Friday, March 2, 2012
Well, it was fun while it lasted...
As you may have guessed from the title, I am no longer in Florida. In all actuality I've been back in Louisiana since October because I was basically forced to self-terminate my College Program experience. No, I wasn't forced by my managers or by anyone within the company. What it came down to in the end was money, or the lack of it. In the end I wasn't able to work enough hours each week to pay my bills and keep my head above water. It was a fun time and I had so many experiences and met some really wonderful people, both of which I will never forget, but I guess nothing can last forever. I did, however, leave on very good terms with all of my managers, every one of whom assured me that they would be more than willing to help me out should I decide to go back as a regular cast member. Will that happen? I don't honestly know at this point. What I do know is that I'm back home, settled into a new apartment and job, and I'm back in school pursuing my master's degree in teaching. Everything is moving along well, no more sweating every single penny that I spend, and my bills are finally being paid on time again. We'll see where this path leads...who knows, at some point it may lead back to Florida, but that's in a future that is still unwritten.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Magic, Magical Moments, and some harsh realities...
I've been neglecting this blog again and for that I do apologize.
I've been in Walt Disney World now for a little over three months and a lot has happened in that time. I've met a lot of people, made some really good friends, and worn more costumes than I ever thought I would. The experience of the Disney College Program is one that I will never forget. I find that I've been fundamentally changed, not only in how I work, but in how I view guest service. I always understood that Disney holds their cast members to a higher standard than anyone else, but I never really took the time to think that it only takes a minimum of effort to go from McDonald's service to Disney service. I find myself now looking at every encounter with a service provider in terms of how they stack up against Disney's guest service and I know that I always will because now I completely understand that great guest service is not a chore, and providing service at a high level actually makes work that much more fun!
I've also developed a love for creating magical moments and I go out of my way on a daily basis to try to create those moments for my guests. Whether it's writing them a fast pass or giving a family a ride in their own private van to the park of their choice, there's nothing like giving a family a memory that will last a lifetime. I've also started doing chalk drawings at the bus stops I'm assigned to, but that's going to be a completely different post because there's a pretty good story that goes along with the drawings. Suffice it to say, though, that I'm getting quite a bit of positive attention because of those drawings, and anyone who is friends with me on Facebook has been able to watch them evolve over the last few months. With all of this positive stuff going on there has to be at least one negative. In actuality there's quite a bit of negative and it all comes in the form of misconceptions about the Disney College Program and what it actually is.
Before I move into this part of the post, please let me say that my opinion of Disney, and of Walt Disney World, has not been tarnished at all. What has changed, however, is my understanding of the inner workings of Disney as a company and exactly what it is that Disney does provide to its College Program participants. I use the word participants rather than cast members for a very specific reason. That reason is that we really are only barely cast members, our status listed as "Casual Limited." This is the lowest level of cast member in the Disney system, and as such, we are also in many ways considered to be second class citizens. The reality of the situation is that we are here to provide Disney with a way to staff their parks and resorts without having to pay overtime to their regular cast members. Because of this, many CPs are harassed and looked down upon by full-time cast members who are upset because they're losing their overtime to these "interns." On top of this, the chances for overtime for CPs in many roles are almost nonexistent, and the scheduled hours are often under those promised when we accepted our program invitations. Speaking from my own personal experience, making anything over 30 hours in a week is a struggle every week. This is not very helpful when you actually have real bills to pay, and many people in my role have second jobs outside of Disney just to make ends meet. Every day is a constant storm of checking the hub to see if extra shifts have opened up that don't require any special training, another thing that Disney fails to inform us of when we accept our invitations. You see, I was told in my interview that there would be constant opportunities to make extra hours, and my decision to participate in the program was largely based on that assumption. The truth of the matter is that you are only allowed to pick up extra shifts in areas that you are either trained for, or that do not require any training at all. As far as shifts that I'm trained for, all that I'm trained for is bus operations, and resort bus greeters only have one shift available, and that one goes from 6:45am to 12:45pm. Any additional hours have to come from Parade Audience Control shifts that are released by Magic Kingdom or Fantasmic shifts released by Hollywood Studios. The problem with this is that you never really get more than a day's notice that you'll be working, and normally you'll have only a few hours because the shifts release at odd times during the day. The end result is that it's a constant struggle, not only to get to 40 hours, but to actually get into overtime and make something that resembles a real paycheck because these shifts are not often released because Magic Kingdom wants to fill them with their own people. Outside of the work issues, there are also the "networking" opportunities that Disney says they provide for CPs.
Let me be straight before I continue. This is not intended to be a rant or just me blowing off steam. The intention here is to provide a very real view of what we go through on a daily basis from both a work and a networking perspective. I'm not being biased and I'm not exaggerating, just presenting things as they have shaken out for me over the past three months.
In terms of networking, Disney does not take an active approach at all. They told all of us that there would be ample opportunities to network with people who could be instrumental in the advancement of a career with Disney. This is just not true at all. If your major is hospitality or hotel management or something similar, then yes, there will be opportunities presented in the form of speaker series and other such presentations. If, however, your major area of study is outside of those, you can expect a whole bunch of nothing in terms of networking. As an art graduate I can tell you with complete confidence that you have to make your own opportunities. I have met people and I have gotten my work looked at, but this is all through my own work, basically cold-calling and talking to sketch artists and such while they work. This is not what I was expecting nor is it what was promised to me when I accepted my offer.
In the end, what I've found is that if you are a college student, not financially independent, and don't have any real bills or career aspirations with Disney beyond the end of your program, then this is most definitely the program for you. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world, especially not the guest interaction and the fun of working in Walt Disney World. If I was still 20 or 21 years old and living with mom and dad, I wouldn't have a complaint at all. As a 35 year-old with real bills and no financial assistance available to me, however, this program has been nothing but a daily struggle to keep my head above water, and I'm not 100% sure that i would have made the decision to come here if I had known exactly what to expect from this experience in terms of career opportunities and money. I know this post is going to come off as incredibly negative and anti-college program, but that's not how it is at all. I believe that the Disney College Program is a great idea, just not the right idea for me. As it stands, I'm going to see this through to January and then head home to Louisiana, hopefully to find a career as a teacher.
I've been in Walt Disney World now for a little over three months and a lot has happened in that time. I've met a lot of people, made some really good friends, and worn more costumes than I ever thought I would. The experience of the Disney College Program is one that I will never forget. I find that I've been fundamentally changed, not only in how I work, but in how I view guest service. I always understood that Disney holds their cast members to a higher standard than anyone else, but I never really took the time to think that it only takes a minimum of effort to go from McDonald's service to Disney service. I find myself now looking at every encounter with a service provider in terms of how they stack up against Disney's guest service and I know that I always will because now I completely understand that great guest service is not a chore, and providing service at a high level actually makes work that much more fun!
I've also developed a love for creating magical moments and I go out of my way on a daily basis to try to create those moments for my guests. Whether it's writing them a fast pass or giving a family a ride in their own private van to the park of their choice, there's nothing like giving a family a memory that will last a lifetime. I've also started doing chalk drawings at the bus stops I'm assigned to, but that's going to be a completely different post because there's a pretty good story that goes along with the drawings. Suffice it to say, though, that I'm getting quite a bit of positive attention because of those drawings, and anyone who is friends with me on Facebook has been able to watch them evolve over the last few months. With all of this positive stuff going on there has to be at least one negative. In actuality there's quite a bit of negative and it all comes in the form of misconceptions about the Disney College Program and what it actually is.
Before I move into this part of the post, please let me say that my opinion of Disney, and of Walt Disney World, has not been tarnished at all. What has changed, however, is my understanding of the inner workings of Disney as a company and exactly what it is that Disney does provide to its College Program participants. I use the word participants rather than cast members for a very specific reason. That reason is that we really are only barely cast members, our status listed as "Casual Limited." This is the lowest level of cast member in the Disney system, and as such, we are also in many ways considered to be second class citizens. The reality of the situation is that we are here to provide Disney with a way to staff their parks and resorts without having to pay overtime to their regular cast members. Because of this, many CPs are harassed and looked down upon by full-time cast members who are upset because they're losing their overtime to these "interns." On top of this, the chances for overtime for CPs in many roles are almost nonexistent, and the scheduled hours are often under those promised when we accepted our program invitations. Speaking from my own personal experience, making anything over 30 hours in a week is a struggle every week. This is not very helpful when you actually have real bills to pay, and many people in my role have second jobs outside of Disney just to make ends meet. Every day is a constant storm of checking the hub to see if extra shifts have opened up that don't require any special training, another thing that Disney fails to inform us of when we accept our invitations. You see, I was told in my interview that there would be constant opportunities to make extra hours, and my decision to participate in the program was largely based on that assumption. The truth of the matter is that you are only allowed to pick up extra shifts in areas that you are either trained for, or that do not require any training at all. As far as shifts that I'm trained for, all that I'm trained for is bus operations, and resort bus greeters only have one shift available, and that one goes from 6:45am to 12:45pm. Any additional hours have to come from Parade Audience Control shifts that are released by Magic Kingdom or Fantasmic shifts released by Hollywood Studios. The problem with this is that you never really get more than a day's notice that you'll be working, and normally you'll have only a few hours because the shifts release at odd times during the day. The end result is that it's a constant struggle, not only to get to 40 hours, but to actually get into overtime and make something that resembles a real paycheck because these shifts are not often released because Magic Kingdom wants to fill them with their own people. Outside of the work issues, there are also the "networking" opportunities that Disney says they provide for CPs.
