I've been a bad, bad, blogger

I'm so sorry folks. I'm a really bad blogger, and I didn't realize that I would be upon my undertaking of this blog. So I apologize if you or anyone else you may know has lost faith in my blogging motivation and followthrough.

The last few weeks have been pretty hectic, yet at the same time seemingly routine. Days at The Seas kind of flow by, water pun completely intended. We rotate between all the possible positions with a couple of breaks here or there. My favorite positions have ended up being in the theatre at Turtle Talk and being outside as the greeter at the entrance of the Pavilion. I get to talk to guests at both, albeit through a turtle at the first position. The only true downfall of the Seas in my opinion is these guys.

If you've seen Finding Nemo, you'll recognize these birds. I'll admit that they were funny in the movie and still quite hilarious the first time I visited the ride. However, hearing them for the solid hour that you're standing outside, and hearing the impressions of them that tourists yell at the top of their lungs and find so hilarious and amusing, can be a little rough, especially on a day like yesterday when I was outside for three hours of my 12 hour shift. Luckily, they're quite easy to drown out, that is until a Guest asks how annoying those birds must be. So thank you tourists, for reminding all the Seas Cast Members of those little friends of ours which we work so hard to ignore.

So it's been a pretty good, yet tiring, couple of weeks. Last night's 12 hour shift (with a respiratory infection I might add) has been part of a 45 hour week, which has been about the normal work schedule for me since I've started working. The days really do run quite the same, which I guess I never thought about when starting this program. Now I'm not saying that I'm bored, not enjoying myself, or would rather be anywhere else, because those statements definitely are not true. While I'll admit that The Seas is not where I envisioned myself working when I received my invitation, I really am truly happy about where I work and the people I see everyday. They've all been very helpful and supportive of me as a start my time as a Walt Disney World Cast Member. Even though it does get quite repetitive being asked about the whereabouts of Soarin', the restrooms, or the nearest smoking area, or how many miles a day I walk on the Load and Unload belts, there really is nothing I would rather be doing right now than working at Disney World.

I apologize once again for the delay in this post, and I hope you can forgive me in my tardiness. Now you can all be assured that I am here, doing well, and fully available for a visit from you.

Apartment Video Tour

I've been looking for a good use my Flip video camera for a while, and I thought I'd give you a tour of my apartment while my roommates are at work. I'd like to apologize for the mess in the sink, as we have no dish washing soap and have to wash everything by hand and let it dry. But none of the stuff there is mine, so I just wanted to let you know that so you don't think less of me. And the girl I share a room with is from Ohio, not Iowa. My bad.

I've earned my ears!

That's right, folks. I've officially completed my training, and I've earned my ears. That makes me a full fledged "Nemo Ranger." Yep, that's what those of us who work at The Seas are officially called. Fun, eh? I am now fully capable (I think) of being able to work at all of the positions in The Seas without the supervision of a trainer. I can even put on a show of Turtle Talk by myself. My first show was quite an interesting one: the audience was full of 150 middle schoolers. Talk about your fun atmosphere. I think being the hostess of Turtle Talk is my favorite position at The Seas, and I hope I get to do that fairly often.

I've been enjoying a couple of days off after my 40 hours of intensive Nemo training. My roommates and I went to the parks yesterday, which made for a pretty fun day. Today I am the only roommate off, so I've declared today a lazy day, aside from the necessary task of doing laundry. Tomorrow I start working for real, so it should be a pretty interesting day working without constant guidance and supervision of my trainer Jaime. Here's hoping it goes well.

Oh, and here is a picture of me in my costume. Don't laugh, because you'll probably want to given that it is not the most flattering of costumes. I'm pretty sure that the only people who look good in this costume are boys (sometimes) and the few Brazilian girls who work at the Seas. If you do, just don't tell me. I'm already fairly subconscious of the disappearance of my torso every time I put on this lovely costume. Thanks so much, Disney costuming. I appreciate it.

Training Update

Hey there folks. I sincerely apologize for the gross lack of information about the past couple of days. Between training and spending quality time with the roomies, I haven't been home a lot other than the times I'm sleeping. Eight hour shifts and playing in the parks until close really takes it out of ya. I know I won't be able to keep it up once the park hours return to normal, so I should probably ween myself off that habit.

Training has been pretty hectic. I've had to learn all about every aspect of every position at the ride, and I think I've pretty much gotten over the overwhelmingness that I felt when I began. I started Turtle Talk training today, and I even got to talk into a mic! Turtle Talk is an interactive show where Guests get to talk with Crush from Finding Nemo, and Cast Members serve as hosts of the show and help Crush talk to our Guests. Tomorrow I get to do a whole show by myself (I think), so we'll see how that goes. I think I've got the spiel pretty down pact, so hopefully it will stick when my time to shine comes.

