Like Painting a Masterpiece, it's a Work of Heart

Hello long lost friends! I have returned with more adventures but no news about my housing situation. When I know, I'll share.

This will be a highlights reel post, since too many work days have passed and I can't recall all the fun at this moment. The non-work days though, those I remember.

On Thursday March 3rd, Sarah and I planned the Magic Kingdom open-close day we've been wanting basically since we met. We woke up bright and early with a change of clothes in tow (it had been getting cold in the evenings) and arrived at the park for something obscene like 0830. We caught the show which opens the Magic Kingdom and brings all the characters in, then followed behind the hoardes wanting to either see Anna & Elsa or get on Mine Train, laughing all the way. We got on Splash and Big Thunder Mountain with minimal waits, and met Woody in Frontierland. We popped in for early lunch at Be Our Guest (which actually opened during my last program). I had never been there for Quick Service lunch so that was new. By the time we left, there were huge lines to get in. We went under the sea with Ariel in New Fantasyland (the ride, not the meet & greet) and visited Dumbo in Storybook Circus.
We were joined by Justine and Dan for awhile, and we completed the FOF challenge, in which you watch the Festival of Fantasy parade once in Frontierland where it starts, then you race down to Main Street to watch it again. We got onto Pirates in Adventureland and we did Philharmagic and somehow we got a relatively short wait for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I had never seen the interactive queue before and I had never done the ride during the day so that was new and exciting. We also chilled on the People Mover, before taking in the Main Street Electrical Parade, Celebrate the Magic and Wishes. MK actually closed early for a Disney Vacation Club event to which we were not invited, so I think in total our day was just under twelve hours. I've done fifteen.

Beautiful, serene Splash Mountain...

Five seconds after the first picture...

We are the princesses of Splash Mountain

Such a charmer. I'm obviously talking about me.

On Friday March 4th, the four merchies supporting the bottom of the totem pole had plans for Hollywood Studios. We got a little split up at the beginning, but (spoiler alert) we all end up together for fireworks.
Myself and Kevin, the youngest merchie (I am indeed the oldest, what a surprise) started off our day with the Frozen Sing Along, which was awesome and magical and snow-covered. We then checked out Path of the Jedi, which is basically a supercut of the first six Star Wars films and a bit of the newest seventh. Now we know. We went on Star Tours twice. I have no idea how I did this ride so many consecutive times on my first program. We met Sully and Mike from Monsters Inc (and it was awkward) before going on Great Movie Ride in which I FINALLY got to experience the infamous cowboy scene instead of the standard gangster scene (it was a goal of mine to see it), before meeting the rest of the crew, Shellby and Shane with special guest Shane's dad, who was visiting. We had FastPasses for Rock'n Roller Coaster and we visited Star Tours again before breaking into smaller groups again for Voyage of the Little Mermaid and reunited for MuppetVision 3D before Kevin and went to Fantasmic. We also met Kylo Ren and Chewbacca (generally Kylo Ren was unimpressed at our level of laughter). We all got back together for the wonderful Star Wars fireworks, Symphony in the Stars, before Shane and his dad turned in for the night and Kevin, Shellby and I went to Steak & Shake and met fellow two-time merchie Kathleen for Deadpool at Disney Springs. It was a long, full, day people. And it was awesome!

Waiting to watch Voyage of the Little Mermaid.

Kylo Ren is super unhappy with us. 

Chewbacca is more chill. 

This past Thursday, the 10th, Laura and I went to Epcot to explore some of the Flower & Garden Festival. We also had a cast scavenger hunt-style thing we were wanting to complete, and we'd decided to get some Duffy Bears to get signed all around World Showcase. I'd like to say it was for better product knowledge of out own park, but really it was just for fun.
We rode Spaceship Earth with our FastPasses then went off to Living with the Land before finding the Fantasia topiaries of Future World, along with the cacti section and Cars topiaries near Test Track. We tried violet lemonade, and a potato and cheese biscuit with salmon tartare, as well as a chocolate raspberry macaron. We picked up from very special Duffy bears courtesy of our friends in the Canada attraction. We intend to do a sequel day, as only one half of the showcase was experienced this trip. Good thing we're here all year!
I actually went to Cast Connection later in the afternoon, and to Magic Kingdom for just a bit in the evening. It was supposed to be a quest for a specific pair of earrings but then I met Sarah and fun ensued.

