One of these days I will be all caught up

I left off just before Christmas. I had to work Christmas Eve but was off at 5 so could still do something. Sean decided to cook a big Christmas dinner with lots of yummy veggie stuff! He even made his own ravioli (including the pasta) that was vegan for Dan. It was a great meal and I had lots of fun with everyone who was there. I was off on Christmas Day so I went to Sean’s bright and early to help him get ready. He said that he would do a big breakfast for the entire pavilion. He made pancakes, bacon, sausages...I can’t remember what else, but breakfast food. The best part of the morning was that he went to the UPS store and bought two HUGE bags of the packing peanuts. He put only one bag out at first so it looked like it had snowed. After a lot of people had played in it, so it was lots of little pieces, we convinced him to open up the second bag. After everyone was done with breakfast we cleaned up the dishes and Sean, Mel and I went back to our apartment to open presents. Then we all took turns skyping with our family while the others played with our new toys. I think the best gift (or most used) that any of us got was the Mel got an electronic version of Catch Phrase. We play it all the time! A little bit later we were all really tired so we watched some tv and napped. One of the girls in the pavilion was doing a Christmas dinner that I had full intentions of going to, but I slept right through it. So our Christmas dinner was Mac and Cheese (fancy, right?) and we relaxed watching some more tv. It was a really different Christmas then I would have had at home but lots of fun.

On boxing day a few people had planned to have go to the theatre for a movie marathon. I didn’t want to see the first movie so I met them for the second....Alvin and the Chipmunks J The next movie was It’s Complicated, but it was sold out so I went to see The Princess and the Frog. Next was Up in the Air, which was really good. My last movie was Nine which I loved! They were planning on going to see another one but I was tired so I went to catch the bus home, I think the one they were going to see was sold out so they left. I had fun going to see all the different movies, but I felt really tired after so I don’t know if I would do it again.

Not much else happened until New Years Eve. When I first got to Florida I was hoping that I would have it off so that I could go into the park and enjoy myself. So I was a little disappointed that I was scheduled from 4 until 1 am. My opinion was quickly changed though. Yes, we were crazy busy but most of the guests were in really good moods. Plus one of my favourite managers was working. I like him because he knows that we can do our jobs so he is a lot more relaxed with us. About halfway through the night I asked him if I could be down at the cart during the fireworks, I was already on floor stock so he said he would keep me on that and I could be wherever during them. Words can’t even describe how amazing the fireworks were. Before midnight they went around to the different countries to say what time they celebrated the New Year and set off fireworks behind their pavilion. Then as it reached midnight they said how Canada, Mexico and the States will be celebrating and then we did the countdown and the fireworks went off. I have a video of them (yep, I broke the rules and brought a camera out on stage, but that manager walked up as I was doing it and just laughed), it does not do them justice at all. After the fireworks were over it was just funny for us to watch people trying to get out of the park. There were tons of people so they weren’t moving very fast. When we were done and walked through cast services they had some food for us and the hats that they were giving out to guests. Sean, Mel and I didn’t even bother going to line up for a bus we walked to catch a cab as soon as it came in the parking lot. The line (an actual line, not a clump of people pushing to get on the bus!) for the bus was crazy long. They even had security there. Here are the pictures from that week. The first video is the fireworks over Italy. The second video is the rest of the fireworks, starting over Morocco.

On the first mum arrived. Luckily she came in later so I could sleep in and recover from the night before. The weather the whole time she was here was freezing cold. I know I’m from Canada and I should like the cold blah, blah, blah, but it is a different kind of cold and we do not have the clothing to keep warm. Mum and I went around to see all of the Christmas decorations and festivities before they ended. This included the parade and fireworks at Magic Kingdom and the Spectacle of Lights at Hollywood Studios. One day when we went to Epcot we did the Kim Possible thing they have. You get a little cell phone and you need to go to different parts of a pavilion in order to beat the bad guy. It was designed for kids because they sometimes get bored while walking around World Showcase, but it is definitely fun for adults (or big kids) too! On the Sunday mum was here we went to go and see some manatees with Ashley. There was tons of them!! We also did a backstage tour of Animal Kingdom. This is a tour we have wanted to do for years so we finally decided to. It was neat to see back stage, including the elephant barn, the vet clinic, and the building where they make the food for every single (captive) animal on Disney Property. Obviously most of them are at Animal Kingdom but it also includes the animals at the Seas in Epcot, the horses used in Magic Kingdom and the dogs used by security. I'd do that tour again because each tour guide knows different things . Here are the pictures, part 2.

After Mum left I haven't done too much. There have been some random things I've taken pictures of. Rhonda and I went to Magic Kingdom to meet some characters. We aren't sure when Toontown Fair is closing so we really wanted to meet Mickey. Then after we went to see the finals of a cheerleading competition. On another day Ashley and I walked around Epcot. A little bit later Rhonda joined us. When DeAnna was done work we all went to Disney Quest. Rhonda, Rachanne and I went to Boma's at Animal Kingdom Lodge for breakfast. We then did some shopping at a couple of parks and property control before going to see a movie. I got the flu which was gross :( Don't worry, there are no pictures of that. Just after that there was a special event for the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day promotion. Joe Jonas was here, the guy from Dinner Impossible and Ty Pennington!! I wish I had seen him. There was even a little parade. We finally got Olympic merchandise (which flew off the shelves) and a few of us watched the opening ceremonies together. I had some people come to visit me. The parents and brother of my best friend growing up were in Florida and said they would come see me. We had a nice lunch to catch up and the following day took Matthew (the brother) to Epcot. It was really good to see them, especially since they were like my second family when I was a kid. The next thing I did was go home for a little visit so I will post that soon. I need to do it really soon so that I am actually caught up!!

Time to Kill While Sitting in the Airport

So I'm going home for a little visit and figured since there is free wireless, I should be productive. (yes I started writing this ages ago but never posted it)



I left off on the cruise. DeAnna, Ashley and I had been looking at different prices for awhile and saw the perfect one so we worked on getting the time off. (Which I could only get because I have amazing managers) and then we booked it at like midnight one night. We left on November 17, first taking the E bus to Hollywood Studios where we walked over to the Swan resort, sat around in the lobby then got on the Disney Cruise Line bus!! This was really exciting because they show a video on the drive there with Mickey and the Gang getting ready to go on their own Disney Cruise. When we got to Cape Canaveral we left our luggage and went through security. Then we went up into the cruise line terminal to check in. The next stop was to get our keys and get a picture taken that is attached to the key. We had to use that key every time we got on and off the ship so that they could keep track that everyone was on board. After the picture we got onto the ship!! And went straight for our first buffet! It was so good! Then we found our room and explored the ship for a bit before the big deck party. Every night on the ship there was a show, they were all amazing! We also had amazing meals. Our wait staff was the same every night so they got to know what drink we would order and what kind of food we would like. If we were undecided about something they would offer to bring us both. I felt guilty if I didn’t order an appetizer, entree and dessert. We also sat with the same people every night. We were with a young couple who thought that we were all crazy. They also thought that we were all 18! On the first day of the cruise we met an older couple and had a good conversation with them. They were from New Jersey and the wife works at the Disney Store so we had lots to talk with them. We kept running into them so they asked our server (we had the same one) if they could just join our table for meals. On the second day of our cruise we went to Nassau, Bahamas. We wandered around a bit and did some shopping. There was a huge market there, with barely enough room to walk through. If we would stop to just look at something people we start telling us prices. It was a little intimidating, but there was lots of nice stuff to see. After walking around we decided to take a boat over to the Atlantis Resort. It was $6 I think both ways and the boats we took were the sketchiest boats I have ever been on. But walking around Atlantis was beautiful....much nicer then Nassau. After going to Atlantis we went back on the ship and lazied around. The next day we went to the Disney private island of Castaway Cay. It felt like a paradise, especially for me because there were so many little Disney things. We took the tram over to the adults only beach and of course ran into the couple from New Jersey. We talked to them for a bit, went in the ocean, ordered some daiquiris and then layed in the sun. After a little nap we wandered around the island. Ashley and DeAnna decided to go back to the ship so I wandered around a little more, had some lunch and then joined in a sand building thing. It was just me, a family and the cast member but it was still fun. Then I found a hammock and relaxed before going back on the ship to meet Ashley and DeAnna. The last day of the cruise was out at sea so we wandered around the ship a bit, watched a movie while laying on the top deck, went to the adult pool, and then went to a little class on how to build animals out of towels. That night there was a little goodbye show in the main lobby, then back to the room to pack. :( The next morning was early to have breakfast, go through customs, then get the bus back to Disney World. I had to work that afternoon which was hard because I was so tired from the cruise. But it was lots of fun. I would suggest that if anyone has a chance to go on a Disney Cruise they should go. I took a billion pictures on the cruise so have a look at those to help things make more sense. Day 1, continued. Day 2, continued. Day 3. Day 4. Day 5.

