Hello, Orlando!

I've made it! After about a 15 hour drive from Pennsylvania I am finally here in Orlando!

Yesterday my mom, sister, and I drove all the way from Philadelphia to St. Augustine, Florida. It was a really long day, but we felt very accomplished to have made it to Florida in one day's worth of driving. We left at 4:00am and arrived in St. Augustine around 6:30pm, so needless to say it was an exhausting day. Thankfully, because we got all the way to St. Augustine on the first day, we had a less than 2 hour drive to Orlando this morning! As soon as we arrived, we headed right to the furniture store to buy me a mattress, dresser, and sofa! It was super exciting to be able to pick out my own furniture (I felt like an actual adult) and I was so relieved that we were able to work it out so that my stuff could be delivered on Monday morning to my apartment. After furniture shopping, we grabbed some lunch, went to the grocery store to buy some things for my family for the weekend, and then checked into our hotel. After finally relaxing for a few hours, we headed to Disney Springs (still not sure if I can get used to its new name) for dinner and a fun evening! Disney Springs was almost completely unrecognizable to me - they've made so many changes and improvements since my last visit 2 years ago! It looks fantastic though, and I'm so excited to see how it all comes together once it is completely finished.

Welcome to Disney Springs!

We ate at Paradiso 37, which was somewhere new for all of us! The atmosphere was a lot of fun, the music was great, and we had a beautiful view of the sunset. The minute I saw the sunset I immediately fell in love with Florida all over again. I had to practically pinch myself when I realized I get to call this beautiful state home for the next year (and hopefully longer)!

The first of many Florida sunsets (the pictures doesn't even begin to capture the beauty!)

Tomorrow and Sunday we plan to do some last minute shopping and hopefully hit the Disney parks! There's a tropical storm that is supposed to make landfall in Florida soon, so it looks like a lot of rain is in the forecast for this weekend, but we're hoping to snag a few nice hours in the parks before the torrential downpour reaches Orlando.

I'm so thrilled to actually be here, IN ORLANDO(!), and ready to start this next chapter of my life. I hope you all enjoy following my Disney Dream, because I know for sure I am going to enjoy living it!

How Megan is Handling the Florida Heat

For those of you who have been to Disney World before, or really anywhere in central Florida you will know that it is HOT during the spring/summer. If you vacation in Walt Disney World during these hot summer months, you receive some special treatment such as air conditioning blasting inside, lots of water refills when you eat at a restaurant, and fans located throughout the park blowing air and misting water onto you. All of this is fine and well, and most guests can get through their days with only a minimal amount of discomfort from the heat. However, I CANNOT say the same for all of us Cast Members.

So, you may be asking yourself, "how is Megan handling the Florida heat?" And, my answer to you is: NOT WELL. I'm a Pennsylvania girl; when it gets super hot we usually do indoor activities, and the humidity is no where near what it is in central Florida. When I am at work, we have five inside positions and close to ten or more outdoor positions, so let's just say I pray for inside positions whenever possible! It is extremely hot when you are working outside in the sun. There is some shade that we can find to stand in, but as you can imagine, the shade changes all the time, and we can't all chase the shade the entire day. I've begun to hope for rain each afternoon, just so that it will cool off a little bit! The combination of the Florida heat and humidity has not been good to me. I come home from work super sweaty, a little sunburnt, and exhausted!

Now, let me be clear, I am in no way tortured at work. If ever we are feeling overheated, we have the opportunity to go inside and cool off for a few minutes. We have fresh water available to us at all times, and we can carry water bottles with us wherever we are. We do have those five inside positions, which allows us to be inside for some time. Also, we do get breaks during the day, usually one about every two to three hours. So, while I am extremely hot and uncomfortable at times at work, it's not the end of the world, I promise.

The heat and humidity combination is something everyone should take into account when working in Walt Disney World. Yes, it's the opportunity of a lifetime, but it does come with other factors, such as the weather, that have to be considered! However, I do have to admit, dealing with the heat and humidity of central Florida is just a minor bump in me achieving my Disney Dream!

Universal Studios

Yes, it's true, Disney Cast Members do occasionally cheat on Disney. About a week ago, my roommates and I went to Universal Studios Orlando, and we had a BLAST! It was so much fun to spend time with one another, and as much as I hate to admit it, it was a nice break from Disney as well!

For those of you who don't know me, I am a big Harry Potter fan, so visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was definitely the highlight of the day for me. We had butterbeer, bought chocolate frogs, and rode the ride inside Hogwarts! It was great. I also got to check out some other cool rides, including ET, Men in Black, Spiderman, Dr. Seuss, and many, many others. Universal is broken up into two parks: Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Islands of Adventure has more of the thrill rides (and Harry Potter), while Universal Studios has more of a variety of attractions. I really liked both parks, so much so that I bought an annual pass! Basically, it didn't make sense for me to only buy a one-day-two-park pass, since I am planning on coming back at least one more time before I leave. If you go twice, it's worth it to buy an annual pass. Plus, now I have free parking and 10% discounts at restaurants and merchandise stores in the theme park!

