Day 19 - January 29, 2009

I slept until 10:30 and it was wonderful. Then we got ready and went to Magic Kingdom to pick up my paycheck and then to Animal Kingdom to play. It was me and Roxy. We went on the rollercoaster Expedition Everest and it was alot of fun. We also saw the show its tough to be a bug and it was really funny. Then we ate lunch somewhere in Asia. It was very good fast food. Then we went on the Safari and saw a TON of animals! It was so exciting! There was an awake lion! Thats rare since lions sleep 20 hours of the day. We saw 3 cheetas and several giraffes (including a cute baby one). We also saw some hippos and a family of elephants :). After the safari, it started to rain.....hard....but we walked all the way across the park to ride this stupid Dinosaur ride. We were drenched by the time we left.

Day 18 - January 28, 2009

I didnt have work until 4:45 today so I went to Magic Kingdom with Maggie and Courtney, 2 of my roommates. I got to go on Splash Mountain for the first time! It was fun. We also went on Big Thunder Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, went to the Tiki Room, rode Pirates of the Carribbean, Space Mountain, went to the Laugh Factory, then they left me :(. I still had like an hour and a half to kill. So I watched the new parade. I had fun. Before the roommates left me Courtney and I got turkey legs......the ones disney is famous for......it was huge, tasted good, but it grossed me out....I threw most of it away. Oh well. Later I got a mickey mouse ice cream bar! yum! After they left I just walked around a bit by myself then went to work. I brought my clothes with me but I forgot my tie! I was freaking out b/c i didnt have time to go to costuming and get back on time. Luckily you can check them out in the office of the Emporium (phew). So all was good. I did my regular (give out stickers and check people out). Then I got of at 10:30, came home and went to bed.

Day 16 - January 27, 2009

I only worked from 2-8:15 today. It was great. I got home about 9. Then we (all my roommates) went to eat at the house of blues. Nothing exciting happened, just food. Sorry this day was boring.

Day 15 - January 26, 2009

Today was a fairly long day. I didnt start work until 3:45 and I got off at 11:30. It didnt go by achingly slow, mainly because I handed out a bazillion stickers. It was really weird though. I was asking people all day long where they were from, like I normally do, and they were all either from Canada or Michigan. It was odd. Ok I did meet 1 family from Ohio, but thats practically Michigan. It was some weird Canada/Michigan phenomenon. Well thats about all I have to say about that. I went straight to sleep since I got back after midnight.

Day 14 - January 25, 2009

6 hour shifts FLY BY! I got to work on the register and hand out stickers to little kids. I LOVE HANDING OUT STICKERS! It is alot of fun. Most kids get so excited by a little sticker with Mickey Mouse on it. It is my favorite past time at work these days. Also, I am a baby magnet. I dont know why, but its like babies are drawn to me. Which is fine by me, I like babies. There was this super cute little Hawaiian baby boy with curly hair that was just at walking age. I bent down to give him a sticker and he started walking to me. Then I put the sticker on his jacket and he took it off and put it on my shirt. So I gave him another sticker and he did the same thing...2 more times. He was precious. Then he gave me a hug. It made the day just a little brighter. After work, Roxy and I went to this Irish Pub for dinner at Downtown Disney. It was pretty good. I got Shepards Pie yum. Then we went home and went to bed :)

Day 13 - January 24, 2009

A DAY OFF TO PLAY IN THE PARKS!!! So we woke up relatively early this morning and went to Hollywood Studios. They are doing a soft opening for this show called the American Idol Experience where guests can go audition for American Idol in the morning then compete all day, weeding people out until 1 person wins the entire thing. The prize is a dream pass which means they can go to the front of the line at any american idol audition anywhere. Anyways...cast members may participate now, but they cannot participate after tomorrow. So Roxy wanted to try it out. She made it thru 2 rounds then got eliminated. It was really cool. She got this really cool fake trophy thingy that looks like a microphone. Anyways, that took up the morning then we went and saw Indiana Jones stunt show AND GOT TO BE EXTRAS!!! We stood up and waved our arms like crazy people until we got picked. It was alot of fun! Then we went and saw the Little Mermaid Show. It was pretty good but the Ariel wasnt all that great. After that we went and saw the Lights, Motors, Action car stunt show. It was also really cool. After all that we went on Rock'n'rollercoaster. That ride is so much fun. We then got on a bus and went to Epcot for dinner. So who knew that Alfredo's in Italy closed? Not me.....its this other Italian place that is pretty good, just as expensive, with half the amount of food. So while my pumpkin ravioli (weird i know) was quite tasty, i got 4 of them....yes only 4. So needless to say I spent $30 for 8 or 9 bites, a happy plate, and a not full stomach. Now we are home, and I'm going to bed early. I only have a 6 hour shift tomorrow!!!! Yahoo!!!

