This is my first post, because it was the first thing that confused me. So: Transportation around Walt Disney World. Most of you reading this probably came down without a car. Or you came with a car, but then your mom or dad drove the car back home. Either way, you're in the same boat I was in: sitting pretty at Housing without a car, wondering how you're going to get anywhere.
Well, my friends, the answer is the glorious bus system! If you didn't get a bus schedule the day you arrived, go to your Front Desk and get one. Now. Insist. They might tell you that it's available online. It is, but it's hard to get to, and it's important for you to have one on hand. You won't always have internet access.
Now that you have a bus schedule, the next step is to program the Dispatch number into your phone. Call this when the bus runs late. Yes, sometimes the buses are late due to traffic, but more often than not, the buses are late because they sit for way too long at Vista Way(their break room is there). Your rent goes to pay for the bus system, so there's no reason to tolerate tardiness. Especially when it can make you late for work.
Speaking of being late for work, I recommend going at least a bus ahead. Example: The A bus that picks up at Chatham at 3:32 would have gotten me to the Magic Kingdom at about 4:15(my shifts usually started at 4:30, but you can clock in 15 minutes early). There was a 3:12 bus that got me there around 3:55ish, and a 2:52 bus that would get me there at around 3:35ish. I usually tried to go for the 2:52 bus. It gave me more flexibility in terms of costuming or stopping at the cafeteria or going to the bathroom or whatever. The 3:12 bus was fine as long as I had everything ready- costume, lunch, etc. I took the 3:32 bus once, and I clocked in with two minutes to spare, and that was after sprinting through the utilidors. Lesson: take an earlier bus. This will also help if a bus is late or doesn't show up at all.
In the first week, everyone tells you to make friends with people who have cars. This is such good advice, but I have one caveat: don't drive with them until they're familiar with the area. I made that mistake on my first day. We got crazy lost- toll roads, back roads, everything you can imagine. Thank goodness we were only going grocery shopping.
Now, buses: So the CP buses will take you pretty much anywhere on Disney property, which is cool. But once you're there, there's another way to get around. Disney encourages the use of their mass transportation system. Animal Kingdom to the Magic Kingdom? Take a white bus. Magic Kingdom to Epcot? Take the monorail. Epcot to Hollywood Studios? You can actually walk, or you can take a Friend Ship, which will stop at a bunch of resorts along the way. Something trickier: Let's say you're at a park, and you want to go to Downtown Disney. You want to have dinner, watch a movie, go to Cirque du Soleil, whatever. So you go to the bus stop, and realize.... there are no buses from any of the parks to Downtown Disney(parking is free at Downtown Disney, and they don't want people in the parks using that). Fortunately, there's a way around that- you don't have to go all the way to housing and then take the F bus. Instead, hoof it or bus it over to the nearest resort and wait at the resort bus stop... for the Downtown Disney bus! See, they want people to go to Downtown Disney to spend money. They just don't want people using it to get out of paying for parking. And you aren't! You're using it so you can spend money at Downtown Disney, which is exactly what the buses are for.
So that's... pretty much it for transportation around the resort. Even if you have a car, you'll probably end up using the on-property system to get around, since there's no reason for you to drive from park to park when it's faster to just use the mass transit system. And if you have any questions about ANYTHING, new CPs, please feel free to leave them in the comments. There's no such thing as a dumb question. :)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Conclusion/See ya real soon!
Well... I'm back in Yakima. For now.
Thoughts upon ending the college program:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I don't want to grow up! I want to stay in Neverland forever! I miss my friends! I miss my job! I miss the parks! I want to stay at Disney forever!
In other words, I had an amazing time. I can't see myself not working there again, to be honest. Granted, it hasn't even been a week since I clocked out of my last shift(I forgot to take a picture of my last Mickey...). So the glow might just be taking some time to wear off. But it was a really awful last week, and if I miss THAT, well, that has to mean something, right?
