Post-Disney Update

I wanted to give you all an update on what's going on in my life Post-DCP. I'm back in school at Clemson University still studying environmental and natural resources and psychology. I've had a great time catching up with all of my friends from school and getting back into the swing of my "school life."

Something exciting that I currently have going on is that I am the Animal Department Intern at the Greenville Zoo. This means I am working at the zoo helping zookeepers with cleaning, training, enrichment, and diet preparation for a variety of animals. I've had a lot of amazing experiences already, and I would love for you all to check out my zoo intern blog at http://tailsofazoointern.blogspot.com/. 

I've definitely been experiencing some post-DCP depression. I miss my friends from Disney so incredibly much, and it's so hard with them being scattered all over the country and the world, to keep up with one another. I've also had a hard time adjusting to this "homework/school" thing, since I haven't had homework or tests in eight months... So, needless to say, that's been an interesting adjustment I've had to make. I also just miss being surrounded by people like me, who love Disney. Not too many people here get super excited to hear about the new improvements they're making around the theme parks! 

I think the best way to sum up my Post-DCP experience is that it's different. I started a completely new internship at the zoo (which I'm loving), and am back in the swing of my school schedule. It's fair to say that I feel like my heart is split in half and I'll never have it all back in the same place again. Half of my heart lies in Clemson, with my friends, school, and extracurriculars, and the other half lies in Disney, and with the people, memories, and experiences I had there. 

The DCP is certainly a life-changing experience, and I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to have had my life changed for the better because of it. Please continue to keep up with all of my adventures at Tails of a Zoo Intern, and if you have any questions/comments, please feel free to reach out to me! Until next time, always keep on dreaming!

The End.

I'm sitting here, struggling to come up with the words to describe my feelings about my Disney College Program. For those of you who know me personally, you know I'm never at a loss for words, so this is a true rarity. But how can I sum up what has come to be the best 7 months of my entire life into one blog post, and make all of you understand what an incredible, life-changing experience this has been for me? Well, the truth is, I can't, but please bear with me as I try...

It's officially been one week since I arrived home from Orlando. I've been running around, seeing friends and family, trying to get ready to go back to Clemson at the end of the week. People ask me, "so how was Disney?" I'm left with the typical responses, "awesome, so much fun, amazing..etc" I've been telling the same funny stories about crazy guest interactions, my wonderful coworkers, my lifelong friends, and crazy roommates stories. But honestly, I think it's the stories I don't tell that really sum up my college program. It was the nights spent sitting in the apartment with my roommates watching TV and eating ice cream, the days where we would run to the parks to literally only meet one character or do one ride, the time spent at Nemo laughing with my coworkers in the middle of one of our many cast parties, and the way that suddenly, without really thinking about it, friends turned into family and moments turned into memories, that truly shaped my Disney College Program experience.

It's funny to think back to me in January, right before I was leaving for my DCP. I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me. And now, sitting back and reflecting on those magical seven months, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I learned lifelong lessons, made incredible friendships, and truly had the time of my life.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my Disney Dream. Dreams really do come true, and I am so thankful to have had the most incredible experience during my Disney College Program.

As Walt once said, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

And there you have it, my Disney Dream Come True.

August 1 - The Final Goodbyes

August 1st came in way too hard and way too fast. I was looking forward to my last day of work, but the last day of my program? No way. It came with way too many goodbyes and heartbreak, and that just wasn't something I was prepared for. But, before I knew it, August 1st rolled around, and with that, the end of my program.

I had my whole day planned out very strategically. There were certain people and places that I needed to say goodbye to, and I made sure that I got to hit each and every one of them before the day was over. The morning started out with my mom and I arriving to Animal Kingdom bright and early, me clad in my graduation ears and favorite new dress and donning a pin that said "I'm Celebrating DCP Graduation." I went and rode Expedition Everest one more time since it's my favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World. Then, I saw the first show of Festival of the Lion King (FOLK), where I was lucky enough to get VIP seating. FOLK is one of my favorite shows, and a lot of people that I worked with at Nemo also work at FOLK, so it was nice that I got to say one last goodbye to them. FOLK is also where my first tears of the day fell. It's such a beautiful show that captures the essence of Disney, and I just felt so loved and happy there. Maybe it was the special way the performers were treating me (Timon waved and blew kisses at me in the middle of the show), or maybe it was just the reality that my program was finally over, but I started tearing up at the end of the show.