Day 12 - January 23, 2009

I didnt really do anything at all today except work. Work 8 hours. Work from 2:45 to 11:15 :(. Thats ok I get paid on Thursday. I did stock again today. I loathe stock. The hours do not go quickly when your section is fully stocked to begin with. There is in turn nothing to do. The hats that needed to be stocked, we were out of. Very frustrating. I basically walked around for 8 hours putting ink tags on any hat that didnt have one. Then I went home, Roxy waxed my eyebrows. It did not hurt at all and she did a very good job haha. Then I read some of my book (the new Sophie Kinsella novel Remember Me? It is very funny and i'm enjoying it. Then I went to sleep so I could wake up early and go play at Hollywood Studios (MGM).

Day 11 - January 22, 2009

A DAY OFF!!!!! FINALLY!!! PAY DAY!!! So needless to say today was a good day. I met up with my new friend Holly and her roommate Katie (also from Michigan) and we went to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours before Holly had work. It was alot of fun. We went to Pirates of the Caribbean and also on the Jungle Cruise. Both were lots of fun. They added Johnny Depp to Pirates and it was really funny. He is hidden in random scenes then is in a final scene. It was really cool. The Jungle Cruise was really funny. Our guide was hilarious. And he was from St. Olaf, MN like Rose from the Golden Girls haha. After that we ate lunch somewhere random and I ate a salad. Because you wanted to know that I'm sure. Anyways we looked in a couple shops and I got Jon these to glasses with Mickey etched on them (2 for $8!!!). Then Holly had to go to work so Katie and I waited for the parade, watched it, then left. Then I went to Publix and cashed my paycheck! Whoohoo! Now we are about to go to Downtown Disney to eat and maybe go see a movie. I have to work tomorrow from 2:45-11:15, then i'm off on Saturday!

Day 10 - January 21, 2009

So I went to work in a really bad mood yesterday but it ended up better. I dont know why stocking key chains put me in a good mood, but it did. I think it was the fact that I knew after my shift I would be OFF!! Yahoo! I made a friend at work. Her name is Holly and she is from Michigan. She's really nice and she's been here a week longer than me. Nothing happened today but walking back and forth from the stockroom to the floor with a basket full of magnets and keychains. Exciting

Day 9 - January 20, 2009

Im getting really tired of working all the time and not getting a day off. My day off isnt until Thursday. We are supposed to get 2 consecutive days off.....but of course I'm lucky and don't. I get Thursday and Saturday off. Im getting really frustrated. My other roommates have had 2, even 3 days off already. And I know I will get paid more, but i'm tired. I worked my first day that wasnt training today. I worked from 3:00 to 10:30. Did you know that snowglobes are filled with vinegar, not water? I had the pleasure of finding this out yesterday when I was cleaning up abroken one and ended up smelling like vinegar for the rest of the day. My feet hurt when I got off and I had to wait for the bus in the cold. Yesterday was not a good day.

Day 8 - January 19, 2009

Sorry guys but today was boring. I went to work at 10:30 and got done at 5:30. We had to do alot of computer classes online that were really boring. Learning about OSHA and whatnot. Stuff they are required to tell us. We did get to work on the registers today though, only a little. We had something called a Leader Engagement. They call managers Leaders for some reason. Anyways we were supposed to meet with Ray, but once again Lindsay and I were stood up haha. We met with another leader named Lisa. She was really nice. She was just making sure we understood everything and asked if we had any questions and stuff like that. Anyways after work I came home and changed and then went with Roxy to find new boots for her safari. She got some Timberlands at the Timerland store in this HUGE open air mall thats not very far away at all. After that we ate at Carrabba's italian place and then I came home and went to bed early. Disney World is exhausting!

