by Brittany DiCologero
Jeremy moved to Orlando, from his hometown of Muncie, Indiana for the Spring Advantage 2014 Disney College Program. He was, and is currently, attending Ball State University where he majors in Finance.
Q: What made you want to do the Disney College Program?
A: I wanted the chance to work at my second home and meet people from all over the world. I knew that doing the DCP would give me a leg up in my future and give me the opportunity to grow and to live away from home for the first time.
Q: What was your role and location? Was it your first choice? If not, what was?
A: I was transportation at the FriendShip Boats. These are the boats in the World Showcase at EPCOT as well as transportation between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios and a few resorts in between. Concierge was my first choice, but I wasn’t expecting to get it since I wasn’t a hospitality major. My realistic first choice was transportation, FriendShips specifically.
Q: What was your training like?
A: I had the longest on-the-job training of anyone I met. I had 8 days of training and my assessment on the 9th. No time is wasted and you’re piloting the boat immediately on day one. It was fun but could definitely be a little overwhelming. You’re spending almost the entire 8-hour shift just driving the boat. Eventually you move onto deck-handing and reading the operations guide, but most of the time is focused on driving. The boats aren’t on a track or rails or anything so it is incredibly important to focus a lot of time on driving since you’re in full control.
Q: What were the best things about your role?
A: I spent my days working on a boat at Disney World; it doesn’t get much better than that! To be more specific, I saw IllumiNations every night and I could time my World Showcase rotations so that I was out there during an Off Kilter show.
Q: The worst?
A: The rain and Extra Magic Hours (EMH) nights. Working outside in the rain is never fun. When Hollywood Studios had EMH, all the docks got really busy and you really had to pay attention and think ahead and anticipate how many people you thought would be at the next stop and how many would get off. If you filled up the boat at the first stop, you’d have no room for everyone at the next stops resulting in many angry guests.
Q: Would you recommend this role to a friend?
A: Absolutely! I loved my time as a captain! Seeing the parks before and after closing and the job is probably the most fun you can have while working (unless you’re something like a character attendant). I loved my hours and my co-workers and I’d absolutely do it again!
Q: What advice would you have for new CPs in this role?
A: Go in with an open mind. At the FriendShips (and Sassagoula), you’ll be in complete control of the boat and that can be overwhelming and you might think you could never do it. The trainers over there are great and will keep working with you until you feel comfortable behind the helm.
Q: What have you been up to since your program ended?
A: I went back to being a full time student in Indiana and changed majors. I’m actually going back for another CP during Spring Advantage 2016 for the same role and hopefully the same location! In the future, I plan on staying with Disney but moving to corporate at either WDW or Disneyland Paris.
You can keep up with Jeremy through his Flickr page by clicking here!
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