Well, I've had several people tell me I need to update again, because apparently I'm not writing often enough. I feel like I don't really have too much to say about happenings around here recently though. I've had a dry spell when it comes to particularly good princesses, so I don't really have many stories to tell... Well, that's not true, I have several nightmarish stories involving the princesses, but I want to keep the stories on here on the positive end. :)
I worked my second week at DTD and then came back to the Castle this week. And checked my schedule to find... tada! I've been deployed yet again! So next Sunday I'm back at DTD for another week. It's odd to me that I keep getting deployed there--and also extremely fortunate. I love working there, and I feel like I have more fun with the princesses, because I have more chances to actually play with them. I spent the majority of last week sitting in the Princess Room of WoD playing Princess Bingo, Name That Castle, and Tic Tac Toe with carriage and crown pieces. It was a lot of fun being able to do that, not to mention amazing that I was actually allowed to SIT onstage. I would just bring the games with me, sit on the floor somewhere in the store, and then ask random kids passing by if they'd like to play with me. So I'd have this big group of kids all sitting around me, and we'd play the different games, and, of course, everyone is a winner, so they all got Mickey stickers. I don't know what it is about stickers, but everybody loves them, so they were always thrilled. Even though it was pretty obvious that they were going to get a sticker anyways, they always seemed to be really proud of themselves for winning it.
Something that surprised me: You would think that the 4th of July would be a really busy day, right? Well, for the parks it was. For the boutique? Not at all. I didn't actually work on the 4th, I ended up calling in sick and felt really bad for ditching out when they were probably swamped with guests. Not so. I was scheduled at DTD for that day, and they only had 40 reservations. 40! That's unheard of! They ended up taking 50 walk ins that day, and that's STILL not that many princesses. 90 for an entire day? Bad news. It means the boutique doesn't make budget. That entire week was really slow, so the DTD boutique didn't make budget once that week. The Castle, on the other hand, apparently had an hour wait time, which... means they were really struggling. The worst wait time we normally have is a half hour. Once I found out that DTD only had 40 reservations, I didn't feel nearly as bad for calling in.
In other news, I have a month of work left from yesterday. A month from today is when I'll be leaving Florida, and it's crazy to think about. Four weeks! There's still so much I haven't done in Florida yet. I still need to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I need to see more of the parks, I need to eat more delicious food at Epcot (I've only managed to hit Japan and China... go figure. Every time I'm in there I go straight for those two when I'm hungry), I need to go to the beach, etc.
There was a pretty cool story from yesterday at the boutique. It seems the interesting things always happen when I'm at tea. I'm always sitting underground eating when a FGIT comes in and tells me about all the excitement happening upstairs. Yesterday's fun was a lightning storm. Pretty common, happens every day. But this particular lightning storm struck a little closer than usual... and by 'a little closer' I mean, 'It struck outside of Mrs. Pott's gift shop in Fantasyland near the Tea Cups.' I guess it was crazy--it was super loud, everyone panicked, and all of the princesses in the boutique got scared from the loud clap of thunder that came with it, and they all started crying. So the boutique was full of crying princesses, scared because of this insane thunder happening outside, and the people outside are afraid for their lives because the lightning hit right in Fantasyland, so they're all trying to hide in the Castle (which just causes chaos and little kids get trampled, because it's a small space). All in all, it was a bit frantic upstairs. Meanwhile, I'm sitting underground, no clue that its even raining outside (it was sunny when I went downstairs five minutes before), eating my sun-dried tomato pesto pasta (which was delicious, in case you were wondering), with no idea what's happening upstairs. A few minutes later Hayley, a FGIT from BYU-I, comes into the Mouseketeria and tells me all about it. I always miss the good stuff.
I also happened to be underground when Ebony had a princess with a tick in her hair, when we had three Pumba princesses in a row, when somebody passed out in the stock room, when a princess peed in her chair, when there was blood on a chair and they had to call custodial to come clean it up (it wasn't anything serious, I don't know exactly what happened, just that there was blood on the chair), when a princess threw up in her chair... the list goes on. And I was always downstairs, eating in the Mouseketeria. They probably plan my teas so that I'll miss all the excitement. :)
We got a letter from management at our housing complex this morning, talking about all of the checkout procedures for when we leave. It starts off with something to the effect of: You're leaving soon! Here's what you need to do: turn in your keys, clean your apartment, etc. I saw it and I thought: ....I still have a month till I leave. What are they telling me this for NOW? Can't wait to get rid of me, eh? This place kicks people out so quick--you have to be out of the apartment by 11 AM the day after your last day of work. So most likely I'll be scheduled to work till 8 PM on Thursday, and they want me out by 11 on Friday. Good thing for them that my flight is at 9 or something, so I'll be long gone by 11, but still. Nice to know they give us a little time to pack up and leave.
Other than that, not much is happening. Going back to DTD again next week, and that'll be exciting. I had been hoping I'd be deployed again another time before I leave, and I was. So thank you, random computer selection! Apparently they just put in the number of how many people they want to deploy, and the computer picks people at random to fill the spot. I guess the system must love my perner number, since I'm the only one to go this often. I'm not complaining though. I'm liking this favoritism. When I showed up last week, several of the DTD FGITs shouted, "Caitlin! You're back! I love you!" Good to know I made a good impression on them--I was a little surprised, actually, cause I had felt that I really didn't get to know any of them well the first week. But... they can like me if they want to. That's always a good thing, right? :) We'll see what their reaction is next week--especially since Melissa is going back with me, and they were asking about her last week.
TTFN--ta ta for now!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
DTD Again?!
Well, I've been deployed again! After my week at DTD, I spent another two weeks at the Castle and then tada! They deployed me to DTD again! So I've been down there this week, and it's been lots of fun. I really enjoy working at the DTD location, and some of the girls there are really sweet. When I came in my first day of the week, one of the girls, Tonna, saw me and shouted, "Caitlin's back! Hooray! I love Caitlin!" Needless to say, I was a little surprised by the reaction, because I hadn't felt that I'd really gotten that close to anyone there, though I did enjoy their company. But it was great to see that apparently I'd made a good impression on them and they were all happy to have me back. I'm definitely going to try to pick up/trade more shifts at DTD, because the atmosphere there is just so much more upbeat and fun than at the Castle. I work quickly, the day passes by faster, and there's less acting that goes on. The Castle is so much more reserved and quiet and all about the sweet fairy godmothers rather than fun fairy godmothers.
They also let me do a lot more since this is my second time there. Apparently in the mornings they have two people stand at the front doors to pixie dust people and walk princesses back to the boutique, since the rest of WoD opens a half hour after us. They also let me go stand in other parts of the store and pixie dust guests during slow parts of the day. They happened to assign me to the Great Hall North location, which is apparently the best spot to be, because you get to stand in the doorway and watch the guest performances on the huge stage in front of WoD. So I got to watch some dance company perform twice that day. I did the Princess Parade again, which is always good fun, and there were some girls who didn't make it in time to be in the parade, so we did a magical moment and all of the fairy godmothers from the parade stood with these girls and did a photo shoot with our banners and everything in front of the carousel. Apparently that day a lot of guests talked to our managers and told us that we were amazing and did a wonderful job, so then we in turn got praised by our managers, and that's always good. It's nice when the managers tell us they're proud of us and that we're making magic on our own, instead of having them tell us that we're behind in budget, we need to find something to do, or we need to treat all guests equal (which is usually the talk we get).
