Third Time's The Charm At The DISNEY COLLEGE PROGRAM Fall '19! (COMPLETE - 8/14)

[PlutosRHM55]

No Sleep For The Newest Scoundrel In Galma
7/28 -7/29/19: Live Your Story – Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge & The Last Jedi Cast Event

July 28th, 2019

The day had arrived! It was finally here. Today was my Live Your Story class aka my entry training for GALAXY'S EDGE. I was so excited when I woke up this morning. You have no idea. I could not wait to see what was in store for today. Especially since it meant I would at least get to go inside that special training building they had built next to the new cast trailer.

Sydnee picked me up this morning and we also went to Chatham to grab Caitlin before heading to Studios. We did get stuck behind quite the slow car that made us think we were gonna be late, but luckily they got out of our way at some point and we made it to Studios with ample time for me to dump all my costumes then go to clock in at the trailer. From there, we were pulled into various groups for a costume fitting.

Again, I've been in and out of the company for a minute. Getting my costume the first time was super cool. When I was enrolled in change-o-matic at Disneyland and had costumes altered to fit me specifically, that was cool. This topped it off. They had special temporary changing rooms set up where those of us who were going through SWGE training today could see what sizes worked for us. It felt like we were getting fitted for prom except this was better because prom means high school and nobody wants to go back to high school (I had two bomb proms and I still would never return to high school. Ever.)

Once they had given us our sizings, we got to check out our first set of costume pieces which I didn't take a photo of at the time because we were held to some confidentiality in regards to revealing them. We couldn't post any photos of ourselves in them until cast previews began when "guests" were officially allowed to take photos in the land. I would've taken all the photos, but you know... I liked to keep my job.

After putting my costume in my locker to grab later, I went back to the trailer with everyone else where we were led into Oga's Hangar and began training for the day.

I'm not exaggerating when I tell you this was the best day of training I've ever had in my Disney career. I think the only other two that come close were Once Upon A Time Is Now (Magic Kingdom Property Orientation) and Step Into The Magic at Disneyland (their equivalent of Welcome To Ops). This was amazing and crazy thing we never left the hangar, if only for breaks.

Our facilitators were just so fantastic in demonstrating the level of immersion we were supposed to create in the land along with the stories we got to create ourselves, learning about the proprietors... I could go on and on. The land is so rich with story that I barely even got to touch upon with day-to-day interactions. I don't think I can even truly cover it well in one update so I'm not gonna bore you with it, but it's so cool. I highly recommend that when we reopen you actually ask some in-depth questions about Batuu, Black Spire Outpost, the proprietors found throughout like Dok, Savi, Mubo, Zabaka, etc. There is so much there and I was taught about it all today and how it affects me.

To give you an idea of how much story I built up with this class as the basis, we ALL have lived on Batuu our whole lives and we do not live in Black Spire Outpost, but work there. We all come from one of three surrounding communities. I was born in Peka, the quaint fishing community, but got bored of that life so I moved to Galma which is the big city where all the illegal pod racing and droid battles happen. I attained a knack for droid building and repairing which caught the attention of Mubo who took me under his wing, especially when Bina took an interest in me as I started helping her taking care of the porgs. I then managed to work my way to being one of Savi's gatherers. I now do that mostly on the daily while still repairing droids on the side as well as taking care of Bina's recent shipments of new porglets for the creature stalls. I'm a very busy self-sufficient member of the community, who only fends for themselves. Do not expect me to have much interest in taking a side on if I'm with the First Order or the Resistance (but I definitely am over these Stormtroopers breathing down my neck at Savi's on the daily).

I'll tell you right now that my story is not nearly as detailed as some Batuuans I work with. Seriously. And in all honesty, I didn't even have that much from day one and it's taken time to really flesh it out with how I behaved on planet. For the record, on planet is anything that happens on Batuu while off planet is anything we wouldn't know about since we live on Batuu and don't know much about the outside world (hence why we would never know about Mickey Mouse or the Tower of Terror, etc. etc.)

A lot of information thrown at us but in the most fun exciting way. We even got to do some scanning with our communicators and such. Just lots of ways to get us acquainted with the language of Batuu and the most basic of theming. It was so cool and by the end, like in Traditions, we received our nametags which was the only thing I could share at the time.



Still have it. Never had to replace. I wore it with pride. And yes, the writing underneath my name is my name in the native language of Aurubesh.

Once we received our name tags, it was time for all of us to clock out and head out still abuzz with this new information, that at the time we could not share but is now pretty common knowledge. Sydnee and I stopped by costuming to get more pieces before she drove me home with her. I was in business casual for the class so I changed out of that and into something more comfortable then went to Disney Springs.

When I got to Springs, it was just starting to rain and was heading into a downpour. I was really craving Earl of Sandwich which was all the way on the other side from where I normally entered Springs so I booked it inside there right before it got really nasty.



I got The Original sandwich on this visit with a root beer and pasta salad. All hit the spot perfectly. EoS never disappoints for me. Unfortunately, all chairs were taken by people who were hiding from the rain and not eating, but can't do anything about that except take incriminating snaps of them because I'm shady. No, I do not have them in my possession but I did not have space to eat and had to stand and it sucked so yeah I wasn't too happy.

