Tracking outside, lucky days and goodbyes - the final one..

My last day at work began at 1.15 and I am not ashamed to admit it was a really difficult day. Putting my costume on for the final time was a weird feeling, a feeling of loss because I knew that once this day was through my adventure in the happiest place on earth as a cast member at least was over, something that I would never get back. After taking plenty of pictures of the bus ride into work (sad maybe but I didn't want to forget a single thing) I got into the ops office nice and early and began work. The day was filled with 'lasts'. My last time on grouper, my last time on photocell but most importantly my last evac.

Ok so up until my final day as a track technician I had carefully avoided the dreaded outside evac simply because there is a mighty long section of track you have to walk in the heat. Well I had three cars and I got everyone out alright but I was sweating away. It was boiling! Not only did I run the length of the track to get everyone out but after walking it again as a double check tower called to ask me to walk it again to power up cars. It was tragic, but at least I was able to listen to some Wham on my phone whilst I waited for the power up ;) The day went too quickly in my opinion and just before the end of the day I wrote my name and nickname on the wall of ICPers. I was to close up Odyssy and before going outside I'm not ashamed to say that saying goodbye filled me with a storm of tears. It was horrible but I was happy to see Dan waiting for me at Odyssy, where we watched the fireworks and told off guests for trying to use the bridge hehehe. After work I went to TGI Fridays with my fellow cast members for a goodbye steak meal. It was really lovely and I was really sad to say goodbye to all the fabulous friends I had made. They really had made my experience magical and I was very sorry to see them go.

Thursday began with a start. I had decided to get all my packing done in the morning and then head to Epcot to hand in my costumes to costuming before starting having fun in the parks. My first ride had to be Journey into the Imagination as it was one of those things I had never done but always wanted to. Well to be perfectly honest I wasn't too impressed, but at least I had done it. I then decided to head to the bakery in Paris for one final baggette and creme brulee - a most excellent combo even if I do say so myself hehe. During one of my early days in Disney Louisa and I had watched the Players production of Romeo and Ethel in Italy, well today I thought I'd catch up with the Players again but this time in the UK with their most excellent show of King Arthur. Well how European did I feel sitting in the UK eating creme brulee? It was awesome! Nick came to meet me after work and we managed to have a little walk round the world before hitting up some rides. Number one on my agenda was obviously Test Track so after saying my goodbyes to all my friends, even going through the briefing rooms on the opposite site to hug my co workers at photocell we were let on the ride through the sneaky entrance i.e. no wait for us! It was great to be riding the ride like a regular guest although I did have a pang of sadness over the fact that my days as a track technician were officially over. Afterwards we scurried over to Mission Space which luckily enough was walk on and after the Orange Adventure we went on Soarin'. Thanks to my persuasiveness (as we only had one fastpass) it took us no time whatsover and soon we were taking the monorail over to Magic Kingdom.

Ok so every ICP spends their last day in Magic Kingdom but you know what, I don't blame them! We started with a little Move it Shake it Celebrate it, partying with Woody and Jessie and then after getting some much needed chocolate watched Dream Along with Mickey. We obviously looked like season pros as one woman even asked us who the pink princess was. Um I think you'll find that is Aurora - jeez why do people even come to Disney? Lol anyway after the show we went over to Frontierland where we got a fastpass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We were just about to get in the queue for Splash Mountain when a couple kindly gave us fastpasses for that exact time. Of course we jumped at the offer and once again had a lucky non - wait. I did feel slightly guilty at passing all of those people in the standby line mind you! Nevermind, we were at the back and so didn't get too wet so it was all good. We had some time to kill before Big Thunder and decided to go on the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, which was again one of those things which is nice to do but I wouldn't hurry back. Soon it was time for Big Thunder which is always most fun and then we ended with some Philharmagic action. By this time the reality of my final day was really hitting home and I did get more than a little upset, but when you've spent a long time with people and in the place you love when you have to leave it is very tricky. We met my parents and after a little retail therepy got in a spot to watch wishes. Jayne and Amy soon joined us and having lost my parents to the ice cream parlour the four of us watched the show for the final time. A few group hugs later it was time to say goodbye and Nick and I were soon heading back to Epcot (where we left the car).

Friday was probably one of the worst days ever. After doing some last minute packing, it was shortly time to be out of the accomodation. Amy and I handed in our passes at the front desk and said our goodbyes. It was horrible knowing that I wouldn't see her everyday and sad to say goodbye to one of the best friends I have ever made. A similar situation occured with Jayne and then Ashley.

As my flight wasn't until the evening we had decided to do something to take our minds off the impending departure. Nick and I decided to try out mini golf at Wintersummerland at Blizzard Beach. We had a lovely time and naturally I won hehe. After a final trip to Downtown Disney where we finally found a Tramp to go with my Mum's Lady it was soon time to go to the airport. The flight home was fine but I was so upset at leaving I didn't really take much in.

