Long Lost Friends Week

While I wasn't hacking up a lung from this terrible cold I've been dealing with, I still managed to find myself in a park or two! My main reason for getting myself out of bed was to head to Magic Kingdom for Long Lost Friends Week. This year Disney parks are doing something called Limited Time Magic. Different weeks will have a different theme, for example last week at Epcot Mickey and the gang did a 'street beat' where they played drums and had tap dancers do different dances and moves for the audience. This coming week we have Christmas in July where the Main Street Bakery will sell some of their Christmas cupcakes. Long Lost Friends Week involved the public voting for some characters that don't usually make regular appearances to come out. This is who decided to show up!

 Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Sheriff of Nottingham, and Prince John from Disney's Robin Hood

 Dr. Facilier and Louis from one of my personal favorites, The Princess and the Frog

Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and Brer Rabbit from Song of the South (and Splash Mountain!)

Chicken Little and Abby Mallard from Chicken Little

Autograph cards from the characters

It was a great photo op, and a great chance for me to get sunburn! In my opinion it paled in comparison to Disneyland who got friends such as Esmeralda, Jane, Terk, Tarzan, John Smith, you name it there were there. I also spent that day getting some pins to add to my collection thanks to my handy dandy CM discount!

It keeps growing! I added the Mickey Wallet Pin (CE LE 500), Minnie Poster Art (on top, LE 2000) and the Walt Legacy of a Dream pin set. I also have a Monsters Inc. one for trade if you like!

I also paid a visit to Hollywood Studios to walk around (which turned out to be walking around in the pouring rain, not good for my cold) and to watch Fantasmic! That is always a must see show on any trip to WDW!

I've been back at work and tomorrow is my Friday. These past few days have been really great though. I've worked mostly with this one guy who has been there for a while and he really takes the time to make sure he explains everything. Granted, I am a senior in culinary school and have 2 industry experiences so some of the things are a bit basic but it just goes to show he wants to cover all the bases which is great for a trainer. I even got to finally mix something, woohoo! I'm so used to mixing at my job back home and scrapping 80 quarts of cheesecakes and mousse but since I'm brand new I think they are waiting until our head chef comes back on vacation which I definitely understand. I'm doing more and more things so there's more things that I'm familiar with than not which makes me more comfortable which helps my brain calm down. But all I have is this 1 day of work then it's 2 days off for me and hopefully I'm better by then! I hope to stalk the UK pavilion waiting for news of the royal baby!

Baking for the World

So today is already my Friday, our lingo here in WDW for your last day of work before your days off. I'm sorry I didn't post as much during the week while things were still fresh but I often found myself passed out on my bed or watching Glee (yes, that is how I'm dealing with it. Oh how my heart broke) and figured I would just do a summary post. I'm currently righting this sick, joy. I never got my Spring allergies so I guess I had to get sick at some point. So on my day off I have to take a trip to the pharmacy, yeay!

But these past 3 days I have officially been in the Epcot production bakery. It's alright, I do miss my beloved Polynesian but once I get more used to it I think I'll be ok. I just hate being new, I hate asking questions and I hate being unsure of things. It's also weird because I'm the only CP there making me the newest and the youngest. Like for instance, today I piped a lot of mousse onto these brownies and my first few weren't too great, I'm the kind of person where I may not do it right the first time but that's how I learn, from my mistakes. Eventually they came out good but I will always dwell on the fact that I made a bad one versus a good one.

There's a lot to do in the bakery, we bake for 7 pavilions, 2 restaurants and probably other things I don't even remember. It's different than the Polynesian because they had shifts and each shift had designated duties so you always knew what was on your agenda when you walked in the door. My job back home is also a production bakery but I feel like I was on a looser leash there, I got to mix and bake and get experience with every aspect but since I'm new here, I'm not quite doing that yet. I've turned on an itty bitty mixer to make royal icing, something anyone can do, when I'm used to digging into an 80 quart mixing bowl of cheesecake or mousses. I know it won't be like this forever, eventually I'll get confident in what I'm doing and know my way around more, I just hate the beginning.

