"You Can't Make Disney Your Permanent Residence." COMPLETE! 10/21 x 2

[murmkc]

I love reading your trip reports and checking out your awesome photos!

Can't wait to see how many of us make it out next year!

 

[sue_88]

I was pretty far behind but it was nice catching up today!
Are you at Disney right now?? My sister was there on Thursday. I can picture you two passing each other even if it didn't happen.
I loved how you were singing on The Land boat! My sister and I often do that too and my nephew usually acts embarrassed by our behavior! "Is it raining, is it snowing, is a hurricane a blowing? The danger MUST be growing."
I love that you were able to stay some of your group had to leave. I really want to take a longer trip next time. It's so much fun to have been there a week or more and still be able to tell yourself that you have plenty of time left and just keep relaxing and staying in the Disney frame of mind. Bliss.
Hmmm. I never thought of Tigger as a possible future Doctor! He is ginger too! The BBC loves recycling the actors, I keep seeing the guy who played Van Gogh as a possible future Doctor. How are you enjoying Capaldi?
Staying at BLT! I need to do that someday. I have read several reports of those who were staying there and it does look really nice. Great views too.
I thought about you recently! I went to Hastings in Lawrence. There was a lot of road construction right there. I love a bookstore and it was worth it.
As usual, I really enjoy your reporting. Hopefully we will get a new report too!

 

[murmkc]

Awesome. I already said that - but still.

 

[dawnmichele]

I know it seems like I forgot about you and this trip report, but I did not. You know how life conspires to keep you from doing the stuff you want to sometimes. I will post more about this after I get this day's photos uploaded.

But first, let's get on to the rest of the MVMCP parade!

Hello Belle!

Hey Aladdin! I see you there being charming!

Hey Tiana!

Goofy loves candy.

I think these girls do, too.

This girl seemed like she was having the best time! She was chatting with the parade viewers and living it up!

Look at all that snoap!

Up next: The end of the evening.


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[dawnmichele]

Ready for still more parade pictures? Ok!

The wooden soldiers were still my favorites. I love how clompy they are!

Santa it’s me!

After the parade thinned out, the three of us walked back to BLT.
Remember the DCP bus?

I don’t remember what those two went to do when we were back at our resort, but I know it was time for me to head to our room and hit the bed. There were more days to come!

Up next: Guess who got accepted to the DCP!!


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[dawnmichele]

Remember back in September when I told you I applied for the Disney College Program? Here's the post about it if you don't.

A couple days after my phone interview, I got pended.
No one is really sure what pended means. Disney says it means they need a little longer to look at your application and make their decision but they weren't making any decisions yet so the obviously needed longer to make the decision for everyone. It's not a bad thing, but it's not really a great thing either, I guess? I don't know, but it did bum me out greatly and kind of dampened my excitement about the whole thing. I still wanted to do it just as badly, but I just thought I should pump my brakes on my excitement and consider the possibility that I might not actually be accepted.

And then I waited.
And waited and waited and waited.

Eventually people started to get accepted, but not many. The word from Disney was still that most of the decisions would be made in mid to late October. My family had plans to be at Disney World from October 18 through the 30th, so I set my heart on finding out while we were there.

A few days into my trip, a lot of people started getting accepted. I had made some friends on the DCP Facebook group and one day I got the message one of them had been accepted. The next day another did. After that my best DCP friend got the congratulations email.

I was going a little crazy, but I was also at Disney World so there was plenty to distract me. I focused on the vacation I was having and having a good time with my family, and tried to push all the DCP news to the back of my mind.

The day after my best DCP friend got her acceptance I was checking my email (on my phone) like a teenager. And then it happened.

We had just ridden Star Tours. Danny and I made our way out to his scooter to wait while Hannah bought a gift for a friend in the dump shop. I pulled out my phone like I had been doing after every ride and there it was -- my congratulations email.

