WDW College Program- Traditions

So, you've gotten into your apartment. You've met your roommates (joy of joys). You've found out which park you'll be working in.

Now, it is time for the Traditions class. You might have heard of it. There's a pretty big hubbub about what to wear. It's true, too, if you don't dress properly you will be asked to leave.

Here's my advice for your Traditions class.

1. Calm down
No, really, calm down. I met so many people at my college program who were practically hyperventilating over their Traditions class. You will be fine. I promise you, you will be fine.

2. Take the earlier class.
I know, I know. You want to sleep. You do not want to catch a bus at 6AM or whenever. Trust me, you want to take the earlier class. It will get technicalities over with and you will get access to the parks faster. You heard me, ACCESS TO THE PARKS. AS IN ALL OF THEM. AS IN EMPLOYEE PASS. AS IN FREE SPACE MOUNTAIN.

3. Dress nicely.
I think the dress code is fairly simple, but so many people were getting kicked out. Remember, you are dressing for this guy:

Not this guy:

Gentlemen: Wear a collared shirt. Wear a belt, and TUCK YOUR SHIRT IN. You want to look professional, here. A tie wouldn't hurt, either. Shave that beard and trim your mustache so it doesn't extend past your lips.

Ladies: If you're wearing a skirt, make sure it's an acceptable length. I would recommend knee-length, just to be safe. Stockings are a plus. Tuck your shirt in, and make sure you only wear one pair of stud earrings if you must wear them. Your hair should be a natural color, and not in a mohawk or something like that.

For everyone... wear close-toed shoes. No sandals. If you must wear heels, make sure you can walk in them. YOU WILL BE WALKING. For ladies, I'd recommend mary-janes. Not only are they cute, but it isn't painful to walk in them.

Pretend you're dressing for your grandfather. Even better, dress for your uncle. .... Uncle Walt, that is.

4. Take part in Traditions. Pay attention. Interact, make connectoins, socialize, and SMILE! Disney deals in smiles, they love smiles. Remember Barbie at the end of Toy Story 2? That was me at the end of some of my shifts at the Magic Kingdom. Get used to smiling. 

5. Calm down. I know this is a repeat of #1, but calm down. Just breathe... you will be fine.

12 Disney Animals That Would Tear Your Face Off

So, I noticed today that Agent R had written an article about cool Disney animals. I thought it was a nice article, but I noticed something.

There were no villains. None. Nada.

So I decided to curl up with my Professor Ratigan doll and make a list of my own... but first, here are the ground rules-- as observed by Agent R:
1. They must be animal 100% of the time, so no Yzma-kitty.
2. Must be a part of the Disney animated canon.
3. Must be in a world where humans do or could exist (Prince John is out because their world is an anthropomorphized world. The world of The Lion King is in, however, because it's feasible that humans could exist in the same world.)

12 & 11. Si and Am (Lady and the Tramp)

I honestly hate them. However, this is not a list of my personal favorites, but of great Disney villains. These guys certainly make the list for tormenting poor Lady and getting her muzzled by a more human villain, Aunt Sarah.

The two of them sing a catchy, albeit very dated (and offensive), song as they prowl around the house and do nasty things including attempting to murder the goldfish and ruining the beautiful curtains.

Do they ever get their just desserts? Nope! They are coddled by Aunt Sarah while poor Lady is muzzled and blamed for everything.
I love both cats and dogs... but I really, really hate these cats. That's probably why they only got a sub-par section on this list. Still, their ability to rouse the feeling of haaattteeee makes them effective villains. Good show, kitties.

~

10. Chief (The Fox and the Hound)

You know, I feel really bad putting this guy on here. I don't consider him a villain so much as obedient to his master (the real villain of the film). However, he is considered an antagonist, so I included him on here. I think that Chief is absolutely precious.

