So I am finally home after a year in Florida and I thought I should put an end to my blog...
The last week of Disney was very strange, alot of tears were shed (although not mine!) and there were very mixed feelings.
On my last day off it was the England vs USA match and I wouldn't have missed it for the world! A few of us who were off including one of our co-ordinators went to The George and the Dragon on I.Drive, we didn't want to watch the match in an American bar so somewhere tacky and British was the best option! We got there early to grab a table and it's just as well we did as the by the time the match started the pub was packed with English scuzz! Having said that it was nice to be surrounded by English accents and we had a really good time. I was so disappointed with England's performance but it was the best way to spend my last day off in Florida.
On the Monday evening Beth and I had our last meal at Ihop and it was really nice that nearly all the Merchies could make it. For the last time I stuffed myself with New York cheesecake pancakes and they were lush! At the end one of our friends, Jack stood up and gave a little goodbye speech that was nice.
Wednesday was our last day of work and I have to say I woke up that morning feeling a little sick. Id been so excited about going home that, that morning it all seemed real and I wasn't looking forward to the last day! Our co-ordinator did our last morning meeting and we had photos and stuff. To be honest I didn't do much the whole day! Beth and I pretty much hung out in the back office eating donuts that our manager, Celia had brought in for us! Although at one point Celia took us into the Tea shop and announced in front of all the guests that we were leaving and gave us our certificates. While I was in the Toy shop Jack also decided to anounce to everyone it was my last day and I got a huge round of applause, it was embarassing but thoughtful!
After we got our final bump out and finished work for the day we got something to eat and had a drink in the pub. At 9.00pm we were allowed on the lower deck of the restaurant to watch the last Illuminations with the girls and everyone else. I have to admit I had tears in my eyes knowing it was the last time!
The next day was the day to do jobs before going home! We had to take our costume back to costuming at Epcot, change our address to our home address, go to the bank to close our accounts and hand in our IDs to front desk. It was a busy day! I also finished packing my stuff and throwing everything out of the apartment. The apartment looked so bare by the end it was very sad.
That night at 11.30pm all the Uker's collected across the road from The Commons in the car park for last song. It was very surreal. Throughout my time here I have countless times stood in a circle and sung Greenday's 'Time of your life' to other people who were leaving and it was very weird being one of the people in the middle of the circle this time! Afterwards there were alot of people we had to say goodbye to and there were alot of tears too. I think I have a heart of stone, although I was devastated, I couldn't bring myself to cry!
The next day was D Day- Time to leave :-( Rachel and I were up quite early, we had to be out of our apartment by 11am and we had to clear what was left in there and take the bags of trash to the bins we had collected over the past few days! It was horrible leaving the empty apartment, we'd made it our haven so it wasn't nice to see it bare. Also the apartment had been a UK apartment for about 4 years so it was sad in that sense too. Goodbye 416!
After we had handed our key into front desk Beth and I went round to Luke and Jack's apartment with our friend Darren. Really we were meant to leave The Commons straight away but as we weren't leaving for the airport until 3.40pm they let us hang out there. I felt sick with apprehension while I was there about going home, it seemed like the final countdown! We watched the first half of the England game and then we got our taxi to the airport.
I felt very sad leaving The Commons for the last time but it was nice to be with Kirstie, Beth and Rach- we flew out together so it was like we'd come full circle. At the airport we all checked in, Kirstie and I were flying to Gatwick at 7.30pm and Beth and Rcah were both flying to Manchester at 8.25pm so it was perfect that our flights were so close together. Kirstie and I managed to get seats together and the check in man also didn't charge me for my second case which was a touch! All too quickly the time came for Kirstie and I to board so we had to say goodbye to the other two. It was horrible, both Kirstie and Beth were crying alot and saying goodbye to Beth was the hardest thing for me. When you've spent a whole year with someone, at work and on your days off you become best friends so it was heartbreaking to leave her. I still didn't cry, however once I was settled on the plane I read the message Beth had written in my leaving book and I just burst into tears! So there is a heart there after all!
How to sum up my year at Disney? It isn't possible. It was everything I expected and more. It was the most exciting, scary, incredible, hard, amazing year of my life! I never in a million years thought I could so something like this and the sense of achievement I feel is wonderful. I did so many fantastic things and above all I made the most amazing friends- people who became my family and people I know will be friends for life. I will never forget my year as a Disney Cultural Rep and the memories I've made will last a lifetime. I really did have the 'Time of my Life.'
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Monday, 7 June 2010
The Final Countdown...
Idiot of the week:
Girl: (Looking at my costume) So is that the kind of thing you wear in England?
Me: (Laughing out loud) No! We dress just like you (but with more style!)
Wow, I cannot believe I have one week left of work, which means I have just over a week left in Florida. I have a mixture of feelings. I am definitely very excited to be coming home but as the end is becoming nearer I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to my life here.
Beth and I have now completed 'The List'. Last weekend along with Kirstie we went to Downtown Disney to go on the hot air balloon there, we have wanted to do that the whole time we've been here! It stays up in the air for about 15 minutes and you can see things like Epcot and Hollywood Studios from the sky! We also had dinner in Morocco which we have also been intending to do forever! It was nice and we even had a couple of photos with our servers!
The other great thing we did last week was see the Backstreet Boys! It was so exciting! They were playing at Hard Rock Live at Universal Studios, I got ready at Beth's and we had a few drinks and stuff beforehand. We had standing tickets so we made sure we got there early so we weren't pushed to the back. I was really suprised because I've only ever seen BSB at huge arenas like the 02 and Earl's Court, and Hard Rock Live is tiny! The people in the front row were actually so close to the front of the stage that they could touch them! The boys were excellent as usual, they performed their old stuff as well as their new album which I love already! And Nick was looking hot as usual. I'm so glad I got the chance to see them, I'm a fan for life! :-)
During the week one of my friends, Michelle left. She had a last party/song at Nick's apartment so we all had the chance to say goodbye. Alot of people were very upset, I never seem to cry when people leave so it will be interesting if I do when I go! Lol. Over facebook Michelle has seemed very upset since she's returned home and it's only been a few days so I really hope I'm not that sad when I get back!
This Sunday, Monday and Tuesday have been my last days off before I go home and yesterday was my last day off with Beth so we decided to do the 4 park challenge. Basically we fitted all four of the Disney theme parks into one day. We started off in Epcot and did our favourite rides; Spaceship Earth, Test Track and Soarin'. We then headed round the World Showcase and as we were hungry we grabbed a pretzel from Germany. We then got the boat across to Hollywood Studios and went on Tower of Terror. Unfortunately the park was heaving because they're holding Star Wars weekends there at the moment so we had to miss out Aerosmith's Rockin' Rollarcoaster. We the took the bus to Animal Kingdom where we rode Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. We also looked for one of our old managers who works there now but unfortunately she was off. Our last park on the list was Magic Kingdom, when we arrived we were slacking so we got a cake from the bakery on Main Street for a boost! We had a look in some of the shops and I got few last bits. The rides we did at Magic Kingdom were Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Philharmagic and Haunted Mansion. We planned our day well too because in the evening it was the first day of the new parade and fireworks. People were getting places for the parade from 7pm even though it didn't start until 9pm, so we grabbed a hotdog and drink and took our places. The Main Street Electrical Parade was amazing, I loved it and then the Nightime Spectacular fireworks were also good. I think I prefer the Wishes fireworks as they make me quite emotional but it was nice to see something different. By the time we left the park it was 11.00pm and we had been at it since 9.00am so we were pretty much exhausted!