But everyone is really really nice. There's actually a woman who reminds me of someone I work with back home, it's almost like their twins, and she's been helping me a lot. There's another girl who has been really friendly to me from the beginning when she volunteered to take me on tour and then I met another man today who really has the material it takes to be a trainer. He tells me everything I need to do and always ends with asking if I have any questions and then he will come around and tell me if I'm doing good or not. It's a good learning environment and I do like that.

I can't really share backstage photos so none of the following are mine but here are some of the things that come out of our bakery. We don't plate them in full, there's usually a pastry chef at each location that takes what we give them and often adds the garnishes or sauce and any extras they have. Again, none of these photos are mine but I will leave a hyperlink underneath so you can go to the original source! And this isn't everything, just things I've actually remembered the name to or actually have a picture of!

Sticky Toffee Pudding from the UK Pavilion's Rose and Crown Pub (I've actually had this on vacation and it's delicious!) What we make: The Sticky Toffee Cake

 credit:disneyfoodblog

Perry Sugar Cookie

credit: eatingwdw 

The Chocolate Wave from the Coral Reef. What we make: the chocolate cake (scooped 450 of those today!)

Credit: disneyfoodblog 

Coconut Mango Chiffon Cake from the Coral Reef. What we make: the cake, coconut mousse, mango mousse, and cookie on top

credit: disboards

Baileys and Jack Daniel's Mousse from the Coral Reef. What we make: the mousse and cookie

credit: eatingwdw

Maple Creme Brulee from Le Cellier (it was being mixed and cooked today and it smells like breakfast! We make: the whole thing!

credit: disneyfoodblog

S'mores Brownie from the Liberty Inn. We make: it all! 

credit: disneyfoodblog

Jaffa Tarts from the Rose and Crown Pub. We make: the tarts

credit: hisfrugalservant  

Key Lime Tart from Sunshine Seasons

credit: disneyfoodblog 

There's more that we do as well this is just what I know for sure. Hopefully with all these desserts the bakery will pick up. I have arrived during an abnormally slow period and although I'm glad I'm not running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I do wish there was less idle time or waiting for something to do. But my 3 days are up and it's 2 days off. I just came back from a night out with friend, we got some food and drinks at Paradiso 37 in DTD and watched Despicable Me 2, which was adorable! Crashing and hopefully waking up a bit better in the morning (or afternoon) would be nice!

Epcot Orientation: Discovery Day

Today was a day of new experiences, new memories, and definitely some new discoveries. Once Traditions is over, you get a special themed training for you location. For example my orientation last year for the Polynesian was called Aloha Day and it was centered around Hawaiian culture and the history of the resort. Today's orientation was called Discovery Day. Epcot is all about learning and embracing cultures and new technology. The core of our orientation was diversity, progression, and culture. To start the day we went back to the original storyteller and man behind Epcot, Walt. In the fall of 1966 Walt put together a video pitch to the state of Florida for his new Disney World and titled it The Florida Project. Walt was ill at the time of filming and sadly died in December of that year and never got to see his Disney World and Epcot built. The Epcot that we have today is different from what was planned, I actually am really curious as to what it would have been like if it went according to plan. Epcot has always been a constantly evolving park, the way Walt intended. We watched part of this video in orientation today and I definitely recommend watching it if you're a Disney buff. The intro is a lot about Disneyland and Walt starts his Epcot spiel at about the 5 minute mark.

Watching videos of him always makes me cry :'( 

After that, we went into the park! We had two really great orientation leaders that made lots of great jokes and provided us with lots of Epcot facts. Did you know that Epcot has the 2nd largest parking lot on property and can hold 11,646 cars? The largest is Magic Kingdom's parking lot and that alone can hold Disneyland's Magic Kingdom. That's a lot of cars! Another fun fact, Spaceship Earth is made up of a series of triangles. How many are there you ask? 11,324 triangle panels make up Spaceship Earth. These panels play a key part in the structure of Spaceship Earth. If it's raining, you can stand underneath it and not get wet because the un off water from Spaceship travels through its own drain the be put back into the fountain view near the entrance and World Showcase lagoon. This water also helps to clean Spaceship Earth and it only has to be cleaned by Cast Members about twice a year. Now you know!