The rain started to let up eventually after I finished my food so I headed out and wandered around Springs a bit, watching the lightning as it faded off into the distance and never any moves back.









Click to watch!


My retail therapized heart just loves Springs.

I did however have plans to catch another film at AMC this evening so I went there to go see...



The new Tarantino venture, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, was the film of choice this evening.

I don't think I ever gave much comment to this film but I really enjoyed it. Tarantino is a weird, not-great guy but I love his films. This was no exception, especially since it had my baby Leo in the lead and Margot Robbie doing her Sharon Tate Old Hollywood best. Brad Pitt however was the standout, as evident now by his Oscar win. He was just so good. They all were but Brad just was so much fun to watch. It was such a funny film and honestly writing this makes me want to re-watch.

I got out from AMC pretty late so I went immediately home. I basically had a bus to myself it was so late. When I got home, I did my laundry then passed out prepared to sleep in since I had another fairly late evening the next day.

July 29th, 2019

Today was gonna be a mostly chill day. The next day was my first day of On-The-Job training at Galaxy's Edge and that evening I had pretty late plans so I wasn't gonna push myself too too much. I did however need my haircut so I woke up and immediately headed to do that that day. I wanted to make sure I looked my best for my first day as a Batuuan.

After I got back from getting my hair did, I went to sleep for a bit then woke up again to actually get ready for my evening out. I wrote a bit for this TR, watched more Stranger Things and then did finally preparations for the evening.

And what was happening this evening? The Last Jedi viewing at Hollywood Studios!

Yup, they were hosting a cast event in Studios where we got to watch The Last Jedi in the Frozen theater way way late at nights. Courtney had told me about this and we both signed up so she was gonna pick me up tonight so we could go together. I was super hype. The only negative to going though was that I had to be only a few hours after the event ended since my training tomorrow was super early so it was gonna be rough but worth it. I mean... what better way to start my first week in Galaxy's Edge with the film that preludes the land!

Courtney picked me up from Vista at 11pm that night. I met her out front where we saw a transdev bus getting towed. It was a wild scene since there was very little room for anyone to go into housing. Wild.

Soon enough we were at Studios and waiting in line to get into the park since they had to check us in with our blue IDs and such. They had really cute fanfaire going on for the event. I believe there was Star Wars music playing throughout the park and all Star Wars colors everywhere. Also, there were some Galaxy's Edge cast out front wishing us Rising Moons and such. I played around with some themed language with them since I really hadn't been able to in the classroom setting. It was so much fun.

On our way to the Frozen theater, Courtney and I decided to stop for some photos in an empty Studios.





They had a little line to get inside the theater where Stephen, one of the WDW Ambassadors, was interviewing all the cast members waiting to get in. Red carpet style.



When we got up to him, he asked Courtney about her shoulder porg, Morgan, and they mostly took up the interaction. I didn't talk with him, but it was pretty funny to watch.

After him, we waited to get a photo in front of the special photo op they had out there.





The person they had out front taking the photos was actually my Traditions facilitator, Chris (the one who proposed to his husband on a Disney Cruise) and he recognized me. He asked if I was in his Traditions and I realize that I was. We didn't stop to chat for too long but it was cool to run into him. I'd be seeing a lot more of him later.

Inside the theater, we were able to choose from a selection of refreshments and snacks. Of course, Courtney and I stocked up on popcorn. It was wild seeing the Frozen theater looking like this though.



After chilling for a bit, I saw Lauren M and Celia, my co-workers from Sunset, so I said hi to them. Once we had settled for a bit and caught up on all our socials, it was time to watch The Last Jedi as introduced by our esteemed ambassadors.



At the time, TLJ was probably my least favorite Star Wars film (it is now my favorite... how times have changed!) so it was a weird experience watching but it was clearly a room of Star Wars fans so they all had fantastic reactions. It also brought me back to the fantastic experience I had seeing this one opening day in theaters, the only Star Wars film that has that distinction for me. (We'll talk about my TROS viewing experience soon enough.)

It was a super fun night with lots of free popcorn which was most important.



Bless Courtney for getting me home so I wouldn't have to wait for a late bus that would allow me only an hour of sleep rather than the two or three I ended up getting. I thanked her bunches, obviously. I hit the hay pretty quick when I got home, but no sooner was I up for my first day as a Batuuan villager.

Continue Here​

 

[goofygurly]

Oh my gosh just got caught up! I feel like I was right there with you the entire time! I hope everyone is being safe and practicing safe distancing

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

I've been following and reading along with your DCP adventures... Just gotta say you are so lucky to have the experiences that you did!!!! Bummed that it got cut short, but hoping you'll be back down there again soon...

We visited Batuu this past November and I looked for you but never saw you... You must have been building droids that day... Never thought to look in there...

