Faith, trust, and pixie dust

Well, its hard to update this about work, since I can't really say specifics about my job. But, lets just say, its been a fun but long week...but the length is totally worth it. On Sunday, the last family Minnie Mouse saw was a little girl who brought her a picture that she drew. She even signed it for Minnie Mouse. On Monday, Miss Bunny met a grown woman who LOVED LOVED LOVED rabbits, and Allison (my roommate) alsotook a trip over to Animal Kingdom to visit her.

I am definitely not getting sick of playing in the parks. There is so much to do, and its nice not having to rush to do everything. A few special notes from this week have included seeing the new castle show that they do before the fireworks every night (a magical experience), checking out the Boardwalk/Yacht and Beach Club resort, going on Expedition Everest for the first time, and seeing lots of characters. The characters never get old. Well, have to head off to work to hang out with Minnie Mouse in Epcot. Until next time.....

Allie and I infront of Magic Kingdom and the new 2011 SLOGAN

Roomies before dinner and Fantasmic in Hollywood Studios

Training!!

Finished training and "earned my ears." Can't really say much about training but it included "traditions" (a class all disney employees take), "intro to entertainment" (learning about disney entertainment in general), and four core days with the trainers. A lot of what we learned about was keeping up with the Disney heritage and traditions, and character integrity. Overall, an exhausting but rewarding week. Can't wait to start working for real and helping to create those magical memories associated with Disney :)

But for now...I have two days off!

*My training group.....note: I don't look all that short comparably*

Disney Living

I’ve had a few people ask me about my housing situation, and let me tell you; it is pretty great. I am in a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment. It is complete with a living room, dining room, and kitchen. The rooms are pretty good sized and we also have walk-in closets! The three girls I am living with and I are getting along great. Allie (my actual roommate) is going to be working at Cosmic Rays in MAGIC KINGDOM. Kirsten will be working at Pop Century in the food court and Alex will be at Animal Kingdom at the main entrance

But living here is not just about the apartment. It is the atmosphere that living with other college programmers provides. Just to welcome in the CPs, the housing team plans multiple get-togethers complete with free food, a DJ, and CHARACTERS. The first one was Incredibles theme where we met Frozone.

And then, there is the free access to the parks we get. So far, I have visited Epcot and Magic Kingdom; getting to do all the things I would not normally do on a rushed vacation. Allie, Alex, and I had the most magical moment with the princesses during the nighttime parade since no one was waiting in line for them. We just got to hang out and talk to them for like, 15 minutes. The other cast members working are really great about talking to us when its not busy too; but really, what can beat quality time with three princesses??!!

The beginning

About a year ago, I figured out that I would be able to graduate early. Four months ago, I was accepted into the Disney College Program. Two months ago, I was cast as a character performer in the parks. And yesterday, I began my four-month stay in Disney.

We arrived at 7am for check-in. Lucky that we did because as the minutes passed the line got longer and longer. We were finally allowed into the complex at Vista Way to begin the process of getting our housing assignments. The three girls that I had been talking to (Allison, Kirsten, and Alex) and I were fortunate to get exactly what we wanted: a two-bedroom apartment at Chatham Square.

Once housing was completed, we were bussed over to casting where we had to go to numerous stations to finish the process. During the middle of this, I got stuck at the fingerprinting station. Apparently, my fingers just don’t work when it comes to electronic fingerprinting? Maybe because they are so small… Well, finally they just let me fill out a form for a background check so I could continue through casting and get back to my roommates. The rest of the day was filled with unpacking, a housing meeting, a trip to walmart, and TGIFridays (where cast members get a 15% discount!) It was a long but productive day.

While at casting, we were told that Tuesday would be a “settle-in” day and Traditions would start on Wednesday. To this apartment, “settle-in” day ended up translating to Harry Potter world! What can I say about this place except that

it is absolutely great. The Forbidden Journey ride is truly one of a kind. It really felt like I was flying along on the Quidditch field with Harry and Ron. Other parts of the trip to Hogwarts included visiting Ollivander in the wand shop and trying some butterbeer in Hogsmeade. We visitied other parts of the Island of Adventure too but none of them came close to the experience in the wizarding world. I look forward to them expanding in the future so that the trip can last longer.

Tomorrow, I go to Traditions which is a Disney employee orientation session and then I am off again until Friday when I start my role training.

Until next time, have a magical day :)

* The Alice in Wonderland doors at casting *