I feel like I learned more about myself and life during this program than about anything else. Yes, of course I learned a lot about Disney. I learned my way around the utilidors. I learned how to run the registers there, and how to use a cash apron. I learned how to load a glow cart into a too-small elevator. I learned that when the QSF and Stands people left the grease bin open, it stank up the Adventureland utilidor a million times worse than usual. I learned the ins and outs of transportation around the resort as a CP without a car(so easy. Time-consuming, but easy). I learned that guests can often make your day, but they usually can't ruin it. I learned how to say five, seven, ten, and fifteen in Portugese. I memorized whole parades, castle shows, and fireworks shows. I learned what the best food items are, at least in the Magic Kingdom. I learned about using cast discounts.
But those are lessons specific to my life at Disney. Here's what I learned about myself and life in general: I learned that I like living on my own. I learned that I can make friends pretty easily, if those friends want to be made. I learned that people everywhere love talking about themselves, and if you let them, they'll be happier for it. I learned that it's easy to love absolute strangers. I learned to be proud of who I am, whether that's a Mormon, Alaskan, Washingtonian, CP, Merch cast member, Glow girl, or whoever. I learned that's it's important to be able to be open with people, especially ones you live with. It's easier to get everything out there instead of bottling stuff up or feeling awkward. I learned that while I love biology, I also, to a certain extent, love retail(possibly because I'm good at it, but there are worse reasons to like something). And I learned that the best sorts of magical moments are ones that comes straight from the heart.
I'm going to miss everyone so much. To both sets of roommates that I had, you were all amazing. To all of my Adventureland cast members, you guys rock. To the Glow people, more specifically: I will never, ever forget you. To the amazing members of the Buena Vista Ward, thank you so much for being awesome. The Church is SO true. And to Walt Disney World: See ya real soon!
(I'm going to begin a series of posts geared for new CPs. But I'll definitely be posting more stories from my program as I remember them. Ciao!)
Thoughts upon ending the college program:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I don't want to grow up! I want to stay in Neverland forever! I miss my friends! I miss my job! I miss the parks! I want to stay at Disney forever!
In other words, I had an amazing time. I can't see myself not working there again, to be honest. Granted, it hasn't even been a week since I clocked out of my last shift(I forgot to take a picture of my last Mickey...). So the glow might just be taking some time to wear off. But it was a really awful last week, and if I miss THAT, well, that has to mean something, right?
I feel like I learned more about myself and life during this program than about anything else. Yes, of course I learned a lot about Disney. I learned my way around the utilidors. I learned how to run the registers there, and how to use a cash apron. I learned how to load a glow cart into a too-small elevator. I learned that when the QSF and Stands people left the grease bin open, it stank up the Adventureland utilidor a million times worse than usual. I learned the ins and outs of transportation around the resort as a CP without a car(so easy. Time-consuming, but easy). I learned that guests can often make your day, but they usually can't ruin it. I learned how to say five, seven, ten, and fifteen in Portugese. I memorized whole parades, castle shows, and fireworks shows. I learned what the best food items are, at least in the Magic Kingdom. I learned about using cast discounts.
But those are lessons specific to my life at Disney. Here's what I learned about myself and life in general: I learned that I like living on my own. I learned that I can make friends pretty easily, if those friends want to be made. I learned that people everywhere love talking about themselves, and if you let them, they'll be happier for it. I learned that it's easy to love absolute strangers. I learned to be proud of who I am, whether that's a Mormon, Alaskan, Washingtonian, CP, Merch cast member, Glow girl, or whoever. I learned that's it's important to be able to be open with people, especially ones you live with. It's easier to get everything out there instead of bottling stuff up or feeling awkward. I learned that while I love biology, I also, to a certain extent, love retail(possibly because I'm good at it, but there are worse reasons to like something). And I learned that the best sorts of magical moments are ones that comes straight from the heart.
I'm going to miss everyone so much. To both sets of roommates that I had, you were all amazing. To all of my Adventureland cast members, you guys rock. To the Glow people, more specifically: I will never, ever forget you. To the amazing members of the Buena Vista Ward, thank you so much for being awesome. The Church is SO true. And to Walt Disney World: See ya real soon!
(I'm going to begin a series of posts geared for new CPs. But I'll definitely be posting more stories from my program as I remember them. Ciao!)