I also got to do a lot of stocking, which is unusual for me because they usually ask me to be on the floor (in the Castle and DTD), but since we were slow and they liked me, they told me I could stock for a while, so I got to be backstage for a while, SITTING (which is heaven), and not having to smile at everyone. I swear I have a permanent smile etched on my face. It's definitely not a bad thing though--I know that in the past I often looked really unhappy just because I naturally look like I'm scowling if I'm not paying attention to what I'm doing. But I've been trying really hard since coming here to smile all the time, even if it's just a little smile, and it's gotten to be habit now. My cheeks hurt all the time from it, but I've also had several people tell me that I must be the happiest person on earth because I'm always smiling. Some of the DTD girls call me Smiles because of it, and I'm not complaining. I'm glad I was able to change my old habit, even if my cheeks are always sore :)
I've had a few funny stories with some guests this past week at DTD, so I'll just share a few. I was standing outside pixie dusting princesses, and so I asked this one girl and the father stops and asks, "How much does it cost?" And so I reply, "All you have to do is make a wish, and that's it." So he gets all excited and starts scrambling for his phone explaining that he has another daughter who would LOVE pixie dust and he needs to call his wife to bring her over. So I pixie dust the one girl, and the guy is talking to his wife on the phone talking about how its "the cutest thing ever" and then hangs up, looks at me, and says very seriously, "I'll be right back. Don't. Move." So he goes running off with his daughter (literally), and about ten minutes later I see him sprinting towards me (mind you, it's about 95 degrees with 100% humidity at this point), and is gasping for air as he stops in front of me. I don't know why he ran, seeing as his wife and two daughters were way behind him, and I was going to pixie dust the daughter, so.... running only served to make him sweatier, but he shouted, "We're back!" and made his other daughter run up to me. Afterward, both girls gave me hugs and he thanked me over and over again for making their day. Oh what a plastic wand with a pink star full of glitter can do.
That same day as I was standing outside pixie dusting, two men were passing by me to enter the store, and one stopped and looked at me and said, "I really hope you don't turn into a frog." I was a little confused at first, thinking, well... princes are the ones who are the frogs, are they not? But then I remembered that it wasn't so anymore, not since the Princess and the Frog came out, so I said, "I'll try my hardest not to," and he said, "Good. Cause you're far too pretty to be a frog. Good day." I have had guests say some of the oddest things to me when I'm working at DTD. The last time I was there, I was sitting at the bus stop waiting for the CP bus, and a guy sat next to me and said, "Are you Cinderella?" I replied, "No, I'm not, but I live in her castle and I'm training to be a fairy godmother like hers." So he pulls out his phone, calls his 10 year old son, and says, "Son, get this--I'm sitting next to the Fairy Godmother. No, I'm serious, I'm sitting next to her at the bus stop!" Apparently his son wasn't having it, so he asked if I could talk to his son. So he hands me his phone and I ask the kid what his name is, how old he is, and that yes, I am a fairy godmother in training. Then the father asked if he could take a picture of me to prove it to his son, because apparently when I gave the phone back, the son was convinced that I was just some random girl his dad had stopped on the street and asked to pretend to be a fairy godmother. The next day I got off work at the same time, and the guy was passing by, saw me, and pointed and shouted at his son, "See! I TOLD you she was real! That's her!" So I waved, told them I hoped they had a magical evening, and they left. I swear, I should get paid for the time I sit at that bus stop, because I'm still on stage and I still have to be in character, give directions, take pictures, sign autographs, etc. I'm still working until I actually get on the bus, and even then, sometimes we have to smile and look nice while we're still in the parking lot on the bus because people can see us through the windows.
In other news, I have a month and one week until my program ends! I'm enjoying my time here, but my body is starting to really protest and I'll be glad for the break when it comes. Standing nonstop, twisting, bending, kneeling, running, dodging, etc wears on you fast when you do it that long that frequently. It'll also be nice to sleep in a comfortable bed again. I won't miss the rock I sleep on right now at all. :)
That's about it for now. I have another three days at DTD before I go back to the Castle. I'm hoping to get deployed to DTD again, and if not, I want to try to trade some shifts. I know that some girls at DTD like working in the Castle, so maybe they'll switch with me. :)
They also let me do a lot more since this is my second time there. Apparently in the mornings they have two people stand at the front doors to pixie dust people and walk princesses back to the boutique, since the rest of WoD opens a half hour after us. They also let me go stand in other parts of the store and pixie dust guests during slow parts of the day. They happened to assign me to the Great Hall North location, which is apparently the best spot to be, because you get to stand in the doorway and watch the guest performances on the huge stage in front of WoD. So I got to watch some dance company perform twice that day. I did the Princess Parade again, which is always good fun, and there were some girls who didn't make it in time to be in the parade, so we did a magical moment and all of the fairy godmothers from the parade stood with these girls and did a photo shoot with our banners and everything in front of the carousel. Apparently that day a lot of guests talked to our managers and told us that we were amazing and did a wonderful job, so then we in turn got praised by our managers, and that's always good. It's nice when the managers tell us they're proud of us and that we're making magic on our own, instead of having them tell us that we're behind in budget, we need to find something to do, or we need to treat all guests equal (which is usually the talk we get).
I also got to do a lot of stocking, which is unusual for me because they usually ask me to be on the floor (in the Castle and DTD), but since we were slow and they liked me, they told me I could stock for a while, so I got to be backstage for a while, SITTING (which is heaven), and not having to smile at everyone. I swear I have a permanent smile etched on my face. It's definitely not a bad thing though--I know that in the past I often looked really unhappy just because I naturally look like I'm scowling if I'm not paying attention to what I'm doing. But I've been trying really hard since coming here to smile all the time, even if it's just a little smile, and it's gotten to be habit now. My cheeks hurt all the time from it, but I've also had several people tell me that I must be the happiest person on earth because I'm always smiling. Some of the DTD girls call me Smiles because of it, and I'm not complaining. I'm glad I was able to change my old habit, even if my cheeks are always sore :)
I've had a few funny stories with some guests this past week at DTD, so I'll just share a few. I was standing outside pixie dusting princesses, and so I asked this one girl and the father stops and asks, "How much does it cost?" And so I reply, "All you have to do is make a wish, and that's it." So he gets all excited and starts scrambling for his phone explaining that he has another daughter who would LOVE pixie dust and he needs to call his wife to bring her over. So I pixie dust the one girl, and the guy is talking to his wife on the phone talking about how its "the cutest thing ever" and then hangs up, looks at me, and says very seriously, "I'll be right back. Don't. Move." So he goes running off with his daughter (literally), and about ten minutes later I see him sprinting towards me (mind you, it's about 95 degrees with 100% humidity at this point), and is gasping for air as he stops in front of me. I don't know why he ran, seeing as his wife and two daughters were way behind him, and I was going to pixie dust the daughter, so.... running only served to make him sweatier, but he shouted, "We're back!" and made his other daughter run up to me. Afterward, both girls gave me hugs and he thanked me over and over again for making their day. Oh what a plastic wand with a pink star full of glitter can do.
That same day as I was standing outside pixie dusting, two men were passing by me to enter the store, and one stopped and looked at me and said, "I really hope you don't turn into a frog." I was a little confused at first, thinking, well... princes are the ones who are the frogs, are they not? But then I remembered that it wasn't so anymore, not since the Princess and the Frog came out, so I said, "I'll try my hardest not to," and he said, "Good. Cause you're far too pretty to be a frog. Good day." I have had guests say some of the oddest things to me when I'm working at DTD. The last time I was there, I was sitting at the bus stop waiting for the CP bus, and a guy sat next to me and said, "Are you Cinderella?" I replied, "No, I'm not, but I live in her castle and I'm training to be a fairy godmother like hers." So he pulls out his phone, calls his 10 year old son, and says, "Son, get this--I'm sitting next to the Fairy Godmother. No, I'm serious, I'm sitting next to her at the bus stop!" Apparently his son wasn't having it, so he asked if I could talk to his son. So he hands me his phone and I ask the kid what his name is, how old he is, and that yes, I am a fairy godmother in training. Then the father asked if he could take a picture of me to prove it to his son, because apparently when I gave the phone back, the son was convinced that I was just some random girl his dad had stopped on the street and asked to pretend to be a fairy godmother. The next day I got off work at the same time, and the guy was passing by, saw me, and pointed and shouted at his son, "See! I TOLD you she was real! That's her!" So I waved, told them I hoped they had a magical evening, and they left. I swear, I should get paid for the time I sit at that bus stop, because I'm still on stage and I still have to be in character, give directions, take pictures, sign autographs, etc. I'm still working until I actually get on the bus, and even then, sometimes we have to smile and look nice while we're still in the parking lot on the bus because people can see us through the windows.