Let me be straight before I continue. This is not intended to be a rant or just me blowing off steam. The intention here is to provide a very real view of what we go through on a daily basis from both a work and a networking perspective. I'm not being biased and I'm not exaggerating, just presenting things as they have shaken out for me over the past three months.
In terms of networking, Disney does not take an active approach at all. They told all of us that there would be ample opportunities to network with people who could be instrumental in the advancement of a career with Disney. This is just not true at all. If your major is hospitality or hotel management or something similar, then yes, there will be opportunities presented in the form of speaker series and other such presentations. If, however, your major area of study is outside of those, you can expect a whole bunch of nothing in terms of networking. As an art graduate I can tell you with complete confidence that you have to make your own opportunities. I have met people and I have gotten my work looked at, but this is all through my own work, basically cold-calling and talking to sketch artists and such while they work. This is not what I was expecting nor is it what was promised to me when I accepted my offer.
In the end, what I've found is that if you are a college student, not financially independent, and don't have any real bills or career aspirations with Disney beyond the end of your program, then this is most definitely the program for you. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world, especially not the guest interaction and the fun of working in Walt Disney World. If I was still 20 or 21 years old and living with mom and dad, I wouldn't have a complaint at all. As a 35 year-old with real bills and no financial assistance available to me, however, this program has been nothing but a daily struggle to keep my head above water, and I'm not 100% sure that i would have made the decision to come here if I had known exactly what to expect from this experience in terms of career opportunities and money. I know this post is going to come off as incredibly negative and anti-college program, but that's not how it is at all. I believe that the Disney College Program is a great idea, just not the right idea for me. As it stands, I'm going to see this through to January and then head home to Louisiana, hopefully to find a career as a teacher.
Friday, May 27, 2011
The Disney Whirlwind!
Okay, so I've officially been in Florida for a week and a half. In that time I've checked in, gotten my apartment, met my roommates, gone through Traditions, completed my role training and passed my assessment, and spent some much needed time in the parks! All I can really say is that this experience so far is bordering on the surreal. I wake up every morning and put on my costume to spend my shift playing with kids...really, they're paying me to do this!?!?
There are so many things about this that just boggle my mind. I'll try to go through the experience so far one step at a time.
I checked in on May 18th at Vista Way Apartments, the original Disney College Program apartment complex. I had already met 3 of my roommates so we all showed up together to make sure we were placed in the same apartment. We were assigned to Chatham Square in a 3 bedroom apartment, which meant that we would be randomly assigned 2 more roommates. All I can say about my roommates is that they're the greatest group of guys I could have hoped to live with. Everyone is respectful of each other and they're all incredibly laid back. The apartment is great with the exception of the broken air conditioner (but that got fixed on the first day so it's all good). It's only about 10 minutes driving from the apartment to the front gates of Magic Kingdom also. We didn't actually get to move into the apartment until late afternoon on the 18th because almost as soon as we checked in and got our apartment we were sent directly to Walt Disney World Casting to get our roles and location assignments. I was assigned as a Resort Bus Greeter, which I am beginning to believe is one of the greatest jobs I could have hoped for. The casting experience was incredible, just being in the building and knowing that I was being processed in for a job with Disney was amazing!
Once we were done with casting we were able to move in and relax for a little while before our housing meeting. Truthfully the housing meeting was incredibly boring but I can see the necessity of it. We had the following day off so we decided to host a cookout at the pavilion by the pool. We were able to meet lots of new people and it was a really great time. None of us really were able to sleep that night because we were so excited. After our day off we attended Traditions. I can't really say very much about it except that it was an amazing thing and there were tears at a couple of points. The legacy of the Disney company is so incredible and I am proud to now be a part of it. It was at Traditions that we received our nametags...this was a moment I had waited for almost my entire life! I was officially and without a doubt a Disney Cast Member...is there anything better?!? I can't even begin to describe the feeling of putting that nametag on for the very first time, it was surreal, incredible, satisfying, just pick a word and it was exactly that!
I am going to end this post here before it becomes a novel, but I will be posting again soon to talk about my role and the training I did for it!
Until next time, may all your days be magical and may all your dreams come true!!!
There are so many things about this that just boggle my mind. I'll try to go through the experience so far one step at a time.
I checked in on May 18th at Vista Way Apartments, the original Disney College Program apartment complex. I had already met 3 of my roommates so we all showed up together to make sure we were placed in the same apartment. We were assigned to Chatham Square in a 3 bedroom apartment, which meant that we would be randomly assigned 2 more roommates. All I can say about my roommates is that they're the greatest group of guys I could have hoped to live with. Everyone is respectful of each other and they're all incredibly laid back. The apartment is great with the exception of the broken air conditioner (but that got fixed on the first day so it's all good). It's only about 10 minutes driving from the apartment to the front gates of Magic Kingdom also. We didn't actually get to move into the apartment until late afternoon on the 18th because almost as soon as we checked in and got our apartment we were sent directly to Walt Disney World Casting to get our roles and location assignments. I was assigned as a Resort Bus Greeter, which I am beginning to believe is one of the greatest jobs I could have hoped for. The casting experience was incredible, just being in the building and knowing that I was being processed in for a job with Disney was amazing!
Once we were done with casting we were able to move in and relax for a little while before our housing meeting. Truthfully the housing meeting was incredibly boring but I can see the necessity of it. We had the following day off so we decided to host a cookout at the pavilion by the pool. We were able to meet lots of new people and it was a really great time. None of us really were able to sleep that night because we were so excited. After our day off we attended Traditions. I can't really say very much about it except that it was an amazing thing and there were tears at a couple of points. The legacy of the Disney company is so incredible and I am proud to now be a part of it. It was at Traditions that we received our nametags...this was a moment I had waited for almost my entire life! I was officially and without a doubt a Disney Cast Member...is there anything better?!? I can't even begin to describe the feeling of putting that nametag on for the very first time, it was surreal, incredible, satisfying, just pick a word and it was exactly that!
I am going to end this post here before it becomes a novel, but I will be posting again soon to talk about my role and the training I did for it!
Until next time, may all your days be magical and may all your dreams come true!!!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wow, just wow!!!
Here I am at 8am the morning after my check-in for the Walt Disney World College Program...I'm settled into my apartment, have met all of my roommates, been through casting, and attended my housing meeting. The funny thing is I still have a hard time believing any of this is real! I'm actually a Disney Cast Member! How did this even happen?!?
In case you hadn't noticed, I'm extremely excited right now! Yesterday was one of the most incredible days of my life! I'll give you the shortened version of what went on yesterday, because to tell the entire story would take a pretty long time.
First, I met two of my roommates on May 17th, the day before we checked in. We knocked around Downtown Disney and Boardwalk until the dinner that was set up by some people on one of the Facebook groups. In all honesty, the dinner was kind of a bust...less than a third of the people who RSVP'd for the event actually showed up, and they weren't able to seat us all at one table, so it was like little groups of 4 sitting all over the place. On a positive note however, we were able to pick up a 4th roommate for our apartment.
May 18th was check-in day for me, and let me tell you, it was incredibly busy! Me and my roommates met at the front gate of Vista way at 7am and waited until they let us in. I won't go too much into the actual process (gotta leave some surprises) but I will say that if you want to room with a particular group of people, make sure you all show up together because one person from the group will be responsible for negotiating the apartment for everyone. I was responsible for negotiating the apartment for myself and my 3 other housemates, and it was a very easy process. I was able to get us exactly what we wanted, a 3 bedroom apartment at Chatham Square. We were assigned 2 other housemates randomly, but that was what we wanted anyway. All in all it was a very easy process.
After finishing up at Vista Way we were able to go to our apartment for about 30 minutes before we had to catch a bus over to casting. At casting we took care of all of our paperwork and got fingerprinted for our background checks. The whole process is incredibly streamlined and it doesn't feel like it takes nearly as long at it actually does. The good news...when you walk out of casting you will OFFICIALLY be a Disney Cast Member! You will also find out your location, date for Traditions, and the date and time of your first day of training.
