A CM comes home! Disneymoon at POFQ 12/20-31

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Disclaimer: This trip report is going to probably be a little bit different from the trip reports that you are used to reading. Why? Read on to find out!

The cast of characters:

Me: Jessi, age 26. I am a former WDW Cast Member. I did 3 college programs in 2004-2006. My first program I worked the attractions in Fantasyland. My other two programs I worked in entertainment. I mostly did the parades and shows in the Magic Kingdom. I had intended to go full time after my last program, but it was the height of the housing market, and affordable housing in Orlando was hard to come by. I returned to Missouri to become a teacher with the hopes of one day returning to Orlando to teach full time and work for WDW Entertainment part time. That is where I met Aaron. I now teach elementary special ed and work as an attractions lead at a local amusement park.

Aaron: Age 25. Aaron has been to Disney a couple of times, but has not experienced a lot of what the parks and resorts have to offer. Aaron hopes to one day be a high school history teacher. Unfortunately, Aaron does not play or coach any sports, and that has been a sticking point in many job interviews. He recently obtained his special ed certification and right now he subs for a couple of school districs in our area. He is also completing his CCNA (networking) certification. He recently participated in a competition through CISCO called Netriders. His team placed first in the state and 11th in the region which includes US and Canada. He is a rides supervisor at the same park I work at and loves all things coasters and amusement parks. He also has very boring taste in food, so part of this trip was an experiment of sorts where I actually got him to try new things. His family was shocked.

The Trip: We were married on December 18, and this trip served as our honeymoon. We stayed in Port Orleans French Quarter from December 20-30, checking out on the 31st. We did six days at Disney, two at Universal, and took two days off to relax.

So, why the disclaimer? Due to our background, we approach theme parks a little differently. As a former Disney CM, I am intimately aware of our standards. For me it is a little bittersweet because I remember how things were when I worked there and approach it with a sense of nostalgia. As current amusement park workers, we are always on the look out for how things are being run. We take lots of notes of things that we would like to implement in our park, as well as watching to see that things like safety procedures are being followed. So that is the lens that we are viewing our trip through, and some of it may come out in our trip report.

 

[CyberFey]

Following! It sounds very interesting!

I can't wait to see things through your eyes.

 

[princesskelz]

I'm going to follow too!

 

[justakrazymom]

I'm here!! Can't wait to read this one!

 

[Chaitali]

Definitely sounds interesting! I'm following along too

 

[LisaKeys]

Climbing aboard! Looks like it will be an interesting ride.

 

[redlight]

Congratulations!

I'm in.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

We decided to drive to Disney, mostly because I am rather phobic of airplanes, and it’s cheaper to drive anyway and much less of a hassle. We arrived around 6:00pm on the 20th and checked into our resort. I had stayed in French Quarter once before with my parents, but it was Aaron’s first time. We were put in 7120, in one of their refurbished rooms. We did have a cute little towel animal on one of the beds. It's the first time I have seen one of those outside of our Disney cruise. It was very nice. Mickey has a special place in my heart because I was good friends with him when I worked for Disney.

After that, we decided to take the boat to Downtown Disney to get some dinner. We walked around the MarketPlace for a bit and decided to eat at Wolfgang Puck Express. I had the chicken curry salad and Aaron had the chicken linguine alfredo. The curry salad was very good. It had a slightly sweet taste and included apples and pecans. Aaron appeared to enjoy his chicken linguine alfredo. I did notice it had bacon in it which I’ve never enjoyed in pasta, but Aaron liked it.

After eating, we wandered the shops a bit. We went into Ghirardelli where you can get a free sample of whichever chocolate they are currently pushing. They had a chocolate peppermint bark which was very good. We also went to the Lego store. When Aaron was younger, he absolutely loved Legos, so going to the store was a must. He was very much impressed with the various large sculptures, particularly the sea serpent due to the fact it was partially submerged. We decided to call it a somewhat early night with plans to go to the Magic Kingdom the next day.

