Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

Holy Cow! Where has the time gone? I can’t believe that I have lived in Florida and worked for Disney for a month already! I honestly can’t believe how fast it has gone! So much has been happening lately and I feel like there is so much that I haven't even told you yet! I feel like I am on a speeding roller coaster and the end is near. I just can’t get over how quick this month has flown! I knew it would once I got into my new routine and started exploring and meeting new people, but honestly, A MONTH ALREADY!? Come on Father Time, just this once could you pause, slow down or freeze?! I NEED more time!

Epcot

Today was AWESOME!!! Scott and I really didn’t have a game plan for the day, so we decided to get on the first cast member bus for the parks that came. Turns out it was the Epcot bus, so off we went! Once again, I was baffled by the cast only areas and how easy it is to get all turned around! We had to take another back stage bus, and I was surprised to find that we had somehow gotten to the front of the park when it felt like we were driving towards the back!

Our day at Epcot began on Spaceship Earth (inside the Epcot ball). This ride was awesome, you get to travel back to the beginning of time and see how the history of mankind has been shaped. You even get a chance to imagine your own version of the future by answering some questions while on the ride. I think we ended up living in the country, with a machine that told us what outfits to wear everyday, our house helped us schedule out the days activities and then we caught the flying train (so something like that) to work. LOL…. It was so much better to watch playing out than how I’m describing it.

Other rides for the day included but were not limited to:

• The Seas with Nemo and Friends - you get to ride in a “clamobile” under the ocean as you help characters from the movie find Nemo once again!

• Journey Into Imagination With Figment - this was so much fun, Figment is such a cute little dragon with a huge imagination! And trust me; he puts it to good use on this ride. You never know what he’ll throw at you next!

• Living With the Land – This is a nice boat ride located in The Land Pavilion that takes guests on travels through the rain forest, on an adventure to explore new plant growth technologies, while trying to preserve and protect the environment. You are introduced to many beautiful plants and creative ideas to better use our limited resources.

• Soarin’ – We ended up getting a Fast Pass for this ride because we decided the wait was too long. This could quickly become one of my favorite rides! It simulates hang-gliding over beautiful California. There are a couple surprises thrown into the ride to give you the full flight experience. A word of caution, if you have a fear of heights, or are prone to motion sickness, this is not the ride for you.

• Test Track – By far my most favorite ride at Disney World! The best way to describe this ride is ask a question: When you see the commercials for car dealers that use the crash test dummies, have you ever wondered what that would feel like? Well wonder no more because this ride gives you a first-hand look at the life and job of those brave dummies! This is a ride that you must first ride during the day, but if you are a thrill seeker, you will go back at night and do it again!

We tried sodas from all around the world at Club Cool… best part, it was FOR FREE! There were a few that were really good, others need to be avoided (but that is my personal opinion, feel free to try any and all). And speaking of around the world, we went on a quick world tour around Epcot’s World Showcase. This is where you can enjoy the variety of many cultures all in one location! The countries represented at include:

1. Canada

2. United Kingdom (where Scott tells me they have really good Fish & Chips)

3. France (My favorite country in all of Epcot, here we saw some crazy performing waiters that were balancing on top of chairs that were     balancing on top of wine bottles. But it’s not as exciting to hear about as it was to see, so check out Scott’s vlog to see what we saw!)

4. Morocco

5. Japan (Here we found a hidden Mickey on a drain. We also explored the stores a little, cool things to be bought in Japan!)

6. United States

7. Italy

8. Germany

9. China

10. Norway

11. Mexico

I knew today was going to be amazing, and I wasn’t disappointed. The weather was perfect, the park wasn’t overly crowed and I had an amazing time spending the day with Scott. And believe it or not, there was still a lot to see and do! But that will have to be another day! Another adventure!

Extra Magic Hours

Ahhhhh! Yesterday I worked my first “Extra Magic Hours”! Usually, Animal Kingdom stays open until 5:00pm, but on certain days during the week, we stay open until 8:00pm for Guests staying at the Disney Resorts. This means that my work location was also opened until 8:00pm instead of our usual 5:00pm.


