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.
Monday, 17 August 2009
Sunday, 9 August 2009
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.
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.
Friday, 7 August 2009
Thursday
Whoops I appear to have gone over a week without any news so I better get typing!
Well Thursday began my trio of days off and I woke up early to meet Ariella at DHS as this was her last day before going home. As I was early I went and watched HSM in front of the hat and had a little wander - searching for the Fantasmic soundtrack before she arrived. I went to guest relations as I thought it would be nice to get the I'm celebrating pins. Ariella's had '... last day as a cast member' and mine had '... Ariella's last day :('. This was to be our first meeting as although I had talked to her through the wonders of FB we had never been able to meet (with her being from Canada and the like). Well she is an absolutely gorgeous individual both inside and out. I had a brilliant day with her and was so happy we finally met up.
We decided to get sundaes and watch Beauty and the beast as this is one of our most favourite shows. The Gaston we had was amazing and it was nice having a wee chat as we sat and watched. The next attraction was Rock n rollarcoaster although as the line was so long we decided to get fastpasses and go on ToT instead. Of course this was awesome but we had to wait outside in the garden area which just proves how busy the parks are getting as we've never had to wait like that before. Ariella told me a few good stories like the time she met Celine Dion backstage at Splash and the fact that Johnny Depp supposidly stayed in the Animal Kingdom lodge and went to the Pirates League a couple of weeks ago! Tot was great and when we came off a rather older gentleman CM began talking to us (he said he only talked to the pretty girls hehe) which was nice. We went to Disney Animation and met sorcerror mickey which is what Ariella really wanted to do and did a little shopping at the backlot tour shop (Ariella got a villain monopoly and I got the fantasmic soundtrack!) We then decided to get pizza for lunch.
By this time Nick had finished work and headed to DHS to meet us. We had our lunch and decided to go to the Muppets 3D. I <3 ed this as usual and afterwards we headed to Star Tours. However, the wait time was 50 minutes and none of us thought it was really worth such a long wait. Instead we decided to go and do Tot again as our FP time wasn't quite there and as the tot host saw that we weren't quite willing to wait 40minutes and saw what we were celebrating he gave us fastpasses for nothing. Magical Moment alert!
We then ventured to R+R to try and get Nick in with our FPs. Luckily the host gave us a rider switch after we explained the situation. What he didn't seem to notice that I knew that rider switches are vaild for 3 people therefore we decided we would use the RS first and then Ariella and I would go on again using our FPs. Hehe devious but this was Ariella's last day and her favourite ride so I didn't feel bad at all. The R+r itself was celebrating its 10 year anniversary on this day. There was talk that the band Aereosmith would be arriving in the park but no such luck. Anyway by the time we finished Ariella decided to go home and pack and Nick and I rode Toy Story Mania during which I'm ashamed to say he beat me (not by much though!). After this the heavens opened and the rain was so heavy it was difficult to see where we were walking. We decided to go home as I had my graduation and needed to get ready.
Graduation itself wasn't anything special. Perhalps because it was at night and still raining but it was kind of a let down. We got free graduation ears, food, water bottle and diploma but there was no official ceremony of sorts. We got our picture taken with Minnie but Mickey had gone by the time we got there and Amy and I left after only half an hour. It was nice to see some friends there though. As Ariella had mentioned during the day that she had had lunch with the princesses at norway I was intreged to find our more so I booked a reservation for the next day and that is where my story will begin next time.
Well Thursday began my trio of days off and I woke up early to meet Ariella at DHS as this was her last day before going home. As I was early I went and watched HSM in front of the hat and had a little wander - searching for the Fantasmic soundtrack before she arrived. I went to guest relations as I thought it would be nice to get the I'm celebrating pins. Ariella's had '... last day as a cast member' and mine had '... Ariella's last day :('. This was to be our first meeting as although I had talked to her through the wonders of FB we had never been able to meet (with her being from Canada and the like). Well she is an absolutely gorgeous individual both inside and out. I had a brilliant day with her and was so happy we finally met up.
We decided to get sundaes and watch Beauty and the beast as this is one of our most favourite shows. The Gaston we had was amazing and it was nice having a wee chat as we sat and watched. The next attraction was Rock n rollarcoaster although as the line was so long we decided to get fastpasses and go on ToT instead. Of course this was awesome but we had to wait outside in the garden area which just proves how busy the parks are getting as we've never had to wait like that before. Ariella told me a few good stories like the time she met Celine Dion backstage at Splash and the fact that Johnny Depp supposidly stayed in the Animal Kingdom lodge and went to the Pirates League a couple of weeks ago! Tot was great and when we came off a rather older gentleman CM began talking to us (he said he only talked to the pretty girls hehe) which was nice. We went to Disney Animation and met sorcerror mickey which is what Ariella really wanted to do and did a little shopping at the backlot tour shop (Ariella got a villain monopoly and I got the fantasmic soundtrack!) We then decided to get pizza for lunch.
By this time Nick had finished work and headed to DHS to meet us. We had our lunch and decided to go to the Muppets 3D. I <3 ed this as usual and afterwards we headed to Star Tours. However, the wait time was 50 minutes and none of us thought it was really worth such a long wait. Instead we decided to go and do Tot again as our FP time wasn't quite there and as the tot host saw that we weren't quite willing to wait 40minutes and saw what we were celebrating he gave us fastpasses for nothing. Magical Moment alert!
We then ventured to R+R to try and get Nick in with our FPs. Luckily the host gave us a rider switch after we explained the situation. What he didn't seem to notice that I knew that rider switches are vaild for 3 people therefore we decided we would use the RS first and then Ariella and I would go on again using our FPs. Hehe devious but this was Ariella's last day and her favourite ride so I didn't feel bad at all. The R+r itself was celebrating its 10 year anniversary on this day. There was talk that the band Aereosmith would be arriving in the park but no such luck. Anyway by the time we finished Ariella decided to go home and pack and Nick and I rode Toy Story Mania during which I'm ashamed to say he beat me (not by much though!). After this the heavens opened and the rain was so heavy it was difficult to see where we were walking. We decided to go home as I had my graduation and needed to get ready.