The rest of November and into December I did some fun things. There was a Thanksgiving event at Patterson. We put up our Christmas tree!! Candlelight Processional started. Candlelight is an event every year at Epcot. They have guest narrators come in to read the story of Christmas. Throughout the story there is a choir that sings Christmas songs. The choir is made up of both cast members and guest choirs from across the country. I saw John O’Hurley, Abigail Breslin and Whoopi Goldberg. I also saw Chita Rivera, but just as I walked by. Also in December there was a winter formal at the Contemporary Resort. They had different characters there so it was my goal to see them all. I also spent a few days going around to see the different Christmas decorations around. I went to Epcot with DeAnna, Ashley, Cassandra and later Manda one day. DeAnna, Ashley and I went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. I spent two of my days off to see the decorations at the resorts. I finished off my second day by seeing the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. This is an actual family from Arkansas. The father starting putting lights up for his daughter and eventually put more and more up until neighbours complained. After a couple lawsuits Disney asked if he would like to move his lights to Florida. They are now on the streets of New York in Hollywood Studios. Every 10 minutes the lights “dance” to different Christmas carols. It is hard to imagine but I have a youtube account now so go look there at the different videos. I spend an hour there taking different pictures. It was freezing cold and my hands were numb but the only reason I left was because my camera battery died.

Welcome 2010!!!

Happy New Year! (Yes I know that January is almost over) Sorry that it has been so long, I don't have a good excuse.

I have been up to so much since the last time I posted. I stopped just before my mum and her two friends, Joanne and Carol, came down to visit. They were here from October 14 until October 22 and we stayed at the Boardwalk Resort on the concierge level. Concierge guests get some fun extra stuff. There is always coffee, tea and hot chocolate out. There is also food out throughout the day. The breakfast was really good with fresh croissants and fruit. My other favourite part was at night when they put out desserts. I had a few days off when they were there so we went to the parks and did a bunch of other fun stuff. On October 17 we went to the special Wishes dessert party at Magic Kingdom. There were tons of different kinds of desserts and of course cold milk!!! We then had a special viewing of Wishes, the fireworks, that I thought was ok but not amazing. We were off to the side of the castle so the fireworks weren't directly behind it like when you watch it from Main Street. I got some neat pictures of the reflection of the fireworks. It was kind of neat to do, but not something that I would do again. Something else we did when they were here was go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. This is separate ticketed event that I had to buy, but there is fun Halloween music, a special parade, special fireworks and all the free candy you can get!! (Too bad the candy wasn't very good) Also there are lots of characters out in special outfits. I brought down a Little Bo Peep (from Toy Story) with me to wear and mum thought it would be funny if her, Joanne and Carol were dressed as sheep. The costumes came out great, there were tons of people looking at us and taking pictures. Of course they fully got into the whole sheep character, they were baa-ing all night. When we went on Pirates of the Caribbean they baa-ed as we went down the hill. One of the guests who was in the boat with us said that he thought it was hilarious. The day after the party we got up early to meet out from of Epcot. We were doing the Backstage Magic Tour. We started by getting on a coach bus and driving around to backstage Epcot. We got off behind the American Adventure and split into two groups. Our group when onstage and looked over the lagoon at all of World Showcase. Our tour guide gave us some info about Epcot and Walt's vision of it. We then went backstage and under the American Adventure stage to see how their show works. It was cool to see how they have made it work, and how they snuck in little details like the speakers. We then got back on the bus and drove over to Hollywood Studios. We entered backstage by Tower of Terror and our tour guides gave us some info about how it works. After a quick break we got back on the bus to the horticultural building and saw where they make topiaries. There were some that were still growing, some that were ready and some that were dead. The website for the tour said that we couldn't take pictures so I left mine behind. I was pretty upset when we got here because our tour guides said we could take pictures!! When we left we went to the Wilderness Lodge and ate at the Whispering Canyon Restaurant. It was set up family style but the chef came and talked to me and make me a really good meal! I was SO full after that meal. Then back on the bus to go behind the Magic Kingdom. The group split in two again, our half went into a huge building that has different shops in it. That is where they building and refurbish most of the things for WDW. Since Space Mountain was still closed all of the vehicles were there to get painted. We then walked over for the laundry facilities. The costumes from all over Walt Disney World are washed there. The best way that I can describe this building is that is like the doors in Monsters Inc. The costumes are separated my a cast member and then everything is automatic. After they are washed and dried they are put on hangers and attatched to another hanger thing that has a little computer chip in it. The costume goes through a different rooms for quality check (haha, right!), steaming and some other stuff. It is then automatically goes onto a rack for a certain park or location. It is really cool to see even if the description doesn't make sense now. Mum, Joanne and Carol left the day after that so here are all of the pictures from when they were here.

On October 24 I went and saw Hanson at House of Blues. Ashley had gotten a tickey but then couldn't go so I rushed over there to meet DeAnna and Darren to see them. The only songs of theirs that I knew was Mm Bop and a Beatles song they did. But it was still fun. Then afterwards I met up with some people and saw Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I loved that book as a kid so I was excited to see the movie. It was really good, but I won't buy it.

On October 25 DeAnna, Rob, Dan and I went a played mini golf. We got a special holiday package of stuff and one of them was a free game a mini golf! We went to the Winter Sumerland near Blizzard Beach. Here are the pictures.

On October 28 I went to Animal Kingdom with a bunch of the new girls (who aren't new anymore). It was lots of fun because I hadn't been to a park in awhile. After Animal Kingdom we went to Hollywood Studios to do some rides. We then went to Epcot to meet DeAnna to see Boyz II Men. Here are the pictures from that day.

On November 1 I met up with DeAnna and Ashley to see Taylor Hicks. After the show we ate in the Japanese Pavilion. It was really good, I had me some sushi!!! Then we went over to the Beach Club Resort for their campfire. I had some extra marshmallows from when I'd gone before so we made some s'mores using Caramilk bars!!! Then we were going to watch The Hannah Montana Movie on the beach but they couldn't get the projector to work so they played it inside. I only took a few pictures that day.

On November 3 a bunch of us got up early to go downtown Orlando to participate in a heart walk. We all of Volunt-ear shirts and flags which was awesome. A bunch of our managers were there which was fun because I like them all. I didn't have my camera but I love facebook so I took someone elses who was there. Here are those pictures.

On November 5 Craig, David, Rob, Jen and I went along International Drive. We started at the world's largest McDonald's which has pizza! We then went down to WonderWorks which is a really tacky looking tourist stop but was actualy tons of fun!! We spent ages in there before leaving to go to Dairy Queen and the tacky tourist stores. Then dinner at Panera Bread. Here are the pictures from the day.

The last day of the Food & Wine Festival was on November 8 so I walked around after work and took pictures of my food.

Something really exciting in Epcot happened from November 9 and 10th! I closed (worked til 9:30) On the 9th and opened (worked at 10:15) on the 10th. When I left work everything was normal but when I came in the next day all of the Christmas decorations were up and the Christmas music was on!!! I was so excited and had a huge smile on my face all day.

One of our managers arranged a special backstage tour of the Haunted Mansion for November 11. Even though I had already done the tour I wanted to do it again so I had to get up grossly early. It is awesome because we walk through the ride with the lights on, go down into the ballroom, then ride the ride. Since we were the only ones on the ride we were allowed to take pictures!! After the tour Rob, Manda, Alana and I went for some breakfast at the bakery then met Donald in his lumberjack outfit!! Manda and Alana left to go to work and Rob and I wanted to go to Property Control. Since the best way to get there is to go from backstage we asked a cast member in Tomorrowland how to get to the tunnels. She showed us the entrance and we went down the stairs. The stairs led into a boiler room that had a bunch of doors that said not to enter. There were no doors labeled to go into the tunnels so we just started trying them all and thankfully got the one that opened. After that it was easy to find our way to the exit and the bus back to the parking lot. I had a lot of success at Property Control. I found a shirt for my cruise and two ornaments that were barely damaged and that I had wanted to buy anyway. After shopping we caught the bus home. Later that night I went to Medieval Times with Mel, Sean, Heather and James. The vegetarian meal that they have there is really good! We were in the green night section. He is the bad night so we got to cheer for him! We had tons of fun, I'm glad I went. Here are the pictures from my busy, busy day.

A couple days later was the best day of my entire contract! I was off on the 12th so I slept in and then layed in bed reading for awhile. The phone in our apartment rang but I didn't feel like getting it because it is never for me. A minute later my cell phone rang. It was someone from the front desk saying that Mel and I were getting a 1 bedroom apartment!!! I don't know if I've said but I was in a 4 bedroom apartment before. It was ok living there but hard having 8 girls using the kitchen, 2 fridges, the tv, and only 2 showers! Mel and I wanted our own space. We had been on the list for about a month and thought we would be on the list until early December so it was amazing that we got the call. They said we could get our keys and move on Saturday. I had to work at 3:30 that day so we got up early to get the keys and start moving. I managed to get all of my junk in the new (beautiful!) apartment before work that day. It was in a horrible pile, but I haven't been in the old apartment since then. Before we moved I took some pictures.

The next day I went on a cruise so I will post about that later.... you happy mum???

PS. I also started a youtube account not too long ago so all of my videos are on there. I think you should be able to get to it from here, but otherwise my name on it is Rachel24601.

Getting Closer to being caught up

Friday October 2 – I worked 4-10. When I was done work I changed and walked over to the Boardwalk Hotel. I got a bus from there to downtown Disney where I was meeting people to go see the Invention of Lying. The previews made the movie seem hilarious so we were all kind of disappointed when it wasn’t very good.

