A Shining New Era is Tiptoeing Nearer for the TCD Gang

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Thanks, Aaron.

 

It surprised me how excited (and nervous) Twin #1 was.

 

She loved her first year of college, and I thought she might have second thoughts about missing fall semester.

 

But, she was all in.

 

TCD

 

Imagine how much she would have loved her freshman year if the Gators didn't SMB. 

 

I guess she could ask her sisters how that feels. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Imagine how much she would have loved her freshman year if the Gators didn't SMB. 

 

I guess she could ask her sisters how that feels. 

 

I know.

 

But, she learned about how we all stick together in all kinds of weather.

 

Her sisters have been gracious winners.

 

As much as a Nole is capable of being gracious, that is.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Great update!  Happy that Twin #1 and Twin #2 are in the same apartment complex.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great update!  Happy that Twin #1 and Twin #2 are in the same apartment complex.

 

It gets better.

 

Keep reading.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We will finally wrap up this very long and meandering trip report with this update.

 

I left off with me heading back to the Vista Way apartment complex to wait with the other Proud Parents.

 

I parked in a new spot, and saw the back of the clubhouse, which has a sand volleyball court and a nice pool:

 

 

When I got back, my secret spot in the air conditioned clubhouse had been discovered.  There was no more room in there. They showed mercy on the parents and let us sit in the computer lab.  Nice artwork:

 

 

The computers in here are available for the College Program CM's to use.  They also have DVD's that the kids can borrow, like a library:

 

 

After a while, kids started coming back from Casting, but not Twin #1.  When kids came back, parents would leave, which freed up space in the clubhouse.  I eventually got to go back over there.

 

I found this display interesting.  I guess it show the hierarchy of leadership at WDW:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meg is Twin #2's idol. She spoke last year at the business school at FSU, and Twin #2 went.  Meg graduated from FSU, and has worked her way up in the company.  Twin #2 hopes to do the same.  She's got three months under her belt now, so Meg best be looking over her shoulder.

 

Over here on this wall, we have a Four Keys poster.  All Disney CM's know about these keys:

 

 

I think as long as you know those keys, and that you have to point with two fingers, you're good to go.

 

Eventually, I heard from Twin #1, and she made it back from casting.

 

She had so much to tell me.

 

But what we needed to do first was go straight to her apartment.  Some of her new roommates were already there, and she was dying to meet them.

 

So we went.

 

As I mentioned earlier, we were hoping that she would end up in the same apartment complex as Twin #2.  And she did.

 

Now, we were hoping that their apartments were somewhat near each other, so they wouldn't have long walks to visit.

 

We got to the apartment complex.

 

Twin #1's building was right next to Twin #2's!

 

We headed in.

 

As we walked in, another girl and her mom were walking in too.

 

Twin #1 didn't recognize her as one of the 5 roommates she had been talking to all summer.

 

There was a bit of awkwardness at the front door as the girl and her mom introduced themselves, and said that yes, this was the right apartment.

 

What was going on?

 

We soon found out.

 

Disney assigned the six girls that Twin #1 was part of to a four bedroom apartment, and added two random roommates.

 

The layout of this unit was different from Twin #2's.  This one had four bedrooms, two on each side, with one bathroom in between.  The girls had requested a three bedroom, which is what Twin #2 has.  There, each bedroom has a bath attached, so only two girls are sharing a bathroom.  Here, four girls were going to be sharing one bathroom.  Just like college.  But, the common area of this apartment was much bigger, and there was a half bath in the common area.  So, it wasn't quite as bad.  Twin #1 and her immediate roommate got the side where they shared with two of the girls that they had matched up with. 

 

You want to know what these places look like?

 

Here's the living room.  Every one I've seen has the same couch and chair.  They must have gotten a deal:

 

 

Also in this room was a large table and chairs, where all the girls could sit and eat a meal if they wanted to.

 

There is no TV provided, but they do provide cable.  Also, no wireless router, but there is internet, and they let you add a router.

 

There's a full kitchen.  Nothing fancy, but it's clean:

 

 

These four bedroom apartments come with another full sized refrigerator/freezer, which is in a closet around the corner from the kitchen.  That's actually a good thing.  Twin #2 just has one fridge for six girls in her apartment, and it gets crowded.

