I actually got picked on the Walt Disney World College Program! Me and my friend went to the presentation and the interview half jokingly (well, I REALLY wanted to go but didn’t want to show it) and just today, I got a letter confirming my acceptance…I almost pooped in my pants when I saw it…MY GOD I’M GOING TO FLORIDA!! Kinda amazing really…they interview like close to 30,000 college students and only accept like 2000-3000 students…
I’m really psyched about it…but I have a problem…I’ve NEVER been to the mainland US…I’ve lived on islands all my life (saipan and hawaii now) and well, I’ve never experienced the ‘city life’…the closest I’ve been was probably japan…and that was pretty overwhelming…I’m kinda freaking out about the amount of people that’s gonna be there and you know, all the urban chaos that I’ve seen on TV like I dunno…those huge airports and all that goodie…so I’m asking:
Is there anyone who’ve been in this program before or others that maybe can offer me some advice on anything…ANYTHING about Florida or what I should know about this life altering experience I’m about to go on…thanx in advance.
Reoch:)
I can only say Congrats!!!, and ask you a few questions.
First, under what part you applied? I know there’s the part for advanced internships, and the other for regular internships, both requiring interviews. I’m interested in applying for the advanced, but I need a couple of more years(senior status or bachelor’s degree needed).
I think they will give you housing, so at least you don’t have to worry(much) about that aspect.
Orlando is a city, yes, but nowhere near the size of some of the cities in Japan that you may have gone. Also, from what I remember, the parks are not exactly near the center of the city.
I applied for the regular internship (fall advance) where yes, I did have to go to a presentation and a interview (couple of easy questions like "what do you hope to get out of the program). I got placed under merchandise so looking forward to interacting with customers…
Disney World is not the center of Orlando:eek: Geez, so does that mean there’s not going to be a lot of stuff to do outside the park? I was kinda looking forward to going around and stuff… like is it close to the beach or what? thanx for the response
It’s a rather spread-out & sprawling city, with some winding streets, mostly because of the small lakes that dot the area.
While there, take the time to visit the Cape Kennedy. It’s on;y an hour or so away, & they have a free museum of spaceflight that’s worth the trip. They have bus tours, too, but those cost extra. Still, it’s worth the cost.
Be careful at night, in parking lots & such , though. Tourist areas are heavily patrolled by the police, so those places are really safe, but retail & residential areas can be somewhat different.
My brother-in-law is currently working an internship in Orlando (we are going to visit him Wednesday). From what I understand, they provide housing which you have to pay for, though the cost is relatively low. The reason it is low is because you will be sharing a room with five other guys. You have a choice of a normal room or a ‘healthy lifestyle’ room where there is no drinking or smoking allowed.
If you don’t like the big city, you can likely get away with never having to go any further than Kissimee itself. It gets busy of course, and International Blvd. is a bitch to traverse, but it won’t have the same mass of people that working in the park will be.
I would imagine, depending on your job in the park, you won’t be exposed to the hustle and bustle too much. My bil is working in Epcot where he gives a speech about technology before the crowd enters whatever ride or exhibit they enter. Something like that, where you are anchored to one spot will be considerably less painful then say putting on a Mickey costume and getting accosted by thousands of children.
Thanx for the response, I’ll make sure to check Cape Kennedy. As they say here in hawaii, I’m gonna play tourist…or become tourist once I get there
And Astro, what the hell is the “Hall of Chemicals”? Uh…I dont get it…blush…well, I guess I’m just going to find out what to do when I get there…a little paranoid about the big airports…but oh well. Thanx for your response
I once dated, and fell in love with, a girl who worked at Disney World. She was Mickey for a summer. From what she told me she loved it. In fact she loved it so much she went back after getting her degree. Her new job was in marketing or something like that.
From what she told me it seems to be a cool place to go. She said everyone was supportive and that it was a good place to work.
Congrats on your internship Reoch. You shouldn’t be worried about flying into Orlando, the airport is pretty well organized and easy to get around in. I just wanted to correct one thing that Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor first posted and you have now copied. There is no such place as Cape Kennedy. There is a Kennedy Space Center, where you want to go play tourist, and there is a Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Geographically the two places are separated by the Banana River. There was a period of time when the names of the two places were mixed as Cape Kennedy but thankfully that is all behind us now. By the way the “free” museum at the Kennedy Space Center is no longer free but is well worth the cost.
It’s a small world. My sister in law did the college program (ended up working at Chef Mickey’s and Concourse) while my wife was an intern ( totally different ballgame than the college program). But, they both stayed at the apartment community Disney houses the college aged it. It is a pretty big party zone (ranked highly on easiest places to score in certain publications) but it was always an interesting place to visit due to the wide diversity of countries, cultures, etc represented there.
As for my feelings on Orlando…it is a medium sized city with big sized city hopes but still stuck with a backwards small city feel.
The Disney sports complex rocks, and there are a ton of things to do with the college program to pass the time. Just be ready for some long work hours with not a ton of pay. But, if you like people you will have a good time.
There is a place there for “Cast Members” as Disney employees are fondly known.
A girlfriend of mine did this ten years ago when we were in college. She was in “merchandise” too - worked in a clothing store in the Magic Kingdom. She really enjoyed her time down there.
You are an hour from the beach - maybe more. Orlando is a pretty small town for a city (does that make any sense?), and Disney World itself is about 15-20 minutes from Orlando. Disney itself is a small city - 51 square miles.
Thanx for your help posters… I guess basically, Orlando is not that big of a city for a island boy like me to worry about huh. Thank God…
Dangerosa, I tried getting into the Cast Member part of the discussion board but I think I have to send in my acceptance e-mail to disney first so I’ll try that out later…thanx for your help though.
I would love to hear some of cousin/sister/brother/etc. experience there for I’m really nervous about flying like…I dunno 14 hours to get there. Thanx for all your help!
I guess basically, Orlando is not that big of a city for a island boy like me to worry about huh. Thank God…