Saturday October 3 – I got up bright and early to go downtown Orlando. A bunch of people from Epcot were volunteering in the Heart Walk so I went. It was lots of fun because we just talked and sang as we walked. And we got Volunt-ear shirts and flags. Here are some pictures. After the walk I went home and had a nap before working from 4-10. This was my very last TCR shift. They have decided to have 2 UK people do it instead of 1 Canada and 1 UK. There are a few reasons they have for doing it and I am pretty excited. Also that day was AMAZING! A guest came to the cart to pin trade and he had a really cool one I had never seen. So we started talking about random Disney things, because it was from something that most people don’t know about and he was impressed. I think it may have been the Reluctant Dragon. So we talked for awhile and somehow got on to the topic of Disney legends that he has met. One that is actually good friends with is Richard Sherman!!! Richard and Robert Sherman are brothers who have written tons of songs for Disney. Including Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats and It’s a Small World. These guys are huge! Anytime mum hears a song she asks us who it is, we always answer Sherman and Sherman because when we were younger it usually was them. So you can imagine I freaked out a little when I heard this guest is friends with one of them. We had to stop talking because I had to go on my break. But a little later Cassandra gave me a piece of paper with his phone number saying that if I am ever in California I should call him and he can introduce me to some of his friends! He came in the store later that night to make sure I got his message and to reassure me that I can call him.

Sunday October 4 – I worked 10:30-4:30. Another change that was made is that the 2 opening people will come in at 10:30 instead of 10. Before work I called mum to tell her about my guest the day before. She wasn’t home so I left a message (well two actually, the machine cut me off). She called me back but since my phone was on vibrate I didn’t hear it. But her message was one of the funniest things I have ever heard! I let everyone listen to it for the next few days. Mel worked later than me that day and she said the guest came back in. She told him about Mum’s message which he found really funny. He told her that he was serious and that if I can come out in December he will take me to Richard Sherman’s Christmas party that he has every year! Sadly I can’t get time off in December. Movie night that night was Mel’s (not room mate) pick but she had a closing popcorn shift and got out really late. We decided since it was late and we hadn’t heard from her we would just put something on and let her watch her movie the following week. We decided to watch Anchorman which has to be one of the funniest movies ever made.

Monday October 5 – Happy Birthday to Nana!! I called her and of course she kept wanting to hang up saying my mum wasn’t home. Crazy lady doesn’t know that people may want to call her. That day I worked 10:30-4:30. At games that night we played Pictionary. My team kicked some serious butt. It was awesome!

Tuesday October 6 – I worked 10:30-4:30 again and met with Rob and Mel. DeAnna joined us because she got an Early Release (ER). We went the France bakery so they could grab something to eat and walked around a bit. We then got the bus and went to Patterson Court (the newest and nicest apartment complex). They were having a multicultural party. We went and got our free food, the theme was China and the food was pretty good. We sat talking for a little while and listened to the music. We then walked around for a little bit. Met Mulan, had our names written in Chinese, met Chip and Dale in the Chinese clothes and watched the Chinese acrobats. It was fun and I definitely enjoyed the free food! After, we walked to Bryce and Heather’s apartment and sat outside waiting for them. We had plans to watch Rent really loudly and sing along. Heather also had Canadian iced tea (which I have missed) and popcorn. It was tons of fun. Here are pictures from the day.

Wednesday October 7 – I was off. Mel (not roommate), Rob and I went to Blizzard Beach. It was the perfect day for it and we had lots of fun. I especially loved going on the group raft slide because we could see all of Walt Disney World from up there. I really wish I had a waterproof camera because it would be a really pretty picture. Mel (roommate) wanted to go to Carrabas so we went there and a little later I watched Yes Man with Jim Carey. Such a funny movie!

Thursday October 8 – I went to Universal Studios with Heather, Bryce, Cynthia and Maggie (one of the attractions coordinators. We were only there for a few hours but we managed to get on quite a few rides. I also learned a fun fact. The palm trees at Seuss landing are all crooked. Those trees were originally in southern Florida but were hit by a hurricane that bent them. They wouldn’t grow straight again so Universal bought them and moved them up because that is perfect for the Dr. Seuss part of the park. We also saw the new Harry Potter part they are building that I took some pictures of. I will be so upset if it isn’t done by the time I have to leave.

Friday October 9 – I worked 3:30-9:30. Mel and I were planning on going to Carrabas for dinner after work but we were invited to the Olive Garden with all of the attractions people. We got a ride home from work and quickly changed and went out again. They have this really good deal where you can get unlimited pasta for $8.95 so nearly all of us did that. Our waiter was really nice and let us all get a second bowl (because the first one is pretty big) and gave us take out containers. We also put the break sticks in the containers so we all had really good lunches the next day.

Saturday October 10 – I worked 12:30-9. I can’t remember if I did anything after work. I know I saw Toy Story 1 and 2 in 3D at some point so maybe I did that after work.

Sunday October 11 – I worked 10:30-4:40. Dan, DeAnna and I hung out for a little while before movie night. We watched the food network. There was a challenge on and then Iron Chef America. It is such a good show. That night was Mel’s pick for movie night. Or her makeup pick and she chose the old Batman movie. I was so tired that night for some reason and didn’t last very long before I fell asleep. I woke up in the middle of the movie and went home.

Monday October 12 – I worked 10:45-4:45 but got an ER at 3. Joanne, mum’s friend, had been in town for a few days but I hadn’t seen her yet. She finally stopped by when I was working so we had a good chat. It was Canadian Thanksgiving so we told lots of guests about it. Most were confused and thought we were crazy celebrating Thanksgiving in October. A little while after getting home Mel, Sean and I went to Publix. The restaurant at Epcot was putting on a potluck for all of the cast members. They were making the few main things and everyone else was bringing stuff. I still didn’t know what I was going to make until I walked around the store for awhile. I decided on chocolate covered strawberries. We then came back to the commons and all made our food over at Sean’s. Mine was really easy to make because I found some chocolate stuff that you just have to microwave and it’s set. It was a little more money but so much easier. I couldn’t believe the amount of food that had been brought to the dinner. Our managers were there and nearly everyone in the pavilion so it was lots of fun. They also had prizes that they gave out. I won a Vivaldi CD. The picture is of DeAnna being fed some of her dinner.

Tuesday October 13 – I worked 10:45-4:45. Mel and Rob met me after work and we went over to the Yacht and Beach Club Resort. Joanne was staying there and gave me a room key so that we could go swimming. We hung out in the room for awhile then went to the pool. This hotel has the best pool in all of Walt Disney World. It is all sand on the bottom which is weird but really cool. The first thing we did was go down the slide. It was weird when you landed at the bottom and felt the sand. So we swam around there for a bit then went to the second pool! Yep second! There are actually 3 different pools. The first one has the slide and is a pretty consistent depth. The second one starts at about 4 feet then goes to 9 or 10 feet. It is in a circle and has a current. There are tubes you can rent to go around that pool but we swam it instead. It was a really good workout! The third pool is really shallow and is pretty much for kids to play in the sand. After we spent a lot of time in the pools we went into one of the two hot tubs. It was REALLY hot but felt good. We then left and went back to the room to change. We had spent ages in the pool so we were hungry. We decided to walk over to the Boardwalk to get something to eat. After wandering for a bit we decided to go to this grill place and I had a really good quesadilla. When we were done we walked to Hollywood Studios to get the bus home.

I know, I know!

So last week I got a message from Stephen asking (or more like telling) me to update this. I guess I will listen to him and tell you everything that has been happening the last month.

Wednesday September 23 – I was off so Craig, Kim and I went to Typhoon Lagoon. It was lots of fun especially since I have only been there for about half an hour with Sarah and David in July. We did everything, even spending quite a bit of time in the wave pool. Kim really liked going out to the deepest part but the waves were a little too strong for Craig and I. By around 2 we decided we were done and went to catch the bus. We were all hungry so we got off at Downtown Disney and went to Earl of Sandwich. This was my first time there and I can’t wait to go back again. They have gourmet sandwiches that are really good. It is hard to describe but I was pretty full after. Later that night Mel wanted to go to Carrabas so of course I went. It was so long ago and I have been there quite a few times I can’t remember who went that time.

Thursday September 24 – I was off again and it was the first day of the Spend a Little, Save Alot sale, Or SALSA sale. I went with Dan and Jeremy and bought a lot of stuff. It was at Disney’s World Wide of Sports which is one of the few places here that I’ve never been so it was cool to see. After the sale we went to Sweet Tomatoes, a fresh buffet style restaurant. They have a huge salad bar, lots of soups, fresh bread and a really good ice cream bar with fresh brownies. It is really vegetarian friendly which is the best part. A little bit after I got home I left again to go to Epcot with Mel (not room mate but a different Mel) and Rob to do a few rides and see the Cast Preview of the Food and Wine festival that is going on until November 8. When we got to Epcot we took the bus around to the front of the park and took a few pictures as we entered. We went straight to Test Track to get a fast pass since Rob had never been on it before. We then went to Club Cool which is a place to try pop from all around the world. Next stop was Soarin’ which had a really long line but since we share a break trailer with the cast members who work there we were able to get a special fast pass and bypass the line. I think that was Rob’s first time on it but I can’t remember. As usual it was excellent. Then we went to ride test track which was also really good. Finally we headed towards World Showcase to try some of the Food and Wine. (or just the food). We started at the Greece booth where I had a Spanikopita, yummy!! At that point DeAnna and Rhonda were off work so the 5 of us headed off around the world. I think our next stop was in Japan for some sushi. I was pretty mad that they didn’t have any vegetarian sushi at the booth. I think the next thing that I bought were perogies from the Poland booth. It was good but definitely not worth the money it cost. But since then some of us have had huge cravings for perogies. They are too good and I miss the fresh ones from Thunder Bay. After I went home a few of us watched the season premiere of Grey’s Anatomy! Yay! Then even later we had a throw in. It was very entertaining because we got a boy in merch (before it was just a ton of girls) and DeAnna did a hilarious dance for him. Here are the pictures from that day.