Once the casting visit was over, we again headed back to our apartment. We had about a 2 hour break before our housing meeting at The Commons. The meeting itself lasted about 2 hours, and I highly recommend walking over instead of taking the bus as The Commons is literally right around the corner.
You might have noticed that nowhere in all of that did I mention food or a lunch break...there's a very good reason for that. We were so busy all day that my roommates and I were not able to stop for food until after 5pm. We did eventually make it to Subway before heading off to do our grocery shopping. We finally finished up with everything at around 8pm, at which time we all pretty much collapsed around the TV!
I'll update this later on and add more to it because there's really a lot more to say, but I just wanted to get my first impressions down while the memories are still fresh. It's going to be a great experience and I can't wait to meet everyone and create some really great memories!!!
In case you hadn't noticed, I'm extremely excited right now! Yesterday was one of the most incredible days of my life! I'll give you the shortened version of what went on yesterday, because to tell the entire story would take a pretty long time.
First, I met two of my roommates on May 17th, the day before we checked in. We knocked around Downtown Disney and Boardwalk until the dinner that was set up by some people on one of the Facebook groups. In all honesty, the dinner was kind of a bust...less than a third of the people who RSVP'd for the event actually showed up, and they weren't able to seat us all at one table, so it was like little groups of 4 sitting all over the place. On a positive note however, we were able to pick up a 4th roommate for our apartment.
May 18th was check-in day for me, and let me tell you, it was incredibly busy! Me and my roommates met at the front gate of Vista way at 7am and waited until they let us in. I won't go too much into the actual process (gotta leave some surprises) but I will say that if you want to room with a particular group of people, make sure you all show up together because one person from the group will be responsible for negotiating the apartment for everyone. I was responsible for negotiating the apartment for myself and my 3 other housemates, and it was a very easy process. I was able to get us exactly what we wanted, a 3 bedroom apartment at Chatham Square. We were assigned 2 other housemates randomly, but that was what we wanted anyway. All in all it was a very easy process.
After finishing up at Vista Way we were able to go to our apartment for about 30 minutes before we had to catch a bus over to casting. At casting we took care of all of our paperwork and got fingerprinted for our background checks. The whole process is incredibly streamlined and it doesn't feel like it takes nearly as long at it actually does. The good news...when you walk out of casting you will OFFICIALLY be a Disney Cast Member! You will also find out your location, date for Traditions, and the date and time of your first day of training.
Once the casting visit was over, we again headed back to our apartment. We had about a 2 hour break before our housing meeting at The Commons. The meeting itself lasted about 2 hours, and I highly recommend walking over instead of taking the bus as The Commons is literally right around the corner.
You might have noticed that nowhere in all of that did I mention food or a lunch break...there's a very good reason for that. We were so busy all day that my roommates and I were not able to stop for food until after 5pm. We did eventually make it to Subway before heading off to do our grocery shopping. We finally finished up with everything at around 8pm, at which time we all pretty much collapsed around the TV!
I'll update this later on and add more to it because there's really a lot more to say, but I just wanted to get my first impressions down while the memories are still fresh. It's going to be a great experience and I can't wait to meet everyone and create some really great memories!!!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Okay, So I couldn't wait...
I still have 9 days until I leave for the Disney College Program, but I thought I would throw in a quick update on what's been going on.
For starters, my senior thesis exhibition is finally over! I had my reception on Tuesday of this week and my thesis defense on Wednesday morning. The thesis defense was brutal and I never want to do anything like that again, but the good news is I got an A! That means that all I have to do is finish up a couple of small assignments for one class, take a final next week, and I'm on my way! If anyone had told me three years ago that I would have my college degree and be on my way to my dream job with Disney, I would have called them a complete liar! I don't think I've ever worked so hard for anything in my life, but the rewards have been so great that I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. It's been an incredibly difficult, fun, and rewarding road to get here, and I can't wait to start on the next chapter!
For starters, my senior thesis exhibition is finally over! I had my reception on Tuesday of this week and my thesis defense on Wednesday morning. The thesis defense was brutal and I never want to do anything like that again, but the good news is I got an A! That means that all I have to do is finish up a couple of small assignments for one class, take a final next week, and I'm on my way! If anyone had told me three years ago that I would have my college degree and be on my way to my dream job with Disney, I would have called them a complete liar! I don't think I've ever worked so hard for anything in my life, but the rewards have been so great that I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. It's been an incredibly difficult, fun, and rewarding road to get here, and I can't wait to start on the next chapter!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Almost There!
It's been quite a while since my last update, mainly because there really hasn't been anything new to tell...
The end is approaching, however, and I find myself with some very mixed feelings. I'll be done with school completely one week from today. I will also be checking in at Vista Way to get my apartment in WDW three weeks from today. I still can't believe that it's already been three years since I decided to go back to school...it really does feel like it was only yesterday! I'm happy to be finishing because it means that I did exactly what I told my family I was going to do, and that means a lot to me and to them. That's also where the mixed feelings come in, because in three weeks I will once again be leaving my family behind and not coming back. They know this and they're totally supportive and happy for me, but things are so much different now than they were all those years ago. Now I have two Goddaughters and two nephews who I love with all my heart, and the thought of not being able to watch them grow up is one that I don't relish. I know that I'm making the right decision for me and my life, it's just now starting to set in exactly how big of a decision this is. Thankfully though, I live in a family of Disney freaks so I know I'll be able to see them at least a few times a year.
Apart from that there's not much to report. I'm done writing my last paper of my college career, my senior thesis show is done and ready to hang, and I graduate in a little over 2 weeks. It's been a crazy and exciting ride and I can't wait, mixed feelings and all, to share the next chapters of it with my family and with you!
It will probably be a few weeks until my next update, but that update will be coming to you live from Walt Disney World!
Until then take care everyone and may all your days be magical!
The end is approaching, however, and I find myself with some very mixed feelings. I'll be done with school completely one week from today. I will also be checking in at Vista Way to get my apartment in WDW three weeks from today. I still can't believe that it's already been three years since I decided to go back to school...it really does feel like it was only yesterday! I'm happy to be finishing because it means that I did exactly what I told my family I was going to do, and that means a lot to me and to them. That's also where the mixed feelings come in, because in three weeks I will once again be leaving my family behind and not coming back. They know this and they're totally supportive and happy for me, but things are so much different now than they were all those years ago. Now I have two Goddaughters and two nephews who I love with all my heart, and the thought of not being able to watch them grow up is one that I don't relish. I know that I'm making the right decision for me and my life, it's just now starting to set in exactly how big of a decision this is. Thankfully though, I live in a family of Disney freaks so I know I'll be able to see them at least a few times a year.
Apart from that there's not much to report. I'm done writing my last paper of my college career, my senior thesis show is done and ready to hang, and I graduate in a little over 2 weeks. It's been a crazy and exciting ride and I can't wait, mixed feelings and all, to share the next chapters of it with my family and with you!
It will probably be a few weeks until my next update, but that update will be coming to you live from Walt Disney World!
Until then take care everyone and may all your days be magical!
Monday, March 14, 2011
The waiting continues...with a little bit of rejection
And to be quite honest, it's really starting to suck!
In terms of my DCP experience there's not a whole lot to report unfortunately. I'm still counting down the days until I leave...64 and counting. Everything that I can possibly do before getting there has been done for weeks now, I just can't wait to get down to Walt Disney World to start living the dream!! There is, however, a little bit of news regarding school that I thought might be worth reporting.
First the good news...
last month I submitted 3 pieces of my artwork to a juried exhibition in Natchitoches, Louisiana. For those of you who aren't familiar with the idea of a juried show, it means that people submit work, and once all the work is in an outside judge is brought in to "prejudge" the show. This means that only a fraction of the work that is submitted will actually be accepted to the show. I'm happy to report that of the three drawings I submitted two of them were accepted, and these two drawings constitute two-thirds of the drawings accepted. also, the show committee has emailed my school and requested me by name to attend the reception this Friday, which usually means that either a first place or an award of some sort. I can only hope. I addition to this, I have also finished cutting most of the wood blocks for my senior thesis show. This is a huge weight off my mind and really lets me see the light at the end of the tunnel! All that's left now is to print all of the blocks and get ready to hang my show. I'm still trying to figure out how I finished almost a month and a half early!
So that's the good news, now for the bad...
My graduate school application to University of Iowa has officially been denied. I applied for admission for this fall in their drawing program and really felt good about the work that I submitted in my portfolio. However, I'm pretty sure that I would have declined the invitation if I had received it anyway since I've already accepted my invitation to the DCP. This makes it only slightly bad news for me. Disney is and always has been my dream job and I don't think even an invitation to attend the #1 printmaking school in the country could have stopped me from taking the opportunity I've been offered.
Anywho, that's about all I have for now. Hopefully next time there will be more to report!