So now I'm home and my blog is complete. I think you can tell how much my trip and adventures meant to me. Doing the ICP was the best decision I have ever made. I have not only grown as a person with my independence and strength but I met some amazing people and made such wonderful friends. It truly was, the time of my life.

Secret tours, nemo again and getting beaten by a boy...

I had previously signed up to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour (an exclusive tour around the Magic Kingdom, only available to Cast Members) and finally, Wednesday was the day. I got up ridiculously early and headed to the park. So early in fact that the park was yet to open so I was able to hear the park opening show which was a new experience :D Being in the park before hours is certainly different to say the least, it is unbelievably quiet, it's rather eerie. After heading to the sign in area and having received my 'guided tour' tag and free water our tour guide met us and began the tour. Of course, many of the secrets disclosed are 'backstage' and therefore I am unable to post them here but I shall post some.

We were taken around Main Street and shown the windows above the shops that have people's names on them. Unbeknown to many, all of these names are significant for the construction of WDW, including some of the false names given to the newspapers at the time of land buying. Roy Disney's window is at the front and it is supposed to be like the credits at the end of a film, starting with the producer or 'money man' Roy and ending with Walt himself as the director above the Main Street bakery. We were told stories about the construction of WDW including the fact that until Walt gave an interview to a young woman detailing exactly why he wouldn't like to buy swamp land, refering to all the work needed to it, did any suspicion point to the Disney company. 'Disney's The One' was the next day newspaper's front headline, followed by more cutting ones such as 'Walt's Folly' - well I guess they showed them, eh?

Other fun facts were how the sidewalk and the road are purposly painted different colours so people realised when they were stepping from one to the other and how Disney tries to blend in construction work with canvases painted like Main Street shops. We were then taken backstage. *Ariel image, car park, jungle cruise, tunnels, maintanence, pipes, deliveries*. Afterwards we were told about all the ghosts on the Haunted Mansion ride and how the imagineering designers were able to create such illusions. Fun facts - look to the right in the graveyard when you see a large lady with long Viking hair, there will be a grim reaper holding a hidden Mickey, also in the graveyard one of the fallen heads was the voice of Tony the Tiger. In the contstruction of the hitchhiking ghosts they were made as statues that rotate with you. *Mirror, Lights* Also there are chess pieces on top of the Mansion itself - they were put on the imagineer in charge's plans by his co workers as a practical joke however, he just left them on there. Mr Toad is in the graveyard in respect for the demise of Mr Toad's Wild Ride. We were further take backstage at Splash Mountain to see Goofy's Mirror, parade floats, rehearsing characters and the Splash Mountain waterfall. This was where we were able to see the slope indicating the fact that MK is built on the first floor as opposed to being at ground level.

After the tour I grabbed a choc fudge and headed to Animal Kingdom to meet up with Amy. We had a bit of a catch up since I hadn't seen her in a while during lunch and then went to Finding Nemo the Musical (again!). We were planning on doing the safari but due to time we decided we would go and see some of the animals including the gorillas which was awesome because I have never gone to the animal watch before. Nick came and met us and after dropping Amy back home we tottled off to Downtown Disney for a little while. It was really nice :)


I began work on Thursday with a good attitude which was immediately turned sour when one of the coordinators shouted at me on photocell in front of guests for something that was out of control. Number one- in order to retain respect from your staff you should NEVER call people out onstage and number two get your facts straight. Basically after we had gone 101, I was to fill the briefing rooms. However, due to people pushing through the doors the system of rotation on the videos in the rooms got out of sync and one room was empty when it was let out. It then looked like another one had gone empty but this was not the case as one of my fellow cast members had let them out early. When the coordinator called me up on this I explained that I had not let out two empty rooms. I felt that I needed to stick up for myself and argued my case. Luckily it was all sorted but at the end of the day it's never nice to be told off for something that was 100% not your fault. The rest of the day went by so so, I was able to watch illuminations and have a sundae so this pleased me immensely and brightened my mood. I was also able to put Heather, Ken, Nolan and Olivia on the ride which was brilliant - it's always nice to see people you know!

On Friday I had planned to meet up with my parents for breakfast before work which started at 1pm. We went and had a lovely brekkie with pancakes galore!!! I then went back to the villa for a little snooze before we left for epcot. Hey I had been working 12 hours the previous day!! Work was good although it seemed distinctly different minus a load of CPs/ ICPs and not as good. Althought all the guests I encountered were pretty awesome and some even recognised me when I was on my lunch which was fun. They then came, sat and chatted to me which was really great. Guest interaction was my number one favourite part of the ICP. Nick picked me up after work and we went to Macaroni Grill which was amazing (and swish!) and I had a most lovely italian meal.

