kyladoesdisney

[kyladoesdisney]

So how did you keep up with your studies while you were there? Because you missed a whole semester right?

I did miss a semester but I took a personal leave of absence, so I didn’t have to worry about any classes while I was away. I go to an art school so I didn’t have the option to take any online courses, but the leave of absence allowed me to leave school while remaining a registered student. I’m just a semester behind now and instead of graduating in the spring of 2018, I’ll graduate in the fall. I’m all set to head back at the end of the month where I’ll just pick up where I left off! 

[kyladoesdisney]

Magical Introductions

Hello, friends! I'm Kyla! I'm a 20 year old artist/animator, Disney enthusiast and Disney College Program alumni. Welcome to Kyla Does Disney! 

This is a blog where I intend on keeping the Disney magic alive while living in the real world. I’ll be sharing all my thoughts and feelings on everything Disney and basically sharing my nerdiness with the world. 

My love for Disney began as a child, as it does for most people. I grew up watching The Lion King and The Little Mermaid on a regular basis. Disney was the one thing that stuck with me over the years. I remember watching The Lion King again when I was about 14 and deciding that I wanted to work for Disney one day. Little did I know that six years later, that dream would come true.

Ultimately, my dream is to work at Disney Animation Studios. I’d love to be a character animator or work in visual development. However, as I was making my way through high school, I had done a little reading on the Disney College Program. I thought it sounded fun and always kept that in mind as something I’d like to pursue one day. After I graduated high school in 2014, I went on my very first trip to Walt Disney World. I had the most magical time while I was there that the moment I left, I knew that the College Program was something I *had* to do. Fast forward a few months and I applied for the Fall 2015 program. I was denied and heartbroken, but I didn’t let that discourage me. I applied again for Spring 2016 and was accepted! 

Fast forward a few months that felt like years and there I was... Living on my own for the first time, in Florida, working for the mouse! I was a merchandise Cast Member on Discovery Island at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The time I spent at Disney was the most incredible experience of my life. I plan on making a post specifically about my College Program, but just know that it was the absolute best and I would go back in time to relive it if I could.

Now that I’m back home and missing Disney, I decided that I wanted to revamp this blog and turn it into just an overall Disney blog. I want to share Disney history and news, my thoughts on old and new movies, my theme park experiences, my collections of merchandise and clothing, hauls, really just anything Disney related that I find cool and exciting! 

So overall, I’d like this to be a fun place to share my love for Disney with the Disney community! I’d love to meet and make new friends who share the same interests and bring a little bit of my own Disney magic to the real world...

Until next time! 

[kyladoesdisney]

Hello, friends!

I’m finally home from my Disney College Program and wow! What an experience that was! I wish I had more time to update and blog about my experience there, but I was always busy... Whether it was work or playing in the parks... or sleeping!

It’s been really hard for me to be back home, in my own bed... It’s a strange feeling and I definitely left a huge part of my heart in Florida. I miss it more and more everyday. To compensate for the lack of Disney in my life (not that I really lack that magic, but my days aren’t filled with fun Disney adventures for the time being) I thought maybe I could revamp this blog into an overall Disney blog. 

I could share my Disney experiences, share Disney news, share my thoughts and opinions on different Disney topics, review movies (which would be really helpful to me as an animation student, it’ll help me with critiques), share Disney hauls, etc... So like a Disney life blog. 

Would anyone be interested in something like that? And if you have any questions about the Disney College Program, feel free to send them my way!! 

[kyladoesdisney]

Throwback to my first night in Magic Kingdom last month... I went to visit my favorites and they all shared a mutual love for my bag and the collection it holds.

[kyladoesdisney]

[kyladoesdisney]

Art by Ram Imaquinario

[kyladoesdisney]

A One Month-ish Update.

Hello, everyone!!

So I’ve been officially doing the Disney College Program for a little over a month now and let me just tell you... This all has been an insane and exciting adventure and I’m loving every minute of it!!! 

