I called my Casting Representative on Friday and I got a role in Main Street East Merchandising. In layman's terms, I'll be working the gift shops on the right side of Main Street when facing Cinderella Castle.
I am so very excited. I was already excited that I was moving down there and I'm even more excited that I have a role. This next Wednesday I go in to do my new hire paperwork and hopefully go to Traditions very shortly thereafter.
Very soon I'll be working where I've always dreamed of working.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Sunday, March 2, 2008
How my journey to become a Cast Member began.
“All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” - Walt Disney
As usual, Walt was right.
I've always wanted to work at Walt Disney World but had no idea when I'd be able to make that dream come true. For the last approximately three years I had to put what I wanted to do with my life on hold as my mother went into a nursing home. You see, she developed alcohol dementia in addition to some other medical problems so could no longer take care of herself. I was trying to go to school locally at the time so wasn't in any position to take care of her. I've been wanting to get out of this area for a long time but couldn't in good conscience with my mother in a nursing home.
Well, after she passed away on January 27th I was able to start thinking about myself and what I wanted to do with my life. A few days after she passed my brother and sister-in-law talked to me about getting me down to Orlando permanently. Apparently a few days before my brother, a seasonal CM, happened to pick up a shift at Epcot and was eating lunch in the Cast cafeteria when our uncle, an engineer for WDW, happened to come in to get something to eat himself. A large coincidence as my brother doesn't work often at WDW and our uncle works on the other end of property normally. They talked about getting me down there as they know that is what I've been wanting to do.
After our mom passed my brother and I were able to start working on getting me there. We were able to make arrangements for me to visit Orlando for a few days just shy of three weeks later. While there I talked to Casting but had no idea on when I'd be able to move down.
Now it is just more than a month after my mom's passing and in just about two weeks I'll be moving down and starting at WDW.
I would call my mom passing away a kick in the teeth. This kick though has been one of the best things for me. It has enabled me to finally get where I want to be, which is working for the Mouse.
On to some other things:
I'm not actually quitting my current job, I am transferring and going on a leave of absence. This means I will have a job to fall back on if the brown stuff hits the rotary air device with Disney. I have no plans to ever work for AutoZone again but it is nice knowing I have a job waiting if something does happen.
On the morning of Saturday the 15th I'm picking up a moving van and car hauler from Penske and loading most of my possessions in the truck (some, like my living room furniture is going into a storage shed I have locally) and my van on the trailer. That afternoon I'm cleaning the apartment and when I'm done dropping the keys into the office mail slot. I'm going to spend Sunday with the family I have locally and hitting the road early Monday morning. I'm planning to stop for lunch in Tallahassee and meeting up with my best friend who I haven't seen in a long while. After that I'm getting back on the road to Orlando, arriving that evening.
I'll be headed straight for the house my uncle and his family will be living in (they themselves are moving there soon) as he has graciously offered the spare bedroom for me to live in until I get on my feet in the area. I just have to furnish it, hence me taking all my bedroom furniture but not the living room furniture.
I'm planning to just sleep on the floor or something that night and unloading the truck the next morning. I'm hoping to start "working" the next day (gotta go through the background check, Traditions, and what not before I can actually start working, hence the quotes).
I'll be living in Windermere, which is just a few miles north of WDW, so I'll be really close to wherever I wind up working on property.
My long goal is to eventually go back to school down there (schooling here hasn't worked out, in part due to my mom and in part due to other issues) and eventually going into an IT position with Disney.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Moving to the WDW area in just over two weeks.
I was able to work out things quicker than I thought and am able to move a lot sooner than the month I was thinking. I'll be arriving in the area on the evening of the 17th.
As long as I pay the month's rent in full the landlady doesn't care when I leave. You're supposed to give a full 30 days notice but she was fine with me leaving sooner. I'll have to pay a penalty but that's fine.
