DCP: The Tale of 4 Princesses and their 4,454 mile adventure! -- Update 1/9!

[::Snow_White::]

Tuesday, July 30th: GO AWAY BUGS!

Today was our first full day and we decided to go resort hopping and play some mini-golf at Fantasia Gardens! We rode the bus to DHS and took a ferry over to the Swan and Dolphin!

Not sure why, but apparently nats love me because they literally were swarming me while we waited for our names to be called to play. They came out of nowhere and would only attack me. I swatted so many away and I was seriously so frustrated I was about to just say "FORGET IT!!" and leave! Luckily I managed to make it through the wait and we finally got to the course!

Go mama!!

I got a sunburn but the course was really neat and I enjoyed it, we hadn't gone mini-golfing in forever. After we finished we decided to look around the Boardwalk and Yacht and Beach Club. After watching a DISunplugged segment my mom and I were looking forward to seeing the kameleon jewelry which was gorgeous. I also saw the Disney ones but I surprisingly like the regular jewelry better. I don't wear much jewelry but I really want to buy one of the necklaces!

Beaches and Cream was a 45 minute wait so we went to Wolfgang Puck for lunch. I had a veggie sandwich, my brother, Andrew, had bacon covered meatloaf, and they split a rotisserie Turkey Sandwhich. Andrew said his was okay, my parents thought theirs was good. It was a total of $40.74! We took a break and went to the outlet malls, then we returned to pop century!

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[::Snow_White::]

Wednesday, July 31st -- First Park Day!!​

Today was our first park day!! We were doing a split stay throughout our week and so we moved out of Pop Century after my brother had a croissant and checked in at Riverside Royal Rooms!! I can’t deny I was hesitant about Riverside, as I’ve been to Silver Dollar City many times and I was afraid it would have that same very country feel that I hate, but I was DEFINITELY SURPRISED! I absolutely LOVED it! It was so beautiful and much more southern to me than it was Midwest. Not to mention the Royal rooms were gorgeous and is probably my favorite room on Disney property. If you have a chance to get a reservation or considering it, DO IT. They are so pretty, huge, and very clean. The firework headboard is insanely cool and all the little gifts from the princesses to Tiana are adorable.

We checked in and talked to the front desk about our non-working fridge and received a $15 credit per night.. We were in the 9095 Oak Manor which was right outside the parking lot. It wasn’t the best outside view, but it was nice to walk straight to the car and the pool was right by our room. We hit up MK and I donated my hair to locks of love! I did this at the barbershop back in May of 2012 and decided that I wanted to keep doing it as much as possible because you can donate infinitely and it doesn’t cost you anything, how much easier can it get? The lady was very sweet and it was so much cooler to chop off all that hair!! Here is a before and after photo!

It was pretty crowded but we went and rode space mountain and buzz lightyear with fastpasses and FINALLY had tomorrowland Terrace. This place always seems to be closed when we are there so it’s a miracle we got to have it. It was a beautiful view and shady so it was great! I had Pasta Premivera, Andrew had nuggets, and my parents split a chicken sandwich for a total of $29.04. I thought the pasta was really good and I would definitely have it again! My family thought their meals were also great. Next we went to Haunted Mansion but it was incredibly crowded so we came back to Riverside and had ice cream for $8.40. I had a cookies and cream cone and my brother had a vanilla milkshake. After awhile I was getting a stomachache from it. I drink rice/almond milk at home and I also eat vegan cheese when I can so that much dairy probably got to me, but that doesn’t mean it was delicious!!

We decided to go to Hollywood Studios and rode TOT and RNRC. We went to the animation academy and drew Sulley, and I have to say mine almost always turn out the best! I like to draw but I’m terrible at it, somehow this academy makes me seem first class and one of my favorite things to do! We went to eat at the backlot express where I had a veggie sandwich kids meal with grapes, water, and a cookie (same as an adult just half a sandwich) and then my family had 2 hotdogs for $21.27, thus my love affair began with kids meals. We sat down for Fantasmic but it was cancelled due to the lightning but we were luckily on the very top front row so we left quickly. We definitely slept well in those Royal Rooms! <3

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[::Snow_White::]

Thursday, August 1st -- More Ice Cream! ​

This day we went to Epcot for the morning and road Test Track, Soarin’, and Nemo. We walked a bit of the showcase but it was getting hot. We bought some candy from Germany and had lunch at the Liberty Inn. I had a kids meal of Pasta with Marina with yogurt, grapes, and water. The pasta was SMALL and the yogurt tasted like medicine. They had a smokehouse burger, and a pork sandwich all for $26.60.

