What Shouldn't You Pack?

If you're getting ready to start your journey on the Disney College Program, you've probably read hundreds of articles or blog posts on what you should pack. Have you thought about things you shouldn't bring though? Much like packing for college, there are a bunch of things that sound like a good idea to bring but really they're not entirely necessary. Here's my list of items that do not need to be packed:

1. The obvious
And by the obvious, I mean things that are not allowed in housing-- candles, pets, drugs, "weapons," (I say "weapons" because this even includes things like lightsabers.) For more on items that are not allowed in housing, check out the official Disney College Program website (or use common sense.) 

2. Alcohol (and things like wine glasses, shot glasses, etc..) 
If you're in a Wellness apartment. Living in a Wellness apartment means that you're under 21 and therefore can't have alcohol, but you can even get in trouble for having things like shot glasses. So if you really do use shot glasses as "toothpick holders," it's still best not to pack them. 

3. Plush
If you haven't yet worked for Disney, you might know this term as "stuffed animals," but once you start working merchandise for Disney you'll understand how grotesque this term actually sounds. Now, if you have one little plush bear that you'd really like to have on your bed, that's totally fine. But if you're planning on bringing your whole childhood collection with you, you might want to rethink that. I had friends who brought tons of plush that looked really cute on their beds but were absolutely not worth the hassle of trying to bring all of that home along with everything they'd accumulated during their program.

4. Formal wear
If you're doing your college program in the Fall, you'll be able to go to formal! Formal was really fun, and it was nice to dress up for a night during the program, however I would not recommend bringing an over the top formal outfit just for this event. Some people wore prom dresses, and frankly there's no need to do that. They just take up space in your suitcase and closet and you only wear them once. Go to the Florida Mall or the outlets across the street from the Commons during your program, and buy something that you'll get more than one wear out of instead.

5. Books/movies
If you're like me, most of your free time will be spent in the parks, so you won't have much of a need for books and movies. But there's also a learning center at Vista where you can check out books and movies, so they're not worth packing.

6. Toiletries
Obviously you need toiletries, but don't pack them, especially if you're flying. They'll add a lot of space (and weight) to your suitcase and you're better off buying them there.

7. Instruments 
I can see maybe bringing instruments if you're dead set on winning the Night of Stars talent competition, but for the most part, everyone I know who brought instruments hardly used them and just had to deal with the headache of getting them home.

8. Clothes you never wear
If you never wear them at home, you'll never wear them in Florida.

9. Video game systems
Bringing something portable is totally fine, but lugging your Xbox down to Florida is not a good idea, because like books/movies, you'll hardly have any time to actually use it.

10. Valuables (that you don't need)
I have nothing against bringing a nice watch, or your tablet, but the DCP is not the place to bring your expensive/family heirloom jewelry. If there's anything you own that's super valuable or irreplaceable it's best to leave it at home with your family, especially if you forgo renters insurance for your apartment in Florida.

11. Socks
This might sound stupid, but I regret bringing so many white socks. I brought so many white below the ankle socks, thinking I could wear them for work, but as it turned out I needed white socks that covered my ankles and black socks. If you're thinking of buying socks right before you move down, wait until you know the details of your costume.

12. Apartment decor
Of course you want to make your apartment homey, but just remember that everything you bring down you'll need to bring back home with you. And by the time your program is over you'll have accumulated so much more stuff to bring home anyway.

If you've done the program before is there anything else that you'd regret bringing?

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Attractions or Merchandise?

During the Spring 2015 DCP, my role was changed to attractions, at Lights, Motors, Action! While attractions seems to be one of the more coveted roles on the college program, I would say that whether or not you'll like working in attractions is really dependent upon which specific attraction you get. Working attractions for Disney (or any front line role for that matter) does not mean you get to choose a specific area. Whether you do the college program, or are just applying for a part time or full time job, you really have no say in the area you'll be placed in. You can make requests, but nothing is guaranteed. When I extended my Fall 2014 program from merchandise, the application asked for my top five choices of a new role. I applied with the following:

1. attractions
2. merchandise (different location)
3. main entrance operations
4. character attendant
5. merchandise (same location)

If you've read my book, or know me personally, you're probably wondering where vacation planner is on this list. After numerous attempts at getting Disney to hire me as a vacation planner, I finally gave up. During both times that I applied for the college program, vacation planner was my first choice, and both times I got merchandise. At this point, I kind of assumed that Disney would never want me to be a vacation planner, and that putting it as my number one choice again would be a waste of that spot on the list. Instead my previous second choice of attractions was bumped up to number one. 