I turned in my two weeks notice today at work. I was talking with the manager from another store who had the idea that instead of quiting outright I should transfer to Orlando and go on a leave of absence. There's no obligation to come back and this way if something falls through with Disney I'll have a job to fall back on. I talked to my manager about this and he talked to our district manager. Hopefully he'll work on it.
The house I will be living in is actually in Windermere (not Winter Garden), a mere 10 minutes from the Magic Kingdom's cast parking lot.
The day before yesterday and yesterday I left messages with my casting representative. A little while ago she finally returned my calls. As it was so late she didn't have access to my file (file room gets locked at 5:00 and she called me a few minutes before 6:00 Eastern) but she'll get it first thing Tuesday morning when she arrives at work (she's off Monday). She listed the current full-time openings and none of them appealed to me (seater, quick service food, housekeeping, and "attractions operator" at a water park). Food service doesn't appeal to me at all, I'm no housekeeper and I want guest interaction anyway, and I'm not a strong swimmer so working an attraction at a water park is out. She'll call me if something opens up that she thinks interests me during the week and if she doesn't call by Friday she wants me to call her. Friday is when most of the job openings come up. She said that there has been a trickle of openings and more roles are opening up.
I'm hoping for something in Merchandise or Attractions mostly, preferably Merchandise. I'd love to get into Monorails but those positions don't open up a lot and when they do they are filled internally for the most part. I'm really hoping a full-time Merchandise role opens up somewhere on property.
As long as I pay the month's rent in full the landlady doesn't care when I leave. You're supposed to give a full 30 days notice but she was fine with me leaving sooner. I'll have to pay a penalty but that's fine.
I turned in my two weeks notice today at work. I was talking with the manager from another store who had the idea that instead of quiting outright I should transfer to Orlando and go on a leave of absence. There's no obligation to come back and this way if something falls through with Disney I'll have a job to fall back on. I talked to my manager about this and he talked to our district manager. Hopefully he'll work on it.
The house I will be living in is actually in Windermere (not Winter Garden), a mere 10 minutes from the Magic Kingdom's cast parking lot.
The day before yesterday and yesterday I left messages with my casting representative. A little while ago she finally returned my calls. As it was so late she didn't have access to my file (file room gets locked at 5:00 and she called me a few minutes before 6:00 Eastern) but she'll get it first thing Tuesday morning when she arrives at work (she's off Monday). She listed the current full-time openings and none of them appealed to me (seater, quick service food, housekeeping, and "attractions operator" at a water park). Food service doesn't appeal to me at all, I'm no housekeeper and I want guest interaction anyway, and I'm not a strong swimmer so working an attraction at a water park is out. She'll call me if something opens up that she thinks interests me during the week and if she doesn't call by Friday she wants me to call her. Friday is when most of the job openings come up. She said that there has been a trickle of openings and more roles are opening up.
I'm hoping for something in Merchandise or Attractions mostly, preferably Merchandise. I'd love to get into Monorails but those positions don't open up a lot and when they do they are filled internally for the most part. I'm really hoping a full-time Merchandise role opens up somewhere on property.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Just filed my tax return.
I just filed my tax return using the online version of H&R Block's TaxCut software. Uncle Sam is sending me back a decent bit, just a little lower than I was hoping but not much.
This money will goes a good ways towards moving. Tomorrow I should be getting a little bit more money my way for the move.
Tomorrow I am going to go talk to my landlady about breaking my lease and any penalties for doing so. Hopefully there won't be many of those.
Yesterday I talked to some family I have in the Winter Garden area and they offered to let me stay in a spare room they have for a few months while I get established in my role and can look for a place of my own. It'll be a lot easier to apartment hunt once I'm in the area. I'm probably going to take them up on the offer. I'll be about 30 minutes from WDW which isn't to bad. Nearly all of the travel time appears to be on one road so that's easy, I just hope the road doesn't get to crowded that often.
I've already begun checking truck rental prices and Penske has some good prices to rent a truck and car hauler. I still need to research it but the return place is a self-storage place and I am going to need a shed for some of my things so that's convenient. I'm thinking I can unload what I need at the house then head to the self-storage place to move the rest into a shed and then return the truck.