I didn’t have to be at work until 1:00pm, so I spent my morning sleeping in, playing on facebook, doing laundry, and watching the Today Show! Thinking about it now, it’s a really good thing I didn’t have to be in until the afternoon because I needed the sleep after the late night I had yesterday! (But trust me, I’m not complaining about it at all! Last night was about as perfect as a night can get!)

Once at work, I spent most of the day bussing tables, sweeping the floor and taking out the trash. Not glamorous work, but someone has to do the dirty work in order for the whole restaurant to run smoothly. And besides, part of the magic is coming to a place that is clean and organized! And my managers must have thought I was doing a good job because they decided that I would also be closing bussing at the end of the night, but holy cow, thank goodness that is a two person job! There is so much to do and we only have an hour and a half or so to do it! I’m not kidding, I felt like I was running from one task to the next trying to get out on time. I think I clocked out at 9:50 and the bus didn’t come pick the cast members up until 10 something. Then it was an hour home (thanks to sitting at Vista Way for 20 minutes), so by the time I walked back to my apartment, changed and ate something for dinner it was well after midnight and lucky me, I had to be back at work at 11:00am! But, that was fine with me because I knew that once I clocked out at the end of the night, I was going into a 4 day weekend!!

And now I just can’t wait until tomorrow! I will be spending the day running around one of the parks with Scott. He promised to show me all of the cool things that I haven’t seen yet, which is a lot still!! So I can’t wait, wherever we end up, it’s going to be a lot of fun! Well that’s all for now, off to watch a movie with a friend! So until I post again, good night readers!

BIRTHDAY - DISNEY STLYE!

Yeah!!! Today was my birthday and celebrated Disney Style! Sadly, I had to work, but thank goodness it wasn’t too terrible. I did a lot of prep work, I was cutting tomatoes, getting the desserts ready, prepping trays of bacon for tomorrow among other odds and ends. It was great at work because the new College Program students that trained with me knew it was my birthday thanks to Facebook and they kept wishing me happy birthday whenever they saw me! (For the past week they have been trying to convince me to wear my birthday button to work! Haha, I didn’t because I knew I’d have to take it off.) Also, there is this one full time cast member that I have gotten close to named Violeta, I believe I’ve mentioned her before. She also knew it was my birthday and told the managers before she left for the day. I didn’t know that until we had our post closing meeting and they brought out a cheesecake with a lit candle in it for me! And then all the cast members sang “Happy Birthday!” Then I made a wish (can’t tell you what it was, but I’m thinking it’ll come true!) and blew out the candle. Then it was off to catch the bus home so I could get ready to go out with my roommates! But the surprises weren’t over yet. Scott was waiting for me at the bus stop! And he also remembered it was my birthday! It was a strange ride home, it went by really slow because I wanted to go out and celebrate, but it also went by really fast!


Once back at my apartment, I was met by a lovely birthday display waiting on our dining room table. My roommate Amanda even made red velvet cupcakes! After I quickly changed and got all cute for my birthday, we decided to go eat at Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney. What was awesome about that was that as cast members, all we had to do was show our IDs and we were treated as VIPs, meaning we got the VERY next table that was available. I think we waited all of 5 minutes. The inside of the restaurant was crazy! There were all kinds of memorabilia from movies and shows, TVs everywhere playing music videos and a DJ taking requests. My roommates told our waitress that we were there for my birthday and she had the DJ announce it to everyone! He even played a Mariah Carey song dedicated to me! We all had a blast at dinner, the food was good. When we were getting ready to leave, our waitress brought me out an ice cream sundae with two lit candles. My friends sang me happy birthday and once again I made a wish (okay, I wished for the same thing as before, so hopefully that increases the chances of it coming true!) and blew out the candles. The 5 of us ate that little sundae, even though we were going to be heading over to Beaches & Cream to get a “Kitchen Sink”, the ultimate ice cream sundae!



Left - Back to front: Mary, Me, Hannah
Right - Back to front: Kari, Ashley, Tiffany

We met up with another roommate at Beaches & Cream, and it was a good thing too, because we needed all the help we could get if we were going to finish that thing! I don’t even know where to start in describing this thing! Try to imagine this: Eight Scoops of Ice Cream served with all the Toppings in the house (including, but not limited to: fudge, strawberries, caramel, pineapple, almonds, Oreos, Snickers, and more) and a whole can of Whipped Cream on top! Oh and the best part about this thing, it’s served in a bowl that looks like a Kitchen Sink, faucet and all! When our waiter brought it out to us, the whole room was alerted with loud noises and flashing lights! Our waiter even paraded it around for everyone to see! He also brought me a birthday balloon, too!