I'm thinking I may go back to license plate postst for a little while...I've been missing doing them quite a little bit!
In terms of my DCP experience there's not a whole lot to report unfortunately. I'm still counting down the days until I leave...64 and counting. Everything that I can possibly do before getting there has been done for weeks now, I just can't wait to get down to Walt Disney World to start living the dream!! There is, however, a little bit of news regarding school that I thought might be worth reporting.
First the good news...
last month I submitted 3 pieces of my artwork to a juried exhibition in Natchitoches, Louisiana. For those of you who aren't familiar with the idea of a juried show, it means that people submit work, and once all the work is in an outside judge is brought in to "prejudge" the show. This means that only a fraction of the work that is submitted will actually be accepted to the show. I'm happy to report that of the three drawings I submitted two of them were accepted, and these two drawings constitute two-thirds of the drawings accepted. also, the show committee has emailed my school and requested me by name to attend the reception this Friday, which usually means that either a first place or an award of some sort. I can only hope. I addition to this, I have also finished cutting most of the wood blocks for my senior thesis show. This is a huge weight off my mind and really lets me see the light at the end of the tunnel! All that's left now is to print all of the blocks and get ready to hang my show. I'm still trying to figure out how I finished almost a month and a half early!
So that's the good news, now for the bad...
My graduate school application to University of Iowa has officially been denied. I applied for admission for this fall in their drawing program and really felt good about the work that I submitted in my portfolio. However, I'm pretty sure that I would have declined the invitation if I had received it anyway since I've already accepted my invitation to the DCP. This makes it only slightly bad news for me. Disney is and always has been my dream job and I don't think even an invitation to attend the #1 printmaking school in the country could have stopped me from taking the opportunity I've been offered.
Anywho, that's about all I have for now. Hopefully next time there will be more to report!
I'm thinking I may go back to license plate postst for a little while...I've been missing doing them quite a little bit!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The Waiting is the Hardest Part...
As I said in my last blog post I'm changing the face of this blog in order to document my experiences in the Walt Disney World College Program. There will still be the occasional post about license plates and such, but it's mostly going to be WDWCP from here on out. Now that we've got that straight, away we go!
Unfortunately there's not a whole lot to say so far...I know, what a let-down! So basically I'll give you a rundown of what's gone on so far.
So I attended a live presentation for the College Program at my school, Nicholls State University. It was great! Extremely entertaining and it got me very excited about trying it out, so much so that I went straight from the presentation to a computer to do the web based interview that night. I passed the web based interview with no problem and was advised to call to schedule my phone interview...whew, one step down and several more to go. Since it was after working hours I called the next morning, February 15th and scheduled my phone interview for February 17th after my last class so that I would have time to get home and settled in and prepared. Being the dork I am, I downloaded all of the job descriptions for all of the roles that I had selected on the role checklist. My interviewer was a little late in calling, but my interview started pretty close to on-time and...
Right away she asked the question that I had been dreading...do I have any visible tattoos or piercings. If anything was going to put a quick end to my dream of working for Disney it would be this, and I knew I had two choices: tell them the truth and take my chances or lie and risk being found out and possibly terminated later. I chose the truth. I told her about all of my tattoos since a lot of them are visible on my forearms and would need to be covered. She immediately put my mind at ease, telling me that it wouldn't be a deciding factor in whether I got in or not. With that out of the way and a HUGE sigh of relief we continued on to the rest of the interview, which from that point on went as smooth as silk. I was relaxed, happy, and smiling, and I know it came across in my voice. She asked me why I wanted to work for Disney and I happily told her that it had been my dream since I was a little kid. We then talked about the roles that I had selected and why I had selected them. My number one choice was transportation and the rest of the interview seemed to center mostly around that. She asked a lot of questions and we laughed and joked to the point where it felt more like an easy conversation than an interview. What was supposed to be a 15-20 minute interview lasted almost 45 minutes and it was very enjoyable. My interviewer was enthusiastic and so was I! So after the interview was over she told me that it would be 4-6 weeks before I would hear a response by email so I hung up and prepared myself for a long and nerve-wracking wait...Day 1, nothing, Day 2, nothing, Day 3, well, you get the picture.
To try and make the wait a little more bearable I started scouring facebook and found a group specifically for people who had applied to the Fall/Fall Advantage programs. Having applied for Fall Advantage I joined the group and started reading their discussion boards and replying to topics. I also found out via the group that people were waiting on average 3-4 weeks for a response. I was only on day 4 so I figured that I would be in for the same wait. Day 5, nothing, Day 6...yeah, Day 6. I was working in my studio at school, and as usual I had my laptop on playing music on Pandora. I looked up to skip a song and saw that I had new email in my inbox. I opened it up and saw that the sender was "Disney College Recruiting" and the email header said simply "Your Invitation." I'm only on Day 6, there's no way it could come that fast...my thoughts were all over the place as I clicked on the email. All I remember seeing was a big purple header and the word "Congratulations!" I think I only actually read the first two lines of the message, just enough to find out that after only 6 days I had been accepted to the program, and for my first choice role to boot!!! I had been accepted for Fall Advantage to work in transportation!!!
At that point I ran out of my studio like a madman, smiling from ear to ear! I rushed to call my mom because she was the only person who knew that I had applied...and she didn't answer her phone! I sent her a text message that said only "CALL ME!!!" She called me back and was ecstatic to hear the news. We set up a family dinner for that weekend so that I could tell the rest of my family. They were out of their minds with happiness when they found out. We had a great dinner and talked about the program and what I could expect. After the euphoria of the email and the fun of the family dinner reality quickly set in...it's still only February...I still have to wait three more months before I actually go to Florida to start the program!!!! Time to start waiting again!!!
So now here I am, 76 days away from May 17th, the day that I leave Louisiana to start a new life in Florida, and I'm going out of my mind!!! As if I didn't think about Disney enough already, now I spend large chunks of every day on the CP website, reading everything I can about the program, chatting with fellow CP cast members on skype, and wishing that the semester would hurry up and end so that I can graduate from college and get on the road! Oh well, we can't have it all, or can we?
I'm 76 days from fulfilling a lifelong dream, I graduate in May with my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and I'm going to work for Disney!!! Nah, I really couldn't ask for anything more than that!
Until next time, keep moving forward, because for me there's no turning back!!!
Unfortunately there's not a whole lot to say so far...I know, what a let-down! So basically I'll give you a rundown of what's gone on so far.
So I attended a live presentation for the College Program at my school, Nicholls State University. It was great! Extremely entertaining and it got me very excited about trying it out, so much so that I went straight from the presentation to a computer to do the web based interview that night. I passed the web based interview with no problem and was advised to call to schedule my phone interview...whew, one step down and several more to go. Since it was after working hours I called the next morning, February 15th and scheduled my phone interview for February 17th after my last class so that I would have time to get home and settled in and prepared. Being the dork I am, I downloaded all of the job descriptions for all of the roles that I had selected on the role checklist. My interviewer was a little late in calling, but my interview started pretty close to on-time and...
Right away she asked the question that I had been dreading...do I have any visible tattoos or piercings. If anything was going to put a quick end to my dream of working for Disney it would be this, and I knew I had two choices: tell them the truth and take my chances or lie and risk being found out and possibly terminated later. I chose the truth. I told her about all of my tattoos since a lot of them are visible on my forearms and would need to be covered. She immediately put my mind at ease, telling me that it wouldn't be a deciding factor in whether I got in or not. With that out of the way and a HUGE sigh of relief we continued on to the rest of the interview, which from that point on went as smooth as silk. I was relaxed, happy, and smiling, and I know it came across in my voice. She asked me why I wanted to work for Disney and I happily told her that it had been my dream since I was a little kid. We then talked about the roles that I had selected and why I had selected them. My number one choice was transportation and the rest of the interview seemed to center mostly around that. She asked a lot of questions and we laughed and joked to the point where it felt more like an easy conversation than an interview. What was supposed to be a 15-20 minute interview lasted almost 45 minutes and it was very enjoyable. My interviewer was enthusiastic and so was I! So after the interview was over she told me that it would be 4-6 weeks before I would hear a response by email so I hung up and prepared myself for a long and nerve-wracking wait...Day 1, nothing, Day 2, nothing, Day 3, well, you get the picture.
To try and make the wait a little more bearable I started scouring facebook and found a group specifically for people who had applied to the Fall/Fall Advantage programs. Having applied for Fall Advantage I joined the group and started reading their discussion boards and replying to topics. I also found out via the group that people were waiting on average 3-4 weeks for a response. I was only on day 4 so I figured that I would be in for the same wait. Day 5, nothing, Day 6...yeah, Day 6. I was working in my studio at school, and as usual I had my laptop on playing music on Pandora. I looked up to skip a song and saw that I had new email in my inbox. I opened it up and saw that the sender was "Disney College Recruiting" and the email header said simply "Your Invitation." I'm only on Day 6, there's no way it could come that fast...my thoughts were all over the place as I clicked on the email. All I remember seeing was a big purple header and the word "Congratulations!" I think I only actually read the first two lines of the message, just enough to find out that after only 6 days I had been accepted to the program, and for my first choice role to boot!!! I had been accepted for Fall Advantage to work in transportation!!!