In other news, I have a month and one week until my program ends! I'm enjoying my time here, but my body is starting to really protest and I'll be glad for the break when it comes. Standing nonstop, twisting, bending, kneeling, running, dodging, etc wears on you fast when you do it that long that frequently. It'll also be nice to sleep in a comfortable bed again. I won't miss the rock I sleep on right now at all. :)
That's about it for now. I have another three days at DTD before I go back to the Castle. I'm hoping to get deployed to DTD again, and if not, I want to try to trade some shifts. I know that some girls at DTD like working in the Castle, so maybe they'll switch with me. :)
Friday, June 25, 2010
DTD and Licensing
After much harassment and guilt trips, I have decided to update again. :)
I'm officially at my two month mark tomorrow (which also happens to be Lauren's 8th birthday!), and it's crazy that I'm now more than halfway done with my internship. It started off slow (unbelievably so) but now I have that split feeling where part of me feels as if I've lived in Florida forever and part of me thinks I got here two weeks ago. I'm starting to get rid of the "I just got here" feeling, though, and I'm mainly feeling that I've been in Florida all my life. I won't lie, I'll miss Florida when I have to leave it. I love the state, even if the job is tiring.
Last week was my
week of deployment to DTD (Downtown Disney). It was interesting to say the least. The boutique there is SO much different than the Castle, enough that I can honestly say I don't think they should both be called the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. I think they should be entirely different boutiques, because they cater to different age groups, different types of people, different personalities, etc. Everything about is different, except the hairstyles they offer (and even then, they do their hairstyles differently, so that's semi-debatable). On the left is the DTD costume, which, I personally think, is much uglier. It also doesn't breathe as well, and the boutique there is SO much hotter than the Castle, so I was sweating all the time in there. It was gross.
First off, I got a mixed welcome. Half of the DTD girls welcomed me with smiles and were glad to meet me and have my help. The other half... well, they glared and said "Oh. You're from the CASTLE. Well. We do things differently here." Needless to say, some of the DTD girls harbor resentment towards the Castle girls, which I find rather pointless and baseless. The only reason they dislike Castle girls is because we took their customers. But honestly, who would want to get their hair done in WoD (World of Disney store) when they could get it done in Cinderella's Castle? The DTD location was the first Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at DisneyWorld, and so some of them have this sense of superiority because "they were first." Some of the FGITs in there have been there since opening, so they're very territorial about it, which is understandable, but not enough for some of their hatred towards the Castle. I was told that Castle girls are "stuffy" and "boring" and "high and mighty." I can see how they'd get that opinion of us in all honesty, because we do have a higher bar set than DTD, simply because we're in the MK and people expect us to create magic right and left (example: guests sometimes honestly believe that we can control the weather and get legitimately angry at us when we don't stop the daily thunderstorm). We also work in a CASTLE. That creates an entirely different character for us to play, and there is a lot more acting that goes on in the Castle than DTD.
The atmosphere in the two boutiques is extremely different. First off, the Castle boutique LOOKS like it belongs in a Castle. There's light blue drapes everywhere, crowns, chandeliers, fancy wall sconces, and the mirrors have these beautiful giant frames around them. The chairs are a light blue, the seating is all in reds and golds, and everything just looks classy. The music is quiet, and it's all princess songs/instrumentals from movies. DTD, on the other hand, is all hot pink and white. The chairs look more like salon chairs, with a plastic hot pink back, and the seating is pink as well. The mirrors are this plastic looking gold frame that looks like it belongs in a Barbie playhouse rather than the boutique (no offense), and it's really bright in there. The music is stuff like S Club 7, the Cheetah Girls, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and Freaky Friday. Tween pop, basically. What kills me is that I know all of those songs in DTD and remember them from when I was the age of the kids I'm doing, and when I ask if they know those songs, they have no idea. Why they're still playing those songs, even though no kids who come in recognize them anymore, is beyond me.
Because of the different atmospheres and locations, there are two different types of guests, I've discovered. The Castle gets, well, classier people. There's really no other way to say it. The people in the Castle are not only paying the $210 for the princess makeover, but they also paid the $80 something it cost to get into the MK. And most of these people have reservations for Cinderella's Royal Table, where, on average, one adult plate costs $40. They tend to also have reservations for the Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's, two other expensive character dining spots. They also tend to stay in the big resorts here. So obviously these people are a bit wealthier, more willing to spend, and want quality in their experience. DTD, on the other hand, has no admission to the area, and so anyone can just walk in and get an appointment. Most of the people there are also only getting the $50 princess makeover, and, sadly, most of them live in trailers. I don't mean to be rude when I say it, it's just true that when I asked a lot of princesses where their castle was, they said in a thick southern twang, "I don't live in a castle, I live in a trailer." It's just a different crowd.
The other difference is the age group. The Castle gets mainly 3-5 year olds, and then 20+. Sometimes a few teenagers, mostly 14+, but not many, unless there are four generations getting their hair done together, which is always fun. DTD gets a lot of 7-10 year olds, and a few tweens. I think I did one three year old in the entire week that I was there, and that was surprising to me, because that's about the only age group I work with at the castle. It threw me off at first, because I didn't have any practice working with that age group as a fairy godmother, not to mention I didn't know any of the scripted stories they tell at DTD. All of my stories usually relate to the castle, so they were irrelevant at DTD. I was able to use a few things, though, such as the question "How old do you think I am?" which always gets some interesting answers. I had one girl tell me I looked 46. When I told her I was 200 and asked if I looked my age, she looked at me seriously and then nodded and said, "Yep, I see it." Her mom was laughing her head off, and I'm just sitting there thinking, "I really hope I NEVER look 200 years old."
It got easier to talk to the 7-10 group, though, and it was a lot less tiring, that's for sure. For one, they sit still. Two, I can ask them about school, sports, hobbies, etc, and I can talk to them more as a friend than as a fairy godmother spewing lies to little kids (which is how I tend to feel at the Castle). My voice also got a nice break, because I didn't have to talk in a higher pitched voice all day--I could use my own without them thinking I sounded rude, which was nice. In the Castle, if you don't raise your voice about an octave, you sound grumpy and the little kids are afraid of you. It's just how it works. I ended up losing my voice for a week because of the constant strain on it to talk in a higher pitch.
My first day at DTD I was scheduled for the night podium shift, which is something the Castle doesn't have, so I wasn't trained for it. It was probably my favorite shift so far. It was 4-10 PM, and so I got all morning to do stuff, take my time, and then head to work. The boutique closes at 8, so everyone leaves then. Whoever has night podium is the only one left in the boutique, and you just stand up front at the podium (which is in the princess room of WoD), and make reservations. However, we don't make reservations at the Castle, so they just handed me a pixie dust wand and told me to tell people to use the Pink Phone (there's a giant pink phone at the registers in the WoD which connects you to the Reservation Office). So I stood there for two hours with this giant crowd of kids around me (and adults), and I gave them all pixie dust. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of acting on my part. My voice was dead by 10, because I'd been talking in a higher pitch with no break, but it was a lot of fun to pretend to be this sweet little fairy godmother granting wishes.
There was one little boy whose sister had gotten pixie dust, and I asked if the prince would like some as well, and he's like, "Welllll... does it REALLY make your wishes come true?" And of course, me being the realist that I am, thought, of course not silly boy, it's just tiny shards of glass I'm going to put in your hair, but I said, "Well, with some hard work and a lot of wishing, your dreams can come true." So he looks at me for a minute and then shrugs and is like, "Alright, give me the dust." It was pretty cute. I also had a gay guy about my age come up to me in tears and say, "This is a really big moment for me, because this is my last day on the college program and so I just want a little magic." So I gave him the pixie dust, said my shpeal (Bibbidi bobbidi boo, may all your princely (or princess or queenly or kingly) wishes and dreams come true, bibbidi bobbidi boo), and he's sobbing by the end of it and gives me this huge hug and says, "This is magic right here, this is magic!" I was dying on the inside, I wanted to laugh so hard. I also had a whole family get pixie dusted, and for one of them, I said my shpeal and he says, "Did my wish come true? Can I have your number?" So everyone's laughing and I say, "Sir, I think I'm a little too old for you, I'm 200." Mind you, this guy is in his 40s. So everyone thinks that's hilarious, starts laughing again, and all wave goodbye to me. It was particularly cute how many princesses I had come up to me and just look up at me with these huge eyes and ask, "Will it really make my dreams come true?" That was the best night of work so far.
