Sunday, March 31, 2013
Missing home.
I wish I could be with my family, go to church, and eat good food today but instead I'll be making magic for 14 hours. But I guess if I can't be home today, Disney is an okay alternative. Happy Easter everyone!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Cute things at Disney.
This morning I got up at 9:00 and took the bus to the Magic Kingdom. I planned to get clean costumes in my size and then to walk around the Magic Kingdom but when I got to Costuming, there weren't any available pants in my size. I was discouraged by that but I just rode the bus to the Utilidoors, put my laundry bag in my locker and went to look around Main Street.
First I went into the Emporium because there were a few things I wanted to buy while I was working that I had never gotten the chance to get until now. I looked thoroughly through the shelves at all of the merchandise and settled on a hoodie. Then I went to the Confectionary and bought a coffee mug that says "Once a princess, always a princess." I took a few pictures of the things around the shops too because I've always really liked the little details.
After that, I went over to where Snow White usually does meet and greets because I had heard that Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny were there!
They ended up being there and the line wasn't very long so I decided to wait and meet them. They were so cute! I got a few pictures of just the two of them and then I got a photo with them because I knew I would never get the chance to meet them again. I look like a bum but it was really cold so I didn't try to put effort into what I was wearing.
I even got a piece of Peeps candy at the end of my visit!
Afterwards I was hungry so I decided to go to Sleepy Hollow because I wanted to try the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle sandwich. Unfortunately, it wasn't good at all. I didn't think the waffle went with the sweet and spicy chicken at all and I ended up throwing it away after two bites. I decided to go to the Confectionary to get something sweet and then I was going to get hot chocolate. I got a huge Mickey shaped chocolate chip cookie dipped halfway in chocolate and then I went to look for hot chocolate. When I did that, there was an announcement for the parade to start but before then, there would be a mini parade to celebrate Easter. I waited to see that and I'm glad I did! There were dancing flowers, baby chicks, pink hippos and the Easter bunnies came out! So did a bunch of other bunnies! I mostly took video footage of it but here are a couple pictures I got.
First I went into the Emporium because there were a few things I wanted to buy while I was working that I had never gotten the chance to get until now. I looked thoroughly through the shelves at all of the merchandise and settled on a hoodie. Then I went to the Confectionary and bought a coffee mug that says "Once a princess, always a princess." I took a few pictures of the things around the shops too because I've always really liked the little details.
They ended up being there and the line wasn't very long so I decided to wait and meet them. They were so cute! I got a few pictures of just the two of them and then I got a photo with them because I knew I would never get the chance to meet them again. I look like a bum but it was really cold so I didn't try to put effort into what I was wearing.
I even got a piece of Peeps candy at the end of my visit!
Afterwards I was hungry so I decided to go to Sleepy Hollow because I wanted to try the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle sandwich. Unfortunately, it wasn't good at all. I didn't think the waffle went with the sweet and spicy chicken at all and I ended up throwing it away after two bites. I decided to go to the Confectionary to get something sweet and then I was going to get hot chocolate. I got a huge Mickey shaped chocolate chip cookie dipped halfway in chocolate and then I went to look for hot chocolate. When I did that, there was an announcement for the parade to start but before then, there would be a mini parade to celebrate Easter. I waited to see that and I'm glad I did! There were dancing flowers, baby chicks, pink hippos and the Easter bunnies came out! So did a bunch of other bunnies! I mostly took video footage of it but here are a couple pictures I got.
I watched the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade afterwards and it was nice to watch it from on stage, rather than from back stage. I decided to go home afterwards instead of buying hot chocolate so I caught the bus home from Westclock. When I got back to the apartment, Chrissy was there and we decided to go to the outlets because I needed shorts for a top I've recently purchased. We went to Charlotte Russe, like we always do and I tried on a million different things and settled on two pieces of clothing; a shirt and shorts: We walked home afterwards instead of looking at more of the outlet stores because I wanted to have some time to relax.