I could barely believe it. I couldn't even really read the whole thing. I just skimmed it. I told Danny and then waited for Hannah while I rambled on about "I can't believe it." and "Oh my goodness." and "I think I'm going to cry." I guess I seemed pretty emotional because a lady sitting near us asked Danny if I was ok.

Here's a picture Danny took right after I found out:

After Hannah came out and I told her, I let my online friends know. I wanted to rush back to my laptop in our room to accept the offer and find out what role I had been cast in, but we had some fastpasses to use and I still wanted to enjoy the vacation we were having together, so I decided to wait.

When we eventually got back to our room I logged on and found out I was in Merchandise. Which was not at all my top choice. I have to admit I thought about not accepting for a while. I talked to my mom and she said "Well in the spring are you going to be at Disney regretting being there, or at home wishing you had accepted?"

Good point, mom.

I accepted, paid my fees and picked my dates.

Of course there are a million more details and I'm sure I'll share them, but this post is pretty long already! So I'll share them another time. But that's my long happy story.

I check in January 26th, and my last day will be May 15th. That means I start in 47 days. To say I'm excited could not be more of an understatement!!

I'm really going to try to get this report done before I leave, and maybe even barebones reports for my other trips. Based on my history that seems unlikely, but it's also kind of unlikely that I'd be on my way to do the DCP at age 48, right? As they sing in the Dream Along with Mickey show - Any dream is possible!

So now let's get back to Day 13 of my 16 day last December trip report...

 

[disfanforlife]

Congratulations! My daughter starts the same day as you. She didn't get her first choice in role either but still did not hesitate to accept. She will be working in full service food and beverage. Hope you have a great time!

 

[dawnmichele]

Congratulations! My daughter starts the same day as you. She didn't get her first choice in role either but still did not hesitate to accept. She will be working in full service food and beverage. Hope you have a great time!

Thank you so much! I am so excited I can sometimes not even stand it.
Of course my first choice was PhotoPass, but it didn't take long until I saw the up side of not getting PhotoPass. Number 1 upside is this: if I am spending all day most days taking photos, then when it comes to my days off I might not feel like touching a camera At All. And honestly the opportunity to take pictures of Disney World with no rush or time limit was one of the first things that made me want to do the program in the first place!

Congrats to your daughter! I bet she's as excited as I am. You can tell her to look me up if you/she wants!

 

[dawnmichele]

I was pretty far behind but it was nice catching up today!
Are you at Disney right now?? My sister was there on Thursday. I can picture you two passing each other even if it didn't happen.

Hey!! Yes, I was at Disney when you sent that reply - which is probably why I missed this until now! We probably did pass each other - or maybe we chatted while we waited in line together

I loved how you were singing on The Land boat! My sister and I often do that too and my nephew usually acts embarrassed by our behavior! "Is it raining, is it snowing, is a hurricane a blowing? The danger MUST be growing."

Seriously, I can't believe it doesn't make everyone think of that. It's exactly the same.

I love that you were able to stay some of your group had to leave. I really want to take a longer trip next time. It's so much fun to have been there a week or more and still be able to tell yourself that you have plenty of time left and just keep relaxing and staying in the Disney frame of mind. Bliss.

I was sad they had to leave, but man it was great to stay that long. Yes, it was just that idea that I didn't need to rush and I could take as long as I wanted. Fantastic.

How are you enjoying Capaldi?

Seriously? I feel like I don't even know because this season was more of "The Clara Show". I do not like her *at all*. But that's another rant. Private message me if you want to talk more about it.

Staying at BLT! I need to do that someday. I have read several reports of those who were staying there and it does look really nice. Great views too.

Bay Lake is so fantastic. It's not my favorite in terms of theming, but there's no way you can beat that view! And the ability to walk to the Magic Kingdom. LOVE it, and huge thanks to my brother for making it happen. He just made reservations for us all to go back a year from now!

I thought about you recently! I went to Hastings in Lawrence. There was a lot of road construction right there. I love a bookstore and it was worth it.
As usual, I really enjoy your reporting. Hopefully we will get a new report too!

