-It Takes People To Make The Dream A Reality- DCP Summer 2018 Highlights Trip Report! (COMPLETE 6/6!)

Oh, it all just sounds so magical, even the parts where you're crawling under tables and sweeping up cotton balls :) It's so awesome that you were able to make some friends right away and even get out and enjoy some exploring together before you set foot in a Disney park. You know I can't wait to read more!!
 
Oh, it all just sounds so magical, even the parts where you're crawling under tables and sweeping up cotton balls :) It's so awesome that you were able to make some friends right away and even get out and enjoy some exploring together before you set foot in a Disney park. You know I can't wait to read more!!

Lol, moments you don't forget because honestly WHY DID I HAVE TO PROVE I CAN REACH UNDER A TABLE?! Anyways, yeah it really was such a positive beginning and that attitude really kept me going through even some not-so-great moments that came throughout my program. :thumbsup2
 
Have stayed at that Hilton and can confirm. 'Tis DOPE! Though that Starbucks was always closed when we went (*insert Lauren Conrad crying gif*)
 


I agree, that Hilton is awesome! When we went last December, we got it for like $100/room. Seriously? I was impressed at how nice it was for that! (I haven't seen it that low other times I've looked though...)
 
Have stayed at that Hilton and can confirm. 'Tis DOPE! Though that Starbucks was always closed when we went (*insert Lauren Conrad crying gif*)

IT IS and awww that stinks. I mean, bless California for having one on every street corner but wow that's bad luck. Gross.

SOunds like you were off to a great start! You made lots of friends quickly which is awesome!

I was and I did and I'm still friends with most all of them. A real positive experience.

I agree, that Hilton is awesome! When we went last December, we got it for like $100/room. Seriously? I was impressed at how nice it was for that! (I haven't seen it that low other times I've looked though...)

Yeah, it definitely cost a bit more than that. Luckily I was only there for a night so it didn't take a huge chunk out of the budget. Either way, totally worth the value. I'd near force my family to stay there if they ever wanted to visit, it was so nice and so worth every penny.

Missed this earlier, but following along now!

It's all good, better late than never. :welcome:
 


Ah. Deep yoga breath. I was so thrilled to see you were writing this when I got a notification from your last report, and then life has been crazy and I didn't even open my laptop for days. But, you know, I'm here now and that's all that matters.

I am getting all the feels from your first few days, mostly because I remember Ches and I looking at Instagram and seeing your photos and saying to each other "Timmy's here." Reading what you were doing, the meeting of new people and going to explore and all the behind the scenes stuff is so interesting. It's interesting for me because I'm a potential mom of a future DCP cast member, but also because we were there at the parks then. And you know, I have this knot of uncertainty and nervousness on your behalf because heavens, I've been married for 28 years and can't imagine having to move in with strangers and coexist. I'm sort of disengaging from the whole Disneyland fandom because trip's long over and none in the planning, but I'm really glad I can look forward to spending my weekends catching up on your Disneyland adventures.
 
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When your boss is your BFF. :lovestruc
 
Ah. Deep yoga breath. I was so thrilled to see you were writing this when I got a notification from your last report, and then life has been crazy and I didn't even open my laptop for days. But, you know, I'm here now and that's all that matters.

Always glad to have you here! :welcome:

I am getting all the feels from your first few days, mostly because I remember Ches and I looking at Instagram and seeing your photos and saying to each other "Timmy's here." Reading what you were doing, the meeting of new people and going to explore and all the behind the scenes stuff is so interesting. It's interesting for me because I'm a potential mom of a future DCP cast member, but also because we were there at the parks then. And you know, I have this knot of uncertainty and nervousness on your behalf because heavens, I've been married for 28 years and can't imagine having to move in with strangers and coexist. I'm sort of disengaging from the whole Disneyland fandom because trip's long over and none in the planning, but I'm really glad I can look forward to spending my weekends catching up on your Disneyland adventures.