The new view in Future World

Laura and I are beautiful butterflies, too!

These topiaries are outside the Canada pavilion.
Thumper wants my violet lemonade.  

On Friday the 11th, I went to Blizzard Beach with two wonderful merchies who both had traded their day off to get a Friday off, Morgan and Kimberly. We had an amazing day of sun in the lazy river (Cross Country Creek), the wave pool (Meltaway Bay) and the slides, the most famous of which is Summit Plummet, of which I am not a fan. Collectively we had brought quite a picnic, and we arrived right at open to get our first pick of hang-out spots, which we were called "camp" all day. We were very sunsafe, multiple layers of sunscreen all day, and the park was practically all ours. Neither had been to Blizzard Beach ever and it had been years for me, but we had an awesome time!

I got out of the lazy river to take this picture.
That's an "I'm Celebrating!" temporary tattoo, btw.

Goodbye, Blizzard Beach, see you real soon!

Today (yesterday now!) was Nicole's birthday! YAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLE! We went to 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian Resort for brunch. 1900 Park Fare is a Victorian carousel-themed buffet, BUT you get to meet an assortment of characters. We met Piglet, Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins, Alice and the Mad Hatter. Those that can talk gave us some excellent conversation, and those that cannot gave us some unforgettable interactions. I was able to nip off to Magic Kingdom with the rest of the squad for just a few minutes before I had to go to work.

Sarah, Pooh bear and I!

Justine, the Mad Hatter and the birthday girl!

Our whole squad together on Main Street!

It's getting hot here, friends. This is a warning for future visitors.

See you real soon!

Lindsey

Magical Moment: This wasn't my magical moment, but it's still magical. Today, Nicole met a princess at the Grand Floridian. Princess Quinn was also celebrating a birthday. Princess Quinn had recently gone to Bippity Boppity Boutique and therefore had too many tiaras. She gave one to Nicole, her fellow birthday princess. Parenting done right, over here!

Pixie Dust to: Angela and Mary, thank you for the mail. Sorry no one else has my address. I'm trying to make it very temporary.

I Could Go Running and Racing and Dancing and Chasing

I apologize for the delayed (and therefore likely long) post. The truth is I've had some issues with housing which I am still handling and I generally try to not be at "home" as much as possible. Which means lots of time for activities but not a lot of time for computering. Keep my in your thoughts, and possibly your strongly worded emails.

ANYWAY.

Today, Leap Day the 29th, I met Katie (the last merchandise Cast Member to arrive on my last program) at Hollywood Studios for lunch. She had a Fast Pass for the Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show (which will be closing in the near future to make room for either more Toy Story or Star Wars fun), so she had to take off. I had a Fast Pass (which we can book up to a week in advance as Cast Members) for the Great Movie Ride, which has changed just a tad since my last vacation. I also had time to visit my favourite baddie and love of my life (in terms of fictional characters), Kylo Ren, from Star Wars episode VII. I had this whole plan where I was going to be sassy and ask him for hair care tips (have you SEEN his hair?!) but they he was really tall and I was intimidated. Hence the awkward awkward pictures. I'll try again.

Fangirl Lindsey is awkward, 

I had to take off for work shortly thereafter, but work is still play here at Disney World. I saw Katie again that evening and she brought me a croissant donut, and I saw Daniel, my only trainee from my last program. Needless to say, I felt very popular today.

Daniel, you're in my blog... again!

Saturday the 27th Magic Kingdom had extended late hours, which were not Extra Magic Hours, so a handful of brave bundled up merchies went over to play after work. Shellby, Micayla (whom you may remember as my trainer), Kimberly, Kristin and I got corndog nuggets and snagged rides on Big Thunder Mountain (so cold), Splash Mountain (wet and cold) and Peter Pan's Flight (so magical) before waiting for the park to empty out. Peter Pan's Flight has a new interactive queue which I had never seen before, so that was super cool. We wanted pictures on Main Street USA with minimal background crowds, and our wishes were granted.

Shellby, Kimberly and I waiting to not get kicked out of MK. 

Shellby, Micayla, Kristin, Kimberly, Cinderella castle, and I.

