Hey guys, I’m back. I can’t think of anything witty or cringy to say. It’s 1 in the morning and my brain has gone on vacation. My brain has left for Disney and it didn’t even bother to take me with it. It better be eating a churro, wearing some cute Minnie ears, and posing in front of the castle for me.

Does that count as a witty intro? I’m counting that as a witty intro.

As you can tell by the title I’m here with another DCP interview, but this time it’s Rachel H. Let’s not waste any time because you all want all them juicy details.

What is your name, what was your role, and when did you do your program?

I’m Rachel H, I was a DCP CM from April 2016 to August 2016. I worked in Magic Kingdom at Storybook Circus as a merchandise cast member in Big Top Souvenirs.

Was your role your first choice? If not, what was your first choice?

My first choice was attractions but due to the fact that I had had almost 4 years of merchandise experience before applying, I can understand why I was chosen for merchandise over attractions.

Can you tell more about your role? Take me through a typical work day?

While working at the Circus, there were 3 different types of typical work days. The most common for me was working production, then working register, followed by working floor stock.
Production: Production was working in the kitchen to make treats at the Circus. A normal day in production is split into 4 different tasks which can be mixed up pretty often. The tasks could include making cake pops, making candy apples, making caramel popcorn, making caramel apples, decorating rice crispy treats or fruit, making cotton candy, working the caseline, or doing dishes. My normal day was making caramel popcorn, break, do dishes, break, work the caseline. Then, since I worked the last shift on most days (4:30pm – 1am), at around 11 pm when all the guests have left, we cleaned the kitchens (on stage and off stage).
Register: This shift typically included working either the inside registers, the outside cart, walking around the floor and straightening things, greeting people at the entrance, greeting people at the exit of the character meet and greet, or embroidering hats. If I was the closing shift, I would usually help straighten and stock any missing items before leaving.
Floor stock: Floor stock basically means making sure all spaces on the floor are filled with something. Other tasks include tagging items backstage (with ink tags), stocking the on stage kitchen with bottled drinks, stocking the large fridge with bottled drinks, and making sure the cart outside always has enough items.

Did you live in Disney Housing? If not, how did you find housing on your own?

I did live in Disney Housing!

How many roommates and which housing complex (if applicable) did you live in? How did you find your roommates?

I had 5 roommates. We lived in Patterson and our apartment had 3 double rooms, 3 bathrooms (one for each double), a living room, a dining area, and a kitchen. I liked all of my roommates, however, one did end up moving out because she didn’t get along with the person she was sharing a double with.

If applicable, did you get the complex and apartment you wanted?

Yes, we wanted a 6 person apartment with 3 rooms and in Patterson.

How did you hear about the Disney College Program?

I had heard about the college program in middle school and had always planned on doing it.

Why did you want to do the program?

My end goal is to be a Disney Imagineer and I have heard that if you do the DCP in college, they are more likely to give you an interview. I also love Disney and living in Disney and being able to go into the parks for work or for fun was the best thing ever.

What did you learn from the program?

I learned that I wouldn’t work at a park like that for the rest of my life because it is super tiring, even though it is fun. I also learned a ton of people skills. Before the DCP, I was pretty much an introvert but the program made be such an extrovert and I love it.

Are you happy you did the program?

100%, it was an amazing experience. I still miss it sometimes.

Did the program have an impact on you?

Oh yes. As mentioned above, I think it made me a better person in many ways, including being able to talk to people out of the blue.

What do you wish you did differently? Any regrets?

I wish that I would have not taken 2 online classes while completing the program. It forced me to have to stay home on my off days to do homework instead of going into the parks. I definitely wish that I would have spent more time appreciating just being in Disney whenever I could.

Did you make a bucket list? How much of the list did you complete, if it all?

I did not make an actual bucket list but I had a few things I knew I wanted to do and I was able to do them! Like just take a day to go into the parks by myself and walk around and appreciate what the imagineers have accomplished. There are so many little details in every park that a normal guest doesn’t necessarily see because everyone is always rushing around.

Did you network? Take any classes or seminars?

I did Disney’s Ultimate EnginEARing Exploration After Dark and it was AMAZING. If you are an engineer of any kind or wish to be an imagineer, this is what you should participate in. We were put into teams to complete interactive field work in Hollywood Tower of Terror.

Did you extend your program? If so, did you stay in the same role and location, or did any of that change? Did/would you do another program?

No. As much as I did want to extend, I knew that I had to go back to college and work towards completing my degree. If the program was in any way related to my major, I would have gone back, but no roles were even close to being related to it.

Would you recommend the Disney College Program to a friend in college?

100% yes. If you like Disney and want to create magic for others or want to eventually work for the Disney company in some capacity, I would recommend applying.

Lastly, what advice would you give to future CPs doing the program?

Even if you don’t get the role you originally wanted, still do the DCP. Every single role in Disney is so important and even if the work isn’t the best, the guest interactions will make your day every day. Along with that, if you have any bad guest interactions, don’t let them get you down, for every bad interaction, there will probably be at least 2 good interactions. Plus, when you look back at the bad interactions, it just makes you laugh (and it makes good stories).
Also, if the DCP has nothing to do with your major, don’t fret. It will look good on ANY resume. I am in the computer science field and just having Disney on my resume always amazes people and they always want to know more.

Thank you so much Rachel H for taking the time to answer all my questions! I know you’re very busy and it means a lot to me. I’m super appreciative that you did this interview with me. I hope this answers any questions/clears up any confusion about working merchandise in Big Top Souvenirs at Storybook Circus. If you’re a future CP and you have this role and location, I hope this was helpful.

Thank you all for reading this post. Be sure to give this post a like and subscribe. It helps me greatly to keep putting out more content. It makes me happy knowing that you enjoy what I have to say. It motivates me to keep going. If you have any questions, be sure to leave a comment and I’ll try my best to answer them! I’ll see you in the next post!

As always guys, stay magical!

Okay, now I gotta play Where in Disney World is My Brain…