I'll go into more detail (or at least as much detail as I'm allowed to tell) later when my training is officially over Thursday and I've "earned my ears." Night all.

Just keep swimming....

Hey there folks. Today I had my park orientation at Epcot, called "Discovery Day." Here, we new Cast Members were taught everything we need to know about Epcot, including its past, present, and the ever important places to take a break and where to go if injured, which might be pretty useful information since yours truly is sometimes not so graceful. We also took a walking tour of the park, which was slowed by the presence of participants in the Walt Disney World Marathon. I would like to at the same time congratulate those runners and question their sanity as they were running this marathon is sleeting weather. I'm frankly quite surprised that I didn't fall on the treacherous and slippery terrain of Future World, so how those runners managed not to is a feat beyond my comprehension. Given the sleet and 35 degree weather, our Discovery Day leaders took pity of us freezing newbies and spared us of the 1.5 mile walk around World Showcase and gave us the tour via the Friendship Boat instead.

After more fun information key to our success at Epcot, we received our role location and training schedule. I was quite pleased to find out that I'll be spending my time here:

I was super excited to learn that I will be working the two attractions at The Seas Pavilion, The Seas with Nemo and Friends and Turtle Talk with Crush. Finding Nemo is my favorite Disney/Pixar movie, and I am particularly fond of both attractions. I'm pretty darn excited to start my training tomorrow, and thankful that I get to spend it inside given this frigid (by Florida standards) weather. So if you come down to Florida, look for me. I'll be chillin' in the big blue world with my buddy Nemo.

It all started with a mouse...

Hey friends. So sorry that this post is somewhat delayed. I've been pretty busy, and I just established an Internet connection yesterday.

I'd like to take this time to announce that I am an official Cast Member of the Walt Disney Company. That's right, be jealous. My dream is finally a reality. The past days have been interesting ones, and here's the rundown.

On Wednesday morning, I braved the cold to check in for the Disney College Program. I went through the lines and stations, and then ventured over to my apartment complex, Chatham Square. I started the move-in process, and I have some pretty cool roommates. There are two New Yorkers (not from NYC, but other parts), one from North Carolina, one from Iowa, and one from Ohio. There are two of us to a room, and we're getting along pretty well thus far.

I then went to catch the bus to Disney Casting to find out my position and take care of all the not-so-fun paperwork necessary for work. So a bus pulls up, and about fifteen of us new DCP participants hop on, and we are told that we are on the correct bus. At the next stop, the bus becomes filled with participants in the Disney International Program in their World Showcase costumes. As the sounds of at least five different languages flood into the tightly packed bus, we DCP participants begin to talk to each other and question our current situation. Guess what? We were on the bus to Epcot. We needed to be going towards Downtown Disney. Being late to Casting is not a great way to start out your employment at Disney World. Luckily, a bus going to the area was at the stop, and we were not alone in our bus mishap.

Casting went pretty well. I'll admit that the building is slightly overwhelming and intimidating, but it's not really that bad upon further investigation. I received my job assignment at Casting, and I will be working attractions in Future World East in Epcot. From what I've been told, the included attractions include Test Track, Mission Space, Universe of Energy (the one with dinosaurs, Bill Nye, and Ellen DeGeneres), and Spaceship Earth. Keep this in mind so you can come see me should you make it down to Florida to visit.

Thursday was a free day, so naturally, I went into Epcot with Catherine and Mama with the main intention of scoping out my possible job locations and costumes. This venture was very successful. We did Mission Space for the first time in probably three years or so. It was actually pretty pleasant now that it's been redesigned to have a less intense version. I think that's what I'll be sticking to in the future. The fam and I then went to the outlets to find solid black work shoes, an adventure that was much easier than anticipated. It was that night and with much sorrow that I had to say my goodbyes to Catherine and Mama.

This morning, I woke up literally before the crack of dawn to be on a bus at 6:45 to head over to Disney University for my Traditions class, which is mandatory for all Cast Members. It kind of serves as a welcome to the Disney family, and Mickey Mouse himself delivered our nametags. It was awesome.