Today I've had quite a relaxed day. I was going to sunbathe this morning to catch some rays before I go home but the weather was awful when I woke up. We've been having some really bad storms in Florida recently and alot of rain so this morning was no different! The weather people have also predicted this summer will be really bad for hurricanes so it's probably just as well I'm heading home soon. I did my laundry and skyped the fam and I also packed one of my cases so I am halfway ready to go! Eek!
Tomorrow I'm going to Downtown Disney to have a last look at World of Disney, have a last sandwich from Earl of Sandwich and a last ice-cream from Haagen Daz while I'm at the cinema! In the evening I think I'm going for dinner at Bahama Breeze as it's one of my favourite restaurants here.
After that I'll be down to my last week of work and that's one thing I can't wait to finish! We've also set some dates for our 'lasts'. Next Friday night is mine, Kirstie, Rach, Beth, Niamh and Katherine's Throw Out. It's basically a collection of stuff we don't or can't take home and is good enough for other people to have. People come along and 'shotgun' if they want something! I think Beth and I have decided to have our last meal on the Monday at Ihop. We decided on Ihop because it's open 24 hours so people can make it after work and it's fairly cheap. On the Wednesday we finish work I think we're going to drink around the world then end up back at the UK to watch Illuminations for the last time nad on the Thursday it will be our turn for last song! :-(
It feels very strange arranging our 'lasts' after seeing so many people before us. The final countdown is definitely on!
Girl: (Looking at my costume) So is that the kind of thing you wear in England?
Me: (Laughing out loud) No! We dress just like you (but with more style!)
Wow, I cannot believe I have one week left of work, which means I have just over a week left in Florida. I have a mixture of feelings. I am definitely very excited to be coming home but as the end is becoming nearer I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to my life here.
Beth and I have now completed 'The List'. Last weekend along with Kirstie we went to Downtown Disney to go on the hot air balloon there, we have wanted to do that the whole time we've been here! It stays up in the air for about 15 minutes and you can see things like Epcot and Hollywood Studios from the sky! We also had dinner in Morocco which we have also been intending to do forever! It was nice and we even had a couple of photos with our servers!
The other great thing we did last week was see the Backstreet Boys! It was so exciting! They were playing at Hard Rock Live at Universal Studios, I got ready at Beth's and we had a few drinks and stuff beforehand. We had standing tickets so we made sure we got there early so we weren't pushed to the back. I was really suprised because I've only ever seen BSB at huge arenas like the 02 and Earl's Court, and Hard Rock Live is tiny! The people in the front row were actually so close to the front of the stage that they could touch them! The boys were excellent as usual, they performed their old stuff as well as their new album which I love already! And Nick was looking hot as usual. I'm so glad I got the chance to see them, I'm a fan for life! :-)
During the week one of my friends, Michelle left. She had a last party/song at Nick's apartment so we all had the chance to say goodbye. Alot of people were very upset, I never seem to cry when people leave so it will be interesting if I do when I go! Lol. Over facebook Michelle has seemed very upset since she's returned home and it's only been a few days so I really hope I'm not that sad when I get back!
This Sunday, Monday and Tuesday have been my last days off before I go home and yesterday was my last day off with Beth so we decided to do the 4 park challenge. Basically we fitted all four of the Disney theme parks into one day. We started off in Epcot and did our favourite rides; Spaceship Earth, Test Track and Soarin'. We then headed round the World Showcase and as we were hungry we grabbed a pretzel from Germany. We then got the boat across to Hollywood Studios and went on Tower of Terror. Unfortunately the park was heaving because they're holding Star Wars weekends there at the moment so we had to miss out Aerosmith's Rockin' Rollarcoaster. We the took the bus to Animal Kingdom where we rode Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. We also looked for one of our old managers who works there now but unfortunately she was off. Our last park on the list was Magic Kingdom, when we arrived we were slacking so we got a cake from the bakery on Main Street for a boost! We had a look in some of the shops and I got few last bits. The rides we did at Magic Kingdom were Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Philharmagic and Haunted Mansion. We planned our day well too because in the evening it was the first day of the new parade and fireworks. People were getting places for the parade from 7pm even though it didn't start until 9pm, so we grabbed a hotdog and drink and took our places. The Main Street Electrical Parade was amazing, I loved it and then the Nightime Spectacular fireworks were also good. I think I prefer the Wishes fireworks as they make me quite emotional but it was nice to see something different. By the time we left the park it was 11.00pm and we had been at it since 9.00am so we were pretty much exhausted!
Today I've had quite a relaxed day. I was going to sunbathe this morning to catch some rays before I go home but the weather was awful when I woke up. We've been having some really bad storms in Florida recently and alot of rain so this morning was no different! The weather people have also predicted this summer will be really bad for hurricanes so it's probably just as well I'm heading home soon. I did my laundry and skyped the fam and I also packed one of my cases so I am halfway ready to go! Eek!
Tomorrow I'm going to Downtown Disney to have a last look at World of Disney, have a last sandwich from Earl of Sandwich and a last ice-cream from Haagen Daz while I'm at the cinema! In the evening I think I'm going for dinner at Bahama Breeze as it's one of my favourite restaurants here.
After that I'll be down to my last week of work and that's one thing I can't wait to finish! We've also set some dates for our 'lasts'. Next Friday night is mine, Kirstie, Rach, Beth, Niamh and Katherine's Throw Out. It's basically a collection of stuff we don't or can't take home and is good enough for other people to have. People come along and 'shotgun' if they want something! I think Beth and I have decided to have our last meal on the Monday at Ihop. We decided on Ihop because it's open 24 hours so people can make it after work and it's fairly cheap. On the Wednesday we finish work I think we're going to drink around the world then end up back at the UK to watch Illuminations for the last time nad on the Thursday it will be our turn for last song! :-(
It feels very strange arranging our 'lasts' after seeing so many people before us. The final countdown is definitely on!
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Finally met my Prince Charming after 11 months!
Idiot of the week:
Guest: What is this perfume?
Me: That's Victoria Beckhams perfume.
Guest: Oh, so is she excepted now?
Me: I'm not sure what you mean?
Guest: She married Prince Philip right?
Me: Er no, she's married to David Beckham.
Guest: Oh right, the Tennis player.
Me: (Clutching the counter with sheer frustration) No he's a football player. I think you are referring to Camilla Parker Bowles who is married to Prince Charles!
So first off a few weeks ago I had possibly the best night of my life, I met Tyler Hilton! Ok, no one knows who he is. He starred in a few episodes of 'One Tree Hill' but he's actually a musician and I freaking adore his music, he has the sexiest voice I've ever heard, I love him and have his albums etc. Now there is no way he will ever tour England because he is just not well known enough (he's not even that known in the States) so when I saw that he was doing a gig in Orlando I knew I HAD to get tickets!
A few of my friends who watch OTH and I bought tickets and we headed to The Social in Downtown Orlando where he was playing. The first band was on at 6pm but we were only bothered about seeing Tyler and we found out he was on at 8ish so we arrived around 6 but headed somewhere for dinner. We walked around for abit but came back to this place near The Social. Dinner was really nice and after we finished, there was some time to kill so we sat talking for a while. All of a sudden Kirstie looked up and said 'Oh my God' and Sian was like 'It's him'. I looked behind Sian and my heart actually stopped! Tyler had walked into the restaurant with his band! I nearly fell off my chair. Even though Sian was trying to encourage us to 'act cool' we were like a group of giggling teenagers. As he walked by our table we must have made it so obvious we recognised him as he turned and said 'Hi girls'. I only managed a tiny 'Hi' before I nearly had a heart attack lol. He only sat around the corner from us but being typical British we were far too polite to go up and ask for a photo!