I remembered you messaging me saying you saw me on Main Street. It was really too bad we never actually ran into each other when I wasn't in training classes. I'm glad it's still really fun for you to get the "behind-the-scenes scoop" on what was happening when you saw my Insta or spotted me in the parks. Especially because I'm using my social media to guide me through what exactly happened on what day and in what order so it really is the real story behind the Instagram feed lol Hope it'll be enjoyable throughout! :teeth:


When your boss is your BFF. :lovestruc

I meaaannnnn...

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Traditions Part Deux
5/25/18: Post-Traditions Celebration

The day had come once again as it does for every Cast Member. It was the day of Traditions!

For those of you non-Cast Members former or current, Traditions is the "Introduction to Disney" class, which is to say a day of training in which you learn the basics of how to be a good Cast Member and what is expected of you when out working in the parks. It is a pretty special day when you finally get to do it since it is very much the official welcome into the company. Like after this day, you are a Cast Member. It's real. You did it!

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Although I've been through Traditions before, I was still excited about it especially since my first Traditions for my Fall 2016 CP didn't go as usually planned. Usually there's a "surprise" portion of the class where you go into the park to talk about the Four Keys (the guidelines to Cast Member etiquette) and in Florida, lo-and-behold a big storm hit so we had to do it from inside the classroom. I hadn't realized until after that class had ended that we didn't do that. It broke my heart since at the time my role was Lifeguard and I was going to work at Pop Century and AoA so I wouldn't be able to see the Utilidors. Luckily, the Disney gods had other plans for me and I spent AMPLE time down underneath Magic Kingdom. All that aside, today was the day to make up for that and with California known for its lack of rain, the chances of a storm coming in to "ruin" my Traditions once again were slim.

Not to drag this out, but Traditions did not have to make a sudden change of plans. It was pretty much the same as what I experienced in Florida except it wasn't all CPs in the room. There was a mix of FTers, PTers, various lines of business that were way higher up than my pay rate, it was a cool mix. I think the funniest thing was the girl who was being hired into Imagineering passed out during the final half of class. Like, WE ARE ALL THE SAME. Not to mention, the All American College Band was in my group and I ended up getting to know some of them in a unique way, which was so surreal for me. Again, fascinating mix. Again, you can make the Disney fan a Cast Member, but the Cast Member will never stop being a Disney fan.

I think the one thing I missed was how exciting the part where you get to cheer for your work location is. That was such a big deal at World because of how many locations there are that exist around Florida and the resort in particular. Disneyland, it's so small, there are only about five+ locations to cheer for, but hey that meant more time in the parks! Which was, yes, as magical as I anticipated. It didn't have that true new CM magic like during my first CP but standing under Walt's apartment and being told that that was the legacy you carried on. Wow. Emotion.

Ironically enough, I also came to find out that I was spotted by a few people during that portion of the class. No one said hi because IT LOOKED LIKE I WAS DOING SOMETHING IMPORTANT, but that was pretty funny.

The day culminates in the big moment when you get your official Disney name tag, blue ID AND special free Traditions ears along with a visit from the big mouse himself. As you know, Disney is pretty strict about pictures backstage as well as during classes for Cast Members in general so I only have these to show off the excitement that was going on.


"Earning my ears!"





After those formalities, we were eventually split up and sent off elsewhere to find out our locations and our on-the-job training schedules. It was here I finally found out I was working at Disney California Adventure!

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It was the park I had hoped to be placed in so I was pretty pumped when I found out and ready to celebrate in said park. We were held up though because McKenzi, who had driven there with myself and the rest of her housemates, had a scheduling conflict that she thought had been resolved and had to talk with the cast scheduler present. Rachel also was getting a Partners account, the official bank of Disney. Then, when we decided to visit the Cast store before leaving, we ended up getting locked inside as there was a big police round up right outside of Team Disney. It was pretty scary to watch since it genuinely looked like they had to hold someone down. I'm still not sure what happened but it was a pretty hilarious occasion since we all were pressed up against the glass trying to see what was happening. So wild. We didn't have to stick around as long as we expected and I mean, it gave me time to buy a new card holder for my Cast Lanyard so it worked out.