Almost as soon as I got home I got a call from the clubhouse because I had a package, which I was confused about because I wasn't expecting anything. It ended up being a package from Amazon and when I opened it, there was a Wreck-it-Ralph DVD inside! I knew exactly who it was from so I walked back to the apartment and called my sister. It turns out she had ordered it for me because Amazon was having a really great deal on DVDs. It was definitely a pleasant surprise! There was even a personalized note from her!
Which reminds me, my mom sent my roommates and I a care package! She put some Easter goodies in, vitamins, and a couple other little things. It's always really, really nice to get things from home.
Now I've been relaxing on the couch watching movies and eating junk food while doing laundry and blogging. I'm glad I was able to have fun and relax today!
My feet are never going to forgive me.
On March 25th I had to work a 12 hour shift from 2:30 to 2:30. The night before I hadn't slept for more than four hours and I wasn't really up for doing a whole lot of work. Just my luck, the park had supposedly reached capacity and I was assigned to clean the worst restroom in the universe- City Hall.
City Hall is already extremely hard to look after on a normal day. It's the biggest restroom on Main Street (and the second biggest in the park), people are constantly going in and out, and there are always problems. I spent the entire day counting down the minutes until I could have a break. On the bright side, I had someone assist me with the restroom for most of the day, but she only did the easier part of the restroom. I had to deal with all of the crazy people and the disgusting things that they do.
One of the toilets overflowed and I had to close the stall so I locked the door and put an "out of order" sign on it. At least three times children AND adults climbed underneath the stall door and used it. I seriously don't understand what goes through guests' minds. And it seemed like whenever I would replace a roll of toilet paper, it would be gone ten minutes later. One of the paper towel dispensers wouldn't open so I had a manager look at it and she jokingly said, "It's full so you shouldn't have to replace it for at least five minutes." That's how crazy it was.
Somehow I managed to get through the day even though I was extremely fatigued and sick. I pre-closed the restroom around 12:00, took a fifteen minute break, and closed the restroom at 1:00 with help from a coworker. I got off at 1:30, got a ride home from work and after I took a shower, I immediately crawled into bed and slept until 2:30 the next day.
A cast member said once that we should get "I survived spring break at Disney" shirts and I kind of think he's right. It's absolutely ridiculous here and I'm happy there's only about two or three weeks left of this!
City Hall is already extremely hard to look after on a normal day. It's the biggest restroom on Main Street (and the second biggest in the park), people are constantly going in and out, and there are always problems. I spent the entire day counting down the minutes until I could have a break. On the bright side, I had someone assist me with the restroom for most of the day, but she only did the easier part of the restroom. I had to deal with all of the crazy people and the disgusting things that they do.
One of the toilets overflowed and I had to close the stall so I locked the door and put an "out of order" sign on it. At least three times children AND adults climbed underneath the stall door and used it. I seriously don't understand what goes through guests' minds. And it seemed like whenever I would replace a roll of toilet paper, it would be gone ten minutes later. One of the paper towel dispensers wouldn't open so I had a manager look at it and she jokingly said, "It's full so you shouldn't have to replace it for at least five minutes." That's how crazy it was.
Somehow I managed to get through the day even though I was extremely fatigued and sick. I pre-closed the restroom around 12:00, took a fifteen minute break, and closed the restroom at 1:00 with help from a coworker. I got off at 1:30, got a ride home from work and after I took a shower, I immediately crawled into bed and slept until 2:30 the next day.
A cast member said once that we should get "I survived spring break at Disney" shirts and I kind of think he's right. It's absolutely ridiculous here and I'm happy there's only about two or three weeks left of this!
A crazy week.
I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a week or so. My laptop charger broke and I haven't had time to look for a new one. I've had to use my phone to get on the internet and it's been really annoying.
My hours have been different this week since it's been Spring Break and Easter is coming up. On Sunday, March 24th, I worked in Tomorrowland from 12:45 PM to 4:00 AM and it wasn't so bad! It rained really hard for the first part of the day so a lot of guests left. My first couple assignments were to give people their breaks but we went 101, which means we can't go outside, for about an hour because there was a tornado warning. Afterwards, for most of the day I was "Popcorn Sweeper," which is an assignment you can get when the park is really busy because popcorn gets everywhere. I mostly just walked around, dried off benches and trash cans, swept, and talked to guests. There wasn't much to it. The position was dropped at around 8:00 and I got "Launching Pad Trasher." People told me that it would be really hard to do because it's hard to keep up; apparently it's the equivalent of Casey's Trasher.
