The Preparations

The first thing you'll want to do is call the Disney representative of your country. Here in Brazil it is Mr. Juliano Garcia, who can be reached at the phone number (47) 366-0900. The Brazilian version of the Program works this way: it has two groups, the Winter and Summer groups. The Summer portion is three months long, it goes from June to August, and you gotta have 18 years old to be accepted; the Winter portion is two months long, it goes from December to January, and not only you have to be 18, you also gotta have been in college for at least an year. I know there are other differences between them, like the types of position you can get, but I'm not sure. Also, there's an age limit on both of them, I think it's 25. So, since I know what happens on the Winter Program, I'll stick to that one.

      I know that the Brazilian Program is different from the others because there were people at Vista Way from South Africa, and they were gonna stay for a whole year, and also there are the World Showcase Cast Members, who stay at The Commons, and they stay for a different period too, so...
      Going back to the case in point. There were two sets of presentations, followed by interviews, each bein a phase of the selection. During these presentations, they try to give you an idea of what it is to be a Cast Member and be able to do magic every day. You may not believe the videos when you first see them, but believe me, it happens. It is amazing what a Mickey Sticker can do to a kid. Also, they ask you what kind of position you would like to fill, among Merchandise, Food & Beverage and Attractions. Now, I don't know if Custodial will be among those from now on, since they weren't there for me and that's what I got. But then again, me and Guillermo were the first Brazillian Custodials ever, so... You'll never know. And Custodials are not the only case, there was also the case of my good friends Bruno, from Minas Gerais, and Aline, from Rio, who thought were Attractions Hosts, like me, and ended up as Park Greeters. But no matter what you get, I guarantee you'll have a great time! After all, even the very few people who didn't enjoy their role, enjoyed the other benefits being a Cast Member brings, like free entrance to the four parks, a 20 % discount in the stores, free entrace at Pleasure Island on Thursdays, and special discounts at places like Virgin Megastore, Disney Quest, Cirque Du Soleil and so on... I know that, for Brazilians, the Program is not for the money, since we pay for the ticket, the visa, the insurance, not counting rent, food and so on. The beauty of it is being able to be part of the Disney magic, and also live two months in the US, with American sharing customs and experiences.
     Ok, so if you have a fairly fluent English (both speaking and understanding) and you're an outgoing person with an open mind, you passed! Good for you! On with the show, next stop: Orlando! The Program is divided into three parts: the Living Experience, the Learning Experience and the Working Experience. We now go to the first one...

The Living Experience