Friday September 25 – I worked 4 to 10 and then went over to Craigs to watch the first Halloween movie. Or I think that’s what movie it was. A couple of the new guys came by so I talked with them through most of the movie. Fine by me, I was scared and didn’t really to watch the movie.

Saturday September 26 – I worked 3:30 to 9:30. I can’t remember if I did anything later that night.

Sunday September 27 – I worked 10 to 4. After I got home I met up with DeAnna, Ashley and Dan who had hung out that day. We sat around for awhile and then decided to go to Cici’s Pizza for some food. Cici’s is a pizza buffet that is really cheap. It is also really bad so I don’t think I will be going back. We then went back to Dan’s and watched Howard the Duck (a weird movie from the 80's) before movie night. That night was Craig’s pick so we watched A Very Brady Sequel. It was fun to watch, and to heard all of Craig’s random facts about the Brady Bunch.

Monday September 28 – I worked 1045-7:15. I had a guest come and talk to me at the cart who said she had met my Aunt Bonnie. I don’t have an Aunt Bonnie so I was really confused. She started saying how she met her at the Disney Store in Toronto and it clicked. My mum has a friend, Joanne, who works at the Disney Store. She talks to people about how I’m working down here and when this lady asked how she knew me it was easiest to say I’m her niece rather than try to explain. The lady was really nice and we had a good talk about Toronto. I also had someone who is pretty high up in Epcot International Programs come to the cart and talk to Amanda and I. It was kind of cool to meet her and a few days later she sent us each a little gift. Mine was a notebook with an R on the front and a note from her. Later on was games night but I can’t remember what we played.

Tuesday September 29 – I worked 10-4 and brought a change of clothes to meet Mel and Alana to go around food and wine. We were standing at the Canada popcorn cart when someone came up to me and said my name, it was the lady from the day before who recognized me out of costume, though it took me a minute to recognize her. I feel so bad when that happens, but we see so many people for really short amounts of time so I can’t remember everyone. After that Mel, Alana and I went over to the American Gardens theatre and watched Richard Marx play. I had no idea who he was until he played his last song. The joy of one hit wonders! We walked around the world twice that night stopping to watch a lady make candy animals in Japan, watch the Canada video, take fun pictures at the Canada cart, belly dance in Morocco, play with drums at the African Outpost, play with puppets in Mexico and of course eating lots of good food. More pictures!

Wednesday September 30 – I was off and Mel, Alana, Jeremy and I went to Hollywood Studios. Mel and Jeremy had never ridden Tower of Terror so we took them on that. Jeremy was not impressed with us at all and kept telling us how much he hated us. But he didn’t chicken out and he survived. The picture of the two of them gripping each other is amazing. Next stop was Rockin’ Roller Coaster, this time it was Mel and Alana who had never been on. Alana was terrified to go on it but she also survived. We did a few other things at Studios but then decided to walk to Epcot to enjoy some more food and wine. Pictures from that day.

Thursday October 1 – I was off again and Rob, Mel (not room mate), Alicia and I went to Magic Kingdom. It was Walt Disney World’s birthday so we all wore birthday buttons. It is crazy how many cast members just see them and say Happy Birthday. I think we only had a few people all day who read it and commented. First we went up the Swiss Family Robinson Tree house. Then went on my favourite ride, The Jungle Cruise!!!! It is so corny I love it. Then we went to go watch the parade. I ran to get us fast passes for Splash Mountain. When I came back the special Snow White thing had started. Since they were celebrating the re-release of Snow White the parades were started with her and her prince in a carriage and the 7 dwarves and a little float promoting the movie. After that was over we got impatient waiting for the parade so we went and rode Splash Mountain. I love that ride! The timing was perfect when we got off because the parade was just reaching Frontierland so we got to watch it. We went and rode the Haunted Mansion and It’s a Small World. We then went to Tomorrowland and rode Buzz Lightyear and went and saw the Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor. That is also corny humour and interacts with the audience. We were hungry then so we wandered around for ages to get something to eat. But since there was a Halloween party that night most places were closed. I ended up just getting fries because there was nothing else for me to eat and the others had some chicken wings I think. Or something like that. I then helped Mel get her costume ready because she was going to the party and the rest of us headed home. I think I did something that night but I really can’t remember. One last batch of pictures.

I know I'm not all caught up yet but this is better then nothing. I need to put more pictures on facebook first.

Another Big Post

Wow I am really behind! It is hard to actually sit down and write about what I am doing. I’m going to try to remember as much as possible.

Wednesday September 16 – I originally was supposed to work from 3:30 – 9:30 but after our little appreciation thing on Sept 8th we had for all of the merchandise people, I switched to work 10-4. The show was at 6:30 so I changed at work and walked over to the Beach Club Resort to catch the bus to Downtown Disney. I had asked if Alana wanted to come see it so I met her there. I had seen Cirque when I last came down on vacation in 2008, but was too focused on understanding the story line (apparently there is one, but I don’t get it). So this time I didn’t even think about it and I enjoyed it a lot more. We had really good seats, I was in the front row and fairly close to the centre of the stage. Alana was right behind me. After Cirque, Alana and I walked around Downtown Disney for AGES! All of the merch people had decided to have a dinner since we haven’t all hung out and it would be fun. Unfortunately, since the last person working finishes at 10 we planned to have this dinner at 11. Cirque du Soleil is a fairly short show, so Alana and I walked around from around 8 until we met everyone at 11. It was fun though because there is a lot that goes on at night time that we could watch. There was a dance party going on at the stage they have. It was really funny to see some of the dances that people came up with. Of course we went into Ghiradelli’s for our free chocolate. Yum!

We met everyone at House of Blues for our dinner and had lots of fun. I had pasta that had a wine sauce, but instead of a pasta sauce it was more like a soup. It was good but the soup thing was just really weird so I don’t think I’ll get that again.

Thursday September 17 – I worked from 12:45-9:30. It was nice long shift. I like those shifts because they seem more useful. I usually get 6 hour shifts and they seem so short and pointless.

Friday September 18 – Day off!! Amanda, Katrina and I wanted to go to Animal Kingdom since there were a few rides there that they hadn’t done. We had a late start and finally got to the park after 12. We got fast passes for Everest, then went and rode Kali River Rapids. It was kind of disappointing because it was very hot and we didn’t get too wet. It was the kind of day I needed mum to be there because then we would have been soaked. We rode Everest, which they both enjoyed, then went and rode dinosaur. I love that ride, I think it is one of the few that still scares me. We went back and rode Kali River Rapids again, and again didn’t get that wet. Then we went on the safari. After then safari we decided we had done everything we wanted to do at Animal Kingdom and went to Hollywood Studios. The line for Tower of Terror was pretty long so we got fast passes and went and rode Rockin’ Roller Coaster. The line for that was pretty long so we went in the single rider line. By chance Amanda and I ended up sitting beside each other, so that was fun. Then Katrina and I rode Tower of Terror. I love that ride! That is the second ride that still scares me. Umm after that we did a few other things, the Muppet show, the Little Mermaid show AND meet Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars! I think that’s it. We then decided to head over to Epcot to watch Illuminations. We took the boat over then went and talked to some Canadians, watched Illuminations, then walked around for a bit. It was extra magic hours so things were open for resort guests and since we know the people in the Canada movie they let us watch it. That was only my second time watching it since I got here. We sat down on the side to watch it from a different angle. It is a 360 degree show so you are always moving to see everything around you. I love it! Martin Short is so funny in it and it makes me love Canada. (Yeah I have gotten very patriotic living here). After the movie we walked around for a bit then Amanda and I walked to the Beach Club to get the bus to Downtown Disney. We were meeting people there to go see Love Happens the new Jennifer Aniston movie. It was good, but not nearly as good as I was expecting it to be. Plus the theatre was freezing! I’m sick of the air conditioning down here! Here are the pictures from that day.