Saturday was pretty uneventful just another long day at work although we had quite a few zone stops and evacuations due to weather. My top favourite questions from guests during down time: (during inclement weather) - Q - How long will the attraction be closed? A - When the weather clears. Q- How long will this be? A - I have no clue... its..weather. (during 101s) - Q - Is the ride closed? A -(Dan Wade) Yes. Although the day wasn't completely uneventful as I was able to put my parents on the ride and they were able to see my grouper skills which was funny. Needless to say they were very impressed hehe ;)

Sunday I was working again (obviously!) but beforehand I was able to get some laundry done. My day went pretty quick and I was even able to do the ride through at the end of the day - my final one *tear*. It was funny but throughout the day I kept thinking this may be my last time on .... or.... positions. It was a horrible to think that my program was coming to an end. Ladarius, Dan and Andy asked me to go to Downtown Disney for some 'English' fish and chips at Cookes of Dublin. It was really nice but I think I'll stick to the real thing from now on :p I then met up with Nick for a little wander around Downtown Disney before heading home.

Monday was just another work day I'm afraid to say, long but with plenty of Brits to keep me entertained. On Tuesday I had my homeroom meeting with Curtis which went well and I got a nice feedback report. It was great to hear nice things my co workers had said about my positive image and attitude. Although I had an early shift (starting at 7am I didn't mind too much as it gave me the chance to do station walker for the last time. As it had been quite a while since I had last been through all the door checks I kept having to get nudged by tower as to where I should be hehe, nevermind at least I got it done on time. Nick said he would meet me after work and as I finished at 3.15pm I basically had the rest of the day. My mum and dad said they'd meet us as the plan was to go to see Fantasmic for the final time. We did Indiana Jones and the great movie ride. Unfortunately it was raining pretty heavily so after going on Tower and Rock n Rollar Coaster Nick and I sans parentals went on Toy Story Mania where Nick got 180 thousand and I got just over 150 thousand, grrr beaten again! Nevermind I will beat him one of those days.

Dinosaurs, assaults and cute cousins...

On Saturday I had planned to be picked up fairly early in the morning by my parents, drive to Sizzler to have breakfast then head to la Kingdom le Magic in the afternoon. I met them outside Chatham and to say I was pleased to see them didn't quite cover it. We had a lovely reunion and soon headed for some food. We pulled into the parking lot and suddenly another car appeared. Unbeknown to my my grandparents had decided to surprise me! I honestly had no idea, it was a great surprise :D

We had breakfast (pancakes!) and went back to Chatham to show them round. After a quick look at the untidy mess we went to view the parental's villa. After a swim and a game of pool later it was time to head to Magic Kingdom sans Gran and Grandpa. We went on Big thunder mountain, the haunted mansion, pirates and philharmagic. I had booked us a surprise meal at Tonies on Main Street USA citing a family reunion as our cause to celebrate. The lady and the tramp theme was wonderful and the meal was great. A fabulous choice even if I do say so myself hehe ;) We wore our 'family reunion' pins with great joy. We had then planned to meet up with Nick after he finished work and after the 'meeting the parents' introductions we headed to tomorrowland to go on Buzz (I beat my Dad!) and monster's inc laughter floor where Nick was picked on to 'get up and dance' which was a real treat :P By this time it was getting late and so we headed back to our respectful homes as SOME people had to work in the morning.

I worked 10am - 9.45pm and had a pretty good day albeit long. The last couple of weeks broke up the tradition of me getting stuck with stand by and pit crew on rotation. I finally was able to get positions such as grouper (my favourite) and photocell. Although the majority of guests were pleasant during this period I had two situations which made me think that unfortunately Disney joy doesn't quite reach all those who visit the magic. The first was a man who approached me on pit crew. As I had to load the cars I politely asked him to move off the platform so I could do my job. He began ranting and raving at me about his lost son. I asked him if he was a single rider and said that if so they all exit at the same place. Again I asked him to step down and he shouted straight at me, making a fist as if to hit me. Luckily a couple of other track technicians saw what was happening and intervened. The man swiftly exited and I was left rather shaken. It wasn't nice but I was happy to of had the support of my team. The second incident was when I was at grouper. Suddenly a man made to jump on the track swearing abuse but was restrained by his family. Aparently there was a man on the ride who had been inappropriate with the first man's daughter. Luckily a fellow CM intervened. Again it shook me up but these type of incidents are rare and the majority of guests I witnessed were just excited about being on holiday.

Well, back to Sunday - after work I was picked up by my parents and after an unsuccessful visit to Publix (it had closed!) it was time to say goodbye and head back to sleep. Monday I had off and after a neccessary long lie- in I got some bits and bobs done before meeting with my man for some fun at Disney Quest. We really enjoyed the vintage arcade games as well as some modern ones (guitar hero anyone?). We did the mighty ducks pinball, aladdin's magic carpet ride and cyberspace mountain (thrill factor 4), had a little parfait and a peanut butter and chocolate muffin and after a break returned later to do pirates and virtual jungle cruise. Ok so I fell upon seeing a dinosaur on jungle cruise and dropped my oar, no need to laugh though! No help or nothing, just laughter grr :p hehe. We played skiball and I am proud to say I managed to get in the 10 000 target! Anyhoo, we then went to Olive Garden for some lovely food *ranch salad* and went home to watch a couple of movies. Overall a fabulous day with excellent company :D