Graduation itself wasn't anything special. Perhalps because it was at night and still raining but it was kind of a let down. We got free graduation ears, food, water bottle and diploma but there was no official ceremony of sorts. We got our picture taken with Minnie but Mickey had gone by the time we got there and Amy and I left after only half an hour. It was nice to see some friends there though. As Ariella had mentioned during the day that she had had lunch with the princesses at norway I was intreged to find our more so I booked a reservation for the next day and that is where my story will begin next time.
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Days of fun and hot fudge sundaes....
Oh my goodness I cannot believe how far behind I've got on my blog! Well here is the latest news from overseas.
On Wednesday I waas working from 3pm so decided to go to Epcot early as a certain person was working character spot. Unfortunately the wait was mega long (tour groups) and although I tried my best to meet before work I had cleverly brought work trousers, shoes and socks but no top so had to scurry to costuming for a fresh costume. So I didn't see him but instead I went to Paris and bought a Creme Brulee - I've become obsessed; they are gorgeous! And I went on mission space for the first time this year which was fun. Work was until 9.30 so I met Amy and we went through Saratoga Springs to Downtown Disney. The resort itself looked lovely and I would love to have a look round during the day to see it in all it's glory. We went to TRex which is the new restaurant at downtown. It's dino themed and extremely nice (there is a cold room as well as a hot room!) although it did feel a tad like a rip off of rainforest cafe as it went dark and the dinos moved simiar to the animals in the rainforest. I has salmon, rice and veg and it was delicious although extremely expensive! We also decided to share this desert which was obviously meant for 4 as it had 4 bits of chocolate cake and loads of ice cream. There was even a smoke machine thing in the middle. It was extremely awesome!!!! Of course we ended up bringing two bits of cake back as we couldn't eat it all but we tried! It was our everest and we failed. ('if you eat this cake, we will eat you')
Thursday = cake for breakfast as I was running low on proper food; it was amazing though! :D I went to meet Leom by the pool which was lovely and we had a great chat and catch up. I went to the gym for the first time as well which was great as it was nice to feel somewhat fit. It wasn't as good as the UEA gym and has virtually no machines but it's better than nothing! I got my stride on to Wicked and nearly took out some bloke with a weight - my bad. I was able to speak to my family in the afternoon as it had nearly been a week since we last spoke.
I had Friday off so after doing some chores including my ironing Nick came round and we eventually decide to go to Blizzard Beach. This was my first waterpark trip of the year and his first since moving to Florida so it was rather special. Donut time came and went and we enjoyed some time together in the wave pool (swim away!) and the lazy river (bridge). We also went on some of the rides including the double rapids which were sooo much fun and the raft ride. No summet plummet though as some people were too scared hehe :p We then went to magic kingdom for nighttime entertainment. Philharmagic and chocolate fudge later it was time for wishes which we viewed from Frontierland. Great view and awesome end to an amazing time. Best day ever :D
Saturday was planned to be Kirsty and Amy's DAY OF FUN!!! and day of fun it was. We started our day at Animal Kingdom, got our cookie, celebration pins from guest services and went for fastpasses for exhibition everest and went on the river rapids. Although we were sweltering hot we didn't count on getting so wet that our clothes were rubbing when we walked and of course this was mightily attractive. We decided to go to the tree of life for 'it's a bugs' life'. We were made 'special' bugs and looked awesome in our 'bug eyes'. I love this show and it was my first time there this year; it was fabulous. We had made reservations to go to Tusker House for lunch so we headed there. The food was extraordinary and the all you can eat buffet certainly lived up to its name! It was lovely to have loads of different food including roast potatoes and green beans! Although my main course combination was rather odd, the desert combo was amazing. Brownies, donuts and cookies, it was intense.
We waddled to everest which was great; I even saw a hidden mickey and rode dinosaur which again was great although slightly scary. I spoke to a fellow cast member about the joys of pulling on the yellow strap and forgot that Bill Nigh the science guy is in EVERYTHING!!! We then decided to go to the festival of the lion king where a little girl asked me if I was also with my mother. I laughed and said no she's just my friend. It certainly made me chuckle, I'm not sure about Amy though hehe. The show was awesome. We then went to the bus stop to get to Typhoon Lagoon. As you cannot get a direct bus to this water park we had to go to Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was lovely and although it took us nearly an hour in total travel time it was so worth it as it was nice to look around a popular resort. The resort looked grand and also very private and secluded I can definately see why the stars would go there.
Typhoon Lagoon itself was great although I think it is slightly older in Blizzard Beach. The wave machine was extremely intense and I kept getting sucked under. I think it was a proper surfer simulation but it was still fun. The lazy river was good too although rather crowded and I still can't get over the fact that I got sprayed by some evil child when I was obviously relaxed and not wanting H2O all over my hair!!!! We rode a few of the ride including slush gusher in the terential downpour that never wanted to stop. We got hot chocolate and attempted to wait it out but unfortunately it wouldn't quit so we scurried to get a resort bus as we didn't know where to get the CP bus from. A trip to Pop Century and home to a hot shower later and it was time for bed.
Work has been good recently and I last week I performed a magical moment family of the hour and the family even asked to get their picture taken with me. It was awesome! Usually I'm in people's pictures accidentially so it was nice to be wanted for a change hehe. I've also got a great service card for my efforts as grouper which has been really difficult recently with the huge tour groups who do not speak english and who do not appreciate the single rider concept! The ride has also been going 101 (braking down) alot so that's always a challenge as you have to evacuate the guests and then deal with them complaining later. There have been loads of brits though so it's nice to hear a familiar accent and I was also speaking to one guest from Norwich the other day! I also like to have fun with guests and say if they're wearing a universal top or something that I'm sorry but they cannot go on the ride. Luckily everyone takes it in good fun.