That was a lie.
It was literally the easiest job ever. I probably did five trash runs from 8:00 PM to 3:00 AM because the restaurant closed at 9:00 and I was so bored for most of the time. At one point I even went over to Main Street to help clean up after the parade because I didn't have anything to do. Somehow my costume got SO dirty though. A coordinator even told me to go change but I couldn't because I didn't have any costumes with me. He was a jerk about it and when I told another coordinator about it later on in the night, he said he thought I should get a Show Four Keys Card because my dirty costume meant that I worked hard.
I mostly walked around for the rest of the night doing nothing, waiting for the night to end. I thought I would get an ER because everyone was done closing their zones but we ended up staying until 3:45. I got home around 4:30, took a shower, made food, and went to sleep around 5:30. Although it was a long day, I'm really looking forward to my paycheck!
My hours have been different this week since it's been Spring Break and Easter is coming up. On Sunday, March 24th, I worked in Tomorrowland from 12:45 PM to 4:00 AM and it wasn't so bad! It rained really hard for the first part of the day so a lot of guests left. My first couple assignments were to give people their breaks but we went 101, which means we can't go outside, for about an hour because there was a tornado warning. Afterwards, for most of the day I was "Popcorn Sweeper," which is an assignment you can get when the park is really busy because popcorn gets everywhere. I mostly just walked around, dried off benches and trash cans, swept, and talked to guests. There wasn't much to it. The position was dropped at around 8:00 and I got "Launching Pad Trasher." People told me that it would be really hard to do because it's hard to keep up; apparently it's the equivalent of Casey's Trasher.
That was a lie.
It was literally the easiest job ever. I probably did five trash runs from 8:00 PM to 3:00 AM because the restaurant closed at 9:00 and I was so bored for most of the time. At one point I even went over to Main Street to help clean up after the parade because I didn't have anything to do. Somehow my costume got SO dirty though. A coordinator even told me to go change but I couldn't because I didn't have any costumes with me. He was a jerk about it and when I told another coordinator about it later on in the night, he said he thought I should get a Show Four Keys Card because my dirty costume meant that I worked hard.
I mostly walked around for the rest of the night doing nothing, waiting for the night to end. I thought I would get an ER because everyone was done closing their zones but we ended up staying until 3:45. I got home around 4:30, took a shower, made food, and went to sleep around 5:30. Although it was a long day, I'm really looking forward to my paycheck!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
I had the perfect opportunity to make a magical moment!
I was working in Casey Corner's restroom on March 19th when a woman and a little prince came up to me asking if I had seen a bag of merchandise that they left in the restroom. I said I hadn't and I could tell that the little prince was really upset so I offered to go back stage to see if it had been turned in to Lost and Found for them.
She told me what was in the bag and keeping that in mind, I went to Lost and Found. Unfortunately their stuff hadn't been turned in so I ran to the Emporium and asked a coordinator if I could replace everything they had lost. He said I could and we quickly gathered the replacement merchandise together and put it in a bag. I also threw in a pair of Mickey ears for something special.
When I returned to the mother and son, I told them that Minnie had found their stuff in the restroom and she wanted to give it back to them herself but she had to get ready for the parade. Then I said that she felt really bad about not giving their stuff back personally so she wanted me to give him a gift to make up for it. I then pulled the Mickey ears out of the bag and he was so excited!! He really believed that Minnie had given him a gift!
Then a golden beam of light shot down from the sky from Walt Disney because I had been such a good cast member. His mother thanked me profusely and said they would always think of me when they talked about Disney because of what I had done!
People seem to knock custodial a lot because it's a less than glamorous job but it gives me so many opportunities to make magic for guests. Knowing that I can make such a huge impact on a family's vacation makes me so grateful to be here!
