Yet another week has gone by and I seriously can not believe how fast the time goes here. It seems like yesterday that I was moving in. But, I had another fun week. Some of my friends from school that I am in Alpha Phi Omega with were here for spring break. I spent much of my time with them when I wasn't working. I went with them on Tuesday to Hollywood Studios. Wednesday we went to Animal Kingdom. Thursday I met up with them and went to Downtown Disney for dinner and my friend Lauren and I saw a movie (Hall Pass). Today I met up with them at Epcot. I rode sorin' for the first time since being here. It was as amazing as I remembered it to be. It was really nice seeing them, but I sure am looking forward to getting some sleep again :) It will also be nice to go back to a slower pace here. When I was with them everyone wanted to see everything so we were constantly on the go and no time to spare, which was understandable. It was nice though because my friend Lacy has a disability so we were able to skip all of the lines.
I am not sure what this next week brings, but I hope that It will be fun! I have been getting close with some of my coworkers and have been hanging out with them after work which has been really nice. Also, at work I was finally trained on working with the characters so now I can take fun pictures with Mickey and the gang instead of taking pictures of the giant ball all day.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
King Louie
Yet another week has gone by and I am not sure where the time has gone. The time is flying by here. During this weeks adventures on my days off (Tuesday and Wednesday) I was able to have TONS of fun. Tuesday I met up with my childhood friend Kevin Leskovic. It was a better time than what I was expecting it to be. We went to Hollywood Studios where we rode some rides including rockin' roller coaster and tower of terror. We got some lunch and then when and saw the Indiana Jones show; which is a performance that shows the behind the scenes productions of movies. Kevin and I were lucky enough to be chosen out of the audience to be actors in the show. We didn't do much, just stood around somewhat, but it was a great experience. After that we did the Studios backlot tour which is another look into some of movie's behind the scenes action. After hanging out with Kevin I came home only to leave home again. This time I went with my roommates Amanda, Aimee and Jamie to Magic Kingdom. While we were there we met up with some of Jamie's friends, Bobby and David. We had SO MUCH FUN! we were able to ride so many rides because the extended the park hours until 10 that night. I was able to ride the tea cups as well as the Dumbo ride and much more. We had so much fun. We stopped and got a snack on the way out and in the bakery we saw two of the guys that live below us at our apartment. They joined our group and we were even lucky enough to stay to the closing where they have what is called the "Kiss Goodbye" where the castle lights up and twinkles. Its so pretty. David and I rode the ferry back to the ticket and transportation center where we catch our bus home. On the ferry we did the polka and he taught me to walts; the best I could.
The next day I got up early again to meet up with some of my co-workers; Annette, Giulia (pronounced Julia) and David to go to Epcot. We rode Test-Track and we did Mission Space which made me sick for the rest of the day, Grandma Jane and Grandpa Allen warned me about that ride!! We did some more rides and ate in China then decided to head over to Animal Kingdom where we met up with Robert, the guy I went to Hollywood studios with last week. We rode Mt. Everest there and Dinosaur and walked around some and got to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy and King Louie from the Jungle Book.
<Insert Funny Story Here> - While waiting to meet King Louie David was saying how he was going to pose like the monkey. He got down into a monkey position to demonstrate and ripped his shorts from his waist to the bottom. As he stood up his wallet fell out too. oooooh my gosh I cant remember the last time I laughed so hard. It was so funny. Everyone around was laughing. Giulia had to make a quick repair and safety pinned his shorts back together. He spent the rest of the night with ripped shorts. Now ever time I see a picture with King Louie I have to laugh.
After that experience we went and saw the Festival of the Lion King, which David had never seen before. After that Robert headed out and David and Giulia and I went to Epcot again. We got dinner in Morocco and then Headed home. It was a great few days and I hope to have many more like them.
Well its time to head to bed. Thanks for tuning in!!
The next day I got up early again to meet up with some of my co-workers; Annette, Giulia (pronounced Julia) and David to go to Epcot. We rode Test-Track and we did Mission Space which made me sick for the rest of the day, Grandma Jane and Grandpa Allen warned me about that ride!! We did some more rides and ate in China then decided to head over to Animal Kingdom where we met up with Robert, the guy I went to Hollywood studios with last week. We rode Mt. Everest there and Dinosaur and walked around some and got to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy and King Louie from the Jungle Book.