In other news, I am officially licensed by the State of Florida as a Hair Braider. Whoo! Don't get too excited now. I laugh about it, but then I look at the certificate they gave me and remember that I'm legitimately licensed in a state to practice a section of hair styling, which is kind of cool. I can put that on my resume now. What's even funnier is that in my two day class, I didn't do a single braid. We didn't even TALK about braids until the last 40 minutes of the second day. We talked about HIV/AIDS, diseases, hair care, products, skin care, lice, etc. Mostly things you should know as a hairdresser. Which was really interesting and helpful, I just find it amusing that from all of that, we were licensed as Hair Braiders... But I now have an official certificate I could technically frame and post on a wall somewhere to show my credentials, but I won't, because I find it kind of useless, since I really didn't learn much about hair braiding and I don't want people to ask me to do something crazy with their hair. I did learn how to do a few cool braids, I won't lie, and they're much simpler than I thought they were. I can do a fishtail braid, a wedding braid, and a cool type of braid that kind of looks like a french braid, but only uses a few strands from each side and has most of the hair loose underneath the braid. It's really cool looking, but hard to explain.
The other big thing I got to do there was the window. DTD has this one chair that is completely separated from the rest of the boutique, and it's right in front of the window to the princess room. It's on display there, and they use it for magical moments, so that everyone can watch this princess get her hair done and she can wave at them and feel royal. They asked me to do one during the week I was there, and I actually really liked it. It was during a huge thunderstorm, so I got a nice breeze every time someone opened the door to the store, and I could actually hear the princess, which I was having a hard time with inside the boutique because the music was so loud. I thought it was a lot of fun being in the window.
Another thing they do that the Castle doesn't is the Princess Parade. I really wish the Castle did it, but I understand that we're a lot busier and Fantasyland is a lot more crowded than DTD. Every day they have princesses sign up for this princess parade, and they basically just hold onto a rope with bells all over it and walk down Downtown Disney waving at people while music plays. It stops at a carousel, and then everyone gets to ride it. Including the FGITs involved. Once they told me about the parade, I did it every day. You get PAID to hold a flag, wave at people, and then ride a carousel. Can it get any better? Well, I suppose it could be cooler outside. That was one drawback. But it was still a lot of fun.
And that's about it for now. I'm back at the Castle tomorrow, and will be indefinitely. It was odd going back to the Castle after DTD, because I had to get re-used to everything there. Even the stands we use with all of our supplies are completely different, so I had to learn the stands all over again. But I'm back in full swing at the Castle, so it's all good. :)
I'm officially at my two month mark tomorrow (which also happens to be Lauren's 8th birthday!), and it's crazy that I'm now more than halfway done with my internship. It started off slow (unbelievably so) but now I have that split feeling where part of me feels as if I've lived in Florida forever and part of me thinks I got here two weeks ago. I'm starting to get rid of the "I just got here" feeling, though, and I'm mainly feeling that I've been in Florida all my life. I won't lie, I'll miss Florida when I have to leave it. I love the state, even if the job is tiring.
Last week was my
week of deployment to DTD (Downtown Disney). It was interesting to say the least. The boutique there is SO much different than the Castle, enough that I can honestly say I don't think they should both be called the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. I think they should be entirely different boutiques, because they cater to different age groups, different types of people, different personalities, etc. Everything about is different, except the hairstyles they offer (and even then, they do their hairstyles differently, so that's semi-debatable). On the left is the DTD costume, which, I personally think, is much uglier. It also doesn't breathe as well, and the boutique there is SO much hotter than the Castle, so I was sweating all the time in there. It was gross.First off, I got a mixed welcome. Half of the DTD girls welcomed me with smiles and were glad to meet me and have my help. The other half... well, they glared and said "Oh. You're from the CASTLE. Well. We do things differently here." Needless to say, some of the DTD girls harbor resentment towards the Castle girls, which I find rather pointless and baseless. The only reason they dislike Castle girls is because we took their customers. But honestly, who would want to get their hair done in WoD (World of Disney store) when they could get it done in Cinderella's Castle? The DTD location was the first Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at DisneyWorld, and so some of them have this sense of superiority because "they were first." Some of the FGITs in there have been there since opening, so they're very territorial about it, which is understandable, but not enough for some of their hatred towards the Castle. I was told that Castle girls are "stuffy" and "boring" and "high and mighty." I can see how they'd get that opinion of us in all honesty, because we do have a higher bar set than DTD, simply because we're in the MK and people expect us to create magic right and left (example: guests sometimes honestly believe that we can control the weather and get legitimately angry at us when we don't stop the daily thunderstorm). We also work in a CASTLE. That creates an entirely different character for us to play, and there is a lot more acting that goes on in the Castle than DTD.
The atmosphere in the two boutiques is extremely different. First off, the Castle boutique LOOKS like it belongs in a Castle. There's light blue drapes everywhere, crowns, chandeliers, fancy wall sconces, and the mirrors have these beautiful giant frames around them. The chairs are a light blue, the seating is all in reds and golds, and everything just looks classy. The music is quiet, and it's all princess songs/instrumentals from movies. DTD, on the other hand, is all hot pink and white. The chairs look more like salon chairs, with a plastic hot pink back, and the seating is pink as well. The mirrors are this plastic looking gold frame that looks like it belongs in a Barbie playhouse rather than the boutique (no offense), and it's really bright in there. The music is stuff like S Club 7, the Cheetah Girls, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and Freaky Friday. Tween pop, basically. What kills me is that I know all of those songs in DTD and remember them from when I was the age of the kids I'm doing, and when I ask if they know those songs, they have no idea. Why they're still playing those songs, even though no kids who come in recognize them anymore, is beyond me.
Because of the different atmospheres and locations, there are two different types of guests, I've discovered. The Castle gets, well, classier people. There's really no other way to say it. The people in the Castle are not only paying the $210 for the princess makeover, but they also paid the $80 something it cost to get into the MK. And most of these people have reservations for Cinderella's Royal Table, where, on average, one adult plate costs $40. They tend to also have reservations for the Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's, two other expensive character dining spots. They also tend to stay in the big resorts here. So obviously these people are a bit wealthier, more willing to spend, and want quality in their experience. DTD, on the other hand, has no admission to the area, and so anyone can just walk in and get an appointment. Most of the people there are also only getting the $50 princess makeover, and, sadly, most of them live in trailers. I don't mean to be rude when I say it, it's just true that when I asked a lot of princesses where their castle was, they said in a thick southern twang, "I don't live in a castle, I live in a trailer." It's just a different crowd.
The other difference is the age group. The Castle gets mainly 3-5 year olds, and then 20+. Sometimes a few teenagers, mostly 14+, but not many, unless there are four generations getting their hair done together, which is always fun. DTD gets a lot of 7-10 year olds, and a few tweens. I think I did one three year old in the entire week that I was there, and that was surprising to me, because that's about the only age group I work with at the castle. It threw me off at first, because I didn't have any practice working with that age group as a fairy godmother, not to mention I didn't know any of the scripted stories they tell at DTD. All of my stories usually relate to the castle, so they were irrelevant at DTD. I was able to use a few things, though, such as the question "How old do you think I am?" which always gets some interesting answers. I had one girl tell me I looked 46. When I told her I was 200 and asked if I looked my age, she looked at me seriously and then nodded and said, "Yep, I see it." Her mom was laughing her head off, and I'm just sitting there thinking, "I really hope I NEVER look 200 years old."