We walked to Beach Club and had Beaches and Cream Ice Cream. My brother had a vanilla malt which he liked but said it was too much. I had a chocolate sundae with whip cream and strawberries, it was delicious. My parents split the chocolate mudslide for $20.41. We walked through a bit of DHS and then headed to MK to see Wishes. We sat down in front of the Plaza Restaurant where they have a reservation section and it was pretty good and I guess most people thought all of it was off limits because it was really vacant so it was perfect! We went and road Buzz and the peoplemover while everyone left and finally made our way back to our car. It was packed leaving and they had a massive line for the monorail but luckily they split the line close to us to use the resort monorail to get back to the TTC. We crashed hard that night!

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[::Snow_White::]

Friday, August 2nd -- IT'S HOT

Today was a pretty laidback day. I had a kids meal breakfast platter for breakfast which had mickey waffle, potatoes, strawberries, soy chocolate Milk and grapes for $5. They have an adult meal that's just a waffle and strawberries for $8. I love kids meals!!

We made it to AK after a massive wait for a bus. We rode Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safari and Expedition Everest. My parents had Yak and Yeti Take out of 2 honey chicken, and side chicken and fried rice. $28 and I had a Quinoa Salad with fried tofu at a place closer to the exit. My parents liked theirs but my brother didn’t. My quinoa salad was pretty disgusting and had like 2 pieces of tofu. We only stayed for a couple hours and came back to the hotel.

My parents bought my brother and I a vinylmation and then we went to publix for water and chocolate milk. We went back to Epcot for the chance to watch illuminations. My brother and I rode Sum of all Thrills and we walked the showcase again. Mom and I split a big chocolate donut and they had pretzels and cheese. We didn’t want to wait another hour so we went back to the hotel and fell asleep pretty quick.

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Saturday, August 3rd -- Our First ADR!​

Today was our ADR! We got up to get ready for MK. We were eating at Crystal Palace! We were super pumped about our ADR this day so we were up and at MK for rope drop that morning. We’ve always been off and on about rope drop. Sometimes we’ll go, but this past trip we’ve been going in a bit late because of the busses. Today I was very glad to be there that morning, because we were able to ride about 5 rides within the first 1.5 hours and it was nearly deserted the entire morning. Perhaps because DHS was having EMH that day but there was hardly wait for the rides. We did Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, and a few others. Unfortunately Big Thunder Mountain was down, to nobody’s surprise. We were still a little early for our 12:50 ADR so we hopped on Carousel of Progress love and Peoplemover love

This was the first time I got to see the Tangled bathrooms, they are so cute!

Little Mermaid!

It was starting to get more crowded and hot so we went over at 12:30 to check-in for our ADR and 5 minutes later we were in! My brother, being 17 isn’t much into characters, but it was a buffet so he handled it. I wasn’t really sure what to expect but it was AMAZING! The characters were cute and nice enough not to mess with my brother but stopped for photos but the food was delicious. I had the whole wheat pasta, salad, rolls, basmati rice, broccoli and a sweet potatoes among other things. It was by far our BEST food experience the whole trip if not since we’ve been to Disney. Of course, with buffets you try and eat as much as you can so we were about to fall over and roll through the park. For dessert I split a piece of chocolate cake with my mom and a chocolate chip cookie. Surprisingly the dessert was not nearly as good as I expected it but the regular meal blew me away. Definitely go there! It was about $150? for the four of us. We had a waiter named Kyle who was very nice and an excellent server! Afterwards we headed back to the hotel to chill out.

You can obviously tell who was excited about this and who wasn't!

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[::Snow_White::]

Sunday, August 4th -- Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow.

I check-in tomorrow!! That was my first thought when I woke up! We switched over to Coronado Springs this morning as that’s where my family is staying until they leave on Wednesday. We were staying at the club level near the food court and it includes a lounge. My brother liked the room considering he prefers more business type rooms and loves Swan and Dolphin. The room was clean but was a bit smaller than the Royal Rooms and my mom thought it smelled like an overload of male cologne everytime she walked inside. Overall we didn’t like this room nearly as much as the Royal Rooms even though they cost about the same. It didn’t have that same feel and we thought the outside of the backrooms were ridiculously dirty. The walls and ground looked pretty gross and the pool by our room had leaves and other things floating in it almost the entire day we were there on Sunday. As much as my mom wanted to love this resort, she did not. I thought it was okay and I really enjoyed the lounge that’s open from 7-10 for breakfast and 5-10 for dinner. Basically you are able to eat as much as you want there, they provide cheese and crackers, bagels, muffins, coffee, pop, fruit, and other treats for free to those guests. There are also newspapers, 2 tvs, a wii, and some books to read. Overall the resort is pretty and the main pool is pretty cool but we also didn’t like how there were 2 sit down restaurants and a very small food court. It just wasn’t our style.

