After the helium balloon ride, Erin and Anipier went to work and I went to Animal Kingdom. I knew it would be my last time there and I was happy to see it one more time, but sad at the same time because I knew I would miss it so much once I went back to Canada! Instead of doing the attractions that I have all done a thousand times, I decided to do something I had never done: become a Wilderness Explorer. I had no idea what it would be like, but it made me discover parts of Animal Kingdom I had never been to and learn new things about the animals and plants that you can find in the park and in the wild. It was a wonderful experience! I definitely recommend becoming a wilderness explorer when going to Animal Kingdom because it gives you a map and indications to make sure that you see everything there is to see in the parc. I managed, in about four hours, to do every activity in the book and to get all of my explorer badges! I became a Senior Wilderness Explorer!
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On the morning of July 29th, Erin, Anipier and I went to Downtown Disney to go on an helium balloon ride. We had been wanting to go since the beginning of the summer, but every time we went, the weather was bad. But this time, the weather was great and we were able to go. It definitely didn't last long enough! We were up there for about 10 minutes, but I would have stayed there for at least an hour, just looking around and trying to spot things that I recognized. We even saw Typhoon from up there! It was a lot of fun! On July 28th, Anipier and I decided to spend one last day at Typhoon as guest before the end of the program which is coming fast! We arrived when it opened at 9 AM and we did a few attractions before the Shark Reef opened at 11 AM. Something you don't know about me is that I am terrified of fishes! Even Nemo! It was one of my goals, after working at Typhoon Lagoon for two summers, to try the Shark Reef at least once. And I did it! I was screaming the whole time and I didn't enjoy it at all, but it's a start! After that it we were cold because it was cloudy that day so we went to get my phone and take a picture of all the Hidden Mickeys we know of. We were both working at 3:30 so we ate and went backstage to change and work until 1 AM! Hidden Mickeys are little Mickey heads that are hidden in the parcs. You can find them everywhere in the parks if you look close enough. Ask a Cast Member and they will be able to show you some of them, but even we don't know where they all are! Only the Imagineers who design them know exactly how many there are.
On July 24th, after working from 8:45 to 7:30, I went, on my own, to Hollywood Studios. I had diner at Pizza Planet and then I was lucky enough to walk by Toy Story Midway Mania just before it closed. I waited about 30 minutes, which is nothing because the line is normally over an hour. When I got out of the attraction, I was just in time for the Frozen Fireworks. I got popcorn and watched to fireworks. They always look more amazing form one time to the other. Right after the fireworks, I ran to Fantasmic and watched the show before calling it a night. I went back home and went straight to bed.
On July 23rd, Erin, her roommate Paige and I left at about 10:30 to spend the day at Daytona Beach. We were lucky and the weather was perfect all day. It didn't even rain! Daytona Beach is beautiful and the water was just cool enough to be refreshing. We spent the whole day swimming, shopping in the tourist shops by the beach, playing football and drinking slushies. We stayed for diner and ate on the pier with a beautiful view of the beach. I really wanted to go to the beach during my program and didn't think I would be able to make it because it's so far away and I don't have a car so this little trip was amazing and totally made my whole weak haha!
On July 22nd, I decided this was the day I would spend at Magic Kingdom from opening to the goodnight kiss! It was on my Bucket List after all! To add to the fun, I decided I was going to try to do all of the attractions in one day without any fast passes. Just to see if it's possible. The parc opened at 8 and at 7:59 I was already in, ready to start this challenge. Since it was very early and I hadn't had time for breakfast, I made my way to Starbucks first and then to Tomorrowland for the first attractions of the day! In Tomorrowland, I started with Space Mountain while there was only a small line, then made my way to Stitch's Great Escape, followed by Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Astro Orbiter, which I had never done before, Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, PeopleMover and, finally, Tomorrowland Speedway. The lines were not that bad since it was so early, but by the time I left Tomorrowland, the parc was starting to fill up! I then made my way to Fantasyland and started with Storybook Circus. I did Dumbo and the Barnstormer and then walked back to the older part of Fantasyland. I did Mad Tea Party, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and then went to eat at Columbia Harbour House because it was getting late. After lunch, I did Peter Pan's Flight, It's a Small World, Mickey's Philarmagic and Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. I then went to Guest Relations to get my phone charged because the heat is very hard on the batterie and it dies very quickly. While my phone was charging I went to New Fantasyland and did Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. There were so many people everywhere that day. The wait times were ridiculous and Fantasyland is always the most crowded part, but I made it and did it all! After getting my phone back, I took a picture in front of the castle and made my way to Liberty Square. Liberty Square is a tiny land so it didn't take me long to do all the attractions. There are only two: the Haunted Mansion and the Hall of Presidents. After Liberty Square I went to Frontierland and did Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain during the parade so there wouldn't be a big line. After that I watched the fireworks and Celebrate the Magic and went to Adventureland to do The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Jungle Cruise and Swiss Family Treehouse. Unfortunately, Pirates of the Caribbean is closed for refurbishment and Tom Sawyer Island, Country Bear Jamboree and Enchanted Tiki Room close early so I didn't get to do them, but they are not my favorite attractions so I wasn't disappointed that I didn't get to do them. I still finished early so I had time for something else on my Bucket List: I tried the Dole Whip. It's very good! It seems like it is possible to do all the attractions in one day, even on a very crowded day! Even though I was alone all day, I still had a great time and got to meet people from everywhere. Magic Kingdom is definitely my favorite parc!