We did a lot of walking around the park going over locations of things such as first aid and guest relations, going over the history of the park, visiting key areas, observing Cast Members in action and even riding some rides! As a group we got to go on the ride within Spaceship Earth, Project Tomorrow. This ride features the history and future of our planet and has some great animatronics within as well as you travel throughout the 18 story icon. In addition, we also got to ride the Friendship Boats as a group before they were opened to the Guests. These boats take you all along the pavilions through a sealed boat on World Showcase Lagoon. Our guides gave us a bunch of facts and tidbits along the way. Something I knew beforehand was that Morocco, not part of the opening pavilions, was built with special influence. The prince of Morocco sent over his personal architect to work with Disney in making sure the construction of the pavilion was authentic. It actually happens to be one of my favorite pavilions. I also learned something new! In Norway when Christianity was brought to the country, they built churches without the use of nails. There is a replica of a Stave church in the Norway pavilion that houses a museum on vikings, I didn't even know you could go in it!

There is a part of the tour that I have sworn to keep a secret. Seriously, we had to raise our hand and repeat an oath swearing to never ever, ever ever, share the secret so help me Mickey. You'll just have to come work for Epcot to find out! It really made us feel at home. In fact, everyone did. We didn't have our name tags on in the park since our tour guides wanted us to be 'their Guest' but we had our IDs around our necks. Every CM greeted us, waved, and welcomed us to the team, it really felt like a family. 

After that at about 12ish, I finally got to go see the bakery! I was met by a leader who took me to get my costume and locker, answered some of my questions and took me to see the bakery! It is actually underground under Innoventions, I never would have guessed that! We bake numerous desserts for a majority of the pavilions and restaurants like Coral Reef and Sunshine Seasons. I got to meet my chef and she was so nice and welcoming, I felt really comfortable with her and in that kitchen already. Last year I remember being a bundle of nerves and then we met the GM of the Polynesian and it was as if he just took them all and threw them away. She made me talk about myself and what I expect to get out of this. I mentioned I was a bit nervous but excited but she emphasized that she doesn't want me to feel stressed, she works to have it be a stress free environment and to not feel pressured. She said we will get tired of course but have fun doing so. I really feel confident working under her. I met the rest of the crew, I'm the only CP, but they were all welcoming and friendly and one of the girls gave me a tour of the kitchen. It's even smaller than our kitchen at ShopRite, there's 2 ovens to bake for all of Epcot! But a lot gets done so I will see on my first day on Monday!

I had a little chat with my mom and feel even much better after that. I feel like it's going to be harder for me to make friends this time around. I'm living and working with people not necessarily my age. My roommates are 25 and 30 and being the only CP in the bakery makes me the youngest. At 21 I thought maybe I would go get drinks in Epcot with my roommates or like last year my roommates and I would have little dance parties in the living room and goof around, that's what you get with college kids! I work well with everyone, at my work back home I'm the youngest there too, but on a college internship you expect different. But this is week 1, come fall more CPs are coming to the bakery for Food & Wine and while a lot of my rep friends are leaving, one of them is coming over too. I also do hope to meet people from my other blog and make friends through that as well. I'm just a Disney person, I want to go to the parks all the time, I want to go out and explore Orlando and go to Universal and Sea World and the Titanic exhibit and stuff, and I know that even if I do that on my own it will get done, but I wish I had more people to go with but I think that will happen over time. Just like Epcot, this program is full of new discoveries!

Magic Kingdom & Epcot

So with getting your blue ID card comes getting access to the parks!

Fun fact: Tangled is my favorite Disney film!

This post will have quite a few pictures in it so continue reading after the break!

Traditions

Phew! It certainly was a busy day yesterday, hence why this post is the day after. Although busy and long it was nothing short of magical as yesterday was Traditions, the orientation into The Walt Disney Company. No matter what your status or your role, every single Cast Member sits through Traditions at some point. I actually didn't have to go because I am an active CM already but I asked them to let me go, that's how much I love it. It's not often one is excited to wake up at 5 AM!

Traditions takes place in Disney University which is a really great building near MK. Unfortunately I didn't have time to take any pictures and google isn't of much help. The lobby is a great decorated place with Disney quotes on the wall, characters coming out of tiles of the ceiling, and a TV area playing the biography of Walt Disney. The halls are lined with photographs of Disney legends and animators with their work, I always love walking past Ollie Johnston's. The classroom where Traditions is held is bursting at the seams with pixie dust with 2 of the large walls containing painted murals of various Disney characters. You get your ID (aka entrance to the parks-yeay!) and sit at tables with new friends! I met a really nice gentleman named Lee who had a really interesting story. He spent 20 years as a graphic designer but always wanted to do culinary so he decided to switch on over and here he is! It's never too late to go after your dreams!

