machine with me)

I keep having mixed feelings. I'm so excited to have the opportunity to participate in the college program, but at the same time when I think about all that I'll be missing, it makes it a bit difficult. Between August and January there are a ton of birthdays in my family, Thanksgiving and Christmas, my fiance and I have a half season ticket package to the Florida Panthers, we have tickets to go to Fenway to see my beloved Red Sox Labor Day weekend. I know that's probably out and most Panthers games before the new year won't have me cheering them on. It's a little sad.

I know the sacrifice will be worth it, but I feel like I'm forcing my sacrifice onto Brian, just a tad.

School

I got good news from my adviser today. I knew that my school (Florida Atlantic University) doesn't accept the Disney classes for credit. However, I can apply to get a 3 credit internship class which would double as my upper-division business elective. Rock on.

What this does is allow me to only have to take one "real class" while I'm at Disney in order to get my financial aid. For me, financial aid is a super important component of this whole puzzle - without it I can't afford to do the CP as the bills, well they must be paid!

Still unreal

It's 24 hours after I received my purple e-mail. I'm waiting for the magic folder to show up in my mail. Considering that I'm so close to Disney (200 miles) that I'd hope it gets here quickly.

I'm still in shock a little bit. Working at Disney has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. I can't believe it's actually going to happen. It's going to be hard though. I'll be leaving behind my fiance (who is the most supportive, wonderful man in the entire world) and the wedding planning (5/14/11).

I'll be sharing a room with a total and complete stranger. I can honestly say that I've never done that. I have never lived in a dorm, I did the community college thing, living at home and now I live with my fiance. This is going to be an interesting experience if nothing else :)

I got in!

When you're 30, you never think you'll be doing something call the Disney College Program. Yet, here I am, a week after doing a phone interview accepted for the Fall 2010 semester. I have an arrival date of 8/11/10 and departure date of 1/7/11. I'm waiting to get my Purple Envelope in the mail, but I got the e-mail, accepted and paid my activity fee already.