On Tuesday we had planned to meet the parents early in the morning to make the most of our day at Hollywood Studios. We started with the Tower of Terror and went on to do Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Muppets 3D, One Man's Dream (during the storm) and of course Toy Story Mania. I was so happy as Me, Nick and Mum all beat my Dad for once! Mwhahaha. We had a nice meal at ABC cafe and had a wander round the Christmas shop, getting a few pressies for back home. Soon it was time to go to Downtown Disney as we had arranged to meet up with some relatives who we hadn't seen in years. We all had a great time at the Rainforest Cafe and it was lovely to see Heather (my Mum's cousin), her husband Ken and their children Olivia and Nolan. Nick had great fun playing with the kids and it was a treat to be in the Rainforest as I hadn't been in absolute years. After the most delicious chocolate cake known to man was eaten we had a look around World of Disney and then parted to go our own separate ways. Another wonderful day in the place of magic.

Universal, hysteria and Beetlejuice's bum...

Friday I had off so Amy, Jayne and I decided we would go to Universal Studios and Island of Adventure for the day. We got up fairly early, caught the bus to the Commons and took the short walk through the premium outlets to get the iTrolley to Universal. A short bus ride later we trudged through the greenland and wandered past the Hard Rock Hotel to the parks. We got a multi ticket and thought we would start our day at Island of Adventure as from our estimation it would probably be busiest. First we went to the Daily Bugle and accompanied Spidey on a tour of the city. I LOVE the spiderman ride, you get to wear 3D goggles, get splashed and shot at and get to move in the most attractive buggy car ever. It was fabulous and Jayne (who had never been to IoA/ Universal before) loved it too.

We then went through toon lagoon and onto the Popeye water ride which was, unbelievably enough, walk on. Well, although we wore our ponchos we got absolutely drenched. Luckily my bottom half was covered but my hair was soaked and Jayne wasn't too impressed that her jeans got wet and began to expand. Me and Amy enjoyed it though! After drying off a tiny bit, we decided to undo all of that goodness by going on the Jurrasic Park water adventure which only had a 5 minute wait time (madness!). Again the ponchos were out but Amy thought she was tough enough and so how much we laughed when she came off dripping wet whilst me and Jayne were bone dry. Yay for the power of the ponchos.

After watching a magic show in the Lost Continent (hmm I wonder if the tricks come with an instructional DVD - lol) we went to see the Eighth Voyage of Sinbad; one of my picks as the last time I went was over 4 years ago and I had fond memories. Unfortunately the show didn't quite meet up to said memories but neverless it was still good. We passed the construction of the new Harry Potter land and couldn't resist getting a little too overexcited, especially as we saw Hagrid's hut from line of the Duelling Dragons.

It was soon lunch time and we had all agreed to take a break from park one and head to the HRC for some munch. This time I had a HRC burger and it was definately worth the wait. One of the nicest meals I've had and the fact that 'gettin' jiggy with it' was played in the backround cemented the fact that I 100% love that restaurant. A quick snap of Rocky Horror and Blues Brothers memorabillia later we headed to Universal Studios. We asked the woman at the entrance about the new rollarcoaster which was being tested by crew members, specifically when it would open. 'Oh it's not been released yet, but possibly sometime in the next month'. Of course unbeknown to us the bloomin' thing was opening that very next day!!!! We were most upset when we heard the news. Oh well, I'm sure I'll be back.

As our last Universal trip was unceremoniously rained off we had vowed only to do the attractions that we had not done previously. First it was a trip to the I love Lucy shop where we literally bumped into Lucy and Ricky themselves! It was then time for Beetlejuice which was AMAZING! and every bit as good as I remembered although it had been changed slightly so no Santana :( Nevermind, I was also lucky enough to get a personal video message from Beetlejuice himself when he shook his bum in my camera - oh memories.

After the show we headed to Delaney Street to see the Blues Brothers in concert. Jayne is rather a fan and so got rather excited about the whole thing. Her reaction was kind of peculiar to me and Amy who of course realised they weren't the actual blues brothers. Oh well, she really loved it and that's the main thing. I think they could sense her enthusiasm and picked her to dance with which was lovely. It soon turned out to be a dancing in the street kind of affair so I obliged and danced the conga with the BB crew. They were brilliant and it was worth it to see Jayne - it was like her Birthday and Christmases had all come at once!

A ride on the Mummy and some Ben and Jerrys later we went to view the Horror Make up Show; again a favourite of mine. It was definately a treat for all. Afterwards we headed back over to IoA where we went on the Hulk, Doctor Doom's FearFall (where we nearly got into a fight over a woman opening a 'Do not open door' - thanks Jayne lol) the fire Duelling Dragon and the carousel at Seuss Landing. We went on the armchair ride through the Cat and the Hat and then decided to go back to Universal. After doing Men in Black Amy and I had decided we had had enough. Jayne really wanted to go on the Simpsons ride so while she rode that Amy and I had a little look around the shops. Twelve hours after starting the day at the parks we were still there and once Jayne had met up with us again we took the short walk back to the iTrolley and caught it to go home.

