Hi Everyone!! I have applied and had my phone interview this afternoon for the 2011 CRP ;D I'd love to hear opinions from those who are there right now (both good and bad)... I've been interested in this program for the last 5 years but life just keeps getting in the way but finally it looks like 2011 will work out (if I get accepted of course)..fingers crossed... I've read a lot about the program on the Disney website and I am well prepared for long hours and hot summer days but would love to hear your "real" stories and opinions Thanks a bunch!!
This is great! I was thinking of posting something similar. I was accepted and leave October 19th. All input is greatly appreciated!
Well I have not gone down for my CRP yet, however I did do a semester for the U.S.A. College Program and it was awesome! The people down there are awesome (both the full time and the program people). Last time I worked at Kilimanjaro Safari's in Animal Kingdom which was soooo much fun. I met some of my best friends there. Now I will be doing F&B in the Canada Pavilion and can't wait. My start date is in 20 days!
Wow that's so exciting ;D working at the Safari sounds awesome I love it at AK... Do you know where you'll be working in the pavilion...Le Cellier? Im going to Disney for vacation in about 7 weeks and might see you there!
When you start off in F&B you start in the popcorn cart outside and you learn the menu for Le Cellier. After you learn the menu and you spiel for it then you are put on a list to get trained in there. That is awesome that you are going down for a vaca! Perhaps you will see me there. Look for a tall guy in a popcorn cart. haha
.... wearing the traditional lumberjack t-shirt and hiking boots that us Canadians are known for wearing all the time
What? Canadians don't wear lumberjack t-shirts and hiking boots all the time ?? Now you're probably gonna tell me that not all Canadians play hockey? Oh no...what am I gonna do? ???
Hey guys. Thanks for all the info so far I'm hoping to get into Canada F&B for next year and am just waiting to have my F2F interview next Spring : Anyway, just wondering what the shifts are like when you're working in F&B at the Canadian Pavillion? I know it varies, just looking for a general idea ;D Oh, also how do we get our schedules? And how far in advance? Thanks ;D
Schedules are posted two weeks in advance. Your shifts vary. Sometimes you can work 6 hours or 8 hours or sometimes 12. There is also what is called ER's which basically means Early Release and generally when you work Podium in the restaurant they are available for people that started at 11. it just depends on how busy it is.
Well from a food and beferage perspective some *real* stories. You will meet alot of nasty people, I know to some it seems weird to say that talking about Disney but our restaurant is a very highly sought after location to eat (hence being booked SIX months in advance). People dont care and will take a strip out of you for the fact you cant get them in the restaurant. So dont be surprised if you come to loathe podium shifts a bit in all honesty. That being said you can have all the nice people and love it . Just depends on how you want to take it. From my experience I couldnt wait to get off podium. Though I worked it when we were so jammed full and we were on 45+ minute wait lists with 20+ parties waiting at times. Food running and service you will get frsutrated, guests will annoy you but at the end of the day your hard work and being a verbal punching bag for some guests will pay off when you cash out and walk out with the Benjamins. One of the perks of working at Disney is that you have the ability to do anything you want to make a guest feel like they are the most important person in the world. From a simple "Have a magical day", to giving a child popcorn to watch the fireworks, to getting a small plush doll for someone as a birthday present. It truely is a place where we can bend over backwards to make peoples days. I had 2 ladies one time who were at Disney on their yearly excursion together. One went to the bathroom and the other gave me a story about the other health problems and such and how they missed Disney last year and that it seems in all likely hood that this year will be her last year to make it and she was hoping I could do something extra special for her being her last meal at her favourite restaurant. I said I will work something out for sure. Her friend mentioned a plush doll she loved at our merch cart so I ran up once they were at their table and got one, put it in a gift box and put pixie dust all over it. Made up a special card that I got everyone to sign with a wish star inside it to add to the magic. We sang happy birthday I gave her the gift with her new love of a plush doll and both were in tears they were so happy. The one lady could not thank me enough I do hope they are both in good health. Its strange now when I recall stories about Disney and when I think about some of the things I have done or seen others do. To think those folks could be at home right now saying, remember that time at Le Cellier….. I am in memories! It’s a magical feeling Ill never forget. I had a
hey everyone! been here at the Canada pavillion for almost 2 months now and it's amazing! Such an awesome experience and definitely recommended!
I worked at the UK, not in Canada, but reading about magic moments being made, i wanted to mention its all true, you can make lifes!! for example in the Rose & Crown (uk restaurant) one of our magic moments, is asking one of the children sitting in the restaurent to go down to lower deck with a magic wand and help us start Illuminations (The fireworks) and one night i remember having a famly who hadnt had much luck, and had lost one of thier children, and so i asked the little girl sitting at that table, that had lost her brother, and she LOVED it and her family thanked me so much, telling me how its the first time they had seen her smile, and they would talk about it for years... it really is ian amazing feeling knowing you can make peoples vacations!!!
this actually brought a tear to my eye just reading about it! i so hope i will get to do many magical things for lots of guests
Peever you are pretty much the greates Come back to Winnipeg!! And honestly through all the crappy things and people you have to deal with while you are there, every so often you get that one special guest who makes it all worth it that you truly remember as to why you are there. One day there was this little girl and her family and the girl who was about 10 was soooo sad and they were eating in our restaurant in Canada. Well since seeing someone sad is never a good thing we asked about it and her and her family explained that she had been getting pictures with all of her favorite characters and getting their autographs, however the only ones left were chip and dale and they were her favorite and they had just kept missing them. And they were leaving in the morning. So myself and another girl took it upon ourselves to get her that meeting with Chip and Dale. So they were doing character dining at the Coral Reef or something so we called there and asked the manager if they could wait for the family to finish eating so they could go over and have a special one on one with them. The manager couldn't help but say yes. We had gotten that little girl that meeting she wanted with Chip and Dale!! So we went to the table and told the family how after they were done eating they needed to head over to the Coral Reef so that they could meet CHip and Dale. The girl went from being sooo sad to crying the dad was crying the mom was crying and I have to say I may have been crying as well haha. They were giving us hugs and thanking us and telling us how much that meant to them... All I could respond with is making magic is part of my job. It's things like that, that out weigh any of the bad guests.
Peever, I remember that story you told, I think I got you the plush, didn't I? Ashley that was sooo awesome. I'm getting teary, I miss the magic so much
Hi, loved your stories and just wanted to add one - even though it has nothing to do with Canada. I was at Epcot with my boys both 14 and one of them has Down Syndrome. It was like our last day at the parks and he wanted to see Fantasmic at the Studios a second time. Well, we didn't have park hopper tickets so I walked into Guest Relations at Epcot and asked. The girl first turned us down - but then she saw my son and went and asked for permission. Sure enough, we got special passes! Then at the Studios I asked them how we could get seating because no way will my son stand in line for 1.5 hrs! This one was a little tougher, but we did get VIP seating (just meaning an area is roped off and we could enter through the rear entrance.) Which was great. Wonderful, wonderful. We live in Austria and this was our first trip in 10 years to Disney. Our oldest will probably be a CRP participant (Arribas) in August 2011 - so maybe we will get back sooner than expected. You all have fun!