She told me what was in the bag and keeping that in mind, I went to Lost and Found. Unfortunately their stuff hadn't been turned in so I ran to the Emporium and asked a coordinator if I could replace everything they had lost. He said I could and we quickly gathered the replacement merchandise together and put it in a bag. I also threw in a pair of Mickey ears for something special.
When I returned to the mother and son, I told them that Minnie had found their stuff in the restroom and she wanted to give it back to them herself but she had to get ready for the parade. Then I said that she felt really bad about not giving their stuff back personally so she wanted me to give him a gift to make up for it. I then pulled the Mickey ears out of the bag and he was so excited!! He really believed that Minnie had given him a gift!
Then a golden beam of light shot down from the sky from Walt Disney because I had been such a good cast member. His mother thanked me profusely and said they would always think of me when they talked about Disney because of what I had done!
People seem to knock custodial a lot because it's a less than glamorous job but it gives me so many opportunities to make magic for guests. Knowing that I can make such a huge impact on a family's vacation makes me so grateful to be here!
A busy day.
On Thursday, March 14th, Erin and I planned to get up at around 8:00 to catch a bus at 9:30 to get Mickey waffles at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I set an alarm but I ended up sleeping through it until I woke up to Erin's text at 8:40 asking me if I was ready yet. I quickly got dressed, got my stuff together, and we left the apartment at 9:15. We managed to get to the bus on time and when we got to Animal Kingdom Lodge, we looked around the place since we had never been there before.
It was beautiful! There were animals walking around outside and the inside was themed really well. We looked for a restaurant that sold breakfast but they didn't have one that did. We decided to get a bus to Magic Kingdom so we could walk to the Contemporary and once we got there, we went to Chef Mickey's to see if they had Mickey waffles. When we asked someone about it, they said they stopped selling breakfast at 11:00; we were twenty minutes late! We just grabbed a muffin and decided to ride the monorail over to Epcot for the Flower and Garden Festival. The topiaries were gorgeous! We walked around looking for them for most of the day and naturally I took lots of pictures.
We also found some time to meet Belle and Mary Poppins! They were both very cute but they pulled a "love and shove" situation rather with everyone rather than long individual interactions, but I'm sure it's because Belle had to get back to her castle and Mary had to help Bert sweep some chimneys. At least we got pictures with them!
There was also an "Oz the Great and Powerful" display because the movie just recently came to theaters! It was really cute! There was a little play area for kids, an area for adults to sit that looked like the deflated balloon from the movie, and they had little carnival games too. I did a bean bag toss and got an Oz button as a prize! Here are a couple photos from it.
Literally the only ride we rode while we were there was Figment because it's Erin favorite. Afterwards we headed to Hollywood Studios. We wanted to do all of the things we hadn't done before so we watched the Beauty and the Beast show since Erin hadn't seen it. We did the Backlot Tour since I hadn't before, and we walked through One Man's Dream and watched the video, which I loved. We went on Star Tours too and it was exciting because I was the rebel spy!! Erin and I were hyped about the whole attraction. I went to the restroom after the ride and Erin told me while I was in there, the woman who sat next to us on said she thought our excitement was so cute. We were going to do Voyage of the Little Mermaid but the wait was too long so we got on Tower of Terror instead. Here are some pictures from that!
After ToT, we went to Magic Kingdom to see the fireworks.When we got there, the parade was going on so we got food at Casey's Corner and watched the parade. Afterwards, we got a spot for the fireworks. Since I watch Wishes almost every night, I know where the best spot to see the fireworks and hear the music is (on the left side of the hub) so we stood there. Erin teared up towards the end of Celebrate the Magic and I fell in love with Wishes again, as I usually do.
Once Wishes ended, we walked back to the Contemporary and got the bus home. We had a lot of fun that day and got a lot done! We wished we could have gone to Animal Kingdom but there just wasn't time. We were both really tired the next day but it was completely worth it. I don't care how much I go to the parks; they never seem to get old.
