High Ho! High Ho! It's off to work we go!

So work has been so much fun! Now that I'm getting the hang of things, everything seems a lot easier. I still get the occasional weird question from a guest or a guest that doesn't speak English, but overall I'm having an enjoyable time.

My favorite part is when I greet people and I get to give little kids stickers. Seeing their faces light up as I give them something as simple as a sticker just makes my day. I get to make their day magical!! Apparently we’re only supposed to give them out selectively, but I went sticker CRAZY today! As soon as you let one kid have one, mobs of little children wanting stickers SWARM you! It’s insane, but so much fun.

I got two mentions in our daily newsletter already for doing a good job! Some of the full-time members also orchestrated a valentine’s day exchange like we used to do in elementary school. We all made our own bags and hung them up on the bulletin board. I’m so excited!!

Rumors have been going around that all the CPs at my location are going to be training for the Jedi Training Academy show, and half of us have already started training. Some said that they would love to get away from Muppets, but I’m happy with where I am. I don’t hate it at all. Like some parts of the job can be boring or gross, but it’s good that I’m doing a physically demanding job while I’m young.

I feel like I haven't been to the parks to play in so long. Everyone is on such different schedules and usually when I get off work I'm exhausted and starving so I come home to sleep/eat. I went to Flippers and Menchies the other day and it was delicious!!

I’m also on a hunt for the Muppet Balloon Vinylmation from the Park Series. I need to find it by the end of my program, but I’m having a hard time!!

Training

So for the past 3 days I have been training at The Muppets! I definitely have a different appreciation for cast members and the attractions now that I am always behind the scenes. Being in the park before opening was the most eerie and coolest thing ever.

My trainer's name was James and he was awesome. Muppets seems really relaxed on a bunch of rules in comparison to some other attractions. There are a ton of old ladies that work with me and they are all so sweet! I messed up my spiels a bunch of times, but he said that I've been doing a good job, so I guess it's not that big a deal. I have to stack glasses after people wear them, and I swear we go through a bottle of hand sanitizer a day when doing that!

Costume

Lab Coat

Playing in the parks has been fun. I haven't spent a ton of time in them or taking pictures, but I'm having so much fun! I have never been more exhausted, but I have never been happier at a job or place before. There is just so much that I haven't experienced or seen even though I've been to these parks more than the average person.

Never had such enthusiastic photopass photographers before!

We Trolled Cindy

The FOOD I have eaten this past week. Of course I have spent a lot of money (my mom is going to kill me), but ugh Disney definitely has some of the best food in the same area. I had my first Minnie Mouse apple and it was soo good but soo sweet! I almost couldn't finish it due to the sugar overload!! I can't wait for my first paycheck because otherwise my mother would be cutting me off!!

Onion Volcano!

Good Japanese Stir-fry

Sugar High

I have my performance review tomorrow and I feel like I've forgotten everything! Hopefully I won't fail!

Work It Girl!

You know the feeling when you come back to school after a long vacation? You're excited for a new semester, but you're nervous that you might get lost or not make friends. Yeah, that's what today felt like... except I started working for the mouse.

The day started off with so many uncertainties. Once we got into the casting building there was a holdup at the turnstiles. Those things were confusing! People didn't know how to swipe into the building and there were directions, but when the real cast members are behind you expecting to just go in quickly you start to freak out a little. We ended up running around the building like chickens with our heads cut off because we didn't know where the green room was and there weren't any maps around.

I was lucky and got the funniest guide ever. We spent 2 hours walking around the studios and learning basically everything there is to know about the history and the hidden stories that the Disney Imagineers came up with in their designs. We also got to walk around backstage which was totally mind-boggling. We were walking down sunset boulevard one moment and the next we were in animation courtyard.

The characters were hilarious when we ran into them. Stitch like ran up to our guide and told her he ate Lilo. Gahh love these parks.

The best part of all? I was getting paid for that :)

And now unfortunately I have a 7:30 am - 4 pm shift tomorrow and monday so I'm pretty sure I'm going to be exhausted for the rest of my life. Oh well!!

Day Off #3

So today is probably one of the last days I will be making regular posts. I start training tomorrow and I assume that I will be working and such for most of the days after that. Between work and playing in the parks, I will probably be exhausted every night and nothing noteworthy will happen everyday that will compel me to make a post. But thanks for following along!

Today I went to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom with my roommates. We just happened to catch one of the buses as they were changing drivers so it literally took 2 hours and the bus was sitting at Vista Way for a looong time! But we were able to ride Everest twice and the Safari.

At Magic Kingdom we did the Swiss Robinson Treehouse, Pirates, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and Snow White (before it closes!). We also got Dole Whips, which are always amazing!! We then ran by the parade to get a good viewing spot for Wishes, which was amazing!! The projections on the castle were fantastic!! We then went to Cici's because we were starving and we didn't want to spend a lot of money on dinner.

I didn't really take a lot of pictures, but here are some I took on the safari:

I have my park orientation tomorrow! Time to learn all the backstage secrets even though I already know where Company D and the Cafeteria are at the studios!

Day Off #2

So today was my second day off and I went to Hollywood Studios with a friend that I met at Casting and who will be working with me at the muppets!

It was awesome being able to go into the parks for basically free.
The first ride we got on was Rockin' Rollercoaster and it was awesome! We also did the new Star Tours, Tower of Terror, Muppets, and Backlot Tour. It was a really great way to start off this adventure with someone I hope to be friends with for a long time!

My New Home

We didn't want to pay outrageously high prices for food so we decided to ask where the cast cafeteria in the park was. After meandering around backstage (which felt rebellious in a HUGE way), we eventually found the cafeteria and Company D, which is a cast-exclusive store behind the Magic of Animation attraction. It was so cheap - I got a burger, fries, and a drink for $5!

It was really awesome how nice the Cast Members were when we were lost. I was freaking out that they would yell at us and kick us out because we were in street clothes and didn't have our IDs out, but everyone was really helpful!

Today was also a housing event party called O'Hana and Lilo & Stitch and Mickey & Minnie were taking pictures! There was free pizza, which was amazing because we barely have any food in our apartment, so I was a happy camper. And I made new friends!!!

They Were Dancing And Grooving

Tomorrow is my last day off before the real work starts. I might be going to Animal Kingdom or Epcot or Magic Kingdom with my roommates or people that I met today so we'll see!! I'm definitely starting to love being here in Florida and meeting different people, and I'm getting along great with the roommates that are already here. I'm so glad I made this decision.

First Official CP Picture!