After this we decided to go over to The Social so we could get a good place near the front! The Social was a tiny place that probably fit around 100 people which was great because it was so intimate. We managed to squeeze through to stand near the front and a band called AMTaxi were on before Tyler which were quite good. Tyler came on around 8.30 to a chorus of screaming girls myself included lol. He was fantastic and sang some old songs as well as a few of his new ones. He sang my two favourites 'Missing You' and 'Kiss on' and he also made all of us sing the first line to his new song 'I believe in you' which he said was going to feature in the video for the song. He even chatted a little and mentioned the 'nice restaurant down the street!' Haha!
After the performance Tyler said he would be signing autographs and having pictures so we headed over there. I bought his EP and he signed it for me, I also had my photo taken with him. I wish I had the guts to have a convo with him but I was like a nervous wreck lol. I was on cloud 9 after though and for the next few days I was the happiest girl lol. I've definitely found my Prince Charming!
The scariest thing has happened, I have reached my 11 month mark! How did that happen so quickly?? The girls and I celebrated at the weekend by having dinner at Le Cellier which is the Canadian steak house in Epcot. Out of all the countries in the world showcase it's the best restaurant and is extremely had to book into so Kirstie and Rach pulled some strings for us! It's also very expensive but fortunately we had a cast 50% coupon! The food was delicious. I had cheddar cheese soup for starter, a coffee glazed steak with roast potatoes for main and s'mores for dessert! I even sqeezed in a Magical Star cocktail! It was really nice to catch up with the girls and we reminiced about the year and our fave bits! It's gone so fast!
It was also my friend Carly's last day this week so on Tuesday we went to Jellyrolls for her last night out with us. I think I have written about Jellyrolls before, it's a bar on Disney's Boardwalk Resort. During the night they have two guys who sit opposite eachother with a piano each and people can request songs for them to play and they can sing and play anything! I mean literally anything you ask, we had everything from Hakuna Matata to Lady Gaga to Elton John to Rock! They are flippin' amazing and we had such a good time. Everyone was pretty wasted and we even requested they play the traditional Florida last song which is Greenday's 'Time of your life' which they did. It's really sad to be losing Carly from Merch, she's only been here 8 months but she's made a real impact. Beth and I are next- yikes!
I also went to see 'Sex and the City 2' last night. They had a special midnight showing and I think most of the UK was there, we took up nearly two full rows in the cinema. I was really looking forward to it but I have to say I was quite disappointed. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but I thought it started off really well and just kind of went down hill. There were still some great laughs and Samantha was on top form but it got abit silly at the end and to be honest nothing much happened in the two and a half hours it was on! Sorry SATC, you should have left it at the last movie!
As I write this I will be flying home 3 weeks tomorrow- OH MY GOD! I have to say the closer it's getting the more I am looking forward to coming home. I feel like I shouldn't be but I'm counting the days now. I'm very anxious to see everyone back home but also quite nervous about settling back into reality. It feels very surreal to be going home after a whole year, I can't really remember my life before this as I feel like I've been here forever! Kirstie is on the same flight as me which is great and Beth and Rach are flying back to Manchester and their flight is only an hour after ours so it's going to be really nice to all be at the airport together. The saying goodbye to everyone here is not going to be fun.
Beth and I have 'The List' which is basically a list of things we want to do before we leave, we've managed to cross quite a few things off but there is still lots to do! Next Tuesday I'm also off to see the Backstreet Boys at Hard Rock Live, Jealous much? I'm so excited for that! I can't believe I've managed to see Tyler Hilton and the Backstreet Boys while I've been here- amazing. Hopefully the next time I write I would have crossed off some more stuff on The List and started packing! Here's hoping...
Guest: What is this perfume?
Me: That's Victoria Beckhams perfume.
Guest: Oh, so is she excepted now?
Me: I'm not sure what you mean?
Guest: She married Prince Philip right?
Me: Er no, she's married to David Beckham.
Guest: Oh right, the Tennis player.
Me: (Clutching the counter with sheer frustration) No he's a football player. I think you are referring to Camilla Parker Bowles who is married to Prince Charles!
So first off a few weeks ago I had possibly the best night of my life, I met Tyler Hilton! Ok, no one knows who he is. He starred in a few episodes of 'One Tree Hill' but he's actually a musician and I freaking adore his music, he has the sexiest voice I've ever heard, I love him and have his albums etc. Now there is no way he will ever tour England because he is just not well known enough (he's not even that known in the States) so when I saw that he was doing a gig in Orlando I knew I HAD to get tickets!
A few of my friends who watch OTH and I bought tickets and we headed to The Social in Downtown Orlando where he was playing. The first band was on at 6pm but we were only bothered about seeing Tyler and we found out he was on at 8ish so we arrived around 6 but headed somewhere for dinner. We walked around for abit but came back to this place near The Social. Dinner was really nice and after we finished, there was some time to kill so we sat talking for a while. All of a sudden Kirstie looked up and said 'Oh my God' and Sian was like 'It's him'. I looked behind Sian and my heart actually stopped! Tyler had walked into the restaurant with his band! I nearly fell off my chair. Even though Sian was trying to encourage us to 'act cool' we were like a group of giggling teenagers. As he walked by our table we must have made it so obvious we recognised him as he turned and said 'Hi girls'. I only managed a tiny 'Hi' before I nearly had a heart attack lol. He only sat around the corner from us but being typical British we were far too polite to go up and ask for a photo!
After this we decided to go over to The Social so we could get a good place near the front! The Social was a tiny place that probably fit around 100 people which was great because it was so intimate. We managed to squeeze through to stand near the front and a band called AMTaxi were on before Tyler which were quite good. Tyler came on around 8.30 to a chorus of screaming girls myself included lol. He was fantastic and sang some old songs as well as a few of his new ones. He sang my two favourites 'Missing You' and 'Kiss on' and he also made all of us sing the first line to his new song 'I believe in you' which he said was going to feature in the video for the song. He even chatted a little and mentioned the 'nice restaurant down the street!' Haha!
After the performance Tyler said he would be signing autographs and having pictures so we headed over there. I bought his EP and he signed it for me, I also had my photo taken with him. I wish I had the guts to have a convo with him but I was like a nervous wreck lol. I was on cloud 9 after though and for the next few days I was the happiest girl lol. I've definitely found my Prince Charming!
The scariest thing has happened, I have reached my 11 month mark! How did that happen so quickly?? The girls and I celebrated at the weekend by having dinner at Le Cellier which is the Canadian steak house in Epcot. Out of all the countries in the world showcase it's the best restaurant and is extremely had to book into so Kirstie and Rach pulled some strings for us! It's also very expensive but fortunately we had a cast 50% coupon! The food was delicious. I had cheddar cheese soup for starter, a coffee glazed steak with roast potatoes for main and s'mores for dessert! I even sqeezed in a Magical Star cocktail! It was really nice to catch up with the girls and we reminiced about the year and our fave bits! It's gone so fast!
It was also my friend Carly's last day this week so on Tuesday we went to Jellyrolls for her last night out with us. I think I have written about Jellyrolls before, it's a bar on Disney's Boardwalk Resort. During the night they have two guys who sit opposite eachother with a piano each and people can request songs for them to play and they can sing and play anything! I mean literally anything you ask, we had everything from Hakuna Matata to Lady Gaga to Elton John to Rock! They are flippin' amazing and we had such a good time. Everyone was pretty wasted and we even requested they play the traditional Florida last song which is Greenday's 'Time of your life' which they did. It's really sad to be losing Carly from Merch, she's only been here 8 months but she's made a real impact. Beth and I are next- yikes!