It was beautiful! There were animals walking around outside and the inside was themed really well. We looked for a restaurant that sold breakfast but they didn't have one that did. We decided to get a bus to Magic Kingdom so we could walk to the Contemporary and once we got there, we went to Chef Mickey's to see if they had Mickey waffles. When we asked someone about it, they said they stopped selling breakfast at 11:00; we were twenty minutes late! We just grabbed a muffin and decided to ride the monorail over to Epcot for the Flower and Garden Festival. The topiaries were gorgeous! We walked around looking for them for most of the day and naturally I took lots of pictures.
There was also an "Oz the Great and Powerful" display because the movie just recently came to theaters! It was really cute! There was a little play area for kids, an area for adults to sit that looked like the deflated balloon from the movie, and they had little carnival games too. I did a bean bag toss and got an Oz button as a prize! Here are a couple photos from it.
Literally the only ride we rode while we were there was Figment because it's Erin favorite. Afterwards we headed to Hollywood Studios. We wanted to do all of the things we hadn't done before so we watched the Beauty and the Beast show since Erin hadn't seen it. We did the Backlot Tour since I hadn't before, and we walked through One Man's Dream and watched the video, which I loved. We went on Star Tours too and it was exciting because I was the rebel spy!! Erin and I were hyped about the whole attraction. I went to the restroom after the ride and Erin told me while I was in there, the woman who sat next to us on said she thought our excitement was so cute. We were going to do Voyage of the Little Mermaid but the wait was too long so we got on Tower of Terror instead. Here are some pictures from that!
After ToT, we went to Magic Kingdom to see the fireworks.When we got there, the parade was going on so we got food at Casey's Corner and watched the parade. Afterwards, we got a spot for the fireworks. Since I watch Wishes almost every night, I know where the best spot to see the fireworks and hear the music is (on the left side of the hub) so we stood there. Erin teared up towards the end of Celebrate the Magic and I fell in love with Wishes again, as I usually do.
Once Wishes ended, we walked back to the Contemporary and got the bus home. We had a lot of fun that day and got a lot done! We wished we could have gone to Animal Kingdom but there just wasn't time. We were both really tired the next day but it was completely worth it. I don't care how much I go to the parks; they never seem to get old.
I sent my family a package!
And they got it in the mail today!
Since my dad's birthday is on Friday, I got him a Florida Harley Davidson shirt from Downtown Disney and a Mickey apple dipped in m&m's because who doesn't love that? As well as a Disney World postcard that is meant to be a birthday card. I also got my mom a bunny shaped rice krispy treat and a Mickey shaped rice krispy treat for my sister. Naturally I used Disney bags as makeshift wrapping paper; I like to think that it adds a magical essence but let's be honest- I just don't want to buy real wrapping paper.
Chrissy and I went to Downtown Disney to see Oz the Great and Powerful and it was almost better the second time! Naturally we had to hit up the Candy Cauldron beforehand and sneak some treats into the theater. I couldn't finish all of it because it was way too sugary but how could I not buy an Easter egg themed cupcake? I'm going to miss being able to do these things.
Since my dad's birthday is on Friday, I got him a Florida Harley Davidson shirt from Downtown Disney and a Mickey apple dipped in m&m's because who doesn't love that? As well as a Disney World postcard that is meant to be a birthday card. I also got my mom a bunny shaped rice krispy treat and a Mickey shaped rice krispy treat for my sister. Naturally I used Disney bags as makeshift wrapping paper; I like to think that it adds a magical essence but let's be honest- I just don't want to buy real wrapping paper.
Chrissy and I went to Downtown Disney to see Oz the Great and Powerful and it was almost better the second time! Naturally we had to hit up the Candy Cauldron beforehand and sneak some treats into the theater. I couldn't finish all of it because it was way too sugary but how could I not buy an Easter egg themed cupcake? I'm going to miss being able to do these things.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Gotta love spring break and Easter.
I really want to post an update on how things have been but I literally have no time.
My life for the past week has been:
My life for the past week has been:
- get up
- eat/get ready for work
- work
- go home and take a shower
- eat
- sleep
- sell my soul to Disney.
