It's more than a destination.

I know I talk about Disney far too much but since today is the anniversary of the start of my internship, it’s made me reflect on a lot of things and I realize how much I really miss it all.

I miss going to Epcot for dinner with my roommates on Tuesday nights. I miss standing with a crowd of guests during Wishes and trying to hold back the urge to cry because I am so incredibly happy. I miss watching guests get emotional for the very same reason. I miss telling kids that Mickey saw them earlier and he asked me to give them a sticker. I miss calling Mickey my boss. I miss the feeling I would get in my stomach when I would see Tower of Terror from afar. I miss elderly people asking me serious questions like, “How do you keep your costume so clean?” and seeing a smile spread across their face when I would tell them that Snow White had her woodland animal friends clean it for me. Knowing that you made an adult feel like a child for a moment, and seeing their reaction because of it, is the most magical thing there is.

I miss the excitement of the Magic Kingdom in the morning, and the sleepy calmness at night. I miss watching other Cast Members make magical moments. I miss watching the fireworks from backstage, and falling asleep on the bus ride home after long shifts. I miss the smell of the Grand Floridian, and eating soft serve ice cream during the Beauty and the Beast show. I miss knowing that if i was having a bad day, I could go to a park to feel better. I miss eating pasta and talking about SVU with my roommate. I miss seeing an almost empty Main Street at the end of the night, and taking family photos for people. I miss the way Main Street would look all lit up, and the color the sky would turn as the sun would set behind the castle. I miss the magic. Walt Disney World is so much more than a destination. There’s nothing else like it anywhere.

Something I forgot about.

I had completely forgotten about this interaction that my sisters and I had with Guitar Dan until I saw that my sister had this video on her external hard drive.

One day in July, we went to Camp Minnie Mickey to meet Pocahontas and to watch Guitar Dan. For those of you who don't know, if you give him a subject to sing about, he'll make up a song on the spot for you. I had seen him once before but it never actually occurred to me to request a song. Since my sisters were with me, we thought it would be a good idea to have him sing a song for our parents about how we wished they could be at Disney with us.

I thought he did a really great job! I think my sisters really enjoyed it too.

If you don't know, I don't think Camp Minnie Mickey will be around much longer since Disney is starting the development of Avatarland. I don't think they would get rid of Guitar Dan since he could easily be placed somewhere in the front of the park, but I can't confirm anything. Next time you're in Animal Kingdom though, you should definitely see if he's still making appearances. He really kind of made our experience at DAK.

OMG I FORGOT TO SHARE THIS STORY

One day I was working in Tomorrowland and it was a rainy day. I was doing a trash run in front of the Lunching Pad when a family— a mom, dad, and a little princess named Claire, walks up to me and asks if the 3:00 parade will happen even if it’s raining. I told them no, but the Rainy Day parade would take its place if there wasn’t any lightening in the area.

After talking about the Rainy Day Parade, they started asking me questions about the park, like how many cast members are there, is there really an underground area for CM’s, etc. They also wanted to know if Disney had given me the rain gear I was wearing or if I had to buy it myself. For those who don’t know, our rain gear is just a clear rain coat. My first thought was to tell them that Costuming had given it to me, but instead, the conversation went like this:

Me: Actually, I noticed earlier that it looked like it might rain, so I went to the three Good Fairies from Sleeping Beauty and I asked them if they could make me a raincoat.

Mom: Oh, Sleeping Beauty is one of Claire’s favorite movies!

Claire : Did you really get to meet real fairies?

Me: Yes! They make our costumes all the time! Fauna asked me if I wanted my rain coat to be a certain color but I told her no because I knew Flora and Merryweather would fight over whether it should be pink or blue.

She thought it was the coolest thing ever! She asked me other questions like if they can use magic or if they have to sew everything by hand. I told her that the only time they’re allowed to use magic is when they’re making clothes. The look on her face was totally priceless!

When our conversation ended and the family started to walk away, the father stayed behind with me and waited until Claire was out of earshot. He then told me how much he had appreciated how imaginative I was. I thanked him and told him that it was my favorite part of my job. He then said, “It’s people like you who make us want to come back here the most. I wish Claire always had someone like you in her life. We adopted her about two years ago and she hasn’t had the best childhood up until now, but people like you make up for that. Thank you for everything you do.”

That right there is what makes me miss my job the most. All I did was make up a story as I went along about my stupid rain coat, and this guy ends up telling me I’ve made an impact on his child.

That’s real magic.

My Disney College Program

A year ago today I got my acceptance letter for the Disney College Program. At the time, I had an idea of what I was getting myself into: I knew I was going to work long hours, learn to become self sufficient, meet people from many different walks of life, and make a lot of memories. Beyond that, I wasn’t sure what the program had in store for me.

What I got was so much more than I expected.

I saw a more confident side of myself, I made the Magic Kingdom my home, and I met some of the best people (friends, guests, and coworkers alike) that I will ever have the pleasure of meeting. I worked hard and played even harder. I became unafraid of approaching complete strangers, I learned my limits, and learned to cope with homesickness. I fell in love with the music of Main Street, went inside the Cinderella Castle Suite, became a voluntEAR, and was okay with only getting five hours of sleep every night. I reminded little girls of the princess inside of them, I saw Tinkerbell fly almost every night, I sang along to the Wishes exit music, and I even danced during a parade or two. But ultimately, I became a little more comfortable in my own skin, I learned to take pride in a job that others disparage, I made a whole lot of magic, and most importantly, I fulfilled an enormous dream of mine.

as an opportunity to show people that there is still magic in the world. I took a lot of pride in putting on a costume and being able to call myself a cast member because there was so much gratification in seeing a guest’s face light up because of something I did. Walt Disney once said, “It takes people to make the dream a reality.” I am so grateful for this invaluable experience and I am so proud to have been a part of making his dream a reality.

Fourth of July Concert in the Sky.

The Fourth of July fireworks are being shown for four days straight because it's part of Limited Time Magic and last night I was able to go to the park as a guest and take photos. They aren't great because I used my phone but here are a couple of them!

It's like Christmas!

I got two packages last night from my sister and this isn’t even half of the stuff she sent me. She is literally the best person ever. She sent me food, clothes, candy, a coupon holder that she labeled, organized, and put coupons in, and SO much more. It was such a pleasant surprise like I still can’t believe she did all of this for me.

It feels good to be appreciated.

One was from my coordinator for helping someone take care of their zone and the other was from a guest because I helped her look for some lost items. She even said she was going to mention me in a letter she was going to write to Disney about her trip! No one has said that to me before and it made me really happy. I doubt she'll remember my name or anything since she didn't write it down, but her appreciation was enough for me.