Day 7 - January 18, 2009

Well the day started off interestingly. I got to the bus stop early, BUT it was practically full when it got to our apartment complex! I was about to freak out because if I waited for the next bus, I would be late. The bus driver talked to his manager and they said 5 more people could stand. So I jetted to the front of the line and made absolute sure I was one of the 5. That was nerve racking haha. I did get there on time although I would find out it wouldnt have mattered anyways. I had another day of training this day. We were supposed to meet our trainer at 8:00 in front of the Learning Center in the Magic Kingdom tunnel....They are usually there waiting on us..not this day. Luckily I brought my training schedule that had a number we could call. (We is me and this girl Lindsay from the University of Hawaii that I've been training with.) Anyways we called the number and they said they would send someone. That was at about 8:05. After 8:30 no one had come for us, so I called again. Finally someone came and we met up with our training. We just did some training stuff on the register most of the day. We did ring up actual people though. Not just pretend scenarios on the fake register. The store is huge and always busy. It takes up 2 blocks of Main Street. It is going to be hard remembering where everything is located. Nothing exciting happened at work. After I got on one bus, changed buses and got home, Courtney and I decided we wanted to go to the Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom opened in 1998 and we went fall of 1997 I figured out, so I had never been. It is SO different from any of the other parks. There is so much foliage it is lush and beautiful. Well we didnt get there till about 4:45 and we saw a sign that said the last safari went out at 5. Needless to say we ran to get to the safari, but so was everyone else. We made it right before 5 and got in line! It was alot of fun. We saw both of the cheetas, some warthogs, alot of birds, some antelope and I cant remember what else. The best time to see the most animals is in the mornings. Especially the lions since they are inactive about 20 hours of the day and are night hunters. The ride is about 18 minutes long and its really cool. It really doesnt look like Florida. After the safari was over we started walking out of the park to go to Epcot to eat, but we turned the wrong way and ended up meeting Baloo from the Jungle Book, Donald Duck, and Goofy. The line for Mickey was too long and we were in a hurry haha. I love taking pictures with the characters, I dont really know why. I still really want to meet Pinocchio. Anyways after we got on the bus we went to Epcot and met Roxy. We tried to eat in Italy, the UK, France, Japan....pretty much anywhere..but we forgot there was the national cheerleading competition at the Wide World of Sports so there were a TON of people around. We ended up having to eat the Japanese Fast Food. It was good though. Or maybe we were so hungry it was good. We went back to the UK and I found a Claddagh ring like the one Mama brought back from Europe for us. Mine is too small now and i've always wanted another one. It was suprisingly cheap too. I also got some really cute Celtic Cross Earrings. Grand total for both was only $13. We are getting at 50% discount on merchandise until February 12th! After we left the store we listened to a Beatles tribute band in a courtyard of the UK. Epcot is so stereotypical but thats what makes it fun. After that we got on the bus, went home, and went to sleep.

Day 6 - January 17, 2009

Today I had to wake up before 6. When I got to Disney University...someone had given them my lost folder. So I got mad and cleaned up my room for nothing haha. The room wasnt really dirty just a few things lying around. Today we took like a tour of Magic Kingdom. We also got to ride Haunted Mansion (my 3rd time in 24 hours) and the Buzz Lightyear thing where you shoot aliens. It was pretty fun. It is SOOO cold. Well its like 63 for the high but it feels WAY colder. We had to walk around all day in it. At least I got off at about noon. When I got home I fixed some lunch and took a nap. It was glorious. Later that afternoon Roxy and I headed to Downtown Disney. We ate at Planet Hollywood and it was horrible. Roxy sent hers back. I didnt know my dinner was bad until about 10 minutes after we left. We didnt stay there too long. We had to go to Walmart though so Roxy could buy her hiking boots haha. I bought Wedding Crashers and because it was rated R the woman asked how old I was but I couldnt understand her. So she asked me again in a ruder tone. I said 'Oh i'm 20, why?'. And she said, also rudely, may I see your ID? She looked at it for a LONG time....she didnt believe me. It was ridiculous. Anyways now I'm going to bed.