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Closure, Indifference, Hunger
Yeah, so I have done a pretty awful job keeping the blog updated. But in my defense, Disney has done a fantastic job of sucking my soul into busyness. And business. That, and I've never been super into the whole blogging thing. Long, uninterrupted blocks of text and I aren't very close friends unless they're in some sort of very compelling novel. But, here's yet another uninterrupted block of text for anyone bothering to read.
Yesterday, I worked Tomorrowland stroller parking. It was awful. Basically, I spent five hours along side one of the other Star Tours GC's yelling "keep to your righthand side!" while knit-browed tourists act like they're planning to run me over...or make me burst into flame using their angry gaze. Soooooo not the funnest thing in the world. Normally, I like GC shifts. Not when it's busy. Ew.
And I'm getting a lot guest control parade shifts. Those are interesting. Not so much angry guests with daggers for eyeballs, but they still aren't very happy about being told they can't watch the fireworks from where they're standing. We have quite a few people to squeeze into a fairly small space, and we have to keep an open walkway. It's not the easiest thing in the world, especially because I HATE yelling (talking loudly, not so bad, but yelling sucks) but it's not near as bad as doing the Star Tours split. At least the parade leads are fun.
I would like to take a moment now for some fashion policing. Now, look see here, I don't exactly dress up to par with ze fashion world, but some faux pas even I can't help but notice. How can you walk out in public in a vest that is DROWNED in sequins, and not expect anyone to laugh? Or, some cases, for their brain to explode? Really? I saw a group that had a fella with a mullet and the most sequin covered vest I have ever seen in my life. It begs the question: What were you thinking? Is this a joke? Please, please say it's a joke. The lady this man was with was wearing something very similar. It was highly disturbing. Think about your clothes before you walk out of the house. And when your sequins call JUST SAY NO!
With less than two weeks left in the program, it's been an interesting time for reflection. I've met a lot of fun and interesting people since I've lived in the apartments and worked for Disney. I feel like if I could go back and do the whole thing again I would have tried harder to hang out with other CP's. I guess to some extent I felt intrusive inviting people to do things all the the time, but really, there are only four months which is not as long as it seems when your whole life is spent working at a theme park. Though, I do think that to some extent I at least tried the best I could. I also would have gone into food services, had I wanted to make more money. A LOT more. Other than that I did everything I had particularly wanted to, so I am content with how my program experience went. And soon, on to Hawaii.
Yesterday, I worked Tomorrowland stroller parking. It was awful. Basically, I spent five hours along side one of the other Star Tours GC's yelling "keep to your righthand side!" while knit-browed tourists act like they're planning to run me over...or make me burst into flame using their angry gaze. Soooooo not the funnest thing in the world. Normally, I like GC shifts. Not when it's busy. Ew.
And I'm getting a lot guest control parade shifts. Those are interesting. Not so much angry guests with daggers for eyeballs, but they still aren't very happy about being told they can't watch the fireworks from where they're standing. We have quite a few people to squeeze into a fairly small space, and we have to keep an open walkway. It's not the easiest thing in the world, especially because I HATE yelling (talking loudly, not so bad, but yelling sucks) but it's not near as bad as doing the Star Tours split. At least the parade leads are fun.
I would like to take a moment now for some fashion policing. Now, look see here, I don't exactly dress up to par with ze fashion world, but some faux pas even I can't help but notice. How can you walk out in public in a vest that is DROWNED in sequins, and not expect anyone to laugh? Or, some cases, for their brain to explode? Really? I saw a group that had a fella with a mullet and the most sequin covered vest I have ever seen in my life. It begs the question: What were you thinking? Is this a joke? Please, please say it's a joke. The lady this man was with was wearing something very similar. It was highly disturbing. Think about your clothes before you walk out of the house. And when your sequins call JUST SAY NO!