I still need to check Ryder and Budget but I'm not checking Uhaul. I've heard a number of horror stories about them and know that they charge more in mileage and similar charges than the other companies. Their trucks also are bad and can be quite old. I drove one one time for a friend as he can't drive a stick while I can and I hated it. The thing drove really badly and was probably nearly as old, if not older, than me. On the other hand, Penske replaces half their fleet every year. I've driven a Penske before and loved it, that's why I checked with them first.
This money will goes a good ways towards moving. Tomorrow I should be getting a little bit more money my way for the move.
Tomorrow I am going to go talk to my landlady about breaking my lease and any penalties for doing so. Hopefully there won't be many of those.
Yesterday I talked to some family I have in the Winter Garden area and they offered to let me stay in a spare room they have for a few months while I get established in my role and can look for a place of my own. It'll be a lot easier to apartment hunt once I'm in the area. I'm probably going to take them up on the offer. I'll be about 30 minutes from WDW which isn't to bad. Nearly all of the travel time appears to be on one road so that's easy, I just hope the road doesn't get to crowded that often.
I've already begun checking truck rental prices and Penske has some good prices to rent a truck and car hauler. I still need to research it but the return place is a self-storage place and I am going to need a shed for some of my things so that's convenient. I'm thinking I can unload what I need at the house then head to the self-storage place to move the rest into a shed and then return the truck.
I still need to check Ryder and Budget but I'm not checking Uhaul. I've heard a number of horror stories about them and know that they charge more in mileage and similar charges than the other companies. Their trucks also are bad and can be quite old. I drove one one time for a friend as he can't drive a stick while I can and I hated it. The thing drove really badly and was probably nearly as old, if not older, than me. On the other hand, Penske replaces half their fleet every year. I've driven a Penske before and loved it, that's why I checked with them first.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Shorty's Trip Report: February 2008
I went down to Orlando to visit my brother and sister-in-law for a few days, go to Disney some, and to talk to Casting about getting a job there.
Thursday:
My trip started on Thursday, February 14th with me flying from Pensacola to Orlando. The flight was nice and uneventful. Saw my first stupid guest trick at the passenger pickup area though. Somebody parked their very nice Ford Mustang Shelby GT right by one of the many signs that warn that parking there will result in your vehicle being towed immediately. When I went out there a tow truck was hooking up to the car.
Here is the sign, the top part warns of immediate towing.
And here is the tow truck hooking up to the car.
The guy had to see the sign, it is right outside his damn windshield! When my brother dropped me off today I saw a big red sign warning of immediate towing at the entrance to the drop-off area and I assume there is an identical one at the pickup area. I also saw today a tow truck standing by right outside of the drop-off area.
I had to leave before either the car was pulled away or the owner came out as my SIL was having trouble finding the right area. She tells me to meet her in the parking garage and after a while waiting there with us talking on the phone, her telling me where she was and all,
we figure out we are in the same spot but in two different garages! I was in Garage B and she was in A. After a while and a bunch of driving in circles she finds the correct garage and picks me up. Apparently the Orlando International signs were designed by Goofy's idiot cousin, they get very confusing especially when trying to find Terminal B.
Well, after my SIL's grand tour of the airport's roadways she picks me up and we go to the apartment. After a while I shower get dressed for my Casting Appointment and we leave. I'm not going to go into all the details of my time in Casting but after a while I talked to a Casting representative. We talk for a while and at the end was pretty much told to call about two weeks before I move down and she'll get me into a role. So, to say my Casting session went well would be an understatement. If I could afford to move this minute I would. I'd have a job there right now if I could have moved within two weeks.
There are some really neat murals on the walls of the ramp going up into Casting. One of them was of Walt Disney sitting on a railing overlooking Spaceship Earth with a drawing pad in his hands and Jiminy Cricket floating in front of him. Sorry for the poor quality, I took the picture with my phone as I naturally didn't take my camera with me to a job interview.