I also went to see 'Sex and the City 2' last night. They had a special midnight showing and I think most of the UK was there, we took up nearly two full rows in the cinema. I was really looking forward to it but I have to say I was quite disappointed. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but I thought it started off really well and just kind of went down hill. There were still some great laughs and Samantha was on top form but it got abit silly at the end and to be honest nothing much happened in the two and a half hours it was on! Sorry SATC, you should have left it at the last movie!
As I write this I will be flying home 3 weeks tomorrow- OH MY GOD! I have to say the closer it's getting the more I am looking forward to coming home. I feel like I shouldn't be but I'm counting the days now. I'm very anxious to see everyone back home but also quite nervous about settling back into reality. It feels very surreal to be going home after a whole year, I can't really remember my life before this as I feel like I've been here forever! Kirstie is on the same flight as me which is great and Beth and Rach are flying back to Manchester and their flight is only an hour after ours so it's going to be really nice to all be at the airport together. The saying goodbye to everyone here is not going to be fun.
Beth and I have 'The List' which is basically a list of things we want to do before we leave, we've managed to cross quite a few things off but there is still lots to do! Next Tuesday I'm also off to see the Backstreet Boys at Hard Rock Live, Jealous much? I'm so excited for that! I can't believe I've managed to see Tyler Hilton and the Backstreet Boys while I've been here- amazing. Hopefully the next time I write I would have crossed off some more stuff on The List and started packing! Here's hoping...
Monday, 10 May 2010
Cruising the Bahamas
I've just got back from the most amazing few days away in the Bahamas. On Thursday me and my friends, Rachel, Katherine and Kirstie set off to Cape Canaveral to board our ship, The Disney Wonder. Once we went through the terminal and boarded the ship we headed straight to the buffet for lunch which was lush. After lunch our room was ready so we went to check it out. It was quite small understandably for a cabin but we had a balcony which was the best thing! As the weather was starting to turn and a storm was brewing we decided to wander around the ship and check it out. We did a tour of the Spa and had a look at the pool area etc. At 4.00pm the ship had it's safety drill so we put our life jackets on and headed downstairs for the talk. After the talk we went upstairs for the welcoming party where we were introduced to the crew on board and of course Mickey, Minnie and friends! We then had a countdown until the ships departure from Florida.
We went back to our room to get ready for the evening. Every night at 6.15pm there was a show and the first night was the 'Golden Mickeys'. The show was excellent, like something you see on Broadway. We had a look round some of the shops and decided to go to one of the bars to take part in a pub quiz and have a cocktail. We suprised ourselves doing rather well on the quiz and at 8.15 we headed for dinner! This was the only night we actually felt the ship moving. Throughout dinner it felt quite rocky but Rachel assured us it was because the crew hadn't put the stablisers out yet because we were not further out at sea enough and sure enough we didn't feel it again. We had dinner at Parrot Cay the first night and we met our servers who would be our servers for the rest of the cruise and also we were sat with another family who we were also sat with every night. Fortunately the family were lovely, orginally from Pennsylvania they now live in Florida and the daughter who was with them is also a cast member so we had lots in common!
After dinner we were all pretty wrecked so we headed back to the room to watch a movie and get some sleep!
The next day we docked at Nassau. We headed down to breakfast around 9.30am then after we left the ship to explore the island. First impressions were not too great, there didn't seem to be much there, just a few shops and bars but we decided to get a boat over to Paradise Island which is where Atlantis is. On the boat over our tour guide pointed out all these beautiful houses which have been owned by the likes of Nicholas Cage and Mary Kate Olsen, it's an expensive island and pretty much private so the celebs are drawn to it. We also went past a small cabin which was used in one of the James Bond films 'Thunderball'. When we got off the boat we could see the difference straight away, the shops were pretty and expensive although the island is the cheapest place to buy real diamonds.
We then wandered through Atlantis which is incredible. It's a huge resort which includes a cassino and a marina. It's a favourite with the celebs and I dread to think how much it is a night to stay there however we were told it's booked up for the next six years! You even have to pay $60 to sit on the beach! In the lobby there was a huge fish tank with stingrays and all sorts in there, it really was a sight to see.
After we had taken photos of everything we headed back and boarded the boat again, we had some lunch at the Tritons restaurant and then we headed to the upper deck for some pool time!
At around 4.30pm we went back to the room to get ready for the second night show, which was 'Toy Story- The Musical'. This was my least favourite out of all the shows but it was still really well done. After the show we had some time to kill before dinner so we went to have a few professional photos taken on the ship. We had dinner at Tritons this night which is a French style restaurant. After dinner there was Pirate Party on the upper deck so went to watch that. It was really good fun especially Mickey's big entrance! And they also had fireworks at sea which the Disney cruise are the only ones allowed to do! After the fireworks they had a free dessert buffet on board however we were so stuffed from dinner that all I could manage was a cookie!
The last day was my absoloute fave! We docked at Castaway Cay which is disney's own private Island. As usual we has breakfast then headed off board. The first thing you see once you're on the island is 'The Flying Dutchman' which is the actual boat they use in 'Pirates of the Carribean'. There were lots of characters on the island have their photos taken and also three beaches- The family beach, the teen beach and the over 18s beach. Serenity beach is the name of the over 18s beach and of course we headed there. It is possibly the most beautiful place I've seen. It was so quiet and the sea was so clear you could see fish and starfish in the water and it was so warm! We sunbathed abit but it was so hot we spent most of the day in the sea however we still came back with cracking tans! At lunchtime there was a free bbq on the island so we enjoyed that too!
It was hard leaving this island at the end of the day but we headed back to get ready for the evening. The show on the last night was called 'Disney Dreams' and was by far my favourite of all the shows. It tells the story of a girl wishing upon a star because she wants to fly. Peter Pan turns up to help her find her magic so she will be able to fly by sunrise. In the process they look to all the Disney classics and there are lots of performances from lots of Disney films. I choked up abit during Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King!
The last dinner was at Animators Pallet which was a themed restaurant in black and white with pics of Disney films throughout. The food as usual was amazing and at the end they had abit of a show where all the chefs and servers came out and we all had to wave our napkins and cheer for them! Our servers were Savid and Roland who were great. We found out that they work about 84 hours per week and their service is so amazing you'd never even know it! After dinner we went to the lobby because all the characters were out signing autographs for the last time, we had a photo with Belle in her gold dress which I was really excited about! After this they had a farewell party in the lobby where everyone said goodbye to the characters, the last being Mickey Mouse of course!
It was late after this so we headed to bed, we had to be up early on the last day for breakfast at 7.45am and to be off the boat by 9.00am. I had a fantastic few days and my only regret is that it didn't last longer, if I ever get the chance to do it again id do it in a heartbeat!
We went back to our room to get ready for the evening. Every night at 6.15pm there was a show and the first night was the 'Golden Mickeys'. The show was excellent, like something you see on Broadway. We had a look round some of the shops and decided to go to one of the bars to take part in a pub quiz and have a cocktail. We suprised ourselves doing rather well on the quiz and at 8.15 we headed for dinner! This was the only night we actually felt the ship moving. Throughout dinner it felt quite rocky but Rachel assured us it was because the crew hadn't put the stablisers out yet because we were not further out at sea enough and sure enough we didn't feel it again. We had dinner at Parrot Cay the first night and we met our servers who would be our servers for the rest of the cruise and also we were sat with another family who we were also sat with every night. Fortunately the family were lovely, orginally from Pennsylvania they now live in Florida and the daughter who was with them is also a cast member so we had lots in common!
