FROM: Amber Earns Her Ears Published Mondays

Amber Attends Casting and Traditions

Now that Amber has moved into her Disney World apartment, it's time to get busy. First up: Casting, where she's transformed into a Cast Member and discovers where she'll be working, and then Traditions, where she learns what it all means.

- by Amber Sewell, March 21, 2011

The doorknobs were shaped like the one in Alice in Wonderland.

The hallways were painted with Disney characters.

Ramps led up and down, random corridors branched off to who-knows-where, and a bunch of young adults in business attire stood clustered together, gazing around with a uniform look of bemused anticipation.

That was my first - and lasting - impression of Casting. Luckily, my roommates and I all got along wonderfully, so we clung together during these confusing hours spent wandering the business side of Disney - a side we hadn't seen before.

A bus came to our complex early one morning to take us to Casting, where we would receive our work locations, submit fingerprints, and complete the myriad of other tasks required for us to become Cast Members.

We walked in - past the doorknobs, which held us up for a bit as pictures were taken - and were formed into lines strung through a hallway. We didn't have a clue what we were doing, other than following orders. Then we heard that we were about to find out where we would be spending the next six months, and excited chatter broke out.

An essential question was about to be answered: where would we be working?

Amber's Got the Disney Look!

As I queued up and got closer to the desk where people were getting stickers plastered onto their College Program booklets, my mind was racing with possibilities. The smiling Cast Member took my folder and located my sticker. With bated breath, I looked down:

Electric Umbrella.

Honestly, I only remembered Electric Umbrella from a link someone on Facebook had sent me. I don't think I've ever eaten there, and I wasn't even sure where it was - but that didn't matter. I was working at Disney World!

As I waited in another line to be checked over for compliance with the Disney Look, I hurriedly sent out a text to my mother, letting her know that I was working in EPCOT. I am ashamed to say that I even indulged in multiple exclamation points.

In groups of four, we were inspected by a Cast Member who assessed our hair color, clothes, tattoos (if we had any), jewelry, and every other aspect of our appearance to ensure that we complied with the Disney Look.

Luckily, no one in our group had any problems, but I have heard reports of people who had to dye their hair or buy special make-up to cover their tattoos. Disney posts their appearance guidelines on the Disney College Program website, so it's an easy matter to log in and make sure you qualify ahead of time.

Of Fingerprints and Debit Cards

More tedious tasks ensued. We were taken through various offices to fill out more paperwork and answer more questions. Adding our fingerprints to the system proved to be troublesome - my thumb was especially ill-tempered that day and refused to scan. I came off much better than one of my roommates, though, who encountered a plethora of problems with this side of Disney. Her background check took aeons to process, and she wasn't able to start work until later than the rest of us.

Eventually, it was almost over. We queued up for one last room, where we received even more booklets and rules, and then picked up our debit cards. Once we registered the cards, we'd be sent a text whenever money (like our Disney paychecks) was put on them and whenever it was taken out.

I eventually switched over to the Partners Federal Credit Union, a Cast Member banking system. An office is just down the road from Chatham and Patterson, two of the apartment complexes where program members live, and another is at Disney University, so it was especially convenient.

As people trickled out, I found a seat on a bench outside to wait for my roommates so we could all ride a bus back to our apartment together. One by one we emerged, pausing to take pictures with the characters they had waiting for us at the exit.

It was a wonderful introduction to our time as Cast Members.

Amber Analyzes Her Roommates

On the bus back, we all compared Traditions times; luckily, Jenni and I had Traditions together. Back at the apartment, we hung out and chatted, getting to know each other more. Personalities started to emerge, now that we were evolving out of that awkward strangers phase.

• Jenni was the comedian of the group; everything was funny when she was around, and every night would end with all four of us collapsed in hopeless laughter in the living room over some outrageous comment she had made.
• Leah was the compassionate roommate; she was creative and fun-loving. She made the most beautiful dresses, had a creative touch that instantly made her room look like home while the rest of ours looked like the new rooms that they were, and her unique brand of humor kept things light.
• Paige was more logical and down-to-earth, with a drier sense of humor that I appreciate. She was a gamer, and the biggest Disney fan I had ever met. Her goal was to be a tour guide for the Keys to the Kingdom tour - anything we needed to know about anything Disney, she was the source of information.
• And I fit in quietly, still warming up to everything.

The days before and after Traditions were filled with relaxation and getting to know people. My parents came by again and we went to the outlets to buy some black, no-slip tennis shoes for the Electric Umbrella. We also picked up a houseguest, Alex. He and Jenni had become friends before the program, and his goofy personality fit in well with the rest of us.

Alex also had Traditions the same day as Jenni and me. As the day rolled around, I slipped into a skirt and a button-down, then walked with Jenni to the bus stop in the chilly morning air. There we were greeted by plenty of other CareerStart and College Programmers in various states of business attire. Alex and one of his roommates were there, and as the bus arrived, we all piled in.

Let's Go to Traditions!

Traditions was amazing. It was a day of Disney history, games, and tours. Alex, Jenni, and I sat at the same table, and slowly a few others joined us. We wrote our names on our Disney course books, using Disney pens, and wearing Disney nametags.

I have been told that Traditions changes a lot. I'm not sure which aspects change, but I do know that I had goosebumps as we watched an introductory video. A lot of people who participate in the program actually have never visited Walt Disney World, so this is an instrumental way to teach them about the company.

A cheerful Cast Member walked in, introduced herself, and it began.

We went through the history of the Disney Company - beginning, of course, with Walt himself. Then we went over other aspects of the company - what it owns, its goals and values, our part in making the magic. We were told to elect leaders in our small groups. I was chosen because I looked the most 'professional', meaning that I had my pen tucked behind my ear and no one else did. We played a few games, where small prizes (mine is sitting on my desk, currently) were handed out.

Other elements of Traditions - well, let us just say that there are some secrets that make it worth your own participation in the program.

We arrived back home exhausted and exhilarated. Traditions was definitely a great way to pump up the Disney enthusiasm.

The CareerStart Fab Five

Sometime in the first few days we received our Disney IDs, and we took a roommate trip to the Magic Kingdom - Jenni had never been there, but Paige and Alex were ahead of us, and had already begun training. So Leah, Jenni, and I hit the park, taking advantage of our first few empty days. We came back with Mickey ears for everyone.

I had realized, waiting in line for some ride or another, that our group had really coalesced: we were our own little Fab Five. Jenni was clearly Goofy; Leah, the princess, was Minnie; Paige, with her Disney knowledge, could have been no one but Mickey; and Alex with his quiet personality was Pluto.

Which left me, with my crabbiness in the mornings and occasional snide temper, as Donald.

It was perfect.

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