 

[Verstehen]

This is so interesting! I have a question for you. Since you live on Batuu and have no knowledge of the outside world, how are you supposed to respond when someone wants directions to Tower of Terror? I'd imagine you can't say you don't know what it is.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Oh my gosh just got caught up! I feel like I was right there with you the entire time! I hope everyone is being safe and practicing safe distancing

Yay! to being right with me now lol And yes, I am trying my best to be safe and social distance well as I'm sure is the rest of my cast and friends. We all want this to be over soon.

I've been following and reading along with your DCP adventures... Just gotta say you are so lucky to have the experiences that you did!!!! Bummed that it got cut short, but hoping you'll be back down there again soon...

Oh hello, I really was so lucky. I have so much to look back on. I just wish I could've ended it a bit differently but oh well. I'll just have to work a bit harder on getting back to the dream.

We visited Batuu this past November and I looked for you but never saw you... You must have been building droids that day... Never thought to look in there...

I probably was in Savi's. I was very seldom in Droid. Savi's however covers both inside the workshop and out in the courtyard and there were periods where I was only ever inside so you might've caught me then. Sorry I missed you.

This is so interesting! I have a question for you. Since you live on Batuu and have no knowledge of the outside world, how are you supposed to respond when someone wants directions to Tower of Terror? I'd imagine you can't say you don't know what it is.

So I'm sure you've heard about the "vague" answers of Batuu and that's basically how we'd deal with that. Depending on the situation or guest, we might just get right to it, but usually I'd be like "Well, I'm not too familiar with that but I've heard some travelers talk about a Tower so I'd say you'd go this way." I normally wouldn't give too direct directions to ToT since it is so far away, but that would be the best way to address that question.

 

[hpygrll]

I love your updates soooo much. They give me LIFE! It's so interesting to read about the parks from the cast member perspective. Thank you for sharing!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Beeps, Boops, Scrap Metal And Everything In Between
7/30 - 8/1/19: Initial Galaxy's Edge Training

July 30th, 2019

Now that I had officially gotten my costume as well as my nametag, it was finally time to actually start my on-the-job training and get to see how my work fits in with the land. My training schedule ran like this:

Day 1: Star Wars Galaxy's Edge
Day 2: Saber
Day 3: Droid
Day 4: Saber/Droid (Final Day)

And they were all sequential. Today was that day one day and what we called a "SWGE Day" where you were just introduced to the land and given a crash course in the land, its history and proprietors in a way that wasn't just you being lectured on it in Oga's Hangar.

The way this day began was I arrived at Studios, grabbed some costume pieces and realized I was wearing the wrong socks. I believe I was wearing pants instead of the shorts option they had so it was fine but it was a memo to me from that point on.

It was kinda crazy when I came in since not only was there a big group of new cast members having their "On With The Show", but it was also the day of the Galaxy's Edge Studios Cast expo, which was the first time the land would be open fully for "guests". The Smugglers Run test-and-adjust was only open for that section of the land, but today Studios cast would be the first to experience it in full. I had signed up to go after my shift had ended, but people were pouring in for those who picked morning "shifts." (Yes, we did get paid for this Expo!)

First, it was training time! We all met up outside the welcome center trailer and all gathered around while the trainers tried to find their trainees. I was with Cindy today and Sam was my fellow trainee, which was nice. Cindy also was an awesome trainer and she was clearly so excited to open this land. She had started working for Disney specifically to open this land. Originally, she opened Woody's Lunch Box in Toy Story Land and as soon as she knew she could apply to work in SWGE, she did and now here she was!

The day primarily involved us walking through the land, talking about the proprietors and shops and such, being quizzed along the way, talking about our backstories, fine-tuning those. Aside from that, I believe we watched a stormtrooper trip (it was pretty funny) and we got to try some Java juice from Oga's. Yeah, a pretty good training day I'd say.

When we got off training, Sam and I had our Expo time so we rushed to clock out then figure out a way to clock back in. It was mega confusing since the land was still in a weird phase of still figuring itself out. We figured out and we met up with Blakely who joined us as we enjoyed the Expo.

To explain how the Expo worked, they gave us these maps that we had to fill out in order to receive a special gift at the end. You had to go to certain locations or hear certain spiels or do certain things to get a check mark. It was almost like a scavenger hunt and it was honestly a bit more difficult than you'd think since we were on a little bit of a time crunch.

Here is a rundown of my first impressions on things around the land, as directly quoted from my notes:

-"Don't mind Green Milk"
-"Meatless Meatball was GOOD"
-"Sam and Blakely are TERRIBLE pilots" (I believe we rode it twice or three times)

We also got to do fun stuff such as helping Rey and Chewie get to the Falcon without the Stormtroopers seeing them. Lera, our coordinator from Sunset, joined us for a bit as did other Sunset people we found along the way. We lost them a bit into it. We also got to test out the first photo op they were testing out for the Land.







Most people did 'the Force' move but I was feeling more dark Anakin vibes. I really liked how they all came out. Even better, it was free Photopass! And you can see a bit of my first time in costume with it on.