No, not the adorable puppy. The cranky old-man greyhound. You heard me. He's been doing his job well and all of a sudden he gets stuck taking care of this cute, troublesome little yap. As hard as he tries to ignore him, Chief can't help but become Copper's daddy-of-sorts, and I daresay that he even becomes proud of the puppy as he grows up to become a great hunting dog.

Oh come on, I can't be the only one who cried when the train hit Chief.

Copper even threatened to kill his childhood friend because of it. Now that's loyalty-- and it unfortunately puts Chief on this list as a villain. I'm sure he learned in the end.

~

9. Percy (Pocahontas)

When I was a small child, Percy was my favorite character in the film. I was so annoyed by Meeko that I found myself rooting for the pampered pet of Governor Ratcliffe.

Though he isn't as despicable as his owner, Percy is a spoiled little boy who constantly causes trouble for--
wait a minute.

Who's causing trouble here? I think Percy is the victim!! It's that raccoon that's the villain. Just because one happens to be friends with the heroine and the other belongs to the villain doesn't mean that the roles can't be reversed.
I take it back. Percy is no longer on this list.

He is.

~

8 & 7. Flotsam and Jetsam

 Ursula is awesome. These guys, however, are just creepy. Freakin' creepy. From the way they leer, to the way they talk... "Together... foreverrr...." UGGHHH!! These guys are creepers!!

It also doesn't help that Ursula can see through their eyes. I just... ugh, these guys give me the willies. MOVING ON NOW.

~

6. Iago (Aladdin)

Ah, Iago. Though I prefer your human counterpart, you most definitely deserve to be on this list. You add some ham to Jafar's hamminess, you add some humor to Jafar's psychotic laughter, and you add... well...

Tee-hee, I could watch that all day.
Unfortunately, I kind of feel like he loses some of his humor when he teams up with the do-gooders... but he gets his groove back on when he hangs out with the King of Thieves.

~

5. Snowball (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

 No, not the imposing fellow.

 The horse. That horse. The incarnation-of-pure-evil-in-a-horse. The horse that is constantly judging you.

 Terrifying, and yet a beautiful specimen of a horse.

 Plus he's taller than Achilles. Haaaa-ha!
I've loved Snowball since the movie came out waaaay back in 1996. I knew his name was Snowball before most people did. I-- I'm sounding like a hipster, aren't I? Crap...

 JUST LOOK AT THE HORSE. 

~

 4. Scar (The Lion King)

(or, 101 Reasons Why Jeremy Irons is Amazing)

I know I am going to get so much hate for not having this guy be number one... or even number three. Well, I apologize. The truth is, this fellow terrified me so much as a child that I made my family leave the theater early. In fact, it was right after "Be Prepared". 

I'm trying to find the most fabulous images of him as possible so that I feel brave.

I think it's working, oddly enough.

Or not.

~

3. Shere Khan (The Jungle Book)

Scar's predecessor, and a frightening beast to behold. (Honestly, I'd rather face a lion than a tiger.) Shere Khan brought class, intimidation, and refinement to the jungle long before Scar set foot in the Elephant Graveyard.

Plus, he's also a ham. You know how I am with my hammy villains.
... And he shuts up Kaa. That gets him big points.

~

2. Professor Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective)

A refined gentleman of a HAM, how could I not include the Professor? He's cool, he's calm (just don't call him a you-know-what), and he oozes poshness. Plus, he's voiced by Vincent Price.

He's a villain that you can't help but love... and fear when he brings out that bell.

And even then you love him because of his attitude towards his pet cat.

"Oh Felicia, my precious, my baaaaay-beeee~~"

Oh! Then his appearance in the finale will give you nightmares.

~

1. Diablo (Sleeping Beauty)

Yes. Above Ratigan, above Scar, above all of them... we have Maleficent's pet raven, Diablo. Maybe it's my bias towards the wicked fairy, but I honestly think that Diablo is one of the craftiest, most foul-hearted, most pesky villains in the Disney continuity. 

