Memoirs of a UK cast member

[WDWGunner25]

PART 2 HERE

Hi guys, I have been chatting to one of the administrators (thanks Stu) about a blog I used to write for WDW Radio, and I thought as it was about the experiences of a UK cast member you guys might enjoy it

Therefore I'm posting the first entry here below to see what you think, if you guys like it ill keep posting lol.

Hope you enjoy...

August 2011, and I am sitting down about to relive the best six months of my life. I just cannot think where to start: the friends, the memories, the things we knew we shouldn't really be doing, but did them just the same and never regretted the moments they created (all will be revealed! ). Even the guests that passed through the Emporium doors each day with a mix of happy children (park opening) and screaming exhausted children (park closing) are a great memory. Then I think to myself, like all good stories I should start at the beginning (very original I know)……..

So its 7:00am on a winter Monday morning in Southern England and it’s COLD. m sitting on a train packed with commuters (or to use their official term, cattle), and I can't shake the feeling that there just may be more to life than this!

All of a sudden a conversation from back in 2005 on my first trip to The Walt Disney World Resort comes screeching into my head; a conversation incidentally that unbeknownst to me at the time would change my life forever and Disney point (more on that later!) me in a completely new direction.

This conversation took place in MGM Studios (yes, I know its Hollywood Studios now, but Im sorry I just cant call it that; to me and my fellow ex cast members of the time it will always be MGM! Right end of rant and back on topic). So, I was queuing up to pay for various merchandise I cannot really remember (suffice to say its at the bottom of some drawer in the house now) and I noticed that the Cast Member on the register was from England. Excited by this unexpected development–because I am not used to seeing English people in England! (OK that joke may be a little too English, but I stand by it!)–I struck up a conversation with her. Naturally the subject turned onto the topic of how an English girl came to be all the way in Orlando, and that is when I was eagerly informed of a magical thing called the International College Program (ICP). She told me how young people from all over the world travel over to Disney and all live and work in the 'Most Magical Place on Earth'. While it did not resonate as a potential move for me at the time, I never forgot that English girl who seemed so happy to be working in a place she loved so much. Now, however, as I buttoned up my jacket and stepped off the train into the wind and rain, nothing was resonating with me more.

By the time I got home from work that evening, I knew what to do and I was going to do it! As soon as I got home, I powered up the computer (bare with me folks we are dealing with 2006 here, no iPhones for us!) and set to work, looking for how to get a place on an ICP program asap.

After a long time trawling through various websites, all I could find was one company name that claimed to deal with college programs and they were called 'Yummy Jobs'. Now, if you’re anything like me, you will probably agree that this doesn't sound like an official Disney recruiter. I was convinced Disney must have somewhere on their own site to apply to. So I carried on searching and the hours ticked by, until finally I found what I was after; there on the Disney ICP website was the name of the UK recruiter for Disney World and you will never guess who it was….Yummy Jobs!

In a flash, I was on their website looking at the plans offered, and there were two that I could apply for: the first was the cultural representative program, where you went to work in the World Showcase for a year; and the second was a graduate program which comprised of working at a location anywhere on site for six months and attending a Hospitality Management course at The University of Central Florida on Saturday mornings. Now I wanted to get away for as long as possible, but I also knew that I could put a better spin on the graduate program to my parents and get them on board! So as my eyes were just about ready to close for the night, I sent my CV to Yummy Jobs with the aid of the fairy dust I keep at home (better known as email). I had just taken the first step towards the time of my life.

[dubletrub]

Well I hope you will be willing to share more, like what I have read so far

[ojoboots]

Originally Posted by dubletrub

Well I hope you will be willing to share more, like what I have read so far

See more...

Me too

[WDWGunner25]

Yay lol, I will keep them coming, need to try and link it to my signature for easy location for people :-)

[Helen0705]

Ohh this is gonna be good !
Eagerly waiting to read more

[SPN Clann]

I know I'm not from the uk but I'd be interested in reading. I'm sure other Dibbers will be too

[jocat]

A great start! I hope you do keep posting, and look forward to the next installment soon.

[oO-Gemma-Oo]

Loving it, can't wait to read more x

[Charmed Kirsty]

I wanted to read on.

[Guest]

Love CM stories! Keep it coming!