<Insert Funny Story Here> - While waiting to meet King Louie David was saying how he was going to pose like the monkey. He got down into a monkey position to demonstrate and ripped his shorts from his waist to the bottom. As he stood up his wallet fell out too. oooooh my gosh I cant remember the last time I laughed so hard. It was so funny. Everyone around was laughing. Giulia had to make a quick repair and safety pinned his shorts back together. He spent the rest of the night with ripped shorts. Now ever time I see a picture with King Louie I have to laugh.
After that experience we went and saw the Festival of the Lion King, which David had never seen before. After that Robert headed out and David and Giulia and I went to Epcot again. We got dinner in Morocco and then Headed home. It was a great few days and I hope to have many more like them.
Well its time to head to bed. Thanks for tuning in!!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Day Off Adventures
Thursday Feb 25.
So it has been awhile since my last post. To fill you in (which is probably the reason you are reading this or you are a creepy stalker...either way...) things have been going pretty good. On Tuesday I had the day off which was really nice. I slept in a bit and then went to Animal Kingdom, alone. I actually liked being alone that day though. It was my first time ever going to DAK (Disney's Animal Kingdom). When I first got there I went on the Safari which was a lot of fun. I even stood in line and rode with three other college program girls. They were really nice. The safari takes you on to an animal preserve where the animals are living in a habitat that is as close to natural as it can be without being the real thing. I was sad that the lions were sleeping when we drove by though. When I got off the ride I walked a bit with the girls I met and then decided I was going to venture off on my own and go see the Musical Finding Nemo, which was AMAZING!!! I loved it! after that I hurried out and watched the DAK parade which was very good and unlike the other parades at Disney. They had these huge folk art looking animals that people were controlling and interacting with the crowd with. One of them was a frog and the guy working it spit the frog's tongue right at me. I almost fell over. After the parade I went and saw The Festival of the Lion King which was also an AMAZING show. It involves a lot of acrobatics. There was also an aerial artist that was portraying a bird. It was so beautiful. When that was over I got a funnel cake from my roommate Heather that was working that night and then headed home where my roommate Amanda and I went to the welcome event that was being held that night. I luckily caught a free prize that is a laptop case. It's pretty nice actually. Princess Tiana was there too, but we came to late and missed seeing her.
Wednesday I went with one of my coworkers, Robert to Hollywood Studios to a drawing class. Before the class started we went and watched some of the street performers. It was really funny. The actors are so funny and we even saw a magician. The drawing class was really fun too. We drew Whinnie the Pooh and Tigger (We went to two different classes). We voted and my Pooh was better than Roberts :) After the classes we ventured around; Robert was like my own personal tour guide. He has been coming to Disney since he was little and seems to know everything there is to know. We did some interactive games where we found that the Disney character I am most like is Cinderella and we also did an acting scene from Beauty and the Beast. Then we got some lunch/dinner and walked around some more before we both headed our own ways, I had to get home for dinner.
That night my roommates, Aimee, Amanda, Megan and I went to the Rainforest Cafe at DAK. It was really fun. The food was good but there was SOOO MUCH of it. For desert we got the VOOOOLCANO! It is this brownie that they lean up to look like a volcano with ice cream on the inside and whipcream on top. When they bring it out they yell VOOOOOOLCANO through the restaurant all the way up to your table.
Today I broke a record with the largest sale to a normal guest (someone that isnt famous). A guest spent $500 on pictures. He wanted 4x6 prints of all 40 of his pictures and he didnt want to purchase the CD that would have only been $150 and would include 30 stock photos of Disney with it. My coworkers and I couldn't believe it!
Today was also the launch of the spaceship. I was unfortunately working inside when it went off :( But I looked it up online. Tomorrow we have an apartment inspection so we have been cleaning all day. Mom you would be so proud ;)
That's everything for now. I have some funny/cute stories that I will write in here soon.