After I left Casting I went across the street to Downtown Disney and met up with my SIL and we browsed the shops of the Marketplace for a while. That evening after my brother gets home from work we go out to eat and did some other non-Disney things.
Friday:
Friday was a bad day for me. I was sick as a dog the entire day. I woke up having to protein spill and had to run to the bathroom a number of times that day to either protein spill some more or problems the other direction. I also had a killer migraine all day. The plan that day was to go to my brother's school (he's a music teacher) in the afternoon to watch his choir perform, go to a pep rally after that and then to a charity basketball game between the students and faculty. For some strange reason I didn't go. Late in the afternoon I started to feel a little better and had my brother go out and pick me up some Gatorade, which helped me feel even better. Later in the evening I felt well enough to eat some green beans.
Saturday:
I was feeling a lot better Saturday, though I could still only eat light things. That morning my SIL wasn't feeling well (she has a medical problem that flared up) so she stayed home but my brother, a friend of their's and I went to Animal Kingdom that morning. They head over towards Expedition Everest to get us all Fastpasses while I head straight for Kilimanjaro Safaris to find Big Wallaby. Where the line splits to the two docks I decided to go right. I asked for BW on the dock and found out he was working the other dock. So I didn't get to meet up with him then sadly.
I then meet up with my brother and his friend and we wander a bit and ride Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur. We then make our way back to EE to ride but it was down and didn't come back up before we left.
Then we head over to Studios for a while. The friend and I ride Tower of Terror while my brother sat it out then we go get Fastpasses for Rockin' Roller Coaster. Though it was barely noon the Fastpasses weren't goof until a little after 5:00. We wander up towards the hat and stop to watch High School Musical Pep Rally for a bit. It was pretty fun. I did see one of the performers create some magic, during the scene were the performers and kids from the audience limbo dance I saw one of the performers guiding a very disabled girl's electric wheelchair through the dance. The girl was obviously having a lot of fun.
After a bit more walking my brother and his friend (who drove us) decided to leave as my brother wasn't feeling well while I stayed in the park. My brother gave me his R'n'R Fastpass in case I wanted to ride it twice. I wandered around a bit killing time until the parade and happened upon the Jedi Training show. I watched it for a while then hung out in that area and meandered towards the front for the parade, mostly people watching. I watch the parade and then make my way towards The Backlot Tour. After that I wandered some more and found myself down by the Singin' in the Rain umbrella, where I created a bit of magic for somebody (more details later).
I watched Muppet*Vision 3D and did a few other things to just kill some time. A few minutes before 5:00 I
found myself down by the Beauty and the Beast theatre just in time for the last show of the day. Not even two minutes after I sat down the show started. I really enjoyed the show and as I wasn't feeling up to riding R'n'R I decided to head down that way and find someone to give my FPs to. On my way down the road heading towards R'n'R's gate I created a bit more magic with the FPs, again more details later.
After that I head out to go to the boat launch to ride over to Epcot. On my way down Hollywood Blvd. I run into one of the Streetmosphere performences (one of many I saw around that day). It was hilarious!
I then head on out and take a quiet boat ride to Epcot. I wander a bit, eat dinner at th Electric Umbrella and go ride Nemo and Friends but didn't hang around the Seas long. I wandered and people watched a bit, thought of riding Spaceship Earth but decided I didn't fell like waiting 30 minutes for it, it isn't going anywhere. I stake out a good spot right on the rail between the entrance to the World Showcase and Mexico for Illuminations and just relaxed and people watched until 9:00. I really enjoyed Illuminations but didn't like how they used lasers to turn Spaceship Earth into a giant billboard for Siemens. I spotted that while sitting on a bench waiting for the crowds to lighten a little bit before heading out.
Sunday:
In the morning my SIL wasn't feeling well so stayed in bed while my brother and I went to the church where they both sing in the choir.