Saturday September 19 – Mel, DeAnna and I had made plans to go to Le Cellier to eat there. It is the restaurant in Canada and the number 1 restaurant in all of Walt Disney World. It just recently became number 1. It is really hard to get reservations to eat there and very rare that they allow walk ups. Luckily they were able to squeeze us in. Before we went there we went and got fast passes for Test Track. We then went and checked into the restaurant. We had some time before they started seating so we went and watched the Canada movie. Then we went back to the restaurant for a few minutes before they did their morning tradition of singing Oh Canada. It was a little weird to hear the real song because we have a variation that we sing at Throw Ins. We then sat down and tried to decide what to have for lunch. It was fun being cast members there because a lot of the people came to say hi and give us suggestions. Sadly for me, the only vegetarian option is gnocchi. We also got some cream cheese mashed potatoes, they were so good, and I could have eaten a huge bowl of them. Mel and DeAnna both got the cheese soup. I hear tons of people rave about it so I had to try just a spoonful. It has bacon in it so I tried to get a bit without the bacon. I think I would have liked the soup if it wasn’t for the bacon. The gnocchi was ok, but I am really picky about stuff like that so I probably won’t get it again. DeAnna got a couple of the desserts to try. One had too much maple in it, but the chocolate moose (yes, in the shape of a moose) was pretty good. After lunch, we were stuffed! We went and got fast passes for Soarin’ then went and rode Test Track. The timing was perfect so we rode Soarin’ after that. We then decided to walk around the world a bit. We stopped in Morocco to get a drink. While around Morocco we got really excited that we could watch Off Kilter (the Celtic rock band that Canada has). We were really upset when we remembered that they have Saturdays off. So we continued on our way and stop in the U.K. to visit with people we knew. When we stopped in we saw that Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger were there so we got in line to meet them. They had to go for a little break so we stood around waiting. The girl who was working with the characters was one of the least energetic cast members I have ever seen. She looked like she hated her job. Maybe she was having a bad day, but that makes me angry to see cast members like that. I think I may just have really high standards. After we met the characters we noticed that the British Invasion band was going to play soon. They are a band that dresses and plays a lot of Beatles music. We stayed for about half a song before leaving. It was a little too painful to watch. Then we went home. I don’t think I did anything that night. I was too tired from my days off. Here are the pictures from our day at Epcot.

Sunday September 20 – I worked 10:45-4:45. That night we had movie night and watched Super Troopers.

Monday September 21 – I worked 12:45-9:30. Games was that night and we played a question game. Everyone had a piece of paper and would write a question, we would then fold the paper over so the question was hidden and pass the paper to the next person. On the new paper we got we wrote our answer to the question we wrote, folded the paper again, and passed it on. We did this until the papers were full then read them out. Some of the questions and answers were pretty funny, but others weren’t.

Tuesday September 22 – I worked from 4-10. It was the first day of Autumn and crazy hot! I don’t think I did anything in the morning, but after work some people wanted McDonalds and I wanted ice cream so I went along. Sadly, they closed at 11 that night so we had to keep going to 7/11. On our walk there Craig, Kelly, Rob and I were talking about if we were in a horror movie who would get killed first. I got a banana popsicle at 7/11! It was sooooo good. I haven’t had one in ages.

Ok I’m going to stop there! I will try to update closer together!

I'm not so great with keeping this updated, sorry!

Saturday September 12 – Ashley, DeAnna and I drove out to the NASA Kennedy Space Station. Ashley rented a car so obviously we rocked out to some classic Disney music. I don’t even know how to describe the Space Station. I’m not a huge fan of space. I think it is a little bit of a waste of money. (sorry, but why do we need to know if there is life on Mars??) But it was really cool to go there. I learned a lot and have a ton of fun. When we got there the first thing we did was take the bus tour all around. It took ages but was really interesting. The bus stops at 3 different places. One to get a view of the building where they put a shuttle together with the rocket and the launching pads. The second has something about the first american mission into space (with people)... I think. There is also a shuttle and showing the first landing on the moon. The third stop is a building about the space station. There are windows into a big room where they are actually building stuff for the space station. We then took the bus back to the main center where Ashley rode the mission to mar type thing. She said they watched a few videos and then felt what it was like to launch to mars. While she did that Deanna and I went into a shuttle like the ones they use to take big pieces up to the space station and a little store and took stome pictures. When Ashley caught up with us we went into the main gift shop. Apparantly it is the biggest store with space souvenirs. We rushed through there quickly so we could catch the last Imax movie. We were in there so much longer than we needed to be because the cashiers were horribly, horribly slow! It was painful, even if we didn't want to get into the Imax. So we rushed over the the Imax building and got in. The lady said they were letting people in for two more minutes! Perfect timing! The video we saw was on the space station. It was in 3D and narrated by Tom Cruise. It was really good to see. After the Imax we left (because it closed at 5:30 and the show got out at 5:45). Our ticket also included entrance into the astronaut hall of fame but they closed at 6:30 so we would have only had 15-20 minutes in there. So instead we went to get something to eat. There wasn't too much on the road we were on so we decided on Denny's. I haven't eaten there in years but it was really good. We then drove home listening to some Disney music on my Ipod before putting it on the Hairspray soundtrack and singing along to that. I posted pictures so that will probably help things make more sense.

Sunday September 13 – I worked 10-7:15 and then went to movie night later on. We watched a movie called Bella that I had never heard of. I couldn’t stay awake to watch the whole thing but Dan has lent it to me so I will finish it.

Monday September 14 – I worked at 3:30 so Jeremy came over and we watched Dexter. A TV show about a serial killer. Sarah and Andy talked about it non-stop so I was glad to watch the first couple episodes. After work was games night. We played Things in a Box again which was lots of fun....even though I didn’t get any points :(

Tuesday September 15 – Dan, Jeremy, Heather and I went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch. It is a really good place that has a huge salad bar and lots of other fresh, vegetarian friendly food. PLUS we get a discount. There was lots of good food, including a sundae bar where Heather and I had ice cream with fresh brownies. Such a girl thing but it was really good. I then worked from 4-10 that night. Although it turned into later than 10 because TCR is a huge pain and breaks down all the time so we had to wait for food and beverage to finish before we could even start.

September 9 - 11

Wednesday September 9 – Alex, Jo, a UK Rachel and I got up bright and early to walk to Chatham. We had signed up for the Keys to the Kingdom Tour at the Magic Kingdom. I did this tour a few years ago with Mum so I was really excited. Since our tour was before the park opened we got to go in before everyone else. They had a separate entrance for early tours and people with dining reservations. It was really neat to see Main Street so empty. We headed over to city hall to sign in for our tour. I’m not sure why, but it started a little late so we got to hear the opening of the park. It is a fun park to go to watch the opening of. First a bunch of singers come out and dance. Then the train comes full of characters and the family of the day. They do a little song and officially open the park. We were in a good place waiting for our tour because after all of the characters walked by us to go backstage. A little after our tour guide came and we got started. We walked up Main Street where she told us some of the little details. For example all of the names on the windows are actual people or plays on words. One is the name M.T. Lott. So if you say it sounds like “empty lot.” (How many of you just tried that out loud, lol!!) She then pointed out a window that has something about a casting agency. That window is dedicated to all cast members working at the Magic Kingdom. I was really excited by that. Our next stop was to head backstage and down into the utilidoors!! They are the tunnels that are under the Magic Kingdom. Walt wanted them in Disney World after he say a cowboy from Frontierland walking through Tomorrowland. He thought that ruined the show (which is one of the 4 foundations of the park. Another is efficiency and I can’t remember the other 2). The utilidoors go under nearly the whole park and have TONS of stuff down there. Offices, computer labs, costuming, stock rooms, break trailors, cast cafeteria (that I got to eat at on my Traditions day). Since the land was so swampy, when building the Magic Kingdom they couldn’t dig down into the ground. So they built the utilidoors and the rest of the Magic Kingdom is on the second story. We went downstairs and walked through for a little bit. They have different pictures up on the wall showing the phases of the Magic Kingdom being built, as well as important posters from the company’s history. After walking for a bit we stopped and watched a video about the utilidoors and the different things they have down there that we can’t see. It was the same video I saw a few years ago when I did the tour. Then we walked through a little more and came up really close to where we had gone down. I was a little disappointed because I had thought we would have seen more of the utilidoors. It was only cast members on the tour so they could have. Oh well. We then walked around the park a little more and rode Pirates of the Caribbean. We then went backstage behind Splash Mountain and went into the big hanger where the parade floats are kept. We only stood at one end and could look down, but it is still cool to see the different floats. I really wish I could be there as the get ready for the parade. There must be tons of people around. Then we went back onstage and rode the Haunted Mansion. Our guide told us a few things before riding it, but nothing that Jo and I hadn’t learned on our tour before. That was where our tour ended and our guide left us. It was a good tour but I think there were only a few things that I hadn’t known before. It was very similar (with less detail and shorter) to the time I had done the tour before. But it was free so that was good. I just assumed that since we were all cast members they would have told us a few extra things. I would definitely suggest the tour for anyone who enjoys Disney and wants to learn more about the Magic Kingdom, but I don’t think I’ll do it again.

After the tour Alex, Jo and I walked around the park a bit. We rode the teacups, went and met some Princesses (Cinderella, Belle and Aurora), walked through Minnie’s house, rode the Carousel of Progress (I love that ride and it was the first time I’d done it since I’ve been here), and Buzz Lightyear. I then headed off to work and they stayed to play some more. I had a nice relaxing trip to work. The monorail was closed for a few hours so I took the boat to the Ticket Centre to get the other monorail to Epcot. It was nice taking the boat, I got some good pictures of the different resorts by the Magic Kingdom. I also stopped to take some pictures once I got to Epcot. The ones of me didn’t turn out so great so they won’t make it to facebook. As per usual, pictures are on facebook so check them out there.

I worked til 9:30 that night so had a little something to eat when I got home and played on the computer before going to the Throw In!!! I was really excited because it was the first one I went to after my own. I don’t even know how to describe what went on but it was lots of fun. WAY better watching it then being one of the people thrown in. (Though if anyone reading this is coming down, it is nothing to be afraid of).

Thursday September 10 – I worked 3:30 to 9:30 and I don’t think I did anything in the morning. But that night a whole bunch of us went and saw The Time Traveller’s Wife. I read the book last year so I was really excited to see it. Plus how can you go wrong with Eric Bana? The movie was really good. I cried like a baby. I can’t wait until it comes out and I’ll watch it again. But probably enjoy it even more since I will be able to watch it in bed and cry.