It got easier to talk to the 7-10 group, though, and it was a lot less tiring, that's for sure. For one, they sit still. Two, I can ask them about school, sports, hobbies, etc, and I can talk to them more as a friend than as a fairy godmother spewing lies to little kids (which is how I tend to feel at the Castle). My voice also got a nice break, because I didn't have to talk in a higher pitched voice all day--I could use my own without them thinking I sounded rude, which was nice. In the Castle, if you don't raise your voice about an octave, you sound grumpy and the little kids are afraid of you. It's just how it works. I ended up losing my voice for a week because of the constant strain on it to talk in a higher pitch.
My first day at DTD I was scheduled for the night podium shift, which is something the Castle doesn't have, so I wasn't trained for it. It was probably my favorite shift so far. It was 4-10 PM, and so I got all morning to do stuff, take my time, and then head to work. The boutique closes at 8, so everyone leaves then. Whoever has night podium is the only one left in the boutique, and you just stand up front at the podium (which is in the princess room of WoD), and make reservations. However, we don't make reservations at the Castle, so they just handed me a pixie dust wand and told me to tell people to use the Pink Phone (there's a giant pink phone at the registers in the WoD which connects you to the Reservation Office). So I stood there for two hours with this giant crowd of kids around me (and adults), and I gave them all pixie dust. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of acting on my part. My voice was dead by 10, because I'd been talking in a higher pitch with no break, but it was a lot of fun to pretend to be this sweet little fairy godmother granting wishes.
There was one little boy whose sister had gotten pixie dust, and I asked if the prince would like some as well, and he's like, "Welllll... does it REALLY make your wishes come true?" And of course, me being the realist that I am, thought, of course not silly boy, it's just tiny shards of glass I'm going to put in your hair, but I said, "Well, with some hard work and a lot of wishing, your dreams can come true." So he looks at me for a minute and then shrugs and is like, "Alright, give me the dust." It was pretty cute. I also had a gay guy about my age come up to me in tears and say, "This is a really big moment for me, because this is my last day on the college program and so I just want a little magic." So I gave him the pixie dust, said my shpeal (Bibbidi bobbidi boo, may all your princely (or princess or queenly or kingly) wishes and dreams come true, bibbidi bobbidi boo), and he's sobbing by the end of it and gives me this huge hug and says, "This is magic right here, this is magic!" I was dying on the inside, I wanted to laugh so hard. I also had a whole family get pixie dusted, and for one of them, I said my shpeal and he says, "Did my wish come true? Can I have your number?" So everyone's laughing and I say, "Sir, I think I'm a little too old for you, I'm 200." Mind you, this guy is in his 40s. So everyone thinks that's hilarious, starts laughing again, and all wave goodbye to me. It was particularly cute how many princesses I had come up to me and just look up at me with these huge eyes and ask, "Will it really make my dreams come true?" That was the best night of work so far.
In other news, I am officially licensed by the State of Florida as a Hair Braider. Whoo! Don't get too excited now. I laugh about it, but then I look at the certificate they gave me and remember that I'm legitimately licensed in a state to practice a section of hair styling, which is kind of cool. I can put that on my resume now. What's even funnier is that in my two day class, I didn't do a single braid. We didn't even TALK about braids until the last 40 minutes of the second day. We talked about HIV/AIDS, diseases, hair care, products, skin care, lice, etc. Mostly things you should know as a hairdresser. Which was really interesting and helpful, I just find it amusing that from all of that, we were licensed as Hair Braiders... But I now have an official certificate I could technically frame and post on a wall somewhere to show my credentials, but I won't, because I find it kind of useless, since I really didn't learn much about hair braiding and I don't want people to ask me to do something crazy with their hair. I did learn how to do a few cool braids, I won't lie, and they're much simpler than I thought they were. I can do a fishtail braid, a wedding braid, and a cool type of braid that kind of looks like a french braid, but only uses a few strands from each side and has most of the hair loose underneath the braid. It's really cool looking, but hard to explain.
The other big thing I got to do there was the window. DTD has this one chair that is completely separated from the rest of the boutique, and it's right in front of the window to the princess room. It's on display there, and they use it for magical moments, so that everyone can watch this princess get her hair done and she can wave at them and feel royal. They asked me to do one during the week I was there, and I actually really liked it. It was during a huge thunderstorm, so I got a nice breeze every time someone opened the door to the store, and I could actually hear the princess, which I was having a hard time with inside the boutique because the music was so loud. I thought it was a lot of fun being in the window.
Another thing they do that the Castle doesn't is the Princess Parade. I really wish the Castle did it, but I understand that we're a lot busier and Fantasyland is a lot more crowded than DTD. Every day they have princesses sign up for this princess parade, and they basically just hold onto a rope with bells all over it and walk down Downtown Disney waving at people while music plays. It stops at a carousel, and then everyone gets to ride it. Including the FGITs involved. Once they told me about the parade, I did it every day. You get PAID to hold a flag, wave at people, and then ride a carousel. Can it get any better? Well, I suppose it could be cooler outside. That was one drawback. But it was still a lot of fun.
And that's about it for now. I'm back at the Castle tomorrow, and will be indefinitely. It was odd going back to the Castle after DTD, because I had to get re-used to everything there. Even the stands we use with all of our supplies are completely different, so I had to learn the stands all over again. But I'm back in full swing at the Castle, so it's all good. :)
Monday, June 7, 2010
Pictures!
That's right, I'm finally posting pictures! Here are some that were taken of me (and the ONLY ones that were taken) of me in costume in the boutique.
The girl sitting next to me is Lea Anne and the one on the right is Haley. Haley goes to BYU-I and Lea Anne lives in Florida and one of the part-timers.
All of the girls who were there for the closing shift this particular day. The one in the middle (Pietrina) wanted a picture for her last day in the boutique.
A close up of me sitting in Cinderella's Royal Chair. I actually normally wear my hair down and put on a lot more makeup, so I tend to look a lot different than this, but oh well. :)
This is the only one of me actually working, and really, this isn't a very accurate depiction of what I do because this was the very last princess left in the boutique after we had closed, and we were doing a special thing because it was the last day for one of our FGITs. We had the FGIT who was leaving, the little princess, and her parents all close their eyes and the rest of us ran around with wands and pixie dusted everyone. I mean, I DO pixie dust princesses, but it's usually with them in the chair. And it's a princess I've just spent a half hour with. I didn't know this princess at all.
And that's all for now! Hopefully I can get a picture of me in the DTD costume, but I think that might be wishing for a little too much. The photopass people at the MK actually like me, so it was no problem. But we'll see if the photopass guys at DTD are nice. :)
The girl sitting next to me is Lea Anne and the one on the right is Haley. Haley goes to BYU-I and Lea Anne lives in Florida and one of the part-timers.
All of the girls who were there for the closing shift this particular day. The one in the middle (Pietrina) wanted a picture for her last day in the boutique.
A close up of me sitting in Cinderella's Royal Chair. I actually normally wear my hair down and put on a lot more makeup, so I tend to look a lot different than this, but oh well. :)
This is the only one of me actually working, and really, this isn't a very accurate depiction of what I do because this was the very last princess left in the boutique after we had closed, and we were doing a special thing because it was the last day for one of our FGITs. We had the FGIT who was leaving, the little princess, and her parents all close their eyes and the rest of us ran around with wands and pixie dusted everyone. I mean, I DO pixie dust princesses, but it's usually with them in the chair. And it's a princess I've just spent a half hour with. I didn't know this princess at all.And that's all for now! Hopefully I can get a picture of me in the DTD costume, but I think that might be wishing for a little too much. The photopass people at the MK actually like me, so it was no problem. But we'll see if the photopass guys at DTD are nice. :)
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Settling In
After a month and a couple weeks, I feel like I've finally settled into my spot here at DisneyWorld. The old CPs are gone and the new ones are mostly in, and now that I'm not the new one (let alone the ONLY new one), I'm feeling a lot more in place where I am. Some of the new CPs are really nice, and we get along great. I'm glad I've made some friends in the boutique that 1. have the same day off as me and 2. like to do stuff together rather than with other people from around the park. It makes the days off a lot more fun, and nights after work as well.