But ANYWAY! After we dragged everything into our room we were trying to get to DHS for TSM fastpasses since we STILL hadn’t gotten to ride it this trip! We ran to the park and got fastpasses for RnRc, and Toy Story mania. We walked around and were getting hungry. We only planed on one tableservice this trip but I was dying to eat at Prime Time Café for the first time and my mom absolutely loves it so she said yes! This restaurant is ADORABLE! I really want to model my kitchen after this, hah! I chose the vegetable lasagna which was just layers of zucchini, pasta, cheese, and sauce. I wasn’t sure I would like it but I LOVED IT! Perhaps I’m just growing fond of zucchini? I can’t really explain how it tasted but it certainly didn’t taste vegetablely? at all. It was also massive and I could not finish it! My mom had the fried chicken with mashed potatoes, and greens. My dad had the traditional meat loaf with mashed potatoes and green beans and my brother had the grilled pork chops. Everyone really enjoyed this meal and our waiter was really fun even when our room key wouldn’t charge.

***This trip our rooms were all cancelled and they were rebooked because the system crashed sometime between booking and our check-in. We had a TON of problems at every resort and our KTTW would never work right or charge correctly. It was super annoying and caused a lot of wasted time, so hopefully they get that fixed soon!***

So we finish eating and walk around for a bit more, ride Tower of Terror, Rock n’ Roller Coaster and it’s only 1:30 and our TSM fastpasses aren’t until 1:40. Well we walk by TSM at 1:30 and the sign is down so the wait time isn’t up, we go and ask how long it is and he says 15 minutes or less. WHAT. WHY? Well of course we hop into line completely shocked and wondering what’s happened. Turns out it had broke down and we walked by JUST as they fixed it. Lucky us!! We hop on, I do terribly and have tons of fun however all that spinning makes us a little sick so we save our FPs for souvenirs and head back to Coronado. We get back and try to do some laundry which was crazy hard and it was terrible, my mom and I technically got stuck in the laundry room because we couldn’t get the doors open!! We’re almost crying for laughing as we try and pry ourselves out of the room and finally get it open. Well by today I start to get super sad because I know tomorrow I’m moving in to my apartment and my momma is going leave and I’m not going to see her until October. We check out the rest of the hotel and it starts to downpour so we are a bit soaked by the time we get back to the room.

But I’m a little happier because I’M MEETING KATIE AND EMMY FOR DINNER! We decided to meet up at Wolfgang Pucks and then head over to Poly beach to watch Wishes. This is the first time the three of us were together! Gina was with one of her friends so couldn’t make it, but 7:15 I hop on a bus which takes about 45 minutes just to get there but I finally arrive and Emmy and I tackle hug each other. Katie gets there and we go to WP for dinner where we got two Margahreta pizza’s to split. These were really good but I unfortunately do not have a picture of! We chat for awhile, talk about school and whatnot and around 9:15 we decide to get on a bus to Poly. My parents were meeting us there to watch too! So we wait outside for the bus and finally hop on but of course we must stop at Contemporary first and go to the PI side of DTD and it takes forever. However we are laughing and having a fabulous time because TOMORROW IS CHECK IN! We roll up to Poly and walk VERY quickly to the beach and catch the very very end of Wishes. Unfortunately my parents saw it all but I didn’t get to see it with them that night. Maybe another! We found each other and my mom took a picture of the three of us on the beach!

Emmy is the one on the left!

I was sweaty and exhausted, I apologize. Hah. So we get back to the bus stop and literally sit there for 45 minutes waiting for a bus back to DTD. Finally we catch one and I get to bed at Coronado at midnight. Tomorrow is the big day!!​

 

[::Snow_White::]

Monday, August 5th -- IT'S CHECK-IN aka the longest day of our lives! AND I WORK AT....

Well, of course I wake up this day wanting to throw up because I’m nervous as heck!! My mom decided to ride with me to Vista for check-in and wait in the car so she could help me unload my stuff. Katie gets there at 7 AM, and Gina gets in around 7:30. I show up at 7:45, park my car and head to the line. I am so terrified at this point because I don’t know what to expect! This is my first time living away from home since I commute to college and I despite talking with my roomies for a long time we have never lived together. I get in line and it is already HOT. Everyone has folders of paperwork fanning themselves when a lady comes around and gives us a sticker to write our names on. In line I meet a TON of people in all different roles. Everyone is super excited and happy so it makes the time and nervousness go by a lot faster. Katie’s texting me some info and I FINALLY spot Gina whom I STILL haven’t gotten to meet! We wave and continue in line. Finally I get to the first desk where they take our alcohol paperwork and other things we have signed and we move on in line. Our first queue experience! We pick up a random program guide which is our LIFE. It has our housing meeting date and time and you have to keep this guide with you ALL DAY!