Finale of Festival of the Lion King

After FOLK, my mom and I headed over to Adventurer's Outpost where I met Mickey and Minnie! I hadn't met Mickey and Minnie there yet, and I was really anxious to see what they would think of my graduation ears. Needless to say, they were completely adorable. Mickey kept touching my ears and clapping and Minnie blew me endless amounts of kisses.

Meeting Mickey and Minnie at Adventurer's Outpost

After our lovely meeting with the mice, we headed to Discovery Island to look around the stores and eat at my favorite quick service location on property, Pizzafari. Then we quickly headed over to Finding Nemo, The Musical to catch my last and final viewing of my beloved show.

When I got to Nemo, I felt like a celebrity. I was saying hi to all of my coworkers, many of whom I hadn't seen since my last day of work or even before that. It was so nice to catch up with everyone and get a hug from my Nemo family. I got VIP seating for the show and got to catch up with everyone beforehand, although that wasn't enough for me, so I had to go back out and say goodbye afterwards too. 

Honestly, the show was really hard for me to watch. I got teary eyed at multiple parts, just thinking about how it was my last time seeing this show for such a long time. Then, towards the end during the "that's my dad, that's my son" scene (for those of you who know the show), I just lost it. Hence, cry number two of the day. The idea that I wouldn't be seeing this show I loved for a very long time or seeing these people who truly became my family for who knows how long just completely broke me. I'm talking quivering bottom lip and all, people. I was a mess, I even had to put my sunglasses on before I left the theater so I didn't walk out looking like a blubbering idiot. I cried straight through the last five minutes of the show, but in my opinion, that's a testament to the Cast Members who work at Nemo. My experience would not have been nearly as wonderful had it not been for all of the wonderful people there. 

My mom and I with Marylou, a huge part of my Nemo family

After Nemo, it was time to say goodbye to Animal Kingdom. I had a farewell photoshoot in front of the Tree of Life, where I truly did get to say goodbye to Animal Kingdom. It's been my home away from home, and I truly could not imagine a better place to work, learn, or grow as a person, and I am eternally grateful to the people and park of Animal Kingdom for making my Disney College Program such a wonderful experience.

Always in my heart

While saying goodbye to Animal Kingdom was sad, I still had a large part of my day in front of me. So, with that, my mom and I went off to Magic Kingdom, where we met up with my roommate, Allie, and her parents to watch our last Festival of Fantasy parade together. The parade was amazing, since I was wearing my ears every single character either came up to me or waved to me. The mime from Tangled even came over and gave me a big hug! It was a great experience, and it was nice to be noticed by all of the characters in the parade. It made my last Festival of Fantasy even more special. 

Allie and I celebrating our last Festival of Fantasy together

After Festival of Fantasy, it was time to get on some of my favorite rides. We went on Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Small World, Philhar Magic, Under the Sea, Buzz Lightyear, Laugh Floor, and even got to meet my favorite princess, Ariel, one more time! My dad met up with my mom and I in the middle of this, so it was nice to spend some quality time with my parents during my last day in Disney World.

My favorite princess, Ariel

I also was able to have a mini photoshoot in front of the castle as well, which made me feel like a princess. 

Forever my favorite castle

My family and I were lucky enough to get reservations at Be Our Guest for dinner, which is the restaurant inside Beast's Castle. I had a wonderful time, the meal was excellent, and I even got to "try the grey stuff!" Trust me, it was delicious. After dinner I was able to meet our gracious host, Beast, take some pictures, and explore his castle!

Be Our Guest Restaurant

After dinner, my time left in the Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World was slowly coming to a close. My mom booked the dessert party for us during the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, which was a lot of fun. They had a ton of desserts and also primo viewing spots for Celebrate the Magic and Wishes. Speaking of Celebrate the Magic and Wishes, they were also the third and fourth times I cried that day. Celebrate the Magic is just a wonderful show that pays such tribute to Walt Disney and the legacy he created. I lost it when they had Walt's picture on the castle and him saying "I only hope we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse." I'm so honored to have been a part of Walt's legacy and vision, and this just really got to me. Finally, at the end of Wishes, I bawled like a baby. Wishes is all what Disney is about, making your dreams come true, and the fact that my wish had come true just made my last time seeing it all the more magical and sad.