And that concluded Traditions. It was pretty much decided amongst friends, we were gonna rest off a long 8 hour lecture and then go to the parks to celebrate being newly re-minted Cast Members!

Let the adventures begin!


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We Have To Go To Cove Bar!
5/25/18: Post-Traditions Celebration

After finally resting off a pretty busy morning and changing out of our business casual, we all decided to head on out to Disneyland. Most of those who brought cars were trying to save on gas but didn't want to take the bus since they were a bit nervous about the system (we heard some stories from Alex about it the night before). So UBER IT WAS!

Luckily, with a big group of us, we could split a pretty small fee since Disneyland was about 5 to 10 minutes from Housing. No biggie, even though I was already broke unlike everyone else who somehow managed to save up prior to coming here all including the fact paying to do the program itself is a MASSIVE amount of money. I'm not a free-loader so I put my money where my mouth is. Either way, I WAS GOING TO DISNEYLAND FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE BECOMING A CAST MEMBER AGAIN AAAAAAAHHHHH

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I should mention that we actually DID have split Traditions dates. Some managed to go the day prior, hence why the rest of us took it as a day off and the rest on the day that I took it. So we had heard that our Blue IDs don't work automatically, which is how it worked in Florida. Florida was still a bit different since you used your Blue ID initially following Traditions because you get a separate pass to let yourself into the parks, but at Disneyland your Blue ID is used for your free access and the separate pass is to let guests in. Anyways, things at Disney technologically don't happen overnight so we were prepared for some struggles. But WE WERE HERE!

Click to watch!


DCA was the park of choice if you couldn't tell because we are adults who like adult beverages and it was a celebration night so yeah we were gonna have some cocktails and such. After getting through security to the main gate of DCA, we were halted because our Blue IDs didn't go through automatically. Apparently the issue we were told was that they all still said we worked in Florida? Which we all did and the one person who had no issues was Damion, who had worked at Disneyland before only leaving his first program a few months before coming back. It was weird especially since most of us were alums from at least two years ago. Luckily, the leads got on it and had us all set up. They put us under an exceptions list so we wouldn't have issues in the future and thus, we were let into DCA for the first time that summer. A first of many visits.



They actually gave us a choice of which paper passes we'd receive. Every time you enter the park they also give you a new pass, another thing different from World (since World uses MagicBands for the most part). I saw Joy & Sadness and snatched that up quick. My favorite Pixar film on my ticket my first day ever at the Disneyland Resort for Pixar Fest, imma take it!

Anyways, when we got in, we mostly wandered I believe. My photos don't line up too too well here. I know Damion split off from us because he had friends who were trying to get into Cove Bar. We asked if they could possibly hold a spot for us, which he said he would ask then we just went off doing whatever. We weren't sure how much time we had so I think we hopped in line for Soarin' which had a relatively short wait for being Soarin'.



I do remember noting how cool it was to see the ending being at Disneyland versus whereas at Epcot, the ride ends at... well... Epcot. It was an interesting contrast and brought me back to when Soarin' Over California existed and they never re-filmed the ending so the ride always ended at Disneyland. This all given that I rode it back in January but it kinda just hit me only now. I also remember we got middle middle (middle row, middle column/hang glider), which was what I was told by my former roommate in Florida was the best place to sit according to how the ride was designed, which none of them knew.

After I think we all weren't in a huge mood to go on rides and the group as a whole didn't share my sentiment for characters so we went in search of food. I wasn't hungry, but I was still working off our long morning at Traditions as well not being 100% with my health post trans-country flight. I think I did end up with a drink, but for the most part I was just relaxing letting everyone enjoy their food who had it. I think I was offered a little, but for the most part I just needed the drink.