So it has been awhile since my last post. To fill you in (which is probably the reason you are reading this or you are a creepy stalker...either way...) things have been going pretty good. On Tuesday I had the day off which was really nice. I slept in a bit and then went to Animal Kingdom, alone. I actually liked being alone that day though. It was my first time ever going to DAK (Disney's Animal Kingdom). When I first got there I went on the Safari which was a lot of fun. I even stood in line and rode with three other college program girls. They were really nice. The safari takes you on to an animal preserve where the animals are living in a habitat that is as close to natural as it can be without being the real thing. I was sad that the lions were sleeping when we drove by though. When I got off the ride I walked a bit with the girls I met and then decided I was going to venture off on my own and go see the Musical Finding Nemo, which was AMAZING!!! I loved it! after that I hurried out and watched the DAK parade which was very good and unlike the other parades at Disney. They had these huge folk art looking animals that people were controlling and interacting with the crowd with. One of them was a frog and the guy working it spit the frog's tongue right at me. I almost fell over. After the parade I went and saw The Festival of the Lion King which was also an AMAZING show. It involves a lot of acrobatics. There was also an aerial artist that was portraying a bird. It was so beautiful. When that was over I got a funnel cake from my roommate Heather that was working that night and then headed home where my roommate Amanda and I went to the welcome event that was being held that night. I luckily caught a free prize that is a laptop case. It's pretty nice actually. Princess Tiana was there too, but we came to late and missed seeing her.
Wednesday I went with one of my coworkers, Robert to Hollywood Studios to a drawing class. Before the class started we went and watched some of the street performers. It was really funny. The actors are so funny and we even saw a magician. The drawing class was really fun too. We drew Whinnie the Pooh and Tigger (We went to two different classes). We voted and my Pooh was better than Roberts :) After the classes we ventured around; Robert was like my own personal tour guide. He has been coming to Disney since he was little and seems to know everything there is to know. We did some interactive games where we found that the Disney character I am most like is Cinderella and we also did an acting scene from Beauty and the Beast. Then we got some lunch/dinner and walked around some more before we both headed our own ways, I had to get home for dinner.
That night my roommates, Aimee, Amanda, Megan and I went to the Rainforest Cafe at DAK. It was really fun. The food was good but there was SOOO MUCH of it. For desert we got the VOOOOLCANO! It is this brownie that they lean up to look like a volcano with ice cream on the inside and whipcream on top. When they bring it out they yell VOOOOOOLCANO through the restaurant all the way up to your table.
Today I broke a record with the largest sale to a normal guest (someone that isnt famous). A guest spent $500 on pictures. He wanted 4x6 prints of all 40 of his pictures and he didnt want to purchase the CD that would have only been $150 and would include 30 stock photos of Disney with it. My coworkers and I couldn't believe it!
Today was also the launch of the spaceship. I was unfortunately working inside when it went off :( But I looked it up online. Tomorrow we have an apartment inspection so we have been cleaning all day. Mom you would be so proud ;)
That's everything for now. I have some funny/cute stories that I will write in here soon.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Another Day a Disney
Today was a pretty good day. I was able to sleep in which was really nice and I was trained for night shooting as well. It was fun shooting at night and it was nice that the sun wasn't too bad. My trainer for today was someone that started the original photopass program here at Disney. She is the executive trainer for photopass...so I hope I left a good impression.
While at work one of the photopass members that was on their day off was just chatting with us. He had taken a class on learning how to draw all the characters at Hollywood Studios. He took all the pictures he had of the characters and went around in the parks and had them sign their pictures. It was really interesting. So now on Wednesday he is taking me to the drawing class...we will see how my drawing abilities are.
Today was also my roommate Heather's birthday. She is 19 now. Her friend from school, Laura and I have been planning a little get together for her. We got her a cake and she skyped with some of her friend from school. It was really nice.
But I wanted to inform you all in on a secret about Heather. She is possessed. Seriously. Just about every night she wakes up and says something like "are you getting off the ride?" or "are you alone at the icecream stand" or she will simply sit up and at times even stare over at me. It is the freakiest thing!!! I have told her that if she keeps it up she will find a new place on our couch ;)
Now back to telling you about my day...Today we also got a new roommate, one to replace Chenee that left with one suitcase. Our new roommate is from China and her American name is Meghan or Megan depending on how she spells it. She seems nice so far but I havnt had much time to spend with her yet. I will fill you in about her later Im sure.
So other than that I am just missing everyone VERY much.