I believe we ended the day with a last run on the Falcon, which resulted in us getting out a bit late. We still needed to get our prize so we ran to the front to go get that. It was another of their holographic cards that were being collected as we prepped for the opening along with a special lanyard and cute little keychain. I can't remember which of the ones I received it was so I don't have a photo. However, here is the keychain and lanyard from that day.



Once we got those, it was quite the journey to get back. Another thing that you should know about Galaxy's Edge is if I or any cast member in the land is in costume, we cannot leave the land through the park. This is the one exception in Studios. MK is the only other place where you specifically can only be in your land with certain costumes. Studios was still opened so we couldn't go through Muppets back out to cast services. We were supposed to go around. Of course, certain cast didn't know this so we were turned around from going back through the land. It was wild. Sam and I literally had to sneak around so we wouldn't get in trouble, but we made it out. Unfortunately, it resulted in us clocking out late, but that was eventually fixed later on.

With that, my first day in the land was finished. I took to housework and sleep after this. The training week wasn't over yet. Tomorrow was my first day learning how to build sabers!

July 31st, 2019

I'm gonna preface the rest of this update that I have no more photos to share. These days were primarily all work and no play so I didn't take any photos.

With that said, today I was really being thrust into the crux of it all. Today was what we called "Saber day", which was when we were taught about everything Savi's in depth, which included being gatherers in the workshop and out in the courtyard.

Sydnee drove me to work again today. We had an early morning so we made a stop at Starbucks in the morning to wake us up then went to Studios. At Studios, it was the same deal as the day before except it was pretty quiet so we had backstage mostly to ourselves when trying to pair people off with their trainers. Today I was with Sharon and Caitlin was my fellow trainee. Again, another great pairing being with someone from Sunset.

The day went like this. We first got the opportunity to work with the data pads and go through the positions out in the courtyard to get used to that system. After that, they actually had the workshop open for rehearsals so we first went in and watched some of the trainers do a full show with "Kembe". Pedro, one of the two main Savi's leaders, gave us the lowdown and after the show let us practice with our trainers before continuing with rehearsals where we all had the opportunity to join in and try our hand at being gatherers.

When I tell you this was the day that made me the most anxious ever...

I was terrified.

This was clearly the premium experience they wanted it to be and as someone who has been performing since they were 11, I wanted to do at least a decent job so the pressure WAS ON. I did end up doing one of the last shows as a gatherer. I was Gatherer 2, which is one of the two gatherers that pass out the kyber crystals and takes one more builder than some of the other gatherers. I struggled through it, I barely could get the kyber crystal in I was so nervous and sweaty. I did it though. Lots of practice but I did it.

Unfortunately due to trying to get everyone to actually do a show and being the only day to do these rehearsals without guests, we ran a little late again. It still was awesome I had the opportunity to do that before I had to deal with actual guests (which was honestly much easier than doing the gatherer thing in front of your trainers).

I was pretty wiped so it was home and resting. Tomorrow was the Droid day.

August 1st, 2019

Today's Droid day very much ran the same as the previous two. When we got to Studios, we met at the Welcome Center where the trainers matched up with their trainees and we were off. Today was the first day of cast previews. They were later than our training (all these shifts started at like 7 or 8am) but we still had to use our time wisely before we couldn't go into Droid Depot.

Today for my droid training, my trainer was Shaina, Caitlin was one of my trainees and Miranda joined us as well. Droid was a much easier day than Savi's. It felt way simpler and the time we had in Droid Depot before being kicked out by Maritza, the Droid leader, felt enough. The whole day I was wishing for more time in Savi's as was everyone else.

When we were kicked out and the cast preview began, we were sent to Ops 3 where we did more Droid stuff and practiced relaying our stories a bit more. We also went over proprietors and stuff. We had the time so why not? I mean, compared to Savi's, I was feeling pretty good about Droid so if anything rehashing everything else was all I needed. We did pass through the land a few times and saw the hubbub of the previews. We also ran into some Disneygrammers and Youtubers like Francis Dominic and Jojo. For the record, I had no clue who Jojo was but they were there. Confirmed. I've also looked up a video from that day with Jojo and Francis and you can see me passing by.

They day came and went and it was time to go home. Sydnee drove me home again, I watched more of Stranger Things 3 when I got back and passed out.

Last day of training come tomorrow! Droid and saber review day. Not to mention, my cast preview later that evening. Pray for August 2019 Timmy.

Continue Here​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

I love your updates soooo much. They give me LIFE! It's so interesting to read about the parks from the cast member perspective. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you and I'm glad you're enjoying this! I'll be sharing plenty more stories, don't you worry.

 

[dromio42]

Thanks for continuing to report. I need a little dose of Disney to get through these days!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Thanks for continuing to report. I need a little dose of Disney to get through these days!

Of course! Thank you for reading! I honestly need it too sometimes. Fun to look back on good memories.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

An Entire Day In Black Spire Outpost
8/2/19: Final Day of Training & My Cast Preview!

The day had finally arrived! A day of two "FINALLYS!!" First, I was on my last day of training and second, my cast preview was right after! I was so excited. I could not wait. I knew I was gonna be exhausted after it all but I was still hype.