After dinner we were all pretty wrecked so we headed back to the room to watch a movie and get some sleep!
The next day we docked at Nassau. We headed down to breakfast around 9.30am then after we left the ship to explore the island. First impressions were not too great, there didn't seem to be much there, just a few shops and bars but we decided to get a boat over to Paradise Island which is where Atlantis is. On the boat over our tour guide pointed out all these beautiful houses which have been owned by the likes of Nicholas Cage and Mary Kate Olsen, it's an expensive island and pretty much private so the celebs are drawn to it. We also went past a small cabin which was used in one of the James Bond films 'Thunderball'. When we got off the boat we could see the difference straight away, the shops were pretty and expensive although the island is the cheapest place to buy real diamonds.
We then wandered through Atlantis which is incredible. It's a huge resort which includes a cassino and a marina. It's a favourite with the celebs and I dread to think how much it is a night to stay there however we were told it's booked up for the next six years! You even have to pay $60 to sit on the beach! In the lobby there was a huge fish tank with stingrays and all sorts in there, it really was a sight to see.
After we had taken photos of everything we headed back and boarded the boat again, we had some lunch at the Tritons restaurant and then we headed to the upper deck for some pool time!
At around 4.30pm we went back to the room to get ready for the second night show, which was 'Toy Story- The Musical'. This was my least favourite out of all the shows but it was still really well done. After the show we had some time to kill before dinner so we went to have a few professional photos taken on the ship. We had dinner at Tritons this night which is a French style restaurant. After dinner there was Pirate Party on the upper deck so went to watch that. It was really good fun especially Mickey's big entrance! And they also had fireworks at sea which the Disney cruise are the only ones allowed to do! After the fireworks they had a free dessert buffet on board however we were so stuffed from dinner that all I could manage was a cookie!
The last day was my absoloute fave! We docked at Castaway Cay which is disney's own private Island. As usual we has breakfast then headed off board. The first thing you see once you're on the island is 'The Flying Dutchman' which is the actual boat they use in 'Pirates of the Carribean'. There were lots of characters on the island have their photos taken and also three beaches- The family beach, the teen beach and the over 18s beach. Serenity beach is the name of the over 18s beach and of course we headed there. It is possibly the most beautiful place I've seen. It was so quiet and the sea was so clear you could see fish and starfish in the water and it was so warm! We sunbathed abit but it was so hot we spent most of the day in the sea however we still came back with cracking tans! At lunchtime there was a free bbq on the island so we enjoyed that too!
It was hard leaving this island at the end of the day but we headed back to get ready for the evening. The show on the last night was called 'Disney Dreams' and was by far my favourite of all the shows. It tells the story of a girl wishing upon a star because she wants to fly. Peter Pan turns up to help her find her magic so she will be able to fly by sunrise. In the process they look to all the Disney classics and there are lots of performances from lots of Disney films. I choked up abit during Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King!
The last dinner was at Animators Pallet which was a themed restaurant in black and white with pics of Disney films throughout. The food as usual was amazing and at the end they had abit of a show where all the chefs and servers came out and we all had to wave our napkins and cheer for them! Our servers were Savid and Roland who were great. We found out that they work about 84 hours per week and their service is so amazing you'd never even know it! After dinner we went to the lobby because all the characters were out signing autographs for the last time, we had a photo with Belle in her gold dress which I was really excited about! After this they had a farewell party in the lobby where everyone said goodbye to the characters, the last being Mickey Mouse of course!
It was late after this so we headed to bed, we had to be up early on the last day for breakfast at 7.45am and to be off the boat by 9.00am. I had a fantastic few days and my only regret is that it didn't last longer, if I ever get the chance to do it again id do it in a heartbeat!
Friday, 30 April 2010
A Disney Graduation and an extended stay for the Sidonios! (And did I mention getting drunk for the first time?)
Idiot of the week (courtesy of Beth):
Guest: (In the Sports shop) Is this the pub?
Beth: (Looking around in bewilderment at the merchandise in the shop which is clearly not a pub!) Er no, it's across the street.
So It has been a long time since I blogged and so much to tell!
I'll get straight to the thing you all want to know about because I know you all well! Haha. Right before my family arrived on Good Friday Beth decided to have a Good Friday party! It started off innocently enough with an Easter egg hunt and other fun! It was decided that we would have a competition- everyone who wanted to take part had to make me an alcoholic drink they thought I would like and the one I liked best won a prize! So on the day it was obvious people were putting alot of thought into it. Everyone at work was trying to find out what I liked and didn't like and it was the talk of Merch basically! When it came to the party I had about 8 drinks to try and I graded each one as I went, I didn't know who made each drink although it was quite obvious by some faces lol. The one I liked best was Darren's as he was clever enough to disguise the alcohol with chocolate ice-cream!
However I wouldn't have been able to drink it all night as it was too sickly. Beth hadn't made a drink for the competition as it was her party but she had one in mind so I made her make it and it was lush! It was coconut rum and pineapple and orange juice and I loved it! I drank it the rest of the night until about 2am when security arrived to tell us off about the loud music and the front door being left open! lol. I have to say I felt quite rough the next day! Lol.
My family arrived on the 4th April for their last visit before I go home. I was really excited to see them especially as I managed to get 9 days off in a row to spend with them! It was so strange not having to go to work for a whole week! In the first week I had my last hospital appointment, we did some sunbathing and we had my cousin and his family over to the villa as they were holidaying in Disney at the same time. We also drove down to see Luke's girlfriend, Jordan as her boat docks at Cape Canaveral every saturday. It was really nice to see her and give her the gift I brought her back from New York when I went there in January!
On the 12th April it was Luke's 21st birthday and we wanted to make it as special as possible for him as he was away from home. We went to Magic Kingdom in the morning and I got him a Disney Happy Birthday badge so that everywhere he went people wished him a 'Happy Birthday'! He was even sung to by a whole restaurant of people when we had lunch at the park! In the evening he knew Id booked somewhere for dinner but he had no idea where. We went to California Grill at the Contemporary Resort where we could watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from a tower. It was very special.
The birthday celebrations didn't end there! A few days later we ate dinner at the Rose and Crown, the restaurant in the UK Pavillion. I made sure Rachel was our server and she got us lots of free food and the best seating to watch the Epcot fireworks across the lake. She even dragged out half the kitchen to sing 'Happy Birthday' so I think it was a 21st to remember!
On what we thought was our last night together in the second week my family were here, Luke booked us tickets for Medieval Knights- a dinner and show in Kissimmee. We really didn't know what to expect and when we arrived we were given coloured crowns which we had to wear as it showed what colour knight we supported (ours was the red knight). When we were seated we were facing a huge arena where the knights fought in front of us. The dinner was pretty basic but as there was no cutlery in Medieval times we had to eat with our hands which was loads of fun. The show was excellent and everyone got really into it, cheering and booing the knights! It was especially good as our knight ended up winning the battle! It was loads of fun and I would definitely reccommend it to anyone visiting Florida.
So the day after this we started to hear on the news about the volcano erupting in Iceland and causing the airports in Britain to close. We didn't think much of it until Rachel's family (who were also visiting) were meant to be leaving and their flight got cancelled! It soon became apparent that on 18th April my family were going nowhere for a while! Meanwhile Rachel's family found out they wouldn't be able to get a flight until 28th April! They couldn't book back into the Disney hotel until the next day so with nowhere to go my Mum and Dad offered for them to stay with us. When they arrived it was obvious that both our family and theirs hit it off well and rather them spend money to stay on Disney property my parents offered for them to stay the duration!