Like I've already mentioned, working in attractions is so dependent on your role. When I found out that I was accepted for attractions, I automatically assumed I'd still be in Animal Kingdom. While I was working in Dinoland, I had to take a training class called "The Story Unfolds," in which we walked around our land only with a trainer to learn more about the details that went into creating Dinoland. Because of this class, and DAKlimation, that was the introductory class to the park that every Animal Kingdom cast member needed to take, I assumed I would get some attraction in Dinoland. Cost-wise that would have made sense-- they would have been paying me to start on the job training right away, rather than to take the intro class for a different park. One of my specific requests on my extension application was Expedition Everest. My best guess for where I would have been placed would have been either there (because I requested it, and it was in Animal Kingdom) or anything in Dinoland (because I already worked there and took "The Story Unfolds" class.)

It's a weird process of learning where exactly you'll be placed. You kind of find out in little pieces at a time where your new location is, and you don't find out where specifically you'll be working until that week's schedule comes out. First I found out I was in Hollywood Studios, where my Dinoland managers for some reason thought I would be placed at Star Tours. Then, I found out that I was in the Backlands. While I did request One Man's Dream, the rest of the Backlands was pretty unappealing to me. Finally, a week before I would start at my new location, I found out that I would be at Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. 

Before working at LMA, I had a love/hate relationship with it. LMA was probably one of my least favorite shows. (I say "one of," because I cannot stand Disney Junior, and the Voyage of the Little Mermaid is up there too.) It's not that I hated LMA before I worked there, I just wouldn't have chosen to see it unless I was with other people who really wanted to see it. I could appreciate the skillfulness of the stunt drivers, and all of the work that goes into putting on a show like that, but it really wasn't my thing. Actually, come to think of it, cars in general really aren't my thing. I'm not really a "car person," in fact, I'm quite the opposite. I don't even know anything about my own cars. My first car was a boat, who was lovingly named Bertha, and she broke down so often that I was on a first name basis with most of the tow truck drivers in my town. I knew some of the AAA drivers in my town so well, that one time before one of them came to look at my car, which was helplessly stuck in the Staples parking lot where I used to work, he actually called my cell phone to ask if I wanted anything from Dunkin Donuts as he was stopping there anyway. Chaz is constantly trying to get me to go to car shows, which usually results in me finding something else to do, or making some excuse to get out of it, because I've always thought it was boring to go to a show and look at cars. So basically, I've lived a life where I've constantly tried to avoid going to car shows, only for Disney to make my new work location a car show. 

Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't horribly disappointed. This was not a repeat of Dinoland, which made me question the decisions I've made in life that somehow a higher power wanted to torture me by making me work at the only place I hate at Disney World. If anything I was disappointed that I'd be working at a show. I did however, quickly find the positives in the fact that it was a show I was uninterested in. If it's a show I wasn't crazy about in the first place, seeing it two or three times a day wouldn't ruin it for me. On the other plus side, it wasn't a musical, so I wouldn't go home from work with songs stuck in my head. Just like guests often do though (which actually really annoys me now, after working at LMA) when I hear "attractions," I think 'rides," or at least I did at the time anyway. I was worried that a show would be boring, and nothing but telling people to move all the way down when they didn't want to. 

Attractions is so much more than that, and it's so much more than merchandise. It's so much more "Disney" than merchandise. Merchandise, while it was an entirely different experience from any other retail job you could have, was still at its core retail. Even though it was much more magical, and there were so many things I did while working in merchandise that were specific to Disney, I really could to merchandise anywhere. There is nowhere besides Disney that I could have been an attractions hostess at a stunt show with cars, motorcycles, and jet skis. Attractions involved so much more guest interaction than merchandise, and there were so many more responsibilities that came with it. While greeting outside LMA, you're essentially out in the open in the park, where pretty much anything can happen. In merchandise you're more limited to one specific location, and especially if you're at an indoor gift shop the kinds of guest interaction you could have are even more limited. 

Before or in between shows at LMA, I was free to wander through the Backlands. During this time I would take photos for guests, photobomb guests, give out stickers, play with kids, listen to and dance with Mulch, Sweat, and Shears, blow bubbles, use hula hoops, and have the freedom to just walk around and people watch. While you could merchantain in merchandise, this was generally an assignment you'd pick up, and if you were on a busy register this wouldn't be possible. And due to the cash handling aspect of that role you really aren't able to leave your position. 