With less than two weeks left in the program, it's been an interesting time for reflection. I've met a lot of fun and interesting people since I've lived in the apartments and worked for Disney. I feel like if I could go back and do the whole thing again I would have tried harder to hang out with other CP's. I guess to some extent I felt intrusive inviting people to do things all the the time, but really, there are only four months which is not as long as it seems when your whole life is spent working at a theme park. Though, I do think that to some extent I at least tried the best I could. I also would have gone into food services, had I wanted to make more money. A LOT more. Other than that I did everything I had particularly wanted to, so I am content with how my program experience went. And soon, on to Hawaii.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Weekend in the life of a DCP intern!
So I had a video that I posted, BUT the audio was waaaayyyy out of sync, so I took it down and here's the transcript:
So... this is me, Kayleigh, doing a video blog. And yes, I actually wrote what I'm going to say, because that's how I roll.
This is sort of a fun experiment. I'm not sure if I'll keep doing videos, but it'll be sort of fun to try it this once[and it apparently doesn't work...]. So, um, anyways... I'm functioning on kind of a lack of sleep, which as my mother could tell you, is my usual state of mind, Disney Cast Member or not.
But believe me: You have never been tired before you've been a Disney College Program intern. So... well, I mean, that is to say, if you're a traditional college student, who lived a fairly quiet life, and had no children, you have never been tired before your college program.
Because I'm sure being a parent is probably more tiring. I'm assuming. I think if any parents are watching/reading the transcript, they will agree.
ANYWAYS. So I've never been more tired in my life. Because pretty much all my time is spent on the go.
I had Thursday and Friday off this week, which seems to be pretty usual now. On Thursday, I went to the mall with some friends. It was pretty cool. It was actually the first time I've been off property- off Disney property(besides grocery shopping). That was a little funny. It was weird going into stores and, like, looking at prices and going, "Oh, that's the actual price I would have to pay, my little blue card won't do much for me here." And after that we came home and Miranda and I went to the Magic Kingdom and walked around for a few hours. There's a story there, but I really won't go into any detail on that.
On Friday, I got up at eight in morning to go to the Animal Kingdom and ride Dinosaur with Miranda and watch Finding Nemo: The Musical. We had planned to ride Dinosaur. It's a funny story: Every time I've gone on that ride before, I've always gone with a total stranger. And it's a scary ride, and you kind of always end up screaming and grabbing the person next to you, which is always awkward when it's a total stranger, so Miranda and I basically planned to go on it together, because we're like, "Hey, we're friends. Let's go on a ride where we're already friends, and we don't come out new friends." You know? So we went on Dinosaur, and then we went to Finding Nemo: The Musical, because it was right there, and it was just about to start, so that was pretty cool. I really liked it, and they did a good job with that. Anyways, then I went to a class at Epcot where I walked around The Seas for two hours, and that was really cool. And then I went home... yeah, just briefly... and then Miranda and I went to Hollywood Studios to see the Osborne Lights, which was so cool, and I have some pictures of that. And then we went to her apartment and watched the new Bones episode.
Then on Saturday morning, I woke up at FIVE to go to the Magic Kingdom for the Christmas Day parade filming. I spent the next twenty minutes laying in bed contemplating my existence and figuring out just how mad my friends would be if I didn't show up... and then I got up, because I decided they would probably be mad if I didn't show up. And then, after being in the Magic Kingdom until about eleven, I went home, did laundry, and then I went to work, which was from 4:30 to 2:45, because there was a hard close at one o'clock. And then I got home at 3:30ish. Normally I would have woken up at 8 this morning to go to church, but I slept through that alarm. So I'm going to watch a conference talk or two at home. Later tonight, I'll be working glow at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. It's a nice short shift. I'll be off a little bit after midnight. On a normal midnight close you wouldn't get off until an hour and forty-five minutesish after park close, so it's nice.
I do love my job. I complain about my hours all the time, but you would, too, if you were at the park until 2:45 in the morning. But I love working at the Magic Kingdom, and I really like doing Glow. I get to see the parades and fireworks and shows every night. Last night, I got to see the Electrical Parade twice from where I was, and that was really cool. I didn't get to see the fireworks, though, because for the zone I was in, I had to stay to the side during the fireworks so people can see. That's okay, because it was the regular Wishes show, and I've seen that... a lot. I sing along with it. Or lip-sync, if guests are near. Depends on my zone. If I get this zone for the Christmas party tonight, though, I'll be sad. Or I'll rebel and take my cart to an area where I can see the fireworks. Because Holiday Wishes is really pretty, and I haven't seen it as much, and the fireworks are just mind-blowingly awesome.