Friday the 26th, I took on the Four Parks, One Day challenge. It's exactly what it sounds like. There are versions of the challenge with certain necessary criteria, but I chose to ignore them, at least for round 1. I was with my friend and CRP alumni Dan, who also maintained a (useful) blog. We started at Magic Kingdom, likely to get crowded first. We accomplished Carousel of Progress, the People Mover and Haunted Mansion, I got pixie-dusted (it's my jam), and we moved along to Animal Kingdom (by bus, my car stayed in Simba row 15 at the Ticket & Transportation Centre all day).

I forgot to take real picture but Snapchat ones are fine. 

Due to the amount of construction at DAK, it gets packed quickly as well. We recaffeinated at the Starbucks, went on Dinosaur, refueled at Flame Tree BBQ and moved on to Epcot (by bus).

It says "#dinoselfie".

At Epcot we were moderately more productive. We did Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Journey into Imagination, The Seas with Nemo and friends, stopped by the UK, met Rapunzel randomly, and finally boarded a FriendShip to Hollywood Studios.

Talking adventures with Rapunzel. No big deal.

We are so cute though.

CM photobomb on Imagination!

We intended to end the day with the Symphony in the Stars fireworks (a Star Wars tribute), so to kill some time we got in the single ride queue for Rockn Roller Coaster. I got the front row and had the best time ever. My hair looked amazing at the end (bobby pins everywhere). We did Star Tours and got the back row (where no one's feet touch the ground, so it's the best row). We had dinner at I got a warm beverage, cuz it gets cold in Florida in February after sundown, and we got prime spots for the fireworks. They really were spectacular. Dan called it a night after that, but I did not. I settled in for the evening's showing of Fantasmic, wherein I met a stellar family who gave me a churro. Then I bussed back to Magic Kingdom for a bit of the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and finally another round of Haunted Mansion. Me and two Jungle Cruise Skippers were the only ones waiting, so we were allowed to lay down on the Stretching Room floor. It's super cool but generally frowned upon. Also super dirty. A hair wash was imminent anyway. I ran into Canada attractions CMs Laura and Colin on my way out of the park through the Emporium, so we retrieved my car from its spot at the TTC and went back to Vista Way altogether.

Wednesday the 24th was the birthday party of a new friend of mine. You may remember me mentioning that during Traditions, me and two others snuck off for pixie dust? Yes, the lovely Sarah the sparkly was celebrating and invited her international friends Nicole, Sarah (UK Sarah), Justine and I. We went to Splitsville with a collection of Sarah's friends. Splitsville is the relatively new bowling alley in Disney Springs, offering inexpensive bowling, pizza and drinks (not for always-drives-everywhere Lindsey) for Cast after 10pm. I remain an unimpressive bowler but good times were had by all.

Me, Justine, and Sarah the birthday girl with the crew.

On Tuesday the 23rd, I met the lovely and talented Shelby Bruxer (from my last program, not to be mistaken with the lovely and talented Shellby Sy, from my current program) for lunch at ESPN Club on the Boardwalk before work. They have a burger with bacon and peanut butter, which is dangerously close to my favourite burger from the Works (not a thing in the US of A. Sad). Shelby and I had spotted each other on the promenade on Sunday. She and her mom were in town for the Princess Half Marathon weekend. Congrats on your mega accomplishment, Shelby!

CRP Alumni love!

On Saturday the 20th, I saw "How to be Single" with Justine and Sarah (we are already experts hardy har har), and we monopolized the promo material for Zootopia.

What I imagine a Cast bus is like.

My beautiful wing ladies.

On Friday the 19th, I breakfasted at IHOP then celebrated having regained access to the parks by spending the entire afternoon and evening at Magic Kingdom, Han-style (...Solo). I visited the Enchanted Tiki Room before meeting up with instagram stars and former CMs Katt and Kara, with whom I watched the Festival of Fantasy parade for the first time this year. I met Cinderella and Rapunzel after, and watched the Main Street Electrical Parade, and watched Wishes, and took a ride on the Jungle Cruise. It was a great day for park fanatic Lindsey.

Despite the lighting, I do not have a tan yet.

Princesses chill together.

I keep running into this one blond girl...

I can't promise I won't fall behind again. But I can promise that I'll catch up.

See you real soon!

Lindsey

Magical Moment: That couple I mentioned in my last post? They came back a few days later. The new wife and I twirled together and I made the couple buttons for their next visit this summer.