After Traditions, my roommate Liz and I braved the intricacy of the transportation system to go to Magic Kingdom for the first time as Cast Members. I'm happy to report that no mistakes were made, and we made it to MK in one piece. We were so excited to get to use our Company IDs to get into the parks for the first time. Sad news: they didn't work. Apparently it takes a while for all the new Cast Member IDs to register in the system, but the nice turnstall man let us in anyway. This small devastation behind us, we worked our way through Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. So it's still pretty chilly down here in Florida, and while we were on the Tomorrow Speedway, it started to rain. Not fun when driving an uncooperative tiny race car. And no SpectroMagic. Other than that, our visit to the Magic Kingdom was quite enjoyable, and I would say a lovely start to this time of free park admission and getting to use the Cast Entrance.

It's been a pretty cool couple of days, and I can't wait to continue on this journey. Tomorrow I head to Epcot for my park orientation, with location training to follow later. I should probably get to bed, another early morning tomorrow.

Sisterhood Retreat

For years, my sister Catherine, our dear friend Leah Taylor Ballard Frazier, and I have been planning and dreaming about taking a trip to Disney World together. We finally had the opportunity to take our Sisterhood Retreat this week. Leah is a Disney College Program (DCP) graduate, so she took the time to show me the ropes of being a Cast Member and answering any last minute questions I had about the program.

We drove down on Saturday the 2nd and rode onto Walt Disney World property at 11pm. The drive was very enjoyable (sample quote, "I will gain 100 pounds eating something big and round," said about homemade treats sent on the ride), but I was exhausted from the drive, as I have never driven so long in one day before. Upon check-in at All Star Movies, I was quite delirious to say the least.

But here's something you should know before we go any farther: it was absolutely freezing all week. Now I hear it's been even colder at home, but people, this is Florida, and it's supposed to be 72 degrees and sunny all year long, not in the 40s (in the sun at noon) with a breeze that doesn't help. I think the lady we saw on the bus wearing three pairs of pants would agree with us, and she was from Chicago. Never have I ever purchased more paraphernalia in one trip from the Walt Disney World Resort. Example: the pants and two of the three shirts I wore today (all layered at once I might add) were pieces of clothing that I did not own before Sunday. And it wasn't just us; based on the number of WDW sweatshirts we saw, I think it's safe to say that WDW made a killing in merchandise this week. I was grossly underprepared for the frigid weather that was present in Central Florida this week. Multiple trips to various gift shops and one trip to Target later, I was finally well-prepared enough to brave the uncharacteristically rough elements of Orlando weather.

Despite the ever present chill and wind in the air, our next three days have been filled with fun time in the parks, which has served as great "job research" for me. We moved to Saratoga Springs, and upon arrival in our SS Villa, a special surprise gift was waiting for me. I even questioned whether we were in the right room. The Mickey Mouse balloon and stuffed animal were certainly a fantastic way to kick off my time in Florida.

Catherine, Leah, and I had time to just enjoy being at our favorite place with people that we really love and enjoy being with, which is the best that anyone can ask for. We had what was quite possibly the most enjoyable dinner experience I've ever had at the Brown Derby, which was supplied by the fantastic service of our waiter, Joshua. He lovingly mocked all three of us, and was one of the most attentive and awesome waiters I've ever had anywhere. He even spoke a few words in Japanese to the Japanese couple seated besides us (side note: said couple was looking at photos that they had taken at the park, and they were quite hilarious). We also played some games at Animal Kingdom in an attempt to win a giant turtle for LTBF's husband Adrian, and the nice attendant Tracy gave me a little turtle for playing so many times and being so terrible at this game. Those two are the types of Cast Member that I hope to be, one that makes an experience truly memorable for the Guest and goes out of their way to make a Guest feel special. Hats off to you, Joshua and Tracy. You rock my Disney Cast Member world.

Today, while Leah was working a shift at MGM (which is what I will probably always call the park that is now referred to as the Hollywood Studios), Catherine and I left property to venture over to Universal Orlando. I know, all you reading this might be surprised, and some might slightly scoff at that statement, but hear me out. Although it is certainly no Disney and will never take its place in my heart,Universal is, for what it is, a pretty good little theme park. They have some pretty cool rides (ie the Mummy and Spider-Man) which make it worth the admission. Plus, you can cover pretty much everything you want to do in a day. Catherine and I did in about 5 hours.

But here's the main reason I will be returning to Universal later this spring:

That's right. Harry Potter is getting a theme park. Some of you won't care (cough cough Ariel Reynolds), but other Harry Potter nerds like myself are going absolutely bonkers over this. I probably spent a solid 30 minutes of our time at Islands of Adventure scoping out The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and trying to figure out as much I could about it. We even rode Dueling Dragons, an outside roller coaster, in the freezing cold to try to get a glimpse of the park. Said venture failed as the ride was too fast to really see anything. Here's some pictures that other HP fans should appreciate. First, the gate to the park and the Hogsmeade Village sign over where the entrance will be.