And then it was time to dig in! But where was the ICE CREAM! It took us forever to find it hidden under all that whipped cream! It was a surprise every time you put your spoon in the bowl! You just never knew what flavor or hidden treat you would pull out next! Between the 6 of us, we finished most of it and we had the stomach aches to prove it! We would have finished the bowl, but the ice cream was melting too fast and all the flavors were mixing together, just didn’t look appetizing after that! 

Back at the apartment, I opened my gifts from my family, my grandparents and my roommates! My awesome roommate, Hannah, even took pictures for me so I could send them home to my family! But my night didn’t end there; Scott invited me over to watch “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” with him! Not going to lie, that movie was super cute! What a birthday it was! I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate! Or better friends, either! Thanks everyone for making my day super special! It’s a birthday for the record books!!!

Illuminations

Today was a somewhat stressful day at work. It was my first time flying solo on the fryers, and I’ll be honest, I was scared! I was in charge of left fryers and my only job was to keep the regular fries fresh and hot on the expo line because I was the ONLY ONE cooking them! I was doing well until the lunch rush hit. But I am proud to say that I only got behind once! I was so proud of myself. When the lunch rush was over, they closed down left fryers and I was sent on break. While eating my lunch, I discovered that I had new burns on my arms from hitting the hot metal on the expo line when I was putting the fries on the line and blisters forming on my palms from lifting and carrying the heavy fryer pans. It also didn’t help that my gloves were holding in moisture and keeping my hands moist, causing the gloves to slide. But, in all, it could have been worse!

After my break, I found out that I was going to be closing fryers, which is a job that I don’t mind at all. I actually kind of enjoy it, because I know what I am doing now and I can go faster. I know where to find all the equipment I need. I like feeling like I know what I’m doing now! And boy, were those fryers nice and clean by the time I was done with them!


While waiting for the bus in the cast parking lot, I was really excited to get a text from Scott, who I met down here asking if I’d like to go see the fireworks at Epcot with him when I got home from work. I decided that it sounded like a good way to make a not so great day at work better. So I called him when I got off the bus and we decided to meet up after I had a chance to change out of my costume. 20 minutes later or so, he was waiting for my outside my building, and off we went to meet the bus.

On our way to Epcot, we talked and got to know each other better. He told me he was into magic, and even showed me a few coin and card tricks during the evening. I will admit, I was VERY impressed. The whole time we were on the bus, we were laughing and talking and enjoying each other’s company. Once at Epcot, I felt like I was on my own personal tour of backstage, as Scott showed me all the things that were different in Epcot’s backstage, as compared to Animal Kingdom’s, where we both work. Once inside the park, we still had a while before the fireworks were scheduled to start, so we got in line for “Test Track” (about a 5 minute wait, it was so wonderful!), which was not only one of his favorite rides, but mine as well. Now, if you have never been on “Test Track”, you NEED to do this on your next visit to Epcot. But if you want to have even more fun on this ride, you will ride it once during the day and then again at night! Even though it is the same ride, the experience is totally different! I was in such a good mood after that, and we still hadn’t seen the fireworks yet! The evening could only go up from there!

Since Scott has been here since May, I asked where the best place to watch the fireworks show is. In his opinion, it was from Mexico, and so, we found a nice spot and waited until it was time for the show to start! Once again, he did more magic tricks for me! I loved it! It was a perfect night, I was at Epcot with a great guy and we were having a great time, he was making me laugh and doing magic and when the fireworks started, the evening went from 9 to 10!

Like I said, he has been here since May, but this is also his second program, so needless to say, he has seen “Illuminations” many times, and thus has learned the musical cues for when the fireworks go off. It was so fun to watch as he acted out the opening few minutes of “Illuminations” as if he were controlling the show! (Yes, it was that good!) The show itself was breathtaking! There were a few things I remembered from seeing it as a child, but the ending (and in my opinion, the best part) I had somehow forgotten! Watching the fireworks was a wonderful way to wind down my night. The combination of fireworks, water and other special effects was just what I needed. Believe it or not, during the whole show, I didn’t take ONE PICTURE! LOL…. Shocking, I know. My roommates couldn’t believe it either when they asked me how many I'd taken when I got home!