After work on Sunday Amy and I decided to go to Fantasmic. This was my third time this year but Amy's first. We were rather unsure as to whether it would be playing as again it was raining. We were so glad we did though and rode the rock n roller coaster (thanks to a re entry and +1) before the show. A sundae and brownie later and we were good to go. Waiting for the show was a pain though as although we had perfect Mickey centre seats we had Brazillian tour groups on either side who decided it would be fun and not extremely annoying at all to cheer and chant to each other. We were amused. Not. During the show it was decided we would attempt a reinactment of the show which can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUgqU-4C8ao this was sooooo much fun to make and I really had a blast. I laughed so much, Amy is awesome and such a great friend. She bought the wishes soundtrack which definately gave her brownie points with me :D
Monday came around and I had a pretty good day. At grouper I was asked to take a picture with an unbelievably cute little boy who was awesome, guests were nice and it was a great day. I had a Disney Basics class which went well, we had to work in teams to work through the Disney basics and naturally our team had the best name (Skuttle's Dinglehoppers') although in DB jepardy we lost by missing out a simple but crucial name :(. At night the guy came and we watched Hercules which was nice.
Tuesday came and after a trip to MDs we decided to go to Epcot before I had to work. A touch of character spotting was in order so we ventured around the world. Starting in the UK we met Tigger, Pooh and Eeyore (but no piglet = sorry Becs!), Alice in Wonderland (worst accent ever! 'Did you see the white rabbit?') and Mary Poppins (again). We saw Louisa and I sneaked a picture of her in her costume. We then went to France for my creme brulee but bumped into Beauty and the Beast instead. I decided on chocolate mousse for a change and it was very good. After nearly having a panic attack after realising the bridge was up and I had to get to work we finished circling the world and I was back in plenty of time! I had noticed on my schedule an 'I can make a difference' but I wasn't too sure what that meant. I got asked by my coordinater if I was early (as they don't get told about these classes)but I explained and he radioed the coordinater of training.
As the class was in the Land building I got a ride backstage epcot where I was able to see old sets and other secrets. The class did pretty much what it said on the tin, we acted out scenarios and had to decide if it was poor, average or 'disney' service. Where our class was held joined directly onto the characters' room and so I'm afraid to say some of the magic has been lost. Yet back at work some of this was restored as I had fantastic guests who really loved my Mickey stickers, plenty of princesses and one little girl hugged me randomly when she got off the ride as she loved it so much. Of course this was sticker worthy. Max asked if I fancied going for ice cream during our 45 minute breaks and although I had been fairly healthy by having fruit the idea of having cookie dough for the first time in Florida filled me with excitment. Of course it was amaaaazing!
Wednesday was laundry day and gyming again. Work was good although I wasn't particularly happy with the way one of the coordinaters talked to me infront of guests when I was only doing my job correctly. I do not mind getting told off if I am doing something wrong but when someone is swearing at you, your good mood is rather ruined especially if you are correct in your actions. At 5 we had to close due to technical problems, an evac was in order and then we reopened. 20 minutes later we were down for incliment weather. We did not reopen and as I was in station I did nothing for 3 hours but chat and sing showsongs/ dance with trey. What a great job! As a closer I don't usually get to see the nighttime shows but luckily illuminations was 10 minutes late because of the electrical activity and as I was closing I was able to see illuminations on my close. It was an epic finish to a mixed kind of day. Me and Nick went and got pancakes - I was starved and then it was time to go home.
Thats all for now folks, see ya real soon.
xXx
On Wednesday I waas working from 3pm so decided to go to Epcot early as a certain person was working character spot. Unfortunately the wait was mega long (tour groups) and although I tried my best to meet before work I had cleverly brought work trousers, shoes and socks but no top so had to scurry to costuming for a fresh costume. So I didn't see him but instead I went to Paris and bought a Creme Brulee - I've become obsessed; they are gorgeous! And I went on mission space for the first time this year which was fun. Work was until 9.30 so I met Amy and we went through Saratoga Springs to Downtown Disney. The resort itself looked lovely and I would love to have a look round during the day to see it in all it's glory. We went to TRex which is the new restaurant at downtown. It's dino themed and extremely nice (there is a cold room as well as a hot room!) although it did feel a tad like a rip off of rainforest cafe as it went dark and the dinos moved simiar to the animals in the rainforest. I has salmon, rice and veg and it was delicious although extremely expensive! We also decided to share this desert which was obviously meant for 4 as it had 4 bits of chocolate cake and loads of ice cream. There was even a smoke machine thing in the middle. It was extremely awesome!!!! Of course we ended up bringing two bits of cake back as we couldn't eat it all but we tried! It was our everest and we failed. ('if you eat this cake, we will eat you')
Thursday = cake for breakfast as I was running low on proper food; it was amazing though! :D I went to meet Leom by the pool which was lovely and we had a great chat and catch up. I went to the gym for the first time as well which was great as it was nice to feel somewhat fit. It wasn't as good as the UEA gym and has virtually no machines but it's better than nothing! I got my stride on to Wicked and nearly took out some bloke with a weight - my bad. I was able to speak to my family in the afternoon as it had nearly been a week since we last spoke.
I had Friday off so after doing some chores including my ironing Nick came round and we eventually decide to go to Blizzard Beach. This was my first waterpark trip of the year and his first since moving to Florida so it was rather special. Donut time came and went and we enjoyed some time together in the wave pool (swim away!) and the lazy river (bridge). We also went on some of the rides including the double rapids which were sooo much fun and the raft ride. No summet plummet though as some people were too scared hehe :p We then went to magic kingdom for nighttime entertainment. Philharmagic and chocolate fudge later it was time for wishes which we viewed from Frontierland. Great view and awesome end to an amazing time. Best day ever :D
Saturday was planned to be Kirsty and Amy's DAY OF FUN!!! and day of fun it was. We started our day at Animal Kingdom, got our cookie, celebration pins from guest services and went for fastpasses for exhibition everest and went on the river rapids. Although we were sweltering hot we didn't count on getting so wet that our clothes were rubbing when we walked and of course this was mightily attractive. We decided to go to the tree of life for 'it's a bugs' life'. We were made 'special' bugs and looked awesome in our 'bug eyes'. I love this show and it was my first time there this year; it was fabulous. We had made reservations to go to Tusker House for lunch so we headed there. The food was extraordinary and the all you can eat buffet certainly lived up to its name! It was lovely to have loads of different food including roast potatoes and green beans! Although my main course combination was rather odd, the desert combo was amazing. Brownies, donuts and cookies, it was intense.