Tinkerbell flying over the Magic Kingdom during Wishes

After the shows and dessert party, my time was really coming to a close. I had really worn my parents out by that point, so they went back to the resort and I was left in the Magic Kingdom with my roommate, Allie, and my friend from work, Alli. The three of us ran and did Space Mountain one final time before walking along Main Street USA, doing some last minute shopping, and taking some final pictures. The whole experience of saying goodbye to them was unreal. It didn't feel like goodbye, probably because it's impossible to become that close to people and then just decide to never see them again. That's how I felt saying goodbye to all of my friends, coworkers, roommates, and other people I met on the program. How can I just say goodbye to people who have come into my life and changed me for the better? So there I stood, in the middle of Main Street USA, wiping the tears from my eyes as I squeezed some of the best friends I'll ever have goodbye. It was hard, but, as I said before, I know it isn't forever. 

Alli, me, and Allie saying our final
goodbyes to Walt Disney World

So folks, there you have it. My final day in Disney World. It was heart-breaking, wonderful, depressing, exhausting, enchanting, and most importantly, magical, which I would say is an overall summary of my entire Disney College Program. It's hard to believe that 7 months came and passed by so quickly, but the memories I've created, the friends I've made, and the magic I've shared will last me a lifetime. 

So, Walt Disney World, friends, family, coworkers, and everyone: It's not goodbye, it's "see you real soon!"

Disney's Service Celebration

A nice part of the Disney College Program is that they thank their College Program Participants by throwing a service celebration at the end of every program. The celebration that I attended occurred on my second to last day (July 31st) at the Chatham Square field. It was nice to be able to officially "graduate" the program and get my graduation ears and my certificate of completion. However, I was clearly not the only person graduating the program, since we waited in a 40 minute line to check in to the celebration and then a 2 hour line to meet Mickey and Minnie! I thought that was the one thing I was leaving when I departed Disney World - the long lines! Nevertheless, it was worth it, because Mickey and Minnie were very proud of me and it was nice to be able to get some pictures and let loose a little bit. There was music playing, free food, and a lot of people hanging out. After the service celebration I had to go back to my apartment and finish packing up my things, but it was a nice way to unwind and I got some awesome graduation ears (that I had personalized), a nice memory box, a certificate of completion, and most importantly, a great picture with Mickey and Minnie!

My graduation ears

I'm officially a DCP graduate!

My Family's Last Visit

My family's fourth and final visit coincided with the last week of my Disney College Program. They planned it out so that at the end of their visit, my mom would be able to stay and drive home with me and all of my stuff. I'm really glad that they were all able to come down for one final time and we could spend some time together in Disney, especially since it will probably be a few years before we are all in Walt Disney World again. Since this was the longest period of time that they were with me and also because it was the end of my program, their visit was jam-packed with a lot of fun activities and time well spent.

This visit my family was able to stay in the Grand Floridian Villas, and the resort was BEAUTIFUL! It's definitely my new favorite place to stay. It's super convenient since it's on the monorail line and the grounds are gorgeous.

The Villas Lobby

The Grand Floridian Resort

This visit was also particularly nice because I was able to spend a lot of time with my roommate Allie and my family together. We went on a horse and carriage ride through Port Orleans, visited the parks together, ate at Be Our Guest (twice!), watched the Frozen Fireworks Spectacular, saw Fantasmic, ate dinner at Mama Melrose with Allie's family, and they visited me at work. It was a busy, but fun visit. 

Horse and carriage ride through Port Orleans

Dinner at Be Our Guest

Meeting Mickey

Visiting me at work

Although we had a lot of fun together, I was working a lot too, since it was my last week, and I had my last clockout during their visit. It was a weird experience, I was sad that I was done being a Cast Member, but I was happy to be done work at Hollywood Studios. I think if I had still been at Nemo, my last day would have been different, but nevertheless, it was a weird experience clocking out for the last time. 

The last clockout

Clocking out for the last time

The best day with my family was definitely my last day in the parks, but I'll blog about that in another post dedicated solely to my last day. I want to thank my family once again for all of the time they spent traveling down to Florida to visit me, and for supporting me every step of the way during my Disney Dream. It's been a pleasure working for the mouse, and I'm so thankful to have a family that is so supportive of my dreams. Look for a few more posts coming from me about my final goodbyes and last days in Disney World. Until then, keep on dreaming!