Day 5 - January 16, 2009

Gotta think back a little bit haha. Umm yesterday my day started at like 8am. Everything is running together but I remember. We did something called Merchantainment. It was basic cashier training.....which means I was extremely bored....all day...then we did stupid classes on the computer about safety stuff. But after that was over I got on the bus and came home to rest. That was nice but short lived. After Roxy got home, we went to the Magic Kingdom. It was alot of fun. We rode the Tea Cups, It's a Small World, Space Mountain, and Haunted Mansion (twice). The wait for Big Thunder Mountain was WAY too long so we didnt get to go on that. Splash Mountain is closed this week. I MET MICKEY AND MINNIE MOUSE!! We waited in the line at ToonTown to meet them. I think I am Mickey Mouse height :(. I wish they would have told us the height requirements to start off with b/c i would have tried out. Oh well. I think my job will be fun. We got to see most of the fireworks at the castle, but we were trying to hurry to Epcot.. It was all in vain however because of Extra Magic Hours......Only resort guests can go to parks during extra magic hours. We didnt know that. So we rode the monorail for nothing. We could have made it home by the time we got to Epcot and found out we couldnt go eat in Italy :(. So I was pretty angry when we got back only to get more upset. I couldnt find my folder with all of my info in it such as my schedule and what to wear what days and stuff like that. Then I knocked over an entire glass of water on the carpet. Ughh. And I was mad b/c i had to wake up before 6 am. But I went to sleep anyways.....

Day 4 - January 15, 2009

I had to report to the Magic Kingdom costuming center this morning at 10:30. That means I had to be at the bus stop at about 9:15 to catch the 9:29 bus. It wasnt so bad but I got there early :(. After we got there and it was time to start, we clocked in and met with our trainers. We had to try on our costumes. Mine isnt so bad. Its based on outfits from the 1900's or so. Its a long brown and turquoise skirt and a cream colored blouse. Oh I'm working at the Emporium which is on Main Street. Did I mention that it is the busiest place at Disney World? I shouldnt be bored haha. But anyways after we got the costumes we went to the underground tunnel under Magic Kingdom. Its not glamourous but still very cool, but very confusing. We got lockers in the locker room and then another locker closer to the Emporium. We had to do some online class video things for a while then we just met with people and took a tour of Main Street and the Emporium and all the stock rooms (there are alot of them). But that was basically my day. I caught the bus home and it took about an hour to get on 1 bus, get off, wait for the other bus, get on, make a stop, then finally make it home. I'm really tired and am glad to have nothing to do this evening. I work tomorrow from 8 until 2 so Ill probably go to a park.

Day 3 - January 14, 2008

Sorry I didnt update yesterday..by the time I got home I was exhausted! So the day started with me waking up at 6 am and then going to a 4 hour really really boring meeting/class/traditions thingy that we didnt get out of until noon. I read something out loud and got a "critter" which is a plastic toy thing. I got Donald Duck :). So after that was over I came back to the apartment and ate a sandwhich then I attempted to go to another apartment complex to meet this girl Deanna. Well I wasnt aware that the buses come from those complexes to ours......so I ended up at Hollywood Studios (new name for MGM) by myself haha. I made 2 friends exiting the bus. 1 was named Kristin from Michigan and the other was Melanie from Knoxville. So we walked around a bit and decided to go to Rock'n'roller coaster :). We got right in because there are NO lines in January. But when we were about to get on the ride it broke down :(. They gave us fast passes to come back though. Meanwhile Deanna is on a bus trying to find me haha. We went on the Great Movie Ride which was really cool. It was like a mix between a show and a ride. We didnt go fast but it was entertaining. After that was over I met up with Deanna and we used our fast passes to ride Rock'n'Roller coaster while Deanna waited. It was SOOOO much fun. I didnt scream I just smiled. It went 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. Alot of fun. After that was over somehow I lost the other 2 girls but me and Deanna went to ride Tower of Terror. I was terrified but it was fun. Not as bad as I thought it would be. After all of that we rode the boat to Epcot and went to the world showcase. Right after we got thru the front gate we saw Mary Poppins in England. I was SO excited. More excited than some children haha. That was my favorite movie when I was little. Well after we got our pictures taken Mary Poppins told us that Princess Jasmine was in Morrocco. So on the way to Morrocco we saw Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) who Deanna is apparently obsessed with. So we saw her in France. Then we were still walking and saw Belle and the Beast but the line was closed :(. We kept walking and then found Jasmine and the Genie! We got our pics taken and it was alot of fun. So I'm taking this little rubber duckie around like the roaming gnome and Jasmine and the Genie asked about it. Well the Genie takes it and pretends like he is going to throw it. Then he puts his arm around me and started walking away. It was weird but really funny. Then of course I got my picture taken and we walked on. We went back to France and got to get a picture with Belle and the Beast this time (their break was over). We tried to make it to China to see Mulan but it was all the way on the other side and we just missed her. We saw some Chinese acrobats though and that was really cool. We went in the souvinere shop in China and I got a red Buddah haha. It was cheap and cute. After that we went to Mexico and thats where we met Roxy, Abby, Jay (a girl), and our roommate from Jersey, Courtney. We went on the little ride that shows a little about the country and that was cool. It was a little boat ride very similar to It's a Small World. Then we ate dinner. The restaurant was really cool. I got Duck Tacos! I had never tried duck but they were really yummy. Roxy got lamb on top of mashed potatoes and mashed beets. It was really yummy too (she let me taste haha). After dinner we went on the ride in Norway which was also a boat ride, but alot cooler than Mexicos. It actually had some drops and it was very dark and kind of eerie. We all liked it. After that we watched the Illumintaions firework show at Epcot. Very cool! Then we left. The bus stop back to the apartment was crazy! All the Europeans are NOT afraid to push you haha. We didnt get on the first or 2nd bus. We had to wait for the 3rd but it wasnt horrible. When we got home I was pooped. Thus why I didnt post. Of by the way...there is a cold snap in Florida right now....it hasnt been above 65 which is good in the afternoon but very chilly in the morning.