A few highlights from the past couple weeks:
1. Imogen Heap
She performed at the House of Blues last Tuesday, and so Brooke, Sarah (one of my coworkers), and I went after work and saw her. She was absolutely amazing. I was exhausted afterwards, but it was worth it. I had the next day off anyways, so it was all good. :)
2. Typhoon Lagoon
Last Wednesday, two of my coworkers, Lea Anne and Haley, went with Bri and me to Typhoon Lagoon. We went around 11 and stayed till closing, so we got quite a bit of sun (and it actually stayed out for me this time!). I'm proud to say that I now have a recognizable tan line. I've even got an annoyingly clear line around my wrist because I forgot to take my hair tie off before we went out.
3. Cast Preview
Last Thursday was the cast preview of Disney's Electrical Parade (the name has been changed... it was originally Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade. I don't know why they changed it though). We were so excited to see it... until we realized they were going to make us stand for about an hour (after we'd already worked a 12.5 hour shift and were ready to keel over). We got home around 1:30 AM, and fell asleep immediately, we were so tired. I ended up spending a total of 19 hours on my feet that day. Sadly, the parade has been changed... there are missing floats (apparently they got damaged beyond repair when being transported from California), the music isn't as good, and the new floats just aren't as amazing. Also, California apparently has different rules about what can be done in parades than Florida, so a lot of the choreography has been lost over here because they aren't allowed to perform high kicks, flips, etc. Another problem for this parade is the fact that the Magic Kingdom has hills, while Disneyland does not. I've watched the parade in the park during hours, and it's quite amusing/sad to see--the floats get stuck sometimes because of the hills, and they have to roll back and then zoom forward. Of course, this isn't exactly the safest thing, because 1. the drivers have a limited range of vision, 2. the float behind them is sometimes really close, 3. the crowd freaks out and thinks there's a malfunction, 4. it disrupts the flow of the parade. In the end, I think the Electrical Parade is just more suited for Disneyland, but hopefully they'll work out some of the kinks here. After all, the parade has only been run twice for guests, so it still needs some fine tuning. But apparently the cast and guests are liking SpectroMagic, the preview electric parade, much better than this one.
4. Summer Nightastic Fireworks Spectacular
Is that a mouthful or what? I think they went a little overboard with the "nightastic" and "spectacular" combination. One would have been fine. Oh well. The fireworks show has officially changed, starting last night. I saw the first run of the Summer Nightastic show (for this summer, it's an old show, so it's not the first time ever) last night after work, and man. It WAS spectacular. I still like Wishes, the previous fireworks show, better, simply because I liked the show aspect of that one better. Summer Nightastic, however, is just mind-blowing. The fireworks for this show are definitely more impressive than Wishes, even if the storyline is a little lacking. But it's a lot more involved, with fireworks going off all around the guests, rather than just behind the castle. It's bigger, louder, and more exciting--just not as touching as Wishes. Apparently you can get 3D glasses to watch the Nightastic show and it's supposed to be really cool, but I think I'm going to stick with my regular vision. I don't really care about watching something that's already 3D through 3D glasses.
5. Shift exchanges
I finally have two days off again! Not by the scheduling office, they still scheduled me for only one day off, but a girl in the boutique wanted a Tuesday shift, so I gave her mine, and I now have both Tuesday and Wednesady off, like I was originally told I would. Another person in the boutique told me that once all of the new CPs are in and trained, we SHOULD get our two days back, but we'll see. I've also been told the opposite--that we never get two off because merchandise in the MK doesn't get it, and we're technically classified as merchandise (though WHY we are, I have no idea. Apparently not too long ago we used to be included in the entertainment section of Disney, but then they booted us down to merchandise. Which means they can pay us less)
And that's about it for now. Next week I won't be working in the castle--they've deployed me to Downtown Disney for the whole week, and they have me working 50 hours. I like the hours there a lot better though. They open later and close later, which I can handle. I'd much rather leave at 10 and come in at 9 than leave at 8 and come in at 7:30. Because with bus scheduling that translates to leaving in the morning at 6:40 for a 7:30 shift at MK, as compared to leaving at 8:30 for a 9:00 shift at DTD. So we'll see how it goes. I'll be wearing the uglier costume for a week, and I'll have to learn what to do with this whole Hannah Montana style they have that we don't. They also have a lot of different rules at DTD, and the script that I mostly spout out without thinking doesn't really apply to DTD because a lot of it revolves around the castle. Oh well. It's sure to be fun, and I'm looking forward to a change of scenery. That boutique is a lot more open as well, since it's inside the World of Disney store. I may even see my roommate working, since she's in merchandising at WofD.
Till next time!
A few highlights from the past couple weeks:
1. Imogen Heap
She performed at the House of Blues last Tuesday, and so Brooke, Sarah (one of my coworkers), and I went after work and saw her. She was absolutely amazing. I was exhausted afterwards, but it was worth it. I had the next day off anyways, so it was all good. :)
2. Typhoon Lagoon
Last Wednesday, two of my coworkers, Lea Anne and Haley, went with Bri and me to Typhoon Lagoon. We went around 11 and stayed till closing, so we got quite a bit of sun (and it actually stayed out for me this time!). I'm proud to say that I now have a recognizable tan line. I've even got an annoyingly clear line around my wrist because I forgot to take my hair tie off before we went out.
3. Cast Preview
Last Thursday was the cast preview of Disney's Electrical Parade (the name has been changed... it was originally Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade. I don't know why they changed it though). We were so excited to see it... until we realized they were going to make us stand for about an hour (after we'd already worked a 12.5 hour shift and were ready to keel over). We got home around 1:30 AM, and fell asleep immediately, we were so tired. I ended up spending a total of 19 hours on my feet that day. Sadly, the parade has been changed... there are missing floats (apparently they got damaged beyond repair when being transported from California), the music isn't as good, and the new floats just aren't as amazing. Also, California apparently has different rules about what can be done in parades than Florida, so a lot of the choreography has been lost over here because they aren't allowed to perform high kicks, flips, etc. Another problem for this parade is the fact that the Magic Kingdom has hills, while Disneyland does not. I've watched the parade in the park during hours, and it's quite amusing/sad to see--the floats get stuck sometimes because of the hills, and they have to roll back and then zoom forward. Of course, this isn't exactly the safest thing, because 1. the drivers have a limited range of vision, 2. the float behind them is sometimes really close, 3. the crowd freaks out and thinks there's a malfunction, 4. it disrupts the flow of the parade. In the end, I think the Electrical Parade is just more suited for Disneyland, but hopefully they'll work out some of the kinks here. After all, the parade has only been run twice for guests, so it still needs some fine tuning. But apparently the cast and guests are liking SpectroMagic, the preview electric parade, much better than this one.
4. Summer Nightastic Fireworks Spectacular
Is that a mouthful or what? I think they went a little overboard with the "nightastic" and "spectacular" combination. One would have been fine. Oh well. The fireworks show has officially changed, starting last night. I saw the first run of the Summer Nightastic show (for this summer, it's an old show, so it's not the first time ever) last night after work, and man. It WAS spectacular. I still like Wishes, the previous fireworks show, better, simply because I liked the show aspect of that one better. Summer Nightastic, however, is just mind-blowing. The fireworks for this show are definitely more impressive than Wishes, even if the storyline is a little lacking. But it's a lot more involved, with fireworks going off all around the guests, rather than just behind the castle. It's bigger, louder, and more exciting--just not as touching as Wishes. Apparently you can get 3D glasses to watch the Nightastic show and it's supposed to be really cool, but I think I'm going to stick with my regular vision. I don't really care about watching something that's already 3D through 3D glasses.