Pixie Dust to: My dear Disney friend Kim for the magical care package, and anyone who's listened to me moan and groan about housing. Thank you.

Keep Believing, Keep Pretending

Not much excitement this week, but better than the 50cm of snow I heard fell on my hometown and surrounding area. I hope everyone is safe and I am glad to not be there.

Tuesday is still Extra Magic Hours in the evening at Epcot, meaning the park is open for an additional two hours (at least parts are still open). Sarah and I, being so very new, are doomed to work EMH until our pavilions each get a few new people (I only need two more to arrive). That being said, neither of us was due to start work until 1645, meaning we theoretically had enough time for an entire park day before even having to go to work. We had a good sleep in before reaching Magic Kingdom parking, where even the trams make people happy.

Happy and magical on the MK tram.

However, we were told at the entrance that, because our Maingate passes hadn't arrived yet, and it had been over two weeks since our arrival, we were refused admission to Magic Kingdom. This is pretty devastating news to people like Sarah and I, who could and would gladly do a fifteen-hour stint at MK and still have energy left. We regrouped and went to the Polynesian Resort to call Cast Ticketing, who basically said our passes should have arrived by now, and that they could either resend them (3-4 weeks) or we could make the trip to Celebration.

Sad and tragic on the monorail. 

Sarah actually has an Annual Pass, so she could have gone without me (and been totally lame) but she didn't, so she'll be waiting. I am not so patient and have a car at my disposal. Ultimately, we were able to turn a loss into a win - we went to Steak & Shake for a) Sarah's first time and b) milkshake Happy Hour (half-price from 2-5pm and 2-5am).

My Saturday, but real life Thursday, started out on an early but good note. The merchies of Canada, plus Lindsay Wilson, had a product knowledge session on the pride of the store, Crown Royal. We tried five different whiskeys, including one we don't sell, and discussed the differences and histories of each and then tried to figure out exactly what "maple toasted oak" was. No actual drinking, except possibly by those who weren't working or driving (there was a fair amount of spitting...). Afterwards, a small group of us, while killing time between Crown Royal and lunch, got Cronuts at the Refreshment Port near Canada. I probably should have had one a long time ago, since I keep promoting them, but they stood up to my high expectations. Flaky, round, sugary, deep-fried goodness.

Nice new hoodie and purse, Lindsey. 

Then we found time for a quick ride on Test Track (my vehicle did not win Test Track), before lunch at Nine Dragons (in the China Pavilion). I had to take some home. Cronuts are filling and Test Track doesn't make me sick.

Team Canada Merch on Test Track

I had to take off after lunch though. My Maingate passes (the super duper special cards that allow myself and my non-CM posse in to the parks) never arrived, so I drove to Celebration to get them. I didn't have to do this last time, but really it was only a five minute drive to a series of crazy-looking buildings full of professional-looking Cast, including security and a slew of signs pointing me in the right direction. I was in and out in ten minutes, Maingates in hand. Visitors, come at me.

See you real soon!

Lindsey

Magical Moment: There was a couple who came by during EMH this week, who were on their honeymoon (Disney moon... it's a thing). We were talking skirts and princesses and how great twirling in circular skirts is, you know, all true facts. When they went to leave, they handed me a card that said "Thanks for your extra pixie dust! You have made our honeymoon magical!". So that was nice.

Pixie Dust to: KIM I HAVE A PACKAGE FROM YOU. I really need to open it but am using it as a reward for finishing this post.

Love is an Open Door

It appears as if having Thursdays and Fridays off will be the new normal for me. If anyone recalls, these were also my regular days off on my last program. Fine by me!

This Thursday, by some strange set of circumstances, Laura had the day off as well! It was also the last day this season when the cast member merchandise discount could be used (that's 40% off, yo), so we had some perusing and shopping to do. We managed to hit up an astounding three parks that day. We started at Hollywood Studios, where Laura got to go on a parking tram for the first time (buses will drop you off at the front).

Parking tram selfies are the best!

We had matching Star Wars-themed name badges made and instinctively put them where our real life name badges go. I also got a hoodie I had been eyeing, which actually worked out perfectly because I was wearing the wrong layers for the kind of sunny day it turned out to be. When we stopped for lunch, I was able to track down my magical friend Anna, who makes magic somewhere on the premises of Hollywood Studios now, who was conveniently on her lunch break.

