Beverly and the Grand Marnier

Yesterday Colleen and I decided to spend the evening at Epcot completing some bucket list items and watching IllumiNations. 


It was a perfect summer night: warm with a breeze and rain free. This feels like a luxury after it raining all but one day since I arrived in Florida. The illuminated Fountain of Nations and Spaceship Earth were gorgeous against the dark sky. In my opinion Disney at night is even more magical and powerful. Walking through Future World into the World Showcase I feel very happy with where I am in my life.  

First on our bucket list was trying Beverly, a fountain drink from Italy. Club Cool gives the guests the opportunity to try sodas from countries around the world. From past experiences, I know how "delicious" it is but Colleen had never tried it. And I don't think she will be having it again any time soon! The watermelon soda from China on the other hand is very tasty. 

Next up was heading over to France for a Grand Marnier slush. The Eiffel Tower light up with the soft glow of the windows and streetlights in Paris was very beautiful. Being here makes me wish I could return to my life in France for just one more day. It's hard to believe that two weeks from now will be two years since I first arrived in Paris and that that chapter of my life is over. I am definitely going to make the most of my time here in Florida. 

 

I also had a delicious mousse au chocolat. The Boulangerie feels hidden away down a cobblestone street feels very authentic, minus the massive line of tourists. One day after work I plan to buy a baguette.

Illuminations was perfect as always. I think Walt would be very pleased with the World Showcase and celebration of all cultures united together. 

Afterwards we walked to the Boardwalk to watch the Texans game at the ESPN restaurant but unfortunately it wasn't playing. However, we ran into Kyle and Bry, who was on duty as a custodian and did some Disney character water art for us. 

And in the morning, I'm making waffles!

1) bring waffle iron (s) [we do in fact have 2 waffle irons at our apartment]
2) buy a 10 lb bag of pancake mix
3) buy huge bottle of syrup
4) come home starving from a long evening shift
5) make waffles
6) eat waffles
7) repeat steps 4-6

All things considered, it was inevitable that my friends and I would take to having random waffle nights. Sitting around the table eating fresh made waffles and orange juice is a great way to unwind and talk. Since we all work at different parks, it's nice to hear what everyone's job is like. Plus we all have very different schedules during training so it's nice when we all get the chance to hang out, even if it's just for waffles. 

Grocery Bingo

Don't underestimate the power of free groceries!

When Colleen and I arrived 40 minutes early to Grocery Bingo (one of the many CP housing events), there was already a line formed. Once everyone was seated with a bingo board and eye patch on (the theme was Pirates) we began with classic bingo. Then we moved on to special types of bingo such as four corners. There were quite a few times when we almost won but then had to clear our cards.

Finally on the "X marks the spot" game I got a bingo! Another girl did too and it turns out we got the last bags of groceries and had to split the laundry supplies. I was so happy to win my bag of food, especially since I desperately needed bread for sandwiches. Here is the delicious assortment of food my fabulous bingo skills earned me. My roommates and I are definitely going to enjoy eating those cookies.

I love how the reusable tote bag is designed especially for Grocery Bingo!

Everyone's at the Magic Kingdom

After Discovery Day, Christina and I went to the Magic Kingdom! 

First thing we did was head over to Splash Mountain. While waiting in line, we met a mom and daughter who was at Disney World for the first time. The mom was telling her daughter that they weren't going to pay for fast passes. I told them that fast passes were free! They were so happy to hear that news and we spent the time in line talking about the Disney College Program. 

The renovations on the Haunted Mansion were really cool, especially the hitchhiking ghost part where they exchange your head with your neighbor. We left the mansion to a typical Florida downpour. We took cover under an archway and within five minutes it was letting up. Perfect time to ride the People Mover!

Afterwards, we met two of Christina's friends she met from the facebook group. They were really nice and we got a snack (frozen coke drinks) as we talked. Buz Lightyear was only a 30 minute wait so we decided to do be Space Rangers. I think it was the best score I ever received. 

Once we defeated Emporer Zurg we met up with Colleen and Kyle. We went on Pirates of the Carribean since Kyle used to work there and everyone loves this ride. Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me! Thanks to him I now know that real props from the movie are located on display in the gift shop. 

A Jungle Cruise was up next and we met up with Matt. Then we went to Agrabah to ride Aladdin's magic carpets. I love that ride because of the wonderful view of Adventureland! 

After getting some dinner from Pecos Bill's we practically walked right onto Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Then we had to make our way through the parade crowds watching The Main Street Elecrtical Parade to Tomorrowland where we met up with Matt's roommates Tyler and Chris. Space Mountain as only a 15 minute wait. I love going on the popular attractions at night. 

We exited Space Mountain just as Wishes was starting so we made our way to the bridge and watched the firework show. Beautiful as always. We decided it was useless trying to exit with the huge crowd so we hung around by the castle where a Photopass cast member took some group photos of us. Then we went into some shops along Main Street. 