The Christmas parade is okay. I do like it. Clarabelle Cow has her own float, and it's my favorite. She gets SUPER into her dance and the gingerbread cookies. It's really fun. The thing is, it's a really slow parade. And mellow. Very chill. Of the holiday parades, I definitely prefer the Halloween parade. The energy was a lot higher, and I feel like it was a little tighter. The Christmas parade has some moments where you're going, "eh... that was a little off... and I have no idea what those elves are lip syncing to, because the float with their music is definitely way up by Casey's Corner, and we're definitely still in the Hub." Also, it has the princesses, which is cool, but Rapunzel is not there. AND SHE TOTALLY DESERVES TO BE. I get that they can't just add her to the Princess float because there's only so many spots, but she should at least have a float like Snow White or walk in the parade. With Flynn Rider. And Bo Peep needs to not be in the parade. Or she needs to be less creepy looking. I love Bo Peep as a character. When I found out at the beginning of Toy Story 3 that she had been sold, I cried. But she doesn't really translate well to a character in the parks. She's a mask character, and the proportions are just weird. She's just super creepy looking. Honestly, she would be a lot more approachable as a face character. I get that it's hard to do with the Toy Story characters, because it's so perfect to do them as mask characters, but right now, Bo Peep is pretty terrifying..
And that's pretty much it. I wanted to keep this short, because I personally dislike watching long videos. Have a magical day!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Long time, no post!
Ahoy there! It's been a while since I last posted- only excuse is that if I'm not working, I've been playing at the parks.
Work: I love my job. Honestly, it gets better every day. I love love love working the glow carts. Here's a pic that my friend took of me while I was working at Not So Scary:
Yeah, I look a little angry. One of my other friends took a picture while I was smiling, but they all came up to my cart at a REALLY crazy time. That's my "Don't touch that! Stop pressing the buttons! No, none of this is free!" face. But I promise, I really really enjoy it! I like being out in the middle of the park and getting to see the shows and parades. And the Halloween parade is one of my favorites.
Also, here are some pictures from September 27th. I finally tracked them down- this is from when I went to the Halloween party as a guest.
This is the group I went with. This is us waiting in line to meet the seven dwarves.
And this is us with the dwarves! They were so awesome!
Let's see, what else have I done... Oh! I went on a backstage tour of the Haunted Mansion!
It.
Was.
AWESOME.
Seriously. I highly recommend it.
So here's the story: Sunday night, I worked Glow for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I got off at 00:45. Took the bus home, got home around 1:30. I chatted with my roommate until about three, and then I watched Community episodes on my laptop until 5:30. See, I had tried to go on the tour the previous week, and I epic failed because I couldn't wake myself up enough after my glow shift to go. So at 5:30, I started to get ready. One of my awesome coworkers lives in the apartment complex next to mine, so she was giving me a ride(the tour was for College Program interns from Adventureland Merchandise). We left at 6, and got to the cast parking lot at about 6:20ish. Most of the other people going on the tour were there, too. We got on the white bus to go into the park.
Once we got to the utilidors, a couple of us dropped things off in our lockers, and we headed upstairs. We came up by Columbia Harbor House and walked over to the Haunted Mansion. We had to meet our group by 6:45.
While we were waiting, we got to watch a bunch of the Christmas floats go through the parade route further down in Liberty Square. (Side note: I'm super excited for the parade! I probably won't go to the cast preview, buuut I'm working Glow for the very first party).
The cast member from the Haunted Mansion came out. She greeted us and took our IDs. We walked into the mansion through the VIP entrance. While she was getting the animation turned on, we chatted and got more and more excited. Finally, the maintenance guys began turning on the animation, and we began walking through. Apparently people spit on things in the Haunted Mansion as they're going through the ride. SUPER DISGUSTING. So we had to be careful not to touch things unless our guide touched them first.