The next day my family went to the airport while I was at work to find out what was going on and they were told the next available flight would be 30th April! So that meant spending nearly another two weeks with them!
We didn't do much the second two weeks as the fam had run out of money and I was working! We went to Florida Mall, for a walk around Celebration and relaxed by the pool. We spent most evenings with Rachel's family playing 'Spoons' and chilling out. On the Buckley's last night we all went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner, it was delicious and we couldn't fit in the cheesecake for dessert so we took it home! I've never seen a place with sooooo many cheesecake flavours, it was amazing and sooo hard to choose just one! In the end I went for the pineapple upside down cheesecake and it was lush. The next day we said our goodbyes to them with promises to meet up again in Kent and Manchester!
Unfortunately for us a few days before my family were due to leave our agent explained that she couldn't find another villa for the family due to come into ours on the 29th therefore we had to find somewhere else to stay on their last night! The 29th also happened to be my Mum's birthday so behind her back I booked for them to stay in Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge where I stayed for my birthday. She thought we had booked one of the cheaper Disney hotels so she wasn't very excited about it! On the day we left the villa and arrived at the Lodge my Mum actually got teary as we pulled in because she was so excited and suprised! We spent their last day looking around the resort and at Hollywood Studios and in the evening we had our last meal at Olive Garden. When my parents dropped me back to The Commons I didn't get as upset as the last couple of times they've left me! I think spending nearly a whole month with them and Knowing I've only got 7 weeks left helped in saying goodbye!
While my family were here I also had my Graduation. We had to be at The Yacht and Beach Club for 8am. I bought a really pretty dress to wear and the hottest 'Sex and the City' shoes! Lol. As we arrived they gave us a special Mickey graduation hat, a poster and photoframe. We had a buffet breakfast layed out which included fresh fruit, eggs, bacon and potatoes! During the morning we could have our picture taken with Goofy, Pluto, Mickey and Minnie who were also dressed in graduation outfits. After the morning was over we headed over to Epcot to have our names printed on our hats, have a drink in the pub in the UK pavillion and also take some more photos.
After Epcot we went to Magic Kingdom because we wanted to have some more photos taken outside the castle and we also had a few professional ones taken which came out great. We had a late lunch at Tony's which is based on the restaurant in 'Lady and the Tramp' and we spent the afternoon going on a few rides.
We planned to spend the evening at Magic Kingdom to watch the parade and fireworks but we found out that they were not on that evening so we headed back to Epcot and joined some of the others drinking around the world. We ended the perfect day with the perfect evening with fish and chips in the pub watching Illuminations! It was the best graduation with the best friends!
Guest: (In the Sports shop) Is this the pub?
Beth: (Looking around in bewilderment at the merchandise in the shop which is clearly not a pub!) Er no, it's across the street.
So It has been a long time since I blogged and so much to tell!
I'll get straight to the thing you all want to know about because I know you all well! Haha. Right before my family arrived on Good Friday Beth decided to have a Good Friday party! It started off innocently enough with an Easter egg hunt and other fun! It was decided that we would have a competition- everyone who wanted to take part had to make me an alcoholic drink they thought I would like and the one I liked best won a prize! So on the day it was obvious people were putting alot of thought into it. Everyone at work was trying to find out what I liked and didn't like and it was the talk of Merch basically! When it came to the party I had about 8 drinks to try and I graded each one as I went, I didn't know who made each drink although it was quite obvious by some faces lol. The one I liked best was Darren's as he was clever enough to disguise the alcohol with chocolate ice-cream!
However I wouldn't have been able to drink it all night as it was too sickly. Beth hadn't made a drink for the competition as it was her party but she had one in mind so I made her make it and it was lush! It was coconut rum and pineapple and orange juice and I loved it! I drank it the rest of the night until about 2am when security arrived to tell us off about the loud music and the front door being left open! lol. I have to say I felt quite rough the next day! Lol.
My family arrived on the 4th April for their last visit before I go home. I was really excited to see them especially as I managed to get 9 days off in a row to spend with them! It was so strange not having to go to work for a whole week! In the first week I had my last hospital appointment, we did some sunbathing and we had my cousin and his family over to the villa as they were holidaying in Disney at the same time. We also drove down to see Luke's girlfriend, Jordan as her boat docks at Cape Canaveral every saturday. It was really nice to see her and give her the gift I brought her back from New York when I went there in January!
On the 12th April it was Luke's 21st birthday and we wanted to make it as special as possible for him as he was away from home. We went to Magic Kingdom in the morning and I got him a Disney Happy Birthday badge so that everywhere he went people wished him a 'Happy Birthday'! He was even sung to by a whole restaurant of people when we had lunch at the park! In the evening he knew Id booked somewhere for dinner but he had no idea where. We went to California Grill at the Contemporary Resort where we could watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from a tower. It was very special.
The birthday celebrations didn't end there! A few days later we ate dinner at the Rose and Crown, the restaurant in the UK Pavillion. I made sure Rachel was our server and she got us lots of free food and the best seating to watch the Epcot fireworks across the lake. She even dragged out half the kitchen to sing 'Happy Birthday' so I think it was a 21st to remember!
On what we thought was our last night together in the second week my family were here, Luke booked us tickets for Medieval Knights- a dinner and show in Kissimmee. We really didn't know what to expect and when we arrived we were given coloured crowns which we had to wear as it showed what colour knight we supported (ours was the red knight). When we were seated we were facing a huge arena where the knights fought in front of us. The dinner was pretty basic but as there was no cutlery in Medieval times we had to eat with our hands which was loads of fun. The show was excellent and everyone got really into it, cheering and booing the knights! It was especially good as our knight ended up winning the battle! It was loads of fun and I would definitely reccommend it to anyone visiting Florida.
So the day after this we started to hear on the news about the volcano erupting in Iceland and causing the airports in Britain to close. We didn't think much of it until Rachel's family (who were also visiting) were meant to be leaving and their flight got cancelled! It soon became apparent that on 18th April my family were going nowhere for a while! Meanwhile Rachel's family found out they wouldn't be able to get a flight until 28th April! They couldn't book back into the Disney hotel until the next day so with nowhere to go my Mum and Dad offered for them to stay with us. When they arrived it was obvious that both our family and theirs hit it off well and rather them spend money to stay on Disney property my parents offered for them to stay the duration!
The next day my family went to the airport while I was at work to find out what was going on and they were told the next available flight would be 30th April! So that meant spending nearly another two weeks with them!
We didn't do much the second two weeks as the fam had run out of money and I was working! We went to Florida Mall, for a walk around Celebration and relaxed by the pool. We spent most evenings with Rachel's family playing 'Spoons' and chilling out. On the Buckley's last night we all went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner, it was delicious and we couldn't fit in the cheesecake for dessert so we took it home! I've never seen a place with sooooo many cheesecake flavours, it was amazing and sooo hard to choose just one! In the end I went for the pineapple upside down cheesecake and it was lush. The next day we said our goodbyes to them with promises to meet up again in Kent and Manchester!