Discovery Day followed by a fun afternoon at the Magic Kingdom was probably the best day I've had so far :)

Discovery Day

Discovery Day is Epcot's orientation for all new cast members!

I learned how to clock in and out, reviewed the 4 keys, and went over some other information. 

One of the most interesting part of the class was learning about the history of Epcot complete with visuals and a presentation from Walt Disney (which I've never seen before from any of the documentaries I have watched). It felt very personal. Although he is no longer with us, his spirit and traditions will always be alive. 

Of course we got a tour of the park and learned about all the attractions, restaurants, entertainment, and guest services. I am not going to the spoil the fun secrets of the tour! 

The best part of the day was being welcomed into the Epcot family. That moment made me feel so honored to be a Disney cast member. I took an oath to keep this secret so that everyone who attends Discovery Day will feel the same magic. 

I also "discovered" the attraction I will be working: The Living Seas with Nemo and Friends, including Turtle Talk with Crush!

Hollywood Studios

I wasn't scheduled for my park orientation until Monday so that meant Sunday I had free. Colleen and I joined two friends  that we met at Traditions for a day at Hollywood Studios.

We were the volunteers for the Backlot Tour! That meant we wore bright blue rain suits and galoshes while playing different roles in an action water scene. I was the pilot and sat on the chair on the phone while gallons of water came crashing down on me. The rain suit did wonders.

Toy Story Midway Mania is the most popular ride in Disney World. We've heard that fast passes are usually all gone by noon so when we got to the park just before 11 we went right over there and didn't get a fast pass time till 5:00. The ride was so much fun and I definitely plan on getting more fast passes. My suite mate Christina works there! Fabulous costumes. Outside of Midway Mania I met a Green Army Man! He liked my green purse :)

After Tower of Terror, I finally worked up my fear and rode Rock'n Roller Coaster. And I liked it! The scariest part was definitely getting on it haha.

The renovated Star Tours was amazing. There are 52 "tours." Because of a seat belt malfunction, we had to stop in the middle of our first tour so we got to start a 2nd tour from the beginning. In that one we traveled to the Wookie Planet.

The Lights Motor Action stunt show was incredible and Lightning McQueen from Cars made an appearance.

I also met Mike from Monsters Inc!

Traditions

Saturday was Traditions. Colleen and I had the afternoon session so we met at the bus stop at 12:45 for the 2:00 start time. However, the buses were VERY late and then they were a bus short. We ended up arriving at Disney University a little after 2. Chip and Dale parachute down from the ceiling and Goofy also peeks down. Good show. We were split up into groups based on the number on our sticker we were given at Casting. 

Traditions was an excellent experience. Yea, the first lesson was boring but my group's two awesome guides made it entertaining and played some fun games. I even won a little prize  for answering a question. We learned the 4 basic keys: safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency and took a little trip to the Magic Kingdom to observe them in action. The Utilidoors (tunnels below the MK) were absolutely fascinating. That's all I'm going to say. Most importantly, I received my name tag and cast member ID! I am now an official cast member. 

To celebrate, a group of friends and I went to see IllumiNations followed by a mad rush to the Magic Kingdom to catch Wishes. We just mad it and bucket list goal completed. 

Oh, I also visited my boss today, the one and only Mickey Mouse! He had a smile on his face, as always. Probably because I'm a new cast member :)

Resort Hopping

What's a CP to do with out a cast member ID to get into the parks for free? RESORT HOPPING

At 11 we had our housing meeting at the Commons where the international students stay. Afterwards, we met up with a friend we met from the DCP facebook group. She lived at Patterson so it was just a short walk. Patterson was nice but I definitely am glad to be living in Vista. It has much more of a community feel to it.

Patterson doesn't have a bus stop so we walked across the street to Chatham. We decided to take a bus to the Contemporary for some lunch. On the bus, we talked with some current CPs. One of the girls worked there so recommended a good place to have lunch, the Contempo Cafe. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with some spices, cheese, and a salsa mayo sauce. The meal came with green beans topped with poppy seeds. It was very delicious and I definitely plan on coming back with my CP discount! It was neat to have the monorail come in and out just above us. Of course we had to take some pictures with the little Mickey statue at Chef Mickeys.

After looking around the lobby, we took the escalator up a floor and hoped on the monorail. We took the loop around Epcot. I loved seeing Future World especially since that's where I will be working. Once we got back to the TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center) we got on a ferry to the Magic Kingdom. The entrance loop music made me very excited to be able to go to the park once I get my cast member ID. We all wanted to try some of the famous Dole Whip (pineapple soft serve) so we took a little boat ride to the Polynesian. Because it was around 3:00, of course the monsoon weather hit again. We ended up eating our Dole Whips inside while watching the rain poor down. The rain let up within a half hour so we walked back to the TTC to get a monorail to the Contemporary and from there we got a CP (College Program) bus back home.

The next day we did some much needed grocery shopping. Late afternoon, Christina, Kacie, Matt, and I took a bus to the boardwalk.