As some of you might know, I’m working in Discovery Island merchandise at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Originally, I wasn’t too excited about working at DAK. Magic Kingdom has my heart and I was hoping to be placed there but then as I thought about it... Magic Kingdom’s hours wouldn’t be too fun for me. But have no fear, I’ve really grown to love my location and working at DAK has been incredible! The crowds aren’t too insane (except for the rush after the last Festival of The Lion King show) and everyone is very friendly. I love leaving the park at the end of the night and enjoying the peaceful quiet too.

I’m still getting the hang of things involved in my job... mostly returns and exchanges. I just tend to get mixed up with those things, but the registers prompt you through the process so it’s not too bad! I also feel a little awkward asking for donations for the Disney Conservation Fund and offering purchase with purchase items... (mostly because people are already spending so much money, I feel guilty asking them to spend more. Guests are usually willing to round up to the next dollar for donations though, which is great and helps me meet my goals!)

Rivers of Light and a new store on Discovery Island will be making their debut next month just in time for DAK’s 18th anniversary! I’m very excited to be here for such a big event. I can’t wait to see how incredible everything turned out. 

Most of my free time these days is spent in the parks. There’s a surprise! I love heading over to Magic Kingdom, even for just 2 or 3 hours at night, and meeting characters or watching the parades and shows. I love the rides, but there’s something so special about having a great interaction with your favorite characters. Some of my favorite and most memorable interactions have been with Anna, Merida, and Peter Pan. Moments like those make me feel so happy and excited to see them again! 

I’m really loving my time here in the Disney College Program (and I’m already upset thinking about the fact that I’ll have to leave.... in August.) This past month has been an absolute blessing and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next few months! I’m going to try and be better about posting about once a week on one of my days off and sharing pictures. I’ve been posting a TON of pictures on Instagram, so feel free to follow me there if you’d like! (@kylasytsma)

If you have any questions about my job, experience, Disney in general, or want to see pictures of some things, send me a message! I’d love to talk Disney with you all! 

Until next time...

[kyladoesdisney]

I finally got around to uploading my vlog from Valentine's Day!! Hope you enjoy 😊

[kyladoesdisney]

I remembered that during the first semester of my freshman year of college, I had a professor that told me I needed to explore other interests besides Disney because Disney wasn’t a realistic goal...

And now here I am, one month into my Disney College Program, living an “unrealistic” dream. 

[kyladoesdisney]

In honor of my first two weeks here in Florida, I montaged together a bunch of smaller video clips I took throughout my time here.

I plan on continuing with this montage method, whether it be for individual parks or busy weeks! Hint: Magic Kingdom is coming up ;)

Also, I finally finished my training! I have officially earned my ears! I’m loving my job in Discovery Island and can’t wait to see where this all takes me. 

[kyladoesdisney]

Picked up my costume and winter wear today... oh boy! Come see me at DAK... QUICK! BEFORE THE HYENAS COME!

[kyladoesdisney]

When you have the night off and don't go to the parks (because you have to be up at 4:45am), you snuggle up on the couch with your roommates and watch Tangled.

[kyladoesdisney]

One Week Update.

So I’ve been in Florida for a week now and SO much has happened...

This is a long one... so be prepared.

I got in on Sunday and was amazed when I found out that you could see Epcot, Hollywood Studios, AND Magic Kingdom from our hotel room balcony. Needless to say, I watched Symphony In The Stars, Illuminations, and Wishes that night. 

Monday was check-in day! I checked in at 11:15 and was probably finished by 11:45, 12:00 at the latest. I found out I was living in VW and that I’ll be working Discovery Island merch in Animal Kingdom!!! I had casting at 3:30. Casting itself took about 45 minutes at most, but with the ride to and from, it took about 2 hours.

I got to meet my roommates (who I had previously linked up with) and it was great! They’re all so sweet and a lot of fun. I definitely think we’re going to enjoy our time together.  That night, I went out to dinner with my parents. We stopped at a food truck in Downtown Disney that had some of the best sellers from the Food and Wine Festival. I had the pierogies and they were delicious.

