I feel like I have packed so many things into the last few days. From visiting 6 resorts (7 if you include the Polynesian which we have been to twice already and haven't even started training yet!), watching Wishes fireworks two nights in a row (that's a 10 o'clock show, people), to grocery shopping for the first time by myself, to going to Traditions (squee!), and our first trip to MK as cast members. It has been late nights, early mornings up until today where I have gotten to sleep in and take a break from all the hustle and bustle. Tomorrow is my first day of training, and I am so excited. I do not really know what to expect (or where to go) I just know to take the A or B bus to Disney University and hopefully someone will be there to assist me.
So far all has been well. Homesickness comes in waves. I feel great and say to myself "this is nothing, I can totally do this for four months" and then 3 hours later I feel like I'm on the verge of tears. But that is totally normal and I think once I get in the swing of things, that will go away. I'm so happy that I have decided to go on this adventure, and I am excited to see to how God pushes me out of my comfort zone (because my bubble is small).
Resort Hopping!!!
As for resort hopping, it was a long, long, long, long, longggg day. Earlier that day we made a list of the resorts we wanted to see. The Grand Floridian, Beach and Yacht Club, Port Orleans French Quarter, and the Art of Animation. We drove to the Polynesian (go figure!), parked there, and rode the monorail to The Grand. The hotel is spectacular...a little fancy for my taste, but absolutely gorgeous. My favorite part is the elevator (if you look to the right of the picture you can see the glass elevator that runs to the top).
Next we took the monorail to Magic Kingdom to catch a bus to Beach and Yacht. Beach Club is Blake's favorite, and I love the beach access and how they overlook the water to the Boardwalk. The girls and I had to cancel our reservation to Beaches and Cream for last Wednesday, because it was at 10:00 at night and we all had Traditions the next day at 8:00 (but had to wake up at 5:30). We will definitely be going back to take on the challenge! Natalie and I stopped by the soda shop and snapped a pic...we were too tempted by the hot weather to step inside, but the rootbeer float was calling my name. Since we were baking in the sun we decided it was too long to walk all the way over to the Boardwalk, so we slowly walked through the lobby of Beach Club soaking in as much air conditioning as possible and waited 30 minutes for a bus to Magic Kingdom to catch a bus to Port Orleans from there.
Once we finally got to Port Orleans French Quarter, we realized our wait had been entirely worth it. It was exactly what we had imagined it would look like. I felt like we were in the heart of New Orleans during Mardi Gras. There was a little old man at the door with a fancy costume on who looked like he was ready to party. We took our picture with him, because we couldn't stand his cuteness. The Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory is a MUST if you are ever close enough. I got a milkshake that hit the spot on that 98 degree+ day. They also had fresh beignets and po-boys that fit right in to their theme! This was such a fun little moderate resort...plus they even had one one of the better gift shops I've seen at a resort (some really unique stuff). Port Orleans French Quarter is definitely one of my favorites!
We caught the first bus to a park, because we didn't want to be stranded in the heat, which so happened to be Hollywood Studios. From there we caught another bus to Art of Animation. The Art of Animation is the cutest value resort. It is perfect for youngsters and adults (like me!) who enjoy the Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Cars, and Finding Nemo. Here you can find larger than life-sized statues of characters from the movies scattered all around the resort. 
We figured out that the majority of our time spent that day was on Disney bus transportation, since we had to keep hopping from resort to park to resort. We estimated that about 2 hours were spent riding around. It was all worth it, though!
Traditions! 5:30 a.m. Shower, get dressed, hair, makeup, breakfast
6:35 Headed to the buses. *Word to the wise: get there early! If the buses say they are leaving at 6:55, THEY ARE. Be there early. Like earlier than we were if you want to sit with your friends.
7:40? We are dropped off at Disney University, you get split up into groups based on the number you are given at Check-In. Then you go to your classroom, and that is all the information I am sharing online :) It is lots of Disney heritage and information and LOTS of fun!
Bring: snacks, water bottle, tissues, band-aids (I got blisters and I needed some bad), WEAR comfy shoes, sunglasses
My class let out around 12:45, but some went until 1:30...I think it all just depends! I will share that you get Mickey ears and your name tag, because you probably already knew that if you are a snoop like me!
FIRST TRIP TO MK AS CAST MEMBERS!
So after Traditions I went home, took a power nap, grabbed a bite to eat, and then Natalie, Bethanie, and I headed to, none other than, Magic Kingdom. We had hopes that Caryn, who unfortunately for background check issues was placed in the afternoon Traditions, would be able to meet up with us for Wishes (inside the park this time), but she was not issued her blue ID today, so we ended up going home early. No worries, we have 4 months to catch them, and I am sure we will see them multiple times! As soon as we got there we saw "Dream Along with Mickey" on the Castle stage...not my favorite show, but it was super exciting to see as soon as we walked through the gates. We then B-lined it for the Fast Pass kiosk to make reservations for Space Mountain and Buzz Space Ranger Spin. The lines were not terribly long (for example Seven Dwarf's Mine Train was only 40 minutes...that's MK's newest ride!), but we wanted to be able to walk on rides to make the evening go by faster. We were able to ride Space Mountain, Seven Dwarf's Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain, Space Ranger Spin, The People Mover, and The Laugh Floor. My goal is to ride every single ride and watch every single parade and show at every single park before my program is over. Honestly I thought it would be a simple goal before I got down here, but after going to the park last night...it may be a bit tougher than I thought! Here's an (ugly) selfie from Magic Kingdom yesterday...we stayed until dark and had trouble finding where we parked, but all in all it was a GREAT day!
I'm having so much fun and am enjoying this more than I thought! My first day of training is tomorrow. As for today, I think it's going to be a pool day. I miss everyone back home...today is my boyfriend's birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him!
Until next time, aloha!
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