Heeeeeeey Anna from Montana. 

When Anna had to leave us (darn you, working), we debated an attraction of two but honestly, there's not a lot a lot left at Hollywood Studios and the lines were getting longer by the minute (luckily there's an app for that. Actually. It's called My Disney Experience and I use it to check wait times). So we drove over to Epcot, since we sell merchandise in the Canada pavilion I legitimately needed to buy. We also went to Mouse Gear, the giant shop of the park, but mostly stayed under control. I think I bought tea. We had a peaceful ride on Living with the Land and met our favourite healthcare robot, Baymax (absolutely no name badges or trading pins allowed around Baymax).

Just like hugging a warm marshmallow.

Totally legit Spaceship Earth selfie with our fave scientist.

We were able to go on a whirl of Spaceship Earth before bussing to the TTC and taking a monorail to Magic Kingdom (two of three monorails were mysteriously not operating for most of the day). We had a plan for Magic Kingdom but the crowds didn't allow for a quick jaunt through Haunted Mansion, so we got out merch and my Dole Whip, and headed back to Vista.

The next day I had intended to do more park-running-around, aka blog fodder, but after a rather large and carb-filled Perkins breakfast, my slightly ill body decided it was nap time. For two hours. Luckily I had social plans in the evening to talk about. Nicole, Justine and I, 3/4 of our arrival group squad, went out for Chinese food at a place called Ming Court. It had a giant dragon in it and the food was yummy. Also the three of us accidentally all wore Star Wars shirts. It happens. Mine was courtesy of the now gone holiday discount.

Not an awesome selfie with Justine and a dragon.

We met our missing piece Sarah at Disney Springs for a very sold out showing of Deadpool and ummmmmm it was awesome. 4/4 squad girls recommend. We also met a California Cast Member in line who's job it is to watch multiple channels several hours before they air... are they hiring?

Sunday, Valentine's Day, the same squad went for Galentine's breakfast/lunch/brunch (there was traffic so brunch became lunch but it was pancakes so it was breakfast?) before those lucky three got to go to Animal Kingdom for a day of fun but I had to go to work for, let's face it, a day of fun. The park was busy busy and full of the nicest people, but alas no proposals for me.  No more pictures in costume... yet. If you're cast and you see me at work for the love of my blog take some pictures for me. Thanks in advance, friends.

Squad and sunglasses on point. 

See you real soon!

Lindsey

Magic Moment: Attractions Cast Member Katrina sang "Love is an Open Door" with me on Valentine's Day during the television premiere of Frozen and it was so so magical.

Pixie Dust to: The merch cast of Canada. You're all so nice and adorable.

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

It has been a busy and unseasonably chilly few days in the world of magic.

Friday morning Sarah and I managed to get going at a reasonable hour, as we had made reservations for a breakfast at Tusker House at Animal Kingdom. Tusker House was actually on my list of things to do this program. It's a buffet style character restaurant. We met Mickey, Goofy, Donald and Daisy over Jungle Juice and Mickey Waffles.

We are such a good-looking group.

Selfie master in action

We intended to rest and digest on Kilimanjaro Safaris, but the line was ridiculous so that just wasn't happening. We went for a brief nature walk on the Maharajah Jungle Trek then decided to be Wilderness Explorers for the day, as this was also on my list. Basically you're encouraged to collect badges by visiting different Wilderness Explorer Cast Members through the park to learn more about animal calls, recycling, bird behaviour, etc. There has to be over thirty badges but we did very well to collect at least twelve. We were able to ride Dinosaur with a minimal wait, as well as It's Tough to Be a Bug and Triceratop Spin. Afterwards, we tracked down a mysterious and elusive place called Cast Connection. It's a store behind Animal Kingdom-ish wherein merchandise is discounted for cast and their families. Sarah both loves and hates me for successfully finding it (the store has relocated since my last program).

The Wilderness must be Explored!

Saturday I met new friend on real life but friend for awhile on Facebook, UK merchie Laura. We went to newly renamed Disney Springs (this used to be Downtown Disney). There are new parking structures I didn't want to face at night so we went early. We explored World of Disney as well as the Marketplace Co-op, and a few littler stores. Despite my wanting to spend all the money (our massive Holiday discount ends soon), I was actually very well behaved, leaving only with pin backs, a new Magic Band with which to eventually link my Maingate pass, and lunch from Earl of Sandwich.