We took a leisurely stroll looking at the little shops and restaurants. We decided to get a to go pizza and eat it on the water front. It was a beautiful view.

 In the evening, we watched the fireworks from Illuminations! 

Colleen's car was parked at the Swan so we walked over there. The lobby was beautiful with a swan fountain and gorgeous chandelier.

Check-in Day - Casting

At 11 A.M. we boarded the bus for casting. Our bus was fun with a special welcome to Walt Disney World when we drove through the gates. The Casting building is gorgeous, shaped like a bridge to bring the outside world into Disney. The front door knobs were the ones in Alice in Wonderland, the only ones in existence. This was really neat to see.

We entered into a tall circular room with pillars topped with golden Disney character statues. Absolutely stunning. Casting building definitely is magical. Us new CPs stood in a line around the room as Cast Members came around asking for our name and giving us a sticker on our guidebooks listing our official work location. When I told the man my name he found my sticker and told me that he is going to be my manager! Exciting to have met my manger who seems cool, but also kind of intimidating. My location is Epcot Future World East. On Discovery Day I will find out the exact attraction I will train at. My manager informed me that it will either be Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Energy, or The Seas with Nemo. I'd be very happy with any attraction except Mission Space since I don't want to ride it which I would have to as part of my job. He also told me that I may possibly be able to train for Test Track when it reopens the end of November. That would be very exciting and I would very much love to be on the opening team.

Christina was filming us getting our work locations so one of the Cast Members decided to take her camera and film us all saying where we are from and our work location. The room was rather noisy and so he was even hushing everyone down. Christina is working Backlot attractions at Hollywood Studios, Colleen is Slide Operations at Blizzard Beach, Kacie is Fantasyland attractions, and Matt is Innoventions at Epcot. It was such a cute video with us all cheering at the end :)

My group and a few people before and after us were ushered into a separate hallway from the rest of the people. Because the first assigned station was backed up, we were going to do the stations in reverse order. So that they made sure we completed everything, they stapled a pink slip to the back of our guides with a spot to get a signature at each location. I'm not going to go into detail about the stations because of Disney behind the scenes privacy. I can tell you that I got my first official schedule paper. I have Traditions on Saturday, am off Sunday so I can enjoy the parks, and  have my park orientation on Monday.

After we got back from Casting, we continued unpacking our belongings. Later on in the evening we went to Wal-Mart to pick up some hangars, some essential food items, and my bedding which I had ordered online and had shipped to the store.

It was a very special day full of excitement!

Check in Day - Housing

August 15th has finally arrived!

My roommates and I planned to meet at 6 A.M to stand in line waiting for check in to officially start at 9 A.M. After getting to know each other really well over the summer, we hoped to stay together in a two bedroom apartment. When we arrived the line wasn't very long but there were still quite a lot of people a head of us. Christina, Colleen, and I had already met in person and were so happy to finally meet Kacie. The time passed rather quickly as we talked, laughed, took pictures, and got to know ourselves better. Matt, Christina's friend from home, is also doing the program and joined our little group in line. It feels as if I've known these girls for years and I could not be happier!

Around 7:45 the line began to move past the security gate and into the apartment complex. I was expecting to start moving at 8:00 so this was a pleasant surprise. We made our way down to the welcome center pavilion full of excitement. After waiting impatiently for a few minutes, the line began to move through the que. We gave our name to a cast member who wrote it on a miniature Disney name-tag sticker.

 









Then, we saw a series of sings with Disney characters telling us "your journey begins here" leading up to podiums where we gave our name and verified personal information with cast members. We had an opportunity to take a picture next to a beautiful welcome banner before moving on to the next station.

After waiting in line some more, we were given our Disney College Program Guides, or "Disney Bible" as we like to call them and my friends plus five others gathered around a table with a cast member who briefly went over the housing rules with us and handed out a checklist to record anything wrong with our apartment. Then, we took the top sheet of the form we had to sign to a cast member at a table who filed it.

"Bibles" in hand, we made our way into the next huge tent only to wait in line some more. Flipping through the guide we realized that some Disney character birthdays were listed, including Mickey and Minnie on November 18th. Finally it was my group's turn to go up to one of the housing assigners spread out along the perimeter of the tent. We entered our names and she asked us our apartment preference. Two bedroom in Vista, preferably on the third floor. At that request the person that was working with us had to check and see and I was afraid we wouldn't get what we wanted. Thankfully, there was a 3rd floor available in building 27. Seriously, we were so thrilled for getting exactly what we were hoping for.

Next up we received our apartment keys, got our pictures taken and received our housing IDs, filled out car information for my roommates who brought their cars, received our Casting time (11 AM), and lastly had a quick round table meeting with a cast member who went over the schedule for the next few days.

We finished everything at 9 A.M ! We completed so much in so little time. Immediately we went in search of our apartment and started unloading the cars.

At 10:45 we headed to the bus stop for Casting.

To be continued. . .