Unfortunately for us a few days before my family were due to leave our agent explained that she couldn't find another villa for the family due to come into ours on the 29th therefore we had to find somewhere else to stay on their last night! The 29th also happened to be my Mum's birthday so behind her back I booked for them to stay in Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge where I stayed for my birthday. She thought we had booked one of the cheaper Disney hotels so she wasn't very excited about it! On the day we left the villa and arrived at the Lodge my Mum actually got teary as we pulled in because she was so excited and suprised! We spent their last day looking around the resort and at Hollywood Studios and in the evening we had our last meal at Olive Garden. When my parents dropped me back to The Commons I didn't get as upset as the last couple of times they've left me! I think spending nearly a whole month with them and Knowing I've only got 7 weeks left helped in saying goodbye!
While my family were here I also had my Graduation. We had to be at The Yacht and Beach Club for 8am. I bought a really pretty dress to wear and the hottest 'Sex and the City' shoes! Lol. As we arrived they gave us a special Mickey graduation hat, a poster and photoframe. We had a buffet breakfast layed out which included fresh fruit, eggs, bacon and potatoes! During the morning we could have our picture taken with Goofy, Pluto, Mickey and Minnie who were also dressed in graduation outfits. After the morning was over we headed over to Epcot to have our names printed on our hats, have a drink in the pub in the UK pavillion and also take some more photos.
After Epcot we went to Magic Kingdom because we wanted to have some more photos taken outside the castle and we also had a few professional ones taken which came out great. We had a late lunch at Tony's which is based on the restaurant in 'Lady and the Tramp' and we spent the afternoon going on a few rides.
We planned to spend the evening at Magic Kingdom to watch the parade and fireworks but we found out that they were not on that evening so we headed back to Epcot and joined some of the others drinking around the world. We ended the perfect day with the perfect evening with fish and chips in the pub watching Illuminations! It was the best graduation with the best friends!
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Time to save money and think about life after Disney
Idiot of the week:
Lady: (Showing me some drumsticks with the Welsh flag on them) Do you know what this says?
Me: "Wales Forever"
Lady: So what language is that? Is it Norweigan?
Me: Er no, it's Welsh.
Lady: Oh yes, that's right, we're not in Norway are we?!
I feel like I haven't updated my blog in a while but to be honest I don't think I have much new to say!
I moved out of my old apartment in February and into block 4 with Rachel. I absoloutly love my new apartment. As it's just us two it's so relaxed and clean. It really feels like our home, I can have people over without worrying about it, use the internet when I like and lay about on the sofa and watch TV when I want too!
What else? Ah I had my haircut on Valentines Day which was a complete nightmare. To be fair I did tell the hairdresser I wanted about 3 inches off but I hadn't had it cut since october so it was really long and I told her about 3 times throughout that I wanted to keep my layers! So what did she do? She destroyed my hair! Lol. She cut it all the way above my shoulders, It's almost a bob and she cut all my layers out so it's one length. I hated it when I first got it done and cried when I got home, However once I restyled it abit it looked ok and it's grown on me! It's abit crazy when I wear it curly but when it's straight it looks nice. It should grow back pretty quick!
One weekend Beth, Rach, Nick and I went resort hopping which was fun! We explored a few of the Disney resorts including the Polynesian, Contemporary, Grand Floridian and Fort Wilderness. We also looked at the Wedding Pavilion which is beautiful. It overlooks the beach and the castle at Magic Kingdom. If I ever get married it will definitely be there!
On 23rd February the girls and I hit the 8 months mark which is crazy! We celebrated by going to Teppan-Edo, the Japanese restaurant in Epcot. It was probably the most interesting eating experience I've ever had. You sit at a table with other people in a semi circle and the chef comes out and cooks on your table directly in front of you. It was so cool, the chef had a great sense of humour and did all kind of tricks like flicking a lemon onto a knife and catching things in his chef hat. The food was delious too, I had miso soup to start and steak and chicken with noodles, rice and vegetables for main.
I can't quite believe that I only have just over 3 months left. Time has gone so fast but at the same time it feels like I haven't been back home in forever! I have to admit I'm quite terrified about coming home. Obviously I can't wait to be reunited with all my friends and family but it's going to be horrible when this dream is over. Admittedly I hate the job now, i'm just fed up with the same routine and stupid guests. It's very boring but the things I do on my days off and my lifestyle makes up for that. I can't imagine going home and it all feeling like a dream. I'm really worried about finding a job when I get home and I don't want to be lonely and depressed! I've been looking at the other options Yummy Jobs offer and they have some new programs in Canada and Australia which I might consider.
I'm not doing much exciting at the moment as I'm trying to save my money so I can go on the Disney Cruise in May and for our travels at the end of my program. The girls and I are hoping to travel to Vegas, San Francisco and LA before we make it home. I've been feeling homesick recently so the news that Charles is coming out here next week just lifted my spirits loads, I can't wait to see him! And it's only 4 weeks until my family comes out again.
Unfortunately there are alot of people finishing their programs and leaving at the moment and when you get to the 8 month mark these people are usually your friends! One of the guys, Dan who was a very big character in Merch left in January and my friend Charlotte who's apartment I moved into left last month which was both very sad. Another friend Russell is leaving in the next couple of days and next week Nick D. and Nick S. leave who both work in Merch too. I'm not looking forward to seeing them go and I think I'm spending the day at Magic Kingdom with them tomorrow. Once the two Nicks leave it means Beth and I will be top in seniority in Merch, we will be the the two cast members who have been there the longest which means we're the next two to leave- Yikes!
Lady: (Showing me some drumsticks with the Welsh flag on them) Do you know what this says?
Me: "Wales Forever"
Lady: So what language is that? Is it Norweigan?
Me: Er no, it's Welsh.
Lady: Oh yes, that's right, we're not in Norway are we?!
I feel like I haven't updated my blog in a while but to be honest I don't think I have much new to say!
I moved out of my old apartment in February and into block 4 with Rachel. I absoloutly love my new apartment. As it's just us two it's so relaxed and clean. It really feels like our home, I can have people over without worrying about it, use the internet when I like and lay about on the sofa and watch TV when I want too!
What else? Ah I had my haircut on Valentines Day which was a complete nightmare. To be fair I did tell the hairdresser I wanted about 3 inches off but I hadn't had it cut since october so it was really long and I told her about 3 times throughout that I wanted to keep my layers! So what did she do? She destroyed my hair! Lol. She cut it all the way above my shoulders, It's almost a bob and she cut all my layers out so it's one length. I hated it when I first got it done and cried when I got home, However once I restyled it abit it looked ok and it's grown on me! It's abit crazy when I wear it curly but when it's straight it looks nice. It should grow back pretty quick!
One weekend Beth, Rach, Nick and I went resort hopping which was fun! We explored a few of the Disney resorts including the Polynesian, Contemporary, Grand Floridian and Fort Wilderness. We also looked at the Wedding Pavilion which is beautiful. It overlooks the beach and the castle at Magic Kingdom. If I ever get married it will definitely be there!
On 23rd February the girls and I hit the 8 months mark which is crazy! We celebrated by going to Teppan-Edo, the Japanese restaurant in Epcot. It was probably the most interesting eating experience I've ever had. You sit at a table with other people in a semi circle and the chef comes out and cooks on your table directly in front of you. It was so cool, the chef had a great sense of humour and did all kind of tricks like flicking a lemon onto a knife and catching things in his chef hat. The food was delious too, I had miso soup to start and steak and chicken with noodles, rice and vegetables for main.
I can't quite believe that I only have just over 3 months left. Time has gone so fast but at the same time it feels like I haven't been back home in forever! I have to admit I'm quite terrified about coming home. Obviously I can't wait to be reunited with all my friends and family but it's going to be horrible when this dream is over. Admittedly I hate the job now, i'm just fed up with the same routine and stupid guests. It's very boring but the things I do on my days off and my lifestyle makes up for that. I can't imagine going home and it all feeling like a dream. I'm really worried about finding a job when I get home and I don't want to be lonely and depressed! I've been looking at the other options Yummy Jobs offer and they have some new programs in Canada and Australia which I might consider.