That afternoon my brother, SIL, the same friend from earlier, and I head to Epcot. Most of the way there my brother realized he forgot his Cast ID so we decided to use my SIL's ID and Main Gate instead. We realized after getting through the parking lot gate that my brother did have his Main Gate but not his ID and that my SIL had her ID but not her Main Gate and so we had no way of getting into the parks. We were planning on going to check out the Ikea Store Monday but wound up going Sunday instead. The Ikea Store is huge and full of cheap but nice furniture and things. The store is amazing, I've never been to anyplace like it before.
That evening we go to Pleasure Island I finally get to meet BW in person. We went to a show at the Adventurer's Club before they restricted access and then went to the Comedy Club for a show. Both were lots of fun. After that BW had to leave as he had to work early Monday morning. The rest of us head back to the Adventurer's Club and caught a show in the Mask Room and Library and later I was sworn in as a member. I was picked on some after that. The guy on stage called out to me and we bantered a bit.
After that we wandered a bit and checked out some of the dance clubs before heading home.
Monday:
Monday we went to the Magic Kingdom (my bro, SIL and I) in the late morning. First thing we did was I browsed the Confectionery a while while my bro went to find a particular manager he needed to talk to about something. While in the Confectionery a CM comes out of the backroom with the same name as the manager my bro was looking for. I asked him and it was the guy my bro needed so I called him and they talked a bit while I browsed around Main Street a bit.
My SIL and I then rode the Haunted Mansion while my brother got us FPs for Big Thunder then we met back up and rode Pirates. Nearly had a mad flasher on our boat right behind me but after he took a few flash photos before we even got the Davy Jones in the mist scene I turned around and politely asked him to turn off his flash and either he did or took no more photos as there wasn't another flash from his direction the entire ride. They really do need to add some signs and an announcement about no flash photography on that ride. It would hopefully help a little.
After that we grab some lunch from Pecos Bill's and head over to ride Big Thunder. After that I rode the Liberty Square Riverboat while the guys went off and did their own thing. After that I called them and they told me they were in line for Goofy's Barnstormer so I headed over that way, stopping on the way to buy a Mickey Ice Cream Bar and to take a picture for a family in front of the Toontown Fair sign so they could all be in it. I met the guys at the exit of the Barnstormer and my brother asked me the last time I met Mickey. I couldn't remember when so we headed over to the Judge's Tent.
Here's me with Mickey. Sorry for the blanked face but I don't want my picture getting out on the Internet, especially since I'll be a CM soon enough.
After that we caught the train around to Main Street and headed out. My bro and SIL head to the car while I took the monorail to Epcot. I went over to watch the American Adventure. The Liberty Singers sang before the show and they were wonderful. After the show I head out and meet my bro and SIl in the parking lot at their car as we had to go as she had a rehearsal to be at on the other side of Orlando.
I had stared to get a sore throat the day before and it was real bad by then. I was also feeling a bit light-headed while in Epcot and developed a headache as I left the American Adventure, which turned into a migraine. After dropping my SIL off at rehearsal I got my brother to stop by a Walgreens for some throat medicine (nothing helps my migraines but sleep). I tore into the throat drops I bought right away and collapsed on the sofa bed where I've been sleeping almost as soon as we got into the apartment, after I made a mad dash to the toilet because of another protein spill coming up and not waiting for anyone. I was barely able to keep it down to get inside.
After a few hours I get up and check into my flight online and started researching apartments with my brother looking for a place for me to move to when I do make it down there.
Tuesday:
I flew back home this morning. The only eventful happening happened on the ground. First boarding was delayed by about 10 minutes waiting for the crew and then we were delayed from taxiing away from the terminal because an indicator light in the cockpit indicated the fuel door was open even though it wasn't. We had to wait for somebody to come fix it. We then took off and even though we were flying into a strong headwind which the captain said was slowing us down we were only a few minutes late landing in Pensacola.
Here's a picture I took of a mickey I saw shortly after take off. The area didn't look to be anywhere near Disney so I don't know why it was there.
Magical Moments I Created:
Both of these happened in Studios on Saturday.
