Life Is Complicated

My life here at Disney has been sooo busy.  Work is going great and I got my first Great Service Fanatic card the other day.  I was a super greeter over at Hundred Acre goods; basically, you just greet guests, chat with them, see how they're enjoying their day.  So instead of just standing around I picked up the biggest Winnie the pooh nwe had and had him waving at the guests.  The store is right next to the ride for Pooh so I was also chatting with the guests in line; especially the kids.  Kids got a kick out of waving back to Pooh or giving him a hug.  Anyways, a manager from another area walked by, saw me with the guests and said I was doing a great job and gave me a GSF card.

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about the future lately.  All my plans I made about gradsuating from Tunxis and getting a job with the Disney Cruise Line have gone out the window.  I just don't think that I could handle being that far away from everyone, with only one roommate, for that long.  Anyways, after talking to my sister, I decided to look into getting a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis on English at WestConn.  I've always liked teaching and helping others and I think I could be great at this.

The problem I'm now facing is funding.  I have to apply for FAFSA and possible loans.  I've also got to deal with my parents who don't like to being so in debt.  I've had issues with over-drawing on my bank accounts before and raising debt on my credit cards, but I think education loans are different.

In other news, or not-so-news, I spent the afternoon at Hollywood Studios yesterday and had a blast.  I made myself go on the Tower of Terror and it was interesting.  I also saw the Indiana Stunt Show Spectacular and that was awesome.  Then I went on Rockin' Roller Coaster.  OMM!!!!!  I finally found a roller coaster that lived up to my expectations.  It's extremely fast, and does loops where it takes you upside-down.  It was amazing.  And the details were really cool too.  The coaster is a stretch limo and the signs and decor are all painted to glow under black lights.  The only downside was that I had had a small headache before I went on the ride, but by the time I had finished the ride, my head was pounding.  But oh, was it it worth it.

In Disney news, Toontown has now officailly closed and the characters have moved out temporarily.  Mickey and Minnie can be found over in Tomorrowland greeting guests near Space Mountain, the Princesses are over in Adventureland, and Tinker Bell and her friends have gone to flitter amungst the flowers at Epcot.  Toontown will re-open with the rest of Fantasyland after the reconstruction finishes.  Toontown will be become a Storybook Circus theme.  As a result of Toontown closing, Fantasyland has gained a few new Cast Members.  Our family has certainly grown, though we are losing a couple of CPs who leave this week.

Long Day

Today was one loooong day.

I woke up later than I had hoped this morning.  I wasn't late for work or anything but I didn't have time to do everything that I needed to get done.

After I got to work, I realized that I had forgotten to bring shorts to wear under my costume skirt.  And I had forgotten nylons (I hate nylons).  The nylons weren't so much a problem because I found out yesterday that I don't have to wear them. 

But missing my shorts; not a good thing.  Anyways, I ended up cutting up my jeans that I had worn to work into shorts.  And let me just say, those were my favourite jeans.  Now they kind of look like capris.  I might turn them into a skirt or something later on.

I spent the last of my cash on trying to buy nylons from the vending machines so I didn't have any money left to eat lunch or dinner while on my breaks.  So when I got home I ordered Dominos (I love their Buffalo Chicken sandwiches; yum!).

The rest of my day wasn't too bad but it felt long.  I gave a couple of magical moments to a brother and sister who looked like they were bored while their parents shopped.  And I helped some parents out by distracting their kids who kept saying that they wanted this or that in the store.

By the way, I was stocking at Hundred Acre Goods (The Winnie the Pooh store) and that store is very simple to take care of.  Though the Tigger pillow pets were flying off the shelves.  I had a hard time keeping up witht the sales.  Everytime I went to the stock room to get more, I'd have to turn right back around and get even more out.

Though the day started out not so good, I had a good time with the kids.  And as I was trained  "I am kind and courteous to everyone, including children."  Gotta love the 4 Basics.  Most children are pretty well-behaved in the stores at Disney.  I mean you get a few who "want" everything they see, but for the most part they are polite.  I like to reward the ones that ask Mommy nicely if theyn can get something and say Thank You with Mickey Mouse stickers.

On another note, I am extremely happy for the next 2 days off.  I have some running around to do tomorrow like going to the post office, and laundry.  But then on Tuesday, I think that I'll go to Hollywood Studios.  I haven't been there so far in my program.

Good Night Everyone.

So Much Fun

I have been having so much fun lately.  I've made some interesting work friends.  Tonight a bunch of us from Fantasyland Merch went to Steak n Shake after work.  OMM! They are hilarious.  I took a whole bunch of pics and videos.  We laughed so hard all night and now my stomach muscles hurt.

Work has been going great for now.  I've mainly worked in Fantasy Faire so far stocking and registers, but I helped close Castle Couture tonight as well.  Castle is my favourite store in all of Fantasyland.  It used to be called Tinker Bell's Treasures but they changed it last year.  Anyways, in Castle Couture, you can buy almost any of the Dianey Princess dresses, tiaras, etc.  But the best part is the Pixie Dust.  As a Cast Member working in Castle Couture, you get to sprinkle people with Pixie Dust while they make a wish.