The Last Few Weeks

The last few weeks of my Disney College Program were kind of a blur, and in hindsight, I think they needed to be that way in order for me to get through them. Basically after my roommate, Megan, left, I was chomping at the bit to wrap up my program and get home. But then suddenly, it hit me. No matter how much I despised Olaf Distribution, or how hot I was all the time, or how much I was ready to see my dog and cat, or how much I hated the afternoon Florida storms, or how lonesome I was for my family and friends at home - I had only a few weeks left in the most magical place on earth. It started to hit me that whenever I did something in the parks or the resorts, it could very well have been my very last time doing those things for a few years. YEARS - can you imagine that? I've had Walt Disney World as my playground for the past 7 months, and now all of a sudden I'm forced to come to grips with the fact that I won't be doing these rides, seeing these shows, watching these fireworks, or shopping in these stores for another few years. The thought alone was enough to make my stomach churn. I started running around in my free time, determined to make the most of my "last time" doing everything. We went to Universal again, I sat by the pool after work, we went to see movies at the theater, we watched all the fireworks shows, and so much more. I began taking pictures of things I never really thought to take pictures of - the thought was always "oh, I'll see it again." But suddenly, I wasn't going to be seeing, doing, or having anything to do with these things again. It was an overwhelming thought, and I truly believe that's why those last few weeks kind of flew by. In all the time that I wasn't working (even though I was getting scheduled for 6 days a week), I was running around, saying goodbye to my favorite people, places and things. I bought all the things I'd been talking about buying for so long (2 Nemo stuffed animals, the Finding Nemo soundtrack, a Nemo ornament... you get the picture). Anyway, I think you probably get it, I was in a frantic rush to make the most of my time. What had seemed like an eternity was finally coming to an end.

Thanking My Visitors

As my program comes to an end, I've been reflecting back on my entire 7 months here and all of the fun times I've had. One of the best parts of my program has been having people come visit me throughout my time in Orlando! I wanted to dedicate a post to all of the people who have visited me during my program.

My brother, Joey

My sister, Colleen, her friend, Katie, and my parents

Clemson friends Allie & Kaitlyn

My mom and dad

My friend from home, Emily, and her mom

My sister, her friend, Jenn, my mom, and my dad

My best friend from home, Sara, and her family

The Panzer Family

The Todaro Family

All of these visits really made my time here so much better. It seems like every time I was down in the dumps or needing a pick me up, it just so happened that someone would come down and visit, and it completely turned my whole week around. I want to dedicate this post to all of the people who have come to visit me at Disney World these past 7 months. You all have no idea how much it means to me that you wanted to spend your vacation with me! Thanks to all of my family and friends for the support during my Disney College Program, and I can finally say, see you real soon!

Goodbye, Megan

This is a hard post to write - my roommate Megan, who some of you may also know as one of my best friends on this program, left this morning to return to Texas and end her college program. Megan's managers granted her an early release from her program because she had a lot of things she needed to get done at home before she left to go back to school in the beginning of August. I've known Megan was leaving early for a while now, but to be honest, it still hasn't really hit me that she's gone. I'm still expecting her to come home from work later on tonight and ask me about my day! It's sad that I had to say goodbye to such a great friend and a wonderful person, but honestly, the two of us are so close that I know there's no way that this was actually goodbye.

To celebrate Megan's last day, my other roommate, Allie and I agreed to spend the day with her doing the 4 park challenge. Unfortunately, I had to work in the morning, so I only made it to three parks, but it was still a great last day! We went to Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom, met lots of characters, went on all of Megan's favorite rides, and ate a nice dinner at Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet!

We came home, helped Megan finish packing, and then said our goodbyes last night and early this morning. I was so sad to see Megan go, but as I said before, I know I will definitely see her again. I'm excited for all of us to move on to the next chapter of our lives, but it's extremely sad to close this chapter. I've made lifelong friendships on this program and I know for certain that these people have changed my life for the better. Megan, I miss you already and you are forever in my heart of hearts.

As I say goodbye to lots of people and places around Disney World, the lyrics to "We Go On" in Illuminations stick in my mind:

"We go on to the joy and through the tears, 

we go on to discover new frontiers, 

moving on with the current of the years, 

we go on moving forward now as one, 

moving on with a spirit born to run, 

ever on with each rising sun, 

to a new day we go on."