I had a fabulous but long day. Tomorrow I was to meet my parents, little did I know they had a surprise waiting for me...

Fastpasses, Pancakes and Nemo...

Ok, so I haven't posted anything in ages and now my memory is slightly fuzzy but I'm going to try my best to capture my last three weeks working for the mouse as best as I can.

Monday I began work at 1pm which meant that I could get a few odds and ends done before starting. Work itself wasn't the best of experiences as instantly I was at odds with a guest at Fastpass Distribution. Usually I don't mind this position as although you are outside with no fans you are constantly busy. Seriously, someone should really memo Disney - note to update the machines - they are certainly no spring chickens. Anyway back to the point. A guest complained that one of the machines didn't work, well fair enough, however when I put the card into one of the working FP machines she received a ticket informing her that she already had a FP for Soarin' in the two hour between FPs period. According to her she had just entered the park. Anyhoo she asked for my name as it was ridiculous that she would have to take the two minute walk to guest relations to sort out the problem with her park admission card. After offering her the correct spelling of my name I swiftly moved away knowing that I had done my job correctly. Well nothing ever came of it and to be honest I think she was more annoyed about the walk than the actual FP.

We had some downtime during the day and I learnt a few things about the attraction, for example the fact that the crash doors are made of styrofome and are painted to look like real wood. I also had some trouble with a couple of young boys trying to provoke and annoy me on standby. I don't understand why people have to antagonise someone else for their own amusement. Therefore I was really pleased when Andy gave them a little 'friendly' warning and luckily once the attraction was 102 they were on and off the ride swiftly. At the other end of the scale though, I met some lovely guests who came from Hellesdon, Norwich! How bizzare, they had even gone to the same school as me - it really IS a small world!

That night after work I went out with my fellow cast members for a kind of leaving do for some of the international and college programers. We went to Bennigans and I had the most delicious chocolate brownie ever - I had been craving something sweet all day, I think Tyler was pleased when I finally had it so I would stop complaining! Although I had a great night and got a lift home from Amanda's roomates it really got me thinking that I didn't really have that long to go before I would be saying goodbye too. This wasn't a happy thought.

The next day I didn't start work until 4.30 so me and Amy decided to go to another character breakfast. This time though it was the big one - the Grand Floridian 1900 Park Fare character experience. I've always wanted to visit the Grand Flo so this was definately a big deal for me. We had a reservation for 10.50am for breakfast but when we arrived were told that an additional wait time would be added so we decided to have a little look around. The resort itself is absolutely gorgeous and I would love to stay there one day. After a little nosy around and some shopping it was soon time for food. I had the usual - fruit, way too many pancakes and Mickey shaped waffles. Amy had a made- to- order omlette which looked lovely. We were joined by Pooh, Tigger (Tigray!), Alice, Mary Poppins and the Mad Hatter. It trully was magical!

Afterwards we decided we would explore some of the areas in the MK district exclusive to cast members. Although we went to the Disney University Company D we were really disappointed by what was on offer to purchase. We then went to property control/ cast connection where I succeeded in purchasing a lovely (cheap!) t shirt. Our next destination was MK itself and instead of going on our usual rides we figured we'd opt for some of the not so well recognised ones including Snow White's Scary Adventure and Aladdin's Magic Carpets both of which I enjoyed immensely considering the last time I went on them I was 7! Philharmagic was also on our hit list = always a must. Soon it was time for me to scurry onto work and there I worked until 12.45 (grr for Extra Magic Hours).

Wednesday was the day to say goodbye to some of my fellow ICPers and beloved cast members so it definately started with a grey cloud. Yet some light relief was to be had when the Prince of Saudi Arabia visited our attraction. He jumped out of the car when it stopped and started shouting at me in his native tongue, unbeknown to me on pit crew he was upset because he had lost his hat. Um... surelly he would have enough money to buy a new one?!? Oh dear some people are never happy.

The wheelchair lifts were 101 and so we had to give cards to guests for them to come back through the exit. Although this in theory was perfect, in practice it wasn't great as there was no communication as to when to put a return time and so Station Assist kept having a queue of wheelchairs and no method for putting them into cars. I will never understand why, during wheelchair downtown the position of wheelchair wasn't dropped. I dreaded that position as you just stood around until the next rota or break went through. By the end of the night it was time to say goodbye to Fabi, Andre, Andrea and Chad. I'll admit I was upset especially because I felt that Chad was one of my TT best buddies and I knew how much I was going to miss him. Luckily Nick came to pick me up and we spent some quality time together at Downtown Disney. He really lifted my spirits after a hard day - such a great boyfriend! :D

As I didn't start work until 4.15pm I decided I would have some fun and with no one free I went to Animal Kingdom by myself to FINALLY do the safari! Although the wait time was 50 minutes I figured this may be my only chance to go so I waited in line. Of course by the time I got to the front something had gone wrong and they had stopped loading the Range Rovers. Typical! Luckily it wasn't a major problem and they were soon up and running. The thing I love most about the safari is how secluded it makes you feel from the outside world. Disney have really succeeded in making you really feel like you are in Africa, it was amazing. The sky was blue and it was a lovely day so many animals were out for us to see: Hippos, Rhinos, Giraffes and Elephants who were consequently 'playing' with each other. Well at least they had fun, hehe!

