Interview a CP: Jade (Grand Floridian Café)

Jade in her Grand Floridian costume!

One role that often goes overlooked is Full Service Food and Beverage. Jade was kind enough to share her experience when she worked with this role at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa!

What role did you have during the DCP, and where did you work?

I was Full Service Food and Beverage and I worked at the Grand Floridian Café.

What was a typical day like at work?

Depending on whether I was scheduled a morning shift or a night shift, I would go in either at 5:30 am, 6:00 am or 7:00 am or I would go in at 2:00 pm or 4:30 pm. In the mornings you could get scheduled a few different shifts. The 5:30 shift would turn over all the coffee cups and make sure the dining room and hostess podium were ready. The 6:00 shift was expo, which meant you would be in the kitchen for the breakfast and lunch shifts. You would set your plates you would need for the day and you would check and expedite food. The 7:00 shift was a regular seater shift and you would come in and spend your day seating the guests. The evening shifts were easier but depending you could get scheduled an assigner shift or a GT shift. In the mornings you could get an assigner shift as well so long as you were trained. The days were never particularly difficult but it was a lot of guest interaction which could influence how your shift would go.

Is this the role you originally wanted? If not, are you happy you got it?

I originally put down FSFB, Photopass and Merchandise. I was leaning more towards Full Service so when I got it I was pleased. I had been a hostess previously so I had an idea of how it was going to be from a general standpoint.

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about your job?

I loved the guest interaction and I loved being able to have the experience of being in a resort. I wasn’t a fan of the costumes (every time I had to put on my polyester jacket, my soul died a little bit) or some of my fellow cast members, but not everyone you meet is gonna be a ray of sunshine, even if they work for Disney World. 

Any specific magical moment you want to share?

We had a couple of signed princess pictures one of our managers dropped by the podium so we

Jade and Peter Pan!

decided to choose two families and have them be our special guests of the day. We found two little girls who didn’t know each other but were seated at two tables right beside the other. They talked non stop throughout the meal. We took the two pictures and two roses and a glow cube for the brother sitting at one of the tables and walked over. We told them they had been chosen as our special families and gave them the gifts. They little boy was so excited about the glow cube and played with it for the rest of the meal while the little girls played with their roses. It was the sweetest thing.

What made you want to do the DCP?

I had a friend who did the program and he had enjoyed it so much, I just kinda stuck it in the back of my head as an “Oh that could be something fun to do” kind of thing. When applications opened up, it felt like the perfect opportunity to take a break and get away from my hometown for a bit. It felt right.

Is there something you wish you would have known before doing your program?

I wish I would have understood a little more about the roles. If I had fully understood everything, my top three probably would have been a little different.

What advice would you give to those who are going to be participating in your role?

Find the little joys in your role. FSFB can be stressful and there will be days you want to just say I quit and go home. You’ll deal with servers who feel like they can do your job better than you and guests who make you want to pull your hair out, but you’ll have that family that takes the time to talk to you and ask you questions about your day and the program or you’ll have the manager who tells you how good you’ve been doing and you’ll realize you’re job isn’t the worst and in the end you’ve got it pretty good.

What advice would you give to people who are interested in doing the DCP?

Research it. Take the time to read as much as you can. Look up youtube videos of apartment walkthroughs, talk to people who have done the program. Study the roles and really make sure it’s something you’re gonna want to stick out. Don’t come down thinking you’re going to party 24/7, you may work at Disney World but it’s not vacation. You’ll work long hours but you can still have fun. It’s a great experience and it truly is what you make of it.

If you would like to contact Jade about her experience, you can message her on her Tumblr here!

Have a magical day everyone!

If you're a current or past college program cast member and would like to share your experience, email your name and role to thedisneyden@yahoo.com to participate!