I was back training under Shana again and Caitlin was with me again too. We had a few more trainees latch on, which were Miranda, Kelly and Mickayla. Pretty big group for quiet Shana, but it became more of a massive trainee group with multiple trainers as the day went on.

We first were in droid going over that stuff when we had to be kicked out cause previews were starting. As a result, we were forced backstage in one of the conference rooms where we spent the rest of training. This because a massive thunderstorm had come through while we were there. It unfortunately came down as Amalia and Stacey, two of our trainers, had to smuggle saber scrap over to practice with. They did make it to us with them and we did get one last run through of our spiel, which I did in front of Sam and Stacey, and got pretty glowing remarks so it worked out. We were getting a little cabin feverish in there though, which led to some wild stories I won't share on here, but trust me we were LOSING OUR MINDS.

We did eventually have to head back and luckily the rain had stalled at that point. The only time the rain became an issue again was walking those saber parts back into Smugglers Alley (aka our main backstage area for merchandise).

We drilled things in a lot today. I still wasn't feeling super confident, but knowing everyone else had gotten the same amount of training time as I did and some feeling confident made me feel better so at the end of the day, I let them sign me off on everything and as of that moment, I was officially able to work in Galaxy's Edge!

Now, time to celebrate with a cast preview and getting to fully experience the land as a traveler!

I clocked out, headed to cast services, changed out of my costume and headed to the front to meet up with my guest for this preview. @AMusicLifeForMe (Zach) had invited me to his special viewing of The Lion King remake and he was quite possibly one of my only friends down in FL who wasn't a cast member (and of course, he has became one since) so I offered him the preview. He's a big Star Wars fan so I knew he'd appreciate it.

We met up at the front and checked in together. It was starting to rain again so we hid under our dual umbrellas all the way to the Muppets portal where we entered into the land. The Toy Story entrance was still closed off for previews.

It was a bit of an effort holding an umbrella and giving those at the check-in points what they needed to confirm it was a cast member entering the preview they signed up for it, but soon enough. We were in.



Here is the initial view of entering into the land as a true traveler for the first time...





Zach told me that it really does look exactly the same as the one at Disneyland. He was still taking a ton of photos though. As was I since I never got the opportunity before.

We first went over to Dok Ondar's. I was considering getting a holocron since I opted out of the saber experience and didn't have money at the time for a droid so we perused the shop in there.



Click to watch!


I ended up deciding against the holocron and Zach ended up purchasing some white and yellow kyber crystals. No cast discount during the previews (except for Droid or Savi's) so unfortunately I couldn't help him with that.

From there, we went on over to Droid Depot. Not without some photos along the way.





Zach had brought the droid he had built over at Disneyland's SWGE since he was having issues with the personality chip he had purchased and wanted an expert opinion. I would've offered but I wasn't too familiar with the chip and it seemed more like a replacement to something would've worked out better. The cast member who took care of it, of whom I had not met yet, took some time so I decided to split from Zach for a bit and get some grub.

At Ronto Roasters, obviously!

Click to watch!


I got what partly became my classic SWGE dish, which was the Ronto Wrap and a Tatooine Sunset.



My mouth is watering and my stomach is growling just thinking about it. So so good. I do prefer the Sour/Surly Sarlacc to the Tatooine Sunset, but it worked well the first time. I will forever recommend Ronto Roasters to anyone.

Zach joined me not long after I'd gotten my food and ended up getting the same thing with similar reviews.

Once we finished eating, we decided to go check out the Market.

Click to watch!


Click to watch!


We only went into the Creature Stalls and Jewels of Bith and only ended up buying things at Jewels. I got the BSO mug and a pin while Zach stocked up on a few pins from there.

After that, we just wandered about. Enjoying the sights, sounds and motion of BSO.





We ended up by the Cantina where I ran into Eric, the friend of Sonnet & Claire's I hung out with at Typhoon the other day. He was a seater at Oga's, which was what I hoped to get for my preview but they were all taken up by the time I signed up. He however said there was a chance he could get us in so I hopped on that. Unfortunately, it was still not to be. He said to check back later if we could and then sent Zach and I on our way.

We checked out the First Order area since it was right in that line and it was the only spot we hadn't checked out up until that point.



We stopped in at First Order Cargo where Zach hopped on getting some First Order pins and I bought the cast exclusive lanyard. We both eyeballed the cast exclusive shirt, but decided against it for the time being.

We then went on back past the Cantina and decided to spend some time with the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy!



We decided to take advantage of Photopass and got some photos with them.









Can't you tell I had been working that morning? The photos still came out pretty cool I like to think.

It was time however to go take on a mission with Hondo!

Click to watch!




Click to watch!






I was a gunner on this run while Zach ended up being an engineer. We had a not-so-great group with us, BUT we ended up getting stuck in the asteroid belt which I hadn't dealt with before. It was really cool. Zach hadn't gotten it before either so it was super exciting for both of us.