Tuesday was my day off. I had lunch and went shopping with my parents during the day then came back to get ready for a night out with my roommates. We got all dressed up and went to Downtown Disney for a bit (WHERE WE GOT PIXIE DUSTED!!!!!!!) then headed over the the Yacht & Beach Club where we had reservations at Beaches & Cream! The resort was gorgeous and we got to ride the ferry there and walk around for a bit. Beaches & Cream was so cute and our server and another cast member were so incredible. We attempted the Kitchen Sink (and failed but we made it more than half way!!) We ended up getting pictures with the two cast members we met there because they were so much fun and definitely made the experience that much better. 

Wednesday was resort day. I went out for lunch with my parents and then they abandoned me in Florida (love you guys) and that night, we visited the Polynesian and Contemporary. We watched Wishes from the Contemporary and it was incredible! Thursday was the famous housing meeting day, so nothing particularly exciting happened. My roommates and I did have taco night and jammed out to Camp Rock that night, it was great.

This is our couch... Isn’t it beautiful?

Friday was the day I had been waiting for!!! Traditions!!! I had Traditions at 2:30pm and it was definitely a long day BUT I could definitely feel a sense of pride knowing that I was going to be working for The Walt Disney Company and at Disney World!!! That night, after getting my glorious name tag and blue ID, I went to Magic Kingdom. By myself. For literally an hour and a half. It was pure magic.

I got to meet my favorite princesses...

And I got to ride The Little Mermaid and Winnie The Pooh! 

Saturday morning, my roommate and I went to Hollywood Studios in the morning, then went on a rescue mission to drop our other roommate’s ID off to her at Disney University. It was a super rainy day, so we didn’t do too much. But that night, after our roommate came back from Traditions, we all went to Magic Kingdom together IN THE RAIN. We literally went to MK in sweats and hoodies and it was great. Of course, while wearing our best, we went to meet the princesses... Let it be known that there was ZERO wait time for Anna and Elsa. We were the only ones in line.

Then we conquered many popular rides since the rain drove away the crowds. I rode Space Mountain which only had a TEN minute wait! A rarity.

I also managed to get a picture in front of the castle with no soul in sight... how?

#magic.

Sunday (aka today) was really chill. I decided to head over to Magic Kingdom... AGAIN! Just to see Festival of Fantasy. Literally. I got to Magic Kingdom around 2pm and saw Tinkerbell only had a 5 minute wait time so I travelled on over to Pixie Hollow to meet the cutest pixie in town! 

After, I hung out around Main Street waiting for Festival of Fantasy. I almost cried when it made it’s way around the castle. I had been waiting for the parade for so long!!! I’m currently trying to upload the video I took on this slow wifi here. Maybe one day someone will see it. It was incredible and everything I had hoped for and so much more!!!

After the parade, I decided to head over to meet Merida and we literally talked about hair... Can you guess why?

She was the cutest and I’m so glad I finally got to meet her. Her cloak is to die for.

After that, I grabbed myself a Mickey Ice Cream Bar and headed home. Now I’m sitting around, doing chores like a grown up, and mentally preparing myself for my 7:30 training tomorrow morning. I finally get to start working!! 

“It takes people to make the dream a reality” - Walter Elias Disney. I’m really proud to say that I get to be one of those people to carry on Walt’s dream and Disney’s legacy. 

[kyladoesdisney]

Congrats!!!

Thank you!!!

[kyladoesdisney]

I'm officially a Cast Member here at Walt Disney World!!!

[kyladoesdisney]

That's awesome :) thanks for answering. my favorite ride in all of WDW is Dinosaur, so make sure to ride it lots :)

Of course!!! I’ll definitely be sure too, I’ve heard lots of good things.

[kyladoesdisney]

what are some of the roles your roommates were assigned? I'm curious to just the variety of roles & locations :) you are working in my favorite park!

Hey! Yeah, I’m really excited to get to know Animal Kingdom a lot more. I’ve only been once!

I have six roommates, two of us are in merch (AK and Epcot), MK attractions, MK QSFB, Hospitality at Yatch & Beach Club, and a life guard :)