We go inside a building where we find out our apartment complexes, however Katie texted me while I was in the back of the line that we got a 3 bedroom in Patterson. PATTERSON!? WOOHOO! 3 BEDROOMS? What. Wait, no. What. We wanted Patterson as it was the quietest but needed a 2 bedroom for the four of us, which means that we now have 2 more random roommates. That gets me a little nervous but we continue on. You register your car, and get your apartment key. You go into a line back outside where you get your work location and mine is…. –drumroll- probably my favorite park…HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS!! I’m working in the backlot area merchandise so if you come to visit and see me PLEASE come and say hello!! I’m super ridiculously pumped as they put us into ANOTHER line.

Next we hand in some more paperwork and then are put into small groups to learn about the Disney look and other information, it’s very quick and they file you into another group for the education tent. During this process you may or may not get put into the groups with your friends in line. It depends on the speed that everyone finishes what, so this is how I made a lot of friends is because we kept getting thrown around even though we tried to stay with each other. I met a lot of people working Hollywood studios and even one girl who is merch who will be working with me! We learn about Safety, the education opportunities and seminars, and finally the snack tent where we can get some food for casting.

Katie gets the 9? Casting session, Gina has the 10 and I have the 11:30 session while poor Emmy got in later and had the 2PM session. So I finish and I drive my mom and I back to Patterson to check out our apartment and move a few things in. Luckily we get the first building as you drive into Patterson, unluckily we are on THE THIRD FLOOR. Oh my goodness, we bring a few things in and are dying of heat so we relax for a bit before Katie and her dad comes to move in as well! We chill out at 10:30 while I read the program and other papers. My parents came to move my stuff in while I was away at casting, hallelujah, but my mom and I walk to the Chatham bus stop around 11. The bus stop is super easy to find and I sat with some other new DCPers and we chatted while my mom went back. We waited and waited for our 11:30 and surprise it was 15 minutes late like every other bus which is why they say to BRING YOUR CAR.

We hop on and the CM is super fun and goes over what we’ll be doing at casting. We have a trivia game and I won a DCP pin!! The question was how many dollars did Walt have in his pocket when he moved to California and it was $40! We get to casting and get inside. Lines, lines, lines. Basically here you get your fingerprints, your information checked, just tons of paperwork. You also get your traditions schedule and training schedule here too. Honestly, I guess I just forgot it was Disney, but all the CMs and CPers were SO MUCH FUN. They were really outgoing and happy and kind and it made me 10x more excited. I found out that I have the late traditions with Katie which starts at 2 but we have to be on a bus at 12:45. Gina and Emmy have the 8 AM traditions which means they have to be on a bus at 6:45 on Thursday!! I also found out that my first day of training doesn’t begin until Monday! That means I have 3 days off to run the parks, insane! My first day of training also only lasts from 8-1:30. Katie starts on Sunday and Gina and Emmy start on the weekend too.

I finally get done with casting and meet up with some CPers outside and we wait probably an hour for the bus, it’s there but we can’t get on because they can’t let the other people inside because it’s too crowded. By this time everyone is exhausted. Lines and lines, paperwork and more lines. You get your housing ID and I was just terrified of losing something! They asked us how many people we think applied for the DCP and being my knowledgable self I said 30,000 and I won a DCP pen and usb. I’m great at this Disney thing.

I finally get back to Chatham just in time to see Emmy leaving for the 2PM casting session. Katie and our other roommates go to buy groceries and I find out that our two other roommates are AUSTRALIAN! How cool is that? I was still afraid because I hadn’t met them but I got back to the apartment and my parents helped me put everything away and I finally got everything done but some groceries and the rest of my clothes!! Katie and the girls return with some food just as Emmy gets back. Our Australian roommates names are Stephanie and Demi and they are both from Melbourne. They are absolutely hilarious and I already love them. They are very down to earth and this is the first time they’ve been to the US too! Since they are on the international program they have different schedules!

Emmy and I run to buy our groceries and her a new tv since she broke hers while packing! It of course decides to POUR just as we leave. We stop at Super target, get our stuff and head back to the room. Finally at 7pm, we are all finished for the day. We eat, put more stuff up, and make some reservations for Neil Patrick Harris Candlelight Processional of course!! We finally all crash hardcore because today has been the longest day. It’s finally over and I couldn’t be more excited about the program!

Tuesday August 6th, Free day!​

Today was very chill, Stephanie and Demi had meetings all day because they are ICPs and the rest of us just bummed around. I went to the outlet mall with my parents and bought a few vinylmations then we went to the Polynesian to have a late lunch. This was the first time I’ve been to Poly to actually see it (rather than trying to get to the beach for wishes) and it was gorgeous. I absolutely loved it! The food court was smaller than I expected but I like that you can order by yourself on the screen and sit down while you wait. Since I was tired of eating zucchini and cucumbers and other veggie things () I decided to get a grilled cheese and fries. It was really delicious but I was SO full after eating it. I would eat it fine at home but I guess with the heat I cannot eat nearly as much as I used to, I should’ve gone with the kids meal! Everything about it was good! Then I went to Walmart to buy a few more groceries and some cake mix because tomorrow was Stephanie’s birthday!!