We waddled to everest which was great; I even saw a hidden mickey and rode dinosaur which again was great although slightly scary. I spoke to a fellow cast member about the joys of pulling on the yellow strap and forgot that Bill Nigh the science guy is in EVERYTHING!!! We then decided to go to the festival of the lion king where a little girl asked me if I was also with my mother. I laughed and said no she's just my friend. It certainly made me chuckle, I'm not sure about Amy though hehe. The show was awesome. We then went to the bus stop to get to Typhoon Lagoon. As you cannot get a direct bus to this water park we had to go to Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was lovely and although it took us nearly an hour in total travel time it was so worth it as it was nice to look around a popular resort. The resort looked grand and also very private and secluded I can definately see why the stars would go there.
Typhoon Lagoon itself was great although I think it is slightly older in Blizzard Beach. The wave machine was extremely intense and I kept getting sucked under. I think it was a proper surfer simulation but it was still fun. The lazy river was good too although rather crowded and I still can't get over the fact that I got sprayed by some evil child when I was obviously relaxed and not wanting H2O all over my hair!!!! We rode a few of the ride including slush gusher in the terential downpour that never wanted to stop. We got hot chocolate and attempted to wait it out but unfortunately it wouldn't quit so we scurried to get a resort bus as we didn't know where to get the CP bus from. A trip to Pop Century and home to a hot shower later and it was time for bed.
Work has been good recently and I last week I performed a magical moment family of the hour and the family even asked to get their picture taken with me. It was awesome! Usually I'm in people's pictures accidentially so it was nice to be wanted for a change hehe. I've also got a great service card for my efforts as grouper which has been really difficult recently with the huge tour groups who do not speak english and who do not appreciate the single rider concept! The ride has also been going 101 (braking down) alot so that's always a challenge as you have to evacuate the guests and then deal with them complaining later. There have been loads of brits though so it's nice to hear a familiar accent and I was also speaking to one guest from Norwich the other day! I also like to have fun with guests and say if they're wearing a universal top or something that I'm sorry but they cannot go on the ride. Luckily everyone takes it in good fun.
After work on Sunday Amy and I decided to go to Fantasmic. This was my third time this year but Amy's first. We were rather unsure as to whether it would be playing as again it was raining. We were so glad we did though and rode the rock n roller coaster (thanks to a re entry and +1) before the show. A sundae and brownie later and we were good to go. Waiting for the show was a pain though as although we had perfect Mickey centre seats we had Brazillian tour groups on either side who decided it would be fun and not extremely annoying at all to cheer and chant to each other. We were amused. Not. During the show it was decided we would attempt a reinactment of the show which can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUgqU-4C8ao this was sooooo much fun to make and I really had a blast. I laughed so much, Amy is awesome and such a great friend. She bought the wishes soundtrack which definately gave her brownie points with me :D
Monday came around and I had a pretty good day. At grouper I was asked to take a picture with an unbelievably cute little boy who was awesome, guests were nice and it was a great day. I had a Disney Basics class which went well, we had to work in teams to work through the Disney basics and naturally our team had the best name (Skuttle's Dinglehoppers') although in DB jepardy we lost by missing out a simple but crucial name :(. At night the guy came and we watched Hercules which was nice.
Tuesday came and after a trip to MDs we decided to go to Epcot before I had to work. A touch of character spotting was in order so we ventured around the world. Starting in the UK we met Tigger, Pooh and Eeyore (but no piglet = sorry Becs!), Alice in Wonderland (worst accent ever! 'Did you see the white rabbit?') and Mary Poppins (again). We saw Louisa and I sneaked a picture of her in her costume. We then went to France for my creme brulee but bumped into Beauty and the Beast instead. I decided on chocolate mousse for a change and it was very good. After nearly having a panic attack after realising the bridge was up and I had to get to work we finished circling the world and I was back in plenty of time! I had noticed on my schedule an 'I can make a difference' but I wasn't too sure what that meant. I got asked by my coordinater if I was early (as they don't get told about these classes)but I explained and he radioed the coordinater of training.
As the class was in the Land building I got a ride backstage epcot where I was able to see old sets and other secrets. The class did pretty much what it said on the tin, we acted out scenarios and had to decide if it was poor, average or 'disney' service. Where our class was held joined directly onto the characters' room and so I'm afraid to say some of the magic has been lost. Yet back at work some of this was restored as I had fantastic guests who really loved my Mickey stickers, plenty of princesses and one little girl hugged me randomly when she got off the ride as she loved it so much. Of course this was sticker worthy. Max asked if I fancied going for ice cream during our 45 minute breaks and although I had been fairly healthy by having fruit the idea of having cookie dough for the first time in Florida filled me with excitment. Of course it was amaaaazing!
Wednesday was laundry day and gyming again. Work was good although I wasn't particularly happy with the way one of the coordinaters talked to me infront of guests when I was only doing my job correctly. I do not mind getting told off if I am doing something wrong but when someone is swearing at you, your good mood is rather ruined especially if you are correct in your actions. At 5 we had to close due to technical problems, an evac was in order and then we reopened. 20 minutes later we were down for incliment weather. We did not reopen and as I was in station I did nothing for 3 hours but chat and sing showsongs/ dance with trey. What a great job! As a closer I don't usually get to see the nighttime shows but luckily illuminations was 10 minutes late because of the electrical activity and as I was closing I was able to see illuminations on my close. It was an epic finish to a mixed kind of day. Me and Nick went and got pancakes - I was starved and then it was time to go home.