I admit, the beginning of the program may seem boring, especially at 8 AM. There is this animated intro into to the business practices and ethics of the Walt Disney Company. It's given by Chris, an animated body in an animated monorail but with a CGI face, can you say creepy?

But it gets better! Trust me! Our Traditions was lead by 2 great CM leaders: Scott and Vivian. They keep the atmosphere upbeat and fun and if you participate they give you little 'critters' to keep, this time I snagged 2!

A critter for each name tag!

You play some games like organizing the Disney history into order and having your table leader (which ended up being me!) write down as many Disney characters in a time frame. We ended up getting 38 and the winning team got 39, bummer! 

You also watch some videos from special CMs by the name of Tom Staggs, Meg Crofton, and Bob Iger. If you don't know who they are and you want a career with the company, stop reading (but of course come back after!) and go to Google. They are very important CMs to the company, especially Mr. Iger. Something I will always remember from his little speech is this: “If you’re like most people, you already have a relationship with the Walt Disney Company. However, beginning today, you will no longer be like most people. Because now, you are part of the Walt Disney Company” It's just so weird to think that I am a part of this company that has been with me my whole life, that I get to work for the company that one of my heroes built and created from a couple bucks in his pocket in his suitcase. With Campus Rep included, I've been with the company for a year and I still can't believe the mouse is my boss and I have a castle in my backyard, pinch me!

There are certain elements of Traditions that make it special. Places that you go to, a special guest that stops by to bring you something special but I'm not going to ruin it for you. I'm sure if you're really curious and snoop around the internet that you will find out what they are but I made a promise to Mickey not to tell. 

I do have to mention one thing though, on Traditions you are representing the company. You might not have your name tag on your shirt but a group of people dressed in professional attire being led by a CM, it's pretty obvious. So please try and act professional. I take my Disney career and things like Tradition seriously.  This isn't the place to complain that it's hot out and then exclaim 'air conditioning!' as you walk in the doors and other CMs are walking out, this isn't the time to see a character getting dressed and point it out to everyone or to squeal in the park that you need to take a picture or hug someone. It's also most definitely not the time to complain that the floors are not heel friendly, everyone tells you NOT to wear heels for this reason. I think it's pretty obvious why I'm mentioning these things but I just want everyone to understand this is professional. Sure when I'm at home I sing Disney songs and kick my feet like a little school girl during the boat scene in Tangled, that's me being a disnerd in my own element. But when I represent the company, I become a professional Disnerd. Just a bit of a heads up.

Traditions will most likely be one of your favorite days as a CM, a day you will look back on years and years in the future. I truly love it and am glad I was allowed to do it again. It's more than just getting that park access (although I did take advantage of that last night!) but it officially begins your career with Walt Disney, YOU become a Cast Member.

Movie Night!

Boy have we been spending quite a bit of time in the Common's clubhouse lately! Tonight, two of my roommates and I went to the clubhouse at 7 to watch one of my favorite films, Despicable Me!

I meant to take pictures but alas, I forgot. There is a large screen in the center of the room and other screens surrounding the walls so there is always a good seat in the house. The line wasn't too long so we got in right away. Upon entering you get some free popcorn (which thanks to my vegan roommate we learned was gluten and also dairy free, Disney thinks of everything!) and soft drinks and you could also enter a raffle to win a dvd copy of the film. In front of each seat there were also little Disney Internships & Programs key chain lights.

Earlier today my roommate and I went grocery shopping at Publix. I always hate those initial stops where you have to get everything like your spices and flours and everything else. But, I did manage to get mostly everything and stay within a relatively ok budget for the initial shop. I believe I've mentioned it before but be sure to get at least 2 reusable bags. Disney gives you a free blue one and I always take that as a spare but I always try to limit my purchases to fit in those 2 bags. It makes it easier for you to carry on and off the bus, believe me!

