My Last Day of Work

January 3, 2015. This was my last day as a Walt Disney World Vacation Planner. This was one of the days I'd been truly dreading.

On the DCP, your last day of work is two days before your program's end date. This gives you the last two days to pack up, go to the parks, and get moved out.

The first true realization of the end of your Disney College Program is when you open up your work schedule at 12:00 AM on Saturday night the week before, and see the words that you knew were coming, but never wanted to actually appear:

End. Of. Program. My new three least favorite words.

My co-workers have become a family to me. In my role, we really have time to get to know each other in the booths when we are between guests, or when it's a slower period. I also got to become friends with a lot of my fellow VPs in our weekly "Wing Wednesday's" and our frequent trips to TGI Friday's for endless appetizers. I will miss every single one of my Vacation Planners and I can't wait to visit them when I come back to Disney.

Vacation Planning has been the perfect place for me. I've never felt more comfortable in doing something, and I've said this before, but I learned way more through this entire experience than in a classroom. 

My last day as a Vacation Planner was rough, and tears were definitely shed. It was the combination of having to leave a job I love, people I love, and a place I love that really made this difficult.  

Every day when you clock out of work at Disney, Mickey pops up on the screen. Normally, this just signifies that you have officially clocked out and once you see Mickey, you're good to go. Today, this signified so much more. This simple little screen meant that I was done. I was done making the magic, at least for now. I was done with my College Program. I wasn't ready to leave, and having to click the logout button was so hard. So while every day until now, Mickey has thanked me for helping to make the magic, today I thanked him, for letting me be a part of the magic.

My very last clock out as a Walt Disney World Vacation Planner.

After a hard day, it got even more emotional when I had to take off my vest and change into regular clothes so that I could return everything to Costuming. I have worn that vest every day with so much pride, and I hated having to turn it in! Cynthia and I went over to the Vacation Planning break room area to say "see ya real soon" to everyone, and get our autograph books that the managers had gotten all of our co-workers to sign. We went onstage to see everyone that was in the booth, and that led to this emotional picture, but a picture that says so much.

Epcot Vacation Planning, you'll always be our home.

I loved every second of my time as a Vacation Planner. I cannot WAIT to visit Epcot and see my booths again. And every time that I ever go to Epcot in my life, you can bet that I'm going to have the biggest smile on my face when I see them. The booths, the costumes, the people, and the role symbolize the very beginning of my Disney career. And for that, I am so blessed.