After the safari was through and Simba One had scared those nasty poachers off I met Flick whilst walking around the park. A photograph and hug later I had lunch and made my way to the theatre to see Finding Nemo the Musical. This was to be my first viewing in two years so my memory was slightly hazzy. Oh my goodness I LOVED the show, so much so that I've been singing the songs ever since and purchased the mighty soundtrack which I still listen to frequently. It was fabulous, the puppetry was brilliant and the singers were all great, a very worthy visit. After the show Nick came and met me and we went on Everest, a kissy picture later we decided to nip to Epcot as I didn't have too much time left before work and we fancied going on SpaceShip Earth which was lovely.

Work was good and I had two absolutely precious encounters with two tiny tots. Both were adorable and telling me all about their vaccation. I asked the princess for her autograph and we've been firm friends ever since. The pirate also loved test track and was telling me all about his orientation at the Pirate League. As it was extra magic hours I had my second encounter with a celebrity, the first being evac - ing Rubin Stutter (from American Idol) and his family from the ride during a downtown, the second being an encounter with the famous basketball twins the Lopez brothers who are over 7ft tall. I got a sore neck looking up to them! Naturally they wanted a car to themselves (and their puppets) so being the nice track technicians we are we swiftly obliged. Soon it was time to go and after telling guests no you can't ride again, we're closed for the 200th time sleep was calling.

Training, Roses and shopping

After working until 12.45AM on Wednesday morning it was difficult to get up however, as my purpose was to go to a character breakfast, it was worth the extra effort. Amy and I had decided we really wanted to go to Chef Mickey's at the contemporary resort before we left and so Wednesday was to be the day. We got the resort monorail to the contemp and had a little look around before making our reservation. We had to get our picture taken for one of these 'bringing round your table to squeeze more cash out of you' pictures. Anyway it was soon time to be seated and we were shortly directed to the food, which was just as well as I was about to collapse with lack of food.

To start with I had smoked salmon (my fav) and melon, then I had a grand total of 7(!) mini pancakes, bacon, egg and a mickey shaped waffle. I finally finished with a donut and two brownies! Ok so I'm now a bit of a chub but nevermind I extremely enjoyed all my munch as did Amy with hers. We met all the characters including Goofy, Pluto, Mickey, Donald (who remembered us!) and Minnie although Minnie kind of bypassed our table due to the huge family next to us we got to see her before we left. We also did the celebration - throwing our napkins in the air and waving them about which was fun and bumped into a few people from the ICP who were also having breakfast for a friend's birthday.

After brekkie we decided to hit MK for a bit before work; we did Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it and partied with Woody which was awesome and went to the Monster's Inc laugh floor. We sent in one of the jokes at the end of the vicar of dibley although they must have decided that jokes about cows were more appropriate hmph! It was good but none of the people who got picked on really participated so that was a bit of a shame. As I started at 2pm we decided it would be best to go and do something at epcot before work. Unfortunately Test Track was down so we just took some pictures and looked around mousegear. Nick came to meet me for like 30 minutes before work and so Amy and him ended up having a day out together - alright for some! I had to go to a Safety in Motion workshop which basically gave me a load of information which was unneccessary for my role in Attractions (info on stuff like picking up boxes, etc) and it was pretty difficult to stay awake to be honest! Wednesday was Fabi and Andrea's last day so it was sad to see some of my fellow track technicians go back to Mexico. Fabi drew us all as cartoon characters on the board and of course I was linked to Harry Potter hehe. After work Nick picked me up and we went to Downtown Disney where we had a wander; I had a sundae and he had a McDs. It was really nice.

Thursday I was back at work and had a non closing day as I had exchanged my shift with Logan to have my Saturday off. I had previously tried to get an ER (early release) for absolutely ages but hadn't succeeded on the account of me being a closer. Finally I got an ER for 3 o'clock and after a few chores Nick and I finally went to see the Ugly Truth which was really funny and had a stroll round Downtown Disney. Friday was to be a bit of a Jayne and Kirsty kind of day and we had decided we would go to publix before hitting a water park in the afternoon as we get Cast Member benefits after 2pm. After the big walk to publix we both felt we needed a little rest before hitting the water slopes. An hour later we were ready to party and got the dreaded bus to BB. As we had never got the CM BB bus it was kind of confusing where to go backstage and we got told off for taking a picture of Goofy's BB trailer. Eek nevermind, we had some diddy donuts inside the park and got to work on the rides. We went down the rapids and did the two big ones (summit plummet and slush cusher) twice! It was a great day and I even met a new friend waiting for SP who liked to tell me his 8 year old life story and adventures with spongebob. We also had a laugh playing the rate the lifeguard game on the lazy river and Jayne's shamoo impression getting into a rubber ring provided me with some much appreciated entertainment.