While at work one of the photopass members that was on their day off was just chatting with us. He had taken a class on learning how to draw all the characters at Hollywood Studios. He took all the pictures he had of the characters and went around in the parks and had them sign their pictures. It was really interesting. So now on Wednesday he is taking me to the drawing class...we will see how my drawing abilities are.
Today was also my roommate Heather's birthday. She is 19 now. Her friend from school, Laura and I have been planning a little get together for her. We got her a cake and she skyped with some of her friend from school. It was really nice.
But I wanted to inform you all in on a secret about Heather. She is possessed. Seriously. Just about every night she wakes up and says something like "are you getting off the ride?" or "are you alone at the icecream stand" or she will simply sit up and at times even stare over at me. It is the freakiest thing!!! I have told her that if she keeps it up she will find a new place on our couch ;)
Now back to telling you about my day...Today we also got a new roommate, one to replace Chenee that left with one suitcase. Our new roommate is from China and her American name is Meghan or Megan depending on how she spells it. She seems nice so far but I havnt had much time to spend with her yet. I will fill you in about her later Im sure.
So other than that I am just missing everyone VERY much.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Taking the Bad With the Good
I was lucky enough to be able to spend some time at my Grandma Jane and Grandpa Allen's house (Sunday night to today, Tuesday afternoon). It was so nice being able to get some sleep and just relax. The home cooked meals were also a plus along with being treated to The Cheesecake factory and free laundry :) Along with the great company, it was a very nice relaxing few days.
However, before I was able to have my little get-a-way I was given the news that one of my roommates, Chenee was leaving the program. I was absolutely confused. 1) because I was fairly close with her and had no idea that she was thinking of leaving and 2) because all of her belongings were packing into one suitcase. I am so sad to see Chenee go. She was a positive person in the house and I will really miss her. I hope that our new roommate that we will be getting tomorrow will be as good of a person as she is.
Tomorrow I will be starting night training for my job. I am pretty excited that I will be able to sleep in now. I hope that the training goes well though. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I am also excited about my roommate, Heather's birthday. The only sour part is that we both work till late. I hope that working doesn't prevent her from having a great birthday. The rest of the roommates and I got her a card and I got her a Disney picture frame. Tomorrow should be a good day :)
However, before I was able to have my little get-a-way I was given the news that one of my roommates, Chenee was leaving the program. I was absolutely confused. 1) because I was fairly close with her and had no idea that she was thinking of leaving and 2) because all of her belongings were packing into one suitcase. I am so sad to see Chenee go. She was a positive person in the house and I will really miss her. I hope that our new roommate that we will be getting tomorrow will be as good of a person as she is.
Tomorrow I will be starting night training for my job. I am pretty excited that I will be able to sleep in now. I hope that the training goes well though. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I am also excited about my roommate, Heather's birthday. The only sour part is that we both work till late. I hope that working doesn't prevent her from having a great birthday. The rest of the roommates and I got her a card and I got her a Disney picture frame. Tomorrow should be a good day :)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Oh The Things You Learn At Disney.
This Tuesday and Wednesday I have off of work. On Tuesday I spent the morning reading and taking an exam (not something I like to do when I have so much exploring to do!). For dinner my roommate Aimee and I went to Epcot for dinner. We went to the American Adventure part of Epcot and I had a pulled pork sandwich, real adventurous ;) Then we watched Illuminations, the night time show at Epcot. It was AMAZING!! The show consisted of a globe in the middle of the lake at Epcot that had images projected on to it. There were fireworks and the world showcase lit up to the music. It was magical. After that we went to Downtown Disney for desert. I got a hot fudge sunday from the Ghirardelli Chocolate shop.
Wednesday I watched a movie in the morning and then went to Hollywood Studios for dinner with my roommate Chenee. We rode the rockin roller coaster and then saw the show Fantasmic which was AMAZING and included almost all of the disney characters (Even though I work here and am 20 years old, I feel like a kid every time I see a character). The show is a story about how villains from Disney movies try to take Mickey Mouse's dreams and he pushes on ward and wins in the end. But images are projected on to fans of streaming water and characters and dancers interact with a landscape in the background. There was a little girl behind me that was soooo excited. It was cute. I think she cried when Belle came out.