If it weren't for him, sweet little Briar Rose would have begrudgingly taken her place on the throne, realized that her true love was in fact Prince Philip, and everyone would have lived happily ever after. 

Now that wouldn't be much of a story, now would it? 

Plus, I think this is really cool. At the end of the film, Diablo is sadly turned into stone...

...If you go to Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant in Disneyland Paris (Sleeping Beauty Castle), you can see him. Yeah. Seriously, the statue of Diablo. Diablo himself.

Nifty, huh?

DINOSAUR: Sprinkles vs. the Carnotaurus

As a little girl, there was a simple tradition in my family. It went something like this:
"Sprinkles, what do you want for your birthday/Christmas/etc?"
"I want to go to Disney World!"
Okay, so it was more like a tradition for me and an annoyance for my poor parents. Seriously, I had been to Walt Disney World three times by the time I was nine years old.
"How many more times," they thought, "Could she want to go?"
If they only knew.

Walt Disney World College Program: Where to Live?

I was looking for energetic Disney music to listen to while typing up this post, and I ended up getting distracted by YouTube videos of He-Man singing. How did I even get He-Man when I was looking up Disney? Ah, the mysteries of the internet.

One of the greatest debates in the College Program is this: "Can the Vista Way hot tubs get you pregnant or give you an STD?" Okay, so that was a joke. Well, partially. It IS a rumor that has been going around for years. I myself have never seen evidence of either, and I doubt that it's possible, but you know how rumors are. No, one of the greatest debates is which housing complex you should choose to live in for the next five-eight months. I am giving information on the three housing complexes available to non-international students. The Commons is where most international college programmers live, and looks very nice. Sadly, it also has the highest rent.

The three housing areas that CPers can choose from are (from oldest to newest): Vista Way, Chatham Square, and Patterson Court. I lived at Chatham Square, so I can give you my opinion on that place. For assistance on the others I got some help from Agent R and one of her alumni friends, Kelvin.

Vista Way
The stuff of legends. It is the oldest of the complexes which, according to Kelvin, can show in the apartments. Well, hey, after you host legendary Vista parties it only makes sense.
Some of the great things about living at Vista include the fact that being oldest does have its benefits. Lots of official College Program activities take place there (take advantage of the free food!) Something else to keep in mind is its location. Within easy walking distance is a Walgreen's and some food. There is a Wendy's, a Chick-fil-A, a Cici's, a Starbucks (mmm caffeine), and a Dunkin' Donuts.
Their computer labs are open until 12AM (compared to 5PM elsewhere) and they have a Learning Center where you can rent movies. Oh, and their bus stop is the final one before going on to the resort-- so you have moer time before catching the bus, and less of a chance of being late. Nice!

As for the cons... well... Vista IS known for its parties. So, if you're the type of person who needs your sleep and isn't much for loud revelry and tomfoolery, Vista Way probably isn't for you. There's also the fact that the living areas don't look as, well, new. It's been lived in-- but it's the least expensive! WOO!!
(Oh, as for the... uh... pools and hot tubs. I haven't been in them, but I've heard that the hot tub is really relaxing after work. I mean, they legally have to clean them-- seriously. However, romance can and does happen in them. Use at your own risk, I guess.)

Chatham Square
My complex of choice for when I went. Hope to stay there next time, too. It has a bus stop, it isn't as party-central as Vista Way, and it's pretty nice. Most people want to live there, so that means you'll have lots of company. Chatham also has a great pool and tennis courts. It is in walking distance of a grocery store, though it's kind of high-end. It's literally right down the street from Mickey's Retreat, which has lots of fun stuff like basketball courts and the like.

I had to ask multiple people for what they considered to be negative about Chatham. It's a much-loved complex. I -did- manage to get some things, though. For one thing, the kitchens are itty-bitty. Teensy-weensy. Also, navigating Chatham can be a bit awkward for drivers.