Friday September 11 – I had off! A few of us were going to go to Animal Kingdom. Dan and I went earlier since Ashley and DeAnna had some errands to run, although later DeAnna texted me saying they missed the bus and weren’t coming. It was ok because Dan and I had a great day. We went on the safari, Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl, Everest and saw the Finding Nemo musical. We figured around 2-3ish we were done with the park but kind of hungry so we went over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and ate at Sanaa, the newest restaurant there. It is more Indian influenced. I had some veggie, rice thing in some kind of bread. It was good but I don’t know if I would go back there again. I didn't take too many pictures that day but they are here. Later that night while I was just relaxing, Jo messaged me asking if I wanted to go to the outlet mall and maybe grab something to eat. I was bored so I said yes. A few of us ended up going to Outback to eat. I had a really good pasta and we stayed for a couple hours just talking. It was fun.

World Showcase, Movies, Games and Party

Sunday September 6 I worked until 4 so I decided to bring a change of clothes and wander around World Showcase. I wanted to take lots of pictures of the different pavilions and see the different merchandise they all had. I went slowly around Mexico, Norway and China. While in China I picked up a times guide (a little schedule Disney has telling the times of different shows and attractions) because I wanted to see the Voices of Liberty. They are an really good acapella group that does patriotic songs and some classic Disney songs. Their last show of the day was in about 15 minutes so I walked past Germany and Italy to get to the American Adventure in time. As usual the show was amazing. I started to head back to Germany but say that some really bad looking rain clouds were moving in. So I decided to skip those 2 pavilions and hurry through the rest. I just quickly took a few outside pictures of the others. Then took quite a few in the Canada pavilion. I then went backstage to get my things from my locker and went to catch the bus. As I was walking it started to rain. I was prepared and had my umbrella. The rain didn't last too long but I was already on the bus when it fully stopped. If I had known it was that short I would have waited it out in Epcot. Oh well. Once I got back to the Commons I took a lot of pictures on my walk to my apartment. Just to give people an idea of where I am living. People were home when I got back so I didn't take any in my apartment. Soon I promise. As usual, it is a huge pain to post pictures on here so go to facebook.

Sunday night a few of us decided to have a movie night. This turned into us watching "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" with Neil Patrick Harris. If you haven't seen this I suggest you find it online and watch it. It is HILARIOUS! Then we talked for awhile before deciding to watch "Best in Show." We half watching it, half talked through the whole movie but it was tons of fun. We are turning sunday nights into movie night! I'm excited because I love watching movies.

Monday I worked til 9:30. Later on I went to games night where we played Things in a Box. I'd never played it before and it was lots of fun.

Tuesday I started at 4 but there was a special merchandise party thing going on so Amanda and I went in early to get some free food. They had really good veggie burgers. They also had really good desserts. One was a 3 milk cake. It is basically pound cake with condensed milk, evaporated milk and whipping cream. It was SO good. It was sick how much of that cake I ate (I took leftovers home). I got the recipe so I will be making it in the future. oh! Also at the party I won tickets to go see Cirque du Soleil!!! It was really exciting, but most cast members are getting them. Oh well, they are free! I will enjoy it.

Universal Studios

On Saturday I had the day off again so I went to Universal Studios with a few people. Since a new roller coaster has just opened we wanted to get there really early before the line was too long. It was a little tough getting up in the morning after the Halloween Party but Universal is worth it. We took the I-trolley there which is a bus that goes all along International Drive where a lot of tourist stops are. Normally the trolley is $1.25 (I think) But cast members get to go on for 25 cents! It isn’t as fast as a taxi would be but it is so much cheaper. When we got to Universal a few of us had to buy our seasons passes since it was our first time. We then went and got in the line for the roller coaster. Being at Universal always reminds me of how much I love Disney. Yeah most people are nice enough but they don’t have the guest service that Disney has and they don’t pay attention to as much detail. Their lines for rides are just plain lines while Disney themes the whole thing. Oh well, the roller coaster was AMAZING! When you get on the ride you pick what music you want to listen to. I chose “I Will Survive.” The ride starts by basically going straight up and then down a big hill. It doesn’t actually go upside down so there is only a lap bar! Eeek! It is a really big, secure one but still. The ride does go sideways a couple times though so it looks like it goes upside down. It was really fast and had quite a few hills. But it was amazing and I can’t wait to go on it again. It was definitely worth the hour wait. We then rode the mummy ride and decided to get something to eat. Then we rode the Jaws ride. Last time I did it, if you were on the left side of the boat you got a little splash (or at least that’s what I remember). That is not the case anymore. That shark pushes a HUGE wave of water over the side of the boat. I was on the far left so I had it all on my back (since I turned away when the wave came) and my shorts were soaked. Poor Fiona was really wet from the back but looking from the front it looked like she had an “accident”. We then waited for the Men in Black ride. It was a little chilly in there. We went over to do the E.T. ride but it was broken so we walked around their store. When we came out the ride was fixed so we rode it. But he didn’t say our names L We then decided that we had had enough so we left to walk to the bus stop. While waiting for the bus we tried to figure out where to go and eat and finally decided on Olive Garden. They have a special deal right now where you can get a bottomless bowl of pasta for $9!! I thought it would be just the pasta but we still got the soup or salad and bread! I love things like that where you definitely get your money’s worth. After dinner we caught the bus back to the outlet mall and walked to the commons.

I didn't take too many pictures, but here they are.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

So like I said in my last post I was going to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. After posting I straightened my hair and sat around for awhile. I then got into my costume to walk to the bus stop to meet some other people. I must say that wearing a Snow White costume in the beginning of September looks a little odd so I got some weird looks. At the bus stop there are a bunch of benches. There were a bunch of Japanese people sitting there. When they saw me they all oooed and ahhhed at me. One asked if I worked at the Magic Kingdom. I am assuming that they are new. I met Ashley (no costume) and Dan (ghostbuster!! woot woot!). We then had to walk to another apartment complex to get the bus to Magic Kingdom. That was pretty embarassing. Especially since we were early and had to wait for awhile. Anyway we ended up getting the bus and got off at the ticket and transportation center. It was not as embarassing there because there were more people who were heading to the party. We hopped on the monorail and then arrived at the Magic Kingdom!!!! I had seen the first bits of Halloween decorations when Uncle Mike and Auntie Mary were in town but there was much more! And there was smoke coming from by the train station.


ok, so we went through the little ticket booth and ran into other Canadians. We were then taking pictures of the train station when someone asked for Snow White. I turned around and there was a lady who was leaving the park. She said that they had been in the park all day and hadn't seen any princesses (she had 2 little girls) and would it be possible to take a picture of me. Obviously I said yes and I squatted down so the girls could stand with me. One girl came ran to hug me and nearly pushed me over. So the mom took the picture and they went away. That moment completely made my night. I would have been happy leaving after that.



Of course I didn't leave. We wandered around the entrance of main street to try to find other Canadians. We found them and started on our way! Our first stop was to get a group picture in front of the castle. Then we went to Mickey's Toontown Fair to start getting candy! On our way to Toontown we stopped for a picture with the White Rabbit and TweedleDee and TweedleDum. We continued on our way and went down the Alice in Wonderland candy trail. Since it was her trail we met Alice at the beginning. After that we walked around to get some more candy. Then settled down for a place to watch the parade from. It was an excellent parade! It starts with a headless horseman. There was also the groundskeeper and dog from the Haunted Mansion ride. Such a cute bloodhound! After the parade we got some more candy and then went over to Pirates of the Caribbean. There were so many of us we almost filled the boat. Then more candy and time to head over to Main Street to watch the fireworks. They were really good but not as good as Wishes (the normal, everyday Magic Kingdom fireworks). After the fireworks we went and rode the Haunted Mansion! It is such a good ride, but I think the best part was Dan (the guy who dressed as a ghostbuster) sat through the whole ride with his gun out and ready. When we went through the ballroom he shot at all of the ghosts. I really wish I could have taken a picture during the ride. Unfortunately though, he is not a very good ghostbuster since he only got 1. There are still 998 in the mansion. We got some funny pictures outside of the Mansion. We then headed back to Liberty Square to get ready for the parade. Yes, the exact same parade. We watched it twice! When the parade was over our big group split up. A few of us went into Fantasyland. We rode Peter Pan, and saw Mickey’s Philharmagic. While waiting for Philharmagic a kid came up to Dan and asked what he was. It made us feel really old since he had never heard of ghostbusters. I wanted to go and meet Snow White after but the line was really long so we just went and got more candy. The party was over then so we hopped on the monorail and took the bus home. The bus from Epcot had just gotten in when we got back to the commons so I got some more weird looks. The party was tons of fun and I am excited to go again when mum is here.

I have lots of pictures but posting them on here is a pain. Just go to facebook to look at them.

By request

So I got a wonderful message from my friend Stephen (I miss you!!!) asking me to update my blog. I decided to listen to him and update. Not much has happened in the past week though.

On Sunday I worked 10:45-10pm!! It was a really long shift but it will be worth it since I will get overtime pay! I don't mind working a long day because I get more money and on days when I work late I don't really do anything anyway.