Working at LMA gave the perfect balance of structure (as there were times when I had a position and I needed to stay there) and freedom (of being able to walk through the park and just talk to guests.) The general schedule at LMA was that we would all super greet outside the attraction or anywhere really around the Backlands before the first show. During the show load, show, and show dump, we'd have certain positions we would have to stay at. After the show everyone would clean the stadium together, and then we would all go on break together. And the same process would then repeat itself for the second show. I liked this arrangement because I always knew when I would go on break, and all of my coworkers in attractions were so much closer simply because we were always together and we saw each other everyday on break. I also think it's easier to become close friends with your coworkers in attractions because the job requires you to work together in a way that merchandise doesn't. In merchandise, it might be helpful to have a coworker by your side at the register to bag purchases, but it's not necessary. In attractions, each position is necessary and you have to work together to accomplish anything.

Overall, I enjoyed my time working in attractions much more than I did in merchandise. This opinion might be partly due to the fact that my regular work location while I was merchandise was Dinoland, although I would honestly make a divide between the games and regular merchandise locations. On the whole, attractions was way more enjoyable, though one thing I did miss about working in merchandise was the ability to pick up shifts anywhere. With merchandise, I was able to work in all four parks, and at numerous shops, and even at a resort. With attractions, I was pretty much limited to LMA. 

That's about all for this post. Don't forget to enter my contest on Instagram to win a free copy of my book. Just follow @brittanyearnsherears and repost the cover of my book that's on my page. Winners will be announced on July 15th. 

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Brittany Earns Her Ears is available on Amazon now! Click here to get your copy today!

"Brittany Earns Her Ears," General Updates, and DCP Spring 2015 Recap!

"Brittany Earns Her Ears" is officially available on Amazon in both paperback copies and e-books. Click here to purchase my new book on Amazon now! :)

Apologies are in order for how much this blog has been neglected during my program. Unfortunately writing a book, articles (for Disney Questions, Disney Fanatic, and Disney Dining) and working at Walt Disney World is really not a conducive schedule for writing blog posts on a regular basis. 

Since finishing the DCP, I've been working at a museum on Boston's Freedom Trail, where I was employed before I left for the program. It's not a bad job, but it's part time, and now that I'm finished with school I really need something full time. I started looking for full time work while I was still in Florida. During the last couple of weeks of my program, I sent out my resume to a bunch of organizations and really focused on getting started with the job search, but either got rejected or no response from everywhere I applied. Still waiting to hear back from somewhere, I began working at my old job as soon as I got home. Soon after I heard back from the Harvard Art Museum, where I was offered an interview, and eventually a job. In a couple of weeks I still be starting full time, as a Museum Attendant, working in all three of the Harvard Art Museums. 

Now let's back up a little bit, and I'll give a quick recap of my Spring DCP. I was given a new role and a new location for my Spring extension, so I said good-bye (kind of) to merchandise and was on my way to attractions at Hollywood Studios! My location was Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, and occasionally Fantasmic! and while I was not so excited about working at shows at first, I grew to love my time there. I also learned that what you request when you extend for a location apparently doesn't matter. (I requested Expedition Everest, Spaceship Earth, One Man's Dream, and Tower of Terror.) When I initially found out I was in Hollywood Studios, I had my hopes way too high thinking that I must have gotten Tower of Terror or One Man's Dream. Then, I found out that my attraction was in the Backlands, which was worrisome because most of the Backlands included attractions that I would never want to work at-- Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Frozen Sing Along, Toy Story Midway Mania, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Lights, Motors, Action!, One Man's Dream, Magic of Disney Animation, and Disney Junior Live on Stage. After learning which attractions were included in the Backlands, I hoped I would get One Man's Dream, since that was one of the attractions I requested. I'll be honest and say that Hollywood Studios is my least favorite park, and the only places I would really have wanted to work at would have been One Man's Dream or Tower of Terror. When I found out I was at Lights, Motors, Action! (LMA) I was surprisingly relieved. 

Initially I did not want to work at a show, because I thought that my job would be nothing but telling people to move all the way to the end of their row, but I quickly found that working at a show (or perhaps just attractions in general) was so much more than that. Working at LMA taught me how to communicate over a radio to other cast members, and the importance of safety critical positions, where I was responsible for monitoring guest flow and opening and closing gates that the cars enter or exit through during the show. Attractions was so much more "Disney" than merchandise if that makes sense, and I'm so happy that I was able to spend a couple of months working at LMA.

I think that's all for this post, but I will write some more about my most recent college program soon! I'm going to be running a contest on Instagram to give away a free copy of my book, so be on the lookout for that :)

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Brittany Earns Her Ears -- Now Available on Amazon!