Our group has mixed feelings on pin trading.

Laura had to work in the afternoon, so I went to Magic Kingdom to continue to shopping quest and to meet Sarah. I was yet again unsuccessful in my shop but I did run into fellow Canada merchie Kimberly AND my favourite barbershop quartet, the Dapper Dans. It was raining cats and dogs so they actually performed in Uptown Jewellers, where I was searching for a very specific Dooney & Burke purse. The Dans were a consolation in my failure to find it. 

The most Dapper of selfies

I met Sarah with her two French roommates and a third French friend. She had had a morning intoducing them to the joy that is Magic Kingdom. Once I joined them in my super stylish poncho, we were able to ride The Barnstormer and the Walt Disney World Railroad before waiting for the Festival of Fantasy parade. Due to weather, the parade was delayed and eventually cancelled, but we were treated to the rarely seen Rainy Day Cavalcade, in which FoF characters are loaded into the Main Street USA vehicles and driven down the parade route to the tune of "Singin' in the Rain."

Our group waiting for FoF in the rain.

Rainy Day Calvacade!...

...Is not that exciting after all. 

We were able to sneak onto Pirates of the Caribbean before it mysteriously went down for a few hours, as well as the Enchanted Tiki Room. Sarah and I took off thereafter, as the other three were desperate to do Space Mountain but Sarah and I do not queue. We met Justine (Sarah's roommate from Mexico attractions) and Nicole for a Fork & Screen presentation of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.
Sunday was a long and chilly day back in the Canada Pavilion. I was still training with Micayla. The focus of the day was engraving and transactions down at the cart. Although the cart has had a complete overhaul since my last program, engraving is almost the same. I feel like I picked it up again quickly. It was also my first time closing the cart. It's a chaotic process involving the music of IllumiNations and the sounds of fireworks. I'll be closing over the next few months so I will be a champion at it. I also learned a very important lesson in costuming - if the skirt you select doesn't feel super soft, chances are it hasn't been washed a thousand times and will bleed colour when dry into your clean white shirt. And your new, white Dooney & Burke (!!!!!!!). It had best wipe out, is all I have to say on the matter.
Monday was a very special day in the life of a merchie.  I offically "earned my ears" - I passed a written assessment of my merchandising skills and had a leader engagement to go over expectations for the duration of my program. I can and will still wear the "earning my ears" ribbon until I feel more comfortable. Things eluding me right now include prices of various items, including differentiating between the leather bracelets. Micayla and I started out the day together as trainer and trainee, then after my assessment we both went into rotation. Since Micayla is so much higher than me on the food chain, she went home at 1700 while I stayed til 2100. Not sure if I mentioned it yet but there has been a rather large and major cheerleading competition being held at ESPN Wide World of Sports this past week, so I've had lots of engraver practice from high school cheerleaders wanting personalized mementos from their trip. Happy to oblige, and for the practice. In the evening at the cart, Shane and I met a family from Guelph with whom we had a great chat, and they presented us with a teeny token of love from Canada.

Bonus points if you know this family!

That's all for now, more pictures in costume soon I hope!

See you real soon!

Lindsey

Magical Moment: While earning or Wilderness Explorer badges, Sarah and I encountered a CM named Dave who was telling us about the call of Siamang gibbons. Not two seconds later, said gibbons actually did this call and he was just amazed cuz apparently it's rare. His enthusiasm was out of this world.

Pixie Dust to: My trainer Micayla, for hearing me say "On my first program..." every third sentence. No more.

Wonderful Feeling, Wonderful Day

I'm more on the ball (about select things) than many people realize. I started another blog post minutes after the previous one.