On July 17th, after working from 7 AM to 7:30 PM, I went to the Winter Summerland mini golf with Marie-Ève. It was both of our first time on a Disney mini golf so we had no idea what to expect. First, the theme of Winter Summerland (located right next to Blizzard Beach) is, obviously, winter and summer, but also a little mix of the two. There are two courses, one in winter and one in summer. Being Canadian and living in the snow 8 months a year, we went with summer. Each hole was decorated with a beach or nautical theme, but with some little things that remind you of the winter, like a sandman. We had a great time even though Marie-Ève beat me and the golf course is cute and funny! Each hole is a total surprise! On July 16th, after a fun day under the sun, Anipier and I went to Downtown Disney to have diner at Rainforest Cafe. I had made reservations the day before, unfortunately, I messed up the dates and we had a reservation for the next day. Lucky for us, the lady at the front was super nice and she changed the reservation and let us have a table! The restaurant was amazing! There were aquariums full of multicoloured fishes all around us and, every fifteen minutes, there was a "thunderstorm" and everything started moving everywhere, the trees, the animatronics animals, the waterfalls... After the storm, there was a rainbow and then all was calm again. We spent the whole time looking at the fishes and the food was delicious! I would go again tomorrow if I could! After dinner, it was still early so we hung out at Downtown for a while. We went to the shops, enjoyed to music and just walked around. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, and sunny after the thunderstorm of the afternoon. After walking all around Downtown, we took the boat and headed to Saratoga Springs. It's one of the biggest resorts on Disney property and it is located right in front of Downtown Disney. We had both never been there so we took the time to explore. We went to the pools, the treehouses, the golf court and the boardwalk were you can walk along the lake and enjoy the beautiful view that is Downtown Disney. We were there just as the sun was setting so it was breathtaking! While we were hanging out in Saratoga Springs, Sarah-Maude was finishing her shift with Mickey and taking the bus from Magic Kingdom to join us on an Amphicar ride. The ride was pretty expensive, especially since it only lasts about 30 minutes, but you never know if you are going to get the chance to do something again so it was definitely worth it. We had an amazing time and we were right on time to see the EPCOT fireworks from the lake! It was such a different point of view to see Downtown Disney, from the water, and I enjoyed every minute of it! I realize how lucky I am to have the chance to live this incredible experience and days like this help me realize it even more!
On Thursday July 16th, it was another beautiful day in sunny Florida and Ryan (one of the Slide Operators at Typhoon who I have been working with a lot lately) and I decided to go enjoy the weather at Mickey's Retreat. But first, we went to IHOP for breakfast. I had never been to IHOP so I was very happy to get the chance to try it. I had chocolate pancakes and they were delicious!
After breakfast, and since it was too early to go to Mickey's Retreat (it only opens at 11 AM), we went to Cast Connection with my roommate Edith. Cast Connection is a store for Cast Members only and it is full of Disney merchandise that cannot be sold in the stores anymore, because it is broken or, not in the season (like Christmas decorations). I didn't buy anything, but it was fun to look around for a while. When Mickey's Retreat finally opened, we put on sunscreen and jumped in the pool. We had fun playing basketball in the pool and doing a bomb contest. We later played volleyball on the beach and, when it started raining, we went inside to play ping pong. Ok, so I haven't played ping pong in about five years so let's just say that I'm not that good anymore haha. At about 4 PM, Ryan had to go and Anipier came over to my apartment so we could go to Downtown Disney for diner. It was a fun relaxing day outside and I definitely needed it after working for days and dealing with those crowds in the parks all the time. When I first got to Florida, I already needed a haircut. A few months later, with all this time in the pool, with the chlorine and the sun, I desperately needed a haircut. So on July 15th, I made my way to the Magic Kingdom early in the morning to see if I could get an appointment at the Harmony Barber shop on Main Street USA. I was lucky and only waited for about 15 minutes. I kept my hair as long as I could, but got all the damaged and dead parts cut. I also got a lot of pixie dust! :D
After that, Florence came to join me and we spent the whole day enjoying the attractions and shows around the Magic Kingdom. We had dinner at Tony's with Lady and the Tramp and it was delicious! I decided it was okay to pay a little more for dinner and had the steak. I don't know how they cook the steak there, but it was soooooo good, like all the food in Disney! Definitely try it if you have the chance to go to Tony's. We stayed for Celebrate the Magic and Wishes and, like always, it was the best part of my day. I never get tired of seeing those shows. They are so magical and beautiful and special and they always make me feel so lucky because I have the chance to see them whenever I want. |
AuthorHello everyone! My name is Marie-Ève. I am from Québec, Canada and this blog is about my summer as a cast member in Walt Disney World. Since most of my family and friends speak French, everything on this blog will be written both in English and French. Archives
December 2015
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