I really wish I could describe everything, but it's just not possible. So I'll give you a couple of fun facts: There are 9 hidden Jack Skellingtons throughout the Haunted Mansion. Some of them, you can't even see from the Doom Buggies, because they were kind of put there for the benefit of the cast members. But keep a look out for them! Also, the dresses that the dancing ghosts are wearing in the ballroom are the same as the dresses the princesses used to wear when they just walked through the parks without any attendants.
I'll post more pictures as soon as I get them together. Our coordinator took a bunch of group pictures, and after the tour was over, we got to ride through and take flash pictures, which was pretty cool. So I'll try to get some of those pics to put up here. Here's what I have for now:
So there are monsters throughout the ride. This is one of them. See the teeth, eyes, and tongue?
That's Master Gracey, the master of the mansion.
Madame Leota, who is actually LEOTA TOOMBS.
And the singing busts! Woohoo!
After the tour was over, we all went on Peter Pan's Flight, since it was only a five-minute wait, and then we scattered. I went home to get some sleep since I had work at 8:15 PM that night.
And that's pretty much it! Have a magical day!
Work: I love my job. Honestly, it gets better every day. I love love love working the glow carts. Here's a pic that my friend took of me while I was working at Not So Scary:
Yeah, I look a little angry. One of my other friends took a picture while I was smiling, but they all came up to my cart at a REALLY crazy time. That's my "Don't touch that! Stop pressing the buttons! No, none of this is free!" face. But I promise, I really really enjoy it! I like being out in the middle of the park and getting to see the shows and parades. And the Halloween parade is one of my favorites.
Also, here are some pictures from September 27th. I finally tracked them down- this is from when I went to the Halloween party as a guest.
This is the group I went with. This is us waiting in line to meet the seven dwarves.
And this is us with the dwarves! They were so awesome!
Let's see, what else have I done... Oh! I went on a backstage tour of the Haunted Mansion!
It.
Was.
AWESOME.
Seriously. I highly recommend it.
So here's the story: Sunday night, I worked Glow for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I got off at 00:45. Took the bus home, got home around 1:30. I chatted with my roommate until about three, and then I watched Community episodes on my laptop until 5:30. See, I had tried to go on the tour the previous week, and I epic failed because I couldn't wake myself up enough after my glow shift to go. So at 5:30, I started to get ready. One of my awesome coworkers lives in the apartment complex next to mine, so she was giving me a ride(the tour was for College Program interns from Adventureland Merchandise). We left at 6, and got to the cast parking lot at about 6:20ish. Most of the other people going on the tour were there, too. We got on the white bus to go into the park.
Once we got to the utilidors, a couple of us dropped things off in our lockers, and we headed upstairs. We came up by Columbia Harbor House and walked over to the Haunted Mansion. We had to meet our group by 6:45.
The cast member from the Haunted Mansion came out. She greeted us and took our IDs. We walked into the mansion through the VIP entrance. While she was getting the animation turned on, we chatted and got more and more excited. Finally, the maintenance guys began turning on the animation, and we began walking through. Apparently people spit on things in the Haunted Mansion as they're going through the ride. SUPER DISGUSTING. So we had to be careful not to touch things unless our guide touched them first.
I really wish I could describe everything, but it's just not possible. So I'll give you a couple of fun facts: There are 9 hidden Jack Skellingtons throughout the Haunted Mansion. Some of them, you can't even see from the Doom Buggies, because they were kind of put there for the benefit of the cast members. But keep a look out for them! Also, the dresses that the dancing ghosts are wearing in the ballroom are the same as the dresses the princesses used to wear when they just walked through the parks without any attendants.
I'll post more pictures as soon as I get them together. Our coordinator took a bunch of group pictures, and after the tour was over, we got to ride through and take flash pictures, which was pretty cool. So I'll try to get some of those pics to put up here. Here's what I have for now:
So there are monsters throughout the ride. This is one of them. See the teeth, eyes, and tongue?
That's Master Gracey, the master of the mansion.
Madame Leota, who is actually LEOTA TOOMBS.
And the singing busts! Woohoo!