At that point I ran out of my studio like a madman, smiling from ear to ear! I rushed to call my mom because she was the only person who knew that I had applied...and she didn't answer her phone! I sent her a text message that said only "CALL ME!!!" She called me back and was ecstatic to hear the news. We set up a family dinner for that weekend so that I could tell the rest of my family. They were out of their minds with happiness when they found out. We had a great dinner and talked about the program and what I could expect. After the euphoria of the email and the fun of the family dinner reality quickly set in...it's still only February...I still have to wait three more months before I actually go to Florida to start the program!!!! Time to start waiting again!!!
So now here I am, 76 days away from May 17th, the day that I leave Louisiana to start a new life in Florida, and I'm going out of my mind!!! As if I didn't think about Disney enough already, now I spend large chunks of every day on the CP website, reading everything I can about the program, chatting with fellow CP cast members on skype, and wishing that the semester would hurry up and end so that I can graduate from college and get on the road! Oh well, we can't have it all, or can we?
I'm 76 days from fulfilling a lifelong dream, I graduate in May with my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and I'm going to work for Disney!!! Nah, I really couldn't ask for anything more than that!
Until next time, keep moving forward, because for me there's no turning back!!!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Time to change things up...
So I've been trying to figure out what to do with this blog since my license plate collecting has been kind of stagnant for the last few years due to the lack of cash that comes with being a broke art school student...
And then today I got the best email I've had in a loooong time. I am officially accepted to the Walt Disney World College Program, Fall Advantage 2011! I can't wait to get done with school and get to Florida to start on the program!
So I'm going to change this blog from license plate collecting to a journal of sorts of my experiences in the WDW College Program. I figure it's a good use for this space that would otherwise go to waste!
And then today I got the best email I've had in a loooong time. I am officially accepted to the Walt Disney World College Program, Fall Advantage 2011! I can't wait to get done with school and get to Florida to start on the program!
So I'm going to change this blog from license plate collecting to a journal of sorts of my experiences in the WDW College Program. I figure it's a good use for this space that would otherwise go to waste!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
First Official New Post!!!
Okay, so now that I've resurrected this old friend of mine, what do I do with it?
I've been considering this question all week trying to figure out what I should do for my first "real" post. As I said in what I'm now calling "the rock bottom post," I'm not going to restrict myself to license plates anymore. There will still be license plates spotlighted, but I've realized that it's really hard to consistently come up with good posts centered around them. So, in the spirit of diversification I would like to share a book that I purchased in December of 2009 during a WDW vacation with my mom:
I came across this one in the Animation Gallery and was immediately drawn to it. It's quite a small book, weighing in at only 160 pages, but the wealth of information held within those pages is immense! It is essentially written from the point of view of individuals from all walks of the Disney creative process from imagineers to lawyers, and everybody in-between. They talk about their individual creative processes as well as providing information to help you to get your own mind working more freely. I devoured this book on the first night that I had it and have made it a permanent fixture in what I call my sketch bag (I'll actually have a post on that at some point) because it's so great for when my ideas aren't running at full strength.
This book really has changed the way that I approach projects and the way that I communicate my own ideas to others, and I would recommend it for anyone interested in the imagineering process from the point of view of the imagineers. I hope everyone's having a terrific weekend and I'll be back soon with another post!
Oh yeah, and as a bonus for this week I thought I would share the painting I did for my Goddaughter, Gracie, for her birthday. She's turning 6 and is already a huge Disney freak, so I did a painting based off of some of the artwork I'd seen around Bay Lake Tower. Hope you like it!
Till next time I wish you all the best and thanks for stopping by!!!
Ryan C.
I've been considering this question all week trying to figure out what I should do for my first "real" post. As I said in what I'm now calling "the rock bottom post," I'm not going to restrict myself to license plates anymore. There will still be license plates spotlighted, but I've realized that it's really hard to consistently come up with good posts centered around them. So, in the spirit of diversification I would like to share a book that I purchased in December of 2009 during a WDW vacation with my mom:
I came across this one in the Animation Gallery and was immediately drawn to it. It's quite a small book, weighing in at only 160 pages, but the wealth of information held within those pages is immense! It is essentially written from the point of view of individuals from all walks of the Disney creative process from imagineers to lawyers, and everybody in-between. They talk about their individual creative processes as well as providing information to help you to get your own mind working more freely. I devoured this book on the first night that I had it and have made it a permanent fixture in what I call my sketch bag (I'll actually have a post on that at some point) because it's so great for when my ideas aren't running at full strength.
This book really has changed the way that I approach projects and the way that I communicate my own ideas to others, and I would recommend it for anyone interested in the imagineering process from the point of view of the imagineers. I hope everyone's having a terrific weekend and I'll be back soon with another post!
Oh yeah, and as a bonus for this week I thought I would share the painting I did for my Goddaughter, Gracie, for her birthday. She's turning 6 and is already a huge Disney freak, so I did a painting based off of some of the artwork I'd seen around Bay Lake Tower. Hope you like it!
Till next time I wish you all the best and thanks for stopping by!!!
Ryan C.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Hard Choices and BIG Changes
So it's been almost two and a half years since the last time I posted anything of any substance on this blog. So much has happened over the last few years, but I figured I would go ahead and answer the question that I got asked many, many times during the all-too-early demise (or at the very least falling into a coma) of this blog: why did I decide to let it go?
The simplest and most direct answer I can give to that question is that two and a half years ago I was barely even alive. I was working in a career that I absolutely hated and that made me so miserable that I literally felt hopeless to the point of some really bad thoughts. I would get up, go to work, attempt to look like I was doing something for 8 hours, and then go home and just sit on the couch all night. This was my life for the better part of 12 years and it finally started to get to me. The worst part about the whole thing is that my father, when he was still alive, was so proud of me for making it in the IT industry that I really felt like I could never leave for fear of disappointing him, which was something that I always seemed to have a knack for when I was younger. I stayed in the IT industry after his death, and it was also sometime after his death that I created this blog, partly as a way to remember the experiences that I shared with him, but also to provide me with an escape from the misery of my day-to-day life. The only real hitch in the plan was that when I would get home I never felt like doing anything...such is the case when one feels that their life is completely pointless and hopeless.
The last post on this blog was in March of 2008. This was the time when things really started to fall down around me. I lost my job, mostly through my own lack of performance, found a new and more laborious job, and generally fell even deeper into the hole that I had sunk into. In terms of all things Disney, a passion of mine since I was a kid, that was just about wrenched out of me as well. I really felt that there was nothing in my life worth existing for, and I am sure that there are many people out there who would agree with I say that that is not at all a good place to be. This went on until July of 2008, and to be exact, July 3rd, 2008. That's actually when this story takes a turn, not just for the better, but for the absolute best that I could have hoped for.
In the last few years I have come to realize that the morning of July 3rd, 2008 was probably the most pivotal moment in my life since my decision to join the Navy in 1995 because as much as I may not have wanted to admit it, I believe that two things happened at that moment that left me with the biggest decision of my life. I truly feel that in that moment I actually considered ending my own life for the first time ever. It was about 5:00 in the morning and I was getting ready for work, showering and shaving just like every other day. I remember stopping right in the middle of my shave and just staring at myself in the mirror. I stood there for I don't know how long before I realized that this was the first time I had actually looked at my own reflection in a very long time, and I really didn't like what I saw. The person that I saw was just a shadow, and I realized in that moment that I wasn't even really living, but just floating along through the days. I stood there, face half shaved, and I just stared at myself and hated what I saw. This wasn't my father's son, the strong person he had raised was gone and had been replaced by someone who hated everything about himself. To this day I really don't know what possessed me to do what I did next, because before I even realized what I was doing I had my cell phone in my hand and was calling my boss. I told him that my work truck was outside the office, all my work gear was in it, and the keys were on the front seat. He asked my why I was telling him this and I told him because I wasn't coming back and just hung up. I already had a plan and I honestly didn't even realize it at the time.
I got dressed, drove to Starbucks and got a cup of coffee. I sat, not really thinking about anything, just sitting until 9 or 10 in the morning. I think I probably drank 3 or 4 white mochas while I was there. Eventually I left and started driving, and at this point I felt like I was on autopilot. Before I knew it, it was noon and I had re-enrolled myself full-time in college. Here I was, 32 years old and going back to college after a 12 year layoff. By the following Monday I had been accepted, done all my financial aid paperwork, started my GI Bill, and gotten myself a schedule. Just one problem remained...it was now the beginning of July and I had no money to get me through until my GI Bill started in September. Somehow I made it through thanks to my family and friends, and now here we are two years later.