We also made friends with 'the best lifeguard ever' Liam whom we had our picture with and harrassed the photopass women for photos. After Blizzard we had decided to go to Pop Century for food and to have a bit of a wander round. However, as we had got to Pop so late as we stayed till park closing it was too dark to explore the resort. We settled for free drinks and a resort bus to Magic Kingdom where we rode the tea cups, watched wishes (*Tinkerbell!*) and watched Spectromagic. It was great seeing Spectro again although I definately felt it on the way home as my head was starting to bob asleep.

The next day was my other day off and Nick and I had decided to go to Florida Mall for the day. I was mightily surprised when my man arrived with roses for me and a 'best girlfriend' award, it was the sweetest thing ever and really made my day :D Florida Mall was fabulous, really clean and the shops were all really nice. We spent some time in the bookstore and M+M world, where we stocked up on sweet treats and Nick bought a few things. I also bought Hannah Montana 3 the Sondtrack (ok I love Miley Cyrus, so sue me :p). The foodcourt was really great, much better than premier outlets. It was also really funny seeing some of the similar shops seen in England for example Clarks shoes and Claires - no Boots though! We then decided to watch some films round Nick's including Alice and Wonderland which was purchased at FM. I had never seen the film before but now I'm really looking forward to seeing the Tim Burton version.

Sunday I began work at 7.45 but finished at a reasonable time for a change. This meant one thing - I was able to do my ironing!!! I managed to get my giant load done before the office closed and Jayne suggested we hit up Olive Garden which we did. We got the bus to Crossroads and walked down, getting honked on the way = not fun :( Anyhoo Olive Garden itself was amazing and I had salmon.... and broccoli! Yay! Although extremely full we decided we would get some exercise and walk all the way back. At the time it seemed to be a great idea but in practice it was awful as we were too full and too tired. To make matters worse, many American coaches passed us, sniggering as they went I'll bet. When we googled the distance we realised we had basically walked nearly 3 miles. This did not amuse me. Later Nick and I met up at night as he was working during the day.

Birthdays, Sleep and characters

Ok well Friday began Amy's unbirthday and we had booked a lunch with the Princesses so we headed to Epcot. As our booking was for 12.10, we had some time to kill and decided to look around epcot for a bit. We went to China and I bought the most awesome fan ever,.... ok so it was actually broken but I got a swapsies and I was chuffed. Newsflash: Florida is hot hot hot and so I kind of wished I had bought it sooner but it was amazing, AND went with my outfit :D

I tried on a Cinderella dress which consequently left me and Amy completely covered in glitter. We were soon formerly 'announced' and headed for our table. The restaurant itself was gorgeous and set out as if in a far away land castle. We had a picture with Belle and were then directed to the menu. I decided to have the lamb stew for my main. As part of the experience we have an all you can eat buffet which included the most amazing smoked salmon I have ever tasted. Did I mention the smoked salmon Amy? hehe. During our main courses the princesses visited our tables. We met Aurora, Snow White (Amy's favourite and one who knew her by name 'Are you Amy?'), Cinderella ('I love your freckles') and Ariel (my favourite!). They were all very nice and extremely into their characters which made me smile. It was definately one of those 'once in a lifetime dream experiences' I have fulfilled. We had our family platter of deserts including the chocolate mousse, custard puff and strawberry bread; they were delicious. After getting the professional picture as a girft from Belle and also a birthday card signed by all the princesses with their personal colours it was time to go.

We decided to find Mulan and Jasmin round the world to make our princess day complete. Luckily Mulan was out in China (next door to Norway) and Jasmin (minus Aladdin) was at Morroco. After unsuccessfully trying the Kim Possible mission challenge and meeting Donald Duck in Mexico we decided to take in some of epcot's finest attractions. Naturally we rode test track - it was rather awesome as we went on through the exit and thermal imaging FINALLY worked! Of course Mission: Space was next and my friend Jamie was working the 'more intense or less intense' section so we were able to get a fastpass and ride. Orange is so much better than green I have determined as you can really feel the G force and spin! We did the classic spaceship earth and purchased treats from the backery at seasons. Nick met up with us and we went on the seas with nemo and friends and turtle talk with crush (*to small child*'what so you eat dude?' A-'fish' C- ::O remember fish are friends, not friends.' 'Watch our Dory, Reggie's here' LOL). After being rained off at epcot we all decided to go to Downtown Disney to watch a film. Although we initially intended to do the sneaky thing of staying in the theatre to watch two films back to back what we didn't count on was the attendant checking tickets. Therefore we were just able to watch one (the Orphan) which Amy and I enjoyed but Jayne and Nick, not so much. A lot of audience participation was apparently needed as every so often you'd hear some big American putting their two pennies worth in. Grr.