By the end of the night, everyone is covered in Pixie Dust.  We all sparkle.  But let me tell you, Pixie Dust is crazy hard to get out of your hair.

One of these days I'll get around to posting pics of my costume and name tag, etc.  Speaking of name tags.  I think I've already lost mine.  I found a rip in the bottom of my bag last night and today at work realized that I couldn't find my name tag.  So I got to be Connie form Largo, FL all night.  Which was kind of funny when parents would tell their kids to "Say Thank You to Connie."  I kept looking around wondering who they were talking about.

I've also spent some time exploring the parks and enjoying my time off.  I went to Animal Kingdom the other day and really enjoyed watching The Festival of the Lion King.  I also really love going on the Safari.  It's different every time you go on it.

I think that's going to be it for tonight, since it's already 1:46 am and I have to catch the 11:30am bus to West Clock.  So goodnight people!

Apartment Tour

Here is a video of my apartment at Chatham Square

Everything

Hey Everyone!

I know it looks like I'm another typical CP blogger who doesn't post anything after they check in to the College Program.  Well, that's not entirely my fault.  You see, when I got my apartment there was no power adapter for the Internet router.  We had to keep calling the office and they finally sent one out 8 days later.  The rest of the time since check in has been pretty tiring so that's why I haven't posted anything.

Now, on with the real stuff.

Check-In:
On the morning of January 19th, I woke up bright and early and was on the road with my mom by 6:15 am.  I figured I'd be at Vista Way nice and early that way.  But boy, were there a lot of people there already; and it wasn't even 7 am yet.  In short, if you're looking for a specific apartment, you'll want to try and get to Vista before 7 am.

So now I had a hour plus wait until they opened the gates for Check-In.  I started up a conversation with a couple of people in line next to me so we weren't bored the whole time.  They were both nice and we pretty much stuck with each other the rest of check in.  Once the gates opened, I followed the mass of people headed for the back of the complex.  The Check-In process was really simple.  They gave us our program guides and we headed off to fill out a little paperwork.  Then we got to the room where we got to request our apartment.  I asked if they had any 1 bedrooms available, and preferably in Patterson, but they were out in Patterson.  So I am now living in a 1 bedroom apartment in Chatham Square. (I'll write more about the apartment later)

After I got my apartment assignment, I headed for the bus to Casting.  I saw and talked to a lot of people that morning.  But I found out my job location (Fantasyland Merchandise in Magic Kingdom) and learned more about the classes offered.  I had to go through a background check and got my fingerprints scanned.  Really easy stuff.  Then I got my paycheck card; basically, they sign you up for a Visa Debit card and every week your paycheck goes onto that.  You can sign up for direct deposit right away but only if you have a voided check with you.  Otherwise, you have to wait and do it on the Hub after you've gotten 2 pay checks.

Apartment:
Casting went well, and soon I was back at Vista.  I called my mom and she picked me up and we went to find my apartment.  My building is in the somewhat center of the complex, not far from the main entrance.  So while I have to walk out to the bus stop every day, it's not too far.  Actually, I'm not too far from anything.  I have a quick little youtube video that I'll post in the next post. 

My apartment is much, much smaller than I was expecting.  I mean, I knew it would be small, but we don't have a dining area (we got a breakfast bar with 2 stools), we don't have a pantry (I had to rearrange all of the dishes so that we had room for groceries), but the closet is a decent size.

Roommate:
My roommate.  It's hard to describe her, other than to say she's very quiet.  I was hoping to get someone who was talkative like me or really fun.  We get along just fine, but we don't hang out at all.  Sometimes I wish that I had requested a 2 bedroom instead, just so I'd have someone to talk to.  Anyways, we've split the apartment just about equally in terms of space; cupboards, fridge/freezer, drawers, etc.  Though I've been the one to buy most of the stuff in the apartment.  Her mom helped her buy more shared neccessities like t.p. and paper towels but I had to buy a toaster oven (Walmart was out of toasters), and I got a bath mat and step stool. 

My roommate is in a relationship with her phone.  When ever I try to talk to her, she giggles, gives a short answer and goes back to texting or Facebook on her phone.  She's really nice but sometimes I wish she were more social.  She also stays in the bedroom most of the time.  I offered for her to use my TV and DVD player/DVDs in the living room when she wants to, but she just stays in the bedroom with her TV there.

At least she's not bad, or messy.  I got a pretty good deal out of a roommate.

Work:
Everyone always wants to know about Traditions class.  Well, it's something everyone has tot ake before starting the rest of their training.  Basically, they go over a lot  of general information about the company like a brief history, the 4 keys, and the 4 basics.  Now if you work at the Magic Kingdom, you'll have the 4 Basics drilled into your head.  So learn them early.  We had to ssit through a few short films but overall, it was enjoyable.  We also got to go through a bit of Magic Kingdom during Traditions (Disney university is right next to MK).

After that I had Once Upon a Time ... Is Now, which is MK's park orientation.  We did a lot of walking that day, so wear comfortable shoes.  We toured the park and even got to go on a couple of rides.  It was interesting because, as a guest, there are just some things, you never notice.