After our ride on the Falcon, we did some more wandering throughout the land. We stopped in Dok's again so I could ponder the holocron a bit more, but ultimately still was trying to figure things out. Then we hopped over to the Resistance carts where Zach ended up getting the cast exclusive shirt and some more pins. We then went back to Dok's one last time where I ultimately decided not to get the holocron. I did talk with my friend Al who was wondering how things worked in terms of Droid and Savi's, which I still wasn't too too sure about since I'd yet to work them but I told him what I knew from training on how those time slots were filled.

We then went on over to the milk stand to try some Blue Milk!



I personally enjoyed mine, although my allegiance is to the Green Milk, while Zach was not a huge fan. I might've actually finished his if I'm not mistaken.

We then decided to go back to the Falcon to ride again where we both ended up as pilots and did AMAZINGLY. We also got a nighttime sequence which was cool to see. Zach had mentioned they do that but I think we had been at the Falcon too early for it to actually switch over, but it was officially dark out so we timed it right.





We split off again since Zach wanted to go buy DJ-R3X while I had finally decided to go get my hands on the cast exclusive shirt so he went to Droid Depot while I stopped by First Order Cargo once again. I probably was a bit quicker over there so I met Zach up in Droid Depot, where I decided that I'd also get my first reusable bag. I've really stocked up on these since lol

It was after that, that we decided to head out.



It was a pretty dreary evening on Batuu during my preview, but Zach and I definitely made the best of it. It didn't rain us out too too much, but it wasn't the best for exploring and really taking it in since we definitely preferred being indoors than out in the elements. It was still nice getting to walk through the land without struggle before I actually had to work it.

Zach offered to drive me home, but I had to split off and go into cast services to get all my costumes and such situated before heading out to his car in guest parking. Thank goodness he was willing to be patient with me. I configured myself in costuming and was back out there and on my way to Vista in no time.

A quick look at some of my purchases when I got to Vista.



At Vista, I hung out with my roommates, had some snacks, watched more Stranger Things (I don't even know how I wasn't finished at this point) and then went to bed. Again, it was a pretty long day so I slept well that night. I was off the next day so I was prepared for a fairly quiet tomorrow.

Continue Here​

 

[cindianne320]

What a fun evening. I really need to try the Ronto Roasters when I head back in October!

 

[Tink2Day]

Wow, jam packed full of fun episode. Did you post any pictures of the cast shirt or your reusable bags? I'm a nerd and I buy those types of bags when I see one I like.

What does the blue and green milk taste like? I keep reading about them but never quite figured it out. I'm not much of a Star Wars fan but the first 2 were okay. The grands aren't fans either, but then again they didn't care for Harry Potter....I think their mother dropped them on their heads when they were little.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Ah. That is a day to remember!!! Thank you again so much Timmy!!! Also...Thank you for sharing my horrible shopping habits on this day.

 

[missjackiemcg]

I'll tell you right now that my story is not nearly as detailed as some Batuuans I work with. Seriously. And in all honesty, I didn't even have that much from day one and it's taken time to really flesh it out with how I behaved on planet. For the record, on planet is anything that happens on Batuu while off planet is anything we wouldn't know about since we live on Batuu and don't know much about the outside world (hence why we would never know about Mickey Mouse or the Tower of Terror, etc. etc.)

I absolutely LOVE this attention to detail and complete and total immersion into the land and story. Oh, Disney, you theme like nobody else!!!

@AMusicLifeForMe (Zach) had invited me to his special viewing of The Lion King remake and he was quite possibly one of my only friends down in FL who wasn't a cast member (and of course, he has became one since) so I offered him the preview. He's a big Star Wars fan so I knew he'd appreciate it.

DIS peeps helping DIS peeps. Love it.

All the training and cast member hype leading up to this land opening are really incredible to hear about! Thanks, as always, for telling all the details!! Loving reading along.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

What a fun evening. I really need to try the Ronto Roasters when I head back in October!

You do! It's so so good.

Wow, jam packed full of fun episode. Did you post any pictures of the cast shirt or your reusable bags? I'm a nerd and I buy those types of bags when I see one I like.

I just posted a pic of everything I got minus the reusable bag. It's right at the end of the update. I'll show off the reusable bag when we get to using it.

What does the blue and green milk taste like? I keep reading about them but never quite figured it out. I'm not much of a Star Wars fan but the first 2 were okay. The grands aren't fans either, but then again they didn't care for Harry Potter....I think their mother dropped them on their heads when they were little.

Blue is very sweet. I don't know how to describe it beyond that, it's definitely for a simpler palate. Green is very similar except it has a more muted, earthy taste. I always told people it tastes like you're drinking a garden but in a good way.

Star Wars fan or not, I highly recommend visiting the land, it is really well done. I definitely am more for Harry Potter so I get a bit more out of WWoHP, but SWGE always has a special place in my heart.

Ah. That is a day to remember!!! Thank you again so much Timmy!!! Also...Thank you for sharing my horrible shopping habits on this day.

Of course, I was so glad to be able to bring you along. And oh honey, my shopping habits were pretty bad considering how much money I had with me. YIKES.

I absolutely LOVE this attention to detail and complete and total immersion into the land and story. Oh, Disney, you theme like nobody else!!!