That road construction is Out Of Control! It's been going on for 20 years or more, it seems.
Thanks for the kind words. I hope you saw my post about being accepted to the DCP - I can not believe I'm about to go live there. Talk about being able to take my time touring the parks!!
I'm planning to post a bunch of updates for day 13 tomorrow, if life will co-operate.

 

[dawnmichele]

Ahhh Baloo. I love the pictures of you dancing with Baloo and then him crushing you with a big bear hug. I totally get the excitement over seeing a character that you love but don't get to see very often, or ever.

Funny picture of your brother on the ground while you were both up on the balcony.

Great picture with the dwarfs. I have never seen them in the parks so that is awesome that you got a picture with all of them.

Looking forward to your next update.

Hey there!
I bet I will always remember that Baloo moment. That's what Disney means by magical.

My brother lives for funny photos. It's part of what makes going on vacation with him so fun!!

I had to wait in line for a Long time to get that dwarf picture, but it was so worth it!

Thanks for still reading! I'm hoping to go fast with the rest of the updates.

 

[DynamicDisney]

LOVE the celebration pin! Congrats on getting accepted into the DCP! I am sure your Mom was right when she said what she did, and any of us would have to agree! I am sure you are going to have a blast, and are going to learn so much more about Disney! Jealous!

 

[dawnmichele]

LOVE the celebration pin! Congrats on getting accepted into the DCP! I am sure your Mom was right when she said what she did, and any of us would have to agree! I am sure you are going to have a blast, and are going to learn so much more about Disney! Jealous!

Thanks! Wearing the pin was so much fun! I loved it when CMs would comment. The funniest thing was when I was with my DD21, about half the CMs would look at my button, look at her, and then ask HER if she was accepted to the DCP. Too funny!

Mom's are really brilliant sometimes, aren't they?

 

[disfanforlife]

Thank you so much! I am so excited I can sometimes not even stand it.
Of course my first choice was PhotoPass, but it didn't take long until I saw the up side of not getting PhotoPass. Number 1 upside is this: if I am spending all day most days taking photos, then when it comes to my days off I might not feel like touching a camera At All. And honestly the opportunity to take pictures of Disney World with no rush or time limit was one of the first things that made me want to do the program in the first place!

Congrats to your daughter! I bet she's as excited as I am. You can tell her to look me up if you/she wants!

Are you staying in your own apartment?

 

[dawnmichele]

Are you staying in your own apartment?

Nope. I'm staying in Disney housing (hopefully The Commons). I already have my roommate picked out (as long as Disney co-operates) and she's about my same age. We have a couple of apartment mates picked out as well, and they are in their 20s.

 

[disfanforlife]

Nope. I'm staying in Disney housing (hopefully The Commons). I already have my roommate picked out (as long as Disney co-operates) and she's about my same age. We have a couple of apartment mates picked out as well, and they are in their 20s.

Good for you! My daughter is incredibly excited. She just moved out of her dorm today! Next year when she goes back for her senior year she will be in an apartment. I will tell her about you! She is also requesting commons as her first choice and has 5 other girls with similar interests that want to room together. I just hope that she likes her job. I know she will love being at Disney!

 

[dawnmichele]

Good for you! My daughter is incredibly excited. She just moved out of her dorm today! Next year when she goes back for her senior year she will be in an apartment. I will tell her about you! She is also requesting commons as her first choice and has 5 other girls with similar interests that want to room together. I just hope that she likes her job. I know she will love being at Disney!

Yes, no matter how the job turns out, I think it's the living at Disney World that's the exciting part!

 

[dawnmichele]

Ok, here’s an important warning. I was left all alone in the Animal Kingdom with my camera on this day, so be prepared for far too many pictures. Seriously.

When I woke up on my pull out couch at Bay Lake Tower, it was Wednesday December 11, 2014. Almost a year ago. I have absolutely no notes from this day, but from my photos it’s clear that I spent the day taking way too many photos at the Animal Kingdom.