After the tour was over, we all went on Peter Pan's Flight, since it was only a five-minute wait, and then we scattered. I went home to get some sleep since I had work at 8:15 PM that night.
And that's pretty much it! Have a magical day!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Beach & Food
Today, I went to Blizzard Beach!
I wish I had pictures. But I don't. Because it's sort of dumb to carry electronics at a water park. So I'm going to link to some pictures from the web.
Here's Summit Plummet. It's a body slide with what I guess is a 12-story drop. Yes, I went on it. The wait was scarier than the actual drop. But it is really really fast.
This is the Slush Gusher. It's right next to Summit Plummet, but it's shorter, so we figured it would be a good practice run. It was not fun. The Summit Plummet was better. Slush Gusher was painful and I actually caught air... which is terrifying on a body slide.
The Lazy Creek was pretty fun and relaxing.
The Toboggan rides were awesome. This pic is of the Racers ride. The Slalom one was pretty awesome, but it's hard to get good pics of it.
Runoff Rapids was also fantastic.
Team Boat Springs was pretty fun. We got put in a tube with some guys from the UK, because there's a minimum of four people per tube, and we only had three.
And that's pretty much it for Blizzard Beach! We got a Sand Pail, which is ice cream with lots of toppings in a little plastic bucket. One of my friends took a picture of it, so I'll post that when I get it from her.
Later today, I went to Epcot for food! Here's some pics:
I went on The Seas with Nemo and Friends for the first time! It was pretty adorable, but the area at the end is even better. It's like a small aquarium, with lots of observation areas. I saw lots of different kinds of fish, including sharks. I also saw manatees! I couldn't get a good pic of them, though. I did, however, meet a cast member who is involved in animal research here at the parks.
Then I went to Argentina for a beef skewer. I totally forgot to take a picture, but trust me, it was fantastic.
Then I went to China, where I got this:
Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles! This was soooo yummy, and almost a meal by itself.
Then I went to Italy:
This is my second chocolate cannoli. SO FANTASTIC. I couldn't walk by Italy without getting it.
Then Belgium:
What else? A Belgian waffle. This was basically heaven. Strange thing about this photo... it looks sunny outside. It was actually really dark.
And finally, on my way out of the park, Australia:
Lamington! It's yellow cake with chocolate and coconut flakes. It's wonderful!
And that was pretty much my day. But I've been promising pictures, and here they are! Though they are all of food. Sorry about that. But I'm sort of a fan of the stuff.
I wish I had pictures. But I don't. Because it's sort of dumb to carry electronics at a water park. So I'm going to link to some pictures from the web.
Here's Summit Plummet. It's a body slide with what I guess is a 12-story drop. Yes, I went on it. The wait was scarier than the actual drop. But it is really really fast.
This is the Slush Gusher. It's right next to Summit Plummet, but it's shorter, so we figured it would be a good practice run. It was not fun. The Summit Plummet was better. Slush Gusher was painful and I actually caught air... which is terrifying on a body slide.
The Lazy Creek was pretty fun and relaxing.
The Toboggan rides were awesome. This pic is of the Racers ride. The Slalom one was pretty awesome, but it's hard to get good pics of it.
Runoff Rapids was also fantastic.
Team Boat Springs was pretty fun. We got put in a tube with some guys from the UK, because there's a minimum of four people per tube, and we only had three.
And that's pretty much it for Blizzard Beach! We got a Sand Pail, which is ice cream with lots of toppings in a little plastic bucket. One of my friends took a picture of it, so I'll post that when I get it from her.
Later today, I went to Epcot for food! Here's some pics:
I went on The Seas with Nemo and Friends for the first time! It was pretty adorable, but the area at the end is even better. It's like a small aquarium, with lots of observation areas. I saw lots of different kinds of fish, including sharks. I also saw manatees! I couldn't get a good pic of them, though. I did, however, meet a cast member who is involved in animal research here at the parks.
Then I went to Argentina for a beef skewer. I totally forgot to take a picture, but trust me, it was fantastic.
Then I went to China, where I got this:
Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles! This was soooo yummy, and almost a meal by itself.
Then I went to Italy:
This is my second chocolate cannoli. SO FANTASTIC. I couldn't walk by Italy without getting it.
Then Belgium:
What else? A Belgian waffle. This was basically heaven. Strange thing about this photo... it looks sunny outside. It was actually really dark.
And finally, on my way out of the park, Australia:
Lamington! It's yellow cake with chocolate and coconut flakes. It's wonderful!
And that was pretty much my day. But I've been promising pictures, and here they are! Though they are all of food. Sorry about that. But I'm sort of a fan of the stuff.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Not So Scary
Guess who went to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party? This girl! That's right, I broke down and got a ticket for it. I went with a group of two people who I knew and four people I didn't. I didn't dress up, but major props to those who went to the park in full costume in that humidity. I got off work at 7 that night, along with a friend of mine form Facebook(that's right, we first met on Facebook. Let's not be judgmental about that). After I changed, I went back upstairs and got my wristband- it was that easy. With the wristband came a bag that I could fill with wonderful goodies. Which I most certainly did.
Less serious: Epcot's Food and Wine festival is going on! I went the other night(for the food, of course). It was AMAZING. Seriously- the food is the best of the best. I had a sausage in a pretzel roll from Germany, a chocolate cannoli from Italy, and escargot and a crepe from France(though the crepe wasn't from their Food and Wine booth). They were all amazing. I'm excited to go back and try food from other countries.
So that's pretty much it for now! Have fun!
We met up with my friend's friends(she's been here for three weeks longer than I have) by the Haunted Mansion. They had just come off it, and so we decided to go on the ride ourselves and meet up with them in the line for the Seven Dwarves. The Haunted Mansion was pretty cool- the cast members there were in more costume than usual. Zombie makeup and all that. So we went on the ride. Sometimes that ride stops. It happens. Unfortunately for us, it stopped while we were in the Attic, which is the creepiest room ever. We got stopped right in front of the bride... so yeah, that was terrifying.
After the ride, we joined the rest of the group in the Seven Dwarves line. We took turns holding our spot in line- normally I don't feel okay with that, but since we were all taking a picture together and not seven separate ones, I felt fine with having someone hold what was essentially one place. When we weren't waiting in the (long) line, we went on Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We walked onto both of those rides. And by walked, I mean we entered the standby line and walked with nobody in front of us until we got to the log or train. That NEVER happens, especially on Splash Mountain.
The Seven Dwarves were totally awesome. I need to get the picture from someone I went with, and then I'll post it here. After we met them, we ran over to the Hub(the middle of the park in front of the castle) for the fireworks show and the Villains' show. Both were awesome. Then we went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride(also no wait) and watched the Boo to You parade. Also awesome. After that, we trick-or-treated and gallivanted about the park until midnight, at which point we went home.
So on a more serious note: Work. I enjoyed my Glow Cart training. I have a Glow shift tonight, so I'll let you know how that goes. To be honest, I'm kind of nervous, because I'm going to be by myself for the entire shift, responsible for a cart full of things that have a nasty habit of walking off. People, please never make jokes about stealing when you're in front of me. Don't come into the Crow's Nest to buy water and joke about how you're distracting me so someone else can steal a bunch of other waters from the water cart outside. Please don't pretend to walk away from my glow cart without paying. You will make me very nervous and you will most likely not be getting the best of service from me. Why? Well, at Disney, Safety is the top priority- it even comes before Courtesy, which is what Disney is really known for. Even a joke about stealing is essentially a threat, and threats make me as a Cast Member feel really unsafe, especially if I'm all by myself. I'm also concerned about the safety of other guests. If you're the sort who would openly threaten to steal, then who knows what other sorts of laws and rules and general codes of social conduct you're willing to break? So save it for someone who will actually enjoy your joke.
Less serious: Epcot's Food and Wine festival is going on! I went the other night(for the food, of course). It was AMAZING. Seriously- the food is the best of the best. I had a sausage in a pretzel roll from Germany, a chocolate cannoli from Italy, and escargot and a crepe from France(though the crepe wasn't from their Food and Wine booth). They were all amazing. I'm excited to go back and try food from other countries.
So that's pretty much it for now! Have fun!
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