Tuesday was both my Discover Day and the morning I left my phone in housing. Discovery Day is the day in which we learn all there is to know about Epcot - what it stands for, its history, how to get around, how to find bathrooms, what's being reimagined, what attractions remain and which pavilion is the best (self-proclaimed Canada). We took a walking tour of Future World and rode Spaceship Earth, and were threatened with a jog around World Showcase before we commandeered a FriendShip, Jack Sparrow-style, and took a boat tour instead, all before World Showcase was even open. Since we were finished at noon, I took the afternoon off for a designated Magic Kingdom day. I lunched at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe, then noticed that half of Tomorrowland was temporarily closed, which meant all adjacent attractions had a longer wait time. The only solution was to abandon Tomorrowland and head towards shorter wait times in Liberty Square (oh hey, Haunted Mansion), Frontierland (getting soaked on Splash Mountain and drying off on Big Thunder Mountain and then chilling in Country Bear Jamboree). En route I ran into a character attendant I knew from my last program, who allowed me a quick visit with Ariel between my desired attractions.

Tip: Know all the right people. I know Stephen.

Ariel told me to keep an eye out for thingamabobs.

Wednesday was another Disney University Day. Not trusting myself to a)not get lost and b)not get anyone else lost, I drove to and arrived at Disney University insanely early but still behind a handful of my classmates. I did not get lost, although the chances were high. The small group of international merchies (there might be seven of us) gathered with new merchandise college program kids for a not-at-all updated class called Merchantainment. You may recall that's a Disney word for Merchandise + Entertainment. It was a long morning of sitting to learn more about the Four Keys and how they relate to both the Guest experience and loss preventation, as well as practice on a real/fake cash register with real/fake American currency (the small handful of us who were not raised in this country were given a convenient handout). After lunch and a shorter afternoon of e-learning (I know so much about safe food preparation in degrees Fahrenheit), I went back to Vista for an evening of tidying, organization and well-deserved foot rest (I clocked over 12, 000 steps yesterday, just so you know). Also another round of (couponed!) Steak & Shake with current and former/future CMs and friends Mike & Matt (Lindsay's roommates!).

Thursday was my second day onstage and in costume. The focus of the day was Guest interactions at the cash wrap (ie transactions). It's coming back slowly, but I have had to learn quite a few things since my last program. I still got to have some Guest interaction and some pin trading but mostly I practiced package pickups, returns, exchanges, cash and credit transactions, all the joy of merchandise.

Our first opening meeting (with the UK merch cast)!

After a long day of working, Sarah and I decided we hadn't been at Epcot long enough and, since we will be closing during the IllumiNations foreworks for the next few months, we thought it prudent to watch the fireworks so we wouldn't get distracted later. We went to Beaches and Cream on Disney's BoardWalk for dinner, and were ridiculously too full for the ice cream for which Beaches and Cream is known. Next time. As we were leaving, we found that the heavens had opened up in typical Florida fashion, so we resigned ourselves to spending the remainder of the evening in Disney Parks ponchos purchased with our holiday Cast discounts. We were able to squeeze in a ride on the Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros (it has been ever so slight reimagined) before finding an excellent spot in the Mexico pavilion to watch the fireworks. The poncho had a sauna-like effect and kept us very cozy.

Can you see us in the mirror of the Beaches and Cream counter?

Sarah is too cool to wear her poncho. I am not. 

Friday, we are both off and headed to Animal Kingdom (teaser for the next post!).

See you real soon!

Lindsey

Magical Moment: There was a Guest in the store today desperately searching for a Cast Member from her neck of the woods. She was from Smiths Falls and she found me.

Pixie Dust to: The UK merchie who suggested a group photo, and my leader who sent it to me.

For the First Time in Forever, There'll be Magic, There'll be Light

I feel like I have had a very packed few days, so prepare yourselves for a novel.

Saturday was TRADITIONS, the longest and most magical of any company orientations known to person-kind. The day started off a little rough when the Traditions bus from Vista Way was nowhere to be found, but a van was dispatched so we still arrived very promptly. And very early. The day involved a Disney look check, company history and orientation, introduction of the Four Keys (SAFETY COURTESY SHOW EFFICIENCY for anyone who hasn't heard me belt them out before) and of course, a spectacular but sadly brief trip to Magic Kingdom, both backstage in the Utilidors and onstage.
The point of the expedition was to find Cast Members displaying the Four Keys, as well creating magical memories for Guests. Myself and two new American friends and Cast Members, Drew and Sarah, decided this was an ideal time to skip over to Castle Couture and get our first round of pixie dust. Upon return to the classroom, each of us earned a critter (a figurine of one of the Fab Five characters [Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Donald}) for sharing how our magical experience related to the Four Keys.