Monday I worked 4-10. After work I went to games night. We played Disney Scene It! I love that game. I was on team Merchemy (2 of us from merch and someone named Jeremy). We were winning for most of the game but then near the end we got tons of Buzz cards and we didn't move for ages. The last bit of the game was so close and unfortunately we didn't win :( But I have never had such a close game. It was lots of fun.

Tuesday I worked 3:30-9:30. It was the first time in ages I didn't work until 10!!! The person who works til 10 goes with one person from the UK to deposit the money at TCR from all of the shops in the two pavilions. Very rarely do we actually finish at 10. Usually at 10:10. It is fairly easy to do. But it is just frustrating if the machine breaks or if something else goes wrong.

Wednesday morning I went to downtown Disney to buy a couple of things to go with my Snow White costume. I figured I would see if the wig would fit my head and while I was there I bought the little sequined apple purse that goes with it. I came home and tried the wig on... it does not fit. If it was a little bigger it would fit my head but there is no way I would be able to get my hair under it. So I will go return it another time. I haven't decided yet if I am going to keep the bag or not. Oo I just spoke to my room mate and she has a little black purse! Perfect! Wednesday I then work from 4-10. But we sped through TCR and finished at 9:50!!! The thing that sucked though was we has to wait until 10 to clock out so we missed the 10:10 bus and had to wait until the 10:30 bus.

Thursday Fiona, Alex and I went to the Halloween store. They had some nice things there but they were really expensive. After we got the bus home I walked over to the outlet mall to see if I could find a cute little purse. I didn't so I came home, had some lunch and went to work. Again from 4-10.

Today I haven't done too much. Just some laundry and banking stuff. I am going to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party later tonight (thus the things for my Snow White costume). I am really excited for it and will take lots and lots of pictures. I have tomorrow off as well. I'm not too sure what I'm doing yet. Maybe I will wander around World Showcase. Who knows. That will be a big surprise to come in my next post!

The past month

So yesterday was my one month anniversary of being here in Florida. I have been super busy but having lots of fun. I guess I will try to pick up from where I left off....and try to continue writing in this thing.

Tuesday August 4 - I had my first day of training at Epcot. The first thing we did was go and get my costume! The oh so beautiful culottes! We then went over to Canada. It was a lot of web based learning (aka boring) but I spend some time on stage. I was really nervous having to interact with guests. Mainly because I was being watched and didn't want to do anything wrong.

Wednesday August 5 - I had merchantainment at Disney University. This is basically a Disney word mixing merchandise and entertainment. Because Disney is first and foremost and entertainment company. We got to play around with the cash registers trying different transactions. There were only 4 people in my class and I was the only international person. The other 3 were just new cast members. Two of the people were older guys and really annoying! I got an earful of all of the annoying Canadian jokes. I think I got more in those few hours then I have gotten at work since then. After lunch we had to do more web based learning. There was a HUGE thunderstorm going on, but luckily it stopped just before I had to leave.

Thursday August 6 - More training at Canada. I got to do some actual transactions and spent more time with guests.

Friday August 7 - Basically the same again. But this shift I was closing. As most people know Illuminations (the fireworks at Epcot) are my favourite. It really sucks closing though because as soon as the fireworks start we hurry to put the flaps down on the cart and get inside. I was really bummed because I could hear the fireworks but couldn't watch them.

Saturday August 8 - I had my Discovery Day at Epcot. This is a day that all new cast members have to do. There is a little bit of info in a class room then we headed out to walk around the park and learn more. We walked around future world a bit and rode Spaceship Earth. We then got on a boat to get the quick tour of World Showcase. I love finding out all of the info about the park. There are so many little details that most people don't know about or even notice. That ended at noon so I headed back home for a little bit. I then went back to Epcot to meet Alex after she finished work. We wandered around a little bit. Stopped in the American Adventure to get a funnel cake! Yum! Then got a spot to watch Illuminations. Since I had heard the beginning the night before I really wanted to watch it and luckily Alex agreed. We were in Germany to watch it and spoke to some guests while we were waiting for it to start. I've never watched Illuminations from that side of World Showcase but I really enjoyed it. We had a really pretty view of Spaceship Earth and Canada. Of course I bawled my eyes out while watching them.

Sunday August 9 - The first half of the day I finished my training. The second half I was on my own and in rotation. I loved finally being on my own because it meant there wasn't anyone watching my every move.

Monday August 10 - I worked 4 - 10. I can't remember what I did in the morning.

Tuesday August 11 - I was off!! Jo and I had enrolled in Mickey's Magical Milestones tour at the Magic Kingdom. It was an adventure getting there because the bus to MK doesn't come to the commons (the complex I live in) so we took a bus to another complex but when the bus came there it wasn't labelled right so we didn't get on it. We caught the next bus and made our way to guest relations as fast as we could. Luckily the tour was still outside so we didn't miss it! It was a really fun tour talking about how walt and Mickey have similarities and some of the different backround stories that are a part of Disney World. It was lots of fun and I would do it again because the differnt tour guides probably have different information to give. Also it is Free!! After our tour Jo and I played in Magic Kingdom. I finally got to do Jungle Cruise! I love that ride! We also watched the parade. We sat on the curb waiting for it to start and I seriously thought I was going to burn my bumb. It was so hot! That night a few of us went to Downtown Disney.

Wednesday August 12 - I had another day off so a bunch of us went to Animal Kingdom. It is such a fun park. We did everest, festival of the lion king, some people did tough to be a bug, lunch, dinosaur, everest again, finding nemo the musical and the safari. It was crazy hot outside but lots of fun. We also met a bunch of different characters when we first got to the park. Riding Dinosaur was lots of fun. We had a car to ourself and planned to all do the Disney Point for the picture. It came out really funny because of some people's reactions to the ride. My favourite was Sian who was practically in my lap. About half of us left the park early because we were so tired and they all worked early the next morning. On our way out I stopped and got some popcorn. The best popcorn in the world!

Thursday August 13 - I worked at 7 pm so it felt like I had another day off. I went to property control in the morning. For people who don't know, property control is where damaged or lost items go and cast members can buy for really cheap. I bought a cook book that is normally $40 but it had a rip on the cover so I paid $10. Next to property control is cast connection where they have discontinued items for really cheap. I bought some pins there and 4 lithographs (1 for each park) for $1!!! Jo and I got a ride to Epcot where we did Test Track! And Maelstrom, a boat ride in the Norway Pavilion. I didn't do much else, just lounged around the pool. It was extra magic hours so I finished at 1am. It was really late but I enjoyed it because it was a relaxing close, not frantic as soon as the fireworks started. I could also pay a little bit of attention to the fireworks as they were on.

August 14, 15, 16, 17 - I worked until 9:30-10ish all three nights. I can't remember what else I did. I know Friday I went to Bennigans with some of the UK people. That's about it.

Tuesday August 18 - I had an early shift and finished work at 4. I think I went over to Jo's that night and we watched a League of Their Own. It is such a good movie! I then went to a throw out after that. I got a book about Disney World because I am the coolest person ever. We also had new people arrive that day so I am no longer the newbie!!

Wednesday August 19 - This was Becky's 21st Birthday!! We went to Hollywood Studios! We missed the bus *cough* Jo *cought* So we took the bus to Epcot and then the boat to Studios. I sat next to a girl and her mom on the boat and we talked about pin trading. We did Tower of Terror, had some lunch, watched the block party bash parade (which is lots of fun!) did the back lot tour. We were going to trick Becky into doing it since it was her birthday and her first time at studios but she knew something was going on and wouldn't do it. So Jess, Michelle, Jo and I did it instead. It was lots of fun. I never get tired of doing it. We then left Studios because we were going to Outback for Becky's birthday dinner. After we got a cab to the Boardwalk to go to Jellyrolls. A dueling piano bar that is tons of fun. As we were walking on the boardwalk to get there some random guy started talking to us going on and on about how much he loves people from the UK. I said I was Canadian and he went on and on about how much he loves Canada. It was really creepy and I'm pretty sure he was a little drunk. We then went into Jellyrolls where I asked them to play any classic disney song for Becky's birthday. The guys brought her and 3 people (me, Sian, and Alex) to sing and dance to a song. The one that keeps adding things to a tree and the tree was in the hole and the green grass grew around. If that makes any sense. I knew the song from camp but it was pretty funny to watch the others who had no idea what was going on. They then played When You Wish Apon a Star for Becky. Tear. We had lots of fun and I can't wait to go back to Jellyrolls. The only thing that sucked about that night was that we had gotten new people and their throw in was that night.

Wednesday August 20 - I had the day off again and Karri, Louisa and I went to Hollywood Studios. We got there nice and early to get fast passes to Toy Story Mania!! We had some breakfast before going over to Tower of Terror, which was too funny listening to Karri screaming and holding on for dear life. We were then going to muppets but our time came for our fastpasses so we did that. That was my first time doing Toy Story Mania and it was amazing!!! I don't know how imagineers come up with these rides. I can't wait until it isn't as busy and I can do it again. We then planned on going to the animation class where you learn to draw a character but as we got there I saw that the characters from Up were there so we waited in line to meet them. we then headed over to Epcot where they were having a cast appreciation thing going on. They had free food, including some that will be at the food and wine festival. There were characters, people giving out free stuff. And the best part was they had an area with cheap merchandise!! I spent $50 but saved over $120!!!! And some of the stuff I bought is still in stores! It was lots of fun. I also won a basket of organic vegetables from the land for going up on stage and being the happiest vegetarian. They were really good veggie, and a nice backet too! That night Matt, Fiona, Jo, Becky and I headed back to Studios to watch Fantasmic. We managed to do Rockin' Roller Coaster before! I was good and didn't cry while watching this show! I was proud of myself. (Even though it was touch and go at some points)

August 21 and 22 - I just worked. Nothing too exciting that I can remember.