Obligatory first Butterbeer selfie

Hogwarts Express Conductor

Hogwarts

It was also awesome, because we had a lot of celebrity sightings while there! Matthew Lewis and the Phelps twins (Neville Longbottom and George & Fred Weasley) were there doing a press event to promote the new Harry Potter areas opening soon. Jimmy Fallon was also shooting The Tonight Show in Universal all that week, and his musical guest was Pitbull, so I got to see a mini Pitbull concert and see Jimmy Fallon join him on stage! It was really cool to see some celebrities so close. I've now officially seen more celebrities in Universal than I have while working at Animal Kingdom!

Jimmy Fallon & Pitbull

The Phelps Twins & Matthew Lewis

A big part of the reason I bought an annual pass was because on July 8th, the new part of Harry Potter is opening. They are opening Diagon Alley, Gringotts, King's Cross, and the Hogwarts Express, so I am really excited to go back and check out the new additions to Universal Studios. 

So, yes it's true, Disney Cast Members do cheat on Disney; we even buy annual passes to competing theme parks! Jokes aside, Universal was a great time, and I'm so glad I got to spend some quality time with my roommates in the parks. 

Siesta Key Beach Trip

On my day off last week, some friends and I went to the beach! We drove the two hours down to Sarasota, Florida and went to Siesta Key Beach, which is one of the nicest rated beaches in the country! It was BEAUTIFUL, to say the least. We woke up early in the morning, packed up all of our stuff, and drove to the West coast of Florida. We were able to soak up the sun in the white sand beach, swim in the Gulf of Mexico, enjoy the warm Florida weather and spend time with one another! If you ever are in Florida, I highly recommend checking out the beaches. Siesta Key was a great way to decompress after a crazy work week (even though I got a nasty sunburn) and I got to spend time with a lot of great people!

Sea World Trip

While we all love Disney World (obviously), it's occasionally nice to get off property and check out the many other things Orlando has to offer. This afternoon, my roommate, Megan (yes, we have the same name) and I had a "Megan day" and went to Sea World for the first time this program!

We both had a great time during our visit. Sea World is a very unique park, entirely different from Disney. We saw the Killer Whale show, the Sea Lion and Otter show, saw polar bears, dolphins, beluga whales, flamingos, birds, sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, and tons of other animals. We also had some cool experiences, such as feeding the otters and going on the two roller coasters there. The first one we went on, The Kraken, was crazy. We went upside down at least four times and went so fast! Megan and I thought that was crazy enough, until we went on Manta! On this roller coaster, you ride parallel to the ground and it is literally the scariest thing I have ever done (but so much fun)!

Being the animal lover that I am, I absolutely adored Sea World. I loved the shows, the atmosphere, and getting to see all of the different animals and learn more about them.

To say the least, "Megan day" was extremely fun and successful!!

Sea World Visit

2nd Family Visit

A large part of the reason I was so behind in my posting was that just last week I received my second visit from my mom and dad! It was awesome to see my parents, and this time, they stayed for an entire week, so I had plenty of mom and dad time to myself!

For this visit, we stayed at Bay Lake at the Contemporary Resort. I love staying here because it's within walking distance to Magic Kingdom AND has a monorail run right through the Contemporary, so it's easy to get to Epcot as well! Also, the resort is just really nice and has an all around great feel to it.

I did a lot of fun things during their visit! The first day included a trip to the Kennedy Space Center, which was so much cooler than I expected! I was expecting a museum type thing, but it was actually its own park! We got to see a lot of cool exhibits, including the Atlantis Space Shuttle and the Space Shuttle Launch Center. If you're ever in the Orlando area and have some time to spend away from Disney World, I highly recommend the Kennedy Space Center!

During their visit, we also had a trip to Gatorland. I have to say, Gatorland was not my favorite place, but please keep in mind that these thoughts are coming from me, a conservation biology major who wants to go into the animal training and care field. I personally thought that the conditions in Gatorland were not up to the standards that they should be. I was really against the use of gators for certain forms of entertainment (like paying $8 to sit on a gator... is that even humane???). However, while Gatorland was extremely cheesy and not my personal cup of tea, I have to admit that they did try their best to spread conservation messages to the public. And hey, my dad loved it!

I also had the chance to cross something off my bucket list during the visit - scuba diving in The Seas! The experience was AMAZING. If you're ever going to scuba dive, I highly recommend The Seas! It is like luxury diving; you don't have to clean or put away your equipment, you get a towel handed to you as you get out, and you have a warm shower waiting for you immediately! In addition to the great Guest service that Disney provided for the experience, actually getting into the tank and diving was awesome. I felt like a celebrity because I got to go up to the windows and wave to all of the Guests! I even had some people take pictures of me! Aside from all of the people watching and waving, I got to swim alongside sharks, stingrays, and sea turtles. Honestly, this was one of the best things I've done on my program. If you are scuba certified YOU MUST GO DIVING IN THE SEAS!!!! Take my word for it, it's well worth it!

