In this excerpt, from Chapter 7 ("Amber Learns the Disney Way"), Amber steps foot into the magical world of Disney Casting:

The doorknobs were shaped like the ones in Alice in Wonderland. The hallways were painted with Disney characters. Ramps led up and down, random corridors branched off to unknown locations, and a bunch of young adults in varying states of business attire stood clustered together, gazing around with a uniform look of bemused anticipation.

That was my first—and lasting—impression of Casting. Luckily, Paige, Leah, Jenni, and I all got along wonderfully, so we clung together as much as possible before they put us in alphabetical order and marched us, a little shell-shocked, through the business side of Disney—a side we hadn't seen before. Yes, Paige had worked at a Disney Store in Washington, D.C. prior to joining the program, but this was different from a stock room in a mall.

A bus had come to our complex early that morning to take us to Casting, where we would receive our work locations, submit fingerprints, and complete the myriad other tasks required for us to become Cast Members. We walked in—past the doorknobs, which held us up for a bit as pictures were taken—and joined lines of other new CareerStart participants strung through a hallway. We didn't have a clue what we were doing, other than following orders. When word passed down the line that we were about to learn where we would be working for the next six months, a murmur of excited chatter arose.

As I queued up and got closer to the desk where people were getting stickers plastered onto their College Program booklets (already, CareerStart had ceased to exist; once you've finally made it to Florida, the two programs function the same way, so even though I was technically in the CareerStart Program, all the training and introductory materials were identical to that used for the College Program), my mind was racing with possibilities. I had already decided the most preferable spot would be the shake stand just outside Rock 'n' Roller Coaster; what better way to spend the day than listening to Aerosmith? Maybe then I would finally learn all the words. The smiling Cast Member took my folder and applied my sticker. Breathless, I looked down:

Electric Umbrella.

Electric Umbrella?

Honestly, I remembered Electric Umbrella only from a link someone on Facebook had sent me. I couldn't remember ever eating there, and I wasn't even sure where it was (a rare occurrence), but that didn't matter. I was working at Disney World!

As I waited in another line to be inspected for compliance with the Disney Look, I hurriedly sent out a text to my mother, letting her know that I was working in EPCOT. Then, as the line advanced, I shoved my phone back in my purse and peered ahead to see what was happening.

In groups of four, we were inspected by a Cast Member who assessed our hair color, clothes, tattoos (if we had any), jewelry, and every other aspect of our appearance to ensure that we complied with the Disney Look. While the rules for the Look have slackened over time, the guidelines for College Program participants are quite strict. Hair had to be of a natural color, with no roots showing if it was dyed. Men's facial hair was compared to a few charts the Cast Members had on hand, clothes were assessed for level of appropriateness, and even nails were checked to ensure they were of a proper length. Luckily, no one in our group had any problems, but I have heard of people who had to go home and dye their hair before they did anything else, or buy special make-up to cover their tattoos. Disney posts the Disney Look guidelines on the College Program website, so it's easy (and advisable) to log in and make sure you qualify ahead of time.

More tedious tasks ensued. We were taken through a string of offices to fill out more paperwork and answer more questions. Adding our fingerprints to the system proved to be troublesome—my thumb was refusing to scan, and I wasn't the only one having issues. Leah encountered a plethora of problems with the business side of Disney, beginning with the background check. It took aeons to process, and she wasn't able to start training until later than the rest of us.

Eventually, though, it was almost over. We queued up for one last room, where we received even more booklets and rules, and then picked up our debit cards. Once we registered the cards, we'd be sent a text whenever money (such as our Disney paychecks, which were deposited every Thursday) was put on them, and whenever money was spent. I eventually switched over to the Partners Federal Credit Union, a Cast Member banking system with an office located just down the road from Chatham and Patterson, and another at Disney University.

As people trickled out, I found a seat on a bench outside to wait for Jenni, Paige, and Leah so we could all ride a bus back to our apartment together. One by one the others emerged, pausing to take pictures with the costumed characters that Disney had waiting for us at the exit.

On the bus back, we all compared Traditions times, which were on the sticker that told us where we would be working. Jenni and I had Traditions together; Leah, sadly, wouldn't get to attend Traditions until later, due to the delay with her background check (we never did find out what took so long). Back at the apartment, we retired to our seats in the living room—everyone had already picked out their spots—and chatted, getting to know one another more. Now that we were evolving out of that awkward strangers phase, personalities were starting to emerge.

Jenni was the comedian. Everything was funny when she was around, and every night would end with all four of us collapsed in hopeless laughter in the living room over some outrageous comment she had made. Many inside jokes emerged from late night conversations—late being somewhere around ten, when things took a definite turn from fairly normal to absolutely nonsensical.

Leah was compassionate, creative, and fun-loving. She was quite the seamstress, too. While the rest of our rooms had a slightly lived-in feel (except for Jenni's room, since she never did manage to unpack everything she had brought), Leah's assortment of knick-knacks—from pillows she had made and then thrown on the couch to picture frames everywhere—made the apartment feel like a home in no time.

Paige was more logical and down-to-earth, with a drier sense of humor that I totally appreciate. She was a gamer, and the biggest Disney fan I had ever met. Her goal was to be a tour guide for the Keys to the Kingdom tour—anything we needed to know about anything Disney, she was our source of information. She was also a huge Harry Potter fan, which meant that we were destined to have a few adventures on that front.

And I fit in quietly, still warming up to everything. I got incredibly lucky, standing next to those three in line on check-in day. They made it easier for me to meet my goal of becoming more sociable; there was no awkward tip-toeing around, no arguing over fridge or pantry space, no complaining about sinks full of dishes or the air conditioner being on too high. After that first night, we had all become friends.