Today, Thursday, I worked again. It was a pretty good day at work, but there weren't many people at the park and it was raining, meaning not many people wanted their picture taken. HOWEVER, today I think I mastered the art of going to the bathroom while on the job. And YES it is an art. Let me give you a little insight: I carry with me every day while working a very large camera, a digital computer system on my hip that is about 4"x6'. Along with that I have a water bottle attached to my hip and a battery bag. Lastly, I have my rain gear strapped on the back on my belt. All of this equipment is to stay with me at all times...even when going to the bathroom.
Here is how it goes: The most important step is to TURN OFF THE CAMERA!!!! (At least two other people see every picture that I take...I wouldn't want to miss-fire while doing my business.) Then squat over toilet while holding on to my pants with one hand so that the weight of my equipment doesn't pull them all the way down. While doing that I brace my camera on my elbow. Now I do my business. Then I keep my camera out of my way with my elbow. I pull my pants up and brace myself against the stall door while tucking my shirt back in. I then push my rain gear back on the stall door to hold my pants up while buttoning my pants back up. I can finally release my camera and head out to wash my hands. Believe me, it sounds easier than what it actually is. I never thought I would be learning how to go to the bathroom at Disney. I'm learning new things every day :)
Wednesday I watched a movie in the morning and then went to Hollywood Studios for dinner with my roommate Chenee. We rode the rockin roller coaster and then saw the show Fantasmic which was AMAZING and included almost all of the disney characters (Even though I work here and am 20 years old, I feel like a kid every time I see a character). The show is a story about how villains from Disney movies try to take Mickey Mouse's dreams and he pushes on ward and wins in the end. But images are projected on to fans of streaming water and characters and dancers interact with a landscape in the background. There was a little girl behind me that was soooo excited. It was cute. I think she cried when Belle came out.
Today, Thursday, I worked again. It was a pretty good day at work, but there weren't many people at the park and it was raining, meaning not many people wanted their picture taken. HOWEVER, today I think I mastered the art of going to the bathroom while on the job. And YES it is an art. Let me give you a little insight: I carry with me every day while working a very large camera, a digital computer system on my hip that is about 4"x6'. Along with that I have a water bottle attached to my hip and a battery bag. Lastly, I have my rain gear strapped on the back on my belt. All of this equipment is to stay with me at all times...even when going to the bathroom.
Here is how it goes: The most important step is to TURN OFF THE CAMERA!!!! (At least two other people see every picture that I take...I wouldn't want to miss-fire while doing my business.) Then squat over toilet while holding on to my pants with one hand so that the weight of my equipment doesn't pull them all the way down. While doing that I brace my camera on my elbow. Now I do my business. Then I keep my camera out of my way with my elbow. I pull my pants up and brace myself against the stall door while tucking my shirt back in. I then push my rain gear back on the stall door to hold my pants up while buttoning my pants back up. I can finally release my camera and head out to wash my hands. Believe me, it sounds easier than what it actually is. I never thought I would be learning how to go to the bathroom at Disney. I'm learning new things every day :)
Sunday, February 6, 2011
April With The Stinky Pits
Today was my first day on the job. It was an interesting morning. To start the day I woke up, as any other day, and got ready. While walking out to the bus stop I realized that I forgot my camera strap and water bottle that we are required to wear every day. I came back to my apartment and got the items I had forgotten, luckily I had time to spare. However, as I was boarding my bus I realized I forgot my name-tag as well. When I arrived at work I had to check out a spare name tag, April from Columbus is who I became. After receiving my new identity I realized I had forgot to apply an ever important layer of deodorant. Things were just not going my way. To top it off, it was raining....
But my day ended up being very good. My first encounter with guests were three older gentleman that kept saying what a beautiful girl I was. I was shocked...I was thinking I was just April with stinky pits. They were so funny, and to top it off they were in Steelers shirts! Later in the day, when the sun finally came out again, a family came up and they were all eating cookies. I jokingly said, "Where's my cookie?" Without thinking the little girl broke off a piece of her cookie and began to hand it over to me. I politely declined, but I was taken aback by the fact that this little girl was so willing to share with me, she ended up giving me a hug when her and her family were leaving. It really put a smile on my face. The rest of the day I was snapping pictures of groups of Steelers fans and making jokes that if I took pictures of Greenbay fans that the camera would break; I would eventually take their picture.