5. Shift exchanges
I finally have two days off again! Not by the scheduling office, they still scheduled me for only one day off, but a girl in the boutique wanted a Tuesday shift, so I gave her mine, and I now have both Tuesday and Wednesady off, like I was originally told I would. Another person in the boutique told me that once all of the new CPs are in and trained, we SHOULD get our two days back, but we'll see. I've also been told the opposite--that we never get two off because merchandise in the MK doesn't get it, and we're technically classified as merchandise (though WHY we are, I have no idea. Apparently not too long ago we used to be included in the entertainment section of Disney, but then they booted us down to merchandise. Which means they can pay us less)
And that's about it for now. Next week I won't be working in the castle--they've deployed me to Downtown Disney for the whole week, and they have me working 50 hours. I like the hours there a lot better though. They open later and close later, which I can handle. I'd much rather leave at 10 and come in at 9 than leave at 8 and come in at 7:30. Because with bus scheduling that translates to leaving in the morning at 6:40 for a 7:30 shift at MK, as compared to leaving at 8:30 for a 9:00 shift at DTD. So we'll see how it goes. I'll be wearing the uglier costume for a week, and I'll have to learn what to do with this whole Hannah Montana style they have that we don't. They also have a lot of different rules at DTD, and the script that I mostly spout out without thinking doesn't really apply to DTD because a lot of it revolves around the castle. Oh well. It's sure to be fun, and I'm looking forward to a change of scenery. That boutique is a lot more open as well, since it's inside the World of Disney store. I may even see my roommate working, since she's in merchandising at WofD.
Till next time!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
One Month Mark!
I realize it's been a while since I last posted, and I apologize. There just hasn't been much to say! My life is all work, pretty much, and sleep when I'm not working. This past weekend I was scheduled for a 12.5 hour shift on Friday, a 10 hour shift on Saturday, and a 12 hour shift on Sunday. I knew there was no way I was going to make it, so I ended up switching my 12 hour on Sunday with one of my coworkers for her 6.5 hour shift. That was really nice, because her shift was from 7:30-1:45, so I felt like I had the rest of the day to myself.
On another note, Star Wars Weekends is back! It began last weekend and continues for the next three. I headed over to Hollywood Studios after work one day this past weekend to see if I could meet Darth Vader, but unfortunately, he had already retired for the day. I'm hoping that I can trade shifts with someone this weekend so that I can go earlier in the day to meet him. And, of course, Darth Maul. And Jango Fett. And Boba Fett. And some Storm Troopers. But really, I'm most excited for Darth Vader. Who wouldn't be?
It's funny, because Allyson works at Hollywood Studios, and she said that she sees them all the time backstage. I'm so incredibly jealous. I'm used to seeing all of the princesses in various states of dress, but I'd LOVE to see the Star Wars characters backstage. Some of my roommates actually know some of them. I believe Bri said she knows Darth Vader, which also makes me green with envy.
I've spent some more time in the parks since I last posted. I decided that if I ever wanted to see the parks, I was going to have to get over my exhaustion and just go after work by myself. So I've been doing that the past couple days, spending time in Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom. Here are some of the things I think should be seen at Hollywood Studious and Magic Kingdom (in case you ever decide to come here):
1. Beauty and the Beast
At Hollywood Studios. This is a 20 minute show that quickly goes through the story of Beauty and the Beast. It's a pretty good show, and very entertaining. I would highly suggest seeing it. But make sure you get there early! I went by myself and still ended up sitting in the back in the corner. If you're going with a group, make sure to get there at least a half hour before.
2. The Voyage of the Little Mermaid
At Hollywood Studios. This is some spectacular puppetry work. I was amazed by it. The special effects in this show are really cool, and the girl I saw as Ariel was amazing. It's a 17 minute show in a small theater, using both puppetry and live actors.
3. Tower of Terror
At Hollywood Studios. Of COURSE this has to be on my list, because it's my all-time favorite ride. When I went after work, we were seated in the elevator, buckled ourselves in... and got stuck. The seatbelts didn't want to release us, so we were stuck for about 15 minutes. Thankfully, the bellhop serving us was a great actor and kept us entertained, and we were eventually moved to another elevator. When we got off, we were sent right back upstairs and put directly on another one to make up for the inconvenience. I think it's worth getting stuck on that ride. Also, this ride is MUCH better at DisneyWorld than at California Adventure. For both the scenery and the ride itself. The ride here has 13 different types of drops, so that you can never predict when you're going to fall, or how.
4. Rockin' Rollercoaster feat. Aerosmith
At Hollywood Studios. Good music, a great rollercoaster, and air conditioning. Need I say more? It's an entirely indoor rollercoaster, set up as if you are on your way in a limo to an Aerosmith concert. One of my favorite rides here at DisneyWorld.
5. Star Tours
At Hollywood Studios. This may be old and cheesy, but I still find it entertaining. The line for this ride is spectacular, and there's a lot to look at. However, they're shutting down this ride in June and are completely changing it. It will still be Star Tours, but newer. Chances are that it will still be closed by the time I leave, but I bet the new one will be fantastic.
6. Jungle Cruise
At MK. This is a ride everyone passes over when they come to Adventureland. I think it's a ride worth doing, if not multiple times. As far as the ride goes, it's a pretty lame ride--but the skippers know that. If you get a good skipper, it's a hilarious 5 minutes or so. At the MK, if you ever get the chance to go on it, request Jack. I've been told by Bri that he's the funniest, and the president of the MK went on his boat, loved him, and now Jack is allowed to say whatever he pleases without following the script. Therefore, his boat is the best one. I have yet to go on his, but I have been on Bri's and Becca's (a girl who lives in the apartment above me) and they are both very funny.
7. Peter Pan's Flight
At MK. One word of advice: wait in the line! This ride always has an extremely long line, and there is no fastpass for it. There should be, but there isn't. However, I think it's a fantastic ride, and well worth the wait. Maybe not if it's a two hour wait, but an hour? I say go for it. Then again, I love Peter Pan to death, so I may be a little biased.
8. Pirates of the Caribbean
At MK. Now, I try not to compare the rides between DisneyWorld and Disneyland, but I have to say... the Disneyland version is so much better. The line for this one is much cooler, because they had so much more space for it, but the ride itself is better at Disneyland. It's still worth going on, though.
9. Wishes
At MK. This is a spectacular fireworks show. It's competing with their old fireworks show to be my favorite. Makes me cry every time I see it. I don't know why, but it does. It's simply fantastic.
10. Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It
At MK. This is a parade that actually lets guests get involved, rather than just sitting on the side of the street. It usually happens three or four times a day, and it's a pretty fun parade. It's full of stilt walkers, characters, and dancers, and it stops right in front of the castle. When the parade stops at the castle, they invite everyone to come in the street with them and dance. I thought it was going to be a pretty lame parade when I first heard about it, but I actually quite enjoyed it.
11. Fantasmic
At Hollywood Studious. Simply spectacular. It's an amazing water, fireworks, and special effects show. Another show that makes me cry without fail every time I see it. Disney knows what they're doing. :)
12. The Haunted Mansion
At MK. MUCH better here than at Disneyland, hands down. The inside is actually different from the other, and though there are some similarities, I like the changes they made to this one (by the way, this one IS newer than Disneyland's. Everything in DisneyWorld is newer, because it's a newer park. Just in case you didn't know that. Except for Cinderella's Carousel in Fantasyland here. That is the oldest ride in ANY Disney park. I believe it's from 1910 or somewhere around there, from another amusement park. It's name is going to be changed to Prince Charming Regal Carousel starting June 1). The mansion is cooler looking (and creepier), the ride is cooler... I just like this one a lot better.
That's about all I can think of for now. I would also suggest, if you have small children and can afford it (or if you just like to meet princesses), that you book a reservation for Cinderella's Royal Table inside Cinderella's Castle. You dine with the princesses on the second floor of the castle, and it's the only way to see inside (unless you happen to know how to get a reservation for the one hotel room at the top of the castle, and you can actually afford it). Another fun dining experience that a lot of princesses tell me about in the boutique, is dinner with the princesses at the Crystal Palace near Main Street in the MK. There's also something like a storytime dinner with the princesses in Norway at Epcot. Those three are the restaurants I hear most about from my princesses and their parents.
On another note, Star Wars Weekends is back! It began last weekend and continues for the next three. I headed over to Hollywood Studios after work one day this past weekend to see if I could meet Darth Vader, but unfortunately, he had already retired for the day. I'm hoping that I can trade shifts with someone this weekend so that I can go earlier in the day to meet him. And, of course, Darth Maul. And Jango Fett. And Boba Fett. And some Storm Troopers. But really, I'm most excited for Darth Vader. Who wouldn't be?