Next, a cute little Ministry of Magic sign and the coat of arms on the fences blocking HP world from view.

Finally, Hogwarts Castle.

Holy pajamas, that thing is gargantuan. We first saw it from the Interstate before we even turned off on the Universal exit. The building is actually quite beautiful and pretty close to what you see in the movies. From what I saw today, I'm pretty stinkin' excited about the opening of this new addition to Islands of Adventure.

Needless to say, these past couple of days have been pretty great. Knowing that I'll be spending my next five months here is pretty awesome. I'll admit that I'm kind of nervous about checking in and starting the DCP tomorrow, but I'm even more excited about what's to come. Disney World has always been one of my favorite places in the world, and finally getting to work here is really a dream come true. I should probably go to sleep now, big day ahead.

Florida, Day 1

We're here. We're safe. We're freezing. In the parks until midnight, dozed off on "It's a Small World." About to pass out. More to follow at park break tomorrow.

Teaser: Saw a woman on the bus wearing three pairs of pants. LTBF lovingly mocked.

First Day of 2010, Last Day in Tuscaloosa

So I know that it's slight overkill to post twice in one day, but that I figure that my last day before I move to Florida for the semester is worth mentioning.

12:30am. Awoken by sister with urgent news. She had a carpet nail go through her toe and has to have a tetanus shot. Prize to Catherine for best kickoff to 2010.

6:30ish am: Crawl back into own bed after having a slumber party with Catherine as a result of being kicked out of my room for a visiting toddler. Don't worry Emma, you are forgiven.

9:30am: Awoken for the day by aforementioned toddler for breakfast. On the menu: bacon and a Bridgers family tradition, Mickey Pancakes.

P.S. Catherine would like to apologize for slight blurryness. She hasn't quite mastered the new camera yet.

12pm: Last minute shoe shopping for Disney appropriate business shoes. Not fun, but successful venture.

1:15pm: While playing on the floor with my dog, burst into tears upon realization that I won't see her again until May. You would too if you knew her. Her name is Poppins (after Mary, full name Mary Poppins ShaLloyd Shenanigans Bridgers the 47th), and she is charmingly mischievous. Just look at that face.

3pm: Last Sibling Fun Time. Lots of Beatles Rock Band was played.

5pm: Quite lengthly family dinner, including grandparents, at Outback Steakhouse. Fantastic steak. Highly recommend.

7:45pm: Arrive home, play with Poppins some more, and continue to pack. Not fun at all, room destroyed.

10ish: Finish packing, pile of stuff to take to Florida forms in foyer. No strength left to load car, and no will to do so because it's so darn cold. Decide to create blog instead.

1am: Finish second post blog post, decide to turn in. Big drive tomorrow.

And so it begins...

What is a blogger to write for their first post on their first ever blog? I guess I should say some things about myself...that's usually a good place to start, even though everyone who reads this will already know these facts. I guess that this part is more for me than it is for you, just to make me feel like a legit blogger.

Hi, I'm Elizabeth Bridgers, I'm from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and I believe that I am soon to become a wee bit obsessed with blogging. This sudden urge of mine to blog has stemmed from a love for the movie "Julie and Julia" and a pretty entertaining blog by my sister-in-law. The idea for my own blog came to me on Christmas Day 2009. I received a Flip video camera (which I might add is a fun little gadget), and I began to think of how to best utilize said camera. Our family also watched the aforementioned "Julie and Julia." My early inklings and fledgling ideas of a blog were fueled by this movie. I decided that if Julie Powell can blog, then so can I (I personally think I'm a lot less annoying than Julie). My family supported this idea, and I figure it's a pretty efficient way to keep in touch with everyone and to keep track of this journey on which I am about to embark.

Our family has vacationed at Disney World every year since I was two years old (my first trip is documented in a particularly entertaining home video). What followed was a childhood filled with Disney-influenced memories, from all the trips to parks in Florida, California and Paris to taking in most Disney animated films on opening weekend to a pretty ballin' ninth grade research paper on the Walt Disney Company (which received a 98 I might add, and I think I was cheated out of the other two points). All of this led to a personal dream to one day work for the Walt Disney Company, especially in the Theme Parks. My dream is finally coming true this spring as I am participating in the Disney College Program. I am spending this whole upcoming semester working as an Attractions Cast Member. This blog is my little (and slightly self-indulgent) way of documenting this dream fulfillment at the place where "dreams really do come true."

So thanks for taking this journey with me, and I hope you enjoy the ride.

P.S. Another subtitle for this blog is "Musings from the House of Mouse." That's for you, Mama.