By this point I didnt care that my morning was not the best and that there was a gross odor coming from me. I was so happy doing my job. I never thought I would ever really like going to work.
Now I am watching the Super Bowl with my roommate Heather!!!!! It sure was a turn-around day!
But my day ended up being very good. My first encounter with guests were three older gentleman that kept saying what a beautiful girl I was. I was shocked...I was thinking I was just April with stinky pits. They were so funny, and to top it off they were in Steelers shirts! Later in the day, when the sun finally came out again, a family came up and they were all eating cookies. I jokingly said, "Where's my cookie?" Without thinking the little girl broke off a piece of her cookie and began to hand it over to me. I politely declined, but I was taken aback by the fact that this little girl was so willing to share with me, she ended up giving me a hug when her and her family were leaving. It really put a smile on my face. The rest of the day I was snapping pictures of groups of Steelers fans and making jokes that if I took pictures of Greenbay fans that the camera would break; I would eventually take their picture.
By this point I didnt care that my morning was not the best and that there was a gross odor coming from me. I was so happy doing my job. I never thought I would ever really like going to work.
Now I am watching the Super Bowl with my roommate Heather!!!!! It sure was a turn-around day!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The Happiest Place On Earth
I have been at Disney for 10 days now and I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. It feels like yesterday that I was leaving Pennsylvania behind and starting my journey down to North Carolina and then to Florida. Because I have been gone for so long let me give a recap of my travels, or at least what I can remember.
1/21-22: Mom and I loaded up the van on the 21st of January, and everything fit with room to spare :) The next morning bright and early I said goodbye to my roomie (Grandma Thompson) and Mom and I headed out, stopping in Ohio to get the rental car. Our drive to Aunt Mags in North Carolina was not bad at all. We got to hear "Grenade" more than enough on the radio. Finally that night we made it to the snow free Charlotte, NC where we stayed the night at Aunt Mag and Uncle Micks.
1/23: The next morning we left bright and early once again to head to New Smyrna Beach to stay with Grandma Jane and Grandpa Allen for a few days. We made it to Florida that night with plenty of time before the Steelers game, which of course we won!
1/24-25: The next few days were spent relaxing, eating out, shopping and driving over jellyfish on the beach. It was a nice relaxing few days before the chaos that was about to begin. The night of the 25th Mom and I packed up Grandma's car, and yes, once again everything fit! I didn't get much sleep this night though.
1/26: THE BIG DAY! Another early morning. This day damp day was the day that I arrived at Disney. Mom, Grandma and I arrived at about 9 at Vista Way Apartments (an apartment complex for College Program cast members). Mom and Grandma dropped me off and went shopping while I went through the checkout process. I got my room assignment and got my background check completed along with receiving my training schedule and job location; which took about 4 hours. We then unloaded all of my belongings into my new room. I met the girl that I would be sharing my room with, Heather, who is from IUP of all places! Then we got something to eat and did some final shopping. Mom and Grandma then got back on the road :' ( I which I would have gotten more time to actually spend with them that day though. The rest of the night included me unpacking and meeting all of my 7 roommates and sleeping on my uncomfortable bed.
1/27: We had a 4 hour housing meeting where we learned we cant have light sabers in our rooms or we could get kicked out. I unpacked some more.
1/28: Friday was our Traditions class where we learned about the history of Disney. We took a look at the backstage (the stuff no one sees) of Magic Kingdom and got to watch a bunch of movies that made me tear up every time. Later in the day MICKEY MOUSE came to visit and bring us our official Disney name tags. It was a really enjoyable day.
1/29-30: I was lucky enough to have the weekend off I went to Magic Kingdom for a few hours with my new friend Elizabeth where we rode a few rides and met the Princesses and Faries. Sunday I hung around the apartment until Heather got off work and we went to Magic Kingdom to watch the firworks show which was SOOOOOOO good. The show that was 10 minutes before the fireworks was the coolest thing that I think I have ever seen in my life. Images were perjected on to the castle that made it look like it was being out and character scenes were on it as well as photopass pictures from that day.