We used the Disney boats to go between the resort and Downtown Disney. The boat goes by the Treehouses at Saratoga Springs. The boat ride is very scenic and there are some lovely views. The thing that I enjoyed the most were all the birds lining the canal. Apparently they wait for the fish to rise to the surface after the boats pass. I did try to get a picture, but it came blurry.

 

[redlight]

You're off to a good start!

I did notice it had bacon in it which I’ve never enjoyed in pasta

I don't get bacon in pasta either, but I don't really get the allure of bacon.

 

[Rora]

I'm in for the ride!

I can't wait to hear what you think coming back as a former CM. And also, congrats! Your dress is absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Piglets Mommy]

I'm in! Looking forward to seeing things from your perspective as a former CM. We are staying at POFQ for our next trip, so I am excited to hear all about that too.

Congratulations on your marriage! I can't wait to read more.

 

[mrsksomeday]

Great start to your TR!! Congratulations on your marriage, in your wedding photo you both looked amazing and so happy. I can't wait to read more!

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Thank you! One thing I forgot to mention is that Disney still charges $10.00 per day to access the internet, and that is through an ethernet cable. We had to the first day because we needed to pay bills. Aaron was able to download "packets" and let's just say that their internet security leaves a lot to be desired. If he wanted to, he could have seen what anybody on the network was doing and accessed some pretty sensitive information. He said their internet security was a joke. So be careful if you use their internet!

 

[charming23]

Joining in. Congrats on getting married and I can't wait to hear more.

 

[lnk1229]

Congrats on your wedding and Disneymoon!!

I am looking forward to your TR!

We are heading POR soon and I love hearing about other people's trips there!! We have never been!

I especially like that you were a past CM.. does it detract from the magic tho?

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

I'm in! Congrats on your wedding! We were at POFQ 19-26 December and we went to Magic Kingdom on the 21st. I'm looking forward to your TR!

 

[*tinker*bell*]

I'm here for the ride Congrats on your wedding!!! I love POFQ, I had to cancel a trip with my bf in December we were supposed to stay there, we are thinking of re-booking for the end of august and will probably stay there then!
Can't wait to hear all your thoughts, and see how your different perspective shines through!!!

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Congrats on your wedding and Disneymoon!!

I am looking forward to your TR!

We are heading POR soon and I love hearing about other people's trips there!! We have never been!

I especially like that you were a past CM.. does it detract from the magic tho?

Yes and no. I know the extraordinary lengths that every day Cast Members go to to make the magic, so the magic looks slightly different to me. It makes me more critical of how they are doing (but also more understanding) as I know the expectations. At the same time, I have so many memories wrapped in Disney. It's a lot like coming home. It's wonderful, but almost bittersweet because so much has changed in the four years I've been gone. I'll get into that a little bit more later. But for instance- the two parades I did in Magic Kingdom are now gone. I closed out Share a Dream Come True Parade and then literally the next day was in Disney Dreams Come True as part of the opening cast. That was a very special memory for me. It's very different training for and opening a whole new parade than it is coming into a parade in the middle of its run.

I also performed in Spectromagic which is currently on hiatus. During Christmas I was in Celebrate the Season which they still have. It was in some ways hard watching it because the choreography is still the same and I had to really control myself not to do it! There's only been one major change since I was in that show four years ago which I will talk about later. And of course there is the Fantasyland redo. My first CP was Fantasyland attractions. While I love the idea of the refurb, my home is changing. In entertainment, I spent a lot of time in ToonTown and soon it will be no more. So there are a lot of emotions in a trip like this.

I'm in! Congrats on your wedding! We were at POFQ 19-26 December and we went to Magic Kingdom on the 21st. I'm looking forward to your TR!

There was a family a couple of doors down from us that had their room all decked out for Christmas and had some lime green decorations. We were in 7120. Was that your family?

 

[klacey1]

Hi, I'm joining in! Can't wait to hear about your trip from a CM's perspective! Sounds like you had a lot of fun on your first night. We LOVE both Port Orleans hotels-- so romantic.

 

[Joanna71985]

Following the TR!