Calling it an early night since Traditions is tomorrow! Technically I wasn't supposed to go and considered a bypass because I'm still an active Cast Member but I asked to be put in and thankfully they did. I have never been so excited to get up at 5:30! No of course I have, for last year's Traditions! I can't promise tons of pictures since it's professional and on the clock but I will try and capture something for everyone! So excited to see my boss tomorrow!

I also get my park access after Traditions and plan on hitting up New Fantasyland and watching Wishes! from within Main Street this time as opposed to the beach :)

My Apartment

So I moved in to my new apartment on Monday and it's already a very different experience than last year, could be worse but it is making me miss my old Patterson apartment and roommates. I got my last choice for housing, a 2 bedroom in The Commons. I still picked it because typically this housing is reserved for International Program participants and was only opened to everyone this year so I thought it would be a great way to meet people from all over. When I found out I got my last pick I asked if it was because I picked alcohol allowed apartments, I said I would live in an alcohol prohibited apartment if it meant living in Patterson. Unfortunately she said it goes based off of what you submitted and your departure date so this is what I got.

My issue with The Commons is that I'm paying more for a place that pales in comparison to Patterson. Patterson opened in 2008 and is very clean and modern. The Commons opened in 1998 so it has parts that are run down and it's older looking. The people living in our room before us did not take care of it at all. Disney stresses that you can't hang things on your walls, they give you a cork board and that's what you're supposed to use. These people had stickers EVERYWHERE and they left all this residue. There's Love You on my wall, a crown, Have a Nice Day on the back of our door, and even stickers on the light switches. I didn't even do this in my room when I was 6. There a pin holes in all the walls and it's just left it in a bit of a mess. Our roommates who were already here said they were supposed to come and repaint it but clearly they never did.  We do pay the extra money because we have a washer and dryer in the apartment so that means you don't have to use public ones like the other complexes and pay money for it. Still, I'd rather walk to do laundry and pay $1.25 a load.

It is important to know that you can submit a report when you get here. When the apartment team comes to do an inspection they check for things (so how they missed all of this is beyond me) and will fine you if it's not reported. So the afternoon we arrived I went to the front desk to ask for the paper to fill out. You just list any problems with certain areas of your apartment. For example I mentioned the residue and pinholes in the wall, our broken blinds, and the fact that there are stickers in the living room that also may leave residue when coming off. So what this does is show housing hey, they walked into this problem so when we notice it on inspection, it's not their fault. Just make sure to do it withing 24 hours of arriving. 

It is what it is. I say it could be worse because my roommates are all really nice. The girl I live with is actually doing the exact thing I did last year, baking for the Polynesian. I also have a roommate from Italy and Japan. But, I'm also the youngest in my apartment. I'm 21 and the other girls are 25 and 30. I do wish I had people closer to my age because it's easier to get along. But I did meet some really nice people at check in and haven't even gone to work yet so there's still more opportunities. And I still have all my friends from school down here as well. Like I said, could be worse!

So I've had some people asking to do a post on housing and while our place is still a work in progress (getting some more cleaning stuff today) but this is what we have to work with so far:

 My bed. If you're flying, don't come down with bedding. It saves room in your luggage. This bed in a bag and pillow cost me less than $35 all together.

 See, Disney gives you a cork board to put things on! I collect Disney pins so this is a great place for me to put them :)

 Our closet, smaller than Patterson but easily doable. Each closet comes with lockers for each roommate but you have to provide the lock.

 Our bathroom, bigger than Patterson because it has the sink area inside as well. We plan on getting some rugs for it today for the purpose of a rug and for a splash of much needed color! Us ladies think about these things!

 The bathroom also comes with a mini closet! Something I do like that Patterson didn't have. Great place to store your toiletries, makeup, medicine and your toilet paper stash

 Our room

 Looking out to to the dining area/kitchen from our room

 The reason why the Commons is more expensive is because there is a washer and dryer directly in your apartment

 Our living area. The TV does not come with the apartment. Yes, that is a Christmas tree and stickers. Beyond those blinds is a little patio

 The Kitchen

 More of the kitchen

 Looking out from our room. The first bedroom is on the left

Walking into the apartment. You can see why my first impression wasn't the greatest

Housing and Bingo!