The first one was by the Singin' in the Rain Umbrella. I saw a little girl there trying to get it to rain while her parents took pictures. They kept telling her to pull on it but i stepped up and pointed out the trigger in the sidewalk.
The second moment was on the road to R'n'R. After Beauty and the Beast I headed that way intending to give away the two FPs for the ride I had. On the way towards the gate to the ride I overheard this girl ask her dad if they were going to ride Rockin' Roller Coaster. The dad responded they were going to try to. I stepped up and asked if they were going to ride Coaster and the dad said yes. I said something to the effect of "here, have these two Fastpasses for it I don't need". The dad was like "thank you, thank you!" and I just headed on towards the front of the park.
Those are both very small things but sometimes even the smallest things can create big Magic. I can't wait to get down to WDW permanent and start working somewhere where creating magic is part of the job.
On that note, I am working on getting down there. I'm researching apartments and am working on getting the money I need together. I'm going to do my taxes in a few days and I have some other monies coming in which are all going into my "WDW or Bust fund". In a few days I'm also going to talk to my landlady about breaking my lease.
Thursday:
My trip started on Thursday, February 14th with me flying from Pensacola to Orlando. The flight was nice and uneventful. Saw my first stupid guest trick at the passenger pickup area though. Somebody parked their very nice Ford Mustang Shelby GT right by one of the many signs that warn that parking there will result in your vehicle being towed immediately. When I went out there a tow truck was hooking up to the car.
Here is the sign, the top part warns of immediate towing.
And here is the tow truck hooking up to the car.
The guy had to see the sign, it is right outside his damn windshield! When my brother dropped me off today I saw a big red sign warning of immediate towing at the entrance to the drop-off area and I assume there is an identical one at the pickup area. I also saw today a tow truck standing by right outside of the drop-off area.
I had to leave before either the car was pulled away or the owner came out as my SIL was having trouble finding the right area. She tells me to meet her in the parking garage and after a while waiting there with us talking on the phone, her telling me where she was and all,
we figure out we are in the same spot but in two different garages! I was in Garage B and she was in A. After a while and a bunch of driving in circles she finds the correct garage and picks me up. Apparently the Orlando International signs were designed by Goofy's idiot cousin, they get very confusing especially when trying to find Terminal B.
Well, after my SIL's grand tour of the airport's roadways she picks me up and we go to the apartment. After a while I shower get dressed for my Casting Appointment and we leave. I'm not going to go into all the details of my time in Casting but after a while I talked to a Casting representative. We talk for a while and at the end was pretty much told to call about two weeks before I move down and she'll get me into a role. So, to say my Casting session went well would be an understatement. If I could afford to move this minute I would. I'd have a job there right now if I could have moved within two weeks.
There are some really neat murals on the walls of the ramp going up into Casting. One of them was of Walt Disney sitting on a railing overlooking Spaceship Earth with a drawing pad in his hands and Jiminy Cricket floating in front of him. Sorry for the poor quality, I took the picture with my phone as I naturally didn't take my camera with me to a job interview.
After I left Casting I went across the street to Downtown Disney and met up with my SIL and we browsed the shops of the Marketplace for a while. That evening after my brother gets home from work we go out to eat and did some other non-Disney things.
Friday:
Friday was a bad day for me. I was sick as a dog the entire day. I woke up having to protein spill and had to run to the bathroom a number of times that day to either protein spill some more or problems the other direction. I also had a killer migraine all day. The plan that day was to go to my brother's school (he's a music teacher) in the afternoon to watch his choir perform, go to a pep rally after that and then to a charity basketball game between the students and faculty. For some strange reason I didn't go. Late in the afternoon I started to feel a little better and had my brother go out and pick me up some Gatorade, which helped me feel even better. Later in the evening I felt well enough to eat some green beans.
Saturday:
I was feeling a lot better Saturday, though I could still only eat light things. That morning my SIL wasn't feeling well (she has a medical problem that flared up) so she stayed home but my brother, a friend of their's and I went to Animal Kingdom that morning. They head over towards Expedition Everest to get us all Fastpasses while I head straight for Kilimanjaro Safaris to find Big Wallaby. Where the line splits to the two docks I decided to go right. I asked for BW on the dock and found out he was working the other dock. So I didn't get to meet up with him then sadly.