Update on My Deployment

I just wanted to update everyone on how my deployment to Hollywood Studios has been going. I am still doing the same thing as before - handing out Olafs at the main entrance of Hollywood Studios. As I stated in my previous post about HS, the job is somewhat boring and mindless, but I have grown more accustomed to it. I do certain things to make my day more interesting and to pass the time. I really like talking to people, so if at all possible, I try to engage people in conversation about the park, Frozen, etc. instead of just handing them an Olaf and having them walk away. The little kids are also really cute, and it's fun to see how excited they get when I give them an Olaf and tell them all about the Frozen Fun events. The coordinators at the main entrance are all really nice and try to be as helpful as possible; one coordinator even gave me a Four Keys Card the other day to thank me for all of my hardwork and helpfulness. All in all, it's a job that I have to do for two more weeks. I'm trying to make the most of it, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I really do miss my old job at Nemo.

The good thing about my deployment is that it has made it easier to transition to the end of my program. I don't have the connections or emotional attachment to the people or park of Hollywood Studios that I did at Animal Kingdom and Nemo, so it's not going to be as hard to say goodbye in two weeks. I've received my final workweek schedule and my family is arriving for their last trip this Friday, so I'm excited to see them and spend time with them. Although my program is coming to an end and I am going to miss my friends and being in Disney World so much, I know that my time to leave has come. I've learned so much during my DCP and I'm ready to go back home and then back to Clemson and get back into the "real world" and put my skills that I've learned here to good use.

So, for the next two weeks, if anybody happens to be at Hollywood Studios, stop by the Main Entrance and get an Olaf from me! As always, keep on dreaming!

Opening Day at Diagon Alley in Universal Studios

So, let's take a break from my depressing posts about leaving Nemo and handing out Olaf and talk about something super exciting I did last week: OPENED DIAGON ALLEY AT UNIVERSAL! On July 8, Universal Studios had its grand opening of Diagon Alley and King's Cross Station. My friends and I took the day off and decided to go to Universal to celebrate opening day with all of our fellow Potter fans.

Opening day at Diagon Alley

Gringotts Bank (The dragon breathed fire)

Inside Gringotts

We arrived at 6:30 AM (the park didn't open until 9) and did a lot of waiting around. Luckily, we arrived early enough that we were among the first few hundred people to get into the land. At 8 AM, they opened only Diagon Alley, and did a fun opening ceremony where they shot off fireworks. Even with being some of the first people there, we still had to wait 3 hours to get on the ride inside Gringotts Bank. It was a long three hour wait, but finally we got inside Gringotts and onto the ride. Honestly, I found the ride to be disappointing. It definitely was not worth the three hour wait and certainly not worth the 7 hour wait it was later on in the day. Part of the problem may have been that we stopped in the middle of the ride, which took away from the experience, but it still was mediocre at best. Personally, I prefer the ride inside Hogwarts.

Diagon Alley

Although the ride was a slight disappointment, Diagon Alley, King's Cross, and the Hogwarts Express were all really impressive. It was a lot of fun to look around the stores in Diagon Alley, and the ride on the Hogwarts Express was really cool. It was a unanimous decision that the best part of the day was the Butterbeer ice cream (AMAZING). If you're a Harry Potter fan, I definitely recommend checking out Universal Studios and all of the Harry Potter fun there. It was a great (but exhausting) day, and I am so glad that I could have this experience with my Disney friends!

Butterbeer ice cream

Ride selfie

Our new Gryffindor souvenirs 

The First Few Days at Hollywood Studios

If you read my last post, you know that I'm currently working at Hollywood Studios. My official title is "Main Entrance Support" and by that, they really mean handing out Olafs at the main entrance. I was deployed from Animal Kingdom to help out with the Frozen Summer Fun Event. In all honesty, the job is not the most exciting thing in the world. I literally have 6-7 hour shifts where I only hand out Olafs to guests. The one thing I like about the job is that I have a lot of guest interaction; people are constantly asking me questions about the park, how to get places, and about the Frozen Summer Fun events. However, I hate having to be outside in the heat all day, especially since I'm both mentally and physically exhausted after my shift is over. 

With my new job I also have some new hours. I typically work one of two shifts: 9-3:30 or 3:30-10. I like the morning shifts because I finish and have the whole afternoon to do things, but I like the afternoon shifts because I can sleep in and I get to watch the Frozen fireworks at night. 

I am still really missing my job at Nemo and just working at Animal Kingdom in general. I still don't feel 100% comfortable with everything at Hollywood Studios, but I'm learning to just take it one day at a time. I have less than 20 days left in my program, so I know I can get through anything in that short period of time!