Once the park orientation part was over, trainers brought us to the costuming building where we got our costumes.  There was only one other person in our group who was assigned Fantasyland Merchandise.  Sam and later Kelsey, and I all did most of out training together this past week.  We finished early, so I was able to head back home.

I had many days of training in Fantasyland after that.  Learning the different stores and carts I would have to work and learning how to stock.  And my favourite training so far, learning how to embroider the back of the Mickey Ear hats.  That was a lot of fun.

I finished all of my official training last Thursday and had a nice 2 days off.  On my second day off, I took the buses up to visit my sister in Winterpark, FL. 

So I think that's just about it for this post.  It's been very long.  I'll try to post again soon with the pics from Universal, as well as some from Disney.

Day 1

Day 1:  My Favourite Character

So you might be thinking after all these days that my favourite character would have to be something to do with the princess and the Frog movie.  And while that might be a good guess, my absolute favourite character in the whole Disney universe is Tinker Bell.  She's spunky, has attitude, she looks great, and is very creative.



Sooo ... tomorrow is finally Check-In day.  Tonight I will be going to bed by 10 pm (hopefully) so that I can leave the apartment by 6:15 am.  Like I've posted a few times already, I want a specific apartment.  And if it's busy, I probably won't get the one I want.  So better to be early; just in case.

The van is all packed with eveything again and I have my On-boarding paperwork all filled out and ready to go.  My important documents are all set and i have clothes laid out for the morning.

I hope everything goes all right and that it goes fairly quickly.  I'd like to be in the apartment getting things set up by noon or 1 pm.  We'll see how it goes I guess.

Today my mom, sister, and I went to Universal Islands of Adventure to see Harry Potter world.  It was so incredible beautiful.  But OMM was it crowded.  I think more people showed up today because of all the rain yesterday. 

Anyways, we went to Ollivander's first thing and stood in a looong line to see the wand choosing.  It was pretty cool.  Then we were practically shoved into the next store.  OMM were there so many rude people in there.  I bought an ash wand but I didn't get a real chance to look around because it was sooooo crowded. 

Next, I got post cards and had them post-marked with the Hogsmeaded Owl post mark.  And while my mom and sister got in line for butterbeers, I got in line to go into Honeyduke's candy store.  It wasn't too crowded in there, but there was a super long line to check out.  I bought 2 Chocolate frogs (one for me and one for a friend) and then bought 2 more for my parents.  I also picked up an Acid Pop, which just tastes like a sour apple lollipop.  But it was cool.  Zonko's joke shop was attached to Honeyduke's so I could see inside, but it was too busy for me to look around. 

We wanted to look around at more of the shops and things but it was so crowded and we were all sore from standing in long line (not to mention we all had headaches by that time) that we headed out to City Walk where we had a quiet lunch at Margarittaville, (Good food; excellent service), before leaving.

You know, I have to say that the employees in Universal (with the exception of one) were all very happy and friendly people.  That was kind of refreshing.

Maybe I'll go back to Universal again later but for now, this was pretty good.  My mom and I took pictures but I don't have time to upload them right now.  I promise I'll post them soon though. 

I'll try my best to blog tomorrow about the Check-In process and everything, but if not tomorrow night, then probably Thursday.

Here's hoping for a magical day tomorrow. :D

Day 2

Day 2:  My Favourite Princess

By now, I think that you can guess who my fave princess is.  And that would be Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog.  She's sassy, powerful, and knows what she wants.  Every princess should be self-sufficient.

So today was interesting.  It poured for hours today.  It made shopping an interesting affair.  First we went to Target where I picked up a few essentials as well as a new pocket-sized digital camera.  My mom also bought me a webcam as an early b-day present.

Next we went to the Disney Outlet store located, conveniently, right near Patterson and Chatham.  I got a few pins and a new Mickey shirt as well as an Animal Kingdom shot glass and a colouring book.  It was pretty busy and they didn't have much merchandise that I would really like to buy but it was cool to visit.

After that we went to Chili's for lunch and headed back to my sister's apartment to rest and relax for awhile (I haven't gotten much sleep in the last week).

A couple hours later, we headed out again (this time without the pouring rain) and went shopping at Walmart.  I bought some staple items like rice, condiments, etc.  You know, things that don't need to be put in the fridge or freezer.  And some items like plastic clothes hangers, tin foil, Ziploc baggies, etc.

For dinner we ordered Dominos pizza.  It was okay, but after a couple days of eating junkie foods, my body was not enjoying the pizza.  I think that it wanted some more healthy stuff.

Tonight, I'm gonna try to get to sleep early so that I'm not exhausted tomorrow.  My mom is going to take my sister and I to Harry Potter World tomorrow so I want to be awake for that.  It should be pretty cool.  And I want to get a wand; not really anything else, just a wand. 

I'll try and write again tomorrow night and let you know how it was.  Then I'll be going to bed early so that I can get up for 6 am.  I want to be a Vista Way before 7 am.  My mom thinks I'm a little nuts, but she understands that I want to try to get a specific apartment.

Anyways, good night everyone and have a magical evening.