Sunday August 23 - I finished work at 7:15 so I met people at Magic Kingdom where we did Philharmagic, met Ariel, and saw the Hall of Presidents. That finished just as Wishes started so we made our way through the crown (and got some mean comments) up to the top of Main Street where we watched the ending. As soon as they were over we hightailed it out of there and managed to catch the earlier bus.

Monday August 24 - Jo and I went to do the behind the scenes tour of the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom!! The tour started at 7am and since there isn't a bus from the commons we left at 5:45ish to walk to Chatham to take the bus from there. We then had to go through the tunnels to come up by Liberty Square. I'd been in the tunnels before and knew that they are labeled pretty well so I wasn't too worried but it was kind of nice because there were some other people just ahead of us that we followed. The tour was the most amazing thing that I have done here so far! We walked through the ride with the lights on. The lady who was taking us through has work there since 1983! So she definetly knows what she is talking about. She told us some really neat things and we got to touch some of the props or part of the building. It was really cool and I will enjoy the ride even more now. After we walked the whole ride we went outside and then back into the basement, through the control room and into.... the ballroom!!! I knew how it worked but it was still really neat to actually be in the room to see everything. We then got to ride the ride with the lights off. I would definetly do that tour again. It was supposed to go from 7-8:30 but it went until nearly 9 (I didn't complain). When we came out Liberty Square was empty. I've never seen Magic Kingdom like that so it was kind of creepy. But at the same time I loved it. We saw the crowd of people waiting to get in, and as soon as 9 hit they swarmed in. Jo and I made our way against the crowd to the front of the park to catch the monorail to the contemporary. From there we got the bus to Typhoon Lagoon to meet Uncle Mike, Auntie Mary, Lisa and Jennifer. We went in and stayed for about half an hour. From there Jo and I tried to make out way to Epcot since I worked at 12:15 and she worked at 12:30. It was very difficult and we had to take a bus to downtown Disney, then to Riverside and finally to Epcot. We had time to run to Oddesy to grab something to eat before heading off to work.

Tuesday August 25 - I made my way to be at Magic Kingdom for 8:30 to meet the family and play for a bit. It was fun since I have only done bits and pieces of MK. It was weird because on the monorail I always look at the train station as we get to MK. This time it looked different because over night they had added orange and brown banners to the station and all along main street. There was also a big crane putting stuff on the castle. Halloween in coming soon! The first thing we did when we got in the park was go on Pirate of the Carribean. Then we went to Splash Mountain (my first time doing it since I've gotten here). We then did Haunted Mansion where I pointed things out to Lisa and Jennifer. Then Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh. We went to tomorrowland and did the race cars. Then back to Liberty Square for some lunch. We did Jungle cruise somewhere in there. I think that may be it. We left the park as they wanted to go back to the hotel for a bit and I had to be at work for 4. I got to Epcot fairly early so I did the Finding Nemo ride and wandered around Innoventions for a bit.

Wednesday August 26 - I went to Epcot early. I went straight to the break trailer to drop off my work stuff then went to the front of the park to meet the family again. As soon as the park opened Lisa and I went to Test Track to get fast passes, we then met the others at Soarin' and rode that. We rode Test Track then did Mission Space. That was my 2nd time doing that on the green level and I think I may be brave enough to try the orange level. We then went for lunch at the Seasons Cafe in the land. I think that may have been all we did. We left Epcot around 1 and went back to their hotel where we rented a boat for an hour. It was relaxing to sit in the boat and go to Downtown Disney and back. After getting a snack and some drinks in the cafeteria Uncle Mike drove me to Epcot where I had to work at 4 (surprise, surprise). It was a good shift, even though it was pretty constant rain.

Thursday August 27 - We had a merch meeting with all of France, UK and Canada at 8:30 (yuck!) Some security people came and spoke to us, including the K-9 unit!! We got to pet one of the dogs during a break, he was so cute I could have played with him forever. There were then little skits with themed greetings and conversations for each of the countries. The meeting was over at 10:30 and I took the bus home. Our locks had been changed on Tuesday but since I was out of the house from before 8 until nearly 11 I hadn't been able to get knew keys til Thursday. I threw my costumes in the wash before having a nap. I then had to go to work for 4. It was a pain to close that night because the machine we use to deposit the money broke so we had to manually count every single bill.

Friday August 28 - I got to sleep in!!! It was my day off and Uncle Mike, Auntie Mary, Lisa and Jennifer were taking me to Target to go grocery shopping! It was definetly needed. They dropped me off and I put my groceries away, cleaned a little bit and then went to sleep for a few hours. I have had a huge lack of sleep the last few days and definetly needed that. I got up and made some dinner, talked to mum on Skype (who I hadn't talked to for nearly 2 weeks), looked at a few things online, talked to Alex for a bit and went to bed.

Saturday August 29 (today) - I'm off again so I slept in until nearly 11, I read for a little bit, had something to eat and have been typing out this super long blog. I promise I will try to stay on top of this more often. It is such a pain to add pictures to this thing so go to my facebook to look at them. bye!

The first week

So after we did the airboat tour we went back to the hotel and I got things organized to check into Vista Way. I headed over at around 1:30 and was probably out of there by 2. They just gave me my room key, a welcome bag of fun treats, and a packet full of information for the first few days. I then headed over to The Commons where I emptied the car of all of my junk. There were a few empty beds (in an apartment of 8 people!) that I had to choose from so I picked the other Canadian. We share the bedroom and the bathroom is shared between 4 of us! So far there haven't been any problems with 4 girls sharing one bathroom. Luckily each room has a sink which makes things a little bit better. The kitchen has 2 fridges, a dishwasher (which I love!) and all of the pots and pans, utensils and dishes. They aren't in the greatest condition but oh well. The counters in the kitchen are pretty gross, there are burn marks from where pots have been put on them. And there isn't a whole ton of cupboard space, but I got some tubs that I have in my closet for some extra food.

On Wednesday and Thursday we had some meetings and filling out paperwork. For the most part it was pretty boring but the guy who told us about things we aren't allowed to have (weapons) and the top 10 reasons why people get terminated was pretty funny. On Wednesday night I had my throw in. I was so nervous for it, but it actually wasn't too bad. I will be glad to be on the other side for the next throw in. Thursday we finished pretty early so Mum, Sarah and David picked me up and we went for dinner at Downtown Disney. Then Saarah, David and I went into Typhoon Lagoon. Unfortunately, in Florida this time of year it likes to have HUGE thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. So we had barely gotten into the wave pool when a storm started and we had to leave. On the way out I upgraded the day ticket into a season's pass. On Friday we had the day off so we were going to go to a water park but everyone decided to save their money and we walked around Downtown Disney for a while. We also went to Walmart that day.

Saturday we had to get up bright and early for Traditions. This is a day long class where we learn about the company, some of it's policies and what it means to be cast members. I had been really looking forward to this day! Mainly because it's the day where we got our name tags and ID to go into the parks! I had a really good table so that made it even more fun. During the day if you answered a question or gave any kind of input you would get a little Disney Critter. All I wanted to get was 1 of them (I got 5, lol!) One little activity we did was as a group write down as many animated characters as possible. I was voted group leader (thanks Fiona!). It was hard to write everything down because everyone was talking at once and I couldn't write as fast as they were talking. If I were to go back and look at that paper it probably wouldn't make sense because I didn't write out the whole character's name, just enough for me at the time to know what it was. We one the little game, by 10 or 11 characters! So we got a critter for that, and I got an extra one for being the team leader. Just before lunch we got our ID badges and hopped on a bus to go to the Magic Kingdom mouseketeria. This was lots of fun because it is right at the entrance of the tunnels! We saw lots of different people while we were there. Once being a wicked stepsister from Cinderella! On our way out after lunch some people were unloading different costumes from a truck. There were quite a few princess dresses. We then finished up our day at traditions and headed back home to change.

We all went back home and relaxed for a few hours before meeting up and going to the Magic Kingdom!!! It was so painful that I was in Florida for nearly a week before I went into a park. The first thing we did was go get our first visit and celebrating pins. I liked going with people who have never been to Disney before. It was so exciting. We did a few rides; Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mickey's Philharmagic, It's a Small World, and The Haunted Mansion. Then people went to get something to eat and we got a spot to watch Wishes. I love fireworks so much! I am also not afraid to admit that I cried while watching them. I am so happy to be here and can't believe that I get to work for Walt Disney World! We then had to go with all of the crowds to get the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center to get our bus back to The Commons.


Sunday and Monday I had off. Everyone else was working so I hung out around the apartment, went to the outlet mall to buy hiking boots for my costume and went to multiple stores to find money to put on my cell phone. On Sunday night we walked around Downtown Disney for a bit. We got a really good brownie sunday from Ghiradelli's to share between 3 of us. We then went to House of Blues for a bit. I wasn't a big fan of the music they were playing so I don't think I will be heading back there anytime soon. On Monday night I went to Games Night. All of the pavilions have drinking teams that party with other countries. Canada also has a games night where people play board games. I had fun and it was good to know to get to know some other Canadians.