If anyone has any specific questions about my deployment, or about deployment in general, let me know!

On With the Show at Disney's Hollywood Studios

So, as I explained in my last post about my last day at Nemo, I have just been deployed to Hollywood Studios. Hollywood Studios recently kicked off its "Frozen Summer Fun" event, which essentially is a summer-long celebration at Hollywood Studios to celebrate Frozen and have people visit the park and participate in all the new events. There is a parade with Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff, a sing-along, an ice-skating rink, and a dance party every day. My understanding of the situation is that Hollywood Studios decided that they would need more people to staff this event, and that Animal Kingdom theater ops decided they were too over-staffed, so they shipped all the CP's from theater ops over to Hollywood Studios (and a few to Magic Kingdom). I wasn't given too much information about my deployment from Animal Kingdom, so when I went to Hollywood Studios this morning, I was really looking forward to getting some answers. I went in with a really positive attitude, thinking that it would be nice to have the opportunity to perform two separate roles in two different parks and it would make me a more versatile Cast Member and person. However, my experience today at Hollywood Studios was certainly an interesting one and not entirely what I was expecting.

Let me start at the beginning. When I arrived at Hollywood Studios this morning, the first part of my On With the Show class began with a park tour. We did a 2.5 hour tour of the entire property, and our leaders informed us about each attraction, restaurant, and merchandise location. I did find this part a little bit boring, especially because I am pretty familiar with Hollywood Studios and I didn't feel like they were telling me anything that I didn't already know. However, I got paid to go on a park tour, and even to ride the Great Movie Ride, so I can't complain too much about that! After our park tour, we had a quick break and then went into the classroom for a brief session about working at Hollywood Studios and being a Disney Cast Member. Since I was deployed from one theme park to another, I felt like a lot of the information was stuff I already knew from working at Animal Kingdom, but still, I understood the need for them to share this information with us, and it was interesting to see how another park handles their orientation and park tour. However, throughout the whole tour, I couldn't help but feel as though I just didn't belong in that park. I love working in Animal Kingdom, and being a conservation biology major, I feel as though that's where I truly belong and feel the most comfortable.

After the park orientation and information session is when the day really took a turn for the worse. I learned that I essentially didn't have a "job" to perform at Hollywood Studios. As of right now, I am scheduled for Olaf distribution shifts at different areas in the park. Basically, another part of the Frozen celebration is that they are handing out Olaf on a stick to people throughout the park and encouraging them to selfie with Olaf and then put the seflies on social media and hopefully have a chance to be displayed during the nighttime fireworks. So, yes, as of right now, my job for the remainder of July will be to hand out Olaf on a stick. Nothing else. Now, that's not to say that tomorrow, when I report to my first real day on the job, that things won't change, but as of now that is what I am scheduled to do. The more disappointing part of it is that no one at Hollywood Studios seemed to have any answers about what we were doing. It actually seemed like someone just made up this job. They weren't sure what costumes to give us, what shoes to have us wear, where to have us meet in the mornings, and they weren't even aware that we were scheduled to be placed all around the park. I understand that my deployment was thrown together very quickly, but I was really disappointed in my whole deployment experience. However, I am extremely hopeful and I have faith in the Disney Cast Members that things will eventually work themselves out. I hope that as the Frozen celebration continues to grow and expand that I will find my place and be happy making magic for the thousands of guests visiting Hollywood Studios. So, for now, look for me handing out Olaf's throughout Hollywood Studios! I will update everyone more once I actually begin to work.

And hey, as for my experience today, some of my favorite Disney characters may fondly remind me to "Let it go..."

My Last Day at Finding Nemo

Well, I have quite the shocking update for those of you who have been following my blog: as of yesterday, I no longer work at Finding Nemo The Musical. Apparently, because It's Tough to Be a Bug is closing for five weeks, the management team decided that the remaining theaters ops attractions would be too "over-staffed" so they decided to deploy all of the college program participants to other parks. As you can probably imagine, I was extremely upset by this news, and not only by this news, but by the way that the news was presented to me. I came into work earlier this week, and found a training schedule with my name on it sitting next to the computer where I clock in. Honestly, at first I thought it was a mistake. I have less than one month left in my program, and I couldn't believe that they would make me leave Nemo, especially since Nemo will still be operating normally for the remainder of my program. However, that was not the case, as I soon discovered that my deployment to Hollywood Studios was NOT a mistake, and I had to begin there almost immediately. I had two days notice that I was leaving Nemo.