In the last 2 years I have gone from miserable computer technician to absolutely ecstatic art student. I went back to college as an art major with concentrations in painting, drawing, and printmaking, and a minor in art history. I graduate in May of 2011 with my BFA, something I had completely given up on. In going back to school I have made myself more broke than I have ever been in my life, but I'm also happier than I have ever been. My family comments on it every time they see me and they support my decision 100%. It is my hope and dream, as far-fetched as it may sound, to someday work for Disney after I graduate. As such, I am preparing myself for a move immediately after graduation. I have never been so hopeful about my life and my future, and I honestly never thought that I would be going through a complete life reboot at 34.
I feel like I've been given a new lease on life, and as such feel like I should give this blog a new lease as well.
This time, however, there will be no promises that I don't intend to keep and no guarantees beyond this: I'm going to start making entries again. I don't know when they'll be or what they'll be about. You may get a post on license plates or you may just get a sample of the artwork I've been producing, who knows? All I know is that for the first time in a very long time I am truly optimistic about life, and that optimism is something that I want to share with as many people as possible!
Thank you also to all those people who have been so supportive of me over these last few years, I couldn't have made it without you!!!
Here's to a bright future,
Ryan C.
The simplest and most direct answer I can give to that question is that two and a half years ago I was barely even alive. I was working in a career that I absolutely hated and that made me so miserable that I literally felt hopeless to the point of some really bad thoughts. I would get up, go to work, attempt to look like I was doing something for 8 hours, and then go home and just sit on the couch all night. This was my life for the better part of 12 years and it finally started to get to me. The worst part about the whole thing is that my father, when he was still alive, was so proud of me for making it in the IT industry that I really felt like I could never leave for fear of disappointing him, which was something that I always seemed to have a knack for when I was younger. I stayed in the IT industry after his death, and it was also sometime after his death that I created this blog, partly as a way to remember the experiences that I shared with him, but also to provide me with an escape from the misery of my day-to-day life. The only real hitch in the plan was that when I would get home I never felt like doing anything...such is the case when one feels that their life is completely pointless and hopeless.
The last post on this blog was in March of 2008. This was the time when things really started to fall down around me. I lost my job, mostly through my own lack of performance, found a new and more laborious job, and generally fell even deeper into the hole that I had sunk into. In terms of all things Disney, a passion of mine since I was a kid, that was just about wrenched out of me as well. I really felt that there was nothing in my life worth existing for, and I am sure that there are many people out there who would agree with I say that that is not at all a good place to be. This went on until July of 2008, and to be exact, July 3rd, 2008. That's actually when this story takes a turn, not just for the better, but for the absolute best that I could have hoped for.
In the last few years I have come to realize that the morning of July 3rd, 2008 was probably the most pivotal moment in my life since my decision to join the Navy in 1995 because as much as I may not have wanted to admit it, I believe that two things happened at that moment that left me with the biggest decision of my life. I truly feel that in that moment I actually considered ending my own life for the first time ever. It was about 5:00 in the morning and I was getting ready for work, showering and shaving just like every other day. I remember stopping right in the middle of my shave and just staring at myself in the mirror. I stood there for I don't know how long before I realized that this was the first time I had actually looked at my own reflection in a very long time, and I really didn't like what I saw. The person that I saw was just a shadow, and I realized in that moment that I wasn't even really living, but just floating along through the days. I stood there, face half shaved, and I just stared at myself and hated what I saw. This wasn't my father's son, the strong person he had raised was gone and had been replaced by someone who hated everything about himself. To this day I really don't know what possessed me to do what I did next, because before I even realized what I was doing I had my cell phone in my hand and was calling my boss. I told him that my work truck was outside the office, all my work gear was in it, and the keys were on the front seat. He asked my why I was telling him this and I told him because I wasn't coming back and just hung up. I already had a plan and I honestly didn't even realize it at the time.
I got dressed, drove to Starbucks and got a cup of coffee. I sat, not really thinking about anything, just sitting until 9 or 10 in the morning. I think I probably drank 3 or 4 white mochas while I was there. Eventually I left and started driving, and at this point I felt like I was on autopilot. Before I knew it, it was noon and I had re-enrolled myself full-time in college. Here I was, 32 years old and going back to college after a 12 year layoff. By the following Monday I had been accepted, done all my financial aid paperwork, started my GI Bill, and gotten myself a schedule. Just one problem remained...it was now the beginning of July and I had no money to get me through until my GI Bill started in September. Somehow I made it through thanks to my family and friends, and now here we are two years later.
In the last 2 years I have gone from miserable computer technician to absolutely ecstatic art student. I went back to college as an art major with concentrations in painting, drawing, and printmaking, and a minor in art history. I graduate in May of 2011 with my BFA, something I had completely given up on. In going back to school I have made myself more broke than I have ever been in my life, but I'm also happier than I have ever been. My family comments on it every time they see me and they support my decision 100%. It is my hope and dream, as far-fetched as it may sound, to someday work for Disney after I graduate. As such, I am preparing myself for a move immediately after graduation. I have never been so hopeful about my life and my future, and I honestly never thought that I would be going through a complete life reboot at 34.
I feel like I've been given a new lease on life, and as such feel like I should give this blog a new lease as well.
This time, however, there will be no promises that I don't intend to keep and no guarantees beyond this: I'm going to start making entries again. I don't know when they'll be or what they'll be about. You may get a post on license plates or you may just get a sample of the artwork I've been producing, who knows? All I know is that for the first time in a very long time I am truly optimistic about life, and that optimism is something that I want to share with as many people as possible!
Thank you also to all those people who have been so supportive of me over these last few years, I couldn't have made it without you!!!
Here's to a bright future,
Ryan C.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
In the Beginning (Take 2)...
When I started this blog, one of my first posts was about the 1971 Walt Disney World license plates and how they basically started license plate production for Disney. I have also mentioned how they were among the first license plates that we purchased once we found that they were available on ebay. These, however, were not the first plates that I bought for my collection. In all truth, I was dragged into Disney license plate collecting kicking and screaming. My brother and father had been collecting them for years, replacing the coffee mug collection with license plates. At the time of my discharge from the U.S. Navy in 2001 I moved back home to be with my family. This was when I discovered just how fanatical dad and Shaun (my younger brother) were about these license plates. Honestly, I had no interest whatsoever in beginning a collection, I figured they had more than enough for all of us. What I did want, though, was a license plate to put on the front of my car. I had seen it in my brother's collection and thought it was really cool. He informed me that they were no longer available in the parks and that I would have to try to find one on ebay. I would like to tell you that it was some high dollar and really rare plate, but that's not the case. The license plate I wanted was this one:
I loved the design of it, the color, the layout, basically everything about it. It also incorporated two of my favorite things in all of WDW, the monorail and Epcot. It didn't take too much looking to locate one of these plates, and if my memory serves me correctly it didn't cost me much more than 8 or 10 dollars with shipping. For a very long time that was the only license plate I owned and I was quite happy that way. The following summer, though, we went back to WDW on a big family vacation. During our wanderings we kept coming across rack after rack of license plates (apparently this was a big time for production). Dad and Shaun would grab theirs and automatically they would turn to me and tell me that I needed to pick one up too. Before I knew what was going on I had reluctantly bought 7-10 new license plates. I think I came back from that trip with 12 license plates total. Once we were back home I realized that I had inadvertently laid the groundwork for a collection of my own, so I figured I would go ahead and start looking more seriously at the auctions and start doing some research. From that point on it almost became like a competition to see who could acquire the most license plates the fastest. I really got my dad mad at me when I beat him out for this little beauty:
What he didn't know, though, was that in the same auction I had been going after another plate as well:
My dad never did get the blue and white 1971 plate, but the person that was running the auction sent me three of the all blue misprints, which I gave a copy of to both dad and Shaun. Before I knew it I had amassed a collection of about 100-125 plates, many of them hard to find, such as this one:
Although it was almost like a competition between the three of us, Disney license plate collecting actually brought the three of us closer together. We would sort the collections, catalog them, try to find out what we were missing, and surf auctions together. I still have that beat up Epcot license plate (it spent 4 years on the front of my car), but I also bought another one to add to the collection. I can't imagine my life now without my collection, it's brought me so much joy and really gave me a great way to bond with my father and brother. For Disney it all started with a mouse, but for me it all started with a license plate.