I got back home and that night all of us piled into 2 cars and we drove back to the Poly to watch the entirety of Wishes and have a dole whip! This was the first time for me driving to an actual Disney area by myself and of course it’s pitch black outside so it was extremely stressful but I made it out alive and am very proud! I wanted a mix of pineapple and vanilla but unfortunately it gave me a little pineapple at the bottom and the rest was vanilla. Bummer, but it was still good and Wishes was fantastic! Katie has some pictures of it. Before we left we all gathered in front of this statue to get our first roommate group picture!

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[wiigirl]

Great pics!!!

 

[Britard]

So much fun to have days to spend at Disney before you have to start training! You guys look like you will have a wonderful experience!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Great start. I know you will have such an awesome experience on the College Program. Looking forward to hearing all about it.

 

[PrincessBrittany06]

Can't wait to follow along! After reading your new update, you're making me miss my CP I hope you have an AMAZING time!

 

[MicaelaRose]

I can't wait to read along! I'm biding my time until I can apply for the DCP and TR's like this and Jess's are awesome! I think I'm aiming for Spring 2015 which would be my sophomore year. Can't wait to hear more!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm following! Great start - a lot packed in already. Must be a bit overwhelming at times but I am sure you are going to have a great experience!

Happy you got a place that you like (granted the worst place at WDW is still better than most places outside of WDW)

 

[::Snow_White::]

Wednesday, August 7th – Housing Meeting​

Today was my parents last day. I woke up early, worked on my TR and then hopped in my car to meet my family for our last lunch/breakfast at Art of Animation. We walked around each section of the hotel and then I had some character waffles with fruit. My family grabbed some lunch before they decided to leave. We visited Pop Century and headed back to AOA so I could drive back to Patterson to go to my 1PM housing meeting. We rolled up and my mom and I had our tearful goodbyes that were pretty much put on the backburner until the last minute. Sadly I had to hurry to my housing meeting so our goodbyes were short, but I had to grab my program and head over to Commons because I WAS FINISHING ANOTHER MEETING! The housing meeting was pretty fun. It lasted an hour and a half and we basically just learned about the opportunities that housing provides, seminars, and other things. You also go over the rules and other important information. They make it pretty fun so it goes fast!

Luckily I ran into a girl named CJ a couple times during our queues whom I have on facebook and we learned that we are both working backlot merch at DHS which meant we had the same training and would most likely be working together! This made me super happy to have a friend I knew so my anxiety about training dropped 100%.

The rest of the day we just chilled out, made a nice cake for Stephanie for her birthday and took naps! We decided to go out to dinner at DTD for Steph’s birthday. We took the bus system just to see how it would work, our bus was about 10 minutes late picking us up and stopped at Typhoon Lagoon on the way where the workers said they were waiting an hour for the bus. On the way home our 10:09 bus never showed up and the next bus didn’t come until 10:45 because apparently one was broken down. Needless to say I love my car!
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Thursday, August 8th – TRADITIONS!​

TODAY IS TRADITIONS! Emmy & Gina had early traditions and had to be at the bus stop at 6:45, while Katie and I had traditions at 12:45. I can’t say much of anything about traditions but it was pretty fun and we FINALLY got our cast IDs!!

This is what I wore to traditions. You do a bit of walking so don't wear heels, and do flats that do not hurt your feet. Also, don't do a suit with pants and a jacket at this time of the year, it's blazing. Find a dress if you're a girl, if you're a guy I'm really sorry.

As soon as we got back to our apartment Emmy and Gina wanted to know if we wanted to go to magic kingdom for dinner. Well…duh!! We arrived and they had already bought a few things with their cast discounts! We had pinnochio village haus for dinner, I got the kids cheese pizza with fries and a water. It was delicious and cheap! Wishes was still about an hour away so we hopped on Emmy and I’s favorite, Carousel of Progress! We finally made our way into a MASSIVE crowd and got a spot for Wishes. Here are a few from the first night, although I didn’t really feel like messing with my settings considering our spot for the show wasn’t the best. I finally bought my Minnie mouse ears!!

Sorry we are super hot and sweaty and we had just sat through about 6 hours of speeches.

we're adorable!

Afterwards, we hit some of the stores, Casey’s Corner to grab a water and then we got our pack of Kingdom cards as well as some celebration buttons. By this time a ton of people had cleared out so at 11 we sat down and watched the electrical parade. It was super magical! But it was time for bed because Gina had to get up for her first day of training!!

