Sunday, April 03, 2011

Words of Wisdom

Hello!

I am going to be doing the DCP starting in August I'm so so excited..I'll be in merchandise! I'm a little nervous too though, about the hectic nature of the hours and the fact that I'm still trying to find a roommate. Do you have any words of wisdom? :)

Thank you!

Danielle



Congratulations! I remember that horrible waiting period between getting in and actually going. It was torture. I couldn't focus on anything other than the dream of being at Disney World for five months. In terms of words of wisdom let me see what I can tell you...


Let's start with roommates. I know how stressful that can be. For a bit I didn't think I'd be able to find one, but the biggest tip I can give you is to use Facebook to your advantage. Join the Facebook group for your program and talk to people. Get to know the people who will be on your program, and if you do that someone will stand out to you. You'll make a connection with someone and before you know it you'll have a roommate. That's what happened with me and lots of other people that I know.

But if all else fails don't be afraid of a roommate you don't know. I knew lots of people who didn't meet their roommates until they moved in and they ended up being the best of friends. And if the roommate thing turns out badly they are more than willing to help you anyway they can. I had friends that were able to move to a different apartment due to roommate situations. Believe me, if it's just too bad for you to stand they will help you.

Now, let's talk about your role. Merchandise. Merchandise is great role. It can be stressful, but only if you let it. Most of the time I had a great time at work. The people I worked with became some of my best friends while I was there. You see them a lot and so they sort of become your family. If you work as best you can, and make sure to be patient and pleasant with the guests you will have no problem. The technical aspects of the job are not hard, and Disney's training is handled very well. You'll go in knowing basically what you need to do, and the things you won't know will be easy to figure out.

As for hours, in the Fall there are only a few weeks that I experienced with truly hectic hours. The week of Christmas was very busy and I had lots of hours to work that week, and the week of New Years was down right insane. But it's usually never more than you can handle. You will always have at least one day off a week, and they were always give you a decent amount of hours between shifts. If they ever don't do those things then don't be afraid to have a talk with your manager. That's what they are there for. Now, if you work at Epcot be aware that you'll have busy weeks when the other parks don't. Epcot hosts the International Food & Wine Festival in the fall and it will be crowded. This is a favorite event for season pass holders and locals. During Food & Wine if you work the World Showcase you'll have plenty of hours. Not so many that you feel like you're constantly working like around Christmas and New Years, but enough that you'll really look forward to getting your paycheck every week.

Overall, I'd say there's really nothing to be nervous about. There will always be someone to help you, and when there's not somehow things always work out. That's the magic of Disney. Things somehow always work out.

Just make sure to maintain a positive outlook and show everyone at your location that you're willing to work. As long as you do that then they will be more than happy to help you out when you really need it. Proving that you're willing to do your best no matter what the task goes a long way with managers.

But make sure you take advantage of everything you can during your off time too! Don't be afraid to go places by yourself! Just because no one else has the same days off as you does not mean you can't go to the parks. Take a camera and play with photography in the parks. Try different foods. Meet characters. Do as much as you possibly can and I promise you you will have an excellent time on your program.

Congratulations, be safe, and have fun! You'll make memories you'll never forget and friends that you'll never lose. Enjoy every moment.

And that's all the wisdom I have for you. I hope that answered some of your questions and eased your nerves a bit! Thanks for visiting my little blog! I appreciate it!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

oh my gosh thank you SO SO much for all this wonderful advice!! You've eased my nerves so much..and you're right..the waiting period is torture! I'm a senior at college so my feelings are mixed with a lot of sadness about saying goodbye to the family I've made at school..and excitement about my Disney family that I hope to meet :) I'm super excited about merch...I work at Staples when I'm home on breaks and I really love the customer service aspect..so I'm hoping to strengthen my customer service skills even more when I get to the DCP..I mean WHAT better place to do that than Disney? :D If you have a facebook, feel free to look me up..I'm under Danielle Elizabeth (network: Assumption)..just write in the message that we talked on your blog..I'd love to chat with you more if you'd like :)

Thanks again!

Danielle