It's funny, because Allyson works at Hollywood Studios, and she said that she sees them all the time backstage. I'm so incredibly jealous. I'm used to seeing all of the princesses in various states of dress, but I'd LOVE to see the Star Wars characters backstage. Some of my roommates actually know some of them. I believe Bri said she knows Darth Vader, which also makes me green with envy.
I've spent some more time in the parks since I last posted. I decided that if I ever wanted to see the parks, I was going to have to get over my exhaustion and just go after work by myself. So I've been doing that the past couple days, spending time in Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom. Here are some of the things I think should be seen at Hollywood Studious and Magic Kingdom (in case you ever decide to come here):
1. Beauty and the Beast
At Hollywood Studios. This is a 20 minute show that quickly goes through the story of Beauty and the Beast. It's a pretty good show, and very entertaining. I would highly suggest seeing it. But make sure you get there early! I went by myself and still ended up sitting in the back in the corner. If you're going with a group, make sure to get there at least a half hour before.
2. The Voyage of the Little Mermaid
At Hollywood Studios. This is some spectacular puppetry work. I was amazed by it. The special effects in this show are really cool, and the girl I saw as Ariel was amazing. It's a 17 minute show in a small theater, using both puppetry and live actors.
3. Tower of Terror
At Hollywood Studios. Of COURSE this has to be on my list, because it's my all-time favorite ride. When I went after work, we were seated in the elevator, buckled ourselves in... and got stuck. The seatbelts didn't want to release us, so we were stuck for about 15 minutes. Thankfully, the bellhop serving us was a great actor and kept us entertained, and we were eventually moved to another elevator. When we got off, we were sent right back upstairs and put directly on another one to make up for the inconvenience. I think it's worth getting stuck on that ride. Also, this ride is MUCH better at DisneyWorld than at California Adventure. For both the scenery and the ride itself. The ride here has 13 different types of drops, so that you can never predict when you're going to fall, or how.
4. Rockin' Rollercoaster feat. Aerosmith
At Hollywood Studios. Good music, a great rollercoaster, and air conditioning. Need I say more? It's an entirely indoor rollercoaster, set up as if you are on your way in a limo to an Aerosmith concert. One of my favorite rides here at DisneyWorld.
5. Star Tours
At Hollywood Studios. This may be old and cheesy, but I still find it entertaining. The line for this ride is spectacular, and there's a lot to look at. However, they're shutting down this ride in June and are completely changing it. It will still be Star Tours, but newer. Chances are that it will still be closed by the time I leave, but I bet the new one will be fantastic.
6. Jungle Cruise
At MK. This is a ride everyone passes over when they come to Adventureland. I think it's a ride worth doing, if not multiple times. As far as the ride goes, it's a pretty lame ride--but the skippers know that. If you get a good skipper, it's a hilarious 5 minutes or so. At the MK, if you ever get the chance to go on it, request Jack. I've been told by Bri that he's the funniest, and the president of the MK went on his boat, loved him, and now Jack is allowed to say whatever he pleases without following the script. Therefore, his boat is the best one. I have yet to go on his, but I have been on Bri's and Becca's (a girl who lives in the apartment above me) and they are both very funny.
7. Peter Pan's Flight
At MK. One word of advice: wait in the line! This ride always has an extremely long line, and there is no fastpass for it. There should be, but there isn't. However, I think it's a fantastic ride, and well worth the wait. Maybe not if it's a two hour wait, but an hour? I say go for it. Then again, I love Peter Pan to death, so I may be a little biased.
8. Pirates of the Caribbean
At MK. Now, I try not to compare the rides between DisneyWorld and Disneyland, but I have to say... the Disneyland version is so much better. The line for this one is much cooler, because they had so much more space for it, but the ride itself is better at Disneyland. It's still worth going on, though.
9. Wishes
At MK. This is a spectacular fireworks show. It's competing with their old fireworks show to be my favorite. Makes me cry every time I see it. I don't know why, but it does. It's simply fantastic.
10. Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It
At MK. This is a parade that actually lets guests get involved, rather than just sitting on the side of the street. It usually happens three or four times a day, and it's a pretty fun parade. It's full of stilt walkers, characters, and dancers, and it stops right in front of the castle. When the parade stops at the castle, they invite everyone to come in the street with them and dance. I thought it was going to be a pretty lame parade when I first heard about it, but I actually quite enjoyed it.
11. Fantasmic
At Hollywood Studious. Simply spectacular. It's an amazing water, fireworks, and special effects show. Another show that makes me cry without fail every time I see it. Disney knows what they're doing. :)
12. The Haunted Mansion
At MK. MUCH better here than at Disneyland, hands down. The inside is actually different from the other, and though there are some similarities, I like the changes they made to this one (by the way, this one IS newer than Disneyland's. Everything in DisneyWorld is newer, because it's a newer park. Just in case you didn't know that. Except for Cinderella's Carousel in Fantasyland here. That is the oldest ride in ANY Disney park. I believe it's from 1910 or somewhere around there, from another amusement park. It's name is going to be changed to Prince Charming Regal Carousel starting June 1). The mansion is cooler looking (and creepier), the ride is cooler... I just like this one a lot better.
That's about all I can think of for now. I would also suggest, if you have small children and can afford it (or if you just like to meet princesses), that you book a reservation for Cinderella's Royal Table inside Cinderella's Castle. You dine with the princesses on the second floor of the castle, and it's the only way to see inside (unless you happen to know how to get a reservation for the one hotel room at the top of the castle, and you can actually afford it). Another fun dining experience that a lot of princesses tell me about in the boutique, is dinner with the princesses at the Crystal Palace near Main Street in the MK. There's also something like a storytime dinner with the princesses in Norway at Epcot. Those three are the restaurants I hear most about from my princesses and their parents.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Where'd the Sun Go?
Yesterday was my day off for the week, as well as Bri's, Lindsay's, and Ally's. Before everyone left for work, we made a big pancake and egg breakfast, which was a great way to start off the day (at 11:30... we all slept in pretty late). The four of us who had the day off headed over to Typhoon Lagoon afterward to spend the day soaking up the sun and relaxing by the wave pool. However, the one time I had this week to work on my tan, the sun decided not to make an appearance, and the entire day was overcast. I still got a little bit of a tan at least, but it was chilly. There was a cold wind and with the sun behind the clouds, it took a long time to dry off. It was still a lot of fun, though, swimming with sharks, getting bulldozed by the giant waves in the wave pool, and floating around the lazy river four times. Afterward, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom to take a picture with Pluto, since Brooke was going to be friends with him that day. However, when we saw Pluto, we could tell it wasn't her. Turns out we DID know that Pluto though--it was a guy in our ward named Christian. It was his last day and he'll be heading back to BYU today. So we got pictures with a Pluto we at least knew, but not the Pluto we were looking for. We hopped in line for Peter Pan's Flight since it was relatively short (30 minute wait for Peter Pan? It's unheard of!), and then we jumped on the monorail to head over to Epcot for dinner. We ate in China, and to my extreme excitement, I found out they serve Strawberry RED BEAN ICE CREAM!!! I, of course, just had to get one, so I did. And it was delicious. And my roommates liked it as well, which gives me faith that one day we might be able to eat in Japan and they won't flip out. :)
As for today, I went into work at 1:30, but I wasn't feeling too well, so I did one princess and then they let me go home. I'm really happy they let me leave, because I wasn't feeling completely awful, but enough that I didn't really want to be there. And they only scheduled me for one day off this week, so it's nice that I'm getting most of today off. Now I can spend the rest of the day relaxing and getting everything done that I didn't yesterday :)
As for today, I went into work at 1:30, but I wasn't feeling too well, so I did one princess and then they let me go home. I'm really happy they let me leave, because I wasn't feeling completely awful, but enough that I didn't really want to be there. And they only scheduled me for one day off this week, so it's nice that I'm getting most of today off. Now I can spend the rest of the day relaxing and getting everything done that I didn't yesterday :)