Miss Gina, Katie, and Emmy!​

Friday, August 9th -- Time to Play!!​

Today was quite an exciting day. It was our first day off after receiving our cast IDs. Steph and Demi had traditions all day so unfortunately they were stuck and Gina had her first day of training. Katie, Emmy and I ran off to Hollywood Studios to grab some TSM fastpasses and enjoy our first day. We walked and watched One Man’s Dream and ran into Mickey, Ralph, and Vanellope at the animation academy!

Afterwards we hit up rock n’ roller coaster and tower of terror. For lunch we had pizza planet where I bought an adorable souvenir mug that I posted on instagram. I had a veggie pizza and ceasar salad. It was great! We also DEFINITELY had to stop and take a photo with Phineas and Ferb who is Emmy’s ABSOLUTE FAVORITE! Afterwards we came home to take naps and wait for Gina and Demi to return and Emmy introduced me to Phineas and Ferb the tv show, I love it! Everyone has long days and since Emmy had to get up early we just decided to crash so we took to watching Jimmy Neutron and Lilo and Stitch because we are children. It was during this time that our hearts were broken to learn that DRAKE & JOSH were at Magic Kingdom and Epcot today and we didn't get to see them!! We were all very upset with this news!

 

[::Snow_White::]

Saturday, August 10th -- Retail Therapy


Katie and I were the only ones home today for awhile so we hit up Animal Kingdom to see where she was working at Discovery Island which is the Island Mercantile, the Outfitters store and other surrounding areas. She has a great location! We also walked the rest of the park and met Pooh and Tigger with no wait! They were really fun and then we headed over to Dinosaur. I HATE Dinosaur, but I also LOVE Dinosaur. It’s an incredibly jerky and frightening ride but that’s what makes it fun! After coming out of the ride I found this shirt and decided I HAVE to get it before I leave!

We noticed that it was only about 25 minutes until the next Nemo show and being in love with anything broadway and theater and dance we HAD to go see it. Katie and I absolutely love this show and we both would love to be in it. I guess I should be able to sing in order to do that, right? Aw, well, I guess I’ll just enjoy it from the bench!

Emmy was finishing her orientation at DTD so we hit the shopping center and ate at Portobello. I had a vegetarian sandwich which had mushrooms, cheese, and a ton of peppers along with fries. It was pretty good for a $9 sandwich! Emmy was all dressed up and we decided to go back to the apartment instead of shop like we were going to so we could change into something more comfortable. Katie and I did laundry and lounged for a couple hours and that night Emmy, Katie, Gina, and I went back to DTD to go shopping. It was CROWDED. I cannot wait until they finish that parking garage because we did end up having to park at Team Disney. We still had fun despite my 30 minute ordeal at Tren-D because of out of stock merchandise. Thanks to miss Bibi who got me exactly what I needed and was very helpful and nice despite the hassle! I really needed to buy some stuff that I had been looking at for the 2 weeks I’d been here because I FINALLY HAD MY DISCOUNT! Yes, retail therapy!

I ended up leaving with a few things including a stuffed lotso, the Finding Nemo Musical CD, an ADORABLE Figment pin that I’d been searching for, an autograph book for my cousin, and a star wars car decal because is that not the cutest thing ever? I also purchased one more item which caused the hassle but is a surprise at the moment!

And because I forgot last time, here is my nametag. It does, in fact, have a university on it, but I took it off because I'm good at that and this TR should be the only way to stalk me.

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[Britard]

Love the vegetarian dino shirt! I almost bought it last time!

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[ValiantHeart]

Uh, I guess it's my turn, right?!?

Sunday, August 11th, 2013
The 11th was my first day of work! At Animal Kingdom, we call our park orientation DAKlimation, and it was so much fun! (even if I did lose about five pounds just from sweating SO MUCH.)

Don't I look excited?!? Anyway, We took a tour of the entire park (Minus Rafiki's Planet Watch, sometimes they do take groups up there but we were such a big group it would have taken way too much time to take that tiny little train!) and I was done around two, came home, and relaxed.

Monday, August 12th, 2013

Today was yet another free day for me! Emmy and I went to Magic Kingdom while Kayla, Gina, Demi, and Stephanie were at training. We saw Philharmagic because Emmy had never seen it!

Emmy made a valiant attempt but was not the chosen one ;D We headed to Dumbo and I rode it for the very first time and I was PUMPED.

We headed into new Fantasyland and I was really excited to get to meet Gaston but he wasn't greeting today, but I took this picture by his fountain so I guess it kind of made up for it a little bit.

