Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls…

Walt Disney once said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” There is no truer statement for my daughter, Taylor, and me. We have been “talking” about this series of upcoming articles and writing for MiceChat for quite some time now. We have been dreaming, imagining and formulating. Now, the opportunity has presented itself for us to join the MiceChat family and to share with all of you our knowledge, experiences stories and magical moments. So with that, let’s begin.”

IT’S A SMALL OBSESSION AFTER ALL

Hello, my name is Paul, and I am addicted to Disneyland. A lot of folks where I live, know me as that one dude who knows a ton about Disneyland. So I’ll answer to Dude, DlandDude, or Paul it’s all good to me. I am a happily married father of five. My wife and I have a photography company, I co-own a custom cabinet shop by day and our entire family has caught the Disneyland bug. I visited the Disneyland resort as a child a few times, but it really started when we went there on our honeymoon 22 years ago. We have raised our children with frequent trips to the park. Coming from Southern Utah these days it isn’t always easy or affordable, but somehow we have managed to have an annual pass a few times and all of the kids have spent over 100 days in the Disneyland Resort. We literally talk about the memories we have created at Disneyland daily. We watch Disneyland YouTube videos, read the updates, listen to park music, and recently, my daughter even completed a semester in the Disney College Program. We really do love all things Disneyland and have a new found interest in Disney World. If you have the same obsession, you are a kindred spirit and totally get me. In fact, as I write this, I am playing a Disneyland walk through video on YouTube in the background just to get a little sense of the park.

Yeah, it’s like that.

WAIT, DID YOU SAY GO TO COLLEGE…. AT Disney?

Yes, yes I did. In our first series of articles for MiceChat we are going to learn, discuss and EXPERIENCE the Disney College Program. If you are anything like I once was, or like most people I mention this to, they are like, what are you talking about? You can go to college at Disney? WHAT THE WHAT?!

Well, sort of. You see, being the diabolical geniuses Disney are, they have managed to come up with a program where they can hire roughly 4,000 kids as interns to work in either Florida or California. They get to work for the going rate, and then Disney double dips by having them live in Disney housing and takes rent right out of their checks. Most kids eat in the parks and spend all their extra money on park merchandise and they come home after their internship with nothing but some souvenirs. Well, that and a whole lot of magic and memories.

Sounds like a win for Disney right? If cynicism prevails then maybe, but in reality, it’s a total win/win. While corporate genius is in play for sure, Disney has created a truly magical experience that anyone who is currently attending college can apply for.

So What Exactly Is The Disney College Program (DCP)?

The Disney College Program is a semester-long, paid internship working for the Walt Disney Company in either Walt Disney World or the Disneyland Resort. It is available to anyone that is currently enrolled in college or a university. Participants gain valuable on-the-job work experience by working in the parks and resorts. They also gain independent living experience by living on property at Disney World, or really close to the Disneyland Resort. Students can also participate in the kind of college coursework and professional development only Disney can offer. Networking events are also made available in which students can listen to live speakers who are current Disney managers and executives. Afterwards, they can meet and greet to discuss future career paths within the Walt Disney Company. Oh, and they get all of the cast member perks like discounts on merchandise, food, comp tickets and a main gate pass with entry into any of the Disney Parks for free. While the typical intern program lasts 4-7 months, participants may extend for up to a full year.

Over the next several articles, we are going to be covering all aspects of the Disney College Program. We will give you all of the information, as well as the perspective from both the parents and the participants. Now, I promised you earlier we would all get to experience the DCP. Well, in order to do that I need to have Taylor introduce you to the Tparty.

Welcome to the TPARTY!

Hey! I’m Taylor, and I like dole whips and long walks on the beach at the Polynesian Resort. Like my Dad, I am obsessed with all things Disney Parks, so you can imagine the excitement my 14-year-old self experienced when I heard you could go to college at Disney. From that time on, I eagerly waited until it was my time to be a part of the magic. My time did finally come, as I have recently returned home from the Fall 2016 Semester at the Walt Disney World College Program. Prior to leaving I did A TON of research about the program (I had some time to kill with that 6 year waiting period) and along the way I decided I wanted to document my DCP journey for my friends and family back at home, as well as my future posterity. With this goal in mind, I ended up recording (almost) daily, started a YouTube channel, and now I am sharing my DCP experience with you! I don’t want to spoil too much, but I had the most magical time, met some amazing people, and made some of my best friends to date while on my program. I would go back in a heartbeat and I’m trying to arrange my school and life schedules around so I can do so! Meanwhile, I hope you will get a taste of the DCP experience through my vlogs, and learn new Disney tricks through my Tparty tips videos as well. In order to do so, I need to introduce you to some other key members of the Tparty: my Disney roommates!

Tuesday, daughter of Friday (true fact), is from the scorching planet of Tatooine…oops..I mean, state of Arizona. She is most commonly known for her killer dance moves during character meet and greets, and her never ending obsession with Disney villains. As a dole whip-vanilla swirl consumer, you can 99.9% of the time find her in the fast pass line for her favorite attraction, Tower of Terror (which still exists on the East coast) or napping on muppets.

Rachel, aka “Fairy Squad Mother”, has got your back…or face, because she is the make-up goddess. She is always equipped with at least six different lipsticks, a flawless face (even after a full park day) and a handful of witty comebacks. Rachel comes from the land of Utah, and you can find her transporting to the world famous jungle cruise all thanks to her churro wand.

Helene, aka Helen, is the godchild of Fairy Squad Mother, because if it wasn’t for Rachel, Helene would barely know what a Disney park was. Although, her Disney obsession quickly grew, so much so that she decided to extend her program and will be returning back to her hometown in Utah along with Rachel in just a few days. Her countless hours in the land of tomorrow will be missed, and thoughts of Main Street cotton candy will fill her dreams until she can make it back to Disney.

Thanks to the Disney College Program, I met these incredible ladies and so many more pals. I hope you enjoy getting to know us, while you join us to experience the Disney College Program.

THIS WEEKS FEATURE VIDEO

So we have learned in a nutshell what the DCP is in our words and in Disney’s, but perhaps to some it means a little bit more……

Thanks for reading and making it this far, we look forward to sharing the journey with you. I know as parents we had a ton of questions before we sent our daughter off on this adventure. Between ourselves and the Tparty we hope to answer all of those questions whether you are just curious, are a parent or a future DCP participant. Don’t worry one little bit, we are going to cover everything about the DCP. Please, leave your comments and questions, and we will address them in upcoming articles and videos. Also, make sure to watch the videos in each article and show Taylor a little love by subscribing to her channel, liking and commenting on her videos and by all means share, share, share with the world. A huge thank you goes out to Dusty Sage and the MiceChat staff for the opportunity to share our love of Disneyland and the Disney College Program with you.

Until next time, have a magical day.

Paul & Taylor

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