I'm not doing much exciting at the moment as I'm trying to save my money so I can go on the Disney Cruise in May and for our travels at the end of my program. The girls and I are hoping to travel to Vegas, San Francisco and LA before we make it home. I've been feeling homesick recently so the news that Charles is coming out here next week just lifted my spirits loads, I can't wait to see him! And it's only 4 weeks until my family comes out again.
Unfortunately there are alot of people finishing their programs and leaving at the moment and when you get to the 8 month mark these people are usually your friends! One of the guys, Dan who was a very big character in Merch left in January and my friend Charlotte who's apartment I moved into left last month which was both very sad. Another friend Russell is leaving in the next couple of days and next week Nick D. and Nick S. leave who both work in Merch too. I'm not looking forward to seeing them go and I think I'm spending the day at Magic Kingdom with them tomorrow. Once the two Nicks leave it means Beth and I will be top in seniority in Merch, we will be the the two cast members who have been there the longest which means we're the next two to leave- Yikes!
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Happy Birthday to me!
Idiot of the week:
Man: Can you tell me where the French restaurant in Italy is?
Me: (Thinking I haven't heard right) The Italian restaurant?
Man: Yes
Me: (showing map) It's in Italy here.
Man: No, my friend said it's next to the UK. It's this one, 'Chefs De France'.
Me: Well that's the French restaurant in FRANCE.
So I wasn't looking forward to my actual birthday here, I was worried I would be really homesick but when it came down to it I barely thought about home! Basically because I was so busy the whole day!
In the morning I had work but I opened all the cards that I had received and I also opened the packages Vicky and Lynsey sent me which I was really chuffed about. I was working 10.00am until 4.00am so it wasn't that bad but it still dragged! When I finished I rushed home because I wanted to skype with my family and I also had to get ready to go out. Unfortunately the damn internet was down at home which is bloody typical so I had to make do with a phone call! After I had spoken to my family people had already started arriving so I had a mad dash to get ready! Everyone came to my apartment for pre-drinks around 6.30pm before we went out to dinner and the girls had a cake and presents for me.
After I'd opened everything we went to Rainforest Cafe which was delicious! I had half a rack of ribs, two cocktails and then they brought out this volcanoe cake thing and sang 'Happy Birthday' which was really nice.
After dinner everyone headed back to mine again for more drinks and fun. The girls also lit the candles on the cake they'd bought me and everyone sang again! It was a really great night.
The birthday fun didn't stop there! On the sunday after my birthday the girls and I went to stay in Animal Kingdom Lodge, one of Disney's resorts. When I arrived here it was the one hotel I was desperate to stay in so I was really excited to be staying there. We paid for the top view which is the savannah view and it was all it lived up to be. Our room overlooked the 'African plain' and we had giraffes and zebras right outside our window, it was amazing.
We booked a table that eveving at one of the resort's restaurants, 'Boma'. It was a buffet of South African food and it was so nice to try different things. At the end of the meal the waited also brought me over a special birthday cupcake- It's great celebrating a birthday at Disney!
The next day we had breakfast at the resort and had to check out by 11.00am. Once we dropped our stuff back at The Commons we went to Magic Kingdom. Because I was working on my birthday I really wanted to spend a day at a park wearing my birthday badge and Magic Kingdom is my favourite. Unfortunately because it was the day after the Superbowl it was sooooooo busy but we still had loads of fun. We did the usual rides like Haunted Mansion and Philharmagic but we also did stuff that you never usually do like Tom Sawyers Island and The Hall of Presidents! Of course we also had ice cream sundaes and watched the parade. I even had a group of cast members sing 'Happy Birthday' to me in the middle of the street! It was a wicked day.
Overall I had a fantastic birthday in Florida, definitely one I'll remember. My family here made up for the fact that I wasn't with my friends and family from home and they made it very special. Turning 24 wasn't as awful as I thought it would be!
Nothing much else has been happening. We've have had another group of new arrivals and some also come next week. One of our Merchies, Charlotte had her last day today, it was sad and it's her leaving meal tomorrow night. She leaves The Commons on Friday and I'll be moving into her apartment that day. She lives with one other person which is Rachel so I can't wait to become Rach's roomie :-)
Man: Can you tell me where the French restaurant in Italy is?
Me: (Thinking I haven't heard right) The Italian restaurant?
Man: Yes
Me: (showing map) It's in Italy here.
Man: No, my friend said it's next to the UK. It's this one, 'Chefs De France'.
Me: Well that's the French restaurant in FRANCE.
So I wasn't looking forward to my actual birthday here, I was worried I would be really homesick but when it came down to it I barely thought about home! Basically because I was so busy the whole day!
In the morning I had work but I opened all the cards that I had received and I also opened the packages Vicky and Lynsey sent me which I was really chuffed about. I was working 10.00am until 4.00am so it wasn't that bad but it still dragged! When I finished I rushed home because I wanted to skype with my family and I also had to get ready to go out. Unfortunately the damn internet was down at home which is bloody typical so I had to make do with a phone call! After I had spoken to my family people had already started arriving so I had a mad dash to get ready! Everyone came to my apartment for pre-drinks around 6.30pm before we went out to dinner and the girls had a cake and presents for me.
After I'd opened everything we went to Rainforest Cafe which was delicious! I had half a rack of ribs, two cocktails and then they brought out this volcanoe cake thing and sang 'Happy Birthday' which was really nice.
After dinner everyone headed back to mine again for more drinks and fun. The girls also lit the candles on the cake they'd bought me and everyone sang again! It was a really great night.
The birthday fun didn't stop there! On the sunday after my birthday the girls and I went to stay in Animal Kingdom Lodge, one of Disney's resorts. When I arrived here it was the one hotel I was desperate to stay in so I was really excited to be staying there. We paid for the top view which is the savannah view and it was all it lived up to be. Our room overlooked the 'African plain' and we had giraffes and zebras right outside our window, it was amazing.
We booked a table that eveving at one of the resort's restaurants, 'Boma'. It was a buffet of South African food and it was so nice to try different things. At the end of the meal the waited also brought me over a special birthday cupcake- It's great celebrating a birthday at Disney!
The next day we had breakfast at the resort and had to check out by 11.00am. Once we dropped our stuff back at The Commons we went to Magic Kingdom. Because I was working on my birthday I really wanted to spend a day at a park wearing my birthday badge and Magic Kingdom is my favourite. Unfortunately because it was the day after the Superbowl it was sooooooo busy but we still had loads of fun. We did the usual rides like Haunted Mansion and Philharmagic but we also did stuff that you never usually do like Tom Sawyers Island and The Hall of Presidents! Of course we also had ice cream sundaes and watched the parade. I even had a group of cast members sing 'Happy Birthday' to me in the middle of the street! It was a wicked day.
Overall I had a fantastic birthday in Florida, definitely one I'll remember. My family here made up for the fact that I wasn't with my friends and family from home and they made it very special. Turning 24 wasn't as awful as I thought it would be!
Nothing much else has been happening. We've have had another group of new arrivals and some also come next week. One of our Merchies, Charlotte had her last day today, it was sad and it's her leaving meal tomorrow night. She leaves The Commons on Friday and I'll be moving into her apartment that day. She lives with one other person which is Rachel so I can't wait to become Rach's roomie :-)
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