I loved the design of it, the color, the layout, basically everything about it. It also incorporated two of my favorite things in all of WDW, the monorail and Epcot. It didn't take too much looking to locate one of these plates, and if my memory serves me correctly it didn't cost me much more than 8 or 10 dollars with shipping. For a very long time that was the only license plate I owned and I was quite happy that way. The following summer, though, we went back to WDW on a big family vacation. During our wanderings we kept coming across rack after rack of license plates (apparently this was a big time for production). Dad and Shaun would grab theirs and automatically they would turn to me and tell me that I needed to pick one up too. Before I knew what was going on I had reluctantly bought 7-10 new license plates. I think I came back from that trip with 12 license plates total. Once we were back home I realized that I had inadvertently laid the groundwork for a collection of my own, so I figured I would go ahead and start looking more seriously at the auctions and start doing some research. From that point on it almost became like a competition to see who could acquire the most license plates the fastest. I really got my dad mad at me when I beat him out for this little beauty:
What he didn't know, though, was that in the same auction I had been going after another plate as well:
My dad never did get the blue and white 1971 plate, but the person that was running the auction sent me three of the all blue misprints, which I gave a copy of to both dad and Shaun. Before I knew it I had amassed a collection of about 100-125 plates, many of them hard to find, such as this one:
Although it was almost like a competition between the three of us, Disney license plate collecting actually brought the three of us closer together. We would sort the collections, catalog them, try to find out what we were missing, and surf auctions together. I still have that beat up Epcot license plate (it spent 4 years on the front of my car), but I also bought another one to add to the collection. I can't imagine my life now without my collection, it's brought me so much joy and really gave me a great way to bond with my father and brother. For Disney it all started with a mouse, but for me it all started with a license plate.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Cruisin'...
One of the things that I have always wanted to do but have never been able to is to take a Disney cruise. The ships look absolutely beautiful, exuding both the flair of Disney and the traditional look of early cruise liners. 
Having watched all of the different specials on the Travel Channel and various other networks, I am just chomping at the bit to set sail on one of these magnificent vessels. I can only imagine what it must be like to board one of the ships and get underway to the various ports of call, and to eventually arrive at Castaway Cay. The idea of Castaway Cay itself makes the trip so appealing. Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity yet to enjoy one of these cruises, but I do have a selection of DCL license plates to tide me over until that day. Enjoy!!!
Having watched all of the different specials on the Travel Channel and various other networks, I am just chomping at the bit to set sail on one of these magnificent vessels. I can only imagine what it must be like to board one of the ships and get underway to the various ports of call, and to eventually arrive at Castaway Cay. The idea of Castaway Cay itself makes the trip so appealing. Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity yet to enjoy one of these cruises, but I do have a selection of DCL license plates to tide me over until that day. Enjoy!!!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Wants and Needs...
When I started collecting Disney License Plates, I had absolutely no idea just what was out there. My dad had been buying license plates in the parks, but we didn't know that the history and offerings ran so much deeper than the merchandise racks of the Disney theme parks. We didn't know anything of variants, cmo plates, commemoratives, or anything else related to Disney license plates. When we discovered ebay and the wealth of offerings therein, it opened up a whole new world to us. We also discovered Steve Garner's site and realized that we were really missing out on a whole load of license plates that we never even knew existed. It was there that we learned of the 1971 blue and green plates and all of their variations and errors. We also learned what variants are and that cast member only plates were really cool.
While we have been collecting plates for a very long time, like every collector there are plates that we just haven't been able to get our hands on. In this post I am going to focus on the license plates that I have been looking for to add to my collection. These are mainly license plates that I haven't seen anywhere but on Steve's site. If anyone has any good information about where I can get these license plates, feel free to let me know, I would be very appreciative.
Now this, of course, is my absolute favorites list, and I know that the odds of me getting my hands on these particular plates are pretty slim if at all. I'm also well aware that these are some of the more expensive plates out there. These plates would be a great addition to any collection, and I truly hope some day to add them to mine.
Have a great Disney week!!!!
While we have been collecting plates for a very long time, like every collector there are plates that we just haven't been able to get our hands on. In this post I am going to focus on the license plates that I have been looking for to add to my collection. These are mainly license plates that I haven't seen anywhere but on Steve's site. If anyone has any good information about where I can get these license plates, feel free to let me know, I would be very appreciative.
Now this, of course, is my absolute favorites list, and I know that the odds of me getting my hands on these particular plates are pretty slim if at all. I'm also well aware that these are some of the more expensive plates out there. These plates would be a great addition to any collection, and I truly hope some day to add them to mine.
Have a great Disney week!!!!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The Disney Vacation Club
My brother actually gave me the idea for this week's post, so I want to thank him because I was really stumped about what to post. I also apologize for being a little late with this one, lots of family stuff going on lately.
Anywho, my brother called me up on Sunday to go to the park with him and his family (that meant that I would get to spend some quality time with my Goddaughter, Gracie). I jumped out of the house and headed on down to the park. It what then that my brother told me that he and his wife had just bought into the Disney Vacation Club with the Animal Kingdom Lodge as their home resort. Admittedly, as much as I love Disney, I have no real knowledge of the DVC and what a membership entails. Needless to say for those DVC veterans out there, I was ready to buy one of my own when he got done telling me all about it.
So, in honor of my brother and his new DVC membership, I want to give you an assortment of DVC license plates for this week. Unfortunately they all look pretty much the same so I'll throw in a few extras at the end just for a little change of pace!
I also want to give a big thanks to Steve Garner for helping me out with scans for the blog after I lost all of mine. Thank You Steve, you've been a tremendous help!
Anywho, my brother called me up on Sunday to go to the park with him and his family (that meant that I would get to spend some quality time with my Goddaughter, Gracie). I jumped out of the house and headed on down to the park. It what then that my brother told me that he and his wife had just bought into the Disney Vacation Club with the Animal Kingdom Lodge as their home resort. Admittedly, as much as I love Disney, I have no real knowledge of the DVC and what a membership entails. Needless to say for those DVC veterans out there, I was ready to buy one of my own when he got done telling me all about it.
So, in honor of my brother and his new DVC membership, I want to give you an assortment of DVC license plates for this week. Unfortunately they all look pretty much the same so I'll throw in a few extras at the end just for a little change of pace!
I also want to give a big thanks to Steve Garner for helping me out with scans for the blog after I lost all of mine. Thank You Steve, you've been a tremendous help!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Three from Tokyo...
Disney really went all out when they decided to expand their offerings overseas, not just with the parks but with their license plates as well. While I have never had the opportunity to visit any of the properties other than Walt Disney World, I am optimistic that I will have the chance one day to visit all of them. In the meantime, however, we do have these wonderful license plates to tide us over. A different manufacturing process was used for these plates that I think allowed them to include a lot more detail than a lot of the plates that came before these. They actually appear to be a two piece plate with the front wrapped around a backer plate, a process not seen before in the plates produced for the U.S. parks. It could also just be a laminate, but I'm not about to take one of them apart to find out!!! This also has not been seen before for Paris, either. I am not really sure of the reasoning behind this...maybe they used a different manufacturer for the Tokyo plates. Disney has done laminated plates before, specifically the 100 year blue license plate, which I am including at the end of this post. We found that out after one of them sat on a car for about a year and it started peeling. Whatever the case may be these are really beautiful plates and make a great addition to any collection.
This is laminated plate that I was talking about:
A quick update on Jordan this week...
I want to thank all of you for your prayers and support! Jordan is doing much better and has recovered his ability to swallow which means he is again able to eat regular food, although not in large quantities. He is also able to speak to some degree, mostly single words, but there is the occasional sentence in there. He asked for a brownie the other day, his first real sentence since his surgery. He is also due to start chemo and radiation in the next week or so. This will sap all of his strength, this much I remember from my father's battle with cancer, so please keep praying for Jordan and his family during this really rough time. Things are definitely getting better and the little guy is fighting, but there is a long road ahead for them!
Thank you all and I hope you have a wonderful Disney Week!!!!
This is laminated plate that I was talking about:
A quick update on Jordan this week...
I want to thank all of you for your prayers and support! Jordan is doing much better and has recovered his ability to swallow which means he is again able to eat regular food, although not in large quantities. He is also able to speak to some degree, mostly single words, but there is the occasional sentence in there. He asked for a brownie the other day, his first real sentence since his surgery. He is also due to start chemo and radiation in the next week or so. This will sap all of his strength, this much I remember from my father's battle with cancer, so please keep praying for Jordan and his family during this really rough time. Things are definitely getting better and the little guy is fighting, but there is a long road ahead for them!
Thank you all and I hope you have a wonderful Disney Week!!!!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Round Pegs in Square Holes...
One of the things that we can always be sure of when it comes to Disney is that they love to do things differently. While I have seen nonstandard license plates occasionally in my day to day driving experiences, I really didn't know what to think when Disney started churning out these oval shaped plates. To the best of my knowledge (which is suspect more often than not), Disney has not released any nonstandard plates to the general public, which means that once again the cast members get all the fun. There have been several of these oval shaped plates issued, all cast member only, covering subjects from anniversaries to charitable causes, as well as the first one listed here, which is basically a license plate recreation of a cast member name tag.