 

This isn't Twin #1's room, but it looks like hers:

 

 

This is Twin #1's room.  And the twins.  You see that window?  Twin #1 can look out of it, and see Twin #2's window.  That's how close their apartments are.  As I said earlier, there are four big apartment complexes that they put the CP CM's in, and the twins ended up with apartments that are right across from each other. That's some pixie dust right there!:

 

 

It was about 1:20 pm when I took that photo, and none of us had lunch.  Those storage tubs in that last photo are only about half of the stuff that needed to be carried in.  And it was 95 degrees out.  And, there was some tension and drama in the apartment because of the two new roommates. 

 

So, we decided that now would be a good time for a lunch break.  Plus, Twin #1's car was still at POFQ, and I needed to run her over there.

 

So, we headed out for lunch.

 

We all agreed that we would try Captain Cook's.  Twin #2 and I ate in the temporary location when I dropped her off in May.  Now, the original location had just reopened, and we wanted to see it.

 

The Polynesian Resort is a giant construction zone lately.

 

We found that they have removed that wide staircase that used to lead up to the entryway from the parking lot:

 

 

Man, they had a lot of men working on this project-look at them all:

 

 

From what I could see, there is no way to walk up from this part of the parking lot to the entrance.  And it doesn't look like there's going to be.  There's a crosswalk to the right of the area shown in this photo, and I guess that's where all guests coming in from the parking lot will be directed:

 

 

This is the main drive in- it looks like they're constructing a big planter in the middle of it- which his going to obstruct one or more of the driving lanes.  I don't understand that:

 

 

The entire landscaped area to the left of the entry walkway is walled off:

 

 

This is what greets you as soon as you step foot through the front doors- a solid, floor to ceiling construction wall.  The wall starts to the left, and goes all the way around the former atrium, creating a very confined, not so impressive space:

 

 

Of course, this is all temporary.  In fact, the big painting hanging on the wall in the last photo is a depiction of what the lobby will look like once the construction is done.

 

For now, though, it looks terrible.

 

You cannot turn to the left as you enter- it's a solid wall.  You have to turn right, and walk all the way around the square walls that enclose the old atrium.

 

We walked around to Captain Cooks.

 

And studied the new menu:

 

 

 

There's a lot of new stuff on that menu.  But, Twin #2's favorite quick serve dish in all of WDW is gone.  She loved the Oriental Noodle Bowl with Chicken. 

 

Now, they have Udon Noodle Bowls.

 

We all ordered one of those.

 

The ordering is different now. They removed the touch screens.  Now, they have a podium with one CM stationed there.  You order from her.  I am glad that we were the only ones here at the moment. The one CM ordering podium doesn't seem like a good idea.  Here she is:

 

 

The bakery area is gone:

 

 

So here's something that makes no sense:  after you order from that first CM, you then have to get in a second line to pay another CM.

 

Who came up with this idea?

 

Again, it was no big deal, since we were the only ones here.

 

But, what's going to happen when it's busy?

 

Actually, I don't care, as I don't see us coming here very much.

 

Now that the Dole Whip machine is gone, why should we?

 

We liked the Udon OK.  But, everything seemed to be a notch down from what it was before.  Plus, the whole resort is a noisy mess.  Some knucklehead came in with a cordless drill, and was working on something in the dining room as we sat there eating.

 

After lunch, I dropped the twins off at POFQ so they could get Twin #1's car, and we headed back to the apartment.

 

Twin #2 conveniently had to head off to get ready for work.

 

So, Twin #1 and I hauled in all her stuff.

 

Her roommate is from New York, and flew in with no parents and all of her stuff in two suitcases.

 

Twin #1 arrived with my truck almost full of stuff.  Well, in fairness to her, we brought a TV stand and bookcase for the living area.  It wasn't all clothes and shoes.

 

It went quicker than I thought it would.

 

But I was sweaty.

 

I was ready to help with the unpacking, but Twin #1 encouraged me to go.  The two new girls were not there at the time, and the six who met up over the summer were.  They had planned a gift exchange and some other ice breaker stuff, and wanted to do that while the other two were away so it wouldn't be so awkward.

 

So, I got shooed out.

 

I snapped a few photos around the complex on the way out.  This is the clubhouse for this complex. That building also has a classroom in it, and there's a big pool on the other side:

 

 

A couple of random shots showing the grounds:

 

 

 

The bottom line is that this housing is way nicer than anyplace I lived while I was in college.

 

It's not bad at all.

 

I was worried about the two new roommate thing, but I shouldn't have been.

 

Twin #1 posted a Snapchat later that night, when all 8 of the girls headed out to the Beach Club to attack a Kitchen Sink:

 

 

That's all 8 of them.

 

It's been a week now.