Thats all for now folks, see ya real soon.
xXx
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Breakfast and Fantasmic times
Sunday night brought with it our flatmate 'slumber party' i.e. Jayne wanted to have a sleepover ala on the living room floor with blankets. We watched 'Labor Pains' (with Lindsay Lohan) and ate take out pizza but the whole sleeping on the floor thing never came to flourish as I was extremely tired.
We decided that Monday morning we would go out for an all American breakfast. While this appeared like a straightforward plan it was not without it's complications. Where to eat? Where was close by? Well without the car we relied on we decided to get the bus to Vista and walk to I Hop which was apparently not that far. Jayne, Amy and I ventured out only to realise that on some American roads a sidewalk is not built as standard. We then had to cross over 8 lanes of traffic to get to the other side. I felt like a very small chicken trying to cross the road. Also it began to rain and we had to trudge through grass. Soon we were on the correct part of the road but of course now on the opposite side. We saw the entrance to WDW and felt like we had walked for hours when of course it was only 20 minutes. Eventually we got there and across the road. I had pancakes, bacon and egg and it was immense. Best breakfast ever! Naturally we decided to get a taxi back and it was off to work for me.
Work on Monday was fabulous as I got the opportunity to do a couple of 'families of the hour' magical moments. This is when you choose a family to ride the ride from the front. At this point the wait times were hideous so the family I chose were so grateful to get on straight away they asked for a photo with me!!! I felt so honoured - they were great and they even came and found me afterwards to thank me. It's nice to feel loved. My second family were equally great although no picture with them hehe. I finished work at 00.15 and Nick came to pick me up and we went and watched Enchanted which was very nice - I didn't realise the original voice of the little mermaid had a part in the movie!
Tuesday came and we went for brunch at mcdonalds - it was sooo good! Work wasn't so great as I kept getting not so brilliant jobs including dispatch with loads of people who could not speak english and wheelchair when there were no wheelchairs. Also having to explain what a single rider is for the millionth time can get rather irritating. The day dragged but I was very excited as we had decided to go to see Fantasmic that night. The man picked me up and gave me a special present of a twix (my signature chocolate in America) and a 'happily ever after' pin which made me extremely happy! We wore our pins and went to DHS. I hoped to ride a ride before the show but the line was really really long and we figured it would be best to wait. We sat in Mickey (middle of the house) and watched the show which of course was amazing! even if the indians bounced back up after they were shot hehe. Exiting the park we got wished a happily ever after which was really nice after a magical night.
Today me and Amy are thinking of going to TRex after work so that should be fun. Well till I write again take care and see ya real soon.
xxxxxxxx
We decided that Monday morning we would go out for an all American breakfast. While this appeared like a straightforward plan it was not without it's complications. Where to eat? Where was close by? Well without the car we relied on we decided to get the bus to Vista and walk to I Hop which was apparently not that far. Jayne, Amy and I ventured out only to realise that on some American roads a sidewalk is not built as standard. We then had to cross over 8 lanes of traffic to get to the other side. I felt like a very small chicken trying to cross the road. Also it began to rain and we had to trudge through grass. Soon we were on the correct part of the road but of course now on the opposite side. We saw the entrance to WDW and felt like we had walked for hours when of course it was only 20 minutes. Eventually we got there and across the road. I had pancakes, bacon and egg and it was immense. Best breakfast ever! Naturally we decided to get a taxi back and it was off to work for me.
Work on Monday was fabulous as I got the opportunity to do a couple of 'families of the hour' magical moments. This is when you choose a family to ride the ride from the front. At this point the wait times were hideous so the family I chose were so grateful to get on straight away they asked for a photo with me!!! I felt so honoured - they were great and they even came and found me afterwards to thank me. It's nice to feel loved. My second family were equally great although no picture with them hehe. I finished work at 00.15 and Nick came to pick me up and we went and watched Enchanted which was very nice - I didn't realise the original voice of the little mermaid had a part in the movie!
Tuesday came and we went for brunch at mcdonalds - it was sooo good! Work wasn't so great as I kept getting not so brilliant jobs including dispatch with loads of people who could not speak english and wheelchair when there were no wheelchairs. Also having to explain what a single rider is for the millionth time can get rather irritating. The day dragged but I was very excited as we had decided to go to see Fantasmic that night. The man picked me up and gave me a special present of a twix (my signature chocolate in America) and a 'happily ever after' pin which made me extremely happy! We wore our pins and went to DHS. I hoped to ride a ride before the show but the line was really really long and we figured it would be best to wait. We sat in Mickey (middle of the house) and watched the show which of course was amazing! even if the indians bounced back up after they were shot hehe. Exiting the park we got wished a happily ever after which was really nice after a magical night.
Today me and Amy are thinking of going to TRex after work so that should be fun. Well till I write again take care and see ya real soon.
xxxxxxxx
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Howdy guys!
The last time I blogged it was near to 3am so finally at a sensible hour I am able to write up my activities. Thursday allowed me to have a longer lie as I was to begin work at 6pm. Jayne suggested we go to Disney Quest and as I hadn't been before I was intreged to find out what it was all about. We set out to go early and got there about half an hour before the place even opened! Naturally this meant we were required to go to the Candy Cauldron for fudge brownies and caramel apples. We then went to the Magic Shop where we observed some tricks and got attacked by Rocky the best seller! Afterwards we got our tickets (bargain at $20!) and it was into the Quest we went.
We decided to hit the Cyberspace mountain first. This was amazing as you interactively build the coaster (with the help of Bill Nigh the science guy) and then you ride it ala simulator. We had many twists and upside downs - it was awesome and had a thrill rating of 5/5. I did wonder
if I needed a bag but luckily I was ok :D After that we went to Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride which involved placing a huge helmet on your head followed by a virtual camera. We had to find the gems in order to save the genie. Unfortunately my helmet kept slipping and so the screen was unclear and I couldn't see where I was going. No cast member helped me when I asked and because you work as a team of 4 Jayne and I were put with two others who had clearly played before. Consequently it was over quickly.