We ate at Be Our Guest for lunch and ugh oh my lord it is gorgeous. We were walking by at 2:15 and Emmy saw that the door was still open so we hopped on in! Pictures of the inside simply do not do it any justice because I've been looking at pictures for ages and the amount of detail on the inside still managed to take my breath away.

We left around 5 because it rained and it was really hot, plus I had to be at work at 9 for my very first 8 hour shift!

We couldn't leave without a trip to the Main Street Bakery, where Emmy got a green tea, and the only reason I remember that is because we stopped by the Theater to see Mickey and he stole it right out of her hands! Of course, we told him caffeine was no good for mice and he handed it over so we could take our picture!

Aren't we just adorable?

 

[ValiantHeart]

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

I had my very first day of location training today, and at first I was really nervous because I was so sure that we were going to be taught how to use cash registers, and the only job I've ever had, I didn't use the cash registers! Luckily, my awesome trainers at Discovery Island put me at ease because the first thing they said was, "Don't worry, you won't be touching the registers today!" So we basically just walked around Discovery Island, learned all the different locations we can work (Island Merchantile, Outfitters, Creature Comfort, the Creature Comforts cart, the Festival of the Lion King cart, and Baby Care!), did a whole lot of e-learning, and it was just a very laid back day.

I got off at 5:30, so this was my very first 8 hour shift, and it really wasn't too bad! It's a lot of standing, but it really wasn't too bad.

Oh! And look at my costume! It's ADORABLE!

I am really in love with it. It's so bright and cheerful, plus it's comfy! I wear black tennis shoes with it with black socks, unlike my floor stock costume (which I will post pictures of when I get there) with which I wear black shoes and white socks.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Kayla and I both had today off too! We went to Epcot and hung out with Chip and Dale for a while, and oh my GOSH they were hilarious. We were going to take our picture, and Dale hopped in front of Kayla and I, and Chip scolded him, then we got set again and Chip decided he wanted to practice his photobombing as well and so he jumped in front of Kayla and I.

The result of this photoshoot? This gem right here.

We also met Minnie, Mickey, and Pluto in the C-Spot, and then we hopped on the monorail to head over to Magic Kingdom, where we were meeting one of Kayla's friends. When we got off the monorail and into Magic Kingdom, we saw... This.

...Well.

Those clouds eventually turned into this.

As soon as the rain stopped, we hopped back on the monorail and headed back to Epcot and drove home, because we were soaked!

Thursday, August 15th, 2013

Today is a pretty boring day, relatively speaking. Kayla and I both had Merchantainment training today, which is essentially cash handling and cash register training. I started bright and early here!

I'd never complain about morning classes if I could go here every day!

 

[Britard]

Looks like you had some very productive work days so far! Those pic with Chip and Dale are hysterical!

 

[::Snow_White::]

Monday August 12th--Orientation​

Today was my first day of orientation. If you remember I went to sleep pretty late (12AM) and for obvious reasons did not sleep well and continuously tossed and turned, but oh well, it was time to get to work! If you recall, I met CJ and Ali through check-in, traditions, and the housing meeting. The three of us found out we were all working backlot merchandise and were lucky enough to get put in the same training group!! I love these ladies and they have became my work buddies which makes my life 10x easier considering I’m working with girls who are going through the same thing. The three of us met at Chatham bus stop around 6:15 for the bus and we made it to Hollywood Studios by 7; Let’s just say some of the cast were impressed by our earliness and I’m sure they were amused at our exhausted faces. However, Cast Services and the parking lot are SO EASY to get to which I’m so thankful for.

I’m not going to tell you much about orientation, I will tell you that we were given a tour of the entire park and a lunch break at the wonderful cafeteria and finally at the end we received our costumes!! I will admit that I really enjoy Sunset Blvd’s costumes more and I think the girls’ outfits are adorable, but who can pass up a newsies cap!? Not me!! Since we are working 13 different stores, starting from Indiana Jones and wrapping through streets of America just to the beginning of Pixar Place, we all wear the same blue shirt, black shorts, cap and bowtie. The outfit overall is pretty cute and very breathable!

I had honestly kept expecting to run into some not so friendly cast members, either PT’s or FT’s that were not all that keen on CPers but I never met a SINGLE unhappy CM while we were touring or receiving our costumes. It made the three of us very excited about our jobs! That night I came home, bought my work shoes and socks and crashed the rest of the day because I was SO SLEEPY. Katie and Emmy had gone to MK to have some fun while the rest of us were at work!​

Tuesday, August 13th --Training​

Today was our first day of area training. Basically we did some e-learning and were shown around all the shops and carts that the Backlot handles. We learned how to clock in and out at different locations and also the stockrooms, breakrooms, and how we are given assignments. We went over a ton of stuff today, mostly locations and how to navigate backstage but our trainers were great fun and it didn’t really seem to be as bad as I thought it was going to be!​

Monday, August 14th

Today was my day OFF. Okay, so I only worked 2 days and then had a day off, party anyway, right!? Katie and I both had the day off so we slept in a bit, said goodbye to our roommates, and then tried to access the hub, request days off, and I booked my mom’s vacations for October and December. Around noon we decided to hit Epcot since neither of us had been there since the program started! We shopped around Future World a bit because it was SO CROWDED. There was a massive line for Spaceship Earth and Mission Space Orange was incredibly long as well. We didn’t even try for Soarin’ so we took off towards the Seas with Nemo and Friends, Figment (which is where our Australian roommate Steph is working!) and of course, Test Track Single Rider, because nobody knows that line is there apparently?

