Day Off & Traditions!!!!!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

I didn't blog for this day because my roomates and I were all scheduled off! Wednesday night I stayed with my mom in her hotel room for the night so that I could sleep in Thursday morning and boooooooy did my body love me for that!!! Once we were up and going, we had breakfast at WaffleHouse and then headed over to the apartment to unload last minute really heavy things. Upstairs, my roomates Michelle and Jamie were home hanging out--completely unpacked. We all hung out in mine and Michelle's room watching me make a fool of myself putting my storage cubby unit together with my mom. It was quite entertaining, but it came out amazing! Afterwards, I said bye bye to my mommy as she left to go back home (Ft. Lauderdale). I spent a good part of the day unpacking my life into my new room. I really did overpack. Around 4ish, we headed to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to pick up these behind the bed storage racks. I had it in mind way before even moving out here, but didn't wanna travel with it, so I waited. It completes the room and it looks INCREDIBLE! Michelle and I both got one. Anyways, here's a picture lol 

I'm on the left side, Michelle is on the right!

My side of the room =)

So yes, that is our room. I will take more pictures of the apartment and put them up, as well as a video blog tour of the apartment because that always interested me- to know about housing. We were going to do Grocery Bingo, which is a game held in the complex. It is Bingo, but you win bag(s) of groceries... pretty self explanatory... but we decided to go to Walmart to buy pizza and other groceries/apartment items and relax inside. Now those behind the bed racks, they were tough to figure out! "No tools needed" was written on the box, but unless those poles are up against a wall, ya better watch your face cause you might get hit! My bed is on risers, and we had to move it out from the wall and down by the dresser in order to get the rack behind my bed. I had to get UNDER my bed and lift it with the girls to move it because it weighs a TON! But, eventually we got it in place and all was good to go! I bought 2 black panels from Walmart and ribbon to tie around it. I superglued (might not have been a good idea) the panels to the top of the rack and draped it down. When I am underneath it (like I am now) it feels like such a Princess bed! Behind the black curtains are things that clip onto the poles, like theres a cupholder with some extra part on it.. so I keep a drink there at night. There's also a "magazine rack" and a 2 clip hanger which I have equal to my bed so my chargers rest there when they're not in use. I love it. Putting it together was one of the most comical things ever between all of us!!! Kodak moments. We ended the night with a few drinks, pizza, new friends, and ironing Traditions clothes!

Friday, August 12, 2011
TRADITIONS day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was SO stoked about this!!! I've heard such negativity about Traditions and all I can say is........ THIS is where I want my career. THIS is what I've been passionate about since the first time I watched a Disney Princess movie. THIS is my Tradition. Disney is what I call home. I was up at 5am getting ready for my Traditions class, which started at 8am. Leighann and I were scheduled for the same class so we left the apartment at 6:20am to catch the bus to Disney University. We arrived an hour before we needed to be there, but we sat for 15 minutes and then they separated us into different classrooms!

Blue Card= maingate card to get you into all the Disney theme parks for FREE as a Cast Member

My Classroom for Traditions!

the other side of my classroom for Traditions!

So, the class started out with a 30 minute online learning course. The man doing it sounded similar to that Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing computer program and it was the only thing that allowed my mind to wander (into thinking of Disney things). Then our trainers came in! Now, I'm not gonna tell you guys what I learned in Traditions cause that's all secretive hush hush stuff =) But I will tell you some stuff. **IF YOU ARE A FUTURE CAST MEMBER AND WANT TO BE SURPRISED, DO NOT READ THIS!!** The trainers in my classroom were SUCH great actors when going through certain things. Kristin and Patrick---- amazing! Kristin started out back in 2003 I believe she said, working at the Animal Kingdom Express on her program. Came back another round for the program, and then finally did a Professional Internship. She is now working at the Cinderella's Royal Table as a reservationist.... BUT she speaks to those men wanting to pop the question to their princess. HOW CUTE IS THAT!? Patrick started on in the program as well back in 2003 and worked at the Polynesian Resort and Spa. He is now working as a Guest Services Operator on Mainstreet in the Magic Kingdom! So, clearly this program can do a LOT for you in your career, and that's my intention: staying with this company. 

About an hour or two into our Traditions, we were pumped to find out that we were going to take a tour of the Magic Kingdom...... UNDERGROUND!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were not allowed, and will never ever ever be allowed to take pictures or use a phone while being down here. Disney is a magical place, but seeing Pooh Bear on his lunch break eating a sandwich and posting it on Facebook would not be. For this reason, the company forbids it. I respect that. I remember what it was like finding out that the tooth fairy didn't exist and being sad about it, so I wouldn't want to exploit things that take place behind the scenes at Disney. Now, I knew that we were going to go to the Magic Kingdom, but I wasn't prepared for my breath to be taken away. We hopped off a bus which took us to the entrance and we started walking down the tunnel. I'm not going to go into detail (I'm sorry) but I'm not so sure with this on what's okay to talk about and vice versa. Better safe than sorry! We did see Cinderella's stepmother and the two ugly stepsisters walking to their destination which was pretty cool, and saw all the costumes in a room hanging up. Did you know Disney Costuming is the largest operating Costume Wardrobe in the world? =) So, we walked up a flight of stairs underneath Fantasyland and were standing in front of these big blue doors. When they opened, we were on Mainstreet. It's crazy how both worlds are so different.. ours and Disney's. It's an amazing feeling to know that you can only experience that inside Disney. MAGICAL MOMENT. We took about 10 minutes worth of touring and headed back to Disney University for more training. As we were discussing our "KEYS" to maintaining the magic... MICKEY COMES IN WITH A PRESENT!!!! Can you guess what it could be? 

Our name badges. Shut the front door. MICKEY delivered our name badges as OFFICIALLY being Walt Disney World Cast Members!!!!!!! I was in tears. We watched a video slideshow direct from Walt to us and this is what stuck to me and brought me to tears, "The dreams they once built now become your heritage." 

Shortly after, we were let go (12:30pm), I met up with Leighann and we took our bus back to the apartment. When we got home, we changed and went to Downtown Disney for lunch (at Earl of Sandwich) and some slight shopping (I bought Mickey houseslippers because I got blisters on the soles of my feet at Traditions). I also checked out the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique and visited Kathryn =) Then we came back to the apartment and I took a nap while Michelle and Jamie were in their Traditions class and Leighann was out with her parents. When they got back, we decided to have dinner in Epcot, so we took the bus over. When we got there at 9:10, Epcot had closed so our Mexican dinner plans went out the window. So we decided we would go to Boardwalk instead. In order to get there we were told we could take a bus, or a boat (from Canada). So we got dropped off by an inside bus to the back of France-----very creepy at night behind stage. When we were inside the park, I thought Canada was to the right of France, but I was brutally wrong and we ended up walking the entire park just to get to Boardwalk. We ended up meeting with Leighann and having dinner at ESPN at 10pm. We walked to a cast member parking lot and then headed back home! 

This program is absolutely incredible! I am SO glad that everything has worked out the way it has for me and I can't wait for everything else that is to come! Tomorrow is my first day of Orientation at Downtown Disney where I get to learn all the secrets and find out my work schedule for all of next week =) Goodnight ya'll!!!!!