 

And so far, so good.

 

Twin #1 went to Traditions last Thursday:

 

 

That's one of the girls she shares a bathroom with, not the girl she shares a room with.  They had Traditions at the same time.  That girl is from upstate New York, and had only been to Disney World once in her life.  Now, she's living and working there.

 

Another roommate also had Traditions at the same time.  This is the three of them with their new mouse ears:

 

 

Today marks one week that Twin #1 has been there.

 

The twins have spent more time together in this past week than they have in the past year, other than holiday breaks.

 

They've met each others' roommates, and are having a great time.

 

The new era is shining bright, indeed.

 

I guess that's all I have to say about that.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Glad to hear it's well organized. Hopefully the CMs in charge of the new parties don't take over the CP.

 

Very cool that you got to give the girls a heads up on their location and that the twins will be near each other. Very close!

 

The complex looks nice. The apartments are plain, but I can understand why. 

 

Looks like Twin #1 is having a blast! Glad the group of 8 is getting along. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Glad to hear it's well organized. Hopefully the CMs in charge of the new parties don't take over the CP.

 

Very cool that you got to give the girls a heads up on their location and that the twins will be near each other. 

 

I think we posted at the same time- don't miss the update on the previous page.

 

I have nothing but praise for everyone involved with the Disney College Program.

 

I was impressed with every part of the check-in process.

 

And, my daughters' co-workers are all awesome kids.  It restores my faith in the future to see all of these motivated young people ready to roll up their sleeves and make the magic happen.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

The complex looks nice. The apartments are plain, but I can understand why. 

 

 

I meant to comment on that.

 

You see all of those plain, white walls?

 

They have to stay that way.

 

They can't hang anything on the walls.  No nails.  No tape. No sticky-tack.  Nothing.  They can pin stuff on the bulletin boards. That's it.

 

These apartments have the strictest rules I have ever seen.

 

I think it's smart on Disney's part.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I just remembered that I had saved three photos texted to me by Twin #1 in this past week to share in this TR, so I'll add them here.

 

When Twin #1 was in the office to get her parking pass, she noticed that Twin #2 and a couple of her roommates had their photo up on the wall showing that they had received a "White Glove" award for their last apartment inspection:

 

 

Twin #2 had mentioned this, but never told us it was such a big deal that she got her photo on the bulletin board.

 

Next is a photo of Twin #1's room after she got it fixed up.  She sent it to show that she was able to get everything unpacked and put away all by herself:

 

 

Yes, she's a 19 year old girl with Frozen sheets and Disney stuffed animals.

 

This last photo cracked us up.  This is Twin #1's actual roommate- the girl she shares her room with, on the left- with Twin #2 on the right.  She commented that her roommate looks more like Twin #2's twin than she does.  And, I think she's right:

 

 

Oh, and how about this:

 

Twin #1's roommate's name is Montana.  One of their other roommates is named Hannah.

 

TCD

[dvccamper 32]

Hannah and Montana? Were either of them the extra roommate? If so, someone in room assignments has a sense of humor.

Everything looks like it's going to be a wonderful next few months for the twins. I'm jealous, it looks like so much fun! I wonder if they had this program 30 years ago when I was in college. Too late now!

[Beckers 1,136]

I'm glad it was 2 extra roomies instead of 1. That would have been really awkward.

That's fantastic that their apartments are so close.

My friend did the CP 10 years ago and I remember him saying how crazy they were with cleaning, etc.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

I was reading your latest update with s huge smile on my face. How exciting for the twins to be so close to each other again.

Did your oldest DD ever express an interest in the DCP?

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

The new era is off to a spectacular start!

Hannah and Montana is better than Miley and Cyrus.

[Memphis 105]

 

This last photo cracked us up.  This is Twin #1's actual roommate- the girl she shares her room with, on the left- with Twin #2 on the right.  She commented that her roommate looks more like Twin #2's twin than she does.  And, I think she's right:

 

 

Oh, and how about this:

 

Twin #1's roommate's name is Montana.  One of their other roommates is named Hannah.

 

TCD

Wow that uncanny.

 

It's good to be a TCD girl.  They sure won the parent lottery.  

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I can't believe how much Twin #1's roommate looks like Twin #2!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Hannah and Montana? Were either of them the extra roommate? If so, someone in room assignments has a sense of humor.

Everything looks like it's going to be a wonderful next few months for the twins. I'm jealous, it looks like so much fun! I wonder if they had this program 30 years ago when I was in college. Too late now!