HONESTLY and I know there are certain other lands in Disney and at Universal that have a similar level of immersion training. You just really have to talk to people in the land to figure it out.

DIS peeps helping DIS peeps. Love it.

We gots to stick together, y'know?

All the training and cast member hype leading up to this land opening are really incredible to hear about! Thanks, as always, for telling all the details!! Loving reading along.

It would be truly a disservice to the purpose of this TR not to so stay tuned. We're almost there.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

These Beignets Aren't Catching Any Men
8/3/19: Surprise Reunion At Port Orleans & Epcot Evening

I slept in very late on this day. I was so unbelievably tired out from the day before I needed it. When I woke up, I had to take care of some errands including more cleaning and a run to Walgreen's where I finally used this baby:



We love terrible puns here.

Eventually, I did fully get ready for the day and headed out to Port Orleans French Quarter. The bus was mega late, but I still made it there in one piece. I was really craving beignets today so I got those along with a bottle of water to hold me over.





While I was there, I got a text from Alexis who was waiting backstage to start her shift so she came out to join me while I ate. We chatted until Emily C, a friend from my first program and Kaitlyn D's former roommate, stopped by to say hello. We'd been talking and I totally forgot her and her aunt were staying at French Quarter. Her arrival date was in a day or two so we had plans to hang out then but it was great running into each other today. Her and her aunt did invite me to Springs later (where they told me they were prepped to take all the recommendations I had made lol), but I said I had plans at Epcot so unfortunately had to turn them down. I did sit with her, her aunt and Alexis for quite a bit before we all split off for one reason or another.

I caught the first bus to Epcot out of Port Orleans where I ended up next to a family of very rowdy children. That was fun. Luckily, Epcot is relatively close to Port Orleans so I didn't have to deal with them for too long.





I checked out the pin store first once deep into Future World and then went to Club Cool to get my Fanta Melon Frosty on. Ugh, I miss her so so much.

After that, I decided to hop on the closest World Showcase Friendship Boat over to Morocco. I think this might've marked the first time I ever rode one of these. I like my walks, but I thought today was a better one than ever to see how it was riding one of these. It also might've been a bit rainy today.



Click to watch!


Once I got to Morocco, I walked over to the American Adventure.

Click to watch!


At the American Adventure, I relaxed for a bit and took some notes for this here TR.



The World Showcase, specifically America, were ripe with the drunk folks and some of them were playing around with the intercom inside the American Adventure and that was irritating. I swear, people need to know better. Seriously.

I left the American Adventure to go to the gift shop next store where I debated getting the Epcot reusable bag but ultimately decided against it. I did however consider my spirit plush.



But instead of purchasing either, I went to go catch Awesome Mix Live! While in line, I noticed I was behind some big super fans which was exciting. This was gonna be a show to remember for sure.



Click to watch!


Click to BOOMERANG!


Click to BOOMERANG!


Click to watch!


It really was as fun as I expected. Over many viewings, I had optimized my viewing position to where I actually got a high five from Starlord this time. He also did the cutest thing and grabbed these two little princesses and danced with them a bit. It was so cute. Literally one of the best shows I've experienced with Awesome Mix.

I decided after to go back into the American Adventure and caught the American Adventure show.









This definitely made me way more emotional than I thought it would. It really is such a beautiful show. Not to mention, they feature Beyoncé, the Obamas and the US Women's Champion Gymnastics team. Yeah, those all made me extra teary-eyed.

I started to leave after that. I stopped in Italy for a minute to enjoy the promenade because it really is the best spot outside in World Showcase.







From there, I got to Mexico where I decided to get some chips and guac from Mexico.



Once I finished that, I headed backstage and left for home.



It was this night that I did finally finish Stranger Things 3! Perfect timing considering how much time I spent at Halloween Horror Nights come September. I wasn't as big a fan of the third season as many, but I enjoyed it. Mainly for my Queen Robin.

Tomorrow was my first day working in Galaxy's Edge out of training so it was time to go get some sleep!

Continue Here​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Off The Clock And Still Being THAT Cast Member
8/4 – 8/6/19: First Days Working In Galaxy's Edge & Goodbye To ICPs/Spring CPs

August 4th, 2019

Today was the day! I was finally without a trainer and going to be working in a little trading post at the edge of the galaxy. A galaxy... far, far away. (Did I get you there?)

For the record, at this time, there were two types of shifts one could get. One was Droid/Saber which means you'd work in either of those two shops that day, quite possibly both in the same day. The other was Market/Carts which basically covers everywhere else including the Market, Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities, First Order Cargo and Resistance Carts. I primarily had Droid/Saber shifts at the start so I was doomed with the more difficult locations, as my nervous wreck self felt at the time.

I was primarily nervous about Savi's though and lucky for me, I was put in Droid for my entire shift. I began first at Credit Transactors 1 & 2, which are the two registers that you go to when going in to actually build a droid. I ran into quite a few familiar faces here. One was a massive group of my friends from Sunset which were not limited to Robbie, Cassidy and Danielle D.