After that, we decided to make our way over to Cove Bar. Damion had texted us that they were saving us a spot in line and he didn't want to be alone especially since a) it was its last day I believe and b) closing for the night so he didn't want to miss out on much. Tbh we were perfectly fine because Pier was still open with certain Pixar Pier aspects open at this point so over we went.

The Pier was only closed off up until past Midway Mania so we could walk most everywhere and we managed to catch the Imagineers testing the Incredicoaster. Pretty cool to see at the time.

Click to watch!


We checked the time for Mania, but it was definitely on the longer side so we didn't bother. We also passed by the line for the Adorable Snowman Treats which was the first treat spot on Pier that had opened and some of us were curious about the parfait they had but the line seemed a bit long and we didn't want to leave Damion for too too long. It was about now we started to gravitate towards the line outside Cove Bar and it was announced by the seaters and Maitre'D that there was no guarantee for everyone in line about getting into the Bar. They would cut it off when they cut it off but we were more than welcome to wait, which we did. Our spot in line also almost perfectly lined up with one of the Pixar Pier signs along the refurb wall so I NEEDED PICS!





Funny story, while we took the group pic, some random guy that was walking by hopped in with us and well... now I have an evenly split photo with some rando outshining all of us. Slay on, mystery man.



Good times. Well, the line was moving ever so slowly and it made zero sense to have this huge pack waiting with Damion so Rachel, Lakeland & I, I believe, went into the Knick's Knacks store that had opened with all the Pixar Pier merch across from Cove Bar. I don't think we stayed long but I know I had to get a pic with the Pixar Wall that everyone on insta had gotten, which was good since it wasn't a permanent main stay since I feel like it wasn't there last time I was in that store.



After that, we all hopped in line to ensure our party was legit when we got to the front. Also, we had nothing better to do but we NEEDED to get our Cove Bar fix before it was gone for good.



To avoid drawing out the suspense and because I have no more stories from in line, we did make it to the front and inside before it closed. Unfortunately, it was cutting it close to Paint The Night which we also all wanted to see ESPECIALLY me. Like I would've foregone no Cove Bar ever in my life to finally see Paint, but I stuck with my friends anyways. However, as we waited for what felt like forever for a server, it seemed we'd be cutting it close so I offered to leave my debit card to pay for my drink once we got them and running to grab us a spot for Paint. They agreed and so I ordered my drink to-go while everyone could enjoy theirs in the bar.

I don't know what everyone else got, but here is what I got:



Um, yeah, duh (of course we secret menu'd).

And the consensus?



















I wasn't a fan.

I'm not big on pineapple but Disney continued to be an exception and it sounded like the most me drink just based on the name so I assumed I would love it. Not only was strong in alcohol content, it was also super sweet and that just doesn't sit well with me. I drank the whole thing but it literally took up until Paint to finish. So, my first and last time ever having the Neverland Tea and probably the last for most that night considering Cove Bar became Lamplight Lounge and doesn't sell any of the old drinks at least with their original names or style. Oh well.

I left my card with Lakeland to pay for the drinks and high-tailed it out to get us a spot.

The parade route by the Pier and the WoC area was already pretty crowded but I managed to find a fairly spacious corner just outside of Journey of The Little Mermaid. I was afraid though that they wouldn't make in time and I'd spend the whole parade wondering if they still held on to my debit card because I'm a control freak like that. Luckily, they made it just as the parade stepped off about five minutes from where we were, debit card intact in everything. They told me that they ended up having to only pay on two cards rather than separate checks so Lakeland paid for my drink and I owed her, which was fine. I paid Lakeland back then and there through Venmo.

At this point, everyone was hitting that nighttime mood and was rearing for some Paint The Night. If y'all remember or were a part of Timmy TR life as far back as my PTR for my first trip to Disneyland, you KNOW that my number one thing I wanted to see was Paint following the announcement it was coming back in 2018. Unfortunately, it didn't come back quick enough since it wasn't there in January but it was HERE NOW and I was so unbelievably excited. I made sure I could see perfectly through the mini crowd in front of me and able to dance and live my best life. Again, the parade had some time to get to us but...