I'm going to make more posts about my deployment to Hollywood Studios, but I wanted this post to be dedicated solely to my last day at Nemo. For those of you who know me personally, you know how much I loved my job; and for those of you who don't know me, I hope this blog has conveyed my adoration for Finding Nemo and the Cast Members there. I've always bragged that I had the best job in the college program. So, as you can imagine having to leave Nemo before my time was over, and especially with such short notice, was extremely difficult.

The CPs attempt to make an arrow on stage for our last day together

To make our last day somewhat memorable, we had a mini party for the CPs. We brought in food and desserts and took pictures during the show breaks with all of the Cast working that day. I made sure to say goodbye to everyone that was working, and there was lots of hugging and wishing one another good luck in the future. It's sad to think that I may not see some of these people ever again. It's even more sad that because I had such short notice, I wasn't able to say goodbye to those people who weren't working or who were on vacation. I do plan to visit Nemo again before I leave Disney for good, but visiting just isn't the same as working there. Even though my last working day wasn't even that great (I had all outside positions, I never even saw the show), I was very sad to leave at the end of the day.

My coworkers on the CP's last day at Finding Nemo

To those of you who I said goodbye to and left at Nemo, I miss you already. To those of you who I didn't have the chance to say goodbye to, I hope to get the chance to say goodbye to you before I leave in August. I miss my "Nemo family" already, and I can't believe I won't be back to work again. Working at Nemo has been a true privilege, and I can't imagine my college program without all of you having been a part of it. The Cast at Nemo are remarkable people, with unique personalities that make it an awesome place to work. I hope all my fellow fish remember to always go with the flow!

"Bye Dad"
"Bye son... *big sigh*"

End show.

4th of July in Walt Disney World

The 4th of July is one of the biggest holidays in Walt Disney World. The parks are busy, the resorts are busy, and everyone gathers in the happiest place on earth to celebrate America. Obviously, I was excited to be able to celebrate the 4th in Disney, and I was lucky enough to experience not one, but two, fireworks shows!

On July 3rd, I went to the Magic Kingdom and watched their fireworks show. Because the Magic Kingdom is so popular and usually reaches capacity on the 4th (which it did this year), they began to offer their fireworks display on both the 3rd and the 4th, so that more people could experience it. They were called "perimeter fireworks" because they happened all around the park and the surrounding Bay Lake/Seven Seas Lagoon area. I enjoyed the fireworks display, but I do have to admit that the amount of people there detracted from the show. I was overwhelmed by how many people were crammed on to Main Street, and by the fact that I had absolutely no personal space. I was expecting it to be crowded, but it was so bad that people could barely move. It took me an hour and a half to get back to my apartment from the Magic Kingdom, when it normally only takes me about a half hour! Nevertheless, it was really fun to be able to see the patriotic display, and to sum it up I would say that I am glad I saw it, and I'm glad I never have to see it again!

On the night of July 4th, my coworkers and I went to see Epcot's fireworks display. It was actually really good that we planned it that way, since Magic Kingdom reached capacity during the early afternoon! Anyway, we went to Epcot after work. Epcot was extremely crowded as well, and especially because everyone had to be crowded around the World Showcase Lagoon to see the fireworks. Their fireworks show was a continuation of Illuminations, which is the show every night at Epcot. After Illuminations, they continued with a musical tribute to the United States of America. We were able to get some ice cream, hang out, and then watch the fireworks show at 10:00. We didn't have an awesome view of the fireworks, because there were so many people who had camped out for hours to be in the front row, but the majority of them were in the sky, so it worked out. 

I honestly preferred Epcot's fireworks to Magic Kingdom's. I thought that Epcot's were more patriotic and it was more of what I was looking for on the 4th of July. They had sayings from presidents and other famous Americans, and then in the middle of the fireworks show, they played "I'm Proud to be an American" and the entire park started to sing! It was very moving, and exactly what I was looking for on the 4th. 

My coworkers and me in Epcot for the fireworks

It was fun to be in the parks to celebrate the 4th of July. Although it was crazy and extremely crowded, the fireworks were spectacular. I am way too spoiled with Disney fireworks, and I'm definitely going to miss them when I leave! While I am always proud to be an American, celebrating in Disney World made me also proud to be a Disney Cast Member!

Proud to be an American & a Disney Cast Member!