Robbie's actually a vlogger so if you want to see me in action sassing him, here's the video (I show up around 13:30):

I also recognized someone from my first program who didn't recognize me but I had come across once. Weird moment but they were very friendly.

My break came mega early during this shift and after, I was sent to be a greeter and was there until the end of my shift. It was over there I met Kyleigh, one of my co-workers that you'll hear plenty about as we go along. We hit it off while trying to entertain travelers with our banter with the droids. She ended up offering me a ride to Vista where we were basically neighbors lol

My shift didn't go super late so when I got home, Carlos and Will invited me to Jellyrolls to which I agreed to go. I wasn't 100% up for it but I went anyways. They all went ahead and I joined them at a friend's place in Patterson. Once I got there, we were gonna go ahead and catch a bus to the BoardWalk but instead we stayed there eating pizza, taking part in the usual libations and playing Jackbox Games.

Carlos, Will and I all were there until 1am when we finally were too tired to continue on and we headed home together. By the time we got back, all three of us went right to sleep.

August 5th, 2019

Day two working in SWGE! Let's get right to it!

The day started off kinda wild. I had nothing to do for the first hour and just kinda wandered. Eventually, they pulled me to Droid to work as the belt stocker. Belt stocker is the person who stocks the belt that has all the droid pieces. It's a pretty fast-paced job. Back then, we only had one but now we usually have two since Droid is way busier now than it was during cast previews.

We were still getting the hang of it so I had Diana, a fellow co-worker and trainer, to help me while we tried to reset the belt since they were constantly having maintenance check on it that day. We luckily figured it out, but there were still some issues at the time when I left. Maritza, one of the two Droid leaders, came over and took over when I was bumped for my break.

When I got back from break, I was sent over to Savi's to be a gatherer. My nightmare had come true.

It ended up not being that bad. Pedro was there and while critical, he was also very encouraging. I ended up getting the hang of it rather quickly and the day went by rather fast. I extended since the shift was rather short and I could use the hours to help close Savi's out. I believe tonight was the first night we ever did some form of closing procedures. Truly weird to think about. This was also the night I met Dina and worked with her.

When I finally clocked out and got out to cast services, I ran into Nam at the bus.



Her last night on Sunset was tomorrow so I was glad I got to see her in case I didn't make it over to Sunset. We sat the entire bus ride home with each other along with Dina as these crazy French ICPs serenaded us. Yeah, it was just as strange as you'd think.

Click to watch!


We escaped and I was home chilling before a good night's rest. Back to the grind tomorrow.

August 6th, 2019

I spent the entirety of the day in Savi's and started really showing some promise in the workshop. Even Pedro was giving me good feedback and it was a really good time in there on this day. I ended up being pretty valuable to the closing procedures that night. I did however get extended as a result, which was fine. We love more hours and more credits!!

When I got out, I ran into Stefani who said she was gonna head over to Sunset to say goodbye to all the ICPs and I asked if I could join. We both went to costuming together to change and then hopped on over to Sunset.

Click to watch!


We got there just in time and it was quite the emotional crowd. Cassidy M was the first person I came across and she was in tears the minute she saw me.





After hugging her for an extra long time, I gave hugs to everyone else, went backstage to sign everyone's books and then took photos with everyone. Mostly ICPs since most Spring CPs were staying. Cassidy was the only I caught.

But here are photos with...

Jenny





Nam





Sandrine



and Celia



The coordinators and leaders on Sunset had no problem letting us stay. Heck, I was even ordering some guests around since I felt bad that all those that were leaving still had to deal with them trying to enter and exit the wrong way when the shop was closing. We hung out for quite a bit, took photos out on Sunset despite some drizzling that we got. I mean... I might've took advantage of that in a way...



Click to watch!








I love that Sunset loop and vibes.

We did however get kicked out by a third shift leader and hid out in Take 5 until 11:30pm when we all went over in separate groups to the Wendy's by Vista. Stephanie, one of the few who got stuck at Sunset when the rest of us were sent to SWGE, drove me there while Stefani and Lauren M also took other folks.

It was great getting to hang out with everyone at Wendy's and it gave me all the time to say goodbye to some of my faves. It was sad leaving that that night. It really felt like the true end to my time on Sunset. Only negative was this receipt (but really it was a positive).



Umm... what?

Anyways, it was around 3am when I had to say my final goodbyes and got back to Vista so to bed I aggressively went lol Luckily tomorrow was my day off so I was gonna get plenty of rest.

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[missjackiemcg]

It's hard to believe you were so nervous at the start of your SWGE days, especially in Savi's. You seem SO confident!!! I'm glad your leaders saw the awesome job you were doing early on because I'm sure you were amazing at it!!

Absolutely LOVE this!!! I feel like I can hear the music

 

[Tink2Day]

Think I told you this story before, I had a friend named Timotea, we called her Timi....I think it's cute. Kind of suits your adorableness.....(not a real word but it fits).

I remember you were sad to leave Sunset.... To me you fit MK better, sprinkling Pixie dust, and the costume was super cute. I've never forgiven Studios for closing Sweet Spells.