When I woke up this morning I woke up for the first time in my new bed in my new apartment. I know you might hear from some people that the Disney beds are uncomfortable but I sleep like a baby! The day after your check in is usually pretty relaxed, you can do some shopping either after your check in or on day 2. Day 2 consists of a housing meeting in the Commons Clubhouse. They go over the do's and don'ts of living in Disney Apartments such as do have open communication with your roommates but don't bring in illegal substances, pretty basic stuff. They also highlight some of the housing events that you can experience during your stay such as Grocery Bingo, Pool Parties, field trips to surrounding areas, and everything you can think of!

Today I actually met up with one of my friends from school and my roommate and went to my first Grocery Bingo! This is a very popular housing event (the line snakes around the building!) because if you get bingo, you get free groceries! And we're not talking a box of cereal but a reusable bag filled with groceries and a laundry bag with some cleaning items! Today's theme centered around High School Musical, what team!?

 

The room fills up so get there early!

Did I win? Of course not.

The Bingo is run by Disney Events cast members and they keep it fun and themed. We had your standard classic and black out bingos but we even did H for High School Musical and T for Troy Bolton while HSM music played in the background. They will let you get up and stretch in between and throw out free goodies into the crowd like sun shields for your car, mouse pads, and ID cases. 

We had a lot of fun but because we didn't win, I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow!

DCP Check In Day!

So today was my check in for my second Disney Culinary Program and while it doesn't compare to last years, it could still be worse!

Check in for me started at 9 AM, they usually run until about 12 but the earlier you get there the better. What was so great compared to last years was how the handled my luggage. I don't know if it's because we were such a tiny group last year or half of us were idiots and didn't know what to do, but we had to lug our bags around. My dad was here last year so he stood in line with my suitcase while I had my other bags. Then I had to board all of that onto the bus to Patterson along with a bunch of other people checking in so before you knew it, the aisles were crammed with luggage. Taking them on and off was a hassle since they weighed so much. I remember it wearing me out and just getting overall frustrated. This year however, they let you store your luggage in a building while you check in. Then after check in is done, a bus takes you directly to your complex so there's no getting in the way of the regular CP buses.

Check in goes by fairly quick with such a small group. You first check in and get a sticky name tag and collect your program guide. From there you walk into the Vista office and find out your housing assignment. The housing goes based off what you put in for and when your departure date is. Next you go on to the next booth and get your picture taken for your housing ID. From there you proceed to a table where they will stick a sticker on your program guide telling you your location, this used to be done at casting. Then you will get a brief lecture on Disney look, a list of upcoming meetings and then once you fill out your I9 paper, you're good to go!

Waiting for the bus to the apartments did take quite a while, they would rather you sit on it and wait for more people for less trips so it did get kind of boring, I have to admit. But I would rather do that than lug everything around! I was placed in a 2 bedroom in The Commons. I will do a another separate post on that later

I got to my apartment at around 11 and had until 2 to be at casting. That required catching the bus at about 1 so I had a good 2 hours to just relax. At Casting you go through a series of steps. You are greeted in this lovely room by a cast member who gets the crowd going. I had my alumni pin from check in on and he asked me a couple questions and next thing you knew I was helping people out, it was great!

From here you begin the paperwork journey. This is where it's nice to be in a small group because it goes faster. One of your first steps is going over your I9s and the paperwork you did online. I ran into an issue with that because since I was already an active cast member it didn't go through. But if there is any issues they have computers where you can resubmit. It is imperative though that you have your I9 identifications with you at Casting. This typically includes your drivers license and either your Social Security Card, Passport, or Birth Certificate. You need to have the original document, this is where some people ran into a problem. From there you get fingerprinted and just receive some more instructions for the next few days. And then you're free to go! But as you exit the casting building, don't forget to take a peek at the door knobs!

 Aren't they cute!

The casting building overall is just really pretty!

After casting is done, you're all set for the day! I headed to Walmart after to pick up my bedding and hangers and what not. I recommend getting your bedding here if you're flying. I took down a spare cover sheet and regular sheet just in case but since I'm here for 5 months I decided to get full bedding. At Walmart they sell bed in a bag, which comes with a bed skirt, cover sheet, sheet, comforter and a pillow case. That and my pillow case all came out to less than $35 It's worth saving the room in your luggage and you can donate it to a worthy cause when you leave, win win! It's definitely not as long and tiring as last year where I ended falling asleep in the movies!