I then meet up with my brother and his friend and we wander a bit and ride Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur. We then make our way back to EE to ride but it was down and didn't come back up before we left.
Then we head over to Studios for a while. The friend and I ride Tower of Terror while my brother sat it out then we go get Fastpasses for Rockin' Roller Coaster. Though it was barely noon the Fastpasses weren't goof until a little after 5:00. We wander up towards the hat and stop to watch High School Musical Pep Rally for a bit. It was pretty fun. I did see one of the performers create some magic, during the scene were the performers and kids from the audience limbo dance I saw one of the performers guiding a very disabled girl's electric wheelchair through the dance. The girl was obviously having a lot of fun.
After a bit more walking my brother and his friend (who drove us) decided to leave as my brother wasn't feeling well while I stayed in the park. My brother gave me his R'n'R Fastpass in case I wanted to ride it twice. I wandered around a bit killing time until the parade and happened upon the Jedi Training show. I watched it for a while then hung out in that area and meandered towards the front for the parade, mostly people watching. I watch the parade and then make my way towards The Backlot Tour. After that I wandered some more and found myself down by the Singin' in the Rain umbrella, where I created a bit of magic for somebody (more details later).
I watched Muppet*Vision 3D and did a few other things to just kill some time. A few minutes before 5:00 I
found myself down by the Beauty and the Beast theatre just in time for the last show of the day. Not even two minutes after I sat down the show started. I really enjoyed the show and as I wasn't feeling up to riding R'n'R I decided to head down that way and find someone to give my FPs to. On my way down the road heading towards R'n'R's gate I created a bit more magic with the FPs, again more details later.
After that I head out to go to the boat launch to ride over to Epcot. On my way down Hollywood Blvd. I run into one of the Streetmosphere performences (one of many I saw around that day). It was hilarious!
I then head on out and take a quiet boat ride to Epcot. I wander a bit, eat dinner at th Electric Umbrella and go ride Nemo and Friends but didn't hang around the Seas long. I wandered and people watched a bit, thought of riding Spaceship Earth but decided I didn't fell like waiting 30 minutes for it, it isn't going anywhere. I stake out a good spot right on the rail between the entrance to the World Showcase and Mexico for Illuminations and just relaxed and people watched until 9:00. I really enjoyed Illuminations but didn't like how they used lasers to turn Spaceship Earth into a giant billboard for Siemens. I spotted that while sitting on a bench waiting for the crowds to lighten a little bit before heading out.
Sunday:
In the morning my SIL wasn't feeling well so stayed in bed while my brother and I went to the church where they both sing in the choir.
That afternoon my brother, SIL, the same friend from earlier, and I head to Epcot. Most of the way there my brother realized he forgot his Cast ID so we decided to use my SIL's ID and Main Gate instead. We realized after getting through the parking lot gate that my brother did have his Main Gate but not his ID and that my SIL had her ID but not her Main Gate and so we had no way of getting into the parks. We were planning on going to check out the Ikea Store Monday but wound up going Sunday instead. The Ikea Store is huge and full of cheap but nice furniture and things. The store is amazing, I've never been to anyplace like it before.
That evening we go to Pleasure Island I finally get to meet BW in person. We went to a show at the Adventurer's Club before they restricted access and then went to the Comedy Club for a show. Both were lots of fun. After that BW had to leave as he had to work early Monday morning. The rest of us head back to the Adventurer's Club and caught a show in the Mask Room and Library and later I was sworn in as a member. I was picked on some after that. The guy on stage called out to me and we bantered a bit.
After that we wandered a bit and checked out some of the dance clubs before heading home.