Your local celebrity Megan scuba diving in The Seas

Finally, my parents were amazing and scheduled a fireworks cruise for us and some of my friends! We got to meet at the dock at the Contemporary Resort and take our own private boat out into Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Afterwards, we all got to hang out at the top of Bay Lake Resort at the Top of the World bar and lounge. It's reserved exclusively for vacation club members staying at Bay Lake Tower, so we felt really special that we even got to go up there! Plus, the views of the Magic Kingdom were amazing. The whole thing was awesome, and I was so glad to get to spend some time with both my friends and family. It was a beautiful night with great people!

My friends and I on the boat

Wishes from the Seven Seas Lagoon

In addition to all of our fun activities, I also had the opportunity to eat in some great restaurants with my parents, including Narcoossee's (Grand Floridian), California Grill (Contemporary), Tutto Ristorante (Italy - Epcot), Fifty's Prime Time Cafe (Hollywood Studios) and Le Cellier (Canada - Epcot). All of these restaurants are great and I most definitely recommend them. Plus, they are all excellent dining experiences in the Walt Disney World Resort, and it's always nice to get spoiled a little bit while on vacation!

So, to summarize, I had a great time with my family when they came to visit me. Thanks once again, Mom and Dad, for a great visit and for all of the fun things we did! You guys are both the best!

Love you guys!

And to the rest of you, thanks for sticking with me and reading this whole post! If you have any questions or need recommendations for activities from me, please let me know! I love to help other people plan their fun vacations/visits/etc. 

Until next time... keep on dreaming

Program Update #1

A lot has happened since my last post, so I wanted to make a general program update to let you know about all of the cool things that have been going on during my DCP.

First, I finally got to see the new Festival of Fantasy parade at the Magic Kingdom! It was amazing! It's great to see some of the new characters making their first parade debuts, and the floats are truly spectacular. The amount of detail on each one is enough to make your head spin! Here are some pictures from the parade.

The parks are definitely getting more crowded since it's spring break season, and with the crowds of course come a lot of changes at work. Almost every day we make a slight modification to the loading process at Nemo, which keeps things interesting! After all, Walt did say "We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

My friends and I have been planning a lot of fun days and activities, with the most recent being the Miley Cyrus Bangerz tour in Orlando! Five of us bought tickets to the concert in the Amway Center in Downtown Orlando. It was seriously so crazy (as expected with Miley) but a ton of fun and a great way to spend time together. 

In the middle of all of this fun, we've also had other issues to worry about, like passing the second round of inspections! We all cleaned for a couple of days leading up to inspections, and this time around we got inspected on the second day of inspections! I was in the apartment when they inspected us, so I got more of an idea as to what they did. Honestly, it was so quick. There were three people that came in, looked all over our apartment, and then told us if we needed to improve in any areas or if we were doing a good job. We passed with flying colors and got our 2nd White Glove Award! I'd say we are doing pretty well with inspections, well that, or the other apartments in the complex are just really dirty and gross...

Anyway, I have a lot planned in the next few days. I have a Meet & Greet tomorrow with my teacher to talk about how I should approach the rest of my program, an advising meeting with my Clemson advisor for next year on Thursday, my last two classes of environmentality and sustainability, and even some fun play time at the parks and resorts. Be sure to stay tuned for my posts in the next few weeks!

I hope everyone is having a magical day, and remember to keep on dreaming!

Officially Here!

After about an 18 hour car ride, I have finally made it to Orlando! Last night my mom and I stopped in Savannah, Georgia for the night and got up this morning and drove the rest of the way to Orlando. We checked into a hotel not too far outside Disney, and tomorrow we plan to check into Saratoga Springs, which is on Disney property! The plan is to get up early tomorrow and head to the Magic Kingdom so that my mom and I can spend our last day together in the park before I officially become a Disney cast member!

I got an email today about being drug tested during my arrival, which makes me think/hope that I will be at an attraction where I will be operating a vehicle/ensuring guests' safety, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed about me being assigned to a "good" ride!!

After we arrived this afternoon, we headed over to Downtown Disney! We saw the movie Frozen (my second time) at the dine in movie theaters and then walked around the shops for a little while! It was a really nice night and my mom and I both enjoyed the warm Florida weather.

My first picture of the trip! The sign behind me says "Welcome Home"

It's crazy to think that after tomorrow, my journey begins as a Disney cast member. My nervousness has officially exceeded my excitement at this point, but I know that once I check in and get into the groove of things that I will be just fine!

I can't wait to get into the Magic Kingdom tomorrow! Hope everyone has Disney dreams tonight (: