Today

Today is my one year anniversary of being accepted into the Disney College Program. I can't believe that 365 days have already gone by. This time last year was full of excitement and nervousness from me. I didn't know where I would be working or who I would meet. I didn't know if I would like my co-workers and roommates or if I could really survive 6 months away from everything I'd ever known. I didn't know that I would sprain my ankle 2 hours into my character performer audition...

Over this past year I've been blessed to meet some of the most wonderful people on this Earth. From late night skype talks with my cabana girls, to fawning over all things Hunger Games and NSync with Christina, I can't possibly recount all of the memories I've made since last March. I did kpop dances with Yuki and Joohye, I went on epic 3 hour steak n shake dates with Mike. I watched Tremaine unsuccessfully try to seduce inanimate objects. I stayed up all night with Alyssa (for a menagerie of reasons) and I stayed up all night working crazy events at Epcot. I laughed, I cried, I rode Expedition Everest. I spent Thanksgiving in a Cracker Barrel and spent New Years Eve in a giant nightclub. Simply put, I had the time of my life.

I've said it once but I'll say it again- To all the people I laughed with, cried with, worked with, played with, and made magic with; thank you. I love you all.


P.S.- We need a reunion like yesterday :)

It's Formal Time!

But first and foremost, another hot dog.


The Reuben Hot Dog from the Grand Floridian. It's a hotdog with sourkraut, corned beef, and 1000 island on top. Probably the second best hot dog of my life.

December 5th marked the night many CP's had been waiting for....the annual winter formal! This year's theme was "An Evening Expedition in Elegance". Basically it was a jungle theme with expensive food. Said food was free. Over 3000 CP's came out for the event.

They couldn't bring the food out fast enough.

I met up with a few friends there, and spent most of the night getting pictures with them as well as the characters. While similar to a high school prom, it was a LOT less stressful. Did I mention the food was free?

Her name is also Mackenzie. Spelled the same way.

When we were first told the theme I felt like we had been jipped, the spring formal's theme was villains! I was presently surprised though, and I had a lot of fun!

How to describe the past few weeks...

CRAZINESS AND MAYHEM

The good news is that I'll have some interesting pictures to post. Until then I'll give you the abridged version.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party was amazing.
Food and Wine festival was amazing, except the whole working it part....
It's still 80 degrees here. Perfect weather.
Want to get all of the cp's to show up on time? Throw them a midnight parade.
Or give them free food.
The Christmas festivities are fun too, but Halloween was better....

And a teaser pic:

My Journey to Florida

As promised, a little behind the scenes video. Some footage from Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party will be up soon!

Oh, the life of a CP

"As a CP, you never really sleep. You simply nap."

They really should tell you that your sleep schedule will be nonexistent once you get here. One day you may work at 5pm, the next you may work UNTIL 4am. A third day could be an opening shift. SLEEPING IS IMPOSSIBLE. At least if you want to attempt to do some fun things. As much as I find myself wanting to sleep on my days off (how wonderful they are) I always seem to end up in a park. When else will I have free access to Disney World's parks and resorts? Sleep can wait.

In the weeks since I last posted, I have:
1- Successfully requested time off (finally!)
2-Managed to ignore DAK's existence completely (it's only open until 5)
3-Eaten myself into a coma. Enjoyed the Food and Wine Festival.
4-Spent time in the "iron toaster" aka the Contemporary Resort. I NEED to stay there before I leave.
5-Tried beignets at Port Orleans.
6-Worked the Wine and Dine half-marathon. Parking was a disaster, I froze to death, and working until 4am is never fun. However, getting paid to have a mini rave while some non-Disney music is playing could be worse.

Park traffic is starting to pick up. Magic Kingdom is currently hosting "Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" until November 1st. Saturday October 1st also marked the 40th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort. Can you say CRAZINESS AND MAYHEM. Lines formed outside of the TTC around 5am. I stayed home :) Epcot is currently hosting the Food and Wine Festival. Think tapas bar but with better music and wayyy more alcohol. I believe there are at least 3 booths dedicated solely to beer. I personally enjoyed the South Korean food the most (That should surprise no one). Kimchi is basically the best thing I've ever had. Seriously.

I leave you with some photos....

I'm Duffy's #1 fan :)

BENIHANAS

Gotta love the teacups.

The best part of "Value Season"...

Is that there's about 5 people in the parks. To say things have slowed down would be an understatement. The waits for rides have fallen through the floor; Toy Story Mania had a 50 minute wait AND fastpasses available at 3pm! It was like a miracle! It also means that things aren't too hectic at work. Of course, with the food and wine festival coming up that will change soon. Tonight is the preview for the "Boo to You Halloween Parade" and all of my roomies are going, should be a fun time. Too bad there's no "Happy Hallowishes".

I leave you with a short photo post...

Waiting for "Wishes" with Jocelyn :)

Wishes!

The nighttime parade (it's not better than spectro...)

The nicest royal couple at Disney. Fact.

What we do during value season at strollers.

Be ready for some "never before seen" footage coming up soon!

Check in Day!

Wednesday was my check-in day! We got in line at Vista Way around 5:50 a.m. and there were already several people in front of us. Unfortunately, the people who had luggage and were at the front of the line had to eventually get out of line to store their luggage and then get in the back of the line at the check in building. We were among the first group to get through, however our number one choice of apartments was already almost full. We got one of the last units (out of 3) so we're feeling very lucky.

After checking in with housing at Vista Way we were off to casting. Casting took a little over an hour. The first thing you do at casting is receive your work assignment. Epcot Future World north anyone? Then you go through Pan's Labyrinth and learn about the Disney Look, get fingerprinted, and turn in all of the on boarding paperwork. By the time you're finished at casting, you are definitely ready for a break. Depending on what time you finish you then have an opportunity to do some unpacking before the housing meeting.

The housing meeting is held at the Commons complex either the day of your check in or the next morning. It's a little over an hour long in the coldest room on Earth. Nothing major, you simply watch some videos and learn all about Price Management's rules and regulations. They also give away some free prizes.

By this time you're super tired. If you have the first housing meeting you get your second day off to get settled. Me and my roommates went on a super huge shopping trip and only forgot a few important things like dishwasher soap :)

Packing Part 1

I've finally started packing! I honestly didn't realize that I had this much stuff. I'm super obsessive about lists and I actually have a binder full of packing/shopping lists. A good place to start is the official Disney College Program website. In the log-in area under "housing" you will find a general packing list. You can supplement this list in a variety of ways. If you google "Disney College Program packing list" you'll be able to see lists from bloggers and discussion groups alike. There are also good packing lists on websites you may visit everyday such as Target.com or Bedbathandbeyond.com. Almost any general college packing list will suffice.

I definitely recommend bringing a car if possible. If you bring a car you can pack so much more and possibly save some money. I'm packing in storage tubs that can be put under my bed (thanks to some extra tall bed risers) and some duffel bags that can fold up to save space. You don't need to pack your entire wardrobe but it can get cold in Florida. I'm bringing some jeans and 2 hoodies, but I'll probably buy a lot of Mickey gear there :)

The Final Countdown!

Today marks my last month at home before moving down to Orlando! I still have a lot to pack, and a lot more planning to do, but things are starting to get intense. I'm finally finished with my summer class, and now I move on to packing! I don't want to wait until the last minute to begin packing. Moving an apartment's worth of stuff 900 miles is no easy feat. This time next month I'll be in my new home!

I will try to post more often about packing and the like in the next few weeks so stay tuned!