We then went on Invasion! An ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter in which we had to shoot aliens in order to save astronauts. Although a 4 player game Jayne and I decided to have auto pilot and shoot the bad guys. I felt very masculine but it was awesome! We then went on cyberspace mountain again (only 4/5) and decided to get food. Hmmm chicken strips.... they were amazing.
Mighty Ducks Pinball was next and it was a race to rank up the points. The machine really gave me a workout as I kept getting stuck in a corner. Naturally I came second from last - oh my goodness I'm bad at games but it was really fun. We enjoyed use of the free arcade games including guitar hero, percussion power (beat it vs oops I did it again), lights and theme pinball (POTC, Spiderman, Indiana Jones and Batman). Next came virtual Jungle Cruise - you sit in a raft which inflates and you have to steer yourself through the prehistoric dinosaur age. It was certainly a workout for your arms. It was really good but surprise surprise we got stuck in a corner and couldn't seem to manouver ourselves out: typical!
We decided to wait in line for the Pirates of the Carribean ride although we weren't really sure what it was. The cast member in charge was a fellow CP so we had a good chat before boarding the ship. We were required to wear these dodgy 3D glasses before shooting our cannons at the ships to gain treasure. It was soooo much fun and we got splashed as the boat rocked. It was absolutely brilliant. Short on time we decided to go on Cyberspace Mountain again for the third time. This time we decided to go for all red and so the attendant was kind of taken aback when she asked if our 10 upside downs were correct. During the ride we got the giggles on a major scale and were dizzy with laughter at the end. You get to watch a preview of your onride video and it was immense. My hair was all over the place and Jayne was defying gravity. We decided to get the video. However, by the time we got it it was time for me to get the bus to go to work. We ran as fast as we could and consequently I fell over majorly scrapping my knee! LOL. I got to work on time so that was the main thing. Guests were really nice and I even had a big conversation with one guest from Australia. It is really nice to help guests who appreciate your effort. Dan gave me and Andy a lift home which was great as I stood and watched the bus slowly drive off just when I came outside.
Friday came around and I had a lazy morning. I slept in and spoke to my family on skype which was nice. I had planned to go to Hollywood Studios with a couple of people but unfortunately all of them cancelled due to illness, work or groccery shopping. This was a major pain but I decided to go anyway as I planned to party with woody and couldn't disappoint a toy story character! So I got the bus to DHS and found that I had left my battery for my camera at home. I couldn't believe I made such a stupid error! I considered getting off the bus with no camera but thought it would defeat the purpose of the trip so I went home. An hour and a half later than planned I arrived. I went to Voyage of the Little Mermaid which was incredible (if short!) and took some photos. I then went to get some pictures with the Monsters Inc characters which was fun.
Finally it was time to go and see the Toy Story guys. It was mega fun and I was even in the middle of a tug of war between Woody and Buzz - which one was I to choose?!? :p I went to Muppets 3D and then waited in the singles line for rock n rollarcoaster. Of course I now stay in cast member mode wherever I go and so got to talking to some of the guests who were from Edinburgh no less - it was very nice. After, I met up with Nick and we went to Mk to ride the teacups and to meet princesses. Although the wait was forever it was worth it and I felt very regal ;) Yesterday we were supposed to spend the day together but it didn't quite go to plan as he was called in to work. After a quick earl of sandwich (cannonballs), I had a look around Downtown Disney and came home.
Amy and I decided to go and see a film so we went and got a sundae before viewing Bruno. It was funny but extremely offensive. We met Andy (another friend of Goofy) on the bus home which was nice and got to bed. Today I had to get up at 6am to start work at 7.45am. I had an okay day, a kind of mix as I had some nice guests but some not so nice, especially at the fastpass return. Although I did get a good service card for my role as grouper which was nice and I bumped into Leom at Discovery Diner. Hopefully we'll be able to meet up soon.
This evening Jayne and I attempted to go to Mickey's Retreat but by the time we got there most of the fun stuff had closed so we just headed to the Chatham Pool instead. It was nice to relax after a stressful day at the track. Tomorrow I'm scheduled to work till midnight 15 but I'm hoping to nip out early.
Well that's all for now guys, thanks for reading!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
We decided to hit the Cyberspace mountain first. This was amazing as you interactively build the coaster (with the help of Bill Nigh the science guy) and then you ride it ala simulator. We had many twists and upside downs - it was awesome and had a thrill rating of 5/5. I did wonder
if I needed a bag but luckily I was ok :D After that we went to Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride which involved placing a huge helmet on your head followed by a virtual camera. We had to find the gems in order to save the genie. Unfortunately my helmet kept slipping and so the screen was unclear and I couldn't see where I was going. No cast member helped me when I asked and because you work as a team of 4 Jayne and I were put with two others who had clearly played before. Consequently it was over quickly.
We then went on Invasion! An ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter in which we had to shoot aliens in order to save astronauts. Although a 4 player game Jayne and I decided to have auto pilot and shoot the bad guys. I felt very masculine but it was awesome! We then went on cyberspace mountain again (only 4/5) and decided to get food. Hmmm chicken strips.... they were amazing.
Mighty Ducks Pinball was next and it was a race to rank up the points. The machine really gave me a workout as I kept getting stuck in a corner. Naturally I came second from last - oh my goodness I'm bad at games but it was really fun. We enjoyed use of the free arcade games including guitar hero, percussion power (beat it vs oops I did it again), lights and theme pinball (POTC, Spiderman, Indiana Jones and Batman). Next came virtual Jungle Cruise - you sit in a raft which inflates and you have to steer yourself through the prehistoric dinosaur age. It was certainly a workout for your arms. It was really good but surprise surprise we got stuck in a corner and couldn't seem to manouver ourselves out: typical!