1/31: Welcome to Entertainment Training - Photopass is considered to apart of the Entertainment section of the company. We had a training/welcoming day specific for Entertainment Cast members (we are called cast members not employees). We learned about safety and about the main principals of Disney. We watched more touching videos that made me cry. We also took another trip to Magic Kingdom where we were able to watch an actual show at Cinderella's Castle. It was soooo good. It was about having dreams.
2/1: I had Tuesday off. However, I needed to go to costuming to get my costumes, uniforms, for the next week. unfortunately there was only one costuming place out of three that have my costume that had my pant size in, and there was only two pairs of it. It was pretty frustrating having to travel all over the property trying to find a pair of pants haha. That night Heather and Aimee, two of my roomates and I went to Downtown Disney to explore and do a little shopping.
2/2-3: These were my first days of Photopass training. I was so excited. There were 4 other people in the group: Miranda, who is working at Hollywood Studios, Brittney, who is working at Animal Kingdom, Cody and Kelsey, who both are working at Epcot with me. We learned what settings the cameras need to be on and what shots to take and all the important things we needed to know for our job. It was actually a lot of fun. The building we were in had brightly painted walls and the managers were able to decorate their offices however they wanted to. There were artifacts hanging from the ceiling too. They also had a free coffee, cappuccino and hot chocolate machine too! On the second day we were able to go to Hollywood Studios to practice shooting the icon, The Tower Of Terror. It was a lot of fun.
1/4: This was my first day of training at Epcot. Our trainer was...entertaining haha. He was able to do the Mickey Mouse voice perfectly though! We walked around the World Showcase and practiced some of our shots. We learned how to add images to some of our "Magic Shots". I can put Tinker Bell in your hand!!! BUT the most exciting part so far happened this morning! - - - I took my first photo for real guests! It was soooo neat. They were a cute couple celebrating either their engagement or their anniversary, I can't remember which. I took their picture overlooking Paris. They were easy to work with. They were kissing and looking into each others eyes. It couldn't have been better. Through the rest of the day we ended up taking pictures on our own for guests. I really enjoyed it. It is so much fun being able to interact with the guests. I don't have a planned script like other roles have and I am able to be creative all day. I absolutely love it so far.
1/5: This day was Epcot Discovery Day. All new hires at Epcot got a tour of some places backstage as well as onstage. We were able to ride Spaceship Earth, which was a lot of fun. We also got to ride Finding Nemo and we went to the Coke place where we sampled sodas from all over the world. We then took a boat tour of the World Showcase. It was a fun day...and it was nice to be able to get done at noon. I came home and did some homework and then went to Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney with Heather for dinner. It was really something in there!! The music was good too!
SO...now you are all up to date. Sorry this was so long. I promise this will be my longest entry. But, things are going good so far. I am trying to adjust to my roommates different styles of cleaning and communicating, but I have been able to become pretty close with two of my roommates: Heather and Chenee.
*Tomorrow is my first day of real work. I will be on my own in this big ole place. Wish me luck!!!
1/21-22: Mom and I loaded up the van on the 21st of January, and everything fit with room to spare :) The next morning bright and early I said goodbye to my roomie (Grandma Thompson) and Mom and I headed out, stopping in Ohio to get the rental car. Our drive to Aunt Mags in North Carolina was not bad at all. We got to hear "Grenade" more than enough on the radio. Finally that night we made it to the snow free Charlotte, NC where we stayed the night at Aunt Mag and Uncle Micks.
1/23: The next morning we left bright and early once again to head to New Smyrna Beach to stay with Grandma Jane and Grandpa Allen for a few days. We made it to Florida that night with plenty of time before the Steelers game, which of course we won!
1/24-25: The next few days were spent relaxing, eating out, shopping and driving over jellyfish on the beach. It was a nice relaxing few days before the chaos that was about to begin. The night of the 25th Mom and I packed up Grandma's car, and yes, once again everything fit! I didn't get much sleep this night though.
1/26: THE BIG DAY! Another early morning. This day damp day was the day that I arrived at Disney. Mom, Grandma and I arrived at about 9 at Vista Way Apartments (an apartment complex for College Program cast members). Mom and Grandma dropped me off and went shopping while I went through the checkout process. I got my room assignment and got my background check completed along with receiving my training schedule and job location; which took about 4 hours. We then unloaded all of my belongings into my new room. I met the girl that I would be sharing my room with, Heather, who is from IUP of all places! Then we got something to eat and did some final shopping. Mom and Grandma then got back on the road :' ( I which I would have gotten more time to actually spend with them that day though. The rest of the night included me unpacking and meeting all of my 7 roommates and sleeping on my uncomfortable bed.