But the fun doesn't end there...nay nay I say. Disney also went ahead and issued variant plates among all this oval shaped goodness. The first one below isn't so much a variant because it was released concurrently with the tan one above, maybe because they wanted to give CMs a little variety or something. The second Disney Hand one is most definitely a variant, and I believe that there is another variant of it out there, but I don't own one and don't have a scan of one so you'll just have to take my word for it.
I really enjoy it when Disney shakes things up a little bit and throws a curveball out there. It keeps us collectors on our toes and gives us some good variety in our collections (and makes us spend a lot more money in the process). Till next time I hope you all have a terrific week, keep those prayers for Jordan going, they are definitely helping, and I want to wish you all a wonderful Disney Day!
But the fun doesn't end there...nay nay I say. Disney also went ahead and issued variant plates among all this oval shaped goodness. The first one below isn't so much a variant because it was released concurrently with the tan one above, maybe because they wanted to give CMs a little variety or something. The second Disney Hand one is most definitely a variant, and I believe that there is another variant of it out there, but I don't own one and don't have a scan of one so you'll just have to take my word for it.
I really enjoy it when Disney shakes things up a little bit and throws a curveball out there. It keeps us collectors on our toes and gives us some good variety in our collections (and makes us spend a lot more money in the process). Till next time I hope you all have a terrific week, keep those prayers for Jordan going, they are definitely helping, and I want to wish you all a wonderful Disney Day!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Explanations, Apologies, and a need for prayer...
There are many, many reasons why I have neglected this blog for the last couple of months. I would like to take this chance to apologize to those of you who had been regular visitors for my lack of attention. My intention was never to let this remain dormant and neglected. The last few months have not been very kind to me and my family. As many of you may remember, I started a new job in early November. While I have been very happy in my new job, I have been faced with work hours that I never could have expected. These increased hours often put me getting home very late and leave me in not exactly the best frame of mind to blog. On top of that I also have lost my desktop machine, which had all of my scans of my license plates and other Disney items, so I'm currently trying to rebuild the collection of scans. These things mainly took place in December shortly after my last post. By far though, the most trying event has to do with my nephew Jordan. Jordan is 4 years old and was diagnosed last month with a cancerous brain tumor. He has had surgery to remove the tumor, which was at the base of his brain. He is currently still in the hospital and was recently transferred to Children's Hospital in New Orleans to continue his treatment, which will include chemotherapy and radiation. I would ask anyone who still visits here from time to time, please keep Jordan and his family in your prayers. As my brother told us in email last week, "things are looking up, but they're still looking uphill." I thank you all in advance for your prayers and consideration.
I would also like to address the state of this blog and it's future, both short and long-term. For the time being I will start adding new blog posts on every Saturday, so there will be at least one update per week. As things level out I hope to be able to increase to twice weekly updates. I cannot keep up with the pace that I set in the beginning, I no longer have that kind of time on my hands. I will, however, do what I can to resurrect this blog before it goes the way of the dodo. I wish you all the best and I hope to be able to report on happier subjects in my next update.
I would also like to address the state of this blog and it's future, both short and long-term. For the time being I will start adding new blog posts on every Saturday, so there will be at least one update per week. As things level out I hope to be able to increase to twice weekly updates. I cannot keep up with the pace that I set in the beginning, I no longer have that kind of time on my hands. I will, however, do what I can to resurrect this blog before it goes the way of the dodo. I wish you all the best and I hope to be able to report on happier subjects in my next update.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Time Capsule...
No license plates today, sorry. What I do have, though, is a time capsule of sorts. When my dad had surgery to remove the brain tumor that ultimately took his life, we were all anxious for him to be able to come home and be with his family again. We all were very excited when that day finally came. As a welcome home present for my dad, we put together this collage made with different items from his many trips to Walt Disney World (more than 50 trips in all) and gave it to him the day he came home. He was very excited to have it, and it now hangs in my own house above my fireplace. I'll give you the the list of items starting with the top left and working around clockwise.
1. Mickey Mouse Drink Coaster - I have no idea where we got those
2. Animal Kingdom Lodge Privacy Hanger - Dad had a habit of taking those home with him
3. Disney Dollars - These are from the very first run of Disney Dollars
4. Pioneer Hall Paper - Picked this up at the Hoop De Doo Musical Review
5. 25 Year Pin/Sticker - Handout during 25th Anniversary Celebration
6. Annual Passes - These are the old style that had a photo and were laminated - pre bioscan
7. 100 Year Napkin - Pretty self explanatory
8. Polynesian Village Resort IDs - Late 80s and Early 90s, before card key IDs
9. EPCOT Center Bumper Sticker - One that managed to not make it onto a car
10. Caribbean Beach Resort Flier - These were placed in the rooms
11. Main Street Electrical Parade Sticker
12. 4-Day Pass - These are from 1987/88
13. 4-Day Pass - These are from 1990
14. EPCOT Center Guide Book - Vintage, that's all I can say
15. Parking Tickets - From a few off property vacations
16. Year 2000 Pass
17. Magic Kingdom Park Guide
18. Various Admission Tickets
19. 100 Year Celebration Annual Pass
20. Various Room Keys - From the early 90s to present
21. Disney/MGM Studios Park Guide
22. Osborn Family Lights Special Effect Glasses
23. Disney Transportation Guide - For interpreting those goofy flags that were on the buses
24. Spectromagic Sticker
25. MGM Bumper Sticker
26. Old Style Resort Room Key - From the Polynesian Village Resort
All of these items are very special to us, reminding us just how much dad loved Disney and what it did to bring our family closer together. During this holiday season I truly hope you and your family can experience just a little bit of the closeness that Disney has brought to my family. Happy Holidays and Have a Great Disney Day!!!
1. Mickey Mouse Drink Coaster - I have no idea where we got those
2. Animal Kingdom Lodge Privacy Hanger - Dad had a habit of taking those home with him
3. Disney Dollars - These are from the very first run of Disney Dollars
4. Pioneer Hall Paper - Picked this up at the Hoop De Doo Musical Review
5. 25 Year Pin/Sticker - Handout during 25th Anniversary Celebration
6. Annual Passes - These are the old style that had a photo and were laminated - pre bioscan
7. 100 Year Napkin - Pretty self explanatory
8. Polynesian Village Resort IDs - Late 80s and Early 90s, before card key IDs
9. EPCOT Center Bumper Sticker - One that managed to not make it onto a car
10. Caribbean Beach Resort Flier - These were placed in the rooms
11. Main Street Electrical Parade Sticker
12. 4-Day Pass - These are from 1987/88
13. 4-Day Pass - These are from 1990
14. EPCOT Center Guide Book - Vintage, that's all I can say
15. Parking Tickets - From a few off property vacations
16. Year 2000 Pass
17. Magic Kingdom Park Guide
18. Various Admission Tickets
19. 100 Year Celebration Annual Pass
20. Various Room Keys - From the early 90s to present
21. Disney/MGM Studios Park Guide
22. Osborn Family Lights Special Effect Glasses
23. Disney Transportation Guide - For interpreting those goofy flags that were on the buses
24. Spectromagic Sticker
25. MGM Bumper Sticker
26. Old Style Resort Room Key - From the Polynesian Village Resort
All of these items are very special to us, reminding us just how much dad loved Disney and what it did to bring our family closer together. During this holiday season I truly hope you and your family can experience just a little bit of the closeness that Disney has brought to my family. Happy Holidays and Have a Great Disney Day!!!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Then and Now...
Not too long ago I was talking with one of my friends about their upcoming trip to WDW. They told me that they were trying to decide where to stay and that they were having trouble deciding on a resort. During the conversation, this friend said that they were considering Dixie Landings because they had stayed there once before and enjoyed it. I said "yeah, Riverside is a really cool resort." They had no idea what I was talking about and thought that I had gotten myself confused. I then had to explain to them about the combining of Port Orleans French Quarter and Dixie Landings into one single resort, and the subsequent renaming of Dixie Landings to Port Orleans Riverside.
Disney has not restricted their name changing prerogative to that singular resort, having refurbished and changed the names of some others such as Saratoga Springs, the Polynesian Resort, and Shades of Green. I just thought that I would share a couple of the license plates that were issued with the original name of this particular resort. These are a little hard to find now, so if you run across them for a reasonable price I suggest picking them up.
Disney has not restricted their name changing prerogative to that singular resort, having refurbished and changed the names of some others such as Saratoga Springs, the Polynesian Resort, and Shades of Green. I just thought that I would share a couple of the license plates that were issued with the original name of this particular resort. These are a little hard to find now, so if you run across them for a reasonable price I suggest picking them up.
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