We decided to wait in line for the Pirates of the Carribean ride although we weren't really sure what it was. The cast member in charge was a fellow CP so we had a good chat before boarding the ship. We were required to wear these dodgy 3D glasses before shooting our cannons at the ships to gain treasure. It was soooo much fun and we got splashed as the boat rocked. It was absolutely brilliant. Short on time we decided to go on Cyberspace Mountain again for the third time. This time we decided to go for all red and so the attendant was kind of taken aback when she asked if our 10 upside downs were correct. During the ride we got the giggles on a major scale and were dizzy with laughter at the end. You get to watch a preview of your onride video and it was immense. My hair was all over the place and Jayne was defying gravity. We decided to get the video. However, by the time we got it it was time for me to get the bus to go to work. We ran as fast as we could and consequently I fell over majorly scrapping my knee! LOL. I got to work on time so that was the main thing. Guests were really nice and I even had a big conversation with one guest from Australia. It is really nice to help guests who appreciate your effort. Dan gave me and Andy a lift home which was great as I stood and watched the bus slowly drive off just when I came outside.
Friday came around and I had a lazy morning. I slept in and spoke to my family on skype which was nice. I had planned to go to Hollywood Studios with a couple of people but unfortunately all of them cancelled due to illness, work or groccery shopping. This was a major pain but I decided to go anyway as I planned to party with woody and couldn't disappoint a toy story character! So I got the bus to DHS and found that I had left my battery for my camera at home. I couldn't believe I made such a stupid error! I considered getting off the bus with no camera but thought it would defeat the purpose of the trip so I went home. An hour and a half later than planned I arrived. I went to Voyage of the Little Mermaid which was incredible (if short!) and took some photos. I then went to get some pictures with the Monsters Inc characters which was fun.
Finally it was time to go and see the Toy Story guys. It was mega fun and I was even in the middle of a tug of war between Woody and Buzz - which one was I to choose?!? :p I went to Muppets 3D and then waited in the singles line for rock n rollarcoaster. Of course I now stay in cast member mode wherever I go and so got to talking to some of the guests who were from Edinburgh no less - it was very nice. After, I met up with Nick and we went to Mk to ride the teacups and to meet princesses. Although the wait was forever it was worth it and I felt very regal ;) Yesterday we were supposed to spend the day together but it didn't quite go to plan as he was called in to work. After a quick earl of sandwich (cannonballs), I had a look around Downtown Disney and came home.
Amy and I decided to go and see a film so we went and got a sundae before viewing Bruno. It was funny but extremely offensive. We met Andy (another friend of Goofy) on the bus home which was nice and got to bed. Today I had to get up at 6am to start work at 7.45am. I had an okay day, a kind of mix as I had some nice guests but some not so nice, especially at the fastpass return. Although I did get a good service card for my role as grouper which was nice and I bumped into Leom at Discovery Diner. Hopefully we'll be able to meet up soon.
This evening Jayne and I attempted to go to Mickey's Retreat but by the time we got there most of the fun stuff had closed so we just headed to the Chatham Pool instead. It was nice to relax after a stressful day at the track. Tomorrow I'm scheduled to work till midnight 15 but I'm hoping to nip out early.
Well that's all for now guys, thanks for reading!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Good Morning
Hey there everyone, again apologize for the delay, once again I've been caught up in the never ending cycle of work, play and sleep. So prior to my last post I felt I missed out a night that I spent with my girlfriends (Jayne and Amy) when we went to downtown disney. The reason I needed to add this experience to my adventures was the fact that I bought my first present for home and we went on an archaeology dig in the wonderful TRex. Naturally we found lots of amazing, valuable and ancient artifacts using our tiny paintbrushes ;) I bought my postcards and stamps - hopefully they've all arrived home by now.
Ok and back to this week. Well on Saturday morning I did laundry and ironed and spoke to my family through the new technology I like to call skype. It was wicked seeing them again although I wasn't feeling too good and had a bit of a sore throat. On Saturday night the guy came around and we watched Inkheart which was really good *swoon for Paul Bettany!*. The next day we had brunch at the wonderful MaccyDs and soon it was time to head for work.
Work's been pretty crazy at the minute as there are so many tour groups who can either not comprehend english and the single rider system or choose not to comprehend english or the single rider system. Similarly at dispatch it is a real struggle to get people to PULL ON THE YELLOW STRAP. Eventhough it is there where they plug in their seatbelts they willl continue to look directly at me although I plead with them to LOOK DOWN!! Nevermind.
So on both Saturday and Sunday I noticed that I had white spots at the back of my throat and feared the worse - tonsilitus. I was scheduled to work 7am - 1pm and had to begin station walk which is pretty much a ride inspection. Of course this was only my second attempt and found it rather confusing as you have to go through certain doors and corridors and I couldn't remember where they were. One of the other Cast Members was really rude to me and spoke to me as if I was an idiot. I was not amused. I was then sent to dispatch where I began to feel shakey and lightheaded. At 8.45 one of the lovely managers told me to go home as she said I looked really ill. I took the bus home and slept for a couple of hours.
After seeing the pharmacist and feeling like I needed to get my throat checked I grabbed my paperwork and in the afternoon called CentraCare for free transport to their clinic. At this point I was absolutely terrified. I got in and was asked to show my insurance, the driver told me if they didn't accept it I would have to pay the full price. He was not friendly and this did not ease my illfeeling. Inside I was told to find an American contact number for my insurance and asked to fill in some paperwork. After going through the whole of my insurance, calling every number to be told it was either unable to connect or not recognised panic started to creep in. Also even the numbers it gives you to call from abroad were apparently invalid. As they wouldn't accept my insurance I got asked to pay the $230 fee. At this point I had my card, a travellers cheque and some cash. I filled in the forms and was told to wait. An hour and a half later I was called in and was weighed, my temperature was taken and my bp was taken. All of which was done in silence. No one told me what or why they were doing what they were doing and no one answered my questions. I was only told a doctor would see me shortly.