After the film, Nick dropped us off and after precious sleep it was time for Amy's birthday celebrations to begin. We got the bus to MK and after getting extremely snazzy pictures of the three of us outside the castle and our celebration pins from guest relations, it was time for Amy to get a birthday waffle sundae before Move it, shake it, celebrate it started. We had negotiated it so we were with the 'classic' characters e.g. goofy, Donald and Mickey. The Mickey we had was unbelievably enthusiastic and energetic. It was funny as one minute we were twisting solo and the next I had Donald tap me on the shoulder to dance with him. It was awesome and so much fun - definately a magical moment dancing with Donald on Main Street USA. After the parade show we wandered to frontierland and got fastpasses for splash mountain and rode Big thunder mountain (Jayne's first time!). Amy wanted to head to toontown so that is where we ventured. We toured Minnie and Mickey's houses and went to meet the fairies in Pixie Hollow where Nick met up with us (autograph book in hand). We met all the fairies including Tinkerbell who asked if I was a garden fairy as I was wearing my own pixie dress. Although I haven't seen the fairy movie and didn't really know who they were they all seemed to have a fabulous grasp of their character (my fav was Fawn and her super quick recitle of animal names when we were getting our photos taken).

After the fairies we headed to Philharmagic and to pinnochios for lunch, after which it was time for Nick to go to work. We said our goodbyes and went on haunted mansion. Hidden Mickey -ed out we then went to the Hall of Presidents in Liberty Square. This is when I really noticed the culture difference between Brits and Americans - brits would probably just sit there if it were Prime Ministers but the Americans were cheering, clapping and crying as the different animatronic presidents were introduced; it was bizzare. Before the Dream along with mickey show in front of the castle we went to do some shopping and came accross an acopello group who seranaded us with 'Walking Down Main Street', 'Happy Birthday' (to Amy) and 'Mister Sandman'. I felt like we were in a promo for the park, it was amazing! The DAWM show was great, I enjoyed it immensly even if it was basically the exact same show as two years ago. We then went on Splash mountain, which was my first time this year. I finally feel like I have done MK now that I have done that ride! I got a Mickey's Premium and we went to the laugh floor. After Amy bought her princess balloon we headed home on the monorail. The monorail itself stopped outside the wedding pavillion as a wedding was in procession. Although we didn't see the bride or groom we saw the wedding party, and a random wedding crasher in her swimwear. It was a slightly disturbing sight to be honest.

Amy had requested that we all go to Planet Hollywood for her birthday so after a power nap for the three of us me, Amy, Jayne, Ashley and Joyce headed to PH. It was awesome, although we were quoted an hour and a half wait we went straight up and onto a table! There was loads of great film memorabilia including Dorothy's dress from the Wizard of Oz and the music they played was unashamably great! Plenty of opportunities to get up and dance including the habitual Y-M-C-A. Everyone seemed to have a great time and after a shared appetizer, main course and brownie desert we left. The car ride home was also eventful with plenty of nonsense and one liners - oh the joys of girls' night!

Sunday was the time for much needed sleep and a couple of chores before work. Work itself wasn't great as I had a guest shout at me because we were out of fastpasses and it was ridiculous that he had to wait for so long. We had a few problems on the track itself and so we were playing the 'technical difficulties you may have delays' spiel so after waiting a while the guest exited and complained that he left the line after the spiel was played and there was nothing wrong. When I tried to offer my apologise I was told to apollogize to HIM gesturing to his son. I was kind of taken aback because at the end of the day it wasn't even my fault so why should people get away with emotional blackmail? Anyway to get them out of my hair I gave them rider switches so they would be able to go through the fp entrance. Later when they were getting out of the car at pit crew he was like 'thank you kirsty' I was like don't you shout at me and be insincere nice. So in short I wasn't 'projecting a positive image'. I had a problem with another lady who tried to use the wrong guest assistance card to get through the fp return. After I explained the difference and gestured to her to go to guest relations to get the correct stamp she wasn't happy but later returned and thanked me for my help. I love being right.

I met up with Nick at night for a while and the next day started work at 1pm, before which I had a most excellent McDs. I was kind of annoyed at work as for some reason I kept getting stuck in the rotation of standby, pit crew, standby, pit crew. They are not the most challenging or interesting positions and when you are not really in the mood to work in the first place they kind of add to your frustration. Nevermind, work went pretty quickly and soon it was time to go home. Amy and I had decided that before I tottled off to work on Tuesday we would go to the premium outlets as we both had not been yet. The stores were pretty good and we both got a rather lot. I got 3! pairs of jeans (denim, black and purple) and purple converse. It was crazy as one of shops advertised that if you try on a pair of skinny jeans you'd get $5 off your purchase, then if you bought two pairs they would be $19.99 each. So I got two pairs for the price of one. Result. The food court was different to how I remembered and I decided on a chinese. Well after paying I don't know exactly what happened but my tray tipped over and my food went all down me; my shorts, my legs and feet were covered. Although I ended up getting fresh food I really didn't like it and so after all of that I ended up buying a subway! Soon it was time to go to work for extra magic hours and then sleep.