Later...Day 2 - January 13, 2009

We have now officially gotten lost in Orlando. We went to target to get some essentials (food). It was easy enough to get there.....getting back was another story. Its a good thing we both have GPS. Anyways we met a girl today that is Roxy's dad's boss's daughter (wheew). Anyways her name is Abby and she goes to Belhaven. She is really nice. We went to Target and dinner with her. We went to dinner at PF Changs and it was really good. I wasnt terribly hungry so I got the yummy lettuce wrap appetizer for my meal. It was yummy and cheap haha. I have now realized that Disney is expensive all the way around. Good thing we get discounts tomorrow :). I get to go into the parks tomorrow! I'm so excited. I have this 'Traditions' class tomorrow morning. I have to be ready to get on the bus at 6:55 am......Roxy's isnt until 12:30 or something like that. I'm going to have to make a friend in the morning so that I can have someone to go out into the parks with. Roxy will meet me later when she is finished. It should be really fun. I'm going to bed soon so there should be an interesting post tomorrow.

Day 2- January 13, 2009

Today we found out where we will be working.  I will be working at the Magic Kingdom on Main Street at some of the shops.  Dont know which specific shops yet but it should be entertaining and very busy.   I have decided to take 2 classes that Disney offers while we are here.  One is called Marketing You which I can receive credit for at State when its through.  It teaches how to market yourself so that should be very useful.  The other one is a marketing lecture about how Disney markets itself.  Its just a lecture series not an actual class but still a good opportunity and it should look good on my resume.  These classes don't start until February though so I wont know much until then.   Roxy also got a really cool job.  She is going to be working on the Safari at the Animal Kingdom so that should be really interesting.  Lots of memorizing and waking up early for her we think.  I really hope I dont have to work late hours.  In just a few minutes we are going to go to Walmart and pick up some food stuffs and random things like a soap dish and 3m hooks and whatnot.  Should be fun.

Day 1- January 12, 2009

So I typed this really elaborate post and the internet stopped working...so this one wont be as good.  We woke up at 6 am and left our lovely La Quinta Inn in Gainesville at 7 and arrived in Orlando just before 9am which was check in time.  We stood in line for like 2 hours filling out stuff, getting an apartment, and getting our fingerprints scanned for a background check.  After all that was done we came to our apartment and were surprised how big it was.  We are in a 3 bedroom 6 person apartment.  The bedroom has ugly carpet but its alot bigger than we expected.  1 roommate is from New Jersey, 1 from Miami, and 2 from Kansas City.  The girl from New Jersey is really nice, the other 3 may take some time haha.  Nothing terrible however.  We had to take a nap this afternoon because we only got like 5 hours of sleep last night.  It was kind of hard to nap though because people were talking really loudly.  Anyways, after we unpacked we got ready and went to eat at the Rainforrest Cafe in Downtown Disney.  It was really cool.  We walked around for a long time and took a couple of pictures then decided to go see a movie.  We saw 'Bride Wars' which I had seen this weekend, but went again because Roxy wanted to and I thought it was funny.  The theater was SO nice.  Very big and very very nice.  But now I'm really tired.  Goodnight