Monday:
Monday we went to the Magic Kingdom (my bro, SIL and I) in the late morning. First thing we did was I browsed the Confectionery a while while my bro went to find a particular manager he needed to talk to about something. While in the Confectionery a CM comes out of the backroom with the same name as the manager my bro was looking for. I asked him and it was the guy my bro needed so I called him and they talked a bit while I browsed around Main Street a bit.
My SIL and I then rode the Haunted Mansion while my brother got us FPs for Big Thunder then we met back up and rode Pirates. Nearly had a mad flasher on our boat right behind me but after he took a few flash photos before we even got the Davy Jones in the mist scene I turned around and politely asked him to turn off his flash and either he did or took no more photos as there wasn't another flash from his direction the entire ride. They really do need to add some signs and an announcement about no flash photography on that ride. It would hopefully help a little.
After that we grab some lunch from Pecos Bill's and head over to ride Big Thunder. After that I rode the Liberty Square Riverboat while the guys went off and did their own thing. After that I called them and they told me they were in line for Goofy's Barnstormer so I headed over that way, stopping on the way to buy a Mickey Ice Cream Bar and to take a picture for a family in front of the Toontown Fair sign so they could all be in it. I met the guys at the exit of the Barnstormer and my brother asked me the last time I met Mickey. I couldn't remember when so we headed over to the Judge's Tent.
Here's me with Mickey. Sorry for the blanked face but I don't want my picture getting out on the Internet, especially since I'll be a CM soon enough.
After that we caught the train around to Main Street and headed out. My bro and SIL head to the car while I took the monorail to Epcot. I went over to watch the American Adventure. The Liberty Singers sang before the show and they were wonderful. After the show I head out and meet my bro and SIl in the parking lot at their car as we had to go as she had a rehearsal to be at on the other side of Orlando.
I had stared to get a sore throat the day before and it was real bad by then. I was also feeling a bit light-headed while in Epcot and developed a headache as I left the American Adventure, which turned into a migraine. After dropping my SIL off at rehearsal I got my brother to stop by a Walgreens for some throat medicine (nothing helps my migraines but sleep). I tore into the throat drops I bought right away and collapsed on the sofa bed where I've been sleeping almost as soon as we got into the apartment, after I made a mad dash to the toilet because of another protein spill coming up and not waiting for anyone. I was barely able to keep it down to get inside.
After a few hours I get up and check into my flight online and started researching apartments with my brother looking for a place for me to move to when I do make it down there.
Tuesday:
I flew back home this morning. The only eventful happening happened on the ground. First boarding was delayed by about 10 minutes waiting for the crew and then we were delayed from taxiing away from the terminal because an indicator light in the cockpit indicated the fuel door was open even though it wasn't. We had to wait for somebody to come fix it. We then took off and even though we were flying into a strong headwind which the captain said was slowing us down we were only a few minutes late landing in Pensacola.
Here's a picture I took of a mickey I saw shortly after take off. The area didn't look to be anywhere near Disney so I don't know why it was there.
Magical Moments I Created:
Both of these happened in Studios on Saturday.
The first one was by the Singin' in the Rain Umbrella. I saw a little girl there trying to get it to rain while her parents took pictures. They kept telling her to pull on it but i stepped up and pointed out the trigger in the sidewalk.
The second moment was on the road to R'n'R. After Beauty and the Beast I headed that way intending to give away the two FPs for the ride I had. On the way towards the gate to the ride I overheard this girl ask her dad if they were going to ride Rockin' Roller Coaster. The dad responded they were going to try to. I stepped up and asked if they were going to ride Coaster and the dad said yes. I said something to the effect of "here, have these two Fastpasses for it I don't need". The dad was like "thank you, thank you!" and I just headed on towards the front of the park.
Those are both very small things but sometimes even the smallest things can create big Magic. I can't wait to get down to WDW permanent and start working somewhere where creating magic is part of the job.
On that note, I am working on getting down there. I'm researching apartments and am working on getting the money I need together. I'm going to do my taxes in a few days and I have some other monies coming in which are all going into my "WDW or Bust fund". In a few days I'm also going to talk to my landlady about breaking my lease.
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