Sorry/not sorry.

You can tell I was in the mood to take photos from these I took on the way to the bus stop.

I also took a lot of photos at this point because I waited forever on a bus for the AK. Not even kidding. My notes say I was at the stop at 8:05 but arrived at the AK at 9:20. There was even a CM out there who was supposed to be monitoring things (I used to remember his name but I don’t any more). A lot of people were talking to him about the wait for our bus, but he was mostly useless. It was especially frustrating because I was up early to catch the morning extra magic hour at the park, and instead I spent it standing around waiting. BLT is fantastic is you’re taking the monorail, but the bus stop there is worse than any bus stop I’ve ever used. Just saying.

Once I got to the AK I was hungry! I decided to stop at Pizzafari for breakfast since I had enjoyed their breakfast before. It was totally empty which was great. For some reason I decided to try something new.

It was some kind of goat cheese and spinach something or other and I hated it. I guess everyone else did too because I couldn’t find it on their menu when I just looked it up. The day was starting out with two strikes, but don’t worry - it got better.

I went back and got some oatmeal. It’s always good at Disney.

Oh, the beautiful tree. Always a welcome sight.

The day had just started, but I was already so in love with being there by myself and able to stop for as long as I wanted to take as many photos as I wanted. It was perfect.

I warned you too many photos, right?

I had read a lot of talk about people with service dogs at the World, but hadn’t seen any before this trip. I love dogs, and we’ve spent a lot of time talking about getting one for Hannah, so I paparazzied this guy with his service dogs.

What do I always ride first at the Animal Kingdom?

That’s right. The safari.


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[dawnmichele]

For your safety, do not dance on this ride.

The giraffes were definitely co-operating with this safari. Look, they’re running!

Sometimes I feel sorry for the lonely boy elephant. I know that’s how they roll in the wild, but he just looks bored and lonely to me.

Two rhinos.

This safari was so good I even got to see the cheetahs clearly.

And check out the lion.

Zebra wanted in on the action. He was RIGHT UP NEXT TO the safari vehicle. The blurry part in the bottom corner? The vehicle.

I think it was a good safari because it was feeding time. This ostrich was ready.

Someone left their laundry.

Real or Fake? The inside of a termite mound.

Next: The Pangani Trail

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[dawnmichele]

Next I walked through the Pangani trail.
Hey little monkey.

Ok, here come the gorillas. I almost always hate seeing gorillas in captivity. They are too smart and they are usually in some seriously unworthy surroundings. But in the Animal Kingdom their habitat seems impressive to me (not that I’m a gorilla expert at all), and they seem to be treated with respect. I appreciate that, and I appreciate being able to get a close up and amazing chance to watch these fascinating creatures.

Feeding time had just passed, and this guy was playing in his food container.

The white dots are not dust or dirt on the lens, they’re little bugs that did not want to leave this guy alone.

He’s bringing booty back.

So serious.

Yum!

I’m not sure this one liked me.

I call this one “Paint me like one of your French girls.”

I headed out after that and walked towards Asia.

A photopass guy took my picture here in front of the gorgeous tree.

Next: Walking to Asia

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[dawnmichele]

And then I took a bunch of my own pictures of the gorgeous tree.

I have no idea what this drink was, but I remember I sat down by the tree to drink it and it was delicious.

This broken down statue outside of Yak & Yeti is one of my favorite parts of this beautiful park, but I don’t think I’ve ever taken a great picture of it. I keep trying.

[IMG]http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af66/shellybrewer/121113/_DSC0622.jpg

I talked to the guy who took this for a while about being a PhotoPass photographer and how he liked it. He didn’t seem too in love with it, but I think he had a great location.

Are you ready for the Maharajah Jungle Trek? I was. I really love this walk and get kind of obsessive with the photos. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

There are bats.

Up Next: Too many tiger pictures.





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