When the fireworks ended, we made our way back to the cast members’ bus so we could head back home. It was so crowed on the bus that we ended up sitting on the stairs by the back door. I can honestly say I’ve never sat there before, but it was nice because we were out of the way. All in all, the evening couldn’t have been much more fun! I truly love how going to the parks as a guest after a hard day at work reminds you why you are here. Seeing the joy on the faces of the guests (all ages, not just children) reminds you that you are a part of this magical and elite family that is responsible for making the magic and providing an escape from everyday life. It’s in those moments, that I know I am in the right place at the right time for me!

What are you Celebrating...?



Left to right: Minnie, Viola, Me, Tameesha, Merric and Mickey



Today happened to be one of my first days off since “Earning my Ears”. To celebrate, I spent the day running around Magic Kingdom and eventually Hollywood Studios with a group of girls that I work with. The first thing we did upon arriving at the park was locate the cart with all the Disney buttons! We each wore one that said “I am celebrating my day off!” and then I also had a “Happy Birthday” button! Then it was off to “The Hall of Presidents”. It was the best 22 minute history lesson ever! I couldn’t believe how life-like the Presidents were! I really can’t explain it; it’s just one of those attractions you will have to visit at the Magic Kingdom! From there it was off to “Splash Mountain”. I’m not going to lie, that ride had me a bit freaked out! I was in the very front car BY MYSELF! Hahaha, there were three of us in our group and my friends quickly jumped into the second car, saying “the birthday girl needs to ride in the front!” (Thanks guys! LOL) But it was a lot of fun and I ended up buying that picture! From there it was off to “Big Thunder Mountain”, “The Peter Pan” ride, and the “Mad Hatter Tea Party” (aka: the tea cups). We also walked around Minnie and Mickey’s houses, met three Disney Princesses (Cinderella, Belle and Aurora), met Mickey and Minnie at the Judge’s Tent in Toontown, had lunch at Cosmic Rays, went on “Space Mountain” and finished off the day at Magic Kingdom at the “Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor”! That was one awesome show! The monsters interact with the audience. I won’t tell you a lot because you have to experience it for yourself, but I was a part of the show! My picture showed up on the screen and a cast member came over to where I was sitting with a microphone. I got to help the “mind reading monster” with his act. He asked me to think of a number 1 – 99 and then to tell the audience after he CLOSED HIS EYES SO HE WOULDN’T HEAR. Then he had me put my hands on the side of my head, stick my pointer fingers up like antennas and say the magic words: Boom-shacka-laka Boom-shacka-laka, Boom. I was so embarrassed, but it was a lot of fun at the same time! Then the monster said the number he thought I was thinking of! LOL… wrong answer, but he got it right on the second try! He also pointed out my “Happy Birthday” button to the entire audience!

From Magic Kingdom it was onto the ferry boat, which would take us to the parking lot, where we would catch the Disney bus to Hollywood Studios! Here, we decided to see the 10pm “Fantasmic” Firework show. So, we had some time to kill before we needed to stand in line, and it was spent on the “Rockin’ Roller Coaster”! That ride is INSANE, but I can’t wait to do it again. I kid you not; it goes from 0 – 60MPH in seconds! Another must ride when you visit the parks! By the time we made it through the ride and the store that you exit into, it was time to stand in line (it was around 9:00pm) in order to guarantee a seat for the show. They started letting us into the stadium around 9:40pm and I was thrilled with the seats we found! Almost perfectly center! The best way to describe the show was a mixture of music, characters, fireworks, water effects, fire and video clips! It was amazing! One of the girls I work with described it perfectly from the standpoint of a College Program participant: “ Seeing Fantasmic makes our role in the Disney show so worth it. It makes getting up and going to work easier on those early mornings.” And after seeing the show, I would have to agree with her 100%! You will never look at fireworks or characters or water effects the same after you have had the chance to view Fantasmic!

Greeter!