 

That's a good question.  But, I know that Hannah and Montana were in the original group of six.  They had fun with that all summer.

 

I have thought about whether or not I would have wanted to participate in the program had it existed in its current form back when I was in college.  I don't think I would have done it.  I think I would hate living with 5 or 7 roommates.  The most I ever had at one time was 2, and I didn't like that so much.  And all the rules?  When I was 18/19, I couldn't have done it.

 

I went to college just up the road from WDW, and never heard a thing about the DCP.  Of course, back then, Disney World was only the Magic Kingdom and a few hotels.  Epcot didn't even open until a few months after I graduated from college.

 

When I was waiting for Twin #1 in the Clubhouse, I found this publication to read:

 

 

The article on the front page was written by a man who began his career with Disney in the college program back in 1987.  Back then, they housed the participants in a trailer park called Snow White Village.  It sounds a lot smaller and less fancy than what they have now.  So, 30 years ago, the program probably wouldn't have appealed to you.

 

I'm glad it was 2 extra roomies instead of 1. That would have been really awkward.

That's fantastic that their apartments are so close.

My friend did the CP 10 years ago and I remember him saying how crazy they were with cleaning, etc.

 

The extra roommates thing went way better than I thought it would.  My parting advice to Twin #1 was to make the best of it- and to think what it must be like for the two new girls.  I am happy that the six original girls have gone out of their way to include the new girls, and they all have gotten off to a good start.  Of course, it's only been a week.  And we're talking about 8 women living in close quarters.  What could go wrong?

 

Yes, the rules are something else.  Nothing like the rules they have in college dorms.  I would imagine it's more like the military than it is college.

 

I was reading your latest update with s huge smile on my face. How exciting for the twins to be so close to each other again.

Did your oldest DD ever express an interest in the DCP?

 

Actually, our oldest did express interest in both traveling abroad and the DCP.  I was the ogre who discouraged both of those ideas- I wanted her to focus on getting her degree and not getting side tracked.  She completed her degree, and moved right on to grad school, where she is now. 

 

In hindsight, I regret pushing her.  I still have massive reservations about the twins taking a semester off, and I fear that they might like Disney so much that they don't want to go back to college, but I see the value in letting them explore some things now, before they get on the paths to their ultimate careers. 

 

We have talked to our oldest about studying abroad, and that still may happen.  She is really happy where she is now, and she likely wouldn't be there if she had taken a different path.  So, she's not too jealous of her sisters.

 

The new era is off to a spectacular start!

Hannah and Montana is better than Miley and Cyrus.

 

This new era is the best.

 

For the twins anyway.

 

I am still trying to figure out if it's good for me. 

 

The one thing I'm trying to remember is how fast it's going to go.  I still can't believe that Twin #2 has been there over 3 months already.

 

Wow that uncanny.

 

It's good to be a TCD girl.  They sure won the parent lottery.  

 

Nah.  You have that wrong.  We won the kid lottery.

 

I have lots of acquaintances who have had real struggles with their kids as teens and later.  We have been blessed to have these three.  They are just good kids, and always have been.  Of course, there may be some bumps in the road ahead, but so far, it's been great.

 

I can't believe how much Twin #1's roommate looks like Twin #2!

 

Seriously.

 

Twin #1 texted us this photo from the Boardwalk last week, and both Mrs. TCD and I later asked here what Twin #2 was doing there, because we thought she had to work that night.  It wasn't Twin #2.  It was Montana:

 

 

 

I can see it's not Twin #2 when the photo is this large, but on our phones, we were both fooled.

 

 

TCD

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

Congrats on getting her moved in and great advice for the unexpected roommates. 

 

Hopefully the twins will enjoy being so close and will be able to spend some downtime together (if they have any).

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I can't believe how much Montana looks like Twin #2!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well, training is almost over for Twin #1.

 

She's in costume and earning her ears today doing parade control at the MK:

 

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

What a great picture!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Hope she has a great day!

[alexwyattmommy 181]

She is so stinking cute in that hat.

[Memphis 105]

Well I guess she will finally get her fill of the new parade. 

[shoreline99 137]

What a great picture!

[lklasing 16]

Awesome updates.  I love hearing about the CP.  I'm going to keep hoping that one or both of my girls may do that one day.

 

Love the Frozen bedding and Disney stuffed animals.  Danielle went low key on the sheets she just took off to college, but took a bunch of stuffed animals, including several from WDW, with her. 

 

That last picture of Twin #1 is terrific.