Patterson Court
The newest of the complexes, with wooden cabinets (WOODEN CABINETS). It is beautiful. Gorgeous. Well-lit. The pool is supposedly so clean that it's... well, it's clean. Very nice. I cannot get over the wooden cabinets. So nice. It's quiet, though not as quiet as Chatham. So it's kind of like the happy medium, I guess. It's also only $1 more than Chatham Square.

The bad news is that you have to walk to Chatham to catch the bus. However, if you have a car that shouldn't be a problem. It's farther away from everything, including the official CP parties. Mmmm, free groceries. Also, even though it's only a dollar more than Chatham Square-- CP also stands for "Constantly Poor". Agent R said, "That same dollar could mean a bowl of ramen."

.....
So, though in the end it's up to you, I would recommend Chatham. However, like LeVar Burton says, "Don't take my word for it." Ask around!

The College Program: When to Attend

So, you want to attend the Walt Disney World College Program. That's great! This leads to a few questions. When in your college career should you attend? What time of the year should you attend?

Disney thankfully says that you must spend your first semester at your school. This is a good choice, as I don't recommend people fresh out of high school to go to the program. I think you should wait until junior year or later, as it will give you a chance to focus on school and determine which degree you want to aim for. That way, you can take advantage of Disney's classes if they fit in. (As an English major, my college would not have given me credit for attending any of the classes. Sigh.)

As far as age goes, I wouldn't attend until you are about to turn 21 or you already are 21. That way, you don't have to worry about whether you're with a minor or not. Focus on having fun, growing up, and working... not whether you'll get caught being an idiot. (If you're drinking underage, then yes, you are an idiot. You WILL get caught and Disney is -not- tolerant on stuff like that. So just don't do it. There are many yummy non-alcoholic drinks, trust me.)

So, to sum up, I think you should be almost or over 21, and at least in your junior year.

But now, when should you attend in the year? Fall or spring semester? 

I attended during the fall semester, so for spring semester advice I asked my friend Agent R from The Best Days Ever: "...not as many busy holidays, so it's a bit more relaxed."
I have to agree, especially if you're one who tends to get homesick. I was miserable on Thanksgiving because I missed my family so much. Besides, Christmas crowds are insane. 

But then there are the benefits of fall semester: seeing Disney during the holidays. ... I'm not talking about Christmas, either. While that's magnificent, they pull out all the stops during my favorite holiday: Halloween!

Halloween, in my opinion, is not only the best time to visit Disney, but the best time to work there. September leaves the parks pretty much empty, which allows guests and cast members (especially during Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party) the feeling of having the park all to themselves. Plus, the parade music is catchy (even after hearing it about seventy times) and if you're a villain lover... you'll have a blast. 

Spring:

+ Not as busy

+ Not as many emotional and family-oriented holidays 

- You don't get to see the parks during Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas

Fall:

+ Celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas at Disney

+ The season cools down as opposed to heat up

- Holidays away from family

- Insane hours during the holidays

- Parks super-crowded during the holidays

The choice is ultimately up to you, but when I go back it'll be during the fall. Halloween is just too magical a time to miss! 

Introduction

Welcome to The Dreamport 101, where I will attempt to edu-ma-cate you on Disney trivia, little known facts, how to save some money at the resorts, and how to survive the College Program. Though most of this blog will focus on Walt Disney World, I will try to include some of the other parks when I can.

I am a recent college graduate who attended the College Program at Walt Disney World in Fall 2008. Unfortunately, I had to leave early due to bills and health insurance. I have to take classes in order to earn my teaching license, so I'm taking this opportunity to hopefully return to Florida and earn my ears. The good thing about this blog is that you can learn from my mistakes and, hopefully, have a College Program that is far more successful than my first one was. No matter what you do, though, I can guarantee that you will learn a lot from working at Disney. Even though I had to leave early and I had a pretty rocky time, I wouldn't take away that experience for anything. It helped me grow up a lot.

So this is Sprinkles, signing off on the introduction post. Now to work on the Disney villains essay I'm doing for another blog, ehehe.