Next week my hours get crazier too because of Easter so that should be a whole lot of fun. I'm planning on being extremely fatigued but I'm hoping to still be cheerful and magical too. It's just hard when you don't have much energy and I'm sick again too.
(click photo to enlarge)
Despite the crazy hours I've been working and the fact that my feet are in a perpetual state of pain, I'm really happy here for the most part. And good news! I got three Four Keys Fanatic Cards yesterday! I've gotten two others in the last week and a half too so I guess I'm doing something right!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Our first movie night!
On March 13th I had a day off and I slept in until 12:30 and sat around the apartment for most of the day. Then around 4:30, Erin and I decided to go to Downtown Disney to see "Oz, the Great and Powerful." We decided to get on the A bus to Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort to take a guest bus over to Downtown Disney since that bus came sooner than the CP DD bus.
When we got there we wanted to look around a little since neither of us had ever seen the inside of the resort before. It is BEAUTIFUL. You don't even feel like you're on Disney property anymore; instead it seems like you're the woods somewhere in Virginia or something. Everything was themed so perfectly. We loved the inside and the outside was even better. They had a little beach area next to the pool and there was a lake too. The water looked so pretty. Here are a couple pictures from it.
Even the vending machines were themed. I loved it.
We then took a guest bus over to Downtown Disney and decided to get some dinner at Wolfgang Puck. I got meatloaf wrapped in bacon with mashed potatoes and thin onion rings on top and Erin got a burger with bacon and french fries. It's worth the extra money, in my opinion because their food is always really good. Afterwards we shopped around a little for my dad's birthday present because that's coming up on the 22nd, then we went to the Candy Cauldron to get some snacks for the movie. Although everything in there is tempting, Erin decided to get a piece of peanut butter fudge and cookies n' cream fudge. I got a rice krispy treat covered in Reese's pieces and a bunny cupcake!
Once we were done there, we headed to the movie theater, bought our tickets, and found a seat! The AMC movie theater is SO nice. The seats are comfortable and they recline, the screen is huge, and the sound quality is really good. We took a picture of the theater because we thought it was so big.
The movie was really good too! I won't give too much of it away but it wasn't what I was expecting, and that's a good thing. It has a great cast, a solid plot, and they blended book details and movie details well. After the movie it was around 12:00 so we caught the CP bus back to the apartments, I took a shower, then Erin and I watched old "The Tyra Banks Show" episodes on YouTube.
Overall it was a very relaxing but eventful day!
When we got there we wanted to look around a little since neither of us had ever seen the inside of the resort before. It is BEAUTIFUL. You don't even feel like you're on Disney property anymore; instead it seems like you're the woods somewhere in Virginia or something. Everything was themed so perfectly. We loved the inside and the outside was even better. They had a little beach area next to the pool and there was a lake too. The water looked so pretty. Here are a couple pictures from it.
Even the vending machines were themed. I loved it.
We then took a guest bus over to Downtown Disney and decided to get some dinner at Wolfgang Puck. I got meatloaf wrapped in bacon with mashed potatoes and thin onion rings on top and Erin got a burger with bacon and french fries. It's worth the extra money, in my opinion because their food is always really good. Afterwards we shopped around a little for my dad's birthday present because that's coming up on the 22nd, then we went to the Candy Cauldron to get some snacks for the movie. Although everything in there is tempting, Erin decided to get a piece of peanut butter fudge and cookies n' cream fudge. I got a rice krispy treat covered in Reese's pieces and a bunny cupcake!
Once we were done there, we headed to the movie theater, bought our tickets, and found a seat! The AMC movie theater is SO nice. The seats are comfortable and they recline, the screen is huge, and the sound quality is really good. We took a picture of the theater because we thought it was so big.
The movie was really good too! I won't give too much of it away but it wasn't what I was expecting, and that's a good thing. It has a great cast, a solid plot, and they blended book details and movie details well. After the movie it was around 12:00 so we caught the CP bus back to the apartments, I took a shower, then Erin and I watched old "The Tyra Banks Show" episodes on YouTube.
Overall it was a very relaxing but eventful day!
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