Soon enough...

Click to watch!


*insert Timmy SCREAMING here*

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It broke my heart since at the time my role was Lifeguard and I was going to work at Pop Century and AoA so I wouldn't be able to see the Utilidors. Luckily, the Disney gods had other plans for me and I spent AMPLE time down underneath Magic Kingdom.
I don't think I knew that you were supposed to be a lifeguard! I don't really know how that all works--do you just check off what jobs you'd be interested and then Disney fills you in where they want you?

It didn't have that true new CM magic like during my first CP but standing under Walt's apartment and being told that that was the legacy you carried on. Wow. Emotion.
Oh, sniffle, sniffle!! That made me tear up just reading it!

Sounds like the beginnings of a wonderful evening. Paint the Night is one of the big reasons I must go to Disneyland SOMEDAY!
 
I don't think I knew that you were supposed to be a lifeguard! I don't really know how that all works--do you just check off what jobs you'd be interested and then Disney fills you in where they want you?

Essentially. The more detailed explanation is Disney offers a list of roles differing between WDW and DLR (like DLR doesn't offer you to be a character host/attendant as a CP while WDW does) and on each role, you either rank it in the initial application as "high interest", "moderate interest", "low interest" or "no interest". If you select anything other than "no interest", you will be considered for the role in the acceptance process. I put Lifeguard as "low interest" at WDW in hopes it would be least likely I would get it, but I did so if you genuinely don't want a role, give it "no interest".

Oh, sniffle, sniffle!! That made me tear up just reading it!

Sounds like the beginnings of a wonderful evening. Paint the Night is one of the big reasons I must go to Disneyland SOMEDAY!

Omg YES you def need to get over there to see it. It is INCREDIBLE. Like I fiercely hope with them bringing it back that they'll FINALLY put MSEP to bed because Paint the Night is on some other level and most of the parks deserve a parade like that.
 
Omg YES you def need to get over there to see it. It is INCREDIBLE. Like I fiercely hope with them bringing it back that they'll FINALLY put MSEP to bed because Paint the Night is on some other level and most of the parks deserve a parade like that.
MSEP was the first nighttime Disney parade I ever saw back at WDW in 2000. At the time I thought it was sweet and cute and loved that it was a nighttime parade, but then came Spectromagic and I was in love. The only thing sadder to me than the loss of Spectromagic and all those floats being gone forever has been when Wishes ended.

Watching Paint the Night videos gives me all the feels, so in person I would probably be a blubbering basket case :)
 
MSEP was the first nighttime Disney parade I ever saw back at WDW in 2000. At the time I thought it was sweet and cute and loved that it was a nighttime parade, but then came Spectromagic and I was in love. The only thing sadder to me than the loss of Spectromagic and all those floats being gone forever has been when Wishes ended.

Watching Paint the Night videos gives me all the feels, so in person I would probably be a blubbering basket case :)

Ugh, SpectroMagic and Wishes. Never a more iconic nighttime spectacular duo. I wish Disney would love us enough to give us a revamped version of Spectro. That parade was done DIRTY. But if you loved that, you will LOVE Paint. It's worth becoming a blubbering basket case to see it, trust me.

So happy you are writing a trip report about your wonderful summer. I look forward to hearing all about it.

So happy to have you reading along! :welcome:

Sounds like a great time in California Adventure! I really regret not getting to go to Cove Bar when it was there!

It was! And omg, they really need to figure out a way to make Lamplight more accessible with their bar area. It's really not a Cove Bar at all. They need that atmosphere back (and cheaper prices...)
 
Paint the Night is really an experience, isn't it? It was so much fun! I loved it too!

It is honestly my favorite thing about the Disney parks currently. I'm not sure I can fully explain why but I love it so so much. :goodvibes
 

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