Yesterday was the most fun I've had at work yet! When I got to work at 11:30am, I found my name on the board (spelled correctly today! Hahaha!), and it said I was going to be a greeter! I was so excited to see this because I would finally get to interact with the guests and when we were training that area I really enjoyed it. So off I went to find Violeta, the full time cast member I was going to be working with. She told me to just relax and have fun with it, that it was okay to be silly as that's what guests expect when they come to Disney. She showed me the best place to stand and how to direct the guests to the cashier line that is moving the quickest. She told me that when we are "slow" we have more time to interact with the guests. We get to ask how their day has been going, where they are from, how they are enjoying Disney, what they've done so far/plans for the rest of the day, that kind of thing.

So, for the first 15 - 20 minutes, I was kind of shy and didn't really get into it. And those of you who know me, know this is normal when I'm trying things that are new to me. But once I get the hang of it and feel comfortable, I just let go and have fun with it. I decided that I work for Disney, the happiest place on Earth, I wear a cheesy costume, and I can act silly and be paid for it, so why not go full out enthusiasm? And so I did, and LOVED every minute of it!

I've decided that this position was made just for me! Once I started really letting go of my fear, it all came so natural. I was able to start talking to anyone, children, adults, didn't matter. All I had to do was start the conversation and the guests would take it from that point on. i heard all about seeing different animals while on the safari ride, riding Mt. Everest in Asia, and seeing the different shows playing around the park.

But my favorite part about being greeter.... PIN TRADING! I am not kidding, it is so much fun! And it's not just the kids who get excited when they see the cast members wearing the different pins, it's the adults, too! i was wearing the popular lanyard yesterday, it seemed like every 10 minutes or so I was trading with a different guest. Now, let me explain this to you a little. There are tons of different kinds of pins the guests can buy in the park. Then, if they see one a cast member is wearing and if it is one they like and want or part of a set they are trying to collect they can trade with us. However, a guest can ONLY trade two pins per cast member per day... and the cast member HAS TO TRADE (even if the guest wants the cast members favorite pin that they are wearing that day). Also, the pins the guests with the cast members have to be in good condition and official Disney pins. So, like I said, I had the popular pins, and as a result of that, I had a completely different set of pins at the end of the day than what i had when we opened in the morning. i got just as excited as the guests when they found a pin that they were looking for. Honestly, before yesterday, I had no idea how popular pin trading actually was. I mean, I knew people liked to trade pins, I just didn't know HOW MANY PEOPLE really got into it! My location also has a pin board that we keep in the managers office with 30 or so more pins on it that we can bring out to show the guests if we know that they are looking for a specific one. I had the chance to make a few guests days when we were a little slower by showing them that board. it's such a wonderful feeling just watching their eyes light up and the smile they get when you hand them their new pin! Nothing at my job will ever top that feeling.

So, because most of my day at work was super wonderful, my managers decided I needed to "really work" yesterday, too. So for closing, they had me cleaning the friers. (Yuck!) I will be honest, I kind of panicked! I blanked on how to clean them! I just couldn't remember! Lucky for me, one of my trainers, Damaris, told me exactly what steps to do and repeatedly came over to make sure I wasn't to overwhelmed and that I was able to handle closing by myself. in all, I think I did a good job. I got all 6 friers cleaned and i only got burned by the hot oil a few times. By the end of the night, they were clean and I was dirty, so I guess that means I did something right! And the whole time I was cleaning them I only had one minor problem. When I was ready to pump the oil back into the last fryer, the machine wouldn't turn back on and I couldn't' figure out what has happened! I mean it was working not 10 minutes before! So I went to ask the manages, and they jokingly, asked what I had done this time! When I explained what the problem was, they told me that at closing, they turn off the hoods above the broiler, friers and salad bar, and when they do that, it turns the power off to select electrical outlets and chances were I'd just have to replug it in somewhere else. And what do you know, that was exactly the problem! So once I changer outlets, the rest was a snap and I was good to clock out.

However, it was POURING when I was walking to the bus, and I somehow managed to get soaked even though I was using my umbrella. (Darn sideways rain!) Also, I missed my bus at 6:25pm by 5 minuter because I was stopped and asked questions by none other than 6 different guests on my way out of the park. So because of that (while I was happy to help, all I wanted to do was go home and change), I had to wait at the bus stop until the next bus came at 6:55pm. Thank goodness I had my book with me! And that, was my day.... the rest as they say is history! :)