At the end of the day, I'm back where I belong! Since I was an alumni and current cast member they had my new nametag waiting for me. I am allowed to go to Traditions on Thursday so I will get park access then. Happy to be back!

 I got the alumni button at Vista check in and it felt so great to hear people wishing me a welcome back. I was put on the spot in Casting and shared a bit about my story and it opened the floor to people asking me questions and helping them out which I love.

Hop to It!

Despite it being 1:30 in the morning and the fact that I will be getting up in 6 hours, I know that if I don't write this now it will never get written. Considering I'm exhausted I apologize if it's a bad post!

Although I am technically a cast member still due to my campus rep status, I am without an ID so therefore my access to Disney was anything outside the parks. That didn't stop me! The Holiday Inn has complimentary bus shuttles to Disney Parks so I used that at about 12 to get to Epcot and then take a bus from there to wherever I wanted to go. For those who don't already know, Epcot is where I will be working!

So close yet so far!

From here I took a bus to the new Art of Animation resort. It was in construction on my last program and I just missed its opening. This was my first look at it and I am in love! It is definitely in your face Disney themed so it is made for us disnerds. There are 4 themed areas: Finding Nemo, Cars, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. I personally think Finding Nemo takes the cake but here, take a look for yourself! The figures are HUGE!

 The lobby is filled with various concept sketches and paintings!

 Squirt comes into play at the Righteous Reef Playground

 Cars is Radiator Springs themed with the Cozy Cones acting as cabanas for the pool

 The tri, Mufasa, Rafiki, Scar and his heyenas and Zazu can all be seen in The Lion King area!

 Ariel looking out over her pool

 

The outside of the resort gives you a taste of what to expect behind its doors

Afterwards I took a bus to DTD to do some strolling. I walked around the shops, did some pin trading (yep, I'm one of those!) and ate at Cookes of Dublin (fish n chips is my favorite comfort food) and killed some time taking pictures

 Don't worry, I added plenty of tartar sauce!

Purchased the new LE 1000 Cinderella Good Luck/Bad Luck Pin. Pictured is Good Luck and she slides to reveal Bad Luck which is "You Lost One!"

 Purchased American Mickey to commemorate being there for Independence Week. Traded for Orange Bird and the Cinderella shoe. More posts on pin trading to come!

Now after that I headed to monorail resorts. I was in desperate need of some phone charging so I took over an outlet at the Contemporary Resort, perfect time to play some Candy Crush. Once that was done I walked around, took some more pictures and eyed some more pins that I want. I then took the monorail over to the Grand Floridian and strolled around there. The band was out playing Disney music on instruments and I even got to catch the pianist playing on the grand piano in the lobby. I paid a visit to the Wedding Pavilion and even though I don't want a Disney Wedding (surprise!) it certainly does get the wheels churning!

 Some Mary Blair work in the Contemporary

 The band playing at the Grand Floridian

 Where you would get your wedding photo taken at the Wedding Pavilion

The Disney Wedding Pavilion off the Grand Floridian 

Finally, I ended my night at my beloved Polynesian. The last time I was here was my last night of work, this was where I interned last year baking for the resort. It felt so great to be back and hearing the familiar music and the sounds of the water on the inside. I strolled taking in my familiar sights and sounds, grabbed a cupcake from Captain Cooks and ended it on the beach. From the Poly beach you can watch the fireworks and they play the music alongside it. Tonight was the last night for the Celebrate America fireworks and they were truly beautiful, gave me goosebumps!

 The middle of the Great Ceremonial House, where I used to work!

 Mickey Cupcake from Captain Cooks, we didn't make this when I was there!

Fireworks finale from the Poly beach!

And then I...kidding! After a long day I finally went to catch my resort's bus at 10:45. I walked back to the TTC, just like I used to do after a long day at work. After 1 day and not even being in the parks I still ended up taking about 130 pictures. But I take pictures of everything! Like Disney says, taking pictures is making memories! Now that it's already past 2 am, really time for me to go to bed! Waking up at 7:30 to shower and get ready and then crossing the street to Vista to check in at 9! Tomorrow is the day where I really get back in!

Thanks for reading!