Sneaky pixie dust friends at Castle Couture

After receiving a schedule for the next few days, we were released into the world with brand new blue Cast IDs and sparkly new name tags delivered by the boss himself. I know I've done it before but it was still magical.

You have to participate a lot to win this many Critters.

My name tag says "Perth, Canada".

I jetted off to Hollywood Studios within 15 minutes of getting back to Vista Way. The Walker family (remember how I was a lab tech who lived in St Thomas with a fabulous lady named Danielle and two weens?) was having their Disney World weekend before their Disney Cruise and obviously, since they were on my turf, I needed to see them. I rode Star Tours while they waited for Rock'n Roller Coaster, and we joined up for a typically magical presentation of Fantasmic. The convenience of car ownership had me home by ten.

Mad Fantasmic selfie skills

Sunday was another round of orientation at Disney University. I recently learned that, with the small group of Cultural Representatives with whom I arrived, were over 2,000 Disney College Program participants. This fact is important because, when I was waiting for a bus (with a German merchie named Mari), the first bus to Disney University completely filled up and they sent another a few minutes later... and I remembered why I don't bus to places. The day started with a class called Welcome to Operations from 0730 (YEAH) to 1130, at which point we were given more schedule for the day and, after lunch, the merchandise cast members had an Introduction to Merchandise class.
We were done for the day at 1400, but Sarah (from the UK) and I had the idea to go to Magic Kingdom, since we were right behind it and we wanted to exercise our limited time holiday discount (never fear, it comes back in November). We bussed to the Ticket & Transportation Center and took a monorail until we gleefully disembarked at Magic Kingdom, dressed conspicuously in our business casual attire. We had come for a specific reason and to purchase a specific item, so we went to Uptown Jewelers. They have a relatively new pale pink room dedicated to Pandora. After a few minutes of indecision and a scary moment of my Cast ID almost not working, we both purchased a lovely bead representing Spaceship Earth and the monorail. As we were leaving the store, I was lamenting not running into anyone I knew (it happens all the time). Not five seconds later, I ran into people I knew. It's a small world after all.
We made a brief stop at Casey's Corner for one of my fave MK snacks (corndog nuggets) and perused the Emporium for a bit to satisfy the money burning a hole in Sarah's pocket. I was good and didn't purchase anything else... yet. We then took a brief round on the People Mover (so lovely) and skipped through Fantasyland for another round of pixie dust (twice in two days for me), and headed home. My business casual flats are fine but they are not made for marathons that are park days.

The People Mover in Tomorrowland is the best for sore feet.

New UK merchie Sarah is in heaven.

Monday was my first day onstage. I met my trainer, Micayla, in the Epcot Cast Services break room. Lindsay was kind enough to do a drive with me last night to both Epcot parking and Disney University. Karen, my slightly bizarre but recently totally updated GPS, remembered where Epcot parking was but I don't trust her 100%. Disney University is Unplottable* (*Harry Potter reference) and is hard to find if you don't know how to get there. There was a table of international participants (including a new American friend) waiting for our trainers to arrive, but mine was the winner. Naturally. We clocked in and reported to costuming, which has had a complete overhaul lately so I was totally lost. We were easily able to locate the plaid aisle, and after a few rounds in the change room and a few reject sizes, I was finally in my sweet sweet new lumberjack costume. I also forgot how weird tucking shirts in is. I had also been given the heads up to purchase solid black sneakers and shorts for underneath the full full plaid skirt. Nicole and I had spent a fair amount of time selecting white socks at Walmart a few days previous.

Why thank you, Welcome package.

I got a locker in which to store my business casual clothing, I received a brand new lanyard full of trading pins (SO EXCITED FOR PINS) and we went for early lunch, after which we reported to the Canada pavilion for official business. The first day of training is referred to a "Tier 1", and the last time I experienced it, I was teaching it. Tier 1 has definitely changed for the better. Today Micayla and I focused on pavilion orientation, the four keys onstage and backstage, and guest interaction. To be able to interact with Guests so early in training was just wonderful... because that's what I know how to do.

The new Canada costume, 100% girlier.

See you real soon!

Lindsey

Magical Moment: My first pin trade of my program was with a couple from California. It was their first trip to Disney World and their first pin trade.

Pixie Dust for: Disney Facilitators, who encourage and reward Disney keeners like me.