1/27: We had a 4 hour housing meeting where we learned we cant have light sabers in our rooms or we could get kicked out. I unpacked some more.
1/28: Friday was our Traditions class where we learned about the history of Disney. We took a look at the backstage (the stuff no one sees) of Magic Kingdom and got to watch a bunch of movies that made me tear up every time. Later in the day MICKEY MOUSE came to visit and bring us our official Disney name tags. It was a really enjoyable day.
1/29-30: I was lucky enough to have the weekend off I went to Magic Kingdom for a few hours with my new friend Elizabeth where we rode a few rides and met the Princesses and Faries. Sunday I hung around the apartment until Heather got off work and we went to Magic Kingdom to watch the firworks show which was SOOOOOOO good. The show that was 10 minutes before the fireworks was the coolest thing that I think I have ever seen in my life. Images were perjected on to the castle that made it look like it was being out and character scenes were on it as well as photopass pictures from that day.
1/31: Welcome to Entertainment Training - Photopass is considered to apart of the Entertainment section of the company. We had a training/welcoming day specific for Entertainment Cast members (we are called cast members not employees). We learned about safety and about the main principals of Disney. We watched more touching videos that made me cry. We also took another trip to Magic Kingdom where we were able to watch an actual show at Cinderella's Castle. It was soooo good. It was about having dreams.
2/1: I had Tuesday off. However, I needed to go to costuming to get my costumes, uniforms, for the next week. unfortunately there was only one costuming place out of three that have my costume that had my pant size in, and there was only two pairs of it. It was pretty frustrating having to travel all over the property trying to find a pair of pants haha. That night Heather and Aimee, two of my roomates and I went to Downtown Disney to explore and do a little shopping.
2/2-3: These were my first days of Photopass training. I was so excited. There were 4 other people in the group: Miranda, who is working at Hollywood Studios, Brittney, who is working at Animal Kingdom, Cody and Kelsey, who both are working at Epcot with me. We learned what settings the cameras need to be on and what shots to take and all the important things we needed to know for our job. It was actually a lot of fun. The building we were in had brightly painted walls and the managers were able to decorate their offices however they wanted to. There were artifacts hanging from the ceiling too. They also had a free coffee, cappuccino and hot chocolate machine too! On the second day we were able to go to Hollywood Studios to practice shooting the icon, The Tower Of Terror. It was a lot of fun.
1/4: This was my first day of training at Epcot. Our trainer was...entertaining haha. He was able to do the Mickey Mouse voice perfectly though! We walked around the World Showcase and practiced some of our shots. We learned how to add images to some of our "Magic Shots". I can put Tinker Bell in your hand!!! BUT the most exciting part so far happened this morning! - - - I took my first photo for real guests! It was soooo neat. They were a cute couple celebrating either their engagement or their anniversary, I can't remember which. I took their picture overlooking Paris. They were easy to work with. They were kissing and looking into each others eyes. It couldn't have been better. Through the rest of the day we ended up taking pictures on our own for guests. I really enjoyed it. It is so much fun being able to interact with the guests. I don't have a planned script like other roles have and I am able to be creative all day. I absolutely love it so far.
1/5: This day was Epcot Discovery Day. All new hires at Epcot got a tour of some places backstage as well as onstage. We were able to ride Spaceship Earth, which was a lot of fun. We also got to ride Finding Nemo and we went to the Coke place where we sampled sodas from all over the world. We then took a boat tour of the World Showcase. It was a fun day...and it was nice to be able to get done at noon. I came home and did some homework and then went to Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney with Heather for dinner. It was really something in there!! The music was good too!
SO...now you are all up to date. Sorry this was so long. I promise this will be my longest entry. But, things are going good so far. I am trying to adjust to my roommates different styles of cleaning and communicating, but I have been able to become pretty close with two of my roommates: Heather and Chenee.
*Tomorrow is my first day of real work. I will be on my own in this big ole place. Wish me luck!!!
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