An hour later, the doctor came and asked me loads of questions. She examined my throat and told me it was an infection. I was like :o how did I get that. She said there were a lot of causes most common being steroid use but it could be down to dietry change or being run down. She took some blood work and informed me that I have a very low immune system, prescribing me one tablet of diflucan and told me that I would need further blood work when I get home to investigate.
After waiting for ages I was finally able to go. Luckily I just had enough money with the disney cm discount to pay, but did not have enough for my tablet. Feeling extremely stressed I walked into a puddle which basically cemented this day as awful. My shoes were skwelchy.
The whole process took 3 hours in total. I got free transport back and Nick came to see me. We drove to wallgreens where I got my prescription after I picked up the $11 (for ONE tablet!!!) bill. Later that night we went out for a meal - steak no less! - and played mini golf which was so much fun. Of course I beat him and even scored a hole in one! Naturally he blamed being put off by the exploding volcano but come on we know differently! We then had a wander round downtown and I got a mickey premium! I was so happy we went out as it really did turn an awful day into a lovely one.
Ok and back to this week. Well on Saturday morning I did laundry and ironed and spoke to my family through the new technology I like to call skype. It was wicked seeing them again although I wasn't feeling too good and had a bit of a sore throat. On Saturday night the guy came around and we watched Inkheart which was really good *swoon for Paul Bettany!*. The next day we had brunch at the wonderful MaccyDs and soon it was time to head for work.
Work's been pretty crazy at the minute as there are so many tour groups who can either not comprehend english and the single rider system or choose not to comprehend english or the single rider system. Similarly at dispatch it is a real struggle to get people to PULL ON THE YELLOW STRAP. Eventhough it is there where they plug in their seatbelts they willl continue to look directly at me although I plead with them to LOOK DOWN!! Nevermind.
So on both Saturday and Sunday I noticed that I had white spots at the back of my throat and feared the worse - tonsilitus. I was scheduled to work 7am - 1pm and had to begin station walk which is pretty much a ride inspection. Of course this was only my second attempt and found it rather confusing as you have to go through certain doors and corridors and I couldn't remember where they were. One of the other Cast Members was really rude to me and spoke to me as if I was an idiot. I was not amused. I was then sent to dispatch where I began to feel shakey and lightheaded. At 8.45 one of the lovely managers told me to go home as she said I looked really ill. I took the bus home and slept for a couple of hours.
After seeing the pharmacist and feeling like I needed to get my throat checked I grabbed my paperwork and in the afternoon called CentraCare for free transport to their clinic. At this point I was absolutely terrified. I got in and was asked to show my insurance, the driver told me if they didn't accept it I would have to pay the full price. He was not friendly and this did not ease my illfeeling. Inside I was told to find an American contact number for my insurance and asked to fill in some paperwork. After going through the whole of my insurance, calling every number to be told it was either unable to connect or not recognised panic started to creep in. Also even the numbers it gives you to call from abroad were apparently invalid. As they wouldn't accept my insurance I got asked to pay the $230 fee. At this point I had my card, a travellers cheque and some cash. I filled in the forms and was told to wait. An hour and a half later I was called in and was weighed, my temperature was taken and my bp was taken. All of which was done in silence. No one told me what or why they were doing what they were doing and no one answered my questions. I was only told a doctor would see me shortly.
An hour later, the doctor came and asked me loads of questions. She examined my throat and told me it was an infection. I was like :o how did I get that. She said there were a lot of causes most common being steroid use but it could be down to dietry change or being run down. She took some blood work and informed me that I have a very low immune system, prescribing me one tablet of diflucan and told me that I would need further blood work when I get home to investigate.
After waiting for ages I was finally able to go. Luckily I just had enough money with the disney cm discount to pay, but did not have enough for my tablet. Feeling extremely stressed I walked into a puddle which basically cemented this day as awful. My shoes were skwelchy.
The whole process took 3 hours in total. I got free transport back and Nick came to see me. We drove to wallgreens where I got my prescription after I picked up the $11 (for ONE tablet!!!) bill. Later that night we went out for a meal - steak no less! - and played mini golf which was so much fun. Of course I beat him and even scored a hole in one! Naturally he blamed being put off by the exploding volcano but come on we know differently! We then had a wander round downtown and I got a mickey premium! I was so happy we went out as it really did turn an awful day into a lovely one.
Tuesday came around and it was back to work again. I had a fabulous grilled ham and cheese and really enjoyed my day. Great guests and fun with the cast members, especially Mark and Logan who ganged up on me when I was on station assist! How very dare they hehe! Anyway, I finished at 5.45pm, emailed my folks and got ready to go out. Of course this was THE night, the Harry Potter night. Nick and I had got our tickets prior to the midnight showing but Amy and Jayne haden't. Unfortunately it transpired that they were showing the film in multiple screens and we weren't in the same one. Although it was a pain to be parted from friends, luckily Nick's friend was able to join us and we waited in line to be seated after getting some munch. Unbelievably we were there 2 hours before it started - this is how big harry potter is stateside. It was crazy, people were dressed up and reading the book in the theatre- but it was amazing, and the film rocked so that was a plus!
Wednesday morning came and it was time for our official house meeting. Regardless of the fact that the majority of us got in at 3am the meeting was at 8.30am and so we were all rather sleep deprived. Hopefully we've now got some of our issues out in the open and can help clean the air. After a much needed sleep I set to work on tidying our room for our inspection which took place today (we passed and got cookies so yay!). Work was brilliant - again the guests were awesome and I even had this one girl who was my dance partner for the hoedown throwdown in the fastpass return line! It was madness but also a stroke of genius. The man met me and we went out for some much needed food - my attempt at making pancakes earlier did not work out the way I planned so it was a really nice day again although towards the end of work a guest did get rather aggressive when the ride closed due to the electric storm. I seriously thought she was going to hit me! She was 6.
So I have another story to tell but I feel like I've written quite enough for right now so am off to bed, till next time
xxxx
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