By this time my energy was draining from my lack of long sleep but I’d told my friend Marissa we’d meet her at Magic Kingdom to try and find Peter Pan and Gaston after she got off work at Polynesian so we hopped a Monorail and made our way there! I cannot tell you how unbelievably crowded it was at MK, it was terrible. Katie and I skipped all the rides due to the insane waits and basically just made our way through the park to visit Fantasyland. We made a stop at Gaston’s Tavern because it started to pour! We both split a cinnamon roll that was heavenly and tried to wait out the rain. Finally the rain let up so we started hiking back to the front where Marissa was waiting at the Confectionary! We admired all the glasswork and made our way over to the Peoplemover which had a pretty big LINE. Line, you said Kayla? Are you sure? I am 100% for sure that there was a line almost to COP for the Peoplemover, however I was tired and I knew it wouldn’t take long to get on so we rode around and admired the dreary looking park. Afterwards we walked around until we got caught in another rainstorm in Frontierland! We took shelter after it started to let up in Columbia Harbour House so Marissa could eat. Katie and I ordered some fries and I had a sweet tea. Great as always! Harbour House has to be my favorite QS restaurant! By this point, there was no point in rides so we decided that isnce Katie had to be up for Merchantainment at 8 the next day, we’d head back home. We took the IRON MANORAIL to Epcot and dropped Marissa off before crashing back at the apartment.
​

Thursday, August 15th--Merchantainment​

MERCHANTAINMENT!
I can’t really say anything about this class, it’s just another training day at Disney University for merchandise CMs. It was easy but a little dull and was about 6-7 hours of us listening to someone talk and watching slidehshows and videos. I was super glad to be finished but we got caught in a huge rainstorm at our bus stop and we were all soaking by the time we got back to the apartment. Still, I HAD to get to walmart that night because I was out of food. It was a pretty uneventful day!


Fiday, August 16th--Tier 3 Training

Tier 3 of training today! This day was pretty boring, we just went over registers and other stores all day, I can’t really remember much other than listening for hours on end.

Saturday, August 17th--Assessments

Assessments! Today was our final day of training even though I didn’t feel prepared at all. We mostly did more e-learning, took assessments and learned how to close Tatooine and other shops. We were there 2:30-11, but 3 of my friends and a new Australian girl who was training all got to hang out all day and we had a ton of fun. We played hula hoop with each other and some kids, got to listen to the Monster U party and other things. And I passed my assessment, it was super easy and finally 11 rolled around and we were out. The day went by really fast!


Sunday, August 18th --First Day!

This was the longest day ever and it was my first day without a trainer. I worked from 10:45-9 that day and decided early to just drive my car which was the biggest mistake of all. Surprisingly I only had a few screw-ups that morning and I quickly learned how to master things on my own and got the feel for each rotation. I finally got off at 9 and I was so tired so I headed out to the bus and it started to pour rain. Nothing better than the bus also being 2 hours late due to breaking down and so the first bus came by and there were so many people that my friend and I were unable to get on and I thought my knees were going to collapse under me. Finally around 11 another bus came through and I made it home but I had to be at work at SEVEN AM the next day.
​

Monday, August 19th

I sleep for 4 hours so this day was a complete mess. I learned to open writer’s stop, which I actually really love and I’m glad I get to work here. I made a new training friend so I wasn’t alone and I got off at 1 that day! Unfortunately everything had been getting to me for the past few days and I had my first day of completely falling apart. Luckily my momma and I talked for awhile and my roommates were super sweet and after some disastrous and ugly crying I felt a lot better. Since I’m a vegetarian and haven’t been able to eat very much protein due to time constraints I was really drained and getting sick and needed to eat. I was able to call up my friend Marissa and we headed to Riverside for dinner and decided to try every food court this Fall for our bucket list! I ended up with a tea and make your own pasta with veggies. It was really good and we walked around for about 20 minutes before I started getting a headache and my eyes were hurting due to lack of sleep. I finally got to sleep and was knocked out from 9-6. ​

**Pictures to come, I promise, I actually had a day off to take them. **​